《Starting from the Planetary Governor》 Chapter 1 ¡°In this world, just surviving is already very difficult.¡± ¡°We live in abandoned mining tunnels from before the war, using the most rudimentary tools, even bare hands, to extract minerals, and we trade them for leftover scraps from other survivor camps. We have never harmed anyone; we just want to survive. Yet even so, there are people who cast their greedy gazes upon us.¡± The gaunt and dark man kneeling in front of Gu Hang, recounting his hardships, was named Patel. He was neither tall nor strong, and beneath his dirty and thin clothing was rough skin. From his appearance, he was indeed as he described: someone who scraped a living in abandoned mines. Patel continued, ¡°Eight days ago, a group of wasteland bandits who called themselves ¡®Prisoners of the Void¡¯ killed seventeen of our people and kidnapped forty-two. Divine Emperor above, the youngest of them was only four years old! They demanded a ransom, we paid it, but they grew bolder, not only did they not release our people, but they also demanded more.¡± ¡°I went to Revival City, found the officials of the Alliance, and begged them to help us. They sent a warning to the ¡®Prisoners of the Void¡¯, chiding them not to cause trouble¡­¡± ¡°Ha, a warning¡­ The day before yesterday, those bandits cut the throats of two children right on our doorstep, tore the paper of the warning into shreds with blood on it. They declared we had to come up with double the ransom in three days, or else they would attack our mining tunnels, kill everyone, and take everything.¡± ¡°We were cornered. Some said to flee, others argued that even with hoes and fists, we should fight those bandits armed with guns and cannons. But I knew we weren¡¯t without options, the world now has a new governor. I had to come to you for help, Your Excellency the Governor, I implore your aid to save us.¡± Patel lowered his head, his manner sincere. From his perspective, all he could see were Gu Hang¡¯s boots. They were soft leather boots, with satin ribbons connected to golden clasps, elegant and elaborate. Those boots, who knows how long over nine hundred people from the Abandoned Cave Society, would have to toil without food and drink to afford them. The boots moved before his eyes, as Gu Hang crossed his legs into a more comfortable position, and asked: ¡°Before seeking the Alliance, why didn¡¯t you come to me first?¡± Patel was momentarily stunned, only managing to muster an excuse, he stammered, ¡°We are members of the Alliance, and the Alliance should govern this matter¡­¡± Gu Hang shook his head and said, ¡°You think you are a member of the Alliance, that they will protect you, and I am just an appointed governor who might not sit here for two years, like the previous governors who were executed because they couldn¡¯t pay the empire its taxes. In your heart, you think I am not important, until the Alliance also turned a blind eye to your affairs, and you ran out of options, then you came to me.¡± ¡°I never had such thoughts!¡± Patel denied in panic, gritting his teeth, making a major resolution, ¡°If you can save us, then we are willing to give everything! We will pay the imperial tax at a higher rate two years from now!¡± Gu Hang became even more disappointed, ¡°Let me put it this way, Patel. You know full well that I arrived on this planet a month ago, and my camp is close by, not far from you. Yet, you never visited me until trouble arose, and now you kneel before me saying, ¡®Your Excellency the Governor, please save us,¡¯ but deep down, you never regarded me as a real governor. You even refused to believe my declaration on the first day I arrived.¡± ¡°I said I wanted to rebuild the entire Wasteland World, to ensure every person submitting to me would live a good life. But you didn¡¯t believe it; many of you never did, just treating me as an annoying tax collector. You offer to pay taxes in exchange for me to save your people¡ªhow do you plan to pay the taxes? By the standards of the imperial tax, all of the people in Abandoned Cave Society could work themselves to death in the mines and still not afford to pay.¡± Patel¡¯s face, dark and lean, showed extreme tension, ¡°Your Excellency the Governor, I believe in your words, please save us.¡± As he spoke, he was about to forcefully knock his head on the ground. But Gu Hang stopped him. A pair of hands grasped his shoulders, lifting him to his feet without allowing resistance. Gu Hang wrapped an arm around Patel¡¯s shoulders, not minding the grease and dust on his clothes: ¡°No need to kowtow, no need to kneel. You diligent and hardworking folks, I am certainly going to help. Those predators who do not engage in productive work are our common enemy. But they are a minor issue, rebuilding the world is the big task at hand. This is not empty talk. Since you have implored me, I will save you completely, not just by eliminating some ¡®prisoners of death,¡¯ but by helping you build up your territory and ensure you have plenty of food and clothing. Now, I ask you, do you believe in me?¡± Tears fell from Patel¡¯s eyes, and it was unclear how much was moved by emotion, how much was relieved at being saved, and how much was acting: ¡°I believe! I fully believe! From now on, the Abandoned Cave Society will strive for your ideals!¡± ¡°This should be our common ideal.¡± Gu Hang patted Patel on the shoulder: ¡°Go rest for a bit. Before long, I will personally lead my troops and rescue your compatriots.¡± ¡°By the Divine Emperor above, my compatriots and I are deeply grateful for your assistance!¡± After watching Patel leave the barracks, profusely thanking the guard as he went, Gu Hang turned his gaze to the military-clad man standing stiffly to his rear, ¡°Captain Yan, your expression tells me you have some doubts.¡± Yan Fangxu saluted him and then began hesitantly, ¡°Are we¡­ really going to help the Abandoned Cave Society? On this wasteland planet, similar incidents occur almost every day; we can¡¯t manage them all.¡± With a tone of regret, Gu Hang said, ¡°It seems, Captain Yan, that you also do not believe my declaration.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± While Yan Fangxu said this, his heart was indeed full of doubt: ¡°But¡­ forgive my frankness, Governor, you only have two years. In those two years, we need to submit at least the minimum standard ¡®Imperial Tax¡¯ for the entire Rage Owl Star, otherwise¡­¡± Gu Hang picked up his thread, ¡°Otherwise I¡¯ll be removed from my post and executed, of course, I know. But Captain Yan, we¡¯ve been on this planet for a month now, and you¡¯ve seen what it¡¯s like. This is a place that has undergone an apocalyptic catastrophe, most of the land is unfit for living, Low Energy Storms continue to rage, and there are mutated monsters and desperate looters turned bandits everywhere. The remaining survivors are hiding at various settlements, struggling to stay alive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s already very difficult for them to survive, they can¡¯t afford such high taxes; taxing them would be tantamount to taking their lives. The contradiction between Imperial taxation and planetary development is the main contradiction of Rage Owl Star. Previous governors have all focused on taxation. The biannual Imperial tax collection acts like a death warrant, ultimately taking their lives. But I am different, I am thinking differently. Development is the true key; if Rage Owl Star becomes more prosperous, taxes will be a minor burden, and we will have succeeded.¡± Yan Fangxu sighed, ¡°You¡¯re right, development is the correct path. But development takes time, and that is exactly what we lack. You only have two years in your first term, and we need to deliver at least one quarter of the Imperial standard in taxes. However, Rage Owl Star has always only managed to contribute an eighth, and there¡¯s a half-gulf to overcome. In two years, trying to double the planet¡¯s output is¡­¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s time to see what I can do,¡± said Gu Hang with a smile. ¡°Happily, I am somewhat confident in this area.¡± As he was speaking, a ghostly message popped up before him, visible only to him: [1st Automaton Light Infantry Battalion (300 soldiers), training complete, unit level upgraded to T5.] Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only [Limited by equipment level and personnel quality, the unit cannot continue to train for improvement.] Gu Hang¡¯s smile broadened, and he patted still worried Yan Fangxu on the shoulder, saying, ¡°Assemble our troops, it¡¯s time we sought justice for our neighbor.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª A new book is here! ps: It¡¯s not about hammering, at least not entirely. Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Chapter 2, The Gift Chapter 2: Chapter 2, The Gift ¡°` Actually, this was Gu Hang¡¯s first month since he had transmigrated. He now found himself in a cosmic era, within a vast Human Empire that ruled over endless star domains. Ten thousand years ago, a Divine Emperor ascended and established the ¡°Spirit Network,¡± bringing spiritual energy to humanity. The current empire was governed by the Supreme Council seated on the Human Ancestral Star, Terra. About 120 years prior, the planet on which Gu Hang was currently situated had been an ordinary world. A war devastated the entire planet¡¯s surface environment, turning Rage Owl Star into a wasteland planet. Twenty-nine years ago, the Empire Government assessed that there was still hope for saving Rage Owl Star and dispatched a Planetary Governor for the first time to oversee reconstruction efforts. Within the empire¡¯s system, a Planetary Governor could rule their planet in any manner, provided that, above all, the governor remained loyal to the empire. What constituted loyalty? Paying taxes was loyalty. Not paying taxes, or not paying enough, meant execution, followed by the replacement with someone loyal. To this day, over twenty-nine years, Rage Owl Star had gone through five governors. Even the three who preceded Gu Hang each lasted only two years. The imperial tax on Rage Owl Star was due every two years, and all three of these unfortunate souls didn¡¯t survive past the first taxation period. And now, Gu Hang had arrived. A month ago, he had just transmigrated, still adapting to the memories of his new body, when he found himself on a starship headed for Rage Owl Star. He needed to ensure that in two years, Rage Owl Star would pay a quarter of the standard tax, with the Star Sector Government footing the bill for the insufficient three quarters. This was a favorable condition procured by his political family, the Gu Clan. By the second tax payment four years later, full taxes must be paid. A cruiser belonging to the Star Sector Navy was stationed in orbit above the planet to offer him support. The forces he brought to the surface numbered only 3000 slaves, 300 mech soldier servants who had their frontal lobes removed and underwent mechanical enhancements, and 30 Navy Marine Corps soldiers, led by Captain Yan Fangxu. The main political power on Rage Owl Star, known as the ¡°Alliance¡±, was established by the first generation of governors twenty-nine years ago. In theory, upon arriving on Rage Owl Star, Gu Hang should have landed in the Alliance Capital, Revival City, to take on the identity of the Alliance leader, and begin exercising the powers of the Planetary Governor based on the Alliance Government. But he didn¡¯t do that. Instead, he set up a camp not far from Revival City with his people, and immediately began doing things that baffled others. For example, Captain Yan couldn¡¯t understand why Gu Hang would train those 300 mech soldiers. These slaves, stripped of their self-thinking, were ill-equipped to operate armored vehicles or artillery and could only be fitted with basic gear to serve as cannon fodder, having seemingly little value in training. Yet, he had to feel ashamed of his shallow insights. He watched in disbelief as the mech servants actually underwent a dramatic transformation in a very short period! Under Gu Hang¡¯s command, he saw these mech soldier servants quickly complete a series of pre-departure tasks such as forming ranks and checking gear; during previous training, they also demonstrated tactical skills far surpassing their former abilities. Shooting, physical fitness, tactics¡­ all of these were greatly improved, and combined with their innate fearlessness of sacrifice and absolute adherence to discipline, they became high-level soldiers. This was already the standard of the Imperial Guard Star Realm Regular Troops. Although he still didn¡¯t think these mech soldier servants could match his elite Marine Corps in one-on-one combat, that was beside the point. He had only 30 elite Marines, while there were 300 mech soldiers. More importantly, Captain Yan had no clue how Gu Hang managed it. It completely surpassed his understanding: Weren¡¯t mech soldier servants supposed to depend only on their level of enhancement at the time of their modification? Weren¡¯t subsequent trainings meaningless? While he was lost in thought, he heard Gu Hang¡¯s resonant voice, ¡°Captain Yan, make your squad move faster. How can the elite Marines be slower in pre-battle preparations than the mech servants?¡± Coming back to his senses, Captain Yan, slightly abashed, saluted Gu Hang and then turned, bellowing at his subordinates who were equally stupefied by the transformation of the Mech Servant Battalion, ¡°What are you loafing around for, you lousy bunch? Move it! The five slowest will sleep with the mech soldiers starting tomorrow!¡± Watching Captain Yan go and kick his squad¡¯s butts into gear, Gu Hang chuckled softly, withdrawing his gaze and refocusing on the panel of information that appeared before him. The ethereal, floating text before his eyes formed multiple options: ¡°` [Current Favor Points: 2] [Total Territorial Income: 5/Terra month] [Hero] [Troop Tags] There were four items in total, and Gu Hang clicked on the second item,[Total Territorial Income]. Here, he saw more detailed information:[Governor¡¯s Temporary Camp: 5/Terra month]. There was only this one. According to Gu Hang¡¯s understanding, this monthly total income depended on the sum of incomes provided by territories recognized by the system as belonging to him. And right now, his territory was only this temporary camp. Upon seeing the system and learning that he had become the governor, he was initially eager to find out: with a planet as his territory, how much favor would it provide him each month? However, after disembarking from the starship onto Revival City, this number had remained zero. He guessed at the time that a territory in name only would not be recognized by the system; it had to be under his actual control. For him, a governor parachuted in, to take control of a loose wasteland Alliance Government and to integrate the entire alliance was no easy feat. If it were easy, his predecessors would not have all failed. Therefore, he decisively abandoned the paths taken by the previous governors, turned his head, requested servant slaves and some armed forces from the starship, left Revival City, found an open space, and planned to start from scratch, making use of the golden finger that had accompanied him through his travels. After he led people and established a temporary camp completely under his control, the number finally changed from 0 to 4. The initial 4, Gu Hang guessed, was from the population; the additional point that came later was likely because the camp had been built larger and more complete. In the two items that followed in the system,[Hero]displayed his own panel, and in Troop Tags, there were two items. [Navy Marine Corps 1st Squad, Comprehensive T4 level, Upgradeable] [Number: 30],[Equipment: T4],[Training: T4],[Experience: T4] This was the status of the thirty men led by Yan Fangxu. The other was the just-upgraded Mechanized Infantry Battalion. [1st Mechanized Infantry Battalion,Comprehensive T5 level, Not upgradeable] [Number: 300],[Equipment: T5],[Training: T5],[Experience: -] The ¡°T¡± level likely corresponded to the overall strength of the unit; the smaller the number, the more elite. The Mechanized Infantry Battalion started off as a low-tier unit, equipped with rifles, hand grenades, machine guns for the squad; mortars and grenade launchers for the platoon, but lacked heavy weapons, only qualifying as a light infantry battalion. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He spent 3 Favor Points to enhance this light infantry battalion. Over four days, this brainless troop, which only followed orders and was considered of very low training value, cannon fodder, underwent a complete transformation. Reaching a T5 level of training, it could almost be considered to have reached the standard of strength of the Imperial Regular Army. While the T4 level of the Marine Corps counted as a regular elite unit. It was precisely because the originally cannon fodder Mechanized Infantry had been upgraded that Gu Hang had the confidence, after hearing about the situation with the Abandoned Cave Society, to forcefully get involved. This was an opportunity, and he now had the ability to seize it. He hoped to use this event to bring the Abandoned Cave Society under his actual rule, rather than merely being a governor in name. And in the future, he would expand his sphere of direct control, step by step, until it encompassed the entire planet. Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Chapter 3, Prisoner on the Run Chapter 3: Chapter 3, Prisoner on the Run From the temporary camp to the Abandoned Cave Society, there was a total journey of four and a half hours. The elite troops of the marine corps spread out in squads of five as vanguards and scouts. Gu Hang, along with the victim Patel and the majority of his Mech Servant Battalion, advanced steadily. Midway, Gu Hang received a report from the marine corps¡¯ scouting team; they had come across a small transport convoy that likely belonged to the ¡®Prisoners of the Void¡¯ tribe. Gu Hang authorized Yan Fangxu to lead the marine corps and a part of the Mech Servant soldiers to annihilate them and to capture as many prisoners as possible. Captain Yan, a naval elite, easily handled the small task without any surprises. However, Gu Hang¡¯s mood didn¡¯t brighten after he heard the prisoners¡¯ testimonies. Gu Hang had Patel brought over to him and said, ¡°It seems that these bandits never intended to let you go.¡± Patel had also seen the condition of the transport convoy, his expression filled with fury, ¡°Yes, they transported a large amount of high explosives. They could not only blow open the gates of the Abandoned Cave Society but even collapse the mines and bury us all alive.¡± Gu Hang shook his head and added, ¡°That¡¯s not all. According to the intelligence Captain Yan obtained through interrogation, they had long ago negotiated with the Green Skins dwelling in the ruined high walls. Your entire population of over nine hundred from the Abandoned Cave Society was to be traded as quality provisions to those green-skinned beasts.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Patel was aware of the ¡®Prisoners of the Void¡¯ gang¡¯s absolute malice towards them, but was still shocked by their brutality. The term ¡®green-skinned beasts¡¯ aptly described those mutants. They didn¡¯t merely exist on Rage Owl Star but were widespread across the universe, also referred to as ¡®the cancer of the cosmos.¡¯ They lacked gender differentiation, reproducing by shedding symbiotic spores in their bodies, which then grew from the ground, as did their food. Technically, they didn¡¯t need to buy any provisions, but these green-skinned beasts had two favorite activities: fighting was one, and eating the brains of sentient beings was the other. The former was their instinct, while the latter was their means of technological advancement. These beasts that sprouted from the land were indeed primitive and savage at first, fighting with stone axes and clubs. But as they consumed enough and sufficiently intelligent brains, their technology would rapidly evolve, advancing to iron weapons, firearms and even interstellar travel¡­ Their belligerent nature, destructive to everything, meant the stronger they became, the more they turned into a scourge ravaging all existence. Logically, such a race should be an enemy of all humankind. The Empire did have an extermination decree against the Green Skin Orcs: kill on sight and then purify the land to destroy the spores, ensuring they would not resurface. But¡­ policy is policy, and enforcement is another matter altogether. On Rage Owl Star, where taxes could not be collected and even basic food and shelter could not be guaranteed, conflicts among various powers were rife, and the entire planet was in chaos. Even the governor was driven to farming himself¡­ In such conditions, it was unrealistic to expect gangs like the ¡®Prisoners of the Void¡¯ to consider the fate of all mankind. Not only were they not opposing, but doing business with these man-eating beasts was intolerable. Clearing out the green-skinned beasts was something Gu Hang was determined to do. Of course, not right now. According to the testimonies, the so-called Green Skin tribe in the high wall ruins numbered in the thousands, and had at least evolved to possess automatic weapons, making their equipment not significantly different from that of the humans on the planet. To thoroughly eradicate those brutes was beyond the power that Gu Hang currently had at his disposal. Fortunately, the ¡®High Wall Ruins¡¯ were quite far from their current location, so there was no need to worry too much, for the time being. What they needed to focus on was the gang of wasteland plunderers threatening the Abandoned Cave Society. Now, Gu Hang had their exact intelligence. Four kilometers outside the mining area where the Abandoned Cave Society was located, the ¡®Prisoners of the Void¡¯ had set up a temporary camp. These scoundrels had never considered the possibility of the Abandoned Cave Society daring to come out for a field battle, so they made no preparations for defensive fortifications. ¡°Good opportunity, we can launch a surprise attack! Our mortars can cause considerable impact!¡± Yan Fangxu appeared excited. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it.¡± After a brief rest, what would have been a two-hour journey, they completed in just over an hour. They hastened their pace, worried that the lack of arrival of the transport convoy for a long time might alert the bandits to unusual activities. After the rapid forced march, they still needed some time to rest before launching the attack. The thirty elite marine corps soldiers were fine, but it was the Mech Servants who needed to rest. They wouldn¡¯t complain of fatigue, but they did indeed get tired, and fatigue could lower their combat effectiveness. Following Yan Fangxu¡¯s recommendation, the soldiers would set out again after forty-five minutes of rest, and an hour later, the mortar positions would commence bombardment. From their position, already within sight of the ¡®Prisoners of the Void¡¯ camp, Gu Hang patiently led his troops in resting, consuming nutrient paste, and sitting to replenish their strength while setting up the mortar positions¡­ He knew that patience now was for the decisive battle that would follow shortly. ¡­ Kaja was feeling inexplicably restless at the moment. These days, even being a plunderer was not easy. They hadn¡¯t opened for business in a while, and all their supplies were running low. Food was the least of their worries, as they would have plenty once they breached the Abandoned Cave Society. Even if the miners didn¡¯t have much in the way of food reserves, slaughtering several hundred people to make jerky would last them a long while. But damaged weapons and depleted ammunition were more difficult to replenish. The major powers were quite unwilling to do business with these plunderers, only the Green Skin tribes were willing. Although Green Skin technology left much to be desired, with a high failure rate for weapons and ammunition tending to misfire, and when it reached their hands, it was far less powerful than in those of the Green Skins themselves¡­ But it was better than nothing. To be honest, Kaja had little interest in the most plentiful mineral produced by the Abandoned Cave Society. It was heavy and of little value, making it hard to fence. But the nine hundred people in the mine were valuable commodities; they could serve as nourishment for them or could be herded to the High Wall Ruins to exchange for Green Skin munitions, which was a delightful prospect. Herding people was indeed easier than herding sheep. For this reason, the ¡®Prisoners of the Void¡¯ had almost mobilized everyone. Apart from a few old, young, women, and those left to guard their lair, the main force was led out by Kaja, totaling over a hundred people. Abandoned Cave Society had many people but few guns, nothing to fear. Their prolonged survival in the wastelands mainly relied on the favorable geography of their location. Kaja had personally scouted that mine, and it truly was easy to defend but difficult to attack. The entrance was securely sealed with ores and metal, and a heavy gate barred it from the inside¡ªimpenetrable by human strength. Yesterday they had already tried blowing up the gate, but to no avail; the explosive payload was insufficient. Frustrated, he had no choice but to send his confidants back to the base to fetch explosives, including some reserved concentrated explosives. His patience had worn thin; if he couldn¡¯t fool those miners into opening the gate, well, when the explosives arrived, he¡¯d just blow it open. It was supposed to be resolved today, there was no need to rush, but Kaja still felt irritable. By his calculations, his transport team should have been back by now. So, why was there no sign of them? He had been hurrying his subordinates earlier, trying to establish contact with the transport team through the radio but to no avail. This made him even more uneasy. Half an hour ago, he sent out a squad to search the return route, but until now, there had been no response, not even radio contact. He became fully alert. Such bizarre circumstances could not but instill fear and hesitation in him. People who weren¡¯t cautious enough were long buried in the wastelands, their bones turned to dust. He made up his mind to dispatch four or five squads to scout the area; at the same time, he ordered his entire troop to prepare to move out and check on the situation themself. Suddenly, a subordinate came to report, ¡°We¡¯ve made contact with the transport team. They¡¯re on their way back and should arrive soon.¡± Kaja¡¯s brows instantly furrowed, ¡°Why haven¡¯t we been able to contact them until now?¡± ¡°They said the radio had some issues; they just fixed it. They sent the message immediately, fearing that we might be worried.¡± After pondering for a moment, Kaja ordered, ¡°Reply with: ¡®Damn you, have you motherfuckers been fucking zombie dogs on the way? That¡¯s why you¡¯re so slow? Hurry up! Any more delays and your spoils will be halved!¡¯¡± Finishing his instruction, he strode outside, shouting to his brothers who were getting ready, ¡°Move, move, move! We¡¯re leaving right now! Stop stuffing those damn bullets and bring as much as you can, leave the rest! Let¡¯s go! Prepare to break out! We¡¯ve been marked!¡± The subordinate who received the order was a bit confused. He caught up in two steps, asking, ¡°Boss, this¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°What about you? Get the fuck going with the message, and grab your gun and follow the team after!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Kaja smacked his head: ¡°We¡¯re definitely being watched! The message is meant to deceive the enemy; better if it works, or else you¡¯re dead meat if you¡¯re slow!¡± After saying this, he paid no more attention to the bewildered youth, grabbed his own gun, and called out to his brothers to prepare to leave camp. Just as he reached the entrance, he heard a whistling sound from the sky. His face instantly turned pale. That was the sound of artillery shells! ¡°Get down!¡± He quickly threw himself to the ground, cursing nonstop: ¡°Fuck! They¡¯re actually shelling us¡­ spit spit¡­ let me catch them¡­ spit¡­¡± The roaring explosion nearly drowned out his own voice; he could only vent his fear through swearing and bravado. He guessed that someone was targeting them, and even feared the worst¡ªthat he was surrounded. What he hadn¡¯t expected was that those watching him also had artillery in their hands! Luckily, he wasn¡¯t too unlucky¡ªthat aside from his ears ringing and his head feeling a bit dazed, he was mostly unharmed. He crouched and looked around. The caliber of the artillery firing at them couldn¡¯t be too large, seemingly only mortars of some sort. If it were heavy artillery, the ten or so concentrated rounds would have left no one unturned in the camp. Still, even so, the mortars had caused significant casualties in their fragile camp without sturdy fortifications. In a glance, at least twenty of his brothers were dead or missing limbs. The rest were shell shocked. Now was clearly not the time to be dazed¡ªstaying here meant certain death. He bellowed, ¡°Run! Move! Get out!¡± But just then, gunfire erupted from outside. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They were really surrounded! Following the artillery, came the infantry! The only piece of good news was that the gunfire sounded distant, suggesting that the small squads he had sent out earlier were engaging the enemy. This was their only lifeline. He screamed, ¡°Support them! It¡¯s do or die time, if you don¡¯t want to meet your maker then fight like hell!¡± It was then that the second round of shelling hit. Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: Chapter 4, Is this a Mech Servant? Chapter 4: Chapter 4, Is this a Mech Servant? ¡°What a pity.¡± Gu Hang, who was holding the binoculars, uttered these two words. He lamented that the enemy reacted quickly, having moved before the bombardment began, otherwise the artillery could have been even more devastating; he also regretted that their firepower was still insufficient. If the 60mm mortars had been replaced with larger-caliber howitzers, the infantry could have just cleaned up the battlefield afterward, as the main problems could have been resolved by the artillery directly. But under these circumstances, there was nothing to be done. In any case, after two rounds of shelling, the enemy had lost a third of its fighting strength. Though it seemed there was a chance for two or three more rounds, the results were unlikely to be as good. The remaining enemies would still have to be dealt with by the infantry. Patel, on the other hand, was very pleased with what he saw. From the information provided by the captives, he knew that most of his people, aside from those who had died, had already been transferred and imprisoned in the lair of the captors, so there were no concerns about friendly fire when shelling the temporary camp. Thus, watching these bandits who endangered his hometown get bombed, with every round crumbling their ranks and causing incalculable death and injury, brought him genuine joy. O great Governor, may all these bandits be killed! I, Patel, am willing to serve you for a lifetime! As he thought this, he saw the Governor roll up his binoculars and signal the soldiers standing by to move forward. He hurriedly followed. ¡­ Locate the target accurately, fire, and kill. Feeling the slight warmth on his cheek from the HS3 type ¡®Eagle¡¯ Electromagnetic Rifle in his hands, Yan Fangxu felt much relieved. The situation on the battlefield is always changing. He had thought that taking advantage of the enemy¡¯s unpreparedness with multiple rounds of mortar fire would deal a devastating blow to these native bandits. Most of the remaining ones would have been dazed by the explosions, allowing his infantry to just clean up the battlefield and deal with a few surviving enemies. But the enemy was more alert than expected. Even as mere wasteland plunderers, they should not be underestimated. The enemy dispersed several squads in advance, forcing him to launch an attack immediately, lest they be discovered by the enemy. The artillery strike was initiated a few minutes ahead of schedule, and the infantry he led had to eliminate those enemy squads hundreds of meters from the enemy¡¯s camp first. Eliminating these bandit squads wasn¡¯t difficult. But the upcoming battle, he found a bit troublesome. The damage caused by the mortars was less than expected; it was up to him and his infantry to tackle the tough fight. Winning was not in question, but what about the losses? If they were to suffer substantial losses while having the upper hand against a bunch of wasteland bandits, that would be quite embarrassing. Additionally, excessive losses could affect the plans of His Excellency the Governor. He had full confidence in the thirty marines he personally brought down from the starship, but not so much in the Mech Servant soldiers. They were cannon fodder by design, equipped with garbage, and more importantly, the battle instincts implanted in the brains of the Mech Servant soldiers were also oriented toward being cannon fodder, emphasizing recklessness without fear of death. Being cannon fodder might be an advantage, but not when acting as the regular army. He was genuinely worried that these Mech Servants would be too impulsive and suffer too many casualties. However, once the battle began, he immediately felt a great deal more at ease. During the elimination of the peripheral plunderer squads, these Mech Servant soldiers didn¡¯t show too many special attributes, as the main targets were dealt with by the marines. Special operations were what the marine corps excelled in, especially since they were equipped with targeting aids, rapid enemy location, precision shooting modules¡­ a variety of accessories. They had an overwhelming advantage over the plunderers both in terms of training and equipment level, so it was very normal for them to achieve victory without injuries. The Mech Servant soldiers, who missed their opportunity to shine, showed remarkably good training in the process of attacking the camp. Instead of charging forward like cannon fodder, each squad maintained open formation, advancing in groups of three. There were assault troops, fire support, and squad machine guns provided suppression from the rear as they advanced. Though the mortars a kilometer away could no longer inflict significant damage, they could still continuously lob shells to accompany the soldiers¡¯ advance and suppress enemy fire. The tactical moves of these Mech Servant soldiers, in the eyes of someone as elite as him, seemed somewhat rigid, but they were standard and effective enough. Those raiders who wanted to break out were pinned down inside the camp, unable to come out. They could only occasionally fire some bullets from within, but without any accuracy. They didn¡¯t dare to show their heads, let alone take aimed shots. Soon, several assault teams had already entered the camp. The Mech Servant soldiers¡¯ professionalism was still online, advancing in turn, covering each other, cutting in from multiple angles, minding the blind spots in their vision¡­ all the necessary technical maneuvers were being employed. Those bandits, who had thought that at close range they could finally mount a substantial counterattack, were still met with the ruthless slaughter by the Mech Servant soldiers. Of course, the Mech Servant soldiers were certainly not invincible. Close-quarters combat inevitably led to casualties, but the numbers were much better than what Yan Fangxu had previously estimated. Was the training organized by the governor really effective? It wasn¡¯t just for show; there was a real enhancement in combat effectiveness when it came to fighting. Three hundred cannon fodder turned into three hundred regular soldiers, and the transformation took place in such a short time that he found it truly unbelievable. But this was a good thing. With the Mech Servant Battalion at this level, he finally didn¡¯t have to worry about suffering too many losses in the storming battle. Those robbers simply couldn¡¯t withstand the onslaught of the Mech Servant soldiers. This battle was secure. ¡­ Yan Fangxu found it unbelievable, but for Kaja, it was utter despair. His reaction was not slow, but still, he couldn¡¯t reverse fate. His brothers, trapped in the camp, had already dwindled to less than half their number. The howling mortars had stopped bombarding. He had thought this would give them a breather, even a chance to counterattack, but it didn¡¯t happen. Those attacking soldiers with mechanical eyes were the most despairing thing for him. He had heard of ¡®Mech Servants¡¯, and some big powers also had them, but they were just like slave labor. They wouldn¡¯t think independently, could only follow orders to do some low-end repetitive manual labor, not suited to being trained as soldiers. If one insisted on doing so, they could only get a bunch of cannon fodder. If there were any advantages, it was that they would not leak secrets, absolute loyalty, absolute obedience. And these now, were Mech Servant soldiers? Was there such an outrageous type of Mech Servant? In their cold eyes, not a hint of stupidity could be seen, only ruthlessness. They were well-trained, their movements brisk and orderly as they slaughtered his subordinates. A counterattack? Quite a few of his fierce bandits indeed tried to fight back, but scattered counterattacks were useless. If any Mech Servant soldier was wounded, it didn¡¯t affect their emotions in the slightest. Even hiding in the temporary houses made of building debris and rubble was futile. Those Mech Servant soldiers would throw two to three grenades in succession, then enter without hesitation, guns in hand, fearless of casualties, and often without incurring any, they could kill the bandits who stubbornly resisted. Now, he knew, everything was over. His temporary camp was bombed to ruins, everywhere there were debris and craters; his brothers lay dead or wounded across the field, killed by the bombs, scraped to death by shrapnel, their bodies shredded by the well-equipped soldiers with ¡®Eagle¡¯ Electromagnetic Rifles at long range, executed at close quarters by Mech Servant soldiers¡­ The ¡®Prisoners¡¯, had perished. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But Kaja still had one last card to play. His tribe was beyond saving, but perhaps he still had a chance to save himself. Pulling out a green, dirty glass bottle the size of his palm from his chest, he looked hesitant. He had seen what became of those who drank this stuff, and it wasn¡¯t much better than death. But if he didn¡¯t drink it, he would die right now. Eventually, he gritted his teeth, pulled out the cork, and gulped down the potion. Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Chapter 5, The Green-Skinned Beast Chapter 5: Chapter 5, The Green-Skinned Beast How tough is the green-skinned beast known as the cancer of the cosmos? Gu Hang saw it with his own eyes today. The battle was drawing to a close, and as he personally led the remaining troops into the fray, planning to finish off the fight and, incidentally, get a close-up whiff of the smoky scent of war, he heard a huge beastly roar, much like that of a bear. Then, a genetically modified giant at least two meters twenty in height, muscular and hefty, with dark green skin, appeared before him. This creature was almost naked, with only a few strips of cloth hanging from his body, clearly a result of his suddenly enlarged form bursting through his original clothes. His skin was dark green and appeared very coarse. The weapons in his hands were wildly styled, with most components looking quite haphazard. In the hands of an ordinary person, they would seem like a handheld cannon or rocket launcher, but in the hands of this giant, they were as normal as a shotgun, and he could even use them one-handed. After making his presence known, he immediately drew the attention of the surrounding soldiers. The Mechanized Infantry Battalion soldiers, with their G7 Type ¡®Striker¡¯ Rifles, aimed at him, pulled their triggers, and the automatic rifles¡¯ rapid fire fiercely enveloped him. However, a shocking scene unfolded: the dark green mutant giant was hit by so many bullets, yet nothing happened to him! In that instant, at least a dozen rifles were fired at him. He didn¡¯t fall, and of course, the soldiers didn¡¯t release their triggers, fully unleashing their rounds. With the beast¡¯s large frame and lack of evasive movement, most bullets hit their mark. Logically speaking, unless it was made of iron, any flesh would be torn to shreds. But it wasn¡¯t. The creature was still standing there, unharmed. Some bullets were deflected, some lost all their kinetic energy and fell, and others lodged into the skin and muscles but failed to penetrate further¡­ A bit of blood was shed, but it was nowhere close to a severe injury. Kaja, having just completed his transformation, recovered from his initial confusion. He retained some self-awareness, knowing that even though he had transformed and grown stronger, his primary goal was still to escape as quickly as possible. Thus, he started running towards the outskirts of the camp. His increased stature and stronger muscles didn¡¯t make him clumsy; instead, they made him faster and more agile. Once he was in motion, the chances of the Mechanized Infantry Battalion soldiers hitting him plummeted. If he hadn¡¯t been reckless and just kept his head down and ran, he might have really had a chance to get away. But during the process, his attention was constantly drawn to the nearby Mechanized Infantry Battalion soldiers, and he couldn¡¯t resist the urge to attack them. On the one hand, being shot irritated him¡ªthe ¡®Striker¡¯ Rifle bullets weren¡¯t fatal, but they were still painful; on the other hand, the drug¡¯s effect swiftly invaded his brain, urging him to unleash a bloodthirsty massacre. Finally, he couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. He was still running, only at a slightly reduced speed. He turned his head and aimed his ugly, bulky gun at a Mechanized Infantry Battalion soldier and pulled the trigger. Thick black smoke belched from the muzzle, and the burst of buckshot disintegrated the entire upper body of that Mechanized Infantry Battalion soldier, splattering flesh and blood everywhere, with plenty splashing onto Kaja himself. The green-skinned beast, bathed in blood, became even more ferocious. He worked the bolt action, fired another shot, and another Mechanized Infantry Battalion soldier met a gruesome death. Another go, but the bullet didn¡¯t fire. His shotgun only had two rounds. Kaja instinctively reached into his chest pocket, as if to reload, but came up empty. His clothes had been torn apart, let alone any ammo he might have been carrying. He simply tossed aside the wild shotgun and lunged directly at a third victim. The targeted Mechanized Infantry soldier raised his gun to fire while retreating in combat, but before he could get off more than a few shots, the extremely fast green-skinned beast was already upon him. A large hand scooped up the soldier, who was then brutally torn in two. Holding the corpse above his head and letting the blood pour down from above, Kaja felt complete satisfaction, even believing that his already invincible physique was reaching new heights. The little rationality that remained made him understand that the drugs he had taken were further enhancing his body¡¯s potential, which might not be a good thing. But those slight worries and struggles were quickly overwhelmed by a flood of combat desire. All he wanted was to keep killing. A hand grenade was tossed at his feet and exploded, but Kaja had already rolled away to avoid it before it went off. A machine gunner had set up a firing position a hundred meters away, and a succession of bullets came screaming towards him. But thanks to the combat instinct that had been implanted by the drug and was now coursing through his blood, Kaja weaved through the gunfire with serpentine agility, not only dodging most of the bullets but also maintaining his forward charge. At this moment, his eyes were blood red, intent only on tearing the machine gunner to shreds. But just then, he suddenly stumbled and, due to inertia, fell heavily to the ground. He couldn¡¯t feel his left leg, as if it had been severed by something. Looking down, his left leg was still perfectly attached to his body, hardly injured at all. Yet no matter what he did, he couldn¡¯t move it, as if the leg attached to his body wasn¡¯t his own. Using his hands and his remaining leg, he barely propped his body up and raised his head to see a man in luxurious clothes, protected by several Navy Marines, approaching from behind the machine gunner. He opened his mouth wide to roar, but a burst of machine gun fire hit him full on, stifling the roar back into his throat. Even the squad machine gun, which was much more powerful than the ¡®Striker¡¯ Rifle, couldn¡¯t kill him quickly. However, the ¡®Eagle¡¯ Electromagnetic Rifles in the Marines¡¯ hands were on another level. The metal spikes accelerated by electromagnetic fire could penetrate his epidermis and muscle defenses. After the four Marines emptied their magazines, Kaja was riddled like a hornet¡¯s nest. But he was not dead yet, still gasping for breath, even as the gaping wounds on his body were slowly self-healing. Gu Hang stepped forward in stride, ¡°This is Kaja? The leader of the Captives? The one who can fully transform humans¡­ Those green-skins have some outrageous technology.¡± He actually didn¡¯t care about Kaja the individual, but the condition displayed by this mutant was worrying. Kaja could no longer speak, only emitting meaningless roars from his throat. Gu Hang didn¡¯t bother to say more. With a wave of his hand, the soldiers behind him took over the cleanup. The Electromagnetic Rifles fired a series of metal spikes, turning the green beast¡¯s head into minced meat. Dealing with a green-skin is a troublesome matter. Killing it is just the beginning; the area where its blood flowed, where its corpse lay, must all be burned with high-temperature flames. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t take long for a bunch of mushrooms to grow here, and then it would turn into a spawning ground for little green monsters. First would come the goblins, then orcs, and later on orclings¡­ Although this green-skinned beast was supposedly the leader of the ¡®Captives¡¯ who had mutated for some reason, who knew if there would be similar cases? Anyway, the fight was over, and there was plenty of time to clean up the battlefield. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang also needed to tally his gains. [Resounding Victory, earned 19 points of Grace] [Losses 9, Kills 146, Prisoners 11] [1st Automaton Light Infantry Battalion: Losses 9, Kills 105] [Navy Marine Corps: Losses 0, Kills 41] Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Chapter 6, Time to Upgrade. Chapter 6: Chapter 6, Time to Upgrade. After the battle had completely ended, a new interface popped up in front of Gu Hang. Looking at the words ¡°Glorious Victory,¡± there was a strange look on his face. Would there also be ¡°Epic Triumphs,¡± ¡°Slight Advantage,¡± ¡°Bloody Close Victory,¡± and the like? He could not only see the overall spoils and losses but also the detailed situations of each branch of the troops. And more importantly, the 19 ennoblement points he received after winning the battle. The earnings from this battle were almost four times his regular monthly income! Wow, so this is a war-monger system, huh? Is fighting the most profitable thing, and farming just a service for warfare? He opened the system interface and saw that the ¡°Hero¡± option was flashing slightly. He clicked on it again, and it was his own name that was flashing. [Hero: Gu Hang (Faction Leader), LV1, enough experience for an upgrade (10 ennoblement points)] [Physique: 7, Spiritual: 14] [Traits:] [Psychic Caster: You possess the power of spiritual energy and can consume spiritual talent to release psychic spells.] [Governor of Rage Owl Star: You are the legitimate ruler of Rage Owl Star, with a higher chance to legally unite the forces native to Rage Owl Star.] This was his personal information. Of the two traits, Governor of Rage Owl Star was due to his status; needless to say, the other trait, Psychic Caster, was his personal ability. Gu Hang was a legal psychic. The Gu Family he belonged to would, of course, train their core offspring. Education, politics, business, providing social resources¡ªthese are a given. Someone like Gu Hang who showed spiritual talent at a young age certainly wouldn¡¯t be overlooked either. His talent in spiritual energy wasn¡¯t bad, and as could be seen from the system, the 14 points in that attribute showed that. Gu Hang also had a pretty clear understanding of what attributes were about. Strength, agility, neural response, resistance to damage¡­ all abilities based on the body were categorized under physique. A strong body was essential for growing into an outstanding warrior. In this era of supernatural strength, even with technological advancement, individual valor still had its place in warfare. The most elite warriors, with the most advanced equipment, slashing starships would be an exaggeration, but storming the front, capturing trenches, conquering strongholds¡­ these were easy feats. The green-skinned beast from before was a proof of that. If Gu Hang hadn¡¯t been there, even though the creature wouldn¡¯t have survived, who knew how many additional machinists and perhaps even marine troops¡¯ lives would have been lost to kill it. Spiritual energy was even more mysterious, and in many ignorant worlds, it was known as witchcraft or magic. This was a supernatural force from the dark side of the world. The ultra-light speed travel of the starships, many high-specification powerful equipment and weapons, all used this supernatural source. The empire had special energy worlds, where they collected spiritual energy and condensed it into crystals. At the same time, the higher the spiritual technology content of cutting-edge devices, the more they required high-level psychics to operate them; powerful psychics themselves, without any equipment, could also demonstrate a strong combat capability with their psychic spells. Earlier, when Gu Hang dealt with the green-skinned creature, he used a psychic spell. A ¡°Soul Slash¡± temporarily severed one of its legs, making it a live target. This was also the only psychic spell that Gu Hang had mastered, which was hard to learn. Spending decades poring over psychic spells wasn¡¯t something Gu Hang wanted to do. However, the upgradeable option in the hero interface offered him a new path. Why wouldn¡¯t he relish the prospect of direct upgrades? Before this, the option to upgrade was nonexistent. He noticed the words ¡°enough experience.¡± He speculated that it came from winning a war. It seemed that the upgrade option would only appear when there was enough experience. As for the 10 points of grace needed to upgrade, he gritted his teeth and paid directly. After receiving 19 points of grace this time, plus the previous 2 points, he had a total of 21 points, which was enough. Suddenly, a new prompt appeared before him: ¡°Please choose one among the following attributes to generate a new talent: Constitution, Spirituality, Command, Leadership, Unique.¡± What¡¯s this now? Constitution and Spirituality need no further explanation, obviously related to personal strength. The next two, Command and Leadership, seemed similar yet certainly had their differences. Gu Hang speculated that the former meant military command, enhancing the ability to lead troops in war; the latter referred to the leadership abilities of a ruler or governing official. As for the last option ¡®Unique¡¯¡­ a special talent given based on each individual? As to what it specifically entailed, that was anyone¡¯s guess. Gu Hang tried choosing ¡®Unique¡¯, but then received a new prompt: ¡°Unique sequence upgrade path not unlocked, upgrade failed.¡± ¡°No idea what the conditions for unlocking are¡­¡± With no other option, he could only choose from the first four. He chose Spiritual Talent. He did not choose Constitution because it was clear that he had more talent on the path of a Psychic Caster than that of a warrior. Although bonuses to Command or Leadership were great, they were likely not very effective in the early stages when army size was limited and the realm small. In contrast, individual strength played a more significant role in small-scale conflicts. What¡¯s more, if he were to become a powerful Psychic Master who could move mountains and fill seas, having tremendous personal strength might well surpass the effects of enhancements for the whole army or entire power. After making his choice, Gu Hang immediately felt a warm surge from his chest flow through every part of his body, all the way to his extremities. His complexion even turned rosy due to this, and fortunately, only the mechanical soldier-servants saw him. These modified beings that do not actively think wouldn¡¯t ask any questions. ¡°Whew¡­¡± Exhaling a warm breath, Gu Hang felt filled with strength. He could sense his muscles becoming more defined, his joints more flexible, his senses sharper, and his thoughts quicker¡­ A holistic enhancement! But¡­ didn¡¯t I choose Spiritual Talent? Why does it feel like my Constitution has improved? Summoning the system again, he saw the datafied effects of the upgrade. ¡°Hero: Gu Hang (Faction Leader), LV2, insufficient experience to level up¡± ¡°Constitution: 8, Spirituality: 15¡± ¡°Traits: Psychic Caster, Rage Owl Star Governor¡± ¡°Talent:¡± ¡°Spiritual Energy Shield: When receiving damage, spiritual energy can be expended to offset the damage. Spirituality +1¡± Constitution did indeed increase, which seemed to be a natural result of the level up enhancing basic attributes. His Constitution was somewhat low, so the increase was noticeable, whereas the rise in Spirituality was less obvious. Yet, Spirituality was still able to grow by one point, thanks to the new talent ¡°Spiritual Energy Shield¡±. An increase in Constitution was good, as being healthier and stronger was always beneficial. The boost to Spirituality allowed him to release more Psychic Spells and increased his spell power. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, the most crucial part of the ¡°Spiritual Energy Shield¡± talent was its actual effect. With just a thought, he could feel a miraculous energy saturating his body, immersing every cell. If an external blow struck, the corresponding damage would be nullified by the spiritual energy, lasting until he chose to turn off this ability or ran out of Spiritual Energy. The functionality of the ¡®Spiritual Energy Shield¡¯ was also excellent. It was a switchable passive effect, incurring no cost when active until damage was received, eradicating the worry of being unable to activate skills in time for ambushes. And in critical moments, temporarily turning it off to save some Spiritual Energy for a counterattack, even at the risk of injury, was an option. Overall, the operation was very flexible. This practical skill of exchanging mana for health was something Gu Hang was quite satisfied with. Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: Chapter 7, Can It Get Any Worse? Chapter 7: Chapter 7, Can It Get Any Worse? While the outside was buzzing with activity, there wasn¡¯t a peep inside the Abandoned Cave Society. They had many people, but only a few guns, so they didn¡¯t even dare to step outside to see what was happening at their door. It wasn¡¯t until Patel made contact with Neili through their secret channel and confirmed that he wasn¡¯t an imposter or a traitor that they opened the door and let him in. They only let in one person, him. At first, he was worried that Governor would be displeased, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Gu Hang generously allowed him to enter first to explain the situation. The Governor¡¯s troops would stay outside the Abandoned Cave Society for two days, waiting for his message. As for what message they were waiting for, Gu Hang didn¡¯t specify, but Patel had a rough idea. The Governor had fulfilled his promise of rescue, and now it was time for the Abandoned Cave Society to show their sincerity. To this, Patel didn¡¯t feel uncomfortable. What was so bad about the Abandoned Cave Society being completely obedient to Governor? As he entered through the door, he returned home. Familiar faces appeared before his eyes, one after another. Their complexions were both pale and blackened. Pale because they lived underground all year round, away from sunlight; blackened because the sweat from labor mixed with the coal dust, and they had no conditions to wash regularly. He was the leader of the Abandoned Cave Society; in the cave, he knew every one of the more than nine hundred faces. People rushed to ask him: ¡°Patel, are we saved?¡± ¡°Were those damn bandits all killed?¡± ¡°Who saved us?¡± Face to face with these many questions, Patel at first replied while walking, answering them one by one. But later, it became impossible to address everyone¡¯s questions individually, so he could only shout out a unified response while trying hard to make his way through the crowd. ¡°Yes, we are saved.¡± ¡°All those bandits have been killed.¡± ¡°The Governor saved us.¡± Hearing the answers, the people wept with joy. Having finally made his way through the crowd, he looked back at his compatriots¡¯ malnourished and by no means pretty faces, feeling both proud and anxious. Proud, because he had brought help and saved everyone. Anxious, because he didn¡¯t know what the future held. Heaving a light sigh, he turned his head and saw his uncle, Butch. Butch¡¯s hand had been crushed by an overturned cart full of ore, got infected afterwards, and had to be amputated, nearly costing him his life. During that time, Patel was elected. After Butch recovered, he didn¡¯t attempt to seize power¡ªthere was nothing to seize. In the environment of the Abandoned Cave Society, there was no room for exploitation or oppression. Leaders were elected, and the settlement was so poor that even as leader, there was little difference in terms of labor and living conditions compared to the others. Due to the disability, Butch couldn¡¯t do heavy labor anymore. But he was still contributing his remaining strength, assisting Patel, his junior, with all his heart. Butch patted his shoulder with his remaining hand, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what I should do,¡± Patel replied. The two of them entered a small room where Patel recounted the entire ordeal of seeking aid to Butch. Butch let out a long sigh, ¡°It¡¯s a disaster, not a blessing.¡± The old comrade¡¯s attitude seemed somewhat pessimistic. Patel disagreed with his view, ¡°What do you mean disaster, not a blessing? I don¡¯t see any disaster here. This is definitely our opportunity. The Governor-General has said that he will not only save our lives but also provide salvation to the end. He has come to build the entire world, and our Abandoned Cave Society is just the first stop.¡± With a sigh, Butch said, ¡°How can you just believe what those big shots say? In their eyes, we are no different from rats or bugs in the gutter. When have they ever considered us as humans? They say a few nice words when they need you, acting as if they really care about you, but once you¡¯re no longer useful, you¡¯re ruthlessly discarded.¡± Patel said, ¡°I don¡¯t think the Governor-General is that kind of person.¡± Butch sneered, ¡°What do you know, you young fool? How many days have you known him?¡± ¡°What else can we do?¡± Patel sidestepped the issue of trust and countered, ¡°Could our situation possibly get any worse? Over nine hundred people working themselves to death beneath these mines, no one dares to slack off¡ªthose who do get starved to death. Even so, we still can¡¯t get enough to eat or wear, accidents happen frequently, and every winter, some freeze to death.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have extra property to buy guns and arm ourselves. When danger comes, we can only lock ourselves in the cave and pray it passes by. We haven¡¯t perished previously because we were too poor, even thieves didn¡¯t want to expend too much effort cracking a turtle shell for just a nibble of meat. Now, faced with the greediest lot, hell-bent on breaking in and selling the living for provisions, all we can do is sit and wait for death.¡± ¡°I absolutely do not want my people to continue living like this.¡± ¡°Besides, what else do we have to lose?¡± This speech silenced Butch. After a while, he finally spoke, ¡°We would lose our freedom.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Freedom!¡± Patel laughed loudly, his laughter nearly reaching beyond the door, and anyone unaware might think he was truly happy, ¡°Can freedom be eaten? This time I also visited the Capital City Revival Town of the Alliance, and I¡¯ve seen the slaves. Slaves live much better than us, we don¡¯t even have a life as good as cattle and horses! If giving up freedom means no more starvation, freezing, or being eaten by others, then I am willing to give up freedom.¡± Butch was left without any further argument, he could only sigh again, ¡°I don¡¯t oppose any of your decisions, I just hope we won¡¯t regret it.¡± ¡°We will never regret it.¡± ¡­ ¡°I believe you won¡¯t regret it.¡± That very day, Gu Hang saw Patel return with several influential members of the Abandoned Cave Society, all of whom expressed their complete submission to him. This was all within Gu Hang¡¯s expectations. The people of the Abandoned Cave Society had no choice. In a humble tone, Patel said, ¡°Governor-General, there are a total of 907 people in the Abandoned Cave Society, awaiting your first command.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take a look inside the cave.¡± ¡°What? You want to go inside the cave?¡± ¡°Not welcome?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°No¡­ but¡­ our conditions there are very poor, you¡­¡± He truly did not want Gu Hang to enter the mine, not for any other reason but because the conditions inside were abysmal. Over nine hundred people living together in cramped caves; even with ventilation, the smell inside was unbearable. The living conditions were primitive, with filth and excrement everywhere¡­ Patel was afraid the conditions in the mine would soil the Governor¡¯s exquisite clothes, even more afraid they would dirty his heart. Gu Hang waved his hand and said, ¡°I need to see what your situation is really like before deciding what to do next.¡± Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: Chapter 8, The True Salvation Chapter 8: Chapter 8, The True Salvation Although Gu Hang¡¯s arrival was unexpected and no grand welcoming ceremony could be hastily put together, the people of the Abandoned Cave Society still went to great lengths to make some display, trying to let the governor feel their respect. As Gu Hang entered through the somewhat cleaned-up entrance of the mining cave, he saw that all the lights inside the cave had been lit. The citizens of the Abandoned Cave Society stood in two rows, lining both sides of the mine¡¯s tunnel, greeting the arrival of the man who would determine their future fate. Gu Hang was not the first to come in; his military supervisor, Captain Yan Fangxu, had already led over a hundred people inside ahead of him. Along the way, robot soldiers had formed a human wall, separating the pathway from the residents of the Abandoned Cave Society. The soldiers stood erect with their guns, while the surrounding civilians all knelt down as Gu Hang passed by. Wherever Gu Hang went, the people there would kneel to greet him. Aside from people, the Abandoned Cave Society had nothing else to put on a display with. Within the crowd, Gu Hang walked, observing the conditions throughout the Abandoned Cave Society. The people had pallid complexions, all looking rather unhealthy; in the cave lay some mining tools, like hoes and carts¡ªpurely manual work, nothing to speak of in terms of equipment. As he walked, Gu Hang arrived at a cavity within the mine that the people of the Abandoned Cave Society used as a square and for major living areas. Numerous crude wooden structures were haphazardly built ¨C this must be many people¡¯s homes. Even more residents of the Abandoned Cave Society gathered here. As Gu Hang stepped into their midst, hundreds of people, led by their leader Patel, all knelt down in unison. Respect was shown in ample measure. Here, a temporary platform had also been erected. Gu Hang stepped onto it, and a microphone was already in place. Not only could his voice be heard by the people in the small square of the mine, but it could also be transmitted to those not in the square through speakers placed throughout the mine. After all, the mine¡¯s square was not large enough to accommodate nine hundred people. Standing on the platform, Gu Hang gazed at the faces under the dim yellow light. He could see the relief of survival from a disaster on their faces and the gratitude they felt toward him as their savior. But at the same time, their expressions did not lack the perplexity about the future, the doubts about him, the man who would decide everyone¡¯s fate from now on, and the numbness left from a hopeless life in the wastelands. The responsibility was great and the journey long. But he still slowly began, ¡°Residents of the Abandoned Cave Society, I am your governor, Gu Hang.¡± ¡°Today, I saw everyone bowing to me, showing their submission. This is good, it proves that you have made the right choice.¡± ¡°Your leader Patel pleaded with me for salvation, and I granted him that.¡± ¡°I led my troops to the Abandoned Cave Society and annihilated the bandits who threatened your lives. One hundred forty-six corpses are neatly laid out outside, and eleven prisoners will soon be judged in the presence of you all.¡± ¡°The salvation you desired has been provided, but the salvation I want to give has just begun.¡± ¡°On the harsh, merciless wasteland, whether it¡¯s natural disasters or man-made calamities, our survival is always under threat. Today the ¡®Prisoners of Death¡¯ came, tomorrow something else might come. You need the ability to protect yourselves, and I will arm you. This is the first salvation I will bestow upon you.¡± ¡°You toil day and night in the mines, only to live a life without sunlight, never full, never warm, with people dying every winter. You have the right to a better life, and I will ensure that everyone willing to strive for it will have a better life. This is the second salvation I will bestow upon you.¡± ¡°A safe environment, plenty of food, and warmth may be your greatest desires now. But once you have had your fill, you will have more desires¡ªbetter living conditions, finer spiritual comforts, and even self-actualization, honor, and faith¡­and I will provide you with the platform to pursue these higher aspirations. This is the third salvation I will bestow.¡± ¡°In my plan, only after I have granted you these three salvations, only after I have made your lives safe and prosperous, can we talk about truly saving you!¡± Gu Hang finished his speech, and at this moment, whether fortunate enough to see Gu Hang¡¯s face in the plaza or crowded elsewhere, only able to hear his voice through the loudspeakers, all the residents of the Abandoned Cave Society were in an uproar! When Gu Hang mentioned that the bandits outside had all been killed, people were already exuberant. Those bandits had killed and captured their brethren, trapping them in the cave for many days with their food supplies depleted. They lived in constant dread until now they were finally rescued, and their gratitude could not be more genuine. And when Gu Hang mentioned arming them, some residents, especially the young and hot-blooded, were even more stirred. The people of the Abandoned Cave Society always knew the importance of having guns and ammunition in the wasteland. In this survival-of-the-fittest world, without the ability to protect oneself, one is just meat waiting to be bitten into, for everyone is starving after all. But guns don¡¯t come for free; military trade is the most valuable on the wasteland. And the people of the Abandoned Cave Society, barely able to feed and clothe themselves, simply cannot afford them. Only with weapons will they feel secure. Faced with situations like the present one, whether they could fight back or not, they would at least have a fighting chance, and not be left to sit and wait for death, depending solely on others for rescue. The second point, the promise of food and warmth, sparked even greater passion! Gu Hang¡¯s words struck deep in their hearts! We work so hard, we suffer so much, why can¡¯t we have a full meal? They don¡¯t understand the exploitation of the external market, the value disparity between raw and processed products, but¡­the Governor-General has promised them food and warmth! That alone was enough to make them fully support whatever the Governor-General planned to do! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The third point, the so-called ¡®higher pursuits¡¯¡­people didn¡¯t feel as strongly about that, in fact, some were perplexed. Just staying alive was tough enough; they rarely allowed themselves to think about anything more, not understanding what ¡®self-actualization¡¯ or ¡®sense of honor¡¯ meant. Cheering along, it was because of the momentum built by the previous points¡ªthat whatever the Governor-General said must be right! But there were always a few who, despite the torment of a painful life, managed to keep thinking. Their eyes lit up when they heard the Governor-General mention this. The vast majority in the Abandoned Cave Society were inspired by Gu Hang¡¯s speech! They could see a path of light and hope unfolding before their very eyes. Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Chapter 9, How Many Devices are Free to Use? Chapter 9: Chapter 9, How Many Devices are Free to Use? Butch¡¯s mood was complicated. As people age and undergo more hardships, and with the safety of the entire Abandoned Cave Society resting on his shoulders, it was inevitable that he would overthink and become overly suspicious. In his view, the hundreds of people in the Abandoned Cave Society huddled together for warmth on the dangerous wasteland, seeking survival. No matter the situation, thinking more and being more cautious¡ªeven if it meant missing many opportunities¡ªwas much better than making one misstep that could lead to utter catastrophe. When the Governor-general came with troops to the rescue, he was undoubtedly grateful. Without outside help, all of them would have died. But to be honest, what he most hoped for was that the Governor-general would come with his troops, annihilate the bandits, and then leave. Even if it meant they had to pay a higher cost, that would be acceptable. He had considered the worst-case scenario, where taxes would double in two years, possibly leading to half of the Abandoned Cave Society starving to death, but it was still better than everyone dying. Now, however, the Governor-general not only did not require them to give anything but was also willing to offer more, which made Butch very anxious. If there was no cost at all, it might mean the greatest cost of all. After listening to Gu Hang¡¯s speech, he too was unavoidably impassioned for a moment and cheered jubilantly along with the crowd. Everything the Governor-general spoke of, of course, was what he hoped for, what he dreamed of having. But¡­ Was it really possible? The people of the Abandoned Cave Society, besides their strength, had nothing. No technology, no equipment, even the mines, relics from before the war, had limited reserves and were difficult to exploit. If the veins were of good quality, how could they have possibly ended up in their hands? How could such people pursue a better life? Butch could not imagine. He didn¡¯t want to think this way, but he couldn¡¯t help fearing the worst, feeling that Gu Hang¡¯s words were all deception, and perhaps they would end up being sold off as slaves or something of the sort in the future. But he was no longer the leader of the Abandoned Cave Society. The current leader, Patel, seemed brainwashed, fervently trusting the Governor-general¡¯s words. After the Governor-general¡¯s speech, the young man was beside himself with excitement, and at the slightest beckoning, he scurried off to discuss the grand plans for the development of the Abandoned Cave Society. ¡°Sold out and still counting the money for the buyer!¡± Butch could only retreat to his cramped and musty little space, brooding in private. His brooding didn¡¯t last long before his door was knocked on. Opening the door, Patel walked in. The room was pitch black, and Patel asked, ¡°Why don¡¯t you light a lamp?¡± ¡°To save a bit.¡± ¡°According to the Governor-general, a happy life can¡¯t be saved into existence.¡± ¡°Heh, now you¡¯re spouting nothing but the Governor-general¡¯s words.¡± ¡°He saved us.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never denied that.¡± ¡°He also wants to bring us a bright future.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Butch replied noncommittally, having given up on persuading Patel. What else could be done at this point? Truth be told, the Abandoned Cave Society had no strength. Even if Patel listened to him, what could they do? Could they revolt against the Governor-general? Thinking this, he grew even more disheartened. He listlessly asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be discussing important matters with the Governor-general? What do you want with an old wreck like me?¡± ¡°The discussions are already done, I came to ask for your help.¡± ¡°That was quick?¡± ¡°The Governor values efficiency highly,¡± Gu Hang said. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Butch asked. ¡°Lead our people to the surface and establish a settlement. We can¡¯t continue to live in the mines for much longer; the poor living conditions will lead to disease,¡± Patel explained. ¡°But¡­¡± Butch hesitated. Of course, it would be great to live on the surface¡ªwho would choose the mines if they had a choice? In fact, the Abandoned Cave Society had plans to expand to the surface and had a camp there. Then, the ¡®Prisoners of Oblivion¡¯ beat them up. The dozens of people they captured were taken from that surface camp. The surface was too dangerous; with the Abandoned Cave Society¡¯s capabilities, they simply couldn¡¯t defend it. ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about,¡± Patel said, ¡°but we have the power to protect ourselves. The Governor will leave behind a hundred robotic soldiers to be responsible for defense here. At the same time, a hundred sets of soldier equipment will be transported here. We¡¯ll select people from the Abandoned Cave Society and arm a platoon!¡± Now it was Butch¡¯s turn to be surprised. He thought the Governor was bluffing, but he hadn¡¯t expected the promise to be carried out so quickly. No, it should be said, two promises. Arming the Abandoned Cave Society¡¯s own soldiers so they could protect themselves was one thing; building houses on the surface to improve living conditions was another. Change was immediate. On this matter, Butch couldn¡¯t refuse. But he was curious about something else, ¡°You want my help to construct the surface camp, what will you be doing yourself?¡± It certainly wouldn¡¯t be training the military. That kind of thing would surely be managed by someone from the Governor¡¯s side. Not to mention military authority, even if the Abandoned Cave Society handled it themselves, they lacked the capability. ¡°Me?¡± Patel said with a mysterious smile, not keeping the suspense any longer. ¡°I¡¯m going to build our own production line. There will be new mining machines delivered, as well as alloy smelting furnaces. The Governor doesn¡¯t just want to help us improve the efficiency of mineral extraction, but also to directly establish a production line for producing alloy steel!¡± Hearing this, Butch was genuinely astonished and found himself at a loss for words. Establishing a military force, returning to the surface to live¡ªthese things were certainly good, but plainly speaking, they were all illusory. How could the Abandoned Cave Society, on its own, afford a decent military force? Wouldn¡¯t they still rely on the Governor for support? This was at the core of Butch¡¯s pessimism: for the Abandoned Cave Society to lead a good life, they had to possess enough value themselves. He never expected others to provide unlimited, gratuitous support to the Abandoned Cave Society¡ªit was impossible. Even if it was just a temporary measure to win hearts, it was for a greater benefit. Whether it was to build a good reputation or for a darker scheme, it was never a good thing. But now, he knew he was wrong, egregiously so. Indeed, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t provide unlimited, gratuitous support to the Abandoned Cave Society¡ªhe did want something from them. However, what he needed was something that the Abandoned Cave Society currently couldn¡¯t offer. But that didn¡¯t matter, as Gu Hang could enable the Abandoned Cave Society to develop. Once their productivity increased and their inherent value rose, then they would be able to pay the price that Gu Hang was asking for. Of course, by that time, the debt the Abandoned Cave Society owed Gu Hang would likely be much more than just a life-saving favor. But Butch was content. This opportunity was what he had been dreaming of. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He was completely invigorated now, having thrown his previous worries to the winds, ¡°When do we start?¡± Patel asked teasingly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say before that it was a disaster, not a blessing? And something about losing freedom?¡± Butch¡¯s face turned red, but he stubbornly retorted, ¡°You little brat, what do you know! Is our freedom worth more than the equipment the Governor is bringing in?¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Seeing his uncle change his attitude by a hundred and eighty degrees, Patel laughed out loud. This wasn¡¯t mocking his uncle; this was joy for the future of all of them Chapter 10 - Chapter 10: Chapter 10, Technological System Chapter 10: Chapter 10, Technological System [You have successfully allied with the Covenant Empire faction: Abandoned Cave Society] After finishing his speech, Gu Hang reopened the system interface and saw this new message. The Covenant can do this? In the system¡¯s judgment, even a small place like the Abandoned Cave Society was recognized as a faction? He looked further. [Current Grace Points: 11] [Total Revenue of Territories: 6/Terra Month] [Governor¡¯s Temporary Camp: 5/Terra Month] [Abandoned Cave Society: 1/Terra Month] The total revenue had risen slightly each month, Gu Hang pursed his lips, not particularly satisfied. The population of the Abandoned Cave Society wasn¡¯t large enough, and their productivity wasn¡¯t strong enough. By contrast, his temporary camp, although built from scratch, had more than three thousand people. Of course, there was still considerable room for development on both sides. He believed that once productivity and prosperity increased, the monthly Grace income would also see a substantial rise. But as far as Gu Hang¡¯s current knowledge was concerned, relying on monthly fixed income would at best ensure a basic guarantee. To become wealthy, one must rely on warfare. What Grace system? This is a War Frenzy system! After wiping out the main force of the ¡®Prisoners of War¡¯, he had gained 19 Grace points. The windfall gave him a taste for more. Once the work at the Abandoned Cave Society was done, he dispatched Yan Fangxu, instructing the captain to take half of the elite marine corps and a Mechanized Servant Infantry Company to launch an attack on the ¡®Prisoners of War¡¯ bandit stronghold based on the confessions of the captives. It should be an easy battle. The main force of the Prisoners of War had already been annihilated outside the Abandoned Cave Society, and most of those left in the camp were the old, weak, sick, and disabled. After all, bandits have families too. The handful of bandits left behind weren¡¯t much of a concern, they added up to barely fifty people, and it was unclear how many guns they could muster. The forces that Yan Fangxu took were more than enough to annihilate them completely. Gu Hang hoped that Yan Fangxu would save as many of the still-living Abandoned Cave Society prisoners as possible, but if not, he couldn¡¯t force it. Besides, what Gu Hang was looking forward to more was the harvest of Grace points. Although he knew the enemy was weak and the Grace earnings wouldn¡¯t be high, it should be better than simply waiting for the fixed income each month, right? Thinking this, he continued to look down. Then, a bigger surprise came. He saw that the system had silently added a new function. Beneath the [Heroes] and [Soldier Cards] options, a new choice quietly sat there. [Technology]. Gu Hang was far from calm. He had previously felt that the system was a War Frenzy system, not only because it awarded many points for winning battles but also in terms of the system¡¯s functionalities. Whether it was individual leveling or the training and leveling of troops, it was all in preparation for war. It seemed to be a cycle system where the more you fought, the stronger you became, and the stronger you became, the more you could fight, with farming being a secondary element. But unexpectedly, the system¡¯s functionalities had not been fully disclosed to him. Could there be other new functionalities in the future? And what conditions would be needed to unlock them? It was unknown. There would be plenty of time to delve deeper later; right now, what Gu Hang was most eager to see was exactly what this [Technology] function entailed. Upon opening it, the system interface displayed a sky full of stars, except that each star was dim, waiting for him to light them up. Upon closer inspection, these dark stars seemed interconnected in a rather intricate manner, varying in size. Each star seemed to represent a specific technology. [You may invest Favor points to initiate a random technology unlock. The success rate and the level of technology unlocked will increase with more points invested. The minimum tier requires 10 points for one unlock, the second tier requires 100 points, and the third tier requires 1000 points for one unlock¡­] A gacha, lottery mechanism? Could it be a scam? Gu Hang had some psychological shadows regarding these gacha things. But there were no other options. He currently had only eleven points of Favor. After one draw at the lowest standard, they¡¯d be gone. Judging from his understanding of similar mechanisms, drawing once at the lowest level often didn¡¯t yield any good results. But the problem was, if he didn¡¯t spend them here, he had nowhere else to use the ten points of Favor! In terms of heroes, he was now at level 2, capped by experience. Even with Favor points, he couldn¡¯t level up; as for troop training, from non-elite to T5, it cost 1 point of Favor for every hundred people, from T5 to T4, 1 point for every 10 people, and from T4 to T3, 1 point per person. Now, his Mech Servant Battalion was T5 and couldn¡¯t be upgraded due to hardware limitations. The elite troopers of the marine corps could be upgraded, but elevating just 11 of them to T3 wasn¡¯t very meaningful, especially since their equipment wouldn¡¯t improve; thus, their comprehensive combat ability wouldn¡¯t reach the mark. With that in mind, if he didn¡¯t want his Favor points to mold away, drawing technology was indeed his only choice. So, he might as well draw. Hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t be unlucky. As his thoughts commanded, ten points of Favor quietly vanished, and in their place, a star in the dimly lit sky lit up. [Basic Technology: Alloy Plastic Steel] [A research product of the Empire Mechanical Doctrine, it is a qualified multi-functional material, based on steel, blended with various minerals to forge. It has different properties depending on the specific formula used. It can be used for soldier¡¯s bulletproof inserts, construction materials, vehicle armor, spaceship components¡­] As expected, it was just the most basic technology, and it was in the domain of raw materials. But upon further understanding, Gu Hang¡¯s mouth dropped open: ¡°I¡¯ve struck gold!¡± Alloy Plastic Steel was not an exceptionally rare material, and the performance gap between different ratios and manufacturing processes could be drastic. The best-quality plastic steel could be used to make core material components for precision instruments, while the poor-quality ones could only serve as construction materials. If it were just the process, the formula, and the blueprints, their usefulness wouldn¡¯t be that great. Given Gu Hang¡¯s current poor state, he didn¡¯t have the means to implement the process or blueprints. But¡­ what the system provided was akin to spoon-feeding. The illumination of one technology provided three things: Firstly, there were theories, processes, and design blueprints. With these, as long as there were sufficient technological talents and an industrial base, one could apply this technology on a large scale directly and build factories. That wasn¡¯t peculiar, but what came next were two items: Black Box Manufacturing Machines. Black box is an adjective, implying that no one can know how the equipment operates internally. Just by inputting the rawest materials, it can directly produce finished products. And such Black Box Manufacturing Machines numbered two, each distinct. The first one is a finished-product black box, which required only iron ore and any ratio of materials to directly produce the highest level of Alloy Plastic Steel material. The second one is a master black box, similarly requiring only the most basic materials to produce the smelting furnaces capable of manufacturing qualified Alloy Plastic Steel. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This was amazing, Gu Hang thought, looking at the two machines that he could materialize at any time, along with the knowledge in his mind, and realizing how powerful the technology system was. The food was literally being fed to his mouth. Indeed, Gu Hang lacked any significant technological or technical talents under his command, but with these devices, he figured that even a group of baboons could manage to put together an Alloy Plastic Steel production line. Ten points of Favor, a massive profit! ¡°What Battle Frenzy System? I declare, this is the ultimate Farming System!¡± Chapter 11 - Chapter 11: Chapter 11, Black Box Manufacturing Machine Chapter 11: Chapter 11, Black Box Manufacturing Machine Helping the Abandoned Cave Society establish production capacity was already part of Gu Hang¡¯s plan. Gu Hang looked down on the meager mineral output of the Abandoned Cave Society; these people struggled just to feed themselves, so what surplus value could they have? Only by developing them could he achieve his goals. And Gu Hang¡¯s goals were not merely to have these people pay their taxes. He wanted to make the entire planet more prosperous, he needed more armies, more weaponry, more material foundations¡­ The Abandoned Cave Society was a starting point, but it was also an important showpiece. If he succeeded, he intended to continuously replicate similar models. But first, he had to make the showpiece work. Originally, his plan relied on the ¡°Quintet¡± Starship floating in the sky. When Gu Hang set out from the Star Sector Capital to take up his post as the Planetary Governor of the Rage Owl Star, he certainly did not go alone. He was one of the current core members of the Gu Family, an old political household in the Tianma Star Sector. The ¡°Quintet¡±, a Watch-class Strike Cruiser belonging to the Imperial Navy of the Tianma Star Sector, carried him all the way from the Star Sector Capital. After completing the task of escorting the governor, the ¡°Quintet¡± did not leave. It would orbit the Rage Owl Star for a two-year mission. It was to obey the governor¡¯s orders and be the strongest support for the governor to revive the entire planet. It was only Gu Hang who received this treatment; the previous governors had to make do with an Escort Ship. In theory, with the ¡°Quintet¡± looming in orbit, Gu Hang could walk sideways on the Rage Owl Star. Above the wasteland, there was nothing that could threaten the ¡°Quintet¡±. On the contrary, the ¡°Quintet¡± could carry out terrifying orbital bombardments on any location on the planet¡¯s surface. At the same time, the ¡°Quintet¡± could also bring great help to Gu Hang in other aspects. This eleven-kilometer-long giant of the Star Sea was equipped with a crew of over one hundred thousand. There were androids, slaves, combat personnel, technicians, elite marines, mechanics, spiritual energy masters¡­ All kinds of people, performing different functions. In a sense, such a giant ship was like a city drifting in the sky. Primarily, the crew relied on conscription and replenishment from various planets, but due to the lengthy space travels, chances to depart were rare. Many of the crew were simply the offspring of the starship¡¯s personnel, born and likely to die on the starship, never having left it in their lifetime. This huge sky city could provide Gu Hang with many things. The initial three thousand slaves, three hundred android soldiers, and thirty marines he started with were brought down from the starship. He originally planned to meet the construction needs of the Abandoned Cave Society from above as well. The ¡°Quintet¡± could provide manpower, weapons, and equipment. When Gu Hang said he wanted to select one hundred soldiers from the Abandoned Cave Society and arm them, it wasn¡¯t just talk. He planned to get the ammunition from the starship. However, some of the production equipment in his plan was not so easy to obtain. He originally intended to get it from Revival City, after all, he was the Planetary Governor, the head of the Rage Owl Star ¡°Alliance¡±. Even if his control over the Alliance was insufficient, skimming a little off the top was still feasible. But now, it seemed unnecessary. The ¡°Technology¡± function offered by the system provided much more than skimming could. Without a second thought, he called Patel over, informed him about the production line endeavors, and managed to excite the leader of the Abandoned Cave Society immensely. After sending Patel away, Gu Hang left the Abandoned Cave Society and went to the outskirts. His soldiers were also stationed outside; the people of the Abandoned Cave Society had gradually come out, and under the leadership of a person named Butch, they started to build their ground camp. Patel began to select the one hundred Abandoned Cave Society soldiers who were to be trained, and soon settled on the candidates. To be honest, Gu Hang was not very satisfied with these people from the Abandoned Cave Society as the source for soldiers. They were all from laborious backgrounds, but also malnourished, making it difficult to nurture robust physical conditions. Not only did they appear somewhat small and thin, but their bodies also had many hidden injuries due to prolonged hard labor. Although they had the mental resolve to endure hardship, they were still not considered a very excellent source of soldiers. But he had no other options for the time being. The three thousand slaves brought down from the starship who were in the temporary camp weren¡¯t much better. Next, Gu Hang left a hundred android soldiers behind and, with the rest of the people and the one hundred newly recruited youths from the Abandoned Cave Society, headed to the temporary camp. He did not plan to wait for Yan Fangxu, who was off to clear the remnants of the ¡®Forsaken Prisoners¡¯, to return. That man wouldn¡¯t run into any trouble. After completing his mission, he would leave behind a small squad of elite Marines to take charge of commanding the android soldiers remaining in the Abandoned Cave Society. ¡°` Those brainless servant soldiers have hardly any ability to fight independently. ¡­ After several hours, Gu Hang returned to the temporary camp. The entire camp was still a bustling construction site. After initially leveling the ground, sourcing materials locally to build a rudimentary fence and temporary buildings, most of the servants were busy with one thing: constructing the landing field. The landing field was for starships¡ªnot for the entire starship to land, but to facilitate transport ships flying down from the starships to dock with the ground. This was not a particularly efficient mode of transport. On some planets with better conditions, space elevators and orbital starports were the mainstay of interstellar transportation. However, again, it was a matter of conditions. Where could Gu Hang afford to construct space elevators and starports right now? He could only rely on the ships carried by the starships to transport materials between space and the ground. This required a landing field¡ªor rather, an airport¡ªto improve efficiency. The work to complete the project thoroughly wasn¡¯t small, but there was no need to do everything at once; getting something operational was the priority. After briefly checking on the progress of the project, Gu Hang found a deserted place outside the camp and materialized two Black Box Manufacturing Machines. Those two manufacturing machines really were ¡®black boxes¡¯. Made of unknown materials and pitch black, these two machines were shaped like large, square black boxes. They were two different sizes, resembling two buildings. Each of them had two ¡®doors¡¯: one for inputting materials and the other for outputting products. Gu Hang scratched his head, feeling somewhat dumbfounded. The system never mentioned these black boxes would be so big. How was he supposed to move them? He could only resort to using engineering machinery, as relying purely on manpower was too exaggerated. But on second thought, Gu Hang felt there was no need to transport these two devices to the Abandoned Cave Society. The finished black boxes could be put to use by importing ore from the Abandoned Cave Society¡ªalthough doing so somewhat went against his promise to Patel to establish a production line for the Abandoned Cave Society. But in fact, there was no conflict; the finished black boxes were certainly for producing top-tier alloy steel materials and wouldn¡¯t have a high output. As for the production line of the Abandoned Cave Society, it could rely on the various parts produced by the mother machine black boxes. These parts would be transported to the Abandoned Cave Society, where they would be assembled on-site to construct an alloy smelting plant. One could imagine that, as both camps continued to develop, the transport exchanges between them would become very frequent. Building roads was certainly necessary, but so was transportation equipment. He didn¡¯t want his subordinates to have to push hand carts, taking eight hours to make a round trip. Vehicles and construction equipment were very much needed. He looked up at the sky. It seems he still needed to fleece the ¡°Quintet¡± for resources, including the hundred sets of weapons and equipment promised to the Abandoned Cave Society. However, the thought of having to deal with that woman made Gu Hang feel a bit annoyed. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡­¡­ Although the word count is still low, I ask my dear readers to please support the new book as much as you can during its early stages! If you can recommend me, that would be even better! I¡¯ve always wanted to write a book with a sturdy setting, and for this one, I will put in the effort and hopeful for a good outcome, not letting everyone down! Thank you very much, red cloth to all! Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: Chapter 12, Commodore Captain Chapter 12: Chapter 12, Commodore Captain The mere thought of having to deal with Gu Hang was a bit annoying to Yelisia. As a bona fide Colonel of the Imperial Navy and captain of a Strike Cruiser, she was an undeniable big shot in the Tianma Star Sector. Between the identity of a Navy Colonel and a Planetary Governor, which one carried more weight? In the entire Tianma Star Sector, there were only seven cruisers permanently stationed by the Imperial Navy; by comparison, there are nine planets in the Tianma Star Sector, almost an equal number. The two roles were not part of the same system. The status of a Planetary Governor was special, but it generally belonged to the empire¡¯s administrative system; a starship captain, on the other hand, was part of the military system of the Imperial Navy. Theoretically, the head of a star sector had no direct authority over the Imperial Navy. Of course, reality was not so. The Tianma Fleet was established by the Tianma Star Sector, its officers and soldiers mostly recruited and selected from the various planets of the star sector; the starships were also financed by the star sector¡¯s government; logistical support was provided by the star sector as well. In terms of their mission, the Tianma Fleet was responsible for the defense of the Tianma Star Sector, cooperating with the Star Sector Government, which indeed didn¡¯t allow for much independence. All in all, it wasn¡¯t easy to compare the status of the seven cruiser captains of the Tianma Star Sector with that of the nine Planetary Governors¡ªit was about even, one could say. But when it came down to Gu Hang and Yelisia personally, it was a different matter. Of the nine planetary worlds in the Tianma Star Sector, the other eight, though varied in level, were at least rulers of their domains. Only the Rage Owl Star was a longstanding thorny issue. According to past practice, Gu Hang taking on the role of governor was almost like being handed a suspended death sentence for two years¡ªhow could that compare to Yelisia? Yelisia also came from a prominent family; the Fufana Family she belonged to was an ally of the Gu Clan and a supporter of the current star sector leader. And she herself was a rising star in the military, the most dazzling newcomer among the Tianma Star Sector¡¯s navy, the only woman among the seven captains and the youngest of them all. To have reached her position, her family background was certainly important, but one couldn¡¯t overlook her own abilities either. Gu Hang and Yelisia were worlds apart. However, the female Colonel had her own troubles. Since she had become captain of the Quintet, almost two years had gone by, and yet the voices of doubt continued unabated. Age, experience, gender¡­ these all became targets for criticism. As for ability? Merely talking about one¡¯s ability was too idealistic and would not appease hunger; it needed to be translated into achievements that were beyond question. She was indeed gearing up to fight a splendid battle. Punch the Green-skinned Warlord, kick the Chaos Traitor, exterminate the Void Insect Species¡­ Anything would do, just a spirited, exhilarating victory that would see her triumphantly return and shut up anyone who dared to criticize her henceforth. But instead of finding a battle, she ended up on Rage Owl Star, providing support for the young governor, a political ally of the family. A two-year stint. She was very irritated, yet she had no way to resist and could only set off for her assignment in a huff. Already quite annoyed, that guy kept causing her trouble too. She now was also unclear about how the Gu Clan really viewed Gu Hang, whether they took him seriously or not. If they valued him, why dispatch him to such a place? It wouldn¡¯t be too bad to entrust him with the big task of developing the problematic Rage Owl Star, but the Gu Family hadn¡¯t even invested much in the way of resources, had they? But to say they didn¡¯t value him, why then would the Star Sector Government assign one of the Tianma Fleet¡¯s only seven cruisers, the very one she captained, the Quintet, to stay on standby for two years? She couldn¡¯t figure it out. And she didn¡¯t need to think too hard about it either. She considered herself a soldier, so she would just stick to her orders strictly. The orders she received were to ensure that the Rage Owl Star remained loyal to the empire, to assist the Planetary Governor, and to provide military support. In this regard, she had never thought about making things difficult for Gu Hang. As long as the governor made a request, she would fulfill the duty of the Imperial Navy. She thought that her tasks would involve simply providing deterrence from orbit and executing strikes when necessary. There was no pressure¡ªjust carrying out her duties methodically would be enough. But Gu Hang didn¡¯t need her help with the bombardment, instead he had taken away a group of servants and soldiers. She hadn¡¯t expected this. At first, she didn¡¯t want to comply, but after Gu Hang nagged and cajoled her, she was finally swayed into letting him take the manpower. Once she came to her senses, she still felt regretful. I can help you fight, but you can¡¯t just take away my people! This was not within the scope of her duties. Moreover, this was the Imperial Navy Troops she was dealing with. True, there seemed to be a hundred thousand people on board the ship, which might seem like a lot, but a giant starship, eleven kilometers long, required that many hands to operate. If Gu Hang took away too many people, it would directly affect the starship¡¯s combat capabilities. What¡¯s more, the Navy¡¯s strength was all aboard the starships. Detached from the starships, a hundred thousand people thrown onto the planetary surface would not even make a splash on the scale of a star. Compared to the Imperial Guard with its corps of millions, specializing in ground combat, they were not even in the same league in terms of numbers. Gu Hang had taken more than three thousand people, which did not yet affect the starship¡¯s operation, but such an action could not be allowed to happen again. This time, she received another communication request from Gu Hang. Colonel Yelisia was determined, unless there was some combat mission, she had no intention of satisfying any requests. Adjusting her mood, she sat up straight and instructed the technician to patch through Gu Hang¡¯s communication signal. Gu Hang¡¯s head then appeared on the screen in the center of the command platform. ¡°Colonel Yelisia, hello, it¡¯s been half a month, and you¡¯ve become even more beautiful!¡± The female colonel retorted with a stern face, ¡°Your Excellency the Governor, please don¡¯t sweet-talk me. Just get to the point.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so serious. I actually have some good news to share with you.¡± ¡°What news?¡± ¡°Our troops wiped out a rebel force on Rage Owl Star today, nearly two hundred enemies of the Empire were eliminated.¡± Bandits and wasteland robbers were turned into ¡®rebels¡¯ and ¡®enemies of the Empire¡¯ in Gu Hang¡¯s narrative. Strictly speaking, there was nothing incorrect with what he said. Yelisia wasn¡¯t fully aware of the specific situation on Rage Owl Star, but even so, she knew that there was some embellishment in Gu Hang¡¯s words. But what mattered most was¡­ ¡°Two hundred enemies?¡± She displayed disdain. You¡¯re proud of such a minor victory, to boast about it in front of me? ¡°I know you don¡¯t care about these two hundred people, Colonel, but what if in the future, this number could be two thousand, twenty thousand, or even two hundred thousand?¡± ¡°Or what if it¡¯s about annihilating a Green-skinned Warlord? Eradicating a Heretic Cult that does not worship the Divine Emperor? Or even eliminating an indigenous Evil God?¡± Yelisia¡¯s expression turned serious. Hearing Gu Hang speak this way, she subconsciously started to ponder¡ªif what he said was true, and they had indeed eliminated tens of thousands of Imperial Traitors, wiped out a Green-skinned Warlord, or killed an Evil God, what would the merit of such achievements be? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Wasn¡¯t she after merits? Hadn¡¯t the thing that dissatisfied her the most about coming to Rage Owl Star been that squatting here for two years was simply a waste of time? But she wasn¡¯t so easily misled. ¡°You talk as if Rage Owl Star is about to be turned upside down. Are there such enemies there?¡± she expressed her skepticism. ¡°There could be.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s smile carried an inexplicable flavor. Chapter 13 - Chapter 13: Chapter 13, Help Each Other Out Chapter 13: Chapter 13, Help Each Other Out ¡°It can be done.¡± This unexpected answer allowed Yelisia to vaguely grasp the implication behind Gu Hang¡¯s words. Still, she deliberately asked, ¡°If there are such enemies, Your Excellency, please give me a precise coordinate, and orbital bombardment will follow. Whether they be green-skins or the Heretic Cult, I will bring down the Emperor¡¯s most terrifying wrath upon these foes.¡± ¡°How could the Empire¡¯s enemies dare to expose themselves in broad daylight? They won¡¯t act openly and aboveboard. I need some time to dig these enemies out. And that will require your help,¡± Gu Hang said. Yelisia fell silent. She now fully understood the meaning behind Gu Hang¡¯s words. These enemies, if they already existed on Rage Owl Star, that would be best. If they did not exist, then they could be made to exist, but that would require the assistance of the Governor¡¯s authority¡ªsomething Yelisia could hardly manage on her own. Gu Hang¡¯s voice rose again: ¡°I don¡¯t need much, nor do I need additional manpower from you. Two hundred sets of servosoldier armaments, some armored vehicles usable on land. These things are of no use sitting idle on starships. However, they could trade for opportunities.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that this is helping me, but it is equally helping yourself. The savior of Rage Owl Star, how do you like that title? The heads of countless enemies of the Empire will forge your medals of merit. And what you need to pay is but a trifle, some mere land force equipment. I will find the enemies for you, I can even help you take their heads.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be executed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs Tax Bureau in two years¡¯ time, and you don¡¯t want to waste two years in orbit around Rage Owl Star. So why shouldn¡¯t we help each other? This is not a trade; this is our mission here, and it¡¯s our future prospects,¡± he concluded. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Yelisia tried to speak but found her throat a bit dry. The truth was, she was somewhat tempted. She had thought she would be stuck in orbit for two years, and upon returning, continue to face all kinds of rumors and not know when she would find a real chance to fight. But now, Gu Hang¡¯s words had opened a new door for her. She began to seriously consider the feasibility of this affair, weighing what she would have to give and what she would gain in return. And the conclusion didn¡¯t seem hard to reach. At worst, she would just have provided manpower and armaments, only for Gu Hang to still accomplish nothing, her time wasted here for naught. But what of it? Her two years stationed here was a certainty, it was an order from the Naval Department, immutable; the loss of manpower and equipment supplied to support the ground operations wasn¡¯t her concern, as supporting the Governor was part of her duties. Any missing equipment could simply be requisitioned and replenished later. And crucially, it wouldn¡¯t cost her a dime, the Empire¡¯s treasury would foot the bill. Beyond that, there were no other costs. Could it be that she had to worry about someone threatening the starship? She found the very idea laughable. And if Gu Hang succeeded, she would earn the merit of purging the planet of all enemies, their heads serving as a soldier¡¯s medals. Those who had kept Rage Owl Star from providing sufficient resources and taxes to the Star Sector, once eradicated by her, would see the planet return to its rightful course¡ªwas this not the honor she sought? Of course, this action wouldn¡¯t be as heroic as showing one¡¯s prowess in a decisive naval battle, destroying the enemy¡¯s main warships, but at the very least it would count as merit, proving that her two years were not spent in vain. Upon returning, it wouldn¡¯t just silence the naysayers but would add color to her resume, which otherwise would only show practice and training achievements¡ªmere subjects of mockery in the eyes of veterans. Biting the bullet, Yelisia said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I agree.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± The crew of the ¡°Quintet¡± was very efficient. It didn¡¯t take long for two transport ships to take off from the starship. Watching the ships descend to the desolate grey planet below, Yelisia gradually began to reconsider. The scale of my starship¡¯s marine corps is not large; actually, the stockpile of equipment isn¡¯t that much¡­ No, that¡¯s not right! Hadn¡¯t I made up my mind not to give even a hair this time, no matter what Gu Hang said? That Gu Hang, he painted such a grand vision, and I just bought into it like that? The thing is, he hasn¡¯t offered any benefits yet, not even a concrete promise, so how did I end up giving away two hundred sets of personal military equipment, plus four armored vehicles? I¡¯ve been swindled by that man again! But¡­ what he said made so much sense¡­ It hit right at what she was thinking. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± With a sigh, Yelisia forced herself not to fret over it anymore. What¡¯s done is done, what else can be done? She could only hope that Gu Hang would do as he said. ¡­ After getting what he wanted, Gu Hang was in a great mood. Soon, he saw two transport ships coming from ¡°Quintet¡± land at his still-unfinished airport. A large number of servants had already prepared. Once the ship¡¯s hatch opened, they unloaded everything. After a complete inventory check, nothing was missing. The two hundred sets of personal military gear were primarily built around the G7 ¡®Assaulter¡¯ Rifle, complemented with some squad machine guns, mortars, and combat suits. These combat suits came with bulletproof inserts made of alloy plastic steel. Their performance was acceptable; after all, they were a piece of protective gear. Gu Hang directly allocated one hundred sets to the newly conscripted Abandoned Cave Society company. Next, he used the soldier tag feature in the system to spend the last bit of his grace on them. [Abandoned Cave Company, Overall -, Not Upgradeable] [Type: Light Infantry, Quantity: 100 people] [Equipment: T5, Training: -, Experience: -] This was the current attribute level of the Abandoned Cave Company, and based on Gu Hang¡¯s previous experience, in about three days, the result of the training bonus would fully manifest. By that time, this new force¡¯s overall level would also have reached T5. This was the lowest standard for the Imperial Regular Army. If there were equal numbers, they could completely defeat the bandits and minor warlords on Rage Owl Star, keeping casualties to a minimum. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At the same time, the transport ships also brought down four Strider V-type light armored vehicles. These armored vehicles, with three pairs of wheels and rapid-firing autocannons mounted on their weapons platforms, were quite formidable combat vehicles. Unfortunately, the mechanized soldiers couldn¡¯t operate these vehicles; nor could anyone from the Abandoned Cave Society company, so they had to arrange for the thirty elite marines to be deployed in the four vehicles as mobile forces. With this, Gu Hang had under his command a force of more than four hundred, equipped with four high-level armored vehicles. This was already a military force that could not be ignored. His gaze turned in the direction of the Alliance Capital Rejuvenation City. Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: Chapter 14, Hypoxia Chapter 14: Chapter 14, Hypoxia Don¡¯t get me wrong, Gu Hang certainly didn¡¯t lose his mind to think that, with just over four hundred people and four armored vehicles, he could take down Revival City by force. That¡¯s unrealistic. Revival City is the capital of the Alliance, a place with a permanent population of one hundred and thirty thousand residents and more than ten times that number in refugees who rely on the city for sustenance. It directly or indirectly controls countless small and large survivor settlements in the surrounding areas, numbering in the hundreds. The conventional military force comprises tens of thousands of fully armed soldiers, a significant number of cannons, locally produced tanks, and propeller aircraft. If needed, they could even conscript a number of mercenaries far exceeding their regular armed forces at any time. The difference in military strength is too great. However, Gu Hang¡¯s intention to take over Revival City didn¡¯t necessarily rely on military means. At least not on the army. The four hundred men at his command would indeed be like eggs striking a stone if they sought to trouble Revival City. But in orbit, the Quintet floated there, with its Starship Colossal Cannon aimed at Revival City, and the power of orbital bombardment was enough to erase the city from the surface of the planet within a day. This was the greatest military deterrent. Another point was the use of political means starting with legitimacy. Moreover, Gu Hang was the planetary governor, and the Alliance Government was theoretically the only legitimate authority on Rage Owl Star, so he naturally was the highest leader of the Alliance. Before him, every planetary governor who came to this planet was based in Revival City, inheriting the Alliance authority, and thus exercising the power of the governor. Actually, that¡¯s precisely what Gu Hang did initially. When he first obtained the system and wanted to secure a piece of territory for himself, he thought he had the perfect start. After landing, the entire planet was his territory¡ªwouldn¡¯t the fixed income from the system be maxed out? And with the help of the system, no matter what trouble he encountered on the planet, it would all be easy to deal with. After farming for a couple of years, would he be unable to pay the taxes? Reality quickly slapped him in the face. After landing, he was warmly welcomed, but the system didn¡¯t make any movement at all. It didn¡¯t acknowledge his nominal leadership over Revival City, let alone the whole planet. As a result, Gu Hang, the esteemed governor, went off to do his own thing. He had actually given this some thought. Firstly, if the system didn¡¯t recognize his territory, then without any territory, he wouldn¡¯t be able to activate the system¡¯s abilities or receive any income. If the system wasn¡¯t useful, then of course he had to find a way to make it useful, otherwise what¡¯s the point of having a golden finger? Secondly, the system not recognizing the territory indicated that there were huge problems in Revival City. It would be very difficult for him to obtain real power through political maneuvers. Gu Hang didn¡¯t think that he, a transmigrator who had never learned any techniques of power struggle, had the capability to outsmart those local power brokers. Even with the Quintet in space it was useless, as orbital bombardment was a last resort; could he really flatten Revival City to the ground? That would be mutual destruction. Unless it was the end, or he needed a scapegoat, he wouldn¡¯t resort to it¡ªit was at best a deterrent. Thirdly, based on the first two points, he basically understood the core issues the former governors couldn¡¯t solve on Rage Owl Star. Apart from the planet inherently having a harsh environment, dangerous conditions, and insufficient productive forces, there was likely another reason they couldn¡¯t fully and completely grasp power. The objective conditions were already poor, and internal strife just made it impossible to develop and submit the imperial taxes normally. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t walk down the same old path; otherwise, there was little hope. It was because of these multifaceted considerations that he decided to set out and start anew. But this didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t want Revival City. It was the largest gathering place nearby, with abundant manpower, a developed light industry system, and a commercial trade exchange hub. Gu Hang still needed to take it, and he couldn¡¯t drag it out for too long, or relying solely on his own slow development, he would indeed not be able to pay the taxes in two years and face execution. He had roughly sketched out a plan. ¡°Get me connected to Revival City,¡± Gu Hang called out. ¡°Yes!¡± Zhang Chao responded loudly and set about operating the radio. He was the only person who followed Gu Hang from his family, a clever young man who served as Gu Hang¡¯s attendant. Before long, the communication was established, and an exhausted-sounding, aged voice came through the radio¡¯s loudspeaker, ¡°Greetings, Governor, this is Revival City, I am Milian Hodgson.¡± The elderly man claiming to be Milian Hodgson had met Gu Hang once when he had just landed on the planet. This dignified old man was the chairman of the Alliance Council and served as the de facto ruler of Revival City during the absence of the planet¡¯s governor. After the new governor took office, he was supposed to step back into an advisory role. However, it was clear that Gu Hang, the unorthodox governor, had completely caught Hodgson off guard. Tired at heart. In front of Hodgson, Gu Hang was far less courteous than he had been when speaking to Yelisia. He was not interested in persuading him with emotion or reason but made his demands in the tone of a command: ¡°I need a hundred tons of food, ten thousand sets of textiles and clothing, and various types of industrial consumer goods. I will send you a list, and you are to deliver it to my camp within a week.¡± As his words ended, there was no response from the other end for quite a while. Gu Hang¡¯s brow furrowed: ¡°Respond!¡± He was clearly dissatisfied. A hesitant young voice responded from the other side, ¡°Go¡­ Governor¡­ the chairman, he¡­ he¡­¡± ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°The chairman has fainted!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Gu Hang¡¯s first reaction was disbelief. It¡¯s not so easy to faint, and I¡¯ve only asked for a tiny bit of stuff. However, judging by the chaos coming through the radio, it seemed to hold some truth. His second reaction was a twinge of guilt. Is it not great to be so provocative? Then the third reaction was, ¡°To hell with guilt, he deserves it.¡± He did it on purpose. To provoke Hodgson into fainting was unintended, but it was no big deal. Gu Hang cleared his throat and continued, ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve heard my demands. This is an order from the governor. The supplies must not fall short, and they must not be late. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡­ About forty minutes later, Revival City, Inner City Council Hall. The silver-haired old man was gasping for air with an oxygen mask strapped to his face. After regaining consciousness, Hodgson had convened the Alliance Council and publicly informed all the councilmen of the governor¡¯s demands. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The council was in an uproar, with the members arguing loudly amongst themselves. The headache worsened for Hodgson, still wearing the oxygen mask, as his vision periodically darkened. He sadly thought that if this continued, he really wouldn¡¯t live much longer. He had to forcefully pound on the table for several minutes before the room slowly quieted down. He took a deep breath of oxygen, then slowly removed his mask, and continued, ¡°Continuing to argue will not produce any results, let¡¯s vote. I want to see how many of you have the courage to defy the governor¡¯s orders under the muzzle of the empire¡¯s cruiser¡¯s orbital cannon.¡± Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: Chapter 15, I will always trust the governor. Chapter 15: Chapter 15, I will always trust the governor. Hodgson called for a show of hands, but there was still silence below. The council members looked at each other, none willing to be the first to express their stance. Hodgson grew impatient. He pointed to a middle-aged man, ¡°You have a big stake in the food trade, you speak first.¡± The one pointed out by the chairman of the council was the council member Wohan. Throwing caution to the wind, he stood up, ¡°We cannot accept the governor¡¯s demands, it¡¯s too much! He has never done anything for us, yet repeatedly asks for our supplies! Last time, it was for supplies for the slaves he brought along, and the burden of those three thousand people was already heavy enough. This time is even worse! One hundred tons of food! Ten thousand textile articles! Does our governor even understand the concept of these amounts?!¡± ¡°But we must obey the governor¡¯s orders,¡± said another person helplessly, ¡°otherwise, we¡¯ll be seen as rebels. The Colossal Cannon doesn¡¯t reason, we¡­ we can¡¯t do without the empire¡¯s aid in supplies, nor can we do without interstellar trade, and it all has to be signed off by the governor.¡± Wohan sneered, ¡°You, prospering as Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ broker in interstellar trade, care about trade shares, you naturally rush to lick the governor¡¯s ass, not caring whether Revival City¡¯s economy can withstand it or not.¡± The named man retorted immediately, ¡°You¡¯ve hoarded two months worth of food, just waiting for the winter to raise the prices. The food you send to the governor will come from your stockpile, delaying your chance to make a profit, right? You are the one exposing Revival City to the Colossal Cannon by your disregard of the governor¡¯s commands!¡± Seeing the council members below about to start arguing again, Hodgson had to bang on the table once more. ¡°Enough, stop arguing,¡± Hodgson¡¯s withered voice rose, ¡°I asked you to vote, not to repeat your reasons, I just want an answer. When you vote, think for yourself: if you give the supplies, where to allocate them from; if not, how to deal with interstellar trade quotas, empire aid quotas, and orbital strike deterrent. Now, vote, those in favor of abiding by the governor¡¯s orders, raise your hand. Those who don¡¯t raise their hand are against it, there are no abstentions.¡± After finishing, he raised his hand helplessly. Once he took the lead, the other council members, hesitant, reluctant, but eventually one after another, raised their hands. In the end, even Wohan, who had earlier ranted about whether ¡®the governor understands the concept of one hundred tons of food, ten thousand textile articles,¡¯ also raised his hand helplessly. This elicited a sneer from the bystanders. Unable to retort, he could only mutter quietly, ¡°What can I do? Are we really going to give up our quotas? Damn¡­ this governor is really outrageous; why doesn¡¯t he just stay put in Revival City? At least then we¡¯d have nineteen ways to make him behave¡­¡± ¡°Watch your words!¡± growled Hodgson hoarsely. The man obediently closed his mouth, though his gaze still held a trace of defiance. ¡­ After the meeting, Hodgson sat in his wheelchair, pushed back to his room by a young man. The young man did not leave, but reported an issue, ¡°Grandfather, after the meeting ended, Wohan convened his supervisors and reached out to several mercenary brokers.¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare harm the governor, he couldn¡¯t bear that price.¡± ¡°But he might target the goods soon to be shipped from Revival City.¡± Hearing this, Hodgson said expressionlessly, ¡°Let him be, whatever the consequences, he¡¯ll bear them himself. Just keep an eye on him and his people, see what exactly they do.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried he will enrage the governor and bring disaster upon Revival City.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Hodgson sighed, ¡°what can be done about that? I may be the chairman of the council, but that is all I am. Even if I knew about this, how could I stop Wohan?¡± His voice held a tinge of desolation. It was his grandson, standing behind him, who offered words of comfort, ¡°On the first day the governor arrived, he publicly declared his manifesto, saying he wanted to rebuild the Wasteland World and improve everyone¡¯s life. He likely won¡¯t easily let anger towards the whole of Revival City lead to irrational actions.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Hodgson chuckled dryly. ¡°You don¡¯t trust this new governor?¡± ¡°No, I always trust the governor,¡± Hodgson waved his hand, ¡°Only the governor can save Rage Owl Star.¡± But what he didn¡¯t say to his grandson was the other half of his thought: ¡°I just don¡¯t know if it will be this governor.¡± ¡­ Gu Hang received a message from Revival City, saying that they had agreed to his request, but it would take eight days to transport the designated supplies to the specified location. He was a little surprised; these people had agreed too readily, and he had thought there would be more haggling. But it didn¡¯t matter. Although the outcome wasn¡¯t what he had hoped for, the supplies were real. In the end, it wasn¡¯t a loss. It was still early, and he didn¡¯t dwell on this matter any longer. Yan Fangxu should be back soon, because Gu Hang had already seen the battle settlement interface pop up on the system. [A Complete Victory, Awarded 1 Favor] [Losses: 0, Enemies Killed: 45, Prisoners Taken: 13] [First Automachinary Battalion ¨C First Company: Losses: 0, Enemies Killed: 38] [Navy Marine Corps: Losses: 0, Enemies Killed: 7] Earlier, he had sent Yan Fangxu to lead a team to eliminate the remaining ¡®Prisoners of Death,¡¯ where there were only a small number of defenders, and the infirm, women, and children. As expected, his people suffered no losses while completely annihilating the enemy. According to Gu Hang¡¯s orders, all the remaining ¡®Prisoners of Death¡¯ should have been executed. He had no intention of sparing these cannibals, these plunders who trafficked in human lives. Their bodies were hung in their destroyed camp, using their blood to write a warning: ¡°The fate of cannibals!¡± As for receiving 1 Favor after the battle, it was within expectations; the enemy was too weak to offer much of a reward. He didn¡¯t care much about it. Once Yan Fangxu returned, he had new tasks to assign to the captain from the Navy Marine Corps. Afterward, he checked on the two Black Box Manufacturing Machines. These two machines were located not far from the camp, guarded by dedicated soldiers in the Mech Servant Battalion, who had constructed a makeshift factory around them. Other than the authorized workers, no one else was allowed inside. When Gu Hang arrived, both machines were in operation. Earlier, a batch of ore had been transported from the Abandoned Cave Society and was now in place. The ore was fed into the machines by the workers, and the Black Box Manufacturing Machines began to operate. Noises of grinding, vibrating, and high-temperature treatment emanated from them, but they were not too loud. The materials fed into the Black Box Manufacturing Machines underwent a series of mysterious and unknowable changes and eventually transformed into high-quality alloy steel, which was then ejected from the output. The gleaming alloy ingots, perfectly demonstrating their strength and toughness, were made of top-quality material directly outputted by the Black Box Manufacturing Machines. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The workers, who had been waiting nearby, then carried this produced alloy steel to the input of another manufacturing machine. Then, the parent Black Box also began its work, and soon after, an important component for constructing a smelting furnace was ejected from the output and pulled to another side of the warehouse by the workers. There, a considerable number of parts had already been stacked, including large, one-piece castings and smaller, yet precise parts. They were sorted and stored, waiting to be transported back to the Abandoned Cave Society, where they could be assembled on-site into a smelting furnace capable of producing alloy steel. Gu Hang was very satisfied. Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: Chapter 16, I accept even if it costs my life Chapter 16: Chapter 16, I accept even if it costs my life ¡°` Alloy plastic steel, within the entire empire civilization, is the most basic and widely applied multifunctional material. It can be used in construction, the manufacture of machinery and weapons, and also for repairing and reinforcing facilities and vehicles. Its high strength and corrosion resistance allow it to be used in extremely harsh environments, capable of handling work needs in a variety of distinctly different settings. And this was especially important on the harsh environment of Rage Owl Star. As far as Gu Hang knew, Rage Owl Star did not possess the technological capability for mass production of alloy plastic steel. The entire planet was still using relatively basic and primitive ordinary steel. In comparison, alloy plastic steel was far superior in performance. Obviously, if they could master the ability to produce alloy plastic steel in large quantities, the Abandoned Cave Society stood to make a substantial profit. The scarcity and widespread demand for alloy plastic steel made its price high. With the black box, Gu Hang was able to keep production costs very low¡ª even more so than other planets¡¯ manufacturers specializing in this industry. Moreover, the benefits that came from alloy plastic steel were not just limited to profits. However, if they were to produce on a large scale, Gu Hang was worried that the Abandoned Cave Society¡¯s ore output might not be sufficient. The Abandoned Cave Society was short on labor, and Gu Hang had not acquired the equipment to mine ore; moreover, the quality of the Abandoned Cave¡¯s ore veins was average at best¡­ For now, it was still sufficient, but as more and more smelting furnaces were being created by the black box, there was bound to be a shortfall in the future. But by that time, there should be a stable output. Finding a market wouldn¡¯t be a concern, since they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about sales; large-scale raw material imports were also an option, and the Abandoned Cave Society¡¯s pillar industry would definitely shift from resource extraction to metal smelting. ¡°These parts that have already been produced should be enough to assemble a smelting furnace. Send them over to the Abandoned Cave Society, production can already begin.¡± ¡­ Patel never doubted that the governor would keep his promise. If he said he would build a production line, then it would certainly be built. But he never dreamed that it would come this quickly. He saw a group of slaves¡ª or rather, workers¡ª from Governor¡¯s Camp, escorted by mechanized soldiers, pushing carts and delivering all the production parts. Having already received the news in advance, Patel, along with the able-bodied members of the Abandoned Cave Society, helped unload the cargo. The instruction manual was already prepared, and a technical worker from Governor¡¯s Camp would instruct them on how to assemble the smelting furnace. At first, Patel was worried that he and his illiterate men would not understand the process. But when they actually began the work, they found it to be much simpler than they had imagined. The instruction manual contained text, but more importantly, there were various diagrams that were not difficult to understand. First, they installed the furnace body vertically, then carefully aligned each connection point. Next, they used fasteners to securely fix each part of the body together, to ensure the robustness and stability of the furnace. Then came the furnace lid, observation window, exhaust pipe¡­ Last, he personally installed the furnace door. The entire assembly process was very simple yet extremely precise; just follow the steps one by one, the only requirement being meticulous care to ensure that every detail was repeatedly checked and confirmed. The installation took them half a day. They placed the energy crystals that arrived with the transport team into the smelting furnace¡¯s energy module and started the heating system. The entire body of the furnace gradually heated up, with the temperature rising steadily. A batch of ore, already prepared, was fed into it. The workers of the Abandoned Cave Society quickly became soaked with sweat in the heat wave, yet they still stood by their posts until the alloy plastic steel smelting furnace finally began operating, emitting a roaring sound. Several hours later, night fell. ¡°` The alloy metal liquid produced has cooled into ingots within the molds, neatly stacked. Patel didn¡¯t realize that the batch of alloy plastic steel he produced was far inferior in quality compared to the top-grade plastic steel coming out of the Governor¡¯s Camp¡¯s black box. But even if he knew, it didn¡¯t matter. As long as it was qualified plastic steel, that would do; on Rage Owl Star, this was already a very superior industrial product. Butch, who had originally overseen the construction of the Abandoned Cave Society¡¯s ground camp, couldn¡¯t help but come over to see the finished products. The current and former leaders of the Abandoned Cave Society looked at the batch of alloy plastic steel ingots and laughed foolishly together. A tremendous sense of satisfaction filled their hearts. No one could feel the power of industry more intimately than they did. From today on, the Abandoned Cave Society would no longer be the place that could only rely on manpower to mine low-grade ore and sell it at cheap prices for meager food supplies. They had industrial capacity now; they could directly produce alloy plastic steel and sell it at a higher price. They would no longer have to endure hunger and cold; they would live the good life as the Governor had said, as long as they were diligent and hardworking. Butch exclaimed, ¡°Even if the Governor demanded our lives, I would accept it.¡± Patel laughed and patted his uncle¡¯s shoulder, ¡°The Governor won¡¯t take our lives, He wants us to live better and better!¡± ¡­ Soon, the second smelting furnace was also delivered to the Abandoned Cave Society. The production capacity of alloy plastic steel was further strengthened. But the problem that Gu Hang had previously worried about did indeed arise¡ªjust two smelting furnaces nearly devoured all the ore produced by the Abandoned Cave Society. To continue expanding production capacity, more raw materials were inevitably needed. Energy was also a problem. The smelting furnace used energy crystals, which was also a sort of black technology under the empire¡¯s system. According to Gu Hang¡¯s understanding, this was essentially a battery¡ªalbeit much more powerful than any he remembered. High-density energy was bound and concentrated within a solid crystal, safely releasable when needed. These energy crystals could be directly mined in certain worlds; in many others, energy-industrial planets generated power through various methods and compressed it into energy crystals through special processes. Without a doubt, Rage Owl Star itself lacked such production capabilities. The energy crystals Gu Hang was using now were pilfered from the Quintet. But he couldn¡¯t always keep pilfering. There was also good news, however. First, Gu Hang still had enough energy crystals on hand. Second, apart from using energy crystals, the smelting furnace could also be powered by electricity. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang still had time to set up an electricity supply for his territory. This too was a headache. High-end solutions were not worth considering for now; the primitive approach to power generation was just boiling water, but he needed fuel to burn. ¡°Fuel¡­ raw materials¡­ Rubbish Town?¡± Gu Hang muttered to himself. The Rubbish Town he referred to was a survivor settlement located a hundred kilometers north of the Abandoned Cave Society, where Gu Hang could find the output he needed. Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: Chapter 17, I want an explanation Chapter 17: Chapter 17, I want an explanation ¡°` About 100 kilometers north of the Abandoned Cave Society, in fact, was almost within the realm of the high wall ruins. It was a core city before the era of disaster, which by now had become ruins. Low Energy Storms, mutant creatures, Green Skin Orcs¡­ Whether it was the environment or the things that lived there, all posed a great threat to humanity. However, the massive urban ruins also concealed the wealth of the pre-war period. Rubbish Town was right next to the high wall ruins. Initially, scavengers established this gathering point as a supply station and trading spot for expeditions to the high wall ruins and excavation missions. Later on, it developed continuously and eventually turned into a fairly large town. There was no Central Government or ruler in Rubbish Town, but rather merchants known as ¡®agents¡¯ controlled the situation, creating a social structure of agents-mercenary caravans-adventurers and mercenaries-scavengers. The armed adventurers took and guarded various resource points, scavengers entered to excavate resources, caravans bought and sold resources, and agents operated behind the scenes, monopolizing the business. The garbage scavengers brought back would be initially processed into various types of materials, mainly metal, which also constituted the main output of Rubbish Town. Another main output was energy. This brings us to mention ¡®Low Energy Storm,¡¯ the most terrifying disaster on Rage Owl Star. The so-called Low Energy Storm was a huge trauma left over from the war. Inside the sweeping winds would rise high-density Low Energy¡ªan energy residue left after an outbreak of Spiritual Energy. This type of energy normally couldn¡¯t be harnessed, and instead, it caused fatal damage to human bodies, machinery, and electronic equipment. Humans could not survive in such an environment, and even the mutant creatures birthed by Low Energy dared not move in the core of the storm when the Low Energy Storm was at its fiercest. The high wall ruins were one of the areas where Low Energy Storms occurred most frequently and violently. But after the storm, there would always be some legacies left behind. The violent Low Energy combined with some minerals occasionally produced something called ¡®Hot Ash Stone.¡¯ This thing wasn¡¯t the same as a high-density energy crystal, but it could generate sustained high temperatures once ignited. That could be used to generate electricity. Raw materials, Hot Ash Stone¡ªthese were the two major outputs of Rubbish Town. Gu Hang still remembered how the Abandoned Cave Society used to produce ores, which were mostly sold to Rubbish Town. They actually wanted to sell to the closer Revival City, but Revival City didn¡¯t want the raw ores. And the nearest place that had the capability to perform initial processing of raw materials was only Rubbish Town. The prices they offered were low, which was one of the important reasons why the Abandoned Cave Society used to struggle to make ends meet. Let bygones be bygones, Gu Hang was interested in the fact that there were connections between the Abandoned Cave Society and Rubbish Town. Gu Hang made up his mind that as soon as he returned, he would have Patel contact Rubbish Town. His direct territory needed to continue developing, which required plenty of raw materials and energy support. As for the trading goods, he had already thought it through. Food. Rubbish Town didn¡¯t produce food; they usually imported it from Revival City. What Gu Hang intended to create was an economy where the Abandoned Cave Society produced an alloy steel, as well as other industrial products in the future, to be sold in Revival City; buying food from Revival City to sell in Rubbish Town; and procuring raw materials from Rubbish Town to expand production. A very good cycle! The hundred tons of food he had requested from Revival City could now play a part. Aside from supplying the Governor¡¯s domain, he planned to sell the rest to Rubbish Town. This batch of supplies would arrive in eight days, and Gu Hang patiently waited. During these eight days, two pieces of news arrived, one good and one bad. The good news was that the monthly fixed income from the grace of the large-scale alloy steel production initiated by the Abandoned Cave Society was rising rapidly. ¡°` [Current Grace Points: 1] [Monthly Fixed Income: 12] [Governor¡¯s Camp: 8/Terra Month] [Abandoned Cave Society: 4/Terra Month] It had doubled! Neither of the two territories had increased in population. The main change during this period was the significant boost in the production of alloy plastic steel. The increase from 1 to 4 for the Abandoned Cave Society must be a reflection of the production boost. The increase at the Governor¡¯s Camp should be a reflection of productivity as well. The difference lies in the fact that the Abandoned Cave Society used two newly erected smelting furnaces, while the Governor¡¯s Camp relied on two Black Box Manufacturing Machines. Although the output of alloy plastic steel wasn¡¯t as high as that of the Abandoned Cave Society, the quality was much better, and they had also produced two smelting furnaces. All in all, expanding production was definitely a good thing. Not to mention the products themselves, the wealth represented by the increase in the monthly fixed income within the system was also substantial. Gu Hang hoped to maximize the monthly fixed income before the grace points were distributed this month. He could try to boost the population, open up trade routes, expand production¡­ In the past few days, aside from inspecting the soldiers¡¯ training, he had been considering these plans. But on the seventh day, he received some bad news: ¡­ ¡°The goods were robbed?¡± Gu Hang¡¯s face darkened as he pressed the man before him for answers. The man lamented, ¡°Yes, we were transporting thirty carts of goods from Revival City when we decided to take a rest before continuing. While we were sitting on the ground singing, hundreds of raiders jumped out and robbed us!¡± Why didn¡¯t they just go for a hotpot meal while they were at it? Gu Hang sneered, ¡°Not a single item left, but no casualties? Are the wasteland raiders this compassionate now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that there were no injuries! Look at my nose, Governor! A gun butt came crashing down and broke my nasal bone!¡± He kept talking, noticing the Governor¡¯s face growing ever darker, and his voice got quieter and quieter. He began to feel an imposing pressure filling his heart, as if a mountain was about to bear down on him. Struggling, he spoke again, ¡°We surrendered. The robbers seemed more than just simple bandits, not the usual wasteland raiders. I recognized two of them, they seem to be mercenaries lurking around the outskirts of Revival City. At first, we were very afraid, but after we surrendered, they indeed didn¡¯t kill any of us. They just took the ox-carts away.¡± He paused then continued, ¡°I suspect that when we set off, someone noticed the goods we were transporting. Those mercenaries, blinded by greed, didn¡¯t dare to act near Revival City, so they followed us all the way¡­¡± Gu Hang cut him off, ¡°You¡¯re saying you were robbed just fifteen kilometers from my camp?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Your group was small, not carrying enough guns, and after they surrounded you, you surrendered immediately. Then the raiders didn¡¯t kill you but just took the goods?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Gu Hang had lost interest in talking with this man any further. He left the temporary housing for the bedraggled transport team members and called over Yan Fangxu, ordering him to take the twenty-odd marine troopers in the camp, along with the trained Abandoned Cave Company, to the scene of the incident to investigate and attempt to track down the raiders. As for himself, he returned to his room and instructed his attendant, Zhang Chao, to establish communication with Hodgson, the Chairman of the Revival City Council. ¡°My goods were robbed. I need an explanation from you.¡± Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: Chapter 18, It’s a Pity to Burn into Ashes the Monster Chapter 18: Chapter 18, It¡¯s a Pity to Burn into Ashes the Monster The Governor¡¯s assertiveness had rendered Hodgson silent. He knew that silence at this time was quite disrespectful, but he indeed felt very embarrassed. What could he report to the Governor? But he knew he couldn¡¯t keep silent forever. ¡°I will try my best to find out who did this¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± Gu Hang interrupted him, ¡°If you simply bring out a group of mercenaries or some looter to take the blame, then there¡¯s no need. What I want is simple: the eight-day deadline was set, and by tomorrow, I want to see everything I was promised, not a thing less. Otherwise, have Revival City send a new batch right now¡ªit¡¯s still possible to make it on time; or I could go get it myself.¡± Hodgson felt his throat was very dry. Asking Revival City for a new batch of supplies was nonsensical. One hundred tons of grain and ten thousand pieces of textiles couldn¡¯t just be conjured up. Even in Revival City, not everyone could have their fill. The core of the Governor¡¯s speech lay in the latter part: he could go and get it himself. Where would he go to get it? It seemed to depend on his response. If he could provide a satisfactory answer, perhaps the Governor could go after the thieves, and he would only need to provide a name. If he couldn¡¯t provide an answer, then the Governor would likely come to Revival City to retrieve it. Wherever he went to fetch it, the process would probably not be gentle. So who would have to endure this harshness? By this point, Hodgson knew he had no other choice. He gave Gu Hang a name, then added, ¡°Give me two or three more hours, and I will send you the exact address as well, Governor.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll give you one final three hours.¡± After the communication had been cut off, Hodgson pressed another button, summoning an attendant. He wanted to say something but, before he could speak, an unbearable itching sensation caused him to cough loudly. The cough was fierce and intense. On the other end, the attendant¡¯s voice was also filled with panic: ¡°Councilman? Councilman? What¡¯s happened to you?¡± Hodgson couldn¡¯t speak. ¡°I¡¯m on my way! Hold on!¡± A few minutes later, two people burst into Hodgson¡¯s office. One was the attendant, and the other, brought by the attendant, was Lambert Hodgson, Hodgson¡¯s grandson. By that time, Hodgson had stopped coughing; he was slumped in his chair, gasping for breath. Seeing that his grandfather was not in serious trouble, Lambert finally relaxed a bit. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk about that now.¡± Hodgson raised his hand to stop his grandson¡¯s questions, ¡°Go immediately to the Wohan Company, and make sure to find out where those mercenaries they hired took the goods intended for the Governor.¡± Lambert was stunned. ¡°Did he really make a move?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°No more ¡®buts,¡¯ we only have three hours.¡± ¡°Has the Governor lost his temper?¡± Lambert guessed. ¡°Yes.¡± Hodgson sighed, ¡°Our Governor is much more decisive and ruthless than I imagined¡­¡± ¡­ Gu Hang did not consider himself to be ruthless. He just knew, and insisted on one approach: He could not afford to engage in squabbles or resort to political tactics with these people. It wasn¡¯t about whether he could outsmart them with schemes and deceptions; the main issue was, even if he could, what would that accomplish? It would be inefficient and time-consuming, and Gu Hang did not have that time to spare. He preferred a straightforward, decisive approach. He called his men, took the radio, and with a hundred men, leaving another hundred behind, they set off. Gu Hang planned to catch up with the team led by Yan Fangxu, which had set out earlier, to see if they could find any leads at the scene of the incident and attempt to track the enemy. If there were gains, all the better; if not, he would wait and see what news Hodgson would bring him in three hours. The worst-case scenario was simply that he would have to take more than two hundred men to Revival City to demand the supplies he needed. His own men were definitely not enough; when the time came, he might even need to ask Colonel Yelisia for some modest help. He believed Yelisia wouldn¡¯t refuse, by then she should be able to achieve quite a bit of merit. Gu Hang hoped that scenario would not happen, but if it came to that, it would be unavoidable. And he would definitely take the most thunderous, resolute measures. How could a swordsman not command a deterrent presence? If anyone thought the Governor¡¯s deterrence was insufficient, he did not mind setting an example through concrete actions. Let¡¯s see if Revival City would be willing to be that example. Two hours later, Gu Hang and his troops arrived at the site of the incident and met up with Yan Fangxu. The Navy Captain had made some discoveries here. ¡°We¡¯ve found some clues. The raiders tried to cover their tracks when they left, but their methods were rather amateurish. I¡¯ve dispatched a squad to follow them and we should be able to obtain further information soon,¡± Yan Fangxu reported. After hearing Yan Fangxu¡¯s report, Gu Hang nodded, ¡°Finally some good news, then let¡¯s wait. Let¡¯s see whether Revival City¡¯s response will be quicker, or if your squad finds those raiders first.¡± ¡°Revival City?¡± Yan Fangxu sounded puzzled, ¡°I thought we were talking about raiders. Are you suspecting people from the so-called Alliance in Revival City?¡± ¡°Is that hard to guess?¡± ¡°Er¡­¡± Yan Fangxu scratched his head, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite easy to guess.