Cinder waited for an hour in the early morning.
Good news arrived via telegram: the Soldiers had departed.
Cinder opened the 3D map.
The movements of every Soldier and tank could be clearly seen on the map.
North of the base, a ten-man squad accompanied by two Police Dogs set off towards Windrise.
Given their pace, they might be traveling all night after setting off.
This couldn't be helped; Cinder was currently too poor to even afford high-mobility chariots.
West of the base, two tanks and 20 Conscripts also departed fully equipped.
Each Conscript carried at least 200 rounds of ammunition, and the tanks were fully loaded, each carrying 40 shells.
This combination might not succeed in a frontal assault on a Hilichurl tribe, but they could certainly manage to retrieve a box.
Cinder opened the system backpack, where several items lay quietly inside.
Enhanced Firepower Lv.1: Increases firepower intensity by 10% for 20 minutes. (Quantity: 2)
Enhanced Defense Lv.1: Increases armor hardness by 10% for 20 minutes. (Quantity: 3)
Enhanced Power Lv.1: Increases marching speed by 10% for 20 minutes. (Quantity: 5)
Heaven's Eye Lv.1: Gains a 10 km radius of vision, lasting 20 minutes. (Quantity: 1)
These were temporary buffs Cinder had previously picked up.
Unlike in games where they are used instantly upon retrieval, Cinder could choose when to activate these buffs.
These enhancement abilities allowed Cinder to assist his Soldiers from within the Command Room.
Soon, the first shot rang out.
"Engaging counterattack, authorized to fire." The squad leader commanded the group over the radio.
Cinder zoomed the map to the battle location.
They were currently encountering a small tribe.
These guys had been driven out by the tribes deeper in the valley.
Several Hilichurls had gathered together to form a new tribe.
The battle ended quickly; the Conscripts' carbines perfectly dealt with this small group of enemies without even needing the tanks.
A large wooden box was placed right in the center of the camp.
That was a box only Cinder and the Soldiers could see.
"Target acquired."
The Soldiers went forward to retrieve the box.
Immediately, Cinder received a notification.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Special Unit Blueprint—Tank Killer.]
"Oh dear, it actually gave me the blueprint for the Disgraceful Tank Killer."
In the Red Alert community, the Tank Killer was regarded by players as the most useless tank.
The unit lived up to its name; it was a tank specifically designed to counter tanks.
When fighting tanks, it was incredibly fierce.
Conversely, however fierce it was against tanks, it was equally terrible against structures and infantry.
A tank costing 900 couldn't even defeat a comrade costing 100.
It truly was a disgrace to all tanks.
Cinder opened the construction panel, and sure enough, the vehicle construction tab on his tablet had unlocked this special unit.
The blueprint was unlocked, but it still could not be manufactured; construction required one more condition: Cinder needed to have a War Factory.
He closed the construction page.
The War Factory could not be built anytime soon; he first needed to unlock the ore refinery before he could unlock the War Factory blueprint.
He shifted his attention back to the map.
There were still four boxes remaining; he hoped to find Blueprint Energy.
The Soldiers continued toward their next destination.
Their next mission might not be so easy.
The recent gunfire must have alerted the Hilichurls, meaning a tough battle was likely ahead.
At 2:00 AM, the first squad finally arrived at their destination.
Because of the earlier shooting, the Hilichurls in this tribe had already woken up.
Upon sight, a fierce battle immediately erupted between the two sides.
It was worth noting that this tribe also contained a Samachurl.
However, before it could cast its magic, the Soldiers swiftly shot it dead.
They were all seasoned military personnel; they could tell at a glance who posed the greater threat on the battlefield.
They secured the second box without losing a single Soldier.
[Congratulations! You have obtained 'Enhanced Firepower Lv.1' × 1.]
It was another temporary enhancement buff.
There was currently no opportunity to use it.
At 2:40 AM, the squad heading toward Windrise had moved out of the base radar's detection range.
Now Cinder could only communicate with them via radio.
"If I want to see farther later on, I'll need to build a radar."
The radar was also one of the crucial components of a military base.
To unlock the radar blueprint, he either needed to build an ore refinery or unlock the blueprint directly, just like he had with the Tank Killer blueprint previously.
But the probability of directly unlocking a blueprint was quite low.
Cinder had retrieved nearly 40 boxes so far and only found this one blueprint; based on the probability calculated by Sophia, the chance of finding a blueprint was only 1%.
Cinder personally relayed a message over the radio, instructing the second squad to be careful and authorizing a temporary retreat if they encountered powerful creatures.
Although he often used his comrades as targets in the game, every comrade was extremely important to him now, and he couldn't let them die in vain for a box that refreshed daily.
The Soldiers on the other end of the radio responded coolly to Cinder.
"For the Union!"
"They really are reliable," Cinder mused inwardly.
On the other side, the first squad arrived at their third destination.
The location of the third wooden box was extremely tricky.
It was actually placed right on the throne of a large tribe.
"There is a black sun-like totem on that throne."
Hearing the Soldiers' report, Cinder remembered that it was a Hilichurl tribe called the 'Eclipse Tribe'.
This tribe was more mysterious than the other two; they worshipped the black sun more devoutly.
Cinder remained silent for a moment, then relayed his order via radio: "Everyone retreat now. Do not alarm that tribe."
"Order received."
Cinder had no intention of engaging them in a fierce fight.
Cinder knew that Hilichurl tribes contained not only Hilichurls, Mitachurls, and Samachurls, but also Abyss Mages skilled in magic who came from the Abyss.
He currently didn't know if the tanks' armor could withstand magical DMG, or to what extent.
These two Grizzly Tanks were his most valuable assets right now; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to treat them like treasures.
Just then, the squad leader suddenly sent another communication.
"Commander, one of our comrades just proposed a plan; we hope you'll hear it out."
"Speak."
The squad leader explained the details to Cinder using the map.
To summarize simply:
The squad planned to seize the wooden box using a feint (making a feint to the east while attacking in the west).
The Eclipse Tribe, as seen on the map, was located in a large circular pit.
There was only one entrance and exit, a long path about twenty meters wide, flanked by slopes steeper than 60 degrees.
This entrance was excellent for blocking.
By simply firing a shell into the deep pit to startle the Hilichurls, and then fiercely defending the entrance, they could draw out most of the Hilichurls.
At that point, they could send one Soldier down into the deep pit using a rope to retrieve the box from the throne deep inside the tribe.
The feasibility of this method was very high.
While the number of Hilichurls was great, their bodies and the wooden shields they carried could not withstand bullet attacks.
As long as they concentrated their firepower on the entrance, the Hilichurls would be unable to emerge for a short period.
After some thought, Cinder still rejected the Soldiers' plan.
The reason was simple: they underestimated the power of the supernatural; magic was not as simple as they imagined.
The magic used by the Hilichurls could barely be called magic.
The Abyss Mage was the real trouble.
There was absolutely no need to put the Soldiers at risk for a single box.
Cinder didn't shut down the conversation entirely; he told the Soldiers via radio: "In the near future, we will certainly have a fierce battle with the Hilichurls in this valley. Soldiers, your suggestion will be utilized in a future fight."