Darkstone Code

Chapter 1118 - 1116: Northward

People uninterested in silver may not necessarily be uninterested in gold.

The strange decline of gold has sparked many associations, causing some people to open their eyes and observe the entire world in secret.

By mid to late March, the weather in Mariluo had warmed considerably. At least, people no longer needed to wear thick cold-weather clothing to avoid frostbite or freezing to death in the wind and snow.

This year’s sudden cold wave impacted the entire spring planting plan in Mariluo. So much so that by mid to late March, spring planting had still not begun.

Ryan jumped off the train with his heavy personal gear on his back. Each breath he took expelled two faint traces of steam from his nostrils.

He had been in Federation during the freeze, primarily because he needed to return to the Federation for a medical check-up. After all, he had previously sustained internal injuries and nearly died.

The front lines lacked sufficient medical equipment and advanced facilities to examine his injuries, so he had to go back, even though he didn’t want to.

After returning, the extreme cold set in. Even the railway tracks became unreliable due to low temperatures, halting the trains heading to the front lines. Only after the temperatures warmed and the ground surface temperature increased did he catch the first train back.

As he got off the train, his comrade greeted him with a warm hug. "I was afraid the southern girls were so passionate that they’d make you forget we have work to do here..."

His partner patted Ryan vigorously, a look of joy all over his face.

Only those who have truly participated in warfare on the front lines can understand what a comrade really means.

He might be your eyes.

Or perhaps your back.

He could be your stronghold.

Or maybe your weapon!

A comrade can play any role needed at any time, and a partner with first-rate cooperation skills is even rarer.

Especially in street battles, fostering tacit understanding is not something that can be achieved quickly; it requires time, or even lives, to cultivate.

Ryan laughed heartily, not feeling the least bit burdened by the heavy equipment on his back. He patted his comrade on the body, "Yes, yes, those girls were too passionate."

"They almost drowned me. If it weren’t for remembering that a jerk was waiting here for me to bring him back, I might not have returned!"

His comrade released him and punched him in the chest, "You big braggart!"

Ryan chuckled sleazily, "I wasn’t lying, I swear!"

In the Federation’s marriage market, soldiers are not considered desirable partners, because during the world war, the armies of various countries, including Gafura’s army, suffered heavy casualties.

At that time, there were many anti-war documentaries, films, and some data records.

In these propagations, people only had one idea about war, and that was that it kills people, and kills a lot of people!

If someone were to marry a soldier, perhaps in the year war breaks out, she would become a widow.

Some battles were like meat grinders, and people couldn’t even use a single number to preserve the dignity of a fallen warrior; they added a unit to the numbers.

Tens of thousands of people died in a single battle, everyone becoming symbolized, but behind this figure are just as many families enduring pain.

So soldiers, are not the ladies that are favored now.

But Ryan was very popular this time because he worked in Darkstone Security.

People knew how good the benefits were at this company. When he appeared in a bar wearing a Darkstone Security uniform, he immediately attracted many young girls to him.

When Darkstone Security recruited new employees from society as a unified effort, they publicly disclosed Darkstone Security’s salary standards and content. When people saw that even the lowest-level office workers could earn a base salary and commission of four to five hundred dollars per month, the whole society was shaken by Darkstone Security’s high salaries.

Not to mention they also have compensation for casualties and various benefits, to the extent that some people feel dying for Darkstone Security would make them or even more valuable.

At least by dedicating one’s life to Darkstone Security, one could ensure that their family and children would never again face hardship. They could go to school and university, which is many people’s dream!

Aside from that, the various benefits also made people envious. Someone jokingly said that if possible, quickly marry an employee of Darkstone Security.

If he doesn’t die, then congratulations, you can enjoy the beauty of life without needing to work.

If he sacrifices in his work, then congratulations as well; you can receive more money, better welfare benefits, and attention, and you can still marry the next one!

Throughout the vacation, besides routine training, Ryan spent his time in bars and hotels. Those enthusiastic chicks wanted to get into bed the first day and marry him the second.

No matter how peaceful, quiet, and nice the rear was, he longed urgently to return here!

