Chapter Twelve: Breaking Through the Blockade

“Heh heh, brother, those two mechs are definitely beyond repair. We mech operators know the basics of repair,” one soldier said, wolfing down his food as he listened to Lei Bin.

But Lei Bin remained unmoved. After fiddling with one mech for a while, he climbed onto the other and began pounding on it noisily.

“Come on, brother, even if the mech’s broken, you don’t have to smash it like that,” one of them said, watching Lei Bin’s actions with a grimace.

After all, these mechs were their comrades, like horses to ancient warriors, and to see them treated so roughly was unsettling.

Lei Bin, however, had already removed some parts from the first mech and brought them over to the second. Grinning, he said to the others, “I’m taking parts from that mech and fitting them onto this one. That should fix it.”

“But brother, those two mechs aren’t even the same model. Many parts aren’t interchangeable,” the soldier said, incredulous.

They weren’t novices with mechs and fully understood some repair details. If it were fixable, they would have done it already.

Ignoring their doubts, Lei Bin climbed back onto the mech and resumed tinkering inside.

Everyone gathered around, exchanging glances, puzzled by his stubbornness. They had already said it couldn’t be fixed.

After about twenty minutes, Lei Bin’s head finally popped out, smeared with grease. He chuckled, “It’s fixed, but I made some modifications. You might not be able to operate it, so let me drive.”

He then started the mech. With a rumbling roar of the engine, the mech emitted clicking sounds as all its indicator lights flickered on.

“It actually moved! He really fixed it?”

“Damn, this kid’s incredible! How did he manage that? Who is he—a mech soldier?”

“Yeah, what kind of soldier is Lei Bin? He seems capable of anything.”

“I heard he’s infantry.”

“No way, infantry these days are that amazing?”

Lei Bin was thrilled to pilot a real mech for the first time. He circled the area, testing various maneuvers—sprinting, jumping, melee attacks—with fluid ease, as if an extension of his own body.

“It’s no different from virtual training. Exactly the same,” Lei Bin thought. The real mech felt just like the simulations.

This was largely because the Star Dream AI existed directly in his mind, rendering all virtual experiences fully realistic. He was already a mech expert in training simulations, so piloting the real thing was second nature.

“Take out the energy packs and ammo from that other mech. We’ll keep moving. With this mech, we can bypass the enemy and reach Base 2,” Lei Bin said loudly, raising the mech’s arm.

Everyone erupted in cheers upon hearing his confident words.

Lei Bin’s near-miraculous feats had already impressed everyone except Loulan. Now, having restored a supposedly broken mech, their combat power soared, and faith in Lei Bin deepened.

Loulan, watching the crowd’s fervent admiration, felt a pang of jealousy. “Who exactly is this guy? Just infantry?”

Loulan was increasingly baffled by Lei Bin. Finding food in the wild could be chalked up to infantry skills, but repairing a mech even trained mech soldiers couldn’t fix raised doubts about his true identity.

Repairing mechs was also thanks to Star Dream, which scanned the two machines and guided Lei Bin through the repairs via mental imagery.

With this mech, the group grew more united and confident. Though Loulan was formally the highest-ranking officer, nearly all operational plans now came from Lei Bin.

Though she resented his overstepping, Loulan had no better plans. They were still in danger; one wrong move could doom them all.

So she swallowed her pride, acting like a puppet executing Lei Bin’s strategies—though in truth, these were Star Dream’s plans.

They continued weaving through the jungle, encountering more bugs. But now, with the mech added, fighting the insectoid enemies became much easier. The mech’s rapid-fire guns were devastating—one hit was often enough to obliterate the lesser bugs.

Lei Bin’s mastery of the mech was exceptional—his aim and firing speed maximized its power. Watching this, the other mech soldiers were stunned. They never thought they could handle so many bugs with such agile jumps, dodges, charges, sweeps, and close combat.

Their training was different. Fail and you died, so they never had to unleash their full potential like Lei Bin did.

Choosing to evade the Imperial army by detouring, Lei Bin’s group soon met many other refugees escaping Base 3. These weary survivors, suffering hunger, disease, cold, and bug attacks, were desperate.

Joining Lei Bin’s group meant better food, rest, and fewer casualties when facing bugs. With the glowing reports about Lei Bin, their confidence in returning to Base 2 soared, as did their admiration for him.

Eventually, these soldiers bypassed Loulan, seeking orders directly from Lei Bin.

Lei Bin, no longer polite, freely issued commands, leading them through the jungle with a sense of joy that momentarily made him forget the recent torment Star Dream had caused him.

Five days later, their numbers swelled to over two thousand—a sizable force.

The further south they went, the more refugees heading to Base 2 joined them.

Half of the group were soldiers, who had higher survival odds due to their training and because the Imperial fleet’s main assault targeted the base’s central areas, leaving outer camps less affected.