¡± Even though I didn¡¯t guess it, I won¡¯t admit it. Gu Hang looked at Yan Fangxu with a bit of helplessness. Good at warfare, but so obtuse with things like this. Gu Hang said no more. His gaze swept around the vicinity; the traces of the raid weren¡¯t that obvious. There had been almost no fighting, no deaths, hence no bodies, and not even much blood; all the transport vehicles had been taken, and almost nothing was left behind at the site. From this perspective, being able to track the raiders hours after the crime, especially since they attempted counter-surveillance, indicated Yan Fangxu was not incompetent. Thinking this, Gu Hang felt somewhat satisfied. It was fine as long as their military skills were solid; he didn¡¯t expect them to be all-rounders. What followed was a period of patient waiting. News from both sides arrived almost simultaneously shortly after. The elite marines dispatched had returned a telegraph; they had found traces to continue the pursuit, deducing several possible escape routes and destinations for the raiders. On the other side, the Chairman of the Revival City Council had contacted Gu Hang through telegraph, providing three specific locations and ranking them according to the likelihood of accuracy. Both sets of intelligence, examined against each other, shared some overlap. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Finally, Gu Hang roughly identified the target: Mantan River Valley Manor. It was a private domain belonging to an Alliance Councilman named Wohan. Mantan River Valley Manor was his property, the foundation of his wealth, and one of the few pieces of quality land around Revival City suitable for agriculture. After Wohan made his basic wealth accumulation, he didn¡¯t just produce grain, he also engaged in the grain trade and made quite a profit, which led him to become an Alliance Councilman. Now, Wohan¡¯s main business was in the grain trade, with Mantan River Valley Manor¡¯s grain production being only a small fraction for him, but he still valued it highly, treating it as a holiday spot, his stronghold. ¡°It sounds like a beautiful place, a shame to reduce it to ashes.¡± Chapter 19 - Chapter 19: Chapter 19, Valley Manor Chapter 19: Chapter 19, Valley Manor Valley Manor, indeed a rare place of beauty in this Wasteland World. At least, that¡¯s how it was from a scenic viewpoint. A narrow river meandered gently by, its untainted water source nourishing the surrounding land and fostering a patch of green. A fence built of broken stones enclosed the large area of shade. Scattered buildings adorned the area, and crops in the fields grew robustly, swaying with the wind as if to boast of the forthcoming bountiful harvest to the world. The time was approaching dusk, and the river¡¯s water reflected the sunset¡¯s glow, twinkling with gold, like a mirror that made the surrounding scenery even more beautiful. The sky slowly turned a soft orange, the afterglow of the setting sun gradually disappearing, replaced by the brilliant starry sky¡ªRage Owl Star had no natural satellites, no moon¡ªso the farmland around the small river bay was half bathed in the sunset¡¯s afterglow, half illuminated by starlight, presenting a beautiful and peaceful scene. ¡°So beautiful,¡± Yan Fangxu remarked with emotion, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen such a sight in a long time. Since I¡¯ve been either on a starship or, after landing on Rage Owl Star, all I¡¯ve seen is devastation. The last time I witnessed a scene like this was many years ago.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t bear to ruin it either,¡± Gu Hang responded casually, ¡°but I¡¯m even less willing to let the goods I want stay here, then be harvested by that man named Wohan as a means to jack up grain prices after he¡¯s hoisted them. Such a beautiful manor and farmland, if fate has brought us here, we will make it even better.¡± An hour ago, the troops led by Gu Hang had already arrived at this place and dealt with the sentries on the perimeter. Next, they began to regroup nearby. The manor became tense due to the sentinels¡¯ loss of contact, but Gu Hang didn¡¯t care. His men had already surrounded the area; they could ignore anyone trying to flee, but it was impossible for anyone to leave dragging a large amount of supplies with them. While the soldiers regrouped, Gu Hang admired the scenery, and the people inside the manor trembled. When the sun had just set, the designated time for the attack had arrived. He said to Yan Fangxu beside him, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± Scattered soldiers started their assault outward, and four black armored vehicles emerged from the sparse woodland, their engines roaring and echoing through the valley. The leading Mechanized Servant Infantry, wielding ¡®Strikers¡¯, charged towards the defensive line of Valley Manor, their bullets cutting through the air with piercing screeches. At the same time, mortars began pounding Valley Manor, with explosions raging like thunder from hell, smoke filling and enveloping the manor. Where the artillery reached, vegetation was engulfed in flames, the ground became utterly shattered, and sparks and debris harshly struck the stone walls and rooftops of the manor, emitting bursts of thumping sounds. The raiders also immediately mounted a resistance, taking advantage of the buildings and stone walls to return fire. The sound of gunfire was so intermingled that it was impossible to tell who was shooting; one could only see bullets flying through the air, kicking up dust and stone chips. The raiders¡¯ resistance was exceptionally fierce, with perhaps a couple of hundred people inside. Facing mortar bombardment, a hailstorm of bullets, and casualties, they still dared to stand firm and fiercely return fire. Both in terms of equipment and combat will, these foes were far more formidable than the ¡®Prisoner¡¯ bandits they had encountered before. The ¡®Prisoner¡¯ bandits had been using hand-crafted iron pipe rifles, not only were they horribly inaccurate, but their power was also weak, hardly making a dent in the Mechanized Servant Infantry¡¯s plastisteel plate vests. At that time, the main casualties in battle were caused by mutated green-skinned beasts. The mercenary troops active around Revival City, however, weren¡¯t equipped so poorly. They at least had automatic rifles to use, with much more intense firepower, bullets that were stronger, and a high degree of accuracy. They were even equipped with machine guns. Taking cover, they had the advantage against the attacking Mechanized Servant Infantry, and from time to time, a soldier would be shot down. A fallen soldier wasn¡¯t necessarily dead. Their bulletproof vests and helmets, though lightweight, were still made of alloy plastisteel with excellent performance and could save their lives. Those who fell were generally shot in the legs, and a considerable proportion could return to the ranks after their wounds healed. But overall, the struggle in the attack was visibly growing. And as the soldiers got closer to the manor, the more difficult things became. The closer the distance, the more precise and fierce the enemy¡¯s fire became, and the soldiers would suffer particularly heavy casualties. At a distance, the enemy¡¯s bullets hardly pierced the body armor, but up close, they didn¡¯t have to pierce through to be lethal, as the unprotected face, neck, and limbs were much more likely to be shot. Under normal circumstances, if Gu Hang wanted to quickly take down the manor, there would have to be casualties. If they were to assault by force, he feared that it might cost them half a company in casualties. To avoid heavy losses, they would need to be prepared for a long siege. Digging trenches on the outer perimeter, extending inward, a prolonged standoff and exchange of fire, and non-stop bombardment from mortars until the enemy¡¯s manpower and ammunition were reduced to a relatively low level. Then they could launch a final assault, which would keep casualties within control. However, Gu Hang was not willing to suffer high casualties, nor did he intend to drag out a protracted fight with these mercenaries. He had weapons that could settle the situation decisively. And he had two of them. The first were the four Strider V-Type Armored Vehicles. Once they closed the distance, their mounted machine guns roared in rapid fire. The 45mm twin-barreled cannons fired rapidly, spewing out projectiles¡ªhard to say whether they should be called bullets or shells¡ªsweeping across a section of broken stone walls. Each large-caliber bullet carried immense destructive power, shattering stone and splintering debris, leaving the walls unrecognizable. The mercenaries relied on the walls for cover, but they were utterly incapable of withstanding such a ferocious attack. The four Striders advanced while mercilessly sweeping their fire. Shells ripped through the walls and tore apart the bodies of many mercenaries, the grisly scenes terrorizing those nearby. After the Strider Vs opened fire, the mercenaries¡¯ intensity of resistance was firmly suppressed. With the Mechanized Servant Infantry Company held back, the Wasteland Infantry Company moved up with the four Striders, forming a second wave of attack. Even the mortars¡¯ positions began to advance with the Striders¡¯ forward push, and as the distance closed, the precision and destructiveness of the mortars continued to increase. At that moment, a mercenary suddenly emerged from the side, carrying a tube-shaped weapon in his hands. It looked rough in construction, but it was undoubtedly a rocket launcher. Whether by a stroke of luck or truly exceptional skill of a seasoned veteran, he nailed it with a single shot. Aiming, firing, the rocket propelled by a long tail flame, solidly hit one of the armored vehicles that was firing. The mercenary smiled, promptly discarding the launcher and preparing to find new cover. However, just as he ducked behind the wall, he felt the wall next to him crumble, was violently flipped over, and landed on the ground, his vision filled with a mist of blood. He saw his own hand flying away, saw his lower body not far to the side. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He was desperately aware of his situation: he had been hit by a high-caliber machine gun, his waist blown apart. The cover he relied upon did not provide any protection, the stone wall was blasted into flimsy fragments. But what seemed impossible to him was that the very vehicle he had hit with the rocket launcher had killed him. The last scene in his eyes was the armored vehicle emerging from the gunsmoke, without a scratch on it. Why was this? He died in pain and confusion. Chapter 20 - Chapter 20: 20 chapters, all about geniuses Chapter 20: 20 chapters, all about geniuses Four ¡®Walkers¡¯ were the first weapon Gu Hang could deploy to shatter the defenses of Valley Manor. And the second weapon was he himself. He had joined the battle in person. Gu Hang sat in an armored vehicle, his eyes fixed on a bunker. There was a hole dug there and overlaid with heavy stone to construct the upper structure, leaving space for firing ports. Inside were mounted heavy machine guns, posing a significant threat to infantry. Even the autocannons on the ¡®Walkers¡¯ struggled to shake the sturdy bunker. The bunkers built by the mercenaries were three in number, forming their second line of defense. Realizing that the simple stone walls couldn¡¯t hold any longer, a large number of mercenaries had already retreated. They planned to rely on these bunkers to continue their resistance. Gu Hang closed his eyes; he could feel the vibrations of souls and the taste of blood. Within his psychic perception, the resisting mercenaries formed blurry shadows, detected through his Psychic Vision. He locked onto the nearest bunker, and an unseen blade in his real field of vision slashed across the heads of two mercenaries inside, decapitating them. In reality, the two mercenaries¡¯ bodies showed no outward signs of anomaly, but they fell backward rigidly, as if beheaded, their bodies twitching from nerve spasms. Then, Gu Hang dealt with the machine gunners in the other two bunkers in the same manner. He felt his spiritual consumption was manageable, at least it was less than what it took to deal with that mutant Green Skin prisoner. The reason might be twofold: firstly, after being modified with drugs, the Green Skin¡¯s extremely robust body also resulted in an enhanced spirit strength. The energy used to sever one of its legs had been much greater than that needed to kill several mercenaries. On the other hand, after his last upgrade, his spiritual attributes had increased slightly. This slight improvement meant that he could control 150% more spiritual energy than before the upgrade. The value of one attribute point was enormous. Killing these mercenaries, whose will was slightly stronger than that of ordinary people, was not too strenuous. The simultaneous silence of the three bunkers¡¯ firepower caused a significant gap in the mercenaries¡¯ defensive line. Under the cover of mortar fire and advancing armored vehicles¡¯ autocannons, the infantry seized this opportunity to charge forward at a fast pace. Some mercenaries tried to re-enter the bunkers to restart the heavy machine guns, but those that tried were either torn apart by the armored vehicles¡¯ autocannons or accurately picked off by the elite Marine Corps. Those who actually made it inside were clearly visible to Gu Hang¡¯s Spiritual Vision, and with a ¡®Soul Severance,¡¯ decapitating the enemy was effortlessly done. By this point, the morale of the mercenaries had completely collapsed. They knew they couldn¡¯t escape. Leaving cover on flat terrain, they couldn¡¯t possibly outrun the pursuit of the armored vehicles on foot. Not to mention the fearsome psychic. A considerable number of mercenaries were laying down their arms and raising their hands to indicate surrender. This marked the destruction of the second defensive line of Mantan River Valley Manor. The main forces of the mercenaries within the manor were almost completely annihilated. ¡­ Exactly how many people had surrendered, and how many had been eliminated, was not something they had time to tally up yet. However, based on simple inquiries and confessions, the remaining enemies shouldn¡¯t have exceeded twenty, and they were all concentrated inside the central building. This location wasn¡¯t far from the small river bay; it was the residence of the master¡¯s family. Not all of the twenty men were mercenaries, mostly they were Wohan¡¯s personal bodyguards. Moreover, they had learned about the storage location for the supplies that had previously been looted¡ªa few warehouses not too far from the main building. They had just returned not long ago, and the goods had not been completely unloaded. Livestock still tied up, and wooden carts loaded with wares were all nearby. Gu Hang had already dispatched Abandoned Cave Company¡¯s troops to sweep the warehouses. On one hand, to guard against any people that might still be inside, and on the other to inventory whether the goods were complete and exactly how many there were. The remaining personnel then surrounded the last building that had not been conquered. That building was built rather elegantly; the four-story western-style building had a substantial footprint. Whenever Wohan wasn¡¯t in Revival City, he would generally live here. Inside that house were his servants, housekeepers, and a series of others who served him. As for the tillers of the entire manor¡¯s land¡ªthe serfs¡ªthey weren¡¯t allowed near this place. The serfs lived in a more out-of-the-way location, where there were some simple plank houses, holding roughly two hundred people in communal living. That area had already been seized by the soldiers, and the unarmed serfs obediently stayed inside the houses, not daring to move. At least twenty-or-so armed individuals were inside the main building. The soldiers of Abandoned Cave Company had already tried to persuade them to surrender, but the soldier sent to negotiate was met only with bullets. Thankfully, the distance was somewhat far, so only two bullets hit his chest, which were stopped by the bulletproof inserts. The young soldier, with pain in his chest, scurried back, cursing up a storm after his narrow escape. The company commander Perbov went up and kicked the young lad a couple of times, ¡°What¡¯s there to panic about? Could those two bullets have taken your life?¡± The young soldier shrank his neck. He had dared to charge fiercely during the fight, and he wasn¡¯t afraid to go alone to negotiate up close, but he was scared of this company commander. Logically, he really shouldn¡¯t have been. Commander Perbov was an old acquaintance, originally a local from Abandoned Cave Society, the head of an ore extraction team. When everyone was conscripted from their hometown, the leader had Perbov lead the team. After they were reorganized into the military, Perbov was also promoted to acting company commander, in charge of training. A head of an ore extraction team, what did he know about military training or command? Yet, during the days of training that followed, the commander miraculously acquired the skills and ability to lead and command troops. Even he found it incredibly strange, as if during those days of training, his memory, comprehension ability, and even including muscle memory were all enhanced dramatically. He quickly became a competent officer. He knew how to train the soldiers, he knew that at times he couldn¡¯t be as lenient with everyone as before, and that the discipline and rigor essential to the military could not be lacking. But at the same time, he retained his understanding and care for everyone, because they all came from the same hometown, his kinsmen and brothers, whom he regarded as family from the bottom of his heart. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Under his training, the soldiers also, as if touching a superhuman trigger, acquired a range of skills befitting a qualified soldier. They went from initially not even knowing how to shoot to becoming proficient marksmen who could execute accurate tactical maneuvers, understand combat terms, know how to form teams, how to attack, how to retreat¡­ Throughout the whole process, Perbov felt it was magical but also natural. He could feel all those changes happening within himself¡ªthe process was just too fast. Perhaps every one of these hundred or so people was naturally soldier material, all of them geniuses? Of course, from the perspective of Yan Fangxu, an old soldier and experienced officer, this speed was downright horrifying. Perbov, when sharing these experiences with Yan Fangxu, had also heard such comments from him. Worried there might be an issue, he approached the governor, but only received this response: ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it; under normal circumstances, you¡¯re all geniuses.¡± Chapter 21 - Chapter 21: Chapter 21, The Wind Ballad Chapter 21: Chapter 21, The Wind Ballad The Governor said there was no need to worry, then there truly was no need to worry. No matter how great the heavens or earth may be, the Governor holds the greatest sway. The exceptional training results and performances triggered a significant shift in the mentality of all one hundred men in the Abandoned Cave Company. Upon learning they were going to war, they mustered their strength, eager to achieve a resounding victory and proclaim their loyalty and bravery to the Governor. Indeed, they went to do battle, but it didn¡¯t quite play out as Perbov initially thought. After completing the encirclement of the manor, he requested the honor of leading the first assault to the esteemed Governor but was denied. He could only follow behind the armored vehicles as part of the second wave of the attack. Of course, this was easier than leading the first wave, with fewer casualties, but he and his warriors felt it lacked honor. Now, as his youngsters were shouting before the Governor, Perbov felt it was quite embarrassing. After chastising the young warriors, he turned to Gu Hang, saluted him militarily, and asked, ¡°The enemy has rejected our offer of surrender, may we proceed with the attack?¡± Company Commander Perbov appeared eager, just waiting for the Governor to nod, and then he would lead his brothers into the fray. He had the attack planned out: mortarmen were to bombard the first and second floors¡¯ windows while the squad machine guns strafed the main entrance; after this routine, the most skilled infantry squad from training would charge through the battered main entrance and windows to secure the lobby¡­ ¡°An attack is to be launched, but you don¡¯t need to move.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this myself,¡± said Gu Hang before calling out, ¡°Yan Fangxu! You too, bring two assault teams.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± the Captain saluted, then turned to select his men. ¡°Governor¡­¡± Perbov was starting to feel anxious. But Gu Hang raised his hand to prevent him from continuing, ¡°I know you¡¯re eager, but hold off on that for now.¡± The Governor¡¯s gaze returned to the building in front of him, his eyes changing to a blue-white in this moment. He saw a swirl of wind, gathered inside the house. ¡°There¡¯s a formidable enemy inside.¡± ¡°We, the people of Abandoned Cave Company, fear nothing!¡± Perbov¡¯s chest puffed out boldly, ¡°You gave us new life, Governor, and we are willing to prove our loyalty with our lives!¡± ¡°That¡¯s commendable,¡± Gu Hang said with a smile, ¡°but loyal warriors shouldn¡¯t sacrifice needlessly. Your lives have greater value to fulfill.¡± Watching Perbov about to speak again, Gu Hang waved his hand, ¡°Carry out the order.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The commander, though reluctant, returned to his troops. Seeing several warriors crowding around him, eagerly inquiring if they could charge in, he relayed the Governor¡¯s order once more. Like him, the warriors were reluctant and tried to encourage him to ask for permission again, but he scowled and sternly sent them back. Gu Hang didn¡¯t concern himself with what the commander was doing; he continued to observe the situation inside the building with his Spiritual Vision and calculated how much Spiritual Energy he had left. He had used some previously, but it wasn¡¯t severe, and it should suffice for the upcoming conflict. By this time, Yan Fangxu had readied his elite marine squads, and he too would join the battle. All told, this team that had descended from the Quintet lived up to their elite reputation. Their equipment was exceptionally good, and their tactics and skills were high-level, making them reliable allies. Even so, they wouldn¡¯t simply break through the doors or windows head-on. It¡¯s a sign of idiocy to forsake available advantages in favor of brute force. The Abandoned Cave Company still had a role to play in this battle. The company¡¯s mortars, as well as those from the servo-company and the squad machine guns, had been individually deployed. The machine guns strafed the windows and the main entrance for a sustained suppressive fire; mortar shells were lobbed through the windows. With the distance being short, well-trained warriors could accurately hit their mark. Even the occasional misfire that hit the exterior wall wasn¡¯t an issue; just reload and keep bombarding. Although the territory now under Gu Hang¡¯s control still lacked the capability to produce and replenish ammunition, the current stockpile, which was essentially pilfered from the starship, was sufficiently ample and not yet to the point of needing to be conservatively managed. After two bombardments, Gu Hang and Yan Fangxu, leading the marine troops, made a sudden intrusion. They were not attacked the moment they entered. The areas they attacked had all been subjected to a barrage of fire, and no mercenary dared to stay in rooms covered by machine guns and artillery. Next, the Marines began to rapidly sweep outward. They were well trained and split into multiple small groups, kicking down doors one by one after ensuring no one was outside or in the corridors. They strictly followed the tactical requirements for breaching: use a battering ram to open doors, toss in tactical grenades, engage with crossfire to seal the room, then enter¡­ Whether the rooms were empty or not, they followed the same fixed procedure each time. If no one was there, it just meant spending a bit more time and wasting a grenade; if there were people, they often didn¡¯t stand a chance to resist before being swiftly taken down by the Marines¡¯ efficient and deadly action. That¡¯s how they cleared each room inside the villa. Gu Hang walked up the stairs, hearing the sporadic sound of gunfire from various parts of the house that quickly subsided. The situation had been settled. He could see that swirl of wind, always concentrated in one particular room, remaining motionless. ¡°Not even daring to resist? What a waste of my caution¡­¡± After the Marines had cleared each room, one by one, Yan Fangxu came to Gu Hang¡¯s side and reported softly, ¡°All the rooms in the villa have been cleared. Only this one ahead remains.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Gu Hang ordered, ¡°proceed with the breach as usual.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir!¡± The prepared Marines began their operation. However, this time it wasn¡¯t as easy and calm as before. The very instant the wooden door of the room was smashed open, a dense, visibly white spiral of Storm Bullet blasted from inside out. The Marine who had just broken down the door was caught off guard and was about to be hit without any means of defense. But in that instant, the Storm Bullet suddenly dissipated. At the critical moment, Gu Hang intervened. The collision of spiritual energy shattered the spiral Storm Bullet. The residual force still amounted to a strong wind that blew the breaching soldier backward, quite in disarray; the wind swept through the corridor outside, causing everyone to stagger. Disheveled but unharmed, at least no one was injured. A man¡¯s voice came from inside: ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer! Stay back, all of you!¡± His voice was filled with panic. Clearly, the person inside was not a strong warrior. But the Marines outside wouldn¡¯t weaken because of this. Although they realized the enemy possessed extraordinary energy, they continued their operation without the slightest hesitation. Amidst the wind, Yan Fangxu was the first to react; he personally leaned in and immediately saw a middle-aged man with a pale face, surrounded by two bodyguards. The black-clad bodyguards attempted to shoot at him, but Yan Fangxu¡¯s actions were much faster than the bodyguards¡¯. As their guns were just being raised, the captain¡¯s electromagnetic rifle had already fired first. The metal spikes accelerated by electromagnetism instantly killed the two men. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Immediately after, he turned the rifle towards the middle-aged man. When he saw the other party raise his hands to attempt something again, he did not hesitate to fire once more. A mini-storm flickered around the man, the power of Spiritual Energy flashing, blocking the metal spike bullets. But following Yan Fangxu, several soldiers entered and fired together. The Storm Shield¡¯s defenses became precarious in an instant. Finally, Gu Hang entered. Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: Chapter 22, Primordial Wrath Owl Sect Chapter 22: Chapter 22, Primordial Wrath Owl Sect Several Marines¡¯ electromagnetic guns were firing fiercely. The middle-aged man, under the ferocious shooting, had no strength left to launch a counterattack like before. He could only barely maintain a Storm Shield to avoid being shot to death. But he was not going to hold on much longer. Superhuman strength was indeed powerful, but it couldn¡¯t withstand the full-force shooting from several electromagnetic rifles. The fact that he could hold on for a few seconds was actually quite surprising. Seeing that the Storm Shield was about to fail, and the frail human body behind it certainly wouldn¡¯t withstand a single metal spike before being killed. But just at that moment, the Marines stopped firing. At this point, there was of course only one person who could make them stop: Gu Hang. ¡°Capture one alive.¡± Yan Fangxu raised his fist, signaling a cease-fire. At this moment, the Storm Shield around the man was already very weak. The rotating white cyclone had become very faint, almost about to dissipate. The guy himself was pale, half from being frightened by the desperate situation at hand and the other half from the discomfort of excessive consumption of spiritual energy. Gu Hang stepped forward with just a wave of his hand, an invisible soul blade found the exposed weakness of the Storm Shield and cut it straight open. The backlash of spiritual energy immediately made the middle-aged man spit out a mouthful of blood. Gu Hang looked into his face and then said, ¡°Wohan, isn¡¯t it? We¡¯ve met once, when I had just arrived at this planet.¡± Hearing Gu Hang¡¯s words, Wohan¡¯s somewhat vacant eyes became slightly more animated, as if he had come to his senses. Without time to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, he began to speak, ¡°Governor¡­ Lord Governor¡­ I can explain¡­ I¡­¡± At this point, he sort of choked up. ¡°Hmm? Why not continue? Even don¡¯t know what to say for your defense?¡± Wohan indeed didn¡¯t know what to say. Lying through his teeth was pointless; he had just stolen some goods, and they had just been delivered back, not even having time to be put into the warehouse, when the Governor¡¯s troops had already arrived, utterly defeating the mercenaries he had cooperated with for many years. Captured in the act, with both the person and the goods seized, how could he possibly defend himself? ¡°I lost, Lord Governor. I accept all charges against me. I completely surrender to you, begging you to spare my life. I am willing to pay any price¡­¡± As he spoke, he struggled to move a bit and knelt on the ground, bowing deeply to Gu Hang. He had put his attitude as sincerely as possible. Gu Hang smiled happily, ¡°When faced with a dead end, you finally think of turning back; it¡¯s a bit too late. Wohan, I regret to say that you were once an Alliance Councilman. You should have been a member of the planetary government led by the Governor, potentially becoming an officially recognized imperial official. But you have committed serious crimes, plundering goods, attacking the Governor, deceptive compliance, and¡­ colluding with a cult.¡± ¡°I fully admit¡­ what? Colluding with a heretic cult? No no no¡­¡± When Wohan heard the last four words, his eyes widened. He was no oblivious commoner, he understood the truth perfectly well. If it were only the first three charges, he might still have a glimmer of hope. After all, his greatest offense was merely opposing the Governor. Now, he had lost, but not completely. He still had assets in Revival City, still had influence, and he controlled a very important part of the food trade. These would surely be of value to the Governor, and if he surrendered completely, willing to hand over everything and serve as a loyal and reliable dog to the Governor henceforth, perhaps he really could have a way out. Or perhaps, if he could just get through this tight spot, in a couple of years when this Governor was finished, he might still be a significant figure in Revival City. However, if he got involved with a cult, that would be the end of him. Throughout the entire empire, so-called heretics and cults are considered the most significant internal traitors, a crime of extreme severity, unforgivable offenders. Within the empire¡¯s borders, there was only one belief¡ªthe great Divine Emperor. On Rage Owl Star, the situation for cults was relatively slightly better¡ªbut only just. This was because there were too many factors threatening human survival on Rage Owl Star, leaving little room to carry out widespread purges of heretic cultists. But that didn¡¯t mean there would be any leniency shown to those confirmed as heretical members. The heretics on Rage Owl Star were essentially equivalent to the ¡®Primal Owlbeast Sect¡¯. The name of Rage Owl Star originated from a kind of large predatory terrestrial creature that lived on the planet before the apocalyptic war, bearing a body like a bear clad in feathers, a head similar to an owl, and antlers like a deer¡¯s. According to the existing records, this creature looked somewhat silly and cute, with a gentle and docile temperament, but extremely fierce when enraged. The sect believed that on the once beautiful Rage Owl Star, the Owl Beasts represented a positive image. The first Owl Beast was born with the planet and became a deity, protecting the entire planet. The war that destroyed the world enraged the Primordial Owl Beast, and Its wrath transformed into a Low Energy Storm that raged eternally on the planet¡¯s surface, never ceasing until the sins of humanity were redeemed. The ¡®Primal Owlbeast Sect¡¯ was dedicated to atonement. Aside from their own religious rituals, their most significant act of atonement was to sacrifice sinners who did not embrace their faith to the deity, in hope of ¡®forgiveness¡¯. They indeed caused quite a bit of destruction. The horrific blood sacrifices were one thing, as human life on Rage Owl Star was cheap, being eaten by mutated monsters, starving to death, or dying of illness seemed not much different from being sacrificed in a cult blood ritual. But the key was they didn¡¯t target just a few individuals; the goal of this band of cultists was to have the entire planet atone for the deity. They created several events that destroyed entire settlements, they strove to expand the area polluted by the Low Energy Storm, which resulted in less land for farming, made mining veins inapplicable, and ruined factories built with investments. This made them public enemies. Regardless of whether it was from the perspective of imperial law or the local situation on Rage Owl Star, Wohan knew, if he were pinned down on colluding with the cult, he would be undoubtedly doomed. Now, he deeply regretted why he had used the Storm Shield sorcery when the opposition burst through the door. And he didn¡¯t even manage to escape! He could only try to defend himself in this regard, ¡°Please believe me, Governor! I have not colluded with any cult! I don¡¯t even know them! I just¡­ I just¡­ one day I found out that I could use¡­¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang nodded, ¡°I have heard your testimony, and I will verify it. Next, you will be interrogated, reveal everything you know. And finally, I will hold your trial in Revival City and make the final judgment. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take long, you will soon receive your due end.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I¡¯ve been surprised, chapters 22/23 should have been tomorrow¡¯s content, I set the timing wrong¡­ Consider it a bonus for today, brothers! There will be two more updates tomorrow as usual. My reserves have suffered a hit¡­ Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: Chapter 23, The Captain’s Thoughts Chapter 23: Chapter 23, The Captain¡¯s Thoughts The battle by the river bend had ended. The serfs, who had been shivering in the crude shacks and communal bunks next door, were driven out. A low-ranking officer from the Abandoned Cave Company announced to them that they had been liberated by the Planetary Governor and had gained their freedom. Upon hearing these words, the serfs showed no reaction. These people had never considered freedom to be anything of value; they didn¡¯t even understand what freedom meant. Did freedom refer to the precarious life of wandering the wastelands in the past? Did it mean the biting cold and hunger when trying to eke out a living at the foot of Revival City? They were quite free back then, free to do as they pleased, but there was no food or clothes, and every day they would see dead people¡ª starved, sick, or killed by robbers¡­ all sorts. Especially in winter, it was most difficult to endure. Compared to those times, they were quite satisfied with their current life. Although the food was poor and the work was hard, they were laborers in the fields, and their masters would not let them starve to death¡ªat least not until they lost the ability to work. Now, a group claiming to be subordinates of the Planetary Governor had arrived, and after a flurry of fighting, it seemed their masters were finished, and they had been liberated, regained their freedom. But they were at a loss. Ah? I¡¯m free? They were nearly moved to tears. However, the next announcement put their minds at ease somewhat. They didn¡¯t know what was good about freedom, but at least they knew bread was a good thing. A large supply of food was distributed. The serfs¡ªwho, oh, were now free people¡ªdevoured the food ravenously, having been accustomed to going half-fed every day. While they were eating, someone announced the next set of arrangements to them. They were no longer serfs but free citizens under the Planetary Governor¡¯s jurisdiction. The Governor himself would personally take charge of the entire Mantan River Valley Manor, which required a large number of agricultural workers. They would be provided with room and board, and in addition, a modest bonus that would grow with production. They were free to come and go as they pleased, and those who wished to stay were welcome to take up employment. Only a fool would not stay. Instantly, the panic, confusion, and helplessness in the serfs¡¯ hearts all but dissipated. They didn¡¯t need to understand anything more; knowing that they wouldn¡¯t be starving or braving the cold winds was enough for them. After they had eaten their fill, it was time for them to go out and work. Corpses had to be collected and burnt, fences destroyed during the war had to be repaired, and trampled or blasted fields had to be sorted out, to save as much of the harvest as possible. The entire manor was bustling with activity. After Yan Fangxu had more or less finished making arrangements, there wasn¡¯t much else for him to do. He gazed at the rolling hills across the river bend, lost in thought. Using the spiritual energy user he had just encountered, or rather, the cultist, as a reference, he pondered his own future. When he was assigned to the surface as a guard for the Planetary Governor, he originally thought his prospects had dimmed. He remembered the day the governor was about to leave the starship and descend to the surface, seeking armed protection from Captain Yelisia. The general lady initially planned to give the governor three hundred mechanical servants, a perfunctory gesture at best. But who would have thought that on that day, he, out of boredom, would shoot the breeze with a colleague and mention the joke about an inexperienced woman being promoted to captain and general at warp speed? More importantly, the captain overheard it. Before the Divine Emperor, he actually didn¡¯t have much of an issue with the female captain in his heart; it¡¯s just that his colleagues all joked about it, and he joined in casually. But why did the captain hear it exactly when he started to speak? Dammit! And just coincidentally, the governor named Gu Hang was complaining that three hundred mechanical servants was a bit too few; thus, with a grand gesture, Yelisia allowed him to take thirty Navy Marine Corps soldiers with him, joining the governor¡¯s command. Amidst the jubilant cheering and Schadenfreude of his colleagues, the young Navy Marine Corps captain could only lead thirty men down to the surface. He was in despair, seeing life as bleak. Everyone knew that the governors of Rage Owl Star were consumables every two years. As a mere captain who had offended the captain and was cast down to the surface, it amounted to exile. Even if he protected Mr. Governor well, the latter was bound to be executed for failing to submit taxes eventually. He would also waste two fruitless years on Rage Owl Star, making no progress. But he still had to fulfill his duties. On one hand was the sense of responsibility as a soldier; on the other was the fact that it was one thing for the governor to be executed by the Department of Taxation, but quite another if he died under his protection, which would greatly increase his accountability. As for the lord governor ultimately managing the taxes and securing the position of Planetary Governor, leading the planet¡¯s revival, and later being grateful for his minor help from early on, becoming his backer and enabling his meteoric rise? He had dreamed of that, but when awake, he dared not think about it. Of course, he hoped the future would be like that, but it was too improbable, especially since His Excellency the governor was entertaining wildly impractical hopes. He wasn¡¯t planning to start by quickly taking over the alliance¡¯s government to find a way to get the taxes but was thinking about developing his territory from scratch¡­ Divine Emperor above, where would you find the time for that? On second thought, what did it matter to him? After all, it wasn¡¯t himself who would be executed when the time came. Then, as time went on, he began to feel more lively. Thoughts that only surfaced in his dreams when he first landed on the planet started to sporadically bubble up during his waking moments. Could Gu Hang really succeed? The reason for thinking this way was certainly not just because Governor Gu Hang always appeared in control. He had seen many posers; he did not know, nor did he want to confirm, whether the governor was one of them. He didn¡¯t want to judge by attitude; he only believed in facts. The fact was that the governor was a rare spiritual energy user who would join the soldiers in combat. They had won two battles and taken two camps. These results were not significant enough to save anyone¡¯s life, but the governor was indeed pushing his plans forward. Moreover, Lord Governor somehow acquired two Black Box Manufacturing Machines. Those magical devices, the Empire Mechanical Church would probably pay a hefty sum to purchase. These performances gave him more confidence in the lord governor, beyond just a sense of duty, especially regarding those two black boxes. It seemed, might there be some hope after all? And today, he met a spiritual energy user with the governor. At first, he thought that Wohan was just an ordinary spiritual energy user, but according to the governor¡¯s judgment, he was a member of a Heretic Cult. Cults, heresies¡­ these make for very good enemies. If that so-called ¡®Primal Owlbeast Sect¡¯ was firmly identified as a Heretic Cult, then the credit for eliminating them would not be small. But he still had doubts. Was it really a ¡®cult¡¯? Was it some fabrication by the lord governor, a pretext to seek more assistance, or was it real? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I¡¯ve been caught off-guard; chapters 22/23 were supposed to be for tomorrow, I set the timer wrong¡­ Consider it an extra update for today, guys! Two more will come as usual tomorrow. My manuscript buffer took a hit¡­ If you haven¡¯t read chapter 22, you can go back and check; it¡¯s already up. Chapter 24 - Chapter 24: Chapter 24, Spoils of War Chapter 24: Chapter 24, Spoils of War ¡°That matter isn¡¯t so important.¡± On the return journey, Gu Hang replied to Yan Fangxu¡¯s question. Captain Yan had sought him out and voiced the doubts in his heart, to which Gu Hang had given an answer: ¡°What difference does it make if it¡¯s a sham? The Navy needs merits, I need a target, and a cult that does not believe in the Divine Emperor is one of the long-standing causes preventing Rage Owl Star from recovering. This merit will satisfy Colonel Yelisia and will also provide me with ample benefits, as well as unite the people of this world. Therefore, the cult should be real, and that Wohan should be a true cultist.¡± After a pause, seeing hesitation still lingering on Yan Fangxu¡¯s face, Gu Hang smiled and patted the captain¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Besides, it is real. The Primal Owlbeast Sect is a cult, and that person named Wohan is indeed connected to the Primordial Owl Beasts.¡± ¡°How did you determine that he is a heretic and not just an ordinary psychic?¡± Gu Hang pointed to his head and explained, ¡°The power of a psychic comes from within, from our spirits. We have enough talent, enough spirituality, to borrow spiritual energy from the omnipresent yet imperceptible Spirit Realm and manifest psychic spells. The power of heretics, on the other hand, comes from the filthy Evil Gods they worship, not from themselves. These two types of power are completely different, and clearly distinguishable to my senses.¡± As he spoke, Gu Hang silently added that the divine magic wielded by the priests of the Imperial State Religion was roughly the same idea, but he did not say this aloud. Upon hearing this, Yan Fangxu rubbed his head, ¡°I really hadn¡¯t understood all this before. But since he is indeed a true heretic cultist, then there¡¯s no problem.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°we are on the right path.¡± ¡­ Gu Hang was quite serious about reassuring Captain Yan. This man was one of the few capable subordinates under his command. He had come alone to Rage Owl Star without taking over the powers of the Alliance Government and had no support base to speak of. The only person he could rely on was Captain Yan. The people of the Abandoned Cave Society seemed to have settled down for now, but they were a bunch of illiterates, unreliable for significant matters; his little attendant Zhang Chao was trustworthy enough, but lacked sophistication. Perhaps with enough training over time, he might become talented, but he was far from it right now. The rest was up to Yan Fangxu. He was, after all, an Imperial Navy Captain, a legitimate officer of the Imperial Navy. He didn¡¯t care that Yan Fangxu was still part of the Navy and not his man, and that he was under his command only by order of Yelisia. It made no difference, as long as he was serving him for the time being, was capable, and trustworthy; that was enough. Gu Hang turned his head, looked past Yan Fangxu, and observed the entire battalion. The entire troop, nearly three hundred men strong, were pulling ox carts along the road back to the Governor¡¯s Camp. The bounty from this mission was plentiful. He left twenty soldiers from the Abandoned Cave Company at Mantan River Valley Manor to ensure the safety of the manor while also making sure the tenant farmers worked hard. A man named Si Lamu was chosen from among the tenant farmers to manage them. The rest of the soldiers, about two hundred in total, along with roughly a hundred tenant farmers, set off on the return journey together. Those tenant farmers were responsible for transporting the reloaded supplies to the Governor¡¯s Camp. The so-called ¡®carts¡¯ were ox carts, pulled by a type of livestock known as ¡®barbaric oxen.¡¯ These barbaric oxen presumably were not native to Rage Owl Star, but rather a species introduced from another planet long ago. After surviving the apocalyptic wars, they not only avoided extinction but even underwent further mutations while still retaining traits that made them tamable. In today¡¯s Wasteland World, barbaric oxen are a vital source of draft power. The supplies that had been transported from Revival City had come by ox carts, and now all of them had fallen into Gu Hang¡¯s hands. After inventory, the supplies matched what Gu Hang had requested from Revival City. The materials could be considered returned to their original owner. In addition, Gu Hang had seized nearly two hundred sets of individual weapons and equipment, primarily rifles. ¡°` The variety of rifles was quite diverse, and the overall production level couldn¡¯t compare to the ¡®Striker¡¯ Rifle. At least the latter was the standard rifle for the Imperial Army and the Navy Marine Corps. Although it was used by cannon fodder, the minimum manufacturing standard and technical level were up to par. As for the weapons used by these mercenaries, which were locally produced on Rage Owl Star, it¡¯s hard to say. Not only was the quality inconsistent, but even the best among them wasn¡¯t as good as the ¡®Striker¡¯. But at least they were more reliable than the metal pipe rifles that pirate bandits carried, which Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t even bother accepting as scrap metal. They could at least be considered military-grade products. Gu Hang planned to make use of this batch of equipment as well. With this batch included, he now had around a hundred sets of ¡®Strikers¡¯, along with two hundred sets of locally made equipment. He could arm another three hundred soldiers. Having the weapons and equipment was one thing, but sourcing soldiers wasn¡¯t too big of an issue. Abandoned Cave Society could provide some more people, and some of the three thousand slaves he had brought down from the starship could also be allocated. Those slaves were not originally suitable soldier material, their physical condition couldn¡¯t even match that of the mechanized infantry. However, they surely wouldn¡¯t be worse than those malnourished people from Abandoned Cave Society. Under Gu Hang¡¯s system, people from the Abandoned Cave could undergo a metamorphosis, turning into soldiers with acceptable training standards. Not to mention the former slaves. The quality of the soldier source wasn¡¯t high, limiting their ability to upgrade further, but with the capabilities of the system, getting them trained up to T5 level, to achieve regular army capabilities, was not an issue. Besides the materials he was entitled to, as well as the captured weapons, equipment, and ammunition, a larger gain was the bounty awarded after the victory in battle. [Complete Victory, 33 points of grace received] [Losses: 20, Killed: 116, Captured: 42] [1st Automaton Light Infantry Battalion (Partial): Losses: 16, Killed: 43] [Abandoned Cave Company: Losses: 4, Killed: 21] [Navy Marine Corps (Partial): Losses: 0, Killed: 52] In this battle, a total of 158 people were killed or captured, with a total loss of 20 on his side. A T5-level army with an additional thirty T4-level marine corps members combined was much stronger than those second-rate mercenaries. Even though the defenders had more advantages and, under Gu Hang¡¯s orders, the soldiers went on the offensive, the final exchange ratio was still an impressive 1:8. Of course, if not for the walkers operated by marine corps members and the participation of Gu Hang, the psychic, the exchange ratio would have been less favorable. Most of the losses on his side came from machine guns and rocket launchers. Heavy machine gun fire hit major arteries in the thighs causing severe blood loss, or soldiers were killed directly by rocket explosions at close range. Among these 20 people lost, aside from a few who were immediately killed, many were severely injured and unable to return to the battlefield. This level of loss was still within the bounds of what Gu Hang could accept, as one could not expect to go to war without casualties. However, replenishing the forces was something that Gu Hang also had to consider. The losses to Abandoned Cave Company weren¡¯t significant; he could easily replace the four soldiers from Abandoned Cave Society. In contrast, there was nowhere to replenish mechanized infantry soldiers. In the future, Gu Hang could not rely on mechanized infantry as the main force of his troops. Instead, he would have to conscript soldiers from the local population. These are matters for another time. What he had to consider now was how to use the newly gained 33 points of grace. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The order of the chapters was posted incorrectly yesterday; chapter 23 was posted before chapter 22, and actually, both chapters were meant for today. The schedule was set to the wrong date¡­ Consider it an extra update for yesterday! Those who only saw chapter 23 and missed chapter 22 yesterday can go back and read it. ¡°` Chapter 25 - Chapter 25: Chapter 25: New Technology, G9 Gun Family Chapter 25: Chapter 25: New Technology, G9 Gun Family 33 points of grace, that was the largest sum Gu Hang had received so far. He planned to save three points to train three more squads. As for the remaining thirty points, he contemplated the possible directions he could allocate them. First, he opened the [Hero] interface; his own personal information panel was still stuck on the message that he lacked enough experience to level up. The way to gain experience was through war, beyond that Gu Hang didn¡¯t know if there were other means, such as whether dealing with government affairs would grant experience? Gu Hang felt it should, but he hadn¡¯t verified it, so he wasn¡¯t sure. In any case, the war he had just won was not enough to allow him to reach the leveling threshold. Instead, he spotted a new name there. [New Hero Activation Available: Yan Fangxu, Activation Requires 10 points of grace] Hmm? This caused Gu Hang a bit of a dilemma. Should he activate Yan Fangxu as a hero? After becoming a hero, he could accumulate experience, level up, and gain talents¡­ That guy didn¡¯t seem to have any spiritual energy talents, so probably, once activated, he¡¯d just be a warrior template. And if he truly invested effort into cultivating him, once the Yelisia Starship left in a couple of years, Yan Fangxu, this navy captain, would likely leave as well, and by then, all the resources invested in him would have gone to waste. Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t distrust him just because he was in the naval hierarchy, but investing and cultivating him was another matter entirely. Let¡¯s wait on that, Gu Hang decided, and then opened the [Technology] panel. He tried by investing 10 points of grace. [Invest 10 points of grace to illuminate new basic-level technology with a 70% probability, confirm investment?] No no no no no! Gu Hang was taken aback. The probability could decrease? Before, ten points of grace directly exchanged for a basic-level technology. He had thought that every exchange for ten points would get him two Black Box Manufacturing Machines, but now they¡¯re saying the probability will drop? A 70% chance wasn¡¯t low, but Gu Hang was concerned that it might continue to decrease! ¡°Every successful technology illumination causes the success rate of the next attempt to drop?¡± Gu Hang guessed at the system¡¯s technology panel¡¯s function. A heavy blow. He had thought that with such a huge advantage, he would easily become invincible later on, since technology was the primary productive force. Even if the imperial taxes became oppressive, by selling Black Box Manufacturing Machines, wouldn¡¯t organizations such as the Empire Commerce Guild and the Empire Mechanical Church come eagerly handing over money? There was no need to worry about tax issues at all. The issue with the declining probability was a real setback. ¡°Looks like I have to do this the honest way,¡± Gu Hang thought reluctantly. Lucky for him, he had never considered the sale of technology as his only lifeline. If he could resolve the tax issue normally, he would; these black boxes, including those accumulated from future technology illuminations, were the capital for him to continue growing stronger. In his position as governor, he wasn¡¯t just planning to grit his teeth and get through a few challenging years before figuring out how to be transferred elsewhere. The position of a planetary governor was very special. Governors of places like Rage Owl Star, of course, weren¡¯t held in high esteem; but for planets with top-notch productivity and military capability, the governor¡¯s voice could be immensely powerful. Pei Desi, the leader of the Tianma Star Sector, was able to secure his current position primarily because his younger brother was the governor of the Flying Wing Planet, the Star Sector Capital, with a population of tens of billion and a vast, stable production capacity as his solid backing. Technology was the primary developmental force. Unless absolutely necessary, Gu Hang would certainly not sell the Black Box Manufacturing Machines. Currently, the success rate for the [Technology] function had decreased, but no matter, the remaining 70% was still a decent probability. With over thirty points of grace in hand, he should at least be able to successfully exchange for one. [Invest 10 points of grace to illuminate new basic-level technology with a 70% probability, confirm investment?] Taking a deep breath, this time he clicked yes. [Basic Level Technology: G9 Rifle Clan] [Developed by the Empire Mechanical Doctrine to fulfill the order requirements of the Star Realm Army¡¯s new generation of kinetic rifles. They continued to advance in lightweight and modular design while managing to lower overall costs compared to the previous generation of rifles. With different accessories and simple modifications, they could be transformed into machine guns, automatic rifles, precision rifles, and short submachine guns, further adapting to alloy bayonets.] Gu Hang¡¯s mouth curled into a smile, and then he could not help but laugh more and more joyfully. What a treasure! I don¡¯t know about other places, but at least in the Tianma Star Sector, whether it¡¯s the main force of the Imperial Guard Star Army or the main force of the Navy¡¯s Marine Corps, the firearms in use are still predominantly the G7 type, also known as the ¡®Striker¡¯ Rifle. Previously, Gu Hang¡¯s memory also indicated news about the gradual replacement with G8 rifles, but at least until now, the scale of the replacement has not been large, and the production capacity has not been sufficient. And now, he has directly obtained the even more advanced G9! Another great weapon. If Gu Hang could integrate the entire planet, just the production of the G9 rifles could bring in a massive amount of orders. The Star Realm Army of Tianma Star Sector, the Navy, and even the local defense forces of various planets, shouldn¡¯t bother switching to the G8¡ªjust directly upgrade to the G9 and call it a day. Taking those orders would be enough to pay the Empire¡¯s taxes. Of course, this is just wishful thinking. For one thing, ramping up production capacity that much is a difficult task; and for another, if he made such a big move, he wouldn¡¯t be able to explain the origin of the technology. Unlike the production process for foundational, widely-used materials like alloy steel, the G9 Gun Family is still very scarce. If he made too much noise, he wasn¡¯t afraid of much, but would the greasy folks from the Mechanical Church come knocking on his door? And if he really couldn¡¯t explain the origins of this thing¡­ even the Tribunal might come calling. Possessing knowledge of an unknown origin is a sign of chaos and corruption. Of course, Gu Hang was not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater. He still had to use it. At the very least, there should be no problem equipping his forces on a small scale. He was just planning on utilizing the weapons and equipment captured from those mercenaries; now, it seems, there is not much need for that anymore. With great enthusiasm, Gu Hang clicked on the [Technology] interface again. [Invest 10 points of Grace, with a 40% chance to unlock a new basic level technology, do you confirm the investment?] As expected, it had dropped again. One successful technology unlocking leads to a 30% drop in the success rate? If this happens two more times, won¡¯t it plummet to zero? Outrageous! Who would want to keep investing in this? Gu Hang cursed under his breath. Then he invested another ten points. What else to do? The technology system¡¯s offerings were too tempting. [Unlocking failed.] Gu Hang¡¯s face fell, and, blood rushing to his head, he invested the remaining ten points as well. Yan Fangxu can wait a bit, pulling cards is a tad more important right now. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only [Unlocking failed.] Hang on, with a 40% chance, two tries in a row both failed, what¡¯s the meaning of this? Actually, Gu Hang really didn¡¯t like this kind of probability-based gambling and loathed failure. But right now, he could only play at the 10 Grace points tier, as the next tier required 100 Grace points for a single attempt. In this way, it seems that in the [Technology] panel, each tier¡¯s prize pool is limited. The more you draw, the more the chances decrease, so you either have to move up to a higher tier to pull better items or pay a higher price to chase the low probabilities. Under this concept, there¡¯s probably a hidden mechanism: when the odds are high at the start, you need to get the good stuff; otherwise, if the good stuff is left until the odds are low, it would be a terrible loss. Chapter 26 - Chapter 26: Chapter 26, Long-term Planning Chapter 26: Chapter 26, Long-term Planning ¡°` Nothing out of the ordinary happened on the way back to camp. The Governor, for some reason, kept a grim face the whole time, making him unapproachable. Gu Hang¡¯s aide, Zhang Chao, was already waiting outside the Governor¡¯s Camp. He had received advance notice from Gu Hang and had arranged for the camp to receive the supplies. Since Gu Hang was desperately short of manpower, he was also intentionally training Zhang Chao. The kid didn¡¯t seem cut out for soldiering, but he appeared to be quite capable of handling clerical and administrative work. No choice though, as there weren¡¯t many literate people under Gu Hang¡¯s command, and he had no better candidates. Moreover, Zhang Chao was doing quite a good job. They hadn¡¯t had time to build a big enough warehouse, but they had cleared out some prefab houses for storing supplies. Items that didn¡¯t require shelter from the elements were simply piled up on open ground, covered with large tarps¡ªenough for temporary storage. After that, Zhang Chao busied himself with inventorying the supplies and arranging their distribution, including deciding how much to send over to the Abandoned Cave Society. He was reliable enough, so Gu Hang felt reassured and his expression brightened slightly. As for the frustration of coming up empty in the previous two couplets, that had almost entirely dissipated by now. Technology lotteries always required grace points to draw from. The odds just lay there, and if you didn¡¯t hit, there was nothing to be done about it¡ªjust hope for better luck next time. Retreating to his own room, Gu Hang took out paper and pen and began to plan for the upcoming events. He didn¡¯t plan to instantly materialize the G9 Gun Family Black Box obtained from this round of the technology lottery. Based on his experience with the alloy steel black box, these two items would also be quite large and couldn¡¯t be put away once materialized. Zhang Chao was already arranging for people to dig bunkers. Gu Hang intended to set up a core secret base within the camp, to serve as the future ¡®research¡¯ center, requiring strict confidentiality. It was best to keep items like the black box out of public view as much as possible. The technology lottery was a minor detour. The key was what to do next. The supplies extorted from Revival City had alleviated the shortage of goods in the camp, especially the scarcity of food. He couldn¡¯t achieve self-sufficiency in food within his territory just yet. The Mantan River Valley Manor could indeed produce grains, but a bountiful harvest wouldn¡¯t be possible until autumn, a few months away. For the time being, they could get by on these supplies. The prerequisite was that the population he had to feed would not expand further. But that was impossible. Gu Hang¡¯s next goal was to expand the population. The alloy plastic steel industrial line needed to grow, the G9 Gun Family¡¯s production line also needed workers, construction work needed workers, and in the future other technologies might be drawn to establish other production lines¡ªall requiring more people. Where would these people come from? That was an easy question to answer. Despite being a wasteland planet with a sparse population, especially compared to Nest Capital Worlds with populations easily topping hundreds of billions, people on Rage Owl Star were incredibly cheap. The wandering Survivor Tribes, the destitute living hand-to-mouth around Revival City¡­ these were Gu Hang¡¯s sources for population intake. But he couldn¡¯t just take anyone in. With people coming in, Gu Hang also had to provide jobs and consumer goods like food. To put it plainly, he had to be able to afford them and allow them to add greater value. ¡°` This required more materials, and greater production capacity. In practical terms, the first step he had to take was to sell the currently most important and future key output¡ªalloy plastic steel. Only by making successful sales could he talk about expanding production. Thinking thus, Gu Hang¡¯s gaze once again fell upon Revival City. It wasn¡¯t that he insisted on fleecing a single sheep; primarily, it was so close and his identity was so suitable that it made fleecing exceptionally convenient. Besides, he had long regarded Revival City as something in the bag. What¡¯s yours is mine; what¡¯s the harm in borrowing it first? After all, he was definitely going to take control of that city eventually. He only had two years, and it was impossible for him to cultivate a white field from scratch and grow enough economic and material wealth to pay the taxes of an entire planet in two years. Starting anew outside was fundamentally another attempt at a different approach to gain control of the entire planet. To completely control Revival City, he could not just barge into the city and engage in a political struggle with the local big shots¡ªthat would be a dead end. But if he had his own force to rely on before taking over Revival City and even the administrative power of the whole Alliance Government, that would be a different situation entirely. In the near future, when he was ready to take charge, there would certainly be a time when he could be confident in purging the entire power hierarchy of the city up and down, enabling the entire city¡¯s forces to truly serve him. Such power could not rely solely on the ¡°Quintet¡¯s¡± deterrence from the sky. Mutual destruction meant ruin for himself as well, and the council members of Revival City were also aware of this fact. ¡°Nuclear deterrence¡± alone was not effective; Gu Hang requested a hundred tons of materials and they provided them. If Gu Hang wanted to conduct a major purge, if he wanted their lives, then they would brace themselves against orbital bombardment and fight to the death against Gu Hang¡ªit was a matter of life or death for all. He needed a real usable, conventional force to support the things he wanted to do. ¡°Still have to expand the army,¡± Gu Hang concluded. Expanding was easy. Picking two hundred people from the slaves brought down from the Starship. One hundred would use the remaining G7 ¡®Assaulters,¡¯ and the other one hundred could make do with local mixed-brand guns for the time being. With a systematic approach and a bit of grace spent, together with the one hundred people from the Abandoned Cave Company, another light infantry battalion was formed. Gu Hang delegated the work of recruiting new soldiers from those three thousand servants to Yan Fangxu. Captain Yan was numbed. He knew that his Governor would once again demonstrate that sort of training which could produce a regular army in a few days that would normally take one to two years to train. He genuinely couldn¡¯t fathom it and eventually could only assume that it was simply the Governor¡¯s capability. His lord was a military training genius. This explanation might seem far-fetched, but he could not think of any other. Of course, even though he knew that under the Governor¡¯s command, even the worst sources of soldiers could become decent within a few days, he still conscientiously picked the best two hundred from those three thousand servants when selecting the soldiers. After distributing the equipment and weapons, Gu Hang casually spent 2 points of grace in the [Soldier Token] to get a package deal for the training of these soldiers, and then he didn¡¯t pay much more attention to it, only making a token appearance each day. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It wasn¡¯t long before new information emerged. [2nd Infantry Battalion: light infantry, overall rating¡ª, non-upgradable] [Number: 300 men] [Equipment: T5, Training: T5, Experience: -] The commander of this troop was Perbov from the Abandoned Cave Society, who had been promoted to battalion commander. Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Took Away My Wallet Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Took Away My Wallet This was a sight Dennison Henry had never seen in the Abandoned Cave Society. He simply could not have imagined that such earth-shattering changes could have taken place in the mere month he had been away. He was from Rubbish Town and worked as a merchant. The ores produced by the Abandoned Cave Society were the ones he would purchase and then sell to Rubbish Town for primary processing into usable pig iron before selling them off again. He had heard that a group of plunderers had set their sights on the Abandoned Cave Society. He thought it was the end for them and had even offered a silent prayer for these unfortunate people, while also feeling a pity at having lost a cheap resource import site. This meant he would earn less money. But to his surprise, not only had the Abandoned Cave Society survived, but it had also received help from the Planetary Governor. What was this if not a blessing in disguise? In the Abandoned Cave Society, Henry saw rows of factories, and the erect smelting furnaces emitting white smoke, signifying industrial power; He saw the residential areas that were being constructed nearby, and as it was mealtime, he could see the cooking smoke. The standard of food the residents of the Abandoned Cave Society were eating was actually better than that in his hometown, Rubbish Town. He also saw the soldiers on guard, wearing combat suits, vests with bulletproof plates on the outside, and their left eyes uniformly transformed into mechanical ones, shining with a cold blue light, looking very elite. Patel saw the expression on Henry¡¯s face and took it all in. The surprised look of this ¡®old friend¡¯ gave Patel immense satisfaction. He really enjoyed seeing others surprised. It affirmed from the bottom of his heart how utterly right he had been to fully embrace the Governor and to become his lordship¡¯s subject. He patted Henry on the shoulder and said, ¡°Stop gawking, let¡¯s go. There¡¯s even more great stuff to see.¡± Returning his gaze, Henry turned to Patel, ¡°You¡­ is the Governor really that generous?¡± Patel¡¯s expression was devout, ¡°Yes, and this is just the beginning. I believe that under the rule of the Governor, we will live better and better! Honestly, why don¡¯t you go back and talk to your bosses, too? Get them to join under the Governor¡¯s command sooner rather than later.¡± When this topic came up, Henry grew a little more composed, ¡°We are already under the governance of the Governor, we are also members of the Alliance.¡± Patel could hear the perfunctory tone in his voice. He felt a bit disappointed. He genuinely believed that Rubbish Town could join in and contribute to the Governor¡¯s cause. Of course, he also knew that his old friend Henry was just an ordinary merchant from Rubbish Town, and his status was so-so. Rubbish Town had a population of over one hundred thousand and was a massive settlement. Those who had a say there were called ¡®agents.¡¯ These agents, big and small, determined the direction of the entire Rubbish Town. Henry was just a merchant, and he was even still striving to qualify as the smallest of agents, so he didn¡¯t have much say in Rubbish Town. Patel simply hoped that Henry could go back and persuade those agents. But it seemed, indeed, he had been naive. Those agents were making money from raw materials and energy, from scrappers and adventurers, with their bellies full and their minds content, why would they easily let go? Unless they witnessed the Governor¡¯s authority with their own eyes. Putting aside those thoughts, Patel¡¯s face broke into a smile again. He took Henry along to see some more good things. These were alloy steel products created by the Abandoned Cave Society. Seeing the neatly stacked alloy steel, Henry was once again dumbfounded. ¡°This¡­ is alloy steel? You can actually produce something like this?¡± He truly hadn¡¯t anticipated this. Watching those smelting furnaces, he thought at most they could produce steel, which was already very impressive to him. He had been calculating in his heart, in the future materials would be transported from Rubbish Town, then produced by Abandoned Cave Society, and sold to Revival City¡ªthis route would be much more economical than profiteering from mineral resources. But unexpectedly, what Abandoned Cave Society was producing was not just any steel, but alloy plastic steel! This material¡¯s performance was far superior to steel! With different formulations, it could exhibit very strong resistance to compression and tensile strength as well as great plasticity. From a merchant¡¯s perspective, its selling price would naturally be higher than that of steel, but in reality, the increase was limited. Mainly because those manufacturers, whether using alloy plastic steel for munitions, machinery manufacturing, or construction materials, most of the large demand low-end product lines are very sensitive to cost. If the cost of alloy plastic steel is too much higher than steel, then they¡¯d rather continue to use the cheaper steel. Of course, if there is some alloy plastic steel with particularly special properties, then for some particular devices, like making better gun barrels or more robust mechanical structures, when used in high value-added production, it¡¯s definitely valuable and can fetch an especially high price. But even though ordinary alloy plastic steel materials can¡¯t be sold for a very high price, with a reasonable pricing strategy, there¡¯s no worry about their marketability. At the same time, currently, there are very few powers in the wasteland that have the capability to produce alloy plastic steel. Perhaps Blackbird Heavy Industries has this capability, but their production capacity is barely enough to meet their own consumption, and they have never been seen selling this material externally. From this perspective, the alloy plastic steel produced by Abandoned Cave Society is practically a unique business. Beyond making money, this represents a huge power of influence. Dennison Henry was bursting with impatience! ¡°How much for these? Sell them to me!¡± he said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°Don¡¯t rush.¡± Patel chuckled and then took Henry to another place. Here, there were some finished products made of alloy plastic steel¡ªindividual armor vests and helmets. Patel proudly introduced, ¡°Take a look at these things. If you shoot them with an iron pipe rifle, it¡¯ll at most leave a mark!¡± Having said that, he was worried Henry wouldn¡¯t believe him and actually took out an iron pipe rifle. The weapon looked crude but was especially common on the wasteland. A basic iron pipe was tied to a wooden handle with the most simplistic firing mechanism, capable of shooting gunpowder bullets. Because there was really no technology to speak of, its power was rather unpredictable, and its accuracy even more so. A well-made one might be passable, but a poorly made one was just a noisemaker that could or couldn¡¯t hit a target; it all depended on luck. The Abandoned Cave Society had hundreds of these guns, confiscated from the bandits after the ¡®Doomed Prisoners¡¯ were annihilated. The Planetary Governor thought little of this junk and gave it to them for self-defense. Patel put the armor vest on a target, pulled the rifle bolt, and at a distance of more than a dozen meters, he fired more than a dozen rounds at it. After the deed was done, Henry stepped closer to take a look. There were bullet marks, but not a single one penetrated the single soldier¡¯s vest, and the back of the target was knocked slightly askew, but indeed there was no real damage. This level of defense was sufficient. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Henry even tried on the vest himself and found the weight completely within an acceptable range. Alloy plastic steel was able to maintain enough strength and toughness while ensuring light weight. This stuff, on the wasteland, was a deadly weapon. Equipped with such a set, the most common iron pipe rifles on the wasteland would indeed turn into mere fire sticks. He could already imagine how enthusiastically these individual armor vests would be sought after by scavengers and adventurers in Rubbish Town. This was all money! ¡°Stop talking! I¡¯m buying! Take away my wallet!¡± Chapter 28 Chapter 28: Chapter 28, Corpse Starch ¡°` Henry truly wanted to buy. The alloy plastic steel material itself, as well as the single soldier vests that had been made from it, had already shown him the huge profits to be made. In his hometown, Rubbish Town, he was indeed just a merchant, but he harbored greater aspirations¡ªhe was pursuing the status of an ¡®agent¡¯. Rubbish Town was a chaotic place, but also a holy land for business: rich in resources and with a substantial population. There, if you conducted big enough business, had enough people under you, and strong enough military force, you could gain enough influence to become an ¡®agent¡¯. And in the chaotic political ecology of Rubbish Town, it was the agents who called the shots. Each monopolized a unique line of business, competing and allying with each other, wielding enormous power. Henry didn¡¯t have enough people under him or a big enough business. But if he could really secure the alloy plastic steel business, then he would have his own unique line of business. As long as he had support from the Abandoned Cave Society to monopolize it, he could rapidly gain a huge profit. The remaining issue was money, but that was an easy problem to resolve. The status of an agent was already beckoning him. Truth be told, if it weren¡¯t for the Governor behind the Abandoned Cave Society, he would have definitely turned around and left by now, and then tried to gather a team to wipe out the Abandoned Cave Society completely, to firmly grasp the production capability of alloy plastic steel in his own hands. Unfortunately¡­ But it didn¡¯t matter, as long as he could secure the exclusive agency rights for this business, that would be enough. Henry solemnly said to Patel, ¡°I¡¯ll take all the goods you have, and I¡¯ll offer you the best price. We can also sign a long-term cooperation agreement, trust me, I can definitely help you sell these treasures throughout the entire Wasteland World! We will become the best partners, as long as you sign an exclusive agreement with me.¡± ¡°Wait a minute¡­ just wait a moment.¡± ¡°?¡± Henry¡¯s brows deeply furrowed, ¡°Do you have any other conditions? Just speak up!¡± Patel quickly waved his hand, ¡°I don¡¯t have any conditions, but I can¡¯t make this decision!¡± Without waiting for Henry to speak, he continued, ¡°Everything here belongs to the great Mr. Gu, the Governor. I wouldn¡¯t dare to promise you anything rashly. Without Mr. Gu¡¯s nod, not a single piece of alloy plastic steel can be sold.¡± ¡°Mr. Gu¡­¡± Henry calmed down and began to feel a headache coming on. Convincing Patel might not be difficult, but to persuade the Governor¡­ The deeds of the Governor named ¡®Gu Hang¡¯ had also reached Henry¡¯s ears. He was independent and unconventional, and after landing, he didn¡¯t take over the power from the Alliance Government but instead went to the rural wilderness to undertake construction work. Could construction save the entire Rage Owl Star? Henry didn¡¯t believe it. Even if the Abandoned Cave Society had undergone drastic changes under the rule of Mr. Gu in a very short time. But just this kind of change was far from enough to alter the ecology of the entire Rage Owl Star. Two years down the line, Mr. Gu, the Governor, would probably be dealt with by the empire¡¯s tax authorities, just like his predecessors, right? But before that happened, he was the Governor, the nominal supreme ruler of this planet. What capital did a small merchant like himself have to hoodwink an imperial Governor? Seeing Henry¡¯s dilemma and hesitation, Patel didn¡¯t know what kind of intense thoughts were turning in this ¡®old friend¡¯s¡¯ mind. He just grinned, soothingly saying, ¡°Mr. Gu is a good man. As long as you serve him with sincerity, you will surely receive a generous reward.¡± When Patel said this, he appeared very sincere. But somehow, Henry vaguely felt like there was another meaning behind his words: ¡°` ¡°If you¡¯re not sincere enough, you¡¯re doomed.¡± It must be an illusion; where would Patel find such deep thoughts? Henry took a deep breath and said firmly, ¡°I¡¯m off to see the Governor now!¡± ¡­ The great Governor, Gu Hang, was at that moment studying a corpse. It vaguely resembled a biological creature, with limbs and a semi-upright posture¡ªsomewhat like a headless ape with disproportionate limbs covered in boils, its chest cavity grossly swollen. It was fast, incredibly ferocious, and its limbs bore sharp claws. After hunting, it would tear its prey to pieces and then use the boils on its body to corrode and dissolve the fragments before ¡®absorbing¡¯ them into itself. This creature, referred to by the locals as ¡®boil monsters,¡¯ was a common menace in the Wasteland. He was napping in his house when he suddenly heard noises outside; then Zhang Chao reported to him that a dozen boil monsters had appeared at the expansion site on the perimeter of the camp, attacking the workers. Even though the soldiers guarding the camp arrived quickly and annihilated this group of monsters, three workers had still met their deaths. Death and injury were, of course, very unfortunate events. But this was the Wasteland. Gu Hang did not focus on what had happened, the unchangeable past. Looking at the monster¡¯s corpse before him, he asked a soul-searching question: ¡°Can this thing be eaten?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yan Fangxu didn¡¯t understand what Mr. Gu was thinking, but he was shocked nonetheless. Mr. Gu was somewhat displeased by Yan¡¯s shock and he emphasized, ¡°In the Wasteland, food is of utmost importance! Every day, as soon as I open my eyes, I have to think about how to feed the several thousand people in three camps. Living off existing stores just won¡¯t cut it; we need to find a way to tap into every possible source of food. I think these creatures hold potential. It¡¯s said there are plenty of them in the Wasteland, and other creatures like zombified dogs. If they¡¯re all edible¡­¡± ¡°Please wait, Mr. Gu¡­¡± Yan Fangxu said helplessly, ¡°These monsters carry a large amount of highly corrosive boils on them. How could they look edible?¡± ¡°How do you know if you don¡¯t try?¡± Gu Hang remained persistent, ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mean to let our people eat it directly. I¡¯ve heard that on most planets in the Nest Capital, there is a technology capable of breaking down all organic material to produce food. They call it¡­ corpse starch? In any case, it¡¯s starch blocks. I wonder if Rage Owl Star has this technology? Anyway, we surely have it on Quintet. We still need to get our hands on it by any means necessary.¡± Yan Fangxu became even more helpless. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Big brother, I¡¯ve eaten those starch blocks too! Essentially, those are a type of food chemical product that can take recycled organic waste, including old textiles and wood scraps, industrial organic waste, and even plant fibers and animal limbs, and break them down into smaller molecules to refine and process into synthetic starch blocks. While it¡¯s true that some Nest Capital planets, particularly those with scarce resources and high population densities, do recycle the dead and even fecal matter, leading to their being humorously and darkly referred to as ¡®corpse starch,¡¯ you shouldn¡¯t say it out loud! After all, the primary components of synthetic starch are still normal¡­ The minor, trace elements¡­ Let¡¯s just stay friends and not talk about them. Chapter 29 - Chapter 29: Chapter 29, What’s Wrong with the Puppet? Chapter 29: Chapter 29, What¡¯s Wrong with the Puppet? Gu Hang said he was considering using those abscessed creatures as a food source, and he wasn¡¯t just talking nonsense to disgust people. He truly thought that way. If there were a choice, of course, normal food would be better than anythingelse. But in this wasteland, with production conditions like this, the number of people that could be sustained was limited, so wasn¡¯t one obligated to find every possible solution? Being well-fed was more important than eating well. This technology, of course, could potentially be drawn from the ¡°Technology¡± panel. But the mechanism that, once a technology was highlighted, significantly dropped the probability of that technology being produced next made each technology quota precious. If there was a choice, Gu Hang would prefer not to acquire this technology from the ¡°Technology¡± panel. He¡¯d rather achieve his goal by normal means. His gaze turned to the sky. A certain power on Rage Owl Star might possess similar technology. However, first, Gu Hang hadn¡¯t seen it around Revival City, implying that if this technology did exist, it was far away and difficult to obtain. Second, the synthetic starch technology was probably very valuable on a wasteland planet, and those powers wouldn¡¯t just hand it over. It was less effort to fleece the ¡°Quintet¡± than to go through the trouble of securing such technology. On a massive starship like the ¡°Quintet,¡± which housed a population of a hundred thousand and didn¡¯t always have the opportunity to land for supplies, especially during missions, they certainly had the technology to recycle almost any usable organic matter. Thinking this, he coughed lightly twice, feeling a bit embarrassed, ¡°I just asked her for two hundred sets of equipment and four armored vehicles last time, and today I¡¯m going right back to ask for new technology? Doesn¡¯t feel quite right.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ask today, I¡¯ll go ask her tomorrow.¡± With this thought in mind, Gu Hang felt much more at ease. Gu Hang, in high spirits, hummed a tune and waited for Dennison Henry, the trader from Rubbish Town. ¡­ Dennison Henry finally met Governor Gu Hang. After an exhaustive body search, he was led to the entrance of the governor¡¯s house. It was just a large board house, and on the surface, it didn¡¯t differ fundamentally from the board houses inhabited by the servants nearby. It was neither specially decorated nor made from any particularly precious materials. The guard pushed open the door, and Henry walked in to find everything inside plain and unadorned. The room had no special decorations, just an ordinary long table. A man who appeared quite young sat at the far end of the table. That must be Governor Gu Hang. The governor himself seemed out of place in his surroundings. His clothing was exquisite despite the simplicity around him, yet this contrast became almost negligible due to the governor¡¯s indifferent attitude to his humble environment. Henry dared not observe further. He lowered his head, came to this side of the long table, and without daring to sit down, he placed one hand on his chest and then bowed deeply. Maintaining the bow, he said humbly, ¡°My name is Dennison Henry, from Rubbish Town. I am here to offer my sincerest greetings to your Excellency the Governor. Your speech upon landing on this planet was thunderous, making me profoundly understand that you came to this dying world with grand ambitions and compassionate sentiments, to save us, your subjects. As a resident of Rage Owl Star, I hold your nobility in the highest esteem.¡± A rainbow fart, firmly delivered. As he spoke, Henry also took out an exquisitely packaged box. ¡°Upon learning that I had the honor of meeting your Excellency, I was overjoyed and resolved to prepare a gift for you, to express my deep admiration. Sadly, due to the haste, I only have this modest offer. I hope your Excellency the Governor will not take offense.¡± He continued to maintain the bow, holding the gift box above his head with both hands. The guard beside stepped up, took the gift from his hands, and then brought it before Gu Hang. Gu Hang didn¡¯t even glance at the gift box, his gaze remained fixed on Dennison Henry, with an interested smile playing on his lips. ¡°Rise, or you might just break your waist if you keep this up.¡± Henry straightened up as instructed. ¡°Sit down, let¡¯s have a good talk.¡± Only then did Henry dare to sit down. Tapping the table with his hand, Gu Hang said, ¡°Dennison Henry, I am aware of your purpose in coming.¡± Henry cautiously replied, ¡°I hope Your Excellency the Governor would grant me the opportunity to serve you.¡± Gu Hang chuckled and said, ¡°You have a way with words, and I am satisfied with your attitude. I know that what you say may not necessarily reflect your true intentions, but I don¡¯t mind that. I can entrust the business to you, but I have two conditions. First, I will supply you with goods, and you will also bring me what I need, in full quality and quantity, without any shortfall.¡± The first part of Gu Hang¡¯s statement, the implied ¡®may not necessarily be sincere,¡¯ made Henry somewhat nervous. However, the latter part immediately made his heart blossom with joy. Securing the agency rights was his primary objective in meeting the Governor. As for the other condition, Henry saw it as no different than being given a freebie. It couldn¡¯t really be considered a demand, more like another generous gift from the Governor. He would of course pay for the goods, and that payment, as it seemed now, he could recoup by helping the Governor acquire the things the Governor needed. How could that possibly be a bad thing? Without hesitation, he nodded, ¡°No problem! I am willing to serve Your Excellency!¡± Gu Hang waved his hand and added, ¡°I have a second condition. You need to expand your influence in Rubbish Town as much as possible, to become an agent, even a major one.¡± Hearing this second condition, Henry calmed down a bit. Striving to become one of the agents of Rubbish Town was his aim. Logically speaking, since the Governor had offered this as a condition, it shouldn¡¯t conflict with his goals, and he ought to be pleased. However, he didn¡¯t consider himself a fool and could read between the lines of the underlying implications of the request. Supported by the Governor, he would become an important agent in Rubbish Town, but then what? Who would have the final say, himself, or the Governor as his behind-the-scenes boss? But he quickly cast aside these hesitations and conflicts. Wondering about such things was absurd. When a big opportunity is presented, shouldn¡¯t he seize it? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only So what if he became a puppet? Countless people yearn for such a position and can¡¯t attain it. And it might not even be a puppet situation. Seriously serving the Governor could bring its own powers, couldn¡¯t it? With the Governor managing myriad affairs daily, wouldn¡¯t he have final say over the small matters of Rubbish Town when presiding over it? He would just need to achieve the Governor¡¯s goals and follow his steps, which is as it should be! Moreover¡­ putting it a bit more rudely, who knows if the Governor will still be the Governor in two years. With that thought, he caught the quasi-smiling expression on Gu Hang¡¯s face and dared not continue the line of thinking. He felt as if his thoughts were being read. Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: Chapter 30, Applying Pressure Chapter 30: Chapter 30, Applying Pressure Dennison Henry was very, very surprised at the start of his meeting with the governor. He had obtained what he wanted without much sacrifice. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean there was no cost involved. Having taken the goods, he had to pay for them using Alliance currency; the governor provided a series of lists, asking him to buy this and that¡ªhe glanced through them, some items were difficult to procure, such as wanting Revival City¡¯s best textile and sewing machines, importing raw textile materials, desiring thermoelectric generator sets, the thermoelectric material itself, wanting to build cement and brick factories¡­ Moreover, the governor seemed to have a good grasp of the market, the list he provided was almost equal in value to the goods he was permitted to take this time. By his own estimation, the profit margin was severely compressed. If he wanted to earn more money, he would have to try his best to sell the alloy plastic steel and armored vests at a higher price, and find cheap yet effective supplies for the governor. Difficult as it may be, Henry was still filled with motivation. Wasn¡¯t this the time to showcase his capabilities? If everything were easy, would the governor need to bother finding someone like him to take on this task? However, as the conversation moved to the latter half, he gradually lost his joy. Primarily because a crucial issue was raised. Dennison Henry wanted to secure exclusive sales rights for the alloy plastic steel industry. It was a protection of his own interests; he needed this to ensure the market channels he carved out wouldn¡¯t be snatched away by newcomers. Eliminating competitors to monopolize the market naturally meant more profit. But Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t allow it. He argued with reason, saying things like ¡°this would allow me to serve the governor better¡± and ¡°this will help me expand my influence in Rubbish Town, and assist you with more matters in the future.¡± However, none of these arguments could persuade Gu Hang. Gu Hang simply responded with two sentences, blocking any counterarguments: ¡°I can grant you the powers you desire, but I won¡¯t give them to you for nothing. You haven¡¯t done anything yet, so why should you demand so much from me?¡± ¡°Prove your loyalty through your actions.¡± With the conversation reaching this point, what more could Henry say? He nodded emphatically, ¡°I will prove myself to you, Governor.¡± ¡°Also, do one more thing for me.¡± ¡°Please give your command.¡± ¡°My camp needs more labor; Revival City has so many refugees living on the outskirts, bring them here.¡± ¡°No problem, I will definitely bring you healthy and reliable refugees at a very affordable price.¡± Gu Hang shook his head, clearly unsatisfied: ¡°What is this talk of money? Those refugees, not recognized by Revival City as official residents, but I recognize them. Every human on Rage Owl Star is a subject of the Empire, my subject. I want you to convey my benevolence to them, my policies, my declarations, and have them migrate here. If they face difficulties, you should offer them the necessary help, and if needed, I will personally intervene. Do you understand what I mean?¡± Henry was taken aback. How could he not understand? Of course, he understood. Freeloading, right? You just don¡¯t want to spend money but still want the people brought over? Henry put on a very ashamed expression: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, I was shallow¡­¡± However, according to the governor, it didn¡¯t seem like there was no benefit involved. Although Revival City was large, the number of jobs and people it could support was limited. Outside the city, there were plenty of refugees who couldn¡¯t survive. It wasn¡¯t impossible through propaganda to inspire these people to migrate voluntarily. ¡°But¡­ Your Excellency the Governor, please forgive me. If we proceed this way, we won¡¯t be able to ensure the number or the quality of the migrants. Most of the desperate migrants are the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled; those who are strong and in their prime can still find a job to support themselves.¡± Gu Hang waved his hand dismissively, saying, ¡°That¡¯s your job, to convey my will to the public and to show your loyalty. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡± Damn, he really wants a free ride! Dennison Henry could only respond helplessly, ¡°Yes, I understand what needs to be done.¡± ¡­ After sending away the merchant brimming with ambition, ready to embark on a significant endeavor while also meeting his own reasonable and unreasonable demands, Gu Hang immediately busied himself with another matter. He had his attendant, Zhang Chao, send another communication to Revival City. As for the issue of Wohan, the Alliance Councilman being a cult member, Gu Hang needed Revival City to give him an explanation. Of course, the nature of the explanation was not important. What Gu Hang needed was an excuse to take action. This excuse was something he had to work hard to find originally. Now, there was one ready-made. An adherent of a Heretic Cult had emerged within the ruling structure of the Alliance, the Alliance Council. When Wohan resisted, employing Storm Sorcery which Gu Hang identified as definitely not his own spiritual power but originating from a certain source, Gu Hang almost burst into laughter. After capturing Wohan, the necessary interrogations and the intelligence he had to obtain were almost in his hands. The man was indeed a follower of the Cult, there was no mistake about that. Although he was not a devout believer, he did believe in the teachings of the Primal Owlbeast Sect and was willing to use his status as a councilman to provide convenience for cultist activities and to contribute money and resources. He wasn¡¯t a core member; he was just a wealthier believer. He also received certain things in return, such as being ¡®blessed by the gods¡¯ and mastering Storm Sorcery; he could have cultists do some dirty work that he could not handle directly himself. Indeed, the very reason he sought to trouble the governor this time was to request the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect¡¯s intervention, but they rejected him due to their busy schedule and inability to arrange manpower on short notice. With these confessions, and with Wohan still alive, Gu Hang had the perfect opportunity to attack. Upon connecting with Revival City, the person Gu Hang faced was still the Chairman of the Alliance Council, Milian Hodgson. ¡°Good day to you, Governor,¡± Hodgson began with a greeting. Gu Hang offered no pleasantries in return, his tone severe, ¡°Mr. Hodgson, I am extremely disappointed in your work.¡± Upon hearing the Governor¡¯s words, Hodgson felt a nerve in his head throb with pain. The Governor is at it again! I gave you the massive supplies you wanted; I sold the people you asked me to betray; what more do you want now? Hodgson replied wearily, ¡°Please instruct me, Governor.¡± ¡°An Alliance Councilman corrupted by a Heretic Cult? What kind of job have you been doing as Chair of the Council? Is the Alliance¡¯s Council still loyal to the Empire? Has Revival City now become the nest of the Primal Owlbeast Sect?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang launched a series of accusations, hitting Hodgson hard and fast. Hodgson was completely caught off guard by Gu Hang¡¯s revelation of such news, the accusation leaving him utterly dumbfounded. He had no prior knowledge that Wohan was a cult member. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Let the investments heat up!~ Chapter 31 - Chapter 31: Chapter 31, is it this governor? Chapter 31: Chapter 31, is it this governor? Hodgson indeed did not know that one of their Alliance Council members, Wohan, was a cult member. He had no prior knowledge of this information. Now that Gu Hang had exposed this, he was completely dumbfounded. When he had slightly regained his composure, his first reaction was to suspect: Was the accusation against Wohan of being a cultist fabricated by Mr. Gu himself as an excuse to cause trouble for Revival City? ¡°This matter is of great significance. Do you, Governor, truly have concrete evidence to prove this?¡± ¡°The evidence is irrefutable. The people who attacked the transport team were directed by Wohan. I have wiped out the bandits on his manor and captured him. I personally saw this scoundrel use Storm Sorcery¡­¡± ¡°Right now, you seem to know nothing about it, President of the Council Hodgson. I¡¯m very disappointed. With an Alliance Council member corrupted, and you, as president, having no knowledge of it, is this negligence, or has the Alliance Council been condoning the spread of the cult in Revival City all along?¡± Hodgson immediately denied it: ¡°Absolutely not! We have been intensifying our efforts to crack down on the cult. How could we possibly condone its spread? I will investigate this matter¡­¡± Before Hodgson could finish, he was interrupted by Gu Hang: ¡°Investigate? How much longer will we have to wait for you to slowly go about your investigation? Revival City will become what? With even Council members being corrupted, how can I believe you¡¯ll uncover anything?¡± Hodgson was under immense pressure from Gu Hang. This totally unexpected news caught him off guard. He had no contingency plans in place, and at this moment he could only insist: ¡°We will definitely take effective measures to deal with the problem. We will carry out background checks on all Council members and also strengthen the investigation into the cult in the entire city.¡± Gu Hang said: ¡°I¡¯m giving you this chance. But I also want to remind you that our city is facing a severe threat. I need you to resolve this problem quickly and thoroughly! If I don¡¯t see a more proactive attitude from you, then I will personally take action, and you will be held accountable.¡± Hodgson could only strive to assure: ¡°We will do everything necessary to ensure the safety of the city. I assure you, we will give you an explanation.¡± ¡°You had better keep your word.¡± ¡­ After hanging up the phone, Hodgson¡¯s brows were tightly furrowed. He did not wish to always be at a disadvantage in communications with Mr. Gu. Yet, what could he do? The first time, he demanded supplies by wielding his authority, with a not inconsiderable amount, yet just within the limit that Revival City was capable of paying, forcing them to reluctantly agree. Nobody wanted to entirely offend the Governor over such a matter, risking a fall-out with him. The second time concerned Wohan¡¯s unauthorized attack on the transport team, an action he undertook alone. Hodgson sold him out without any psychological pressure. In both instances, the Governor hinted at using his authority, even suggesting orbital bombardment from the heavens to exert maximum pressure and make threats, his goal being to obtain something. Once the conversation reached this point, not wanting a confrontation, Hodgson had little choice but to concede. This third time, though the Governor had neither made too many threats nor demanded anything, he used the sternest tone thus far, directly accusing the Alliance Council of either negligence or treason. The accusation could not be more pointed. Yet Hodgson could not refute it. The Governor now held the high ground. The Primal Owlbeast Sect, the common enemy of the many forces on the wasteland, who do not worship the Divine Emperor but instead follow that ¡°Primordial Owl Beast¡±; skillful in Storm Sorcery, they have indeed caused many devastating disasters that annihilated settlements. How could an Alliance Councilman be a member of this cult? How can this be explained? It can¡¯t be explained at all! Mr. Gu was justifiably angry. He thought he was just dealing with a greedy grain merchant, and if that guy wanted to go against Mr. Gu, then let him stick his neck out and be the target, he deserved to die. But it turned out this person was actually a member of the cult, which completely took Hodgson by surprise. He also realized the seriousness of the situation. After hesitating, Hodgson turned to his grandson Lambert and asked, ¡°Mr. Gu said that Wohan is a member of the cult, do you think it¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s true, maybe it¡¯s not,¡± Lambert Hodgson, having listened to the entire conversation between his grandfather and Mr. Gu, cautiously offered his considered answer, ¡°But that¡¯s not the key issue now. Since Mr. Gu is acting on this trump card, it means he must possess some evidence. Even if that evidence isn¡¯t real, Mr. Gu would have forged it well enough. We¡¯re truly on the defensive now.¡± In response to Lambert¡¯s speculation, Hodgson sighed and continued to ask, ¡°What do you think Mr. Gu will do next?¡± Lambert pondered, ¡°He might use this as an excuse to further intervene in the politics of Revival City, to strip us of our power under the guise of striking at the cult, and eventually take control of the entire Revival City.¡± ¡°From what you say, it sounds like you¡¯re quite unhappy with this?¡± Lambert was taken aback. ¡°Grandfather?¡± He didn¡¯t understand why his grandfather would ask this. ¡°Mr. Gu, the planetary ruler appointed by the empire, is also the head of the Alliance Government. If Mr. Gu takes complete control over Revival City, isn¡¯t that justifiable and proper?¡± Lambert frowned deeply and spoke with difficulty, ¡°You¡¯re saying¡­ but¡­ ¡± Hodgson brought up another matter, ¡°I remember, you once said your dream is to save the world?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, the nonsensical babble of my reckless youth¡­¡± ¡°So I ask you now, is that dream still buried in your heart?¡± Lambert didn¡¯t want to answer, ¡°Grandfather, why are you bringing this up?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you, only the Governor can save this world. I don¡¯t know if Mr. Gu is the one, so I¡¯ve always hesitated, just like the previous governors have all failed. But I recently realized something: How many more governors can we wait for?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­ do you mean, you want to?¡­¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that stage yet, I just feel that this governor is a bit different from the previous ones,¡± said Hodgson, ¡°As for now, I think you¡¯ve got the emphasis wrong.¡± ¡°Please enlighten me.¡± ¡°The focus now isn¡¯t what the governor will do next but what we must do. What we need to do is simple, ascertain how widespread the Primal Owlbeast Sect has become in Revival City, and what their aim truly is. That¡¯s the most important thing, a matter of life and death. What¡¯s the point of all these power struggles? It would be ridiculously tragic to defeat Mr. Gu only to have the cultists destroy the city afterward.¡± ¡°I understand!¡± Chapter 32 - Chapter 32: Chapter 32, Courtesy Light but Affection Deep Chapter 32: Chapter 32, Courtesy Light but Affection Deep The news of cult proliferation sent everyone in Revival City into a frenzy. However, the instigator of the crisis, His Excellency the Governor, seemed to have no sense of urgency at the moment. Early the next morning, he began to address the food supply issue of his territory and once again made contact with the ¡°Quintet¡± above. Colonel Yelisia still showed him no kindness in her expression. Gu Hang was indifferent to this, even understanding. Had he been in her shoes, having his wool sheared by others haphazardly day after day, his reaction would have been more intense than Yelisia¡¯s. Considering how empathetic I¡¯m being, why don¡¯t you just hand over the synthetic starch technology to me? Of course, Gu Hang knew he couldn¡¯t just ask for it for nothing; he had to offer something in return. ¡°Colonel Yelisia, I¡¯ve brought you another piece of good news!¡± Upon hearing this, Yelisia remembered the loss of her three thousand slaves, three hundred mech servants, a pile of weapons and equipment, and the four Strider Vs. Her heart ached. As for the previous gift of a Marine Corps captain? Was there such a thing? She didn¡¯t recall. Yelisia said with a stern face, ¡°Your Excellency¡¯s good news always comes at a high price.¡± ¡°How could that be? I am sharing our achievements with the best of partners.¡± ¡°If you have something serious to say, then get on with it.¡± ¡°About the issue of heretic cultists brewing on Rage Owl Star, I¡¯ve already made some progress. I¡¯ve captured a cult member, who happens to be a high-ranking official in the planet¡¯s government!¡± On hearing this, Yelisia became grave, ¡°Has it deteriorated to such an extent? Tell me where the enemies are, and I will eliminate them.¡± ¡°No, no, no, it¡¯s not time for that yet. I¡¯ll soon track down the exact whereabouts of these cultists, and by then, I may need you to send your elite Marine Corps, even the power of the Shipborne Church, to assist me in cleansing these heretics.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible, but it would be best if you could create an opportunity for me to conduct orbital bombardment directly.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Yelisia had no reason not to agree to this. Orbital bombardment was the most convenient; if ground troops were needed, that was fine too. She didn¡¯t mind, as long as it meant earning merits. Moreover, deploying the Marine Corps was different from the previous situation where people were said to be ¡®lent¡¯ but were essentially given away. The people ¡®lent¡¯ to Gu Hang were working for him on a long-term basis. With regards to missions, to fight or not, and how to fight, the entire command system was still under the starship¡¯s control, with Gu Hang at best providing a target and some advisory suggestions. It was not a conceptually similar situation. Yelisia¡¯s expression became somewhat calmer, and her heart relaxed a bit. Her investment in the Governor seemed to be finally showing some sign of return. Eradicating the heretic cult entrenched in the capital city of the planetary government somewhat counted as a noteworthy achievement. Although it wasn¡¯t a major victory, the prospect of a return on investment invited anticipation, and there were still two years left. Yelisia, in a better mood, asked a question she would later somewhat regret: ¡°Very well, is there anything else?¡± ¡°Yes, I need synthetic starch technology,¡± Gu Hang said. Yelisia¡¯s face stiffened. I originally thought you were just here to deliver a message, but it turns out you¡¯re here to ask for things, huh? ¡°I am only responsible for striking down the enemies of the Empire,¡± Yelisia said. ¡°Supporting construction is not my job.¡± ¡°But this is for the purpose of striking down the enemies of the Empire!¡± Gu Hang argued. ¡°What is at the core of the growth of cults? It¡¯s when people see no hope. When they can¡¯t even have enough to eat, they are easily tempted by cults. Synthetic starch technology could help us solve this problem.¡± Yelisia felt that Gu Hang made sense, but¡­ could saving people with this method be considered a naval victory? As she pondered, Gu Hang¡¯s voice came again: ¡°Colonel Yelisia, please understand, it is necessary to wipe out our enemies with thunderous might. But if the situation deteriorates to an uncontrollable state, where salvation can only be achieved through utter destruction, that may not necessarily be a good thing.¡± ¡°A city corrupted by a cult then destroyed; or, the heretic cultists spread to a terrible extent, but are completely annihilated under the command of the madam colonel, with hundreds of thousands of citizens of the Empire saved. Please compare, which of the two scenarios is better?¡± The destroyer, or the savior¡­ The former seems a bit cooler, but within the Empire¡ªat least in the Tianma Star Sector¡ªthe latter holds more value. Moreover, the identity of a savior aligns more with Yelisia¡¯s current mission. She came to orbit Rage Owl Star for two years not to fight and destroy enemies but to assist the governor in reviving the planets. At this point, Yelisia had to admit that Gu Hang¡¯s argument had moved her once again. She began to calculate what it would take to provide Gu Hang with the synthetic starch technology. Was the price too high? The conclusion was, not particularly. Starships of course have synthetic starch technology; during the long interstellar journeys, when resupply is scarce, the ability to recycle nearly any organic material into edible starch blocks is an essential auxiliary technology. However, as important as it is, the synthetic starch machines aren¡¯t used frequently. In peacetime, starships can get supplies fairly smoothly, and no one really wants to eat starch blocks. Currently, the food reserves on the ¡°Quintet¡± are quite abundant, enough to last for several years. And besides, there¡¯s more than one synthetic starch machine on the starship. Handing over one shouldn¡¯t be a big problem. Of course, what Gu Hang wants is the technology, not just the machine. But that¡¯s not too troublesome either. Send down a logistician from the starship with one machine, some spare parts, and that should meet Gu Hang¡¯s demands. In theory, this should be enough for Gu Hang to produce his own synthetic starch manufacturing machines, provided he has a certain industrial base. If he does not, there¡¯s not much Yelisia could do: I¡¯m not your mother, can I possibly feed you milk directly? ¡°I agree,¡± she said. Having given her consent, a transport with technicians and equipment arrived on the ground and, when it returned, Gu Hang loaded it with a fair amount of goods. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only According to him, these were gifts for Colonel Yelisia from Rage Owl Star, the specialty of the place. But in fact, they were just a small portion of the food and textile supplies brought from Revival City, allocated to be sent skyward. It wasn¡¯t meaningless, though; it would improve the crew¡¯s diet on the starship and provide some supplies. It was, in any case, a way to show that the governor did not take without giving in return! As for the difference in the value of the two¡­ it¡¯s the thought that counts! After watching the transport fly off into the distance, Gu Hang plunged back into his grand plans for expanding production. Chapter 33 - Chapter 33: Chapter 33, The Fast Track to Development Chapter 33: Chapter 33, The Fast Track to Development In Gu Hang¡¯s plan, he intended for the Abandoned Cave Society to serve as the heavy industrial production center of his territories. It was well located, being closer to future raw material and energy sources in Rubbish Town and already possessed some mineral resource output. The production line for alloy steel was there, and once the merchant named Dennison Henry brought back the heat-generating limestone power unit, Gu Hang planned to set up a power plant in the Abandoned Cave Society. However, with the heavy industry and energy industry of the Abandoned Cave Society developing, a workforce of merely eight hundred would certainly not suffice. Gu Hang had been continuously sending workers from the Governor¡¯s Camp, who were originally expanding the camp and building an ¡®airport¡¯, to the Abandoned Cave Society to meet the labor needs of the alloy factory there. But this labor pool had its limits, and the Governor¡¯s Camp needed people as well. Production required people, expansion of the army required people, and right now, Gu Hang¡¯s demand for labor was very high. It was inevitable to absorb population from outside, which was precisely why he had made a special request to Dennison Henry to find ways to promote and bring in people. Of course, those refugees recruited from outside Revival City might not necessarily be qualified industrial workers. Let alone the refugees, even the people from the Abandoned Cave Society and the former slaves brought down from the starship were not really qualified. Illiteracy was a significant issue; illiterates could perhaps toil, but it would be hard for them to grow into skilled technicians. However, this was a solvable problem. Gu Hang had already requested the creation of night school classes in the Abandoned Cave Society, including his own direct camp, starting with literacy work before moving on to some basic skills training, experience summary, and sharing. Inside the Abandoned Cave Society, there were indeed many who were willing to learn and eager to advance. These people did not need much worrying over; as long as they were given the opportunity, they would be keen to strive upwards. But not everyone had such a drive to improve themselves. Now that they could live above ground, security concerns were no longer an issue, they could eat their fill, have clothes to keep warm, and they heard that soon there would be electricity and heating¡­ Such treatment was enough to make them quite content. Freed from the motivation to improve. Gu Hang was certainly not pleased with this. If no one strives to work hard, how am I to expand production and rebuild the world? To address this, Gu Hang introduced a strategy: a work point distribution system. Work resolved into work points, which determined material and welfare allocation. If you wanted to eat well, live well, and dress well, even allowing your closest kin to also lead a good life, then you needed to work diligently. Moreover, several technical job categories were introduced at the worker level. Becoming a skilled technician through assessments meant earning more work points than an ordinary worker. The requirement to become a skilled technician was to study diligently. Also, although attending school did not grant work points, it did provide a free evening meal, which spared one from spending their allocation and saving money in the process. With tangible upward motivation and a real increase in food allocation, night schools launched in the Abandoned Cave Society and Governor¡¯s Camp were widely welcomed. On the other hand, finding teachers was not easy. For now, they could only use a few literate individuals among the servants brought down from the ¡°Quintet¡± Starship to act as teachers; as for so-called professional technical training, it mostly comprised some experience and tips formed by a handful of sharp-minded workers during their labor, which were summarized and disseminated. With an inadequate teaching force, expecting to educate exceptional students was unrealistic. Gu Hang understood this point; given the circumstances, all he could do was to make the best of the situation. As for the work points mentioned earlier, Gu Hang did initially consider whether to introduce a currency. In the wasteland, the circulation of goods was extremely chaotic. Currency existed; the Alliance had issued the Revival Currency, and several major forces had also issued their own. However, these currency systems were not only disorganized, but the exchange between them was also cumbersome, and some remote settlements might not even recognize certain currencies. The most popular method of trade on the wasteland still involved the very primitive barter trade. The scale of Gu Hang¡¯s power was still too small to issue his own currency without exerting great effort to promote it, and using others¡¯ currencies could easily overwhelm the internal system with their volume. Thus, he simply decided not to implement a currency and instead created an ¡®work points¡¯ system for internal use only, to serve as a motivational tool. Earn work points by participating in production; consume work points to obtain housing and rations; this became a simple prototype of a currency under a planned economy. Gu Hang did not plan to stick with a planned economy forever, but it would certainly constitute a major component. Concentrating efforts to accomplish big projects was, in Gu Hang¡¯s view, a very successful experience during development stages. If the goal of the Abandoned Cave Society was to develop towards an industrial hub, the role Gu Hang envisioned for the Governor¡¯s Camp was as a transport hub and a center for light industry. Transportation requires no further explanation, with its core task being the connection with the great treasure trove in the sky, the ¡°Quintet.¡± When Gu Hang chose the location for the camp, he picked a flat terrain with no natural defenses, primarily for this purpose. The textile machinery and related technologies that Gu Hang requested Dennison Henry to purchase were part of the light industry that Gu Hang had planned. Apart from textiles, there was also the food industry. The synthetic starch manufacturing machines brought down from the ¡°Quintet¡± had already begun operating under the guidance of technicians who came down with the ship. Additionally, a new synthetic starch production line was being constructed, mainly relying on various parts that had also been brought down from the starship. The alloy factory at the Abandoned Cave Society had also received orders to manufacture qualified components as per the technicians¡¯ requirements; for parts with high demands on processes and materials, Gu Hang would produce them using Black Boxes of finished alloy plastic steel. Of course, there were still some core components that the current industrial capabilities under his power couldn¡¯t produce. The technician who had come down from the starship was, at the Governor¡¯s request, trying to figure out a way to master this technology. There was a good chance of success. The industrial base at the Governor¡¯s Camp started from scratch but had developed quickly, mainly thanks to some incredibly powerful materials and technology. Even if the alloy plastic steel produced by the Abandoned Cave Society was not satisfactory, the premium alloy plastic steel produced directly from the finished Black Boxes was of outstanding quality. However, the scale of the synthetic starch production line could not be further expanded until the technology had been mastered. Even so, the current production capacity was more than enough. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As long as there were sufficient raw materials and the production line was running at full capacity, there would be more than enough food to ensure that everyone under Gu Hang¡¯s command was well fed. In fact, there was significant excess capacity to stockpile food, or even sell it for export. All these various plans of Gu Hang were waiting for Dennison Henry to bring back the first batch of goods and people before they could truly get underway. The merchant from Rubbish Town did not keep him waiting too long and soon returned. The inflow of people and resources was ¡®devoured¡¯ by the power under Gu Hang¡¯s command. With the two major industrial centers, along with the Mantan River Valley Manor already gradually restoring agricultural production, the overall productive power of the Governor¡¯s power began to embark on a rapidly developing fast track. Chapter 34 - Chapter 34: Chapter 34, A Ray of Light Chapter 34: Chapter 34, A Ray of Light Osenia surveyed her surroundings, her vision filled with a vast construction site. The land of the esteemed Planetary Governor, proclaimed by that kind-hearted person as the ¡®land of salvation¡¯, seemed quite different from what she had imagined. After the end of last winter, a massive surge of mutated monsters erupted in Osenia¡¯s homeland, an area called the ¡®southern provinces¡¯ by the people of Revival City. It was a huge disaster that completely destroyed many settlements. Barely surviving the wave of mutant creatures did not mean the end of the disaster. Unable to sow seeds in spring, having endured another winter, and due to fighting against the alien creatures¡­ various factors caused a significant loss of food reserves. Hunger and shortages of supplies plagued the southern provinces. What do people do when they can¡¯t survive? They become monsters. Osenia and her younger brother originally lived a comfortable life. The soil in the southern provinces was more fertile and suffered less from the Low Energy Storms, so many of the local settlements could live off agriculture. In fact, the southern provinces were an important food-producing area, with hundreds of thousands from both the inner and outer parts of Revival City relying mainly on grain imports from the south. Osenia¡¯s father was the owner of a plantation. Before everything collapsed, their plantation had a population of tens of thousands; during productive times, they not only fed everyone but also had ample surplus to sell in exchange for industrial goods. Understandably, Osenia¡¯s standard of living was akin to that of a little princess, far exceeding that of the vast majority on this wasteland. But all of that fell apart at the turn of spring and summer. Outside, a great number of raiders besieged the plantation; then, a riot broke out within its bounds. With their guards¡¯ protection, her family tried to break out and flee from the plantation at the last moment. Many who didn¡¯t take part in the riot attempted to escape alongside them. But amid the chaos of war, she was separated from her father. Concealing their identities, smudging ash on their faces, cutting off their hair¡­ She took her brother and followed the stream of refugees, finding herself aimlessly in Revival City. Along the way, she suffered through many hardships. For a morsel of food, she was willing to do anything, no matter how small the job, as long as it procured some sustenance. Even more desperate measures included begging, fighting tooth and nail, stealing, and deceiving¡­ Before the collapse, she was educated to be a proper lady; she had never imagined herself in such a state. But she persevered. Throughout these past months, she was so hungry she felt dizzy; her just over ten-year-old brother was malnourished. Yet at least, they were both still alive. However, she often found herself lost in confusion. If one has never experienced goodness, perhaps they can fall endlessly in darkness. But just months ago, she was a little princess, the apple of her father¡¯s eye, worried daily about authenticating and restoring expensive pre-war art, helping manage the estate, and overseeing accounts. Now, she hesitated over what to eat the next day. More critically, there was no end in sight to such a life, no hope, no glimmer of light. She felt she could hardly hold on any longer. More than once she had thought that living in such a terrible world, perhaps death would be more of a relief? But every time she looked into her brother¡¯s eyes, she shoved that thought away, clenched her teeth, and continued the grueling struggle. Oddly enough, she hadn¡¯t been very close to her brother, seven years her junior, in the past. She even often found the mischievous little devil quite annoying. However, over these past few months, she would rather die than abandon her brother. Once, when her brother was kidnapped, she bit the kidnapper like a madwoman, taking a beating that left her bleeding without loosening her grip. She didn¡¯t know why, but she knew that if anyone dared to harm her only remaining family, she would fight them with everything she had. But she deeply understood they were on the brink of not being able to survive any longer. The great chaos in the southern provinces had a huge impact. The shortage of food imports caused food prices in Revival City to keep rising. Her part-time jobs were becoming increasingly insufficient to feed herself and her younger brother. Recently, an even worse piece of news had spread: the largest grain merchant in Revival City had disappeared. Shortly thereafter, the city¡¯s food prices became even more volatile. It was at this time that a traveling merchant opened a free porridge shop outside Revival City, in the slums. Anyone could receive a warm serving of porridge in the shop, provided they listened to the entire declaration made by Mr. Gu Hang, the Planetary Governor, on his first day on the wasteland. She had fought someone to secure a spot for her and her brother there. The so-called Governor¡¯s declaration was a long one, and she was thinking about skipping some parts to get to the meal quicker. She couldn¡¯t remember much about what the Governor¡¯s declaration actually said. Only one phrase remained clear in her mind: the Governor would ensure that everyone who submitted to him would have a good life. The next day, the porridge shop was still open, and she came back. But this time, she was told that those who had eaten once were not allowed a second serving, unless they were willing to follow the caravan to the Governor¡¯s Camp and become subjects of the Governor. She didn¡¯t hesitate and pressed her handprint on the paper. After waiting for a few days, she headed to the camp with her brother when the caravan set off. Although driven by desperation to follow the caravan to the Governor¡¯s Camp, wasn¡¯t there also a desire to change their circumstances and seek some light and hope? She thought she would see a city that was quite well-developed, but instead, she saw vast areas of dust. There were many rudimentary cement buildings already erected, but even more were under construction. However, looking at the large-scale construction across the camp, there should at least not be a lack of work opportunities. But could her small frame handle construction work? Osenia, who was full of confusion and uncertainty about the future, held her brother¡¯s hand and went to the registration area as arranged by the caravan. When it was her turn, the registrar asked for some basic information. Name, age, skills, desired occupation¡­ She answered truthfully according to her actual situation. ¡°Huh?¡± The person registering her suddenly exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re literate?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± The registrar was overjoyed, ¡°Head over to that table and fill out another form, congratulations, you will receive a good treatment.¡± Osenia went over bewildered. There were hardly any people at that table. After she filled out a form, she was assigned two tasks: during the day, she would work as a clerk in the soon-to-be-established textile factory, arranging and implementing production plans, keeping track of the output, and managing the production process¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The second task was to teach literacy classes at the evening school. The work content reassured her quite a bit. This was something she was truly adept at; back at the estate, she would assist her father with some management tasks. While then it was agricultural production management, now she would be a clerk at a textile factory, that was still closer to her skill set than manual labor. Especially when she heard about the treatment, she became even more excited. According to the work point system, she could earn more than enough supplies every day to support herself and her brother, with some to spare. Although everything was incomparable to her days as a little princess in the past, this was the only ray of light she had seen during her months of hardship Chapter 35 - Chapter 35: Chapter 35, Henry ah Henry Chapter 35: Chapter 35, Henry ah Henry Dennison Henry discovered that every time he visited the Governor¡¯s camp, he would see something new and surprising. This time, having completed a business deal and coming to meet the Governor again, he was accompanying Gu Hang, inspecting the newly established synthetic starch production line. He saw workers mixing the decomposed corpses of exotic monsters, scrap wood materials discarded after construction, and leaves and branches collected from the nearby woods, and feeding them into a machine. The other end of the machine output rectangular blocks of starch after crushing, decomposing, and restructuring the materials. Each block weighed a standard fifty grams, and a few pieces could keep an adult from starving to death. Even though the raw materials used in production seemed somewhat¡­ strange, Henry still realized the enormous value of this technology. Toxic monster carcasses, wooden waste, weeds with very low nutritional value, old clothes, torn fabrics¡­ these things of little worth could be transformed into precious food in the wasteland after processing by this machine. So what if the ingredients were disgusting? When people were starving to death, who cared about that? This was bona fide food, carbohydrates, high in calories. Wasn¡¯t this much better than foraging for wild vegetables, grass, bugs, and mixing them with a bit of grain to cook up a bowl of watery porridge? Henry pinched his nose and personally tried eating a block. The taste¡­ it could be said was virtually tasteless, like eating plaster, at most with a hint of sweetness from partially saliva-digested starch, and a bit of saltiness. But again, these issues were not problems in the wasteland. Not to mention the life-threatening environment of the wasteland, even in the Imperial Star Realm Army and the Imperial Navy, when supplies were not so smooth, a significant proportion of food rations were met through ¡®corpse starch¡¯. So who was nobler than whom? It was a terrifying technology. Henry was so amazed that his eyes bulged as he said, ¡°Incredible, I¡­¡± Before he could finish his sentence, Gu Hang raised his hand to interrupt him, ¡°No talking, I just brought you to have a look.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Henry¡¯s face turned slightly red with embarrassment. But he quickly understood that this part of the business, especially the production line and technology, was something he could not obtain from the Governor. In a sense, this technology had the potential to change the whole world, and it was immensely significant. He could only feel regret and even more determined to cling closely to the Governor¡¯s coattails. After visiting the newly established synthetic starch production line, Gu Hang took Henry to his office. Henry, who had just completed a business deal, had quite a few things to report to Gu Hang. Sitting in front of the Governor, Henry was somewhat reserved, ¡°This time I¡¯ve successfully accomplished my mission, and the alloy plastic steel has caused a sensation among the material merchants in Revival City. This material, which used to be available only in small quantities from Blackbird Heavy Industries and was tightly controlled by them, now has an additional channel, and those merchants are very happy, and our goods sold very well.¡± ¡°The items you wanted, I have mostly exchanged for you. The generators powered by thermoelectric stones should be enough for establishing a small-scale power plant. Moreover, I have mobilized connections in Rubbish Town to allocate a batch of thermoelectric stones. The looms are also adequate to open a production line. The gruel shops cum propaganda stations we set up recruited over two thousand vagrants¡­¡± ¡°However, Revival City has been somewhat turbulent lately, affecting our prices. The Alliance Council has gone mad with a city-wide hunt for Heretic Cultists. Many people got caught up in it, leaving everyone on edge. Rumor has it that a councilor responsible for food was discovered to be in collusion with the Cult. It¡¯s said¡­ it¡¯s said that you, Governor, even lost your temper?¡± Henry paused, stealing a glance at Gu Hang. Seeing no response to that question, he understood¡ªthe silence was as good as an affirmation, right? Maybe the person was even taken care of by the Governor himself. He continued, ¡°This matter has caused a great commotion, the whole Revival City is in chaos. And now that the councilor is finished, the food trade market he controlled has also become disordered, and the entire market is unstable. If not for this, we could have sold our alloy steel at an even higher price.¡± ¡°But still, things aren¡¯t too bad now, are they? Revival City is the largest market nearby, not only capable of consuming various raw materials but, more importantly, it acts as a trade nexus connecting multiple forces and regions. I have also reached long-term agreements with many agents. They can take on a considerable production volume, so there is no worry about sales.¡± ¡°Additionally, those bulletproof vests we sold are an even bigger hit in Rubbish Town. They can even withstand a shot from Green Skin Orcs! Now our goods are completely popular in Rubbish Town! The activity of those Green Skin beasts has been expanding recently. Scavengers and adventurers are clashing with them more frequently, and arms and bulletproof equipment are now the hottest-selling items.¡± ¡°This is an opportunity, Governor. I don¡¯t ask for exclusive rights to everything, but if you would grant me the exclusive sales rights for the armored vests, it would greatly help me secure the position of agent in Rubbish Town. Then, I could serve you even better!¡± After reporting a multitude of information¡ªmainly to take credit¡ªDennison Henry couldn¡¯t help but bring up the matter of the exclusive rights he coveted. In his eyes, Governor, you want me to prove my loyalty, but I¡¯ve done enough this time, didn¡¯t I? The materials and equipment you wanted, I wracked my brains to get them for you; the population you wanted to attract, I paid from my own pocket to bring them over. Isn¡¯t that enough to prove my loyalty? You¡¯re not willing to give me exclusive rights to the entire alloy steel production line, so granting exclusive rights just for the bulletproof vests isn¡¯t too much to ask, is it? ¡°Henry, oh Henry¡­¡± Gu Hang murmured his name, ¡°Should I say you are smart, or foolish?¡± ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t understand?¡± ¡°You are so clever; you show me that you have accomplished things, made contributions. You also express loyalty and say you will do more, do better in the future, hoping to obtain exclusive rights from me. You worry that if you create a market for materials and bulletproof armor, more merchants will come to me to do the same business, preventing you from making exclusive profits.¡± Having said this and though it was meant to be a compliment, Dennison Henry just felt awkward. What Gu Hang said was indeed exactly what he was thinking. It wasn¡¯t hard to guess. But¡­ Who just lays it out so directly? Where do you expect me to put my face? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He didn¡¯t speak, while Gu Hang continued, ¡°But you are so foolish, failing to see the essence of the matter. The production capacity of alloy steel isn¡¯t abundant, and expanding scale also takes time. For now and the foreseeable future, you can absorb all the goods¡ªwhat is there to worry about?¡± ¡°Are you worried that if you don¡¯t work wholeheartedly for me later, I will find a better collaborator?¡± ¡°Are you worried that I will restrict your ability to manipulate the goods¡¯ prices, limiting how much money you can make in the future?¡± ¡°Are you afraid that you won¡¯t keep me reliant on you, the one behind the Governor in power?¡± ¡°Henry, oh Henry, tell me, are these your concerns?¡± Chapter 36 - Chapter 36: Chapter 36, Knocking Chapter 36: Chapter 36, Knocking Dennison Henry dropped to his knees with a thud before Gu Hang. Cold sweat had permeated his forehead. The Governor¡¯s three questions peeled away his psychological defenses layer by layer until they were completely stripped away. He had not thought this way. At least, he didn¡¯t dare to consciously think this way. But upon introspection, even by the instinct of a businessman, hadn¡¯t he subconsciously done just that? He was a merchant, and he was in the business to make money. The Governor, however, was not a merchant and always wanted him to do this and that. The additional conditions attached to the business inevitably impacted his profits. He truly didn¡¯t want other merchants competing with him for this business, even if in the future he couldn¡¯t handle the full production capacity himself. As for going one step further, he indeed hadn¡¯t thought about it, but¡­ If he were the only one with exclusive authorization¡ªand if in the future he managed to secure the agent qualification of Rubbish Town¡ªpowerful and influential under his command, and continued to grow stronger through exclusive rights, the Governor, looking to expand trade routes and further development, would gradually become more reliant on him. He would become a key official for the Governor; his every word and deed would have a significant impact on the Governor¡¯s strategies, his voice becoming increasingly influential¡­ These unthinkable yet inevitably contemplated scenarios were crushed to smithereens by the Governor¡¯s interrogation at this moment! He kowtowed deeply: ¡°Governor, I absolutely did not dare!¡± Maintaining his kowtowing posture, he couldn¡¯t see Gu Hang¡¯s expression, only hearing the Governor¡¯s indifferent tone after a moment: ¡°Really? You¡¯re so clever, thinking about such deep matters, yet you can¡¯t even imagine this?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t dare to think.¡± Henry no longer dared to play any tricks¡ªtoday, he had truly been dealt a clear lesson, ¡°You¡¯re right, Governor, I am indeed a fool, unable to see the true nature of things. I should have realized that as long as I work diligently for you, I don¡¯t need to worry about those elusive matters. Thanks to your guidance, I¡¯ve completely understood. Please give me another chance.¡± After speaking, he lifted his head, looked at the Governor sincerely, and then once again kowtowed deeply and heavily. Seeing Dennison Henry¡¯s submissive demeanor, Gu Hang finally let a slight smile cross his lips, and his tone softened, ¡°Since you can be a bit smarter and think deeper, that¡¯s good. Get up now, no need to kneel anymore, I¡¯ll take you to see a new batch of goods. Didn¡¯t you say that weapons and equipment are the best commodities in Rubbish Town? I think the standard weaponry widely equipped by the Imperial Star Realm Army would be very attractive to those adventurers.¡± Dennison Henry suddenly lifted his head, his eyes brimming with surprise. After being slapped across the face, this date stuffed into his mouth was unexpectedly sweet! The standard equipment of the Imperial Star Realm Army! If he could get a batch to Rubbish Town, wouldn¡¯t they sell like crazy? From the start, Gu Hang hadn¡¯t intended to chastise Dennison Henry. Objectively speaking, the job the guy had done this time was not bad. Everything Gu Hang wanted was there; the thousands of workers had greatly supplemented his labor needs for the upcoming expansion of production capacity. But the guy was persistent about exclusive authorization, which had annoyed the Governor. So, Gu Hang did not hold back. At the same time, he clarified something further: what exactly was Dennison Henry¡¯s position? Maybe the guy saw himself as a collaborator. As a merchant, it was only natural to want profit from a partnership, to make money for oneself. But of course, Gu Hang didn¡¯t share that attitude. What he actually wanted to say was: ¡°I¡¯m not scamming you or bluffing you. I¡¯m offering you a chance to rise to the heavens in one step. Do you want to keep being a merchant, or become my subordinate, a high-ranking official in the future Planetary Government?¡± A regular merchant, even if one has made some money by relying on His Excellency the Governor, how could that compare with the status of a real senior official? Of course, this was an extremely risky matter. Whether the Governor could truly consolidate power in the future and develop his domain were decisions Henry had to make, risking his own capital investment. But Gu Hang was full of confidence in himself and generously offered the opportunity to Henry. At least for now, Henry seemed willing to seize the opportunity. That was good. What he said aloud wasn¡¯t the important part. After this statement, Gu Hang would carefully observe how Henry would perform in the future. As for providing Imperial Star Realm Army standard equipment to Dennison Henry for sale, that was something Gu Hang had planned to do anyway, giving him a date to eat just came in handy. The G9 Gun Family production line wasn¡¯t available yet, but it would be soon enough. In fact, they were already using the Black Box Manufacturer for small-scale production. Afterwards, a complete production line replicated from the mother machine would increase the heavy industry capabilities of the Abandoned Cave Society with another line of armaments. With the production capacity for alloy plastic steel material being sufficient, the production capacity of the G9 Gun Family would quickly catch up. Before long, they would be able to fully reequip the two infantry battalions currently under Gu Hang¡¯s command. The phased-out G7 Gun Family would need a destination. Selling them to Rubbish Town was a good idea, as Gu Hang¡¯s territory was rapidly developing and his demand for raw materials was significant. Of course, he wasn¡¯t planning to sell them all. He would set aside a small portion, mix them with the local mixed-brand weapons confiscated from mercenaries in the battle at the Mantan River Valley Manor, and make a bundled sale, which should fetch a reasonably good price. The rest, Gu Hang planned to temporarily use them for the expansion of his forces. He still intended to add to his military. Currently, a portion of the newly recruited refugees, after simple registration and organization, would be assigned to the Abandoned Cave Society. Some would join the alloy plastic steel industry line, while others would participate in the construction of the Hot Ash Stone Power Plant. Although Gu Hang still had enough energy crystal blocks, using these valuable high-energy batteries for industrial production was too extravagant. If there were cheap power plant construction capabilities, then saving the energy crystal blocks would be better. Apart from dispatching people to the Abandoned Cave Society to fill the manpower gaps in heavy industry, the rest would set up a textile factory here at the Governor¡¯s Camp. Human resources were still scarce, and yet, under such circumstances, Gu Hang was still intent on expanding his military. In this Wasteland World, he did not feel secure. Frankly, everything he was doing was still like dancing on a tightrope. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Quintet above was mighty indeed, but it didn¡¯t belong to him. He was the Governor, the ruler, but his directly-affiliated loyal forces were still too weak. If powers nearby, like Rubbish Town or Revival City, were driven to desperation by him one day and launched an all-out strike, aside from having the Quintet strike back in revenge and obliterate a force from the planet surface, Gu Hang would have no choice but to await death. And that¡¯s not even considering those low-probability events that were not yet in sight, just the present situation alone posed a threat to his sense of security. The threat of the mutant aliens. Chapter 37 - Chapter 37: Chapter 37, Hatching Nest Chapter 37: Chapter 37, Hatching Nest Gu Hang couldn¡¯t help but accelerate the expansion of military forces due to an imminent matter, not to mention his personal anxiety over the weakness of his own direct lineage and his paranoia about being persecuted. Previously, there had been an attack by ¡®pustule monsters¡¯ within the Governor¡¯s Camp. Subsequently, Yan Fangxu led an investigation into the source of the monster attacks and discovered they were coming from a forest to the west. Afterward, while Yan Fangxu took his soldiers for training, they used it as both a training exercise and an opportunity to exterminate these monsters. They had no idea until they went there and were shocked by what they found. They encountered many monsters in that forest, not just pustule monsters. And they even discovered numerous monster breeding nests. Gu Hang himself went to check it out. The infested forest where the corrupted nests were densely packed had trees with bark already riddled with holes corroded by the secretions of alien creatures, emitting a strong stench of decay. The breeding nest he saw was hidden in a damp and dark area of the forest, its entrance concealed by dense vines and thorns. Upon burning away those vines and thorns, one could enter the nest. Parasitized trees surrounded the nest, creating a breeding ground that was dark and damp inside, filled with a strong alien odor lingering in the air. In the corners of the nest, numerous alien creature eggs clung to the moist ground, with embryos of mutant monsters wriggling inside their semi-transparent shells. The eggs were covered in a thick layer of mucus, from which droplets occasionally fell, turning into pools of foul-smelling green pus. Cracks in the eggshells emitted eerie glimmers of light, casting sinister shadows on the walls of the nest. At that time, Gu Hang ordered the destruction of the nest, burning it with fire and blowing it up from the inside. However, that was just one small nesting site, and there was no telling how many more might be in the forest. According to their subsequent assessment, if left unaddressed, a wave of mutant monsters would sweep towards Gu Hang¡¯s camp, including the Abandoned Cave Society, in a few months. By then, the cost to quell this wave would be unpredictable. Fortunately, the situation was discovered relatively early, and there was still time. Gu Hang needed to expand his army to ensure the safety of the camp. According to his plan, once the troops were reorganized, apart from the necessary guard forces, the other units would take turns clearing the monster nests in that forest. The main goal, of course, was to nip the problem in the bud as much as possible. Besides that, there was also the immediate benefit to be gained, which Gu Hang valued highly. That benefit was the Earned Rewards points. When Yan Fangxu led his troops to destroy the first alien breeding nest, Gu Hang¡¯s interface showed the battle settlement. No losses, two Earned Rewards points gained. Afterward, he learned that there was a significant number of breeding nests within that forest. His eyes lit up at the news. You can call it a threat, and you would be correct. But in Gu Hang¡¯s eyes, it was also like a huge gold mine! He had gone to great lengths to develop his territory, bring in population, deal with light industry, heavy industry, construction industry, got his hands on everything, and had barely managed to double his monthly fixed income from the previous 12 to 25. He was planning to persevere further and increase that number a bit more when he would receive his rewards at the end of the month, but he had stumbled upon such a gold mine. Destroying one breeding nest for two Earned Rewards points meant that burning down ten would equal a month¡¯s gains! Why should I bother with farming¡­ oh, farming is still necessary, these two matters don¡¯t conflict. However, precisely because there was something to gain, he paid it a bit more attention. The First Automachinary Battalion had barely moved, with forces split to guard Valley Manor, the Governor¡¯s Camp, and the Abandoned Cave Society. The 2nd Infantry Battalion, on the other hand, was mostly thrown into the Strange Monster Forest¡ªthis name was newly coined by Gu Hang. The battalion was left under the command of Captain Yan Fangxu, who was responsible for sweeping through the forest. Over the past few days, seven nests had already been burned. Captain Yan commanded the operations with caution; he would rather progress slowly and carefully to avoid losses as much as possible. Conversely, Perbov, the former commander of the 2nd Infantry Battalion, was not too satisfied with this. In his opinion, during this time frame, let alone burning seven nests, he wished he could burn seventy! How could he live up to the Governor¡¯s trust without achieving the battle results as quickly and as much as possible? Gu Hang was very satisfied with Perbov¡¯s high combat enthusiasm. Then, he chose to support Yan Fangxu¡¯s command strategy. The situation wasn¡¯t so dire that it required filling gaps with human lives; Gu Hang had no need to order his soldiers to die unnecessarily. The eradication of monsters within the Strange Monster Forest could still proceed methodically: eliminate the monsters, destroy the breeding nests, and take it slowly. There were still several months ahead; even with Yan Fangxu¡¯s cautious strategy, the problem should be resolvable. Of course, as a leader, Gu Hang needed to be even more cautious. Destroying those seven monster nests brought Gu Hang a total of 11 divine grace points. He planned to recruit another infantry battalion from among the refugees and slave laborers. With the Black Box Manufacturer, he could quickly produce enough weapons and ammunition to equip them; by spending divine grace points, he could also quickly train these newly recruited soldiers into qualified warriors. In Gu Hang¡¯s care, the rate of soldier production was exceedingly fast. The Governor¡¯s will was quickly implemented. A recruitment office appeared in both the Abandoned Cave Society and the Governor¡¯s Camp. Residents of both places eagerly enlisted. Of course, their reasons for enthusiasm were not the same. The most eager were the residents of the Abandoned Cave Society; they had enjoyed a period of good days and fully cherished this time. They were willing to take up arms to defend the hard-earned results. Next in willingness were the refugees who had just been allocated. They didn¡¯t have any particular thoughts, purely attracted by the Governor¡¯s generous treatment for recruiting soldiers. Guaranteed food, two sets of military uniforms, weapons and equipment¡­ These were enough to attract those refugees who had nothing. Moreover, Gu Hang would also issue work points to them, which could be used at the distribution station to ¡®purchase¡¯ whatever they wanted. After two days of explanations, they clearly understood that work points were valuable. Following Gu Hang¡¯s instructions, of the 300 soldiers in the 3rd Infantry Battalion, 150 were selected from the refugees, 100 from the starship slave laborers, and 50 from the Abandoned Cave Society. The composition of the personnel was complex, but Gu Hang himself hoped that the military, this great melting pot, could amalgamate soldiers of different backgrounds as much as possible. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The more effective melting pot, however, was the [Soldier Tag] System. With a short duration of training, Gu Hang would have a qualified infantry battalion. With three to four days of training and about six days of equipment production, this infantry battalion would be formed. While busy preparing the troops and planning a strike in the alien woodland, Gu Hang also didn¡¯t forget another matter: How is the investigation of the cult situation in Revival City progressing? Chapter 38 - Chapter 38: Chapter 38, Attack Warning Chapter 38: Chapter 38, Attack Warning The cult crisis sparked by Senator Wohan reverberated throughout Revival City. Through the accounts of those refugees and the words of Dennison Henry, Gu Hang had learned that the authorities of Revival City were already in complete disarray. He was quite satisfied with this situation. The turmoil created an opportunity to set the stage for his future intervention in the political landscape of Revival City. So, even though he knew that the Alliance Council was in a state of panic, Gu Hang had no intention of backing down. On the contrary, he was planning to fan the flames even higher. He connected with Hodgson. ¡°Hodgson, why haven¡¯t you taken the initiative to contact me during this period? Where is the explanation I demanded?¡± Hodgson¡¯s voice was filled with fatigue, ¡°Your Excellency, we have taken a series of actions and initially achieved some results. I had planned to report to you after gathering more information. However, since you need an answer now, I can report our current findings¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Hodgson began his report. Clearly, he was prepared for the possibility that Gu Hang might seek him out earlier than expected. His speech flowed smoothly, detailing the actions taken by the Alliance Government in Revival City during this time. Gu Hang listened patiently until Hodgson finished. Hodgson was a bit surprised; he had been ready to be interrupted at any moment during his account, but the Governor had not done so. However, he did not feel relieved. This might signify that the Governor harbored even greater fury in his heart. As Hodgons¡¯s anxiety began to mount, Gu Hang¡¯s voice rose slowly, ¡°Oh, is that all? What remarkable achievements indeed.¡± ¡°Several cult-affiliated suspects have been arrested, some cult materials have been uncovered¡­ But what then? There is no clarity on the extent of the cult¡¯s infiltration in Revival City, nor any understanding of the detestable heretics¡¯ plans. Those cult materials, even someone like me who has been on Rage Owl Star for less than two months is already vaguely aware of; the few small fries caught haven¡¯t disclosed any useful information, I can¡¯t even be sure if these individuals are scapegoats put forward by someone else.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think that the Alliance Government should put forth more effort for the safety and security of Revival City?¡± As expected, the inevitable had still come. Faced with the Governor¡¯s questioning, Hodgson slowly began, ¡°You are right, the Alliance Government does indeed need to exert more effort. Our following sweeps will intensify. However, as for results, we do have one piece of intelligence that hasn¡¯t been confirmed.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°We have reason to believe you may be the target of a cult attack. It seems they¡¯re aware that Wohan was dealt with by you, and they may even know that the current crackdown in Revival City, which targets them, was personally ordered by you. They might be planning a retaliatory strike against you.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s expression had turned utterly cold, ¡°Unconfirmed intelligence mentions they want to attack me¡­ How exactly is this intelligence unconfirmed?¡± ¡°In an intercepted communication, your camp¡¯s location was mentioned, as well as an approximate number of armed forces you might have. Although the intelligence doesn¡¯t specify what will be done, our analysts believe your current situation is somewhat dangerous. I strongly advise you to return to Revival City as soon as possible, where the Alliance¡¯s military can pledge their undying allegiance in ensuring your safety.¡± After Hodgson finished speaking, Gu Hang fell silent. This was truly a formidable warning. In an instant, Gu Hang considered many things. He finally spoke slowly, ¡°Speaker Hodgson, you¡¯ve truly given me a major surprise.¡± Hodgson sighed. The tone of Gu Hang¡¯s voice let him know that his earlier concerns were justified. This matter, not easy to discuss, could easily be misunderstood, and he had no way to clarify. He said, ¡°I maintain my suggestion, Your Excellency, please return to Revival City as soon as possible, where your safety can be assured.¡± ¡°I will take care of security, as for the cult¡­ I hope that the next time I communicate with you, you¡¯ll have more to show for it.¡± As for Hodgson¡¯s proposal to have him return to Revival City, he couldn¡¯t even be bothered to reply with half a word. ¡­ After hanging up the communication, Gu Hang did not look pleased. A warning of an attack targeted at him¡­ This matter had too many and too deep implications behind it. Was it true, or was it false? Regardless of the answer, it was no longer good for Gu Hang to pressure the old speaker. In terms of results, they had one, wasn¡¯t the safety of the governor a big deal? Yet, upon learning this piece of information, Gu Hang found himself in a dilemma. How should he respond to this security threat? Focus on his own safety, and thereafter be cautious in everything? That would obviously take up his attention, and he might not have as much energy to trouble Revival City afterward, to the extent that even the fast track of his power¡¯s development that he had just embarked on could be affected as a result. But he couldn¡¯t just ignore it, what if it turned out to be true? Yet, if he were to take action, what could he do? The method of attack was completely unknown. Was it an assassin hidden among the refugees he had taken in? A bomb? A raid by a squad? An army? Even if nothing happened, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t go after Hodgson. After all, according to that old fellow¡¯s words, the intelligence was unverified, and he did not say that it was forced out by Gu Hang insisting on results. Even if nothing happened in the end, it would not have much to do with the Alliance Government. Telling the lord governor to be cautious about his safety was never going to be wrong, right? Hodgson¡¯s warning cast a shadow over Gu Hang¡¯s heart. He could even consider the issue from an even darker perspective: was this a warning from Hodgson or the Alliance Council not to manipulate the governor¡¯s authority too much, hinting that just as he had the power to sever ties and perish together, they had it as well? Even if the information was fake, the authorities in Revival City had the means to turn it into reality. Considering this possibility, Gu Hang¡¯s expression grew even grimmer. However, the bad news today kept on coming one after another. Only a short while after ending the call with Hodgson, his aide Zhang Chao rushed in, looking somewhat panicked. ¡°Lord Governor, we¡¯ve received a distress signal from Captain Yan Fangxu! They¡¯re trapped in the monster forest, under siege by a large number of beasts!¡± Gu Hang did not respond immediately. After a while, Zhang Chao swallowed hard, finding it difficult to speak again, ¡°Governor?¡± It wasn¡¯t until then that Gu Hang let out a long sigh. ¡°I¡¯m aware. Gather our troops, prepare to rescue Yan Fangxu.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Watching Zhang Chao rushing off again, Gu Hang sighed once more. ¡°This warning, it¡¯s been realized quite timely.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Thanks to the great Fox Tail for the chapter recommendation~ Also, a friend made a few fan arts of the characters, but it seems I still can¡¯t post a bonus chapter¡­ you can go back to the latest chapter and click into the character page to see them~ Chapter 39 - Chapter 39: Chapter 39, The Fire Holder Chapter 39: Chapter 39, The Fire Holder In fact, up to now, Gu Hang still couldn¡¯t be sure whether Yan Fangxu¡¯s entrapment was part of Hodgson¡¯s warning. If it was, then the capabilities of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect were rather significant. Not only did they wield the Storm Sorcery bestowed by the Evil God they worshipped, but they could even control those mutant monsters to some extent? But to say it wasn¡¯t would be too much of a coincidence. He had also wondered, could this possibly be a case of luring the tiger away from the mountain? Surrounding Yan Fangxu, drawing away the main forces from the camp to rescue him, and then attacking the camp? But soon, Gu Hang discarded the idea. Not very likely. If his enemies were simply those mutant monsters, it seemed those creatures didn¡¯t have the intellect for it. If his enemies were the cult, or even worse, certain individuals within the Alliance Government, then destroying Gu Hang¡¯s camp wouldn¡¯t be of much value to them. After all, whether Gu Hang was causing trouble for the cult members or the Alliance Government, his main reliance was always his power as the Governor. As long as he was alive, what did it matter if his camp was destroyed? Those people¡¯s troubles would not lessen one bit. Of course, it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible. If the rescue troops sent by Gu Hang weren¡¯t led by him personally, then the enemies might take the opportunity to kill him by attacking the camp. And if he personally led the rescue team, he would have to be prepared to face an ambush. No matter how one looked at it, the situation was complicated. But Gu Hang was not one to dwell on issues. Since the challenge had arrived, he would meet it head-on. ¡­ Within Revival City, Hodgson sat in his wheelchair, gazing at the entire city through the large glass window of his office. Truthfully, Revival City wasn¡¯t particularly large, nor did it have many tall buildings. The planning of the buildings and roads within the city was orderly, a sound foundation laid by the first Governor when establishing the Alliance. However, after so many years, although the inner city still looked decent, the outer city clinging to the perimeter of the city walls, and considerably larger, was chaotic. Hundreds of thousands, nearly a million people, depending on the city for their existence, yet unable to live within the city walls, formed vast slums. There, lacking planning and order, everything was a mess. Sewage ran openly, supplies were scarce, and living conditions were harsh. These issues hung over the area, an undesirable sight not fitting for a capital city of an Alliance planet. Many Alliance Councilmen and inner city residents disliked those displaced persons. They believed these people brought chaos, and considered the slums a breeding ground for filth. But the smarter ones clearly understood that Revival City in fact could not do without those people. The displaced living in the outer city consumed the worst and least food, with hardly any clothes to cover their bodies and their dwellings haphazardly constructed. The inner city did not pay them for any public services or welfare benefits, yet they labored in the most grueling jobs, receiving only a dismal amount of compensation, just enough to keep them alive. Without them, how could the inner city residents live comfortably? How could those councilmen earn wealth far exceeding their contributions? Therefore, these smart individuals occasionally displayed their compassion generously. They offered more work, distributing charity to the displaced, as if they were truly saving them. But they had no intention whatsoever of seeking welfare for those who barely counted as residents. Letting nearly a million displaced live a better life? That was simply unthinkable. Inner city residents were still dissatisfied with their own lives not being good enough, so how could they spare the energy to care for the outer city¡¯s displaced? Their only kindness was allowing fewer to die. The even smarter ones might see the crisis lurking in the lowly, broken houses beyond the city walls. Under those submissive and numb expressions, was there not also rage? Indeed, the fire had burnt numerous times before. But the sparks were too feeble. The sporadic resistance was either crushed under the immense inertia of the deformed system or scattered in the face of armed police. In summary, these sparks had not yet become the inferno that could consume everything. But that day would inevitably come. What was needed was a fuse, what was missing was a firebearer. Hodgson was acutely aware that he belonged to ¡®the smarter ones¡¯. He could see all of this, but his wisdom ended there. He could not find a solution, nor did he have the ability to unite and consolidate everyone. He couldn¡¯t even control the Alliance Council. There were those in the Council who secretly supported the Cult, unbeknownst to him; There were those who dared to attack the goods bound for the Governor, which he could not stop; The endless obstacles when mobilizing military police to investigate the Cult, combined with endless debates and queries in the Council, left him exhausted. More than once, he felt that he had truly grown old. But he dared not step back. The investigation into the Cult was originally an order from the Governor, meant to stir Revival City¡¯s political scene. However, as he delved deeper, he began to sense that something was amiss: The fuse he had feared, the firebearer, seemed to have already emerged. ¡°Grandfather.¡± Lambert Hodgson pushed open the doors to the office. Hodgson did not turn around, merely asking, ¡°Is there a result?¡± ¡°We have still not located the whereabouts of the supplies. Councilwoman Marlene has denied the supplies passed through her hands. Two agents responsible for this line have vanished; in the outer city, we¡¯ve found many Rage Owl statues, supposedly originating from a relief station. A group of police attempted a search there but sparked a minor riot among the vagrants, returning empty-handed. When we deployed more forces, the place had already been torched¡­¡± Hodgson sighed deeply, ¡°This time, we are in serious trouble.¡± Lambert agreed with his grandfather¡¯s assessment, and for that reason, felt somewhat helpless. He asked, ¡°We thought it was just the Governor giving us problems, but as we kept investigating, it really sent chills down one¡¯s spine. Those Cult followers are planning a big event in Revival City, but we still don¡¯t have any clear intelligence¡­ What do we do next? The Governor could very well be attacked; shouldn¡¯t we offer support?¡± ¡°Who should we send? I can¡¯t even be sure that the ones we dispatch won¡¯t turn out to be the same ones attacking his Excellency the Governor. The Governor himself might think the same and wouldn¡¯t trust us easily.¡± ¡°Then we must make our stance clear,¡± Lambert insisted, ¡°I¡¯ll go, leading a squad of absolutely trustworthy men.¡± ¡°Do you understand what this means?¡± ¡°I do, it means we¡¯ll face the Governor¡¯s suspicion and be considered by those Council members as completely siding with the Governor, getting squeezed from both sides.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Despite speaking of grave consequences, Lambert¡¯s tone grew firmer as he went on: ¡°But I¡¯ve come to understand what you meant when you said ¡®only the Governor can save this world¡¯ last time. We can¡¯t be sure if this Governor is the right one, but at least right now, he seems a bit different from his predecessors. He¡¯s chosen a path the previous Governors dared not take; he has the support of a Starship that previous Governors lacked. I want to try. If he isn¡¯t the Governor we¡¯re hoping for, I¡¯ll do everything in my power to help him become one.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have much time to wait for more Governors; the whole planet is yearning for revival, the sooner the better. I would rather contribute now instead of continuing to wait in silence. Being a catalyst for the times is far more meaningful than waiting for the times to change before frantically jumping on board.¡± The young man spoke of his grand ideals in front of his elder, who just quietly watched him. After a long while, Hodgson let out a long breath, ¡°I¡¯m quite old now, living to this age in this wasteland, I have lived enough and can¡¯t make bolder decisions. You¡¯ve always been better than your father, if that¡¯s what you want to do, then go ahead and do it.¡± Chapter 40 - Chapter 40: Chapter 40, The Storm is Coming Chapter 40: Chapter 40, The Storm is Coming As the young man bid farewell to his elders, within the confines of Revival City, Perbov, the Primal High Priest of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, was performing his daily mandatory ritual. In a brightly lit hall, stood the divine statue of a god that resembled a bear with the wings of an eagle. Carved from white marble like stone, the furious visage of the Rage Owl God threatened to engulf any onlooker in its wrath. Those who stood before it felt as if a storm was hurtling toward them, and the faint of heart could be shattered by its winds. Primal High Priest Perbov sat steadily before the statue of the Primordial Rage Owl God. He was receiving the baptism of the storm, while also hearkening to the fury of the divine spirit. At that moment, a cleric wearing a gray hood silently appeared behind the High Priest. Keeping his distance, he did not feel the wind, but he knew well the consequences of standing before the stormy effigy. And the High Priest had been standing there for a long time. The cleric¡¯s eyes were filled with fear and devoutness as he reported in a low voice, ¡°High Priest, our actions within Revival City have encountered some resistance. The governor who is not in the city has put too much pressure on the Alliance Government. They have increased their scrutiny of us substantially. Many supplies can no longer be transported openly using official channels, and our proselytizing among the outer city¡¯s vagrant population has been forced underground.¡± The High Priest turned around, his gaze deep, as if peering into the soul of the cleric. Though his lips did not move, his voice, like a gentle breeze, arose at the cleric¡¯s ear, ¡°The power of the storm is boundless, and we shall overcome all obstacles to fulfill our divine mission. Any hindrance will ultimately be destroyed by the storm, even if it is that governor.¡± The cleric was wholeheartedly convinced, ¡°You are right. The Howling Wind Divine Envoy sent a message earlier; the enemy has taken the bait. We should soon receive good news. Once the governor is dead, all of Revival City will be thrown into chaos! They cannot endure the fallout of the governor¡¯s unnatural death. They will be too afraid of the starships above, and no one will have the capacity to care about what we are doing.¡± The High Priest sighed, ¡°Time flies, and humanity still wallows in ignorance, only the storm can lead them out of the darkness. Our mission is to spread God¡¯s glory to every corner of the world.¡± The cleric respectfully responded, ¡°As you say, High Priest. We will spare no effort and not disappoint the expectations of the storm.¡± The High Priest prayed in silence once more, then lamented, ¡°May the storm guide our path, that we might be a beacon to those wandering in the dark. Go now, my child, and be blessed by the Lord.¡± The cleric bowed reverently, then slipped away quietly, leaving the High Priest alone before the statue of the Rage Owl God. ¡­ Yan Fangxu was becoming acutely aware that something was amiss. He led the newly formed 3rd Infantry Battalion, freshly equipped, on a cleansing mission through the alien woodland. Four hours earlier, his troops had purified a monster nest. They had slain dozens of the creatures lurking around the den, and the tasks that followed were no different from before. Although the size of this hatchery was larger than any they had encountered before, it still hadn¡¯t exceeded their imagination. After destroying the nest, they prepared to depart for the next location. Then, the surrounding woodlands erupted with the sound of dense gunfire. Yan Fangxu¡¯s command style had always prioritized stability. Even though he had already destroyed many hatching nests before, upon encountering this one, he still didn¡¯t relax his vigilance in the slightest. He didn¡¯t miss a single perimeter alert that should have been set, and when it came to destroying the hatching nest, he also didn¡¯t neglect to establish a temporary defensive position. In short, his approach highlighted methodical combat, leaving no flaws whatsoever. He knew that old fellow Perbov had been grumbling behind his back about his slow efficiency, wishing to get the 2nd Battalion to do the job, allowing the newly formed 3rd Battalion to stay at home. But obviously, the Governor-General trusted him¡ªa bona fide Imperial Captain¡ªfar more than the crash-trained Perbov. And he didn¡¯t let the Governor-General¡¯s trust down. Since the operation began, the team he led had suffered very few casualties. Especially today, his caution paid off. The soldiers on perimeter alert discovered a very large group of monsters approaching. They opened fire first, delaying the monsters¡¯ advance, and also bought time for Yan Fangxu here. The alert soldiers fought as they retreated, and by the time they returned, Yan Fangxu had already directed his troops to construct a triangular defensive position. Each of the three infantry companies took a position, with parts extending outward to create angles, ensuring that their fire could provide mutual cover and support for one another. To be able to achieve all this in the more than ten minutes bought by the perimeter alert soldiers was due in part to Yan Fangxu¡¯s skilled command and prior preparation, with his troops strictly adhering to discipline, without any letup; on the other hand, it was also because the overall military proficiencies of the entire 3rd Battalion were fully up to the mark. Even though they hadn¡¯t been in a tough fight yet, the soldiers were visibly tense. But their morale remained high, and they carried out their orders meticulously, meeting the standard norms of the Imperial Star Realm Army. Every time he saw this, Yan Fangxu couldn¡¯t help but sigh in amazement. Such troops weren¡¯t too common even on the Quintet Starship. Most of the slave servant army or mechanized soldier servants didn¡¯t reach this level. Only a few land battle regiments were capable; and as for the Land Assault Team he brought down, they were indeed more elite, but there were only about a thousand soldiers of this caliber on the entire starship. The soldiers smoothly constructed the defensive position, which considerably eased Yan Fangxu¡¯s tense mood from the sudden attack. When those enemies appeared in front of them, the soldiers began to fire fiercely. Under the crossfire, the monsters fell in swathes. They quickly repelled the monster horde¡¯s assault. The disgusting, differently shaped pus monsters lay dead everywhere. The dark green pus that oozed from their bodies was exceptionally foul-smelling. Disgusting as it was, the threat was indeed not much of one. Enemies that can only rely on biting, short-range pus spray corrosion, and can die from being shot, stood no chance under the barrage of firepower. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But before they could relax a little longer, the enemy¡¯s second wave of attacks arrived. It was still a large number of Pus Spewers, human-shaped, beast-shaped, and indescribable things covered in swellings, rushing out from the woods, screaming towards the position. And among this second wave of attack, there were some that possessed long-range attack capabilities. Pus Spewers. These monsters looked similar to the ordinary pus monsters, except they had a nozzle, either in the chest or on the top of the head. They would stop at a distance of around fifty meters, accumulate for a brief moment, and then spray out a large volume of yellow-green pus from the nozzle. These monsters capable of spraying highly corrosive pus posed a significant threat to the position. Chapter 41 - Chapter 41: Chapter 41, Encircle the Point to Reinforce? Chapter 41: Chapter 41, Encircle the Point to Reinforce? The appearance of the Pus Spewer posed a rather tricky problem for Yan Fangxu. The pus that spewed from these monsters would land on the defensive position and create a pool of pus, corroding the ground with a hissing noise. No one could stand on that ground anymore. If one was unlucky enough to get sprayed, the spattered pus that hit individual armor was okay, since it wouldn¡¯t eat through; however, if it landed on an arm or leg, it would quickly penetrate the clothing and cause extensive corrosive burns, rapidly incapacitating the soldier. The unluckiest were those who got a full-body spray and died screaming. What kind of biochemical artillery was this? If they let these monsters spray at will, chances were they might be wiped out altogether. Fortunately, there were not many Pus Spewers to begin with, and secondly, their spraying distance was very short at only fifty meters, not nearly as far-reaching as real artillery. Within a fifty-meter range, even if there were lots of other pus monsters covering them, they were still easily hit. After witnessing the threat brought by the Pus Spewers, the soldiers would prioritize their fire on these monsters. The 3rd Battalion, though a newly formed unit, was the first to be equipped with G9 Gun Family weapons produced by the camp. The firearms, powerful and stable, were the soldiers¡¯ best companions. Especially the G9 machine gun version, with greater power, faster rate of fire, larger magazine capacity, and more sustained firepower. Against these monsters, they were like lawnmowers. Bullets were poured out like water, and the monsters standing in front of the Pus Spewers were mowed down in swathes, their bodies even shot to pieces. Then the bullets would shred the Pus Spewers as well. At a certain cost, they repelled the monster attack once more. The surroundings of the forest became eerily quiet. After two rounds of assaults, the monsters had left behind at least a thousand corpses. Before this, Yan Fangxu had never discovered such a large-scale congregation of monsters in this dense forest. The event was unusual in itself, but what happened next gave him a strong sense of a sinister plot. It seemed that the monsters also realized that maintaining their previous fierce offensive was pointless and merely led to needless casualties. They stopped their large-scale attacks, but didn¡¯t leave altogether. The soldiers, including Yan Fangxu, could see shadows moving about deep within the forest from their current position. The monsters hadn¡¯t departed; instead, they were hiding behind the trees in the forest, and even from a distance, one could feel their malicious intent. The soldiers, Yan Fangxu among them, tried firing into the depths of the dense forest. The effect was poor. The area they occupied was originally a monster¡¯s hatching nest; to clear the nest, they cut down and burned many trees that were parasitized by the hatching eggs, resulting in a small clearing. When the monsters attacked, they had to approach within a hundred meters of the soldiers¡¯ defensive positions, a distance with no cover. However, beyond a hundred meters out in the forest, the power of the bullets diminished significantly. These soldiers, indeed, had become qualified warriors after brief training. But even qualified warriors aren¡¯t always sharpshooters. At a hundred-meter distance, with the enemy hidden in the dimly lit forest and largely obscured by trees, hitting them was indeed very tricky. Yan Fangxu, with his superb military skills and the powerful performance of his electromagnetic rifle, could ensure a hit with every shot, immediately taking out any target he saw. But after firing two shots and killing two suspected Pus Spewers, he stopped shooting. He didn¡¯t just stop firing himself, he also ordered his men to cease fire. He had now realized a problem: the enemy numbers were too large, and they might run out of bullets without being able to kill all of the monsters. Ammunition was limited. Originally thinking that they were just entering the forest to carry out the task of destroying the hatching nest, not going to war, they hadn¡¯t brought too much ammo reserve. Plus, even if they were actually going to war, the ammunition reserves would still need to be delivered by the logistics team. In field combat, how much could they carry on them? Despite being cautious, when Yan Fangxu led his team out on a mission, he had commandeered a buffalo flatbed wagon, pulling a cart full of food and ammunition supplies. But even that is not unlimited. Holding out would only result in exhaustion of ammunition and supplies. He led an attempt to break through, but it ended in failure. Once the troops entered the dense forest, their firepower advantage was significantly reduced, and the threats they faced increased. Not only were the ¡°bioweapon soldiers¡± harder to eliminate and more likely to cause casualties among the warriors, but even the ordinary Pus Spewers became more threatening. After all, there was no telling which tree would suddenly produce such a monster. And a bigger problem was that no one knew how many monsters were hiding in the dense woods around them. If they insisted on breaking through, the casualties would be significant. After an initial attempt and realizing the difficulty, Yan Fangxu ordered the troops to retreat before actual casualties occurred. They continued to hold their ground and sought reinforcements from headquarters. Soon, he received a reassuring reply. ¡°Hold your position, hang in there, the governor will lead the 2nd Infantry Battalion and the Land Assault Team to rescue you.¡± Receiving such a response indeed brought relief. The governor would not abandon them. But as more time passed, Yan Fangxu¡¯s sense of unease gradually magnified. He sensed intelligence in the behavior of these monsters. The first two attacks were quite mindless, akin to the style of these monsters. They would blindly charge upon encountering other species, displaying a complete disregard for death. But now, utilizing the terrain of the dense forest to encircle them without attacking was by no means a decision a mindless creature would make. Either intelligence had emerged among these monsters, or someone was manipulating their actions. Yan Fangxu was more inclined to believe the latter. So why would these monsters choose to surround without attacking? To starve them out? Clearly implausible. Then their goal¡­ Did they anticipate reinforcements? Was this an ambush¡ªa conspiracy to attack the rescue forces? Were they after the governor? A series of thoughts flooded his mind, throwing Yan Fangxu¡¯s thoughts into chaos. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The path of the rescue would mostly pass through dense forest terrain. If the governor¡¯s forces were attacked by a large group of monsters while marching, the outcome would be unthinkable! He immediately activated the communication device again. This time, he successfully contacted Gu Hang and reported his suspicions to the governor. But after hearing his report, Gu Hang simply said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have a plan. Take your time.¡± Chapter 42 - Chapter 42: Chapter 42, Fishing, Just Bold Fishing Chapter 42: Chapter 42, Fishing, Just Bold Fishing ¡°` Gu Hang indeed had his own plans. Having suspected that the situation was unusual and that the route to rescue Yan Fangxu would likely not be a calm one, he certainly wasn¡¯t about to walk into the enemy¡¯s trap unprepared. At present, he was fairly certain that the people targeting him were from the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect. This cult had been pressured by his actions in Revival City and now, unable to solve the problem, they had begun to try and deal with the person presenting the problem. That is, himself, the Governor. They also possessed the initial ability to manipulate mutant monsters, which was somewhat unexpected. However, he judged that the cult members¡¯ ability to mobilize forces should not be too strong. If they had that capability and wanted his life, then there would be no need for the current complications; they would have simply amassed their forces and launched a direct assault on his camp. The fact that they didn¡¯t do so was obviously because they couldn¡¯t. They had to choose a dense forest environment for the battlefield in order to leverage the advantages of the monsters they could control, thus having a better chance at victory. With this understanding, Gu Hang was not about to rashly lead the 2nd Infantry Battalion into the woods. Four armored vehicles led the way, with a large group of foot soldiers following behind, the whole team advancing on the edge of the woodland. Gu Hang led his troops, searching for a route that was closer to the besieged Yan Fangxu and had sparser trees. Even if they had to walk a bit slower, it didn¡¯t matter. After all, Yan Fangxu had said that there wasn¡¯t any immediate danger where he was. So Gu Hang was content to take it slow. Actually, rescuing Yan Fangxu wasn¡¯t really Gu Hang¡¯s main objective for coming out this time. His actions were not urgent. Despite appearing to be on a rescue mission, he was actually just trying to lure the enemy out. At the edge of the woods, before even entering, his troops suffered a small-scale attack. A bunch of pustule monsters rushed out, but were cleanly wiped out by a round of firepower from the soldiers. That seemed more like a probe, or a display of insufficient control over a large number of monsters. Unfortunately, it did not lure out the enemy¡¯s main force. So after some thought, Gu Hang waved his arm grandly and led the troops into the dense forest. To continue the lure. After officially entering the woodland, Gu Hang¡¯s team moved even slower. They always maintained a tight formation, relying on the four Walkers and refusing to let their guard down. If the trees became too dense, they preferred to temporarily stop, burn, or cut down the trees to ensure clear visibility. When fishing, using oneself as bait, one mustn¡¯t actually get bitten. The Governor¡¯s army with its unruffled, unhurried demeanor was truly exasperating. Perbov was getting a bit anxious. His 2nd Battalion had not outdone Yan Fangxu recently and had missed out on the opportunity to clear the woodland of mutant monsters, which was somewhat frustrating. Stuck in the camp, they could only vent their energy by drilling the soldiers. Upon suddenly receiving orders from the Governor to gather his troops, he and his subordinates instantly perked up. Especially when they heard that their mission was to rescue the 3rd Battalion led by Yan Fangxu, who was surrounded by a large number of mutant monsters in the woods, he was even more eager to jump into action. An old-timer, huh? A bona fide Imperial Navy officer, huh? Still, isn¡¯t it me, this country bumpkin, who has to come save you? ¡°` He truly wished he could lead his team through the entire woodland right away, confront Yan Fangxu and, in front of that guy¡¯s face, loudly mock him. However, he was still able to contain his yearning for battle. Upon departure, the Governor had roughly outlined the objectives of the operation. Rescue was secondary; the primary goal was to anticipate and draw out any ambushers they might encounter en route. When he heard the news, he was utterly enraged. Someone dared to target the Governor? That truly made them irreconcilable enemies! In Perbov¡¯s heart, plotting against the Governor was even more detestable than plotting against himself. Some time ago he had returned to the Abandoned Cave Society. Even though he hadn¡¯t been gone long, there had already been earth-shattering changes. Eating well and having warm clothes were the basics; everyone had moved into houses on the surface and no longer needed to crowd in dank, sunless burrows. The residential houses were only temporary prefab structures for the time being, but plans were already in motion to build new brick and cement factories. A plot of land had also been allocated for the construction of a row of detached small buildings. Perbov had seen the architectural designs; they were beautiful. Back when he was working in the caves, he could only dream of living in such a home. Eventually, housing would be allocated based on work points. Given the work points Perbov earned as a soldier and those earned by his wife in the factory, they would definitely be among the first to move in once the planned houses were built. Life was getting better and better, and Perbov deeply understood that at this moment, he was not just fighting for the Governor, but also for the defense of his hard-earned, ever-improving life. All of this was brought about by the Governor. Whoever dared threaten the Governor, whoever dared to disrupt their pursuit of a better life, would be his sworn enemy! It was for this reason that he could fully restrain his desire to fight. He executed the Governor¡¯s cautious orders without compromise, keeping all his rage inside, waiting for the moment to release it. This rage, when it burst forth, would surely burn fiercely. And this moment to unleash didn¡¯t make Perbov wait too long. The enemy was here. They could hear the distinctive roar of pus monsters growing clearer from all around the dense forest. These roars were unique. These brainless, mouthless creatures would emit an intimidating sound to prey, a shrill and unpleasant noise produced by high-frequency vibrations of swellings all over their bodies. Upon hearing the noise, there was no need for the Governor to say anything; Perbov immediately relayed orders to each platoon. They stopped their trailblazing work on the spot and swiftly shifted to defensive positions. A short while later, the grotesque figures of those monsters could be faintly seen through the woodland. Yet the soldiers, upholding strict combat discipline, did not open fire immediately. Only the designated sharpshooters within each platoon, armed with precision rifles and superior shooting skills, attempted long-range kills. For the moment, gunfire was sparse, but with almost every shot, a creature in the forest fell. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After another short while, the monsters came even closer to the edge of the woodland, even closer to the small clearing that the soldiers had made. It was at this time that the officers at all levels gave the order to fire. In an instant, bullets, artillery fire, and the machine guns of the combat vehicles blanketed the entire surrounding area. Under the storm of metal, many of the creatures were felled before they could break out of the dense woods; those that did were met with a closer embrace of death, gunned down by bullets. The prepared human soldiers held their ground, impregnable as a fortress! Chapter 43 - Chapter 43: Chapter 43, come out quickly Chapter 43: Chapter 43, come out quickly The battle intensified in an instant. Mortars began to flex their muscles, with a few shells being blocked by trees, but the shrapnel from the explosions still posed a threat. More unobstructed shells plunged into the midst of the monsters charging through the woods at a distance of about a hundred meters, clearing out an entire swath of enemies with a single hit. Overall, due to the forest environment, the range and power of the mortars were greatly reduced. But after all, these were mortars, and their lethality couldn¡¯t be ignored. The machine guns were even more fearsome killers. If the enemy hid in the dense forest, it would be different; they would have cover, poor visibility, and it wouldn¡¯t be easy to hit them from afar; but as soon as those monsters charged out, or even just to the edge of the forest where the trees¡¯ obstruction lessened, the machine guns¡¯ power would rapidly increase. And once they really broke out of the forest¡¯s cover, the bullets fired from the machine guns would whip through like a steel lash, leaving no survivors in their wake. Beyond that, regular rifles were only needed to spot check and fill the gaps. A multi-layered and three-dimensional firepower network ensured that those monsters couldn¡¯t pose a real threat to the troops led by Gu Hang. Bioweapon gunners, swift-action zombie dogs, none of them were effective. What¡¯s there to fear from the Pus Spewers¡¯ range of fifty meters? The sharpshooters in the platoon focused on such high-value targets. Even leaving aside these shooters from the T5-level forces, the soldiers from the Land Assault Team were truly elite. The electromagnetic rifles in their hands performed better and packed a bigger punch. With their attention, it was extremely difficult for the Pus Spewers to get within fifty meters and spew their corrosive pus into the formation of human soldiers. As for the zombie dogs, it¡¯s even less worth mentioning. Sure, their targets were relatively small, fast, and agile. However, under the dense firepower network, these little creatures were often taken out incidentally. Often a round of undirected heavy machine gun fire would riddle a few bullets into a zombie dog, exploding the pus-filled canine-like creature. If they actually broke through to close range, it really wasn¡¯t a big deal. Vicious as the little things were, their estimated weight of about thirty kilograms limited the threat they could pose. Soldiers¡¯ firearms were all equipped with alloy bayonets without exception. Thrust at a lunging dog and it would be pierced cleanly. Thrown to the ground, stepped on its head, pull out the bayonet, then fire a couple of shots, and it would go completely quiet. And in the midst of battle, the most terrifying presence was the four Strider Vs. This kind of combat vehicle, which could also play a role in interstellar warfare, was simply beyond what these monsters could handle. A very few Pus Spewers managed to launch their biocannon projectiles, with two hitting the Strider Vs, yet causing no effect whatsoever. The corrosive effect of this pus seemed terrifying to organic matter. Soldiers¡¯ uniforms provided poor resistance to the pus; and on contact with flesh, it was excruciating. But the armored vests alone worn by the soldiers could block the corrosion. Not to mention the Strider V¡ªits outer armor was solidly made of alloy and plastic steel, and additionally covered with a layer of cermet, a more advanced material than alloy and plastic steel. Conversely, the twin-barreled forty-millimeter autocannons mounted on the Strider¡¯s weapons platform were lethal upon contact. The terrifying rate of fire and overwhelming power meant that hiding in the forest was futile. A few more shots, and it would destroy not just the trees but also the monsters hiding behind them. In some ways, it truly resembled a long-range lumberjack machine. Facing such intense firepower, the attacking monster swarm suffered far more damage than when it attacked Yan Fangxu¡¯s team from a distance. In comparison, Gu Hang¡¯s team was at a somewhat greater terrain disadvantage than Yan Fangxu¡¯s side. After all, the clearing they were in had just been carved out as a result of their march. They were the ones being attacked, not the initiators of the battle, and did not have the choice of the battleground. However, aside from that one point, Gu Hang¡¯s team held advantages over Yan Fangxu¡¯s in every aspect. Their firepower was more abundant, their soldiers more exceptional¡ªalthough both were T5-level teams, Gu Hang was accompanied by more than twenty warriors of the Land Assault Team. On this battlefield, they could all serve as sharpshooters, with utterly reliable shooting accuracy within dozens of meters. This also meant that the alien monsters died even faster. But they did not retreat; they kept surging out of the woodlands as if they were infinite. These mindless creatures of course didn¡¯t know fear. Their lives were worthless, merely cannon fodder. However, even cannon fodder had value. If the puppet masters behind these monsters were hoping to exchange their deaths for the ammunition in Gu Hang¡¯s hands, they were sorely mistaken. Having known beforehand what kind of enemy he would face, he had prepared accordingly before setting off. The G9 production line hadn¡¯t had time to expand yet, just meeting the equipment needs of the 3rd Infantry Battalion with the stocked Black Box Manufacturing Machine, and ammunition production wasn¡¯t on the schedule yet. But at least the ammunition stocked from the starship was still considered sufficient. And now, Gu Hang had brought out a large part of the reserve in one breath. Multiple bullish flatcars carrying ammunition reserves were right in the center of the position. With such ample quantities, not to mention fighting one battle, even if the intensity increased further, it would be enough to sustain them through several more. Gu Hang observed the entire battlefield with a cold gaze. He was currently in the middle of the position, with a Strider V serving as his command vehicle. The range of his sight was very narrow, but this did not affect his control over the entire situation. Psychic Vision was activated, and he had a clear understanding of the overall situation on the battlefield. Initially, he was prepared to step in if particularly threatening monsters appeared, such as a group of Pus Spewers entering within firing range and lobbing biocanisters into their formation¡ªhe would act first to solve the problem. But now, it seemed there was no need for him to intervene. The soldiers were doing a stellar job, making his contingency plans unnecessary. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang was quite satisfied with this. Since there were no significant issues with the overall battlefield, Gu Hang could now focus his efforts on the possibility of cultists making an appearance. He didn¡¯t believe that the cultists¡¯ tactics were limited to merely driving these mindless monsters; such acts had no chance of posing a threat to him. They surely had other means at their disposal. ¡°The mindless monsters have drawn the vast majority of my soldiers¡¯ firepower. Now it¡¯s your turn¡ªcome out quickly.¡± Chapter 44 - Chapter 44: Chapter 44, Howling Wind Divine Envoy Chapter 44: Chapter 44, Howling Wind Divine Envoy ¡°` ¡°The monsters have already drawn the majority of the governor¡¯s soldiers¡¯ firepower, what are we waiting for?¡± In the dense forest not far away, three people dressed in gray-white robes stood on the branches, looking towards the distant battlefield. Around them, a light breeze swirled, obscuring their view and making it hard to spot them from afar, even Gu Hang¡¯s Spiritual Vision failed to detect their presence. These three were none other than the apostles of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect. The leader was exceptionally tall, his presence on the branch seemed somewhat out of place. But upon closer inspection, one would realize that he was not merely standing; he was only touching the branches with the tips of one foot. A pale white vortex of wind beneath his feet cradled his body. It was more like floating. His real name was known to very few. But his code name within the sect was infamous. He was one of the twelve executive Divine Envoys, the Howling Wind Divine Envoy. Although they were not involved in specific affairs, they had powerful combat capabilities. Within the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, each of the twelve executive Divine Envoys had received the true blessing of the Primal Fury Owl, granting them the ability to use the formidable Storm God Skill. Their exalted status within the sect was second only to the four High Priests. However, at this moment, the Howling Wind Divine Envoy was hesitating. Upon hearing the query from the subordinate clergy behind him, he responded, ¡°Now is not a good opportunity, the impact caused by that pus-filled monster is far smaller than we estimated. The guard soldiers around that governor have not been thrown into disorder at all.¡± The clergy who spoke earlier spoke up again, ¡°But¡­ Your Excellency, Divine Envoy, are we really going to give up this opportunity?¡± This question plunged the Howling Wind Divine Envoy into silence. The man waited for a moment before speaking again, unable to restrain himself, ¡°This mission was personally given by High Priest Cikao, it is crucial for our god¡¯s great endeavor in Revival City.¡± The Howling Wind Divine Envoy still didn¡¯t speak. The third person beside them spoke up, ¡°Do not disturb the Divine Envoy¡¯s contemplation.¡± The former¡¯s face stiffened as he added, ¡°I apologize, I did not mean to question anything; I am just a bit anxious. The controller we obtained from the Life School is already in an overloaded state. To maintain control over this scale of numbers, we can hold on for less than ten minutes¡­¡± ¡°Quiet,¡± the third clergy from earlier interrupted once more, ¡°No need to elaborate, we are all aware, let the Divine Envoy make the decision.¡± Finally, the man closed his mouth. A few minutes later, the tallest Howling Wind Divine Envoy standing at the forefront heaved a sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s take action, today is the day we sacrifice ourselves to the storm.¡± The other two felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing this. By the Divine Envoy¡¯s implications¡­ sacrifice? Could it be a one-way journey? Has it come to this extent? But now there was no time for them to ponder further. The Howling Wind Divine Envoy leapt from the branch first. The wind that initially suspended him above the branch turned tumultuous in an instant, taking on the shape of a Storm Giant Eagle, emitting a clear cry, carrying the Divine Envoy as it soared forward. The other two clergy hurried to follow. They too called forth their Storm Eagles and, riding them, quickly caught up. The three of them formed a triangular formation and swiftly flew toward the human soldiers¡¯ position not far away. Not long after they started their move, the governor¡¯s soldiers had already spotted them. ¡°` It was hard not to notice, three Storm Giant Eagles in total, one large and two small, each carrying a person. They were too conspicuous. Bullets immediately covered the three of them. However, they were of little effect. Moving targets, especially those flying at high speeds, are not easy to hit. The training package provided by the system made all the soldiers qualified within a few days, but that didn¡¯t mean every qualified soldier was a marksman who never missed. Most people couldn¡¯t guarantee accuracy when shooting at distant and fast-moving objects. Even with machine-gun fire, chasing after the targets, the results were very poor. Of course, with bullets flying everywhere and the number of shots increasing, there would eventually be hits. But with the fierce attacks of those pustule monsters on the ground, most of the firepower was needed to suppress these enemies. There were only a few who could redirect their guns to shoot at the three unidentified flying objects above. Originally in short supply, and with questionable accuracy, the number of bullets that actually hit was even fewer. It was only the specially trained sharpshooters and the Marines who could guarantee a certain hit rate. But soldiers with such abilities were far too few. Moreover, even if stray bullets or those from sharpshooters did hit, they were not very useful. Even Wohan, who had only gained Storm Sorcery because he had paid enough money, could use a wind shield to block a few seconds of concentrated fire from electromagnetic rifles. Not to mention a Divine Envoy and two official priests. Underneath the wings of the Storm Giant Eagles, the power of the wind swirled around the three, and the few bullets that did hit had no effect at all; they were simply deflected. Howling Wind Divine Envoy led the two priests, riding the Storm Giant Eagles, to the airspace above the governor¡¯s troop position. They began to circle. Then, the winds picked up. A white storm enveloped the area below. Wind, by all accounts, is colorless, just the movement of air. But the gusts called forth by their hands carried a white mist. The mist that came with the wind was not cold nor damp, but rather had a cutting sensation. Putting aside the slight pain of the wind against the skin, many soldiers were even blown about haphazardly. Afterward, as the mist thickened with the wind within minutes, it started to affect visibility. Direct casualties were limited for the moment. Many people had minor cuts from the wind imbued with supernatural energy, but these cuts were certainly far from fatal. If these three Cult Divine Envoys and Divine Envoy had concentrated the storm in a much smaller area, those minor cuts could actually be lethal, like death by a thousand cuts. But not now. Compared to just killing a small portion of the main troops, the Storm Sorcery they released was more about disrupting the human soldiers¡¯ ability to continue fighting below, allowing the pustule monsters on the outskirts to breach their defense line. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only That was more efficient. The Storm Sorcery they circled and cast above the position indeed affected the soldiers¡¯ firepower output. Blown about, struggling to even stand steady, feeling sharp pain when the wind struck exposed skin such as the face¡­ these factors prevented the soldiers from shooting accurately. And the white fog that came with the wind, continually swirling, impacted visibility as well. As the soldiers¡¯ firepower weakened, a large number of monsters closed in! Chapter 45 - Chapter 45: Chapter 45, The Governor Will Make a Move Chapter 45: Chapter 45, The Governor Will Make a Move Perbov felt a chill in his heart. He understood all too well what would happen if these monsters actually broke through the fire blockade and reached their faces. The Pus Spewers, previously thought to be very dangerous among the enemy, were actually nothing at all. The most terrifying were those ordinary Pus monsters. It was mainly their numbers; there were simply too many of them. Once engaged in close combat, the soldiers, even though they were equipped with bayonets, naturally couldn¡¯t fire their weapons at close quarters. And when more and more, almost endless, monsters rushed in, how could his men possibly outfight the enemy with just their bayonets? Even if a soldier could kill three or five Pus monsters in close combat, it would be useless. The enemy would use their overwhelming numbers to completely drown them. In fact, signs of this were already showing. Twice as many zombie dogs as before had already taken the lead and rushed into the soldiers¡¯ formation after the fire support weakened. This was the first step in shaking the entire defensive line. The zombie dogs that rushed in had to be dealt with up close by the soldiers, and if they took even a little more time to handle these zombie dogs, it would further weaken the firepower, and more zombie dogs might rush in subsequently. The situation would quickly enter into a vicious cycle and collapse rapidly. Perbov could see this trend. But he felt somewhat powerless. He had already shouted himself hoarse, demanding his soldiers hold on and maintain fire. But it was difficult. His warriors were not cowards, but pain, strong winds, and white fog were objective difficulties that could not simply be overcome. Especially the white fog, which severely compromised the soldiers¡¯ visibility. Even those who could stay at their combat posts could only fire blindly into the surrounding fog. Only at a much closer range could they see some vague silhouettes. The decline in shooting accuracy greatly reduced the effectiveness of the firepower grid. What he could truly do effectively at the moment was to ensure the more critical fire support units maintained their assault. The mortars, unified under the command of the battalion headquarters, could not stop, and Perbov also demanded the mortar operators drop their shells closer to their positions. Previously, the shells were mostly targeted at the edge of the woods, as the first wave of killing and interception. Not placing them too close was due to fear of friendly fire, as well as because the enemy¡¯s formation would become sparse due to casualties on the charge, which would reduce the lethality of the shells. But now he couldn¡¯t care about that. Additionally, the machine gunners positioned at various points were also trying their best to hold their positions. Their situation was slightly better, with the temporary fortifications made of wood and sandbags at the fire points providing some protection from the wind. The machine gunners endured the pain, lying on the ground with their fingers wrapped around the trigger, not caring if the barrel would overheat and fail, wildly pouring bullets into the mist. At the same time, the fire from the four Striders never ceased. It was because the mortars, machine guns, and autocannons, these three major fire points, had not been silenced, that the entire defensive line still had a certain level of fire support. If this were not the case, the defensive line would have already collapsed. However, Perbov knew that with just his command, this was all he could do. The fragile balance could only slow down the process of the defensive line collapsing and could not return to the previous level of keeping all the monsters completely outside the range of fire. In frustration, he looked up through the fog and saw the vague figures of three Storm Eagles¡ªone large and two smaller ones¡ªflitting through the sky. He knew that there lay the root of the problem. But for those three creatures in the sky¡­ Perbov truly had no solution. He had already ordered all the sharpshooters in the company to shoot at the sky, but to little effect; he himself had also drawn his sidearm, firing shots up into the sky, but that seemed more like a venting of frustration, utterly useless. He had tried his hardest, but what followed seemed to signify that his efforts were about to be destroyed. The current stability of the defensive position was due to the mortar positions and the machine gun fire points still being active, a factor clearly seen by the Storm Apostles flying above. They didn¡¯t trouble the Strider V; their Storm Sorcery lacked the means to penetrate the armor and injure the drivers inside. And to damage the armored vehicles themselves¡­ Forget it. By comparison, the machine gunners and mortar men were easier to deal with. The sky unleashed wind bullets. A wheel-sized wind bullet, tearing through the white fog from mid-air, descended rapidly and exploded upon a machine gun position with a thunderous blast. It was as if the sudden explosive pressure of the bullet sent people flying; the high-pressure dispersed wind blades cut bodies to ribbons, truly like shrapnel. The machine gunner and the two soldiers beside him, when they hit the ground, were already lifeless. The removal of a machine gun fire point had a significant impact. The area it covered was immediately breached by several zombie dogs, followed by Pus Spewers. The pressure suddenly increased. Seeing two more wind bullets descending from the sky, Perbov was panic-stricken. Instinctively, he moved towards the landing point of the wind bullets, trying to block them with his body. But just then, a rather familiar voice rang in his mind: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, lead your team with your heart.¡± ¡°Governor?!¡± Perbov recognized the voice, but when he looked around, he saw nothing. It was only then that he came to the belated realization that the voice had sounded directly in his mind. A light bulb went off in his head, and he recalled that battle beside the valley, those people with peculiar deaths. The Governor possessed some mystical power known as Spiritual Energy, not powerless at all. If it was the Governor, there would be no problem at all! Perbov had such deep trust in the Governor in his heart. And indeed, Gu Hang did not let him down. The two wind bullets that he was desperate to block with his body dissipated into nothingness before they even touched the ground. Immediately after, the three Storm Giant Eagles flying in the sky also vanished. Three figures fell from the sky. In an instant, the situation had greatly changed. All of this was, of course, due to the intervention of Gu Hang. At this moment, he had already disembarked from the Strider V. The transmission of Spiritual Energy through the armor of the Strider V to cast spells outside would attenuate to a certain extent. To ensure success, he left the Strider V and went outside. ¡®Spiritual Energy Cutting¡¯ is indeed a handy spell. Gu Hang did not use this spell directly on those three Cultists. The soul strength of those three was quite high, distinctly visible in his spiritual vision. Even if he had exerted his full strength, it was not certain that he could sever their heads or kill their souls. The target Gu Hang chose to strike was the Spiritual Energy link they used to control the Storm Eagles. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Destroying the flight sorcery and causing the three to fall, then annihilating them physically, was a more convenient method. And beside him, 11 soldiers of the Land Assault Team darted out, each targeting one of the falling figures. These assault team members, while sprinting at high speed and firing their guns, were uncannily accurate, their metal spikes precisely targeting the free-falling figures in mid-air. This was a standard far beyond their comrades. The reason why these 11 special forces soldiers were able to perform at such a high level was that they had transcended the T4 level of warriors and reached the T3 tier. Chapter 46 - Chapter 46: Chapter 46, T3 Troops Chapter 46: Chapter 46, T3 Troops ¡°` Before heading out on the mission, dubbed a rescue but in reality a fishing expedition, Gu Hang had emptied his savings. Originally, the grace he received from the battle at Mantan River Valley Manor was spent on extracting technology and during the training of the 3rd Regiment. However, a few days ago, when Yan Fangxu led a team to burn the alien breeding nests in the wilderness, Gu Hang would receive 1-2 points of grace for every nest they destroyed, depending on the scale of the breeding nest. After seven breeding nests were burnt down, Gu Hang had gained 11 points of grace. And he invested this grace into 11 soldiers of the Land Assault Team. The Elite Assault Team soldiers, descending from the starship, were starkly different from regular soldiers. They wore dark brown, one-piece combat suits with masks, skillfully equipped, with no inch of skin exposed during combat. The seemingly lightweight combat suits, once fitted with ceramic steel plates, were even more useful than armored vests. These were the elites of the Imperial Naval Marine Corps, considered special forces. The training level of these forces was already ranked at T4 by the system. To elevate their training to T3 level would cost 1 point of grace per soldier. 1 point of grace was enough to train a hundred ordinary people into a whole company of warriors, equivalent to the level of the Imperial Regular Army. But when it came to training T3 level soldiers, it was only enough for one individual¡¯s advancement. To further train them to T2 level would require 10 points of grace per person, which was enough for Gu Hang himself to level up on the ¡®Hero¡¯ panel. Nevertheless, despite the high cost, the value was extraordinary. At that time, he took the 11 Marine soldiers aside and conducted some secretive, special training maneuvers. The maneuvers were made up by him, but when declared, he claimed they were blessings from The Emperor, derived from a special training method he possessed. Ordinary people would find it hard to believe in such things, but not when it came to Governor Gu Hang. These Marine soldiers had seen with their own eyes how those country bumpkins transformed into competent soldiers in an incredibly short period of time. How could they not believe? The Land Assault Team soldiers were ecstatic! All 11 individuals, meticulous and devout, completed the motions as instructed by the governor. Then, in an incredibly short period of time, they truly felt revolutionizing changes within their bodies. They became stronger, even to a somewhat superhuman extent. They could run faster, had greater strength, more resilient to impacts, and even small-caliber bullets might not penetrate their foreheads; their strength had nearly tripled, and rocks they couldn¡¯t lift before now seemed somewhat light. Their neural responses also became quicker, with birds in flight appearing to them as slow-moving paper planes; their military skills improved massively in a short period of time, with each transitioning from a tolerable marksman into a sharpshooter; they also felt they had mastered highly efficient close-combat techniques, paired with their combat knives, they were capable of taking down five or six past selves in close combat¡­ Profoundly feeling the changes within themselves, they felt as if they were in a dream. Why was this happening? It was too unscientific! But it was indeed reality. They could only attribute it to The Emperor¡¯s grace, the governor¡¯s magic. And they were one of the trump cards Gu Hang had prepared for this operation. ¡°` At this moment, these soldiers, enhanced to T3 level, were also making good on the role Gu Hang had expected of them. 11 ¡®Eagle¡¯ Electromagnetic Rifles were firing at the falling Evil God Priest. They didn¡¯t need verbal communication, with every three soldiers taking on one target. The metal spikes followed like lock-on tracking, rarely missing their mark even though they themselves were running, and their target was still in freefall. Meanwhile, Gu Hang was up to no good. The opponent was strong, so Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t frivolously expend his limited spiritual energy. Just like he cut off three Evil God Priests¡¯ control over the Storm Eagle moments ago, he could do something with minimal effort at some critical junctures. And this time, the mischief he was causing was disrupting and severing the three priests¡¯ control over the Storm Shield. Although the Navy Marine Corps soldiers had been enhanced to T3 level, it was the soldiers who had been upgraded, not their rifles. The ¡®Eagle¡¯ Electromagnetic Rifles in their hands remained unchanged. The metallic spikes hit those three individuals, all blocked by the Storm Shield. To break through the Storm Shield with just the force of bullets was difficult; one would need to stand still and be shot for quite a while. But it still had some effect, reducing the intensity of the Storm Shield and forcing the Evil God Priests to mobilize spiritual energy to maintain the shield¡¯s intensity. This gave Gu Hang an opportunity. All he needed was a light touch, not even needing to put in much effort to completely dismantle the Storm Shield, just destabilizing it was enough. A Storm Shield that suddenly weakened and even showed gaps and flaws was quite fatal to the falling Divine Envoys. The least skilled among them suffered particularly dreadful. In mid-air, at least five or six metal spikes penetrated his body. With the overwhelming power of the electromagnetic rifle, the human body couldn¡¯t withstand it. That guy was destroyed mid-air and by the time he hit the ground, there was no discernible human shape left, just shattered remains. But the other two were in better shape. In Gu Hang¡¯s view, he could see that the strongest of the pair was barely affected. After his Storm Shield encountered problems, he quickly compensated, preventing himself from being hit. The other reacted similarly, but there was a clear gap between his level and the strongest one; he ended up getting hit twice, breaking an arm and a leg. The two Divine Envoys who were still alive after hitting the ground each had their actions. The strongest one, almost unharmed, suddenly sprouted a pair of white storm wings from his back. The wings resembled turbines, and as he suddenly jetted backward, he reached extreme speeds in the blink of an eye. He ignored the Land Assault Team soldiers rushing over and instead directly targeted Gu Hang, who was in the back. The Howling Wind Divine Envoy hadn¡¯t forgotten his mission, his most important target on this trip was to kill the planetary governor. He had planned to use the storm, use the white fog, to disorient the soldiers¡¯ position, letting those pustule beasts charge in, and eliminate all of the soldiers, leaving only the governor hiding in the armored vehicle to be dealt with later. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But to his surprise, the governor had left the protection of the armored vehicle on his own. However, that Governor Gu Hang surprisingly possessed psychic powers and was even using very advanced techniques, which greatly shocked him. This caused a significant flaw in his plan; the governor¡¯s actions not only halted their destruction of the human soldiers¡¯ position but even put him and his two subordinates into dangerous territory. But he still had a chance. As long as he could kill the governor on the spot. Chapter 47 - Chapter 47: Chapter 47, luckily I’m one step ahead Chapter 47: Chapter 47, luckily I¡¯m one step ahead The whirlwind carried the vortex-formed wings, providing Howling Wind Divine Envoy with explosive speed! He charged straight for Gu Hang! As long as he killed Gu Hang, his mission would still be considered complete. The soldiers, who appeared to be very elite, seemed to have sensed his intentions. Half of them set out to suppress the other living Divine Envoy, while the remaining soldiers attempted to block him. Bullets flew towards him, but the Storm Shield remained faithful to its duty and could not be easily breached. Two soldiers who were relatively close stood in his way, pulling out daggers in an attempt to engage him in combat. The reaction speed and agility of those soldiers surprised the Howling Wind Divine Envoy. He was moving at ultra-high speeds, with the Storm Turbine Wings bursting so quickly that ordinary people could not possibly react in time, much less intercept him. But those soldiers could do so. And their willpower was beyond imagination. Getting near to him meant bearing the force of the storm. High-pressure wind blades cut through their combat suits, and even slashed dense wounds on their bodies. Yet, they remained resolute and unshaken. More crucially, the daggers in their hands, when they slashed down, could indeed pierce through his surrounding wind. This was definitely non-human strength! If he hadn¡¯t reacted extremely fast and detonated a wind bomb between himself and that soldier, sending him flying, he would have been stabbed. But he could only repel one. The other soldier fiercely thrust the knife into his body. If it weren¡¯t for the power of the wind helping him to deflect the blade at the critical moment, it wouldn¡¯t be his abdomen, but his heart that got pierced. But the current situation was still critical. The soldier very quickly released the knife-holding hand, ignoring the blood, picked up an electromagnetic rifle, and prepared to give the Divine Envoy a close-range volley. If hit by that, Howling Wind Divine Envoy feared he would fall on the spot. His Storm Shield had been punctured by that recent stab, and he didn¡¯t have full confidence to completely block the ¡°Eagle¡¯s¡± shooting. In the nick of time, Howling Wind Divine Envoy became fierce. He spread his arms, didn¡¯t retreat but advanced, embracing the soldier to prevent the special forces elite from firing his bullets directly. His physical strength was no match for his opponent¡¯s, and he would be released eventually, but the Storm Sorcery was spectacular at that moment! Wind blades instantly spun around him, showing no mercy as they poured into the soldier¡¯s body. The ceramic plate armor wouldn¡¯t be easily destroyed, but it wasn¡¯t full-body coverage. The combat suit was cut open under the high-pressure wind blades, followed by the flesh. Blood spurted wildly, blown about by the wind. In an instant, a fully-grown person was chopped down to nothing, leaving behind a gun, bulletproof plates, helmet, fragments of personal items, bones¡­ The blood-soaked Howling Wind Divine Envoy dared not linger for a moment. In his moment of desperation, he had unleashed all his might, achieving such a terrifying effect. However, he had firsthand experience of the strength of these elite soldiers, unlike ordinary soldiers, and the knife stuck in his belly was proof of this. If he hesitated for a moment longer, soldiers would immediately rush at him. If he could create some distance, relying on the bullet-deflecting Storm Shield, he might be confident in killing all the soldiers. But firstly, there was Gu Hang, who could manipulate delicate Psychic Spells to interfere; secondly, he could not create distance now, and the Storm Shield¡¯s defenses against close-combat blades were not as effective as against bullets; moreover, his bodily strength and combat skills, which were not much stronger than those of an average person, put him at too much of a disadvantage against those elite soldiers. He clenched his teeth and forced himself to muster strength again. The Storm Turbine Wings formed by sorcery on his back let out an intense roar, as he once again burst from his position with a limit speed! And this time, finally no one stood in his way! With an extremely fast speed, he rushed toward Gu Hang. Flying close to the ground, the already thin mist was completely dispersed! He was like an arrow in flight! The next moment, he slammed into Gu Hang with great force, sending him flying through the air. The wild wind completely enveloped Gu Hang. Howling Wind Divine Envoy was even more brutal to Gu Hang than to the soldier he had just slashed to pieces. He once again overloaded the power of Storm Sorcery, heedless of the severe backlash that might ensue, determined to ensure Gu Hang¡¯s death. Gu Hang slammed hard into the ground. Then, he stood up. Howling Wind Divine Envoy¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, utterly unable to understand why this was happening. The force he had exerted should have been enough to completely shred Gu Hang¡¯s body, so why did the Governor appear to be completely unharmed? Clenching his teeth, he tried to unleash his power once more, but this time the winds did not heed his call. Instead, he felt an intense pain in his lungs, as if the wind was cutting through his chest cavity. Unable to bear it, his body convulsed, and opening his mouth, he vomited blood profusely, mixed with pieces of his lungs. As the pain subsided slightly, he raised his head and saw the assault vehicle beside him, its cannon already aimed at him. Fire. In an instant, several large-caliber cannon shells shattered his already fragile Storm Shield, and then destroyed his body as well. ¡­ Gu Hang still felt a bit scared afterward. After the enemy appeared, he had sensed that one among the three was particularly strong. While dealing with these three, he proportionately allocated his strength. The other two presented no surprises; one was dead before he hit the ground, and the other was nearly dead, with severed hands and feet still trying to resist. Now, he was held down by a group of special forces and stabbed to death in a frenzied assault. But the strongest one was still beyond expectation. He had already made his move. When that man flew towards him and was intercepted by the elite marines, had it not been for Gu Hang taking the opportunity to strike him from the shadows, he would not have been so easily stabbed in the stomach. But unexpectedly, even though the guy had clearly pushed his sorcery to the limit and had a knife embedded in his abdomen, he was still able to unleash a tremendous amount of power. He not only used the storm to dismember a marine elite in a horrific manner but also continued to burst forth towards him, blowing him away and a violent storm swept around him. Under normal circumstances, he should have been dead, like the dismembered marine elite. At the crucial moment, it was his talent ¡°Spiritual Energy Shield,¡±which he had gained when he last upgraded his personal level to LV2, that made the difference. This thing didn¡¯t need activation; it triggered passively and came into effect as soon as he took a hit. It indeed saved Gu Hang¡¯s life. As he was sent flying, Gu Hang could feel the violent winds surrounding him, constantly clashing and grinding against his spiritual energy. The power of the storm was so fierce that in almost an instant, Gu Hang¡¯s spiritual energy was almost depleted. Fortunately, the force of the storm came fast and left just as quickly, representing the total power of the opponent¡¯s burst. Once withstood, it was gone. However, after surviving that wave of attack, Gu Hang¡¯s spiritual energy was almost completely drained. But he was not alone; the assault vehicle helped him take the final step. Looking at the enemy that had been blown to smithereens, certain never to rise again, Gu Hang sighed in relief. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Luckily, I had a bit more skill. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Tsk tsk, the female captain¡¯s fan hearts have surpassed the protagonist? LSP¡­ I mean, there really are many discerning readers and lords. PS, there was a data bug earlier; there are 11 members of the T3 marine team, not 9, corrected! Thanks for pointing out the issue! Chapter 48 - Chapter 48: 48 chapters, shall we practice together? Chapter 48: 48 chapters, shall we practice together? The Howling Wind Divine Envoy was dead, left without any human shape to speak of. The priest that had been blown up by the metal spikes also had no recognizable shape left, just a pile of broken remains. The last one looked slightly better in death but only slightly. He was struck in mid-air, breaking an arm and a leg, and even as he fell to the ground trying to resist, he was faced with the onslaught of elite ground warriors, who broke through his Storm Shield and then stabbed him to death with a flurry of knives. After the death of the three priests wielding Storm Divine Power, the winds quickly subsided, and the fog dissipated just as fast. In that short period, the soldiers indeed fell into chaos, their firepower network was affected, and many monsters breached their defenses, with over a dozen Pus Spewers entering range and causing casualties among the soldiers with their spray of pus. However, overall, the chaos caused serious damage but was not fatal. Once the winds and fog cleared, the soldiers regained control of the battlefield. Despite the casualties, they killed all the monsters that had breached their position, and the Pus Spewers, which had only fired one or two volleys of bio-shell, were eliminated by machine guns and the cannons of armored infantry vehicles. Even though the three Storm Priests had perished, the battle did not end immediately. The monsters, to some extent, did follow the Storm Priests¡¯ command, but after the priests¡¯ deaths, the uncontrolled creatures were still tremendously dangerous, maintaining their ferocious state as they constantly surged out of the woods, attempting to attack any living being they could see. But despite their ongoing frenzy and reduced firepower within the position due to earlier casualties, they still couldn¡¯t break through. The gap in firepower was something these primitive monsters couldn¡¯t contend with. It¡¯s said that during a large-scale, mature ¡®Other Tide¡¯, even more advanced monsters would appear, not just limited to the inferior Pus Monsters and Spewers. But at least Gu Hang and his men didn¡¯t encounter any this time. The nests within the woods were still in the phase of accumulating power. Perhaps given a few months to slowly hatch and consume one another, they could grow into a batch of higher-level monsters, and the situation would become troublesome. But now, the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, in an attempt to kill Gu Hang, prematurely accelerated the maturation of most of the nests in the woods, resulting in what seemed like a large-scale attack but was in reality not fraught with many high-level monsters, therefore the threat level was relatively average. In fact, to some extent, the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect¡¯s actions even helped Gu Hang. A large number of nests were matured ahead of time, and a vast number of monsters were gathered here, which could be dealt with all at once. This reduced a significant workload for the troops under Gu Hang¡¯s command in their subsequent task of clearing the entire Other-species woods. As the battle continued, it was evident that the number and density of monsters charging from the thick forest were significantly decreasing. Clearly, they were not truly endless. After being massively culled, there were not many left. Eventually, with Yan Fangxu¡¯s forces arriving on the scene, the battle essentially entered its final stage. When he learned that the governor might be ambushed, he couldn¡¯t stay put waiting for rescue. He took the initiative to lead his troops out, breaking through slowly and methodically. According to his plan, it was not necessary to break through successfully. Even if they could draw some attention to help the governor, that would be good enough. As it turned out, as they moved on, he soon noticed a sudden decrease in the number of monsters he encountered, as if they had all run off elsewhere. He speculated that this was because the battle on the governor¡¯s side had already begun, and he could even hear the roar of gunfire. So, they sped up and reached the battlefield, meeting up with the governor. But by that time, the battle was already drawing to a close. He could only lead the 3rd Battalion to join the fight and help clear the remaining monsters. Soon, there was not a single active monster left in front of the soldiers. ¡­ Perbov stepped on a Pus Monster that had lost its lower half, relying on its hands to crawl on the ground, and he watched as it vainly stretched out its arms to grab him. After pondering for a moment, he lifted his pistol and fired at the monster¡¯s head, silencing it for good. Hearing the footsteps behind him, he turned to see a weary-looking Yan Fangxu approaching. His gaze naturally fell on the other¡¯s shoulder, where the corrosive-ridden fabric revealed reddening, wounded skin underneath. He grinned and said, ¡°Yo, captain, you look quite a mess.¡± Yan Fangxu rolled his eyes irritably, walked up and punched him in the chest, ¡°You¡¯re not looking any better, limping as you walk.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that to come and save you?¡± Having reached this point, Yan Fangxu couldn¡¯t deny it anymore, and his complexion turned a bit dark. Perbov, on the other hand, comforted him, ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, this bunch of trash, rubbish, conscience-fed-to-dogs traitors, they just wanted to use you to ambush the Governor. It¡¯s not on you. Our mission is to be the sword and shield of the Governor. Today, both of us didn¡¯t do a very good job at that, but from now on, I¡¯ll put in even more effort. What about you?¡± Yan Fangxu looked at the officer who had risen through the ranks of the Abandoned Cave Society with some surprise. Why had this guy suddenly voiced such sentiments? He wasn¡¯t aware that the Storm Priest had just charged at Gu Hang, directly threatening the Governor¡¯s life, nor could he imagine how deeply this scene had impacted Perbov, the captain. Unaware of these things, Mr. Captain could only scratch his head and nod, agreeing to it. After saying goodbye to Perbov, Yan Fangxu went to find Gu Hang. The Governor was inside an armored personnel carrier. One of his old subordinates stopped him, ¡°The Governor is resting.¡± ¡°I have something I need to report.¡± The marine seemed torn but still barred his way, ¡°But¡­ Captain, the Governor is resting. It¡¯s better not to disturb him.¡± Yan Fangxu was again surprised. This was not one of the soldiers recruited by Gu Hang on Rage Owl Star, but one of the marines he had brought down from the starship, a direct subordinate. Historically, they had been closer. Even to speak a bit disrespectfully, in private, they had not refrained from complaining about various matters regarding the Governor. The soldiers were loyal to the Governor, but it seemed more out of duty and role. But now, he truly saw respect for the Governor in his old subordinate¡¯s eyes. A question mark slowly rose in his mind: What had just happened? It wasn¡¯t that he found the deep respect and loyalty his subordinates had for the Governor problematic. On the contrary, it was as it should be. But that didn¡¯t stop him from being curious about what had caused these changes. He decided not to wake Gu Hang, but instead pulled his old subordinate aside to ask in detail what had exactly happened in the recent battle. After learning about the situation, Yan Fangxu also fell silent. The Governor had been approached and attacked by the Heretic Cultists but escaped unharmed, only a bit tired; the Governor¡¯s psychic spells had once again proved powerful; his own old subordinates had undergone earth-shattering changes after the Governor¡¯s rapid ¡°special training¡±¡­ All this information was like a fantasy to Yan Fangxu¡¯s ears. Why was there no harm done? Why did those cultists fall from the sky while flying so properly? All this could only be attributed to the marvel of Spiritual Energy. The news that the Governor was a spiritual master, Yan Fangxu could more or less accept. After all, it was not his first day knowing the Governor was a psychic; it was just that his feats seemed more miraculous now. Yan Fangxu tried to convince himself it was no big deal. But could his old marine elites become even stronger? And in such a short period of time? Just like how the Governor trained those ordinary people? Yan Fangxu found it hard to accept and believe. He joked, ¡°So, you lad, are you even more skilled than me now? Want to have a go?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In the past, no marine would dare to accept the challenge. Captain Yan Fangxu was famously tough, and sparring with him meant seeking discomfort. But now, things had changed. The soldier, brimming with eagerness, said, ¡°Sure, let¡¯s do it!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Hey, don¡¯t just look at the girl! Why did we exceed that much in one night? The Governor is pretty handsome too, right? Chapter 49 - Chapter 49: Chapter 49, Battle Settlement Chapter 49: Chapter 49, Battle Settlement Gu Hang sat in an armored infantry vehicle, his face pale as he closed his eyes to recuperate. He was aware of the noise outside, but he was too lazy to bother with it. The battle had just ended, and it had drained him significantly. The main issue was that he had been directly charged. ¡°Spiritual Protection¡± had blocked nearly all the damage, but it had also depleted all of his spiritual energy. In fact, this was a very dangerous situation. According to the education on psychic spells he had received from his memories, completely depleting one¡¯s spirituality could lead to uncontrollable consequences: death, madness, mental abnormalities, personality disintegration¡­ All of these were possibilities. After the battle ended, Gu Hang rested while checking the state of his spirituality, which fortunately, allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. The severe conditions hadn¡¯t appeared; his current symptoms were just some fatigue and a slight headache. Generally speaking, they would improve after some rest. But he still took away some lessons from this experience. This time, it was slightly risky, to the point that he had put himself in danger. But upon careful reflection, Gu Hang didn¡¯t think there was anything particularly wrong with his actions. It was true that he was a governor, but it wasn¡¯t to the extent that he would avoid risk altogether. His enterprise was still in its early stages, and there were times when he had to fight. This time, there was no second psychic in his entire domain. If he hadn¡¯t taken action himself, today¡¯s situation wouldn¡¯t have been resolved. He couldn¡¯t just stand by and let Yan Fangxu and his 3rd Infantry Battalion be trapped and perish in the woods. But the outcome was definitely good. The methods of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect in nurturing and controlling so many monsters certainly weren¡¯t easy; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t still be rats in the sewers. Having used such tactics and lost three formidable priests here, the sect must have suffered significant losses. Even before that, they must have been in a lot of pain already. If it weren¡¯t for him urging Revival City to intensify the crackdown on the cult, forcing them into desperate action and attempting to assassinate him at a great cost, they would not have done so. Well, that¡¯s good. If you didn¡¯t finish me off this time, wait until I get to Revival City and uncover everything you¡¯re hiding. ¡­ After resting for a good while, he felt his condition had recovered a lot. It was only then that he truly had the energy to properly tally his gains. This time, the victory was substantial, though the losses were also the greatest compared to previous battles. But the results were equally significant. [Having a slight upper hand, 86 points of grace obtained] [Losses 103, exterminated 6597, captured 0] [2nd Infantry Battalion: Losses 77, exterminated 4447] [3rd Infantry Battalion: Losses 24, exterminated 1613] [Navy Marine Corps: Losses 2, exterminated 537] Just looking at the casualty ratio, it was impressive, but Gu Hang wasn¡¯t the least bit happy about it. All that had been exterminated were brainless monsters. If they acted according to Yan Fangxu¡¯s strategy, they could almost no loss cleanse each of these monsters¡¯ lairs one by one over the next few months, rather than facing them all at once after they had been rallied. Not to mention facing three Storm Priests at the same time. In total, 103 soldiers were lost, with the 2nd Battalion already exceeding a 25% casualty rate. Most of these casualties happened amidst the raging winds and dense fog. Among them, two recently promoted tier 3 members of the Marine Corps had been killed by the most formidable priest, meaning the invested 2 points of grace were gone. The two regular infantry battalions, especially the 2nd, needed a substantial number of replacement troops. Gu Hang¡¯s total population under his control amounted to just under six thousand. Excluding the Mech Servant Battalion, he had already supported two infantry battalions totaling six hundred men, with a mobilization rate exceeding ten percent. In fact, given the composition of the population, this was already a significant pressure, not to mention Gu Hang needed manpower for various rapidly expanding production lines outside the military. The excessively high mobilization rate was already affecting production efficiency. Especially for the young and able-bodied workers, the shortfall at the Abandoned Cave Society was significant, becoming a limiting factor in development. The army¡¯s casualties would require a further hundred men to be drawn from the labor pool¡­ which was going to be a strain. Gu Hang could already foresee Patel, who was in charge of heavy industry at the Abandoned Cave Society, tearing his hair out. The guy wouldn¡¯t put any obstacles in the way of the young men joining the military for the Governor; in his heart, that was an honor, a defense of their labor achievements. But after the decrease in manpower, how to maintain or even expand production was certainly going to be a headache for him. As for other costs¡­ the textile factory had been set up, and uniforms could be produced in-house, with the relevant design plans already passed on; alloy and plastic steel production lines could turn out armored vests; firearms could either be salvaged from battlefield remnants or newly produced. Even if it was just for soldier training, a hundred soldiers would only cost 1 point in grace. All of these were not an issue. The problem was still the population. They still needed to bleed others dry. The Quintet in the sky was no longer easy to exploit, and going after the lower-end population was also not very meaningful. Gu Hang had other plans for the female captain; on the Quintet, there were plenty of talents he coveted. To annihilate the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, or at least give them a severe blow, he would need to borrow the female captain¡¯s power and also consider it as a form of repayment to Yelisia, but that could be discussed later. What remained were Revival City and Rubbish Town. Most of those in Rubbish Town were adventurers dreaming of striking it rich, and it wasn¡¯t ruled out that some who had been through trials and tribulations now wanted to live the life of an honest person¡­ no, to settle down as an honest person, but it couldn¡¯t be forced. Revival City was a huge source; Gu Hang did not disdain the refugees who could no longer survive outside the city walls. Tens of thousands of people were unrealistic to take in all at once, but he now had ample job positions and abundant food to support many. ¡­ Having thought through the losses, it was now time to consider the gains. 86 points of grace, the largest sum Gu Hang had accrued thus far. It was even more than all the previous ones added together. This gave Gu Hang a sense of having struck it rich. The heavy shadow of the soldiers¡¯ massive casualties and losses was much dispelled by this joy. Of the 86 points of grace, it was estimated that over thirty were ¡®contributed¡¯ by those three priests, with the strongest one alone providing over twenty points. That high priest, just in terms of Spiritual Energy strength, was even greater than Gu Hang. However, when it came to the application of Spiritual Energy, Gu Hang had the nuanced ¡®Soul Severing¡¯ inherited from an ancient family and ¡®Spiritual Protection¡¯ provided by the system, which were much stronger than the high priest who could only use the native Evil God¡¯s power to perform Storm Sorcery. In other words, Gu Hang¡¯s victory was due in part to his powerful spells and numerical advantage. In terms of sheer strength of spirituality, Gu Hang at LV2 still couldn¡¯t match the opponent. Eliminating such a formidable enemy and receiving extra grace seemed only fair. As for the remaining fifty points, they were the spoils of war from the soldiers wiping out over six thousand different monstrous creatures. Clearly, the lives of these creatures were cheap. But the sheer number was impressive, and after more than six thousand fell, they had brought a fair amount of grace to Gu Hang. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It was just a pity that the victory rating only reached a slight advantage, so the grace coefficient gained post-battle was not high enough; otherwise, there might have been room for more. Next came the issue of how to spend this windfall of grace. Feeling elated, he summoned the panel and then saw one old item flashing and a new item appeared. The flashing one was the [Hero] panel. The new appearance was a function named [Event]. Chapter 50 - Chapter 50: Chapter 50, Battle Group? Chapter 50: Chapter 50, Battle Group? The movement within the [Hero] interface was something Gu Hang had anticipated beforehand. After such a brutal battle had ended, he should be able to level up, right? Indeed, upon checking, he was the only one in the Hero panel who met the criteria to level up. But the cost of upgrading made him furrow his brows. 50 points. The price to advance to level 2 was simply too expensive. However, after this ordeal, his desire for personal strength had grown considerably. Leveling up would not only provide him with greater safety but also, a powerful wielder of Spiritual Energy could have a tremendous influence on battles below a certain scale. Even though it was pricey, he was ready to grit his teeth and upgrade himself. But there was no rush. There were some other changes inside the [Hero] panel. He saw that there were two more characters eligible to be activated as Heroes. One was Perbov. This mine foreman from the Abandoned Cave Society, following this battle, seemed to have been recognized by the system as a person of talent, capable of being activated as a hero. And the other one was named Osenia Qinko. Who is this person? Gu Hang was completely baffled. Did he have such a person under his command? Oh, it seemed that he did. Gu Hang remembered skim reading the list of literates among the refugees who had recently moved from Revival City, and it seemed that this name had appeared there. What had this person done to make the system believe she had the capability? Gu Hang¡¯s curiosity was piqued. It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to promote her to a hero right away, but if the system had identified her potential, then even if she wasn¡¯t upgraded, she could be pulled out and entrusted with an important task. Gu Hang felt like he had discovered another way to use the [Hero] function. He could find capable people without upgrading them. Satisfied, Gu Hang closed the [Hero] panel and opened the newly-appeared [Event] panel. [An unknown event is occurring, and you can steer the event in a direction related to you.] [Initiating this event will cost 50 grace points.] [Event countdown to the end: 1 day and 06 hours] Is that it? They want to swindle 50 grace points from me without any information? Without a second thought, Gu Hang closed the [Event] function. Then, after pondering for a bit, he reopened it. He just couldn¡¯t contain his curiosity! The allure of the unknown was just too strong. ¡°Generally, the quality of the system¡¯s products strongly correlates with the number of grace points spent. The more you pay, the better the stuff you get. Except for those two draws of the technology card, where I had a 40% chance but missed twice in a row, it seems it hasn¡¯t duped me yet¡­ Hiss? But wouldn¡¯t drawing an unknown event card also likely be a scam? What if there¡¯s some hidden probability?¡± In just this short while, Gu Hang¡¯s mind wavered, and many thoughts surfaced. He wasn¡¯t usually one to agonize over decisions, but what could he do? Too poor! All problems are problems of poverty. If Gu Hang had enough favor, wouldn¡¯t he have immediately activated this event to see what it was all about? But if he activated the unknown event, the remaining 36 favor would not be enough to upgrade. After thoughtful deliberation, Gu Hang decided to trust the system once more. Although it was a gamble, he still upheld the belief that ¡°system products are worth their value¡± and made his choice. Of course, another important reason was that he had a fallback plan. In a couple of days, a month would go by. By then, the fixed monthly income would come in. With the development trend of the forces under Gu Hang¡¯s command, it should be possible to earn thirty or forty points by then. Adding them up, it should be enough for him to upgrade to LV3. By comparison, the unknown event might be a bit more precious. After all, it had a countdown, and once time expired, the event would disappear. Limited-time lottery, got to win something, right? With that mindset, Gu Hang made his final decision. The 50 points of favor were gone in a snap, and what replaced them was the new information that appeared before his eyes: [Event Activated: Phoenix on the Brink of Death] [A Starfighter Battle Group that is on the verge of annihilation ended its century-long penance expedition and is approaching Rage Owl Star, which seems to have what they¡¯re seeking: redemption and hope.] [Please make your decisions cautiously. Your actions will determine the next phase of this event.] [Event Branch: Unknown.] ¡­ Seeing new event prompts that mentioned a Starfighter Battle Group nearing Rage Owl Star, Gu Hang nearly couldn¡¯t control his facial expression. If a Starfighter Battle Group was offering help, what was there to worry about? Any difficulties on Rage Owl Star would not be able to halt an entire Battle Group¡¯s progress. The term ¡°Starfighter¡± symbolized glory, greatness¡­ and death within the Empire. They are the Death Angels of The Emperor. It is said that thousands of years ago, the Divine Emperor used himself as the template to create many different genetic seeds. He selected the finest people, implanted them with these genetic seeds, and formed the initial Starfighters. Each of them was extraordinary, possessing bodies that were countless times stronger than ordinary people, wearing specially made power armor connected to their nerves. Their solo combat power was extremely formidable; fighting against a hundred was just standard procedure for them. Often, just a few Starfighters in a squad could slice through tens of thousands of soldiers, behead generals, and that was just their routine duty. They were true killing machines, and the Death Angels lived up to their name. During the founding era, the various Starfighter legions were the sharpest swords in the hands of The Emperor, and they made indispensable contributions to creating the Empire¡¯s boundless territories. Latter, about ten thousand years ago, after The Emperor ascended to divinity, all Starfighter legions were divided into smaller Battle Groups. According to the holy scriptures, the size limit for the Starfighter Battle Groups was set at a thousand members. Typically, a Battle Group would have a home planet. The home planet of a Battle Group did not need to pay taxes to the Empire; all its manpower and resources were at the Battle Group¡¯s disposal. A Battle Group could establish a Mortal Auxiliary Army and a Battle Group Fleet, possessing immense autonomy. They would respond to the highest calls to arms from the Empire and engage in the most terrifying of battles. Aside from that, their actions were often whimsical and enjoyed high freedom. In Gu Hang¡¯s understanding, it was like a combination of warlords and feudal lords. Such a Battle Group was coming to Rage Owl Star? Gu Hang quickly became calm again. It¡¯s that same old phrase, system products are worth their value. 50 points of favor likely couldn¡¯t even exchange for a single Starfighter, let alone a Battle Group. It couldn¡¯t be that good of a deal. He also noted the information provided in the event interface ¨C this was a dying Battle Group. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only That¡¯s good. If it were a thriving Battle Group, he wouldn¡¯t have any say. The status of a Battle Group commander might even be higher than that of a Star Sector leader. Gu Hang realized that this event could be a blessing or a curse. He truly had to be as cautious as the system prompt suggested, or the consequences would be dire. But overall, this also meant opportunity. If a Starfighter could provide him with help, he would have an absolute guarantee in terms of military power on Rage Owl Star. Chapter 51 - Chapter 51: Chapter 51, Phoenix on the Brink of Death Chapter 51: Chapter 51, Phoenix on the Brink of Death In a void of the universe infinitely distant in physical space, a fiery red spaceship was sailing. It was scarred, it was not huge, and it carried a battle group on the brink of death. The Phoenix Battle Group had ended their long redemption expedition and now their glory had been restored. The Tribunal of the Eastern Star Domain, representing the Central Empire, personally announced this to the world. But what of it? ¡°We have won the victory of the hundred-year redemption expedition and achieved the victory we most desired, yet we are about to be annihilated,¡± Salas Matins, the leader of the Phoenix Battle Group, would always think sorrowfully. He was the 64th leader of the Phoenix Battle Group. This battle group, with its countless glorious histories, was very likely to come to an end in his hands. What was life like for the battle group before the redemption expedition? Back then, the Phoenix Battle Group was glorious and powerful, they guarded their mother star, received the worship of countless mortals, selected the most excellent youths from among them, subjected them to gene seed modifications, and turned them into one of their own. All the manpower and material resources of the entire planet were at their disposal. Besides being responsible for the defense of their mother star, they would also answer the call of The Emperor, heading to all corners of the universe, participating in one glorious and great war after another. They either crushed each of The Emperor¡¯s enemies to dust or defended one world after another on the brink of destruction. He and his brothers were called The Emperor¡¯s Angels. This glory, accumulated over thousands of years, came to a sudden halt a hundred years ago. Matins bore no resentment. In the ¡®Crape Myrtle Catastrophe,¡¯ the Phoenix Battle Group found themselves on the wrong side. By the grace of the Divine Emperor, they were not purged as traitors, but they were still guilty, and the Tribunal sentenced them to a hundred-year redemption expedition. The so-called redemption expedition meant sending the convicted battle groups on the most difficult and casualty-heavy assault missions without support, supplies, or reinforcements. Once assigned, the mission could not be refused and must be carried out with all effort until death. The vast majority of battle groups sentenced to a redemption expedition could not even last until the end of their punishment. But the Phoenix, true to their name, were indomitable¡ªthey miraculously endured the redemption expedition. They fought in one brutal war after another for a hundred years. During these days, they were still fighting for the empire, but without any honor to speak of. Their battles were for redemption, for a death sentence. During the century-long expedition, the leader of the battle group changed hands six times, and it finally fell to Matins¡ªa man who considered himself of little talent. A few months ago, in the final battle of the redemption expedition, the previous leader launched a suicide charge with the last of the battle group¡¯s elite. They won, but the cost was that no one survived except for Matins and six others who had been left behind. He would always remember the look in his mentor¡¯s eyes when he passed on the medal symbolizing the leader of the battle group before the charge. It was a look filled with expectation, with hope; the future of the battle group weighed heavily on his chest. He was determined to rebuild his battle group, yet he didn¡¯t know how. Their homeworld had long been assigned to another battle group; the fleet had all been destroyed, leaving only the ¡®Burn Feather,¡¯ a small spacecraft that could not even be considered an escort ship; power armor, the armory, the gene seed vault¡ªall had been lost with the crash of the flagship¡­ Perhaps no battle group has ever been in a more miserable state than they were. They could only drift aimlessly in the cosmos like headless flies. Indeed, there were many forces that wished to ¡®help¡¯ them. However, Matins could see through the malicious intentions of those people. They only wanted the seven remaining members of the Phoenix Battle Group to serve as their high-level enforcers. There was no glory, let alone any hope to speak of. Matins thought of the chance to rebuild the warband, the opportunity to continue fighting with honor. Unfortunately, those who tried to help them fell silent when these topics came up. Recently, their spaceship had passed through a Spirit Network tunnel, aimlessly arriving at the Tianma Star Sector. It was just like many other star sectors they had drifted through over the past few months, nothing special. However, it was then that the warband¡¯s priest approached him, claiming that during prayer, he had received a revelation: the hope for the Phoenix Battle Group¡¯s rebirth was right here. Hope rose in Matins¡¯ heart, like a drowning person clutching at a straw. Rationally, he knew he shouldn¡¯t believe it. What was so special about the Tianma Star Sector? An obscure star sector with neither special resources nor a glorious history, nor had any other warband ever been stationed there. How could the hope for the warband¡¯s rebirth lie here? Yet emotionally, he almost instantly believed it. It was only a matter of months, trivial compared to the modified, elongated lifespans of interstellar warriors, but he felt he had already endured an endless ordeal. This emptiness was even more painful than the punitive expedition. Given the chance, he was eager to seize it. The warband¡¯s priest, also his most trusted battle brother, had been holed up in the prayer room for two days without any sign of activity. Matins¡¯ anxiety gradually intensified. But now, at this moment, the anxiety found its outcome. He heard heavy footsteps, turned his head, and saw someone clad in the distinctive black power armor of a priest, with a helmet shaped like a skull, and large shoulder pads painted in the warband¡¯s fiery red colors and the Phoenix design, symbolizing their identity. It was Rizzo, the eldest of the surviving seven, who had fought with the warband for four hundred years. He was supposed to have joined the final battle to the death, but the former warband leader had forcefully held him back. The warband needed his experience, to assist Matins. ¡°Priest Rizzo, you¡¯ve finally emerged. Was your prayer fruitful?¡± ¡°Yes, warband leader,¡± Rizzo¡¯s voice was tired but also held a hint of anticipation, ¡°I have received a more precise revelation. The Phoenix¡¯s chance of rebirth lies right here!¡± The priest¡¯s finger came to rest on the star map. There, was Rage Owl Star. Matins looked bewildered, scouring his memory and coming up with nothing special about this world. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Are you sure there¡¯s no mistake?¡± ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± Rizzo confidently replied, ¡°The Divine Emperor¡¯s revelation states that the chance for the Phoenix Battle Group¡¯s rebirth is there¡ªat the hands of that world¡¯s governor.¡± Matins paced back and forth, then finally made a decision, ¡°Alright, change course. To Rage Owl Star, we go!¡± The revelation received by Priest Rizzo was the only opportunity in the past few months that Matins had been looking forward to. Although he had never heard of the world of Rage Owl Star having any particular significance, since it was a revelation by the Divine Emperor, surely it meant a powerful governor, who might be willing to help the warband in its reconstruction! Chapter 52 - Chapter 52: 52 chapters, not considered a beating Chapter 52: 52 chapters, not considered a beating After activating the event ¡°The Phoenix Shall Die,¡± Gu Hang had 36 grace points left. Not few, but not enough. For a moment, he was itching to use these grace points for drawing cards. A 40% chance of winning, could he really not get it after three draws? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! But in the end, he chose not to do it. He still wanted to level up. He would wait for the monthly fixed income to be disbursed, and along with these 36 points, it would be enough. If he spent the grace points now, he wouldn¡¯t be able to level up in a few days. Finally, he suppressed the urge to draw cards. ¡­ After Gu Hang had sorted out the various system functions, he had also rested quite well. Although his head still hurt a bit, it was much better compared to when the battle had just ended. This also reassured Gu Hang quite a bit: it seemed that the previous depletion of his spirituality was not severe and didn¡¯t affect his foundation. Leaving the combat vehicle, the work of cleaning up the battlefield continued. The soldiers had collected a large number of monster corpses, or the remnants shattered in the battle. There was too much to transport in one go, so the leftovers were piled up to be transported later. These were all raw materials for the synthetic starch production line. In other places, ¡°corpse starch¡± might be a dark term, but for Gu Hang, it seemed literal¡­ Despite the fact that people starving in the wastelands might not care about this, as long as they faced no illness or not too severe an illness from eating it, anything was better than hunger. But Gu Hang still strived to keep this information concealed. It wasn¡¯t entirely secret, but he definitely wouldn¡¯t promote it actively. After all, it wasn¡¯t something glorious. While the troops were busy, Yan Fangxu came to find him again. Seeing the Captain with a slightly crooked nose and a bruise above his left eye, Gu Hang was taken aback for a moment: ¡°How did you get injured like this? That doesn¡¯t seem to be the kind of injury a pus monster could cause, right?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ it¡¯s nothing much¡­¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Realizing something as he looked at the captain¡¯s embarrassed face, Gu Hang suddenly understood and remembered something he had almost forgotten, ¡°Were you beaten up by your former subordinates?¡± Yan Fangxu immediately became anxious, ¡°What beating up? How could you say it was a beating? I just¡­ just accidentally lost one or two moves¡­ It¡¯s not a beating¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Gu Hang laughed, ¡°Right, right, not a beating, just a small beating.¡± Yan Fangxu fell silent. He didn¡¯t want to talk to the governor anymore, but couldn¡¯t help feeling eager. He hesitated and nonetheless couldn¡¯t resist saying, ¡°That¡­ Governor¡­ regarding that intensive training¡­ I¡­¡± He was somewhat embarrassed to fully express his request. Having been beaten by his former subordinates, and then having to ask the governor for special intensive training felt somewhat embarrassing to him. Gu Hang patted Yan Fangxu on the shoulder and said, ¡°How could I refuse such a small request? Not now though. You have greater potential, and you deserve more rigorous, more valuable training.¡± Yan Fangxu¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Thank you, Governor!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be haste to thank me, but let me be clear, with gains come sacrifices, nothing in this world comes without a price. If you want to receive my grace, you should serve me with even greater sincerity.¡± Yan Fangxu understood Gu Hang¡¯s meaning. But he dared not agree. He was a member of the Imperial Navy, his future still lay in the stars and the vast ocean. Should he transfer allegiance to a planetary governor and join the Planetary Defense Force? There is a disparity here. The Imperial Military¡¯s system is roughly divided into three parts: the Imperial Navy, the Imperial Star Realm Army, and the Planetary Defense Force (PDF). The first two are direct imperial forces with relatively higher status, theoretically taking commands directly from Central Empire and receiving supplies from it. As for the PDF, it¡¯s just a planetary-level defense force, established and led by the planet¡¯s governor. The Empire does not take care of the training, equipping, or supplying of the PDF, but sometimes it would draft the PDF into the Star Realm Army, or when Imperial taxes evaporate. Often in intense interstellar wars, the PDF would also be used as cannon fodder by the Empire¡¯s main forces. Would those Navy bigshots even deign to glance at the Star Realm Army¡¯s grunts, let alone a mere PDF? Compared to a captain in the Imperial Navy, who would be stupid enough to choose the former? But what if it were a general from the Planetary Defense Force compared to a Navy captain? Well¡­ that¡¯s not so easy to say. A captain from the Navy Marine Corps, like Yan Fangxu, at his peak, only commanded a special Marine company, with just over a hundred men; now, he has even fewer, only thirty. But if he became a general, he might be able to become a pivotal figure on this planet. But could he really become a general? Relying on the governor would mean betting everything on this one person being able to win. Yan Fangxu was a bit hesitant to wager. He wasn¡¯t a barefooted man, unlike the native residents on Rage Owl Star. Watching Yan Fangxu, who was caught in a dilemma, Gu Hang did not press him. He smiled and patted Yan¡¯s shoulder, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t rush, there¡¯s still time. You don¡¯t have to make a decision now. No matter what, you are my subordinate right now, you follow my orders. As for the future, I believe when it comes, you will make your decision.¡± Yan Fangxu breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Gu Hang with gratitude. Thankfully, the governor didn¡¯t force him to make a choice right there and then. He was afraid of choosing wrongly. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. What do you need to see me for?¡± ¡°Actually, there is an important issue. A contingent from Revival City has approached our location. They seem to bear no hostility, and the person leading them claims to be the grandson of Lambert Hodgson from the Alliance Council, coming to ensure the governor¡¯s safety.¡± Gu Hang wore a strange expression, his tone somewhere between sarcasm or sigh, ¡°A force from the Alliance Council¡­ Whether they come with ill intentions or indeed to protect me, their arrival is a bit too late.¡± ¡°What should we do now? Drive them away?¡± ¡°No,¡± Gu Hang waved his hand dismissively, ¡°The affair has concluded. I¡¯m curious to see what they really want. Take the 3rd battalion up there, disarm them all, and then bring them here. The battlefield needs more people for cleanup, and I also want to meet this grandson of the Council Chairman to see what news he brings me.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yan Fangxu went to work. He didn¡¯t keep Gu Hang waiting long, and soon he brought the people. About five hundred soldiers, empty-handed and honestly started cleaning up the battlefield, moving monster corpses alongside Gu Hang¡¯s own warriors. Also, a young man dressed in military attire was brought before Gu Hang. ¡°Lambert Hodgson,¡± Gu Hang read his name. The young Lambert saluted Gu Hang and greeted loudly, ¡°Good day, Excellency the Governor!¡± ¡°Why have you come?¡± ¡°I have come to protect the Governor.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Does your grandfather know you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here on the orders of the Chairman of the Council!¡± ¡°Then your timing is rather fortuitous, my battle has ended, and the enemy has been eliminated. You should have arrived earlier, no matter what you intended to do.¡± Lambert said, ¡°I apologize, Governor, for our tardiness¡­ I understand your suspicions. But please believe that we indeed came to protect you. My men and I will unconditionally obey any of your orders, without complaint or regret.¡± Gu Hang smiled. Chapter 53 - Chapter 53: Chapter 53, The Second Governor General Chapter 53: Chapter 53, The Second Governor General Gu Hang revealed a smile. He stepped forward and gave Lambert a big hug, ¡°I¡¯m willing to trust you, welcome aboard, young comrade.¡± Lambert¡¯s expression was sincere, but Gu Hang didn¡¯t completely trust him either. After all, the guy brought a group of people with him, surrendered his weapons when asked, and worked when told; what was there to worry about? Gu Hang didn¡¯t expect much from them, nor would he use them for important tasks. Just let them clean up the battlefield, carry loads¡ªwho couldn¡¯t do that? Using them was simple. As for trust, that wasn¡¯t something to be shown through words. With more time and more shared experiences, he would eventually show his true colors. Moreover, this guy brought Gu Hang an even bigger surprise. Following him, apart from five hundred armed soldiers, there were also more than two thousand refugees. According to Lambert, these were the people he had recruited from outside the city when he set out. The reason he did so was that he had heard of a merchant named Dennison Henry who had recruited refugees for the governor. Figuring there was a significant labor shortage here, he did the same upon departure. Not only that, he also arranged for people to carry out long-term resettlement propaganda outside Revival City, promoting that the governor¡¯s place offered good jobs, treatment, and enough food and clothing to live on. Wow, the young man was on the right track. Gu Hang was overjoyed in his heart. Because of this, he even felt embarrassed to chastise Hodgson when he was on the phone with him. But, in fact, there wasn¡¯t much to criticize. The attack shouldn¡¯t have had anything to do with them, at least currently there was no evidence to prove this. It was the cultists who took action, and the powerful Storm Sorcery made it very clear. Moreover, before the attack, it was Hodgson who had given him the warning in advance. Now, Hodgson also said that they had made further progress in their crackdown on the cult. They had captured two mid-level missionaries of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, and had learned that this cult organization was indeed secretly stepping up its actions in Revival City and that there might be a plan underway. If followed up, there should be more to be gained. In addition to the cult issue that Gu Hang used to leverage against the Alliance Government, Hodgson¡¯s performance in other aspects also satisfied Gu Hang. Sending a grandson over, whether to serve him or to be a hostage, was in itself a statement on the attitude. Practically, he also made his stance very clear. The five hundred soldiers and two thousand refugees might not mean much; Hodgson had already implicitly promised that he would act in accordance with Gu Hang¡¯s instructions within Revival City and cooperate with the governor. But Hodgson also said that he needed the governor to understand his difficulties. He was the Speaker of the Council, but not an autocrat. Directly providing resources, promoting a law, replacing a councilman, or moving the military on a large scale¡­ all these ultimately required discussion by the entire council and the formation of a resolution. Gu Hang didn¡¯t press the issue any further. There was no point in pressing. Currently, Hodgson could be considered on his side, at least that¡¯s what his attitude suggested. Pressuring him was meaningless. On the contrary, Gu Hang needed Hodgson¡¯s help to push the other councilmen. This time, Gu Hang had a long talk with Hodgson. They discussed what Gu Hang needed Hodgson to do, what support to provide, how to progressively advance Gu Hang¡¯s will, and under what conditions Gu Hang would consider moving back to Revival City. They even briefly touched on some of the policies and reforms he would implement as head of the Alliance, how to ensure the planet could pay taxes in two years while still guaranteeing its development¡­ The conversation wasn¡¯t deep, and most topics were just touched upon. After all, Gu Hang didn¡¯t fully trust this council speaker who had expressed his willingness to side with him. But the fact that they could discuss such issues so extensively meant that Gu Hang, to some extent, had accepted the council speaker. For now, Gu Hang did not plan to visit Revival City anytime soon. The cult issue had not been resolved, and his safety in Revival City was not guaranteed; power was not yet fully centralized, and without this concentration of power, he would not be as effective; his own power reserves were also not yet sufficient, and without them, he would not be able to exert full authority once in Revival City¡­ But that time won¡¯t be too far away. ¡­ Revival City, inner city district, a private club. Three individuals, famous throughout the entire Alliance, were gathered here. These three were Alliance Councilmen, and each owned significant industries within Revival City. However, their expressions were very grim.Bradford spoke, ¡°The recording, everyone has listened to it. Don¡¯t be silent, let¡¯s discuss our thoughts.¡± He was a business tycoon in Revival City. While he didn¡¯t own many industrial businesses, he had strong commercial channels to the east, south, west, and north. Many products from Revival City had to go through his channels to be sold; things that Revival City did not produce needed to be purchased through his channels. In Revival City, a place centered around commercial hubs, his status was evident. After Bradford had spoken, the old man sitting beside him shook his head and said, ¡°I just can¡¯t understand why Hodgson would do this. Is he not afraid of the same situation that the second Governor-General faced?¡± This man was Norris, his family were industrial magnates in Revival City. Their enterprises included food, chemical, and textile factories, among other important categories, and they were also involved in the medical industry. He was an important ally of Wohan, and the collapse of Wohan¡¯s industries after his death had also significantly impacted him. When he mentioned ¡®the situation of the second Governor-General,¡¯ the other two¡¯s expressions became even darker. They all simultaneously recalled that dreadful era. Twelve years ago, the second Governor-General arrived at Rage Owl Star aboard an escort ship. At that time, the Alliance was very powerful. Although its structure was somewhat loose, it was suited to the reality of Rage Owl Star, where the major powers, if not absolutely obedient, would at least respond to the requests of the Alliance Government. This was the solid foundation built by the first Governor-General. However, this foundation nearly collapsed within a mere six years. Upon taking office and seizing the reins of the Governor-Generalship, he did not follow the previous Governor-General¡¯s approach of recuperation and development above all. He believed that it was due to the mercy and weakness of the previous generation that tax revenues were insufficient. The natives of Rage Owl Star were disloyal and needed to be punished with the harshest attitudes to make them pay their taxes. He held this position for six years, in the first two of which he managed to collect enough imperial taxes through plundering and coercion. However, his tyranny also sparked unrest that swept across the entire world. Rebellions flared up everywhere, some powers withdrew from the Alliance, some paid lip service while defying in secret, some resisted violently, and some were destroyed¡­ The population of the entire planet suffered a huge loss in those six years. This loss included a large number of people who were handed over as imperial taxes and many who died due to the unrest or starved or froze to death due to the shortage of supplies¡­ The seventeen years of recuperation by the first Governor-General on Rage Owl Star were almost destroyed in an instant. And the second Governor-General, naturally unable to sustain the third tax collection, died at the hands of the Imperial Taxation Department. Those six years were a time that no person on Rage Owl Star ever wanted to live through again. Whether poor or rich. The last of the three, stood up. He was burly and still wore camouflage military uniform even when meeting with friends. He was Mondok, a general of the Alliance. Inside Revival City, those constantly ready ten thousand soldiers, those more than twenty aircraft, those seventy tanks, in theory, were all under his command. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Everything must get back on track. Hodgson¡¯s mistakes must be corrected.¡± ¡°Impeachment in the council? I remember the next council meeting is in four days, but we might not be successful. Hodgson has been operating for many years and has quite a few supporters; it would take us a long time to coordinate¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± Mondok rejected the idea, ¡°That¡¯s too slow, we need a faster way.¡± The other two were stunned. They saw Mondok¡¯s somewhat ferocious expression. Chapter 54 - Chapter 54: Chapter 54, activate this girl for me Chapter 54: Chapter 54, activate this girl for me The situation in Revival City was tricky, and Gu Hang could guess a bit, but he couldn¡¯t know too explicitly. He also didn¡¯t have the inclination to bother with it. He was still squeezing every bit of progress out of the entire territory. The replenishment work of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions continued, and Gu Hang planned to conscript another infantry battalion. The new migrants were an important source of soldiers. When he had a choice, Gu Hang always strived to avoid having soldiers from the same source within a single unit. But now, all the other groups under his command had been mobilized several times already, making it hard to draw more hands. Therefore, Gu Hang simply took the three hundred newly conscripted soldiers, spent 3 points of grace for their initial training, then drew some veterans from the 2nd and 3rd Battalions and mixed them into the 4th Battalion. By now, the total population under Gu Hang¡¯s command had reached eight thousand, with one thousand one hundred soldiers. The manpower gap was still large. However, the preparations made by Hodgson and his grandson were gradually beginning to have an effect. Apart from the over two thousand migrants who arrived with Lambert, every day migrants kept coming in trickles, drawn by the propaganda about the Governor¡¯s Camp, bringing their families along for the migration. This allowed Gu Hang¡¯s forces to grow by a few dozen to a couple hundred people every day. Though it was not quite quenching the thirst, having a steady supply of water was a good thing. One by one, smelting furnaces were being produced by the Black Box Mother Machine and sent to the Abandoned Cave Society; carts of calcined lime, metal scrap, and metal ores were transported from Rubbish Town and delivered into the smelting factories. The alloy steel fabricated at the Abandoned Cave Society was partly sent to Revival City to be sold through Dennison Henry¡¯s channels, partly remained at the Abandoned Cave Society to be fashioned into armored vests, prioritized for the Governor¡¯s newly conscripted soldiers, but also partly sold in Rubbish Town. Another part of the alloy steel entered the newly established G9 Gun Family workshops, being processed into various parts before being assembled again¡­ The G9 Gun Family had gradually begun mass production within Gu Hang¡¯s territory, no longer relying solely on production from the Mother Machine as before. The population of the Abandoned Cave Society had even surpassed that of the Governor¡¯s Camp. Heavy industry was like a black hole for population; it seemed as if no matter how many people were thrown into it, it could consume them all. Here at the Governor¡¯s Camp, however, the development of light industry was not as rapid. The textile factory and the synthetic starch factory had started operations. But the latter did not have enough machines, and the technicians who had come down from the starship had not yet cracked the way to manufacture the synthetic starch machines based on the current industrial foundation. Currently, only two production lines were operating. The former, in theory, should have been able to absorb a lot of people, but according to the plan, the heavy industry of the Abandoned Cave Society had a higher priority when it came to recruiting workers, which meant that the textile factory here could only recruit female workers¡ªeven many of the female workers had gone to the Abandoned Cave Society. Meanwhile, there was also a high demand for construction workers in both places. Factories needed expansion, residences needed enlarging, and besides these, structures like shops, distribution centers, canteens, schools, and administrative bodies¡­ all required construction. And the corresponding facilities needed more people to fill them. Population, population, and still population. The unemployment rate within Gu Hang¡¯s forces was nearly zero. This also meant that every citizen who arrived at the Governor¡¯s Camp was warmly welcomed. The heads of factories, production lines, and departments were scrambling to recruit people. Men went to the factories, women to the textile mills, children were taken care of collectively, with educational institutions; even the elderly who could still walk were always given some work to free up another labor force¡­ At a time when the forces under him were running as if wound up by a spring, Gu Hang also welcomed the settlement of his second month after arriving at Rage Owl Star. [Current Grace Points: 88] [Monthly Fixed Income: 56] [Governor¡¯s Temporary Camp: 17/Terra month] [Abandoned Cave Society: 39/Terra Month] The fixed monthly income was distributed. Previously, he had 36 points of grace left. After replenishing troops for the 2nd and 3rd camps and establishing the 4th camp, a total of four hundred new soldiers needed training, which cost 4 points of grace. With the 56 points issued this month, the total was now 88. Here in the monthly income figure, the development speed was quantitatively compared. About half a month ago, this number was just over twenty, and now it had more than doubled. This was already the limit under the current population size. To increase it further, a significant rise in population was necessary while still maintaining an extremely low unemployment rate and a relatively high production efficiency. With this in mind, Gu Hang looked at the hundreds of thousands of impoverished people outside Revival City and felt it was a sheer waste of resources. With this scale of population, what a terrifying figure it could be if everyone was utilized to their full potential? To let them suffer outside the city from unemployment, hunger, and cold was an immense loss. However, coming back to the development of his own power, Gu Hang felt that his thinking had expanded after meeting a certain individual. That person was named Osenia. It was after the battle in the alien woodland that he noticed her appear on the [Hero] interface, a person who could be awakened as a hero. Initially, Gu Hang thought that this girl, who did not seem like a warrior at all, might possess some spiritual energy talent and could awaken as a spiritual energy wielder after being activated in the [Hero] interface. Spiritual energy talent was one in a million among the human population. But after all, he had eight thousand people under his command; wouldn¡¯t it be reasonable for one to emerge? But after meeting her in person, Gu Hang was initially a bit disappointed. The girl did not have the spiritual energy talent he had imagined. As a spiritual energy master himself, he was able to make that judgment. But after in-depth interaction, and even getting to know what the girl had done after joining the textile factory and becoming a management member, Gu Hang realized he might have picked up a treasure no less valuable than a spiritual energy wielder. To put it plainly, there wasn¡¯t anything too extraordinary. Osenia hadn¡¯t improved any processes; she simply reorganized the entire factory¡¯s work system according to her own ideas and trained a few deputies to implement and execute the system with her. Accounting records, work plans, incentive policies, result assessments, execution efficiency¡­ When all these things were put into practice, one after another, the management efficiency of the textile factory was tangibly improved. The inevitable chaos and rudimentary practices during the rapid development of his territory were effectively mitigated. This made Gu Hang realize that maybe the limit hadn¡¯t been reached. Even without an increase in population or equipment, the establishment and continuous reform of administrative management systems could still enhance productivity. The relationship between the economic base and the superstructure? Gu Hang pondered wildly in his head. To be honest, these jobs, these systems and policies, if Gu Hang were to do them himself, of course, wouldn¡¯t be bad. But he was the Governor, the ruler, with all matters of military, politics, and finance to consider. Getting bogged down in the details of every little thing was unrealistic. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It might still be manageable now, but in the future, as his power grew even larger, it would become increasingly impossible for him to do so. He needed an efficient administrative system, bureaucrats, civil servants; these roles were essential. And this girl seemed like a good choice. Her potential had even been recognized by the system. With that, Gu Hang didn¡¯t have many other hesitations. System, activate this girl for me! Chapter 55 - Chapter 55: Chapter 55, Excellent Government Officer Chapter 55: Chapter 55, Excellent Government Officer Osenia felt somewhat dizzy as she left the Governor¡¯s residence¡ªreally just a big house. At first, when she learned that His Excellency the Governor wanted to see her, she was quite nervous. She was naturally poised and graceful, and after several months of hardship, she had added a wildcat¡¯s tenacity, willing to fight and desperate to survive. Yet she still felt nervous, at a loss. The ordeals of those months were deeply etched in her heart, so much so that upon arriving at the Governor¡¯s Camp and settling into a stable life where she no longer needed to worry about tomorrow¡¯s food or safety, she cherished it immensely. She worked hard at her job, entering the textile factory and, because she could read the most, she became a manager. She did her utmost to put forth and implement her ideas and experiences, as well as the knowledge from books she had read before the war. She felt she was doing quite well, but admittedly, in some areas, if not ¡®heretical¡¯, at least she was different from other factories and units. Could it be that His Excellency was angry about this? With a heart full of trepidation, she met with the Governor. This was her first time seeing the Governor up close. She had expected him to be a dignified man, but to her surprise, he was quite young, not much older than herself. He had a handsome face, wore a golden, gorgeous, crisp military uniform, but his smile was quite amiable. The Governor first inquired about her living situation and her past experiences to which she answered one by one. As the conversation progressed, her mood eased slightly. They then discussed her work at the textile factory and her thoughts, and while listening, he would occasionally pose more in-depth questions and suggestions. Osenia found her exchange with the Governor very pleasant. She discovered the Governor was a great listener and posed appropriate questions. At the same time, she also found the Governor¡¯s insights profound, providing her with much inspiration. It was a great harvest. And after their conversation concluded, something completely unexpected happened. His Excellency mentioned establishing a new department, named ¡®Production Department,¡¯ aimed at overseeing all the factories, setting production plans, and optimizing systems. And she was to be appointed as the acting head of the Production Department. Osenia was stunned. Her first doubt was whether her ears were broken and she had misunderstood. After confirming it was correct, she began to wonder if there was something wrong with¡­ oh, such thoughts were disrespectful. But that was more or less the gist of her concerns. How could she, a little white rabbit who knew nothing, suddenly take on such an important job? Gu Hang did not give her the power to refuse. Nor would she refuse. She felt flustered and panicked, at a loss. If this had happened a few months earlier when she truly was a young lady, she might have chosen to flee out of fear of not being able to handle it. But now, after months of hardship, she understood that every opportunity had to be fought for, had to be grasped. His Excellency had given her the opportunity, and she was fully aware of what the position, this job, meant. She had no idea what she was doing, but it did not prevent her from trying to convince herself that she had to try to do it, she had to change her own destiny. She couldn¡¯t waste the chance given by the Governor, she had to be worthy of his trust, only then could she take her fate into her own hands. And besides¡­ it wasn¡¯t as if she really lacked the ability to do it. The past her, probably wouldn¡¯t have been up to it. But now, after her talk with the Governor, as she walked out, her mind kept churning. His words seemed to have turned into some strange, massive, and useful knowledge. Many things that previously stumped her, that she didn¡¯t know how to handle, now seemed to click, and she was able to find suitable methods to deal with them; many areas that she thought were well-handled before now seemed to have better solutions to improve the outcomes. She had sensed this during her conversation with the Governor. He wasn¡¯t quite sure why that was the case and casually expressed his wonder. Then he saw the governor reveal what seemed to her a rather strange smile: ¡°Under normal circumstances, perhaps this is The Emperor¡¯s revelation.¡± ¡°This is your revelation,¡± she complimented thus. Gu Hang burst into laughter at the time and waved his hand dismissively, ¡°Don¡¯t, please don¡¯t say that. I can¡¯t shoulder such a responsibility.¡± ¡­ [Hero Activated: Osenia (N)] [Level: lv1] [Physique 4, Spirituality 5, Command 7, Politics 9] [Trait:] [Excellent Civil Servant: Skilled in statistics, arrangement, and planning of political and economic affairs. Placing her in a suitable position can enhance administrative efficiency. Politics +1] ¡­ Looking at the ¡®n,¡¯ Gu Hang had an awkward expression. Above the ¡®n,¡¯ shouldn¡¯t there be ¡®r¡¯, ¡®sr¡¯, ¡®ssr¡¯ too? Turns out this wasn¡¯t some farming system, nor was it a war system, but a gacha system, right? And it even includes elements of character development. So far, three features with a random element had appeared in his system. Gu Hang complained inwardly. However, being able to activate Osenia was quite good. It was even more valuable than activating Yan Fangxu. Within the current scope of Gu Hang¡¯s influence, there was a shortage of population, but an even greater shortage of talent. On the military side, it might be slightly better. After all, the Army Badge System could provide a training bonus for the entire troop, and there was Yan Fangxu, the bona fide captain of the Imperial Navy. Even without activating him as a hero, he still had exceptional military command skills. Put simply, he was serviceable. On the other hand, for administrative work, Gu Hang really didn¡¯t have any suitable candidates under his command. Until now, he had only been able to use his little attendant Zhang Chao and Patel to manage the entire camp¡¯s affairs. This was a lot of pressure for both of them. Zhang Chao did a passable job, without any major mistakes, but that was also because Gu Hang did not have many expectations for him. If there were any further demands, it would likely be too much for Zhang Chao to bear. Additionally, Patel, the former leader of the Abandoned Cave Society, was currently in charge of their heavy industry conglomerate. He was learning while doing the job, and his past experience was far from sufficient to deal with the various emerging issues during the rapid development of the Abandoned Cave Society¡¯s heavy industry. He was working hard, but it was also tough, and even with such efforts, it was very difficult to elevate his own skills to the necessary level. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now that he had Osenia on his team, Gu Hang could be a little more at ease with the administrative work. As for promoting someone to such an important position so quickly, which might seem like rushing things and, in the future, possibly leaving no room for promotion¡­ that was possible, but Gu Hang didn¡¯t have the luxury to worry about that now. First solve the immediate problems; the right way to use people, later, will do. