Refining the Heavens (炼天)

Chapter 11: The Warcry

Back in the war tent of the red team, at the same time when Calculus was raiding the Orc's village, George assigned four teams under Kairos. In a way, it was a minor promotion after Kairos had proven his abilities.

His new mission is to take down thirty more of Luciette's teammates within four days, and this means more than seven per day.

For any other team captain, it is a tall order, yet based solely on the efficiency they have shown George believed it achievable, and entirely necessary.

The tally now between the two groups has left the blue team slightly outnumbered.

With fifteen of Luciette's side expelled from this exercise, and twenty-nine badges taken, only a hundred and thirty-five active members remains.

Whereas for George's side, ten scouts had been expelled in exchange for vital information, with 140 remaining. And because of Luciette's initial raid, they had lost a total of ninteen badges, but they are still faring slightly better.

However, the overall advantage lies with the Blue Team because of their troop deployment. Luciette had fortified both hill bases by stationing thirty men for each of them. With only seventy-five people left for her to mobilise at any given time, these troops are the ones carrying out the guerrilla missions under cover of the dense forest.

Kairos' task to cut that number down to a more defensible amount. And should they succeed, George intends to lead a charge towards the East Hill Base.

For this ridiculous mission to have a chance of success, Kairos had successfully requested George to let him choose the four teams that will be joining his group.

He picked ten of the highest-ranking practitioners that are well-versed with diversion tactics, while the rest he chose from those with their forte in covert operations.

Kairos immediately began a crash-course training, making sure that everyone could be integrated into the group. Then, for the ten selected to be their diversion, he sent them ahead to act separately. Before they left, each member was given a large package to carry.

Meanwhile, after some additional training for those that joined his team directly, the now fifteen strong group went into the forest in search for Luciette's scattered forces.

To ensure that this slipshod group could function as one, Kairos, the captain, and Alan his vice-captain, each had to lead a team of newcomers while the other three from their group acted as support.

A short while after they melded into the forest, they heard a loud bang, the signal to the start of the four days operation. Easily finding the direction it came from, they approached swiftly.

.....

An hour earlier, when the diversion teams are alone in the forest, they quickly found themselves on hostile grounds. Making use of the lack of information on how Kairos' team look like, the first distraction team roamed around the forest, masquerading as the boys while the second supported from the shadows.

This bait and switch is only workable because by now the five have already been made into a high-value target for the blue's side.

Just a short while of trudging in the forest and they were already discovered Luciette's scouts, but their plan to lure out the Blue Team did not go as smoothly as they hoped. Their foes are far more prudent than expected.

Without them knowing, their enemies waited to gather in far greater number than they expected and moved together swiftly towards their position. And unfortunately, without Kairos' team's range of detection, they did not notice their adversaries were already dangerously close.