But more people meant more challenges in management—division of labor, escape plans—all had to be adjusted.

Loulan had completely lost control. Though once an officer, she had many assistants before—logistics, administration—now she had to handle everything alone.

She was overwhelmed. Yet whenever she felt lost, Lei Bin would grin and approach with suggestions: “Captain, how about we do it this way? It might work better.”

She couldn’t understand where this rogue military genius had come from. Lei Bin excelled in everything: logistics, combat deployment, mech repair, medical aid.

Loulan could only meekly agree and execute his plans.

Though she hated Lei Bin personally, she had to admit he was a far superior commander. For her own sake and everyone’s, letting him lead was the wisest choice.

Recently, Lei Bin had been flirting hotly with the middle-aged beauty Daisy, whom he had saved earlier, leaving Loulan unbothered. Otherwise, with his nature, Lei Bin would surely have taken advantage.

Lei Bin learned Daisy had a husband and had come to Base 3 on business, only to be caught in the chaos. Though married, she responded to Lei Bin’s advances with playful ambivalence, fueling his desire. Had the timing been right, he might have lost his virginity already.

Now, everyone looked to Lei Bin for guidance; he hardly had a moment’s rest.

After two more days, under Star Dream’s plan, they prepared to leave the jungle and head for Base 2. But just as they set off, they encountered a group of two to three thousand refugees from Base 3.

From them, Lei Bin learned the Imperial army had already sealed off the route ahead. Many had tried to bypass it but were captured, suffering heavy losses. The rest fled into the jungle.

“Damn, these Imperial bastards are giving no quarter,” Lei Bin’s face darkened. Even Star Dream hadn’t anticipated such an extensive blockade.

“What now?” everyone looked to Lei Bin, their habitual instinct to seek his solutions kicking in.

Lei Bin was also consulting Star Dream.

After analysis, Star Dream said, “Given the enemy’s numbers, we could try to break through by force, but with so many of us, even if we pass, it would alert other Imperial units, making full escape unlikely. There’s only one plan with a good chance of success.”

Lei Bin asked eagerly, “What is it? Tell us, big sister! They’re all waiting on me.”

Star Dream calmly replied, “You disguise yourselves as Imperial troops, infiltrate their ranks, learn their deployments, and then you’ll have a chance.”

“Spy mission? How do we pull that off?” Lei Bin realized his survival depended on Star Dream’s guidance, just as others now depended on him.

“It’d be best to capture an enemy mech. I can then hack their network and blind part of their surveillance, making it easier for you to slip through,” Star Dream said.

Lei Bin understood. Closing his eyes briefly, he reopened them and addressed his people: “The Imperial blockade is heavy, and breaking through is tough. But it’s not impossible. If you trust me, follow my lead, I will get us to Base 2.”

Cheers erupted. Every time Lei Bin spoke like this, problems got solved.

Their faith in him was built on his long record of successful leadership.

After dismissing the crowd, Lei Bin gathered a core group—Loulan and several squad leaders he had appointed—to plan the operation.

“To get past the blockade, we must first capture some Imperial soldiers, preferably a mech, to learn their deployments. Only then can we plan our breakthrough,” Lei Bin said sternly.

Usually playful, Lei Bin had naturally adopted an air of authority after issuing orders so long. At this critical moment, his serious tone radiated the presence of a high-ranking commander.

This aura made the others respect him even more.

One squad leader said, “Lei Bin, you’re right. To get through, we must know their situation first. Tell us the plan; we’ll follow you.”

Since Lei Bin was only a private, they couldn’t call him officer, just by name.

The others agreed, even Loulan, despite her dislike, nodded silently. There was no other choice.

After discussion, Lei Bin led a small team to capture enemy prisoners. Loulan volunteered to join.

Lei Bin initially wanted to keep her back, fearing capture would mean she’d be sold into slavery given her beauty.

But considering combat ability, no one on their side matched Loulan. Having her might be crucial.

That night, after arranging the others, Lei Bin personally led ten men toward the blockade.

“How do you navigate this dense jungle so fast without any instruments?” someone asked, amazed at Lei Bin’s speed and sense of direction.

In this era, compasses were obsolete; soldiers typically used GPS. Many had fled in a hurry without such devices.

Lei Bin chuckled, “I’m infantry. If I can’t tell directions, what kind of soldier would I be?”

The others scoffed. Infantry can’t just instinctively navigate, can they? Some even wondered if Lei Bin was a robot, given his incredible abilities.

Though current AI robots weren’t this realistic yet.

After two hours, Lei Bin’s team reached the jungle’s edge as night fell. In the distance, faint lights marked the Imperial blockade.

“What now?” they gathered around him.

Lei Bin thought a moment. “You wait here. I’ll scout ahead and then make a plan.”

The end.