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Osenia now had a picture too! Chapter 56 - Chapter 56: Chapter 56, Draw Cards! Engine! Chapter 56: Chapter 56, Draw Cards! Engine! In the process of activating Osenia as a hero, Gu Hang also discovered a hidden mechanism within the system. It seemed that the individuals who could be turned into heroes were not fixed. Osenia had not been at his camp from the very first day, but it was only after she exhibited exceptional abilities that the system detected her potential and determined that she could be activated. Then, as people like Patel and Zhang Chao gained more work experience and improved their insights, was it possible that their potential could rise and they could become candidates eligible for activation? Even Osenia, who was initially designated as the lowest ¡®N¡¯ rarity, could there be a chance for her potential to increase in the future? Gu Hang felt it was very likely. The real world was not a game; people change. Those with outstanding talents might fall short, and those with less talent might one day have a sudden epiphany; all of this was unpredictable. ¡­ After spending ten points of favor on Osenia, Gu Hang still had 78 points in hand. Without a doubt, he spent 50 points directly on himself. Level up! [Level-up successful, Physical attribute +1, Spiritual attribute +1] [Please choose one new talent from among Physical, Spiritual, Command, Leadership, and Unique directions.] Gu Hang, as usual, tried clicking on Unique, but nothing came of it. With no other choice, Gu Hang could only take the path laid out before him. What to choose, he had already made up his mind¡ªit was still the Spiritual path. [Telekinesis Control: You can now use Spiritual Energy to directly manipulate physical objects. Spiritual +1] This Spiritual Talent was quite plain and unadorned. Gu Hang remembered that many Psychic Casters had their Psychic Talents manifest in this way, which was quite conventional. But conventional didn¡¯t mean weak. On the contrary, it was a very powerful talent, especially when a Psychic Caster¡¯s own Spiritual strength was sufficiently substantial. It was indeed a bit of a pity not to have drawn an even more awesome and powerful Psychic Talent, but the result itself was not bad. Subsequently, his overall attributes became as follows: [Hero: Gu Hang (Faction Leader), LV3, insufficient experience to level up] [Physical: 9, Spiritual: 17] [Traits: Psychic Caster, Governor of Rage Owl Star] [Talents: Protective Spiritual Energy, Telekinesis Control] ¡­ A special note on attributes: Gu Hang had now figured out that the average level for a healthy average person was around 5. Take Osenia as an example; she was somewhat frail, had normal Spiritual Energy similar to an average person, had decent Command ability fit for leadership, found military command challenging but could manage logistics without much trouble. Her highest attribute was political, making her more suitable as a high-quality civil servant. Gu Hang¡¯s own traits, however, did not display Command and Political points. It seemed the system was reluctant to quantify his abilities in these two aspects. On the other hand, his Physical and Spiritual abilities, being objective, would each increase by one point with every level he gained. Every point represented approximately a 1.5 times growth. Now, his physical attributes, from strength to resilience to neural response speed¡­ a range of abilities, together, were approximately five times that of an ordinary person. And his spiritual attribute had reached 129 times that of a normal person! If before, his total spiritual strength could only be considered that of an excellent Psychic Caster, now it could be regarded as powerful. Who isn¡¯t a master of spiritual energy now? Gu Hang was quite satisfied with this. If he were to go back to the battle in the alien forest a few days ago, it would become incredibly easy. When those three cultists rode out of the woods on their storm birds, he could have crushed the trio mid-air, without having to wait for them to get within a certain range as he did before, or rely on the elite land troops that had been enhanced to assist him. In fact, he had almost figured it out by now; things like spiritual talent were just icing on the cake. What truly made a decisive difference was the spiritual attribute itself. This factor determined the overall strength of spiritual energy. As long as it was high enough, even the most rudimentary methods of use could be decisive at critical moments. A single stroke of strength defeats ten sessions of training; that¡¯s the idea. Having completed his self-improvement, Gu Hang still had 28 points of grace left to spend. After some thought, he couldn¡¯t resist and spent them on drawing a technology card. This time, with a 40% chance, he struck gold on the first try. Gu Hang let out a long sigh of relief; if he had missed twice in a row, he would have called the police. He couldn¡¯t wait to see what the newly drawn technology was. [Basic Technology: ¡®Whetstone¡¯ Hybrid Engine] [The most frequently used engine within the limitless boundaries of the Empire World. It can adaptably utilize a variety of power sources including diverse types of biofuels, fossil fuels, and batteries. Configurable and scalable, while not advanced or powerful, it¡¯s remarkably versatile and is seen in countless Empire Worlds.] Gu Hang was ecstatic. Technology cards always bring out the good stuff! Uh¡­ given the current ragged state of the forces under his command, it seems that anything drawn would be impressive. But regardless, the ¡®Whetstone¡¯ Engine still had an irreplaceable role. As the system description says, this thing is not exactly cutting-edge. At least compared to those mighty engines that utilize matter reactors, energy crystals, or super-compressed energy sources, it falls far short. But if Gu Hang were given one of those high-end engines, he wouldn¡¯t be able to use it. He had no access to adequate, quality nuclear fuels, couldn¡¯t mass-produce energy crystals, let alone super-compressed or spiritualized energy sources. And even if he had these advanced energy sources, they would be of little use. These more powerful sources of energy are used in power armors, Titan Mechas, mobile fortresses, and various starships. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t build any of that. The low-end properties of the ¡®Whetstone¡¯ Engine were just right. Its most outstanding feature was its indifference to the type of fuel used. Hook it up to a battery, and it works; fill it with diesel, gasoline, or kerosene, and it works; toss in some biomass fuel, throw in some firewood or crops, which after pyrolysis or gasification produce liquid or gaseous fuel, and it still works. Moreover, its range of application is very wide. It can be configured to be small, rudimentary, and durable¡ªlike a tricycle; or a bit larger and more powerful for making tanks; or even larger, set up as a power group to drive cargo ships; or made lighter and of higher quality, with better fuels, to serve as an aviation engine¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It¡¯s incredibly suitable. With it, the construction machinery and vehicle manufacturing industries under Gu Hang¡¯s command have found their solution. He had been thinking that, as the territory developed and transportation demand grew, the brute oxen strength he had ¡°extorted¡± from Revival City and subsequently commandeered during material transportation was becoming increasingly insufficient, and he was considering where to get some more oxen. Now, he need not worry about that anymore. Who still uses outdated animal power! At most, it would be used in some rough terrain where vehicles couldn¡¯t run, to make some use of the remaining heat. Chapter 57 - Chapter 57: Chapter 57, The Curious Engineer Chapter 57: Chapter 57, The Curious Engineer ¡°` Having an engine doesn¡¯t mean you have a car or construction machinery. Chassis, moving parts, suspension systems, transmission systems, body design, control systems¡­ to build a good car, many things are needed beyond just the engine. However, the issue of quality can be solved later; having an appropriate power source marks the beginning of everything. To put it bluntly, if you take alloy steel to make a frame, a transmission rod, some wheels, and create a running tricycle, then pull a flatbed cart behind it, it¡¯s already a big step forward from relying on human or animal power. Now that we have the engine, if we could also pull out some vehicle or construction machinery design, the heavy industry of Gu Hang¡¯s territory could take a big step forward. Before that, Gu Hang planned to first find someone to design a simple, functional vehicle to improve transportation efficiency, and incidentally, to explore some export possibilities. If the production volume is sufficient and the performance adequate, creating a small three-wheeled truck to equip his troops would result in a motorized infantry battalion. Gu Hang arrived at his secret base, where a basement was dug, walls erected, and the loyal and reliable mech-servant soldiers, having received strict orders, guarded the place, allowing no one to enter. Of course, Mr. Gu could enter at will. Here, the two previously extracted technologies and four Black Box Manufacturing Machines were present. In addition, a lot of space was reserved. On one hand, to accommodate the feeding and production of the existing four machines; on the other hand, to facilitate the placement of more machines in the future. He configured the new two machines that had been set up. This secret factory also employed workers. Due to the high security level, they lived in the factory with strict orders not to let information leak, were not allowed to go out without special circumstances, and were monitored when they did go out. They poured the raw materials into the production Black Box for engines, and quickly, under Gu Hang¡¯s initial setup, two engines, one large and one small, that met his requirements were produced. These two engines would be sent to the research institute, where the technician from the Quintet would study them. After all, there was no clear path to conquering the production line for synthetic starch; it was difficult to craft. The industrial and scientific research foundations under Gu Hang were shabby, and even the more basic technologies on the scale of the imperial civilization were hard to achieve. This also indirectly proved how valuable the technological capabilities within Gu Hang¡¯s system were. Frankly speaking, if Gu Hang wanted to meet the imperial taxation every two years, it would be crucial how well he could utilize the technological offerings from the tech panel. If Gu Hang managed to transform Rage Owl Star into a mini casting world, then the lowest tier of imperial tax would no longer be a concern. Back to the present. He first used the Black Box to make two completed engines. Once the research institute had a specific application plan, they could produce more. There was also no rush to start the production line Black Box; similarly, it would begin operating at full capacity to produce engines once the application plan was in place. All these didn¡¯t need to be rushed. ¡­ The person Gu Hang had high hopes for, who was to ponder how to overcome the challenges of synthetic starch technology and come up with an application plan for the ¡®Whetstone¡¯ Engine, was now using a mechanical hand to scratch his head, contemplating his secret factory. Wu Jiarong was just too curious. She came from a casting world and was a technical officer who might have been promoted to mechanics. But¡­ the infighting within the Sect of Mechanics was much more severe than outsiders could imagine. She lost the fight, not only failing to get promoted but also losing all her possessions and knowledge to others, along with her personal freedom, and was traded as imperial tax. But after that, she couldn¡¯t say her luck turned, but at least things didn¡¯t get worse. She was at least a technical officer and not a slave worker, and when the Tianma Fleet needed more personnel, she was thrown onto the Quintet, where she remained for ten years. She had already resigned herself to that fate. ¡°` Having left the casting world and the system of the Sect of Mechanics, she was unlikely to have any room for advancement anymore. Even aboard the Quintet, she was not the only technical specialist; several tech-priests were present, but it was difficult for her to be taken on as a student and have the chance to be taken off the starship and develop further in the future. Over time, she even began to think that her current life wasn¡¯t so bad after all. It wasn¡¯t too busy, there was no need for cutthroat competition, just do her own job well, maintain her portion of the starship¡¯s structure¡ªespecially the logistical system. She still had a group of slave laborers and junior specialists under her to manage and allocate. As for herself, she also had some free time when she was off work to research things she was interested in and tinker with little gadgets, which was quite entertaining. Life didn¡¯t seem too bad at all. Just when she had almost accepted her fate, an order from Colonel Yelisia transferred her, along with a few junior specialists and the production line and spare parts for synthetic starch, to the surface. The good days were over. That¡¯s what she thought. Wu Jiarong found that it seemed she could never entertain the thought of resigning to her fate. The moment she did, fate would immediately slap her in the face, press her down further, and see if she still accepted it. Ten years ago, she hadn¡¯t won the fight, she admitted defeat, and planned to think about promotion next time. She was thoroughly defeated, became untouchable in the empire, and could never return to it; now, she no longer struggled, thinking that spending the rest of her days on the starship was quite good, even considering marrying a man and having a child while her body modifications hadn¡¯t extended to her belly yet, only to be assigned to the surface of Rage Owl Star. After all, there¡¯s always a lower bottom. But what could she do about it? She could only endure and work hard without complaint. However, after arriving on the surface, she discovered¡­ things didn¡¯t seem as bad as she had imagined? She knew that Mr. Gu, the governor, could almost be said to have started developing this place from scratch. The industrial and research foundations were virtually nil. But beyond that, everything else seemed to be a benefit! She had no worries about food and clothing, and even ate better than on the starship; although she followed the governor¡¯s orders to research how to realize synthetic starch technology under limited conditions, she herself didn¡¯t have to eat synthetic starch. According to the work points system devised by the governor, her work points were quite high, and the allocation quota and quality were not bad either. In the daytime, she could bask in the sun, and at night she could enjoy the breeze, none of which the starship had. And more importantly, she had found a long-lost ¡®goal¡¯. This thing, seemingly abstract, but when it comes down to reality, it¡¯s just one point: knowing the significance of her own work. Seeing the hungry looks of the refugees from Revival City, she honestly didn¡¯t have much sympathy for them, but her research could help them get food, and that couldn¡¯t be considered a bad thing. Eventually, she would see people¡¯s happy faces, receive praise from the governor, and know that her work was truly making a difference. Unlike on the starship, day after day, year after year, without seeing a clear work achievement. Those cannons, those machines, maintaining them daily or every so often seemed to make no real difference. Besides, the task of synthetic starch given by the governor was quite interesting in itself. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It was challenging, yet it seemed to be within her capabilities. She was motivated to do her job well. And apart from motivation and goals, she had rediscovered another thing that had been missing for a long, long time: Curiosity. She was very curious about what the governor¡¯s secret factory was all about. Chapter 58 - Chapter 58: Chapter 58, indeed, one must not accept fate. Chapter 58: Chapter 58, indeed, one must not accept fate. Was the power under Governor Gu Hang truly a technological wasteland? Yes, but not entirely. In most places, the conditions were so primitive and backward that they were unspeakable. Yet, Wu Jiarong was able to see the finest alloy steel materials here. These were not the ones produced by the so-called Abandoned Cave Society¡¯s alloy factories, but rather special supply alloys that the Governor had specifically had transported for her. Others were not aware, noticing only that these two types of materials seemed more attractive and probably better to use, but beyond that, they couldn¡¯t articulate the specific differences. But she understood clearly that this kind of alloy steel could be considered special materials. Not to mention a dilapidated place like Rage Owl Star, even many areas with strong industrial foundations were unable to produce this type of special alloy steel. Even in the casting world where she used to stay, the production of this material was very low, and it was often a great challenge to apply for or purchase it for research or production work. She did not believe that this was locally produced in Rage Owl Star. There had to be some secrets unknown to others inside. She had inquired about it, but didn¡¯t dare make too much of a fuss. Initially, she thought the Governor might have hoarded a batch of high-performance materials when he arrived at the planet, and they just hadn¡¯t been used up yet. But later, when the G9 rifle began to appear, she knew things couldn¡¯t be as simple as she had imagined. And now, the Governor had sent her two ¡®Whetstone¡¯ Engines of different specifications. These engines, while not particularly high in technological content at the level of the entire Star Sea, were not advanced products. However, like the special alloy steel, what was most valuable was the craftsmanship they contained. Grindstone Engines could be made anywhere, but to make them this well was something Wu Jiarong had never seen before. It was as if someone had dedicated their entire life to study how to properly make an engine that could only power a tricycle. It was absurdly outstanding. A bold idea formed in her mind. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep, feeling at one moment that she was just wildly speculating, but at another thinking that maybe it was true, as no other explanation seemed to fit. How could a governor without any real power on a barren planet possibly have something like a Black Box Manufacturing Machine? If you said that Mr. Gu¡¯s family from the Tianma Star Sector, the powerful Gu Family, had treasured one, that might be slightly possible¡ªjust slightly. Could it be that his family had brought it for him? It still didn¡¯t seem realistic. Wu Jiarong still couldn¡¯t understand it, but she didn¡¯t dare to think further. It could be deadly. Indeed, she had already started to regret why she inquired about the secret factory in the first place. What should she do next? This restless state of mind continued into the next day, making her somewhat uneasy while at work. Then, she heard a piece of news that made her even more unsettled. ¡°What? The Governor is coming?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± One of her apprentices, a junior commissioner, didn¡¯t quite understand why his mentor seemed so troubled by the news. What¡¯s so abnormal about that? Seeing the apprentice¡¯s confusion, but having no desire to explain, Wu Jiarong said nothing. What could she say? That your mentor suspects she¡¯s stumbled upon the Governor¡¯s secret and now fears he might silence her? She could only hurry to prepare. Truth be told, the new assignment given by the Governor for her to come up with two schemes to utilize the large and small ¡®Whetstone¡¯ Engines was not difficult. With her expertise and the provision of excellent materials, designing two operational vehicles was quite easy. However, time was short and recently she had been restless, so she hadn¡¯t been able to work on it properly. The governor was coming soon, and she had no other choice; she couldn¡¯t just say she hadn¡¯t done anything lately. She gripped at straws, hoping that even if she couldn¡¯t present a design plan immediately, at least when Mr. Gu asked later, she would have some thoughts and a few sketches to show. As it turned out, her advance preparation was indeed valuable. When Governor Gu Hang arrived, she could talk quite freely, and she could present small parts she had just crafted by hand with tools, along with the design diagrams, discussing her ideas. At first, she was somewhat stuttering because the thing she hastily brought out felt a bit rough to her, only just runnable at best. But as she saw Governor Gu Hang continually nodding, she gradually relaxed. I still have standards, after all. Mr. Gu¡¯s requirements aren¡¯t that high. With her mood lightened, she was able to more effortlessly exhibit her technical prowess to the governor. This one aspect was her only source of pride since arriving on Rage Owl Star. In the past, whether in the forging world or on a starship with technical priests, her technical level was nothing to mention. Only on the surface of Rage Owl Star was she truly unique. As she watched Governor Gu Hang continuously nodding and listening intently, Wu Jiarong¡¯s mood improved even more. She even began to feel that leaving the starship for the surface might not be such a bad thing. Here, nobody could overshadow her. She was the most trusted technical staff by the governor¡ªof course, that was because nobody could compete with her. But wasn¡¯t that a good thing? Why join the chaos with other technical giants when she could reign supreme and lead? Just as she entertained such thoughts, Gu Hang spoke again: ¡°Specialist Wu, I have another question.¡± ¡°Please, Mr. Gu, any doubts you have, I can certainly help you with,¡± Wu Jiarong confidently offered. ¡°Why are you so curious about the secret factory?¡± Wu Jiarong felt as if plunging into an ice cave. Her only thought now: one really shouldn¡¯t resign oneself to fate. Every time she resigned herself, it never ended well. The last thing she wanted to face still happened. At that moment, she couldn¡¯t even remember the various excuses she had agonized over when anticipating interrogation. Seeing Wu Jiarong flustered and at a loss for words, Gu Hang revealed a gentle smile instead. ¡°Specialist Wu, don¡¯t be so nervous. You have some speculations, right? Just speak your mind.¡± Hearing Gu Hang ask in such a manner, Wu Jiarong seemed to deflate. ¡°Yes¡­ The Black Box Manufacturer is in your secret factory, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Indeed, it is,¡± Gu Hang admitted with a smile. Wu Jiarong received the answer to the question she was so curious about, confirming her speculation. But under the current circumstances, she didn¡¯t feel happy at all. Wu Jiarong sighed deeply: ¡°I wish you hadn¡¯t told me that. You could have just told a simple lie, and I would have believed it.¡± ¡°But there was no need, right?¡± Gu Hang said as he stood up and looked out of the window, ¡°Look at this place, just two months ago, it was still a wasteland. And now, it already looks like a town. The Abandoned Cave Society farther away, you¡¯ve seen it too, is thriving even more.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Perhaps to many people, this doesn¡¯t seem like something a governor should be doing, but I am convinced that I am on the right path.¡± ¡°Here, I want to create a seed that will eventually take root and sprout throughout the entire Rage Owl Star.¡± ¡°The future I envision is a Rage Owl Star with production power as strong as the forging worlds, with a living environment like the Garden Worlds.¡± At this point, Gu Hang turned his gaze back to Wu Jiarong: ¡°Do you believe in it?¡± Chapter 59 - Chapter 59: Chapter 59, from the Golden Age Chapter 59: Chapter 59, from the Golden Age ¡°Do you believe it?¡± Wu Jiarong did not. A productivity on par with Forge World? Possible; Living standards comparable to Garden World? Such examples were not unheard of. But to possess both? That was a joke. Garden Worlds boasted beautiful environments, ample resource supplies, and superior quality of life; they usually served as administrative planets or trade hubs. Forge Worlds, on the other hand, often did not enjoy pleasant environments. The entire world would resemble a massive factory, where countless people had to toil and contribute not just sweat but blood and flesh. Could these two things be simply merged? Among the myriad stars within the empire¡¯s domains, how many such examples could be found? Could even the imperial capital Holy Terra achieve what Mr. Gu described? She did not know. Propaganda would say yes, but without having been there to see it with her own eyes, she dared not believe it readily. If she couldn¡¯t trust Holy Terra to be as Mr. Gu had said, much less could she believe it of this desolate backwater wasteland planet. Rationally, she felt that Mr. Gu was just talking nonsense, pie in the sky. The pie was big and round, yet so far-fetched and illusory it was almost laughable. Yet, emotionally, she could sense Mr. Gu¡¯s grand ambition. Ambition, of course, couldn¡¯t put food on the table. She once had aspirations to become a mechanic, or even go further to advance to a Mechanical Priest; but in the end, wasn¡¯t she merely used to pay the empire¡¯s taxes? However, she felt she could believe in Mr. Gu¡¯s ambition. Believing he was ambitious was one thing; believing that the ambition could be realized was another. But just believing in Mr. Gu¡¯s ambition, she could roughly paint a picture in her mind that her Mr. Gu wouldn¡¯t just tinker along, only thinking about scraping by, aggressively levying taxes, and skimming off the empire¡¯s taxes every two years while enjoying the rest of the time. Working under such a Mr. Gu seemed, maybe, and probably¡­ to be a good opportunity she never had before? Ten years ago, on a Forge World, she considered herself exceptionally talented and gifted. But back then, she only aspired to become a mechanic; aboard a starship with a dead end, her only thought was to find a decent man to marry, have children, and then coast along. Maybe retire when old and frail, but more likely, she might be destroyed along with ¡°Quintet¡± in some battle, turning into just another piece of space debris. Following a Mr. Gu and becoming his most crucial technical staff, her future achievements might not just be a mere mechanic or Mechanical Priest. Perhaps, she could have the chance to become a Mechanical Bishop, or even¡­ She dared not think further, ascending to a Sage was too difficult. Wasn¡¯t such idle fantasy just as empty as Mr. Gu¡¯s dreams of turning Rage Owl Star into a combination of Forge World and Garden World? All of this was still far off, yet not so distant. Indeed, Mr. Gu was currently impoverished and commanded a population barely breaking ten thousand, and even his administrative powers couldn¡¯t reach the entire planet. But on the other hand, if Mr. Gu wielded great power now, would he even notice someone like her, a small technical officer? Surely it would be easy to attract a host of higher-level experts. It was precisely now, in the early stages, that there was an opportunity to gift coal in snowy weather, to grow as Mr. Gu¡¯s power expanded. Besides, Mr. Gu still had the Black Box Manufacturer¡­ The value of this device was immeasurably precious. Legend has it that they come from the distant Golden Age, a time before the Empire was even established, almost impossible to verify. It is said that, at that time, humankind was the master of the entire universe, and every human being had dignity, enjoyed the finest life, and could pursue any profession according to their interests, or choose not to work at all without any consequence. The Black Box Manufacturer was a product of that era, designed to ensure that humans could easily and quickly acquire products in any environment. Interstellar colonizers, with only a black box, could swiftly establish suitable homes on a new desolate planet. It was also with the help of black boxes that humans in the Golden Age managed to spread their footprints across the entire universe and maintain a fairly consistent level of technology in every world. And now, the Empire¡¯s technology is starkly different from that of the Golden Age. Scientific research depends on archaeology; this is no joke. A study that might take a forging world a hundred years to crack could be solved overnight with just a hint from some ancient ruins discovered one day. In fact, many of the various technologies now widely used in the Empire have been restored through archaeology, yet they are not even one percent as advanced as those from the Golden Age. The precious Titan Giant Armor might have just been the kind of vehicle a lumberjack drove back in the Golden Era. And the likes of the Black Box Manufacturer are, well, the utmost priority in archaeological¡­ er, I mean scientific research. This device can directly produce finished goods and also has extremely high research value. Although the three types of black boxes that seem to have appeared in Mr. Gu¡¯s hands only produce items that are already commonplace within the Empire, having no value in themselves. After all, which decent world can¡¯t produce rifles, alloy steel, or Grindstone Engines now? However, it is the black box itself that is tremendously valuable. The output isn¡¯t that important, but the technology from the Golden Age that is encapsulated within the black box itself is enough to drive the Mechanical Church mad. ¡­ Gu Hang was listening carefully as Wu Jiarong briefed him on the situation. Some things he knew from rummaging through his memories, others he did not. These messages were important, but perhaps not so crucial. According to Wu Jiarong, he had virtually dismissed the idea of selling black box manufacturers. It¡¯s not that he couldn¡¯t sell them at all; after all, it would take effort for others to forcibly take them. Buying them could also be seen as a more efficient approach. However, Gu Hang would not sell them. It was too dangerous. Compared to the Sect of Mechanics, whose power is immense across the entire Empire, he, a mere governor, was insignificant. What¡¯s more dangerous was that if he sold a few units, wouldn¡¯t the Mechanical Church keep an eye on him? Desire to acquire more? Or eager to find out how exactly he obtained the precious black boxes? As for why this wasn¡¯t such an important matter, it¡¯s because Rage Owl Star was too remote, too inconspicuous. It was difficult for anything that happened here to reach the ears of the Sect of Mechanics. For now, Rage Owl Star¡¯s interstellar communication was solely with Quintet. If the news wasn¡¯t leaked to the skies, it¡¯s as if it never happened. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Moreover, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t ignore the essentials and chase the trivial, not using the black boxes when he had them. He had been cautious before, but inevitably, some things would slip through the cracks as long as they were put to use. In the future, he would be even more careful. At the same time, he also needed someone to lend him a hand. Gu Hang¡¯s gaze turned towards Wu Jiarong, filled with expectation. Chapter 60 - Chapter 60: Chapter 60, Technology Tree Planning Chapter 60: Chapter 60, Technology Tree Planning Today, one thing that delighted Gu Hang in his exchange with Wu Jiarong was the attitude of this female technician. Although she didn¡¯t answer his previous question about ¡°whether she believed or not,¡± she expressed her stance through her subsequent explanation. And in the end, the meaning became even clearer: ¡°If Mr. Gu trusts me, I can work in the secret factory. That will be your research and development center, where all your future technological outputs will have a plausible explanation.¡± Wu Jiarong¡¯s attitude was modest. Gu Hang looked at her, full of smiles. ¡°Very good, I am very satisfied with your suggestion. I hope you can fulfill all that you have promised, and I, in turn, assure you to get what you desire.¡± Wu Jiarong felt a jolt in her heart but soon calmed down again. She was confident that Mr. Gu had understood the implication of her words. Working in Mr. Gu¡¯s secret factory would indeed allow her, in the future, to attribute all exceptional outputs to herself. On top of the regular secrecy mechanisms, by creating an illusion of a talented technical master working for Mr. Gu, it would be a good rationale for the outputs of the secret factory¡ªor rather the future Wu Jiarong Research Institute. Thus, if outsiders wanted to uncover this secret, they would first have to break through the confidentiality measures and methods, and then they would see her. Only after dealing with her would they be able to discover the secrets of the black box. The level of security was greatly increased. But at the same time, she could gain even more. She would become Mr. Gu¡¯s most important technical advisor. Even if more outstanding technical experts were to arrive in the future, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being replaced; even if she did nothing, a continuous stream of technical knowledge would be attributed to her, and various technological achievements would be credited to her mind, especially as Mr. Gu¡¯s territory developed and more and better new technologies emerged. She might truly become a Sage while lying down and doing nothing. Moreover, being able to closely study the black box technology from the Golden Age was something the past her could not even imagine. With her former status, she could never have had access to such top-level research materials. She knew she wasn¡¯t capable of dismantling the black box and comprehending what was inside. The Sect of Mechanics, with so many top Sages, hadn¡¯t figured it out, so she, a mere technical staffer, was even less likely to understand it. But what if she could gain even a little bit of insight or inspiration? Just a tiny bit of the essence might be equivalent to the results of her long period of technical study in the past. She was determined! ¡­ The arrangements were made swiftly. After Gu Hang left, Wu Jiarong immediately took her team, under the escort of Mr. Gu¡¯s loyal mechanical soldiers, to settle in the secret factory. The place was renamed a research institute, although, unfortunately, it did not carry the name ¡®Wu Jiarong Research Institute¡¯ as she had hoped, but was nameless. But she didn¡¯t mind. She already saw a bright future, and this directly maxed out her motivation to work. She quickly came up with the application scheme for Mr. Gu¡¯s demanded ¡®Whetstone¡¯ Engine. It was not the rushed, rough-hewn creation made to appease Mr. Gu that day, but a proper, earnestly crafted one. Still not advanced¡ªsomething too advanced was beyond her capability. But Mr. Gu¡¯s requirement was not for advancement but for sufficient reliability and relatively low mass production difficulty. In these aspects, she had already achieved the ultimate. ¡°` She believed that, among her peers at the technician level, no one could do better than her. After all, she had almost been promoted to a mechanic, had her promotion not been thwarted due to a failed struggle. She had always felt that her true skills had already reached the level of a mechanic. What she presented was not merely a set of design plans, but also included two prototypes. One was a three-wheeled cart with a cargo bed capable of carrying three people, including space on the side of the small bed to mount a machine gun. A military tricycle had just emerged. The larger engine was used to build a truck tractor. It was also compatible with multiple types, such as cargo beds and flatbeds, that could be hitched to the back of the tractor. It could be used for transporting goods or as a troop carrier truck. Having seen the final products and even personally test-driving them, Mr. Gu was very satisfied with Wu Jiarong¡¯s work! He designated model names for the two vehicles. The tricycle was named ¡®Scout-XL100¡¯. The truck tractor was called ¡®Iron Bull-RN100¡¯. These two types of vehicles would definitely undergo further iterations in the future. Wu Jiarong had already completed the plans for mass production of these vehicles, and subsequent related work would be handed over to the Abandoned Cave Society. The alloy and plastic steel processing plant would undertake the production of some parts and components; a new vehicle factory would be built, with the production line set up under the guidance of Wu Jiarong¡¯s processes, to start trial mass production. The engine plant was in no hurry, as the mother machine¡¯s black box could directly construct production lines for two different specifications of Grindstone engines. There was no need to rush now, as they were not immediately needed. If the engines were produced too quickly and there were not enough vehicles to equip, the excess engines would just gather dust. Afterward, Wu Jiarong continued to ramble on to Mr. Gu about many other things she planned to do. Refining the black box, improving technological proficiency without disassembly, perfecting theory, researching the various products of the black box¡­ these were her own ¡°cultivation¡± and not worth going into detail about. Additionally, she would also make the ¡®research institute¡¯ worthy of its name. Going forward, she planned to work on developing propellants and projectiles. This should be easy to manage, as the G9 Gun Family production line obviously included cartridge manufacturing processes, and propellant was a key component among them. However, the production line created by the black box was purely for the G9 Gun Family and not quite suitable for artillery. But since the production process was already there, it was only appropriate for Wu Jiarong, with her capabilities, to appropriate the propellant production segment for dedicated production. Combined with the production of warheads and explosive charges, they would soon be able to produce their own artillery shells, so Mr. Gu needn¡¯t worry about running out of mortar shells in the future, turning his mortars into empty racks. And it wasn¡¯t just mortar shells, manufacturing rocket shells was also possible. With the capability to produce shells, artillery had to be scheduled next. Unlike mortars, according to Wu Jiarong¡¯s design, she planned to create real, large-caliber artillery pieces. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Artillery is the god of war! She envisioned a 155 mm howitzer, with a process still tailored to local conditions, focusing on ruggedness, durability, high reliability, and simple manufacturing. Of course, this might affect precision, but that was a minor issue. This was in line with the Sage¡¯s philosophy of ¡®solving for existence first, then for quality¡¯. In addition, man-portable rocket launchers and rapid-fire rocket nests would also be scheduled. In time, paired with the ¡®Iron Bull¡¯ truck, perhaps with some improved models, there would be rocket nest launch vehicles, towed artillery, and even self-propelled artillery among such heavy armaments. Chapter 61 - Chapter 61: Chapter 61, Let Them Come Chapter 61: Chapter 61, Let Them Come Wu Jiarong was a treasure. She could make Gu Hang¡¯s black box technology explainable¡ªactually, the black box technologies he had extracted were also low-end goods. It wasn¡¯t inconceivable for a technical officer or even a mechanic to come up with such things. Furthermore, she could bring more technological products to Gu Hang¡¯s command, besides the black box technologies. Climbing the technological tree couldn¡¯t rely solely on black technology from the system. Of course, the so-called technological tree wasn¡¯t just military technology. Further development of civilian industrial factory technology was also necessary. Wu Jiarong wasn¡¯t capable of remodeling the production lines of alloy plastic steel made by the black box technology that was already very mature. However, technologies such as the thermocline electric generator sets, textile machines in textile factories, cement plants, brick factories¡­ many of which were imported from other places on Rage Owl Star, still had a lot of room for improvement in her eyes. However, Wu Jiarong wasn¡¯t omnipotent. If all these research and development tasks were scheduled, her workload for a long time to come would be fully packed. This female technician also felt quite regretful, as if she couldn¡¯t wait to help the governor complete the technological upgrade of the entire camp in a very short time. This made Gu Hang sigh in his heart. Indeed, to bring out their value, humans¡¯ initiative was the most important. Merely relying on duties or enslavement resulted in weak production efficiency and capacity. Once people truly wanted to do something, viewing it as a way to realize their own value and goals, they tended to unleash tremendous energy. This energy was the core that changed the world. And after Wu Jiarong¡¯s allegiance and her genuinely positive attitude, new changes appeared on Gu Hang¡¯s system panel. While checking the ¡°Hero¡± interface, he found Wu Jiarong¡¯s name among the activatable heroes. This was within his expectations. After figuring out that the ¡°Hero¡± feature would present new activation options as people grew, and after talking with Wu Jiarong and observing her subsequent performances, Gu Hang was able to guess that this person definitely had potential. In fact, she herself was a talented person. Ten years ago, when she was younger, she was already able to challenge the position of a mechanic. At just over twenty years old, a female technician without any background reaching that stage was impossible without hard work and talent. If things had gone smoothly, her becoming a main pastor in her lifetime would have been wildly optimistic, but becoming a technical priest or even an Engine Spirit Priest wouldn¡¯t be a problem. It¡¯s just that her life hadn¡¯t gone smoothly, which meant she couldn¡¯t develop to such an extreme and wasted ten years on the Quintet. Now, she had found a different path with Gu Hang, gaining further opportunities¡ªthough unorthodox, they were enough to invigorate her to strive for upward movement. It was normal for such a person to be recognized by the system as having potential. Gu Hang carelessly allocated the remaining ten points of grace to Wu Jiarong. [Activated Hero: Wu Jiarong (N)] [Level: lv2] [Physique 6, Spirituality 8, Command 5, Politics 3, Technology 11] [Trait:] [Once a Technical Genius: She was once a technical genius, but time has worn down her talent. She may continue to sink, or she could rise again and recover her lost spirituality. Technology +1] ¡­ The just-activated Wu Jiarong was at LV2. Presumably, this was because her past accumulation as a technical officer made her recognized by the system as a ¡®hero¡¯ of level 2. As for the activation cost, it was still a fixed 10 points. It was unknown if activating higher-level individuals as ¡®heroes¡¯ would require more grace points. One difference was that, compared to Osenia, Wu Jiarong had an additional type of attribute point: Technology. As the name suggested, it should represent her level of technical expertise. This guy has a political score of just 3, which is a big cut below normal, no wonder he couldn¡¯t make it in a place full of infighting like the Sect of Mechanics, and it¡¯s no surprise that he was so devoid of guile when he directly inquired about the secret factory¡¯s information, without knowing how to conceal his anxiety. But it doesn¡¯t matter, Gu Hang didn¡¯t turn her into a hero to have her deal with political work. As long as her technical score is sufficient and she can develop and improve more technologies for him, that¡¯s all that counts. After activating Wu Jiarong, Gu Hang now has only 8 grace points left. Looking at Yan Fangxu and Perbov who still await activation in the hero interface¡­ Next time for sure! ¡­ With part of the workload from the research side lifted from his mind, Gu Hang¡¯s attention shifted back to the construction of the camp¡¯s productive forces. And he found that Osenia was doing quite well. In a camp with a population nearing ten thousand, with dozens to hundreds of people being added daily, manpower lacking everywhere, and all affairs needing attention, she was still able to arrange matters quite efficiently. Very good indeed. Pointing to that girl as a hero, letting her shoulder a greater burden, he certainly hadn¡¯t made the wrong choice. Zhang Chao didn¡¯t seem to have much ambition; now with Osenia¡¯s help, Gu Hang specifically observed the lad and found that rather than be upset about Osenia sharing power, he seemed happier with the reduced workload. Gu Hang didn¡¯t know whether to be relieved that no signs of infighting had emerged among his subordinates, or to lament that his lackey couldn¡¯t be propped up against a wall. But all in all, Gu Hang was quite satisfied. With Osenia¡¯s help, he could set aside many concerns, freeing up time to do other things instead of spending so much of it on political affairs as he had before. The energy he saved, he could further invest in his next strategy, which was Revival City. With the help of Alliance Chairman Hodgson, Gu Hang felt that the plan he had previously devised to control the whole of Revival City could accelerate a bit. But as he was amending his plans, he received a communication request from Yelisia Fu Fana. The female captain conveyed to him a message that somewhat surprised him: ¡°Gu Hang, do you know the Phoenix Battle Group?¡± Upon hearing this question, Gu Hang¡¯s first reaction was that the ¡°event¡± he had previously activated had already begun? How long had it been? The battle group had arrived so quickly. As for Yelisia¡¯s question, Gu Hang thought he should answer cautiously. Saying he knew or didn¡¯t know, both seemed not quite right. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only So he counter-asked, ¡°Colonel Yelisia, do you know what¡¯s going on with the Phoenix Battle Group?¡± Yelisia didn¡¯t indulge in roundabout speculations; after a moment of contemplation and showing hesitation, she still gave Gu Hang a word of caution: ¡°Their situation¡­ is complicated.¡± Yelisia spoke in vague terms, but the gist was conveyed, ¡°A hundred years ago, they were sentenced to a penitent expedition; they were supposed to be extinct, not survive. Now they have held on, and some people will have headaches because of that. You¡­ I won¡¯t give you any advice, just treat it with caution.¡± She paused, then continued, ¡°They request to land on the planet¡¯s surface and want to see you. I shouldn¡¯t obstruct them, but if you need me, I can try.¡± After weighing his options, Gu Hang still said, ¡°No need, let them come.¡± Chapter 62 - Chapter 62: Chapter 62, all very disappointed Chapter 62: Chapter 62, all very disappointed Every Starfighter Battle Group is a formidable force. If fully staffed, not only do they have a thousand of the topmost warriors, but they also have a fleet and hundreds of thousands, even millions of well-equipped Mortal Auxiliary Army. The Empire establishes such battle groups to garrison certain critical worlds and, when necessary, dispatches them to key battlefields within the Star Sea to serve a decisive role. After having cleared their name, the Phoenix Battle Group should have been supported by the Empire to rebuild. Having one more such battle group might safeguard the stability of one or several Star Sectors. But the Empire did not do so. Gu Hang could not concern himself with the higher-level games now, but as Yelisia had warned, the Phoenix Battle Group was definitely in trouble. What Yelisia meant by saying she could stop them if Gu Hang needed was that intercepting a Starfighter Battle Group¡ªeven a remnant one¡ªwas not something she was keen to do due to the extensive trouble it could cause. However, if Gu Hang was willing to ¡°carry the pot¡± and make the request as the planetary governor, she could take the risk to help him out. To go to such lengths was already very good. Gu Hang knew she meant well. Including her help and her warnings. It seemed that the female starship captain had unconsciously started to treat Gu Hang as an ally. This was a very good sign. However, Gu Hang still declined Yelisia¡¯s kind offer. Why intercept these interstellar warriors? For the time being, Gu Hang had no intention of giving up this active event chain. He was too tempted by the remnant battle group. Even if the Phoenix Battle Group was now weakened, it was still a battle group. If he could secure their allegiance, sweeping through Rage Owl Star would become unobstructed. Starships are awesome, but even the mightiest starships can only bombard from above; Yelisia wouldn¡¯t send ground troops. Even for a real ground war, her few land forces were not up to much. Orbital bombardment is a strategic deterrent akin to nuclear weapons, not used unless absolutely necessary. And if it¡¯s just for intimidation¡­ hasn¡¯t Gu Hang been doing just that over the past month? Otherwise, the Revival City government would not have been so ¡°obedient,¡± supplying whatever was asked for, and rushing to explain themselves over the Cult investigation when told, even with Hodgson, the head of the Alliance Council, coming over. How can the title of Governor alone be enough? Previous governors had titles too, and weren¡¯t they still doomed when the time came? Insubordination is a low-level tactic. Deceiving superiors, covert non-compliance, receiving orders but not executing them, hiding the actual information¡­ Without his own forces, eventually, he might be duped and might still feel everything was under control. Feeling all merry as the native leaders seem quite submissive and diligent in their duties. The collection of the Empire¡¯s taxes is also progressing well, and before the tax officer¡¯s arrival, it seems that the quota is met in the warehouse. After a few inspections with no issues, suddenly, on the eve of tax delivery: surprise, the amount is short. Gu Hang doesn¡¯t want this to happen, and deterrence alone is not enough. On the ground, he needs actual force, subordinates who will definitely obey him, and reliable military power. This ensures he cannot be fooled, and those who do not follow orders will be forcefully suppressed¡ªand such suppression cannot be the devastating kind like orbital bombardment. Rage Owl Star is already in bad shape; if he was to bomb Revival City with ship cannons, then taxes really couldn¡¯t be paid. And the Phoenix represents such conventional force. With the help of the Starfighters, Gu Hang could ensure that when judgments are made, the culprits would be dealt with without resorting to orbital bombardment that destroys an entire city just to kill a few individuals. Yet, when he actually saw the Phoenix Battle Group, he was still taken aback. ¡­ Several hours later, he stood at the landing field, watching as something descended from the sky¡­ That was the Burn Feather, a ship¡­ well, one couldn¡¯t call it a starship, it was merely a vessel. It was too small. When he had just learned that the battle group intended to land their ship directly on the planet¡¯s surface, Gu Hang was shocked, fearing there would be nowhere to put it. In his mind, even an Escort Ship would have a crew in the thousands and would be a massive presence on the ground. But now, seeing it: that¡¯s it? It was only slightly bigger than the transport ships used for communication with the ground from the Quintet. No, are remnants supposed to be so depleted that not even a single starship remains? The Starfighter Battle Group? Is this it? Could it be an advance force? As the hatch opened, Gu Hang first saw a figure far stronger and taller than a normal person, clad in power armor with a bright red body and white edges, holding a bomb gun, walking out from the spaceship¡¯s hatch. His heavy footsteps exuded an extremely authoritative air with each step. His power armor was not shiny or immaculate, showing fine signs of wear and tear in many places. But this served to symbolize even more that he was a battle-hardened veteran soldier, fighting to the death numerous humans, monsters, aliens, and traitors. Under that bright red helmet, cold eyes stared at Gu Hang. Gu Hang felt a bone-chilling coldness. Was this called killing intent? He wasn¡¯t afraid; on the contrary, Gu Hang felt somewhat excited. Seeing a starfighter in person for the first time, Gu Hang thought they truly lived up to their name, indeed the formidable warriors whose fame spread widely throughout the universe. He watched as one starfighter after another walked out from the hatch, his satisfaction growing. Then, the satisfaction in his heart came to an abrupt halt. Only seven people came out, with emptiness behind them. Only seven? No, what kind of battle group is seven people? They can¡¯t even form a tactical squad! He knew it was a dying battle group, but¡­ to be reduced to this state, wasn¡¯t that a bit too close to death? Gu Hang was somewhat disappointed. ¡­ Matins was somewhat disappointed. He walked out last in the line, seeing the governor who had come to welcome him. He knew that was Gu Hang, the man he was here to meet, the bright light that Priest Rizzo had foreseen could possibly save the battle group. On his way here, he had imagined Rage Owl Star to be a rich planet, or a developed forging world. That the governor here held considerable power and would be friendly to the battle group, willing to help them rebuild¡­ But¡­ things didn¡¯t seem to be as he had expected. The governor in front of him, didn¡¯t he seem too ordinary? He was neither tall nor strong, and aside from being fairly good-looking, he just looked like an average mortal. Of course, Matins could sense spiritual energy reactions from this governor, not weak ones at that, but that was only relative to an average mortal. That level of spiritual energy was not threatening to him or any of his battle brothers. Their power armors were equipped with some anti-spiritual energy effects, and their bodies, modified by gene seeds, as well as their robust mental will, were not something an ordinary spiritual energy wielder could shake. Saying he could kill Gu Hang as if squashing a chick might be an exaggeration, but like a strong man strangling a wild dog should be quite accurate. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Of course, comparing an ordinary mortal to the Death Angel is too harsh. The strength of a planetary governor does not lie in his person. But¡­ Look at this planet? Look at what¡¯s in front of him¡­ Matins didn¡¯t even know whether to describe it as a small town or a camp. This is the ruling core of the governor? Chapter 63 - Chapter 63: Chapter 63, What to Save With? Chapter 63: Chapter 63, What to Save With? The first meeting between Gu Hang and Commander Matins was hard to categorize as good or bad. On one hand, both were disappointed in their hearts. Yet to call it bad didn¡¯t quite fit either, since they simultaneously put aside their disappointment and exchanged words rather smoothly. The governor always wore a smile, making one feel at ease like basking in the spring sun. Commander Matins and his Starfighters maintained their cold and austere expressions¡ªbut that was simply their style; they¡¯d always been that way. Gu Hang was able to compose himself because he had come to terms with his feelings. The Phoenix Battle Group was more wrecked than he had imagined, which indeed disappointed him; however, even if there were only seven of them, each was an incredibly strong man. He even wondered whether his own forces, now numbering over a thousand soldiers, combined with him as a Spiritual Energy user, could face these seven head-on in battle? The chances seemed slim. So what was there to say? These seven Starfighters still represented a decisive force. Moreover, if this battle group had been less decimated¡ªif they had about a hundred men, one or two great starships, and a crowd of Mortal Auxiliary Army¡ªwhat would there be for him to do? He¡¯d probably be put to use by the Phoenix Battalion Leader, lucky to even serve as a logistics manager. Instead, the opportunity seemed greater now. In comparison, Gu Hang was more curious about the attitude of this self-proclaimed Phoenix Battalion Leader, Matins. Their conversation could be put nicely as mutual understanding or, less flatteringly, as rambling about nothing in particular¡ªthey touched on many topics, but none of them substantial. So why did the battalion leader, despite keeping a stern face, still engage patiently in this trivial chatter? Even when Gu Hang delved into their past experiences, he could sense that Commander Matins was resistant from within, seemingly unwilling to answer such questions. However, just when Gu Hang thought his inquiries were perhaps too bold, Commander Matins followed his lead, sharing some of their experiences and battles over the years. That was quite peculiar. The Emperor¡¯s Death Angels were not usually talkative¡ªnot that they couldn¡¯t converse, but they often saw themselves as distinct from so-called mortals. They always saw themselves as descendants of The Emperor, inheritors of his genetic legacy, his Angels, who, though born of humankind, were transcendent. Among them, some were kind to mortals, others cruel, and yet others indifferent¡ªbut regardless of their attitude, even if benevolent, it was a condescending benevolence, the grace of Angels upon mortals. In a normal situation, if Gu Hang broached a topic the battalion leader found displeasing, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for the leader to bristle with rage, or at least frown, refuse to respond, or change the subject. Reluctantly giving an answer seemed to signal a particular stance from the battalion leader. Why was that? I am seeking your help, could it be¡­ you are also seeking mine? And what are you seeking? Gu Hang recalled the wording of the event description. [A Starfighter Battle Group on the brink of extinction, having finished a century of penitential expedition, is approaching Rage Owl Star, which seems to hold the redemption and hope they are seeking.] On the brink of extinction, seeking redemption and hope¡­ Oh, you want to rebuild your battle group, and you need my help, is that right? But why me? From the way things look around here, poverty-stricken as we are, how could I possibly seem capable of helping you rebuild a battle group? Is it because of the system¡¯s functions? Has the system made you believe that I can help you? The key is, the system hasn¡¯t told me how to help. Gu Hang kept a smiling, sincere, yet dignified demeanor in his exchange with Commander Matins while internally he was panicking quite a bit. ¡°` However, as they talked, Gu Hang gradually let go of these thoughts and became enchanted with the stories that Matins recounted. Matins¡¯s storytelling was not systematic. He merely narrated snippets of missions they had carried out during the Redemption Expedition. But¡­ On the Star Sea Battlefield, amidst relentless artillery fire, undertaking boarding actions and seizing ships; plunging deep into enemy territory, alone, to destroy heavy weaponry positions; penetrating enemy-filled Nest Capitals to eliminate the heretics and traitors lurking within; facing massive alien beasts, cleaving off their heads¡­ Those exploits sounded too legendary to be true. Gu Hang let out a long sigh and said, ¡°Commander Matins, your experiences are deeply moving. Regardless of what others may think, I believe you have already atoned for whatever sins you may have committed, no matter how grave. The Emperor certainly won¡¯t blame you any longer. You are great heroes and shouldn¡¯t wander aimlessly through the Star Sea.¡± Pausing, Gu Hang continued, ¡°Although the conditions here aren¡¯t the best, if you don¡¯t mind, I am willing to offer the Phoenix Battalion a place to stay. You are welcome to rest and resupply here anytime. I know it may sound presumptuous, but if you wish, Rage Owl Star is also ready to become your second home. My doors are always open to you.¡± With that, Gu Hang had turned around, facing the battalion leader, who was much taller than himself. In their gaze, he appeared candid, sincere, and enthusiastic. But Matins hesitated. As an Angel of the Divine Emperor, he avoided the gaze of a mere mortal. ¡°I appreciate the Governor¡¯s generous offer, but I need to consider it further,¡± he said. ¡­ Within the camp, Gu Hang had already arranged for a house to be cleared out temporarily for the Phoenix Battalion to stay in. They were too tall, resembling seven small giants. The houses built for normal human needs seemed somewhat cramped for them. But that was the best they could do with the available accommodations. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t have many demands regarding their living conditions. Though in a safe environment, in theory, not one of the seven warriors took off their armor; at most, they just removed their helmets. They were seated together, when a bald, square-faced warrior with three golden service nails on his forehead spoke in a muffled voice, ¡°Phoenix Battalion Leader Matins, I don¡¯t understand why you were so polite to that mortal earlier.¡± ¡°Brother Schneider, we all fight for the Divine Emperor, we are all His subjects, and we should not be overly proud. We must show the basic respect due to a Planetary Governor,¡± Matins replied. ¡°But I don¡¯t see it that way. Battalion Leader, do you still believe that mortal is our salvation? A mortal, a governor of a shattered world, who can¡¯t even control his own planet¡ªwhat can he possibly do to help us rebuild the entire battalion? We are just wasting time here!¡± Schneider¡¯s attitude was far from respectful. He touched the service nail on his forehead, a symbol of his pride. A golden service nail signified one hundred years of service to the battalion. Three nails meant he was a veteran of three hundred years. He always believed himself more suited for the position of battalion leader than the younger Matins. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Yet, when the position became vacant, he had passed over the responsibility to Matins. He almost wished he had died in battle with the previous leader, rather than live under Matins¡¯s command¡ªalthough, in truth, he found the present uncertainty even more undesirable. He knew that the Phoenix Battalion currently had no room for power struggles; they needed unity. Even though he did not completely recognize Matins as the battalion leader, he would obey commands unconditionally, as it was his duty as a warrior. But while matters were still under discussion and no orders had been given, he was not going to mince words. He would ask bluntly and openly what was in his mind. And he believed this doubt was not his alone; it lingered in the minds of his brothers-in-arms as well. Chapter 64 - Chapter 64: Chapter 64, Fight for the Newborn Chapter 64: Chapter 64, Fight for the Newborn Facing the questioning of his battle brothers, Commander Matins let out a long sigh. The face of this leader, always meant to be steadfast, nevertheless showed signs of weariness and bewilderment. ¡°We have no choice,¡± he said. His words brought down everyone¡¯s spirits. Bald Schneider spoke up, ¡°We¡¯ve come this far, seen the situation here, and now we should realize, we¡¯ve come to the wrong place. We shouldn¡¯t waste precious time here; we should return to the Star Sea and search for new hope.¡± Another warrior joined the conversation, ¡°How do we search? Keep wandering? Until the Burn Feather¡¯s fuel is completely depleted? We can¡¯t even find a single planet willing to supply us normally! Are we to become like those pirate traitors, and start plundering?¡± Schneider was taken aback, also recalling the hardships of the past few months. But he quickly retorted, ¡°So what¡¯s the use of staying here? That mortal is willing to help us supply, but he doesn¡¯t even have a bullet for a bomb gun!¡± The Phoenixes rarely quarreled like this, understanding that they were each other¡¯s last brothers, last family. Yet, the bleak future still made it impossible to always maintain a positive mindset. It wasn¡¯t a time for battle, although the current situation was arguably more crucial than a fierce fight, but at such times, they needed the right direction even more. Commander Matins didn¡¯t stop the brothers from arguing. He knew that part of the reason for this situation was his insufficient authority, but even he himself felt lost at the moment, unsure whether to accept Governor Gu Hang¡¯s invitation. How could he then talk about ending the argument? In the end, the one who stood up was the oldest in terms of service in the combat team and also the most special. Priest Rizzo. The priest¡¯s power armor was painted differently from the other six battle brothers, not entirely red but primarily black, with only a bright red Phoenix pattern on the shoulders. The priest, with his helmet removed, had a slightly aged face, half his beard and hair already graying. Star warriors live incredibly long lives, so much so that none had heard of a Death Angel dying of old age. But that doesn¡¯t mean star warriors don¡¯t age. Time is the sharpest blade, always able to cut deep marks on the face, on the body. The priest spoke, ¡°Stop this pointless argument.¡± After he spoke, the battle brothers indeed fell silent. The identity of a priest, and the oldest of the combat team, gave his words even more weight than those of the commander himself. But after stopping the argument, Rizzo didn¡¯t say much more. He just looked at Commander Matins and said, ¡°Commander, you need to take responsibility for the entire combat team. You should make this decision.¡± Commander Matins hesitated. He understood that Priest Rizzo¡¯s intervention was in support of him. Just now, under such controversial circumstances, his inability to make a decision, even to stop the argument from continuing, had worn away at his credibility as a commander. But understanding all this did not mean he really knew what to do next. His gaze returned to Priest Rizzo as he inquired, ¡°You said you received a revelation that Governor Gu Hang embodies the hope for rebuilding our battle group. But how exactly can he help us rebuild the battle group?¡± Rizzo shook his head and replied, ¡°You should not ask me that question, for the revelation did not provide me with an answer. But the one who has received the revelation is in this town, so why not ask him yourself?¡± Matins let out a deep sigh and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go now.¡± As they watched the commander leave the building, the bald Schneider spoke up, ¡°Our commander is too indecisive.¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because the responsibility he bears is so great that he must be continuously cautious.¡± ¡°Even so, that shouldn¡¯t be the case,¡± Schneider still seemed somewhat dissatisfied. ¡°I¡¯m not saying we have to leave here, but at the very least we need a firm goal, and then decisive action. We cannot waver here. Those months drifting in the Star Sea were also terrible, I hate this kind of uncertainty. A warrior should not be like this.¡± ¡­ Facing the question posed by the returning Commander Matins, Gu Hang was somewhat at a loss for words. How can I help you rebuild the battle group? You¡¯re asking me? Where the hell would I know from? If I say I can¡¯t do anything about it, won¡¯t you suddenly get angry and pull out a bomb gun and shoot me? Inside, I¡¯m panicking like crazy, but my face remains calm and composed. He said, ¡°Commander Matins, you¡¯ve caught me off guard with this question. I don¡¯t know where to begin¡­¡± Hearing Gu Hang say this, Matins also felt somewhat disappointed. It¡¯s no wonder, right? Even if he didn¡¯t know how to rebuild the battle group, what answer could he expect from a mortal? But at this moment, Gu Xing continued, ¡°But, Commander Matins, please forgive my bluntness, but your current confusion is somewhat unwarranted. Rebuilding a battle group is a grand, arduous plan. When you think about how to achieve it all at once and want a definitive answer, of course you¡¯ll feel at a loss, clueless, and the hope slim. These issues will turn into thousands of troubles, standing in your way. Why not break this immense plan down into several achievable small targets and work towards them step by step on solid ground?¡± Matins would not sigh in front of Gu Hang, but only said, ¡°I understand these principles, but¡­¡± Gu Hang shook his head, gesturing with his hands to prevent Matins from continuing, trying to take control of the conversation: ¡°Since you¡¯ve come to ask me, why not listen to my thoughts. Commander Matins, in your view, what exactly is needed to rebuild the battle group?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Matins¡¯ thoughts were redirected as he considered Gu Hang¡¯s ideas for a moment and then responded, ¡°I need sufficient manpower and material resources to build the foundational forces of the battle group. Including logistics and a large number of Mortal Auxiliary Army.¡± ¡°Very good,¡± Gu Hang said with a smile. ¡°That seems like a more specific issue, so let me attempt to answer it. The manpower and material resources you need can be provided by Rage Owl Star in the future. Our Planetary Defense Army can act as an Auxiliary Army for the battle group, and the entire planet can contribute a great deal of manpower and material resources for logistical support. Everything from maintenance of powered armor to replenishing war supplies can be done.¡± Matins was puzzled: ¡°Even if I believe you, as far as I know, although you are the planetary governor, you still do not have control over this planet, and the manpower and material resources you can mobilize are limited; the production capacity of the entire planet is also very doubtful, and you can¡¯t even produce a single bomb¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Gu Hang, faced with skepticism, did not feel embarrassed, but instead laughed out loud, ¡°Yes, Commander Matins, you are correct. But I have a plan. In the future, I will make Rage Owl Star into a forging world, able to supply everything the battle group needs. I won¡¯t ask if you believe in my plan, belief is irrelevant. I only ask you¡­¡± ¡°Are you and your battle group willing to fight for the rebirth of the battle group?¡± Chapter 65 - Chapter 65: Chapter 65, For the Emperor Chapter 65: Chapter 65, For the Emperor Would the Battle Group be willing to fight for its rebirth? This question didn¡¯t even require Matins to think. It was a matter of course. But was he so easily swayed by Gu Hang in a few words? ¡°We will certainly fight for the revival of the Battle Group, even if it costs us our lives. However, I must make sure that our fight is truly for the renewal of the Battle Group, and not for the power of a few,¡± Matins said. ¡°The two are the same,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°I will be honest with you on this matter. My actions, of course, will not all be for the Phoenix Battle Group. I was ordered to come to this wasteland planet to develop and strengthen it. But isn¡¯t our goal the same?¡± ¡°I believe there are three major elements for the Phoenix to rebuild. First, manpower and material resources, requiring a large number of Auxiliary Armies and sufficient logistical support; second, you need a Battle Group Fleet; third, seven Angels hardly count as a Battle Group, you need to regain vitality and recruit enough brothers to fight.¡± ¡°The third point, I cannot help you with. But for the first and second points, as long as Rage Owl Star grows according to my plan, it will become your solid backing, solving the problems of Mortal Auxiliary Armies, fleets, and logistics supplies.¡± ¡°I want to develop and strengthen my world, while you need a world that has grown strong to rebuild your Battle Group. Phoenix fights for the future of Rage Owl Star, and Rage Owl Star fights for the revival of the Phoenix. We are naturally meant to work together.¡± The leader of the Battle Group was indeed not cut out for politics, but interstellar warriors often don¡¯t need to think too much. Many of them have always been straightforward: ¡°Why then shouldn¡¯t I choose a world that has already developed?¡± Gu Hang showed a smile: ¡°If you had a choice, you wouldn¡¯t have come to Rage Owl Star.¡± Matins had to admit, Mr. Gu was right. The Phoenix Battle Group had been wandering for months, passing through many worlds, big and small. If they had had a choice, they would have settled down long ago. Their goal had always been to rebuild the Battle Group, but no one really wanted to help them do it. To take a few interstellar warriors as ¡®allies¡¯ or thugs was certainly good; To rebuild the Battle Group? Forget it. Maintaining a proper Battle Group almost required an entire planet¡¯s effort. A large number of troops, a lot of logistical manpower, and starships were incredibly expensive commodities. Not to mention, the particularity of the interstellar warriors meant they were a group of highly independent, exceptionally positioned super-warriors within the Empire. The Emperor¡¯s Death Angels were not only a description of them but also a title for their special status. After all the hard work of rebuilding the Battle Group, do you think they will serve you, or will the Battle Group call the shots over the governor? In the eyes of most interstellar warriors, the planet governor was nothing more than a mortal who provided them with supplies and managed the planet¡ªat best, a steward. To think about commanding interstellar warriors this way and that? Dream on! Most governors, or the generals who built worlds, didn¡¯t want to spend all their efforts only to end up with a supreme governor over their own heads. Most of the people Matins had encountered on his journey were like this. He didn¡¯t think much himself, but he could see through the thoughts of others. Those insincere smiles, those chest-thumping promises, in his view, they were all false. They dangled the carrot of rebuilding to keep them working themselves to death, and once they were of no value, they¡¯d kick them away¡­ But a dying Battle Group would find it hard to resist a powerful governor. Yet upon arriving at Rage Owl Star, though he was disappointed with the backwardness of the entire world, in some ways it might also be a good thing. His Battle Group was already in tatters, with only seven warriors remaining. But Rage Owl Star was also a broken world. Mr. Gu, the governor, really needed them. With their assistance, his Excellency the governor would be better able to control the entire planet. And as the governor¡¯s power grew, their side would benefit and grow stronger as well. They didn¡¯t have to worry about Gu Hang deceiving them or acting against them. Given the dire straits Mr. Gu was currently in, even as debilitated as the Phoenix was, with just seven people they had the ability to fight back and make a full retreat if necessary. They also didn¡¯t have to worry about the governor reneging later on, because under the phased fulfillment of their duty to support the Battle Group, the Group would draw nutrients and grow stronger. As long as the Battle Group could grow in strength alongside the governor¡¯s increasing power, by the future, even if the two sides were to fall out after the governor had strengthened his forces, the Battle Group would likely have enough strength already. By then, if they were to go their separate ways, they would have enough power to return to the Star Sea and start anew as a Starship-based Battle Group¡ªwhat was so difficult about that? Even in the worst-case scenario, they could ensure to kill¡­ Oh, wrong, we¡¯re a loyal Battle Group; we don¡¯t do such things. Looking at Matins¡¯ face, which seemed to betray no thoughts at all, Gu Hang smiled amiably and sincerely, seemingly completely unconcerned about what Matins really thought. Matins began to speak, ¡°Perhaps we really should grow together, you reviving your world, me reviving my Battle Group. But how can you ensure that you can do it, that your world can truly develop as you plan?¡± ¡°You see, my situation might be similar to yours. You are on the brink of extinction, and if I can¡¯t achieve something in two years, I too will die. But our difference lies in that I am full of confidence in my future, while you harbor uncertainty; you don¡¯t know how to succeed, and I do.¡± ¡°So, you who are lost, would do well to tie your fate to mine.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be long, just two years, and we shall see the outcome.¡± Matins was already swayed by Gu Hang¡¯s words. Why shouldn¡¯t the directionless Phoenix hitch a ride on a train that knows the way? It¡¯s merely two years, after all, which for the long-lived interstellar warriors, isn¡¯t too much time. They had endured a hundred-year penance expedition; spending two years on Rage Owl Star, watching time pass by, wasn¡¯t a big deal. If Mr. Gu truly failed, then two years later, when the officials from the Empire¡¯s Administrative Department decided to execute the governor, he could personally send Mr. Gu on his way. Matins was leaning towards agreeing to cooperate with Mr. Gu. He had intended to go back and discuss with his brothers in arms before giving a final answer. But at this moment, he remembered Priest Rizzo¡¯s words. You are the Battle Group leader; you must shoulder the responsibilities of the Battle Group. And so, Matins changed his mind. He stood up, towering over Mr. Gu, who was much smaller in stature. Although his own body completely covered that of the governor, forcing him to crane his neck to see his face, with an overwhelming sense of oppression, the governor¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In the end, Matins extended his gigantic palm towards Gu Hang: ¡°I hope our cooperation will be blessed by the Divine Emperor.¡± The smile on Gu Hang¡¯s face grew even more brilliant. He reached out his hand and clasped it together with that of Matins, disproportionately large: ¡°For The Emperor!¡± Chapter 66 - Chapter 66: Chapter 66, just a little bit of deception Chapter 66: Chapter 66, just a little bit of deception Gu Hang deceived Matins. It wasn¡¯t much, just a little bit. Painting a pie in the sky couldn¡¯t be considered deception, if the Starfighters were willing to help him, and Rage Owl Star did indeed develop as he¡¯d planned, then he wouldn¡¯t mind supporting a Battle Group. He had never intended for Phoenix to be entirely, utterly at his service. The difference was too significant. Within the Imperial system, a planetary governor and a Starfighter Battle Group commander were completely separate entities; there was no subordination to speak of. However, when it came to status, the latter held much greater esteem than the former. If it were the heyday of the Phoenix Battle Group, they would dominate their home planet, where the planetary governor would merely act as a mortal housekeeper, handling the menial tasks the Starfighters couldn¡¯t be bothered with. His influence would be incredibly strong within the span of a Star Sector, with every governor respectfully welcoming the commander¡¯s arrival and praying for their neighbor¡¯s aid should their world face threats. Throughout the entire Star Realm, even across countless light-years of distance, the reputation of the Phoenix would be widely known. Once a large-scale war broke out, and if only one Battle Group were involved, the Battle Group commander would often become the supreme military commander. The Imperial Navy and the Imperial Star Realm Army might not be nominally under the Battle Group, but they would fully respect the commander¡¯s wishes, and even follow their commands¡ªunless, of course, there was some highly reputed general present, which could change the situation. Although the Phoenix was no longer what it had been a hundred years ago, its organizational structure remained, and the commander¡¯s identity persisted, so there was no way Gu Hang could make a Battle Group completely obey him. Not even the head of a Star Sector could achieve that. But forming an alliance, a mutual benefit, that was enough. You live in my house, drive my car, eat the food I provide, use the supplies I acquire for you, and I¡¯ve even promised to rebuild your Battle Group¡­ In such circumstances, it-¡®s not too much to ask you to fire a couple of shots to help me out in times of trouble, right? As long as this covenant was maintained, Gu Hang didn¡¯t mind, after some time, fulfilling his promise to help them rebuild their Battle Group. Whether it was providing manpower, resources, or finding ways to build or purchase starships for them. As for where Gu Hang deceived them¡­ It was what he mentioned earlier, the third point about ¡®replenishing enough Starfighters.¡¯ Gu Hang actually had a way. How does one become a Starfighter? It is a very difficult task. A ¡®Genetic Seed¡¯ is needed. Once chosen, the candidate would undergo intense genetic modification. After enduring one or two years of transformation, allowing the Genetic Seed to completely and meticulously alter their entire body, they would become a new recruit. Then, after lengthy training, when the Battle Group believed the new recruit met their standards, they would be granted powered armor, thus truly becoming a Starfighter. It may sound easy, but in reality, the process is extremely tough. After the Genetic Seed is implanted, enduring the intense modifications is immensely challenging. Candidates who aspire to become Starfighters are selected from billions of people for their robust physique and resolute will; but even so, most cannot withstand it. Whether their body gives out, or their will falters, failure to endure either would lead to genetic collapse and death. They made it through, and then came the new recruit training phase. Fortunately, this part was merely harsh, typically not resulting in too high a mortality rate. In this entire process, the two most important things were high-quality soldier sources and genetic seeds. Soldier sources were relatively easy to come by, as most battle groups had an entire planet as their recruitment world, their so-called mother planet. They could select soldiers from a planet¡¯s population, choosing the best of the best, generally without worry; even starship-based battle groups could try recruiting on some planets. Inducting on a planetary scale wasn¡¯t too practical, but handpicking a few hundred people to take away for training was hardly ever opposed by any governor. Even in the sorry state that Phoenix Battle Group was in now, they could randomly go to a world, abduct a few promising seeds, and most planets wouldn¡¯t bother pursuing a group of starfighters over a few people. But even if they solved the soldier source issue, Phoenix Battle Group still couldn¡¯t solve the latter problem, that of the genetic seeds. How the Emperor once created the starfighter genetic seeds is no longer known; the technology from tens of thousands of years ago wasn¡¯t preserved. In this era, starfighters mainly relied on ¡®giving birth¡¯ to their own kind. Each starfighter could produce two genetic seeds in their lifetime. The first seed would mature inside them after five years as a starfighter and could be extracted to develop new recruits; the second seed matured ten years later but couldn¡¯t be extracted and was only obtainable after their death. Theoretically, starfighters could duplicate one to two, two to four, four to eight¡­ growing exponentially. But in reality, that was impossible. Starfighters were always fighting in the most dangerous battles. It was very common to have bodies shattered beyond recovery or no time to collect the corpses, making the second seed difficult to retrieve. Only the first seed was a relatively stable source. Furthermore, each battle group was required to hand over 10% of their genetic seeds to the Empire within a certain timeframe as a genetic tax. This was to check whether the battle group¡¯s genetic seeds were pure, uncontaminated, or had mutations. The collected genetic seeds also formed the seed bank used by the Empire to create new battle groups. On top of that, the surgery for implanting genetic seeds had a not insignificant failure rate. A failure meant the loss of both person and seed. With multiple factors stacking up, it was almost impossible for Phoenix Battle Group to go from seven to fourteen to twenty-eight. What was worse, the seven living members of Phoenix were all veterans over a hundred years old, and their five-year seeds had long been harvested. To harvest again, they would have to die. Moreover, it seemed they no longer had a Pharmacist specializing in genetic seed implantation surgery; they could only ask Priest Rizzo to do the job. He was capable, but certainly not as reliable as a professional battle group Pharmacist. Less skill meant an even lower chance of the recipient successfully awakening. Gu Hang said he couldn¡¯t help Phoenix with this matter, and Matins didn¡¯t doubt it at all, considering it just a fleeting topic of discussion. No starfighter would expect a mere mortal to be able to provide any help to Phoenix in this regard. But the truth was, Gu Hang did have the ability. In the [Event] panel, the [Phoenix on the Verge of Death] event had taken on a new development. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only [Phoenix on the Verge of Death: Genetic Seed (Repeatable Event, can be selected indefinitely)] [The Phoenix Battle Group has come to Rage Owl Star, reaching a preliminary cooperation agreement with you. A governor seeking to grasp and develop a world, and a battle group on the brink of death yet determined to rise again, make a good match.] [The most important thing for the resurrection of the battle group, the genetic seed, is nowhere to be found. If you had the capacity, how would you choose?] [Pay 100 points of Grace to receive one genetic seed (Phoenix Battle Group).] Looking at this system feature, feeling happy was secondary; the biggest feeling for Gu Hang was the cold sweat running down his back. Chapter 67 - Chapter 67: Chapter 67, The Real or Fake Phoenix? Chapter 67: Chapter 67, The Real or Fake Phoenix? 100 points of grace, for one seed. It¡¯s really expensive. And the seed that comes with 100 points of grace can¡¯t be equated with a Starfighter. How much is a young, strong, determined, and highly gifted person worth? How much is it worth after they¡¯ve undergone the implant surgery, survived the transformation, and trained the long and extremely harsh way of the Starfighter? And how much is that specially designed power armor for Starfighters, which can neuraly connect with them, worth? Gu Hang still preferred using the grace point system to calculate value. He had now leveled up twice, to LV3, and his total approximate value was about 70 grace points. Activating at 10 points, 10 points to level up to 2, and 50 points to level up to 3. But when it came to leveling up to 4, it would cost 200 grace points. He wasn¡¯t a match for any Starfighter right now; he estimated that he would have to wait until level 4 to be on equal footing with an ordinary Starfighter. For veterans like the Phoenix Battle Group, probably level 5 was required for him to stand a chance. And individuals like Matins, Priest Rizzo, and a bald warrior he observed seemed stronger than the other four veterans. With that in mind, one could say that a Starfighter¡¯s value was roughly around 300 grace points, and a veteran¡¯s value was about 800 points. If Gu Hang wanted to use the system to create a Starfighter from scratch, he would probably have to exchange 100 points for a seed first and then perform the implant surgery. If it failed, 100 points would go down the drain, and only if they survived could they proceed to the next step. A rookie who made it would have the hardware but not the experience or skill. Gu Hang would have to spend at least 111 grace points to train them up to T1-level soldiers, and then figure out a way to acquire a set of power armor. With that, he would be close to having a standard tin can. Completing this entire process would cost at least over 200 grace points, and assuming the power armor is worth a hundred, it would indeed be close to the 300 points for a tin can he had estimated based on his own combat power. That¡¯s why Gu Hang sighed, ¡°This is really f*cking expensive!¡± I¡¯ve been mixing for a few months now, and I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯ve racked up 300 grace points in total! However, what stopped Gu Hang, and what gave him a chill when he looked at the repeatable branch event ¡°Phoenix on the Brink of Death¡± where he could exchange for a genetic seed, was the grave danger he realized this feature entailed. If he exchanged for a seed and then presented it to Matins saying, ¡°This is my support for you,¡± Matins would absolutely not feel the slightest bit of gratitude. Instead, he would undoubtedly pull out a bomb gun, demand to know how he acquired the genetic seed, and then send him to the Tribunal. There was no use arguing; this seed was even specifically marked as belonging to the Phoenix Battle Group. Each Battle Group¡¯s genetic seed would be slightly different. It might not be easy to tell for outsiders, but for them, it would be obvious at a glance. What could Gu Hang say then? He couldn¡¯t explain it at all. This was a feature he dared not use. But soon, a bold idea came to Gu Hang: ¡°Could I possibly¡­ take over their nests?¡± When I¡¯m better off, exchange for a bunch of genetic seeds, secretly find people, ensure their loyalty, brainwash them with Spiritual Energy, secretly implant the seeds, and covertly train them. I can also secretly purchase their armor from some forging worlds. When I¡¯ve amassed enough power, a grand ambush, signal by smashing a cup, with seven true Phoenix members surrounded by seventy fake ones trained by me, Gu Hang. After killing them off, the true Phoenix will belong to me, Mr. Gu! ¡°Population replacement plan? Er¡­ that¡¯s really not right¡­¡± Gu Hang shook his head and put the thought aside. Sabotaging allies, am I, Mr. Gu, that kind of person? Moreover, it¡¯s easy to talk about it now, but it would be quite troublesome to actually do it¡ªthere are countless details to take care of. Let¡¯s talk about it later. After all, they can¡¯t afford such high-end units now. ¡­ The Governor¡¯s Government of Rage Owl Star and the Phoenix Battle Group henceforth became informal allies. It was informal because they had not signed any specific agreements, nor put anything in writing. It was simply that the Phoenix Battle Group had agreed to accept task invitations from Mr. Gu whenever he encountered any trouble. They would then decide based on the situation whether to accept and execute the tasks as requested. Besides the Governor¡¯s task invitation, their operations were essentially free, provided that they gave Mr. Gu a heads-up out of respect for his sovereignty over the entire planet. Mr. Gu was likewise obliged to provide them with a base on the planet, supply them with provisions, and pay for the necessary aid for the battle group¡¯s rebuilding efforts within the boundaries of what he could afford. In fact, this assistance in rebuilding had already begun. First of all was ammunition supply. Wu Jiarong received a request from the Governor; she had to initiate the production of bomb-gun bullets. This was difficult; the industrial base of Rage Owl Star was completely inadequate for production. Diamond warheads, secondary propulsion, mass reaction fuzes, and characteristics of secondary explosions¡­ Being both armor-penetrating and explosive, these items had high requirements for technology. It wasn¡¯t impossible to make them, but it would rely on Wu Jiarong to craft each bullet by hand¡ªher mechanically modified arms were capable of this work. Her few junior technicians could probably manage a workbench well enough to help. The output would be quite touching. And asking her, the ¡®technical leader¡¯ of the Governor¡¯s Camp, to spend substantial time doing manual labor as a bullet-crafter was obviously a waste of talent and would affect the development of Gu Hang¡¯s territory. But all in all, it was a method of supply. Subsequently, Wu Jiarong also moved some equipment from the Phoenix Battle Group¡¯s ship, Burn Feather, to research how to achieve mass production, at least to the point where her junior technicians could take over the task. Then there was the maintenance of powered armor; currently, only Wu Jiarong was capable of it. As long as the damage wasn¡¯t too severe, small repairs and maintenance were within the capability of this technical officer. Typically, maintenance of the battle group¡¯s equipment was the responsibility of technical sergeants. The technical sergeants from Phoenix had been to the Mechanical God Cult¡¯s headquarters¡ªMars¡ªfor advanced training. They were more skilled than the average technical Priest. But what more could be done? Under these conditions, they had to endure. Rebuilding wasn¡¯t an easy task¡ªit relied on struggle and perseverance! Nevertheless, Mr. Gu¡¯s investment in the battle group¡¯s rebuilding efforts was recognized. An engineering team was formed explicitly. They would construct a Fortress Monastery some distance from the camp. Starfighters pride themselves as descendants of The Emperor and Death Angels of The Emperor; they always consider themselves the most steadfast believers in the Divine Emperor among the empire. Although they are a military organization, they are also a religious organization. Many Starfighter Battle Groups refer to their headquarters as ¡®Fortress Monasteries¡¯. The construction site that had already started attracted the warriors of Phoenix to visit. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They couldn¡¯t help but recall their battle group¡¯s headquarters on their homeworld. Compared to what it once was, the current one was world¡¯s apart. But at least, it was a good start, and the battle group was getting on the right path. On the next day, the seven warriors of Phoenix left the housing previously arranged by the Governor and moved directly next to the construction site of the Monastery. They wanted to watch the Monastery being built from the ground up. Chapter 68 - Chapter 68: Chapter 68, Something Happened Chapter 68: Chapter 68, Something Happened The arrival of the interstellar soldiers didn¡¯t have much impact on the Governor¡¯s Camp. Even the people on the wasteland had heard of The Emperor¡¯s Angels. Before the planet was shattered, their stories were enduringly popular, showing up in texts and visual images. Now, in the post-war era, those things were gone, but ¡®stories¡¯ themselves still existed. The older generation told the younger generation, who passed it on to the next, and so on¡­ This made people under the Governor curious when they saw the interstellar soldiers, and they couldn¡¯t help but look over repeatedly. But, as characteristic of wastelanders, they were sensitive and timid toward danger. They only dared to watch from afar, not daring to be too bold or direct with their gazes, to avoid angering these giants who could crush them with a mere slap. And the interstellar soldiers¡­ honestly, were already incredibly used to this kind of attention. As for the impact on the camp¡¯s development¡­ Honestly, there was a bit. In Gu Hang¡¯s case, there had always been a significant labor shortage for production development. Now, setting aside other supply needs, they even had to allocate an engineering team to build houses for the interstellar soldiers. Key was the fact that these interstellar soldiers took the matter very seriously, living right next door and supervising directly, not daring to cut corners at all. Lots of produced alloy steel, cement, and bricks had to be transported over for their use. The materials provided were already the best, yet the soldiers were still not quite satisfied until they were assured that they truly were the highest quality items available from the Governor¡¯s Camp. However, overall, this impact remained within the range that Gu Hang could accept. It was like hiring seven strong men; you just had to think of it as paying their wages. Beyond attracting attention, slightly slowing the development speed of the Governor¡¯s Camp, and using some labor and resources, their presence was otherwise quite low-key. Every day, aside from inspecting the construction site, they were praying and training, living like monks. Later, perhaps feeling a bit sheepish about having nothing to do all day¡ªafter all, they were supposed to assist in combat¡ªthey began entering the alien forest in groups to fight the mutant monsters. Definitely for the defense of the Governor¡¯s enterprise, and not because they were bored after not seeing blood for a while! Only, the monsters in the forest couldn¡¯t satisfy the interstellar soldiers. Previously, although there weren¡¯t any high-level monsters in the alien forest, there were still a good number of them. However, after the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect¡¯s ambush plan against Gu Hang, when a catalyst was triggered that caused a large number of hatching nests to emerge prematurely and a vast number of monsters to be killed, the number of monsters in the alien forest had drastically reduced, even the nests were scarce. This made it difficult for the interstellar soldiers to get in some practice and find that feeling of slaughter they were craving. But soon, their opportunity to wield their weapons appeared. ¡­ While the Phoenixes had nothing to do, Gu Hang returned to the task of worrying about the camp¡¯s development. The total population of the camp had officially surpassed ten thousand these days. With production plans and population distribution, Osenia might not have arranged everything perfectly, but she at least had things well organized, leaving Gu Hang little room to step in directly. Having a political officer with a rating of 9, the camp of ten thousand was being managed quite well. After just a brief focus, not needing to worry much, he saw his camp¡¯s monthly income steadily increasing, reaching 61 points at present. He hoped that by next month¡¯s ¡®payday,¡¯ it would break a hundred! Also, during this period, he had selected and conscripted over a hundred soldiers from the new refugees, who alongside the five hundred troops previously brought by Lambert from the Hodgson Family¡ªwhose command and ownership had been completely transferred to the Governor¡ªformed two additional infantry battalions. That would be the 5th and 6th battalions. These six hundred soldiers had also undergone training enhancements through Gu Hang¡¯s system function, which meant Gu Hang used 6 points of Grace, but also meant that his forces now exceeded 1700 people. Out of caution, Gu Hang made substantial changes to the officers of these two battalions and redeployed them. A significant number of soldiers were also reorganized with the previous 2nd, 3rd, and 4th battalions. The mixed forces had been disentangled as much as possible from their former command systems. After the reorganization, even if Lambert harbored ulterior motives, it wouldn¡¯t be of much use; it was unlikely he could incite the troops to defect in the middle of a fight. Of course, based on interactions over this period, Gu Hang tentatively believed that the two members of the Hodgson Family, old and young, were truly cooperative. Still, even so, it was wise to guard against others. It was only right for Gu Hang to take precautionary measures. Lambert had no objections to this. He even had no qualms about losing military power and being assigned to assist young Osenia, which earned him praise from her for his diligent work. He understood that his identity could cause misunderstandings and precautions from the Governor. But he had resolved to prove his loyalty through his attitude and everything he did over the upcoming lengthy period. Gu Hang was pleased with this. The young man was proving his worth. His grandfather was doing so as well. Population growth within the camp would have been difficult to achieve without help from Revival City. Moreover, most of the goods from the Governor¡¯s Camp, besides internal consumption, sold very well in Revival City on the foreign market. Purchasing food, minerals, and other consumer goods also went smoothly. During this time, Dennison Henry even felt that business was too easy. But today, Lambert came to Gu Hang somewhat flustered, bearing some unsettling news. ¡°I can¡¯t contact my grandfather.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang frowned, ¡°Be more specific.¡± ¡°This morning, I made a routine check with Revival City, but couldn¡¯t get through. It¡¯s not that no one was picking up, but the line was completely dead. I realized something wasn¡¯t right, tried to connect to other wireless communication lines of our family, but the situation was similar; I also contacted some people who have a good relationship with our family. Nobody knew what had happened, but they told me that Revival City is under lockdown, preventing the poor from the outer city from entering¡­¡± Gu Hang narrowed his eyes. ¡°This is really bad news¡­ It sounds like Mr. Hodgson might have run into trouble.¡± ¡°I implore you to save him!¡± Chapter 69 - Chapter 69: 69th Chapter, The Daughter of The Emperor Chapter 69: 69th Chapter, The Daughter of The Emperor Gu Hang patted Lambert on the shoulder and said, ¡°I know you¡¯re anxious, but impatience will only make things worse right now. Calm down; you need to mobilize all your connections and hidden forces in Revival City as much as possible and figure out what exactly happened.¡± After a pause, Gu Hang continued, ¡°Besides, I¡¯ll make preparations. When necessary, I will enter the city.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going into Revival City?¡± ¡°A governor must always return to his post,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°Moreover, President of the Council Hodgson is now working for me. If he has been put in jeopardy because of this and is alive, I will do my best to save him; if¡­ I mean if, the worst comes to pass, I will avenge him.¡± ¡°Thank you, Governor!¡± ¡°Go on, attend to your matters.¡± Watching Lambert leave, Gu Hang sat back down in his seat. Revenge was certainly something Gu Hang took seriously. Hodgson had been sitting pretty for many years without a solid foundation to become President of the Council. He¡¯d survived so many trials and tribulations without incident, but after he had made clear his support for Gu Hang, he suffered this misfortune¡­ It wouldn¡¯t do if Gu Hang, as the governor, did nothing. And apart from that reason, Gu Hang had another stronger, more pressing reason for making his decision: Someone had declared war on him. Although the situation was still unclear, the fact that someone had dared to take action against him in Revival City after Hodgson had made his support clear was undoubtedly a declaration of war. Whether it was the Heretic Cultists who followed the Primordial Wrath Owl or the conservative factions within the Alliance Government who had declared war on him, Gu Hang must respond. Actually, his current preparations were insufficient. In his previous plans, he himself would enter Revival City in about two to three months. By then, the economy and productive capacity of his territory would be able to support an army at least three times larger than the present one for a short period of military action. By that time, with the orbital cannon of the Quintet as the biggest deterrent and his troops, which had undergone systematic training, as the conventional means, he would return to Revival City and take complete control of the city. With that, he would gain a population of nearly a million. The production potential provided by the technology panel would be greatly realized; politically, he could genuinely exercise the governor¡¯s powers, use military force as a guarantee, and swiftly sweep all surrounding settlements into his production system. Now, it seemed his plan had to be accelerated. Since it was war, there was no such thing as ¡®being prepared.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t expect others to wait until he was ready before they fought. But there was also good news. Gu Hang¡¯s strength hadn¡¯t fully accumulated, but now he had the support of interstellar warriors, an unexpected boost in his plans. The help provided by the 7 Phoenix Veterans was probably more valuable than the military power Gu Hang could expand over the next two months. ¡°If it¡¯s war, then let it be war.¡± ¡°Having the plan pushed forward might not be a bad thing after all.¡± It¡¯s a real shame about old Hodgson¡­ I hope he¡¯s all right. ¡­ The troops under Gu Hang¡¯s direct command quickly assembled, leaving the Mech Servant Battalion to hold down the fort while the remaining five battalions formed an infantry regiment, awaiting further orders; The mission request was sent to the Phoenix Battle Group, which responded positively; Gu Hang personally communicated with Yelisia for about half an hour. Yelisia stated that from now on, the entire starship would enter a state of combat readiness and that an orbital cannon strike could be launched at any target specified by the governor within twenty minutes if needed; starting tomorrow, the starship would complete its combat readiness tasks, entering a wartime state, which meant that the response time for orbital cannon strikes could be reduced to within ten minutes. At the same time, given that the combat target was likely to include Heretic Cultists, Gu Hang¡¯s combat mission would receive support from the National Church Team aboard the starship. A Battle Nun Squad would arrive on the surface six hours later. That was another delightful surprise! Only now did Gu Hang learn that there was actually a squad of Battle Nuns on the Quintet? He had no idea about this during the trip to Rage Owl Star! Battle Nuns are a group steeped in legend. They are the only overt armed force of the Imperial State Religion. After the Theocratic Wars, the Church was no longer allowed to have any armed men. However, they fostered the Sisterhood by exploiting this rule, establishing the Battle Nun regiments. These sisters, blessed by the National Church and with unwavering faith, were called ¡®The Emperor¡¯s Daughters¡¯. They might not be as formidable as the genetically-modified Interstellar warriors, but with The Emperor¡¯s blessing, they could attain extraordinary power. They also wore specially made power armors. Unlike the Interstellar warriors, they could not connect directly to modified spinal cords for neural linking with the armor, but they could activate their armor with the power of sacred spells. And their blessed armor, though not as heavy as that of the Interstellar warriors, was still a formidable weapon. Initially, Gu Hang found it odd that there was a squad of Battle Nuns permanently stationed on the Quintet, but after searching his memory, he had an epiphany. The Sisterhood had many branches. Apart from the main ones, there were also second-tier, third-tier sub-orders. They naturally needed places to station, usually alongside significant institutions of the National Church. On Korolya III of the Nest Capital planet in the Tianma Star Sector, there stood a great cathedral of the Imperial State Religion, not only the most crucial division in this Star Sector but also a faith hub for several surrounding Star Sectors. And there, the ¡®Sainte-Lys Nun Association¡¯ was stationed. On a large starship like the Quintet, a chapel was essential. Normally, priests and nuns needed to comfort the crewmembers¡¯ spirits on the battleship; in wartime, they would resist corruption from evil. In this context, if the Star Sector Government had relatively close military cooperation with the National Church, then aside from the standard shipboard chapels, it was not impossible to additionally equip a Battle Nun Squad. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Like Interstellar warriors, Battle Nuns were not exactly subordinates directly under the command of Yelisia, the captain. But, being on the same ship, it was normal for them to comply if requested. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t Yelisia who made the request this time. It was when the news of the Cult on Rage Owl Star made its way to these ¡®Emperor¡¯s Daughters¡¯ that they volunteered to join the battle. Zealous Battle Nuns would not tolerate the existence of Heretic Cultists. And with the help of these sisters, who might be weaker than Interstellar warriors but not by much, Gu Hang¡¯s operation gained an even more powerful boost. Moreover, compared to the warriors, these Battle Nuns were more specialized anti-cult experts. If the shadow of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect loomed in this affair, the Emperor¡¯s Daughters would give them a huge surprise. Chapter 70 - Chapter 70: Chapter 70, I’ll Go Chapter 70: Chapter 70, I¡¯ll Go ¡°` Under the circumstances of Gu Hang assembling all the help he could get, news from Revival City kept pouring in. Lambert became an intelligence officer. He had already activated his own contacts as well as his family¡¯s to obtain intelligence from Revival City by all possible means. Meanwhile, Dennison Henry, although he was in Rubbish Town when he received the message, had quite a number of partners in Revival City. He was also actively mobilizing his contacts to help collect information. The situation inside Revival City was becoming increasingly worrisome. The person who initiated martial law was General Mondok. As the supreme commander of Revival City¡¯s military power, this meant that the military might have already taken a stand against the governor. Old Hodgson was still without news to this day, his life and death unknown. But what was even more troubling was that various hints indicated that several key members of the Hodgson Family were also missing, including Lambert¡¯s father. Rumors had it that the bodies of the Hodgson Family¡¯s servants had been discovered. The Hodgson Family manor was locked down by the authorities. Armed soldiers stood guard around it, and no one could get close. These were all extremely bad pieces of information. The inquiries sent to Revival City in the name of Governor Gu Hang, although replied to, were insincere. The authorities claimed that they too had discovered the disappearance of President of the Council Hodgson and suspected cult involvement. The martial law and the lockdown of the manor were deemed necessary steps in order to investigate the matter. They promised to inform the governor immediately if any findings were made. Gu Hang didn¡¯t believe any of it for a moment. If that was true, why hadn¡¯t the authorities in Revival City reported Hodgson¡¯s disappearance to him immediately? It was only when Lambert tried to contact his grandfather as usual that they found out. And even more absurd was the second message from Revival City officials, inviting the governor back to ¡°take charge¡± of Revival City, but with the difficult stipulation of not being able to provide supplies and accommodations, they ¡°requested¡± the governor not bring more than a hundred followers. At this point, Gu Hang had confirmed that the situation in Revival City had completely spiraled out of control. To this second message, Gu Hang returned only four words. ¡°I will go.¡± ¡­ ¡°Will he come?¡± industrial tycoon Norris cautiously asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°If he said he will come, he definitely will,¡± Bradford replied, ¡°But our esteemed governor doesn¡¯t seem like someone who will surrender without a fight. He will come, but it¡¯s unlikely he¡¯ll bring only a hundred people.¡± Norris continued to probe, ¡°The people we planted with him are reporting that recently, seven individuals suspected to be interstellar warriors arrived at his camp. If that¡¯s true, what do we do?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Bradford was stumped. His gaze involuntarily turned to Mondok beside him, laced with a hint of reproach. ¡°` Norris was already very dissatisfied, ¡°I said earlier, we should not rush things. If Mr. Gu really is capable of enlisting the aid of intergalactic warriors, what do we do now to resolve this situation?¡± Mondok sneered, ¡°Now that things have come to this, what¡¯s the use of being afraid? Norris, have you lost your edge?¡± Norris argued, ¡°What does this have to do with edge? Even if you¡¯re sharp, would you go head-to-head with an intergalactic warrior?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much,¡± Bradford interjected, trying to smooth things over. ¡°This might not even be true. How could such legendary figures as the intergalactic warriors be summoned at someone¡¯s beck and call? It¡¯s very likely a ruse by the governor to blind us, we must not lose our composure.¡± Despite his words, Bradford¡¯s expression betrayed an undeniable panic. Most likely it¡¯s not true, but what if it is? Mondok, witnessing the ambivalence of both men, displayed an even more pronounced look of disdain. However, he knew he still needed their support, so he had to instill some confidence in them. ¡°First off, Bradford is right, this whole thing is probably not true, just a fa?ade created by our governor.¡± ¡°Secondly, even if it were true, what¡¯s there to fear? Reports from several sources say that there are a total of seven intergalactic warriors. Just seven. We have an army of ten thousand! We have seventy Challenger tanks! We have one hundred artillery guns of various models! Are we supposed to fear seven intergalactic warriors? Have you been reading too many pre-war stories and really believe these warriors are gods descended from the heavens? I¡¯ve never believed such exaggerated fabrications. They¡¯re all just flesh and blood with a single head and two hands. Can they tear apart tanks with their bare hands? That¡¯s laughable!¡± Pausing for a moment, Mondok continued, ¡°The governor¡¯s forces amount to barely a thousand men with hardly any heavy weaponry. Stop worrying about this all the time. Instead, you could spend the time helping me with some actual work.¡± Reassured by Mondok¡¯s words brimming with confidence, Norris and Bradford felt somewhat more at ease. Upon further reflection, it really did make sense. Even if there really were intergalactic warriors, what could seven people achieve? Could they really massacre a thousand, decimating the entire Revival City¡¯s forces? But at this moment, Norris, the cautious one, raised another issue, ¡°Have you considered the problem of the orbital strike?¡± Mentioning this, Mondok fell silent for a moment. In comparison to the uncertain issue of intergalactic warriors, the real headache was the Quintet hovering in the sky above. The starship was undoubtedly real, with its formidable presence floating in the sky, so noticeable that its lights could be observed with the naked eye on clear nights. The main cannon of the Quintet might not be able to obliterate the entirety of Revival City in a single shot, but a few more rounds should do the job. Spending half a day or a full day meticulously bombarding a city-sized target would ensure no inch of ground was left untouched. Revival City had underground air-raid shelters left from the war era; hiding there might offer a chance to survive an orbital assault. But firstly, not many could take refuge in them, and secondly¡­ even if people survived, what good would it do if the city was destroyed? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Could General Mondok conjure up food and ammunition out of thin air to sustain his army? Could Norris, the industrial magnate, continue his manufacturing operations underground and keep production high? Could Bradford, the business tycoon, find anywhere to trade and amass his wealth? They were too attached. They usually looked down upon the several hundred thousand refugees outside the city and even the ordinary citizens within the city walls. Yet these people were the true source of their wealth. The death of a few was trivial, but if the city were cleansed and the populace eradicated, it would spell the end for them too. And yet, the problem of the starship was insoluble. In the end, all Mondok could say was, ¡°Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t do that. If Revival City is destroyed, he¡¯ll surely die within two years!¡± Chapter 71 - Chapter 71: Chapter 71, Life is the Coin of the Emperor Chapter 71: Chapter 71, Life is the Coin of the Emperor If Gu Hang knew Mondok¡¯s thoughts, he¡¯d surely laugh: I just need to kill a few people, why would I bombard an entire city? Would he really order Yelisia to bombard Revival City? Yes, and no. Yes, meaning a small-scale, relatively precise military strike; no, meaning there would not be a destruction of Revival City until the very last moment. The population of the inner city plus the slums outside Revival City roughly approaches a million. And what is the population of the entire Rage Owl Star? Six years ago, in the last year of the second governor¡¯s era, when the last tax payment was made to the Empire, the number was forty-two million plus. A planet with a population of forty-two million, that was 0.5% of Rage Owl Star¡¯s population during its heyday before the war. 99.5% of the population was lost in that war and in the century of darkness and chaos that followed. And after the end of the rule of the second governor, with governors changing every two years for the past six years, has the situation on Rage Owl Star improved? Obviously not. Given the circumstances here, the population is probably still in decline. Compared to the population, the loss of productivity is probably even more severe. This has led to the situation where, although the population is already quite small for an entire planet, people are still cheap. This is because even this small number of people are barely sustained by the current output of Rage Owl Star. So now, the answer to this question is very clear: why would Gu Hang absolutely not want to make a light decision to order the starships to bombard Revival City? Because here lies one of the very few densely populated areas of Rage Owl Star. Based on a population of one million, that¡¯s already 2.3% of the total population of the planet six years ago. And the actual proportion is only higher than this figure. By Gu Hang¡¯s estimate, the current total population of Rage Owl Star may already be less than forty million, or even less. Moreover, despite the poor people outside Revival City being destitute, the city is still a jewel of Rage Owl Star. This city, which gathers a million people from both the inner and outer areas, benefits from the scale effect, with an increase in productivity that a hundred settlements, each with a population of ten thousand, could not match. Flattening Revival City and losing 2.3% or even more of the global population, along with more than 5% of global productivity, are already outcomes that Gu Hang is unwilling to accept. Not to mention, without Revival City as an existing hub of population, a massive potential for development would be lost. If the city could be peacefully taken and controlled, a million people combined with Gu Hang¡¯s technological system could unleash tremendous production capacity. Without Revival City, Gu Hang would have to wander the wastelands gathering people by the thousands or hundreds, searching for countless small, hidden, and highly guarded places like the Abandoned Cave Society to collect the population. Peaceful control of Revival City is worth a thousand Abandoned Cave Societies to Gu Hang. This is the greatest reason why Gu Hang would not order the destruction of Revival City unless absolutely necessary. ¡°Life is the coin of The Emperor,¡± fits the situation precisely, yet there¡¯s a subsequent half to it: ¡°Spend it wisely.¡± If The Emperor still holds true to this, Gu Hang, who theoretically may possess less than forty million in total assets, has no reason to be so extravagant as to waste a million ¡°coins.¡± ¡­ When they say six hours, it means six hours. A transport vessel from the Quintet arrived with a Battle Nun Squad. Under the leadership of Sister Chang Ge Ruite, eleven nuns came to the surface. With their height stretching beyond one meter eighty, once clad in combat armor, they appeared both taller and more substantial. Their creamy white armors adorned with green patterns made them seem holy and elegant, truly like a living group of lily ladies. As they emerged from the hatch, Gu Hang thought he saw another Battle Group walk out. Of course, it was just d¨¦j¨¤ vu. The difference between the two was quite significant. The red armor of the Phoenix made them look like battle-hardened warriors who had fought their way through rivers of blood; the tender green and creamy white of the Saintly Lilies¡¯ armor made them look like elegant ladies spreading the gospel. And their most significant difference lay in their size. The Battle Nuns, all towering over one meter eighty and already considered tall and strong among women, were even more massive with their powered armors compared to regular troops. ¡°` However, compared to interstellar warriors, who averaged heights of two meters thirty or two meters forty and whose frames were substantial even in width, there was no contest. Gu Hang collected his thoughts and advanced to meet them. ¡°Mrs. Georgette, welcome to your arrival. With your help, the traitors of Rage Owl Star and the heretic cultists will have nowhere to hide.¡± Unlike the interstellar warriors who always maintained stern, deadpan expressions, the attitude of the battle nun leader was gentle and amiable¡ªat least Mrs. Georgette was like this. The woman with short white hair extended her hand with a smile and shook hands with Gu Hang. Her voice was low, gentle, and very comforting, ¡°I am also very pleased to meet you, Governor. I hope that we can cooperate well in the coming times.¡± Having said that, she turned her gaze to Commander Matins, who stood not far behind Gu Hang. She nodded with a smile. Matins nodded back in response. Gu Hang noticed this. These two have a story. Curiously, he asked, ¡°Do you two¡­ know each other?¡± Mrs. Georgette smiled and said, ¡°If Governor wishes to know, it might be better to ask Commander Matins. If he does not wish to tell you, it would not be appropriate for me to say too much.¡± Gu Hang turned his gaze back to Matins. Matins was silent for a while, and Gu Hang thought he wouldn¡¯t get an answer, but in the end, the serious interstellar warrior spoke up, ¡°We have fought side by side in the Organ Star Region.¡± Mrs. Georgette said, ¡°I have to thank you. Without you, the Order of the Blessed Lily might no longer exist.¡± ¡°No, it is I who should thank you. You could have retreated, but you chose to stand with us.¡± Mrs. Georgette¡¯s smile took on a hint of cleverness, ¡°That¡¯s not what you said at the time.¡± Matins, uncharacteristically, looked somewhat embarrassed, ¡°I¡­ ¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Mrs. Georgette laughed heartily as she stepped forward; despite being much shorter than Matins and both of them wearing power armor, it didn¡¯t stop the Sister Superior from giving the Commander a big hug. ¡°Anyway, I am very happy to see you again, my comrade-in-arms. Congratulations on redeeming yourselves, and may the Divine Emperor bless your future.¡± ¡­ It was rather miraculous for two comrades who had long been separated to run into each other again in a place as minor as Rage Owl Star, and to have the opportunity to fight side by side once more. Their so-called ¡®Organ Star Region¡¯ was quite a distance from the Tianma Star Sector. But they didn¡¯t have much time to reminisce. The time to depart had arrived. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The reason for the delay was that Gu Hang was waiting for the arrival of the battle nuns. Although there were only eleven of them, they were still eleven exceptional warriors. Just two or three nuns working together could have a fair chance of defeating an ordinary interstellar warrior. Not to mention they had Sister Chang Ge Ruite. Gu Hang could vaguely sense through psionic perception that the Sister Superior¡¯s strength was probably not much weaker than Matins¡¯s. Admittedly, no further news had come from Revival City, and old Hodgson seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth, his fate unknown. But Gu Hang was not willing to wait any longer. The Mech Servant Battalion stayed behind to guard the home, while the combined forces of over fifteen hundred warriors from the 2-6 Battalions, the terrestrial troops, Phoenix Interstellar Warriors, and the Order of the Blessed Lily Battle Nuns¡­ a whole team, escorted the Governor as they embarked from the camp, heading towards Revival City. Chapter 72 - Chapter 72: Chapter 72, are you pretending? Chapter 72: Chapter 72, are you pretending? From the Governor¡¯s Camp, getting to Revival City by infantry speed would take almost an entire day. By evening, the team arrived outside Revival City. And Revival City had long since been informed of Gu Hang¡¯s approach. Gu Hang hadn¡¯t planned on remaining incognito, moving with quite a display, making it somewhat difficult to go unnoticed. There were too many ways for those in Revival City to have advance notice. If one only considers the inner city, Revival City isn¡¯t large; but taking into account the outer city and the haphazardly constructed dwellings of the poor, the area it covers isn¡¯t small at all. And when Gu Hang¡¯s team arrived at Revival City, they merely stopped at the outer city. An army stood in their way. It was Revival City¡¯s garrison. A multitude of soldiers occupied the slum area in front of the main gate. They were stationed inside houses, glaring outside with predatory eyes; tanks were hidden among civilian residences, with most of their bulk blocked by the low buildings, their dark barrels protruding. They were blocking the Governor¡¯s team from proceeding further. An officer, accompanied by a few attendants, approached the Governor¡¯s team to request an audience with the Governor. Gu Hang met with him. The Revival City officer saluted Gu Hang, ¡°Good day, Your Excellency the Governor, I am from Revival¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to report your name, I¡¯m not interested in knowing. Tell me, why is my city blocking my entry? Why are you soldiers, who should be loyal to me, standing on the opposite side?¡± The officer, whose self-introduction had been cut off, swallowed his saliva. He felt incredibly tense. He looked to his left, seeing a red-armored giant, knowing that was a starship warrior; he looked to his right, a lady in white and green armor, that was a Battle Nun. His gaze then turned back to the middle, to his Governor, the highest ruler of this planet. He thought, with what merit or bravery does he dare to speak in front of these legendary figures? But he still spoke up, ¡°I am acting on orders from the Alliance Council, from the Marshal of Revival City¡¯s defenses, Major General Mondok, to¡­ to request that you halt your advance. There is no issue with Your Excellency the Governor entering the city, but you are allowed no more than a hundred guards, and¡­ and that must not include a starship warrior or Battle Nun.¡± Gu Hang reacted as if he heard a preposterous joke, ¡°Mondok? Major General? He¡¯s making requests of me?¡± The officer seemed to realize himself how ridiculous his statement had been, and could only slightly lower his head in silence. ¡°So,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°I now inform you in my capacity as the Governor of Rage Owl Star, regardless of whatever posts, whatever authority that Mondok you spoke of previously had, he no longer holds. He is no longer an Alliance Councilman, nor a military commander. Now, take this message back to your comrades-in-arms.¡± Gu Hang had already given the officer a chance. But he hadn¡¯t seized it. It was evident that he was under tremendous psychological pressure, but he still resisted, saying, ¡°I apologize, Your Excellency the Governor, but please comply with General Mondok¡¯s¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. He felt an incredible power clutching at his throat. Quickly, he fainted due to lack of blood flow to the brain. Releasing the power of his telekinetic control, he let the body fall to the ground. Gu Hang waved his hand and soldiers came forward to drag the man away. This officer was very courageous. But his courage was misplaced. At that moment, Commander Matins spoke up, ¡°Governor, the situation is now very clear. That man who claims to be General Mondok, his actions amount to rebellion. What stands before us now are all rebels.¡± ¡°So, Commander Matins, what do you suggest we do? Kill all the ¡®rebels¡¯? Can the seven Phoenix Warriors accomplish that?¡± Matins actually began to calculate carefully before replying, ¡°Relying solely on the seven of us to completely defeat an army of ten thousand, equipped with heavy firepower and armor, would be difficult. I need the cooperation of the Sisters of Saint Lily of Mercy along with the artillery fire from the Quintet. At night, we could enter the target area, mark it for an orbital strike, and then let the starships commence the bombardment. We could move in to sweep the area afterward. With this plan, we should be able to complete the mission with a relatively small loss.¡± Battle Nun Georgette, however, raised an objection, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Commander Matins, I would relish another opportunity to fight alongside the Phoenix again. But our mission on this descent to the planet¡¯s surface is not to quell a rebellion, but to deal with Heretic Cultists. I will not partake in a campaign against human rebels. Mr. Governor, I also ask for your understanding.¡± Gu Hang was not disappointed; instead, he displayed a calming smile, ¡°I understand, I certainly do. Commander Matins, your plan is sound¡ªwhen I deem these enemies before us all need to be eliminated, I will adopt your plan. But for now, we don¡¯t need to complicate matters to such an extent.¡± ¡°What do you plan to do, then?¡± ¡°Rest for now. You might be unaffected by a whole day of marching, but my soldiers need rest to recover their combat strength. As for the specifics of the plan, I will inform you later. I also ask you, and Superior Georgette, to coordinate with me tomorrow.¡± Matins gazed at Gu Hang for a moment before ultimately nodding in agreement. Georgette also expressed her stance, ¡°We will not slaughter human soldiers, but we will provide you, Mr. Governor, with the necessary protection.¡± ¡°To have achieved this step is already very much appreciated.¡± ¡­ Within Revival City, Norris and Bradford waited anxiously for news from the outer city. Upon learning that Gu Hang had set out, and that he actually had space warriors with him, even Battle Nuns, these two Alliance Councilmen who were merchants were quite panicked. Regret filled their hearts, and even when General Mondok decided to lead his troops to defend the outer city, they raised their objections. But their objections were weak and powerless, as always. They could only watch as Mondok positioned himself in front of the Governor and then pray that conflict would not erupt. And indeed, it did not. Mr. Gu, the Governor, had stopped right outside the outer city. This was indeed joyful news! Bradford spoke, ¡°It seems we overestimated how tough Gu Hang would be. Perhaps, his toughness was all just an act.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Norris said with a chuckle, ¡°At least we can sleep peacefully tonight. We indeed need a hardliner like Mondok; he¡¯s done very well.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Bradford said, ¡°the threat of war has greatly diminished. Now, the remaining issue is how to get that capricious Governor to stop playing around building camps outside and quickly return to where he belongs.¡± ¡°Yes, once he¡¯s back, everything will return to normal.¡± ¡°Just like the previous three Governors.¡± ¡°Yes, we have countless ways to deal with him. There¡¯s no need for him to dream of saving the world¡ªthe Rage Owl Star doesn¡¯t need his salvation. All he has to do is to dutifully serve as Governor, enjoy a couple of comfortable years, and then retire peacefully when it¡¯s time.¡± Chapter 73 - Chapter 73: Chapter 73, why isn’t anyone hitting him? Chapter 73: Chapter 73, why isn¡¯t anyone hitting him? On the second day, at dawn, the sun had not yet risen, and the sky was just beginning to brighten. Outside Revival City, many soldiers had been on duty throughout the night. At the very front, the officers in charge of the checkpoint were two lieutenant colonels. ¡°Last night, Landolf didn¡¯t come back,¡± one of them said, ¡°I don¡¯t know whether he¡¯s dead or if the governor detained him.¡± ¡°Did General Mondok get angry?¡± asked the other. ¡°No,¡± the first lieutenant colonel replied, ¡°The General was actually quite pleased when he saw that the governor¡¯s troops really had stopped outside.¡± ¡°Pleased? But Landolf is his own nephew.¡± The former simply shrugged his shoulders, indicating that that was just the way things were. ¡°So cold-blooded, poor Landolf.¡± While chatting idly, suddenly one of them stretched out his hand, pointing towards the faint morning fog on the outskirts: ¡°What is that?¡± The other looked in the direction of the outstretched hand. It was not yet fully light, the visibility was obscured by morning fog, but he could still make out, vaguely, the figures of a few giants slowly approaching. The two exchanged a glance; one retreated and blew his whistle, alerting all the soldiers at the checkpoint to be vigilant, while the other took aim with his gun into the thick fog and asked, ¡°Who goes there?¡± However, there was no response from within the fog. The figures approaching through the mist remained silent. Only after they drew somewhat closer could heavy footsteps be heard. The sound of footsteps was somewhat abrupt; there had been no sound before, as if they were ghosts; and now, after being spotted, the sound was so distinct, so heavy, it was as if a war drum had been struck in their hearts. He had already realized who was coming, but he didn¡¯t know what to do about it. Should he open fire? He didn¡¯t dare! First of all, he did not dare to take the responsibility for firing the first shot; Second, and more importantly, considering his current situation, standing in front of the checkpoint without any cover, if he dared to fire the first shot, he¡¯d be dead the next second. But should he just do nothing? Amid his dilemma, he noticed that the soldiers stationed behind him had prepared themselves following the reminder of the colleague with whom he had just spoken. Dozens of guns were aimed in this direction, which reassured him considerably. He refocused his gaze towards the front and called out again. ¡°Who goes there? Please respond!¡± This time, there was still no answer. But as the footsteps drew closer, he could now faintly see the figures approaching. The fiery red powered armor and the signature colossal stature undoubtedly marked their identity. The man they were escorting, though he had never seen him before, must surely be the governor. As they walked closer and closer, the obstructing officer grew more and more nervous, his hands sweating on his weapon. He couldn¡¯t help but issue a third warning. ¡°Please halt, you are not permitted to pass!¡± Still, there was no response, as if what approached were not living people, but a host of ghosts. After the third warning was issued, the figures were very close. He couldn¡¯t help but turn his head back, looking to his companion, as if seeking guidance on what to do next. To his dismay, he found that his companion was also looking back at him, eyes revealing the same question. According to the rules of the wasteland, when faced with such a situation, there would be no hesitation; one would just fire a salvo first. If the people were dead, they wouldn¡¯t pose a threat anymore. But here, regardless of political decorum, could the rifles in the soldiers¡¯ hands be of any use against these steel-bodied adversaries? What to do? No one knew what to do. Under hesitation, conflict, helplessness, enormous pressure, and intense nervousness, these checkpoint soldiers and officers simply allowed the star warriors and battle nuns, escorting the governor, to approach them. The moment for a final decision had come. The commanding officer, still not daring to give the order to fire, could not just let them pass either. At last, gritting his teeth and bravely stepping in front of the advancing crowd, he stretched out his palm to the leading star warrior, making a halting gesture while saying: ¡°Halt! Ahead is forbid¡ª¡± There was a dull thud. His head caved in. The red-armored warrior at the front had no intention of stopping. When faced with an obstruction, he simply extended his hand as if swatting away a fly, his backhand striking the officer¡¯s face. The movement was too fast for the officer to react or dodge, and his head caved as if struck by a sledgehammer. The splattered blood stained the vivid red armor, hardly noticeable. His body slumped to the side, legs still twitching. Blood kept pouring from his misshapen head, quickly pooling into a large puddle. No one cared, no one paid attention. The Death Angel who struck the blow didn¡¯t even alter the rhythm of his pace. Those who followed didn¡¯t spare a glance to the side. Even the holy and merciful battle nuns were indifferent. The commanding officer was dead, but the soldiers still did not dare to shoot, not even when a star warrior kicked Landolf aside. Nor did anyone dare to block their path. Like this, they simply let the governor¡¯s procession pass. The way behind, for Gu Hang and his companions, was also clear. Although someone had died at the first checkpoint, the commotion wasn¡¯t great. There were neither gunshots nor cannon fire, and many soldiers behind were completely unaware of what had happened, with a considerable number still asleep, undisturbed. Under these circumstances, the 19 of them, including Gu Hang, strolled confidently down the street from the outer city to the inner city gate. The outer city¡¯s environment wasn¡¯t great, haphazardly constructed with no planning¡ªnarrow alleys typical of densely populated slums. However, the main avenues extending from the gates leading to the inner city remained spacious. The deliberately produced heaviness of the powered leg armor echoed far and wide. Many soldiers on duty, now awake, peeked out and saw them. The imposing star warriors and the striking battle nuns were an awe-inspiring sight, further accentuating the governor¡¯s distinguished aura under their protection. Were such figures something these lowly soldiers could contend with? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only No one dared think so. At the same time, they felt more at ease in their hearts. Before, General Mondok had firmly prohibited the governor from entering the city, even adopting a stance ready for a forceful confrontation. Thankfully, General Mondok had since changed his mind. ¡ªMost of the soldiers in the rear were unaware of what had happened at the checkpoint. Seeing the governor¡¯s procession moving arrogantly on the main road, they assumed it was normal, that the general had allowed them passage. Otherwise, why wasn¡¯t anyone shooting at them? Chapter 74 - Chapter 74: Chapter 74, Dilemma Chapter 74: Chapter 74, Dilemma ¡°Why has no one stopped them?¡± Located in the outer city, guarding the gate, and presiding over the military, Mondok had just been woken up when he received the news, and he already felt very anxious. Yesterday, after the arrival of the Governor¡¯s troops, although his deployed nephew failed to return, the Governor¡¯s forces had indeed stopped outside, honestly not moving an inch. This satisfied him; his tough stance seemed to have been effective. The next step was to consider how to negotiate with the Governor. But who could have expected that early this morning, he would hear such shocking bad news! With the escort of seven Star Realm warriors and eleven Battle Nuns, the Governor strolled through his army and was now walking on the main road, heading towards the inner city. And throughout the process, the interactions between his army and the Governor¡¯s guard were very ¡®peaceful.¡¯ It was said that an officer who tried to block the way had his head crushed with a single punch. But besides that, not a single shot was fired, not a single cannon was shot. His soldiers just let the ¡®enemy¡¯ walk right through. Why is that? Could it be that all my troops have mutinied? This was the source of Mondok¡¯s anxiety. Because it wasn¡¯t impossible. He was a general, a commander, but nominally he was a subordinate to the Governor, who was the supreme commander. The ordinary soldiers didn¡¯t understand the twists and turns above them and wouldn¡¯t easily categorize the Governor as an enemy. To some extent, if the soldiers really ¡®rebelled,¡¯ what could he do? Mondok even couldn¡¯t help but look around, fearing that the next moment, before the Governor¡¯s people arrived, his own soldiers would bind him, chanting something like ¡®lending General Mondok¡¯s head for use.¡¯ But fortunately, that situation did not happen. His personal guard was still loyally guarding outside. The adjutant who came to report responded to his earlier question, ¡°Indeed, no one stopped them. I inquired about it, and it is said that you might have allowed the Governor¡¯s troops to pass, so the soldiers did not dare to block or open fire¡­¡± Not to mention others, even he himself thought so. ¡°Bullshit!¡± Mondok bellowed! ¡°Er¡­ You never issued such an order, Sir?¡± Faced with this question, Mondok instead calmed down. He composed himself and quickly analyzed the current situation in his mind. The situation might not be as bad as he had initially thought. Right now, the soldiers were just confused, bewildered, and at a loss; they had not yet shown any intention of mutiny. The prestige Mondok had established within the troops was still intact; the soldiers would still consider him the highest commander of the forces. And more importantly, the propaganda that they had been doing within the alliance authorities, the troops, and the whole city, was still effective. The era of the brutal rule of the second governor had only ended six years ago, and the memories were still fresh in people¡¯s minds; no one wanted to return to those times. It was with the help of this public sentiment that they, over the past six years, had puppetized the governor on one hand, making sure his decrees could not leave his office, let alone affect the broader lands beyond Revival City. On the other hand, they had also silently shifted the blame for many of their own misdeeds onto the governor. In Rage Owl Star and Era City, despite some still cherishing the gubernatorial revival led by the first governor, people now held not too much affection for the governors sent by the Imperial Faction. Hatred was perhaps an overstatement, since the new one had not had enough time to commit bad deeds. But the lingering fear and resentment had not diminished in the slightest. After Gu Hang arrived, the fact that he ventured beyond the confines of Revival City to meddle in external affairs was beyond the expectations of the alliance¡¯s upper echelons, but it was a development they were happy to see. If he wanted to play some construction game, then let him play by himself. No one believed he could survive the imperial tax two years from now by starting from scratch with external construction. Once the governor was executed two years later, the top brass of the alliance would simply scapegoat some members of the Governor¡¯s Government, have them finished off together, and then just wait for the arrival of the next governor¡ªall to endure another two-year cycle. Because of this, they had recently loosened their smear campaign against the new governor. Not to mention, amongst them had emerged a traitor like Hodgson! Unintentionally, the news of the new governor¡¯s thriving activities outside had spread among the poor outside Revival City. It was only recently that they realized the seriousness of the problem. Not only had they executed Hodgson, but they had also made it clear to the governor that they were ready for confrontation. Under these circumstances, they restarted a round of urgent propaganda, attempting to mold Gu Hang into a new ¡°second governor,¡± claiming he would return to seize power and sentence half of Revival City¡¯s population as tribute for the imperial tax, and portraying how tragic it would be to be given as human tribute¡­ But in truth, if the poor were taken as human tax¡­ it might not be such a bad thing. Working as slaves on starships might be better than living as poor in Rage Owl Star. Of course, there was also the chance of being sent to the Star Realm Army as slaves, cannon fodder, or to the front-line logistical transport team¡­ That could be slightly worse. Though they would have enough food, the average lifespan measured in hours was a downside. However, in their propaganda, they would neither mention having enough to eat nor discuss issues of glory and honor¡ªonly the short life expectancy. Their propaganda was somewhat effective. Previously, Gu Hang¡¯s construction projects outside had been vibrant and absorbed many refugees. Henry and Hodgson hadn¡¯t held back with their positive promotions, which greatly boosted his reputation. Now, as they began to speak ill of Gu Hang, the effect was somewhat limited. But at the very least, they had managed to dilute his previously good reputation, reigniting the fear of being ruled by a governor in the people¡¯s minds. Attitudes that had begun to lean a certain way became uncertain again. Reflecting on this, Mondok couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved. It had been a good move; otherwise, he might truly have faced the scenario where the soldiers might have defected en masse at the governor¡¯s call to arms. Having analyzed the situation, Mondok had a rough idea of what he needed to do. He needed to personally step up and, with his own authority, strengthen the soldiers¡¯ resolve, helping them understand the situation clearly and distinguish who was the ¡°enemy¡± and who was the commander. Even at critical moments, he needed to further maintain his tough stance, inspiring his personal guard to decisively prevent Gu Hang from advancing, thus influencing the entire army. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But at this thought, he hesitated again. Rationally speaking, there was no issue; but to confront star realm warriors personally? If the governor really acted recklessly, ordering a sudden assault, could a few hundred men from his personal guard hold them back? He feared that before the army could react, and the heavy artillery could be deployed, his own head would be rolling. Mondok found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. Chapter 75 - Chapter 75: Chapter 75, 3 Warnings Chapter 75: Chapter 75, 3 Warnings Mondok knew what the right course of action was, he just didn¡¯t dare to take it. There was no other reason, simply the fear of death. Hesitant and wavering, but as he floundered, Gu Hang¡¯s steps were so firm, and they were getting closer and closer. He knew this, and as time passed, he began to realize that he couldn¡¯t hesitate any longer. At this point, making a choice, even the wrong one, wouldn¡¯t be worse than doing nothing at all. He really didn¡¯t dare to face the governor¡¯s dignity and the threat of the Star Realm warriors in person; but he couldn¡¯t surrender to the governor either, that option was no longer available; he was also unwilling to give up the current situation and retreat back into the inner city, which would amount to a complete loss of face. A general who abandoned his troops would never again earn their loyalty, and then the governor might actually be able to take command of the troops by asserting his moral high ground. In the end, he came up with a compromise. ¡­ Gu Hang finally met with resistance. To be honest, he was disappointed. The reaction was too slow. Even though, in the current scene, this was one of the many possibilities he had anticipated. The soldiers might be at a loss because of the governor¡¯s status, because of the suddenness, because they had never opened fire. This was also why Gu Hang chose to set out when the sun was about to rise and many were still asleep, and why he didn¡¯t let anyone shoot at the previous checkpoints. But now that it had happened, he still lamented his opponent¡¯s indecisiveness. If Gu Hang himself had been in the opponent¡¯s position, he would have already made a decisive order: pull up the heavy artillery, pull up the tanks, never mind accidental injuries or the consequences after firing, just blast the hell out of them first. That Mondok, didn¡¯t he realize that he wouldn¡¯t survive? He was still hedging his bets, unaware of what there was to be cautious about. Of course, if the enemy really did that, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t afraid either. Since he dared to come, he naturally had means to break the situation. Heavy artillery wouldn¡¯t kill the Star Realm warriors, wouldn¡¯t kill the Battle Nuns, and wouldn¡¯t kill him either. To be more precise, they couldn¡¯t hit him. But since that didn¡¯t happen, there was no need to discuss it further. And at the moment, Gu Hang cared even less about this slight impediment. About a company of soldiers, led by several officers, blocked the road ahead tightly. They had obviously arrived in a hurry; there was no time to set up a roadblock, so they just used their bodies to block the way, and hadn¡¯t even started shooting yet. But there was an officer at the front, with a megaphone, shouting: ¡°Stop advancing! After three warnings we will open fire! The governor must come forward alone!¡± Hearing the warning, Gu Hang could also see the soldiers blocking the way; their guns had already been raised, hands on the triggers, ready to fire at any moment. Three warnings? Gu Hang¡¯s lips curled into a cold smile. ¡°Those up ahead, are definitely rebels,¡± Gu Hang said softly. The officer opposite was about to issue a second warning, but at that moment, a bomb burst his body apart. A large-caliber bullet, made of diamond, completely destroyed most of the officer¡¯s torso. The bomb, with extreme penetrative power, continued unabated and killed another soldier before exploding among the crowd. The characteristics of a standard bomb include, besides a large-caliber bullet with strong penetration, an internal explosive fuse and a micro shaped charge. When it detonates, the combined power of the impact and shrapnel is even more ferocious than that of a typical hand grenade or rifle grenade. In the hands of the Star Realm warriors, the grenade gun is an overwhelmingly powerful weapon against ordinary armies. It can be used as a rapid-firing small-caliber grenade launcher against light infantry or as an armor-piercing shell against armored units. Piercing through the armor, the bomb then explodes inside the vehicle, killing the targets within. Seven Star Realm warriors opened fire simultaneously. The firepower of the grenade guns blanketed about a hundred soldiers acting as a human wall on the road, and almost instantly, completely obliterated them. Even if there were two tanks among those soldiers, that was equally meaningless. If they were the main battle tanks of the Star Realm Army, like the Lion King Tank, the grenade guns would indeed be less effective. However, the two tanks present were just local products manufactured by some military industries of Rage Owl Star, not the main battle tanks of the terrestrial forces in the Star Realm Army. Although their armor looked thick, their design, technological content, and the materials themselves were not up to standard and couldn¡¯t withstand the diamond-constructed bullets of the bombs. The bomb pierced through the armor and exploded inside the tank. A hole in the tank might not seem too bad, but the people inside were certainly not able to survive. During this process, as some of the hundred or so soldiers started to react, they pulled their triggers and fired at the Star Realm warriors. But by the time they were almost wiped out, the number of bullets that made it their way probably didn¡¯t exceed twenty, and most went astray. Those few that did hit couldn¡¯t even leave a scratch on the Star Realm warriors¡¯ powered armor. A Star Realm warrior at the forefront spoke up, ¡°What gave these mortals the courage to think they could block us, without any cover, without any fortifications, and with outdated equipment, daring to hold their position in a dense formation on an open road?