Warfare's Ultimate Frontier 1

by Quasar Magellan

  Guan Yu continued. “It just seemed that you weren’t prepared for the constant feints and harassment we sent your way. You began to think too linearly, and it made it easy for us to predict your moves.”

  Meng Tian nodded. “It was quite difficult for us to be honest, though. It helped us that you and Yue Fei committed so deeply into our territory. Otherwise, we might not have been able to pull the plan off.”

  Baron nodded. “Indeed. Excellent play.”

  Guan Yu continued. “The part we were most concerned about, was that we placed almost all of our planes into a single base. If you’d realized and attacked the base with the planes still grounded, we likely would have lost.”

  “That was a bold and risky move on your part, but it was well executed.” Meng Yi chimed in.

  “Thank you, brother. We were just testing these moves out. Turns out it’s a risky, but usable tactic.”

  “Ahh… How about we go another round?” Yue Fei asked no one in particular.

  Baron, Meng Tian, Meng Yu, and Yue Fei continued to practice for the year, both by partaking in simulations, and accessing the records in the Hall of Records.

  As Guan Yu was the one allowing them to enter the Hall of Records, he had to work to continue increasing his contributions in order to keep his top fifty elder spot. So, he had to spend a little more time working on tasks instead of practicing.

  This meant that Guan Yu’s training speed was a little slower than everybody else’s but compared to others who didn’t have access to the records, his rate of improvement was still quite a bit faster.

  As their practice time accumulated, they decided that it was time to test their prowess again. They decided to go through a round robin of simulation, in order to rank themselves again. After all, it’d been a great deal of time. Previously, Meng Tian and Meng Yi had been the best in the group, then Guan Yu, Yue Fei, with Baron in last. After the simulations, though, Meng Tian and Meng Yi were still on top, while Yue Fei was third. Guan Yu was fourth, while Baron continued to round out the group.

  In fairness to Guan Yu, Yue Fei hadn’t been too far behind him in capability to begin with.

  And really, Yue Fei had been growing and improving at an incredible rate. He wasn’t one to pull out extravagant strategies, but he was incredibly consistent and well-rounded. He could be relied upon, whether for attacking or defending, for large and small forces. But, Baron, Guan Yu, and Meng Yi were the ones to rely on when it came to intense, non-standard strategies.

  They continued to practice until an invitation arrived from Madam Zheng, to discuss their tournament activities. On their way to the Forever Pirates’ headquarters, they passed by the community bulletin board. A huge crowd had gathered there, making a commotion.

  Curious, the five asked around and found that the tournament would be held slightly differently, when compared to previous incarnations. Further details were to be made public in about a week.

  Rumors were flying around, and even the members of Under One Banner discussed it fervently as they continued on their way.

  Madam Zheng greeted them as they entered the Forever Pirates’ planning room.

  “It’s good that the 5 of you are finally here, I have some news for you all.”

  Chapter 67

  Bad News

  As they should have predicted, the changes were bad news.

  “Baron, come with me.” Said Madam Zheng. “I need to talk to you first. You can choose what you’ll let your teammates know later.”

  Baron followed Madam Zheng into the smaller room to talk business, while the two husbands made small talk with the remaining members.

  “What’s wrong? Has the Vesper faction made another big move?”

  Madam Zheng shook her head. “It’s not a piece of news specific to us, but affects how the tournament will be held. Have you heard?”

  Baron nodded. “It was announced, but there wasn’t any information.”

  Madam Zheng sighed. “Well, it’s not good news. The elders of the Sun Coalition are planning to enter the tournament, to show the Yellow Wang faction their place.”

  “Will they be competing in all three areas?”

  “They’ll be competing mostly in the aerial and land parts of the tournament. They don’t seem to care much for sea warfare.”

  Baron scratched his chin. “So that’s not quite bad for you, very bad for my faction-mates and I. Would you happen to know how many of these elders will be participating?”

  Madam Zheng grimaced. “The Sun Coalition is massive. That’s the first thing you need to understand. They have five thousand members who are considered faction elders or higher. If my estimates are correct, they will be sending about a thousand to just the land section of the tournament. I do not know how many would be heading into the air portion, but I’d imagine it would be less.”

  “Well, that’s not the worst.” Said Baron. “We were mostly looking to practice for the Faction Selection Tournament. If there’s more people to compete against, that’s better, right?”

  “Well, if you make it even to the top thousand in the air section of the tournament, or top ten thousand in land, you’ll still be able to get a decent prize. They’re increasing the prizes as more of their own members are participating.”

  “I see…” Baron nodded. “Thank you for the information.

  Madam Zheng nodded. “Be vigilant. Every elder in the Sun Coalition is highly skilled. Most of them have strategic prowess that will put even Guan Yu to shame. I know he’s the God of War, but he’s really more of a general, not a strategist. When it comes to strategy, he’s really nothing special in the Chinese community. Don’t be too overconfident just because he’s a top fifty elder. The elders of the Sun Coalition just mostly don’t deal with community tasks, because they’re already too busy working for the Sun Coalition. Understand?”

  Baron nodded. “I understand.”

