Chapter Fourteen: Capturing the Mecha

At that moment, the armored vehicle had already pulled up nearby, surrounded by numerous sentries curious about the captured female officer.

As they approached and saw Lou Lan glaring fiercely, each of them gasped, exclaiming, “Damn, such a beautiful officer—probably many nobles will be vying for her. You guys really hit the jackpot.”

Lei Bin sat proudly beside Lou Lan, wrapping an arm around her, laughing heartily. “That’s right. I won’t lie to you—this girl’s got a fiery temper. I don’t know which noble will be able to tame her.”

While speaking, Lei Bin shamelessly groped Lou Lan, taking full advantage of the opportunity. He quickly explored her concealed areas, deriving immense pleasure.

Bang—

A muffled thud echoed as Lei Bin, momentarily distracted by his indulgence, was suddenly kicked off the armored vehicle by Lou Lan’s swift strike, crashing heavily onto the ground.

“Don’t move.” The other soldiers from the Federation reacted instantly, aiming their guns at Lou Lan, pretending to force her back into the vehicle.

This staged act became even more convincing; the others burst into laughter, simultaneously pulling Lei Bin back up.

Feigning extreme anger, Lei Bin cursed, “Damn it, you little woman, how dare you kick me! Just wait—I'll show you what it’s like when I get my hands on you. Brothers, come here; tonight, we’re all going to have some fun!”

The soldiers cheered excitedly at his words, while Lou Lan glared at Lei Bin with burning hatred, wishing she could skin him alive.

“Damn! If you guys are having fun, don’t leave me out. Don’t want to live anymore,” a voice suddenly interrupted as the hatch of a mech creaked open, revealing a head inside.

“Greetings, officer,” everyone saluted simultaneously.

Only officers, at least lieutenants, could operate mechs or warships. The sentries below were mere infantry with lower ranks, so they naturally saluted.

“This girl’s mine for tonight. Damn, it’s been a long time since I’ve touched a woman, especially one this beautiful,” the mech operator removed his helmet, revealing a lecherous grin as he dismounted.

Lei Bin immediately stepped forward, blocking him with a sly smile. “Officer, you can have the first go at her, no problem, but I have one condition.”

The mech operator’s gaze, fixed on the glaring, breathing heavily Lou Lan, was already inflamed with desire. Without even looking away, he asked, “What’s the condition?”

Lei Bin’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the Empire’s mech. “It’s nothing much. Officer, I’ve always wanted to be a mech pilot, but never qualified. Let me sit in your mech for a bit, just to get a taste. Then, that girl’s yours first.”

“Haha, that’s easy,” the operator said impatiently. “Bring that girl to the tent over there. I want to have some real fun.” He waved off Lei Bin and headed toward Lou Lan.

“Thanks, officer,” Lei Bin said, jumping into the mech’s cockpit.

Once inside, he quickly settled into the seat, resting his head back to perform an identity check, allowing Xingmeng to infiltrate the mech’s system and seize control.

Ding—

Within a second, Xingmeng announced, “Infiltration successful. This mech is now yours. The Empire’s mech controls differ slightly from the Federation’s. Here’s a demonstration.”

Lei Bin laughed, “Xingmeng, you’re amazing—took less than a second to crack their system.”

“Thanks,” Xingmeng replied. “I’m now hacking their military network to learn about their strategic deployments. Hacking their military network won’t be so easy.”

Knowing time was tight, with the mech operator starting to grope Lou Lan, Lei Bin, though a scoundrel himself, didn’t want others taking liberties with her. He planned to keep Lou Lan for himself—his woman—and wouldn’t tolerate others exploiting her.

Unable to fully master the mech’s controls yet, he closed the cockpit hatch, readying the weapons systems.

Closing the hatch signaled the mech was under his control, but the operator, completely distracted by Lou Lan’s beauty, failed to notice.

Lou Lan and the others were anxious, aware that Lei Bin’s control of the mech was crucial. They had to buy time and avoid a counterattack lest their ruse be exposed and ruined.

