CHAPTER 1915: CHAPTER 1908: WE DO NOT ALLOW IT

The troop deployment of the three lines of defense follows a main-reserve-main structure. The outermost first line of defense mainly consists of the main force of subhumans and some mercenaries. The second line of defense is mainly composed of some mercenaries and reservists.

The third line of defense is the most crucial one, hence Lipei’s most elite defense force is stationed there, with both weaponry and morale at their peak.

With such an arrangement, for the enemy to pass through the three lines of defense, they will have to pay a heavy price. Moreover, the objective of setting up the third line is not a rigid defense but to delay. This way, the Rapid Reaction Force deployed on the Otherworld Gate side can swiftly intervene in the warfare in the Otherworld.

However, considering Lipei’s population size and defensive pressure, the three lines of defense are not as expansive as imagined. The main city of Lipei is only a few kilometers away from the first line of defense.

Besides the three lines of defense, the last line of defense is actually the inner city of Lipei, which is the old city of Lipei.

After taking over Lipei, the Headquarters did not dismantle the existing city wall structure; instead, they reinforced it with reinforced concrete and mounted fixed turrets with large-caliber cannons on the walls. Besides, the city walls are dotted with countless firepower points.

According to the Headquarters’ worst-case scenario, in the event the enemy has breached the three directions and the Rapid Reaction Force cannot support them, the Lipei Defense Force will rely on the fortifications to resist, delaying the enemy’s advance and facilitating the evacuation of Lipei’s population through the Otherworld Gate to Shenghua District.

Just as Luo’er was getting busy with Lipei’s defense, an unexpected guest arrived at Lipei’s Commander’s Office. When he saw the visitor, Luo’er was immediately stunned.

"Long time no see, Your Excellency Commander." The visitor smiled slightly, greeting respectfully.

"Isn’t this..." Luo’er, taken aback, searched his mind for quite a while before finally recalling, and then he smiled and said, "Isn’t this Your Excellency, long time no see."

Hearing his words, the visitor’s smile grew even brighter: "I didn’t expect after so many years, Your Excellency Commander still remembered me."

"Of course, you are Feliz’s brother, from... the Uzistas Family, right?" Luo’er blinked, probing cautiously.

"Yes," the visitor nodded, cleared his throat a little, and formally said, "I am Carter Uzstas. Long time no see, Commander Luo’er."

"Oh, I remember," Luo’er finally recalled, excitedly saying, "You are the head of the Purification Legion, aren’t you?"

"Exactly." Carter nodded gently.

"The Purification Legion is affiliated with the Church of Light. Could your visit this time be related to the affairs of the Church?" Luo’er asked.

"As expected of your keen eyes, Commander, I won’t beat around the bush. This time, on behalf of His Holiness the Pope, I have come to escort the support weapons and equipment to the Church."

"The Purification Legion can actually escort military supplies now?" Luo’er asked somewhat surprised.

He wasn’t teasing but rather was reminded of his experience teaching those illiterate soldiers how to use weapons whenever he mentioned the Purification Legion.

So in some sense, Luo’er could be considered an instructor to the Purification Legion, so a little teasing was no issue.

"Haha," Carter seemed unfazed by Luo’er’s teasing, laughing as he said, "Thanks to everyone’s support, the current Purification Legion can represent the Church independently."

"That being the case, once a war breaks out between the Church and Odelanqi, you might..."

"That depends on the Pope’s arrangements." Carter said lightly.

"Is this really okay? I mean, Your Excellency is from the Uzistas Family..." Luo’er probed.

Hearing Luo’er’s question, Carter could not maintain his composure and let out a slight sigh, showing a somewhat worried expression.

"I also don’t know what to do. Principles tell me I should be loyal to His Holiness the Pope. But the entire family is under the jurisdiction of His Majesty. I worry once war breaks out, there may be internal conflicts, sigh..."

Having said that, Carter let out a deep sigh.

"Take it one step at a time. The Pope might not deploy the Purification Army to the front lines." Luo’er comforted.

"Speaking of which," Carter raised his head and said, "My sister has been practicing with you for years. I have to thank you all for taking her in."

"Ah, is Feliz still in school?" Luo’er asked, surprised.

"Yes, doesn’t Commander know?" Carter asked, also confused.

"Uh, well, I’ve been on assignments for several years and just returned," Luo’er scratched his head.

"Ah, I see, sorry, pardon my ignorance." Carter quickly apologized.

"It’s fine," Luo’er waved his hand, saying, "Since Feliz is still at school, I’ll find some time to visit her."

"Thank you very much, Your Excellency."

"After all, Feliz is my friend too, isn’t she?"

"Sigh," Carter sighed again, shaking his head, "I’ve thought about it, and it’s better not to let my sister return here. Just let her stay in Lipei if possible. As for the conflict between His Majesty and the Church, we’ll have to take it one step at a time."

"Actually, wouldn’t the Legion Leader prefer to support the Church? If you’re going to act, you should do so decisively rather than be hesitant and indecisive as now," Luo’er said.

"What do you mean by that?" Carter looked at Luo’er, surprised, asking.

"I’ll be straightforward," Luo’er said, pacing with his hands behind his back, leisurely, "I don’t believe Odelanqi can ultimately achieve victory. They may have a million-strong army and an overwhelming military strategist, seeming grand and mighty—but so what?"

"This isn’t a mere expansion war. With Earth’s forces incessantly infiltrating, this world has long become part of the New Cold War framework. The Odelanqi War is merely a manifestation of the New Cold War..."

"Winning the war doesn’t depend on Gudelv, nor the Pope, nor any other nation. It depends on the two major factions from Earth. We do not want Odelanqi to expand, so no matter if Gudelv has a million troops, it’s of no use."

"So," Luo’er turned back to the amazed Carter, confidently saying, "If Your Excellency is loyal to the Church, you shouldn’t be concerned with trivial matters. Even if dispatched to war, you should fight with all your might; Odelanqi will not win, so Your Excellency better not waver."

"Why are you so sure?" Carter asked, bewilderment on his face.

"Because we do not allow it." Luo’er responded dominantly.

"I—I see..."

It wasn’t clear whether Carter was intimidated by Luo’er’s aura, but he started stammering.

Seeing his state, Luo’er also slightly eased his aura, smiling as he said: "Request whatever weapons and equipment you need. Lipei will fully support the Church of Light’s war, as otherwise, once the Church falls, Lipei cannot stand alone. I hope Your Excellency will inform the Pope not to hesitate on such matters when you return."

Regarding the question of whether to start a war, Luo’er was indeed more in favor of waging war. Ultimately eliminating Odelanqi’s war potential benefits Lipei’s interests. Otherwise, Lipei would have to maintain a certain scale of standing army at all times, which is a very painful thing for a city-state.

But he also knew that having the Church confront Odelanqi’s million-strong army is quite challenging.

It was mentioned earlier that Earth’s firearms are rampant in the Otherworld, not only impacting the status of cold weapons but also affecting the status of magic as a combat method.

Even more important than weapons is the advanced production technology from Earth, which objectively propels the development of the Otherworld’s productivity.

Before the arrival of Earthlings, the productivity of the Otherworld could not improve. Its direct manifestation was the inability to expand the population scale, which resulted in the first and second Otherworld Wars almost exhausting the soldier reserves of all Otherworld nations.

And precisely because the population size isn’t large, the power manifested by magic becomes particularly significant, the so-called quality over quantity.

A skilled mage can suppress an armed squad of nearly a hundred people under ideal conditions. But if the squad size increases tenfold, the mage would only be able to surrender.