¡± Gu Hang knew the speaker was Schneider. This bald-headed warrior when not wearing a helmet, was a more elite fighter than the veterans. And Gu Hang could tell, this fellow was also at odds with the battle group commander, Matins. But right now, Gu Hang didn¡¯t have the time to pay attention to these matters or to the words Schneider had just said. He had more important things to do. Spiritual Energy surged, Telekinesis amplifying the vibration of the air caused by his voice speaking, sending his words to the ears of many soldiers who had just witnessed the one-sided, devastating slaughter: ¡°I am the Governor-General of the Empire, I am the ruler of the Coalition; anyone who dares to obstruct me will be considered a traitor! I order all soldiers to obey commands, stand by on the spot, and await the outcome!¡± ¡°I am the Governor-General of the Empire¡­ all soldiers, obey commands, stand by on the spot, and await the outcome!¡± ¡­ This sentence, as if forming waves in the air, echoed continuously. Meanwhile, the speed of Gu Hang and his companions suddenly increased. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only When the Star Realm warriors and the Battle Nuns moved at full speed, their velocity was comparable to that of armored vehicles, with an explosive power more intense than that of sprint champions and stamina stronger than marathon champions. And of course, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t going to chase them on foot. His Telekinesis took effect again, an invisible force lifting his body, allowing him to half float, closely following the advanced soldiers, ensuring he remained within their protection. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Releasing two chapters together at noon, does it feel better? Previously, I was publishing them in two separate updates, one at noon and another in the afternoon, which seemed a bit disjointed. Chapter 76 - Chapter 76: Chapter 76, Can’t Escape Chapter 76: Chapter 76, Can¡¯t Escape Although Gu Hang used the power of Spiritual Energy to convey the warning and command to every ally soldier in the vicinity, he was not about to leave fate in uncontrollable hands. The soldiers might very well ignore the warnings and commands, whether due to their loyalty to Mondok and the Alliance or a stress reaction, and open fire directly on Gu Hang and his team. Therefore, Gu Hang needed to be prepared to receive a blow. If the surrounding soldiers did make a move, the armor on the warriors and Battle Nuns in motion would serve as Gu Hang¡¯s best cover, impervious to ordinary firepower. Should any heavy artillery shells come flying, not to mention whether they could easily hit in a high-speed movement state, even if they did, Gu Hang had the ability to identify them in advance and use the power of Spiritual Energy to cause a slight deviation while they were mid-air, making them miss their target. At the same time, they would turn into a sharp dagger, piercing through the entire army and heading straight for Revival City¡¯s military command center, to capture General Mondok alive. He believed that under a high-speed charge, nothing could stop the nineteen top warriors, along with his assistance as a Spiritual Energy user. At least the Revival City military didn¡¯t have the capability. However, despite Gu Hang¡¯s preparation for the worst, this bad situation did not occur at all. The surrounding soldiers still did not fire. Perhaps the words Gu Hang had sent with Spiritual Energy had indeed had an effect. The soldiers hesitated due to Mr. Gu¡¯s position and the pressure of becoming traitors to the Empire, daring not to make a move. Or perhaps, the sight of the star warriors annihilating an entire tank and infantry combined squad in just a few seconds was simply too terrifying. Admittedly, this was because Mondok¡¯s personal guard, completely misunderstanding the combat style of the star warriors, chose an extremely wrong deployment, leading to their group¡¯s annihilation. But the ordinary soldiers onlooking were probably just caught in shock and disbelief, and it would take a while before they could make sense of it. Besides, even after making sense of it, would it be any less frightening? The wreckage of over a hundred bodies along with two tanks was the result of just seven people in two seconds; it was literally to die for. And those Battle Nuns hadn¡¯t even made a move. Of course, these two factors might have worked together. The soldiers were indeed scared, and Mr. Gu¡¯s words gave them a reason to convince themselves. In any case, the soldiers did not act. And in the midst of their sprint, Gu Hang and his group continued inward. Their speed was even faster than the time it took for Mondok to receive the message. Those who could contact Mondok directly had just been killed; and some clever ones, wanting to go back to report, had to run faster than the star warriors and Battle Nuns. This led to the situation where, by the time Mondok learned that his personal guard sent to intercept had been wiped out, Gu Hang, leading his team, had almost reached his face. And Mondok¡¯s face had long turned deathly pale. The force he could count on for assured loyalty was his personal guard. This part of his troops, in a previous decision, had been divided into three parts. Apart from those sent to stop Mr. Gu and those still by his side, the rest had been ordered to rally more troops. Of course, he had considered what would happen if a conflict really broke out and Mr. Gu chose to take action¡ªor rather, whether he should prepare to take action himself? He had thought he was prepared, but when he discovered that Gu Hang could pass through checkpoints without being stopped, he began to doubt this and dispatched a squad to try and directly command the larger force below. But it seemed too late. What to do? He felt that he had only pondered for a moment in his mind, still undecided whether to leave or stay or fight, when the sound of gunfire rang in his ears. The most loyal guards to him bravely returned fire against the nineteen people charging straight at them. However, such resistance was utterly meaningless. Mondok¡¯s so-called ¡®command post¡¯ was essentially a larger, relatively nicer-looking house selected within the outer city, which had been requisitioned. A portion of the surrounding buildings had been demolished, and the debris was used to hastily construct defenses. The guard soldiers were stationed around it, along with four ¡®Challenger¡¯ tanks and a combat command vehicle. In the face of an attack, the post could hold out; if necessary, given the cleared surrounding buildings, he could also escape conveniently in the command vehicle. His guard troops had a suitable place to station themselves and had preemptively adopted a defensive posture. They weren¡¯t bunched up and had cover and foxholes for protection, so they couldn¡¯t be easily wiped out with a volley from a grenade rifle. Although there were many casualties from precise shots and small-scale explosions, at least they could still fight. At the same time, when these guards engaged in battle, a significant number of nearby allied soldiers were also spurred into action. After all, General Mondok was right there, and a considerable portion of these allied soldiers also started attacking instead of standing idly by. But even though the space warriors couldn¡¯t clear the defenders in one wave, they were not stopped either. Without needing cover, they charged forward. Bullets fired at their cerametal armor were mostly ineffective; thrown grenades didn¡¯t reach them; there were few rocket launchers to speak of, and those with low accuracy that did hit were deflected by Gu Hang using Spiritual Energy. In fact, even without deflection, it might not have been a big problem. At worst, they would stagger a bit, feel a little uncomfortable from the shock, get some soot and smoke on their armor- but nothing too serious. Of course, the Battle Nun might be more affected. The Saintly Lilies¡¯ white-green armor was beautiful but definitely not as sturdy as that of the space warriors. So, Gu Hang paid a bit more attention to the firepower aimed at the Battle Nun. Sister Chang Ge Ruite also noticed this and nodded slightly to Gu Hang before throwing herself even more vigorously into the fight. She charged to the forefront, accelerated and broke through the line, swiftly nearing a tank that was trying to turn its cannon to fire. She brandished a long-handled battle halberd in her hands, and with a single swing, the golden blade sliced the tank¡¯s cannon clean off. After that, she leaped high, penetrating the tank from the top with her halberd. The soldiers inside only saw a golden light shining down upon them before they witnessed their commander and driver skewered together like candied haw. The men were terrified. And this was just a glimpse of what was happening on the battlefield. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The firepower of ordinary soldiers could not at all stop the advance of the superhuman warriors. And the grenade rifles in the hands of the space warriors and the Battle Nun could easily eliminate any enemy that stood in their way. They didn¡¯t quickly kill all the soldiers, but there was no need for that. In just a moment, they had already broken through the soldiers¡¯ defensive line. Gu Hang could even see Mondok. The Revival City general was right in front of his eyes, just having hurriedly boarded a command vehicle, seemingly intending to flee. But thinking of fleeing only now, how could he possibly escape? Chapter 77 - Chapter 77: Chapter 77, Execution by Shooting Chapter 77: Chapter 77, Execution by Shooting By this time, Mondok was destined not to escape. The one who made the move was still Sister Chang Ge Ruite. She knew that for Gu Hang, capturing this rebel leader alive would be of greater value, even though the guy¡¯s ultimate fate would still be an inevitable death. After cutting through a tank, Sister Chang didn¡¯t stop but instead sped up. She leaped high into the air, and the battle pack on her back suddenly burst into a deep green flame, propelling her body to accelerate fiercely in midair. The command vehicle that had just started moving didn¡¯t have time to pick up speed before Sister Chang was upon it. In midair, she fired with one hand, and the infantrymen accompanying the command vehicle were each picked off with precision. By the time she landed, there were no enemies left around her. With a swirl of her glaive, a pair of the command vehicle¡¯s rear wheels were sliced in half; another slash, and the door was cut open, revealing Mondok¡¯s startled face. At this time, the rebel leader still showed some bravery. Trembling, he raised the pistol he had prepared earlier and pulled the trigger at Sister Chang. But how could a regular self-defense pistol shake Sister Chang in her reactive power armor? He managed to fire only once before the bullet ricocheted off the armor. Right after that, he was grasped by the collar with one hand by Sister Chang and dragged down from the vehicle. The general, like a dead dog, lay on the ground and was dragged by Georgette towards Gu Hang. He kept struggling, but it was meaningless; Sister Chang¡¯s hand was like steel, not loosening in the slightest. The surrounding bodyguards, who were still alive, could only watch helplessly. The general, who used to be so high and mighty, was now being dragged on the ground. Some wanted to save him, but they didn¡¯t know what to do. Should they shoot bullets that were utterly ineffective, or should they bombard with heavy firepower and risk killing the general in the process? And even more terrifying were these male and female warriors themselves. They had also faced these extraordinarily elite super soldiers of the Empire head-on, and their only impression was: could such an enemy even be considered human? Immune to blades and guns, impervious to bombardment. Yet, on the other side, a casual shot meant that if the ranks were dense enough, groups of them would be taken out. The Death Angels, as if leisurely strolling through their own backyard, captured their general from within their protection. They did not fail to fight desperately, but all they could do was to die. This kind of battle, destined to be lost with no chance of victory, they could no longer continue to fight. Seeing the general captured, they even felt a sense of relief: since they had already lost, could they stop fighting now? This thought filled their minds, and the fingers of the soldiers pulling the triggers were no longer so resolute. The star warriors, too, lowered their firepower. Soldiers who had stopped firing and just hid, they couldn¡¯t be bothered with them any longer, focusing their grenades only on those who still resisted stubbornly. The Phoenix, a battle group so impoverished, valued their grenades much more than the lives of these local rebel natives. At this moment, Georgette had already brought Mondok in front of Gu Hang. Now, General Mondok, who was always tough and dressed in battle uniform, had completely lost his usual image and demeanor. Being dragged along the ground all the way, due to Sister Chang¡¯s excessive roughness, he spent half the time with half of his face on the ground. By the time he reached Gu Hang, the dragged half of his face was a bloody, unrecognizable mess, and his bloodied, dusty clothes were tattered, making him look extremely pathetic. He was thrown in front of Gu Hang, struggling to stand, but he was in too much pain to get up. Not that he needed to get up by himself. An invisible force lifted his body, raising him up. He was able to face Gu Hang directly. He opened his mouth with difficulty, trying to say something, but couldn¡¯t utter a word. Similarly, an invisible force blocked his throat, making even breathing difficult, let alone speaking. Of course, this was Gu Hang¡¯s doing. Whether the man in front of him wanted to stay tough to the end or beg for mercy, Gu Hang no longer planned to listen. Now, whatever Mondok¡¯s attitude was, it no longer had any significance. For Gu Hang, capturing this guy alive meant he was only good for one thing. ¡°The security issue, it¡¯s up to you now,¡± said Gu Hang, his voice ringing in the ears of the star soldiers and battle nuns. Georgette nodded with a smile. Actually, that comment was primarily intended for her. Next, Gu Hang would be exposed to the gun barrels of all enemies. He wasn¡¯t worried about the ordinary soldiers, nor even the bombardment of artillery fire. He could handle all that. Only, he was concerned there might be Heretic Cultists from the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect hidden within the army. It was possible. If they made a move, combined with the bullets and artillery fire from some controlled soldiers, they indeed could pose a threat to him. Death was unlikely; at worst, he would just sneak into the protection of the star soldiers and battle nuns if the situation turned dire. Was there anyone on Rage Owl Star capable of breaking through the protection of these nineteen people and killing him? Impossible, absolutely impossible! However, that would be somewhat embarrassing and detrimental to Gu Hang¡¯s efforts to establish his authority. What he needed from Sister Chang Ge Ruite was to ensure he wouldn¡¯t end up in that awkward position as much as possible. This had been discussed in advance, and the sister had agreed very promptly. Or, in other words, if it were merely about helping the governor crush the rebellion, the Sisters of the Merciful Lily were somewhat lacking in enthusiasm. Their core objective in coming to the planet¡¯s surface was to combat the Heretic Cultists. And this job of ¡®guarding against the possible emergence of Heretic Cultists¡¯ suited them perfectly. Gu Hang shifted his gaze away and then returned his attention to Mondok. It was time to make use of this Alliance general. Under the dominion of Telekinesis, Gu Hang¡¯s body began to rise, taking Mondok with him. Gu Hang¡¯s golden governor uniform moved without wind, as he looked stern and solemn, overlooking the entire battlefield. Mondok¡¯s figure was slightly lower, his limbs and throat bound by Spiritual Energy, leaving him unable to move or speak. Only Gu Hang¡¯s voice, carried by the power of Spiritual Energy, echoed at the scene. ¡°All soldiers, lay down your weapons!¡± ¡°I am Gu Hang, I am the representative of the Empire to whom you have sworn your service, I am the vicar of the Divine Emperor who rules this land¡­¡± ¡°I am the master of Rage Owl Star, I am your governor!¡± ¡°And this man, whom you call general, has betrayed the Empire, betrayed the Divine Emperor, betrayed¡­ me!¡± At this, the star soldiers and battle nuns showed subtle changes in their expressions. Betraying the governor indeed meant betraying the Empire; and to betray the Empire was to betray the Divine Emperor, wasn¡¯t it? He was absolutely correct, yet the way His Excellency the Governor equated himself with the Empire and the Divine Emperor¡­ something felt a bit off, didn¡¯t it? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But they didn¡¯t say anything. Gu Hang didn¡¯t care what these devout believers of the Divine Emperor thought, and he continued: ¡°I hereby declare, in the name of The Emperor, to strip General Mondok of his title and sentence him as a traitor to the Empire!¡± ¡°Soldiers, regardless of any orders you have received before, they are now entirely terminated. In the name of the governor, I command all of you to lay down your weapons. Your past actions will no longer be pursued; but from this moment on, those who still refuse to obey orders will be similarly regarded as traitors!¡± Amidst his words, Gu Hang raised a pistol and aimed it at Mondok¡¯s forehead, executing him with a single shot. Chapter 78 - Chapter 78: Chapter 78, Lay Down Your Arms, Don’t Be a Traitor. Chapter 78: Chapter 78, Lay Down Your Arms, Don¡¯t Be a Traitor. Killing Mondok in his current state was as easy for Gu Hang as snuffing out a chick. His spiritual energy could lift Mondok¡¯s entire body into the air; the same force could easily break Mondok¡¯s neck without any problem. Gu Hang did not do so; instead, he chose to shoot Mondok, and the reason for an execution by gunfire was the sense of formality. Gu Hang wanted to use this symbolically significant method of execution by firing squad to tell all the soldiers that their former commander was a criminal, a traitor to the Empire. And they should, at this moment, completely disassociate themselves from the traitor and accept the leadership of the Governor. He also did not plan to immediately put to use all of these ten thousand soldiers of Revival City. But at the very least, these men definitely could not become an obstacle to his next actions. If a great purge was inevitable, it would start first within the army. The surrounding soldiers almost all saw what happened in the sky and heard the Governor¡¯s declaration. The General, a traitor? This news was somewhat difficult to accept all at once. It wasn¡¯t as if the soldiers would really consider Mondok a traitor and Gu Hang their commander just because Gu Hang said so. After all, they were not very familiar with Gu Hang before this, whereas Mondok had been their leader for many years. Many among them were officers promoted by General Mondok. However, Mondok was now dead. He died right before their eyes, executed as a convicted criminal. The object of their loyalty had been lost. Many were left in a state of confusion. What was to come next? To avenge the General? This¡­ For some who were deeply indebted to Mondok, this was indeed an option. In fact, some had already tried to do so. An officer attempted to continue rallying his soldiers to launch an attack. But this was not particularly effective. The most crucial point was that they had no way of denying Gu Hang¡¯s status as a ruler. He was the genuine Governor, and he had executed the General, leaving the surviving soldiers with almost no reason to continue fighting. Merely incited by officers, the efforts were not so potent. Only a few who were muddled in their minds would draw their weapons and attempt an attack. Facing these attacks, Gu Hang remained unmoved in the air. This was not the time to back down. He had to stand here, repeatedly broadcast the declaration he had just made to the soldiers, and imprint his identity deeply into the soldiers¡¯ minds. As for those who were stubbornly deluded, their attacks were within the range that Gu Hang could handle. His telekinetic control was enough for him to catch the bullets aimed at him from a certain distance, and deflect them away from hitting the target. And even if there were a few bullets that he could not capture in time, he still had spiritual energy as a last resort to protect himself. If faced with a barrage from ten thousand people, no doubt, Gu Hang would have to flee instantly; but that situation did not occur, and the ones who attacked him were only a minority in the end. This small number of hard-liners was soon suppressed powerfully. The star warriors would take action. The bomb guns in Phoenix¡¯s hands were always precise in eliminating the rebels. However, the cultists Gu Hang was worried about posed no threat to him. His previous speculation had been correct; within the Revival City army, there surely were sorcerers from the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect hiding. After he took to the sky, these sorcerers quietly emerged and targeted him. Within the range of Gu Hang¡¯s psionic perception, he had already detected the traces of these heretic cultists. Aside from planning to attack Gu Hang with their spiritual energy, they were also trying to incite the soldiers around them to continue their assault on Gu Hang. Yet, trusting in the battle nuns, Gu Hang did not move. And the sisters, led by Superior Georgette, indeed did not betray Gu Hang¡¯s trust. In the previous action, the Sancta Liliums, who had seemed somewhat slack, now became proactive. Eleven of them, without the need for communication, neatly paired up into teams of two, with Georgette acting alone. In total, six groups rushed into the crowd of soldiers. Shouting in the name of The Emperor, they rooted out the cultists who had revealed themselves and were ready to attempt using forbidden magic to attack Gu Hang. They were true experts in combating heretics, the nemesis of all that is heretical, cultist, and spiritually powered. A faint glow arose from the Sancta Liliums, the Divine Emperor¡¯s blessing had arrived. Within a certain range, all hostile spiritual energy and malevolent methods were directly hindered. Of course, this obstruction was not absolute. If the target was too powerful, the evil magic that should be cast would still work. After all, their anti-psionic strength came from the divine magic they wielded, from the blessings of The Emperor. Essentially, when any hostile spell took effect, their divine power would immediately counteract it. However, at least the sorcerers present could not break through the suppression of the battle nuns¡¯ anti-psionic power. With their magic and psychic abilities ineffective, those cultists mixed among the soldiers had no ability to fight back and were easily eradicated. Seeing the battle nuns kill their ¡®comrades¡¯ nearby, some soldiers began to resist. Whether their counterattack was instinctual or they were truly bewitched by the cultists, the Sancta Liliums showed no mercy and eliminated all resistance. The cultists infiltrated among them looked no different in appearance and attire from ordinary soldiers. The soldiers did not know that these were cultists, with some thinking they were being slaughtered. To prevent the spread of such a misunderstanding and avoid the already tense situation sliding into total chaos, Gu Hang used his spiritual energy to amplify his voice and again spoke next to the ears of all the soldiers: ¡°Lay down your weapons! Cease resistance! Cultists intending to destroy Revival City are plotting action, and the battle nuns are purging the heretics. Lay down your weapons! You will not be implicated! Anyone continuing to hold weapons will be regarded as traitors!¡± ¡°Lay down your weapons! Do not become traitors!¡± In confusion, a considerable number of soldiers finally stopped resisting. And at this moment, Yan Fangxu¡¯s infantry brigade also appeared on the scene. They cautiously approached the Alliance Legion¡¯s defensive line, also shouting along with the governor to lay down weapons and stop resisting. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The disarmed soldiers stayed in place peacefully; those few still holding weapons, whether they resisted or not, were all executed. As a human loudspeaker in the air, plus casting a ¡®persuasion to surrender aura¡¯ over the entire Alliance Army; star warriors and battle nuns inside rooting out stubborn traitors, confiscating ordinary soldiers¡¯ weapons; Yan Fangxu leading the infantry brigade began disarming from the outside¡­ The main battle thus ended; most Alliance soldiers, after witnessing the execution of General Mondok by firing squad, the governor¡¯s personal orders to surrender, and facing the overwhelming star warriors and battle nuns, chose to surrender. They did not want to fight any longer. Unable to win and unclear about the meaning behind continuing the fight, why keep fighting? Chapter 79 - Chapter 79: Chapter 79, The Situation is Set Chapter 79: Chapter 79, The Situation is Set ¡°` The overall situation had been decided. Gu Hang also breathed a sigh of relief. He had reason to be happy, his prepared ultimate measure had not been used. His actions today involved some risk, but not a large one. Under the dual protection of the star warriors and the battle nuns, and being a rather powerful spiritual energy practitioner himself, he was not too likely to run into trouble. Moreover, his authority as the governor acted as a deterrent, rendering the Alliance soldiers indecisive, fearing to damage valuable equipment, and unable to commit fully to battle¡ªadding another layer of protection. It was with these advantages that he dared to come and behead Mondok, and subsequently subdue the entire army. And the greatest risk was simply the failure of the operation. At this moment, the goals he had set had been achieved. Of course, he had also considered the possibility that this venture could spiral into complete chaos. In that case, he might have to face being trapped in the midst of an army ten thousand strong with only nineteen people. But on one hand, he was confident that in such a scenario, he still could manage a full-force breakout; on the other hand, he had the ultimate measure to completely resolve the problem. In space orbit, the Quintet was already on full combat readiness, the starship¡¯s Colossal Cannon ready to rain orbital strikes down on the ground at a moment¡¯s notice. If the situation completely spiraled out of control, Gu Hang would leave a mark and break out with all his might. The team led by Yan Fangxu would also provide cover outside and build defensive lines to blockade the Alliance Legion outside Revival City. After he had broken out, the starship¡¯s cannons would commence orbital bombardment, striking the Alliance Legion stationed in the outskirts of the city with relatively precise, smaller-scale attacks. An orbital strike wasn¡¯t completely unbeatable; if those under bombardment had dug deep enough air-raid shelters and tunnels, complemented with strong bunkers specifically designed to withstand orbital strikes, then the destructive power of the bombardment could be greatly reduced, minimizing damage. But clearly, the Alliance Legion had not prepared for this, and hastily digging in was impossible. Once the orbital bombardment had ended, Gu Hang could then lead his forces to sweep the battlefield and achieve the goal of destroying the Alliance Legion just the same. But that was a last resort, a final measure. Orbital bombardment couldn¡¯t be completely precise, and it was inevitable that some of the shells might fall on Revival City¡¯s inner city, or non-combat areas of the outer city, causing severe collateral damage; the fear of orbital bombardment would spread through Revival City. This panic could potentially assist Gu Hang in his subsequent actions, but it might also intensify the resistance of the city¡¯s residents. If it came to that, the troubles ahead would be numerous. But if it did reach that extent, Gu Hang would not be merciful. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have made such contingency plans. But of course, it was better not to resort to such measures if possible. The current outcome was much better than paving the way with orbital cannon fire. The Alliance Legion was now his. These ten thousand fully armed legionnaires, to completely control and turn them into reliable subordinates, that would certainly not be enough. Even just disarming them and taking them into custody had already taken quite an effort. After executing Mondok, disarming and settling these soldiers had taken up almost an entire day. Mainly because among these soldiers, although most had accepted their fate, there was still a small minority who refused to surrender their weapons, resulting in conflicts with the infantry brigade led by Yan Fangxu, with incidents of bloodshed occurring. At the same time, a considerable number, while they didn¡¯t dare openly resist, took the opportunity to flee with their weapons. Gu Hang¡¯s direct troops, totaling just about fifteen hundred soldiers from five battalions, were somewhat stretched thin. Although they did their best to prevent such events, a significant number of Alliance soldiers still managed to escape with weapons. These fellows would likely become troublesome in the future. If they hid in the slums of the outer city, they could become future security risks; if they fled outside the city, they might become bandits. Troublesome as it was, this was just a minor irritation, not a major issue. Excluding those who died and those who fled, about seven thousand soldiers ended up being taken into custody. Next, Gu Hang did not rush into the city. The situation in the city, the problem with Hodgson, were no longer the main issues. After the army had been disarmed, the city had become prey easily seized, unable to move, just waiting for Gu Hang to harvest it. Actually, what Gu Hang was facing now was far from the full military potential of Revival City. This operation couldn¡¯t even be considered a ¡®war¡¯. If Gu Hang were to name it himself, it should be called a ¡®special military operation¡¯. Gu Hang¡¯s keen judgment had discerned that although Hodgson¡¯s disappearance meant that the Alliance authorities had declared war on him, in this ¡®war¡¯, his enemies were not the entirety of Revival City. On the contrary, that city should be his; the people in it and the army defending it should not be his enemies, but rather his subjects. Clearly understanding who the real enemy was, and who should be persuaded to join him, was the core reason why Gu Hang was able to achieve such significant results at such a small cost. It was only by understanding this that he could achieve maximum effect with minimal effort and avoid foolishly treating the entire city as the enemy, which would have resulted in a pyrrhic victory. With the question of strategy resolved, what remained was how to execute it. With star warriors, battle nuns, starship Colossal Cannons, and his governor¡¯s status¡­ the means to solve the problems were not a big issue. After dealing with the Alliance Army, Gu Hang sent people to split his forces in five directions. Four infantry battalions, each took charge and closed off one of the four gates to the inner city. Those in the inner city who had protected themselves behind high walls now found, to their astonishment, that the walls had become their prisons, and the four exits were no longer passable. Thus, the elites of the inner city, and the one hundred thousand residents living there, were locked inside, isolated from the eight or nine hundred thousand people outside. Another battalion was guarding the seven thousand disarmed, captured Alliance soldiers. Gu Hang was there as well. These seven thousand were critical. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang didn¡¯t delude himself into thinking he could turn them into his subordinates immediately, but in the future, they would become an important component of Gu Hang¡¯s military force. He could not afford to ignore these seven thousand. Even though he had the system¡¯s training capabilities, good sources of troops were still important. But before he could incorporate this army, Gu Hang still had a lot of work to do. ¡°` Chapter 80 - Chapter 80: Chapter 80, Ideological Construction Chapter 80: Chapter 80, Ideological Construction Over seven thousand soldiers had been disarmed and gathered for surveillance, but that didn¡¯t mean the matter was over. Were there still Heretic Cultists among them? Was it possible that some cult followers had not revealed themselves during the recent actions against Gu Hang? It was very likely. The Battle Nuns were in charge of this task. Unlike the Phoenix, which had become idle after the battle, the Sisters of the Holy Mercy became even busier. They began searching within the entire army for any latent cult members. Under the watchful eyes of the Holy Mercy, the Heretic Cult had nowhere to hide. They were quickly identified, exposed, and executed publicly. Their actions did not provoke a backlash from the soldiers; on the contrary, they further aided Gu Hang. The Primordial Wrath Owl Sect did not have a good reputation. When the soldiers realized there were many heretics among them, they were actually angry. They wondered whether the previous commander had intentionally tolerated this. Did they really want to continue opposing the Planetary Governor alongside the treasonous cultists? Certainly not. In other words, this gave the soldiers another reason to convince themselves to peacefully accept the decision to surrender. At the same time, the Sisters of Holy Mercy also seized the opportunity to proselytize, instilling the national religion¡¯s teachings, faith in The Emperor, and loyalty to the Empire into the hearts of the soldiers. Their strength had already made a deep impression during the previous bloody battles; now, they were showing mercy. Their faces carried gentle smiles, and from them radiated a divine light. The faith in the ascended Divine Emperor was already the most widespread belief throughout the Human Empire, Rage Owl Star being no exception. Capitalizing on the cult¡¯s defeat, carrying the victor¡¯s authority, and leveraging the soldiers¡¯ post-defeat confusion, their proselytizing was quite effective. The Sisters of Holy Mercy did this not specifically to help Gu Hang. Was there any other reason for the nuns to evangelize? As for the fact that it objectively helped Gu Hang, the spokesman for the Empire¡¯s rule and Planetary Governor, by reinforcing the soldiers¡¯ loyalty, that was an unexpected boon. While the Battle Nuns were busy, Gu Hang was not idle either. He met with all the surviving company and battalion-level military officers in the POW camp and talked with each of them for a while. After completing the one-on-one meetings, he gathered all the company-level and higher military officers for a closed-door meeting. During the conversations, Gu Hang listened a lot and also said a lot. He learned about the soldiers¡¯ confusion, demands, and hesitations, and he gave many firm responses. Gu Hang had not come to destroy Revival City; on the contrary, he had come to build it. Loyalty to the Empire was every soldier¡¯s duty. They would be able to earn more merits on the battlefield, fighting for a better tomorrow for themselves, their families, and their hometowns. Of course, such things were abstract. But Gu Hang also discussed many concrete matters: In Revival City, the treatment for those of the Alliance Regular Army was fairly decent, and Gu Hang could ensure that their material supply would only be higher than before, officers included; In the future, the army would expand, and well-performing officers were likely to have more opportunities for promotion; The army would receive more attention, better equipment, which would be distributed among the troops; All soldiers¡¯ and officers¡¯ families would get subsidies according to their ranks; If there were casualties, the compensation ratio would be higher than before¡­ On both the spiritual and material levels, Gu Hang provided assurances to these mid- and lower-tier military officers. The officers, one after another, were as though injected with adrenaline, thumping their chests and assuring the Governor that they had been deceived in the past and now understood that loyalty to the Governor was the only right path. Overall, the conversations were satisfactory for both host and guests. Of course, Gu Hang was not naive. Could he fully trust the words of people thumping their chests? Could he immediately consider them his own people? ¡°` That was clearly unrealistic. For instance, Gu Hang could not possibly assign the task of blockading the city to these Alliance soldiers now. If that were the case, a bunch of powerful individuals familiar with the officers, drawing on connections, and offering bribes with money¡­ It would be feared that in the end, an unknown number of people would escape. In the current situation, it would be exceedingly foolish for those seasoned soldiers and officers mixed within the political circles of Revival City not to say some pleasant things. But Gu Hang didn¡¯t care. As long as he presented the right attitude, that was enough. After that, Gu Hang would have plenty of methods to increase the armed forces¡¯ combat effectiveness and tighten his control over the military. He would truly fulfill the promises regarding material conditions without deceiving anyone. Soldiers rely on provisions, and by ensuring the promised benefits were delivered, he could establish a foundation of loyalty; the construction of a spiritual civilization needed further strengthening. In this regard, Gu Hang planned to adopt some special measures. He would select a batch of people from the six infantry battalions he had created and put them through special training. He planned to invite Battle Nuns and interstellar warriors to teach them classes. After they completed these classes, Gu Hang himself would also teach. He would not conduct any particular military training, but rather cultivate ideological awareness. Loyalty to the Empire and faith in the Divine Emperor needed to be further emphasized. And Gu Hang had to associate loyalty, honor, and faith with himself. There was no problem with that, logically speaking. If you have faith in the Divine Emperor and are loyal to the Empire, then as the Planetary Governor appointed by the Empire, I am the very person executing the Divine Emperor¡¯s rule on Rage Owl Star. Loyalty to The Emperor equates to loyalty to the Governor. There was nothing wrong with that. However, inserting this personal merchandise into the mix was not a job for the Phoenix or the Merciful Lily; Gu Hang was willing to take on the extra burden himself. And all the individuals who were trained would be placed among the various levels of officers within the Alliance Legion. They were not there to seize power or act as military leaders, but to work as political officers. Their responsibility was to spread devotion to the Governor throughout the entire army and review the actions of military leaders. If there were any signs of disloyalty among the officers, the political officers would report it to their superiors for action to be taken; in times of war, or other emergency situations, they even had the authority to execute military leaders and take over command of the troops. Similar positions existed within the Imperial Regular Army. But what Gu Hang intended to do was even more radical. He intended to establish political officers right down to the level of individual units! Building the army, strengthening discipline, boosting morale, and spreading loyalty¡­ these were the tasks these individuals would undertake for Gu Hang in the future. For these tasks, Gu Hang stayed outside the city for a full two days. The nearly fifty ¡®political officers¡¯ were also selected. They temporarily donned black coats, put on newly dyed red military hats, moved into the prisoner of war camp, and joined the various units within the Alliance Legion. Although these individuals were pushed into their roles rather abruptly, and even the planned ideological indoctrination by Gu Hang was quite basic¡ªhalf a day of conversation with the nuns, and a half-day chat with Gu Hang himself¡ªthat was it. Regardless, their personal loyalty to Gu Hang was somewhat guaranteed. Throwing them into the army would enhance control over the military, no matter what. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As for training, once there was spare time and the situation had calmed down, it wouldn¡¯t be too late to start a more in-depth process. While Gu Hang was busy with the army, the inner city was turned upside down in these two days. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª It is estimated that at zero o¡¯clock on Monday (twelve o¡¯clock Sunday night), the story will be on the shelves. There are three chapters added today; there will also be two regular chapters tomorrow noon; chapters launching on the shelves start at night! Chapter 81 - Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Each Harboring Their Own Schemes Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Each Harboring Their Own Schemes Norris and Bradford, these two men who used to call the shots within the Alliance and in Revival City, had utterly lost their composure. ¡°Damn that Mondok! Insisting on taking a hard line! He sent himself to his doom without due consideration, and now what are we to do? We¡¯ve lost our army, and the city is under siege. We are all fish on the chopping block now!¡± Bradford, disheveled, looked both frenzied and panicked. Yet, within his ranting, he kept stealing glances at Norris across from him. Despite hearing Bradford¡¯s words, the aged Norris did not speak. Under his thick white hair and beard, the expression formed by his eyebrows and lips was one of deep gloom. Bradford, grinding his teeth, continued to complain, ¡°What are we supposed to do now? Nothing we do is going to work, is that it? Have you seen the photos? Have you seen the videos? That Gu Hang! He was flying through the sky! He publicly executed Mondok! Damn it, why did we never know before that Gu Hang was actually a powerful wielder of Spiritual Energy?!¡± After he finished, he looked at Norris again. The old man was still not speaking. Bradford went on to speak, ¡°Those star warriors! Battle Nuns! Weren¡¯t they supposed to be fake?! They slaughter fully-armed soldiers as easily as if they were chickens, and they destroy our tanks as if opening a can was nothing! How could we dare to wage war against such enemies? That brute Mondok misled us and doomed us all!¡± ¡°And those soldiers! How dare they? Each month, each year, so much money from the treasury was spent on those soldiers, allowing them to live lives they could never have dreamed of when they were beasts of burden, granting them higher status and positions. But how did they repay us? When we needed them most, they lacked the courage to fight to the death and instead surrendered! Gu Hang claims he is the ruler, that he is the commander of the army, nonsense! Why can¡¯t those soldiers use their heads for once and think, has Gu Hang ever paid them a single penny?¡± Bradford, the business magnate, abandoned all decorum, cursing left and right, first Mondok, then Gu Hang, and returning to ranting about both Mondok and the common soldiers. He finally succeeded in annoying Norris. ¡°Enough, put aside that insane facade, and stop posturing in front of me,¡± Norris said, ¡°You want to ask me, want to know what I¡¯m going to do next? I can tell you, no problem, now that Revival City has become our prison, what¡¯s wrong with dead men talking? But even if I tell you, do you really dare to join me in whatever comes next?¡± Bradford immediately abandoned his previous crumbling demeanor, and with a different face, he said, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I? The Legion is done for, Mondok is dead, and now in the entire city, only you, Lord Norris, are a true power player. You have the people, and with access to the armory, you have guns and cannons. Anyone in the city who doesn¡¯t want to return to the Governor¡¯s rule will rally around you!¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Norris snorted coldly. After Mondok¡¯s death and the Alliance Legion¡¯s surrender, the political nature within Revival City had changed. Any clear-sighted person could see that the Alliance had changed rulers, right? If in the past it was possible to confront the Governor by relying on the Alliance Legion and the military potential represented by Revival City¡¯s numerous population, now that had become utterly impossible. With all four gates sealed and the army¡¯s defection, not even leaving the city was possible, let alone overturning the situation. And what remained was the question of how to survive. Their fate was now solely at the discretion of His Excellency the Governor. According to their thinking, although the Governor had not yet entered the city, waiting until he did to make decisions might be too late. At this moment, the choices they could make were indeed limited. It boiled down to flee or kneel. But wanting to flee Revival City now was no simple task; as for kneeling before the Governor, if the posture wasn¡¯t right, one might still not live to tell the tale. Friends who used to work together now inevitably mistrusted and sabotaged each other. For instance, right now, Norris could tell that Bradford, pretending to be distraught in front of him and flattering him, definitely had no good intentions. That guy seemed to be riling him up, wanting to arm the industrial workers to resist to the very end, but if he really did so, he feared that the first one to sell him out would be this very man in front of him. Of course, his claims of having a way and knowing what to do were equally false. He would arm the workers, he would turn the factories into military strongholds. But this wasn¡¯t for resistance; rather, it was to concentrate as much of the actual power within the city into his own hands, to increase his bargaining chips so that when the time came to kneel before the Governor, he could kneel with more weight. The organized population, weapons and equipment, the means of production within the factories¡ªall of these belonged to me, Norris. The Governor kept me around for a reason; I must be of great use in the future! As for the current Bradford? A man who, in the past, made his living through connections and trafficking, had better fend for himself. ¡­ After finishing the brief conversation with old Norris, Bradford¡¯s expression was extremely grim. He felt that Norris had seen through his intentions and hadn¡¯t fallen for them. Damn it! Without a conspicuous fellow to hold and attract the Governor¡¯s attention in the city, how could he make his escape? That¡¯s right, Bradford wanted to flee. Bradford did not want to stay and be a dog¡ªhe didn¡¯t have the assets to be a dog like Norris did. On the contrary, the extensive network he had built over the years as a channel merchant meant that he had many other places to go after leaving Revival City. Even if life wasn¡¯t as good as before, it was still better than staying. As long as he could get out. There was no hope in counting on Norris. He didn¡¯t believe Norris¡¯s words; he didn¡¯t believe that man would truly confront the Governor. Instead, he felt that Norris was looking for a way to make himself more valuable in surrendering to Gu Hang, potentially even using him as part of the bargain to add weight to his own situation. But to him, such thoughts were not worth mentioning. If you¡¯re not going to survive, the Governor will already have struck with thunderous force, and no matter how beautifully you kneel, it can¡¯t compare to being a dead man. To clear the space, to sweep the upper echelons clean, the Governor needed a blank slate to begin his new work. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And even if one did survive, the one whose words would count in this city in the future would be the Governor; the Alliance Council was unlikely to retain the power it once had, and whether it would exist at all was another matter. Old Norris was certainly done for, but the infuriating thing was, if you¡¯re going to be finished, why not do it in a more spectacular fashion and give me a better chance to escape? After much deliberation, Bradford gritted his teeth and decided he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. If he waited any longer, the Governor might enter the city at any time; the big purge could start at any moment. If he waited any longer, his chances of escaping would only diminish. He made up his mind. Chapter 82 - Chapter 82: Chapter 82, The Value of Living Chapter 82: Chapter 82, The Value of Living Bradford decided to make a run for it. Without delay, tonight was the night. He didn¡¯t dare take too much with him; despite his considerable wealth in Revival City, these tangible assets would obviously be a burden. Carrying them would hinder his escape. His greatest asset was his own life, along with the connections he¡¯d made over the years in business. As long as he made it out alive, lost wealth could be regained. On the contrary, he took out a lot of money, giving it to his bodyguards and the skilled mercenaries he had hired, promising that if they could leave the city and get outside, there would be even more money waiting for them. At night, Bradford headed to the northwest side of the city. This wasn¡¯t where the city gate was located, but it wasn¡¯t impossible to leave. His years of business experience, of course, had given him control over some special passages. In the past, this route through the sewer, dug under the city walls to the outside, was used for smuggling. Special goods that needed to be secretly imported or exported, as well as for tax evasion, this route saved a lot of effort and money for these shady dealings. And now, this passage would save Bradford¡¯s life. After half an hour in the dark sewer and the secret tunnel that followed, they had arrived. A group of bodyguards led the way, some climbing ladders upwards, forcefully pushing open the manhole cover above. This wasn¡¯t easy, as the manhole was sealed with dirt for camouflage. If it wouldn¡¯t budge, they had to insert knives along the rim of the cover, loosening the soil above. It was troublesome, but manageable. After much effort, the cover was pushed aside, and three bodyguards emerged. They held their guns professionally, watching in three directions on high alert, and waited for the others to come up. Before long, protected by the bodyguards in front and behind, Bradford reached the surface. The sky was dim, the surrounding environment was very familiar to him, as he¡¯d seen it many times before, but it was too quiet. In the past, after crawling out from here, the noise from the outer city could be heard. The poor in the night sometimes made a lot of noise, reflecting the nightlife. But this was normal. There had just been a battle, and it was customary to stay hidden in fear at night. Besides, for all he knew, the Governor might have imposed martial law outside the city. While lost in thought, the bodyguards covering the rear also surfaced. ¡°Move, move, move!¡± Bradford urged them. Getting through the tunnel wasn¡¯t too difficult; what came next was the most perilous part of the journey. They needed at least half an hour to completely leave the outer city. Only then could they consider themselves safe. Before setting out, they restored the manhole cover of the secret passage to its original state; otherwise, if spotted, it would reveal that someone had escaped. After they finished these tasks, they were ready to depart. ¡®Swoosh¡¯! Two white searchlights cast an extremely bright light upon them. At the same time, a shouting voice carried over: ¡°Drop your weapons! Kneel and surrender!¡± Bradford, blinded and in pain, could not open his eyes. His heart was filled with despair. He knew it was over. He resigned himself to his fate, dropped his gun, and knelt on the ground obediently, daring not to move. But his bodyguards, they reacted differently. Some were attempting to flee, others were trying to fight back, squinting against the glaring light to aim at its source. But the next moment, the distinctive ¡®pop pop pop¡¯ of the G9 rifle¡¯s gunfire erupted. Those who wanted to run, those who resisted, they all died. ¡­ On the way back to the camp, the commander of the Governor¡¯s Infantry Regiment Second Battalion, Perbov, laughed out loud: ¡°Haha! I didn¡¯t think there¡¯d actually be a catch! That information about the tunnel was spot-on!¡± His adjutant was also beaming with joy, ¡°Yes, yes, sending someone to act as that political commissar was really useful. I was a bit reluctant when Kodi was picked, but to think we got this news about the smuggling tunnel the very next day. We just set up a blockade here on a whim, and we unexpectedly hit the jackpot!¡± ¡°Did that captured man say anything?¡± ¡°He did. He said he¡¯s an Alliance Councilman and that he wants to meet the Governor himself.¡± ¡°Fuck. Can just anyone meet the Governor now? But¡­ still, let¡¯s report to the Governor, see if he¡¯s willing to meet this man. If he is, we¡¯ll send a squad to escort him over; if not¡­ damn it, I don¡¯t have anywhere to keep him anyway, might as well just execute him.¡± The bound Bradford, following behind, was scared out of his wits. ¡°The Governor must see me! I know a lot of things! I will be very useful to him!¡± ¡­ Bradford had thought that his fate wouldn¡¯t be decided until the next day, but unexpectedly, despite it being late at night, Gu Hang hadn¡¯t rested and met with him in the early hours of the morning. This gave Bradford a sigh of relief. The Governor had shown willing to see him, so at least he wouldn¡¯t be shot by the military officer who had caught him. But now was far from the time to relax. What came next was the real moment that would decide his fate. Whether he could exhibit his worth was to be determined in the next few words. To live, he had to demonstrate his value. He needed to tell the Governor that he was more useful alive than dead. However, the conversation with the Governor was a bit beyond his expectations. He was baffled from the very first sentence. ¡°Bradford, we met on the day I first landed on the surface. Back then, I felt that you would die at my hands, because I really hated the way you looked when you smiled. Now, it seems my feeling was right.¡± Bradford panicked: Why the fuck did I have to smile that day? If the reason for his death was that, it would be too unjust. Without giving him a chance to speak, Gu Hang continued, ¡°I know you want to convince me to let you live, to show your value. I¡¯ll give you that chance, but let me first tell you the benefits of your death. This way, you can weigh in your mind what it is you¡¯ll have to offer that could replace those.¡± Nervously swallowing, Bradford listened as Gu Hang spoke slowly: Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°I¡¯m going to carry out a major purge within Revival City. The performance of the entire Alliance Government these past few months has utterly disappointed me. How can good politics arise with you vermin around? Therefore, I plan to arrest all the Alliance Councilmen, senior governmental officials, conduct public trials, and exclaim your crimes to the world¡­¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t¡­¡± Bradford couldn¡¯t help but try to explain, but Gu Hang interrupted him. ¡°I don¡¯t care, you¡¯ll be found guilty anyway. People inside Revival City not being able to live better lives, those outside the city struggling for food and warmth, the world in complete chaos, these are your original sins, and they will be woven into specific and outrageous crimes. In the end, you will pay the price on the gallows, the public will be satisfied, cathartic, maybe even scared, but ultimately they will respect me more. Don¡¯t worry about being lonely, you¡¯ll have plenty of company on your way up.¡± ¡°After a comprehensive purge, the political landscape within Revival City will be renewed. I¡¯ll promote some new officials, people without solid foundations or deep connections. They came up from the lower ranks and will become a new stratum of interest. Their entire glory and shame will be tied to me; they might not perform well at first due to lack of experience and capability, but they¡¯ll be utterly committed to executing my will. And I, I will control this city completely and thoroughly, implementing my determination to revive not just the city but the whole world.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve had my say. Now it¡¯s your turn, Mr. Bradford. Can that intelligent brain of yours think of a reason why you living is more valuable than your death? I¡¯m quite looking forward to it.¡± Chapter 83 - Chapter 83: Listing Remarks Chapter 83: Listing Remarks The book is going on the shelves tonight! The idea to start this book was actually quite impulsive. Many friends advised me not to write it, saying that the niche is too small, the market limited, and it¡¯s relatively obscure, so the performance is probably uncertain. When it comes to writing a book, what¡¯s the most important thing in choosing a subject? Is it market acceptance? Is it within one¡¯s ability to write? These are important, but they¡¯re not the most important. To me, what¡¯s most important is, what am I really passionate about creating and expressing? What do I want to write about? Space opera, interstellar themes, World War I/II style warfare, cannons and tanks, Mecha, special forces, trench warfare, human wave assaults¡­ Then find a way to concretize these ideas. Total War + Stellaris + Hearts of Iron + Warhammer 40k¡­ Mixing all these together is something that really excites me. So I started writing without listening to advice, and once I finished, I published it. The start wasn¡¯t smooth, the results weren¡¯t great, to the point where my editor told me I could be featured on Sanjiang, I was actually surprised and thrilled¡ªI thought it was a no-go¡­ Of course, overall, the performance still wasn¡¯t considered good. I was prepared for that. To write what I want and then hope to find readers who can vibe with my thoughts, that¡¯s my goal. That¡¯s roughly the background of the creation of the book. Tonight it goes on the shelves, and I¡¯m here to talk about the update plan. For the long-term updates, I plan to write a fixed 4000 characters every day, which is about 2 chapters. Sometimes it may be combined into one chapter, and I¡¯ll try to release it all by noon. Some comrades have said that¡¯s too little, but I can¡¯t help it. Approaching middle age, my energy isn¡¯t what it used to be, with a day job and family, it¡¯s hard to commit to more. But I¡¯ll strive to add more on top of the 2 chapters, hoping to often reach 3 updates, but I can¡¯t guarantee that. I can only say that 2 chapters are guaranteed. If any good things happen, like if the average subscriptions hit a round number, or if I get a large tip (10 chapters for a Leader!), or if my boss gets hit by a car when he goes out (just kidding)¡­ On those occasions, I¡¯ll try to add more on top of the 2 chapters! Now, let¡¯s talk about the update plan for the day of the launch. The two chapters for today were released at noon, free chapters; After midnight tonight, I¡¯ll directly release 5 chapters; Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Then at 11 a.m. tomorrow, there will be 2 regular chapters; That makes for 7 chapters on the day of the launch. If the average subscription goes over 1000, I¡¯ll add one more chapter! And another for every additional 1000! (Though I doubt it¡¯ll go any higher). So that¡¯s the plan, and I hope everyone can come and show their support! Your support will allow me to write this book for a long time to come, ensuring a steady output, and hopefully, some of the income can help supplement the family expenses! See you tonight! Chapter 84 - Chapter 84: Chapter 83, Is This the CPU? Chapter 84: Chapter 83, Is This the CPU? Gu Hang spoke with an attitude that seemed earnest, as if he were not conversing with a prisoner. However, the content of what he said was so chilling. What mattered most was that Bradford believed every word that Gu Hang uttered. He was acutely aware that Mr. Gu held no interest in deceiving him. His mind raced, the pressure of death forcing him on. ¡°You can¡¯t make me wait too long; the night is long, but I have even more to do and no time to waste on you,¡± Gu Hang¡¯s words rang out again, undeniable harbingers of doom. Bradford had never felt his mind work this fast in his life; his thoughts were still incomplete, his reasoning not yet thorough, but he was forced to speak immediately, ¡°I¡¯ve been on the Alliance Council for four years and am well-acquainted with many businessmen inside and outside of Revival City. I know a lot of intelligence!¡± ¡°Good, that¡¯s one point,¡± said Gu Hang, ¡°But it¡¯s not enough. Your will isn¡¯t strong enough to withstand torture; in the end, you will tell everything. There¡¯s still some time until the public execution meeting commences, enough time for us to pry out everything we want to know from you, and it won¡¯t interfere with your ultimate execution. Only then will you have served your purpose to the fullest.¡± The words that Mr. Gu spoke with a smile sent shivers down Bradford¡¯s spine. Served your purpose to the fullest¡­ is this what it meant? Truly ¡®use¡¯ me? Sometimes he really wished Mr. Gu wouldn¡¯t be so honest; he wasn¡¯t accustomed to such candid conversations and felt extremely frightened. But he had no choice but to toughen up and deliver another reason, ¡°After the Purge¡­ The quality of the administrative personnel you promoted is hard to guarantee, and their work will be very difficult. I started from scratch and got to where I am today because I am capable. I will serve you loyally, doing everything you want without regret or complaint!¡± ¡°A valuable proposal, but keeping an old councilman would flaw the deterrence of the Purge and the revelation of crimes at the public trial. Your personal capabilities are not enough to outweigh the loss,¡± Gu Hang continued after a pause, ¡°Bradford, you¡¯re disappointing me. I thought you were smart enough to understand that neither intelligence nor service could save your life, yet you still proposed those two reasons, making me doubt whether listening to you was worthwhile. My time is running short, and so is yours.¡± With every exchange with Gu Hang, Bradford felt the fear and despair building inside him. The Governor¡¯s words, his demeanor, were like giant hands gripping his heart, squeezing tighter with each moment of conversation. He felt like he was running out of breath, his faculties almost shattered by the terror of impending death. But at this point, he was finally ready to lay everything on the line. Gu Hang had always been candid, openly discussing the Purge and his subsequent plans. And now, more than ever, he needed to be equally forthcoming with all his thoughts and ideas. ¡°I¡¯m a channel merchant; my foundations aren¡¯t just in Revival City, they are spread everywhere. In the many city-states of the Eastern Province, each with a population of over two hundred thousand, I have contacts; the landowners in the Southern Green Valley Region enjoy my company, even Wohan, who wanted to engage in grain trade, had to use me to connect with them; as for the Oasis Kingdom on the Western Great Wasteland and further west, Blackbird Heavy Industries, I¡¯ve painstakingly built trade routes there. That is one of the very few industrial cores on the entire Rage Owl Star¡­¡± ¡°My connections, the trade routes I¡¯ve established, and the many hands I¡¯ve placed along these routes are my greatest wealth. Yet, it is invisible and will vanish with my death. Even if I wanted to hand them over to you, if I were dead, I couldn¡¯t do it. You can torture me into revealing every contact person, method of communication, and even their personalities and histories, but their trust in me isn¡¯t something you can replace just by sending someone else. Once I¡¯m dead, they will disappear like raindrops falling into the sea, never to be found again.¡± ¡°You might worry that if I don¡¯t die, the public trial will be flawed. But I am willing to be your tainted witness and, according to your needs, testify against every councilman¡¯s crimes. There are many things for which you wouldn¡¯t even need to fabricate or enumerate¡ªI know plenty of truths.¡± ¡°Being a liaison officer, a diplomat, a trade representative, an intelligence officer¡­ These are the irreplaceable values I hold while alive. But you will invariably have doubts. Given my vast network of connections abroad, I could easily escape once I am freed. To address this, I am willing to relocate all my family members to Revival City to live; I am willing to be constantly accompanied by your most loyal guards when I act outside, who can monitor and execute me at any moment; or if you have some kind of periodically administered poison and antidote, I am also willing to accept that.¡± ¡°Of course, all this may not be secure. I could heartlessly abandon my family, loyal guards might be taken out by me, and an antidote for the poison might also be found outside¡­ But that¡¯s the risk.¡± Having said this, Bradford gritted his teeth and spoke the audaciously brave words that even he found too daring in hindsight, ¡°You are testing whether I am smart enough, honest enough, and I¡¯ve given my answer; now it is your turn to see, Mr. Gu, do you have the courage to take the risk?¡± ¡°Do you have the confidence that the great deeds you will do in the future will make me sincerely impressed from the bottom of my heart, so much so that I would not consider betrayal?¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Gu Hang burst into laughter and slapped Bradford on the shoulder, taking the somewhat provocative last words in stride, ¡°I now think you are indeed a smart man. It is clear that I have full confidence in myself. Let¡¯s do as you say, and I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me. I also hope you will see the day when the great endeavor succeeds and be a part of it, rather than fall by the wayside.¡± Bradford knew he had passed the test. But, unexpectedly, his heart wasn¡¯t filled with much joy. His feelings at this moment were strange. Relief from surviving a catastrophe? Certainly, that was there, but there was also a special emotion towards Gu Hang. A mix of a little hatred, a lot of fear, some admiration, some respect¡­ and a touch of hope he himself scarcely noticed. He remembered Gu Hang¡¯s declaration on his first day after arriving on the surface. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He said he would rebuild the entire Wasteland World, ensuring everyone who submitted to him would live a good life. This Mr. Gu, unlike any governor before him¡­ At first listen, his declaration seemed full of platitudes, but on closer inspection, does he really have the capacity to achieve it? If he does, would his future prospects really be worse than being an Alliance Councilman, a channel businessman? At this thought, Bradford suddenly came to a realization: Eh? Have I been CPU¡¯d? Chapter 85 - Chapter 85: Chapter 84, An Epic Victory (Please Subscribe!!!) Chapter 85: Chapter 84, An Epic Victory (Please Subscribe!!!) Bradford¡¯s initial answers did indeed leave Gu Hang unsatisfied, but those last words truly made him reconsider. They were precisely what he had hoped for. Initially, Gu Hang had wanted Hodgson to take on the task. That old man, who had lived for a very long time, had even been through the establishment of the Alliance on Rage Owl Star by the first generation of governors. Although not specifically a channel merchant, having lived for so long was wealth in itself. But now, it seemed that Hodgson had died. Although he had not yet entered the city to investigate, little Hodgson, that is, Lambert, could no longer wait. After wrapping up matters in the outer city, he was eager to enter the city. Gu Hang assigned a part of the Marine Corps¡¯ elite to him, letting him go ahead to investigate. The Hodgson family estate was no longer sealed off, the city¡¯s nobility no longer saw the need to do so. However, upon returning home smoothly, Lambert didn¡¯t manage to find anything of value. After capturing Bradford, the man informed Gu Hang: Old Hodgson was indeed dead, killed by Mondok¡¯s hand. During the negotiations, Bradford had been involved; he and Norris had both attempted to object, thinking it too cruel. But they did not succeed in their objections. At that time, Mondok wielded much more power than them, his main support, of course, being the military. Of course, in the end, they were persuaded and acquiesced to the plan, allowing for the assassination of old Hodgson to proceed, and they helped with the aftermath and participated in dividing the Hodgson family¡¯s wealth in Revival City. In this matter, he certainly was guilty, Lambert¡¯s personal bane; but strictly speaking, he wasn¡¯t the mastermind, more an accomplice. He certainly had to pay the price for his actions. Even if his earlier answers had greatly satisfied Gu Hang, it didn¡¯t mean that Gu Hang would let him go. His life might be spared for the moment, but the status of prisoner could not be removed just yet. Only after he had committed actions to atone for his sins would Gu Hang consider pardoning him. Murdering the head of the Alliance Council is a grave sin; linked with the previous collusion with the cult that happened to Senator Wohan, along with Mondok¡¯s act of treason outside the city thwarting Gu Hang, the governor¡­ Gu Hang now had a thousand ways to hang the elites of Revival City. When the time comes, it would just be a matter of seeing which hat fits best on their heads; if one didn¡¯t fit, there would be another. There was no shortage of charges. Investigating cases required evidence, quelling rebellion only needed a list. Bradford¡¯s first act of atonement was to help Gu Hang perfect this list, and his own name would also be on it. Working on this task with him would be Lambert, who had not found his grandfather and was about to receive the tragic news. Under the drive of hatred, Lambert was unlikely to show kindness or mercy to these former neighbors; at the same time, he wasn¡¯t going to allow Bradford, his enemy, to have easy days. But Gu Hang didn¡¯t bother to care about these matters for now, as he believed Lambert would handle it well. Tomorrow was the day to enter the city. And on this night before entering the city, Gu Hang finally finished dealing with various issues at hand and at last had the time to review the spoils he had gained from a system-level perspective after the last battle had ended. [Epic Victory, earned 133 points of Grace] [Lost 13, killed 1097, captured 7388] [Governor¡¯s Infantry Regiment: Lost 13, killed 177] [Sainte-Lys Nun Association (Allied): Lost 0, killed 169] [Phoenix Battle Group (Allied): Lost 0, killed 757] ¡­ This battle actually brought him over a hundred points in rewards! This was even higher than the profits from the previous ambush against the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, which also happened to eliminate most of the pus-filled creatures in the alien woods. The key thing was, he actually hadn¡¯t anticipated it. He even considered that the battle might not be considered a war by the system¡¯s standards, but rather an assassination or a surprise military operation against a special individual. Moreover, even if it was judged to be a war, the main combat achievements were made by the stellar warriors. The Battle Nuns were a bit lazy at first, but when those cult members emerged, they got serious and went to work. But no matter which side it was, they weren¡¯t Gu Hang¡¯s subordinates. Would the system award points for their accomplishments? The reality was that it wouldn¡¯t, but the value was immense. Although Gu Hang didn¡¯t gain any points for the killings done by the stellar warriors and Battle Nuns, their actions undoubtedly crushed the Alliance Legion. Aside from the fleeing enemies, most of the rest laid down their arms and surrendered, while a few resistors were killed. And those top-tier fighters surely had no time for taking prisoners. That task was done by Gu Hang¡¯s infantry unit. The infantry¡¯s 13 casualties and 177 kills happened during this time. And the 7,300 prisoners were also credited to the infantry. Now, that was something he could score points on. Although the main battle wasn¡¯t won by Gu Hang¡¯s subordinates, leading to a low coefficient for rewards, the low losses and high victory had been rated as an epic victory, which added back some of the coefficient. Moreover, capturing so many people was valuable not only due to the invincible performance of those mighty men and women, but also because of Gu Hang¡¯s influence as governor and the demoralization caused to the soldiers by Mondok¡¯s execution in midair. Various aspects and factors combined to make up these 133 points in rewards. An unexpected joy, so to speak. Up to now, he had 135 reward points, quite a sum. However, he hadn¡¯t yet thought about how he wanted to use them. In the ¡°Soldier¡¯s Badge¡± system, to modify the over 7,000 captured soldiers? But that would have to wait until he could ensure their loyalty and the political commissars he had placed could exert their influence. Otherwise, after the training and enhancement, if they revolted, it would be troublesome. The ¡°Technology¡± system was also something to draw from, producing several powerful items was crucial for the development of his territory, but there was no rush for that either. How to use these reward points was something Gu Hang needed to ponder. ¡­ Dawn came, and Gu Hang entered the city. There was no welcome with open arms, no food and drink offered; the inner-city folks had heard the sounds of battle from outside a few days ago in the early morning, and through various rumors they knew the governor was coming, and the city¡¯s four major gates had already been sealed by the governor¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Though it had only been a few days, the city still had ample supplies and there definitely wouldn¡¯t be people starving to death just yet. However, these inner-city people hadn¡¯t really heard of the governor¡¯s benevolence and good governance. On the contrary, they had fresher memories of the previous governor¡¯s terrible deeds. Regarding Gu Hang¡¯s arrival, they were hesitant, doubtful, and distrustful. Right now, they were hiding in their homes, with doors and windows shut, only peeking through the cracks at the stellar warriors, Battle Nuns, and the passing army on the main roads. Gu Hang felt the countless gazes from both sides of the streets, but he didn¡¯t care. He led his people straight to the Alliance Council Hall at the city center. Chapter 86 - Chapter 86: Chapter 85, The Alliance of the Revival City (Please Subscribe!!!) Chapter 86: Chapter 85, The Alliance of the Revival City (Please Subscribe!!!) Sitting in the Alliance Council hall, Gu Hang looked around. The place was constructed to look the part: the circular dome was adorned with many complex reliefs, which seemed to hold religious significance, with the image of The Emperor present everywhere; it also seemed to vaguely recount the grand story of the ancestors forging paths out of the rubble to establish the Alliance. At the top, there was a small opening covered by a glass dome, allowing daylight to pour through. On sunny days, there was no need for lights to brighten the room. Below the dome was a long table where the Alliance Councilmen presumably held their meetings. Above the long table and up five steps, there was a throne-like chair placed on a platform. According to the original design, this should be the seat reserved for the Governor. Back when the Alliance was revived, the first Governor must have sat in that elevated position, watching the councilmen discuss and solve various problems arising during the reconstruction of Rage Owl Star. Proposals were brought forth, problems were solved, and plans were implemented one after another¡­ It must have been a glorious era. Even now, many people on Rage Owl Star fondly remembered those times¡ªespecially after the tenure of the second Governor. Gu Hang didn¡¯t know much about the achievements of the first Governor, nor did he consider himself a successor to the legacy. But that didn¡¯t stop him from doing similar things in the same place. As he sat down, Gu Hang¡¯s system pinged with new messages. [You have occupied the city: Revival City.] [Revival City¡¯s fixed monthly income: 68 points of Grace] Seeing the city occupied and Revival City included in the system¡¯s tally, Gu Hang was initially pleased. When he first arrived to serve as Governor a few months back, he had been eagerly awaiting this message, but it never came. Today, his wish was finally fulfilled. However, upon seeing the number 68, Gu Hang¡¯s eyebrows furrowed deeply. That was way too low! Absurdly low! The Governor¡¯s Camp, which he had built from scratch, combined with the ramshackle Abandoned Cave Society he had taken over, could together provide him with 61 points of Grace. To reach that figure, the two camps combined barely surpassed a population of ten thousand; so how could Revival City, with its population of nearly a million, contribute so little? Then, he saw a string of negative effects listed under Revival City in the integrated domestic affairs interface. [City Standstill: Greatly reduces city income.] [Anarchic State: Significantly reduces city income.] Apart from [Anarchic State], there were several statuses with the entry ¡®significantly reduces city income¡¯, including: [Restless Population], [Extremely Low Standard of Living], [Hungry City], [Poor Management Level], [Terrible Infrastructure], [Low Population Quality], [Low Public Order], [Insurgents],¡­ There were also several entries for ¡®moderately reduces income¡¯, such as: [Disorderly Market], [Trade Disruption], [Extensive Development], [Post-War Turmoil], [Military Control], [Administrative Disarray], [Grassroots Loss of Control], [Heretic Cultists],¡­ He didn¡¯t even mention those with ¡®minor reduction in income¡¯, as there were plenty of those as well. Gu Hang was left speechless and choked up. With so many negative effects weighing down on it, it seemed not so surprising that the Grace income had plummeted to rock bottom¡­ However, Gu Hang quickly adjusted his mindset. He hadn¡¯t entirely failed to anticipate this situation. His previous thought was that even if the city were taken by military means, governance would still be necessary for the system to recognize the city as belonging to him. The current situation, with a plethora of negative effects stacked on top of each other, which greatly reduced the benefits, probably meant the same thing. Similarly, this matter could also be viewed in a positive light. The clear-cut negative effects pointed out to Gu Hang the problems that needed to be addressed. Tackling them one by one, things would likely improve. In his view, the debuffs of Revival City could broadly be divided into two categories: development and management issues. The former wasn¡¯t something that could be resolved instantly. It required an increase in productivity and the restoration of trade routes so that people could be well-fed and clothed, have the energy to rebuild the city, and achieve a better quality of life. As for management issues, some deep-rooted ones likewise needed time to be gradually dealt with. However, at least a few problems could be solved immediately. For instance, the biggest debuff: ¡°City Standstill¡±. Factories were shut, shops were closed, and the citizens of the city were too frightened and unsettled to even venture onto the streets, whether due to martial law or due to fear and unease. Unable to work, with insufficient food reserves¡­ This was precisely what Gu Hang needed to tackle right away. He needed to immediately establish an administrative system, however rudimentary, that could at least function to begin addressing the issue of the city¡¯s standstill. It would be a brand-new administrative team. He had once hesitated over whether to proceed in this way, but the death of Hodgson extinguished that thought completely. If there had been a fully supportive elder with a good reputation in the Alliance to assist him, he might have taken over the existing administrative system of Revival City and slowly implemented reforms. But now? Forget it. Using the old administrative system would only bring constraints. He had won the battle, so why should he entangle himself with the old system of Revival City and the Alliance Government? Moreover, was there anything good about the old system of the Alliance Government? The previous governors, lacking control, had to coordinate with all parties, various factions, making mutual compromises. However, Gu Hang didn¡¯t have to. At least, not for the time being. He saw no need to establish a parliamentary system, where representatives of every faction, industry, and all those with power and influence had to be gathered in one place to get things done. He decided to abandon the existing system and overturn it, completely rebuilding a highly centralized authority and system to efficiently implement his will. He would retain the name ¡°Alliance,¡± as it was a necessary political designation to subjugate and rule the settlements beyond Revival City. But apart from that, he did not intend to keep much else. He would abolish the council entirely, and in its place would be the Alliance Government. The government would consist of multiple departments led by officials who, in the future, would make decisions and guide the city¡¯s development. The old system would be swept away; those who once held power and profited from it would be purged; the entire class of industrialists would be wiped out in one stroke, to be replaced by collectively owned factories under government ownership¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only With the old interest groups eliminated, their vacated positions and benefits would become opportunities for newcomers. The newly-formed interest groups would grow from the new system and would emerge thanks to the Governor. In return, they would also be the Governor¡¯s most steadfast supporters. This process would seem a fierce revolution to some. Footsteps were heard at the door, and Gu Hang snapped out of his reverie, looking up to see a slightly frail girl in a grey-blue blouse walking in. Osenia had arrived. Chapter 87 - Chapter 87: Chapter 86: Am I the Minister of Production? (Please Subscribe!!!) Chapter 87: Chapter 86: Am I the Minister of Production? (Please Subscribe!!!) After receiving the instructions from the Governor, Osenia was a bit stunned. She had only just stabilized her job recently, formed a governmental team, and took charge of managing two camps when she was suddenly reassigned with an order to lead a ten-plus-member governmental team to Revival City. Shortly after that, she received her appointment from the Governor. She was to serve as the acting Minister of the Production Department for the Alliance Government. The experiences of the past few months were all too fantastical. One moment she was a refugee struggling to stay fed and warm, then somehow, she became the production manager at the Governor¡¯s Camp, responsible for overseeing the production work for tens of thousands in two camps, arranging various production plans, and recruitment of personnel. And now, she had suddenly become a ¡®high official¡¯ in the Alliance Government, with nearly a million people in Revival City depending on her for production planning and consumption arrangements! Initially, just managing ten thousand people, she had no idea if she could do well, only bracing herself for the task ahead. Fortunately, after that exchange with the Governor, her mind, for some reason, suddenly became clear. While she was still somewhat inexperienced, the various problems that arose could always be swiftly resolved by her. As her work became more and more second nature, Osenia gradually relieved much of her anxiety and began to dedicate herself wholly to her job. She found herself loving this work. On one hand, she was free from worries about food and clothing; on the other hand, seeing those wanderers who had once shared similar experiences with her come to the Governor¡¯s Camp and lead lives that weren¡¯t extraordinarily good but at least hopeful, with her help, brought her joy. She did not particularly understand the grand plans and lofty goals of the Governor, but in her view, those people who could work properly, eat well, and live well, were the foundation of this great enterprise. But now, the scale of responsibility had increased from ten thousand to one hundred thousand. With the increased scale, there would undoubtedly be endless problems to solve. She was even less sure if she could do well. It wasn¡¯t that she was afraid of losing the Governor¡¯s trust by doing poorly. In this regard, Osenia¡¯s ambition wasn¡¯t very great. What she feared more was that her mistakes could affect the livelihood of a million people. The hardships endured during her time of displacement, the struggle for survival outside of Revival City, made her acutely aware of just how difficult the ordinary civilian¡¯s life could be in this wasteland. Especially for the poor outside the city with no savings at all, their ability to withstand risks was extremely low. Yes, she was born into a well-off family, but it was precisely because she had seen the light that the suffering in the darkness was all the more deeply etched into her memory. ¡°It¡¯s because you have this concern that I have entrusted you with this task,¡± said Gu Hang, offering her encouragement once more. ¡°It¡¯s because you care that I can entrust the livelihood of nearly a million people in Revival City to you. If even you can¡¯t do it well, how can I trust those who have not deeply experienced suffering?¡± Osenia took a deep breath and firmed her resolve, ¡°I understand, I¡¯ll work hard!¡± ¡­ Following that, Gu Hang spoke with Osenia for a long period of time. Gu Hang fully expressed his expectations to Osenia. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t let this young lady, Osenia, start from scratch, out of nowhere. Even if Osenia were to do it, he wouldn¡¯t be at ease. Here, Gu Hang imparted many things. He told Osenia that the first issue to resolve was hunger. The city¡¯s granaries had been seized, and she needed to ensure that the poor outside the city did not riot out of starvation. The situation had become critically precarious; those poor people really had no savings, and without distributing food, deaths from starvation were imminent. Secondly, she needed to urgently restore the production work in Revival City. The small workshops in the outer city had already been taken over, and they could be the first to resume operations; the large factories located within the city would be confiscated from the nobles and parliamentarians later on, and would similarly require immediate implementation of the resumption plan. This was the most pressing matter. The rest was to transplant the work-point system into Revival City to serve as a basis for distribution; to clarify the production capacity of various industries in Revival City, formulate production plans, and consider how to upgrade industries; to expand the civil service system, improve administrative efficiency¡­ With this approach, various problems could be addressed separately and systematically. ¡­ After grasping Gu Hang¡¯s intent, Osenia set off to work. However, the success of her work depended on how well another person performed his duties. That person was Lambert Hodgson, who had been tasked by Gu Hang with the ¡®Great Purge.¡¯ To distribute grain from the granary, there had to be grain available; to resume production, there had to be shifts to work. The previous Alliance Government was a classic example of a small government that didn¡¯t prioritize food security. They didn¡¯t even have an official government granary for strategic reserves. The city¡¯s food supply was only found in the reserves of food merchants and some factory canteens, which needed to be confiscated first before it could be accessed. Similarly, to tackle the resumption of production, it was necessary to complete the confiscation of production materials¡ªthat is, the confiscation of the major factories. At that moment, a fire burned in Lambert¡¯s eyes. Bradford felt a chilling scrutiny from him and said helplessly, ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. The Governor sent me to work with you; I am here to atone.¡± ¡°Your sin cannot be redeemed,¡± Lambert said through gritted teeth. ¡°But that¡¯s not up to you, it¡¯s up to the Governor.¡± Bradford retorted at first, but quickly realized he shouldn¡¯t offend Lambert any further. Even though he had already grievously offended by killing the man¡¯s grandfather, there was no need to provoke further and have this man, who had already invested in the Governor, demand his life vehemently before the Governor¡ªthat would be too difficult to manage. Even though the hope was slim, the best course of action for Bradford was still to try to mend their relationship as much as possible. He said, ¡°Your anger and your desire for revenge are understandable. I will pay the price for my actions, in fact, I am already paying it. Look, I¡¯ve obediently provided you with lists of names; by arresting those on the list, you can avenge your father and grandfather. Mondok was the main perpetrator and the staunchest member, with deep influence in the military through his family¡ªyou can eliminate them all¡­¡± ¡°I am already doing so,¡± Lambert interrupted. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°And there¡¯s Norris¡ªhe¡¯s gathered at least five thousand people in his largest manufacturing factory, preparing for a siege. It looks like he wants to turn the factory into a fortified stronghold, but in reality, he wants to surrender.¡± ¡°So what?¡± Lambert asked. ¡°So, you don¡¯t necessarily have to assault it by force, which would require you to request more troops and support from the Governor. You could, on behalf of the Governor, agree to Norris¡¯s terms of surrender. I could even act as an envoy to help you negotiate,¡± Bradford suggested. ¡°The Governor¡¯s order is to purge all the old nobility,¡± Lambert remarked. ¡°I know, of course, I know,¡± Bradford said with a bitter smile, ¡°but once that old man agrees and he¡¯s in your hands, then you can do whatever you want, can¡¯t you?¡± Chapter 88 - Chapter 88: Chapter 87, The Cannon (Please Subscribe!!!) Chapter 88: Chapter 87, The Cannon (Please Subscribe!!!) Bradford suggested a cunning plan. Pretend to accept Norris¡¯s conditions for surrender and then, renege and kill him. Lambert was somewhat tempted by the plan but ultimately rejected it. Indeed, as Bradford had said, it would save a lot of effort not to fight at all. A hard assault, with thousands of people, even if they were just ordinary workers armed with light weapons, defending inside a reinforced factory, would require considerable force to overcome and could even result in significant casualties. But Lambert still intended to do it. The main reason was that he did not want Gu Hang to bear the name of a traitor. In private, any means were acceptable, but publicly, as a ruler, credibility was extremely important; it even signified the reliability of public policy and the ease with which it could be believed by the people. Under such circumstances, one must put on a fair and upright front. Playing smart here might save a lot of effort in dealing with Norris, but the cost of taking shortcuts now could very well be paid doubly elsewhere. After making this decision, he even mocked Bradford, saying he could only ever be a merchant and would never understand the grandeur that a politician aspires to achieve in accomplishing great things. Bradford was left speechless. And Lambert received additional support for his actions. He assembled two battalions that had accompanied the governor into the city, and from the captured military supplies, he pulled out about ten heavy cannons and adopted a posture for a forceful attack. Norris sent envoys to negotiate terms of surrender, but was once again sternly rejected by Lambert. Lambert demanded that everyone resisting inside the factory surrender unconditionally, lay down their weapons, and await the governor¡¯s trial. This was the final ultimatum, and Lambert would only give them one hour. The message was taken back inside the factory by the envoys, and everyone fell silent. An hour later, no one came out to surrender, and Lambert ordered the battle to commence. He ordered Perbov, who he had brought along for assistance, to command his second battalion to start playing with their newly acquired ¡°toys.¡± Those were five 155mm howitzers; next door, the sixth battalion, which was also dragged into work, was equipped with five captured artillery pieces as battalion firepower support. Ten heavy guns fired in unison, with shell after shell being launched into the factory. With a salvo, thick black smoke billowed from the factory. The governor¡¯s soldiers did not rush in hastily. With the enemy completely surrounded and heavy artillery at their disposal, it would be foolish to send soldiers in as cannon fodder. They had plenty of ammunition in stock, so they would let the ten cannons fire a dozen or twenty rounds first¡ªafter a few hundred heavy shells bombarded them, then they would discuss sending in the infantry to mop up. In the midst of this, Lambert received additional assistance. Superior Georgette arrived with six nuns. ¡­ Lambert had seen the nuns of the Holy Lily of Mercy before. To be honest, compared to the Phoenixes who always had a grim face and an unwelcoming demeanor, he preferred these battle nuns who always wore a gentle smile. Although when it came to fighting, the nuns were just as ruthless. However, despite having seen them before, this was his first time communicating with them, and Lambert seemed somewhat reserved. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Superior Georgette. I thank you very much for coming to our aid,¡± he said. Georgette said, ¡°No thanks are necessary; we are all fighting for the Empire. Mr. Lambert, I have heard about the tragedy that befell your family, and I am truly sorry that such a thing happened to you.¡± ¡°Thank you. However, I remember that you and your subordinates are supposed to be investigating the traces of the Cult within the city. How do you find the time to participate in the battle here at the factory?¡± Georgette replied, ¡°This factory harbors evil. Moreover, the Cultists¡¯ activities may be related to the calamity that has befallen the Hodgson Family.¡± Lambert immediately took the matter seriously. ¡°Can you tell me about it?¡± ¡°There is no harm in doing so.¡± Following that, Superior Georgette gave Lambert, the descendant of the victim, a rather detailed account of her recent discoveries. She had investigated the scene of old Hodgson¡¯s death and had found remnants of heretical energy in the Hodgson Family estate. Therefore, she believed that the assassination of old Hodgson involved the participation of Heretic Cultists. The other sisters went to investigate other clues, but she came here with six people. The mastermind behind the assassination plot was Mondok, but that man was already dead; the remaining two participants were here, and she was here to gather information. After learning of this, Lambert immediately dragged Bradford out. This guy had not mentioned anything about the Cult when he previously revealed details about old Hodgson¡¯s death. Upon hearing Superior Georgette¡¯s questions, Bradford was also baffled. He had no idea! He was not lying; with things having reached this point, he was desperately seeking a way to save his own life, hoping for a possible sentence reduction. If he had been aware of the Cult, why would he ever conceal information for those deranged individuals? He would have been eager to betray them in their entirety. But indeed, he was not aware of this matter. The assassination was Mondok¡¯s scheme; Bradford was only involved in the aftermath and the division of spoils. He had not concerned himself with the details of the assassination. In his eyes, it was not difficult for Mondok, who had control over the Alliance Army, to accomplish this task. The results proved him right: the Hodgson Family disappeared from their mansion one night. Upon confirming that Bradford was indeed not lying and that there were no traces of heretical energy on him, Superior Georgette let him go. Afterward, she turned her attention to the factory area, which was still under the bombardment of artillery fire. There, the last conspirator involved in the Hodgson assassination plot was located ¡ª old Norris. Within that factory, she could sense the vibrations of Storm Heresy. This was the energy of heretical sorcery ¡ª any extraordinary power not derived from the Divine Emperor and instead solicited through foreign prayers was considered heretical by the state religion. Even some hardliners believe that self-manifested Spiritual Energy wielders are also heretics and that the world should not tolerate legal users of Spiritual Energy. And these extremists are often accused by the Empire¡¯s Spirit Cultivation Association of heresy themselves; verbal sparring between them is a daily occurrence so much so that physical destruction of each other is not uncommon. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Order of Merciful Lilies is not one of those extremist factions; otherwise, they would be the first to oppose the Governor himself. However, the supernatural energy obtained from other extraordinary beings through faith connections and heretical rituals is something that members of the state religion from all factions detest intensely. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª All five chapters have been posted!!! I hope everyone will continue to support me! Two more chapters are coming at noon tomorrow; see you then! Chapter 89 - Chapter 89: Chapter 88, Then You Stay Chapter 89: Chapter 88, Then You Stay The disheveled Norris had completely lost his former composure. He was planning to surrender to the Governor. In his view, although the resistance formed by the Alliance Councilmen had been disintegrated, the future of the city was now destined to be determined by the Governor. But for the Governor to enforce his rule, relying solely on himself was definitely not enough; he certainly needed a certain class or group of people to execute his will and implement his policies. Norris indeed had lost before, but he accepted the loss willingly. He was willing to pay the price and help the Governor rule the city, and in the process of this rule, regain the part that belonged to him. In his view, this was only to be expected, and the Governor would surely agree. The only thing to consider was how much authority the Governor would be willing to leave him? It was with such considerations that he had gathered and armed the workers. This was a move to increase the weight of his surrender. In doing so, he declared to others the strength of his control over the key industrial enterprises of Revival City, thus to gain greater attention from the Governor. However, after the Governor entered the city, the envoys he sent out were unable to see His Excellency the Governor, let alone discuss any terms. Then, Lambert showed up with the army and surrounded his fortified factory, demanding his unconditional surrender. By this time, he was feeling a bit uneasy. Having Lambert come to handle the siege of his factory was in itself a strong signal. He was practically Lambert¡¯s sworn enemy! If the Governor intended to accept his surrender, he logically shouldn¡¯t have sent Lambert. Wouldn¡¯t that be intensifying the conflict? But he still clung to a glimmer of hope and tried to negotiate, but Lambert was completely impervious and issued the final ultimatum. When he heard the final ultimatum, Norris still couldn¡¯t believe it, ¡°Does the Governor really not want me? I¡¯m the biggest industrial magnate of Revival City! The entire city¡¯s cycle of work and production depends on me, countless workers¡¯ livelihoods are tied to me! Knowing this, how can you dare let me die?¡± Then, when the time for the ultimatum passed, ten heavy cannons fired at the factory. A round of shells fell, and black smoke rose from various parts of the factory. The 155mm caliber cannons were enough to pierce the factory buildings and create terrifying casualties inside. The entire factory was filled with wails. Among them, Norris¡¯s top floor office in the main factory building also took a hit. If it weren¡¯t for his bodyguard pulling him into the basement when the ultimatum was issued, he would have been reduced to nothing by now. He was completely at his wits¡¯ end, his mind wholly filled with fear. And he wasn¡¯t the only one trapped in fear. A barrage of cannon fire came down, and the not-so-well-prepared armed workers suffered significant casualties. If it weren¡¯t for a group of individuals in dark blue robes shouting around, maintaining order, perhaps just a few rounds of bombardment would have completely collapsed their morale. They called on the armed workers to hide in the sturdy factory buildings, using all sorts of rubbish, building materials, and scrapped machinery to construct barriers that could resist the shrapnel and shockwaves of the shells, or to take shelter in the basements, ready to endure the bombardment. Then, when the Governor¡¯s lackeys attacked, they were ready to give them a taste of their own medicine. Inspired by the blue-robed individuals, the morale of the armed workers was somewhat stabilized. In the basement, watching the blue-robed figures busily coming in and out, his vacant face suddenly showed a trace of life. ¡°Right, right, right¡­ I¡¯m not done for yet¡­ you! Stop!¡± Norris grabbed one of the blue-robed individuals. ¡°I¡¯m your most important collaborator, you have to protect me! I want to leave this place, I want to¡­¡± He was cut off by a gust of air that pushed him away. The man in the blue robe stared at him and said, ¡°Coward, if you want to escape, then go by yourself. We are staying here to fight.¡± His gaze was filled with zealotry. Norris shouted, ¡°You¡¯re all going to die!¡± The man in the blue robe looked even more scornful, ¡°True believers of the divine do not fear death. We are going to teach those governors¡¯ lackeys a profound lesson!¡± ¡°You¡¯re insane!¡± The blue-robed man ignored him and ran upwards. Within the bustling factory, where everyone was prepared to resist to the end, Norris was like an abandoned old dog, filled with despair. ¡­ In another underground chamber of the factory, the Primal High Priest Cui Kao was also present. By his side were two men in grey and white robes. Their attire was very similar to that of the Howling Wind Divine Envoy Gu Hang had encountered in the alien forest. They were indeed two Divine Envoys from the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, their ranks equivalent to that of Howling Wind who died at the hands of Gu Hang, they were another two of the twelve Divine Envoys. The Shadow Wind Envoy was a corpulent woman, her fat body not even the loose robes could hide; the Gale Envoy was a very muscular man. ¡°Has the ¡®Storm¡¯s Blessing¡¯ already been planted?¡± Cui Kao asked. Both Divine Envoys bowed, ¡°We have followed the sacred decree, it has all been planted.¡± Cui Kao¡¯s expression carried pity, ¡°The children of god will return to the Divine Realm. Then we too shall leave, there are greater plans awaiting our dedication.¡± Excitement was evident on the faces of both Divine Envoys. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Shadow Wind Envoy¡¯s voice even trembled with excessive rapture, ¡°I can barely wait to see the storm descend.¡± The Gale Envoy beside her was much calmer, ¡°Do not indulge too much. The plan was forced to launch early due to the governors, we do not have as much certainty.¡± ¡°That¡¯s being too cautious!¡± The Shadow Wind Envoy was interrupted at her climax, showing displeasure, her shrill voice rising, ¡°We could have offered this city to the storm long ago, but it¡¯s all because¡­¡± At that point, she abruptly stopped talking. She saw Cui Kao¡¯s gaze turned towards her. ¡°This is the will of the storm,¡± Cui Kao said with a smile at the corner of his mouth, ¡°Shadow Wind, Chapter 90 - Chapter 90: Chapter 89, Ground Assault Chapter 90: Chapter 89, Ground Assault Gu Hang suddenly felt a palpitation. He stood up from his seat, walked over to the window, and looked out. From here, he couldn¡¯t see the specific situation on the battlefield, but the sound of heavy artillery, nonetheless, carried over half the city. He already knew that Georgette and the Battle Nuns had rushed over there, and in theory, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. However, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t ignore the unease he had felt before. As a Spiritual Energy user, his intuition often concretely forewarned that something was about to happen. Even as the artillery roared on, Gu Hang never felt at ease. Instead of agonizing over it here, it would be better to go there in person and investigate. Gu Hang made his move. As he did so, he sent out a message, hoping that the Phoenix Battle Group, which was resting somewhere in the city, would also hurry over as soon as possible. This was still a mission request, in his words, it was that Superior Georgette might run into trouble. Believing in the past that Commander Matins, who had¡­ oh, not that, who had fought side by side with the Superior, would surely not sit idly by. After all, they were idle anyway. ¡­ Gu Hang hurried over at high speed, his mind made up, and he soared into the air. That¡¯s the benefit of being a Spiritual Energy user. By the time he arrived at the scene, Lambert, Perbov, Georgette, and others had already been carrying out the ground attack for quite a while. The previous rounds of artillery fire had sent over a hundred heavy shells into the area. The entire factory district wasn¡¯t reduced to complete ruins, but it wasn¡¯t far off. According to their assessment, under such conditions, the non-professional soldiers and mere workers who had been temporarily armed inside would not only have suffered heavy casualties, but their morale was likely almost collapsing. What followed was for the infantry, led by the Battle Nuns, to enter and clear the battlefield. The dead were ignored, the living were pulled out as prisoners and thrown into the POW camp, and what to do with them afterward was not the army¡¯s concern; those who resisted stubbornly were, of course, to be killed on the spot. In Perbov¡¯s opinion, this should be an easy operation. Indeed, all fears stem from insufficient firepower. Without the kind of heavy artillery that could directly damage concrete and cement structures, relying solely on the 60mm mortars, hand grenades, rifles of the past¡­ even if the opponents were just some armed workers, it would probably cost many lives to take down this factory complex. But now, with just ten 155mm heavy howitzers they had captured, the battle became so much more comfortable to fight. Who the hell would willingly sacrifice their life to charge trenches if you can blast with heavy bombs first, bombarding their mother¡¯s for several rounds, and then have the infantry sweep the battlefield afterward? No wonder they say artillery is the god of war. However, before they went in, Georgette issued a warning to him and the commander of the 6th battalion. ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down, there¡¯s a tough enemy inside.¡± ¡°A tough enemy?¡± Perbov was a little skeptical at the time. What kind of enemy could be tougher than a 155mm howitzer? Then he remembered the heroism of the Phoenixes and the Sisters of Saint Mercy on the battlefield. Uh¡­ if there were enemies of that caliber, then it might indeed be a problem. If someone else had said it, he might not have believed it, but the speaker was the gentle and formidable Superior. So, he decided to believe her. Perbov consulted with the commander of the 6th battalion and decided not to blindly throw all their forces into the fray. Although they only had a total of six hundred men, which seemed insufficient for such a large factory complex, they preferred to proceed slowly and cautiously. Each of them sent out a company to advance first. As the companies entered, they moved forward in squads, each responsible for clearing sections; the squads maintained a broad distance between them, and each was divided into teams of three to sweep through the half-ruined complex. At the officers¡¯ request, the soldiers crept forward with waists bent, using the ruins as cover. It was slow and cumbersome, yet very solid progress. They would not advance until they had thoroughly confirmed the safety of an area. Indeed, there were enemies. And these enemies had a very strong will to resist. Those clad in workers¡¯ attire and wielding weapons only slightly better than iron pipe rifles emerged from the ruins. When they popped up, they were usually only thirty to fifty meters from the searching soldiers¡ªnot far at all. Upon their emergence, they unleashed a volley of bullets at a squad of infantry with the weapons they held. The soldiers reacted quickly, dropping to the ground and seeking cover. The armed workers¡¯ marksmanship was not very good, and most of their shots went wide. Even if a bullet did hit, the plastic-steel armor being worn could save a life. While one squad was suppressed, another team of three not far away would immediately counterattack. Comparatively, Gu Hang¡¯s soldiers were far superior in marksmanship to the armed workers. The performance of the G9-type assault rifles was also much more reliable than the weapons in the hands of the armed workers. A burst of fire from the group of three was enough to kill all the emerging armed workers. Having completed the kills, they did not lower their rifles but continued to aim at the location, signaling to the squad that had been suppressed earlier with tactical gestures. The three quickly got up and moved toward the location of their slain targets. They needed to confirm the results and see if any enemies remained. If any were found alive, they would finish them off with a coup de grace. The three who had made the kills provided fire cover. If any enemy appeared, they would strike with immediate firepower. Not far away, Georgette, who was just about to intervene, lowered her gun. Even she looked somewhat astonished. The performance of these soldiers somewhat exceeded her expectations. Previously, she hadn¡¯t paid much attention to the combat readiness of Mr. Gu¡¯s ordinary infantry. Though the individual equipment they donned looked similar to that of the Imperial Regular Army¡ªG-type rifles, plastic steel vests¡ªthese were only considered the most basic of cannon fodder gear. Ideally, a squad should be equipped not only with mortars but also might need several LR-type laser guns, HS-type electromagnetic rifles; fragmentary grenades alone might not be enough, and if they couldn¡¯t come up with thermobaric bombs or compressed energy grenades, the least they could do was bring more rocket launchers. Even purely as light infantry, the equipment of Mr. Gu¡¯s troops fell somewhat short. But this was understandable, forgivable, and even commendable. At the very least, His Excellency the Governor was making an effort to align his armed forces with those of the Star Realm Army. What more could be asked of him? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, when actual combat commenced, the soldiers¡¯ combat discipline and performance were eye-opening. Although their equipment was lacking, their training level was straight out of the Star Realm Regular Troops¡¯ playbook. Such a force demanded Georgette¡¯s respect. With their help, she felt that she and her sisters could afford to relax a little. But just as she thought this, something unexpected happened! Chapter 91 - Chapter 91: Chapter 90, Corpse Bomb Chapter 91: Chapter 90, Corpse Bomb Through Georgette¡¯s keen eyes, the governor¡¯s soldiers who had just killed those few enemies had performed very well. The bullets were accurately and meticulously sent into the heads and chests of those armed workers, two rounds each. The virtually unprotected enemies, once hit in their vital spots by G9 bullets, were undoubtedly dead. Confirming kills was a necessary tactical move, and Georgette would not interfere. In fact, her gaze had already moved on. The resistors popping up here and there, though scattered, were indeed numerous. The armed workers who survived the bombardment were now using the ruins of the half-collapsed factory as cover and positions, launching counterattacks as the governor¡¯s soldiers approached. The soldiers¡¯ advance was impeded, and they too had to find cover to return fire. But, as Georgette had just witnessed, in most cases, the governor¡¯s soldiers gained an overwhelming victory by virtue of their superior soldiering and equipment advantage. There were of course some losses, but not significant; on the other hand, the emerging armed workers suffered even heavier casualties and injuries. And if there was a spot where a larger group of armed workers gathered, fighting prudently and exposing only their gun barrels for the barrage, Georgette wouldn¡¯t waste time, and she and her sisters would go straight in. To her, all the armed workers mingled with heretics were detestable traitors. However, just as she set her sights on a spot of stubborn resistance, the area she thought was resolved and safe suddenly changed! Georgette sensed an intense surge of Storm Heresy there. Her expression shifted and she immediately warned, ¡°Danger! Get away from there!¡± But by then it was already a bit too late. The bodies of the dead armed workers, like a cluster of corpse bombs, exploded on the spot. Their flesh flew in every direction, as if their bodies had been embedded with a compressed air bomb. The soldiers who heard the warning but didn¡¯t grasp where the danger lay were blown meters away by the sudden burst of compressed air. Their limbs were twisted upon landing, the force of the blast damaging their innards; sharp air blades tore open the unprotected parts of their bodies, shredding faces, limbs, and throats to a pulp. Georgette immediately started shouting again, ¡°Don¡¯t go near the enemy¡¯s bodies! They¡¯ll explode!¡± This accurate information, along with the just-witnessed scene, was observed by the other soldiers nearby and then rapidly spread outward. The governor¡¯s soldiers became much more cautious in their actions. The gruesome fate of their comrades killed by the corpse storm bombs taught them a severe lesson. They altered the conventional tactical requirements, no longer approaching for close confirmation after a kill; instead, they would shoot from a distance if it was convenient; if not, they¡¯d leave it be. This way there was no worry about approaching bodies being as dangerous as approaching landmines, but the enemy soon came up with new tactics. Some people in blue robes emerged beside the armed workers. The power of Storm Sorcery pulsed through them. In Georgette¡¯s eyes, these people weren¡¯t very formidable sorcerers, but they were numerous and cowardly. What they were doing wasn¡¯t using sorcery to strike directly at the governor¡¯s soldiers or the Battle Nuns, but instead, they were stirring up winds that carried the bodies of the gunned-down workers onto the soldiers¡¯ positions. These bodies, like compressed air cannonballs, caused a lot of trouble for the soldiers. The potency of these wind-delivered bombs might not have matched a 155-caliber howitzer, but their precision was key. Some soldiers ducked behind slopes formed from collapsing walls or found small recesses. A gust of wind, spinning as it blew, brought a body right in. The soldier had seen it in advance and firing at the body to break it up was useless, so all he could do was run out. The corpse bomb exploded, killing three. This position, which had seemed like a good cover, now appeared to be unsafe. In fact, nowhere was safe then. The soldiers¡¯ progress was hindered by the undead bombs. Even with the support of the Battle Nuns during this time, the problem was only somewhat alleviated. The Battle Nuns could snipe those in blue robes from a distance, but those targets needed to expose themselves. Hidden behind possibly a few meters thick of building rubble or in shell craters, even the fiercest grenade gun couldn¡¯t penetrate. After all, they could send over the bodies with the wind, no need to show their heads. In such a situation, Georgette made up her mind. ¡°Sisters, for The Emperor! Follow me in the charge!¡± She leaped out, and her sisters followed suit. Her ¡®Sacred Gold Halberd¡¯ was a transcendent weapon blessed with divine powers; the other nuns didn¡¯t have anything as formidable, but there was no need, whether it be ordinary combat blades or grenade guns, they were enough. Instead, it was the Battle Nun Superior¡¯s Sacred Gold Halberd that dealt devastating damage. Compared to the weapons in their hands, their defensive capabilities were equally despairing. After they began their charge, their bodies were completely exposed and naturally suffered concentrated gunfire from the armed workers. But the ability level of the armed workers wasn¡¯t up to par, while the nuns of the Holy Lily moved quickly and agilely, causing their hit rate to plummet significantly when combined. Even if they were hit, their power armors didn¡¯t suffer much damage. The Holy Lilies advanced unstoppably, and as they charged, the grenade guns in their hands fired away. Simultaneously, the soldiers from the governor¡¯s army also intensified their firepower projection as cover, suppressing the enemy and inflicting causalities. The nuns successfully broke into the enemy ranks and began to eliminate the opponents at close range. Their target, of course, was not the ordinary armed workers but the blue-robed Cultists who acted as ¡®cannons,¡¯ launching the mortals as projectile bombs. Their appearance dealt a devastating blow to the enemy. Whenever a Battle Nun approached an entrenchment, the cover lost its protective function, and the grenade gun could annihilate a cluster of entrenched enemies. Even at close enough proximity, the blades in their hands became more efficient than gunfire. However, killing those enemies was never the biggest problem the nuns faced. It was the exploding corpses. Even the nuns clad in power armors didn¡¯t want to take a close-range blast from a heresy bomb. The nuns had the ability to counteract spells, but for one, they had to be relatively close to the caster; secondly, the explosion of the corpses didn¡¯t seem to be a casting process. Or rather, the casting process was already completed, and all that was lacking was a method of detonation. That was a very subtle action, not easy to suppress. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The nuns could only counteract spells, but not nullify all supernatural powers in an area. There was an essential difference between the two. The shockwave of the Storm Sorcery bombs, if too close, could damage the power armor; a few more hits, and cracks might appear, leading to a drop in defense capabilities, resulting in casualties. That¡¯s why, after killing at close range, they would quickly distance themselves to avoid getting blasted. As long as they increased the distance, the impact¡¯s strength weakened, and the damage remained within a tolerable range. Even because of this, they might only get close enough to slaughter the blue-robed Cultists and then leave the armed workers, who would be used as undead bombs, alone, or wait to deal with them from a safer distance. Mere armed workers who would explode upon death were not much trouble, but those blue-robed Cultists were. Chapter 92 - Chapter 92: Chapter 91, The Storm Trap Chapter 92: Chapter 91, The Storm Trap ¡°` The Battle Nuns were on the right track. The factory, already blasted into ruins, was of little value to shell anymore. The half-destroyed ruins provided better cover for survivors and were sturdier than a normal factory building. To take it down, it still relied on the infantry assault. If it had only been the armed workers as the opponent, two infantry battalions would have been more than enough to handle it. The number of armed workers still alive wouldn¡¯t be that large, and they lacked heavy weaponry as well as military skills. Even if they seemed fearless in the face of death, it was just a matter of time before all were killed. With the skills of the governor¡¯s soldiers, even in the bloodiest of close-quarters battles, the actual losses would be quite limited. They just needed to kill those in the blue robes. And that¡¯s exactly what the nuns were doing. Indeed, they were doing it well, with courageous actions, leading the soldiers to start advancing again. Moreover, after getting a clear picture of the situation on the battlefield, the commanders of the 2nd and the 6th battalions participating in this fight also planned to increase the frontline soldiers. Thus, four infantry companies were thrown into the frontlines of battle, including the only company with a special number in the entire troop¨CAbandoned Cave Company. With the Battle Nuns systematically striking and eliminating the blue-robed in large numbers, without the ¡®artillery¡¯ support, the remaining armed workers found it extremely difficult to continue their desperate resistance. The situation tilted back in favor of the governor¡¯s soldiers. Under such circumstances, the battle should have been drawing to a close. ¡­ After Gu Hang arrived at the scene and briefly met with Perbov, Lambert, and others commanding the outskirts, he used telekinesis to lift his body high and survey the battle from above. The situation seemed approximately as described. By rights, this should have eased his worries significantly. The nuns of Saint Mercy Lily were putting in a commendable effort against the Heretic Cult; the soldiers, accompanying the battle, were in high spirits. Although there were some casualties, it was entirely within the acceptable range. Although a factory was wrecked, this should be the only place within Revival City still capable of mounting a large-scale armed resistance. Once this was over, the job would be considered done. This show of force was a warning to the remaining Alliance elites, leaving them with no chance to resist, trembling under the slaughter wielded by Lambert. However, Gu Hang felt a sudden surge of unease at that moment. It was as if a great disaster was about to take shape right before his eyes. He directly activated Spiritual Vision to inspect the entire battlefield. Gu Hang saw many specks of Storm Heresy reactions. Those armed workers had been preemptively implanted with some kind of heretical power that could be detonated after death, or even while they were still alive. The specks of Storm Heresy that Gu Hang saw were likely these, under normal circumstances. As for others that were strong or weak, those had to be the cultists in blue robes who had exposed themselves. They were being fully assaulted by Saint Mercy Lily and were dying fast. If things continued at this rate, in a few more hours, before the sun set, the entire factory area would be thoroughly cleansed. In conclusion, at a glance, Gu Hang didn¡¯t see any problems. So what was that earlier feeling of unease all about? Could it be that it wasn¡¯t a spiritual warning at all, just his brain glitching from recent exhaustion? Thinking this, Gu Hang felt somewhat relieved. Of course, that would be for the best. ¡°` Otherwise, if there really were a crisis, then that would be troublesome. With that thought, Gu Hang took another glance at the battlefield. Still no problems¡­ Wait a minute?! Gu Hang furrowed his brows deeply. It wasn¡¯t that he saw anything new, but he realised he might have missed something. The dots of light that symbolised Storm Sorcery seemed a bit too numerous. According to the reports from Perbov about the previous state of the battle, even if any armed workers died, their bodies would be used as land mines and fired out as cannon fodder. The corpse bombs that were used up, of course, shouldn¡¯t still have light dots. And when the nuns of Saint Lily started to show their power, targeting those blue-robed Cultists, the soldiers followed suit, dealing with the remaining armed workers. Without the control of a sorcerer, the dead bodies wouldn¡¯t detonate on their own. But even so, the soldiers kept their distance from those bodies that hadn¡¯t exploded, ensuring they wouldn¡¯t be blown up by some Cultist sorcerer who hadn¡¯t been eliminated in time. The problem of how to deal with these remaining bodies would be troublesome, but at least for now, they didn¡¯t pose a threat to the battle. However, the number of light dots that Gu Hang saw didn¡¯t quite match the number of workers the soldiers had killed and those who were still stubbornly resisting in the center of the ruins. Moreover, many of the Storm Heresy light dots overlapped with the positions of the soldiers. He had thought before that it might be the soldiers accidentally getting too close. But upon closer observation, it became clear that the soldiers had no idea they were standing next to the bodies of armed workers. It was normal for one or two people to be careless, but for so many to be overlapping was anything but normal. Did they have a death wish? Impossible. Considering the previous situation, Gu Hang was startled to realize: Were those the bodies of the workers who had died in the bombardment, buried under the factory ruins, triggered by hundreds of previous shellings? They were implanted with the energy of Storm Sorcery just like the others and could also be used as corpse bombs. It was just that because of the previous shelling, a large area of the factory buildings had collapsed, burying many bodies or even living people under the debris. But being buried didn¡¯t mean they were no longer a threat. What if these thousands of corpses were to detonate at the same time beneath the rubble? It would be like thousands of compressed air bombs exploding underneath, releasing shockwaves and air pressure that would blow the seemingly solid and stable semi-ruined site into the sky. For those deeply entrenched within, the consequences would be catastrophic. The four infantry companies of the 2nd and 6th battalions would probably be annihilated, not to mention even Georgette¡¯s six Battle Nuns, who might suffer greatly from this one wave. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After understanding the risk, Gu Hang didn¡¯t even have the time to communicate with Perbov, Lambert, and others. His order, transmitted through the means of spiritual energy shaking, resonated across the entire battlefield: ¡°I am Gu Hang, I command everyone to cease fighting and evacuate the factory area.¡± ¡°Repeat, evacuate the factory area immediately!¡± To prevent Georgette, who was not his subordinate, from misunderstanding his orders, he specifically pulled a spiritual energy communication line to her, sending his voice directly into her ears: ¡°This place is likely a trap, evacuate first, we can make long-term plans later!¡± Chapter 93 - Chapter 93: Chapter 92, The Mother Superior, Please Expedite Chapter 93: Chapter 92, The Mother Superior, Please Expedite The soldiers under Gu Hang¡¯s command, of course, obeyed the order. Though they did not know why, they still followed Mr. Gu¡¯s command and retreated. Of course, they didn¡¯t just foolishly turn and run. Some provided fire cover, while others established defensive lines to prevent the armed workers from taking the opportunity to attack and inflict unnecessary casualties. As for Georgette, she didn¡¯t understand why they had to retreat when she first heard Gu Hang¡¯s voice. In her view, they were on the verge of winning the battle; retreating now would not only risk throwing the victory away, but at the very least, it would give the Cultists a chance to breathe, something she did not want to see. But she couldn¡¯t just continue the attack with her six nuns either. Seeing Mr. Gu¡¯s soldiers retreating, she, reluctant as she was, had to fall back as well. The enraged Battle Nun was prepared to retreat and then confront Mr. Gu for an explanation. However, the subsequent information that reached her ears about Gu Hang¡¯s judgment that this was a trap immediately put her on alert. She hadn¡¯t noticed anything, but that didn¡¯t prevent her from taking the warning seriously. Mr. Gu was a Spiritual Energy practitioner; perhaps he could see something she couldn¡¯t? She beckoned, signalling her sisters to retreat with her. However, the enemy also realized the intentions of Mr. Gu¡¯s troops and the Saintly Lilies¡¯ nuns to retreat. The surviving armed workers, like madmen, leapt out from their cover and began to pursue fiercely. They continuously fired their weapons while moving ceaselessly. By the look of them, it seemed they were not expecting to cause much damage with their light arms, but rather, even in death, they wanted to deliver their corpses closer to the nuns and soldiers. This level of coordination and morale could not have come from ordinary workers; madness was evident in their eyes, and not a glint of reason remained. Indeed, they could not live much longer; even the Battle Nuns and Mr. Gu¡¯s soldiers, still retreating, maintained good organization, and the rearguard soldiers and retreating nuns took out these rashly exposed armed workers. However, behind those armed workers, a figure clad in grey-white robes, corpulent, quietly emerged from the ruins. She didn¡¯t move forward or expose herself within the firing line. She opened her arms, palms to the sky, and the power of the storm began to radiate out from her as the center. It was as if a pervasive breeze wafted through. The corpses of the workers that the ¡®breeze¡¯ touched, even those buried under the rubble, all underwent some change. Georgette felt intense Storm Heresy energy being activated on the previously silent corpses under her feet and all around. The bombs were not yet exploding, just activated. Afterward, all they needed was a ¡®spark,¡¯ and these corpse bombs would naturally detonate. Georgette knew she couldn¡¯t escape. Before the enemy could detonate the trap, everyone was already out of range from escaping the trap¡¯s reach. But as the enemy activated the corpse bombs, it also revealed their position. She stopped in her tracks, powered up forcefully, and charged toward the source of the Storm Heresy energy. She leapt into the air, the power pack on her back spewing flames, propelling her to extreme speed in an instant. On the way, her grenade gun was continually raised, but the strong Storm Heresy energy target she sensed never appeared in her field of vision. She could only clench her teeth and continue the sprint. In these brief moments, a bit of sentiment crossed her mind: The sisters who followed her had just retired from a grueling war. The Order stationed them aboard the Quintet Starship as members of the national religion, intending to provide them a quiet place to recuperate for two years. Obviously, staying in orbit around Rage Owl Star, the Quintet should¡¯ve encountered no trouble. They could¡¯ve spent two peaceful years in the ship¡¯s small chapel, soothing their weary hearts from years of constant war. It was well-meant, but Georgette didn¡¯t quite appreciate it. Aboard the starship, her demeanor was calm, but her heart struggled to settle. Accustomed to life on the battlefield, she felt oddly uneasy in the calm. Upon hearing that Rage Owl Star was plagued by a cult, she couldn¡¯t wait to bring her sisters to the surface and join the battle. In her opinion, it was a waste to be donned in armor blessed by the Emperor and possess strong powers but not use them to vanquish the enemies of the Emperor, instead cultivating oneself within the starship church. But what she didn¡¯t expect was that this decision would lead her sisters, who could have rested safely, into a desperate situation. She herself might survive the upcoming explosion due to her own strength, but her sisters would certainly suffer casualties, possibly even total annihilation. They had survived battles far more difficult and terrifying than the minor skirmishes on Rage Owl Star, but now they might die or be injured here because of her orders, stepping into a trap¡­ It¡¯s pathetic how a slip in the gutter could cost blood. If she couldn¡¯t stop this explosion, she might live with regret for a very long time. But, no matter how fast she moved, it seemed too late. She could already feel the spread of the Storm Heresy¡¯s power, activating more and more corpse bombs. The explosion was likely to happen in the next moment. However, at that moment, everything came to a sudden stop. Those corpse bombs were not further activated, nor did they explode. Then, from the center of the Storm Heresy, she heard a sharp, exasperated voice: ¡°You deserve to die!¡± A wind bullet shot out from that point, aiming for the sky. Georgette¡¯s gaze followed the wind bullet upwards, and she saw a man dressed in a golden nobility robe, floating there. Just as the wind bullet was about to hit, it suddenly dissipated, leaving only a gust of wind that whipped his robe and black hair fiercely about. The man¡¯s eyes shone with blue Spiritual Energy, and his target was none other than the cult leader. Georgette realized that Mr. Gu had used some kind of Spiritual Energy technique to cut off the cult leader¡¯s control over the corpse bombs and stop the imminent explosion. It was then that Gu Hang¡¯s voice reached her ears: ¡°Battle Nun, please eliminate that heretic quickly.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Georgette hadn¡¯t wavered with the change in the situation and now felt even more invigorated by Gu Hang¡¯s words. She maintained the acceleration provided by her jetpack¡¯s flame spray and moved as fast as possible toward the cult leader. The few surviving armed workers tried to stop her. Their guns posed no threat to the Battle Nun, so they could only hope to get close enough for the sorcerer to detonate the Storm bombs within them, using this method to hinder her. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate, charge with all your might.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s voice sounded again. Georgette now had complete trust in Mr. Gu. She didn¡¯t bother with the armed workers, only executing them with a bomb gun when convenient. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And indeed, those armed workers didn¡¯t manage to explode. All the detonation signals sent out by the sorcerers were intercepted by Gu Hang! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª We¡¯ve hit a thousand subscriptions! Adding an extra chapter! To be honest, I¡¯m not very satisfied with this result, and I¡¯ve been criticized quite harshly, leaving me feeling somewhat down. Chapter 94 - Chapter 94: Chapter 93, I underestimated you guys Chapter 94: Chapter 93, I underestimated you guys Watching the armed workers who were supposed to act as bombs to hinder her actions collapse around her without a single explosion, Georgette felt overwhelmed with gratitude towards Gu Hang. She had seen more powerful spiritual energy users before, many in fact. In her opinion, Mr. Gu¡¯s spiritual energy was excellent, but that was about it; he was not at the level of a master. Yet today, the spiritual energy control he displayed was enough to amaze anyone. That method that could sever the sorcerers¡¯ extension of spiritual energy was truly magnificent! It was Georgette¡¯s first encounter with such spiritual energy abilities. Her understanding of spiritual energy wasn¡¯t profound, but she saw Mr. Gu¡¯s actions as decisive. And she, of course, wasn¡¯t going to squander the opportunity created by Mr. Gu. She had already sprinted to a position where she could see the Cult leader. The sight of the Divine Envoy wearing a grey robe and being extremely obese made Georgette feel sick. Her bomb gun fired two bullets at her, barely repelled by the Storm Shield. Gu Hang had the ability to weaken the Storm Shield, aiding Georgette¡¯s two bullets to directly attempt to assassinate the cult Divine Envoy. But he did not bother to do so. His most important task now was to intercept the sorcerers¡¯ signal to detonate the corpse bombs, and not a single one could slip through. Interfering with the Storm Shield was considered superfluous, unnecessary. After all, it would only let that fat woman Divine Envoy live for two more seconds. Incensed, the Battle Nun had arrived right before her. The ¡°Sacred Golden Halberd¡± was raised high! The Shadow Wind Envoy¡¯s face showed terror. She tried to unleash a gust of hurricane energy in front of her to blow the Battle Nun away, but after the sorcery took form, it was merely a breeze. At such a close range, the nun¡¯s ability to suppress spiritual energy was fully utilized. The spells that were actively released were hindered by her, failing to have their intended effect. Immediately after, the ¡°Sacred Golden Halberd¡± came slashing down. The Storm Shield dissipated like real air; following that, the Shadow Wind Envoy¡¯s sinful and ugly body was cleaved from head to toe, vertically split into two halves. ¡­ The greatest threat had died, but that did not mean everything was over. Theoretically, as long as a single sorcerer nearby was still alive, the danger persisted. The Battle Nun understood this. After slaying the strongest grey-robed cult leader, she didn¡¯t pause for half a moment and immediately targeted the ordinary Blue-Robed Sorcerers nearby. One shot from her bomb gun meant one life lost. At the same time, the soldiers who were in the process of retreating, along with six other nuns, turned back and joined the fight. During this process, Gu Hang¡¯s figure was always floating in mid-air. The soldiers in battle occasionally looked up, gazing at their governor with eyes full of reverence. They didn¡¯t quite understand what Mr. Gu had done, but through the messages conveyed by their officers, through the encouragement shouts of the battling nuns, they still knew that just now, the situation was extremely critical and Mr. Gu had saved everyone¡¯s life. The Battle Nuns also frequently looked up. They knew a bit more about what had just happened, and their gaze at the moment was even brighter. Gu Hang, flying in the sky, could feel the gazes from below. However, he did not pay too much attention to them. Half of his focus was now on the battlefield, remaining vigilant for any signals indicating corpses being triggered to explode. Although the fat Divine Envoy had died, hence no one could activate all the Storm Bombs at once, scattered detonations by those Blue-Robed Sorcerers were still a possibility. Since Gu Hang was already there, he intended to prevent them from succeeding as much as possible. As for the other half of his focus, it was spent pondering over the entire situation. The infiltration of Revival City by the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect was more severe than he had anticipated. After taking over Revival City, a plethora of debuffs related to the current condition of the city had popped up on his system interface. Among them, there was one called ¡°Cult Rampant¡±, but this was categorized as ¡®moderately decrease benevolence income¡¯, which was negligible compared to the numerous ¡®significantly decrease¡¯ and ¡®greatly decrease¡¯ debuffs above it. For this reason, Gu Hang had slightly overlooked this issue. Even before, when the Alliance Government, under his pressure, had conducted a comprehensive investigation of the Cult, forcing members of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect to launch an ambush to assassinate him, Gu Hang had even made a misjudgment: these people didn¡¯t wield much influence in Revival City, and having been dealt with severely, they were resorting to desperate measures. Gu Hang knew they still had forces in Revival City, but he thought they were inconsequential, nothing more than a minor nuisance. And yet, they had managed to cause him such a huge problem here! Even Battle Nuns, experts in combating Heretic Cults, almost capsized in this gutter. ¡°I underestimated you¡­¡± Gu Hang thought to himself. This was not a trifling matter, but a serious internal threat. Especially the Storm Bombs implanted inside human bodies, this technology was perfect for terrorist attacks. The Cult followers even concentrated people in the industrial district, preparing for a significant strike. If they realized this approach wouldn¡¯t work and decided to brainwash ordinary people to become human bombs in crowded places, factories, or on military routes, that would indeed be a significant headache. Gu Hang realized that if he did not thoroughly deal with these people, he could not expect to live in peace. A deadly animosity had been forged between the two sides. As for how to catch them? Firstly, finding clues and investigating was the standard method. During the fight, the Nuns had deliberately spared the lives of a few Blue-Robed Sorcerers. Getting fanatical Cult members to talk was no easy feat, as they likely feared death little. However, Georgette also mentioned they had some special methods in this regard, and Gu Hang chose to trust her. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Secondly, there were some unconventional methods: a city-wide rigorous screening. In this respect, it was perfect for Osenia to cooperate. The outer city was the main concern since its residents were poor and lacked savings. After Lambert had taken control of the city¡¯s food warehouses, Osenia was to immediately go to the outskirts to distribute food, preventing chaos caused by starving people while also encouraging them to return to their jobs and resume production as soon as possible. Now, it¡¯s just a matter of having Osenia include a Cult screening during the food distribution process. But there were complications with this plan. Without technology to simply poke someone¡¯s throat and determine if they were a Cult member, figuring out how to screen for Cult followers was indeed troublesome. Chapter 95 - Chapter 95: Chapter 94: Why Take Advantage of Me Chapter 95: Chapter 94: Why Take Advantage of Me After the battle had completely ended and it was confirmed there were no enemies left, the soldiers withdrew from the area. As long as no one interfered anymore, the storm heresy contained in the bodies of the armed workers who had died in the rubble would gradually dissipate on its own and not last very long. Of course, these activated storm bombs were very unstable entities. It was not ruled out that they might explode for some reason before their energy was completely dissipated. Meanwhile, Gu Hang also had to be vigilant against the cultists returning to retrieve and make use of the bodies again. Therefore, a company of soldiers would be stationed nearby, put up a cordon, and completely lock down the vicinity until the problem here was resolved. Actually, the best way to deal with this was to have specialized personnel safely handle the energy contained in these bodies. Gu Hang had this capability, and so did the Sisterhood. However, there were simply too many things to handle inside Revival City now, and there was no time to waste here dealing with the bodies and aftermath. Gu Hang himself needn¡¯t say much, he was incredibly busy, from civil affairs to economic production to military governance, all required his attentiveness; the sisters of Sainte-Lys Nun Association still had to further trace the trails of the cult, it was certain they had done more than just the incident at the Norris Factory, and surely had plots elsewhere. So, they could only be left here. The factory had already been bombed to ruin by earlier artillery fire, and as long as there were no people inside, even if all those storm bombs exploded and blew the ruins to the sky again, it didn¡¯t matter too much. Next, Gu Hang needed to find Georgette again to have a good talk about pursuing the cultists. However, before Gu Hang could find her, Georgette sought him out first. ¡°Your Excellency the Battle Nun, your timing is perfect, I¡­ uh¡­¡± Gu Hang¡¯s words were choked back by a hug. Georgette hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear, ¡°Thank you, Mr. Gu, without your help, my sisters would have suffered great losses, and I might have been lost in self-blame and regret for a long time.¡± Gu Hang didn¡¯t know where to put his hands at that moment. They felt uncomfortably firm everywhere. All he could say was, ¡°Uh¡­ we are allies, after all, it¡¯s what I should do. We need to continue working together to eliminate those who have betrayed the Divine Emperor.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Georgette released him, ¡°but I still need to thank you, this is a blessing from The Emperor.¡± Having said that, she kissed Gu Hang on the forehead and then turned and left. As Gu Hang watched Georgette walk away, a thought suddenly popped into his mind: ¡°Blessing is a blessing, but why did you have to take advantage of me?¡± ¡­ [Tremendous Victory, Earned 221 Blessing Points] [Losses: 154, Enemies Killed: 5073, Prisoners: 9] [Governor¡¯s Infantry Regiment: Losses: 154, Enemies Killed: 4488] [Sainte-Lys Nun Association (Ally): Losses: 0, Enemies Killed: 585] After the battle had ended, as usual, Gu Hang saw the operational statistics within the system interface. The bounty of blessing points was quite good, even more so than the rewards from resolving the battle in the outer city. Almost capturing an entire Alliance Legion yielded only 133 blessing points. Now, by eliminating four to five thousand adversaries, the score had gone over two hundred. The discrepancy possibly lay in the fact that the action to capture the Alliance Legion was basically picking low-hanging fruit, as the main issues had been dealt with by the allies, resulting in a lower coefficient for earning blessing points. This current battle, though the Battle Nuns¡¯ help was significant, the main problems were still resolved by Gu Hang¡¯s own subordinates. The bombardment from the heavy artillery was the most significant source of damage in this battle. Without the several hundred shells fired by those ten heavy guns, a direct attack on the factory would likely have failed, even if two entire infantry battalions were deployed. The offensive side attacking the defensive side is inherently at a disadvantage, not to mention a troop difference of 600 vs 5000, almost tenfold. However, the firepower gap brought by heavy artillery compensated for this issue. Afterward, the help from the Battle Nuns was significant. But despite that, during the attack, both the 2nd and 6th Battalions suffered considerable casualties. The companies that took the lead in the charge were essentially wiped out, and with the subsequent troop deployment, the total losses amounted to 154. These casualties were quite disheartening. Since Gu Hang pulled out his troops and began his campaign, this was the battle with the single largest number of casualties. However, thinking coldly, the cost-benefit ratio was still acceptable. After acquiring the entirety of Revival City and offering proper treatment, Gu Hang would be able to easily replenish manpower from the outskirts of the city; training more than a hundred soldiers to T5 level is merely 1 point of divine favor, effectively free; and the weapons and equipment could be completely replenished from the current military production capacities of the Abandoned Cave Society. By now, Gu Hang¡¯s current points of divine favors had reached 356. Wealthy! Satisfied, he closed the battle settlement page and turned his attention to the new changes in his personal information on the [Hero]interface. There was an additional item: [Blessing of Sainte-Lys (15 days): Slightly increases spiritual and physical attributes, diminishing over time.] After receiving ¡®The Emperor¡¯s Blessing,¡¯ Gu Hang felt a warmth in his body. He found it peculiar, but it wasn¡¯t uncomfortable; and now, upon checking, getting kissed actually came with such benefits? Gu Hang was already contemplating how to get kissed every 15 days. No other intentions, purely for the buff increase! ¡­ After the small interlude, everyone went back to their respective tasks. The Sisterhood continued their pursuit of the Cult. Old Norris was dug out, this guy actually survived. The cultists didn¡¯t silence him, probably because they felt it unnecessary. If the Storm Trap in the factory area had been triggered, not even the nuns in their power armor might have lived, let alone Old Norris. He had been hiding in an underground chamber all the while, and during the final stage of the bombardment, the entrance was buried under the rubble, trapping him inside. It wasn¡¯t until the soldiers were cleaning up the area that they heard his cries and dug him out. However, his subsequent fate might be quite grim. The Sisterhood would catch him and inquire about his dealings with the Cult. The interrogation process by the Sainte-Lys, though, probably wouldn¡¯t be as gentle as the smiles on their faces. Certain special methods would ensure they got the answers they wanted, but these methods probably weren¡¯t too kind to the interrogated¡¯s brain. Once the Sisterhood was done questioning him, Norris would be handed over to Lambert, the head of the ¡®Alliance Rectification Committee.¡¯ Then Lambert would get his revenge. Beyond Norris as an important source of intelligence, the Sainte-Lys nuns also captured several living Blue-Robed Sorcerers. These individuals, likewise, were sources of intelligence, with the hope of extracting some information from them. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Furthermore, with Lambert clearing Norris, the most significant obstacle, the cleansing of other elites within the city would become easier, and it¡¯s likely no one would be able to resist anymore. Currently, it seems the elites of Revival City are deeply intertwined with the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect. The Sisterhood should be able to find some breakthroughs here as well. A two-pronged approach. The conventional path of pursuing the Cult handed to the Sisterhood, and Gu Hang started focusing on citywide screening to catch cultists. That¡¯s what Osenia was doing. Chapter 96 - Chapter 96: Chapter 95, The Governor Can’t Come for Nothing, Right? Chapter 96: Chapter 95, The Governor Can¡¯t Come for Nothing, Right? The reason for having Osenia handle the city-wide screening wasn¡¯t to have the girl investigate cases. That wasn¡¯t her specialty. In reality, Gu Hang hoped that she could distribute grain throughout Revival City to ensure the welfare of the citizens, and, by the way, take care of this matter as well. But with this city-wide screening, Gu Hang didn¡¯t hold much hope; it was just something done incidentally. Mainly because there wasn¡¯t a particularly effective method of screening. Cult members wouldn¡¯t admit to it if you simply asked them whether they were part of it or not. He had also told Osenia that this task was to be done conveniently, and the main focus should remain on ensuring people¡¯s livelihoods. The army that had entered the city with Gu Hang had already taken control of several grain warehouses. However, it was at this time that bad news arrived: The city¡¯s grain reserves were not plentiful. If one considered regular consumption for a population of a million people in the city, there was roughly only a fifteen-day supply. For a city that primarily relied on imported grain for trade, such a level of grain reserve was dangerously low, as if the previous Alliance Government had no understanding of the importance of food security. But from another perspective, it made sense. After taking over the grain warehouses, Osenia had included the poor of the outer city in her calculations of consumption at the same per capita standard as at the Governor¡¯s Camp and Abandoned Cave Society; but before this, the Alliance authorities might never have counted it like that. They probably only saw the hundred thousand people within the inner city as proper citizens; the poor in the outer city? They were left to fend for themselves. Of course, the supply of food for the outer city residents definitely came from these warehouses¡ªhow else would they survive? They certainly couldn¡¯t live on tree bark for eight or nine hundred thousand people. It¡¯s just that the outer city residents didn¡¯t consume as much as the standard per capita consumption calculated by Osenia. Eight hundred thousand to nine hundred thousand people might only consume the equivalent of three hundred thousand to five hundred thousand people/day/grain consumption. On average, they could only eat one-third to one-half of the food daily, so malnutrition was normal. And since this is an average, it means that some residents of the outer city could eat their fill while others might go without food for two days in a row. This situation aligned with the actual conditions in the outer city of Revival City. Having survived in the outer city for a few months, Osenia was very clear about how the residents lived there. By such standards, a fifteen-day supply of food could be stretched to reserves lasting thirty to forty days. But Osenia decided not to calculate it this way. She would provide the outer city population of Revival City with a standard portion of food. Otherwise, if we were hungry before the Governor arrived and remained hungry after he came¡­ then what was the Governor¡¯s visit for? During this current phase, increasing the ration distribution to ensure everyone could eat enough was an important step in establishing loyalty to the Governor. The inner city residents are indifferent to the new Governor? Let them be indifferent. Do they really think it¡¯s still the era of the Alliance? When only the inner city residents counted as people? In the long conversation between Gu Hang and Osenia, they had made it clear that the greatest treasure of Revival City lay in the hundreds of thousands of residents in the outer city. As long as they wholeheartedly supported the Governor, everything else would be a paper tiger. The elite could be overthrown, their production materials confiscated. Gu Hang didn¡¯t need their support to rule; The relatively well-off inner city residents, no matter if they harbored resentments, just needed to behave and work diligently. If they dared cause trouble, there were ways to deal with them; The vast number of impoverished people in the outer city would see an improvement in their living conditions. They would live better lives under the Governor¡¯s kindness and quickly return to the factories and their jobs, glowing with dedication for the Governor¡¯s cause. Of course, distributing only food would not suffice. Or rather, the distribution of food is the foundation of solidifying the rule of the Governor, the price paid; beyond that cost, how to steadily reap rewards is where the real challenge lies for Osenia. Osenia was well aware that simply opening the granaries was no proof of her abilities. As if anyone couldn¡¯t do the same. Along with providing food, she had to make it clear to the residents that this was a favor from the Governor. Only then would the true value of distributing the grain be realized. At the same time, she had to anchor a principle from the outset: she couldn¡¯t allow people to live on handouts. She didn¡¯t plan to define this batch of food as mere relief or welfare. Whether Revival City was seen as impoverished or wealthy depended on the perspective. To say it was wealthy would mean considering only the Inner City people. Indeed, by the standards of this wasteland, they were quite well-off. Their wealth, however, was built upon the exploitation of the tens of thousands of people in the Outer City who were treated as if they were less than human. But now, Osenia intended to treat the eight or nine hundred thousand people in the Outer City as human beings, which immediately added a significant burden. By such a standard, it was impossible to consider the city wealthy. The reserves of Revival City now could not support high welfare. Osenia would provide the Outer City residents with the opportunity for a normal life, but what she could offer was just the opportunity and platform. If they wished to live decently, it would still depend on their own hard work. Of course, this wouldn¡¯t be as generous as directly distributing food, but Osenia would rather sacrifice a bit of the benefit of bestowing favors to ensure that Revival City¡¯s finances were on a relatively healthy path. Moreover, there was no doubt in her mind that the Outer City residents were willing to work hard. Having lived in the Outer City herself, Osenia firmly believed this. In regard to this, Osenia had roughly established a temporary system. She would indiscriminately distribute food to the residents outside the city but only enough for a few days, and just one-third of their ration to ensure no one would starve to death. For those who wanted more, they would have to purchase it. The government grain sale outlets that were set up would sell grain at an affordable price, and purchases would be limited to a certain quantity per person. The government would strictly crackdown on any gang activities involving buying up grain using others¡¯ quotas for hoarding. For a considerable time to come, the grain industry would become a state-run industry, and the Governor¡¯s Government would go all out to ensure the stability of grain prices. Private individuals were not to intrude into this industry for the time being. As long as the Outer City residents had access to a stable and affordable grain supply, their basic needs would be ensured. Of course, a considerable number of Outer City residents had no savings at all. Recently, due to the war, they were unemployed and had no means of livelihood. Osenia also had corresponding measures. Following the regaining of control over the factories, workshops, and shops, as they reopened, they would absorb the unemployed. Wages would be settled daily in the form of ¡°grain tickets,¡± which could be directly exchanged for food. Osenia considered introducing a work-point system but decided against promoting it in Revival City for the time being. With just a handful of administrators on hand, she was in no position to implement a work-point system to replace the existing currency system. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Such upheaval would require a stronger administrative capacity and grassroots control to carry out. In fact, even just distributing grain and promoting the resumption of work and production, she and her dozen subordinates were not up to the task. Fortunately, the military would be there to assist her. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Adding one more update! Chapter 97 - Chapter 97: Chapter 96, The Wind Rises Chapter 97: Chapter 96, The Wind Rises ¡°` The 3rd Battalion of the Governor¡¯s Infantry Regiment will be responsible for food security, and incidentally, for the safety of Osenia herself. Of course, relying solely on an infantry battalion is certainly not enough. And at this time, the work that Yan Fangxu had been doing finally paid off. He had not shown his face in Revival City because he was with the 4th Battalion and the fifty political commissaries drawn from various teams, still entrenched in the prison camps outside Revival City. With a shortage of manpower in Osenia¡¯s area, she made a request to the Governor. Gu Hang turned his head and asked Yan Fangxu about the training status of those prisoners. It had only been a few days; naturally, more than seven thousand prisoners could not be reorganized so quickly. However, their training level was sufficient. Although it did not meet the T5 standard produced by the system, they were after all formally part of the previous alliance¡¯s regular army. The main issue was their reliability. But if manpower really needed to be drafted, it was not impossible. Yan Fangxu selected seven companies that had shown the best performance to date. Within these seven companies, the political commissars deployed had already succeeded in establishing branches of the Soldier¡¯s Committee and had done very good ideological work. And those who were put into practical action immediately faced their first test. ¡­ Osenia seemed rather overwhelmed. The administrative team she led had virtually no control over the suburban areas outside Revival City. Everything had to start from scratch. It was also difficult to establish control quickly. So how was Osenia going to spread the word about distributing food at set times and places? She resorted to a crude method. She got hold of several tricycles, fitted them with loudspeakers, recorded the messages for food distribution, and had them drive around the city ensuring the message could be heard everywhere. The work of cult screening issued by the Governor, in Osenia¡¯s understanding, was something that needed to be done, but the priority was not as high. Of course, she knew that if cult members were not caught, they would cause trouble and make mischief. But relatively speaking, if the people in the suburbs had enough to eat, it would not be so easy for the cult members to stir up trouble; the difficulty would increase. Who would follow a cult when there are prospects for the future? Of course, screening work still needed to be done. Three nuns had been assigned by Georgette to assist with the final processing of the screening work. But clearly, relying on three nuns, it was impossible to screen hundreds of thousands of people. Amidst her busy schedule, Osenia found time to create a registration form. When collecting food, the public needed to register their personal information, which had to be cross-verified with the information provided by others. The hope was that through this method, it would be possible to identify any recent abnormal behaviors, people living in close proximity whom their neighbors didn¡¯t recognize, or even more directly, to report those suspected of being cult members. Those identified as anomalies would be subject to further scrutiny, and ultimately, by the last check, the nuns would be directly involved. This was the best solution Osenia could come up with under the limited conditions and time. Her core focus, however, was still on food distribution. However, just as the tricycles with loudspeakers were spreading the word everywhere, and the food distribution points guarded by teams of soldiers scattered around the suburbs were set up, waiting for the food to arrive so that the work could proceed smoothly, news came that the convoy transporting food from the inner city had been ambushed. ¡°` When Osenia heard the news, she felt as if she¡¯d been struck by lightning. If there were problems with the food transportation, it could lead to a major crisis. The people¡¯s sense of anticipation had already been built up by the continuous mobile loudspeaker propaganda. According to front-line reports, many citizens were already queuing up at the distribution points, waiting for the arrival of the food. Now, what could she do if the food ran into trouble halfway? Was she really going to tell the starving people lined up for their meal that the food was gone? Wasn¡¯t that nonsense? It was likely to spark a riot on the spot! Osenia was somewhat panicked. Her experience wasn¡¯t expansive. In her past managerial roles, she had done well, typically identifying problems, pondering solutions, and finding ways to get things done. Usually, if she followed her own plan, issues would be resolved. But she had never encountered a sudden, large-scale emergency like this, one that could completely collapse if mishandled. Panic was natural. However, she quickly forced herself to calm down, ¡°Osenia, Osenia, don¡¯t panic, think of a solution¡­ just like before¡­¡± Regaining her composure, she began to think. Managing the food distribution for the vast population outside the city was a very complex process. First, she had chosen six locations in the outer city as warehouses to serve as distribution hubs. The food transported from the main warehouses in the inner city would first be delivered there. Then, each distribution hub would correspond to about ten specific food distribution points. The food transported to the hubs would be further distributed to these points. Citizens could register there and directly receive food after confirming their identities. The security issue was quite tough. The forces Osenia could enlist included seven companies provided by Yan Fangxu and the third battalion sent by the Governor¡¯s Camp, adding up to a total of ten companies. A company would be responsible for each distribution hub. They had to garrison the hubs to ensure the safety of the food upon arrival; they also had to monitor each food distribution point and provide immediate support in case of emergencies. In addition, there were two companies mainly responsible for escorting the food shipments. Each of the six routes needed a platoon to accompany the convoy. The last two companies were pulled out to act as clerks. They would be dispersed among all food distribution points, serving as guards while also handling personnel registration and the actual food distribution tasks. When there weren¡¯t enough clerks, soldiers would fill the gap. Now, the problem was with the food transportation route. Currently, the news Osenia had was that a mob, armed with weapons, emerged from the complicated environment of a slum as the convoy passed through, launching an attack on the team. The outcome of the battle was still unknown. All six food transportation routes had almost simultaneously been attacked. After clarifying the situation, she may not have been completely composed, but she still issued one firm order after another. ¡°Immediately send a telegram to the Governor, report our situation, and request support. We need loyal and reliable troops to help.¡± ¡°Immediately command all companies stationed at the food distribution hubs to deploy in full force, support their respective food convoys, and eliminate all armed militants.¡± ¡°Teams established at the sixty food distribution points are not to move. They must focus on the situation of the queuing citizens, with appeasement as the highest priority. Use of force is not permitted unless absolutely necessary.¡± ¡°Contact Captain Yan Fangxu. I need him to prepare the military rations from the prisoner camp¡­ I fully understand those supplies are critical, they determine the stability of the prisoners. I hope we won¡¯t need them, but if any food transportation route indeed encounters issues, we need those supplies for emergency use. Also, inform him not to worry, as I¡¯ve already arranged for supplies from the Governor¡¯s Camp¡¯s starch block factory. A convoy carrying a hundred tons of food is on its way, which can replenish the military¡¯s needs. Our synthetic starch factories are also operating at full capacity.¡± The clerks receiving her orders went off to carry out their tasks. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Osenia, while pondering whether there were any issues with the orders she¡¯d issued or if anything needed to be added, looked out the window. It had started to get windy outside. The houses in the slum, built haphazardly, creaked in the wind. Looking at the gusty wind, Osenia¡¯s worries deepened. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª One more chapter to go, it¡¯ll be late, not finished yet¡­ Chapter 98 - Chapter 98: Chapter 97, comrades, charge with me! Chapter 98: Chapter 97, comrades, charge with me! ¡°Hurry, hurry, hurry! Move faster!¡± Kodi shouted loudly. At his side, two infantry platoons moved quickly. These soldiers, still in the uniform of the Alliance Legion, had now become reliable troops. Although they were not as dependable as Kodi¡¯s old unit, he believed that with his efforts over these days, they should be willing to fight for the governor. Besides, today¡¯s mission was for Revival City. Kodi came from Abandoned Cave Society and was among the first batch of soldiers to heed the call and join under the governor¡¯s command; Perbov was his former superior. When Perbov was ordered to form the 2nd Battalion, Kodi was promoted too, assuming the role of squad leader. After the battle for Revival City concluded, he was elected as a political commissar, donning a black coat, a red military cap, and epaulets, looking stylish and domineering, a striking contrast to the ordinary soldier¡¯s attire. It¡¯s hard to say how much the clothes had played a part in Kodi¡¯s willingness to take on the role of political commissar back then. Of course, he understood the responsibilities that came with his position more clearly. To be honest, even after a half-day of lessons on loyalty to the Empire, loyalty to The Emperor given by the nuns of the Holy Lily, followed by a heartfelt half-day lecture from the governor himself, he was still not very clear about what exactly a political commissar should do. The so-called ¡®forcing a duck onto a perch¡¯ was just like this. When he first arrived at the company, facing over a hundred unfamiliar faces, Kodi was nervous. But his crisp uniform, the bright red cap, and epaulets forced him to straighten his chest firmly and quickly assume his role. During these days, he had made contact with every soldier. He now knew everyone¡¯s name, their past, and their reasons for enlisting. In his view, he didn¡¯t have any special methods. He chatted with everyone, understood what they were thinking, then shared his own thoughts with them. Why enlist as a soldier? Because we want to change the world. No one wishes to live in this disordered, chaotic wasteland world filled with death and hunger. Now, a savior has descended from the heavens, the governor himself, and we must seize this opportunity. This is the only chance to change our fate and, by extension, the fate of the entire world. Why say so? Kodi used his hometown, Abandoned Cave Society, as an example. The people of Abandoned Cave Society once lived a life far worse than that of the citizens outside Revival City or you soldiers of the Alliance. But now, Abandoned Cave Society has warmed and fed its inhabitants without question. Everyone lives in solid concrete houses with jobs and industries, and the roaring heavy machinery is producing hope in bulk. Those plastic steel alloys, those machines, engines, car bodies¡­ As these items increase, it signifies that people¡¯s lives are getting better and better. Abandoned Cave Society has undergone an earth-shaking transformation. And why have they come to Revival City? It¡¯s because they want to help the governor bring the same drastic changes to Revival City. Kodi had spoken these words to almost every soldier in the company during these days. He did so tirelessly, his words sincere. He then established a Soldiers¡¯ Committee, allowing everyone to share their thoughts, where he either facilitated discussions or provided answers. Then he selected the most suitable dozen or so soldiers, those with the most progressive and firmest thoughts, to assist the squad leaders in their work. As a result, a special piece of information came to light at that time. A soldier mentioned that before he enlisted, there was an underground passage from the inner city to the outer city where he lived. He had stumbled upon it accidentally and knew it was being used for smuggling. He didn¡¯t dare divulge it earlier because someone who discovered it with him vanished into thin air just days later for talking too much. But now, he had the courage to speak up. Kodi then passed this information to his former superior. Perbov really made a catch there, apprehending what was said to be a high-ranking official of the Alliance. Of course, that was just a minor incident, and Kodi didn¡¯t pay too much attention to it, instead continuing to focus on constant conversations and interactions with the soldiers. He didn¡¯t feel like he was doing ideological work; he was simply conveying his own thoughts to every soldier in the most sincere and earnest way possible. Then, in a daze, he received Captain Yan Fangxu¡¯s commendation, saying that his and his unit were the best at ideological work and were awarded a silk banner. When he brought the silk banner back, it was met with the cheers of the entire unit. This might have been that sense of team honor that The Governor had talked about during training. When Captain Yan Fangxu announced the need to select a unit to undertake the task of food distribution, he communicated with the company commander at the earliest opportunity, eagerly volunteering for the mission. During the mobilization, he made it clear to all soldiers. ¡°This is a great deed, distributing food to the whole city, so that no one has to go hungry; there are rebels and cult members in the city, they are very bad, and they may very well cause chaos. Their objective is to oppose The Governor¡¯s rule using the hunger and death of countless innocent civilians.¡± What we need to do is to protect the food, defend our achievements, and crush the schemes of these traitors and cultists. The soldiers fully understood the objective of this battle and their morale soared. This gave Kodi a new insight: The Governor had said that warriors need to know what they are fighting for. And just now, they had received new orders: The convoy responsible for transporting food had been ambushed while delivering to Distribution Point 2, and they needed their support. Without a second thought, after communicating with the company commander, the commander took a platoon to continue securing the distribution points where civilians were already lining up. He, on the other hand, took two platoons, about sixty soldiers, to support the transport convoy. By the time he arrived at the scene, he found that the fighting was still ongoing. The attackers had not yet succeeded. The soldiers guarding the food trucks, wearing different uniforms from theirs, must be a platoon from the 3rd Battalion of the Infantry Regiment. They were fighting the enemy by using the vehicles and two outward-facing houses as cover. They were under some pressure as many rioters in various clothes, armed with a mix of crude and sophisticated weapons, were besieging them, numbering at least a hundred. Seeing this, Kodi was much relieved. Thank goodness, the situation hadn¡¯t escalated to an unmanageable level. He could tell that the comrades from the 3rd Battalion, although lacking heavy firepower and having to protect the grain trucks to avoid breaking through, were at least holding their ground solidly. Those rioters were not able to break through either. But getting a bit closer, he noticed that his previous assessment might have been a little off. The casualty rate among the 3rd Battalion¡¯s comrades was unusually high. At this point, he saw among those rioters a few individuals who were clearly different from the rest. They weren¡¯t holding weapons, but instead, white mists were condensing in their hands. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Once thrown, these white mists caused compressed air explosions, the impact of which was nearly equivalent to that of a grenade¡¯s explosion; the scattered wind blades also resembled shrapnel wounds. Those must be the so-called cultists. Kodi hesitated no longer and shouted, ¡°Support our comrades! Warriors, follow me in the charge!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Comrades, charge! Let¡¯s get those monthly tickets! Chapter 99 - Chapter 99: Chapter 98, Tactical Interweaving Chapter 99: Chapter 98, Tactical Interweaving In the midst of the battle, getting flanked was disastrous. After the militia behind the rioters were attacked by Kodi¡¯s two infantry squads advancing from two directions, they could barely put up any effective resistance. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Battalion 3, facing them head-on, wasn¡¯t quite sure what was happening behind them, and prioritized the protection of the food transport convoy without coordinating an attack from the front as well, the rioters would have collapsed even faster. But even without that, there was no big problem anymore. Objectively speaking, Kodi felt that the military skill level of the troops he was now leading still fell short of his old unit¡¯s, but they were a bit better than the mob and better armed too. At least it wasn¡¯t just rifles with iron barrels anymore. Meanwhile, after realizing that the cultists capable of unleashing Storm Bullets were the most significant threat among the enemy, he paid special attention to those two foes. He singled out some of the most progressive-minded and combat-ready soldiers under his command, and personally led them to target those cultists. Siege warfare had to be fought in this manner. And after he definitively led his men to kill those two dark mages, the battle was no longer in doubt. The remaining rioters were either killed or fled. Kodi didn¡¯t pursue them but instead drew his troops closer to the food transport convoy. The soldiers responsible for the convoy remained very cautious and did not allow them to get close. Only when Kodi showed his face and the soldiers opposite recognized a familiar figure did they lower their guards. After exchanging secret signals, Kodi left behind a squad, along with the seventeen surviving members of the original convoy crew, took the wounded, and headed for their designated Distribution Point No. 2. First, ensuring that this batch of food could be delivered, they could also ensure the normal operation of about ten food distribution points associated with Distribution Site No. 2. After that, the two squads from that place and the convoy responsible for the escort would be as secure as possible. As for Kodi himself¡­ He adjusted the brim of his cap, listening to the intense gunfire coming from a distance. His battle was not over yet. ¡°We continue to advance! There are more comrades who need our support!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± the soldiers had just won a victory, and their morale was high. ¡­ Kodi quickly led his troops to a new battlefield. The situation here was much more problematic than the one he had just resolved. This place should be on the transport route of Distribution Site No. 3. A mob had overtaken the convoy. The number of rioters was more than before, probably reaching two hundred, and there were more cultists among them. At a glance, Kodi spotted five. He knew how troublesome it was to deal with these magic-wielders. Bullets hitting their Storm Shields would require emptying at least three magazines before penetrating, while one Storm Bullet from them was like a hand grenade. Besides, many armed rioters provided them with protection. Looking at this, the infantry squad responsible for escorting the food likely met their doom. Whether they were completely wiped out or routed with some turning to desertion, they could no longer be relied upon. Similarly, two infantry squads had come to support from Distribution Site No. 3. Kodi recognized the leader, also a ¡®Red Hat¡¯ political commissar. But the enemy they faced was too strong; they couldn¡¯t break through at all. All they could do was maintain the line, ensuring the enemy couldn¡¯t break out. But without a numerical advantage and with the help of the cult mages on the enemy side, they hesitated to use the mortars they had for fear of destroying the food. In this situation, their line was somewhat precarious. Kodi immediately led his troops and pushed to the front. His arrival with several dozen fresh troops greatly eased the situation. In the midst of the fight, Kodi found another Red Hat. ¡°Tadeusz! Tadeusz!¡± ¡°Kodi?¡± The red-hatted one turned his head, looking somewhat surprised. Kodi had no time for pleasantries, he immediately stated his purpose, ¡°We can¡¯t keep fighting like this, we need to bring our guns into play!¡± ¡°But those supply wagons¡­¡± ¡°Stop worrying about that! Win the battle first, then worry about the food!¡± Kodi said as he pointed outside, ¡°Look over there! Someone is pouring fuel; they¡¯re going to burn the supplies! We can¡¯t let them succeed!¡± Having said that, he fired a burst of bullets in that direction, killing the fuel pourer, then quickly pulled his head back in. ¡°Okay!¡± The political commissar named Tadeusz also made up his mind. He crouched down, retreated, and began to issue orders. Soon, the mortar teams from three platoons were in place. The firepower suddenly increased significantly. When Tadeusz returned, Kodi continued, ¡°It¡¯s still not enough, we need to figure out a way to handle those sorcerers.¡± ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± Kodi grinned, showing his teeth, ¡°Nothing particularly good, just fighting desperately. Dare or not?¡± Tadeusz hesitated for a moment. Kodi patted his red armband and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re a political commissar, why the hesitation?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± Tadeusz clenched his teeth. ¡°That¡¯s more like it!¡± The two quickly formed a small squad. Seventeen men, assembled into two spearhead teams. They each led a team, dividing into two groups, and began to advance from the outer flanks. About ten minutes later, Kodi¡¯s team was in position. He estimated that there were two minutes left until the agreed time to launch a joint attack. He strictly ordered the soldiers not to show their heads, patiently waiting. The enemies seemed to sense that the frontal firepower had weakened somewhat. They became restless, sent out some men, and tentatively launched a counterattack. Seeing this scene, Kodi worried whether the frontal defense, having lost almost a fifth of its manpower, would hold. But thankfully, it held for those two minutes. When the time came, the multiple mortars fired simultaneously; the previously silent and repositioned machine gun squads also unleashed powerful fire. The soldiers also courageously raised their heads and began to shoot with full force. In that instant, the volume of firepower from the entire troop increased several-fold. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The armed thugs who had seized the convoy were suppressed momentarily. Even the several sorcerers didn¡¯t dare to show their heads recklessly, for even with Storm Shields, as mere wearers of blue robes, they weren¡¯t at the level of the gray-robed or the Divine Envoys. Too many bullets could still shatter their shields. And it was at this moment that Kodi bellowed, ¡°Charge, charge, charge! It¡¯s our turn to go! Don¡¯t waste the opportunity our comrades have created for us!¡± With that, he was the first to rush out. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª It¡¯s a bit tough, no drafts saved, wanted to post more but didn¡¯t finish writing¡­ more to come this afternoon or evening. Chapter 100 - Chapter 100: Chapter 99, Kodi’s Death Chapter 100: Chapter 99, Kodi¡¯s Death Kodi¡¯s actions had obviously attracted a lot of attention. But due to the previous detour and interspersion, he had secured an advantageous terrain. When he burst out, many of the enemies were facing away from him, and there were no covers in between to protect them. Seizing the moment, Kodi and his subordinates killed a significant number of enemies with fierce gunfire. This even included two enemy mages. One mage was killed by a volley of bullets before he could react, as he failed to adjust the direction of his Storm Shield; the other did manage to react but was taken down by concentrated fire from several soldiers. In a matter of seconds, multiple soldiers had emptied a magazine, shattering the Storm Shield and killing the person within. Lower-level enemy mages, with insufficient strength, could be broken and killed by ordinary bullets. But afterwards, when the enemies recovered from their initial shock, Kodi and his team¡¯s situation deteriorated. Especially since this flanking charge had depleted their ammunition after eliminating a number of enemies. Some soldiers were positioned to ensure their magazines still had firepower, but a lull in firing was inevitable for the others while reloading. Not only were they taking incoming bullets, but also a wind spell from an enemy mage was hurtling towards them. One soldier was hit in the leg and fell to the ground, only to be further struck by multiple bullets, which ended his life; The wind spell went off-course, exploding at the edge of their formation, but still claimed the lives of two soldiers. Despite Kodi¡¯s best efforts to lead the team to cover, by the end of it, only four remained by his side. This was within his expectations, and Kodi remained calm. Frontal firepower drew attention while he led a squad on the flank, striving to inflict maximum damage and continue drawing focus. Next, it was up to Tadeusz. Leading another squad, the time had come for them to launch their assault as well. The number of enemy mages left among their foes was down to three. If Tadeusz could achieve results similar to Kodi¡¯s squad, they would have little trouble winning this battle. It was best to also ensure as many survivors as possible to retain their fighting strength. If they, Kodi and Tadeusz, could then drive their troops like steel nails into the enemy¡¯s rear, with the front-line troops launching an attack under covering fire, they would be able to achieve a victory against the odds, taking back the supply carts from the Cultists and rioters! As he thought this, Kodi heard gunshots and screams not far away. Tadeusz had launched his attack as planned! But the next moment, Kodi¡¯s brow furrowed tightly. The sounds seemed off. Too distant. He couldn¡¯t help it and glanced sideways, only to see an unfavorable situation. It appeared that Tadeusz had been exposed before they could initiate their planned assault and was now under enemy attack, caught in disarray. Kodi realized he couldn¡¯t just wait for the outcome. He looked to the four soldiers on either side of him. Their expressions were somewhat panicked. Even though they were chosen as the most excellent and steadfast warriors, they were essentially trapped deep within enemy lines, surrounded by adversaries, and morale was inevitably shaken after nearly half their team had just been killed. Kodi knew he needed to say something, ¡°We¡¯ve come this far, we must disregard life and death. Do we even have space to retreat now? Victory is our only path!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go! Take down the remaining enemy mages, victory belongs to us!¡± With that, he charged out of the cover. The remaining four soldiers, either genuinely moved by his words or simply acting on instinct, followed closely behind. One soldier stayed in the rear to provide covering fire, striking at the enemy attempting to attack his comrades, while the other three, under Kodi¡¯s leadership, attacked the sorcerer who was advancing on Tadeusz with his back turned to them. The sorcerer was instantly trapped in a dire situation, with enemies in front and behind, and no possibility of dodging to the side, as it would expose him directly to the firepower from ahead. The overwhelmed sorcerer was shot dead. But the remaining two sorcerers were a tough problem. The pair, back to back, were behind a pile of rubble from a blasted building. The shattered construction debris served as cover, shielding them from direct gunfire; whether it was Tadeusz¡¯s side or Kodi¡¯s, they could only attack the enemy directly facing them, and the enemy¡¯s Storm Shields were also open towards them. What made things even more difficult was that around these two sorcerers, there were a significant number of armed thugs guarding them. Their fire was mainly directed towards Tadeusz¡¯s side, suppressing the commissar from advancing. Quickly assessing the situation, Kodi took two actions. A grenade, with its pin pulled, was tossed toward the enemy by him. The explosion of the grenade killed several armed hooligans and also caused the two sorcerers¡¯ Storm Shields to tremble violently. Then, anticipating the enemy¡¯s counter-attack, he dodged to the side, indeed avoiding an incoming wind shot. The wind shot sent the two warriors beside him flying. Kodi, half-crouching and kneeling on the ground, endured the pain of a blade of wind slicing off a piece of his facial skin and, in an awkward pose, fired ferociously at the sorcerer facing him. The already quaking Storm Shield, under the fierce fire of the G9 rifle, flickered incessantly, clearly on the verge of collapse. The sorcerer, along with several surviving armed thugs, had their attention completely drawn by the man in the black coat and red hat. Bullets flew at Kodi fiercely, forcing him to hide. He was shot several times in the torso, but fortunately, the hard plastic vest he was wearing under his coat protected his vital parts; being shot in the shoulder, in the leg, or even having an ear shot off¡­ these were all minor issues now. The gunfire he drew away created an opportunity for the two surviving soldiers. Both of them fired all the bullets in their new magazines at the sorcerer. Even if only half the bullets hit their mark, they were enough to shatter the Storm Shield. The one a bit further away, who had run out of bullets in his magazine and wanted to duck back to reload, was hit in the head by a bullet and died instantly. The closer one, the last remaining soldier, dropped his rifle and threw a grenade. But the grenade didn¡¯t have the desired effect, as it was blown away by an evil wind. The sorcerer with the broken shield was terrified at this moment. He had been distracted by the man in the red hat and had almost been swept away by this assault. Restarting his Storm Shield would take time, and if a grenade was lobbed at him, he feared it would be the end for him. Enraged, he even summoned another wind shot, hurling it at the soldier who was trying to reload to attack him, sending his body flying like a torn rag, only then feeling relieved. Having dealt with this one, he could finally shift his target and deal with the red-hatted man who was barely clinging to life. Huh? Where was that red hat? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Looking up again, he saw the red-hatted man, dragging a wounded leg, climbing on top of a piece of building wreckage that served as cover and jumping down. On his person, two grenades already had their pins pulled. The sorcerer¡¯s eyes widened, but by then, it was already too late for any action. With a thunderous explosion, the shockwaves and shrapnel from the two grenades took the life of the Storm Shield-shattered sorcerer and, by chance, the life of the other sorcerer facing Tadeusz¡¯s squad with his back to Kodi. It also took Kodi¡¯s life. Chapter 101 - Chapter 101: Chapter 100, Passive Response Chapter 101: Chapter 100, Passive Response Kodi died. He blew up the last two sorcerers. Tadeusz¡¯s eyes were about to split with rage. He felt it was his own inadequacy that forced Kodi and his squad to engage in a fight to the death, coming up to mop up the situation. They coordinated a flanking maneuver and launched an attack as agreed, the enemy successfully completed their mission, while his own side was obstructed. All five sorcerers were dealt with by Kodi¡¯s squad¡­ What am I really doing? Objectively, Tadeusz certainly played a role in creating diversions and opportunities, and he killed many of the armed rioters protecting those sorcerers. It can¡¯t be said that he was completely ineffective, in fact, quite the contrary. However, looking over at Kodi¡¯s situation, the contrast made the gap apparent. He wished he could rush forward like Kodi did, even if it meant dying, just to take down a few more enemies. Only then could he quell the burning frustration in his heart. But in the end, reason still prevailed in his mind. He waved his hand and led his team to retreat. He still had five warriors by his side, himself included, enough to form two combat units. When the frontal comrades launched their attack, his men would firmly block the enemy¡¯s retreat path. Tadeusz¡¯s eyes shone with hatred as he glared at the enemies. I want you all to die here! ¡­ Gu Hang heard about Kodi¡¯s heroic deeds from Osenia. He originally tried to mimic the military system in his memory to quickly integrate prisoners. For military skills, he had the ¡°Soldier Tag¡± feature, which allowed him to quickly train his men with a bit of grace, but cultivating loyalty took time. Now, he was both gratified that his previous arrangements had been useful and pained by the loss of a loyal warrior. But his sacrifice was valuable. According to the information Gu Hang had received, all six food transport routes were attacked, but four were now secure. There was some loss of food, but it was not significant. The Phoenixes had already rushed to the other two routes for which there was no news yet. After Osenia had asked for his help, he immediately turned to those interstellar soldiers and asked them to assist. When it comes to fighting cult members, the fervor of the Phoenixes might not be any less intense than that of the Saintly Sisters of the Lily. No matter how many enemies there were or how strong they were at those two locations, when six interstellar soldiers were divided into two teams and took their stand, the problem was definitely solved. In terms of military force, they were not worth mentioning. The army under Gu Hang, though not numerous, was elite enough to easily handle those cultists. The battle at Norris Factory had already made this clear. Gu Hang guessed that the cultists probably didn¡¯t have too many forces left to mobilize. Their total investment in attacking the food transport routes might be around seven or eight hundred people, including about twenty sorcerers. This force was much less than what they had deployed inside Norris Factory. On one hand, the personnel and strength of this bunch of cultists are not infinite. These past few days, they¡¯ve lost about sixty or seventy core members. Those who can wield Storm Sorcery are certainly not so easily cultivated. Aside from their core sorcerers, they¡¯ve stirred up nearly five thousand people in the factory and deployed seven to eight hundred in attacks on grain conveyance teams. No matter whether they control so many people through some form of insidious brainwashing or just converted many fervent followers through their usual preaching, this all undoubtedly comes at a cost. Clearly, they must be nearly depleting the accumulated energy. Otherwise, if they could double their invested forces this time around, of the six grain conveyance teams, at least four would be destroyed. Then, Gu Hang¡¯s trouble would truly be great. The most irritating aspect of those guys is that they¡¯re hiding in a city with a population of a million, and where the grassroots control is particularly weak, making them very difficult to root out in a short time. The failure at Norris Factory must have also taught these cultists a clear lesson that it is absolutely unacceptable to confront us head-on. These guys are messing around covertly, while we can only passively respond. This is not enough. Gu Hang felt certain that these cultists definitely had a backup plan. Furthermore, this plan must be centered around those fifty food distribution points. The enemy lies in darkness while we stand in the light. Having experienced simultaneous attacks on six transport routes ending in failure, the cultists should sober up and realize that biting off more than they can chew isn¡¯t realistic. Despite their heavy losses in two consecutive failures, their remaining forces, if targeted at a few food distribution points, could cause significant trouble by launching attacks and stirring up the public while people are queuing for grain. Gu Hang decided to assign to every food distribution point one military unit that had been equipped with a political commissar from the prisoner-of-war camp. Come on! I want to see, after you concentrate your forces, whether you can destroy an entire unit before reinforcements can even arrive! Of course, Gu Hang was also able to remain clear-headed. He didn¡¯t expect all units appointed with political commissars to reach the level of Kodi¡¯s unit. In fact, whether Kodi or Tadeusz, according to Yan Fangxu¡¯s assessment, who was responsible for the retraining of prisoners, they were the best-performing units among all. Yan Fangxu was only able to pick out seven units of similar caliber. Otherwise, how could a bunch of recently disarmed and detained prisoners distribute their forces and face the kind of fierce battle with significant casualties that Kodi¡¯s unit had encountered and come out on top? It would be quite good if they didn¡¯t just skive off at work, and it was very likely they might collapse and run off with their guns at the critical moment, unlike now, where they can withstand casualties and fight to the death. But even so, given the current dire shortage of personnel, Gu Hang still decided to mobilize them all. Even if their performance didn¡¯t match the bravery of Kodi¡¯s unit, or was even far inferior, as long as they could reliably follow orders during battle and not too easily desert their posts, that would be enough. They just needed to hold on for a while, and reinforcements would continuously arrive on the scene, including patrolling interstellar warriors. With such arrangements, the security of the food distribution should receive a considerable guarantee. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only What remained was specialized suppression. Merely responding was too passive. In addition to defense, there must also be strong offensive strikes. In this regard, the nuns of Saintly Lily had brought him good news. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The content got deleted, I give up, what¡¯s sensitive about this? Chapter 102 - Chapter 102: Chapter 101, Mind Manipulation Chapter 102: Chapter 101, Mind Manipulation Georgette found Gu Hang with a very serious expression, the usual gentle smile nowhere to be seen. ¡°We roughly know what that group of cult traitors wants to do.¡± ¡°Do what? Destroy the city, sacrifice to the Evil God, all that stuff?¡± Gu Hang tried to crack a somewhat poor joke. ¡°Yes.¡± Georgette was not joking at all and nodded earnestly, ¡°Those cult traitors always like to do this. The filthy creatures they worship, they just love all this.¡± ¡°Alright, so what exactly do they plan to do? Any leads?¡± Georgette said, ¡°Not yet, two sisters are still on the investigation. However, we might have figured out the hiding place of the cult traitors¡¯ leader.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Hang finally became interested, ¡°Is it reliable?¡± ¡°It should be reliable, at least worth a try.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s try.¡± Gu Hang decided on the spot, ¡°What support do you need? I¡¯ll arrange it as quickly as possible, we better act immediately, don¡¯t let them get away.¡± ¡°I need you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°A competent Psychic Caster, who can help us achieve a lot of things.¡± Gu Hang quickly calculated in his mind. He was indeed very busy now and couldn¡¯t spare much time, but everything surely had its priorities. Those governmental matters could wait and wouldn¡¯t kill anyone, or at least not too many; if he could take down the cult leader sooner, that would save many more lives. He had no qualms about participating in combat personally. Of course, appropriate security measures would still need to be taken. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust the nuns, but the more forces at his disposal, the better, obviously. From the Phoenix side, they could probably assign four people to join the operation and keep three for maneuvers outside the city. They shouldn¡¯t reject this request. Aside from two people handling the food distribution checks in the outer city, Georgette and her team would have nine people participating in the combat. Counting Gu Hang himself¡­ this lineup was certainly enough. However, after some thought, Gu Hang decided to bring along that elite marine squad. That squad had now become his personal guard. After reclaiming Revival City and receiving lots of gifts before, he instantly upgraded the remaining members to T3 level. That was the upper limit for now. Their equipment, physical fitness, and combat experience were not sufficient to support a promotion to T2. Perhaps in the future, after more baptism of fire or some special opportunity or technology, their ranking could be further promoted. But no matter what, 28 T3 level soldiers were the most elite force Gu Hang could field from under his command. And he himself was described by Georgette as an excellent Psychic Caster. But he could immediately elevate his own rating by a notch. After the battles outside the city had quieted down, Gu Hang found that his experience was enough to level up. With just 200 gifts, he would become an LV4 Psychic Caster as determined by the system. This level also was what Gu Hang considered his ability to take on a fully armed superhuman such as a star warrior in single combat. After figuring all this out in his mind, Gu Hang nodded and said, ¡°Okay, then I will join you.¡± ¡­ After seeing off Georgette and sending a request to the Phoenix side and getting a response, Gu Hang used the last bit of time before the team assembled to focus on two things. The first was checking the battle settlement. [Blood Battle Narrow Victory, 65 points of grace earned] [Casualties: 427, Enemies Killed: 742, Prisoners Captured: 121] [Governor¡¯s Infantry Regiment 3rd Battalion: Casualties: 89, Enemies Killed: 266] [Prisoner Brigade: Casualties: 338, Enemies Killed: 337] [Phoenix Battle Group (Allies): Casualties: 0, Enemies Killed: 139] A hard-won battle¡­ This was actually Gu Hang¡¯s first time achieving such a result. Obviously, the gap in strength between the two sides wasn¡¯t large, but the victory, with relatively heavier losses on his side, led to a smaller bonus in divine grace points. After subtracting the Phoenix¡¯s share of the spoils, what remained was a mere 65 points of divine grace. As for that unorganized, hastily assembled prisoner brigade, their weapons and equipment were not up to scratch. Apart from being equipped with some crew-served heavy weapons, their level of gear was virtually indistinguishable from that of armed thugs. The enemy had the bonus of brainwashed religious zeal, and although our political commissars fired them up, there was still a gap to be closed. Despite this, having equal casualties wasn¡¯t something Gu Hang was entirely satisfied with. It showed that their military skills really did leave something to be desired. Gu Hang felt a bit of a headache. He had originally thought, considering they were from the Alliance¡¯s regular forces, they wouldn¡¯t be too bad even if they wouldn¡¯t reach T5, right? Maybe he could save some divine grace points and just use them normally. But looking at it now, it seemed they were a bit too lacking. It seemed he would still need to invest in them after all. Seven thousand men, raising them to T5 would also cost 70 points of divine grace, his heart ached! After checking the battle results, the second thing Gu Hang needed to do was level up. With 200 points of divine grace spent, Gu Hang felt a warm current, signaling his base attributes were increasing. At the same time, a screen for selecting talents appeared on his interface. As usual, he clicked on the [Unique] line first, not expecting to be able to select it. Without second thoughts, he clicked on [Spirituality]. [Mind Manipulation: Allows you to penetrate the target¡¯s mind, creating illusions, altering memories, and exerting direct control. At the same time, it strengthens your resistance to psychic attacks. Spirituality +1] Having obtained a new talent, Gu Hang was fully satisfied. Mental abilities, which he had longed for, were tools commonly used by Psychic Casters and were very frightening. Moreover, after acquiring the Mind Manipulation spiritual talent, its potential uses extended far beyond just combat. Of course, Gu Hang also reminded himself that such abilities should not be abused. The order he hoped to establish was certainly not one founded on the manipulation of minds. He would not use this method on his own people. But when necessary, this technique could be incredibly effective. After completing the level-up process, his attributes were as follows: [Hero: Gu Hang (Faction Leader), LV4, Insufficient Experience for Level Up] [Physique: 9, Spirituality: 18] [Traits: Psychic Caster, Governor of Rage Owl Star] Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only [Talents: Protective Spiritual Energy, Telekinetic Control, Mind Manipulation] Not much was added to his attributes this time, apart from gaining one point in Spirituality from the [Mind Manipulation] talent, none of the Physicality or Spirituality attributes increased from the normal leveling process. Of course, that did not mean they hadn¡¯t increased. In fact, he could feel his physical condition and spirituality improving. It was just that the increase wasn¡¯t enough to account for a full attribute point, so it wasn¡¯t reflected on his personal interface. After all, the higher one went, the more difficult it became to level up, requiring more experience accumulation and more investment of divine grace points. Likewise, the actual difference between each attribute point after leveling also grew bigger and bigger. Chapter 103 - Chapter 103: Chapter 102, Laughter with Profound Meaning Chapter 103: Chapter 102, Laughter with Profound Meaning Upgrade complete! Feeling the sudden surge of immensely powerful Spiritual Energy, Gu Hang¡¯s confidence skyrocketed! He even wanted to find a Phoenix to spar with, not for anything else just to test his current strength! Of course, that was not feasible. He and the Phoenix were allies now, but their relationship wasn¡¯t that close yet. Gu Hang could only regretfully give up on the idea. Speaking of the Phoenix Battle Group, Gu Hang got along quite well with Commander Matins, but he wasn¡¯t very familiar with the others. Mainly because those space warriors all had an unapproachable air about them, making it hard to strike up a conversation. Except for Priest Rizzo, with whom Gu Hang had quite a good impression¡ªa kind-looking old bald man with white whiskers¡ªthough it was strange to describe a four-hundred-year veteran who had blood on his hands as kind and benevolent. Although Gu Hang had not met him many times, each time he saw him, the priest would smile at him. He always felt that there was some deep meaning behind the old priest¡¯s smile. ¡­ Commander Matins always felt that Priest Rizzo¡¯s gaze towards Mr. Gu was somewhat peculiar. After receiving Mr. Gu¡¯s mission request, he accepted it without any hesitation. Ignoring Schneider¡¯s eagerness to fight, he had the bald guy stay in the outer city to continue coordinating the security work of the food distribution points in the entire outer city area. Schneider was certainly not satisfied, but obedience was instinctive, and he could only keep his dissatisfaction to himself. Then, with two of his brothers and Priest Rizzo, Matins rushed to the inner city. As they were gathering and preparing to depart, he noticed the exchange of glances between Priest Rizzo and Mr. Gu, which sparked his curiosity. Being the closest of battle brothers, there was nothing to be embarrassed about, so Matins straightforwardly voiced the question in his heart. Priest Rizzo just gave him a smile and said, ¡°Did we not come to this world to seek the help of this Mr. Gu? We should at least have a good attitude.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Hearing Rizzo¡¯s response, Matins was somewhat at a loss for words. I asked with such sincerity, and the old priest is brushing me off? Is there some secret he can¡¯t tell me? Wanting to inquire further but Rizzo took the initiative, ¡°Why did you choose not to bring Schneider this time and come personally? Because¡­¡± While speaking, the white-whiskered old bald man winked towards Superior Georgette not far away. Caught off guard and suddenly embarrassed, Matins said, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Rizzo laughed, patting Matins on the shoulder. He successfully diverted the topic. This slippery old man! He didn¡¯t have time to ask any more questions, as the operation was about to begin. Four space warriors, nine Battle Nuns, twenty-eight elite marines, and the 2nd Battalion led by Perbov¡ªthough under-full strength¡­ This formation, although not particularly numerous, was the most elite small action team that Gu Hang could offer at the moment. They sat in many army vehicles, heading towards the outer city. These military vehicles had also been seized from the Alliance Legion. Produced by the Abandoned Cave Society, the IR Iron Bull series had just entered mass production with not much output¡ªbarely enough to organize a convoy from Weixing City transporting synthetic starch and was being directly used in Revival City. This so-called Weixing City was the initial camp. Gu Hang had recently given it a precise name. It was a play on words: it could either be referred to as Revival City¡¯s satellite city or be interpreted as ¡®defending the achievements of Revival¡¯. However, even though the IR Iron Ox series isn¡¯t needed yet, the original military vehicles were sufficient for the task. The Battle Nuns were fine, but the massive size of the four interstellar warriors made it difficult for them to squeeze into the canvas-covered trucks, which also challenged the vehicles¡¯ load-bearing capabilities. Enduring this inconvenience was necessary. Their operation this time was a decapitation strike, seeking swift and rapid action to catch the enemy off guard. The giants clad in blood-red battle armor running through the streets towards their target would make a lot of noise. Merely showing such a stance would likely alert the target to flee immediately. They had no choice but to hide in the vehicles. As for whether the movement of military vehicles would attract attention¡­ there was indeed such a possibility. However, fortunately, military mobilization in Revival City had been frequent of late, and military vehicles moving back and forth in the narrow passages of the outer city had almost become the norm. In any case, riding in vehicles would certainly be more stealthy than if they were to reveal themselves and move openly. As for what Commander Matins was obsessively thinking about¡­ Pah! Not at all! Regarding the Battle Nuns, Matins realized they hadn¡¯t boarded the trucks. He remembered the previously agreed plan of action, where the nuns would enter the battlefield directly from the air. Why couldn¡¯t the interstellar warriors do the same? Because they were too heavy, and the aircraft couldn¡¯t bear them¡­ The Battle Nuns¡¯ powered armor was much lighter than theirs. Thinking about this explanation, Matins was infuriated. What a piece of junk planet, not even a damn aircraft capable of carrying them could be found! They were wearing standard tactical powered armor, not some vanguard type, and certainly not the terminator type. If even this wasn¡¯t possible, thumbs down! ¡­ Sitting in the military vehicle, which was significantly narrower relative to their size, with a hint of gloom for a while, they came to a stop. It seemed they had arrived at their destination. At that moment, inside the helmet connected to the radio message, information came through that they were in position. Matins ordered the team to disembark, spread out in formation, and surround the target location. He assumed command. This was a very natural thing for him, as Matins had gotten used to such a role from his past experiences. Interstellar warriors always held a core tactical position on any battlefield. Especially when coordinating with other imperial forces, they naturally placed themselves in the most pivotal position and then took command. However, Gu Hang had an issue with this. Having Matins in command was certainly great tactically. He had at least two hundred years of combat experience and possessed the status of a battle group commander¡ªdirecting such a small-scale team battle was definitely within his grasp, meticulous in every aspect, something Gu Hang, who had not undergone specialized military command training, could not compare to. But this would let the interstellar warriors establish their prestige among the troops without saying a word. When the soldiers got used to taking orders directly from the interstellar warriors, where would the governor¡¯s authority stand? Although Matins himself might not have intentionally aimed to build influence, merely acting normally, Gu Hang did not welcome this development. Sometimes, on many non-homeworld planets, where interstellar warriors stayed for a long time, the governor slowly turned into a nanny for the battle group, often evolving step by step in this way. There was still a long way to go before reaching that state, but it didn¡¯t prevent Gu Hang from nipping it in the bud. Feeling guilty, he certainly didn¡¯t want the Phoenix, especially the Phoenix he hadn¡¯t yet dealt with, to have too much sway over his direct subordinates. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang issued a new order, ¡°Commander Matins, please launch the attack directly. We can¡¯t afford to slowly wait for the encirclement to form, the enemy might escape during this time.¡± Matins was taken aback for a moment, slightly unaccustomed. He thought again of Priest Rizzo¡¯s smile, but ultimately said nothing more, simply acknowledging and then signalling the other three brothers to begin their action. After getting out of the vehicle, Matins looked up at the sky. The gloomy sky had begun to rain, and the wind was growing stronger. Chapter 104 - Chapter 104: Chapter 103, The Battle of the Power Plant Chapter 104: Chapter 103, The Battle of the Power Plant As the star warriors began their assault, two transport helicopters, carrying a total of nine battle nuns, along with Gu Hang himself, also arrived above the target location. The target location had six wind turbines arrayed in its vicinity. After Georgette and others had, through various intelligence, determined that the cult leader was very likely hidden there, Gu Hang urgently had the place investigated, and to his surprise, he discovered that it was actually a small wind farm. There were a total of eight such wind farms within the whole scope of Revival City. Since last year, the Alliance Council had approved the construction of these power stations. A company from the north called Polar Industrial Group had won the bid for this project and had started the construction work. According to the project timeline estimates, these eight wind farms, situated in different locations around the city, should have been completed around some time before now. From the documents, the whole process of approval and construction didn¡¯t seem to have any issues. However, in reality, Gu Hang could sense something odd from other aspects. Does Revival City need wind power? Isn¡¯t it more stable and practical to generate electricity using thermoelectric plants built with pyrite? Is there a need for wind energy, an uneconomical and unstable method? And don¡¯t even mention environmental protection or clean energy. Not to mention on Rage Owl Star, this barren planet, it¡¯s not an issue in the majority of Imperial worlds either. Even if you could explain this with the abundance of wind energy resources, why build eight at once? And why eight small ones? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to select a location with particularly good wind energy resources to construct a large set of turbines? The locations of these eight wind farms were positioned almost in the eight cardinal directions of Revival City, enclosing the entire city along with its outskirts, which made Gu Hang feel that something was not right. Then, he noticed the names signed on the approval document. Norris, Mondok, Wohan. All three former Alliance Council members were people whom Gu Hang had clear evidence to believe were deeply involved with the cult. Going one step further, what is the signature ability of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect? Storms. All these factors combined, Gu Hang truly felt a deep chill. He really wanted to convince himself that he was overthinking, that there was no definitive evidence of anything. However, as long as his brain could stay even a bit normal, he couldn¡¯t make himself ignore these strongly correlated clues when put together. But, regardless, capturing this place and catching the cult leader was the top priority. The strong winds that had started from the cult¡¯s attack on the food supply route were now intensifying. Not to mention, it had also begun to rain since a short while ago. In the midst of the swaying, the transport helicopters were very unstable, jolting violently. Gu Hang held onto a handle on the edge of the helicopter with one hand, while looking down. His azure eyes clearly showed that he had fully activated his spiritual vision. Under his vision, amidst the wind and rain, the power station revealed very obvious, even somewhat ostentatious, energy fluctuations. It seemed as if it were taunting: We are fully prepared, and you are too late. Gu Hang¡¯s expression was stern. His gaze shifted outward, observing four conspicuous and powerful figures entering into the power station. In the middle of the six wind turbines was one with structures surrounding it. Functionally, Gu Hang was unsure of the specific significance of having a wind power generator shaped like a windmill tower, but the most important enemy should be there. The star warriors arrived at the main entrance of the windmill tower. One of them kicked open the door and burst inside. Soon, the booming sound of explosive guns, despite the considerable altitude, despite the sound of the wind and rain, despite the noise of the helicopter¡¯s rotors, still reached Gu Hang¡¯s ears. Enemies holed up inside the windmill tower were being rapidly eradicated. The star warriors¡¯ attack was relentless and fierce. Georgette and the nuns accompanying her had also completed their rappelling. Their descent wasn¡¯t quite like what Gu Hang remembered; the helicopter hadn¡¯t even dropped to a safe height when they deployed their ropes. They slid down swiftly, and halfway through, they swung slightly to gain momentum, then let go and one by one smashed through the windows of the windmill tower. Soon after, the sound of bomb guns came from inside, probably accompanied by the slicing of storm shields and human flesh, but, regrettably, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t hear it. ¡°Governor, we might need to return ahead of schedule. The storm is too intense,¡± the pilot¡¯s voice came from ahead. Gu Hang responded, ¡°You all head back.¡± As he said this, he too jumped down. Seeing the body of the Governor plummeting in free fall, the pilot¡¯s eyes widened with fright. But it quickly became a non-issue: he saw the Governor¡¯s descent slow visibly to the naked eye, then he floated gently, moving toward the location where the battle nuns had broken in through the windows. His golden robe fluttered wildly in the strong wind, yet not a drop of rain could touch him. ¡°They are all some bizarre folk¡­¡± the pilot muttered as he maneuvered the helicopter to ascend, heading towards the inner city. The rain was getting heavier, and he was somewhat worried. Revival City often had windstorms, but the rainfall was usually moderate. According to the season, it wasn¡¯t the time for stormy weather. The stronger the wind and rain grew, the worse the omen. Had the Rage Owl God been angered? His body shivered slightly, he needed to hurry back. ¡­ By the time Gu Hang entered through the broken window, the fight was nearly at its end. Some cultists were entrenched here, not many, but each one was rather powerful. Leading them were three individuals wearing gray-white robes. From his several encounters with the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, Gu Hang could roughly discern their hierarchical differences. Those capable of using Storm Sorcery were undoubtedly core members. The ones in blue robes were ordinary members; Grey-white robes, of which Gu Hang had seen a few, were generally a notch above the blue robes, roughly equivalent to his own strength at LV2. Among the grey robes, Gu Hang had so far encountered two with distinct physiques. The one who ambushed him originally, and the fat woman he met at Norris Factory, both belonged to this category, approximately as powerful as Gu Hang was at LV3. Right now, just three ordinary grey robes, they couldn¡¯t turn the tide. The blue-robed ones were being pincered. The nuns smashing in through the windows were beating them mercilessly; star warriors were climbing up from the staircase below. The three grey robes kept releasing powerful sorcery, trying to harm the nuns, but to no avail. Their spells were easily countered and greatly weakened, utterly incapable of shaking the power armor on the nuns. This time, the one to land the final blow was still Georgette. Her sanctified golden halberd, which served as her transcendent weapon, seemed to possess a special demon-dispelling property. As a spiritual energy wielder, Gu Hang could instinctively sense the threat from it. Moreover, Gu Hang could clearly see that when Georgette charged the three grey robes, her raised sanctified golden halberd sliced through their storm shields like a hot knife through butter, cutting open the people inside as well. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The other two quickly cast spells in resistance, but to little effect; emulated by the lead nun, two more slashes followed, and subsequently, all were slain. The devastation caused by the sanctified golden halberd was terrifying: clean cuts and completely split bodies made the scene grotesquely bloody. Watching this, Gu Hang internally remarked, ¡°Yikes¡­ Does the head nun have some peculiar hobbies? Why does she always end up making it look like this?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Struggling for the third update today! Chapter 105 - Chapter 105: Chapter 104, otherwise how to crack it Chapter 105: Chapter 104, otherwise how to crack it Under the three-dimensional strike of the Battle Nuns and the interstellar warriors, those cultists holed up in the windmill towers didn¡¯t last even two minutes before they were all slain. Gu Hang didn¡¯t even get a chance to join in. He pursed his lips discontentedly, don¡¯t freaking take all the kills! Even if the scale was small and the number of enemies few, the reward for such a battle wasn¡¯t much, but a mosquito was still flesh. If you take all the kills, won¡¯t I miss out on even a single point of grace? He sighed and walked forward. The interstellar warriors and Battle Nuns made some space, revealing the area they surrounded. There, was a door, covered with certain patterns. This door should lead to the closed top level of the windmill tower. Further up, there should be the windmill blades. Under Gu Hang¡¯s Spiritual Vision, he could clearly see the Storm Heresy contained within. He had a guess in his heart, but he did not speak up first, instead, he looked over at Georgette with an inquiring gaze. Georgette frowned and said, ¡°This should be some kind of solidified seal enchantment, I¡¯ll try to break it.¡± Matins glanced at the wall beside them. ¡°Don¡¯t bother, there¡¯s a seal there as well.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we try to force it open?¡± asked Matins. He didn¡¯t have much talent for Spiritual Energy; it seemed that the Phoenix gene seed naturally didn¡¯t quite mesh with this stuff, with a low chance of awakening spiritual abilities. Even in their heyday, the think-tank responsible for the battalion¡¯s spiritual affairs was just symbolically set up. He remembered the previous think-tank director¡¯s favorite activity was swinging a big hammer to smash people. These mystical and ponderous methods of spiritual decryption were what he found most irksome. Resorting to brute strength, violent destruction, that was his forte, hence his question. To his surprise, Georgette responded to his question with another, ¡°What else do you think I meant by breaking it?¡± ¡­ Fine. Georgette didn¡¯t say anything more, she raised her holy gold halberd and struck down on the door marked with sealing runes. The thing was quite sturdy; even though Georgette¡¯s holy gold halberd had demon-breaking properties, and she was chanting and invoking the name of the Divine Emperor during the strike in hopes of receiving a blessing, it still didn¡¯t break through. But it did create a big hole. Storm Heresy was wildly leaking out from the hole. Had there been any ordinary people in this room, they would likely be blown right out by the fierce winds. Of course, those standing in the room had no such issues. Such winds, of course, could not budge them. Georgette, her first strike having failed to shatter the seal, felt a bit embarrassed. Gritting her teeth, she roared and slashed again. Now it was thoroughly smashed. The wind became even more violent, to the point that the ordinary nuns had to call upon divine grace just to stand firm; even Gu Hang had to consciously channel his Spiritual Energy, using Telekinesis to divert the force of the wind. The interstellar warriors also had their method¡­ oh, they didn¡¯t need any other techniques, they were too heavy to be blown away. On the contrary, they could step forward, guns in hand, charging inside. This most dangerous task, they took upon themselves unhesitatingly. Wearing the heaviest armor, those willing to take the deadliest hits must be prepared to endure. ¡°` Then it really started to take a beating. A wind bullet exploded on the body of a Phoenix warrior charging at the very front. The power of this strike was not to be underestimated. The interstellar warrior was blasted sideways. Matins, closely following behind, continued to press forward. He charged ahead while firing his grenade launcher vigorously. This time, there were no new wind bullets coming their way. After they breached the first line of fire, the rest followed suit. The interstellar warrior who had been knocked down by the wind bullet struggled to his feet, appearing mostly unharmed, albeit a bit disheveled. Gu Hang was the last to enter. Raising his head, he saw the specific appearance of the enemy. Inside, there were actually only two people. One of them was dressed in a gray robe, with an exaggeratedly strong physique; standing over two meters tall, just slightly shorter than the interstellar warriors. This was a Cult sorcerer of a special size, and Gu Hang instantly assessed his strength to be roughly equivalent to his own when he was at LV3. Such strength was barely enough for a wind bullet to knock down an interstellar warrior, but that was about it. During their breach, the people behind the door must have been accumulating power in preparation. Now, his full-force strike could only leave the Phoenix a bit disheveled and then standing up again as fit as before. In a real fight, even if ambushed, a standing Phoenix could counter with a burst of grenades, definitely blasting the person and the Storm Shield into bits. However, at this moment, it was more than just a grenade launcher strafing. What Gu Hang saw, however, was a wall of wind, lying in front of the Battle Nuns and interstellar warriors. The grenades hit it and exploded upon the wind wall. Flames and smoke were swept around by the wind wall, blowing everywhere, even blowing off the ceiling above, yet not harming the people inside the wall. Through these scenes of light and shadow, Gu Hang saw the true host behind that robust gray-robed figure. It was an old man, wearing a white undergarment with a black robe layered over it, adorned with golden edges. A rather luxurious belt buckle was embedded with shimmering blue diamonds; he wore a huge amulet covered in crushed blue diamonds on his chest; and even his black high hat was inlaid with gems. The multitude of small gemstones on his accessories emitted strong Storm Heresy energy. And he himself, under Gu Hang¡¯s Spiritual Vision, was as blinding as the lightning in the midst of a storm! Gu Hang immediately realized that he must not underestimate this opponent. Even though he had reached LV5, this black-robed old man was a Spiritual Energy practitioner far stronger than himself. Behind him stood a native ¡®god¡¯ of Rage Owl Star. Although, oftentimes these so-called ¡®gods¡¯ were just powerful beings. But being given such a title meant they possessed certain ¡®Evil God¡¯ characteristics¡ªreceiving worship, granting blessings. A native god, no matter how you slice it, is still a god. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And this black-robed old man was a direct beneficiary of a god, an emissary of the deity. The Spiritual Energy glow on him was nearly blinding Gu Hang¡¯s vision. The wind wall he summoned could perfectly withstand the fierce attack of thirteen grenade launchers, a fact that proved this point very well. Gu Hang recalled the information that the Battle Nuns had gathered, mentioning the title of the Cult leader: Primal High Priest, Cui Kao. Chapter 106 - Chapter 106: Chapter 105, Cui Kao Chapter 106: Chapter 105, Cui Kao Cui Kao watched the alien visitors who had arrived before him and laughed madly. ¡°Hahahaha! You¡¯ve found this place, but what does it matter? Everything is already too late!¡± ¡°The will of the divine is about to descend, our preparations are complete, Revival City! All people! You will become the cornerstone of the God¡¯s revival!¡± ¡°The revival of Rage Owl Star does not need the support of a false emperor, nor the help from outsiders. Rage Owl Star will be revived under the will of the God!¡± He delivered his fanatical speech, and these words, without a doubt, enraged the space warriors and battle nuns. Especially the term ¡®false emperor,¡¯ which was the most intolerable and blasphemous language. ¡°Silence, traitor!¡± ¡°You will pay for your blasphemy!¡± ¡°You and the evil god you worship will both atone with your deaths!¡± The infuriated warriors and nuns began to further attack the wind barrier that blocked their way. When they found that the bomb guns were not very effective, some of them brought out even stronger abilities. Georgette, Matins, and Priest Rizzo charged straight ahead. The sacred golden halberd in Georgette¡¯s hand, a powerful weapon against evil, was not as effective as before at this time. With a slash, the golden blade would burst into intense flashes of light upon hitting the wind wall, symbolizing the clash of spiritual energy. The wind wall would sustain an ¡®injury,¡¯ but this damage would be rapidly healed by the swift flowing wind the very next moment. Matins¡¯s fine chainsaw sword, though perhaps more powerful than the golden halberd, was less effective against such defense mechanisms built of some form of spiritual energy. When the roaring chainsaw sword struck, it would be repelled instead. If it wasn¡¯t for Matins¡¯s superior martial skills and extraordinary swordsmanship, he could have been injured by the recoil. Priest Rizzo, on the other hand, proved to be more reliable than his battle group leader. His priestly scepter, like a war hammer, smashed into the wind wall. When the gravity generator in the head of the scepter was activated, it made the force of the scepter¡¯s strike even more ferocious than a real war hammer. Every swing of Rizzo¡¯s scepter caused a large area of the wind wall to shake. The all-out attacks of the three experts made the defense of the wind wall not so impregnable. Coupled with the continuous firepower from others, the entire wind wall seemed to be in a state of turmoil. Seeing this, the Primal High Priest¡¯s smile faded. He took a small magical instrument from his waist and directed it toward the burly man in a grey robe who served before him. ¡°Gale Envoy, it¡¯s time for your sacrifice.¡± The Gale Envoy humbly lowered his head and spoke with devotion, ¡°It is my honor.¡± Cui Kao nodded appreciatively and then activated the magical instrument in his hand. From the tip of the instrument, a golden bolt of lightning was released, striking the Gale Envoy. With a scream of agony, the golden current started to surge and travel about his body, forming a golden electric net pattern that completely enveloped him. The pattern of the electric net grew denser and more magnificent, until finally, his whole body spasmed and transformed into a pure golden humanoid lightning. He stopped trembling, slowly stood up, and turned his head. He had lost his human appearance and became a pure yet unstable form of energy. The next moment, he truly turned into a bolt of lightning and merged into the wind wall. Among all those who launched attacks on the wind wall, Georgette and Priest Rizzo were considered the most threatening. The Gale Envoy¡¯s target was set on Georgette. Priest Rizzo on the other side, wearing power armor that clearly had better defensive capabilities, was not someone to be trifled with. When Georgette struck at the wind wall with another slash, the man merged with the wind wall and lightning instantly arrived at her side. Seizing the moment she attacked, a golden bolt of lightning extended from within the wind wall. It was like a spear, thrusting at Georgette. The Battle Nun reacted extremely quickly. Unable to dodge in time, she managed to retract the Fine Chainsaw Sword that hadn¡¯t yet struck the wind wall and counter-slashed at the golden lightning spear, cleaving it apart with one strike. An arc explosion, the intense energy knocked Georgette back. Seeing that the Battle Nun did not immediately rush back into the fray, it was evident that she had taken some discomfort. On the contrary, the Gale Envoy, transformed into golden lightning, seemed unaffected and continued to weave like a dragon through the wind wall. The distant shooter wielding a bomb gun was no threat to him; however, the three close by, whenever they launched an attack, would be harassed by him. The power of that golden lightning was not weak. A slight misstep in handling it could lead to injury. In turn, they had nothing that could threaten the Gale Envoy. Direct attacks were effective, but only if they could hit their mark. That guy, moving freely within the wind wall, would just run if he missed. If they couldn¡¯t tear through the wind wall, they couldn¡¯t harm the Gale. A group of space soldiers and Battle Nuns were stopped by a single wind wall and, for the moment, were at a loss for how to proceed. And throughout this process, Gu Hang had not made a move. It wasn¡¯t that he harbored any ill intentions. In fact, Gu Hang felt incredibly angry with Cui Kao¡¯s earlier speech. Insulting the ¡®false emperor¡¯ felt alright to him; but the idea of sacrificing the several hundred thousand people of Revival City really infuriated Gu Hang. I suffered indignities and worked the fields outside to preserve this bit of population as seeds for the future¡¯s prosperity, and now you plan to sacrifice them all in a whim? And you keep spouting about the revival of Rage Owl Star, but with everyone sacrificed and sent to meet your so-called Rage Owl God, what will you have left to revive Rage Owl Star with? Are you relying on your insane Evil God? The Empire may not be anything good, but does that make you cultists any better? However, even with his rage boiling, Gu Hang still managed to stay calm. He didn¡¯t make a move because it was pointless. The power of the Battle Nun¡¯s Fine Chainsaw Sword and the Priest¡¯s Gravity Scepter was far greater than any force Gu Hang could muster with all his Spiritual Energy. Even if Gu Hang joined in, it would be roughly equivalent to adding another bomb gun to their side, which wasn¡¯t very helpful. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Instead, as a user of Spiritual Energy, what Gu Hang should do was to think and find a way to break the deadlock. This wasn¡¯t like the situation they¡¯d encountered at the entrance with the enchantment. Back then, their strength completely overwhelmed the opposition, so it didn¡¯t matter how clever the design was ¨C if one strike didn¡¯t break it, just use two. Now, they had to think of a clever solution. Though Gu Hang hadn¡¯t figured out how to break the wind wall, his observations in this short period had brought him some other insights. These insights not only shocked him but also showed him a glimmer of hope. Chapter 107 - Chapter 107: Chapter 106, the ceremony is complete Chapter 107: Chapter 106, the ceremony is complete Gu Hang knew that the Primal High Priest wasn¡¯t putting all his energy into dealing with the interstellar warriors and the Battle Nun. It certainly wasn¡¯t because he underestimated his opponents. Although Cui Kao was strong enough, he wasn¡¯t so powerful as to have that kind of capital. In actuality, that guy probably had more important things to do. Those things were even more significant than the battle at hand, more critical than his own life. He seemed to be conducting some kind of ritual. Within Gu Hang¡¯s field of vision, he could faintly see strands of Spiritual Energy extending from Cui Kao¡¯s body. One of these strands continued to the blades of the wind power generator above the tower; five others were dispersed among the blades of five other generators in the area. Many more strands stretched out in groups, extending towards the horizon. Although Gu Hang couldn¡¯t see the end, he could guess that these connections of Spiritual Energy probably extended to the other seven power stations as well. After realizing this, Gu Hang had a thought and used the power of Spiritual Energy to send an order to Perbov, who was stationed outside. ¡°Destroy all the wind power generator sets, including the one we are at, immediately execute!¡± ¡°Inform Yan Fangxu to dispatch additional troops to the other seven wind power stations, eliminate all the people there, and destroy the power stations.¡± After sending this message, Gu Hang saw that Cui Kao¡¯s gaze was fixated on him. Obviously, although his Spiritual Energy communication wasn¡¯t intercepted, that old man might have ¡®heard¡¯ it. Gu Hang opposed him with a faint smile, carrying a somewhat provocative taste. Of course, at this moment, Gu Hang had also raised his vigilance to the utmost. As soon as the seemingly crazed old man attempted to make a move, he would immediately react, striving to control his own body and defend against the attack through Telekinesis. The pressure was quite substantial; after all, the old man was a Spiritual Energy user much stronger than him. However, Cui Kao didn¡¯t lose his temper as he had shown in his previous crazed state. He didn¡¯t pay any attention to Gu Hang and was wholly absorbed in his own business. Gu Hang was somewhat disappointed. If the old man had angrily attacked him, it might have indicated that Gu Hang¡¯s punch had hit a critical spot. But if not, could it be that those power stations weren¡¯t the key? Whatever. The wind power stations themselves weren¡¯t of high value to Revival City; it was better to blow them up first and ask questions later. Perbov resolutely executed Gu Hang¡¯s orders. He selected demolition experts and began to install explosives on the windmills outside. Gu Hang also saw this scene. With this in mind, he was at ease. After that, Gu Hang began to study the wall of wind that stood before everyone. In fact, he had been looking at this wind wall for a while and indeed found no clear way to breach it. But now he did, after the grey-robed Divine Envoy turned into a pure energy state as a lightning person and entered the wind wall. This action was, of course, a reinforcement of the wind wall. With this lightning person causing havoc inside, the three main forces attacking the wall would be harassed and their concentration would be diverted, which in turn would make the wall seem even more impregnable. But in Gu Hang¡¯s eyes, this was instead a weakness. Once that guy merged into the fire of the wind wall, Gu Hang had already started to make some small moves. However, he was trying hard to control the intensity carefully and not be too obvious. He was attempting to use his newly acquired ability ¡°Mind Manipulation¡± to influence the guy operating inside the wind wall. If Cui Kao noticed and interfered, Gu Hang¡¯s plan might fall through. Therefore, he¡¯d rather be slow but careful. Now, he wasn¡¯t far from success. But at this very moment, Cui Kao slowly lowered his hand. The man with white hair, looking towards the enemies in front of the wind wall, spoke: ¡°Pawns of the false emperor, the harder you try, the more pathetic you appear.¡± ¡°This city, it was destined to ascend in the midst of the gods¡¯ gaze, within the storm,¡± ¡°Your little tricks are utterly meaningless!¡± When he said this, Cui Kao¡¯s smile was maniacal! It was as if he had completed the largest, most important task, and was now finally able to let loose and revel in his own ego. Gu Hang¡¯s expression was stern. Had the ritual already been completed? Was it beyond stopping now? What exactly was the ritual? According to what Georgette had said earlier, it was a sacrifice of the entire city, but¡­ in what way was the sacrifice to be made? The raging storm outside? Would it evolve into a catastrophic storm capable of annihilating everything? Gu Hang was lost in wild thoughts, his complexion not looking good. He was thinking of a way out while carefully, subtly continuing to use Mind Manipulation. He also tried to speak, to see if he could taunt or provoke Cui Kao into revealing more by provoking him with words. Villains seemed to always like to be verbose. However, just at this moment, the sound of an explosion, which even the raging storm outside could not suppress, came through. Following that, there was intense turbulence under their feet, and the entire tower was collapsing. The six wind generators on site, including the one which this tower, where they were located, relied on, were simultaneously blown up by Perbov outside. Perbov had hesitated upon hearing the command to detonate. It didn¡¯t matter about the other five, but blow up the one where the governor and his party were? The governor himself was still inside! But since the governor himself had explicitly included the tower he was in, then just do it! The governor was always right! The governor spoke urgently, plus they weren¡¯t professionals in building demolition. To ensure total destruction, they loaded a generous amount of explosives aiming for a decisive blow. At this time, Gu Hang could no longer worry about using verbal provocations. He immediately threw his spiritual energy into protecting the interstellar warriors and Battle Nuns. From the height of four or five floors, it wasn¡¯t certain whether they would suffer any casualties from the collapse, but even if it was just being temporarily buried under the ruins, it would be a hassle. By the time they dug themselves out, who knew how long it would take. Of course, their combat suits provided some defense against spiritual energy. Their firm resolve also made it difficult for Gu Hang to directly apply telekinesis on them. But who said Gu Hang was such a pedant? He controlled the flying floorboards and debris amidst the explosion, forming a temporary, floating ¡®ground¡¯ that supported all his people, and he managed their slow descent to the ground. On the other hand, as an even more powerful psychic, what Gu Hang could do, Cui Kao could certainly do even better. He and his 365-degree revolving wall of wind also landed safely. Gu Hang¡¯s mouth was slightly agape, just about to use the destruction of the six wind turbines as a basis for verbal probing, when he looked up and saw a scene that rendered him speechless! The wind generators had indeed been destroyed, but in mid-air, at the original positions of those generators, there were huge blades made of white vapor still spinning. At the same time, an even more terrifying change occurred. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The white wind blowing from those vapor-formed blades gradually took shape in the air¡ªthe silhouette of a monster. It was an Owl Beast, over ten meters tall. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The release failed, so another chapter will come later. That chapter will probably be a bit longer. Chapter 108 - Chapter 108: Chapter 107, you deserve to die! Chapter 108: Chapter 107, you deserve to die! ¡°` Gu Hang was seeing the Owl Beast for the first time in reality, and although it was merely an illusory form made up of the white storm, it did somewhat resemble the extinct ancient creature depicted in the pictorials. It possessed an extremely majestic body, akin to that of a giant bear; its head resembled that of a mighty eagle; with antlers like those of a deer¡­ When still, it might seem a bit dim-witted and endearing, but at the moment, as it roared angrily at the sky, with the storm converging and dispersing at its command, it was truly terrifying. And as this illusory embodiment of the Owl Beast wantonly unleashed its power, the violent storm became increasingly aggressive. In just this short span of time, the ground was not merely covered with flowing water; it was already deep enough to submerge one¡¯s feet; the strong wind, laden with raindrops, was painfully striking faces; debris from collapsing buildings was being swept everywhere by the gale, with smaller pieces even flying off into the distance; branches were being torn from trees, and even the thinner trees were being snapped by the wind¡­ This was no longer a mere storm; it had gone beyond nasty weather and could be called a natural disaster. Gu Hang wasn¡¯t having much trouble here, and neither were the space warriors and the battle nuns, but the soldiers further away were struggling. They were not at risk of being blown away by the wind, but the flying building debris had already injured quite a few of them. Even with the enemy Cui Kao still in front of him, and that storm-ravaged Owl Beast, Gu Hang¡¯s thoughts inexplicably drifted to Revival City. The distribution of food, after the setback of the transport routes being ambushed by the enemy, should have returned to normal a few hours ago with Osenia¡¯s efforts. However, distributing food to hundreds of thousands of people, even across sixty distribution points, would still mean queues of tens of thousands, or even more, at each point. The distribution would take far longer than a mere moment or two. Up to this moment, today¡¯s food distribution in that area would have only progressed by a fraction. But now, the storm had arrived. What was the situation over there? Gu Hang was indeed worried. However, he was stretched too thin at the moment. No matter how much he worried, there was nothing he could do about the situation there. What¡¯s more, the source of all these problems was here. Gu Hang forced himself to focus on the present. His mental manipulation of the Divine Envoy transformed into a golden sparkle was about to yield results. But before that could happen, Cui Kao¡¯s offensive reached them first. ¡°My greatest mission has been accomplished. Now, let me teach you imperial stooges a lesson,¡± he declared. No sooner had he spoken than his outstretched hand fired a bolt of lightning, attacking the group of space warriors. The lightning struck a battle nun. Her body convulsed violently as she fell to the ground, motionless. Upon closer inspection, one could see that her breastplate had been pierced by the lightning. Even without moving closer to check, Gu Hang could distinctly sense from his vantage point that the nun¡¯s vital signs had vanished. Gu Hang¡¯s expression turned extremely grim. One strike had killed a battle nun, an expert in fighting heresy. This High Priest¡¯s power was off the charts. Saddened by a sister¡¯s death in battle, Georgette¡¯s attacks became even more furious, and she increased her offensive tempo yet again. But still, she couldn¡¯t swiftly break through the wind wall and was even sneak attacked by the golden lightning figure, sustaining some injuries. And the enemy¡¯s attacks were far from over. As Cui Kao seemed to be gathering another bolt of lightning, the illusory enraged Owl Beast swung a massive paw at a space warrior. The space warrior, along with the armor that probably weighed two tons, was sent flying by a slap. They were lifted three to five meters into the air by the white misty giant hand before being slammed harshly back to the ground. Although it wasn¡¯t lethal, that member of the Phoenix definitely wasn¡¯t feeling comfortable. Protected by the wind wall, Cui Kao could launch attacks without restraint, unhindered. And now, his Spiritual Energy was so strong that he was capable of causing real harm, even capable of killing, the nuns in powered armor and the space warriors. And that was to say nothing of Gu Hang. That bolt of lightning just now could instantly kill a nun blessed with Divine Grace and protected by powered armor; if it hit him, even with Spiritual Energy as a shield, he might at best save his life. Being completely drained of Spiritual Energy in an instant was unavoidable, and whether he would survive depended on luck. The reason he had not been targeted first was probably that Cui Kao didn¡¯t think his level of Spiritual Energy posed any threat. Killing a nun or a space warrior first would alleviate the pressure on him more effectively. However, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t always rest easy, nor could he pin his hopes on not being attacked by others. Thus, although his mind interference was not fully prepared, Gu Hang decided to initiate the mind control effect immediately. He had been working on this quietly for quite a while, taking care always to be subtle and slow in order to avoid detection. He was using a relatively slower method to let his spiritual energy infiltrate the Divine Envoy¡¯s soul, who had transformed into a being of lightning. He hoped to complete the infiltration unnoticed, ensuring a one hundred percent certainty and then effect a reversal of the situation. But now, he had to take the risk and try. He changed the manipulation effect to ¡®interference.¡¯ ¡°` To tell the truth, he wasn¡¯t completely sure of himself, but the effect after he initiated the magic was unexpectedly good! This pure energy mage was almost losing his rationality as a human. He was burning himself up in some way and, with the additional blessing from Cui Kao, could perform as he now did. Against such a brainless target, direct control was a bit difficult. The impatient part of his mind was extremely hard to tame; but if it was just about causing interference, completely collapsing what little rationality he had was relatively much simpler. Gu Hang was doing just that, and he also implanted a more impulsive and aggressive thought into the mage¡¯s soul. In an instant, the guy lost control. He no longer maintained his body within the wind barrier for protection, engaging in guerrilla tactics; instead, he darted straight out from the wind barrier. The crackling sound of electricity seemed like his roar as he charged towards the Phoenix Battalion Leader. Matins couldn¡¯t be happier! You¡¯re finally willing to come out and throw your life away! He didn¡¯t know exactly what had happened, but two hundred years of battle instincts led him to subconsciously raise his chain saw sword and swing it down hard. When the chain saw sword hit the mage¡¯s arm and then moved to his head, a huge burst of electric light exploded at the point of contact. Sparks flew violently in all directions. In that instant, as the energy state binding was destroyed by the chain saw sword, all the power inside the mage erupted and uncontrollably surged out. Meanwhile, Matins stood unshaken. He could feel the immense force acting on his body, and through the power armor, he felt the severe pain of the electric shock. But with firm willpower, he endured it all and even pushed the chain saw sword forward harder, completely shattering the burst of light. In reality, after Gu Hang had interfered with the light mage¡¯s mind, successfully making him run out from the wind barrier, he no longer paid attention to the situation here. Though the guy was fierce, once he lost the protection of the wind barrier, his abilities were no match for any of the three great experts in close-combat range. And Gu Hang¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t just to kill a light being made of energy. Having one less hindrance to their attack and breaking the wind barrier from inside was just the first step. If he could only achieve this much, it might count for something, but it certainly didn¡¯t reach the turnaround effect Gu Hang wanted. The moment the Gale Envoy charged out, Gu Hang seized the opportunity. He used almost all of his Spiritual Energy, employing Telekinesis to fill the void left by the Gale Envoy! This action had to be fast! Gu Hang believed that if he were even a bit slower, the swiftly revolving wind barrier would immediately close the gap. His chance lasted only a fleeting moment. Thankfully, Gu Hang managed it. He felt immense pressure. The Storm Divine Power within the wind barrier fiercely rejected the Spiritual Energy he placed there, treating it as an intruder, frantically pushing outward. He had to throw all his strength into maintaining the gap. ¡°Seize the chance!¡± Gu Hang¡¯s voice rang out beside every warrior and battle nun. They indeed did not let Gu Hang down. Priest Rizzo strode forward, his staff imbued with all his might, heavily slamming beside the large hole Gu Hang had created. The immense force made the already incomplete, vulnerable wind barrier tremble mightily. Next up was Georgette, and her sacred golden halberd inflicted further destruction on the wind barrier. Their attacks were effective, of course. Gu Hang could clearly feel the pressure he was enduring suddenly decrease. Meanwhile, the wind barrier became increasingly unstable. If they could just keep up this momentum and continue their relentless assault, breaking the wind barrier would happen very soon. Inside the protective encirclement of the wind barrier, Cui Kao¡¯s face had turned extremely grim. His previously somewhat arrogant, crazy smile had all but faded away. He raised his finger towards Gu Hang: ¡°You deserve to die!¡± The power of storm lightning was building up, coalescing. Gu Hang¡¯s hair stood on end; he felt the threat of death. In that moment, he was considering whether to withdraw the effort maintaining the hole in the wind barrier. If so, he could move his body using full-powered Telekinesis with a decent chance to evade Cui Kao¡¯s attack. Even in the worst case, if he did get hit, the extra Spiritual Energy could perhaps save his life with a protective aura. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But that would mean losing most of the ground gained so far. Just then, a whistling noise filled the air. The sound of large-caliber artillery shells came hurtling from not too far away! Gu Hang could almost hear Perbov yelling: ¡°Fire! Fire! Blast them ferociously!¡± Chapter 109 - Chapter 109: Chapter 108, blow it up for Laozi! Chapter 109: Chapter 108, blow it up for Laozi! ¡°Bombard them fiercely! I¡¯ll take full responsibility! What the hell are you afraid of, friendly fire? Can you morons really fuck up so bad you¡¯d accidentally hit the Governor with that massive wall of wind and that big whatever-the-hell that looks like a bear just sitting there? Can¡¯t you get your aim right? Bomb! Bomb the shit out of them for me!¡± Just as Gu Hang had thought, Perbov was indeed hopping mad and cursing nonstop. The reason he was hopping was that a chunk of building debris the size of a fist had just smashed into his shin. It wasn¡¯t broken, but it had lost its strength. But he was still angry and irritable. Being unable to help, being weak, that was what irritated him the most. Since the ambush in the alien woods, Perbov had always seen it as a disgrace that the Governor had to personally go into battle, to face the enemy firsthand. The Governor came from beyond the stars, bringing steel, machinery, and weapons. And they, as warriors and soldiers, should be the ones to eliminate any threats for the Governor, not expect him to be both father and mother to all. To handle development, to lead battles, was one thing. But if the Governor had to fight on the front lines, then what the hell were we there for? At this moment, he was determined to do something. He was furious, he was fierce, and perhaps even a bit reckless. But he also had the cunning and cleverness unique to the wastelanders. Even if his decisions were rash, in action, he wasn¡¯t so reckless as to disregard everything. Perbov couldn¡¯t understand spiritual energy, dark magic, sacrifice rituals. But he had one thought ¨C there was nothing in this world that couldn¡¯t be destroyed with explosives. If it didn¡¯t blow up, then the caliber just wasn¡¯t big enough yet. In the past, the camp only had 60mm mortars, but now they had 155mm howitzers. Regardless of effectiveness, bombard the hell out of them first! That was the source of the artillery roar Gu Hang had heard. Perbov¡¯s heavy artillery actually totaled just five cannons, supplemented by some mortars to make up the numbers. But they had indeed produced remarkable effects! The star warriors¡¯ bomb rifles boasted specialty diamond-tipped bullets, secondary acceleration, and close explosion functions, with off-the-charts firepower. Still, caliber is caliber. What¡¯s a 155mm howitzer? Just the shell is 0.8 meters tall standing upright, weighing nearly 50 kilograms. Being near the explosion of such a beast was definitely a shockingly visceral experience. Two artillery shells burst high above the enraged owl transformation. The monster that had just swatted away a star warrior and was preparing to further maul the Phoenix had two massive holes blown into it. Essentially made of concentrated spiritual energy, half its form dispersed instantly. Though a lot of energy was reassembling, reconstructing its body, it significantly affected its strength. And three more shells fell on the 360-degree Storm Shield. The shield, already reeling from Gu Hang¡¯s breach and the Gravity Scepter and Holy Golden Halberd¡¯s stabs, couldn¡¯t withstand such an assault and shattered instantly. The blast radius of a 155mm howitzer shell could be several dozen meters. If it hit the ground, it could create a crater five meters in diameter. And without a doubt, Gu Hang and his companions were all within this lethal range. From this perspective, Perbov¡¯s claim of not worrying about friendly fire was complete bullshit. Actually, Gu Hang, the other two Phoenixes, and the seven surviving Battle Nuns might be somewhat better off, as they were a little further away. Matins, Rizzo, and Georgette were right up against the wall, using more powerful close-combat weapons ¨C they were even closer to the heart of the bombardment. But in that moment, the disintegrating Storm Shield actually provided them with protection. The destroyed shield absorbed the majority of the blast wave¡¯s force, and many of the flying shrapnel pieces were significantly weakened. The three in close proximity, all clad in powered armor, remained uninjured. Lying flat on the ground, similar to a plank hold, helped them avoid much of the shrapnel and blast wave. At least, after the explosion, all three were able to stand up without being too badly affected. If they were mostly unharmed, then Cui Kao inside would be fine as well. As a spiritual energy user of his strength, the Storm Shield swirling around him wouldn¡¯t be weaker than the powered armors until the spiritual energy faded. Still, he wasn¡¯t free from looking dirtied and disheveled. The real fatal issue for him was the broken shield. Clearly, though the Storm Shield was Cui Kao¡¯s handiwork, it definitely took him a long time to prepare, borrowing much external power not his own. Otherwise, however strong a spiritual energy user he might be, a defense purely built from his own power could never withstand such a long, terrible onslaught. This also meant that once the Storm Shield was destroyed, even if he wanted to put up another one immediately, it would be impossible without half a month¡¯s time to construct slowly. And now, with no obstacles left, the Phoenixes and Battle Nuns could seek revenge. Cui Kao was still struggling. He shot a bolt of lightning towards the swiftly approaching Matins. But this time, the battle-hardened and prepared commander wouldn¡¯t be easily hit like the previous nun. Amid the smoke and blurred vision, he still judged Cui Kao¡¯s intention accurately, avoiding the lightning spell a moment before it was cast. The lightning missed its target, and Matins reached close quarters, slashing his chainsaw sword hard against the Storm Shield. The Storm Shield wasn¡¯t immediately shattered, but the terrifying feature of the chainsaw sword lay in the fact that, apart from the initial slash, as long as the star warrior wielding it continued to exert force downward, the rotating chainsaw would keep on cutting fiercely. It was a force capable of severing heavy-duty armor! Within just a second, the Storm Shield on his body was already flickering wildly as it showed signs of fracturing. In his urgency, Cui Kao launched another bolt of lightning. He knew that it was meaningless to purely reinforce the shield with Spiritual Energy to resist the attack. As long as Matins remained alive, he had no chance of surviving at such a close range. However, this lightning spell, though it hit its target, did not interrupt Matins¡¯s actions in the slightest. Matins had already anticipated and judged the High Priest¡¯s intention in advance. He couldn¡¯t dodge, but he could make slight adjustments to his body so that the lightning bolt shot out would hit his massive shoulder armor precisely. In a star warrior¡¯s armor, the strongest part is definitely the shoulder armor. In their combat techniques, using shoulder armor to absorb excess damage is an option. Often, they treat the shoulders as shields. The lightning that could pierce and slay battle nuns could not penetrate Matins¡¯s heavy shoulder armor. And at that time, Rizzo arrived. The Priest¡¯s scepter swung down with full force, and the Storm Shield, which was already on the verge of destruction, shattered instantly. The scepter, now with the gravity generator activated, continued its relentless descent upon Cui Kao¡¯s body. The physical strength of a Spiritual Energy user is far from comparable. Under the effect of the gravity generator, Cui Kao¡¯s body was almost completely crushed. Then Georgette, who arrived shortly after, thrust her holy gold halberd through the old man¡¯s head. From her many years of experience battling such enemies, destroying the body was not always enough to kill a Spiritual Energy user. Some individuals¡¯ brains were the core. Some could even transcend their physical forms and exist in an energy state, just like that lightning person before. As the holy gold halberd pierced the skull, a holy fire ignited simultaneously, completely incinerating Cui Kao¡¯s vile face. Georgette sniffed, the powerful Spiritual Energy user was indeed dead. However, the matter was far from resolved. Gu Hang first sent a message to Perbov behind him: ¡°No need for a second round of bombing, you almost killed me.¡± Upon hearing this, Perbov¡¯s expression stiffened instantly. However, Gu Hang¡¯s next words relaxed him again, ¡°But well done.¡± A smile returned to Perbov¡¯s face. I always said we needed to be more decisive in our action! Ah? Wait, could Governor-General¡¯s words be sarcastic? Could they mean, ¡®You almost killed me, well done indeed.¡¯? But Gu Hang no longer had the energy to concern himself with Perbov¡¯s state of mind at that moment. He looked up at the slowly reassembling Storm Fury avatar and the relentless storm. This confirmed his previous guess: killing Cui Kao was not the key. Or rather, they were too late in killing him. By the time they had arrived at the scene, the entire ritual had already entered its final stage. Even, in a sense, Cui Kao didn¡¯t take his own life and death seriously afterward. For such a fanatical believer, he had accomplished his mission, and what he did afterward was merely a flurry before death, seizing whatever he could. However, the big mess he left behind was what troubled Gu Hang the most. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The storm could no longer continue. A long-lasting typhoon, exaggerated rainfall, frequent lightning strikes¡­this would destroy Revival City. Even the current intensity of the storm was already a catastrophe. Not to mention, the wind and rain were growing stronger, and the lightning strikes more frequent. In just a short while, Gu Hang had observed several trees nearby being struck by lightning. It was unthinkable what the condition of the city would be like. He didn¡¯t know to what extent the storm would continue to intens Chapter 110 - Chapter 110: Chapter 109: Don’t Let the Governor’s Efforts Go to Waste Chapter 110: Chapter 109: Don¡¯t Let the Governor¡¯s Efforts Go to Waste ¡°` Stopping the storm meant to sacrifice the entire city was something the Starfighter Battle Group and the Sisters were also bound to do, and without question. Even if they didn¡¯t regard the civilians of Revival City as people, the cult leader, who had repeatedly called the Emperor a ¡°false emperor,¡± a ¡°lackey,¡± and his followers as ¡°cheap slaves,¡± had already thoroughly aroused their anger. Under these names, the man had undisguisedly declared his hostility towards the Empire, becoming the most despicable traitor. Wouldn¡¯t it be a great shame if a city that housed members of the Sisterhood and the Starfighter Battle Group allowed the plans of these traitors to succeed? When Gu Hang suggested that they must find a way to solve this problem and prevent this catastrophe, both of them agreed and began to look for a solution. Georgette was the main force. As the Prioress, aside from her combat capability, and apart from the divine grace bestowed upon her over the years, her other major task was to study various spiritual powers and cult materials. She armed her mind so that she could quickly find targeted solutions when facing similar problems in the future. Rizzo was of a similar nature, just not as specialized as the Battle Nuns. After all, he was a Starfighter and had been on a penitent crusade for an extended time, where battle missions and training were more frequent, and as a Priest, he also had to soothe the emotions and morale of his fellow fighters, and handle their confessions. But no matter what, he had lived for so long, seen much and knew much, and perhaps some of his past experiences could offer insight into similar issues. While the Prioress and the Priest of the Battle Group sought a solution for this evil ritual from a religious perspective, Gu Hang considered solutions from the aspect of spiritual energy. Currently, the huge storm avatar is about to be reformed, but in itself, it might look intimidating, but that¡¯s not a big problem. Using a 155mm howitzer again to bombard it seems too extravagant, as a shell is quite expensive, and inventory isn¡¯t plentiful to begin with. But they could use much cheaper mortar guns. Perbov had already sent out several mortar teams to encircle the giant monster incarnation. Whenever it shows signs of reforming its body, a few shells would directly blast down, and the just reformed part of the body would be blasted into pieces again, entering the phase of reforming once more. It was quite pitiful. However, while it may seem pitiful, if it truly stood up, it would be extremely fierce. A slap from it could send a Starfighter flying, and even through the powered armor, they would be injured. Against ordinary people, it could perhaps sweep away a whole squad of infantry with one move. Don¡¯t be fooled by the fact that two howitzer shells sent it away, but if it wasn¡¯t for the Phoenix and the Holy Mercy Lily drawing its hatred beforehand, and the fact that they had a relatively high chance of survival under the bombardment. Relying solely on ordinary troops to deal with it would be extremely difficult. It might require death squads to attract the attention of the storm fury avatar. But a death squad would surely suffer heavy casualties under the attack of the storm fury avatar, and then, when the heavy artillery arrives, the ordinary soldiers who are closer are likely to be completely wiped out. Not to mention organizing a death squad that is bound to be a suicide mission is a difficult task in itself, but even if it¡¯s successful, the soldiers would find it very hard to hold their ground. Without the ability to counter, the storm fury avatar would easily rampage through the military formation, not restricting its movement, making the accuracy of the artillery fire worrying. If not hit, then a new death squad must go up. Are there enough men to die? This death squad can¡¯t rely on the troops who have just been recruited from the prisoners. Coercion won¡¯t work, and they simply can¡¯t do the job. But what if they call on more Starfighters and Battle Nuns to go to each wind power station to solve the problem? Will there be enough time? Faced with this problem, Gu Hang thought of a solution: The Quintet in the sky. However, even if they could deal with the threat of the storm fury avatar, what about the problem of the storm itself? Gu Hang had thought that the generators and the large blades were the core of this storm. However, after they were bombed and physically no longer existed, they left behind white misty blades that blew into a huge storm fury avatar. What if the core of this storm was in these white misty blades, in the storm fury avatar? The fact was just so, Gu Hang could clearly see that the power of the storm fury avatar was projected into the sky, causing a strong spiritual energy reaction. But the problem was, this connection couldn¡¯t be cut off. Gu Hang had already tried using his soul-cutting ability to block it, but to no effect¡ªor perhaps Gu Hang was not powerful enough to have an effect. And when the fury avatar was blasted into pieces, and the white mist forming the wind turbine blades were also shattered, it did not affect their spiritual connection at all. The lightning storm and torrential rain were still getting worse. Flash floods from the downpour, the hurricane itself, and even more frequent lightning strikes¡­ If this trend continues, the growing storm would destroy Revival City in about three hours. Standing in the rain, Gu Hang pondered all of this. While observing the constantly exploded and minimally replenishing storm fury avatar through his Psychic Vision, he contemplated many tactics moving forward. ¡°` He began to speak, issuing one command after another: ¡°Inform Osenia, beyond distributing food, to put all her efforts into the evacuation of personnel. Prepare for the worst-case scenario¡ªshe has two hours to evacuate Revival City. During this time, I need her to do her utmost to evacuate as many people as possible from the city.¡± ¡°Tell Lambert to mobilize all the forces he can command within Revival City to assist Osenia¡¯s evacuation efforts.¡± ¡°Notify Yan Fangxu to deploy the entire former Alliance Legion to fully support Osenia. The troops must also withdraw from Revival City after two hours.¡± ¡°Another order for Yan Fangxu¡ªtake command of the teams sent to the various wind power stations. Ten minutes from now, he must provide the precise coordinates for seven wind farms and relay them to me. After the orbital bombardment, all troops must quickly approach the bombardment sites and exterminate everything still alive there. If anything continues to reconstitute or resurrect, keep destroying it. This mission is to carry on for two and a half hours; once the time is up, if there are no new orders, the troops must withdraw immediately.¡± ¡°Connect me to Quintet and convey my request to Colonel Yelisia, please prepare for an orbital strike immediately. In ten minutes, we will provide the strike coordinates. They must carry out three rounds of precise orbital bombardments at the locations, with low firepower and the highest accuracy. Emphasize¡ªnot to use heavy-caliber ship cannons. I do not wish to destroy Revival City.¡± Perbov, upon hearing these commands from the governor, couldn¡¯t help but shiver. Back when the torrential rain had soaked him through, he didn¡¯t feel cold, but now the wind and rain seemed piercing to the bone. He hurriedly followed the governor¡¯s instructions, sending out each command through the communication soldiers of the camp. Connecting with Quintet proved slightly more troublesome, but fortunately, the mission included a device specially for orbital communication. After some time, he managed to get it done. After finishing the tasks at hand, Perbov had nothing else to do. As he sat idly, he began to grasp the implications behind the governor¡¯s orders. This was making preparations for both possibilities. If the storm disaster remained unresolved by the end, the worst-case scenario would come into play: relinquish Revival City and evacuate as much of the population as possible within two hours. Of course, as long as the people survived, there was still hope. But with only two hours under a fierce storm, how many could they evacuate? Hardly any! Not to mention the manufacturing equipment, the food¡­ But in such a dire situation, the governor¡¯s choice was undoubtedly rational. Before everything came to an irrevocable end, it was crucial to preserve as much as possible¡ªsaving as many lives and as much material as they could. It was better than losing everything along with Revival City. Part of the work assigned to Osenia, Lambert, and Yan Fangxu was in an effort to achieve this. But clearly, the governor was not so easily willing to give up. He was still doing his utmost to save the city. The second command to Yan Fangxu and the request for an orbital strike to Yelisia were made with this in mind. Three spaced out orbital strikes, even the smallest firepower a starship could deliver, would be enough to destroy the wind farms; the subsequent two salvos, with a slight interval, could then eliminate any manifestations of the Storm Fury that appeared. Of course, this wouldn¡¯t completely solve the problem. Even if the avatars of the Storm Fury were extinguished, their shells would regenerate over time, as it was happening now. But the troops dispatched to the other seven sites could handle the follow-up. Like Perbov¡¯s own situation, they just needed to surround the remnants of the Storm Fury and bombard it with mortars whenever it showed signs of regenerating. As long as they had enough shells, the thing couldn¡¯t wreak havoc. And then, there was only one problem left: the monster might be contained, but how to stop the storm? Watching the governor still furrowing his brows, seeing the Holy Lily and the Phoenixes look helpless, Perbov¡¯s heart twisted in anguish. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He couldn¡¯t help but pray silently: ¡°Divine Emperor above, please let them find a way, please don¡¯t let the governor¡¯s hard work go to waste.¡± He hadn¡¯t been a devout follower of the Divine Emperor, but having heard and thought a lot, he could now say this. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Although there are only two chapters, there are 6000 Chapter 111 - Chapter 111: Chapter 110, The Storm Chapter 111: Chapter 110, The Storm Osenia was already soaked through. She had been running in the storm for a long time. Even though she wore a raincoat, her slender figure seemed as if the wind could blow her away at any moment amidst the heavy rain and strong winds. More than once, her subordinates had hoped she would return inside the building, but she had refused them all. ¡°You¡¯d do better to do something useful than waste time persuading me,¡± she said. And that was what she did. In theory, once all the work arrangements at the food distribution points were in place and the attack on the food convoy had been resolved, there should be no significant problems as long as the plan was executed step by step. At most, they had to worry about public security. Over the past few days due to war and unrest, many of the residents of the outer city of Revival City had fallen into starvation. While they weren¡¯t called rabble or rioters, one couldn¡¯t expect these people, most of whom had experience wandering the wastelands, to be rule-abiding. Many of them had blood on their hands. It was all too common for public security issues to arise during the long wait to receive food. She had anticipated these issues and had established some rules. The armed soldiers would sternly warn those in line to behave. Those who didn¡¯t would not only face suppression from the soldiers but would also lose their qualification to receive food. Coupled with her tireless propaganda that there was an adequate supply of food, the likelihood of disputes and security problems was greatly reduced. In the beginning, everything did indeed go as she had planned. That is until the storm hit. When the storm first arrived, Osenia sensed trouble. Waiting in line in the wind and rain was a test for the people¡¯s health, a test for their mood, and a test for her subordinates and the soldiers maintaining order. When would it be a good time for wind and rain? Why did it have to be now! There was no choice but to grit their teeth and carry on. The storm caused a great deal of chaos, significantly increased her subordinates¡¯ workload, and led to numerous emergencies that were reported to her, one after another, requiring her to come up with solutions or even handle them personally. Many things couldn¡¯t be resolved just by sitting in an office, listening to reports, and making decisions. She ran through the rain among the various food distribution points, confronting one issue after another on the front lines. Busy, tired, and challenging, but her will was resolute. This was the first and most crucial day of building a bridge of trust between the governor and the people of Revival City. She had to do her best in her role. No storm could hinder her determination to see everything through smoothly. That was until the two-hour evacuation order was relayed to her. It left her feeling disillusioned. She had never complained about the hard work, but this news nearly made her collapse. She couldn¡¯t help but feel lost. What was the point of the previous efforts, including the sacrifice of those soldiers guarding the transport routes? She stood there, staring blankly at the people queuing in the storm. There were parents with young children, couples hunched over, creating a small shelter for their child against the wind and rain, but the little boy, who looked to be only four or five years old, was still inevitably drenched; There was a limping man who had come alone; he slipped while walking forward, fell into the water that was deep enough to submerge his feet, and couldn¡¯t get up for a long time, relying on the help of others to stand again; Everyone in the storm seemed so hard-pressed, so helpless. Were they to abandon them after only two hours¡¯ time? Osenia felt she couldn¡¯t do it. But moments later, she told herself in her heart: ¡°You must do it.¡± She couldn¡¯t see the whole picture, but she wasn¡¯t a fool. She could guess that the pressing reason behind the evacuation had to be this storm that kept getting worse. It had even occurred to her that the storm could potentially kill everyone. If there were a choice, His Excellency the Governor certainly wouldn¡¯t make such a decision, but it was the lack of choice that drove him to it. So what she needed to do was to ensure as many people as possible could survive. This held the same meaning as the earlier food distribution, only it was now much more difficult. Whether it was the specific tasks that needed to be done or the determination that had to be made. She wiped the rain off her face, but it was in vain, as more cold rain slapped against her skin. She gestured for her subordinate to come over, and yelled into their ear over the sound of the wind and rain, ¡°Notify all food distribution points! Instruct each one to keep a line clear, arrange for everyone who has received food to gather outside the city!¡± ¡°Tell them the storm is a conspiracy by the Cult! Leaving the city is for their safety!¡± ¡°Use all the megaphones, put them all to work!¡± ¡°Select volunteers from those who have received food, have them quickly inform everyone they know! Leave the city! Leave some reliable vagrants to help us maintain order!¡± ¡°You go now and rally a squad of soldiers, set up a temporary camp outside the city, find a place without wind and rain! Get all the drivable vehicles moving, take the food from the gathering point over there!¡± After that, she connected with Lambert¡¯s signal, instructing him to move as much of the inner city¡¯s food as possible to the temporary camp outside. Having done all this, she heard a rumbling sound. At first, she thought it was thunder, but then the ground started to tremble, and it didn¡¯t seem like thunder at all. Stepping outside, she saw seven orange glows from around the city, streaking across the sky and crashing to the ground. The sounds like muffled thunder came again. A little while later, another seven orange glows fell from the sky. Was this orbital bombardment? What issue had escalated to the point of needing an orbital bombardment? Osenia shivered. Although it was only at the edges of the city, about ten to twenty kilometers away from the center, such terrible power meant that if there were people or homes in those areas, they would likely¡­ She shook her head; those things weren¡¯t for her to worry about right now. The matter at hand was more important. The food distribution point here was already in chaos. The order to evacuate had been given. Osenia knew clearly that the forces under her control couldn¡¯t guarantee orderly evacuation under such a storm. She also wanted to organize the poor into orderly groups, each accompanied by at least a squad of soldiers to maintain order and guide them to the evacuation points outside the city. But that was completely unfeasible. Given time and a stable environment, she might have managed, but now, arranging for as many people as possible to leave the city in two hours amid the storm was too difficult. The noise of the wind and the rain, mixed with the thunder, was so loud that even if she shouted at the top of her voice, it would not carry far. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only If the goal was to evacuate as many people as possible, then she¡¯d rather sacrifice some order, even if it meant more chaos, as long as she could spread the message further and wider. Let the locals figure out their own way to get out; they might be faster than trying to organize personnel herself. Her top priority was to ensure the evacuation routes stayed open, preventing a large number of people from getting stuck on the roads out of the city, culminating in nobody being able to leave; she also needed to set up points outside the city to ensure supplies, to avoid the scenario where lots of people leave the city only to die of starvation in the wilderness instead of the storm. There was a list of tasks to do, each critical, yet hindered by environmental and logistical difficulties; time was of the essence, two hours were not enough to do much, even if one fought tooth and nail. But the saying still stood, one must fight with all one¡¯s might. Chapter 112 - Chapter 112: Chapter 111, Emptiness Chapter 112: Chapter 111, Emptiness In the wind farm, Gu Hang and his group were still there. After issuing numerous orders, Gu Hang focused all his attention on the problem at hand. Abandoning Revival City and giving up the hard-won accomplishments of so long was a last resort. Although he had made this decision and instructed his subordinates to start executing it, he was still striving to save the city until the last moment. He wasn¡¯t just standing there like a fool, all determination and no method. In fact, with Spiritual Vision working at full strength, Gu Hang was gathering every bit of Spiritual Energy flow information he could and analyzing it in his mind. Gradually, Gu Hang observed something. He had an idea. After two rounds of mortars blasted the reassembling body of the Primal Fury Owl into pieces again, Gu Hang issued an order. ¡°Speed up the pace, bomb it at the first sign of reshaping.¡± In the midst of the storm, it was difficult to relay orders, but this obstacle was nothing to Gu Hang. His voice, powered by Spiritual Energy, rang clear and accurate in the ears of every mortar team soldier. The warriors in the rain carried out Mr. Gu¡¯s command. The reason this wasn¡¯t done before was due to the consideration of the ammunition stock. No one knew how long this would have to continue, and every fired mortar round was one less in the supply. After all, the monster needed time to reconstitute its body. It would have almost the same effect to bomb it again once it had regenerated to a certain extent, preventing it from fully reforming while significantly conserving ammunition. But now that Mr. Gu had given an order, they would follow it. Meanwhile, Gu Hang observed the flow of Spiritual Energy during the first reconstitution, after the Primal Fury Owl¡¯s incarnation was thoroughly shattered by the bombings, more frequently and more times than before. Finally, during this process, he solidified an idea. ¡°Stop,¡± he commanded again. The soldiers obeyed and halted. Gu Hang walked forward, his eyes shining as he carefully observed and stood at a spot based on the information he had analyzed previously. This was a crater. After being bombarded back and forth multiple times by heavy artillery and mortars, the area where the avatar of the Primal Fury Owl could resurrect wasn¡¯t very large, so finding a good spot was somewhat challenging. Gu Hang waved his hand, and Spiritual Energy gently seeped forward. Under his will, the released Spiritual Energy bore a hint of blue, tinting a small area ahead in color. A moment later, when Gu Hang stopped pouring in energy, his blue Spiritual Energy was quickly washed away by the wind and rain, except for an oval-shaped Spiritual Energy core, about twenty centimeters in diameter, floating in mid-air. As he said this, he reached out again. His Spiritual Energy, controlled through Telekinesis, tried to influence this insubstantial, oval-shaped sphere that could only be marked by staining it with Spiritual Energy, but it remained completely still. ¡°Telekinesis is ineffective, which probably verifies my theory,¡± he concluded. Then, he attempted to influence it by means of mental manipulation and soul cutting. ¡°Mental manipulation is ineffective; it must not be a life form, or it has no cognitive abilities. Soul cutting has some effect, but it¡¯s not significant. I can¡¯t sever the ritual core¡¯s residual influence on its surroundings after completion. This thing is less of a sphere and more of a hole opened in the real world.¡± As Georgette listened, she moved forward. Seeing the Battle Nun reach out her hand, as if to touch it, Gu Hang considered speaking up to stop her. But then, noting the golden glow on her hand, he swallowed his words of caution. A Battle Nun blessed by The Emperor might possess some special means. Although the lady was rather rash in her actions, her vast experience meant that if she dared to touch it, it was unlikely to be in vain. Then Gu Hang watched as she made contact with the dyed void. The moment after she touched it, as if having endured a tremendous force, she was repelled. She stumbled several steps backward before regaining her balance. She reached up to remove her helmet, during which Gu Hang observed her hands shaking violently. Once the helmet was off, everyone saw blood gushing from her nose. Her white short hair quickly got drenched by the rain, mixing with the blood, which smeared all over, making her look very bedraggled. I thought you wouldn¡¯t do it for nothing, but you actually did? Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t anything serious. She wiped her face with her hand, realized it was futile, and then turned to the others and said, ¡°I think I¡¯ve found a solution.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Gu Hang asked immediately. ¡°Challenge it, then defeat it,¡± Georgette gave an answer that was a bit perplexing but swiftly explained, ¡°As Mr. Gu said, this is a void that connects to a mad and powerful entity. That must be the Primal Fury Owl worshipped by the Cultists. Regardless of its origins, it has likely become a fearsome Spiritual Energy creature by now. I just faced it directly, and it¡¯s beyond my capability.¡± Georgette candidly admitted her lack of strength. Even just a fleeting glimpse at a spiritual level had subjected her to a massive impact, causing severe mental strain. Of course, if they had met in the real world, it wouldn¡¯t have been quite as dire. Engaging in unprotected Spiritual Vision is inherently high risk. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But she was already quite admirable. Even for a Battle Nun, directly confronting a deified and potentially insane Spiritual Energy creature in the mental realm and only suffering a nosebleed was quite remarkable; she came out relatively unscathed. Although she was reckless, she clearly had the wherewithal to be so. Georgette continued with the valuable information she¡¯d just obtained: ¡°Its power, through this void, is projected into the real world. We need to defeat it to close the portal, to prevent the resurrection of the Fury Owl incarnation, and to stop this storm.¡± ¡°And we may need to do this eight times. Every wind farm, besides this one, needs to be shut down.¡± Chapter 113 - Chapter 113: Chapter 112, Annihilation Projection Chapter 113: Chapter 112, Annihilation Projection After Georgette finished speaking, Gu Hang asked the critical question, ¡°How can we defeat it? Are we supposed to defeat a Primal Psychic Creature that has achieved godhood?¡± ¡°No, it hasn¡¯t come to that,¡± Georgette continued to explain. ¡°I¡¯ve sensed that it is still some distance away from tearing apart the veil of reality and truly awakening. If nearly a million people from Revival City indeed perish in the storm, such a vast spiritual reaction would echo repeatedly at the site of the ritual, and it really could pull it out of hell.¡± ¡°But to approach this layer of the True Universe, it still needs an anchor. Its eight spiritual avatars are here. What we need to eliminate are these avatars, soul to soul. A strong spirit is the key to defeating it.¡± ¡­ Gu Hang roughly understood what Georgette meant. Although she had mentioned some rather abstruse concepts, they seemed related to the underlying logic of the entire world. He found some answers in his memories. In the legitimate study for Spiritual Energy users, it is understood that beneath the entire reality of the universe, there¡¯s a believed layer of an illusory universe filled with pure energy but no matter, considered to be the birthplace of the real universe, its foundation, also referred to as the ¡®True Universe.¡¯ It is speculated that tens of thousands of years ago, during the Golden Age, humans wielded advanced technology, properly harnessing the energy of the True Universe. This boundless energy source gave rise to a brilliant civilization. All of this ended after the emergence of ¡®hell.¡¯ ¡®Hell¡¯ is seen as the gathering place of energies that are unusable or discharged after use. It is rife with madness, destruction, and chaos. Modern Scholars of Spiritual Energy generally believe that the True Universe is now divided into two layers. The Star Spirit Realm is the outer layer, a usable sea of Spiritual Energy. The Spirit Network constructed by the Divine Emperor supports the entire Spirit Realm, allowing safe Spiritual Energy users to emerge among humans, who also utilize Spiritual Energy as an advanced source of energy. Of course, the Theological Council of the state religion doesn¡¯t see it that way. In their theory, the Spirit Network is the Divine Realm established by the Emperor upon His ascension. The Emperor blesses the people of this world from within His realm. People should believe wholly in the Emperor and upon death, their souls should return to the Divine Realm, achieving transcendence. The Mechanical Sect has their own theories, to be set aside for now. But regardless of the debate, in essence, Spiritual Energy originates from the Spirit Realm and the ascended Emperor bestows protection upon humanity. However, hell still exists¡ªdisordered, chaotic, insane¡ªfilled with destructive energy. According to Georgette, the ¡®Primal Fury Owl¡¯ is classified as a kind of powerful psychic creature, and it has fallen into hell for reasons unknown. Now, due to the rituals of the cultists, it is about to tear open the veil of the real universe and descend. Within the eight wind farms, there exist eight avatars of the Fury Owl, essentially eight mental projections of the Primal Fury Owl that have torn a small opening in the real universe, allowing the insane Spiritual Energy storm to sweep through it. If these eight Fury Owl projections are killed in the Mental Realm, it would mean a complete termination of the avatars¡¯ reconstitution, preventing the arrival of the Primal Fury Owl and permanently solving the storm issue. How do we kill these Fury Owl projections? ¡°Just touch the void,¡± Georgette provided a very specific solution, further explaining, ¡°I was trying to see the source earlier; that¡¯s why¡­if it were only about challenging the projection, it wouldn¡¯t be like this.¡± Oh, so you still went and acted rashly. ¡°Then, has the projection avatar here been dealt with?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Georgette admitted somewhat awkwardly, ¡°After my injury, I no longer have enough mental strength to destroy the projection.¡± Oh, after acting rashly, you¡¯re too weak to do the actual work. Isn¡¯t that just giving it away for free? Gu Hang took a deep breath, deciding¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Priest Rizzo stepped forward. ¡°Just touching it will suffice?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Georgette replied. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t venture too deep, just annihilate that creature.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Priest Rizzo reached out and touched the void. Moments later, he lowered his hand, looking a bit wilted and weak, but his voice was light as he spoke, ¡°Mission accomplished.¡± As his words fell, Gu Hang could clearly see the void shrinking at a visible rate, soon disappearing entirely. Gu Hang was overjoyed! Dawn was in sight! ¡°We now need to rush to the other seven wind farms immediately! We have less than three hours; we can still make it!¡± Watching the governor become invigorated, the priest sighed and cooled the excitement. ¡°Your Excellency,¡± Rizzo began, ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not as simple as we thought.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Projecting the soul into the Mental Realm for combat is much more difficult than imagined. Defeating that creature doesn¡¯t cost me much, but the transit back and forth burdens the spirit heavily. I can¡¯t do it again in a short amount of time. Otherwise, just the act of projecting the soul could leave me unconscious, and I need at least two days of rest to recover.¡± Everyone has a two-day cooldown to enter the Mental Realm? Gu Hang looked at Georgette. ¡°I¡¯m in a similar situation.¡± Rizzo continued: ¡°To withstand the pressure of soul projection, one needs a very resilient spirit. Even for the Sisters of Saintly Lilies, it would be extremely dangerous. Only we Phoenixes have the capability to endure it.¡± Chapter 114 - Chapter 114: Chapter 112: Annihilation of Projection_2 Chapter 114: Chapter 112: Annihilation of Projection_2 As soon as these words were uttered, the nuns of the Holy Mercy Lilies disagreed vehemently. Several stepped forward: ¡°We can do it!¡± ¡°The will of the Holy Mercy Lilies is in no way inferior to that of space warriors!¡± ¡°Leave it to us!¡± Their emotions ran high, feeling insulted. But Rizzo had no intention of employing reverse psychology, and even Georgette fell silent at that moment. Gu Hang saw all this and acknowledged that Rizzo¡¯s words were the truth. The abbess was no fool¡ªif she was confident, she wouldn¡¯t remain silent. Clearly, it was because she also believed that the ordinary battle nuns faced a near-certain death doing this task, and thus she kept quiet. In the previous battle, she had already lost a sister-in-arms. Gu Hang turned his gaze to Matins and directly made his request, ¡°Commander, I need your help.¡± Matins didn¡¯t demur, ¡°To fight for The Emperor, eradicate the corrupt Spiritual Energy creatures, and save the Empire World, the Phoenix cannot refuse!¡± The Phoenix is indeed reliable! Initially, I even considered a ¡®change the cage for a bird¡¯ plan¡ªsimply too inhumane. But¡­ the Phoenix only has seven members. That¡¯s a problem too. Rizzo had already been spent here, leaving only six of Phoenix, yet there were seven wind farms to deal with. Georgette looked somewhat ashamed. If she still had the strength to fight, she could have taken care of one, and there would be no problem. Or, if she dared to risk sacrifice, one nun might not be enough, but they had ten people, taking turns, they would surely be able to bring down one projection. But when it really came to making this decision, she hesitated. However, Gu Hang did not make it difficult for her, ¡°I will deal with one myself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous,¡± Priest Rizzo advised. Gu Hang waved his hand, his decision already made. Moreover, he felt that in pure Mental Realm combat, he, a user of Spiritual Energy, might even be stronger than the warriors of Phoenix. Subsequently, the personnel were split into many groups and began rushing toward the other seven wind farms. Besides Rizzo, the three Phoenix members present rushed to three different sites; the nuns also formed teams to follow as reserves; another three Phoenix members, led by the bald Schneider in the city, received orders and went to three other locations. Ordinary troops did not accompany their actions. Perbov and his team were ordered by Gu Hang to go to the city to help, following the commands of Yan Fangxu and Osenia. The remaining space warriors and nuns could then proceed at full speed. With the aid of their powered armor, they strode through the storm, not much slower than a car. Gu Hang headed toward the farthest of the seven power stations. The reason for this assignment was because he could fly, making him the fastest. Whether it was bad luck or being targeted, he was struck by lightning twice on his way there. But there was no harm done. Before the lightning struck, he had already detected unnatural gatherings of Spiritual Energy through his Spiritual Vision, allowing him to dodge in advance. Upon his arrival at the destination, local soldiers were bombarding incarnations of the Primal Fury Owl in the enormous craters left by orbital bombardments. The strategy that Gu Hang had previously formulated was working. Originally, following Yan Fangxu¡¯s orders, the many troops that came to this location encountered resistance from Cult members. The Cult¡¯s numbers and quality weren¡¯t especially high, and given time, the soldiers should have been able to overcome the enemy, followed by demolishing the wind farm, not a big problem anymore. But while they were engaged in combat, they received new orders, so they withdrew from the fight. Those Cult members didn¡¯t chase after them. Their mission was to protect the wind farm; even if it couldn¡¯t be held, they were to delay as much as possible. Even when the enemy¡¯s retreat seemed strange, their happiness outweighed their confusion. Then, in their joy, they faced orbital bombardment. The bombardiers aboard the Quintet followed the governor¡¯s orders and carried out 7¡Á3 rounds of minimal yield bombardment, not using the Colossal Cannons and the Light Spear Array, but only the secondary cannons. Yet, the effect on the ground was still terrifying. The direct destruction range of the bombardment extended over half a kilometer; the shockwave retained lethal force even a kilometer away. Even the troops stationed at an almost two-kilometer theoretical safe distance from the target could feel the intense shock. Some houses on the city¡¯s edge collapsed under the bombardment. Fortunately, by now, most people had gone to various food distribution points to queue for supplies, so the casualty figures should not be too high. Just as they were hurrying back, washed by the rain and witnessing the rapid dissipation of the residual heat after the three bombardments, the wind farm was already gone. The Primal Fury Owl, which should have appeared, was making an effort to reconstitute itself. No doubt about it, the artillery attack commenced. The barely reconstituted Primal Fury Owl was blasted apart again. In this way, with a strategy of blasting a bit as soon as it reconstituted a bit, the local Primal Fury Owl¡¯s incarnation became very miserable. Until Gu Hang arrived. He commended the troops on the scene, and through the communications soldier integrated into their team, received the latest situation updates. Good news had come from the other two wind farms closest to the one where Cui Kao had been eliminated. Two stellar warriors, including Commander Matins, had already annihilated the projections of the Primal Fury Owls in those locations. This was a good start, indicating the plan was proceeding smoothly. Without hesitation, Gu Hang stepped forward and touched the void. Suddenly, he felt a palpitation and before his eyes appeared a vast fog. The fog came quickly and vanished just as fast. Within a few breaths, it disappeared. Before him lay a steeply descending road, endless in length, with rolling mists of endless colors. Gu Hang felt a strong pull of temptation as if being called to walk down, but also a strong sense of fear warning him of the great horror that lay below. These two conflicting feelings interwove in his heart, even causing him a moment of trance. A roar awakened him from the astounded sense of conflict. Turning around, Gu Hang saw a two-person tall, phantom incarnation of the Primal Fury Owl, strutting arrogantly. Are you the one? Without a word, Gu Hang unleashed a psychic slash at it. Upon his psychic projection entering this illusory Mental Realm, his Spiritual Energy could, of course, be utilized. Additionally, because he was closer to the Spirit Realm, and even to Hell, his spiritual sensitivity became keener and the Psychic Spells he could unleash were stronger. The monster lost a leg, losing its arrogance immediately. Unyielding will? Maybe the Battle Nuns and stellar warriors really needed it when they entered the Mental Realm to fight. They had to engage in fierce melee combat with the frightful Primal Fury Owl incarnations, hence, their willpower determined the strength of their ¡®bodies.