Chapter 1462: Charging In (2) |
“I don’t get this. What are we even doing here?”
Reggie Mercer chuckled hollowly while staring at the soldiers manning their posts on this nameless stretch of the desert.
“Are we supposed to play house? In the desert?”
He tried but failed to figure out why they were here. First of all, why was this operation labeled “top secret”? He found that so bizarre.
Top secret? Did the brass think they could deploy this many people and still keep secrets in this day and age?
I mean, come on! There are two divisions here. Two!
Sure, they were mechanized divisions and not infantry, so they didn’t have as many soldiers as one might expect, but it was still two divisions of the United States military.
Mercer heard a certain rumor on the grapevine that the original plan was to deploy an entire corps instead of only two divisions. But that plan had to be withdrawn due to the corps commander’s vociferous opposition. At least, that was what Mercer heard.
That makes even less sense, though!
A combat force that large should be more than enough to ransack the entirety of Europe. Mercer was dead-sure about that. After all, his corps was the famed III Armored Corps. With the firepower it boasted, no country on Earth would dare pick a fight with it.
No, wait. We don’t even need the entire corps for that.
Indeed, even the firepower in this place should be enough to occupy most average-sized countries in a single day.
Mercer was definitely not being arrogant here. He had no way of knowing how ordinary people might evaluate an army’s capabilities, but anyone with even some passing knowledge in military-related matters would agree Mercer wasn’t talking out of his ass.
“Commander, sir!”
“Mm!” Mercer nodded slightly when one of the operations officers approached and smartly saluted him.
“Sir, the 2nd and 3rd Armored Brigades are in position, waiting orders!”
“Good work!”
Mercer chuckled while scanning the rows of tanks before his eyes.
“Although, I still don’t get what we’re trying to achieve here. Also, that man… Why is a man with a cushy desk job even doing this, I wonder?”
“I’m not sure what to tell you, sir.”
The two men glanced behind them at a low-lying hill. That was not a product of Mother Nature like other nearby sand dunes, however. Anyone who saw it would instantly realize it was a man-made structure from how there were so many little irregular “swellings” jutting out from its various surfaces.
That was a temporary bunker built with special concrete. Its defensive capabilities were poor compared to actual bunkers built to meet exacting standards, such as a consistent wall thickness. However, such a make-shift bunker was still better than nothing. It easily surpassed the defensive capabilities of most buildings, after all.
As for the person staying inside that bunker? It was none other than Phil Burton. He holed himself up in there as soon as the bunker was completed and hadn’t come outside since.
What a coward, thought Mercer.
…And it seemed the operations officer shared his sentiment.
“Sir, if you don’t mind me saying this, I’m not sure why the Undersecretary even chose to join us in this operation. Especially when he’s that scared to be here. We could have installed something like a mannequin or even just a photo of him inside that bunker, and that would have sufficed for this operation.”
Mercer chuckled softly. “Sure. But don’t think too badly of our Undersecretary. Let me be honest with you here. I actually rate that man’s attitude quite highly.”
“Sir? Really?”
“Yes. Even though he’s piss-scared, he probably wants to leave behind a sparkling career achievement of participating in a large-scale operation like this on his records. Obsession with political power that can surpass your instinctive fear? Don’t you think that’s commendable, in a way?”
“Sir! I’m not sure if you’re being serious or just being sarcastic.”
“Let’s just say it’s a bit of both.”
Mercer was being honest, of course. He was genuinely impressed by Burton’s obsession that compelled him to join this shindig when he didn’t even have to. But knowing why that man was so obsessed, how could Mercer not be sarcastic about this whole thing?
This was the difference between officers forged by on-field experiences and those who climbed through the ranks in air-conned command offices.
“Commander, sir. I still don’t understand the point of this operation. We don’t know who our enemies are, and worse still, what even is the goal of our mission?”
“Hmm…” Mercer smirked. “What was our mission objective, again?”
“It is to protect our VIP from the assassination attempt by an unknown special forces squad.”
“There you go. You already have your answer, so why do you ask me about what our goals are? It seems you lack discipline, Colonel.”