  Madam Zheng glanced at Baron. “Well, this isn’t something that needs discussing, but I would like to thank you for helping us upgrade our sea mine into a more modern one. WIth the Vesper faction’s suppression, it was hard to hire researchers. It’s good that we don’t need them for such an important project anymore.”

  Baron nodded. “Don’t worry about it. The stronger you are, the stronger I am.”

  Madam Zheng sighed. “It’s good that you trust me, but you shouldn’t be so naive. I need to warn you. If you do not manage to win the Faction Selection Tournament in two tries, I will have to cancel our alliance.”

  “Why?” Baron frowned.

  “It’s not anything blackhearted. For an alliance to work, it should be two factions supporting each other. If you fail twice to even create your faction, wouldn’t that reflect poorly on my own faction?”

  “You needn’t worry. We’re improving by leaps and bounds, and we’ve been using the Hall of Records to great success. We’ve also viewed their records, and we feel that with enough time, we’ll be able to defeat them.”

  “That’s good, but remain on your toes. Just because you’ve seen their battles doesn’t mean you’ve seen them at their best. The scariest part about this trio is that they work so well together. Their individual strengths are nothing special, but their cooperation is.

  "... We’re unsure of our chances, but we’re working to remove the Australian strategist from the tournament.”

  “Removing him by getting his community involved? Interesting.”

  Baron grinned. “Should we succeed, the trio shall be split up, and with that we will have a much easier time beating them. Even if they get a replacement, their battle power won’t be the same.”

  “Yes, I’d imagine so. You’re running out of time, though. I believe it takes several months to travel to their community.”

  “I’ve never asked, but what’s the geography of the planet like?”

  “It’s a single mass of land with some lakes, mountains, and valleys. It’s quite large, and most of the communities are quite far to reach by foot. Ric
her folks can get around by riding coaches, but that’s quite the luxury.”

  “What about cars and such?”

  “They do exist here, they’re very rare. The few people who know how to build them are usually too skilled to want to build them, and even those who are willing to create them, aren’t willing to create many, so as to inflate the price. I believe I’ve only seen one in my time here.”

  Only one?

  That’ll have to change.

  Chapter 68

  Speculation

  Baron put his thoughts about cars to the side, and asked Madam Zheng. “Will you be participating in all three battlefields?”

  Madam Zheng shook her head. “We’re going to be exclusively representing ourselves, the Forever Pirates, in the sea battles. We will need to win this tournament if we want to have a chance at being one of the factions to represent China in the Death Match Tournament.”

  “I’ll bid you good luck then. Some of my men are going to be participating in the sea arena. Should we come across each other, please be gentle.”

  “Haha, don’t worry. The tournament is set up so as to be a sort of free for all mode, or battle royale for land, sea and air. Should we see each other before the finale, we should help each other out.”

  “We’ll see. We’re not confident in sea warfare, but we wouldn’t turn down a little tussle alongside the pirate Queen.”

  “I’m sure you’ll do well. Just remember to not hide too much. Your score will be deducted if you purposely hide from all your opponents. It’s only worth it if you’re able to grab a high position in the battle or even grab the victory. That would net you a solid score.”

  “I understand. There’s a certain element of luck and favorability. I do have to thank you for your assistance since I arrived here.”

  “Indeed, although you should really be thanking your friend, Yue Fei. It’s his presence next to you that has kept you safe from most of the usual troubles newcomers face.”

  “I am aware. It was my great fortune to meet one of the most reputable men of Chinese history on my first day here.”

  Madam Zheng glanced at a clock on the wall, then turned back to Baron. It’s time for us to return to the others. The true reason I’ve invited you here has arrived.”

  Baron was confused as they’d already discussed a great deal — and the tournament should be the most important thing at this time. But, he held his tongue and returned with Madam Zheng back to the large planning room.

  “So, Baron. The real reason I invited you here, was to introduce you and your factionmates to an aerial strategist in my debt. I bring you, Wang Yi.”

  An imposing man strode into the room and smiled at Baron and the others.

  “Wang Yi?” Baron and his friends instantly glared at this man. After all, if it wasn’t for this man’s trio accepting the Vesper's mission to suppress them, they would have a far greater chance of winning the Faction Selection Tournament.

  “What is Wang Yi doing here?” Even the usually cool Meng Tian was on edge.

  Wang Yi tilted his head. “Hm? Oh, don’t worry young one. I may have been hired to face you in the tournament, but who said we can’t have a chat before then?”

  “Tch” Meng Yi didn’t trust Wang Yi.

  “What would we have to talk to you about, exactly?” Guan Yu asked.

  Wang Yi looked at Guan Yu. “Some of your friends have gone to Australia to get my brother to leave.” "

  “So you know about that.” Baron frowned. How had the news leaked?

  “Yes. However, that’s not what I really wish to discuss. However, that is not the only thing that I wish to discuss with all of you here today. No matter what grudges you five have against me here, I suggest that you bury it and listen right here right now.”

  “We’re listening.” Yue Fei said after looking around to confirm with the others.

  “To put it simply, I’m tired.” Said Wang Yi.

