As Cage gains a deeper understanding of Iron Guard, his mindset subtly changes.
Initially, he was filled with fear of battle and only wanted to end the cycle and escape the battlefield as soon as possible.
But now, he has begun to think about tactics on his own initiative, and even stays after training to study the Iron Guard's operating manual.
"It seems our Cage is starting to get interested in real combat," Dorio said to Maine, noticing Cage's change in demeanor.
Maine watched Cage discussing Iron Guard tactics with Jackie, his optical lens flickering slightly: "That's a good sign. Fear only makes people retreat, while curiosity makes people move forward."
In yet another combat simulation, Cage, piloting the Iron Guard, successfully intercepted a wave of mimic attacks, protecting the flanks of Valerie's Titan.
"Well done," Valerie praised in the communications. "The response was very timely."
After getting out of the cockpit, Cage didn't rest immediately as usual, but instead went to find Jackie to continue discussing the details of the battle.
"I'm starting to understand why you guys rely on these devices so much," Cage said. "A single mimic really does look vulnerable in front of them."
Jackie nodded: "But remember, equipment is just a tool. Real combat power comes from the person using it."
That evening, Cage wrote in his training log: "Today I truly understood the meaning of 'strength' for the first time. It's not the empty concept in propaganda slogans, but the vibration of a defender stepping on the ground, the heat wave of a plasma cannon cutting through the air. Maybe... I can stop running away."
Maine read through the journal and knew that Cage's transformation was crucial to their next plan.
An active anchor point is far more valuable than a survivor who passively escapes.
Iron Guard's training not only improved Cage's combat abilities, but more importantly, it is reshaping the former propagandist's understanding of war.
——
The time loop continues.
In the subsequent resets, Cage experienced several more deaths—sometimes from stray bullets, sometimes from mimics attacks, and even once from an accident during training.
Each death brought excruciating pain and mental trauma that felt incredibly real, but Cage found himself recovering faster than ever.
What's even more valuable is that although physical attributes return to their original state with each reset, combat experience and tactical awareness are preserved as if engraved into one's soul.
"His tactical choices are becoming increasingly sophisticated," Dorio commented after observing a beach landing.
By this time, Cage was already adept at using the terrain for cover, and his coordination with the UDF soldiers was also quite effortless.
The combat exoskeleton, standard equipment on the UDF, became Cage's biggest asset.
While this equipment lacked the protective capabilities of Maine's squad's armor, its enhanced mobility and stability allowed Cage, a former civilian officer, to perform tactical maneuvers that were originally only possible for elite soldiers.
"Flank from the left, keep your fire distance." Cage directed the UDF soldiers beside him via walkie-talkie as he moved rapidly using his exoskeleton.
His voice was calm and steady, showing no trace of his initial panic.
Rebecca observed from a distance through binoculars, unusually refraining from making sarcastic remarks: "It seems our Cage has finally learned how to fight."
However, accidents always happen unexpectedly.
During a building cleanup mission, Cage's squad was ambushed by mimics.
Although Maine's team provided timely support, Cage was still pierced in the abdomen by the mimic tentacles during the melee.
"Damn it..." Cage lay in a pool of blood, feeling his life slipping away.
In the midst of excruciating pain, he saw Maine's dark red figure rapidly approaching, before his vision was replaced by a dizzying sensation of being reset.
When Cage woke up again in the landing craft, he took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart.
After they reunited, Dorio patted him on the shoulder: "This was an accident. Next time, be careful of crossfire points inside the building."
Cage nodded without saying anything.
The shadow of death still loomed over him, but more than that, he felt a sense of resentment—he could have done so much better.
Meanwhile, the technical team made substantial progress in its research and development work.
In the lab provided by UDF, Sasha and Lucy successfully assembled the first prototype of a non-lethal capture device.
"The cooling system still needs optimization," Sasha said, adjusting the device parameters. "Currently, it only lasts for thirty seconds."
Lucy focused on improving the control system: "I have improved the algorithm of the aiming module, which should increase the probability of hitting moving targets."
This device looks like a strangely shaped, large-caliber launcher, which integrates a cryogenic coolant injection system and an energy interference generator.
Although it still appears cumbersome, it already possesses practical combat capabilities.
"We'll conduct field testing in the next cycle," Maine decided after checking the device's status. "We'll choose a relatively safe area."
Lucy's quadrupedal machine played an important role in these cycles.
With their memories unaffected by the reset, the Titans repeatedly ventured deep into the mimics control zone, creating precise activity heat maps.
"Based on this data," Lucy presented her findings at the tactical meeting, "the mimics activities in the beach area show a clear pattern. They appear to patrol around a few fixed points."
David's biological research has also made new progress.
By comparing and analyzing samples collected in multiple cycles, he discovered that the mimics of the neural center was not fixed in one place, but rather exhibited a distributed structure.
"This explains why conventional attacks are difficult to kill them," David said, pointing to the scan images. "However, in the alpha individuals, I detected an unusually concentrated cluster of neural nodes."
"In other words, if we can locate and destroy this node…" Dorio pondered.
"In theory, it's possible to quickly disable Alpha," David nodded, "but that would require an extremely precise attack."
After the new cycle began, Cage became noticeably more cautious.
He no longer acts rashly, but instead focuses more on teamwork and tactical execution.
With the aid of the exoskeleton, his movement became smoother and his shooting accuracy was significantly improved.
"It seems the taste of death really can make one grow," Rebecca commented after witnessing Cage precisely kill three mimics.
Maine watched Cage on the battlefield, his eyes flickering slightly.
This civilian officer, who once couldn't even hold a gun properly, is transforming into a true warrior through repeated deaths and rebirths.
Although the cycle remains an unsolved mystery, at least they are getting closer to the answer step by step.
Sasha and Lucy continued to refine the capture device, David's research provided more basis for tactical planning, and Cage's growth continuously improved the team's combat effectiveness.
In this endless time loop, everyone is pushing things forward in their own way.