Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !-Chapter 177: Second regiment in trouble !

The two looked at each other seriously, then suddenly began to laugh together.

The two chatted for a while, then went back to sleep.

Despite the lightness with which they spoke, both were still tortured by pain.

With injuries this severe, even a strong physique combined with a powerful healing talent wasn’t enough to heal quickly.

The other saber-toothed tigers still alive were in a similar state.

They had been repatriated by a few helicopters from the Charlie squad of the second regiment, then these helicopters had quickly returned to the battlefield.

Now they were all resting in rest rooms in the medical wing, alongside soldiers from the first regiment and the Shibuyas.

The fittest, such as Kaite, Andrew and Charles, spoke with some of them.

The next morning.

Maxime opened his eyes again, looked quickly to his right and saw Dravus still asleep.

To his left, there was a window that let in the sunlight, while on a small chair, a neatly folded military outfit was laid out. There was also some underwear.

"They’re pretty thoughtful at this hospital."

At least, he was glad to see something he could wear to go out, as currently all he was wearing on him was a white tunic.

So he stood up, but suddenly his body sent him some painful signals.

"It hurts again!?"

"That Dravak really got me into trouble with one spell..."

Looking back, Maxime wasn’t proud.

He’d really almost died, and even surviving, he was still suffering the consequences of that fight.

But regardless of the pain, he got up and began to dress.

Once dressed, he turned to a nearby mirror.

"Ouch, he really didn’t fake it when he attacked me."

In his reflection, he still had hair except that before it was long and now it was very short.

More importantly, part of his face was black, giving him a very fierce look.

Combined with his military outfit and his young age, it really made for a strange scene.

At least it was sure he couldn’t be discreet now.

"I wonder if it will heal with time or will it always stay like this?"

He himself had no medical knowledge so he could only guess and hope it would heal.

Without waking Dravus, who was in a much worse state than himself, he discreetly left the room.

But a voice came from behind him all the same.

"Hey chief."

Maxime turned back to Dravus, who was still lying in bed.

"Yes?"

"Why did you call your mercenary group Les Tigres à Dents de Sabre?"

Maxime smiled.

"So that’s the question."

Several times, the mercenaries had already asked him this question.

And as usual, he replied:

"It’s a secret."

In the VIP lounge, Dravus remained silent as to Maxime’s answer.

"Any more questions, Dravus?" asked Maxime.

"No, but you’ll have to say it sometime," Dravus replied simply, not really caring.

"Probably." concluded Maxime, not caring for the moment either.

He then left the room, closing the door behind him.

A nurse who happened to be passing by was surprised to see Maxime.

"Monsieur Valdreuve? Are you fit to walk yet?"

Maxime smiled at her.

"It would seem so."

This smile seemed very seductive to the nurse, and she was not far from blushing.

Maxime had been very handsome before, but he lacked an air of maturity.

But with his military outfit, short hair and facial burn, he had a unique charm.

Of course, his blue eyes and blond hair had a lot to do with it.

Combined with the fact that the nurse knew Maxime was strong and now had a very high status in the fortress, it made him irresistible.

"If you want to see your mercenaries, they’re on the floor below Sir Valdreuve." she finally said, regaining her concentration.

Maxime didn’t care about the nurse’s emotions, what he wanted to know now was the state of the battlefield.

"My men are strong, I’m not worried about them. Can you show me the way out instead?"

The nurse was disturbed for a moment by Maxime’s answer, but quickly recovered herself.

"Um...yes, of course!"

She quickly showed him the way.

"What’s your name?" asked Maxime after retaining the information.

The nurse was a little surprised; she was very rarely asked her first name.

"Blanche, sir."

"Then thank you Blanche and see you next time."

Maxime gave her a little wave as he left.

It wasn’t much, but it made Blanche happy.

"I should join the command room, although it must be very busy and no one will have time to explain anything to me, I could learn the exact situation on the battlefield by listening to the reports and orders given there."

Maxime soon left the hospital and made his way through the fortress’s central field to the command room.

The central field was particularly lively that morning.

The engines of helicopter gunships roared as they took to the skies in wave after wave, their blades beating the air with almost hypnotic regularity.