  "...What?” Baron wasn’t quite sure what Wang Yi meant by his words.

  “I may be one of the elders of the Yellow Wang faction, but I have been nothing but an enforcer for the Vesper faction for the past hundred or so years. This bullying of my juniors is nothing more than that, bullying. I have a guess as to why I have always been chosen to complete tasks related to aerial warfare.”

  “Go on.” Yue Fei prodded.

  “If my guess is correct, then the Chinese community is enveloped in quite the conspiracy. I believe that Vesper is actually a subsidiary of the Yellow Wang faction.”

  The room turned silent as everyone stared at Wang Yi, trying to determine whether he was joking or not. In return Wang Yi looked each person dead in their eyes, showing them his resolve and honesty.

  “Hold on a minute. That theory has been passed around before, hasn’t it? Wasn’t it disproven quite quickly?” Meng Yi looked at Wang Yi with alarm in his eyes.

  Wang Yi laughed. “This just shows how inexperienced you still are regarding the matters of this planet. Do you think stifling a few rumors is difficult for one of the most powerful factions of this community?”

  "...Evidently not, if you are so confident.”

  Guan Yu put his hand up, pausing the conversation. “Wait, this would actually make sense. I’ve checked the inner workings of the Yellow Faction, and their record is extremely clean. Almost spotless, actually. If they had another faction to do their dirty work, then it would make sense that they were able to grow so well without having any dirty spots on their record. Even the Sun Coalition’s record isn’t so clean.”

  Wang Yi shrugged. “That is indeed one way of looking at it.”

  Meng Yi nodded. “There’s no doubt that the co-leaders of the Yellow Wang faction are powerful, it’s unlikely that they were able to consolidate such power without either forming strong alliances or extorting weaker alliances. And other than their previous merger, I haven’t heard of anything of the sort.”

  Chapter 69

  Turn of Events

  Wang Yi had only come to the meeting because he owed Madam Zheng a great deal. He hadn’t planned on revealing such a controversial theory. But, if it helped his Australian brother, William Bridges remain in the Chinese community, then that was that.

  “Look, the reason I came here was to convince you guys to not try to force William to leave before the tournament.” Said Wang Yi.

  “Why is that?” Baron felt that the key moment was about to come.

  “I may be being used by Vesper, but I will still not lose a battle I have the ability to win. After all, there is still something I am fighting for, even in this god forsaken world. But for now, I am not on their side, and I am not on yours. My favor for you ends here, Madam Zheng. I am simply here to tell you that if you continue that this point, and force William to leave, I will definitely use all that is within my power to crush your dreams.” Wang Yi said and promptly left.

  Baron frowned. “I don’t like it. He must have an ulterior motive for having William stay, if he doesn’t care about Vesper.”

  “Well, who doesn’t these days?” Meng Tian said, still thinking of what Wang Yi had just said.

  “Well, that sure doesn’t sound like much of a returned favor to me, does it?” Madam Zheng looked interestedly at the reactions of Under One Banner.

  Baron shook his head. “No, it was certainly helpful. He sounds like a reasonable guy, so whatever he is fighting for must be quite dear to him… He must have his reasons for acting in such a manner.”

  “Does that mean that we are calling off Han Xin and the others from their mission?” Meng Yi asked Baron.

  “No. I believe it will still be to our advantage to remove William Bridges. As for Wang Yi, if we fear a single elder of the Yellow Faction, how are we supposed to remain autonomous as a faction once we’re officially formed? We should proceed with what we think is best, not listen to the breaths of our enemy.”

  “I agree. No matter what he has in store for us, I am of the same mind that we should proceed with ou
r plan and remove William from the equation.” Guan Yu said by Baron’s side.

  Madam Zheng didn’t seem to react to their words, but stepped forward. “Well, Baron. If you could relay what I told you to your comrades, I believe there’s nothing further to discuss. You five should continue your training until about three days before the tournament starts. We will meet you there. Remember, land goes first, then air, then sea.”

  Baron nodded. “Thank you for the information and advice.”

  “Farewell.”

  Baron, Meng Tian, Meng Yi, Guan Yu, and Yue Fei left the Forever Pirates’ base and took a little walk to discuss their encounter with Wang Yi.

  Baron spoke first. “Wang Yi doesn’t seem like a bad guy, but he sure had a bitter attitude towards the end of our encounter.”

  Yue Fei nodded. “I’d heard rumors of him being an amicable, honorable person. However, he changed not long after adapting to planet four. I heard the only people he respects now are his two brothers.”

  Meng Tian spoke in a thoughtful tone. “Meng Yi and I have faced an aerial master before. Since all three of them are considered masters, even renowned for their cooperation, they must be quite adept. I have reason to believe that they have a secret of sorts that allows for their incredible cooperation.”

  “I think that is the likeliest case as well.” Said Baron. “The three were born in three different countries, with different cultures and histories. How can they understand each other so well? It doesn’t make sense.”

  Yue Fei hummed. “You know, I don’t think we should be focusing on this for now. We should focus on one thing at a time, and concentrate on the Sun Coalition’s tournament. It’s less than a month from now. Should we keep practicing sims, or what?”