Everyone agreed that this plan was excellent and approved it unanimously. The submarine could transport fifty people at a time, and only the most elite fighters were selected, with Martin serving as their captain. They boarded the submarine and headed toward an island three kilometers from the Subsidiary City. The submarine traveled twenty meters beneath the surface, and after two hours, they reached the vicinity of the island. Martin sent two scouts ahead, who discovered that there were already more than a dozen Illuminati guards stationed there. It would be impossible to land without alerting the enemy. Martin quickly decided to force a landing, sending one person back with the submarine to ferry more troops while the rest approached the shore.
The Illuminati guards heard the commotion, and four of them came to investigate. Suddenly, a barrage of more than a dozen bullets rang out with a series of "bangs," and the four men fell instantly. Hearing the gunfire, the remaining enemy troops immediately called for reinforcements. The island wasn't large, containing only scattered rock formations. Martin knew they were doomed if enemy reinforcements landed, so he immediately ordered everyone to charge forward. The sounds of combat echoed deafeningly across the island. The outnumbered enemies took cover behind rocks. Martin pulled out a laser weapon—secretly given to him by De Silva—which was the perfect choice for this rocky terrain. With a "whoosh," he fired a shot that killed two enemy soldiers instantly. "What an excellent weapon," he couldn't help but admire. The mysterious deaths frightened some of the Illuminati soldiers, who turned to flee.
Seeing his opportunity, Martin shouted, "You have nowhere to escape! If you drop your weapons, we won't harm you."
The Illuminati forces tried to stall for time. "Give us an hour to discuss it among ourselves."
Martin understood their intentions but responded, "Fine, but I need to speak with your commander."
A voice answered, "What do you want to say to me?"
Martin immediately fired toward the source of the voice. A moment later, the enemy cursed, "You City-State scum have no honor or integrity!"
The Courage Alliance members laughed, "That's what your commander gets for being so foolish."
With their commander dead, several Illuminati soldiers attempted to escape but were shot down before they got far. The battle ended quickly. Martin ordered his men to secure the landing beach. To distract the Illuminati, Simon had five people set out in boats, positioning themselves just beyond enemy firing range. The second wave of fifty fighters had already departed in the submarine, and Martin's team guarded the beach, seemingly glimpsing the dawn of victory.
However, instead of enemy landing forces, they were met by two fighter aircraft. Machine gun fire rained down on the beach with a "ta-ta-ta-ta," instantly striking sixteen Courage Alliance warriors. Blood stained the sand red. "Everyone, scatter!" Martin shouted. His forces dispersed, seeking whatever cover they could find. The aircraft made repeated diving runs, bullets striking the rocks with "pap-pap-pap," sending dust and debris flying. One fighter pointed toward the beach, "Captain, look! The Illuminati seem to be landing."
"We absolutely cannot let them reach shore." They regrouped to return fire, but the landing party had air cover and continued to advance. The coordinated attack from air and ground inflicted heavy casualties on the Courage Alliance. Martin himself was wounded and muttered, "It seems we won't be making it back this time." He grabbed his Starlink communicator and warned the second group not to land and sacrifice themselves needlessly. When Alena heard that Martin had fallen in battle, tears filled her eyes as she said, "You are a hero of the City-State. We will remember you forever."
The Courage Alliance and the Resistance found themselves in a dire situation, uncertain how to proceed with the battle. Simon said, "I bear much of the responsibility for this failure. Our preparations were insufficient."
"In any war, casualties are inevitable. This isn't your fault," Alena consoled him.
"Since we weren't adequately prepared, we should return another time. A frontal assault would only lead to needless sacrifice," De Silva suggested. The fighters returned to the Flame Warehouse that day, with the Resistance members joining them.
This battle made De Silva reflect on life's fragility, and he decided to propose to Basali. Surprisingly, she rejected him. "Why?" he asked.
Basali lowered her head. "I don't want to get married. When the war ends, I'll take Reisla and leave this place."
"Then I'll go with you."
"No, please don't force me." De Silva was devastated and wondered, "Why don't women like me? Is it because I'm too short?" A female warrior from the Resistance, whom he didn't recognize, walked by.
"Do women always prefer taller men?" he couldn't help asking.
"What did you say?" the female warrior asked, puzzled.
"Do you women always prefer men who are taller than yourselves?" De Silva repeated.
She smiled. "Are you heartbroken, Professor De Silva?"
"You know me?"
"Of course. I was your student more than twenty years ago, but you haven't aged at all."
"Professor?" De Silva hadn't heard that title in a long time. He sighed, "I haven't even been in love yet, so how could I be heartbroken?"
"I'm single too," the female warrior said meaningfully. De Silva missed the hint, still absorbed in the pain of rejection. Basali had refused him because a handsome man had proposed to her and promised to help her seek revenge. After De Silva left, this man entered her room.
"Reese, have you found Uwa's whereabouts?"
"Yes, she's in Ike Town," he said while trying to kiss Basali's cheek.
"Stop that. Let's go find her now."
"What's the rush? She's not going anywhere."
"Are you coming or not?" Basali asked angrily.
"Alright, we'll go soon." Just as he was about to get more intimate, the little girl entered the room.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Basali blushed and pushed Reese away. He stumbled backward and fell, landing right on the little girl's foot. She cried out in pain. Basali rushed over, pulled Reese up, and carried her daughter out. The man got up and chased after them. "Wait for me!"
De Silva hadn't gone far and saw the two chasing each other. He couldn't help asking, "What are you running for?"
Basali glanced at him without answering and walked away.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye. At the Eagle's Nest, little Ronnie, with Daechir's help, had created a robot dog. He was delighted and played with it all day. When he learned that Daechir herself was also a robot, he became very interested in her creator.
"Who invented you?" little Ronnie asked.
"Someone with the same name as you—your grandfather."
"Where is he?"
"He returned to his own time."
"Can you take me to meet him?"
"I'm sorry, that's something I cannot do," Daechir apologized.