At dawn, all squads were ready to set out for the center of the Virtual world as planned.
Nero and his lieutenants stood forward as the troops followed behind as squads, with each lieutenant as their head.
Nero looked ahead as if waiting for something. He didn't have to wait long, as he noticed a small group of 5 move toward them.
The group then immediately stood before Nero as the leader of the group stepped forward to report.
"So, did you find anything related to where supplies might be?"
"Yes, commander. We found a shopping district two blocks down the road, but unfortunately, the other class also found it at the same time as us."
"Great, Things just got more troublesome."
Nero scratched his head in annoyance and looked toward Amelia & Grace for their next course of action.
"I think it's best for you to take all the troops. We can't risk them taking over the shopping district, leaving us with no supplies," suggested Amelia.
Grace agreed with her statement, "Although it's risky having an all-out war so soon, we can't let them take control over the supplies."
"Looks like it's decided what we have to do next. Amelia, Grace, you guys stay here and think of what we have to do next in case we fail. The lieutenants and I will try our best to take over the shopping district."
"What are we going to do about Lucas?" William inquired.
"Him....let him do as he pleases. It would be too troublesome to deal with him with war hanging over our heads."
Nero looked troubled as he thought about Lucas.
He is still not sure on Lucas's stance in this war.
One moment, he acts as if he doesn't care about anything, and in other instants he takes actions as if he cares about the war.
He wasn't even sure if it was okay to trust Lucas given his rebellious streak.
However, there was one thing Nero was sure of: it was impossible to control Lucas.
He can clearly see that Lucas wasn't the type to follow orders.
If Nero wanted Lucas to follow his orders, he would have no choice but to give his all and defeat Lucas to make him submit.
All the others seemed to agree with Nero's sentiment, as no one seemed inclined to deal with Lucas. Not with war hanging over their heads.
They were just glad that Lucas was not in their way.
Nero shook his head and turned serious as he addressed his class.
"Everyone, it's time to head out. All of you are to follow your assigned squads."
All troops gathered in an ordered group behind each lieutenant, following Nero's command.
Satisfied with the group's harmony, Nero turned back and started to move toward their destination.
*****
"Well, it seems that my words have been for naught," Lucas muttered as he watched his class marching toward the center from the terrace.
"And what do you mean by that?"
Lucas looked back, amused to find Amelia after what had happened yesterday.
"Not going with them?"
Lucas pointed at the marching troops, keeping his gaze on Amelia.
"There is no point in going there now. Not when we don't know what other class might be planning."
Amelia walked toward Lucas, standing beside him as she watched the troops.
Lucas resumed looking in the same direction as he continued the conversation.
"I suppose that's true for now."
"So, what do you mean by those words?"
"You really want to know?"
Amelia was irritated by Lucas's amused tone, but she didn't let him get to her, as she had a different purpose behind coming to meet Lucas.
"Not really. I had a different purpose in mind when coming here."
"And that is?"
"I want to ask for your help in this war."
"Oh? Not confident in your chances."
Amelia ignored Lucas's teasing and continued with her explanation.
"I have been thinking, you know, about what you said. And I realized that there is a good chance you are right about the other class having a lot of info on us-"
"So you want me to step in, in case something unexpected happens."
"Yeah, but you could have at least let me finish." Amelia agreed with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"Don't blame me, you were beating around the bush too much, so I just couldn't wait."
He really has a knack for getting on someone's nerves.
Amelia gritted her teeth but didn't say anything since there was no point in starting an argument with him now.
"So, do you agree or not?"
Lucas thought for a moment and agreed to her request.
"Okay, I will help. But remember, I will only step in during an unexpected situation."
"That's enough for now."
Amelia accepted his condition without hesitation. In the first place, she was only asking this of Lucas as a precautionary measure.
"It's strange, though."
However, Lucas's next words caused her to tense up.
"What is?"
"You asking for my help. You never struck me as someone who'd lean on another's aid, especially if that other person happened to be me, even merely as a precautionary measure right now."
"...."
Amelia stayed silent as she didn't want to answer his question. Lucas, too, didn't expect an answer from her since he knew what was on her mind.