The operations officer frowned deeply. “My apologies, sir! Even so, this entire operation doesn’t make much sense to me. Deploying two divisions just to stop a small number of special forces operatives sounds like overkill.”
“I don’t mind you questioning your mission objectives. Such attitudes can improve our military culture in the long run, after all. However, it seems I owe you an apology, Colonel. Regretfully, I’m also in no position to clear up the air. I, too, am having trouble making sense of this situation, after all.”
“This is why the higher-ups can be so…”
“Watch it, Colonel. The higher-ups to you include me too, okay? Nobody likes getting insulted to their face.”
“I would never insult you, sir!”
Mercer chuckled back at the smiling operations officer.
It was rare to see a combat force of this size gathered in one place. Not only that, but the combatants were carrying live ammunition, as if to engage in actual warfare. Something like this hadn’t happened in the last two decades, at the very least.
However, Mercer wasn’t particularly nervous about what was scheduled to take place.
A small squad of special forces operatives should never be able to threaten a combat force of this size, after all. So, what he should really watch out for was more like self-inflicted incidents and accidents arising from the carelessness of the troops instead.
Yeah… The more I think about this, the crazier this operation feels like.
A training exercise would only mean something if it was to counter plausible combat situations. In that case, even a three-year-old kid would look at this operation and say the situation they were training for was realistically improbable.
“Hah… Yeah, who knows?” Mercer smirked derisively. “Maybe they are trying to find ways to survive, regardless of what the situation is.”
The operations officer slowly shook his head. “If that’s their goal, it would’ve been better to seek shelter in the White House’s underground bunker, sir.”
“Yeah. Even I would have recommended doing that.”
Mercer had no reason to view Phil Burton in a negative light. But it couldn’t be helped; the frontline commanders would always feel this repulsion at people who were not from the military background but still tried to have a say in military operations.
No wonder Mercer and the operations officer didn’t have kind things to say right now.
“Colonel, let’s finish deploying our troops into their positions. This training farce might end quickly, but returning everyone to their bases will take well over a day, so it wouldn’t hurt to prepare ahead of time.”
“Understood, sir!”
Mercer frowned slightly while watching the operations officer rushing outside the tent.
Damn… I sure got myself mixed up in a total waste of time.
This was supposed to be an actual battle, not a simulated one. Really now?
Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll give it to you.
Mercer didn’t know who this unknown squad of special forces operatives was or why they even agreed to partake in an operation this insane. But he still swore to make mincemeat out of them as soon as they were spotted. Only then would the decision makers stop and think before doing something this idiotic again.
“Don’t blame me for this, okay?”
He wasn’t the one who asked for this stupid event, after all!
Mercer sneaked a meaningful glance at the bunker behind him.
***
A warm, inviting aroma drifted out of the coffee in the steel cup.
The commander of III Armored Corps, the United States Army Forces Command, Lieutenant General Frank Wilson, stared weirdly at Phil Burton.
“Those must be some excellent coffee beans, Mister Undersecretary.”
Burton leisurely replied, “I’ve always enjoyed this brand’s coffee, General. Unfortunately, it’s a little trickier than I’d like to brew good coffee in here.”
General Wilson’s sharp observation noticed how relaxed Burton was right now. What a strange man the Undersecretary was.
Phil Burton’s behavior inside this bunker painted a picture of an utterly relaxed man, yet his actions were still astonishingly cautious.
For one, he had not stepped outside this bunker, which was constructed specially for this operation, once he entered it. He even handled nature's calls with the facilities installed in the corner of this bunker, even though they weren’t originally designed for that purpose!
But only people like him will survive right till the end, thought Wilson.
Regardless of what they felt or thought, they made sure not to deviate from the routine and create variables. For the sake of victory, people like Burton wouldn’t hesitate to dive into a pool of excrement and breathe through a straw.
“Hmm. You don’t look happy about something, General,” said Burton.
“How perceptive of you, sir. I’m not happy at all about forcing my precious men to participate in this… circus. If you hadn’t promised to increase our annual budget, I would have refused to participate in this training exercise on the spot.”
Burton sighed. “Are you still stuck in that half-assed attitude? Do not forget that this is not a training exercise, General. No, this is an actual combat situation.”