¡¯ But a psychic like Gu Hang didn¡¯t need that. He relied on spiritual attributes to battle here, and all his Psychic Spells were effective¡ªa few even stronger than usual. Gu Hang¡¯s psychic slash might not kill the Primal Fury Owl projection in one blow, but no matter, one slash at a time would suffice. With less spiritual consumption and stronger psychic power¡­ at this rate, he could continue for a hundred slashes. In other words, he could execute the Primal Fury Owl projection by dismemberment. In reality, it didn¡¯t even survive fifteen slashes, never once touching the hem of Gu Hang¡¯s clothing before being cut into countless pieces. A thick fog enveloped his vision once more, and by the time it cleared, Gu Hang found himself back in the real world. It was at this moment that he felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Upon leaving the Mental Realm, his soul had suffered a tearing. It wasn¡¯t an injury per se, but if he entered that place again within a short period and then left, he might genuinely harm the core of his being. He came to understand; this must be the price Georgette referred to, the cost of projecting one¡¯s soul into the purely Mental Realm. Thankfully, the price was paid upon exit. If it had to be paid upon entry, going in with a debuff of weakness and having to fight a Primal Fury Owl projection would make the challenge substantially harder. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The content isn¡¯t easy to split, so two chapters have been combined and posted together. Chapter 115 - Chapter 115: Chapter 113, Termination Ritual Chapter 115: Chapter 113, Termination Ritual ¡°` Dizzy and disoriented, Gu Hang refused the support of the approaching soldier and made his way to the group of communication soldiers on his own. While taking a rest beside them, he said, ¡°Let me know immediately if there¡¯s any news from other places.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± With that, Gu Hang closed his eyes and sat in the rain to recuperate. It wasn¡¯t that they couldn¡¯t afford to set up a shelter for the Governor; it was just that in the current conditions, any awning would be blown away. Fortunately, Gu Hang didn¡¯t care about such things. In the following fifteen to twenty minutes, messages from all around came one by one. Three more projections of the Wrathful Owls at the wind farms were taken care of. Together with the previous four, that made seven in total. A smile appeared on Gu Hang¡¯s face, even with his eyes closed. It seemed there wasn¡¯t much of a problem anymore. But a few minutes later, the news from the last wind farm that he had been waiting for still hadn¡¯t arrived. The smile disappeared from Gu Hang¡¯s face. ¡°Send a message, ask what¡¯s going on over there, what¡¯s the situation now.¡± The communication soldier did as ordered, and soon there was a reply. ¡°Five minutes ago, an interstellar warrior and two nuns arrived, they¡­ they¡­¡± At this point, the communication soldier stammered, and Gu Hang already had an ominous feeling: ¡°Quick, say it.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± No longer bothering to organize his words, the communication soldier hurriedly reported the situation as it happened, ¡°An interstellar warrior touched the void first. Then after a little while, the void didn¡¯t disappear; instead, the interstellar warrior fell. Then the two nuns checked, and said the interstellar warrior was already dead. One of them touched the void and also fell¡­ The remaining nun is using the communication signal, calling for help.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s face turned completely dark. Although not yet a complete failure, he was aware that there was a big problem now. Besides himself, a high-level spiritual energy user, only the interstellar warriors could deal with the Wrathful Owl projections lingering in the wind farms. These Phoenix veterans, who had undergone the Penitent Expedition and each had at least a century of combat experience, were all extremely determined. There were only seven of them, and added to Gu Hang himself, they should have been able to handle all the Wrathful Owl projections. It was indeed a stretch, but Gu Hang hadn¡¯t really considered the possibility of them failing. However, even though the Phoenixes had a seventy to eighty percent chance of winning against a Wrathful Owl incarnation in the Mental Realm with pure willpower, facing it seven times in a row could lead to an accident, which wasn¡¯t unthinkable. Moreover, Gu Hang remembered that among the Phoenixes, one unfortunate soul had been hit by an air blast and then, during the appearance of the Wrathful Owl incarnation, was slapped by the same being. Although there was no concrete evidence, Gu Hang suspected that the one who died was this very person¡­ Perhaps the previous warrior had already been seriously injured and in a poor state before entering the Mental Realm to face the Wrathful Owl projection with pure willpower and unfortunately lost the battle. The loss of an interstellar warrior was painful. Although the Phoenixes were still only his allies, their relationship wasn¡¯t the kind where one would stand still if an ally was in trouble. On the contrary, the two sides had cooperated fairly well recently. Even though their presence required Gu Hang to invest a considerable amount of manpower in building monasteries for them and Wu Jiarong¡¯s research institute had to spare time to hand-make bombs for them, the interstellar warriors truly showed their worth in action. The price Gu Hang paid was not even as much as the money he would give to hire mercenaries. On the flip side, these Phoenix warriors had been a great help to him. The loss of one meant that Gu Hang felt he had lost at least three hundred points of grace¡ªthat was the price of a standard interstellar warrior, not to mention the veteran¡¯s experience. Beyond the personal loss, the downfall of a Phoenix declared that the mission to halt the Cult¡¯s ritual had suffered a significant setback. Seven interstellar warriors for seven wind farms left no room for error. If a mistake occurred, the difficulty of fixing it was immense. The battle nun who died following the fallen Phoenix was a case in point. In the whole Revival City, where could one find another being with spiritual will as strong as that of the interstellar warriors? The only person Gu Hang could think of asking for help was Superior Georgette. ¡°` Would the Mother Superior be willing to let her nine remaining nuns, one by one, attempt to duel to the death with the Angry Owl Projection? Gu Hang felt a bit reluctant to broach this request. The Mother Superior had already lost two of her subordinates; if it were only about sacrifice that would be one thing, but the critical issue was that no one knew what chance the nuns stood as they entered the Mental Realm to challenge the Angry Owl Projection. What if all nine nuns died and the problem still wasn¡¯t resolved? Georgette would hesitate. But it seemed Gu Hang had no other option. He took a deep breath and said to the communications soldier standing by, ¡°Go inquire where Superior Georgette currently is, I need to speak with her.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The communications soldier hurried off to carry out the order. However, at that very moment, Gu Hang heard a roar of extreme unwillingness, coming from the edge of the sky, from the void. Suddenly, he felt that the dark clouds hovering over the city showed signs of dispersal; the increasingly fierce storm and heavy rain seemed to have lessened a great deal. Gu Hang was somewhat startled in his heart: Had the ritual been terminated? Had the Angry Owl Projection been dealt with? But why? Who had intervened? Could it be that the last remaining nun mentioned in the previous reports had a major outbreak and defeated the Angry Owl Projection? Gu Hang¡¯s heart was enveloped in immense surprise! Regardless of the details, this was undoubtedly excellent news! Although the outcome was positive, such a rollercoaster of emotions was hardly friendly to the heart. If possible, Gu Hang really did not want to experience something similar ever again. Shortly afterward, another communications soldier came to report the news. ¡°Governor, we have new intelligence from the wind farm where we lost a star warrior and a battle nun! The problem has been solved!¡± ¡°I know,¡± Gu Hang said with a smile, ¡°Who resolved the issue in the end? Was it the battle nun?¡± ¡°No.¡± Hmm? At that response, Gu Hang was taken aback. ¡°Then who was it?¡± ¡°It was Tadeusz.¡± Tadeusz? Gu Hang found the name somewhat familiar. He instantly recalled the series of battles during the previous food transport convoy ambush. He had read the battle report, and in that battle, the position of political commissar he had established played a significant role. Back then, the most impressive person he had noticed was naturally Kodi, who sacrificed himself to turn the tide of battle from defeat to victory. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As for Tadeusz, it seemed that in the story of Kodi, he was just part of the backdrop. However, it was this character, who seemed as inconspicuous as part of the backdrop, who became the key to saving the entire city. Now Gu Hang was very curious about how exactly Tadeusz had achieved this. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª An additional chapter will be added; another one will follow shortly to complete this entire segment. Chapter 116 - Chapter 116: Chapter 114, Among mortals, there are also heroes. Chapter 116: Chapter 114, Among mortals, there are also heroes. Tadeusz didn¡¯t know how he had done it. He had led his platoon, following Yan Fangxu¡¯s orders, to this wind farm to carry out their mission. After the orbital bombardment, his troops couldn¡¯t even be considered the main force; they were merely supporting teams from the Governor¡¯s Infantry Regiment in executing a blockade. Late on, the Star Realm warriors and Battle Nuns had arrived, and he didn¡¯t even understand what had to be done at first. It was not until a Star Realm warrior and a nun had died at the core location after the previous orbital bombardment. Only when the surviving nun reported the situation to her head nun in somewhat of a panic, using the communication soldier¡¯s channel, did Tadeusz understand what was probably going on. Then, he strode towards that void. Everyone watched his actions, confused at first, not knowing what he was up to. But soon, some comrades reacted, coming up to try to stop him. In the pouring rain, his comrade grabbed Tadeusz¡¯s waist from behind and yelled in his ear, ¡°Have you gone mad? Have you no regard for your life?¡± ¡°Let go!¡± Tadeusz struggled violently. ¡°Don¡¯t go to your death! It¡¯s something even the Star Realm warriors can¡¯t handle! You¡¯re just throwing your life away for nothing!¡± ¡°Who says?¡± Tadeusz broke free with a twist and, turning to his comrade who had fallen to the ground, said, ¡°What this battle needs most is steadfast will, and I certainly am not lacking that!¡± As he said this, he thought of his friend Kodi, remembered his pulling the pin of the grenade and jumping into the enemy, remembered what he himself had not been able to do. These memories did not strike him down; rather, they reinforced his determination, ¡°This world has nothing to do with those Star Realm warriors or Battle Nuns, and yet they still fought with all they had. To save our own homeland, to fulfill the aspirations of the Governor and all our people, why shouldn¡¯t we dare to sacrifice?¡± ¡°I am not afraid to die; I¡¯ve been afraid once, and I¡¯m not afraid this time! I will go and fight! I know I may be going to my death, but when I am dead, I hope more brave warriors will stand up!¡± ¡°We will surely prevail!¡± He shouted with his arms held high, turned resolutely, and walked toward the void in the storm, adjusting his red cap. He couldn¡¯t see where the void was, but he could approximate its location based on previous intelligence, and then he could reach out and search with his hands. A few minutes later, he found it. A fog passed before his eyes, and when he came to his senses again, he found himself in the Mental Realm. A roar from the projection of the raging owl marked out the enemy¡¯s location for him. Tadeusz didn¡¯t hesitate for a second and immediately plunged into the fight. When he arrived in this Mental Realm as a soul projection, he was unarmed, but when he had a strong desire to attack, a rifle somehow appeared in his hands. He let out a roar not unlike that of the raging owl projection, and pulled the trigger towards the monster. The bullets swept over the beast, at least twice his size and requiring three or four of him to encircle, causing it to stagger. Fundamentally, both the rifle and the bullets firing were manifestations of power projected from Tadeusz¡¯s own will to fight. He was battling with his own will, and the specific form it took was of little consequence. The scenario within the Mental Realm only materialized the scenes he was most familiar with and adept at. The bullets had a significant effect, but it was not realistic to think he could kill the raging owl projection with just those. Ignoring his gunfire, the raging owl projection let out a furious growl. From its open beak, a white Storm Bullet fired out, hitting him square in the chest. The Storm Bullet seemed far more terrifying than the spells cast by the blue-robed individuals he and Kodi had faced in battle; by all rights, he should have been undoubtedly dead. But he ignored all that, focusing only on hitting the raging owl as much as possible before the hit. Then, the Storm Bullet struck him in the chest, blowing him away. He smashed to the ground a short distance away, his body aching terribly, feeling as though he was falling apart. But feeling pain was a good thing; if the Storm Bullet had killed him instantly, he would not have felt anything at all. Unlike now, where he could endure the pain and struggle to his feet. But in the process, the raging owl projection had already reached his face. He swung his left arm to defend, and a riot shield appeared on his arm, blocking a heavy strike from the owl. In fury, the owl lifted a pair of front limbs high into the air, ready to slam down once more. One blow, two blows, three¡­ Tadeusz held on with all his might. His mouth and nose were bleeding. If there had been an observer, they might have seen that his entire soul¡¯s representation, his spiritual form, was becoming unstable, with signs of disintegration. In the midst of his mind dissipating, Tadeusz¡¯s thoughts again turned to his friend Kodi. They had grown up together in the Abandoned Cave Society, shivered together in utter darkness when the ¡®Convicts¡¯ had attacked their home, seen the light the Governor brought to them, enlisted together, and become political commissars¡­ Then unavoidably, he remembered the last moment before Kodi¡¯s death, his friend with the red cap crawling from the half-ruined building, leaping down with two grenades in hand, killing the enemy. Tadeusz, defending against the owl¡¯s attacks with his riot shield, felt as though the memory overlapped with the current scene. He really saw Kodi jumping down from midair, grenades in hand and waist, smoke billowing around him. Boom! The explosion occurred! The raging owl projection, raising its front limbs to strike him one last time, was blasted to pieces. In his confusion, Tadeusz was enveloped by a white fog, and then he felt a fierce, cold rain lashing his face. He fell downward, crashing into a puddle, with a roaring in his ears. He felt the warmth of blood uncontrollably flowing from his nose and mouth, quickly washed away by the rain splashing across his face. His blurry eyes looked outward, seeing many robed figures rushing towards him. He struggled to stretch out his hand, gave them a thumbs-up, and then the world turned pitch-black, and he knew no more. ¡­ Schneider still couldn¡¯t believe what he had just witnessed. After resolving the trouble at the wind farm he was responsible for, he had been worried about his injured battle brother and rushed over here. On his way, he received the terrible news. A brother who had survived the century-long expedition had died here. His heart was filled with rage, with resentment towards Matins. He wasn¡¯t incapable of accepting the sacrifice of a battle brother. In fact, in his past experiences, he had grown accustomed to sacrifice. But he couldn¡¯t accept that his battle brother¡¯s death was in vain. Yes, in his eyes, this event seemed pointless. They were supposed to die for the rebuilding of their warband, not on this planet that couldn¡¯t even support the rebuilding of the warband. He had always felt that Matins and Rizzo were wasting time. But if it were just a waste of time, then so be it. Perhaps time would enlighten his two brothers that placing hope on that frail Spiritual Energy Governor was a ludicrous idea. But now, what they had squandered was not only time but the lives of their battle brothers! This was unacceptable. He had come here to retrieve his brother¡¯s body, and then to confront Matins and Rizzo, to challenge them whether their decisions were really correct. If they were truly set on following this Governor down a dark path, would the remaining six of them be even enough to die? One brother had already been sacrificed, yet there was still no sign of the dawn of the warband¡¯s rebuilding! Conversely, the Mirthless Governor, after much plotting, had acquired a city that was about to be annihilated by a storm. Enraged, Schneider arrived at this place. And then he witnessed a mere mortal overcoming the enemy that his battle brother had failed to defeat until his death. How could this be possible? A mere mortal, how could he have accomplished this? He had just experienced a battle against the projection of the fury owl himself, and he had won with ease. He was a Phoenix Warrior who had fought for three hundred years, his spirit, his will, were much harder than steel. He agreed with the previous judgments from Georgette and Priest Rizzo that such relentless spirit could only be possessed by them, the Emperor¡¯s Death Angels. Even the Battle Nuns couldn¡¯t attain such a level. But now, a mere mortal? By what right? He admitted, among the countless battles he had fought in his long career, many of the mortals who fought alongside were indeed commendable even by the standards of the stellar warriors. But such heroes, even in the most elite Star Realm Armed Forces, were rare. How could this indigenous officer compare? He instinctively refused to believe this reality. Yet the last void was indeed rapidly shrinking and finally vanished. The dark clouds that had enshrouded the city sky, turning the entire city pitch-black, were also swiftly dissipating, allowing a ray of sunlight to fall through. The wind was calming, the rain retracting¡­ No matter how much Schneider didn¡¯t want to believe, everything before his eyes was indeed real. ¡­ [Hero Activable: Tadeusz] Gu Hang, extremely curious about how Tadeusz had achieved this, tried to find the answer from his system interface. Therefore, he discovered a new message in the hero interface. Tadeusz could now be activated as a hero. He tentatively clicked. The cost for activation was 50 graces. He didn¡¯t spend the graces, but he could infer something from the cost. 50 points, that was the cost to upgrade from LV2 to LV3 for him. Did this mean that once Tadeusz was activated, he would be a hero starting at LV3? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A content smile appeared on Gu Hang¡¯s lips, ¡°Among mortals too, there are outstanding heroes!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This part of the story is complete. I¡¯ve taken a lot of flak lately, and there¡¯s a lesson and an apology from me at the end. I hope everyone can give me a bit more confidence, I know I was wrong! Chapter 117 - Chapter 117: Chapter 115, Hero Upgrade Chapter 117: Chapter 115, Hero Upgrade Facing the option to activate Tadeusz, Gu Hang hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose to activate him. This wasn¡¯t specifically to reward the hero who had performed great deeds, nor was it simply out of Gu Hang¡¯s curiosity about what made a person who had achieved what even interstellar warriors had failed, so special. While there were factors like these at play, the activation of Tadeusz as a hero genuinely helped with some of the work that Gu Hang had to do next. Next, several thousand soldiers from the former Alliance Legion needed to be reorganized. Gu Hang¡¯s own direct troops only numbered a little over a thousand in a small infantry regiment. It was impossible for him to mix and integrate troops as he had done in the past. If the measure of a political commissar seemed effective presently, then it should be continued and reinforced. And Tadeusz was a very good candidate for that. Gu Hang planned to implement this policy comprehensively in his troops in the future, adopting a dual command system. Military affairs, such as combat command and training arrangements, would be primarily overseen by the military chief with the commissar aiding; whereas the commissar would take the lead on aspects like daily life, army construction, and ideological discipline, with the chief assisting. For the moment, Yan Fangxu was still the highest military chief in charge; as for the political commissar side, Gu Hang planned to promote this lad Tadeusz swiftly up the ranks. Under the current circumstances, Tadeusz arguably had a heavier task compared to Yan Fangxu. After spending 50 points of the grace to complete the activation, Gu Hang instantly saw Tadeusz¡¯s attributes. [Activated Hero: Tadeusz (SR)] [Level: lv3] [Physique 10, Spirituality 6, Command 10, Political 13] [Traits:] [Calmer of Storms: Having endured the baptism of the storm, the cleansing of the Mental Realm upon his return has had a reflective effect on his physique. Physique +1, Spirituality +1] [Awakened Political Leader: Simple political ideological education enlightened him; witnessing the sacrifice of a friend shocked him; the idea of sacrifice during the action to save the city made him a hero. He has awoken, his thoughts solidified, knowing exactly what his goal is. Political +2, Command +1] [Talent:] [Unyielding Will: This person has an unbreakable will, no difficulty can bring him down. Physique +1, Special Effect: Unbreakable] [Inspire Morale: This person has a strong influence and can boost the morale of all friendly forces around him, the effect depends on the firmness of his will.] ¡­ Looking at Tadeusz¡¯s attributes, the first thing Gu Hang noticed was the level. SR, wasn¡¯t that two tiers higher than the N level of the two characters he had activated before, Osenia and Wu Jiarong? But in reality, looking at the attributes, there was nothing particularly outstanding about them. When Gu Hang was at LV3, his spirituality was already at 17. Of course, comparing with Gu Hang was not fair. Even at LV1, before acquiring the system, Gu Hang had already reached a high spirituality of 14 thanks to his predecessor¡¯s legacy. And before activation, Tadeusz and the others were merely ordinary people. As a three-level character, Tadeusz¡¯s highest political attribute was only 13 points, but the advantage was that besides spirituality, there were no real weaknesses. This meant he was more of an all-rounder, capable of shouldering arms and engaging in the frontline battle as well as handling political work in the rear. And his SR rating was likely more valuable for the two talents and one trait that he had over the two ladies. Those two ladies only had one trait each: [Excellent Bureaucrat] and [Former Technical Genius]. These two traits were probably similar to Tadeusz¡¯s [Awakened Political Leader] trait, but not equivalent. His [Political Leader] trait was obviously a bit more advanced. What¡¯s more, he had three more. The advantage of the SR rating seemed to lie here. Beyond the quality tier, Gu Hang was also very curious about another point: how had Tadeusz¡¯s attributes increased? Set aside the political and command capabilities, which might have been dormant military/political talents in Tadeusz that were simply awakened by the system, the physique attribute couldn¡¯t be faked. The past Tadeusz, Gu Hang knew clearly, was just an ordinary person. After being selected for the military, even with training from the [Soldier Tag] System that made him a T5-level soldier, it meant he had acquired some level of military skills. There wouldn¡¯t be a dramatic change in his physical condition. This also implied that his physical attribute, even if better than that of an average person, would at most reach around 7 or 6 points. In fact, Gu Hang had never heard of anyone in his troop having some innate Divine Power or other special physical characteristics. So, the case was pretty clear. Tadeusz¡¯s attribute growth was given by the system. The mechanism of this [Hero] panel is such that when someone with potential or talent appears under Gu Hang¡¯s command, he can use his blessings to realize that person¡¯s talent. It is as if the system uses some magical means to accelerate the individual to a level that might normally require extensive training to achieve. Activating a hero¡¯s ability is quite beneficial for Gu Hang to rapidly develop talent. Thinking of this, Gu Hang went to check on Osenia¡¯s status again. To his surprise, the girl had reached LV2! That she could level up did not seem strange to Gu Hang at all. As a political talent like her had undergone such a high-pressure ordeal, growth and development were to be expected. What surprised him, though, was that this upgrade did not require any of his own blessings! Could it be that aside from the initial cost of activation, leveling up does not require additional expenditure? As long as they grow to a certain point on their own, they can level up? This suggested to Gu Hang that the function of activating heroes might be even more important than he had anticipated. Then he remembered Yan Fangxu. Old Yan¡­ missed the chance! However, even now, he wasn¡¯t planning to activate Yan Fangxu. That guy still hadn¡¯t made up his mind whether to give up his title of naval captain or not. So, keep working then. Taking his attention back, Gu Hang continued to look at Osenia¡¯s character card. [Hero: Osenia (N)] [Level: LV2] [Physique 4, Spirituality 5, Leadership 8, Politics 11] [Trait: Excellent Political Officer] [Talent:] [Handling Politics Under Pressure: When affairs are urgent, she makes very few mistakes. Politics +1] Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡­ Osenia¡¯s political points had increased by 2, and her leadership points by 1. And she had acquired a new talent. [Handling Politics Under Pressure], true to its name, was not particularly powerful, but very practical. For political officers, the fear is making mistakes under heavy pressure, which could come with a higher cost and be more irreparable than usual mistakes. Chapter 118 - Chapter 118: Chapter 116, Reactor Technology Chapter 118: Chapter 116, Reactor Technology Gu Hang received benefits not only from the system interface but also from the aftermath of the storm event. The battle settlement he¡¯d been waiting for did not appear. It seemed as if the system did not regard this action as a battle. However, it did show up elsewhere. His ¡°Events¡± interface was flickering slightly. With a thought, Gu Hang opened it. A new event appeared before his eyes. ¡°Extinction Storm: Event Completed¡± ¡°The Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, believers of an evil god, plotted to sacrifice Revival City in its entirety, but you foiled their scheme. You and your allies eradicated the Primal Fury Owl¡¯s projection, halted Its revival, extinguished the storm, and saved your city.¡± ¡°But evidently, you have also incurred the wrath of that fallen primordial deity. It will watch you from hell; Its followers will target you.¡± ¡°Event Reward:¡± ¡°Grace Points +500¡± ¡°Acquire Trait ¡®Enemy of the Storm¡¯¡± ¡°You are the enemy of the storm; you can command storms to bend to your will. When there is a target using storm-related psychic spells near you, they must have your permission, or their spiritual energy¡¯s potency and spellcasting success rate will be suppressed.¡± ¡­ This ¡°Enemy of the Storm¡± trait was very specific. Its general utility wasn¡¯t great, but if Gu Hang were to encounter followers of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect in the future, this trait could be greatly beneficial. As for the part of the event description mentioning that the native primordial god who fell into hell would from then on view him with great enmity, and Its followers would target him¡­ Gu Hang was not worried about this in the slightest. It was as if without this event, they wouldn¡¯t already be enemies. In Gu Hang¡¯s view, there was no difference between ninety percent hatred and one hundred percent hatred. On the contrary, he might not even need to wait for them to come seeking trouble; he would likely be the one to seek them out. ¡­ Beyond this trait, the 500 grace points from the event reward was another huge boost! It once again set a new personal record for Gu Hang¡¯s single largest gain of grace points. Ever since he entered Revival City, his acquisition of grace points had never stopped. From the initial war, to the victorious ambush on the grain transport convoy, and now this 500-point haul¡­ During this process, Gu Hang spent 17 grace points to upgrade the remaining 17 of 28 Navy Marine Corps soldiers¡ªwho turned out to be of little use; 200 grace points to raise himself to Level 4; and 50 grace points to activate Tadeusz. In total, that amounted to a consumption of 267 grace points. Yet, even so, the number of grace points remaining in his hands still reached a whopping 654! He had never been so affluent before! Within the entire system, the places where one could spend money were very few. The character system is a major investment, but if no talent is detected, it cannot be activated; Gu Hang¡¯s own upgrades are quite costly, yet without sufficient experience, money alone cannot buy advancement. The Army Badge System can also consume funds, but if the training only reaches T5 level, even if the more than seven thousand people from the former Alliance Legion were all trained, it would only cost about 70 Grace points¡ªa mere trifle. Unless in the future the army reaches tens or hundreds of thousands in strength, the cost of training, even at just T5 level, might escalate to hundreds or thousands of Grace points, potentially becoming a significant burden. But at least at the current scale, the expenditure pressure for troop training is minimal. The event interface can be paid for, and a repeatable event for a Phoenix Seed worth a hundred points sits there, ready for Gu Hang to activate whenever he wishes. Then, upon his command, a gene seed coveted by the Phoenix Battle Group would materialize. Coupled with a boy of outstanding talent, a set of powered armor, and several years of training, a new Phoenix would be born. If all goes well, that is. But this is the kind of thing that¡¯s likely to result in failure upon testing, so for now it¡¯s not being considered. The remaining area where money could be spent was on the [Technology] panel. This was the real money pit. He had by now roughly figured out the mechanics of the [Technology] system. The investment of Grace into this system is tiered. 10 points, 100 points, 1000 points¡­ and so on. 10 Grace points can only exchange for basic level technology, with a guaranteed success on the first try; subsequent successes have a decreasing probability by 30%. He had already hit the jackpot three times at this tier: alloy steel production line, the G9 Gun Family production line, and the ¡°Whetstone¡± Engine production line were the results of those three successes. Now, the probability of winning the 10 Grace point tier had dwindled to 10%. Another win might deplete the chances entirely or something else entirely. In any case, the cost-performance ratio was already very low. As for the 100-point tier, the ¡®first-time purchase bonus¡¯ was still available; just one infusion guaranteed a prize. There was a 50% chance of acquiring a basic level technology and another 50% chance that it could yield an advanced level technology! The specific decline mechanism for the winning odds at the 100-point tier was unclear, and it might take a few more investments to understand it. But as it stood, spending money on the 10-point tier to gamble on that 10% chance, the expected value to hit a prize once would still consume 100 Grace points. Although there is a chance to hit the jackpot on the first try, it is equally possible to spend over a hundred points without yielding any results. Yet for the same price of 100 points, one could guarantee success at the 100-point tier. So why would Gu Hang have any reason to continue investing in the 10-point tier? In any case, he still had quite a few Grace points on hand, so why not¡­ take a shot and see what happens? Thinking this, Gu Hang went ahead and clicked on the [Technology] interface. ¡°Advanced Technology: Controlled Reactor¡± ¡°The main source of energy in most of the empire¡¯s medium-to-high-level worlds.¡± Upon seeing this item, Gu Hang¡¯s first reaction was: He¡¯d hit the jackpot! Its simple description implied limitless possibilities! Indeed, as the technology description suggested, in most of the more advanced worlds, controlled reactors were the primary energy source. Using the simplest elements¡ªwater and air¡ªas raw materials, they could refine nuclear fuel for electricity generation. In many resource-rich worlds, relying solely on controlled reactors for power generation, alongside the production capabilities for energy storage cells, was enough to produce batch after batch of fully charged cells and pay considerable taxes. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Rage Owl Star, in this regard, was a world rich in resources. In many worlds developed over a long period, water resources were scarce. In the Nest Capital Worlds with hundreds of billions of inhabitants, water had to be deliberately and continuously recycled. Moreover, a significant amount of energy had to be invested in the regeneration of water resources. But on Rage Owl Star, water resources remained abundant and inexpensive. Just recently, a storm nearly flooded Revival City. Gu Hang knew that with this technology in hand, he might not be able to roll out a mass production line for mother machines to explode the capacity of reactors, but that was not key. All he needed were three ready-made black box reactors, placing them both in Revival City and Weixing City, ensuring that for a very long time to come, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about energy issues. The era of importing thermite stone for power generation in Rubbish Town, which lasted only a brief period, could be declared over! Chapter 119 - Chapter 119: Chapter 117, Continuous Draw of Science and Technology Cards Chapter 119: Chapter 117, Continuous Draw of Science and Technology Cards After obtaining the controlled reactor technology, Gu Hang was very satisfied and excited about the one-hundred-point tier science technology draw. He still had more than five hundred points, enough for five more draws! However, he first checked the probability decay situation. The probability of getting a basic tier item had become 70%; the intermediate tier had become 30%. There was still a one hundred percent chance of winning a prize. So what was there to say? Draw again! [Basic Science Technology: Medicine Production] [Provides the capability to produce over one hundred and forty-three types of basic medicines, covering most common diseases and injuries.] After acquiring this, the probability of basic tier items decreased to 50%, while the intermediate tier remained at 30%, and there was a 20% chance of drawing nothing. But overall, there was still an 80% chance of obtaining something, so Gu Hang did not hesitate to draw again. [Basic Science Technology: Fifth-generation ¡®Walker¡¯ Series Armored Vehicle] [The most common armored vehicle in the Imperial Star Realm Army; capable of extending into various models, producing the ¡®Advancer¡¯ Armored Transport Vehicle, the ¡®Wanderer¡¯ Infantry Fighting Vehicle, the ¡®Defender¡¯ Anti-Air Warfare Vehicle, and the ¡®Listener¡¯ Armored Communication and Command Vehicle, etc.] Once again, the probability for the one hundred tier items had decreased, turning into 30% for basic science technology, 30% for intermediate tier, with the chance of drawing nothing rising to 40%. At this point, Gu Hang started to hesitate. He still had 354 blessing points, enough for three more draws. But if he got nothing on the one hundred tier, it would be quite painful. Conversely, the expected value of ten consecutive ten-point draws yielding one basic science technology started to seem more attractive. After thinking for a moment, Gu Hang decided to take another shot at the one hundred tier. He drew nothing. It was indeed painful, but with the probabilities laid out, it was within Gu Hang¡¯s expectations. He did not hesitate and spent another hundred points. [Intermediate Level: Bomb Gun] [A high-tier individual combat weapon in the Empire; only Star Realm warriors, Battle Nuns, and a few exceptionally elite troops can master it.] He indeed won a prize, but it was somewhat off the mark! The bomb gun wasn¡¯t very useful to Gu Hang at the moment. An ordinary soldier equipped with a bomb gun would likely break their own arm with a single shot. However, it could be set up as a fixed machine gun position, and its firepower would undoubtedly be much more formidable than that of a G9 machine gun. The issue is that it¡¯s not very portable; soldiers couldn¡¯t just lie down and shoot, as they likely wouldn¡¯t be able to control its accuracy. To use it, time would need to be spent setting up the gun properly and using it as a fixed firing point. Despite this, its tactical value was sufficient. Moreover, once the bomb gun was available, Gu Hang¡¯s technical experts, led by Wu Jiarong and her technical team, would no longer need to spend each day hand-making bullets for the Star Realm warriors, as the black box could produce them. However, acquiring the bomb gun technology posed another problem ¨C Gu Hang currently lacked the capability to expand production. While the mother black box could directly roll out a production line, a production line was different from the finished product black box. The latter could turn trash into bomb guns, but the former required the most basic components and raw materials. For the production of bomb guns, alloy plastic steel would not suffice; even the best plastic steel would not meet the requirements of certain gun components. It would require alloy ceramic steel, a much higher grade of alloy material. Clearly, Gu Hang¡¯s forces currently did not have the capability to produce this. It seemed they could only use the finished product black box for small-scale production for now. A bit disappointing. Although the bomb gun technology could indeed be considered intermediate level, it did not hold high value for Gu Hang at the moment. However, he soon got his emotions in check. In the future, once the production capacity catches up, this thing will eventually be able to shine with the brilliance it is supposed to have. Think of it as a technological reserve for the future. There were still 154 blessing points left, enough for one more attempt. However, this time Gu Hang ultimately chose to stop. He needed to save some blessing points for backup. [Controlled Reactor], [Fifth-generation ¡®Walker¡¯ Series Armored Vehicle], [Basic Medicinal Production], [Bomb Gun]. With this haul, two advanced-level and two basic-level technologies¡ªa total of four technologies¡ªwere a huge gain. Now that he had the technology in hand, it would take Gu Hang quite some time to realize their value, allowing his domain to slowly digest the scientific achievements until they could truly transform into productive capacity. Drawing too many technologies at once would still require a gradual conversion into productive capacity. There was no rush. Nevertheless, while he stopped drawing, he didn¡¯t forget to take one last look at what the probabilities for the 100-tier had become. Basic level: 50%, Advanced level: 10%. Hmm? So the probability for the advanced level had gone to the basic level, and if you win at the basic level, the probability would then decrease to that of the air force? He felt he had grasped another mechanism of the technological lottery system. ¡­ Tallying up the gains was always a joyful thing. But Gu Hang couldn¡¯t indulge in his happiness alone in his room for long. The storm disaster was over, and the things he had to do became even more numerous. Disaster relief, resettlement of people, resumption of work, follow-up production planning, city development, and the investigation and sweep of the remaining cult members in the city¡­ This series of tasks was extensive, complicated, and heavy. He received a communication request from Osenia and discussed with her what needed to be done next for a little while. Gu Hang shared his thoughts with Osenia in broad strokes, and the young lady went on her way to continue with her tasks. Then, Gu Hang immediately went on to meet with some people. The first ones he needed to meet were the warriors of the Star Realm and the Battle Nuns. This belonged to the nature of diplomatic work. These two groups were Gu Hang¡¯s most important allies at the moment. And during the previous operations, they had paid a painful price for his cause. Out of the seven Star Realm warriors, one had died; out of the twelve nuns, two had perished. Gu Hang had to make some gesture of acknowledgement. Not to mention offering some real benefits, which he now didn¡¯t have much of to offer that they would value. But it was precisely because of this situation that he had to be even more satisfactory in his attitude. No matter how busy he was, Gu Hang still attended the funeral of the Phoenix. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Matins and the others returned the body of their fallen brother to their still-under-construction monastery for burial and held a small-scale funeral underneath the statue of the Divine Emperor, officiated by Priest Rizzo. Afterward, Matins sought out Gu Hang and put forth his request. He wanted to select two hundred youths between the ages of 12 and 19 from within the scope of Revival City to be apprentices for the warband. The warband would personally train these youths and choose one among them to inherit the gene seed and equipment of the fallen Phoenix. Although the death of one had grieved the remaining six Phoenixes, wasn¡¯t this also a new beginning? Chapter 120 - Chapter 120: Chapter 118, Just Crush the Bones and Scatter the Ashes Chapter 120: Chapter 118, Just Crush the Bones and Scatter the Ashes ¡°No problem, leave it to me,¡± Gu Hang assured Commander Matins, thumping his chest confidently, ¡°Within Revival City¡­ no, even further away¡ªyou can have whatever or whoever you want within the entire bounds of Rage Owl Star. Just let me know, and I¡¯ll see to it they¡¯re delivered to you.¡± It was only two hundred youths, and Gu Hang was more than accommodating. Consider it as the Phoenix Gang¡¯s own contribution for waging war. As per the tradition of the war band, they would train these two hundred young men rigorously and after a period of training, select the most outstanding lucky chap under nineteen to undergo the genetic seed implantation surgery. The rest would continue to stay in the training camp; those who surpassed nineteen without being selected weren¡¯t released, but instead transitioned to auxiliary personnel for the war band. The treatment and designation for these individuals varied among different war bands, but according to Phoenix traditions, they would be called ¡°down¡±, accompanying the star warriors in battle. Their learned skills in power armor, grenade rifles, chainsaw swords maintenance, and the tactical literacy fostered in the training camp would not go to waste. However, Matins¡¯s face was always tinged with melancholy. This matter caused him great anxiety. If the seed implantation was successful, that would of course be wonderful. The war band would have fresh blood, and this new blood would produce a new genetic seed five years later¡ªa new cycle of renewal. And if successful again, another would come after five years¡­ But, if it failed¡­ then there would be only six old soldiers left with the existing Phoenix Seeds in the entire universe. Matins couldn¡¯t afford to take this lightly. ¡°I hope everything goes smoothly,¡± he said to Gu Hang. ¡°The war band¡­ we really can¡¯t afford another failure. I hope that when the time comes, you could help us out again by arranging for some specialized equipment for the implantation surgery. Although we can perform it now, Priest Rizzo isn¡¯t a professional pharmacist. High-quality equipment would increase the likelihood of success.¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to help you guys out, but it depends on whether the next interstellar merchants arriving at Rage Owl Star carry similar goods. If they do, I¡¯ll secure them for you,¡± Gu Hang replied. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°It¡¯s what I should do, as I promised to support the rebuilding of your war band.¡± After brief exchanges following the funeral, Gu Hang took his leave. Before he left, he noticed a bald warrior approaching Matins. That person¡¯s gaze lingered on him until he boarded the helicopter and flew far away. ¡­ After attending the funeral at the monastery of the star warriors, Gu Hang went to visit the battle nuns as well. They hadn¡¯t held any funeral or mourning, simply preserving the bodies of the two sisters carefully. The headquarters of the Sainte-Lys Nun Association were on Korolya III in the Tianma Star Sector. On their journey back, they would take the bodies of the sisters with them, and a funeral would be held at the chapel of the headquarters. As the Planetary Governor, Gu Hang expressed gratitude and condolences to the Mother Superior, and through the subsequent conversation, understood roughly what they planned to do next. With two sisters gone, Georgette certainly wouldn¡¯t let it rest. She and her sisters intended to doggedly pursue the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect¡¯s trail. Gu Hang expressed some worries. Judging from earlier events, those cult members should not be underestimated. At Cui Kao¡¯s level, they were sufficiently menacing to threaten the safety of the Mother Superior. Especially since they would move on to search for the cult¡¯s stronghold after concluding their investigation of the cult in Revival City¡ªexposing them to even greater dangers, and Gu Hang might not always be able to provide support in time. Nevertheless, Georgette herself remained optimistic about it. According to some intelligence previously obtained, Cui Kao holds a very high status within the entire Primordial Wrath Owl Sect. The highest power structure of the entire sect is the so-called Grand Priest Council. There are only six people who are named High Priests, and even fewer¡ªjust two¡ª can be crowned with the title ¡°Primal¡±. One had already died in Revival City, leaving only the other who was not invincible. In fact, if it were a fair fight, Georgette didn¡¯t think that a spiritual energy practitioner of Cui Kao¡¯s level was her match. The reason why the previous battle was so fierce was mainly because Cui Kao was fighting on his home ground. That wind farm was essentially a ritual site, where they had been preparing for more than a year. Including that disgusting wind wall and the incarnation of the Rage Owl that manifested, were all products of the ritual site. If it were just Cui Kao himself, Georgette believed that he wouldn¡¯t last more than three strikes against her. ¡°The blood debt of my sisters, I want these cultists to pay back a hundredfold!¡± ¡°It should be a thousandfold, ten thousandfold,¡± Gu Hang echoed. Hearing this, Georgette was quite satisfied. Her face stern, she said to Gu Hang, ¡°Your Excellency the Governor, in the name of the State Religion Holy Cultivation Association and the Sainte-Lys Nun Association, I formally request your assistance. I need you and your forces to do everything in your power to help us search for cultists, eradicate them, and provide necessary support!¡± Having said that, she took out a somewhat yellowed piece of paper. Gu Hang took it, glanced over it, and saw the content was roughly similar to what Georgette had just said, only the wording was more formal and written in official language. This was an official request for cooperation, signed at the bottom right with Georgette¡¯s name, her position within the state religion, and sealed with wax. Gu Hang¡¯s expression also grew serious, ¡°I accept your request. I will provide you with the help you need. I will appoint a liaison officer. Tadeusz Political Commissar will be responsible for the coordination. He will be one of the military commanders under my command. As soon as you need assistance, contact him directly and I¡¯ll authorize him to provide you with the supplies, investigative help, and military attack support you require.¡± ¡°Thank you, Your Excellency the Governor. I have already sent a request to the headquarters of the Sisterhood; after a month, another squad of battle nuns will come to support us, and we will completely eradicate those cultists!¡± ¡°It is I who should thank you.¡± ¡­ Truth be told, Gu Hang was slightly surprised by Georgette¡¯s decision. He had thought that these nuns would return to their starship after the battle. But the cult crisis that erupted in Revival City was bigger than imagined, and it was the battle nuns¡¯ inescapable responsibility to eradicate the cult members. The loss of two battle sisters was also a significant shock, igniting a raging fire of vengeance in Georgette, determined to fight the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect to the end. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang certainly supported this decision. Those cultists were also his targets for a relentless crackdown, as both sides had already become irreconcilable enemies. Now, with the help of a team of professionals adept at countering heretics, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t be more welcoming. As for the support she was seeking? Give! Give it all! As long as it would turn the cultists¡¯ ashes to dust, he would provide whatever was needed! Chapter 121 - Chapter 121: Chapter 119, Rebuilding the City Chapter 121: Chapter 119, Rebuilding the City Osenia did not find herself idle just because the disaster had ended. On the contrary, she became busier. In the process of arranging the evacuation of Revival City, the urgency of the matter inevitably led to considerable chaos in the midst of the storm. But fortunately, the problem was ultimately resolved. When the evacuation was half completed, the storm subsided, and the sky cleared up. Although the governor had not issued new orders at that time, Osenia could see that the disaster sufficient to obliterate the entire Revival City seemed to have passed. Despite the houses that had collapsed in the storm, standing in the flood caused by the torrential rain, everything appeared immensely messy. There were also quite a few people who had been electrified to death by lightning strikes¡­ But overall, the casualties were still within an acceptable range. By that time, she had already been requesting the troops assisting her to implement more orderly control; and after confirming the governor¡¯s order that the disaster had ended, she directly halted the evacuation of the city. At this point, Osenia¡¯s focus shifted to emergency rescue and disaster relief. The already organized populace was not sent back directly. She took the stage with a loudspeaker, personally explaining the entire process to the people. The dreadful Cultists had tried to summon a storm to destroy the city, but this plot had been personally thwarted by the wise and valiant governor. Now that the city was safe again, those who hadn¡¯t received their food could continue to collect it at the distribution points; those who had received it were required to participate in the city¡¯s emergency rescue and disaster relief operations under the arrangement of the troops. As for the tens of thousands of people who had already gone to the evacuation points outside the city, Osenia had not crammed them back into the city. As per the great governor¡¯s request, they would carry out indoctrination and education on those 30,000-plus people, facilitating their relocation to Weixing City. This was the pre-established population strategy. Revival City actually did not need to maintain such a large population. The past Revival City, not to mention the exploitation of the suburban poor and the refugees by the inner city people, faced difficulties just in terms of industrial structure in sustaining so many people. Revival City¡¯s light industry was decent, but it could not absorb a working population of millions; the service industry was mainly targeted at the inner city, and even the commoners there lived rather tightly, with only the wealthy truly having money, but they did not require that many people to serve them. Plainly put, the production capacity could not support so many people, and exploitation was not really the key issue. If Revival City couldn¡¯t support them, Weixing City could! There was a severe shortage of people there, and the expansion of production was hampered by the population numbers. In his original plans, Gu Hang had intended to relocate a large portion of Revival City¡¯s population to Weixing City to establish a heavy industry base. Now it was the perfect opportunity. Those who had left the city had their belongings washed away by the flood, and with their food for the journey already prepared, the masses might be slow to move, but a two-day march should get them to Weixing City. Of course, they would not be sent on their way just like that. The wasteland was not safe. Captain Perbov had received orders to lead his troops in collaboration with the third battalion, to escort the convoy back. By then, Patel, the representative of the Abandoned Cave Society, would probably be overjoyed to distraction. As for the emergency rescue and disaster relief of the outer regions of Revival City, it was actually quite blunt and straightforward. Originally, there was no planning to speak of in the outer region of the city. When people arrived, they found a spot, set up a shelter, and called it home. The materials for the shelters were diverse; none of these houses had any fire or disaster resistance to speak of, the ones that didn¡¯t leak wind or rain were considered well built. They had not considered whether the traffic was convenient or not. In the especially dense areas, having a small path for people to get in and out was decent enough. It was only when the inner city folks couldn¡¯t bear to see it anymore¡ªmainly because they couldn¡¯t have the country folks block the roads in and out of the city¡ªthat they planned several main roads and strictly forbade obstruction, thereby maintaining basic supplies and communication. This too was in Osenia¡¯s plans. Little by little, she aimed to clear the outer city, using the main roads as a reference to develop a more rational network, and establish administrative districts based on industrial structure, dividing the areas by blocks and zones. The storm and the floods it brought were disasters, but¡­ looking on the bright side, it unwittingly helped to demolish the houses. Even though the ruins were a mess, they still had to clear them by hand. So let them clear it. What was called emergency rescue and disaster relief was just that. They searched through the ruins piece by piece, rescuing people first, and then clearing an area to concentrate the debris in one location. The cleared space would then immediately be used to construct simple, inhabitable large houses, where people could at least sleep in large communal bunks to begin with. The construction teams would then move in synchronously, building new houses according to the plans in the cleared areas. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Watching many people simply having a full belly, wading through water, rolling up their sleeves, and getting down to work enthusiastically, a long-lost smile appeared on Osenia¡¯s face. She liked such vibrant scenes the most. However, after smiling, she immediately turned back to her temporary office. Since the emergency rescue and relief work was to be combined with city reconstruction, the necessary planning needed to be started promptly. This caught Osenia somewhat off guard; she had thought there would be plenty of time to think about this. How to demolish, how to rebuild, including how to settle and compensate the civilians whose homes were demolished¡­ Now, many problems didn¡¯t require thinking, but new ones had arisen. Chapter 122 - Chapter 122: Chapter 119, Rebuilding the City_2 Chapter 122: Chapter 119, Rebuilding the City_2 She was full of energy. ¡­ ¡°What are they up to now!¡± ¡°It was them who said we had to evacuate, and it¡¯s them saying we have to come back!¡± ¡°And having to move so much stuff, clear what ruins, if you ask me, what¡¯s there to clear? When the water¡¯s gone, can¡¯t all this be used again¡­¡± ¡°Ricky, boss, you got something to say?¡± Listening to the complaints one after another, Ricky probably felt something similar. But when people asked him, he just waved his hand and said, ¡°Less talk, more work.¡± ¡°Tch¡­¡± The person gave up, disappointed, waved his hand but didn¡¯t dare to say much else. Ricky had some influence in this area. After all, he had led hundreds of people through the wilderness, struggled to survive, and made it to Revival City. Then, with his bravery and fierceness, he carved out a small territory for his own people to have food; at the same time, due to his loyalty, compliance with rules, and sensibility, he didn¡¯t bully others. Instead, he was willing to stand up for justice for others, establishing considerable prestige so that people from a large area of the neighborhood respected him, even the gangs didn¡¯t bother coming this way. But this was all he could do, at most, at most. And now, this neighborhood was already destroyed, the people had scattered everywhere, with very few acquaintances remaining nearby. But Ricky didn¡¯t care. He just quietly lifted the waste material boards from the ground and transferred them to the cart beside him, then repeated the action. In his view, what was the use of saying so much, doing so much? When had those above ever regarded them as people? In truth, this new governor, who provided grain and food, was already very good. He wanted to play his games, let him be. As long as they were fed, he could do whatever he wanted. Whoever fed them was the boss. As for the storm that could destroy the city, it was said that it was stopped by the governor¡­ Anyway, I didn¡¯t see it, whatever you say goes, could I even oppose it? Of course, it¡¯s not like I completely disbelieved it. After all, that storm was definitely not normal, and I did see red lights falling from eight points around the city, accompanied by the sounds of explosions, as if fierce battles were happening. Eventually, the storm did stop. Maybe it was indeed handled by the governor? But it was unrelated to small fries like me. Could I influence anything? I couldn¡¯t influence anything. Even in matters that could destroy a city and lead people to death, for the poor like me, even those with a bit of influence, doing anything was meaningless. Even if a storm, lightning, or flood really claimed my life, I would have to give in, what else could I do? By comparison, all I could do was strive to secure a meal for myself. If I was going to die, I should have a meal before I die, right? During my past wandering life, I came close to starving to death, and I¡¯ve seen people starve to death. I think it¡¯s the most terrible way to die in this world. However, speaking of having a meal, it seems better that the governor won. After all, the governor did provide a meal. As for working now? Well, after being fed, it¡¯s only right to work. Where on this wasteland could you get a free meal? Even when working, there was always someone in a black jacket and red hat, shouting through a megaphone, which was kind of annoying. But I didn¡¯t dare say a word. They carry guns and command troops. There are thousands of people working at this site, with nearly a hundred soldiers guarding it. These soldiers didn¡¯t just supervise the work; under the leadership of the person in the red hat, they also labored. But if you¡¯re going to work, work, don¡¯t keep making noise. Talking about how this is cleaning our homeland, how in the future better houses will be built here, how we¡¯ll be the ones living in those homes¡­ Damn, where¡¯s such good fortune in the wasteland? I¡¯ve never heard of this in my whole life. But saying this, I can¡¯t help but wish for it a bit. Could we really live in sturdy houses, live orderly lives in neat neighborhoods? Forget it, better not to have too many hopes, to avoid greater disappointment later. As the work in my hands continued, the fatigue and weariness of my body gradually made it difficult for me to have any idle thoughts. But just then, the sound of gongs and drums began. It was time for a meal. I looked up and realized that the sky had darkened, and it was about time to finish work for the day. Following the crowd to the meal site, I picked up my portion. It wasn¡¯t delicious, just a hard blob like a pancake. But I was still happy. Whether it tasted good or not was never my concern. All I knew was that this rock-hard pancake was substantial and filling when eaten. Not to mention, it was accompanied by a bowl of thick soup. Soaking the pancake in it, that was already a great delicacy. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After a day of toiling, saliva was triggered by this meal, and my stomach embarrassingly growled. Picking up the food, I was eager to move away to a quiet spot and enjoy it, but someone called out to me. ¡°You didn¡¯t take this.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± I looked back, and it was a pair of gloves. ¡°These just came in with the supplies. You can use them tomorrow. Be careful when you work, don¡¯t cut your hands.¡± The girl in charge of distributing food and gloves said this. Chapter 123 - Chapter 123: Chapter 119, Rebuilding the City_3 Chapter 123: Chapter 119, Rebuilding the City_3 Ricky hesitated before taking the gloves, but he couldn¡¯t help looking around and noticed that almost everyone had received a pair. He began to reconsider his earlier thoughts. The food in his hand, the gloves, it was as if they were telling him that the new adults who had arrived seemed willing to treat them as humans. Otherwise, if all they wanted was work, wouldn¡¯t just giving you food be enough? Why would they care if you might scratch your hands and give you gloves? Collecting his thoughts, he nodded slightly in acknowledgment, took the food and gloves, and left. After eating and drinking his fill, he lay down on the communal sleeping area, ready to sleep. It was a bit noisy around him, as the construction crew was working through the night to build houses. The materials they used were the junk they had collected earlier, and the houses they were building were simple prefabricated ones. In fact, some had already been erected that day. According to the man with the red hat, they were building temporary shelters for them, and everyone would move in first for resettlement, and later on more houses would be built, and distributed to everyone according to their contributions. He still didn¡¯t quite believe the latter part, but he had no doubts about the former. Although he hadn¡¯t moved into one himself, that was because there simply weren¡¯t enough of these prefabricated communal houses yet, not enough to go around; only a portion of people, focusing on the old, the young, and women, could be accommodated. Where he was sleeping now was outdoors, with just a pile of waste material arbitrarily stacked to raise the ground a few dozen centimeters, encircled by makeshift shelters to avoid sleeping directly on the damp ground, and to provide some shelter from the wind. But by tomorrow, when more of the resettlement houses were built, he should be able to sleep inside, and wouldn¡¯t have to endure conditions like today¡¯s. Although living conditions were harsh, in truth everyone could bear this sort of hardship; it wasn¡¯t a big deal. He lay down, ready to quickly fall asleep, since tomorrow there would still be a lot of work to do. Just then, he heard a loudspeaker calling from outside. ¡°Ricky! Ricky! Who is Ricky? Does anyone know Ricky?¡± He sat up, his expression grave. He didn¡¯t know what had happened, but as a wasteland traveler by instinct, he assumed any unexpected event to be bad news. He was already considering how to conceal his name, how to slip away quietly. However, he wasn¡¯t given the opportunity. Having a reputation isn¡¯t always a bad thing, and he was quickly identified. More than one person outside was saying, Ricky is right here. He could only walk out reluctantly, glaring at those who had exposed him. A young man who caught his glare spoke somewhat sheepishly, ¡°Boss Ricky, these people looking for you don¡¯t seem to have bad intentions, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t have told them where you are, I¡¯m not betraying you!¡± ¡°Save it!¡± After a rebuke, he could only resign himself to following the person with the loudspeaker and the red hat. He got into a car¡ªfor the first time in his life¡ªand arrived at a place that wasn¡¯t much different from their temporary dwellings. Here, too, the night was bright with lights, and many people were coming and going, seemingly very busy. After waiting for a while, someone led him inside, to a girl in a blue shirt. She seemed unaware of his arrival, still engrossed in her paperwork; her shoulders looked frail, as if a breeze could blow her over; her face was also very haggard, as though she¡¯d been working hard for a long time. But this person, Ricky knew. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He couldn¡¯t quite believe his eyes, ¡°Os¡­ Osenia?¡± Hearing his voice, the girl who had been looking down lifted her head, revealing a surprised smile: ¡°Uncle Ricky? I finally found you! Are you okay?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Two chapters combined Chapter 124 - Chapter 124: Chapter 120, The Little Steward Chapter 124: Chapter 120, The Little Steward Ricky was surprised. ¡°How are you¡­ now?¡± He wasn¡¯t blind, he could tell that Osenia held a high position here. ¡°Um¡­ something like a minor manager,¡± was all Osenia could say. A clerk who was just about to go out to deliver some materials couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡®Minor¡¯ manager. You, Miss, are now the chief officer of the Production Department, directly appointed by the Governor. In the absence of any other civil departments or actual positions, you could be considered the de facto highest civil manager of Revival City at the moment. And you call that a ¡®minor¡¯ manager? When Osenia heard the laughter, she glared fiercely at the clerk. The clerk gave her a tittering laugh and quickly scurried away. Turning back, she gave Ricky an embarrassed smile, ¡°Colleagues don¡¯t really understand¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to explain further.¡± Even if Ricky wasn¡¯t exceedingly shrewd, he had been mixing in the wasteland for a long time and would be too foolish if he couldn¡¯t see through certain things. His demeanor became a bit more reserved. The two were acquaintances from the past. During her flight to Revival City, Osenia had actually traveled in Ricky¡¯s group. She had received quite a bit of help from Ricky during the flight and for a while after arriving at Revival City. Ricky wasn¡¯t helping her specifically, but he was a rare kind of person who valued fairness and loyalty. On the road to refuge and after settling in a small block of Revival City, having that much support was already a great help to Osenia, a young girl trying to survive with her younger brother. Of course, since they were not relatives or close friends, the help only went so far. Later on, Osenia left Revival City with her brother. Ricky said, ¡°I heard someone say they heard you give a speech and that you became an employee under the Governor. I was happy for you. But I didn¡¯t expect that you were more than just an employee.¡± ¡°At that time, I heard that you and your brother got taken to the Governor¡¯s Camp after sharing a bowl of porridge with someone. I thought you were tricked since there are no such good deals in this world. But, it seems I was the one with limited knowledge. As long as you¡¯re doing well now, that¡¯s all that matters.¡± Osenia smiled wryly, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m doing too well. I¡¯ve barely slept in two days. And, the reason I asked Uncle Ricky here is that I have serious business.¡± ¡°What serious business?¡± Ricky was very cautious. He was still somewhat afraid of falling into a trap. But Osenia had already eagerly pulled out a sketch of a planning map from the pile of papers under the table. ¡°Take a look at this.¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± Ricky took a quick look and, although he couldn¡¯t understand many of the detailed parameters on the planning map, just by looking at it, he quickly recognized it, ¡°This is our block? But¡­¡± It¡¯s completely transformed! But how much money would it take to do this? ¡°Stop with the ¡®buts¡¯.¡± Osenia said, ¡°As I remember, Uncle Ricky is not the kind of person to be indecisive. I¡¯ll be straightforward, I didn¡¯t ask you here just to catch up. You see, my work now is very voluminous, very busy. I asked you to come to help me.¡± ¡°What can I possibly do to help you¡­¡± Ricky instinctively wanted to refuse. Everything was too unknown, and he didn¡¯t want to step in without clearing things up first. However, Osenia waved her hand dismissively. She was no longer the timid girl of the past, or rather, the tenacity inside her hadn¡¯t changed, but she had learned that sometimes, to achieve her goals, she needed to show that tenacity outwardly. She said, quite indisputably, ¡°Uncle Ricky, don¡¯t refuse me. Your prestige in the neighborhood and your good reputation can provide me with great help. I¡¯m in dire need of capable people to handle affairs¡ªhelpers who are reliable in both character and ability, to help me speed up the work.¡± ¡°This matter isn¡¯t just about me, nor is it simply a command from the governor. It¡¯s also for the welfare of the entire city¡¯s people. Even if you don¡¯t consider other aspects, think about our old neighborhood. Do you want to return to our previous life or would you prefer to live in the houses I¡¯ve designed?¡± Ricky said helplessly, ¡°Of course, I¡¯d want to live in the houses you¡¯ve designed¡­¡± ¡°Then come help me. I guarantee you¡¯ll be able to move in, just by working for me and serving in the new government. That alone will earn you enough credits for a house. And your work will help many others move in as well. I also assure you that you¡¯ll become an even more respected person.¡± ¡°It seems like I don¡¯t have a choice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, you don¡¯t,¡± Osenia smiled and extended her hand, continuing toward the man before her, ¡°But I promise you won¡¯t regret it, never.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Ricky sighed and continued, ¡°What specifically do you want me to do?¡± ¡°Find more reliable manpower, organize the teams, follow our planning maps and work more efficiently. We need to make everyone understand and believe that what we¡¯re doing now is for a better life tomorrow. In this respect, our political commissars, those with the red hats, will help you. But our people lack enough knowledge about Revival City, so we need locals like you to organize teams, distribute food, supervise the progress of work¡­¡± She started to explain the specific tasks to Ricky in detail. Ricky was also listening very carefully. ¡­ In fact, Ricky wasn¡¯t the only person that Osenia had recruited. Throughout the process of clearing debris and rebuilding the city, Osenia encountered too many problems. She had already identified the number of workers needed for the factories and shops within the city getting back into operations and hoped that corresponding workers and clerks would go back to their jobs. And many people without jobs, or those whose work was ruined by the disaster, were temporarily transitioning to construction workers on site. Through work-for-aid programs, she also meant to handle the city¡¯s infrastructure. But when it came to the point where more refined management was needed, Osenia realized that her control wasn¡¯t sufficient. She didn¡¯t have enough people to disseminate her ideas and plans to every construction team and every district. She also lacked the personnel to assist her with a series of plans she was making. For now, this problem wasn¡¯t particularly noticeable. The army, still maintaining its organizational structure during the disaster relief, was helping her. But this situation obviously couldn¡¯t last forever. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only She had to establish an administrative foundation. Among the poor in the outer city, she actively sought out those with good character and reputation, those with prestige, those with professional capabilities, and then tried to fit them into her administrative framework. But this was still not enough. Among the outer city¡¯s poor, people with a relatively good educational background like herself were a minority, while there were many more in the inner city. And in this regard, she had already approached Lambert. Chapter 125 - Chapter 125: Chapter 121, Terror Engulfs Chapter 125: Chapter 121, Terror Engulfs In the midst of that terrifying storm, the Inner City was certainly affected too. However, compared to the Outer City, the better-planned and more modern Inner City fared not too shabbily. The sturdy houses were not easily blown over or collapsed due to flooding; the drainage system, though overwhelmed, resulted in the city being submerged for a while, but reliable sewer systems and drains quickly diverted the water away once the skies cleared. Even for the people of the Inner City, a few days of shutdown did not lead to starvation. They generally had food reserves and savings at home. But their days were far from comfortable. It was just that the nature of their discomfort was somewhat different. If one were to say that the person currently in charge of Revival City¡¯s outer restoration was Osenia, the Civil Affairs Chief, and the general mood of the Outer City was one of bustling post-disaster reconstruction, Then the most powerful figure in the Inner City was Lambert, the grandson of a former chairman of the Alliance Council, and what he brought to the Inner City was a reign of terror. Lambert, almost the last of his family, had transformed into a vengeful specter¡ªat least, that¡¯s how the people of the Inner City saw him. Before the storm, this reign of terror had already begun. Following Norris¡¯s capture, based on his and Bradford¡¯s testimonies ¨C both former heavyweights in the Alliance Council ¨C people were taken away by soldiers every day. Those taken vanished without a trace. The ones responsible for the abductions weren¡¯t any unit familiar to the people of Revival City. The Governor¡¯s Direct Troops from Weixing City were completely impartial, not even offering a way to discreetly inquire about the fate of those taken. The Inner City now resembled a deadly game of murder, where every time you closed and opened your eyes, someone you knew might have been invited for tea, never to return. To describe the situation as panic-inducing would be an understatement. A notion began to circulate within the Inner City: the vengeful specter intended to drag the whole of Revival City into hell, as a burial for his family. The tempest that seemed poised to destroy the city actually became a respite for the troubled mind. At least for many who harbored guilt, it was so. At least during the storm, they didn¡¯t have to worry about soldiers coming to take people away. However, once the storm subsided, the atmosphere of terror swept back in, and the people of the Inner City began trembling with fear once more. Lambert had become a name within the Inner City capable of silencing a crying child. ¡°It¡¯s not that frightening, is it?¡± Listening to Osenia¡¯s teasing over the communications signal, Lambert couldn¡¯t help but laugh and cry at the same time. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the situation though? I¡¯ve heard all about it! Don¡¯t try to deny it!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just spout nonsense!¡± Lambert continued to defend himself, ¡°I¡¯ve been acting according to Mr. Gu¡¯s instructions. I have no need to misuse my power for personal vengeance, after all¡­ after all, according to Mr. Gu¡¯s instructions, those connected to my grandfather¡¯s death are all enemies of this city. Striking at them is merely official business. As for those additional ones, it¡¯s not that I want to take it out on them; it¡¯s just that they¡¯ve all done their fair share of bad deeds. By Mr. Gu¡¯s standards, they need to atone.¡± ¡°How are they to atone?¡± Osenia asked, quite curious. Lambert didn¡¯t hesitate with his answer: ¡°Those who have committed heinous acts will, three days from now at the public trial, have their crimes announced and be executed publicly; others will be sentenced to varying periods of forced labor. These prisoners, sentenced to labor, will be escorted to the mines of the Abandoned Cave Society to work as unpaid laborers, or to the state-run textile factories that specifically use prisoners as their workforce, to operate the sewing machines.¡± ¡°How many people in total?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ around two thousand, I suppose.¡± ¡°Two thousand¡­¡± Osenia couldn¡¯t help but marvel, ¡°The Inner City only has a total of a hundred thousand people, right? You¡¯ve locked up 2% of the population. No wonder the whole city is talking about you like this.¡± ¡°They brought it upon themselves,¡± Lambert snorted coldly, not wanting to continue the topic. His actions were not driven solely by his own will. Mr. Gu had instructed him to take action, and it was intended as a thorough cleansing of the Inner City. If they were planning to seize all means of production to convert them into state assets, how could it possibly be done peacefully? The so-called ¡°extremely wicked and deserving of execution¡± individuals, as well as many sentenced to long-term hard labor, had their specific penalties decided not just by their crimes but also by their influence. Those who were not quick enough, thorough enough, or resolute enough in their loyalties had their transgressions magnified by their greater influence. However, there was no need to say these things to Osenia. He changed the subject and said, ¡°I already know the favor you need from me. I will select a group of people with minor ¡®misdeeds.¡¯ They were supposed to be released anyway. I will kill two birds with one stone; those who were originally terrified will suddenly have a chance to serve Mr. Gu and obtain positions and opportunities even more important than before. They will probably be overjoyed to the point of tears.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Osenia tried to imagine such a scene. It was indeed one of tears and sobs. Lambert paused and then continued, ¡°But you need to be careful. These people have abilities, and there¡¯s no major issue with their backgrounds. However, they have been struck down by an iron fist. Whether they harbor resentment towards Mr. Gu or the new government in their hearts is something I can¡¯t guarantee. You must be very attentive to this when using them.¡± ¡°I will be.¡± ¡­ After ending the call with Osenia, Lambert organized his documents and went to see Mr. Gu. When he arrived, Gu Hang¡¯s secretary, Zhang Chao, asked him to wait a bit longer as the previous meeting was running long. Lambert waited patiently, and after a while, he saw Yan Fangxu and Tadeusz leaving the room. He stood up to greet them, and they quickly returned the courtesy as they passed by each other. They didn¡¯t talk about anything. The two military chiefs under Mr. Gu¡¯s power were evidently in a hurry, clearly having many tasks to attend to, and Lambert himself was also in a rush to report to the Governor, having no time for pleasantries. After entering the Governor¡¯s office, Lambert was about to salute but was stopped by Gu Hang. ¡°Skip the formalities and get straight to the point.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Lambert, not daring to delay, stepped forward and placed a stack of documents in front of the Governor. While the Governor was looking over them, Lambert began to report the situation. The main content was whom he had recently arrested; which ones needed close attention; and which ones were uncertain and needed Mr. Gu¡¯s decision. As Gu Hang listened, he amended some text in the documents and then handed them back to Lambert. ¡°Follow this.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lambert responded. ¡°I¡¯ve said what I needed to, so I won¡¯t trouble you any longer¡­¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He was halfway through his farewells when Gu Hang interrupted him, ¡°Wait a moment, there¡¯s something else.¡± ¡°Your public trial is going to be moved up; it starts tomorrow. After your public trial is over, I want to use the same venue to hold a military honors ceremony for our forces.¡± Lambert was taken aback and quickly said, ¡°Yes, I understand what needs to be done.¡± Though he said it like that, the task was actually somewhat troublesome. With the date moved up two days, many preparations hadn¡¯t been made yet, and it looked like he and his subordinates would have to work overtime that night. Gu Hang was clearly aware of this as he reassured him, ¡°Mm, thank you for your hard work, go and prepare well.¡± Chapter 126 - Chapter 126: Chapter 122, Tycoon’s Journey Chapter 126: Chapter 122, Tycoon¡¯s Journey The public trial was brought forward to coincide with the medal awarding ceremony, which was a great opportunity for publicity. The awarding ceremony was for the upcoming military restructuring. During this period, Osenia had been busy, Lambert had been busy, and so had Gu Hang. Not to mention that although those two were officials in charge of different areas, the ultimate power still lay with Gu Hang. Anything of slightly broader scope or requiring inter-department coordination or assistance had to go through Gu Hang. Major decisions also needed his approval. And these matters were already quite numerous. Not to mention, Gu Hang was personally overseeing the military issues. Internal politics were important, and so was military administration. Gu Hang decided to implement a rank system, organizing the troops according to the standard of the Imperial Regular Planetary Defense Forces. Officers would be classified into three categories and ten levels: generals, colonels, and lieutenants. There were four levels of generals, none currently existing; three levels of colonels, with colonel being the highest; and three levels of lieutenants, with captain being the highest. Yan Fangxu was promoted three ranks at once and became the highest-ranking officer under Gu Hang¡¯s command. He would assume the rank of colonel; next was Tadeusz, who would oversee the Military and Political Department as a lieutenant colonel. The entire army was to be restructured into two major formations. One was based on the infantry battalion that Gu Hang brought from Weixing City, expanded into a heavy composite brigade. This brigade would be equipped with five composite camps, one artillery camp, one engineer camp, one anti-air camp, one logistics camp, making a total of nine camps; the brigade headquarters and direct reporting included the staff department, command center, battlefield medical department, political department, guard company, engineer company, communication company, brigade-affiliated reconnaissance company, and a land aviation squadron. Let¡¯s not mention the rest, the five composite camps were going to be expansions of the current five infantry camps. Each camp would incorporate 1 artillery company, 1 armored company, 2 motorized infantry companies, 2 mechanized infantry companies, and 1 support company, totaling seven companies in all. The camp headquarters also included a reconnaissance platoon, a communications platoon, and a guard team. Such a main composite camp would have a total strength of over 800 people. There would be 40 Iron Bull trucks, 30 Scout Rider motorcycles, 24 ¡®Walker¡¯ Infantry Fighting Vehicles, armored command vehicles, armored communication vehicles, as well as 12 155mm howitzers, and 12 tanks¡­ Just the five composite camps alone would have a total force of over 4,100 people, not including various heavy equipment, to say nothing of the lighter gear. And at the brigade level, along with the four other camps plus the brigade headquarters, the scale would exceed 7,000 people. Considering that there were less than 1,500 people currently under-strength due to casualties, scaling up to such a force of 7,000¡­ Clearly, Gu Hang was going to absorb quite a bit of fresh blood from the former Alliance Legion. At the same time, it was even more important that the production of weapons and equipment keep pace. The tanks would make do with the 60 that were left over from the former Alliance Legion and still operational, though they were somewhat outdated and there was no choice. As for the production of other equipment, Gu Hang was about to take a trip back to Weixing City to tackle the problem with Wu Jiarong. The other items could be managed, as the transport trucks and fast motorcycles required for the motorized infantry could just use the ¡®Iron Bull¡¯ and ¡®Scout Rider¡¯. But the heavy artillery needed by the gunners was not quite sufficient from what was captured from the Alliance Legion. Gu Hang had to consult with Wu Jiarong about the current status of the self-developed 155mm howitzers. On the other hand, Gu Hang had to make use of the few technological items extracted this time. For the ¡®Walker¡¯ series of armored vehicles that needed to be produced at scale, Gu Hang planned to first set up the production line for the ¡®Wanderer¡¯ Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The demand for these was large and their impact significant. In the technologically undeveloped Wasteland World, the ¡®Walker¡¯s¡¯ firepower was probably more ferocious and more reliable than the locally produced tanks. As for the ¡®Listener¡¯ communication armored vehicle, ¡®Defender¡¯ anti-aircraft vehicle, and ¡®Navigator¡¯ command armored vehicle, which had lower demand, they would be directly produced from finished black boxes, not rushing to set up production lines for now. After Gu Hang presented the idea of this heavy composite brigade, both Yan Fangxu and Tadeusz were somewhat taken aback. The number of personnel was fine, but that equipment requirement¡­ was just too damn extravagant. A¡­ luxury brigade? If such a heavy composite brigade were indeed formed, wouldn¡¯t it travel horizontally across the Wasteland World? Even from the perspective of an imperial officer like Yan Fangxu, such a troop, stationed among the many regular Star Realm Army Corps units, would also be considered luxuriously equipped¡ªif the tanks were exchanged for higher-tier tanks of the Star Realm Army. In fact, the Star Realm Army was not in the habit of organizing elite composite brigades. More often, the Star Realm Army faced much larger and broader battlefields, where deploying hundreds of thousands, or even millions of troops, was common. Larger divisions and corps structures were more commonly used. Dozens or even hundreds of divisions would form an army group to handle a particular warfront; multiple army groups would assemble into an army group cluster to manage continental warfare¡­ The Star Realm Army was called the ¡®Hammer of the Empire¡¯ for good reason. It had to smash the enemy to smithereens with unmatched force, like a hammer. However, this does not mean that the Star Realm Army, having a hammer, does not need a knife. Some elite composite brigade units would be used as spearheads for assault. The composite brigade that His Excellency the Governor was assembling had a bit of that edge. If this force were fully integrated and equipped and could somehow be deployed to the Quintet Starship in space, it¡¯s probable that the troops on the starship would be in for a challenge. If they were not adequately guarded, it was not impossible for them to be pierced through all the way to Colonel Yelisia¡¯s face. True, there were one hundred thousand people on the starship, but most of them were workers, slaves; the armed forces might only number twenty to thirty thousand, lacking in heavy equipment. Beyond this main composite brigade, the remainder to be organized was a standard infantry division, made up of three infantry regiments, each with an artillery battalion. Though it¡¯s called a division, including the division headquarters, the total force was only seven to eight thousand personnel, quite similar in number to the main composite brigade but much less equipped. Yan Fangxu didn¡¯t think too highly of this force. Even if their training was decent, their equipment was far inferior, and in the Star Realm Army, they would be nothing more than a regular ¡®fill-in division¡¯. Of course, in the environment of the Wasteland World, they were not bad at all. The total force, which had about fifteen thousand personnel, was Gu Hang¡¯s current plan. With a population of a million, maintaining an well-equipped force of over ten thousand seemed to be no big issue for the time being. There was of course a reason he needed to maintain such a large force. Internal development was important; the production potential of a million people had to be fully tapped into. Yet, the drive for outward expansion could not be halted. Gu Hang had not forgotten he had only two years. More than two months had passed. Relying on a million people to pay their taxes was not impossible in an all-out production surge, but that would mean all his resources would be devoted to that effort. That was definitely not feasible. He had to bring more territories and more population into his order. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Leaving Revival City to start afresh was to plant a seed; now, this seed had taken root and sprouted in Revival City. The city would become a fulcrum, which he intended to use to leverage the entire planet. Even the necessary expansion actions were being prepared before all the logistical supplies arrived. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Last month, a total of 160,000 characters were updated, with basically all the saved drafts used up during the launch. For May, there¡¯s a minimum of 4,000 characters per day, which makes 120,000 for the month; without drafts saved, an effort will be made to challenge 160,000 characters to maintain the update volume consistent with April. Chapter 127 - Chapter 127: Chapter 123, throwing chaos couldn’t even do this Chapter 127: Chapter 123, throwing chaos couldn¡¯t even do this ¡°` When Gu Hang placed several new ¡°Black Boxes¡± in front of Wu Jiarong, her mouth opened wider than it ever had in her life. Where on earth did these things come from? Initially, she had suspected they were provided by the Gu Family, but then she realized even the Gu Family wasn¡¯t capable of this; later, she harbored the daring thought that perhaps Mr. Gu was the son of some great Sage from the Sect of Mechanics, but then again, any Sage would undoubtedly value the Black Boxes more than their own flesh and blood. Those who had mechanical parts replacing everything in their bodies except their brains, did they still possess familial affections? That was uncertain. After that, Wu Jiarong couldn¡¯t think of any other reason. Even if she imagined the worst-case scenarios, such as Mr. Gu pledging allegiance to chaos and becoming a traitor to the Empire, it still didn¡¯t seem plausible: where would a chaotic power be willing to give so many Black Box Manufacturers to a planetary governor just to undermine a broken world like Rage Owl Star? The input-output ratio just didn¡¯t make sense! Unable to figure these things out, she simply stopped thinking about it. Wu Jiarong listened carefully to the governor¡¯s instructions, occasionally manipulating the mechanical arms extending from her back to write and draw on a piece of paper beside her. Rather than pondering things that were impossible to figure out, it was better to consider how to meet Mr. Gu¡¯s demands. Mr. Gu was like a client with complex ideas and strict requirements, yet he offered a price she simply couldn¡¯t refuse. So many different Black Boxes, each with immense research value. Although most of Wu Jiarong¡¯s time was to be dedicated to various tasks assigned by the research institute by Mr. Gu, just taking the opportunity to research the Black Box products and the operation of the Black Boxes themselves during her rest time amounted to valuable gains. Of course, she couldn¡¯t understand how the Black Boxes worked; that was a problem even the great Sages of the Sect of Mechanics couldn¡¯t solve, and she was far less likely to do so. Yet, merely observing them presented rewards. An even greater benefit was researching the standard products output by the Black Boxes, which was more suited to her current level. It hadn¡¯t been long before she felt she had made considerable progress from the past. She had a relatively clear understanding of her own technical skills. Although her official title was just a technical specialist, she had been preparing to become a mechanic ten years ago and had actually reached that level. However, due to wasted time in the past decade, she had neither the ambition nor the time nor the opportunity to study further. And now, she felt that sense of rapid advancement returning. Probably, in not too long, she would be able to promote herself to the next level of a technical priest. Besides helping Mr. Gu conceal the existence of the Black Boxes, she also needed to strive to prove her own worth. Although the former was important, it actually wasn¡¯t irreplaceable. She had to work even harder on the latter. It¡¯s just that Mr. Gu¡¯s requirements were still quite challenging. ¡°Monthly production of 50 units of 155mm heavy artillery¡­ This one is a bit difficult. But I have looked at the 155mm artillery produced by the local natives, and I realize my design can be further simplified. With effort, we should be able to achieve that this month.¡± ¡°` ¡°` ¡°Producing 50 ¡®Strider Vs¡¯ each month, and subsequently needing to gradually increase¡­ this is much harder than producing artillery. The finished Black Box cannot completely solve the problem; it can only produce 15 units with nonstop work for a month. To further expand production, we still need to set up dedicated manufacturing workshops.¡± ¡°Just setting up the production line requires the slow production of the Black Box, and the assembly of the line requires the full participation of the technicians. The Strider has many components; we can use the improved Grindstone Engine, but the chassis, body, internal instruments, and weapon systems all need to be produced separately. When it comes to assembly, that¡¯s another challenge. We have to train more skilled industrial workers to be up to the task.¡± ¡°I estimate that it might take two or three months to reach the production rate of 50 units/month; however, once we achieve this level, subsequent increases should be faster. There¡¯s also good news: We can initially use the finished products directly from the Black Box to meet the demands of the troops as much as possible.¡± ¡°The production line for the G9 Gun Family is relatively mature, so it¡¯s not difficult to increase the output.¡± ¡°The same applies to the production process for plastic steel bulletproof inserts used in textile clothing.¡± ¡°Explosive guns can only be produced by the Black Box, and even if we set up a production line, we don¡¯t have the corresponding raw material components. However, the demand isn¡¯t great, so it¡¯s not a big deal. It¡¯s mainly making resupplying much more convenient for the interstellar warriors. The extra capacity can be used to make explosive machine guns, mounted on the Striders, replacing the original parallel machine guns. At that point, the infantry fighting vehicle will have dual-barreled 40mm autocannons and explosive machine guns, plus anti-tank missile launchers, making the entire armament station quite formidable.¡± ¡°We also lack the capability to produce reactors, only relying on the Black Box. But perhaps we don¡¯t need to mass-produce these things for now? With finished product Black Box, I can have a controllable reactor power generator set deployed in the outskirts of Weixing City within a month. Both Revival City and Weixing City already have existing power grids. If we integrate into them, we won¡¯t have to worry about energy problems for a very, very long time. This will provide immense power for all our production lines, and our production capacity will see exponential growth in the near future.¡± ¡°Basic medical technology is relatively simple; we can quickly arrange to build a chemical plant. Once the imported raw materials are in place, we can swiftly start production. This includes over a hundred types of common medications. When the time comes, the military and city hospitals will have their pharmaceutical needs met. These drugs can also be traded internationally, or even stockpiled to deal with future imperial taxes.¡± ¡­ Wu Jiarong was giving Mr. Gu detailed accounts of her thoughts and assessments. In some respects, Gu Hang was somewhat disappointed, such as with the burst production capacity of armored vehicles being slower than he had imagined. But what Wu Jiarong spoke of were all realistic factors, especially the scarcity of qualified automotive workers. Had it not been for the production of the Iron Bull truck series and the Patrol Rider motorcycle series, which slightly cultivated some experience, the gap in this area would surely have been even greater. The demand for qualified industrial workers will only continue to grow in the future. Gu Hang calculated that after returning this time, he would have to get the education industry started. Compulsory education for children and teenagers; technical schools for the rapid training of youths and adults; management schools for training new administrative officers; military academies¡ªor Loyal Heir Academy¡ªparticularly for ideological education and the cultivation of political officers¡­ As he thought about this, he began to feel a sense of helplessness. The education sector ah, it¡¯s another area that requires a great deal of time and energy investment. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Moreover, he didn¡¯t have the right person to get this thing up and running. Osenia? She was capable, but she was too overwhelmed with work right now. Rebuilding the city, restoring production, and the insufficient administrative personnel already had the young woman¡¯s hands full. She likely wouldn¡¯t be able to tackle another equally heavy task in the short term. Gu Hang had no choice but to consider other candidates. ¡°` Chapter 128 - Chapter 128: Chapter 124, Guarantee to Complete the Mission! Chapter 128: Chapter 124, Guarantee to Complete the Mission! After having an extensive discussion with Wu Jiarong about the production of various technology industry lines that followed, Gu Hang then inspected the situation at the Abandoned Cave Society. The former leader of the Abandoned Cave Society, who is now the head of the heavy industry base, Patel, didn¡¯t even have time to meet him! Of course, that was an exaggerated way to put it. If truth be told, what task could be more important than meeting with the Governor? It wasn¡¯t that Gu Hang didn¡¯t let Patel come to see him. Instead, it was he who took the initiative to accompany Patel and observed their work situation. They were indeed very busy. Perbov had also changed into a set of military clothes and accompanied him on the side. The day before, following orders, this man led his company, escorting tens of thousands of citizens to the Abandoned Cave Society. These tens of thousands were among those who were evacuated from Revival City before the storm disaster, the homeless. They were not reassigned by Osenia to return to the city for reconstruction but were instead directly brought, along with some of the food supplies taken from the city, by military escort, to Weixing City. A small number of people were settled in the former Governor¡¯s Camp, the main city of Weixing City, and poured into the light industries factories there. The textile mills, construction teams, tool assembly factories, cement plants, electric appliance factories in Weixing City, like a land parched for rain, welcomed in a lot of new labor. Under comprehensive strategic planning, there was no shortage of business. The arrival of so many people meant a need for more housing, more raw materials for construction, more clothing, more basic electrical appliances such as water heaters and lights. And these items are in even shorter supply in the outer areas of Revival City that are under reconstruction, with more orders than could be filled. The enhancement of productivity required more labor to be integrated into the system, and after they earned work points, or even ¡®borrowed¡¯ them with an advance on their pay, they needed to produce these goods themselves to meet their own demands. Yet, even so, not everyone could stay in Weixing City. The more important Waste Pit Industrial Zone, also under the administrative jurisdiction of Weixing City, could accommodate even more people. The core alloy smelting industry has always been a big consumer of labor. The central alloy plastic steel machine black box had never stopped, but many of the resulting production lines could only remain in the assembly stage, or even sit gathering dust in storage, simply because there were not enough hands to operate the machines. The burgeoning metal processing factories, bulletproof insert production lines, automotive industry, military industry¡­ the potential for employment seemed endless. Most people who migrated from Revival City were settled near the residential areas adjacent to the industrial hub of the Waste Pit Zone in Weixing City. The empty housing previously constructed here became temporary settlement spots. Homes initially meant for a single family might suddenly house twenty people. Even so, space was still inadequate, considering the incoming population was several times larger than the entire original population of the Waste Pit Zone. In the end, temporary tents and huts had to be used for shelter, waiting for numerous construction crews to work at full capacity to build houses. Moreover, not all these people could be put to work right away. The Abandoned Cave Society industrial zone did have some low-end industries where individuals could be sent for short, pre-work training sessions, barely sufficient for them to manage. However, when it came to more delicate processing, vehicle assembly, and a series of jobs requiring a higher skill set from industrial workers, brief training was inadequate. Fortunately, Gu Hang had previously implemented night school policies in the Abandoned Cave Society, which continued to have an effect. Literacy and basic skills training were well underway. Now that so many more had arrived, they too were herded into it. Whether it¡¯s herding a sheep or a flock¡­ although this ¡®flock¡¯ was exceptionally large. Nevertheless, the population of the wasteland had numerous issues, but there is one aspect that should not be underestimated. There might be many illiterate people, but many of them had useful skills. After all, wasteland society wasn¡¯t primitive; most had seen guns, used guns, maintained guns; while many couldn¡¯t recognize many words, they weren¡¯t lacking in fix-it skills or craftsmanship. In the past, these people simply lacked opportunity. Now that they had it, the cost of training them wouldn¡¯t actually be too high. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before these people are no longer a burden but the freshest blood for the continued development of our industry!¡± Patel proudly said to Gu Hang. ¡­ Gu Hang was fairly satisfied with the development of the Waste Pit Industrial Zone. After all, things were on the right track. As time went by, the overall production capacity was set to grow exponentially. The seeds that had been sown were now at the stage of taking root and sprouting. With a satisfied mindset, Gu Hang spent the night in the Abandoned Cave Society and, early the next morning, he hurriedly boarded the helicopter to return to Revival City. Joining him was Perbov. He was to take part in today¡¯s award ceremony. Perbov was not the main event, but he had commanded 2nd Company and had stood out in several fights in Revival City. His troops were still carrying out tasks in the Waste Pit Zone and couldn¡¯t rush back immediately, but as the commanding officer, he had to go back and bring his brothers the medals they deserved. While on the same aircraft as Mr. Gu, Perbov was a little nervous. Although he was quite familiar with him, he had never spent such a long time in a relatively private space with the Governor he respected and admired. This made him somewhat uneasy. He was usually quite open and talkative. But now, without any tasks at hand, he wasn¡¯t sure what to say. Yet staying silent didn¡¯t seem quite right either. However, he soon had to stop worrying about the awkward atmosphere. Gu Hang spoke, raising the topic of official business. It was about some arrangements concerning his own duties going forward. ¡°Now, the command for the 1st Composite Brigade should be assumed by Yan Fangxu as brigade commander; and for the 2nd Infantry Division, it should be Tadeusz taking on the position of division commander, who will also double as the commissar for both units. This situation is definitely temporary and cannot be maintained for long.¡± ¡°Following that, once the troops are established and we move into routine training and combat operations, both men will still be pulled for unified coordination. Specific command and management of the troops will be handed over to others.¡± ¡°I have in mind that you should take on the role of brigade commander for the 1st Composite Brigade.¡± Perbov seemed somewhat agitated at the moment. It was not possible that he hadn¡¯t thought about these things before. After hearing about this round of military expansion, he had given it thought. Aside from that guy Yan Fangxu, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone else in the entire army more qualified and capable of holding this position. Frankly, the only real competition were the battalions leaders brought into Revival City by the governor himself. He was the most senior, the most experienced, and had the most distinguished combat achievements among them. But then, who knew if there might be a surprise? After all, when it came to seniority, the differences were not significant; it was merely a matter of more than a month¡¯s time difference, what seniority is there to speak of? He was just lucky to have had a head start. Moreover, who knew if there might be some special circumstances? After all, there was the example of Tadeusz. That kid also came from the Abandoned Cave Company, starting as a squad leader, and after a single battle, became a hero, even leaping to become a division commander and the head of the army¡¯s political department. His rise through the ranks was unmatched. In fact, many privately felt envious. To be honest, Tadeusz had only taken a risk with that particular void. Despite the void taking the lives of an interstellar warrior and a Battle Nun, marking certain death for any mere mortal that approached, he emerged victorious. But some would not think that way. What Tadeusz could do, they could do as well; it was just a matter of not being there at the time or not running fast enough. Otherwise, they would be the division commander now! And whenever Perbov heard these kinds of rumors within his own troops, he would curse vehemently. What¡¯s the use of saying such things? When the time comes, the vast majority wouldn¡¯t dare to move forward one step, afraid of being ordered to go on a suicide mission. Not to mention having the capability to walk out of there. Others might not have seen it, but had he not witnessed how fierce the interstellar warriors and Battle Nuns were? A task that took their lives was accomplished by Tadeusz, that was no small feat, and everyone had to acknowledge it. Sarcastic comments deserved lashes. And now, the words Mr. Gu had just mentioned¡ªof course, they were true, would he deceive him? He would soon officially become the third most important person in the army after Yan Fangxu and Tadeusz. In fact, when it came to actual authority, he was number one. After all, the largest and strongest armed force was directly under his control. Could he shoulder this responsibility? Even after Tadeusz achieved a remarkable feat, people whispered behind his back. If he took on the brigade commander role, what would the other four battalion commanders think of their former peer becoming their supervisor? Rattling his brain in the helicopter, Perbov¡¯s mind was filled with many thoughts because of Mr. Gu¡¯s words. But these thoughts were also reeled back in because of Mr. Gu¡¯s words, ¡°However, our situation is always a bit special. It¡¯s hard to talk about seniority; we¡¯ve just come out of the struggle. To speak of ability, to speak of contribution, that¡¯s what really convinces people. So, I plan to appoint you, but I cannot simply dictate it; that would make your future work difficult.¡± Perbov listened intently, sensing the key point. ¡°After the award ceremony, you¡¯ll immediately return to Weixing City. At that time, people from the recruiting division separated by Tadeusz will come back with you. I am temporarily authorizing you to recruit a batch of soldiers within Weixing City to fill up your battalion, including a large number of weapons and equipment. Even if they have not started mass production, I¡¯ll arrange for you to get them from the research institute.¡± ¡°By then, your battalion will be reorganized into the first battalion of the 1st Composite Brigade, the first to complete comprehensive equipment. I want you to get your troops ready within half a month and then start operations centered on the Waste Pit Industrial Zone.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°At that time, Yan Fangxu will give you a clear combat objective. Centered on the Waste Pit Zone, within a hundred kilometers, there should be approximately 7-10 survivor settlements of varying sizes. Give you another half a month, I want to see those settlements definitely flying the flag of the New Alliance and definitely submitting to the new order.¡± Unable to stand, Perbov excitedly straightened up in his seat and saluted, ¡°I understand! I promise to complete the mission!¡± He was a bit excited! He knew that Mr. Gu was giving him this opportunity to accumulate merits in advance, paving the way for his next step and facilitating his future work. With this opportunity, he felt that if he failed to carry out Mr. Gu¡¯s instructions, he honestly deserved to drown himself in a cesspit! Chapter 129 - Chapter 129: Chapter 125, Execution Chapter 129: Chapter 125, Execution ¡°Marinus Flanagan, charged with murder, subversion of the government, enslavement, imprisonment¡­ by the name of The Emperor, you are sentenced to death!¡± ¡°Jesse Dutra, charged with murder, fraud¡­ by the name of The Emperor, you are sentenced to death!¡± ¡°Lloyd Eukic, charged with¡­¡± ¡­ Many people, originally dressed in exquisite clothes which were now dirty and soiled from detention and interrogation, were bound and kneeling on the ground. They looked at Lambert, seated at the judgment bench, reading out their charges, but they could not utter a single word in their defense. They couldn¡¯t speak; their tongues had all been uniformly cut out to prevent them from speaking out of turn at such an important event. They were only needed here to make an appearance before meeting their fates. In fact, they weren¡¯t the first ones. Before them, beneath the high platform of the trial, there was another platform, splattered with bloodstains. Just moments ago, in groups of ten, after the sentences were pronounced, they were dragged down to the lower platform. Then, a gun was placed against the back of each person¡¯s head, and with the executioner¡¯s command, gunshots sounded simultaneously. The kneeling people immediately fell forward as blood sprayed everywhere. Immediately afterward, people came to drag away the bodies, and while the next group¡¯s crimes were being read, workers carried buckets of water to splash over the execution platform, then swiftly mopped it down. It was certainly impossible to clean completely at once; by the time the next group was dragged over, the ground was still damp, the smell of blood rushing up to one¡¯s nostrils. Scared enough to wet their pants, twisting and turning trying to resist¡­ it was all routine, but utterly meaningless. Then came more orders, another series of gunshots, another group sentenced¡­ The prisoners prepared by Lambert would take over twenty batches to finish. During this period of terror politics that enveloped Revival City, roughly two thousand people had been captured. Of course, not all of them would be executed here. On one hand, not everyone was sentenced to death, and on the other hand, sentencing and executing two thousand people one by one would take too much time. A total of about two hundred would suffice to make a point. The remaining four or five hundred death row prisoners would be dealt with later. Among the arrested, there were also those who were truly innocent; about five hundred or so were eventually released. The remaining thousand or so were all sentenced to labor, prepared to be sent to the mines at the Waste Hole Society Ruins to dig for ore. This group of people, by the standards of the Waste Lands, seemed rather delicate. Presumably, they had never engaged in such intense physical labor. After toiling in the dark mines for five years, it was unknown how many would survive to see the end of their sentence. Below the execution platform was the Square of Punishment. This place was located in front of the Alliance Council¡¯s great hall, a rather large space capable of accommodating about twenty thousand people with no problem. Now, about half that number, roughly ten thousand people, were standing there. These spectators were essentially from the top 10% of residents in terms of status within Revival City. They had been ¡®invited¡¯ to watch this trial, and they were quite touched upon receiving the invitation. The scenes unfolding before them were indeed chilling to the bone. Among those being executed, there were many they knew, many they were familiar with. In the past, these were their leaders, their superiors, their bosses. Whenever they encountered them, they would probably have to bow and scrape, greet them respectfully, hoping to get some small benefit; a bit of patronage might mean a better future. But now, these individuals who were once so lofty, were being executed in batches before them, like dead dogs. During the execution, the onlookers fell silent as cicadas in winter. My lord Governor, it¡¯s real this time. This made many among them have to deeply recall the second-generation governor from six years ago¡­ No, even more outrageous than the second-generation governor. The original second-generation governor, in order to implement his reign of terror and extort wealth, also relied on the administrative power and military strength of the Alliance itself. In that era, although it caused a horrific disaster, since the administrative measures depended on the Alliance system, many of them were within this system, they themselves were the executors of the terror. Many times, terror did not descend upon their own heads. But the new governor is not like that. He has established a set of forces out of thin air, forces that carry out his will. The new governor truly does not need them. Over two thousand people were arrested, two hundred are on the execution stage, being executed as simply as slaughtering pigs. This means, almost all the leaders of the ruling class under the Alliance system, all the heads of various interest groups, were wiped out in one sweep. Isn¡¯t this enough to reflect the Governor¡¯s determination and ruthlessness? Now, they could truly feel that Revival City, the Alliance, and even the whole Rage Owl Star, had truly changed. ¡­ From the highest platform, Gu Hang looked down silently at everything. The fresh blood on the execution stage, the silent and fearful populace below, none of it caused the slightest change in his expression. He was indeed destroying the existing order. The goal was to clean house, to more conveniently rebuild the order he desired. His methods toward the Inner City residents were different from those toward the Outer City. The Outer City people were poor, miserable, and couldn¡¯t even fill their stomachs, so he used a gentle approach, showing mercy, giving hope, establishing credibility. Let them be fed and clothed, let them live and work in peace and contentment, and they would naturally become his force. The Inner City people lived decent lives, and it was not cost-effective to buy them off with more benefits. Thus, he used decisive means to plant terror in their hearts and minds, to prevent them from daring to become obstacles. Gu Hang obviously couldn¡¯t let these Inner City people continue to be vampires. Furthermore, he wanted the Inner City people to bleed, otherwise, who would bear the cost of the resources for buying off the Outer City people? Contrary to what he had imagined, after cleaning out the nobles in the city, Gu Hang did not gain much of any real value. Money was meaningless. The so-called Alliance currency, issued by the Alliance Government with a rather limited circulation, seemed like waste paper to Gu Hang. He had not yet completely abolished the use of Alliance currency, but it was just a matter of time. Gu Hang had no patience to engage in any financial industry here. Could the financial industry help with taxes? Could they use Alliance currency to negotiate with the tax officials of the Empire? Obviously not. Currency is merely a means for regulating the economy. The destructive storm unleashed by the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, in some ways, had helped Gu Hang quite a bit. With the Outer City people having next to nothing, Gu Hang realized that he did not need to maintain the original financial system of Revival City. And what he obtained from those so-called nobles, the most important thing was the industries they originally controlled. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Next, Gu Hang would largely abolish and not recognize the use of Alliance currency, which would directly make all the Inner City people impoverished. Their past accumulated wealth would, under this decision, all become piles of waste paper in their homes. They wouldn¡¯t end up with nothing, after all, they still had their homes, some material savings, far better off than the Outer City people who were starting from scratch. But their past lives would surely be gone forever. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Updated 5.5k today, aiming for a big chapter tomorrow. Chapter 130 - Chapter 130: Chapter 126, Long Live the Governor! Chapter 130: Chapter 126, Long Live the Governor! Actually, not all the people in the inner city are wealthy. With such poor productivity, it¡¯s impossible to support that many rentier classes. Most of the people in the inner city still have to rely on their own work to support themselves and their families. They just have a relatively more substantial family background, better education, and more plentiful opportunities. They work as industrial workers, staff in factories and enterprises, clerical workers in trade associations, and officials under the Alliance Government¡­ They have a stable and even somewhat respectable job, but that¡¯s all they have for their livelihood. In fact, under the new system designed by Gu Hang, if these people did their jobs well, their opportunities would still be much greater than those of the people outside the city. A more comprehensive education and a wealth of work experience were their advantages. But this couldn¡¯t merely be made credible through propaganda. For the moment, Gu Hang did not need to maintain stability through empty talk; his military could manage that in a short time. As for the future, these inner city residents would come to experience this for themselves. In reality, for the entire political and economic framework of the future, he already had some preliminary ideas, which he had discussed with Osenia. The entire welfare system would be established on forty-five grades: a stratification of A-E, with nine levels in each category. Each level would come with corresponding welfare benefits, including food rations, housing benefits, medical care, and determine the purchase rights for a small number of scarce goods. Upon entering the workforce, every official employee would have at least an E6 level of benefits. Below E6, there would be apprentice workers, interns, some scholarship recipients, convict laborers, and relief for those unemployed through no fault of their own¡­ And specific levels would be determined according to the position and the individual¡¯s work contribution. Although there is a certain link between rank and position, they are not entirely equivalent. In the early stages, those at lower levels will be promoted year by year based on seniority and work contributions, which means an increase in basic benefits. The pace of promotion will slow down at higher levels. Those with outstanding performance will be eligible for leapfrog promotion. The treatment for military soldiers does not follow this line, but it corresponds. Privates and corporals receive allowances similar to the E tier, with specific differences depending on the unit; after retirement, efforts would be made to arrange jobs at corresponding levels. Sergeants, senior NCOs, and some lower officers correspond to the D tier; middle and upper officers receive C tier treatment upon retirement; and senior officers and generals receive B tier or A tier, depending on the situation. Rank and position would also be paid monthly wages, only it¡¯s no longer the Alliance currency. It¡¯s now work points, and there could be some sort of currency reform in the future. You can spend work points or currency to buy things in stores. Most civilian goods, as long as they¡¯re not scarce items, will be normally placed on the shelves. Want to eat better side dishes beyond the regular food allocations, such as cake, ice cream, meat and dairy products? You can buy them; Want high-quality electronics? You can buy them; Want to buy a tricycle or even a car to use? You might not be able to buy it in the short term, but once production increases in the future, the military¡¯s needs are met, and there is extra capacity, you can buy it. There might initially be level restrictions, which can be lifted later when capacity is more abundant. When there are more materials available, personal hobbies, reading, entertainment, art pieces¡­ all can be bought. In other words, housing, food, and medical care, the three big mountains, will be secured once you¡¯re part of this new system; wages will then satisfy higher-level, more personalized, and diverse needs. Want something better? Well, work hard to get promoted and earn a raise. The only exception is education. That matter, Gu Hang plans to make it public, free, and solely dependent on performance. And this whole system will include future civil servants, industrial workers, service industry workers, farmers¡­ all of them. Of course, for now, this whole system looks beautiful, with a somewhat utopian notion, but there will probably be quite a few problems in implementation. Ensuring fairness, reasonable promotions, adequate supply of materials, satisfying individual diverse needs, fighting corruption, avoiding system rigidity, planning material distribution and production¡­ the list of issues is long. But this collectivized, planned system has a fundamental advantage: it¡¯s easier to concentrate resources to accomplish big things. On Rage Owl Star, there is a fundamental difference from the modern world: there is no problem of overproduction for a long time. The meaning of market regulation is not that significant. All excess productive capacity would be absorbed by the immense pressure of imperial taxation. The only thing Gu Hang needed to do was to expand productive capacity as much as possible. Making more goods, whether they could be sold or used, didn¡¯t matter; the empire¡¯s vast system would consume it all. And with this premise, what Gu Hang valued the most was how to fill the people within this system with motivation. He would not tolerate widespread attitudes of idleness and dependency on welfare benefits. These detestable ideas must be addressed by Gu Hang. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Incentives such as rank progression, salary increases, and active promotion of values are all forms of positive motivation. Performance assessments, competitive promotion slots, and a demotion penalty system¡­ These kinds of relatively competitive incentives are also essential. If the people don¡¯t work hard, how can Gu Hang prosper? Work hard, and next year, the governor can change to a sports car. Chapter 131 - Chapter 131: Chapter 126, Long Live the Governor!_2 Chapter 131: Chapter 126, Long Live the Governor!_2 Of course, this was a joke. What Gu Hang wanted was not those lowly pleasures. Expanding the military, developing industry, constructing starships, and maintaining one or several combat regiments¡­ his ambitions were grand indeed. As for the present reality, once these inner city folks entered his new system, thanks to their own advantage in education level, professional skills, and past work experience, they naturally outperformed the impoverished people from the outer cities who might not even be able to recognize all the characters. They would easily strive for a higher starting rank and a faster promotion speed. As long as they supported the governor, they would feel the benefits. Restoring their past standard of living was not difficult, and it was inevitable with the increase in productivity. Moreover, better class mobility would give them opportunities they could never have had before. The good days were still ahead! ¡­ Gu Hang¡¯s divergent thoughts came to a close with the death of the last batch of executed convicts. Next, another big event was to come: the award ceremony and the military parade. These two events were combined. In fact, the vast square was now occupied by only about ten thousand citizens, leaving open space for the upcoming parade. The various units would one by one, accompanied by bugle calls and majestic music, set off from the outside assembly area, pass the main road outside the parliamentary square, and advance along the path made way by the audience to arrive here at the podium. The commanders of the units would come to the platform to receive medals, military ranks, and more importantly, on behalf of the entire unit, accept the designation and the flags. The military music had already started, with four bands in four directions of the square creating quite a din, along with trumpets arranged in various locations to further amplify the sound. Then, a formation slowly approached. Four ¡®Strider V¡¯ armored vehicles led the way, followed by tanks still not fully repainted, captured from the previous Alliance Legion, and then a column of Iron Bull trucks accompanied by Scout Rider Motorcycles advancing. Some of these trucks carried full loads of soldiers as troop transports, and others towed huge 155mm howitzers. This was the 3rd Battalion of the original Governor¡¯s Infantry Regiment. Among the leading officer vehicles, Perbov from the 2nd Battalion and the 3rd Battalion¡¯s commanding officer were seated. In fact, the 2nd Battalion should have been reviewed first and Perbov, as its commanding officer, was indeed the first. Unfortunately, he was a bit of a lone wolf; his main force was still recruiting and reorganizing in Weixing City, so he could only tag along with the 3rd Battalion¡¯s formation. As the entire formation arrived below the podium, whether riding in vehicles or marching on foot, all the soldiers shouted their slogans loudly! It began with the officers at the front belting out ¡°For the Emperor!¡± followed by all the soldiers chanting together. Then came another ¡°For the Governor!¡± Gu Hang stood at the forefront of the viewing platform, watching his troops march past, his face expressionless, merely nodding slightly in acknowledgment. The soldiers followed the directions to the space set aside for them in the square and took their positions. Perbov and the 3rd Battalion¡¯s commanding officer went up to the platform together. Gu Hang personally adorned them with the shoulder boards that signified the rank of Major; following that, he also presented them with medals. Gu Hang had personally designed two styles of medals. This moment, they were all being awarded the ¡®Revival Medal¡¯. The design of this medal was roughly circular, featuring a fist clutching a hammer raised upward, surrounded by wheat ears. The Revival Medal, Gu Hang intended as a foundational award to be given out. It was primarily meant for soldiers and officers who had displayed excellence in the series of battles involving Revival City. Half of the awardees were either valiantly killed in action or wounded. The former needs no further mention, while the latter were generally expected to retire upon receipt of the medal. These medals were not recognized within the entire empire, unlike military ranks. The titles from the Planetary Defense Force were acknowledged by the Imperial Military¡ªalthough the prestige attached to them varied greatly. But Gu Hang still needed to establish this system. Soldiers fighting for their own should rightfully receive honor. Moreover, aside from honor, the medals also had tangible benefits. The ¡®Rejuvenation Medal¡¯ itself equated to an E5-level allowance, a seemingly insignificant amount, but this was in addition to the basic allowance soldiers already received and would continue until retirement. In cases of disability or death, the pension would also be more substantial. In fact, awarding medals to disabled retirees and fallen soldiers was also to provide additional consolation to the relatives of valiantly fallen soldiers. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only For those without relatives, the military¡¯s political department would arrange for an orphan¡ªthere were too many on the wastelands¡ªto inherit these, but the precondition was that the orphan had to take up the hero¡¯s surname. They would be raised and educated by a specialized War Orphans Institution. After Gu Hang had placed the ranks and medals on the two battalion commanders, the award ceremony for them concluded, and the formation of the 4th Battalion was already coming up behind. The two battalion commanders and a few soldiers who had joined them on the podium hurriedly received a sizable box and many furled flags from the governor¡¯s attendants, then quickly made space for their brothers in the approaching 4th Battalion. In the boxes were several Rejuvenation Medals, to be later awarded by the commanders to their own battalion¡¯s soldiers; the furled flags were the battalion and company red banners, which would clearly display the unit¡¯s numerical designation. Chapter 132 - Chapter 132: Chapter 126, Long Live the Governor!_3 Chapter 132: Chapter 126, Long Live the Governor!_3 These regimental banners were distributed, and soon they were raised by the flag bearers. Quickly, during the next batch of ceremonies for awarding ranks and medals, red banners began to flutter within the first square formation. Among them were two special unit designations¡ªthe 1st Abandoned Cave Company and the 4th ¡®Kodi¡¯ Company. These two banners belonged to Perbov¡¯s 1st Composite Brigade, 1st Composite Battalion. Although he had not brought personnel with him, allies stepped in to help as temporary flag bearers, raising the flags high. The first banner recognized Gu Hang¡¯s establishment of the very first company made up of native people from Rage Owl Star, which had exhibited outstanding performance in many battles; the second was to honor the heroic deeds of the martyred Kodi, assigned to the company where he served as political commissar, which was incorporated into the 1st Composite Battalion as the fourth company. This concluded the entire process of conferring ranks and awarding medals. To be honest, the level of the military band, which provided the accompanying music in loops, was quite average, and the formations of soldiers and vehicles were not particularly tidy when moving. In Gu Hang¡¯s opinion, especially when compared to the military parades he had seen on TV before crossing over, it was still lacking. But there was an entirely different aspect here: this was truly his own army. At his command, the guns and cannons in these formations would fire at any enemy; the soldiers in the formations would die for him. Watching them from the podium, Gu Hang felt an infinite surge of pride. The citizens from the inner city watching alongside him, however, remained silent. In fact, among the soldiers marching in formation, many were familiar faces to them. Quite a few were indeed former soldiers of the Alliance Legion, a significant portion of whom had been integrated into the 1st Composite Brigade; the rest would be infused into the 2nd Infantry Division as its framework. Yet, to the inner city¡¯s residents, these familiar soldiers now seemed quite unfamiliar. There had never been a military parade within Revival City, and they only saw these soldiers when they were on duty or out on missions. The inner city residents generally harbored an indifferent attitude towards the military. But now, the entire army seemed to be different from what they remembered. Their whole spirit had changed. Under the leadership of those with red caps, the soldiers puffed out their chests, striding with vigorous, proud steps. When had the citizens ever seen their own army with such a spirited appearance? Oh, that¡¯s not right, it¡¯s now the Governor¡¯s army¡­ Eh? That¡¯s also not right, we seem to be the Governor¡¯s people too, so this is still our army¡­ It¡¯s a bit confusing. The citizens watched these familiar yet strange soldiers marching past them and then assembling neatly on the other side of the square, their emotions quite mixed. The mood among the residents of the outer city was not so complex. Revival City lacked the capability to broadcast live images, which made it impossible for everyone to see the ceremony. But at least the technology to broadcast via radio was available. The pronouncement of death sentences on various individuals by Lambert was also broadcast live via radio. Compared to the calm of the inner city, the outer city was quite lively. As people worked, they heard of various prominent figures being executed. They might not have known who each person was, but they could recognize a detestable name being mentioned as gunned down. Consequently, cheers erupted sporadically on the worksites. During the subsequent award ceremony, the radio announcer would also read the details of the awards received by the units and their exploits, following the script. This also made the poor in the outer city realize that previously there had been such a reliable army fighting to protect Revival City from being destroyed by a cult conspiracy. ¡­ After all the troops had passed, the last two to appear on the stage were Yan Fangxu and Tadeusz. For the former, Gu Hang bestowed the rank of colonel. Accepting this rank meant that he was saying goodbye to the Imperial Navy sequence and joining the ranks of the Rage Owl Star Planetary Defense Force. The relevant formalities were already in progress, and Gu Hang had even made a special point of discussing his case with Colonel Yelisia. Therefore, Gu Hang spent 10 points of favor to activate Yan Fangxu. In the system¡¯s appraisal, he was classified as a rarity of N, which stands for normal, a level 2 military commander with his highest attribute, command, reaching 12 points, and only one trait, [Excellent Military Commander], nothing special. Beyond receiving the rank of colonel, Yan Fangxu was also awarded a ¡®Revival Medal¡¯. And standing next to him, Tadeusz was conferred the rank of lieutenant colonel, and further, was awarded a ¡®Wind-Extinguishing Medal¡¯. The medal was irregularly conical, resembling the abstract shape of a tornado. Designed by Gu Hang as the second type of medal, only one was issued this time, and it was for Tadeusz. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Without a doubt, the ¡®Wind-Extinguishing Medal¡¯ was a hundred times more precious than the Revival Medal in the entire military¡¯s medal system. After the personal conferring of ranks and awards was completed, both men also received a flag each. They saluted Gu Hang, donned their ranks, wore their medals on their chests, and holding the banners, descended from the stage. Next, each moved to the very front of the two large square formations, passing the flags to the flag bearers who had been prepared. The flag-bearing squad raised the red flags, and both banners were established at the forefront of the two military units. Chapter 133 - Chapter 133: Chapter 126, Long Live the Governor! _4 Chapter 133: Chapter 126, Long Live the Governor! _4 The flag that Tadeusz took down was nothing special; when unfurled, it was simply the banner of the 2nd Infantry Division. The flag that Yan Fangxu took down, however, had something to talk about. Once spread out, the words written on it were: [1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade]. Without a doubt, this was also an honorary designation given to the entire brigade, in recognition of the outstanding performances of the officers and soldiers of the whole brigade, including those former Alliance Legion soldiers who were absorbed into it, during the Wind-Extinguishing operation¡ªthis included the platoon that Tadeusz had previously led as political commissar. After the ceremony of conferring ranks and bestowing medals had concluded, the broadcast signal switched to the microphone in front of Gu Hang. His voice, amplified by the loudspeakers, echoed throughout the entire square and then throughout the entire city. People quieted down; they began to listen carefully to the Governor¡¯s words, seeking to find a new, reliable support for their future lives. ¡°Residents of Revival City, my most loyal warriors, greetings. I am your Governor, Gu Hang.¡± ¡°Just now, I have adorned our brave warriors, who fought valiantly to protect this city, with the honors they rightly deserve.¡± ¡°I have bestowed one hundred Rejuvenation Medals, each of the honorees is a true hero. They have made outstanding contributions to the defense of Revival City, even at the cost of their own lives.¡± ¡°I have awarded the Wind-Extinguishing Medal, the highest honor, to Comrade Tadeusz.¡± ¡°Many still vividly recall the storm from ten days ago. With the help of the Phoenix Battle Group and the Sainte-Lys Nun Association, we thwarted the cultists¡¯ scheme; we extinguished the storm, saving the entire city. And without a doubt, Comrade Tadeusz was among the most outstanding of them. At the most critical moment, with the most fearless stance, he accomplished the most heroic feat¡ªhe struck the final blow to extinguish the storm.¡± ¡°Extinguishing the storm is precisely the origin of the name for the Wind-Extinguishing Medal and the honorary designation of the Extinguishing Wind Brigade. All the soldiers who fought bravely, everyone who maintained order and rescued the city amidst the disaster, can rightly be called heroes.¡± At the beginning of his speech, Gu Hang started with the origins of the Wind-Extinguishing Medal and the honorary title of the Extinguishing Wind Brigade. The inner-city residents remained silent, not deeply moved by this; but the people from the outer city remembered the images of those soldiers. In the battles over food transportation, they had seen with their own eyes soldiers fighting the cultists who tried to destroy the food carts and leave them starving. In that escalating storm, which then abruptly ceased, they might not have known what happened in several wind farms, but they clearly saw a large number of soldiers maintaining order, distributing food and supplies in the wind and rain, and arranging for people to evacuate the city. This military force seemed indeed different. In the midst of disaster, they did not use their weapons to loot and plunder, nor oppress the poor. Instead, they stood with the people against the wind and rain. All this was witnessed by their very eyes, and the Governor¡¯s summarizing words of praise reinforced their impressions. This was Gu Hang¡¯s intention. He wanted to bring honor to the military. Honor keeps the military disciplined, honor makes the people cherish the military. After saying these words, Gu Hang paused briefly and continued his speech: ¡°Hundreds of years ago, before the era of war, Rage Owl Star was a civilized world, the pearl of the entire Tianma Star Sector. Leveraging advanced industrial technology and special psychic energy fields for energy extraction, Rage Owl Star¡¯s contribution to the Imperial Tax could rank in the top three in the Tianma Star Sector, only behind the Star Sector Capital Wing Star and the Nest Capital World Korolya III; the standard of living of its inhabitants could rank second, only slightly inferior to the Garden World Winged Star.¡± ¡°Back then, the people of Rage Owl Star lived in cities, many with respectable jobs; for the majority, the problem of food and clothing was a distant concern. They enjoyed the sunshine, the nightlife, the variety of delicious foods produced, and a thriving cultural industry¡­¡± ¡°Such an affluent world was not something you could see on many Imperial worlds. The people of Rage Owl Star were deserving of envy from most inhabitants of the Empire World.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s words left many with mixed feelings. No one had seen the pre-war condition with their own eyes. But they had heard about it from their ancestors, passed down from generation to generation; some artifacts occasionally unearthed from the ruins before the war also proved this point. The past Rage Owl Star was indeed prosperous and flourishing. So why are we, the descendants, living such wretched lives? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Governor provided an answer: ¡°Despicable traitors betrayed us. The highest quality energy resource on Rage Owl Star, the psychic energy field, was used as a source by the Chaos Traitors to open a psychic tunnel. This tunnel connected to a world corrupted by chaos; under the shroud of dark magic, even demons from hell were summoned.¡± ¡°A brutal war erupted on Rage Owl Star as its battlefield.¡± ¡°The people of Rage Owl Star, united with the soldiers of the Empire, with endless sacrifices, defeated those Chaos Traitors, closed the psychic tunnel, and destroyed the psychic energy fields¡­ But at the same time, this war, which lasted for decades, turned Rage Owl Star into ruins, transforming this once flourishing world of nearly ten billion inhabitants into a desolate wasteland. The collapsed ecosystem gave rise to terrible low energy storms and mutated monsters, rendering vast lands uninhabitable.¡± ¡°Since then, Rage Owl Star went from being the Star Sector¡¯s pearl to a desolate planet, abandoned by the Empire, removed from the Star Sector¡¯s planning.¡± Chapter 134 - Chapter 134: Chapter 126, Long Live the Governor!_5 Chapter 134: Chapter 126, Long Live the Governor!_5 ¡°` This part was somewhat difficult for many people to understand. Terms like ¡°Chaos Traitor¡± and ¡°demons¡± didn¡¯t seem familiar, and they were even more perplexed by ¡°psychic energy fields¡± and ¡°spiritual energy tunnels.¡± But it didn¡¯t prevent them from grasping the gist: our world had been betrayed by a traitor and destroyed by the Chaos Traitor. Those abominable things were the culprits responsible for destroying the good life we should have had. It inevitably reminded them of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, that damn cult that almost brought Revival City to ruin! Gu Hang¡¯s speech continued: ¡°After a dark century with no light of day, an Imperial Officer named Huo Haibin stumbled upon Rage Owl Star and was startled to discover that tens of millions of people were still alive. He helped the locals and applied layer by layer through the Star Sector Government. Finally, he obtained permission to rebuild Rage Owl Star, reintegrating it back into the Empire¡¯s bosom. He also became the first Governor of the Rage Owl Star Wasteland era.¡± ¡°Governor Huo was a man worthy of everyone¡¯s respect. He toiled hard on Rage Owl Star for 17 years. Leveraging the first 15 years of tax exemption, he worked tirelessly to restore the population, established a united alliance, brought together various forces across the planet, ended the constant conflicts over scarce resources on the wasteland, and rebuilt the preliminary productivity.¡± ¡°But it still wasn¡¯t enough. In his 17th year as Governor, Rage Owl Star had to pay taxes to the Empire for the first time, standard Imperial Taxes. But Rage Owl Star hadn¡¯t recovered sufficiently to even meet the lowest tax bracket. He was executed by the Department of Taxation, and the Alliance Government underwent a major reshuffle.¡± ¡°Then came the era of Niel Farches as Governor, an era that filled countless members of the Alliance with dread at the mere thought. He learned from Governor Huo¡¯s failure, utilized the power of the Alliance Government, and implemented many policies a lesser man would prefer death over. He plundered the planet far and wide, solely focusing on paying the full taxes to the Empire, which resulted in a complete halt to all production and recovery efforts.¡± ¡°He managed two terms of tax collections but at the cost of squandering over a decade¡¯s worth of Governor Huo¡¯s efforts. Numerous families were torn apart, and innocent people were taken as tax payments; countless grains that should have fed the people, numerous essential industrial goods, were seized and handed over to the Empire.¡± ¡°Rage Owl Star faced a disaster, and his unsustainable actions incited rebellion. He held his position for six years, with the Alliance on the brink of collapse. Many people left the Alliance, many practiced deception, many violently resisted, many were utterly annihilated¡­ The population of the planet suffered immensely, and seventeen years of recovery were nearly ruined in an instant. His deeds brought him to the guillotine in his third term.