But how to seize it is the question.

Xiao Linlin didn't continue the discussion, and Su Lin didn't ask too many questions either, because they both saw the recruitment officer and other nobles leading Jia Zhengyi over from not far away.

With beaming smiles, they greeted Su Lin with unprecedented enthusiasm: "Oh, my dear warrior! You have done a great service!"

"Everything is for the sake of the empire."

Su Lin bowed slightly, performing a rather awkward local greeting.

This was a detail that Xiao Linlin had taught her team members back in Balota City: to immerse themselves in the game as much as possible and not easily detach themselves from the game's world background.

The recruiter smiled broadly and chatted warmly with Sulin, not forgetting of Lyanna, the pure-blooded elf.

However, Lyanna was aloof by nature and disliked dealing with human nobles, so she mostly remained silent. And since Su Lin showed respect for Jia Zhengyi, he couldn't say much and could only communicate with Jia Zhengyi again.

The team members' cooperation allowed Jia Zhengyi to easily gain a great deal of influence in front of the human noble officer.

The recruiting officer even sought Jia Zhengyi's opinion on how the troops should advance or retreat.

With Xiao Linlin's hints and reminders in the earpiece, Jia Zhengyi took the initiative to say: "Of course we should keep going! We've come to the front line, how can we run around again? If His Majesty the King finds out, we'll definitely be charged with desertion."

"By then, the credit I just earned will mostly be offset by my past mistakes, wouldn't that be a huge loss!"

Jia Zhengyi looked serious, and the nobles nodded in agreement, expressing their willingness to cooperate with his arrangements. Their words implied that they wanted to push Jia Zhengyi to the forefront.

Firstly, after the battle just now, the squad members' prestige in the army must be off the charts, unmatched by anyone. Since the nobles rely on the squad for their lives, they are naturally not easy to control.

Secondly, Jia Zhengyi is a man with high emotional intelligence, which makes him very popular with the nobles. He has long expressed that he will share the credit and take the blame himself; he is full of brotherly loyalty and will never let his noble friends suffer any injustice!

Under such circumstances, the nobles naturally had no objections, and in their hearts, they already considered Jia Zhengyi a sucker.

After gaining control of the military, Jia Zhengyi immediately led a team to set off, with Su Lin accompanying him as a guard. He approached the front-line city alone, leaving a small squad to find a suitable place for temporary garrisoning and waiting.

With Lyanna in the army, the nobles felt at ease and were not too afraid.

About two hours later, Jia Zhengyi's scout team rushed back, bringing back extremely shocking news.

"The front line has fallen! Moor Fortress is gone! I see the walls covered with orc flags!"

Jia Zhengyi's expression was serious. The news he brought back terrified the nobles, leaving them all in a panic and disoriented.

"Jia, are you telling the truth?"

The recruiting officer was completely disoriented. He grabbed Jia Zhengyi's arm and exclaimed in disbelief, "That's one of the Empire's seven great fortresses! It's said to be a defensive line that even the gods can't break through! And a duke personally leads the troops to guard it!"

"The forces at Moor Fortress number over three million! There's also a magic legion! And elves are coming to their aid!"

"How...how could it have fallen? How is that possible!"

"Calm down, I know this is unbelievable, but it's true, brother!"

Jia Zhengyi took a deep breath and patted the recruiter's shoulder hard: "Buddy, why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, I'll take you to see for yourself."

"No...no need!"

The recruiting officer was trembling with fear; if the city were to fall, he would surely be courting death if he went there.

"Judging from that fortress, it seems to have been lost not long ago. There are some human troops wandering around nearby, and they seem to be trying to retake the fortress."

Jia Zhengyi pondered for a moment, then brought some relatively good news to the nobles: "I observed that there are mages and a few elves in that group. It should be the Duke's group you mentioned, but it doesn't seem to be very large."

"They are stationed in several groups in different directions around the fortress. There are two battles taking place, with orcish groups fighting against them."

Jia Zhengyi was not lying; what he discovered was indeed the case, and the patrol team of NPCs he brought could also attest to it.

With the fall of Moor Fortress, the Duke led an attempt to retake it. Although the war was not yet over, the defeat of the human faction in this area seemed inevitable, it was only a matter of time.

"No wonder...no wonder there are orcs in the manor, no wonder we were ambushed by orcs as soon as we reached the front line."

The recruiter muttered to himself, everything made sense now. The front-line cities had fallen, and the Duke's army was no match for the orcs' raid into the heart of the empire. Even he himself was just struggling in vain.

"I think the duke's troops still have a chance to resist. I suspect he's fallen into a trap, and the fortress has been breached by a conspiracy..."

As Jia Zhengyi spoke, he kept glancing at Su Lin and Xiao Linlin out of the corner of his eye.

He was waiting for a hint from the team's think tank. At this point, the team's phase of the mission had also stalled. What should they do now?

Go and lead the new recruits to join the Duke and turn the tide against the orc army.

That's impossible!

Even if Jia Zhengyi hadn't said anything, Xiao Linlin already knew back in Balota City that over a million orc troops were gathered at the front lines of Moore Fortress! And there were also armies of other races assisting them!

This terrifying number is far beyond what a small team can handle alone.

Moreover, with even the impregnable fortress falling into the hands of the orcs, the Duke's forces had virtually no chance of winning.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!