Chapter 13, Help Each Other Out

"It can be done."

This unexpected answer allowed Yelisia to vaguely grasp the implication behind Gu Hang's words.

Still, she deliberately asked, "If there are such enemies, Your Excellency, please give me a precise coordinate, and orbital bombardment will follow. Whether they be green-skins or the Heretic Cult, I will bring down the Emperor's most terrifying wrath upon these foes."

"How could the Empire's enemies dare to expose themselves in broad daylight? They won't act openly and aboveboard. I need some time to dig these enemies out. And that will require your help," Gu Hang said.

Yelisia fell silent.

She now fully understood the meaning behind Gu Hang's words.

These enemies, if they already existed on Rage Owl Star, that would be best. If they did not exist, then they could be made to exist, but that would require the assistance of the Governor's authority—something Yelisia could hardly manage on her own.

Gu Hang's voice rose again: "I don't need much, nor do I need additional manpower from you. Two hundred sets of servosoldier armaments, some armored vehicles usable on land. These things are of no use sitting idle on starships. However, they could trade for opportunities."

"It's true that this is helping me, but it is equally helping yourself. The savior of Rage Owl Star, how do you like that title? The heads of countless enemies of the Empire will forge your medals of merit. And what you need to pay is but a trifle, some mere land force equipment. I will find the enemies for you, I can even help you take their heads."

"I don't want to be executed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs Tax Bureau in two years' time, and you don't want to waste two years in orbit around Rage Owl Star. So why shouldn't we help each other? This is not a trade; this is our mission here, and it's our future prospects," he concluded.

"Ahem..." Yelisia tried to speak but found her throat a bit dry.

The truth was, she was somewhat tempted.

She had thought she would be stuck in orbit for two years, and upon returning, continue to face all kinds of rumors and not know when she would find a real chance to fight.

But now, Gu Hang's words had opened a new door for her.

She began to seriously consider the feasibility of this affair, weighing what she would have to give and what she would gain in return.

And the conclusion didn't seem hard to reach.

At worst, she would just have provided manpower and armaments, only for Gu Hang to still accomplish nothing, her time wasted here for naught.

But what of it? Her two years stationed here was a certainty, it was an order from the Naval Department, immutable; the loss of manpower and equipment supplied to support the ground operations wasn't her concern, as supporting the Governor was part of her duties. Any missing equipment could simply be requisitioned and replenished later.

And crucially, it wouldn't cost her a dime, the Empire's treasury would foot the bill.

Beyond that, there were no other costs.

Could it be that she had to worry about someone threatening the starship? She found the very idea laughable.

And if Gu Hang succeeded, she would earn the merit of purging the planet of all enemies, their heads serving as a soldier's medals.

Those who had kept Rage Owl Star from providing sufficient resources and taxes to the Star Sector, once eradicated by her, would see the planet return to its rightful course—was this not the honor she sought?

Of course, this action wouldn't be as heroic as showing one's prowess in a decisive naval battle, destroying the enemy's main warships, but at the very least it would count as merit, proving that her two years were not spent in vain. Upon returning, it wouldn't just silence the naysayers but would add color to her resume, which otherwise would only show practice and training achievements—mere subjects of mockery in the eyes of veterans.

Biting the bullet, Yelisia said, "If that's the case, I agree."

"That's great."

The crew of the "Quintet" was very efficient. It didn't take long for two transport ships to take off from the starship.

Watching the ships descend to the desolate grey planet below, Yelisia gradually began to reconsider.

The scale of my starship's marine corps is not large; actually, the stockpile of equipment isn't that much...

No, that's not right!

Hadn't I made up my mind not to give even a hair this time, no matter what Gu Hang said?

That Gu Hang, he painted such a grand vision, and I just bought into it like that?

The thing is, he hasn't offered any benefits yet, not even a concrete promise, so how did I end up giving away two hundred sets of personal military equipment, plus four armored vehicles?

I've been swindled by that man again!

But... what he said made so much sense...

It hit right at what she was thinking.

"Sigh..."

With a sigh, Yelisia forced herself not to fret over it anymore.

What's done is done, what else can be done?

She could only hope that Gu Hang would do as he said.

...

After getting what he wanted, Gu Hang was in a great mood.

Soon, he saw two transport ships coming from "Quintet" land at his still-unfinished airport.

A large number of servants had already prepared. Once the ship's hatch opened, they unloaded everything.

After a complete inventory check, nothing was missing.

The two hundred sets of personal military gear were primarily built around the G7 'Assaulter' Rifle, complemented with some squad machine guns, mortars, and combat suits. These combat suits came with bulletproof inserts made of alloy plastic steel. Their performance was acceptable; after all, they were a piece of protective gear.

Gu Hang directly allocated one hundred sets to the newly conscripted Abandoned Cave Society company.

Next, he used the soldier tag feature in the system to spend the last bit of his grace on them.

[Abandoned Cave Company, Overall -, Not Upgradeable]

[Type: Light Infantry, Quantity: 100 people]

[Equipment: T5, Training: -, Experience: -]

This was the current attribute level of the Abandoned Cave Company, and based on Gu Hang's previous experience, in about three days, the result of the training bonus would fully manifest. By that time, this new force's overall level would also have reached T5.

This was the lowest standard for the Imperial Regular Army. If there were equal numbers, they could completely defeat the bandits and minor warlords on Rage Owl Star, keeping casualties to a minimum.

At the same time, the transport ships also brought down four Strider V-type light armored vehicles. These armored vehicles, with three pairs of wheels and rapid-firing autocannons mounted on their weapons platforms, were quite formidable combat vehicles.

Unfortunately, the mechanized soldiers couldn't operate these vehicles; nor could anyone from the Abandoned Cave Society company, so they had to arrange for the thirty elite marines to be deployed in the four vehicles as mobile forces.

With this, Gu Hang had under his command a force of more than four hundred, equipped with four high-level armored vehicles.

This was already a military force that could not be ignored.

His gaze turned in the direction of the Alliance Capital Rejuvenation City.