Chapter 3: The Commander’s Big Toy

After a brief rest, the paratroopers left the injured at the fire control tower under the care of the technical sergeant, who was to continue advancing into the enemy's systems. Every able-bodied paratrooper caught their breath and immediately set out again!

Lu Yuan descended from the fire control tower and looked up at the countless drones whizzing overhead, all heading toward their final objective—the Star Monument Fortress. Capturing the fire control tower only temporarily cleared the airspace above the fortress. If they didn't seize the Star Monument Fortress and secure a beacon for the fleet, this raid would be far from a success!

"Look, our birds," Shen Zihua said, pointing at the flickering drones. He was a new recruit, recently transferred from the Marines to the Orbital Paratroopers. To the rest of the team, he was still considered a greenhorn, but his daring act of saving Lu Yuan's life earlier had earned him some respect.

Lu Yuan removed his helmet, pulling off the visor that covered his entire face. He took a deep breath of the gunpowder-filled air. A prominent scar ran diagonally from his brow to below his right eyebrow—a reminder of the Battle of Thor's Star. He punched Shen Zihua on the shoulder, saying in a low voice:

"Paratroopers, unstoppable everywhere!"

All the soldiers immediately responded in unison: "Unbeatable anywhere!"

The ground-based Star Monument Fortress had always been a key point of defense. The Star Monument itself was the fleet's most reliable reference for warp jumps and short-distance space travel, so naturally, the fortress's defenses were impeccable, especially its aerial defense systems. But there was no place in the universe that the Orbital Paratroopers feared to go!

Tonight, the 28th Paratrooper Battalion would take yet another fortress! Adding another honor to their already illustrious record!

Like eagles folding their wings and hiding in the darkness until the final moment, the Orbital Paratroopers initiated their deceleration only at the last second, enduring crushing g-forces that would have killed any ordinary human. They descended into hell at a speed far beyond what the enemy's anti-aircraft guns could predict!

War always favors the brave! Those who scorn death and fear no danger are the true masters of the battlefield!

"It's time, guys!" Lu Yuan whistled, looking at the massive cylindrical weapon pods embedded in the ground of the fortress. The surfaces were scorched black but still intact. The enemy had attempted to pry them open with thermal cutting tools, but to no avail—these airdrop weapon pods were reserved for paratroopers, and there was no way to squeeze them into a shared drop with infantry.

The paratroopers eagerly identified and opened the weapon pods, betting like children opening surprise eggs on what kind of powerful toys might be inside. Drones buzzed overhead, eliminating any enemy soldiers attempting to sneak up on them. Lu Yuan, not in any rush, even found time to loot a pack of cigarettes from a fallen enemy.

Lighting a cigarette on the hot barrel of his gun, Lu Yuan took a deep drag and watched as his comrades pulled out heavy weaponry from the pods. Blowing a smoke ring, he slung his rifle over his shoulder, looked at the towering Star Monument in the distance, and muttered to himself, "Next stop, the men's clothing and sporting goods store."

…

"Send another message to the war zone command! The fortress is under attack and requires immediate reinforcements!" Inside the Star Monument Tower, the Imperial Commander roared like a caged lion.

The communications officer struggled to send out a distress signal amidst the increasingly chaotic interference, but it was destined to be in vain. With the sky filled with electronic warfare drones and jamming satellites launched by the Alliance fleet, the entire fortress was covered by an invisible web, silencing all signals. The Imperial forces outside the fortress would have to resort to old-fashioned signal lights for communication. Who could blame them when the Imperial fleet stationed at Eagle Valley Star was so utterly ineffective?

All communication was suppressed.

The fortress commander kicked over the soldier who had brought him yet another bad report. He looked through the narrow window, gazing down at the Moonlight Star Fortress, which was supposedly impregnable and meant to bathe the Alliance troops in rivers of blood. But it was falling rapidly. The only comfort he had was that the Star Monument Fortress had an independent system and superior defenses. With its heavy doors closed, no one could breach it.

The fortress commander cursed. He wanted to see how these paratroopers, armed only with light weapons and no siege equipment, could pose a threat to the Star Monument. He didn't believe for a second that they could airdrop a large-caliber railgun! As long as he held out until the Imperial fleet arrived, the Alliance fleet, already fighting for its life, would have nowhere to run!