Lou Lan, nervous as the operator approached, feared more indignities. Being taken advantage of by Lei Bin was unpleasant, but he was at least an ally. Over time, he had helped her through many crises and led them this far, diminishing her resentment.

If someone from the Empire violated her, that would be a deep humiliation.

As the operator lunged, Lou Lan kicked him away fiercely. Being a martial artist with formidable combat skills, she was far beyond their match.

“Damn... this girl’s really fierce. Just wait, I’ll kill you...” The enraged operator grunted, striding angrily forward to grab Lou Lan.

Suddenly, instinct alerted him to danger.

He turned his head and saw the muzzle of his own mech’s gun aimed at his head.

“Ah—” he screamed in terror as a laser beam shot out, instantly obliterating his skull.

“What’s going on?!” the others panicked.

At that moment, the other Federation soldiers on the armored vehicle opened fire. Caught completely off guard and unprepared, they fell in droves.

With Lei Bin controlling the mech’s gunfire, within ten seconds, all enemy soldiers were wiped out.

“Load the armored vehicles. We’ll seize a few more when the chance arises. Now, let’s give them a lesson,” Lei Bin’s voice echoed from inside the mech. The massive machine creaked as it turned, charging toward other Empire forces.

A single mech’s firepower far exceeded that of armored vehicles. Under Lei Bin’s command, they struck unexpectedly, inflicting severe losses on the enemy camp.

Lou Lan and her group followed closely, using the armored vehicles’ heavy weapons to attack, throwing the Empire’s defensive line into chaos.

After wreaking havoc for a while, Xingmeng reported, “I’ve infiltrated their primary network and can now control all mechs along this frontline. However, for long-term plans, I suggest we hold off on taking control. We’ve gained the initiative and can return to base, gather everyone, and devise a new strategy.”

Lei Bin nodded and called to Lou Lan and the others below, “Alright, let’s move out.”

The soldiers quickly boarded several armored cars, following Lei Bin’s mech as they headed toward the jungle.

At the jungle’s edge, armored vehicles couldn’t proceed. Lei Bin ordered them hidden, then carried everyone swiftly on the mech toward the camp.

Everyone was ecstatic, amazed that just ten people had achieved such a tremendous victory—killing countless enemies and capturing a mech.

Even Lou Lan had completely forgotten about Lei Bin’s earlier misconduct, overwhelmed by joy. This meant returning to Base 2 was no longer impossible.

The mech moved much faster. Thanks to Xingmeng’s precise route calculations, they reached the camp within half an hour.

As the mech appeared, camp sentries panicked. “Quick, alert everyone! The Empire’s mech is here! Run!”

“Captain Lou Lan and the others aren’t back yet. What do we do?”

“Without Lei Bin, how can we fight?”

Chaos erupted, but soon Lei Bin’s voice rang out from the mech, “Haha, don’t panic. It’s me, Lei Bin. This is the Empire’s mech I captured.”

Hearing his voice, everyone stopped, turning in shock to gaze at the towering mech.

Lou Lan and the others dismounted, walking toward the camp. Seeing them, the troops erupted in cheers.

The mech returned to base amid a warm, heroic welcome. Their confidence in Lei Bin leading them back to Base 2 soared.

After calming the crowd, Lei Bin summoned Lou Lan and key leaders to discuss breaking through the blockade.

In truth, Lei Bin and Xingmeng had already planned everything mentally; now they only needed approval and support.

“I found information in the Empire’s network,” Lei Bin began. “They’ve imprisoned all captured Federation soldiers in a camp southeast of here—about ten thousand people. I intend to rescue them all and return to Base 2.”

This plan was Xingmeng’s. At first, Lei Bin wondered why Xingmeng risked so much to save those prisoners, but Xingmeng explained: rescuing them would earn Lei Bin immense merit, promoting him to lieutenant and making him a Federation hero with a bright future.

This would greatly aid Xingmeng’s efforts to root out traitors within the Federation.

Lei Bin sneered but, truthfully, he couldn’t bear to abandon so many to die or be sold as slaves by the Empire.

So, he agreed to Xingmeng’s plan.