Rulu's voice came through: "Thank you for your support. I'm now ordering all your armored soldiers to fight and fall back at the same time — move toward my position."

  With that, the Rebels' armored soldiers immediately began retreating toward the bck-cloaked Masked figure while holding off the Sanctuary's attacks.

  Meanwhile, Jason was still being pounded by the four-armed Minotaur. Seeing that Jason was losing, the Sanctuary's armored soldiers rushed over to help him deal with the Minotaur.

  "A-Niu, come back — you've already won. No need to keep fighting," the Masked figure called out. The four-armed Minotaur stopped at once and withdrew. Before long, the Rebels' armored soldiers had also gathered around, with the Minotaur and the armored soldiers forming up around the Masked figure.

  The Masked figure walked over to where Kallen had fallen and had someone remove her helmet. Kallen's face was deathly pale, her eyes shut, but she was still breathing. The Masked figure crouched down and spped her face sharply several times. Kallen coughed violently and opened her eyes.

  "Kallen, how are you feeling? Can you still fight?" the Masked figure said to her as she came to.

  Kallen took a few bored breaths, then struggled to her feet. "Barely," she said, her voice weak and strained. "The injuries are more or less healed, but I'm completely drained. Wait — who… who are you?"

  "I'm your new commander. If you can still fight, come with us." With that, the Masked figure returned to the truck and drove it slowly southward across the square.

  Rulu's voice came over the Rebels' communicator: "Everyone listen up. All units are to withdraw slowly toward the south with me. No one stays in the square."

  At those words, the Rebels' armored soldiers immediately formed a ring around the truck and began pulling back southward alongside it. The rest of the Rebels fell in as well, retreating south together with the armored soldiers and the truck.

  "Lord Jason, it appears they are attempting to withdraw. What are your orders?" the Sanctuary's chief of staff asked over the communicator.

  Jason wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and hovered in the air, surveying the situation across the square. The Rebels still had over ten fully operational armored soldiers, several hundred regur troops, the red armored soldier back on her feet, and the four-armed Minotaur. The Sanctuary, for its part, was down to fifteen or sixteen armored soldiers and a few hundred ordinary soldiers.

  Jason thought to himself: the red armored soldier is back up, and that four-armed Minotaur was more than he could handle alone. If it came to another engagement, the outcome would be hard to predict — and yet he couldn't let the Rebels escape, especially not that bck-cloaked Masked figure. He spoke into his communicator: "Leave a hundred soldiers to guard the prisoners. Everyone else, follow them — but hold your attack for now."

  The Sanctuary's armored soldiers and troops received the order and immediately fell in behind the retreating Rebels, maintaining a measured distance as both sides moved southward across the square. After a time, both forces reached the square's edge, on the verge of entering the city streets beyond.

  "Hey — Commander, are we really retreating? How is this any different from just running away?" the Bald scarred man said into his communicator, uneasy as they were about to leave the square behind.

  "It's fine. Keep the formation and continue withdrawing slowly," Rulu's voice replied.

  More doubting voices came over the communicator: "But we haven't rescued a single one of our captured people. If we pull back now, doesn't that mean this whole operation was for nothing?"

  "You don't need to ask questions. Just do as I say," Rulu's voice came again.

  "Do you even know what you're doing?!" The Bald scarred man was losing patience. "The whole point of this operation was to rescue our captured people. We haven't saved a single one of them. If we retreat now, the mission is a complete failure — do you understand that?!"

  "Calm down," Rulu's voice said. "I know exactly what you came here to do. I can promise you — every single one of your captured people will be rescued."

  "But—"

  "Everyone, enough," Captain Guan spoke up. "He's our commander. Do as he says. Right now, he's all we've got." At those words, the others fell silent, however reluctantly.

  A little while ter, both the Rebels and the Sanctuary's forces had left the square and entered the city streets. Then Rulu's voice sounded through the Rebels' communicator:

  "Captain Guan, what's the situation on your end? Are the Sanctuary's forces still following?"

  "They're all here," Captain Guan said. "Still on our tail."

  "Is Jason there too?"

  "Yes. He's been hovering in the air nearby the whole time. He seems a bit wary of the Minotaur we have with us — he's keeping his distance."

  "Good. The pn is going smoothly. Report your situation to me at any moment."

  Captain Guan gnced at the moving truck with a puzzled look. "Commander, aren't you with us right now? You should be able to see what's happening here yourself — why are you asking me?"

  "No," Rulu's voice replied. "I'm not with you. I'm still back at the square."

  Captain Guan was taken aback. "What? You're still at the square? Then who's in that truck?"

  "That's not me. That's someone else, posing as me."

  "What? Not you? But I clearly saw you talking to Jason just now — how can that not be you?"

  "Ah — the mask has a wireless microphone and speaker built in. The voice coming out isn't the actual person inside. But never mind all that. Get ready — we're about to unch our counterattack."