The city of Garipalan is located in the Three Lakes Basin of the Milok planet. In addition to the three enormous lakes with complete ecological chains, the tall mountains surrounding the basin tightly guard the capital, Samuel Bennett. Before destroying the six air bases within the city and more than three hundred anti-air missile bases scattered throughout the mountains, the Empire’s giant air transport ships simply cannot land. Without ground troops, occupying the capital is nothing but empty talk.

If the Empire’s ground forces were to land outside the basin, faced with the complex geology, ever-changing climate, and steep, formidable basin mountains, even the best land battle mechs would be at a loss. To take this place, the only way for the Gacharin Empire’s army is to concentrate all their air forces for aerial strikes to destroy the air defense system and force an airborne landing, while simultaneously launching a strong assault on the two highways leading into the basin. But these highways have long been heavily defended by the Federal Army, and the roads themselves wind through the mountains, with countless bridges and tunnels, giving the defenders plenty of ways to create difficulties for the Empire’s offensive.

At the very least, since the Empire’s large-scale, multi-point landings began, the Federal frontline command center in the capital, Samuel Bennett, has not stopped issuing orders for even a moment, and the major communication broadcasts in the capital have continuously called upon the citizens of Milok to resist without limit. This means the capital has not yet suffered a devastating blow.

Even if the capital is occupied, the endless mountains surrounding it are an ideal place to hide. There are lush jungles and a wide variety of wild animals. For William Carter, who has received scout training, taking two beautiful women into the mountains, building a treehouse or finding a cave, eating some wild game and wild vegetables—life would be more carefree than that of an immortal.

After lewdly imagining a secluded life of one man and two women, Big Guy made up his mind.

“Head north, circle around the enemy’s landing base, then go east, to Samuel Bennett.” Big Guy suddenly waved his hand, encouraging himself in a tone of unwavering determination.

“Samuel Bennett? That’s thousands of kilometers from here!” The female pilot’s eyes widened.

“How are we supposed to get there?” The pure-hearted female medic blinked her big eyes in confusion and asked, “There are enemies everywhere outside.”

“The Gacharin Empire landed in more than forty cities at the same time. Apart from guarding the key transportation routes needed to surround entire cities and split up the Federal forces, they don’t need to fully control the other empty areas.” Big Guy felt he had a real talent for military matters. His twenty escape attempts over the past six months had made him very familiar with the Empire’s way of fighting. He continued confidently, “These empty areas are too vast for them to cover. Their focus is only on our cities and military bases. As long as they keep their eyes on these targets, that’s enough for them. Without city supplies, these desolate areas can’t generate any resistance. They don’t care about them at all.”

“And besides, they don’t have enough troops.” Big Guy spoke as he thought, the overall situation becoming clearer in his mind: “They have to control the four colonized planets of the Galileo system and Milok II in the Newton system that they’ve already occupied. These five planets have taken up the vast majority of their ground forces. This planet should be the final objective of the Gacharin Empire’s campaign. The time is too short—if they want to fully control all six colonized planets, they need more time.”

“In the past, they always chose the most important cities on a planet for forced landings, tearing the planetary defenses between cities into a few disconnected rags, and then launched a full-scale landing, using superior forces to completely surround the colonized cities. But this time, their all-out landing only targeted forty out of more than sixty cities, which means they don’t have enough troops, or their reinforcements are still on the way and can’t strike all the cities during the airborne assault.” Big Guy confirmed his own reasoning and arrived at a conclusion that shocked him to the core.

He didn’t continue speaking. This conclusion made his hair stand on end, and he thought to himself, “Such a landing can only be maximally guaranteed if they can precisely strike ground troops and defensive bases. Precisely destroying ground defenses, then using the fewest troops to surround and occupy the cities. Many bases are hidden underground or in the mountains, yet without exception, they were all destroyed. The two space fleets responsible for defending the Galileo system were also defeated too quickly, almost collapsing at the first blow. It seems there are traitors at the top of the Federation. The military deployment maps of the six colonized planets aren’t something ordinary people could access.”

In a flash, Big Guy’s previously firm retreat plan began to waver: “Then, the defense of the capital Samuel Bennett…” Big Guy felt deeply troubled. For a mechanical repairman to be pondering such complex issues was really bothering him.

“If a mechanical repairman can think of this, surely the high command can too!” He comforted himself, feeling a bit ridiculous for worrying on behalf of the strategists of old.

“But you still haven’t told us how we’re going to escape from here.” The female pilot was getting a little anxious.