Counterfeit Hero

"Do you remember the day we became soldiers?" Fatty's voice was unusually serious.

Every warrior paused for a moment, but their inherent soldier nature prompted them to answer in unison: "Remember!"

"Good!" Fatty nodded, gazing at the sky, and spoke as if to himself: "I remember too! From that day on, we became new people. We were required to swear loyalty to our country and our people! We were asked to follow orders and adhere to discipline! We were trained, crawling and rolling in mud, running while loudly singing military songs in the cold mornings, engaging in hand-to-hand combat under the scorching sun on the training ground, learning to pilot Mecha, learning to kill. We fought against every instructor who mocked us, until we transformed ourselves into true soldiers of the Leray Federation!"

The entire squad was silent as every soldier stood straight beside their Mecha, like a row of steadfast pine trees. Only Tian Xingjian's voice echoed through this steel jungle.

"Yes! We are Leray soldiers! Our country has been peaceful for hundreds of years, yet our ancestors left us freedom and democracy, as well as an unbreakable, indestructible ironclad force! Three hundred years ago during the independence war, we were invincible; three hundred years later, we will be unstoppable as well!"

Gritting his teeth, Tian Xingjian looked at the warriors, trembling with excitement, and exclaimed: "We are Leray soldiers, and we swore loyalty to our country. Now, it's our time to fulfill that oath!" He suddenly pointed southwest: "There, our longtime supporters—the Freedom Front, our allies, our brothers—are being chased down by the enemy! They don't have Mecha, nor heavy weapons; they are even forced to fight with fists and teeth!"

"What should we do?" Tian Xingjian asked the upright warriors: "We've already jumped out of the enemy's encirclement; we can choose to ignore it, we can sit back and watch, we can slowly pick off a fat enemy logistics base and forget about it! We are not gods; we face great challenges here and cannot save everyone."

The soldiers' faces turned red, each one trying to speak, and the scene grew a bit chaotic.

Tian Xingjian calmly watched the soldiers, completely ignoring the commotion, and after a while he asked: "Can we act like that?"

"No!" All the soldiers shouted in unison, not to mention the great help the Freedom Front had given to these two groups since arriving in Mezrich. Just the dignity of a soldier and the camaraderie of men wouldn't permit such heartless actions! Besides, these rogues knew Fatty wasn't suggesting they run; the very act of flattering, pledging loyalty, and posing bravely was one of the rogue group's skills—they wouldn't last as rogues without even a bit of understanding.

Sure enough, seeing Fatty nod with satisfaction, everyone listened as he continued: "That's right! We are Leray soldiers. What have we ever cared about? Just a few Armored Groups, rescuing behind enemy lines, such dangers never fazed Federation soldiers!"

"Not fazed!" The rogues gritted their teeth, knowing just their display of bravery could scare two whole groups to death!

"Remember, back when joining the army, the recruitment office asked why we wanted to join, how did you all answer?" Fatty grinned as he asked.

"To defend our country! To safeguard the freedom and honor of the Leray Federation!" The rogues stood straight, each with faces solemnly glowing with a holy light.

Fatty waved his hand and asked: "Then, when asked what you'd do if the Leray Federation was invaded, how did you all respond?"

"Who the hell dares!" shouted a soldier, neck stiff.

"Beat the damn bastard!" another soldier started rolling up his sleeves.

"Hell, I'll kill him!" The more intense one already drew out a fighting dagger, swinging it visibly and shouting!

"Excellent!" Fatty yelled: "Looks like everyone is united, and hasn't forgotten why we fight here! Right now, we can't go home. Leray Federation is surrounded by our enemies; Newton Star System and Bermuda Star Domain are under siege by two nations much stronger than Leray Federation. Whether it's the Desic Empire or Jiepeng Empire, they are the murderers of our relatives! And yet, here we are, seemingly idle and unable to act! Even our friends in the same trench with us are being pursued, and we still decide whether to fight or flee."

Amidst the swelling emotions, the rogues shut their mouths, awaiting orders from their leader.

Fatty Tian's gaze swept over each resolute Federation warrior's face, then he raised his hand: "Now, follow me, damn it, it's raining, fighting is the same as idling!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a roar like thunder echoed through the sky.

"Long live Leray!"

The group of rogues ignited like a barrel of gunpowder, filled with murderous intent, they clapped hands, cursing and muttering: "Let's go, crush those silly girls!" Then they flipped and jumped into their Mecha.

When over two thousand Mechas' hydraulic systems simultaneously activated, the Mecha bodies stretched like demons warming up before hunting, a solemn killing aura continually spread outward! Leray people, with their devil-may-care nature, fully unleashed at this moment; even if faced with formidable enemies, they had the courage to charge forward, tearing the opponent to pieces! Moreover, the enemy at this time appeared to them merely as a group of silly girls ready to be beaten. A group of rogues prepared to fight was naturally imbued with an unrivaled fearless momentum.