Armored vehicles crossed the large esplanade in a well-orchestrated ballet, their wheels kicking up clouds of dust that lingered in the cold morning air.

Maxime, advancing at a slow but confident pace, watched the scene with perplexity.

"A regiment is leaving for the outside?"

Soldiers, equipped from head to toe, gathered in orderly formations, their faces marked by determination and a hint of nervousness.

No one paid him any attention at first, all concentrating on their respective tasks. It was only when he passed a group of soldiers boarding a troop carrier that some of them looked up.

One of the young soldiers, who had heard rumors, squinted as he stared at Maxime.

"Wait... isn’t that...?" he whispered to his comrade.

"I know who you mean, but that’s impossible." replied the comrade.

"They say the captain of the Saber-Toothed Tigers is badly burned, and no one knows if he’ll survive his wounds."

The former hesitated, seeking to confirm his doubts, but the slap of a hand on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts.

"Soldiers, this is no time for daydreaming! Check your weapons and armor!"

"We’ll be in touch with the Dravaks as soon as we’re out!"

The soldiers jumped up and obeyed immediately, climbing into the vehicle with haste.

Maxime, who had caught a few snatches of their exchange, sketched a discreet smile but felt strange as he caught a precise piece of information.

"The Dravaks are close to the fortress? How’s that possible?"

Not far away, the captain of the 8ᵉ regiment, busy supervising preparations, turned his head briefly and caught sight of Maxime.

A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but he kept his composure.

He merely nodded respectfully, then immediately turned his attention back to his men, shouting orders with authority:

"Final equipment check! No room for error, we need to support the 2ᵉ regiment as quickly as possible!"

Maxime noticed the man and also nodded in greeting, but momentarily failed to remember him.

"Why did he greet me? I can’t remember who he is at all."

"But he must have a high position in the fortress, perhaps the captain of a regiment?"

Soon, as Maxime crossed the central space of the fortress, he cast a quick glance at the convoy of armored vehicles leaving the fortress compound, accompanied by an aerial escort of attack helicopters.

"It’s really majestic."

Without lingering too long, Maxime passed through a doorway and then walked through the corridors of the fortress.

He came across a few hurried soldiers, all of whom looked at him with different eyes.

Mostly confusion and respect, as they all recognized him from the recent rumors in the fortress, but they also wondered if it was really him, as according to the rumors he was in critical condition.

But here, apart from a burn on his face, he was doing quite well.

After a few minutes’ walk, Maxime arrived at the command room door, which was already open.

Inside, various orders were being issued and reports received.

On the giant screen, a soldier in charge of transmission had one knee on the ground as he shared the situation live from the battlefield.

Around him were soldiers armed with assault rifles firing at Dravaks.

"This is the second regiment, all our helicopters are out of action! Under the orders of Captain Orvari we are currently conducting guerrilla warfare with the Dravaks in forest N°3!"

"Roger corporal, hold position, the eighth regiment has just left!"

"Roger, we’re holding the..." Enjoy new adventures from novelbuddy

Suddenly, an explosion detonated behind the corporal, temporarily jamming the camera.

No sound could be heard in the command room.

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A heavy silence settled over the command room.

After a few seconds, a soldier in the command room tried to re-establish the link.

"Corporal, do you copy? Can you describe what just happened?"

At this point, even Maxime was frowning with ominous premonition.

The camera slowly reactivated, but the angle of view had changed.

Now the camera seemed to have fallen to the ground on its side. Some dust had settled on the table, but it didn’t interfere with visibility.

On the screen in the command room, the corporal’s head was in full view.

Except that it no longer showed the slightest sign of expression.

He was dead.

Then suddenly.

A foot covered in scales appeared next to the corporal’s head, and the next second, that foot slammed into the corporal’s head like a pebble.

The corporal’s head flew off as the camera moved and rose into the air.

A Dravak had taken the camera.

Behind him were several human corpses, while Dravaks searched their bodies.

The Dravak said a few words with a menacing smile, then crushed the camera, definitively severing the link with the second regiment.

The command room fell into silence.

The communications officer, a major, asked:

"Can anyone translate what that damned Dravak said?"

A second lieutenant spoke up:

"Yes, Major, he said: ’Wait in the warmth of your fortress, it’ll soon be your turn’."