"I am telling you once again, Amelia. Just because my memories were erased that time doesn't mean that my actions were also manipulated.
"Until we fully uncover what happened that day, you shouldn't get your hopes up that I may be innocent."
Lucas didn't wait for an answer as he climbed onto the railing and continued.
"Well, I should be going now so that I can help with the task you gave me."
With that, Lucas jumped off the railing and dashed in the direction where his class went.
Amelia watched Lucas disappear into the distance as her mind remembered the past Lucas and spoke out her thoughts.
"Lucas, if someone can erase your memories, who's to say that they can't orchestrate the incident. Whatever the case may be, I just hope that you don't turn back to your previous degenerate self."
*****
The previous day,
As the sun set upon the land, marking the end of the first day of the mock war, a group of armed cadets stood guard at the entrance of Class 1-C-8's makeshift base.
An abandoned structure had been commandeered by the class, and within its walls, a scene of tense anticipation unfolded.
In the base hall, a huddle of cadets had gathered, their eyes fixed upon a towering figure of rippling muscles and commanding presence.
This was no ordinary cadet, but a symbol of monstrosity and strength.
"Lord Commander Alberto, our situation presents us with two options," spoke the strategist, his voice ringing clear through the hall as he continued:
"We either engage in battle with Class 1-A-1 for control of the Shopping District, or we allow them to take it."
"Why on earth would we simply hand them the shopping district?" interjected a cadet, a note of disbelief in his tone. "Our supplies depend on it."
The strategist fixed his glasses, a gesture that only served to accentuate the intelligence sparkling in his eyes as he said:
"Because, when they enter the shopping district, we can simply encircle them and trap them inside. They will have no means of escape. They'll just be sitting ducks, and we can gradually wear down their defenses until victory is ours."
"Ah, I see your point. You're asking us to create a siege," the cadet nodded while considering the plan. "But what of our own troops? They'll be too famished to fight effectively."
The strategist's lips curled in a sly smile. "And so will theirs. We will keep on striking them, giving them no time to rest and recover."
"That's good," the cadet gave a meaningful smirk before continuing. "And god forbid if something goes wrong, we have our 'secret weapon' ready."
"Yes. I've contacted him and asked him to stay on standby," the strategist responded with the same mischievous smirk on his face. "If we can't defeat them, then we can just ask him to sabotage our enemy. We're going to win this either way."
The two of them nodded after finishing their conversation and instantly turned their attention to Alberto, the towering figure of authority in the hall.
"So what do you say, Lord Commander?" they asked in unison.
Alberto scowled as if the answer was obvious. "We will modify that strategy of yours. Instead of wearing down their defenses gradually, we'll hit them all at once."
The strategist was taken aback. "But why, sir? If we stay on the defensive, we can assure our victory."
The cadet from earlier nodded in agreement. "Yes, if we go all in at once, we will risk the chance of winning. If we stay back and keep hitting them with long-distance magic spells and artillery, we'll win. They won't be able to sustain their defenses forever."
Alberto remained silent for a moment. His brow furrowed in frustration. Then, with a deep sigh, he spoke. "There are two reasons for my decision. Firstly, have you ever fought on an empty stomach? If we follow your strategy as you've presented it, the battle could drag on for days. We may be able to sustain ourselves with mana, but food is necessary for our bodies to function.
"You don't know what it's like to fight while hungry. Your hands shake, your throat burns, and your body screams for you to stop. But you keep fighting, because if you stop, you lose. And if you lose, you die."
Alberto spoke from experience, having grown up in the slums where hunger was a constant companion. He had seen people die from starvation, and he knew the weight of hunger all too well.
His words hung heavy in the air as the other cadets considered the gravity of his words. A moment of contemplative silence passed until a young cadet raised her hand.
"What is the second reason, Lord Commander?" she asked.
Alberto's eyes lit up, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "The second reason? It's that I am clearly the strongest, so there is no need for any other tactics."
After a brief pause, he instructed, "Here's what we will do: We'll let them enter the shopping district, then encircle them.
"But we won't create a siege. Instead, we'll attack them from all sides at once." Alberto stretched his hand forward and closed his palm into a fist. "We'll crush them in one swift move."