“…”
Burton took a leisurely sip of his coffee.
“This might sound unpleasant coming from me, but the only life guaranteed to be safe during this battle is mine. In other words, the lives of our soldiers are a fair game.”
Wilson chuckled in dismay. “What are you trying to say, sir? Is our enemy Superman or something?”
“I’m not kidding with you, okay?” Burton spoke, his expression suddenly getting colder. “Victory in itself is meaningless to us. I do not wish to see even a single death on our side from this… waste of time and resources. After all, that would be a tremendous blow to our nation’s interests. An utterly meaningless, unnecessary loss of life. Do you understand what I’m trying to say, General Wilson?”
This was precisely the part Wilson couldn’t figure out.
All the frontline commanders were unhappy about being forced to participate in this nonsensical training exercise. But the way Wilson saw it, the one most dissatisfied with being here was none other than Undersecretary Burton.
“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking… You seem genuinely unhappy about this training exercise, so why did you insist on holding it?”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s so that we won’t have to go through this nonsense ever again. You see, General Wilson… In this world exists a certain group of idiots who need to be taught a harsh lesson first before they can finally see the light, so to speak.
“One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that folks in important positions usually are level-headed at all times. But you know as well as I do that that’s not how life works.”
Burton helplessly shrugged.
“Humans don’t get wiser just because they have seen many things and read lots of books. Knowledge will only serve as fuel to reinforce your worldview. In the end, you become an idiot trapped in your own misconceptions and prejudices.”
Wilson subtly cocked an eyebrow. “Do you believe you’re not a part of this group of idiots, sir?”
Burton furrowed his brow. “Who knows? Maybe I am. I might be a boomer with his head filled with prejudices. I’m sure today will reveal the truth for us.”
Wilson shook his head. This conversation failed to shed light on who Phil Burton was or what he was even thinking about.
“It’s not always a good idea to think too deeply about things, General. Remember, you’re a soldier. And soldiers are supposed to follow orders. It’s their sacred duty, is it not? So, you just focus on stopping the enemy from getting near this bunker. That’s it.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, sir. I give you my word that no one will reach this location. Besides, with our troops already in position, there isn’t much I can do now. It’s now up to the commanders in the front lines. You should be the one who must stop thinking that the higher-ups enjoy full control of the army. Sir.”
“Thank you for that honest criticism, General. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Wilson tutted in his mind. Hah. You’re a slick customer, is that it?
Despite his attempt at probing and provoking the Undersecretary, Wilson got nothing in return. This was why it was always tricky to deal with career politicians.
Wilson’s adjutant entered the bunker and saluted before addressing the lieutenant general. “Sir! A new report just came in! All troops are now in position, waiting for their orders!”
“I see. For now, the order is to be on standby.”
“Understood!”
The adjutant saluted again before exiting the bunker.
Wilson turned around to face Burton next. “It seems our men are in position.”
“Mm…!” Burton nodded, then stared at his phone, his expression somewhat cramped. “It’s not like I’m scared of what might happen, but… Yes, I am nervous about this.”
He typed a text message and sent it to the other side. He then reclined against the chair while sighing deeply. The message simply said that his side had finished its preparations.
This is nothing more than a show, anyway!
If he wanted to, Burton could have mobilized the entire III Armored Corps. However, that would have defeated the purpose of this whole demonstration, since doing so would prove the worth of the martial artists instead. After all, it’d be the same as admitting that dealing with a handful of martial artists required tens of thousands of regular soldiers.
So, Burton thought mobilizing only one division should be enough. Of course, his perfectionist attitude meant he mobilized one more division, just in case. Some people might accuse him of being a coward, but so what?
“Well, then. Let’s see how good these East Asian folks are. Let’s see if they are indeed good enough to warrant Spencer’s confidence…!”
Burton locked his gaze on the monitors installed in the center of the bunker’s interior.
“I sincerely hope that you’ll put up a decent fight, at least!”
Otherwise, all the hard work he had put in to mobilize these soldiers would’ve been for nothing.
A subtle smirk floated up on Phil Burton’s face.