This is where he belonged; only here could he feel the value of his existence.

"The command center has issued new orders. We will continue north in two days..."

The two of them were heading towards their tent as Ryan’s comrade talked about it, "The orders are urgent. You may not get much rest before we hit the road. Hopefully, those southern girls didn’t make your legs go weak..."

The entire camp pulsed with a fervent atmosphere.

Isabella sat in the room, her hair had grown out quite a bit. Perhaps it was due to psychological changes, she did not grow it long again.

She kept a particularly unique short hairstyle; the hair on the back of her head, her temples, and above her ears were all shaved off, revealing her slightly stubbly scalp.

The top half of her hair was left and tied into a small braid, which made her appear somewhat fierce and aggressive.

At this moment, she sat in military uniform in front of the sand table, staring at the flags on the table, and referencing recent changes, she was somewhat puzzled.

Spring planting in Mariluo is extremely important. Even during the Warlord conflicts, large-scale clashes wouldn’t occur during spring planting. Occasionally, there might be skirmishes, but they could only be that.

All contradictions and conflicts had to wait until after spring planting, as per an unwritten rule.

But now, the Federation had broken this rule.

"I don’t understand, we obviously could wait until mid-April when the temperatures would be warmer."

A commander in the room shook his head, "The ground is currently frozen over. If we wait for spring planting, it might take a long time, and I don’t know if you noticed."

"Once the ground thaws, the roads will become muddy, affecting our speed and pace. Moreover, now is just the right time; while they’re still busy with spring planting, we can catch them off guard and teach them a lesson."

The Federation people’s attitude, their ways, and their thinking were incompatible with this place, making Isabella somewhat uncomfortable.

Even though she knew bringing the Federation people in would come at a great price, she underestimated the Federation people’s shamelessness.

Or rather, she underestimated Lynch’s shamelessness. He never considered giving her any autonomy; whatever she said or did, it was all planned out.

When she had differing opinions on those plans, no one respected her thoughts.

Isabella didn’t dwell on it further. She opted for a different way to seek answers, "Why are we in such a hurry to advance north? Is there something happening that I should know but don’t?"

The commander looked at her, keeping a surface level of respect, though his gaze did not match the demeanor he put on display.

"Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t; it doesn’t make much difference to us. What we must do is follow orders!"

The next day, another batch of new employees arrived, recruited from society and trained. This batch was not mixed with the Ministry of Defense soldiers but formed a separate unit, per Lynch’s instruction.

The Federation soldiers had too long been indoctrinated with "correct education," which was an idealistic set of rules from the Ministry of Defense.

The Ministry hoped every soldier felt a sense of honor and believed they were saving, not invading. This caused them to choose blatantly wrong answers when facing certain issues.

For instance, sometimes when their enemies were too young, too old, or women, they naively hoped the others would give up resistance.

Or when faced with enemy defenses, they wouldn’t think of effective methods but would attack head-on.

This wasn’t a righteous war, and more importantly, Mr. Lynch stated in meetings that by June, they must reach the designated area!

With no further details explained, the commanders gathered to discuss the upcoming battles quietly.

Isabella returned to her previous state, staring out the window, lost in thought.

Two days later, she watched a large group of Federation troops marching north under their banner, feeling as though she had been played.

This wasn’t about helping her reclaim everything but rather making her bear the responsibility!

Ryan was also part of this deploying sequence. As the troop carriers moved northward out of the city, the terrain became increasingly uneven.

The terrain of Mariluo is the opposite of Nagariel, with Nagariel having more plains while Mariluo is more mountainous.

Geologists explained this was due to crustal movement, whether true or not, who knows? They took it as fact either way.

From rolling hills to higher mountains appeared around them, until finally, mountains joined into continuous ranges.

When moving along the highways at the base of these mountains, one could often not see the mountain tops, giving people a sense of insignificance.

They were advancing toward a pass that once was Mariluo’s most important transportation artery.

Moving north from there would save them at least an extra seven or eight hundred kilometers compared to bypassing it!

This pass was called "Bear Pass" by the Mariluo people, highlighting its formidable might!