In the distance, something caught his eye. The commander quickly zoomed in for a closer look. As he continued watching, cold sweat began to drip from his forehead. He wasn't a religious man, but at that moment, he found himself hoping for a miracle from the Imperial gods.

…

Most of the paratroopers had gathered in the square below the Star Monument Fortress, with only essential personnel left behind to clear out stragglers and secure key positions. Lu Yuan stood among them, gazing at the massive imperial door emblazoned with the Empire's seven-pointed star. It seemed impenetrable. Several dents made by special grenades were the only signs of their attempts to breach it. Lu Yuan looked up at the glowing spire of the Star Monument atop the fortress, flanked by plasma railguns. Despite being so close, it still felt untouchable.

One shot from those orbital plasma cannons could devastate everything within several kilometers. Not even transport ships stood a chance, let alone cruisers. This was why the fleet couldn't deploy fighter jets en masse to support the paratroopers.

Lu Yuan crushed his cigarette underfoot, put his helmet back on, and calmly ordered, "Everyone fall back. After the bombardment, we attack immediately."

It was time to pull the trigger.

Dragging behind him the experimental "Misaka" ultra-light modular railgun, Lu Yuan moved with surprising ease despite its five-ton weight—far beyond the capacity of standard infantry exoskeletons. But for him, it was no big deal. The old joke about can openers and no cans to open wouldn't apply today.

Lu Yuan steadily increased the power output of his "Inferno" paratrooper mech. Most of the weapons in the first wave of supply pods were paratrooper mechs, and if they encountered the Imperial Grizzly mech infantry now, Lu Yuan had full confidence they would crush them.

Lowering the barrel of the railgun, Lu Yuan eyed the fortified door just 500 meters away. With the 203mm armor-piercing round cradled in his arms like a toy, there was no need for targeting adjustments or ballistic calculations at this range.

The "Misaka" railgun's ultra-high-voltage rails began to charge, and the magnetic field became so strong that it disabled the positioning systems of nearby paratroopers. Lu Yuan locked onto the seven-pointed star on the fortress door, waiting patiently until the railgun reached its full charge, the barrel crackling with blue light.

*Ding*—the sound was as soft as a piano string being plucked. A brilliant blue line appeared between the fortress door and Lu Yuan. The seven-pointed star was now missing half its shape, replaced by a gaping black hole. Lu Yuan called his comrades over to reload, grinning as he held up the railgun's miniaturized fusion power cell.

"Damn, that was satisfying."

Similar scenes unfolded at key locations around the fortress. Paratroopers assembled the Misaka railguns from the supply pods, hauling them into position with their mechs and firing without hesitation. They unleashed a barrage of firepower, venting the frustration of being surrounded by Imperial forces earlier. Now it was the paratroopers' turn to storm in and take down their foes.

Lu Yuan led his team into the Star Monument Fortress. The Imperial soldiers stood no chance against the battle-hardened paratroopers. And in the Star Monument's interior, where precision was crucial, the defenders couldn't even use heavy weapons. They could only watch in despair as the paratrooper mechs charged forward through a hail of bullets. Lu Yuan didn't even bother with his rifle, relying on his paratrooper short sword to finish off any enemy who got too close.

The paratroopers swiftly breached the final room—the Star Monument's cartography chamber. Hearing movement inside, Lu Yuan initially thought the enemy was making a last stand. He told his comrades to unleash their mechs' full power and storm in. But as he kicked down the door and rushed in, a thick cloud of smoke hit him, taking him by surprise.

"Put out the fire!" Lu Yuan shouted.

The paratroopers quickly scrambled to extinguish the flames spreading throughout the cartography chamber. Lu Yuan rushed to protect the planetary gyroscope that contained deep-space coordinates. The fire was closing in, but there was no foam extinguisher in sight! He spread his arms wide to shield the gyroscope. If it got damaged, the computational sphere hidden in the monument's spire would be lost, and the data—critical for mapping the motions of Moonlight Star and its neighboring planets—would be ruined. Without accurate data, this fortress would be useless!

Lu Yuan's heart raced with panic until he noticed that a layer of frost had formed on his mech's arms. To his astonishment, the fire had quietly gone out. The paratroopers stood frozen for a moment before realizing that Shen Zihua was the only one who hadn't moved.

"Uh, didn't you guys see the emergency cooldown button here?" Shen Zih