¡± ¡°Afterwards, for three successive generations, each Governor lasted only two years before being executed for their inability to pay taxes. The remaining forces conspired to control the Governor¡¯s actions, manipulating his orders and deceiving both above and below. They used the Governor, along with officials of the temporary Governor¡¯s Government elected to serve for two years, as scapegoats every two years.¡± ¡°During this entire process, Rage Owl Star endured another six years. These six years of division and chaos did not improve from the time of the second Governor; still many people died, and the planet saw no glimmer of hope for revival. The name Revival City became a mockery, both laughable and tragic.¡± Gu Hang gave a lengthy speech detailing the history of Rage Owl Star over the past several decades. And this period was very familiar to the people. From the first to the fifth Governor, spanning twenty-nine years, many of the younger generation had grown up during these times; the older ones had lived through those years in full. They knew that what Mr. Gu spoke of contained no falsehoods; it was their lived experience. However, before this, few amongst them had given deep thought to why all of this had happened. But after Gu Hang shed light on these issues, they naturally began to ponder them. Was it because of the Empire? No, before the Empire retook Rage Owl Star, during that six months of dark post-war times, Rage Owl Star was on the verge of collapse. It was the first Governor who established a semblance of order, using the Empire¡¯s aid and interstellar trade to support the structure of the Alliance and revitalize many local industries. The screw-up was the second Governor and the subsequent powerless Governors. The brutal yet incompetent reign of the second Governor brought huge disasters; The following three Governors were powerless, without troops or supporters, subjected to deception and manipulation. Almost every one of them believed they could meet the tax demands, hearing only the news that things were steadily improving, only to find the warehouses insufficiently stocked come tax time, and the population centers meant to serve as tax payment deserted. ¡°` ¡°` The three governors could only sit in Revival City like wax figures, blindfolded and deaf, totally unaware that the Alliance was so loose it was on the verge of disintegration. The various powers would not heed commands or proclamations; under this loose and autonomous system, the planets¡¯ strength could not be integrated, let alone developed. So, it seems the answer is on the verge of emerging: the problem is not entirely with the Empire, the main issue is that there isn¡¯t a governor with enough power, enough daring, or enough capability. Of course, there are many people who can¡¯t see this at all. The hardships they had personally experienced were, when spoken of from a broader, more macro perspective, almost like a script from heaven. Their thoughts could only passively follow the governor¡¯s narrative. But what Gu Hang was about to say was for those not so clever, yet the most important and solid group of people: ¡°Until I arrived.¡± ¡°Over two months ago, I came to this world and saw it was full of scars.¡± ¡°At that time, I leveraged the Alliance¡¯s communication system to announce my arrival and my philosophy to the entire planet. I said I would rebuild the entire Wasteland World so that every Rage Owl Star person could live a good life through their own efforts. I did not come purely to collect taxes, nor would I collect taxes regardless of the people¡¯s well-being.¡± ¡°When I realized that the Alliance¡¯s officials could not assist but were instead an obstruction, I left Revival City.¡± ¡°Now, I have returned. My declaration has never changed, and those who obstructed me from bringing you a rebuilt, revitalized, and better life are all dead. From now on, no one will prevent us from jointly building our city, our world!¡± ¡°I will establish a welfare system to ensure that everyone who works hard can have enough to eat and clothes to wear!¡± ¡°I will establish schools to ensure every child can learn and grow in a bright classroom instead of scraping a living through thievery, begging, or working in sweatshops as a child laborer!¡± ¡°I will establish factories to produce more goods and create more jobs, allowing you to live a better life!¡± ¡°I will establish hospitals so that every injured or sick person can be cared for.¡± ¡°I will establish a more fair and efficient government to maintain order and security.¡± ¡°I will establish a more excellent and honorable military to fight for the protection of everything we have created!¡± ¡°These are my responsibilities, my mission, the mission of the new Alliance Government, and the mission of every Rage Owl person.¡± ¡°Hand in hand, we will surely triumph!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only What Mr. Gu, the governor, had finally said was something that everyone could understand. The people cheered and jumped for joy, they were extremely excited! ¡°Long live the governor!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This chapter 8.7k Chapter 135 - Chapter 135: Chapter 127: Ideals and Unforgiveness Chapter 135: Chapter 127: Ideals and Unforgiveness Gu Hang¡¯s speech ended amid the thunderous roar of ¡°Long live the Governor.¡± His last few words could be taken as pie in the sky, yet spoken at this moment, they were a clear and explicit political promise that genuinely instilled hope for the future in the listeners. The residents of the outer city were anticipating that the Governor would fulfill all the promises he had made for the future. Considering the activities of the officials obedient to Miss Osenia and the propaganda of those wearing red hats, they started to believe that none of this was too far off. The flame of hope was burning brightly on this land for the first time. Even the residents of the inner city couldn¡¯t help but be moved. Not to mention, at least in this speech, the Governor seemed to indicate one thing: he was not the type to extort and plunder like the previous generation of governors. They apparently didn¡¯t have to worry about toiling endlessly in factories just to pay taxes or how many people would be sent as tax contributions to the imperial transport ships, heading off to unknown parts of the starry sky, never to return, without any news. If that were the case, it seemed that supporting this new Governor might not be a bad idea. Hmm¡­ human¡¯s baseline for tolerance is breached step by step like this. A harsh slap, followed by a bit of sweetness, and it seemed the situation wasn¡¯t completely unacceptable. ¡­ Was this public trial, execution, military parade, and medal ceremony merely a performance? Of course, it was. But who can deny the importance of propaganda in politics? The inner city residents, having received the slap of watching their old acquaintances being publicly executed, were then fed some dates. The atmosphere of terror fostered by Lambert after many days of turmoil should, after this event, ease a little. For the residents of the outer city, they simply received a sweet date. There was no need for a slap; they had already suffered too many over the years. The morale of the people, now bolstered, began to truly look forward to the prospects declared by the Governor, to a future with a better life; even their daily work was done with more vigor. However, propaganda is just that, propaganda. These things needed to be implemented, and it wasn¡¯t as simple as announcing them over loudspeakers. Things needed to be done one by one. How to build schools? Where would the teachers come from? How to allocate resources? Hospitals were in the same boat. The so-called welfare policies were tied to the forty-five ranks Gu Hang had previously envisioned, but what exactly were the benefits for each rank? What was the allocation of materials? How long could Revival City¡¯s current resources last? Where would the shortfall come from? How to ensure continued production could keep up? Not to mention, the output mustn¡¯t all be consumed. The imperial tax was a matter for two years later, but preparations had to start now. These detailed matters didn¡¯t need to be broadcast widely, and many of the methods involved couldn¡¯t be discussed openly. After the medal ceremony, Gu Hang convened an internal meeting. This meeting was where the real substance and key issues were. The meeting lasted a full two days. ¡­ When Lambert stepped out of the meeting room, it was already the morning of the third day. The morning sun wasn¡¯t too harsh, yet it still made Lambert¡¯s eyes uncomfortable. For the past two days, he had been in literal darkness. Eating and sleeping all took place in the meeting room, with an all-night session held just yesterday. The Governor, on the other hand, always managed to appear lively and spirited, but Lambert was only human and couldn¡¯t handle such strain. At the moment, he was truly exhausted. Yet he couldn¡¯t suppress his excitement. In the two-day meeting, a significant portion was devoted to personnel appointments. Now, he was the head of the Supreme Legal Committee, the highest judge of the Alliance. His important task going forward was to draft laws in accordance with the spirit conveyed by the Governor during the meeting. For this, he needed to establish the Legislative Council for legislative work, the Executive Council for judicial work, and additionally, the Disciplinary Council to oversee and audit government officials and factory managers. Right from the start of the New Alliance Government¡¯s establishment, there was an awareness of the risks of corruption and systemic ossification. He needed to tackle these issues aggressively. This indeed matched the work he had been doing in the previous period. Legislation, judiciary, oversight, auditing¡­ With many powers vested in him, he, as the Alliance¡¯s highest judge, was in a position of authority that, in a sense, was on par with the government head¡ªthe Alliance Premier. And currently, the Alliance Premier was none other than Gu Hang himself. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This almost meant that he had become the highest-ranking official in the New Alliance. The Hodgson Family¡¯s early investment in the Governor was now paying off. However, the concentration of such considerable power in one individual was inherently unsustainable, merely a temporary measure due to the lack of qualified personnel. After all, positions had been left vacant, presumably to be filled in the future. But what of it? If Lambert was in charge, wouldn¡¯t those who took over in the future essentially be his former subordinates? Even if he were to move on from this work area, he would have left a significant legacy of influence behind. Chapter 136 - Chapter 136: Chapter 127: Ideals and Unforgiveness_2 Chapter 136: Chapter 127: Ideals and Unforgiveness_2 However, senior officialdom and lucrative salaries were not the reason for his excitement now. For him personally, were these things worth exchanging for the lives of his entire family? If given the choice, he would not choose this path a hundred times over. But his grandfather had chosen it, and it was only when disaster struck that he realized it. When he had just decided to come to Governor¡¯s Camp to help the governor, he knew his decision represented the Hodgson Family¡¯s stance being laid bare. But at that time, the worst outcome he could imagine was that his grandfather would face tremendous pressure in Revival City, and the family would be suppressed. But all that could be recovered, all would be taken back after the governor¡¯s success. He never thought that the Speaker of the Alliance Council would die in the capital of the Alliance. But Hodgson had probably foreseen this; he just hadn¡¯t told him. Was it for him? Was it for the Hodgson family? Lambert didn¡¯t think so. If it was for these reasons, they wouldn¡¯t have needed to go this far. What Hodgson Family is there to speak of now? Everyone¡¯s dead except for him. So what was it all for? He remembered the conversation with his grandfather just before he left Revival City to join the governor. ¡°The whole planet is longing for revival, the sooner the better. I¡¯m willing to make the first contribution, rather than wait in silence. Being a promoter of the era is far more meaningful than waiting anxiously to board the train when the era changes.¡± This statement doomed a political family of Revival City, but it also became the catalyst that allowed the governor to become the owner of Revival City much earlier. Regardless of how many twists and turns there were in the process, it had now become a fact. Why say that only the governor can save the world? This question is better transformed into what exactly did the empire bring to Rage Owl Star? History is a witness. Imperial taxation was indeed a heavy oppression, but in the hundred years after the war and before returning to the empire, was the situation on Rage Owl Star any better? It was terrible, even worse than during the second governor¡¯s era. When the first governor established the Alliance, the total population on Rage Owl Star was probably just over twenty million; after his seventeen-year rule, this number rose to nearly fifty million, doubling. The birth rate increased significantly, the death rate dropped dramatically, and a large number of hidden populations re-emerged due to social development. Only in the last twelve years, it has fallen to less than forty million again. Returning to the empire indeed brought heavy taxation. But apart from that, it wasn¡¯t without benefits. In rebuilding the world, the empire would allocate financial subsidies, distributed by the Star Sector Government. This aid, in the hands of the first governor, led to seventeen years of substantial development on Rage Owl Star, tantamount to being the engine of the planet¡¯s revival. Without these, could the first governor have formed the Alliance, integrating the various forces by risking his neck? Besides the reconstruction aid, another significant benefit of returning to the empire was interstellar trade. Upon returning to the empire, after having their governor, the Imperial Merchant Fleet would make Rage Owl Star a trading stop. Many things that could not be produced locally on Rage Owl Star would become available through interstellar trade. These two aspects were the greatest benefits after rejoining the empire. Was Rage Owl Star really unable to develop? Not at all. Though difficult, with imperial aid and joining the interstellar trade routes, Rage Owl Star should have been thriving. What they needed was a reliable governor. He could not be as incompetent as the first three governors, controlled as soon as they stepped into office, their decrees never leaving the office; nor could he be like the second governor, who ruled the world with violence and fear, completely disregarding development, draining the pond to catch the fish, which would inevitably lead to collapse; even the first governor, capable though he may have been, was too kind and lacked the authority of a ruler. The loose structure of the Alliance allowed the various forces to have a considerable degree of independence, making it impossible to gather the planet¡¯s strength for focused development and to handle the imperial taxation rationally. This was the scourge left by the first governor. These were the conclusions Lambert had reached by himself. He was betting on whether Gu Hang was a governor who met these requirements. At least so far, he felt he had bet correctly. Given the circumstances, saving the entire world seemed to be no longer an empty notion. And this is precisely why he and Hodgson were willing to give their all. ¡­ After leaving the meeting room, Lambert didn¡¯t immediately attend to the legislative work assigned by the governor; instead, he went to the Alliance Prison to see a person. A former Alliance Councilman, Bradford. This individual had not appeared on the previous execution list. Normally, he would have been condemned to death. The number of crimes he was involved in far exceeded that of many who had been sentenced to death and executed. But he had not been killed. It is said that this was because he had made significant contributions to justice. Primarily, Bradford had accused many people of crimes and had provided evidence of those crimes. Of course¡­ ¡°You know,¡± Lambert said to Bradford inside the cell, ¡°when being so-called ¡®stain witness¡¯ cannot redeem your crimes, we really don¡¯t need the accusations you¡¯ve made, that evidence.¡± Bradford¡¯s mental state seemed to be quite good as he nodded: ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Now, the real opportunity to make a contribution has arrived,¡± Lambert continued, ¡°Minister Oseina has a task for you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about the food issue, isn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°Yes, you are smart,¡± Lambert said, ¡°Now, Lady Ossina is the only appointed minister, in charge of finance, civil affairs, production, and commerce. These responsibilities will definitely be divided in the future, and you must surely be interested in the position of Minister of Commerce. However, this position is highly competitive, and you are at an inherent disadvantage.¡± Bradford listened carefully. And he was somewhat surprised by Lambert¡¯s attitude. Lambert, however, ignored this and just continued: ¡°If you truly want to make your way into the new government, you need to make a strong first impression and prove your value. Tackling the food issue is an excellent starting point.¡± ¡°I understand, thank you.¡± Lambert held up his hand, stopping the thanks: ¡°Someone will let you out in a moment and take you to see Minister Oseina, do your job well.¡± With that, he turned to leave. ¡°Wait.¡± Bradford called out to him. Lambert stopped but did not turn around. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry, truly sorry.¡± Lambert knew that Bradford¡¯s apology was directed at the Hodgson Family. He waved his hand, his back still to Bradford, and said: ¡°Don¡¯t be under any illusions, I¡¯ve heard your apology, but I will never forgive you. The sole reason you are still alive is that you are still useful to the governor. You¡¯d better ensure that reason remains valid, otherwise, no matter where you flee, I will make you pay the price you owe.¡± ¡­ The newly free Bradford felt quite good. Even though Lambert had verbally threatened him just before his release, he did not take it to heart. Or rather, Lambert¡¯s attitude was entirely to be expected. Even if he wasn¡¯t the mastermind, he was still a key accomplice in the downfall of the Hodgson Family; the two had irreconcilable differences. Asking himself honestly, if he had been in the same position, he might have risked the governor¡¯s punishment just to kill an enemy. In fact, by delivering Bradford into Lambert¡¯s hands, the governor probably intended to leave the decision up to Lambert himself. If Lambert had truly wanted his life, the governor might not have said a word of reprimand. No matter why Lambert chose not to act, at least Bradford was still alive. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Moreover, he now had the opportunity to climb even higher. Minister of Commerce¡­ If he secured that position, his status might not be any less than before. Feeling motivated, after meeting Ossina, he truly gave it his all. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª 4k dual integration. Chapter 137 - Chapter 137: Chapter 128, Food Crisis Chapter 137: Chapter 128, Food Crisis After the city reconstruction work in Revival City began to set on the right track, the second problem that Osenia urgently needed to tackle was the food crisis. There was not enough food. Revival City was a commercial hub and a center for light industry. Now, with the addition of the heavy industry developing at high speed in the waste-hole district of Weixing City, industrial development was booming. But Revival City did not produce grain. Although there was a small farm like Mantan River Valley Manor on the outskirts of the city, the output of a single season¡¯s crop was decent if it reached 2000 tons. The yield for an entire year could barely feed the whole city for about ten days. Considering Revival City and Weixing City as one, it was an urban area with a population scale of one million. Based on the lower-end grain rationing standard, daily food consumption needed to reach at least 500 tons; for a whole year, the required food supply was at least 180,000 tons, with 200,000 tons being a safer provision. When Gu Hang initially took over the city, the entire city¡¯s grain reserves could last only about fifteen days. And now, twelve days had already passed, leaving the grain reserves at around nine days¡¯ worth. The reason for this situation was not just because they were idly consuming the stockpile. On one hand, following the initial end of the war, when the city¡¯s blockade and the wind disaster had come to a halt, grain trades had resumed to some extent. The grain caravans that had already been on their way finally mustered the courage to enter the city, offloading their cargo and loading up on industrial goods before leaving. On the other hand, there was aid from Weixing City. The two synthetic starch production lines in Weixing City were operating at full capacity, day and night. Their combined daily output could reach 100 tons. Excluding what was set aside for local supply in Weixing City¡¯s two districts, the rest was being sent to Revival City. However, even with these reinforcements, it was still a case of more outflow than inflow. This was definitely not sustainable. The synthetic starch production lines couldn¡¯t be counted on for the moment, since the tasks of research and mass production led by Wu Jiarong were quite challenging. The progress of local deployment and development of the synthetic starch production lines was slow. Even if she devoted all her energy to this, it was unlikely to solve the immediate crisis. The only option left was to rely on the old method. Revival City did not produce grains in the first place; its prolonged existence was thanks to foreign trade. Of course, relying solely on foreign trade meant that the supply of grains would be inherently unstable. The former Revival City didn¡¯t care. If unstable situations arose, so be it. After all, the inner city dwellers wouldn¡¯t starve; if people in the outer city starved to death, so many would die, and it wasn¡¯t a big deal. Eventually, there would always be many refugees who would drift in from unknown places and replenish the lost population. But the current Revival City couldn¡¯t operate like this anymore. Osenia knew that the high morale among the city¡¯s residents was based on Mr. Gu¡¯s political declarations. People had begun to believe that Lord Governor could bring them a better life, which led them to support the new government and work with great enthusiasm. However, if they were to face hunger, Mr. Gu¡¯s political declarations would bankrupt shortly after they were made, which would severely damage the credibility of the new government. Osenia would not allow this to happen. In the long term, securing food self-sufficiency within the territory of the new Alliance Council was the fundamental solution to the food security issue. But until then, the short-term solution still had to rely on foreign trade. This task had originally fallen to the first Alliance Councilman to die at Gu Hang¡¯s hand¡ªWohan. He was the largest grain trader in the old Revival City. After his death, his grain trading channels were quickly divided up, and the greatest share went to none other than Bradford. He himself had been a trade magnate, but he had avoided engaging too much in the grain business in the past to avoid internal competition with Wohan. After Wohan¡¯s death, there were no such concerns. At that time, while he was condemning the Governor¡¯s tyranny in the Alliance Council and shedding tears for Wohan¡¯s death, he was also hurriedly snatching up the industry, fearing that hesitating even for a moment would mean missing out. With the loss of the war, he ended up a prisoner. He thought everything he had grabbed was lost, but now, it turned out there was a time when it could be put to use. Of course, not having him didn¡¯t mean it was entirely impossible to manage. All the merchant employees weren¡¯t dead, after all. Still, with Bradford, who knew many people, and had trade channels in various places outside Revival City to help out, things would be a lot simpler. And at this moment, he was explaining to Osenia the specific situation of grain trade in Revival City: Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°¡­ Revival City¡¯s grain imports can be summarized into two main arteries and a bunch of capillaries,¡± Bradford was carefully sharing his experience and understanding with Osenia. ¡°The two main arteries, one to the west and one to the south. The southern one leads to the Green Valley Region. I¡¯ve heard that you, Lady Ossina, were born there, so you should be quite familiar with that area.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Osenia nodded slightly. She was indeed familiar with it¡ªshe was the daughter of a plantation owner with a tens of thousands strong workforce and had been helping her father manage the manor¡¯s accounts for years. The Green Valley Region lay more than four hundred kilometers south of Revival City. There was no clear boundary line; it was simply that the further south one went, the better the climate became. Chapter 138 - Chapter 138: Chapter 128, The Food Crisis_2 Chapter 138: Chapter 128, The Food Crisis_2 That was also one of the rare places on Rage Owl Star with a favorable climate, where Low Energy Storms occurred infrequently and there was a vast expanse of arable land. The only scene of sprawling fertile fields on Rage Owl Star could be found in the Green Valley Region. One plantation after another was spread across that land. ¡°And the road to the west, it leads to the desert. You might not be familiar with it, even though it¡¯s covered in sand, there are dotted green oases. Many people surviving in the West Desert Region have found underground plantations left over from the era before the war. Once repaired, these factories allow for high-density vertical cultivation. They don¡¯t need a large area to produce very high yields.¡± ¡°These two major arteries support the main food consumption of Revival City. Last year, Wohan mentioned in his work report to the Alliance Council that Revival City imported a total of four hundred thousand tons of food from these two sources.¡± ¡°The so-called capillaries refer to the various medium and small settlements with food production capabilities within a radius of five hundred kilometers around Revival City. Within this range, there are some cultivable lands, although not as extensive or concentrated as in Green Valley. Still, there are some, like Mantan River Valley Manor; there are also some environmentally special caverns that allow for the dense cultivation of certain fungi; and some places have breeding farms¡­ There are many types, with varying yields. They primarily support nearly all the settlements within this range, and the surplus is brought to Revival City for sale.¡± ¡°To give an example from last year, through these capillaries, Revival City purchased a total of one hundred thousand tons of various foods.¡± ¡°These combined rough estimates amount to five hundred thousand tons. In fact, Revival City did not consume that much, with 70% of the food being distributed to various locations outside of Revival City. After all, Revival City is the largest trade hub on the entire planet.¡± Lady Ossina¡¯s expression grew solemn, ¡°This means that what we need to do is not only ensure our own food security but also, as much as possible, allow food to circulate throughout the wasteland with Revival City as the hub.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bradford sighed, ¡°If we can¡¯t manage that, perhaps Revival City won¡¯t starve, but many settlements in the wasteland with no food production capacity may suffer catastrophic disasters.¡± Lady Ossina said, ¡°Moreover, there have been issues in the Green Valley Region this year. A much larger monster invasion than in previous years has destroyed many plantations; there are many, many displaced people, and many of them have turned into raiders, further complicating the situation¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bradford agreed, ¡°The chaos in the Green Valley Region has led to a more than 30% decrease in food imports from there this year, and if the situation does not ease, that import figure is likely to collapse dramatically.¡± The discussion about the Green Valley Region was something Lady Ossina had experienced personally. It had been several months since she had fled the Green Valley Region, but according to the latest intelligence, the situation there had not improved. Refugees from the Green Valley Region were still trekking hundreds of kilometers and wandering to Revival City. Behind every refugee who managed to make it to Revival City alive, perhaps two or three people fell along the way. Thinking about this, Lady Ossina felt almost unbearable. But she had to bear it. She knew that they did not yet have the capability to cross hundreds of kilometers southward and rescue those suffering along the way. She had to ensure that Revival City was well taken care of first. Gathering her thoughts, she said, ¡°We must restore food trade imports as soon as possible. Next, under the structure of the Department of Commerce, I will establish a Food Trade Bureau. I have sent people to tally everyone who has worked in the food trade in the past, and they will be immediately transferred to the Food Trade Bureau.¡± ¡°They will each have their responsibilities and, based on the three main directions we¡¯ve discussed today, will form three working groups. They will try to reach out to those who have had food trade dealings with Revival City in the past and work to restore the scale of the food trade as much as possible.¡± ¡°Mr. Bradford, I need your help.¡± Bradford was pleased inside but maintained a serious expression, ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Good, I can appoint you as a special advisor to the Food Trade Bureau. I need you to take special charge of the revival efforts for both the ¡®capillaries¡¯ and the ¡®West Desert artery¡¯ trade routes. I hope that within two weeks, our ¡®capillaries¡¯ can mostly resume their function; and within a month, our ¡®West Desert artery¡¯ can start to flow again. Can you do that?¡± Hearing the title of just a special advisor, Bradford felt a little disappointed. An advisor, after all, might not amount to an official position. When he first heard the term ¡®Food Trade Bureau,¡¯ he had hoped that he might have a chance to become the head of it, even if only on a temporary basis. Having an official position seemed to represent the beginning of his integration into the new government structure. All that was left was to speak with his abilities and performance. Food trade was, of course, the most important sector of Revival City¡¯s many commercial categories. If he did well in this area, solving the food crisis, then would he really have a chance at the Minister of Commerce position in the future? After all, Lady Ossina could not possibly continue to take on the work of multiple departments indefinitely. But now, being just an advisor, a negligible and easily dismissible position, was somewhat disappointing to him. But he quickly rallied. Being guilty, having the opportunity to serve and wash away his sins, he should cherish and give it his all. Putting aside these thoughts, he began to calculate carefully and did not speak for a while. Osenia patiently waited. Bradford finally spoke, ¡°I will do my utmost to fulfill your request. I will work hard to restore the relevant trade routes. However, the whole matter cannot be accomplished by my efforts alone. After the trade channels are established, to take in such a large quantity of food, we will also need enough goods to trade.¡± He paused, there was a topic he did not really want to bring up, but in the end, he decided it had to be discussed: ¡°Alliance currency¡­¡± Osenia raised her hand to stop him from continuing. ¡°That¡¯s not up for discussion. But you can rest assured, we are not going to completely abolish the Alliance currency. In foreign trade, we will recognize the value of the Alliance currency for a long time to come. For international commerce, we can still accept trade settlement in Alliance currency.¡± ¡°With your word, I¡¯m much relieved.¡± His concern was quite normal. If the Alliance currency were to be completely abolished, then it wouldn¡¯t just be the residents of the inner city who were ¡®plundered¡¯, it would be all the forces that had traded with Revival City in the past. For convenience in trade, many forces had accumulated a certain amount of Alliance currency. If it were suddenly all abolished, it would mean that the money they obtained from selling food or other commodities in the past would now be worthless. This would be unacceptable to many forces. If Revival City could achieve a complete internal cycle, not depending on the outside, then it wouldn¡¯t matter. But now that even basic food needs rely on foreign trade, this clearly cannot be done. It would destroy the trading credit of Revival City and offend the highly independent other settlements. ¡°Go ahead with confidence,¡± said Osenia, ¡°I will do my utmost to prepare the other trading goods.¡± ¡­ The problem Bradford mentioned was actually not a concern for Osenia. As for the currency, it could just continue to be acknowledged in foreign trade. Of course, we cannot simply buy food with Alliance currency without giving something else in return. People getting Alliance currency would also want to buy things. Osenia was confident about the related trading goods. Revival City has quite a lot to offer for sale. Revival City has a not weak industrial production capacity¡ªtextiles, electrical appliances, some metal tools, and even power generators using thermal limestone¡ªit goes without saying. Additionally, there¡¯s a large variety of goods stored in the warehouses of Revival City. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A trade hub does not only deal in food trade. After those nobles were caught in a single sweep, many channel merchants like Bradford had their goods fall into the hands of the current government. These are all goods that can be used for trade. Moreover, Revival City now has two particularly valuable commodities for sale: Arms and medicine. Chapter 139 - Chapter 139: Chapter 129, Decree by Proclamation Chapter 139: Chapter 129, Decree by Proclamation ¡°` Medicine is a hard currency in the wasteland, and there are few places with the corresponding production capacity. Currently, Weixing City¡¯s Alliance First Pharmaceutical Factory has already started production smoothly. According to reports, it can produce over a hundred different types of medicines and medical supplies. However, there is no need to implement and produce such a wide variety of medicines all at once. Some medications for treating stomach diseases, skin diseases, osteoporosis¡­ These are certainly not useless, but at least for now, they are not a priority. Quick-acting hemostatic agents, antibiotics, pain relief drugs, and external injury medications¡­ These are much more important, and the demand on the wasteland is also much greater. As for armaments¡­ The arms to be sold are obviously not those newly produced ones. Gu Hang¡¯s opulent brigade hasn¡¯t even completed its reorganization, so where could there be spare arms to sell to others? However, it¡¯s precisely because he is setting up a heavy synthetic brigade that many of the weapons and equipment left by the Alliance Legion have become stockpiled goods. Osenia is planning to sell these items off in batches. But they can¡¯t just be sold recklessly. Selling arms is a sensitive matter. In her plan, this trade must not only exchange enough food supply for Revival City but also achieve reasonable political objectives. Osenia is now placing great importance on the stability of the Green Valley Region. This isn¡¯t just due to personal feelings but also for the food security of Revival City. The Green Valley Region has always been an important trading partner for Revival City, being the thicker of the two major food arteries. If it falls into prolonged chaos, the impact on Revival City will be significant. Selecting appropriate trade partners, reaching out to those orderly Green Valley estate owners, and selling them arms to equip them is the best choice. Osenia hopes that the armed plantations can maintain the order of food production and keep supplying Revival City with food; they can defend against and even counter-attack the looting gangs that arise from turmoil. Ideally, they can unite and quell the monster surge that has been ravaging the Green Valley Region for several months. She is determined to handle this herself, with Bradford assisting on the side, providing some contacts and channels. However, dealing with arms sales is a bit beyond Osenia¡¯s authority. She is in charge of civil affairs, commerce, and production, but she doesn¡¯t have the final say on military equipment. She turned to Gu Hang. If I can¡¯t handle it, the big boss can. After carefully listening to Osenia¡¯s report, Gu Hang approved her plan. ¡­ Half a month later. The food crisis in Revival City was somewhat alleviated. Bradford demonstrated his capability. The first phase of the work to restore food imports was relatively successful. The ¡°capillaries¡± restored blood flow, and the various food production areas around Revival City began to resume food trade and transportation. In half a month, a total of ten thousand tons of food were imported. Endless convoys of barbaric ox carts and trucks have started to reappear frequently outside Revival City. Of course, this is due to the fact that many food transports were not in place due to the war and blockade, causing a backlog at various locations. Now, with Revival City¡¯s trade routes restored, that food was certainly no longer hoarded, hurriedly transported over in exchange for various other necessities of life. In the future, the trade volume might drop a bit, but it should be able to maintain at about five to ten thousand tons per month. Just relying on the ¡°capillary¡± blood flow is not enough to completely solve Revival City¡¯s food crisis. The food output in the surrounding areas is not enough to meet the city¡¯s food consumption. However, during this half-month, Bradford made contact with an old acquaintance who runs to the Western Desert and a transport convoy from the Western Desert is already en route. The current stockpile of food can still hold up, and a month later, that transport convoy carrying over fifty thousand tons of food will arrive in Revival City. Meanwhile, Osenia has reached out to Dennison Henry, Gu Hang¡¯s agent in Rubbish Town, and purchased a large quantity of lime ash. The Western Desert has a high demand for lime ash, a good fuel, which is one of their main imports after selling food. The underground plant factories from before the war consume a lot of water and electrical energy. Water resources are supplied by oases and are locally extracted; for energy, they heavily rely on imports. On this front, Osenia has new ideas. Can¡¯t the electric grid be extended to the Western Desert? What they really need is energy. Lime ash is transported back for electricity generation. Then, constructing a high-voltage power grid and directly transmitting electricity would be much cheaper than hauling lime ash by ox carts and trucks, right? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Moreover, the cost of directly exporting electricity is even cheaper. Ms. Wu Jiarong has already deployed a reactor generator set around Weixing City. Osenia also made an appearance at the inauguration ceremony. Once connected to the grid, almost all of the lime ash power generation units stopped. They aren¡¯t needed anymore, as the electricity generated by a single reactor unit upon grid connection is already enough for the production and living needs of the combined one million population of Revival City and Weixing City. Even, there¡¯s some surplus. Chapter 140 - Chapter 140: Chapter 129, Issuing a Proclamation to Settle Things_2 Chapter 140: Chapter 129, Issuing a Proclamation to Settle Things_2 ¡°` Adequate, inexpensive energy brought about tremendous changes. Thermagstone wasn¡¯t eliminated, but could now be fully used as vehicle fuel. The mass-produced Iron Bull trucks could now run freely without competing with power plants for fuel; the extra energy could be used for some seemingly extravagant things in the wasteland, such as air conditioning. Revival City¡¯s air conditioning factory expanded its production capacity. Osenia planned to get a batch of air conditioners on the Alliance store shelves before the weather turned to summer. Those living in the outer city might not be able to enjoy this luxury, but there was hope. After all, without worries for food and clothing, those who really wanted to buy could save up their work points to purchase one; while those in the inner city who were more proactive in integrating into the existing system, if they were capable and had reached higher ranks, and had also earned bonuses for meritorious service¡ªsuch as the clerks who had joined the food trade bureau and worked hard. Their bonuses were enough for them to afford an air conditioner and enjoy a comfortable and cool summer. Even if there were quotas for electricity use, it didn¡¯t matter, as the part exceeding the rank quota, also due to the cheapness of electricity, could easily be afforded with work points. In fact, it was the same for everyone in the city. Those who couldn¡¯t afford an air conditioner could always afford an electric light or some other appliance and were able to use them freely. All of these were visible improvements to the quality of life. After the nuclear reactor generator sets were integrated into the grid and electricity prices plummeted, Gu Hang¡¯s two cities both took on the character of cities that never sleep. And subsequently, as a variety of industrial goods that used electricity were mass produced and entered thousands of households, this scene of development based on advanced energy would become more and more common. As electricity consumption increased, what would happen if it became insufficient? Just build another nuclear reactor generator set. Abundant electricity could, of course, be sold as a commodity. Osenia thought it was a good idea to sell electricity to the Western Desert, and the technology for building a power transmission network was available. However, constructing a long-distance high-voltage transmission network over distances of thousands of kilometers was difficult, but maintenance was even more challenging. There were many dangers along the way. Monsters might be a lesser concern, for while they have a strong desire to attack humans, they usually don¡¯t interfere with human constructions. But the plunderers along the way were another story. Cutting off or destroying the power grid wouldn¡¯t bring them any particular benefit, but they could use such means to extort and blackmail. Osenia once mentioned this idea to Gu Hang during a report. Gu Hang smiled and told her to write it down in the long-term plan. ¡°Wait until I clear out everything along the way, and then we can build our high-voltage transmission stations all the way through,¡± he said. ¡­ Clearing out several thousand kilometers from Revival City to the west seemed far off, but it wasn¡¯t as distant as imagined. In just a few days, Major Perbov¡¯s battalion had made a fierce advance two hundred kilometers centered around Weixing City. Before the award ceremony, Major Perbov had received orders from the governor to take on this task after completing preparations. His unit was the first in the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade to be fully staffed and equipped. In half a month¡¯s time, not only were the troops in place, but all the heavy equipment and vehicles were almost entirely filled in as well. But even before all the equipment had arrived, he had already started moving, unable to wait. Some especially small settlements, with only dozens or hundreds of people, that were well hidden and hard to find, were let be; but those with a population over a thousand, especially those registered with the Alliance as ¡®members of the Alliance¡¯, were easy to deal with. At that size, most were cases of ¡®the monk can run away, but the temple can¡¯t¡¯. Actually, most settlements didn¡¯t require fighting to be reclaimed. They already considered themselves members of the Alliance. Previously, it was because the Alliance had no interest, no capability, or some other reason that they did not exercise direct administrative control over them. However, these places faced a different attitude when the now governor of Revival City demanded that they unify and accept direct governance. Some gladly accepted, and generally those who did, like the Abandoned Cave Society, were struggling to survive in an impoverished place. ¡°` Some, though reluctant, had no alternative. The towed artillery pulled by the trucks lined up neatly, the imposing armored vehicles and tanks were displayed prominently, and the fully armed soldiers, uniform in their attire, were clearly an elite force. How could one resist? Major Perbov¡¯s Composite Camp alone had more than eight hundred men, and some camps possibly had a total population that barely exceeded this number, with not enough guns to arm even a handful. They could only send out representatives with sweaty palms to negotiate with Perbov. There was not much to talk about, only one sentence, ¡°Surrender all weapons unconditionally and accept governance.¡± Following that, the civil affairs officials accompanying Perbov¡¯s troops would enter the captured survivor camps along with the military. Their people would do two things in batches. Firstly, inside the camps, they would promote the policies of Revival City. The political commissars from the First Camp¡¯s various companies would mobilize some ideologically progressive soldiers to join the civil affairs department in undertaking this task. The general idea was, by coming to Revival City, one could earn their keep. Depending on work ability and nature of the job, ranks could be assigned and with these ranks came assurances of basic living needs, from food to medical care to housing improvements. With this approach, many camps with poor living conditions could generally be stabilized. Even though most people wouldn¡¯t so easily believe that all of this was true¡­ since there was no way to resist, they could only choose to enjoy the benefits. The second thing they had to do was to analyze the camp situation and industry, assessing whether the survivor camp needed to be preserved. Those camps without any special local resource-derived outputs did not need to be preserved. Their populations would be collectively relocated to Weixing City to fill the gaps in various industrial outputs. Within half a month, four abandoned camps were closed down, totalling nearly seven thousand inhabitants. However, some places with local resource output¡ªmainly agricultural output¡ªwould be preserved. There were three such camps, one of which was a cave dwelling camp, where a special type of fungus could be cultivated in the underground environment. Relying on this fungus, they not only sustained a population of over three thousand people but also had a surplus for export. However, this cave dwelling camp would not be entirely preserved. Maintaining and expanding the fungus cultivation industry did not require so many people, two-thirds of the population would be relocated, and the remaining would be reemployed as mushroom cultivation workers and managers, with ranks assigned. The relevant resource allocation would be transported from the city to this place, but at the same time, the entire mushroom cultivation industry would become government-operated and publicly owned. The other two cultivation gardens, each with a population of around a thousand, underwent similar arrangements. Apart from the remaining agricultural workers and mushroom cultivation workers and managers, a batch of weapons would also be sent to the camp. Arms would be distributed among the remaining population to form militia organizations, thus enabling them to protect themselves. In the half-month of Perbov¡¯s operation, he added more than ten thousand people to Weixing City¡¯s population and secured three village-level strongholds with food production. Even though it was a military operation, there had barely been any resistance encountered throughout the process. Of course, this was a good thing. With no battles to fight, Perbov felt a bit downhearted. He recalled the words he heard on the plane while accompanying the governor to Revival City. In this campaign, he was favored by the governor to be the future leader of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade and had come especially to build his merits. Although his actions were highly successful, at the end of the day, it was due to the prestige of the governor and the legitimate name of the Alliance; to claim it was all his own doing was somewhat like having the audacity to boast without shame. Without firing a shot and securing victory by decree, what did it have to do with him, Perbov? Yet he couldn¡¯t engage in the reprehensible acts of killing the innocent and claiming their merits. The political commissar of the brigade and those of the companies were all watching him. It was said that Revival City was still building a military court, and he had no desire to be its first guest. His own conscience wouldn¡¯t allow him to commit such deeds, either. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But it couldn¡¯t always be smooth sailing. A work team from the Civil Affairs Department and the Bureau of Immigration had sent a distress signal and then lost contact. Before the loss of contact, they were in ¡®Sanchi Town¡¯, working on population relocation matters. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª There will be an extra update tomorrow! I¡¯ll also try my best the day after! Chapter 141 - Chapter 141: Chapter 130, Selfish Desires Chapter 141: Chapter 130, Selfish Desires Jason Morgan, with a lump swollen on his forehead, felt he was out of luck. He was a clerk at a small factory inside Revival City, doing some statistical work. With no special skills or power, he diligently performed his duties, earning his due salary. Life was much better than it was for starving refugees outside the city but was by no means wealthy. He could barely afford a room within the inner city and, with his wife¡¯s income, just managed to support their three children. After the war, his wife, taken in by some superstition, believed that the newly established government by the incoming governor was reliable. She not only joined it herself but also persuaded him at home for two days. ¡°We¡¯re literate, we can do math, we have work experience¡ªwe can make it big.¡± ¡°It¡¯s said that Lady Ossina got promoted to such a high position just because she could read!¡± ¡°The sooner we get in, the better. If we ingratiate ourselves early, we might also become important people someday.¡± Bewitched, he agreed and, after initial political screening and training, was dispatched to the Immigration Bureau under the Civil Affairs Department. At that time, he thought that though it was tough and he had to leave the city to work, just looking at the E9 rank set for him initially, combined with the basic rank quota with his wife, was enough to feed the family. Add to that the salary beyond the quota, their quality of life wouldn¡¯t be reduced at all compared to before. Moreover, just before this ¡®business trip¡¯, the newly appointed head of their bureau, encouraging them, said that this was a valuable experience. If they did the job well, it would all be counted as meritorious service. He promised to apply for the Rejuvenation Medal for those with the most outstanding performance and give priority to promotion in both rank and position upon their return. Morgan was fed to the full by these promises. Coupled with the extra allowance for the trip, it all sounded advantageous. After discussing with his wife that evening, supported by her, he signed up that very night. The next day, a work group was formed, and a vehicle took them, a group of people, to Major Perbov¡¯s military force. Dealing with the first settlement of about a thousand people, they were a bit frantic and encountered some difficulties and setbacks, but ultimately, they managed to handle it. They even became the first group to complete the relocation task, and when reporting to their leaders via telegram, they received commendation from their director. He was in high spirits until, without any rest, they were sent overnight to newly liberated Sanchi Town. Sanchi Town had a population of over three thousand. According to the former leader of the town, the name ¡®Sanchi¡¯ came from three large pools surrounding the town from which they could harvest some aquatic products that they relied on for a living. They would consume part of it and dry the rest to make dried fish and canned goods for export. Additionally, the town¡¯s location was favorable, with traders passing through regularly. They ran a small tavern and provided food, lodging, and recreational services to traders, which kept the town¡¯s livelihood modestly sustainable. Following such a narrative, the first direction the work team took was that the town could be preserved. It could serve as a trade transit point, and the three productive lakes could also serve as aquaculture sites for food production. They began their work along this direction. However, after some field surveys, they quickly noticed that something was off. There were ¡®three pools,¡¯ but they were just three ¡®ponds.¡¯ They couldn¡¯t be called ponds, at most, very small lakes. There was some aquatic production, but it was clearly limited due to poor management. And the tavern? There was indeed one, but adding up the rooms, there were probably only about ten, and the first floor had twenty or so tables¡ªhardly a trading station. If this were just a small village of a few hundred people, those three pools plus the tavern might just about manage to make a decent living. But three thousand? They would¡¯ve starved long ago, relying on that, right? The people of Sanchi Town had lied. At first, Morgan didn¡¯t understand why they would lie, but on the third night after the military left, leaving only their work group behind, he saw crates of weapons and equipment being moved out of a warehouse and the townspeople began arming themselves. That¡¯s when he knew something was terribly wrong. Those people had pretended to surrender unconditionally and show loyalty to the military as soon as they arrived, and as soon as the military left, they began to arm themselves. Lately, he saw a large number of looters enter the town, getting along well with the townspeople. Combining this with the previously investigated mismatch between industry and population scale, he finally realized that they had walked into a den of thieves! No wonder how those three small pools and a run-down tavern could support three thousand people¡ªthe town didn¡¯t rely on that for sustenance at all. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Trade route transit point¡­ They indeed depended on trade along the route for sustenance, but perhaps not in the way he thought before. Running shady inns, highway robbery¡­ If they said their livelihood was related to merchants, that wouldn¡¯t be wrong. Add to that plundering and extorting other settlements, along with acting as a hub for robbers to deal with stolen goods, provide supplies, and hide out as a criminal center¡­ Well, then it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to support a population of three thousand. Jason Morgan, covered in cold sweat and not daring to finish urinating for fear of being noticed, tiptoed back to his room and told his other six colleagues about his discovery. Chapter 142 - Chapter 142: Chapter 130, Personal Desire_2 Chapter 142: Chapter 130, Personal Desire_2 Everyone was somewhat panicked. Even during the most intense battles in Revival City before, all they did was listen to the sound of gunfire and feel the vibrations when the orbital bombardments hit the wind farms on the outskirts of the city, shivering with fear inside their homes. But as for a clear and present physical threat, it hadn¡¯t been as palpable as now. If they stayed any longer, death was certain. The plunderers, no matter what they were planning, clearly weren¡¯t going to let them go. The seven people discussed and decided to make a run for it before those guys came to trouble them and restricted their movement. Unfortunately, it was too late. They were no stealth experts, not even soldiers; they had no training in this area, how could they possibly sneak out of a town unnoticed? In fact, they hadn¡¯t gotten far before they were caught. Morgan was struck on the head with two strikes of a gun butt, leaving him dizzy. By the time he regained most of his senses, he and his colleagues were already tied up in a room. Now, all he felt was regret, immense regret. Back then, choosing to go on a business trip had been because he was dazzled by the pie in the sky painted by his boss, blinded by the extra travel allowance. He had only seen the benefits and forgotten how dangerous the wasteland was. Now what? ¡°No choice, just wait for death,¡± said one person optimistically. A true pessimist would have said, ¡°Is there any way to die quickly, preferably painlessly? The plunderers here actually eat people, and some even more twisted, to ensure the meat is fresh, slice and roast while the victim is still alive¡­¡± Morgan, who had just recovered from his dizziness, was scared almost to the point of fainting again upon hearing their conversation. Wait, just a few days ago I was at home enjoying a blissful future with my wife, and now you¡¯re telling me I might be skinned alive? His mindset was collapsing. Morgan didn¡¯t want to die. He shook his head, trying to think of a way out but couldn¡¯t. The seven of them were tied up tightly, thrown on the ground, struggling even to squirm like caterpillars, let alone think of a way to untie themselves. It would be futile anyway; they were unarmed, and there were two armed plunderers guarding the door. What to do? No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn¡¯t think of a solution. And then an even more despairing situation arose. He heard footsteps outside. It seemed like several people were coming over, then started talking to the guards at the door, and then there was some arguing. The conversation was slightly muffled by the door and wall, but it sounded like¡­ ¡°¡­orders¡­to come¡­is it these people?¡­execute¡­just bury outside¡­release¡­no good¡­¡± Those words made Morgan go pale. It¡¯s over! They were coming to execute them! As he thought this, the door was opened. He saw three armed plunderers walk in. Morgan was terrified. He felt that everything was over. At that moment, all he could do was close his eyes, preparing to face death, praying his end would be swift. But just then, he heard one of the newcomers speak. ¡°Chief Terrell¡¯s orders are to kill all of you.¡± Just as I thought¡­ Morgan thought to himself. Then he heard a twist that gave him a flicker of hope: ¡°But I can let you go, only if you agree to one condition.¡± Before Morgan could speak, his colleague beat him to it: ¡°What condition?¡± The newcomer sighed, ¡°Chief Terrell insists on opposing Revival City, which I disagree with. I see this as an opportunity to wash my hands of this, stop plundering, and live as a peaceful citizen of Revival City. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± He paused, then added with some dejection, ¡°But, I can¡¯t change his mind. So, I took the task to execute you, but I want to let you go. When Terrell is defeated, you must remember my kindness. If I¡¯m captured, you have to rescue me; if I escape, I hope you report this and help us secure a place in the New Alliance.¡± Morgan hurriedly responded, thumping his chest, ¡°Of course! We¡¯ll certainly do that!¡± The others also hurriedly made various promises. The newcomer relaxed a little and threw them some clothes, ¡°Then quickly change into these, and I can find a route to have my men escort you out. I still have to find some bodies to burn as yours; we¡¯re short on time.¡± Morgan and the others sprang into action. While hurriedly changing, it crossed his mind: The promotional work for the New Alliance policies in Sanchi Town was actually effective. After changing, Morgan and the others were led out. At the moment of parting, Morgan hesitated but still said, ¡°You might as well escape with us. Otherwise, if your act of releasing us is exposed, it could be very dangerous.¡± ¡°If I escape with you, we won¡¯t make it. My identity will cover for you. As for the risk of exposure¡­ I¡¯ll be prepared.¡± ¡°All right then.¡± Since the man had said so, Morgan didn¡¯t insist, but he asked another question: ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°I¡¯m Reddy Bore.¡± ¡­ ¡°Reddy Bore¡­ these seven, are they really from the New Alliance?¡± Faced with Chief Terrell¡¯s question, no matter how much turmoil was in his heart, at least Bol managed to maintain a calm exterior: ¡°Of course.¡± Chief Terrell¡¯s green eye peered at him for a good while, then turned his gaze onto the other members beside Bol, ¡°Then tell me, why is it that your Captain Bol specifically wants the bodies burnt?¡± Chapter 143 - Chapter 143: Chapter 130, Personal Desires_3 Chapter 143: Chapter 130, Personal Desires_3 Bol opened his mouth, hoping to speak, but Chief Terrell lifted a hand to stop him. ¡°Shut your mouth. I didn¡¯t ask you. Say one more word, and I¡¯ll kill you,¡± he said. Bol could only close his mouth and remain silent. The brothers beside him, however, couldn¡¯t maintain the composure that he had when facing the notorious and brutal Chief Terrell. Terrell looked at these men with their nervous and confused expressions and revealed a fierce grin: ¡°Speak up. The one who speaks, I¡¯ll spare your life,¡± he said. Finally, someone couldn¡¯t resist any longer. A tall, thin fellow quickly distanced himself from his brothers and said, ¡°It was Bol! Bol convinced us to do this! He let the person go, talking about needing to keep a way out, not to take things too far!¡± As these words were spoken, Bol and the comrades next to him turned pale. Some were shaking so badly they could barely stand; others cursed the traitor; some sought to make excuses¡­ Bol¡¯s gaze, however, was locked on Terrell. At this moment, life and death lay within the great leader¡¯s whim. As the noise gradually subsided, Terrell calmly took out a gun and spoke, ¡°Do you have anything else to say?¡± Taking a deep breath, Bol answered, ¡°All I did was for the good of our brothers. If we killed everyone, we¡¯d make an enemy for life, and then¡­ ¡°You¡¯re pretty good at keeping options open for yourself,¡± he was interrupted. Bol tried a different approach, earnestly pleading, ¡°Chief, I¡¯ve followed you for ten years now. The brothers from the early days are dead or missing, and few of us are left. We¡¯ve built a great enterprise, with thousands dependent on us for a living, and we¡¯ve united many tribes around us¡­ We¡¯ve come to an end here. ¡°What will come next? We couldn¡¯t stand against the old Alliance Government, and we stand even less of a chance against the New Alliance Government. Haven¡¯t you seen the army that recently came here? They have armored vehicles! They have tanks! They have artillery! Are we really meant to fight such an enemy? ¡°Though we greatly outnumber them, and we have the advantage of surprise, even if we win, they will send a second, a third army. We can¡¯t afford such losses. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with taking this chance to join the New Alliance¡¯s system? All the brothers would have a place, and you could still lead us, enlisted by the Alliance into the army. Look at that Major Perbov, how impressive he seemed arriving in that armored vehicle. In the future, you could also be a general¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that be good? I really don¡¯t understand why you insist on being a bandit, a plunderer?¡± Bol¡¯s words indeed came across as sincere. Regrettably¡­ Terrell was utterly unmoved. He quietly said, ¡°Are you done?¡± ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Bol replied. ¡°For the sake of your father, who once saved my life, and for the ten years you¡¯ve been with me, I gave you a chance to speak. You know if you begged for mercy, I would have let you live, but unfortunately, you have said such things,¡± Terrell responded. He pulled the trigger. The bullet mercilessly passed through Bol¡¯s head. The raider captain immediately fell to the ground, lifeless. Terrell looked at the other followers of Bol with disgust and waved his hand: ¡°Kill all these traitors.¡± A burst of gunfire ensued, leaving no one alive. Then, Terrell turned to the fellow who had reported Bol earlier. The man was so scared that he was about to wet his pants: ¡°You¡­ you said you would spare my life.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Terrell approached him, his hands gripping the man¡¯s head, ¡°I did say that. I will forgive your act of betrayal, but you caused the death of my dear nephew Bol; I never said I would forgive you for that.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The man barely had time to say anything more when he felt a tremendous force. Terrell broke his neck with his bare hands. After executing the men, the raiders dragged the bodies away, while others continued to keep watch. Terrell turned to the few people who had been standing behind him, watching the scene unfold, and with a grin said: ¡°In my life, I despise traitors the most. I apologize for the display, gentlemen.¡± ¡°Nothing to apologize for, Chief. You¡¯re still merciful,¡± someone replied. ¡°I don¡¯t know how old Bol could produce such a naive fool of a son,¡± remarked another. ¡°We¡¯ve roamed this wasteland for so many years, relying on our guns, being tougher than anyone else. To expect us to lay down our arms and become farmers, workers? Hell, I¡¯d rather die!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Among those standing behind Terrell were some of his tribal leaders and some raider chiefs he had invited from elsewhere. At this moment, they were all clamoring, praising Terrell for the killing. Meanwhile, they left unsaid what was tacitly understood among them. What Bol had said wasn¡¯t entirely without merit. Were the days of being raiders actually that good? They burned, killed, and plundered, but there had to be something to plunder. Finding a fat sheep, a wealthy merchant, a survivor¡¯s camp with some savings, they could have a full meal, but such opportunities were not always there, and people wouldn¡¯t just willingly hand over their possessions. To rob at gunpoint meant risking lives. Even after attaining significant military strength, they dared not ruthlessly plunder many camps; they had to learn sustainable development. They would demand tribute from weaker survivor camps. But those camps barely eked out an existence themselves¡ªhow much could they give? In times when life was hard for everyone, the raiders didn¡¯t feast on meat and drink every day. Chapter 144 - Chapter 144: Chapter 130, Personal Desires_4 Chapter 144: Chapter 130, Personal Desires_4 In Sanchi Town, during hard times, it was common for people to starve to death. Those who survived would divide and consume the dead, in an effort to endure the lean years. Under such circumstances, if what the officers from the New Alliance were saying was true, as long as you worked, basic food and warmth were guaranteed; then what harm was there in becoming a farmer, a worker, or even a soldier? For the lower-class plunderers, it was indeed so, but it was different for those present. No matter how hard the days were, could they ever really become unbearable for their leaders? After all, they were the rulers. They received offerings; they commanded thousands of plunderers, roaming freely through the wastelands, whistling past, living with satisfaction. Having joined the New Alliance, those middle and lower-class looters could perhaps conceal their pasts and live peaceful lives. But what about these leaders? Could they still dictate and act recklessly? I¡¯m afraid not. It was nearly impossible to expect a group of plunderer leaders to think of the greater good, considering the welfare of all their subordinates, and giving up their privileges. However, their minds weren¡¯t completely controlled by selfish desires, forgetting the reality of the situation. They were well aware that, in their current state, even though they had a few thousand guns, it was still unrealistic to confront directly the troops led by Major Perbov. Numerous men and guns they had, but they were seriously lacking in heavy firepower. With only twenty light mountain cannons and some individual rocket launchers, they could threaten the heavy armored vehicles, but the risk was too high; deploying all their forces might not guarantee the destruction of even a few tanks. A single anti-tank group encountering an armored vehicle or tank definitely had the potential to cause damage, but the requirements were too stringent. It wasn¡¯t impossible for them to stealthily approach within a few dozen meters and then hit the vehicle¡¯s side armor with two or three armor-piercing rockets. But it was more likely they¡¯d be discovered before getting close, and then a barrage from the enemy would wipe them all out. It was precisely for this reason that they had never considered a head-on collision with the New Alliance¡¯s military forces. Otherwise, there would have been no need to play the part of compliant citizens when Major Perbov first arrived with his troops. In fact, they were prepared to give up on Sanchi Town altogether. They weren¡¯t any sort of legitimate settlement; whether it was the industry Mesh had built, those three broken ponds, or the decrepit tavern, if they decided not to cling to these, they would simply depart. Once the word was out, why couldn¡¯t they sleep anywhere out in the wilderness? Guerrilla warfare was nothing remarkable for a gang of bandits who lived off plunder. There weren¡¯t many mountains here, a few small woods but not many, yet most crucially, there were plenty of extensive urban ruins! These were even better suited for guerrilla warfare than any other kind of terrain. Take part in whatever business is available, strike when there¡¯s an opportunity for an ambush, and retreat into the city whenever a powerful enemy force approaches. I have no lair, no foundation, are your armored forces going to come into the urban ruins to fight me? In the ruins, do armored forces have the agility, the speed of a person? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, before actually moving into the ruins or the forest, they still had to launch an ambush. After those officers from the New Alliance had fled, Terrell realized that Major Perbov¡¯s forces would surely come. Far from telling his troops to hurry and escape, he decided instead to stage an ambush along the way. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This chapter is 6k words; I¡¯ll try to push out a larger chapter tomorrow. Chapter 145 - Chapter 145: Chapter 131, Battle of the Three Ponds Chapter 145: Chapter 131, Battle of the Three Ponds After receiving the telegram about Morgan and others escaping, Perbov realized the road to Sanchi Town would certainly not be peaceful. To be honest, he was somewhat annoyed. His troops had spent more than two days in Sanchi Town and yet had failed to recognize it as a den of thieves! In hindsight, there were indeed some signs. But at that time, he was entirely focused on planning the subsequent operations, considering how many settlements could be taken over through intimidation, and where some military measures might be necessary¡­ Put simply, he hadn¡¯t paid enough attention to Sanchi Town, which had already been secured, and that led to this huge blunder. The escape of the seven civil affairs officers was good news. The intelligence they brought back was also of great importance to him. In the wastelands, plunderers had always been a major problem. The reason why he decided to relocate all the population except the essential agricultural labor was not only because there was a significant shortage of manpower in Weixing City, but also there was another major issue, as Gu Hang had previously mentioned to him: they lacked the capacity to manage those less valuable small settlements. Those places weren¡¯t entirely without value, but the input-output ratio was seriously unbalanced. If you wanted to run them, you would need to input a large amount of materials and support industries, which basically meant engaging in ¡°poverty alleviation¡± work. Besides poverty alleviation, military forces had to be invested for protection. Otherwise, settlements that became even slightly wealthier would become targets for looters. Plunderers, monsters in the wild, these were all major threats in the wasteland. And now, in addition to consolidating various settlements, Perbov¡¯s forces had another mission: bandit extermination. The three agricultural settlements that were left behind needed a stable environment to expand production; this region was also an important trade route from Weixing City to Rubbish Town. Rubbish Town was a crucial source of raw materials for the industrial base of Weixing City, and it also needed to ensure the security of this transportation route to import food. According to the governor, he wanted to see every power in this region fly the flag of the New Alliance, and that included the plunderers¡¯ forces. Originally, Perbov was unaware of the severity of the banditry in the area, and he had planned to settle the survivor settlements first before dealing with the bandit suppression. Now, it seems that action had to be taken ahead of schedule. Similarly, Perbov could tell that those plunderers definitely didn¡¯t have the guts to confront him head-on, otherwise they would have attacked when he entered Sanchi Town unguarded. But since they ultimately chose to rebel, they must have had something to rely on. Urban ruins¡­ guerrilla warfare¡­ Perbov subsequently thought of these and made a judgment: he couldn¡¯t let this band of plunderers get away. A few thousand people dispersing and running into the pre-war ruins to then launch intermittent strikes at the trade routes would leave him with very few options to counter them. The entire bandit suppression operation would turn into a prolonged counter-guerrilla campaign. He almost immediately made a decision. ¡°All forces, attack immediately! To Sanchi Town!¡± Apart from his main forces¡¯ swift and fierce advance, he also gave orders to several other deployed squads. Following his instructions, the two mechanized infantry companies that could move the fastest were to cut into the back of Sanchi Town. The ¡®Strider V¡¯ armored vehicles had exceptional off-road capabilities, allowing them to maintain a relatively good speed even off the road. The orders he gave to the two company commanders were to block Sanchi Town¡¯s retreat routes. If the evacuation had already started, they were to attack immediately, delay their retreat, and wait for the main forces to arrive for an encirclement. The two motorized infantry companies advanced rapidly along the roads in two different directions, with trucks carrying soldiers charging toward Sanchi Town from the connected routes. Perbov himself led the headquarters along the main road towards Sanchi Town, with the tank battalion and the artillery battalion possibly moving slower, but they were also the strongest units. And a day later, Perbov¡¯s main force, still two days¡¯ march from Sanchi Town, received two pieces of news. The fight had already begun at the front. The mechanized infantry companies he sent to cut off the rear arrived just in time. Each of them caught the tail of a retreating band of plunderers and launched an immediate attack. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The enemy clearly had a lack of understanding of the mechanized troops¡¯ marching speed. The bandits, relying on foot travel and ox carts for transport, were caught completely off guard. The ¡®Strider V¡¯ played an enormous role in the open field. The 40mm autocannons, firing without restraint, made it difficult for the plunderers to withstand, even using ox carts and various goods as temporary cover; the grenade machine gun substituted for the twin machine guns on the armored vehicle¡¯s weapon station acted like a rapid-fire small grenade launcher, bombarding the enemy forces relentlessly. The dismounted infantry, following the armored vehicles and sweeping through the area, were mainly tasked with finishing off the survivors. The enemy had artillery. The caliber of those mountain guns wasn¡¯t large, but a few direct hits could potentially damage a few armored vehicles if they got unlucky. Unfortunately, those few mountain guns didn¡¯t even manage to set up a firing formation before they were destroyed by concentrated fire from the autocannons and grenade machine guns. Chapter 146 - Chapter 146: Chapter 131, The Battle of Three Ponds_2 Chapter 146: Chapter 131, The Battle of Three Ponds_2 After these few mountain guns failed to make an impact, the only means they had left to threaten the armored personnel carriers were direct-fire rocket launchers. But these things, beyond two hundred meters, were hard to aim accurately, and even when they hit, the power wasn¡¯t sufficient. To ensure both accuracy and enough power to threaten the ¡®Wanderer¡¯s¡¯ side armor, one would have to get within a few dozen meters, and it would be best if two or three groups attacked at once. How difficult was this condition? Quite a few brave warriors tried to carry their rocket launchers closer, but in this open field with little cover, there was no chance to approach. The crew inside the Wanderer was equipped with a considerably sophisticated battlefield reconnaissance system, which could detect most threats through observation ports. Then came a round of machine-gun fire or explosive shells, promptly blowing those brave ones daring to advance to pieces, along with the tubes in their hands. Even if there were blind spots in the armored personnel carriers¡¯ observation that allowed one or two rocket launcher teams to emerge, it was not a big deal. The soldiers who dismounted to fight on foot were for just this task. T5 level soldiers, no matter which military skill, all had sufficiently solid proficiency. You have a launcher, I have one too, plus more; the gun in my hand is more accurate than yours, with longer range and fiercer firepower. A few controlled shots or a pre-emptive rocket launch, and those raider fire teams that had managed to get close were wiped out. When the brave warriors daring to counterattack had mostly died, those left with less courage finally couldn¡¯t hold out any longer, and in complete collapse, they scattered. Then, like lambs awaiting slaughter in the wilderness, they were eliminated by soldiers wielding all sorts of weapons while fleeing. Actually, even if they all fought to the death, what could that have accomplished? Caught in a surprise attack by mechanized forces, without any position, without cover, lacking heavy weapons, out in the open field, they were just sitting ducks. Of course, there were many of them, and in the completely disordered rout, quite a few managed to escape. But without any transport, without supplies, it was uncertain how many of the raiders who fled would survive, how many could regroup and return. ¡­ If the two mechanized infantry platoons responsible for the encirclement fought an exceedingly beautiful ambush and claimed a great victory, then the two motorized infantry platoons rushing towards Sanchi Town along the roads had suffered a small loss, a sort of draw. These two platoons were a bit lacking in heavy weapons and heavy vehicles. The motorized infantry platoon only had the Iron Ox transport trucks and Scout Rider Motorcycles. But the enemy they faced came prepared. The battle reports indicated that the raiders had clearly expected Perbov to lead his troops here. Along the way, they planted mines and bombs; they constructed roadblocks and positions along the roads; they set ambushes on both sides of the roads, ready to emerge and strike when the troops passed by. All these preparations had been effective. However, what they absolutely did not foresee was that the soldiers coming to fight would be of such elite caliber. During the advancement, a platoon led by Scout Rider Motorcycles detected the enemy troops blocking the road ahead of time and relayed the information back; the platoon¡¯s scout squad also spotted the ambushes on both sides and immediately deployed from the trucks to meet the threat on both flanks. Bombs and mines along the road destroyed two trucks, but they did not cause further casualties, as the platoon¡¯s engineers began mine-clearing operations and constructed positions using the vehicles. These responses and reactions left the raiders, who were supposed to be the ambushers, somewhat dazed. This is not right! It wasn¡¯t the first time they had used similar tactics. The caravans they had ambushed before, even if protected by relatively strong mercenaries, would be disoriented after such an attack, and a complete route was very possible. Even if they didn¡¯t scatter, it was already good if they could barely organize a defensive line relying on their baggage train, let alone have the spare capacity to counterattack the ambushers? And this counterattack was especially fierce! A single infantry squad dared to face over a hundred enemies. Their tactical movements were standard and effective, crouching low, using the slight undulations of the terrain to conceal themselves; during fire exchange, their marksmanship was precise and surprisingly powerful. In contrast, sending an indiscriminate burst of gunfire from their side, whether they hit their mark or not was unknown, but certainly no one on the opposite side was falling; on the other hand, a few three-shot bursts from the enemy and people on their side were getting killed. One infantry squad managed to hold back the attackers on one side, which was rather exaggerated. But what could be done? Surely over a hundred men on their side couldn¡¯t truly be chased away by a mere dozen from the other side? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After a brief regroup, they began a forceful assault. They intensified the firepower directly in front, while others were sent to infiltrate from the flanks. Who doesn¡¯t know how to infiltrate? The result was, the team responsible for infiltration ran right into another infantry squad. Next, the limited heavy firepower from the platoon and company came into play. At the convoy, hastily constructed mortar positions began to assert themselves; rocket launchers from the squads were drawn, loaded with high-explosive ammunition, and as the raiders launched their attack, a single shot would explode and kill several. Chapter 147 - Chapter 147: Chapter 131, The Battle of Three Ponds_3 Chapter 147: Chapter 131, The Battle of Three Ponds_3 They really couldn¡¯t break through. Then more soldiers flushed out from the positions built around vehicles and launched a counter-charge in the direction of the two ambushing forces. The ambushing forces on both sides of the road, each numbering about two hundred men, were actually overrun by this assault. However, these soldiers did not pursue too aggressively. After all, a gunfight between infantry in the open field still results in a certain level of casualties. There was simply no need for it. They retreated to their positions, allowing those looters who had started to fall back to come forward again. This was exactly what they hoped for. In battle, the efficiency of killing with guns is just too low. In fact, at the very start of the combat, they had already sent word to the rear. Upon receiving the message, the driver of the artillery support company, parked quite a distance away at the main camp, floored the accelerator. In less than half an hour, they had covered almost twenty kilometers. This was a somewhat risky decision; moving the artillery battalion forward without protection was hazardous. The only defense they had was a few dozen soldiers from the guard, engineering, and logistics units, riding ¡°Scout Rider Motorcycles¡± for protection. But obviously, the looters who had never encountered heavy artillery didn¡¯t take that into account. The artillery support company, having advanced twenty kilometers, halted the Iron Bulls acting as tow trucks and quickly set up the towed howitzers. Using the coordinates relayed from the front-line infantry, they adjusted their firing parameters. Then, the ten gods of war before them began to roar. The 155mm howitzers they deployed had a range that could reach nearly 25 kilometers. And there, that was exactly where the two motorized infantry companies at the front were engaging in combat. After entangling in battle with the ambushers in the front and on both sides for nearly an hour, they finally received support from friendly artillery. Twelve heavy artillery shells fell about two to three hundred meters outside their positions, covering a half circle. The looters were dumbfounded by the explosion. The fifty-kilogram shells, standing half the height of a person, blasted craters two meters deep upon impact, with a lethal range nearly the size of a soccer field. Those near the blast center were obliterated; those a bit further away suffered from shattered organs due to the shockwave or were wounded by shrapnel¡­ Without defensive fortifications or cover, this round of artillery fire resulted in extremely heavy losses for the ambushing looters. Besides the loss of personnel, an even heavier blow was to their morale. In the hour of combat preceding, they exerted themselves only to fail in vanquishing this group of soldiers, less than half their number, and even suffered a few countercharges, losing men. With all the advantages on their side¡ªbeing prepared against the unprepared, resting against the weary, using terrain for ambush, outnumbering the enemy¡ªthey still ended up in a deadlock. This had already disheartened them. And with a round of heavy artillery pounding down, it further shattered their already low morale. The number of men killed in the hour-long fierce battle was probably fewer than those killed by this round of artillery fire! Immediately, looters whose morale had entirely collapsed began to flee; and the few who obeyed their leaders¡¯ orders to stay were soon met with a second round of artillery fire. After the deafening barrage of heavy artillery, not a single survivor dared continue the battle. What was the point of fighting if they couldn¡¯t win and just took bombs on the outskirts? But now, escaping was not so easy. Within the motorized infantry companies, there were indeed motorcycles. The ¡°Scouts¡± that had been pulled back inside the positions raced out with a sputtering sound. Two men per vehicle, one driving, the other operating the machine gun mounted in the sidecar, began the pursuit. A large force of infantry followed closely, accompanied by the blare of the charge horn. How could the fleeing looters outrun the ¡°Scouts¡± with their superior off-road capability? Many were mowed down by the light machine guns on the motorcycles, and any attempt to stop and retaliate was met with a brief engagement from the ¡°Scouts.¡± The following infantry would instantly greet them with rocket launchers, then a dense shower of gunfire. The looters involved in this ambush and blocking battle suffered extremely heavy casualties, and less than one in ten managed to escape the battlefield. ¡­ Two battles, two reports¡ªthe information reaching Perbov¡¯s hands still served as a wake-up call. There was no doubt it was a great victory. In the two battlefields, at least two thousand enemies were defeated; the number of dead and wounded was countless, with no time to tally, but certainly exceeding a thousand. Meanwhile, the two mechanized infantry companies had suffered fewer than double-digit casualties; the two motorized infantry companies fared slightly worse, with a combined total of about thirty casualties. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only With a casualty ratio of 1:50, what was there not to be satisfied with? Still, there were concerns. Perbov was summarizing the lessons learned. For instance, he should not have allowed the motorized infantry companies to advance too far ahead, leading to artillery support not being available until an hour into the battle. If that timeframe could be moved up by half an hour, the casualties of the motorized infantry could perhaps be further reduced. Moreover, considering he had spread his forces quite thin, he also needed to consider how the main force of looters from Sanchi Town would act next. After all, he was still unclear about the exact number of enemies, their arms and equipment, especially regarding heavy weapons. Chapter 148 - Chapter 148: Chapter 131, The Battle of the Three Pools_4 Chapter 148: Chapter 131, The Battle of the Three Pools_4 If the enemy also has formidable heavy firepower and takes advantage of his current situation of having divided forces by launching a fierce attack on one of his units, what then? But on the other hand, this problem is unsolvable. If he were to gather his troops in one place, they might still be en route, and if the enemy were to launch an ambush during this time, even a small one, holding them off for just a few hours through progressive resistance, what if the main plunderer force in the rear got the message and seized the opportunity to scatter and escape? Conversely, the current situation is still relatively good. The motorized infantry company, with the help of artillery, broke through the enemy ambush and has entered the area before Sanchi Town, where they are now constructing positions and laying siege. The mechanized infantry company is cruising behind, blocking the retreat. Looking at the four separate companies, they have locked down the four directions of Sanchi Town, effectively trapping the gatherings of plunderers who were preparing to evacuate. As long as he can achieve another significant victory, a battle of annihilation, then coupled with the previous battle outcomes, at least five thousand upward plunderers would have been dealt with. From Weixing City to Rubbish Town, the route would essentially be cleared of plunderer bandits. Of course, there will inevitably be a small number of fish that slip through the net, but they will no longer pose any threat. How did the plunderers come to be? While some were born bad to the core, they are the minority. The majority of the plunderers are just ordinary people unable to make a living, who in desperation began to rob others of their chances to survive on this wasteland. Murder and theft, though reprehensible, becomes somewhat understandable upon deeper thought. And if the welfare policy for the 45 occupational classes being promoted by Lady Osenia in Revival City could successfully be extended to all the areas here; and if the majority of property-less poor people were relocated away, then the breeding ground for the plunderers in this area would be swiftly eradicated. Without a source, without more impoverished potential plunderers, these bandits would decrease with each one eliminated, negating the situation where the more you suppress them, the more they multiply. Sitting in the command vehicle, Perbov thoroughly pondered the whole situation and ultimately decided to maintain the current method of divided encirclement and suppression. Despite the risks, from a purely military standpoint, this wouldn¡¯t be the preferred way to fight. There was a hint of waging a political war, but¡­ Perbov remembered something the governor had said during a casual chat with them military officers, ¡°Military actions are an extension of politics, and war is the most brutal and intense form of special violent political means.¡± He was beginning to understand what that meant. ¡­ ¡°Damn it! They¡¯re really looking down on us!¡± ¡°We must teach them a harsh lesson!¡± ¡°So what if they have armored vehicles and cannons, does that make them so great?¡± Inside Sanchi Town, the leaders were holding a meeting. From Terrell down, emotions ran high, and everyone was yelling. Though they talked tough, in reality, each of them was panicking. How could they not panic? The original plan was to quickly evacuate once the army left, trying to take as much from their homes as possible. However, a traitor emerged, allowing several detained officials to escape. Then, sticking to the plan to continue the evacuation, they even decided to get a jump start by having some people take part of the supplies and leave first, while also setting up ambushes along the enemy¡¯s path, complete with landmines and roadside bombs. The result was that the enemy breached their ambush in just an hour, and most of those sent to participate in the ambush were killed or injured; the forces that left early with some supplies were ambushed by the enemy¡¯s mechanized troops from behind on the plains. The escorted supplies were completely lost, and of the two thousand people, less than four hundred made it back. One piece of bad news after another truly bewildered them. And what made them even dizzier was the combat strength exhibited by the New Alliance Army. About forty armored vehicles and fewer than two hundred infantrymen crushed ten times their number with almost no casualties; about two hundred infantrymen formed a defensive position using trucks, stuck it out against nearly a thousand men for an hour, and then everything was wiped clean after a round of artillery fire¡­ How were they supposed to fight this? Indeed, their group of plunderers still had their main force untouched, and there were over three thousand men in Sanchi Town. But judging by the displayed combat power of the New Alliance Army, if all three thousand men were thrown into battle, they would probably be swept away by several rounds of artillery fire and a charge by the armored forces. No one was willing to admit defeat; they only acted fierce with their words. Terrell had already attempted to muster a force to attack, but when it came to leading their own trusted troops out for a fight, nobody was willing. Amidst the clamor, Terrell finally lost his patience. He banged the table several times until everyone fell silent, then he spoke: ¡°Are you done arguing?¡± Seeing the grim face of Terrell, the leading chief, no one dared to speak further. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But in reality, many still held a disdainful attitude, and some even dared to openly display such feelings. How does a plunderer leader maintain his authority? It¡¯s nothing but battle honors. If you can lead your men to victory and indulge in feasting, then you¡¯re the toughest, regardless of whether you are known for loyalty or brutality¡ªit¡¯s merely a matter of style. But if you lose¡­ those who are known for loyalty get backstabbed, and those who rule with cruelty face rebellion. Chapter 149 - Chapter 149: Chapter 131, The Battle of the Three Ponds_5 Chapter 149: Chapter 131, The Battle of the Three Ponds_5 He hadn¡¯t reached this level yet, but there were already signs of it. Two devastating defeats, coupled with being cornered in Sanchi Town and facing a deadlock, had greatly shaken his authority. He could even guess that there must be many people whose faith was wavering, who were already considering Bol¡¯s words. Would surrender be a better choice? Following the previous opportunity to join the New Alliance Army, would it not spare them from facing the sharp edge of blades? Even without privileges, being just an ordinary civilian was better than losing one¡¯s life. There were probably not a few people with this mindset, and all these thoughts would turn into resentment, falling onto him, the great leader. But there was still a way out. He had to find a way out for his brothers; then perhaps his authority had a chance of being maintained. Seeing that his action of slamming the table had silenced the crowd below, he felt somewhat relieved. His authority, built up over many years, had not completely vanished. He took a deep breath and began to outline his plan: ¡°Those governors¡¯ lapdogs, to put it plainly, are only about eight hundred strong, armed with fierce weapons, but they¡¯ve spread their forces too thin in their attempt to surround us. If we concentrate our remaining cannons, all our explosives, in one place and strike with all our might, we¡¯re sure to break out.¡± Someone jumped out with a dissenting view, ¡°The great leader makes it sound so easy! It¡¯s our men who will be going out to die!¡± Another spoke up, ¡°Talking about breaking out, who knows how many would die on the way! Bore is right, we should have just been honest from the start.¡± First there were scattered remarks, then the remaining crowd seemed eager to try, as if the whole meeting was on the verge of descending into a marketplace again. But the sound of gunfire cut off the brewing argument. The three who had just spoken each now had a bullet hole in their forehead. They fell backward with disbelieving faces. The shooter was Terrell. Everyone else was startled, their faces carrying a look of disbelief as if they never expected Terrell to dare to draw a gun and kill people in such a setting. All from outlaw backgrounds, some instinctively reached for their guns within moments. ¡°Nobody move!¡± Terrell bellowed loudly. But at that moment, was shouting alone enough? There were still those continuing to reach for their guns. However, the many plunderers guarding nearby, as if prepared, raised their weapons and aimed at those who were stirring. These men were undoubtedly Terrell¡¯s confidants. With the present situation foreseen, Terrell was naturally prepared. These guards, already in position, targeted the agitating leaders and opened fire, but bullets don¡¯t discriminate, and stray shots hitting the innocent were all too common. Many fell and died; those not involved yet injured called out, some tried to resist, but in the end, they were all swept to the ground like the others before them. Quickly, all the plunderer leaders on one side of the meeting hall were shot dead. On the other side, there was little commotion. That side consisted of Terrell¡¯s staunch supporters, who even anticipated the current turn of events. Once the tumult subsided, Terrell stood up and cursed, ¡°A bunch of ungrateful bastards.¡± After finishing his tirade, he directed his supporters to take over and integrate the troops of those who had been killed. After making arrangements, he had someone bring in two wooden crates from outside. Upon opening them, green vials of medicine wrapped in straw were revealed. ¡°Hand these out, and when it¡¯s time to break through, have the assault team drink them.¡± ¡­ The battle came even more suddenly than expected. Terrell, after clearing out the internal opposition, had almost exhausted all the authority he had accumulated over the years, managing to keep the tribes of the slain leaders under control as he took them over. Then, he struggled to mobilize the troops, hoping to rally the remaining 3,000 to nearly 4,000 people within Sanchi Town to launch a full-scale breakout in the same direction. The heavy artillery the New Alliance Army possessed was the weapon he feared the most. One shot from that thing, if the troops were a bit too clustered, meant dozens, even hundreds of casualties; yet the width of the battlefield for breaking out of the city would not be too large, and if one were determined to break through, ensuring enough force in the assault team meant troops couldn¡¯t spread out too much. However, that would significantly increase the lethality of the enemy¡¯s artillery. It was truly a dilemma. But a choice had to be made in the face of any dilemma. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Terrell planned to order his troops to launch a desperate assault, rushing to fight at close quarters with the enemy, just tens of meters away, so they could engage in close combat. In this way, the distance between friend and foe was greatly reduced; the New Alliance Army¡¯s heavy artillery would not be able to perform as well. They would have to be wary of causing friendly fire, as the enemy could not afford to take losses any more than they could. However, he somewhat underestimated the difficulty of reassembling his forces after the killings. Although he managed to avert outright mutiny and internal strife, the speed of regrouping the entire military force was far slower than expected. Before he was ready to lead his forces in the breakout, the New Alliance Army launched an attack first. Chapter 150 - Chapter 150: Chapter 131, The Battle of the Three Pools_6 Chapter 150: Chapter 131, The Battle of the Three Pools_6 At the start of the attack, the plunderers in Sanchi Town were already a little stunned. Even Terrell, when he bravely ascended a high platform to observe the battle, was somewhat dazed. It was unquestionable that the heavy artillery fired first. Around the edges of Sanchi Town, and then at the buildings, followed by the plunderers who had dug trenches, were too scared to stick their heads out under the bombardment. If it weren¡¯t for the leaders exerting pressure, nobody would have dared to run, and it¡¯s possible that this artillery barrage alone could have totally shattered the outer defenses. The plunderers hiding in fortifications, bunkers, and trenches actually suffered relatively few casualties. If they weren¡¯t hit directly by a shell, or too close to the blast to be killed or injured by the shock wave, the deadly and terrifying shrapnel couldn¡¯t penetrate their cover to cause harm. After all, they wouldn¡¯t die as miserably as those unlucky ones who had been defending in the open field ¡ª being bombed there was truly horrific. However, the ear-splitting roar of the cannons and the terrifying force that made the earth tremble filled people with fear and horror. It seemed the enemy¡¯s artillery must have been more than twenty kilometers away; even if they wanted to retalitate, they couldn¡¯t see a thing. They could try to calculate the enemy¡¯s artillery position based on the trajectory of the shells, but it was useless. They did have cannons of their own, but those small-caliber, assorted mountain guns could barely maintain accuracy beyond ten kilometers, let alone affect the heavy artillery positions twenty kilometers away. Their only option was to shrink back and bear the bombardment. But if that had been all, it would still have been within Terrell¡¯s expectations. However, following this round of artillery fire, he could see that the Alliance Army had launched a full-fledged offensive. Just after the shelling, maybe just two hundred meters from the blast site, the infantry of the Alliance Army had already appeared. The mortar teams also showed their might, unleashing a round of shelling toward the front. The soldiers were rapidly charging forward; before the warmth of the artillery barrage had even dissipated, they had already rushed into the position that had just been shelled. The stunned plunderers, with the wounded getting finished off by rifle fire, and those lucky enough to be unharmed, were too scatterbrained to put up any effective defense and were quickly and messily eliminated. But of course, there wasn¡¯t just one layer of defenses, aside from the locations that were bombed, there were still other plunderers present behind them. If they had shown themselves and started shooting at this moment, they could certainly have posed a threat to the attacking soldiers. But they didn¡¯t, as another round of artillery had already covered their position. The most terrifying thing was that the infantry of the Alliance Army were only about two hundred meters from the blast site. The lethal range of those fearsome heavy cannons was nearly one hundred meters. Weren¡¯t they afraid that if a shell were to fall just a bit off course, it might land on their own men? The gunners weren¡¯t afraid, the commanders weren¡¯t afraid, weren¡¯t those frontline infantry afraid? Terrell had never seen anything like this before. A few terms he had only heard of but never witnessed crossed his mind: combined arms operation, creeping barrage. He knew that the outer defenses he had spent so much time building were now doomed. But Terrell quickly realized that he couldn¡¯t really let the outer defenses be destroyed. Otherwise, once the Alliance Army broke through, without the town¡¯s edge fortifications and trenches, the battle would become even more difficult. That area was intended to be his launch point for a breakout operation from behind. Terrell, gritting his teeth, issued orders to the troops behind him to open fire with their own artillery. The much smaller caliber mountain guns, even if they couldn¡¯t reach the Alliance Army¡¯s artillery in the rear, at least had to threaten the enemies right in front of them, making them taste the artillery fire as well. Moreover, under his command, more plunderers counterattacked in the direction of the Alliance Army¡¯s advance. He didn¡¯t want this, but the situation changed too fast, and there was no time to slowly organize troops and find a breakout direction. If they truly had to fight a breakout battle, then they needed to crush the enemies before them and they could potentially kill their way out. However, just as he had ordered a large number of his own troops to fill into the first line of defense and engage in close-range firefight with those new Alliance soldiers, two new developments occurred. First, the artillery barrage they had just fired two rounds of, was finished. He had ordered his own artillerymen to fire and then move positions after each shot. Nevertheless, the narrow spaces within Sanchi Town made it difficult for the artillery to maneuver, and relocation was even tougher. Moreover, although their cannons were light, they lacked towing vehicles, and relying on manpower to push meant the speed of movement was not at all guaranteed. As a result, they were caught in the act. Their artillery could not reach the Alliance Army¡¯s artillery formation, yet the enemy¡¯s heavy cannons undoubtedly brought their cannons within their firing range. After two rounds of bombardment, the raiders¡¯ artillery positions were no more. Not only were there heavy casualties among the gunners, but a large number of the cannons were destroyed or damaged as well. Of course, once the Alliance¡¯s artillery had focused its firepower on the town¡¯s artillery, there was no way to provide cover for the soldiers fighting at the front. Although the attacking infantry still had some mortars available to them, these were nowhere near as powerful as the 155mm howitzers. This slowed the pace of those soldiers trying to break through the outer defenses, but the raiders who continued to push forward actually succeeded in pulling the combat range to within a hundred meters. At this distance, the effectiveness of firearms greatly increased, and it became difficult for the Alliance¡¯s heavy artillery to cover this area. Even if the Alliance¡¯s gunners were accurate and their soldiers fearless, friendly fire from artillery was a real concern. Hesitant to risk hitting their own, of course they couldn¡¯t continue to recklessly bombard an area where both sides were intermingled in close combat. However, just as he started to comfort himself with this thought, Terrell saw another scene that sent a chill through his limbs. The Alliance¡¯s tank platoon had advanced! A total of twelve tanks stirred up clouds of dust on the dirt roads. Their 76mm smoothbore guns began to assert their dominance. Knowing they wouldn¡¯t be facing any armored targets, all the tanks were loaded with high-explosive fragmentation shells. A dozen guns fired in unison, and at a range of just a few hundred meters, not even a kilometer, they began to strike at the raiders¡¯ newly-formed counterattack posture. The raiders appeared to have no answer to these steel beasts. And taking advantage of the tanks¡¯ suppressive fire, the infantry began to surge forward. They specifically targeted raider fire teams trying to threaten the tanks. As for places firmly held by the enemy, such as scatter pits and temporary positions built from building debris, there wasn¡¯t much to discuss¡ªjust call for the tankers to fire a couple of shots, or even sweep through with co-axial machine guns, and it was all over. The tanks¡¯ tracks rolled over trenches, moving closer and coordinating with the infantry in combat. The raiders¡¯ counterattack was directly destroyed, and those who dared to close in for hand-to-hand combat all learned of the power of tank cannons and co-axial machine guns, suffering heavy casualties as a result. Seeing this scene, Terrell finally lost his composure. Frantically grabbing the field radio, he shouted, ¡°Drink all those combat drugs! Drink! Fight them with everything! If we can¡¯t win, there¡¯s no way out!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After finishing, he took several deep breaths, then shook his whole body as if realizing something, and hurriedly left the command post. Immediately afterward, his closest and most trusted squad, protecting him, headed out of Sanchi Town in another direction. He was running away. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This chapter is ten thousand words! Chapter 151 - Chapter 151: Chapter 132, Global Strategy Schedule Chapter 151: Chapter 132, Global Strategy Schedule Perbov, as the commander, rode in the ¡®Listener¡¯ command vehicle, not far from the frontline. The enemy didn¡¯t possess much in the way of long-range firepower, so he wasn¡¯t too worried. The overall progress of the battle had not surprised him. The lines formed by the marauders, under the coordination of infantry and artillery, were quickly broken. The troops that were deployed later also suffered a heavy blow under the cooperation of the infantry and tanks. Despite the enemy outnumbering his men by far, the battle at this stage was not about manpower, it was about firepower. Compared to firepower, these marauders stood no chance against his newly formed Composite Camp. Merely two dismounted mechanized infantry platoons, with the support of the artillery support platoon and the tank platoon, had routed the marauders head-on. The defensive line pierced with a poke, the counterattack shattered with a touch; such was the true portrayal of these marauders. The battle was won, with no suspense remaining. What was left to do was to expand the victory. Of course, Perbov hadn¡¯t forgotten that his mission was not just to defeat this group of enemy forces. He needed to fight an exemplary annihilation battle and utterly eradicate these bandits that threatened the trade routes and surrounding settlements. Killing everyone or capturing the vast majority were both options. If they were dead, there would be no more thieves; for those who didn¡¯t die, picking out some who had committed heinous crimes and executing them, then sentencing the rest to five or ten years of hard labor, to be sent to work as miners in the Abandoned Cave Society or to chop trees in the alien forest to make building materials or raw materials for synthetic starch, were all possible options. And to truly expand the victory, the two mechanized infantry platoons that were cruising in another direction had also received orders and began their assaults. Truth be told, the most formidable forces within his Composite Camp were these two mechanized infantry platoons, not the tank platoon. The ¡®Challenger¡¯ Tanks that were captured were merely domestic products, imported from a heavy industrial conglomerate named Blackbird, located to the west. Blackbird Heavy Industries was reportedly once part of the Alliance, a heavy industrial center established during the era of the first governor with the help of the empire, situated a bit further west than the Western Desert. However, during the time of the second governor, they had essentially become detached from the Alliance, and now apart from trade, there was little interaction, with the Alliance¡¯s orders being as good as farts in the wind. As a result, the seventy tanks among the Old Alliance Legion were relics from a very long time ago, probably all having a service life of at least a decade. Compared to the ¡®Strider V¡¯ armored infantry fighting vehicles, which were widely equipped among the Star Realm Army¡¯s main forces, except for the tank cannon, they were utterly useless. In terms of armor, it¡¯s true the armored vehicles had thinner skin and filling compared to the ¡®Challenger¡¯ Tanks, and their armor plates were much thinner, but they managed to maintain better defensive capabilities despite the thinness. How does one even argue with that? As for mobility, with exceptional off-road performance, whether ¡®Strider V¡¯ was climbing hills or traversing muddy fields, everything was manageable; it was just a matter of speed. The ¡®Challenger¡¯ Tanks, on the other hand, had to move on flat terrain, or they could get bogged down at any moment in difficult ground. And when it came to speed, the tanks were no match for the armored vehicles. Even if we talked about firepower, indeed, the 40mm twin-barreled autocannon was not as fierce as the 76mm smoothbore gun, but its much faster rate of fire made it a superior support weapon for infantry. Once those two mechanized infantry platoons launched their attacks, the marauders were even less able to make a splash. The defenses they had set up were blown to pieces by the autocannon and grenade machine guns, and the dismounted infantry squads that followed swiftly captured one position after another. They advanced quickly, and after poking through the rear end of Sanchi Town, they cut towards the back of the main battlefield. Logically speaking, things should not have gone so smoothly. Having fought a few battles with these marauders, they shouldn¡¯t have become so incapable. When their rear was attacked, they should have taken some countermeasures; though the outcome was already determined, at the very least, they should have caused some trouble for the two assaulting mechanized infantry platoons to look credible. But that didn¡¯t happen. The marauders seemed to have lost command, appearing rigid, ossified, and chaotic. Perbov was somewhat baffled. I don¡¯t have any elite special forces or anything to carry out beheading operations, nor to cut off command communications. Why have these people become like this? But soon, he figured out the key. Could it be that the enemy chieftain has already fled? It was very likely indeed! Expecting the leaders of these marauders to fight to the death was hardly realistic. Moreover, connecting it to what Morgan¡¯s people had previously suggested¡ªthat they pretended to surrender but then rebelled largely because their leader coerced the group with his own selfish desires¡ªthe lower-level marauders would not resist if given a chance for a stable life, would they? Having realized this, he had an idea. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He ordered the camp headquarters to move forward, including the several communication vehicles. Soon after, the loudspeakers of the army started to blare: ¡°Your leader has fled!¡± ¡°Lay down your weapons, surrender and you will not be killed!¡± Two short sentences kept transmitting through the loudspeakers to the ears of the resting marauders, interspersed with intense artillery fire, and what they saw before their eyes were dozens of steel behemoths¡­ Chapter 152 - Chapter 152: Chapter 132, Global Strategy Timeline_2 Chapter 152: Chapter 132, Global Strategy Timeline_2 They truly couldn¡¯t hold out any longer. Moreover, the statement ¡°The leader has escaped¡± might actually be true. Many middle-ranking leaders had indeed not received any directives from Terrell, the supreme leader from the rear, for a long time. Even when they tried to inquire back, there was no news. Battlefield communications had been jammed by the ¡®Listener¡¯ who had advanced to the front, leaving only static on the radios; those who were sent back to ask in person either never returned, leaving it unclear whether they were dead or had deserted, or they came back as clueless as headless flies, having found nothing. Under such circumstances, it was only natural that there would be a widespread occurrence of leaders from all levels surrendering starting with the Marauder Tribe. The battle should be nearly over by now. However, Perbov soon received news that wiped the smile from his face. He received intelligence from the front line that the soldiers had seen dozens of Green Skin Orcs on the battlefield. He immediately thought of the Marauder Tribe named ¡®Prisoner of War¡¯, the one that nearly annihilated them around the PoDong Society. During that battle, he was not enlisted and had not seen it with his own eyes. But he had studied the compiled materials on it; he had also heard some details during his exchanges with Captain Yan Fangxu¡ªwho was now a colonel. If those kinds of Green Skin Orcs, especially in such numbers, had indeed appeared, they¡¯d be in big trouble. Those monsters were such that ordinary rifles and even machine guns in the hands of regular soldiers could hardly inflict effective damage. It was said that the squad of the governor¡¯s bodyguards killed the one outside PoDong Society with more powerful electromagnetic rifles, and the governor himself even took part. His soldiers did not have such powerful individual weapons at their disposal. Given the firepower the soldiers had, it would probably take bazookas, armored vehicle-mounted machine guns, and grenade launchers to inflict actual, effective damage. Yet those monsters possessed immense destructive power, capable of tearing human bodies apart with their hands. Not to mention, they might also have some kind of powerful individual firearms. Perbov immediately prepared to order the frontline soldiers to not engage these enemies head-on, but to seek nearby ¡®Strider¡¯ Infantry Fighting Vehicles and rely on the vehicle¡¯s firepower for combat. If none were nearby, they were to rely on fire support teams and use individual rocket launchers to eliminate the enemy. At the same time, he was mentally prepared for the troops to suffer a significant number of casualties. ¡°Just when we¡¯re on the verge of a great victory, we encounter such an unexpected problem!¡± he cursed inwardly. If they had prior intelligence and were prepared, it might have been better. But to suddenly encounter this kind of enemy during the pursuit of victory, while expanding the battle results or even while conscripting the enemy, casualties were almost unavoidable. However, while he was worrying, new frontline battle reports came in. After hearing the report, he finally let out a sigh of relief. It was good news. On one hand, the enemy was also quite unprepared when those Green Skin Orcs appeared, mainly within the ranks of the Marauders. It seemed they had no real control over those creatures, who attacked all the humans indiscriminately once they appeared. As a result, the Marauders themselves bore the brunt of the casualties. The other piece of good news was that those Green Skin Orcs were far from being as formidable as Perbov had remembered. Although their ability to withstand injury was indeed exaggerated, they were not completely immune to conventional firearms. After taking dozens of bullets, they could still be killed. Most importantly, they had little intelligence, often charging out recklessly. The firearms they used belonged to the Marauders themselves and were of average power. In that period, there had indeed been many casualties reported, with even entire squads being wiped out. But at the same time, a large number of Green Skin Orcs were also killed. Especially after the Infantry Fighting Vehicles entered the fray, performing dedicated sweeping tasks, the situation had stabilized once more. Half an hour later, the main battlefield had quieted down completely. The Green Skin Orcs had been wiped out, and most of the remaining Marauders had surrendered, with only a few scattered individuals fleeing. ¡®Hunter¡¯ motorcycles and some Infantry Fighting Vehicles had already set out, beginning the pursuit operations in the plains area. The pursuit was estimated to last for a day or two; very likely, less than a hundred of the Marauders would manage to escape with their lives. After the basic fight was considered over, Perbov personally went to the frontlines and saw the bodies of those Green Skin Orcs. No more, no less, a total of eighty. Their appearance had resulted in about twenty-seven soldiers¡¯ casualties. Perbov sighed deeply; he was pained by the loss of his soldiers but also understood the principle that compassion did not lead an army. In the end, he could only order, ¡°Burn the bodies of these Green Skin creatures. Make sure they are burned completely.¡± ¡­ [You have gained an upper hand, received 347 points of grace] Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only [Losses: 154, kills: 2772, captures: 2468] [1st Calming Wind Brigade (1st Composite Battalion): Losses: 154, kills: 2772] Only after the pursuit was entirely over did Gu Hang receive the belated battle statistics in the system. By that time, Perbov¡¯s battle report had already arrived first. The casualties and number of prisoners matched, but there was a slight difference in the number of kills. After all, Perbov had to clear the battlefield, using prisoner interrogations and body counts to confirm the specific results. Some of the missing and unaccounted for, those whose bodies couldn¡¯t be pieced together after being shelled, buried beneath the rubble and not dug out in time¡­ Chapter 153 - Chapter 153: Chapter 132, Global Conquest Schedule_3 Chapter 153: Chapter 132, Global Conquest Schedule_3 In various situations, discrepancies between the numbers and the system¡¯s outputs are normal. The profit from this wave of bounty was quite good, but comparatively speaking, Gu Hang cared more about the green skin orcs mentioned in the intelligence. If he allowed this ¡®cancer of the universe¡¯ to develop on Rage Owl Star, then they¡¯d truly be doomed. This race is legitimately capable of sparking wars sweeping across multiple star systems. In fact, when Gu Hang encountered a human outside the Abandoned Cave Society who could turn into a green skin after taking some medicine, he already became vigilant. However, given the mere few hundred guns and the not-so-strong base he had at that time, he really didn¡¯t have the strength to tackle that problem first. But now, he felt that this issue couldn¡¯t be delayed any longer. Moreover, according to recent developments, it seemed that the green skins might be on the path to further strengthening their presence. This was corroborated by two pieces of intelligence. First, was the incident encountered by Perbov. Second, came from Rubbish Town. Gu Hang had long made arrangements in Rubbish Town, an important source of raw materials. Dennison Henry continued to import large quantities of decent-quality munitions and bulletproof vests from the Abandoned Cave District to Rubbish Town, as well as managing the trade route of alloy plastic steel to Revival City and then buying food from Revival City back to Rubbish Town. This trade had made a lot of money in recent months. Although that trade route stopped for a few days due to war and disasters, it was quickly restored after the war. He even took up a consultant position in the New Alliance Ministry of Commerce, specifically responsible for raw material imports and finished goods sales. And he was recently stepping up the purchase of munitions. The weapons to be phased out left by the Old Alliance Legion hadn¡¯t been shipped to Green Valley based on Osenia¡¯s military aid plan too much before a lot were already sold to Rubbish Town. Why did Rubbish Town suddenly need so many weapons and excellent bulletproof vests? They even wanted the originally very sturdy plastic steel bulletproof plates, which normal bullets could hardly penetrate after many shots, to be further strengthened and thickened! It was to combat the green skins. The number of green skins in the high tower ruins had increased significantly this year, seriously threatening the survival of Rubbish Town, which collected scrap materials from the ruins. This matter could not be ignored anymore. Tomorrow, Henry Dennison would come to Revival City, and Gu Hang would meet with him in person to decide what to do about Rubbish Town¡¯s affairs. It was actually the largest settlement in the direction that Perbov¡¯s camp had raided. There are three continents on Rage Owl Star, not to mention the other two that once had psychic energy fields abundant with spiritual energy; those were the main battlegrounds of the apocalyptic war a hundred years ago and were the most thoroughly destroyed. They can essentially be regarded as desolate wastelands with low energy storms enveloping them daily. The main continent they were currently on could roughly be divided into six regions. With Revival City at the center, the region within a thousand kilometers to the south, north, east, and west is conventionally considered the Central Region, which used to be directly governed by the Alliance Government at its height. About five million people live here, with one million in Revival City alone. Nearly two thousand kilometers east from the eastern border of the Central Region lies the Tower Cluster Region. This was where the most prosperous metropolitan areas were located before the war, with a multitude of super-cities densely packed together, connected by a developed network of highways. Of course, now the Tower Cluster Region is nothing but super-large urban ruins. The population eking out a living in these urban ruins is estimated to be around five million¡ªonly a ballpark figure. Five to six hundred kilometers south of the Central Region, or one thousand kilometers south along the eastern coastline from the Tower Cluster Region, is a noticeably converging peninsula, surrounded by sea on three sides, known as the Green Valley Region. This name has been passed down from before the war and is the area on the entire continent that was least ravaged by the war. It used to be an agricultural area, home to about fifteen million people. Going six hundred kilometers north from the Central Region and entering the cold region, that area was once an industrial hub, now a mix of ruins and wilderness with the least population, about three million. Five to six hundred kilometers west from the Central Region lies the two-thousand-kilometer stretch of the West Desert Region. The people there survive on sparse oases and the vertical agricultural bases underneath them from before the war, with a population of around five million, yet the food production is considerable and the export voluminous. Past the West Desert Region to the west is the heavy industry area that was also an industrial center in the past, or it could be simply said that the heavy industry of the cold region spread from there. There is a significant force¡ªthe Blackbird Heavy Industries¡ªthat wholeheartedly supported the rise of the first generation governor but quickly turned against the Alliance during the second generation, even reaching the point of waging a battle across the West Desert Region. Most of the grain exported from the West Desert Region is sent westward to the heavy industry area. This is the overall layout of the main continent of Rage Owl Star. Gu Hang¡¯s current plan is to take control of the entire Central Region of the main continent with Revival City at its core, sort out these five million people, and then opportunistically expand eastward and southward, especially focusing on Green Valley Region with its large population, which is of paramount importance. He set a half-year target to control the Central Region; seizing Green Valley Region and Tower Cluster Region needed to be completed within half a year. In doing so, he would command a population exceeding twenty million and control crucial food production bases and industrial raw material bases. Coupled with the black box technology from the system in Revival City and Weixing City, after a year¡¯s development, taxation would now become tangible. After all, the privilege he¡¯d been granted was that for the first tax collection, he needed to pay only a quarter of the standard amount. Of course, that was the minimum guarantee. In actuality, historically, people from the West Desert Region, heavy industry area, and cold region would also bring their due taxes during the collection period¡ªthough far from the full amount. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But if they paid something, it meant less production pressure for Gu Hang¡¯s region, allowing retention of a bit more in hand. And once past the first tax collection hurdle, with two more years¡¯ time, he could further plan for two years to gain global control, so as to face the first full tax collection four years later. According to this timeline, his expansion plan could not stop. Rubbish Town was a place that needed to be taken over soon without delay. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This chapter is 5200 words. Chapter 154 - Chapter 154: Chapter 133, Loyalty is the Top Priority Chapter 154: Chapter 133, Loyalty is the Top Priority Before meeting Dennison Henry, Gu Hang had some time to do another thing. A Terra standard month had passed since the last fixed income distribution. It was time for the system to pay out salaries again. Last time, when salaries were paid, he only controlled two campgrounds that could not yet be called Weixing City. By continuously ¡°shearing sheep¡± from Revival City, he managed to just barely reach a population of around ten thousand before the month¡¯s settlement, pushing the fixed income slightly over fifty points. In contrast, he now had control over a population of a million. After acquiring Revival City, various debuffs attached to the city¡¯s status caused its million population to provide him with a reduced fixed income of just over sixty points. When he first saw this, Gu Hang was almost shocked senseless, quite dissatisfied with the situation. But upon further consideration, those debuffs weren¡¯t imposed by an external force; they were genuine issues that emerged right after he took the city. In the half-month since, he had instructed Osenia and Lambert to do many things in the city. Even though they had gone through a near-disastrous storm that almost destroyed the whole city, everything had at least returned to the right track of reconstruction by now. And many debuffs were indeed eliminated through their efforts. [City Standstill], [Anarchy], [Post-War Chaos], [Rebellious Elements]¡­ not limited to those mentioned, many similar terms that described how bad the city¡¯s situation had been disappeared. There were still issues like [Starving City], [Lower-Level Chaos], [Administrative Disorder], [Trade Disruption]¡­ that hadn¡¯t been completely resolved, but they were downgraded to [Food Shortage], [Lack of Basic Level Management Personnel], [Insufficient Administrative Efforts], [Obstructed Trade Routes], implying that although problems persisted, they had been alleviated. Of course, there were still quite a few unresolved, such as [Extremely Low Living Standards of the Citizens], [Poor Infrastructure], [Low Population Quality]¡­ altogether more than ten negative statuses. There was even [Widespread Damage], a new debuff. But overall, it was still much better than before. This could be directly seen from the numbers. Revival City¡¯s monthly fixed income had increased from just over sixty to 211. On the other side, Weixing City experienced even more growth. Initially only surpassing fifty by a small margin, now, with a continuous migration of one hundred thousand people from Revival City, and Perbov¡¯s efforts bringing in nearly twenty thousand people to Weixing City, it gathered a population of one hundred and thirty thousand, most of whom were potential industrial workers. Automotive, military, and pharmaceutical industries were all expanding vigorously with enough people to support them. Even though many of the population had not yet been integrated and many could not be considered qualified industrial workers, needing sufficient training and learning, the current monthly grace income had still surged to 187. Combined, the total was 398. The salary could be described as having skyrocketed! More importantly, this was obviously not the limit. With the urban reconstruction and production plans of both cities gradually being completed, with the implementations and advancements in place, whether it was eliminating negative city statuses or the tangible monthly grace income increases brought about by actual production capacity improvements, these were foreseeable. With uninterrupted development momentum, this number could continue to soar at a considerable rate. And just the income of this current month, added with the battle Perbov fought, along with previous leftovers, Gu Hang now had a whopping 889 grace points on hand. He had to spend it. Grace points wouldn¡¯t earn interest by being hoarded; spending them could truly enhance the territories under his command. Where to spend it used to be a question. Continuing to invest in the [Technology] interface was certainly good. So far, nearly every technology he acquired had brought substantial benefits to Gu Hang. They either became an important industry within his territories or an essential resource¡ªreferring to the reactor. Without that power plant generating electricity from the reactor, heavy industry wouldn¡¯t know how much coal to consume for energy. However, the training of industrial workers was a big problem. Many of the technological methods drawn out had yet to be digested. Moreover, as more items were produced on the technology interface, the probability of winning within that tier would decay, forcing one to draw from a higher tier, making Gu Hang somewhat reluctant to throw all his current grace points into it. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He first took out 134 grace points to train troops. The newly formed two division-level brigade units had their soldiers mostly in place. The majority of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade¡¯s personnel came from the Old Alliance Legion. Those soldiers had some military training but obviously fell short of a higher standard. Perhaps for someone like Yan Fangxu, who came from a formal military officer background, if you just fed and housed them well and had them do nothing else but train for two or three years and then go through one or two intense battles, they could indeed become T5 level soldiers and officers. But obviously, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t wait that long. The newly conscripted regiment of about seven thousand people, constituting three battalions of infantry, was under the same logic. Adding them all up amounted to just over thirteen thousand people. Calculating the cost, the 134 grace points were spent. Chapter 155 - Chapter 155: Chapter 133, Loyalty is the Top Priority_2 Chapter 155: Chapter 133, Loyalty is the Top Priority_2 This allocation of grace points would give his two division and brigade level units considerable combat strength. Whether speaking of the military skills and quality of the soldiers, or in terms of their weaponry and equipment, this was the case. Even that infantry division, which might look shabby, was only so in comparison to the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade. If you just look at them, each soldier is equipped with a complete G9 set, which includes alloy-steel bulletproof plates, the squad¡¯s machine guns, the platoon¡¯s mortars, the company¡¯s Ranger Rapid Reconnaissance Squad, the battalion¡¯s artillery battery¡­ They had everything that was needed. Still benchmarking against the Empire¡¯s Main Star Realm Army, an ordinary third- or fourth-tier force, what¡¯s so-called a line-filling division, would only be at this level. On Rage Owl Star, it would be quite rare for any power to be able to field an infantry division with soldiers of such qualified calibre and properly equipped. After these predetermined grace points were spent, Gu Hang still had 755 points in hand. And these grace points had a new destination. Because as his monthly fixed income surged past 300, a new interface appeared on the system panel. [Architectural System]. Upon opening it, Gu Hang saw a very long dropdown menu, densely packed with rows of icons in black, followed by text descriptions that were simply marked with a question mark¡ªthese buildings. Clearly, these were in an unlocked state. At the very top were five unlocked ones, which were the Technical Academy, Comprehensive Academy, Loyal Heir Academy, Military Factory, and Civilian Factory respectively. The first three were quite similar, to take the Technical Academy as an example. [Technical Academy I: When you have built a school that imparts mechanical technology and put it into operation, you can exchange this option to grant it to the specified academy. It slightly increases student learning efficiency and weakly increases the likelihood of activating tech talent. Exchange value: 500 grace.] The Comprehensive Academy had the same effect, but it just replaced the mechanical technology description with a comprehensive one, and the increase in learning efficiency was ¡®slight¡¯, yet the grace points spent shot up to 1000. The Loyal Heir Academy, however, had a significantly different feature, with the main difference being that it didn¡¯t teach knowledge, but ¡®loyalty¡¯ instead. The main focus was on loyalty to the Empire, but Gu Hang could add a little something extra, forcibly binding loyalty to the Empire with personal loyalty to himself, something he had deliberately done in the past. In addition, the Loyal Heir Academy had an extra functionality¡ªit offered a new troop training option. Beyond the original five levels of T1-T5, there would be a T3 variant provided: the training option for company political commissars. The required unit needed to study at the Loyal Heir Academy for a week to complete the training. The price was 10 grace points per person. This price was ten times more expensive than ordinary T3 troops, but Gu Hang thought it was very valuable. He didn¡¯t need to train a bunch of company political commissars to form an army for combat; that would be crazy. This was clearly a way for him to quickly train sufficiently loyal soldiers and send them into various basic-level units, serving as his firm means of controlling the military and ensuring discipline, morale, and combat effectiveness in battle. They might not have excellent command abilities, and their combat capabilities might be at the T3 level just because of a more steadfast will, but their most important role was to inspire their comrades and resolutely hold their ground to the death. He was now eager to get the Loyal Heir Academy built as soon as possible and then have over a hundred commissars of all levels go through a concentrated week of training before coming out. Moreover, Gu Hang came up with another idea from this. One difficulty in the rebuild plan he had previously thought about for the Phoenix Battle Group was how to find absolutely loyal youths to cultivate from a young age. The Loyal Heir Academy seemed to be just the ticket. Adopting orphans or children of clear origins from a young age and nurturing them, then spending some grace to turn them into political commissars, thoroughly re-educate them ideologically, and then advance them all the way to T1 level to become elites, before going through with genetic seed surgery and implantation¡­ Plan approved! Now, all that¡¯s missing is a channel to purchase, or even manufacture, power armor. To do the former, one would have to find a manufacturing world with the capability to produce power armor. Generally, such worlds are closely associated with the Mechanical Cult Guild. Gu Hang doesn¡¯t have the connections in this area, nor does he have any means of keeping the purchase of power armor a secret. As for the latter, it is unclear what level of technology the Star Realm warriors¡¯ power armor belongs to, and even less clear when time could be afforded to work it out. But problems are always solved one by one, haven¡¯t we already found a solution to the staffing issue? There must be a way when we come to the mountain. As for the two remaining buildings, the civilian and military factories, the situation is similar. [Civilian Factory I: When you have built a civilian factory and put it into operation, you can redeem this option, and the designated factory will receive a moderate increase in production efficiency. Redemption price: 100 Favor.] The military factory is the same, with the same price, but the description changes to military-specific. From seeing the different effects but similar descriptions of the Architectural System options, one can roughly understand the mechanism. It¡¯s not that the system constructs a building out of thin air. The building, even the interior facilities, and the accompanied staff, all need to be managed by Gu Hang himself. The Architectural System simply provides some bonuses. It¡¯s like a bonus card, which you apply to the appropriate factories or schools. Currently, only these two types have been unlocked. Moreover, among the options currently available in the Architectural System, all bear an ¡®I¡¯, which suggests that there might be level 2, level 3, or even higher levels in the future. Beyond bonuses for the building itself, there might also be things similar to the Loyal Heir Academy, which could bring about changes to the system¡¯s own functionality. The Loyal Heir Academy can provide him with a new type of troop; could other buildings do the same? For example, a level 1 Technical Academy only has a bonus effect, but as it levels up, could it eventually produce special troop types? He remembers that within the Mechanical Cult Guild, there is a dedicated Protection Army. They are not the castrated version of the Imperial State Religion; they are a legitimate military force. Among them, the most famous is the Titan Legion. Those towering, Mecha-like war machines are incredibly fierce. A single one could sway the outcome of a battle. In the future, even if Gu Hang had the capability to manufacture such top-tier war machines, he would still need people who could pilot them, right? Even if it¡¯s just for now, Gu Hang is quite interested in the entire Architectural System, especially the Loyal Heir Academy. Unfortunately, with a redemption price of a thousand points, it¡¯s a bit too expensive for him to afford at the moment. As for both the civilian and military factories, he could afford to exchange for them, but there¡¯s no need to do so now. Industrial workers, technology absorption¡­ The means to boost his own production capacity have yet to be fully sorted out, and there¡¯s still a significant room for improvement in overall production efficiency. Therefore, it¡¯s not pressing to use the system¡¯s functions to spend favor points to increase production efficiency, which would be getting the priorities wrong. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Under these circumstances, he really did consider keeping the 755 favor points he had on hand for now. Don¡¯t spend them. Wait for the next allotment of favor points to arrive, save up a thousand, and then go for the Loyal Heir Academy first to give it a try. Not only can the political commissars of the army units be directly trained through the system, but the ideological education function of the Loyal Heir Academy itself is also very important. In the future, all civil servants, administrative officials, military officers, and even as the scale expands, factory managers, business owners, merchants, and even the most ordinary industrial workers, could take some time each year to study there. In terms of policy, it would also be possible to define the experience and duration of study at the Loyal Heir Academy as bonus points or even a requirement for promotion through the 45 ranks. Loyalty is the primary concern. Chapter 156 - Chapter 156: Chapter 134, What Trash is the Agent? Chapter 156: Chapter 134, What Trash is the Agent? The construction of schools was entrusted to Osenia by Gu Hang, who specifically instructed her to set up the frameworks of the three academies first. Osenia felt somewhat puzzled; according to previous discussions, their primary focus in education should have been adult education, which included literacy campaigns and basic worker training to facilitate factory work. In addition to four to six years of compulsory general education for children and teenagers. This was a very pragmatic approach. Isn¡¯t education supposed to cost money? Adult education aimed to train individuals for short-term roles so they could quickly adapt to their positions, even if the training was somewhat perfunctory, it was still better than having manpower that couldn¡¯t be utilized effectively; education for children and teenagers, on the other hand, was focused on building for the future, as well as a reluctance to employ child labor which both compromised future potential and offered low productivity. However, in terms of education, besides the students being dedicated full-time, a substantial number of full-time teachers are also required. All of these individuals would need governmental financial support, all costing money. As for school buildings, that was an easier matter. It was only a few buildings, and planning a specialized construction area during Revival City¡¯s large-scale development wasn¡¯t a difficult task at all. But according to the governor¡¯s current statements, these three academies each qualified as institutions of higher education. How long has it been since Rage Owl Star had such schools? Intellectuals in the wasteland, at least those Osenia had seen, mostly pursued private education, small-scale elite training involving private tutors, education from elders, and families with substantial assets. She herself was somewhat of that sort. Higher education? It wasn¡¯t that it was a bad idea, but wasn¡¯t it a bit premature? Not to mention the difficulty of finding enough qualified teachers. The Comprehensive Academy might be manageable, and Loyal Heir Academy could rely on reassigning military personnel, even unabashedly asking for help from the Phoenix, or even sending people to the Phoenix Monastery for advanced training. But what about the Technical Academy? Among the forces under the governor, Wu Jiarong was the only one who could truly be considered a superior technician; the rest, her students, were merely ordinary junior specialists and could not assume the responsibilities of a teacher. The same was true for Comprehensive Academy; was it really feasible to have local intellectuals who were brought up on so-called elite education and family education take on teaching? It wasn¡¯t impossible, but they would have to be carefully screened for suitability and undergo retraining at Loyal Heir Academy first. She presented these concerns to the governor, and Gu Hang didn¡¯t insist on her implementing the plans without question but instead provided an explanation. Of course, the ¡°explanation¡± wasn¡¯t about revealing some system or something of the sort. ¡°It¡¯s not that we have to put it to use right now; I am aware of the issues you mentioned. However, we need to start by putting the framework in place. Even if the content taught isn¡¯t good enough yet, it will at least provide a destination for teenagers who have completed their compulsory education and for those with potential who are eager to further their studies. It¡¯s correct to do things step by step, but we must also initiate the process,¡± he said. ¡°I understand,¡± she replied. After accepting the explanation, Osenia left. The matter of education, even without a new [Architectural] System interface, was still something Gu Hang would have pursued, it was merely brought forward in time, with the added benefit of divine support. The boosts provided by the Architectural System weren¡¯t massive, but their critical aspect was their longevity. Whether it was for the academies or for factory enhancements, as long as the core areas under control could maintain stable production, these benefits could last for a long time. Compared to short-term expenses, the long-term output was definitely valuable. Of course, if warfare constantly threatened the areas, even the factories and schools with Architectural System benefits would be destroyed, and there would be nothing to say about it. ¡­ After Osenia left, Dennison Henry entered shortly afterward. He had come over from Rubbish Town just this morning. It wasn¡¯t specifically to serve as an advisor to Gu Hang; he actually had business to attend to. ¡°Do you need more military supplies?¡± Gu Hang asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Henry replied, his expression showing a touch of embarrassment. It seemed like only last week he¡¯d said that the previous request for military supplies was the last one, but here he was again needing more. But he had no choice. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Currently, he not only served as a consultant for the New Alliance Ministry of Commerce, aligning with the governor, but over the past two months in Rubbish Town his status had risen significantly. The once coveted role of an agent, which he could only dream of before, was now within his grasp, and he had indeed secured it. Besides assisting the governor, he now had to consider the interests of Rubbish Town as well. Fortunately, in his view, these two roles did not conflict. Choosing his words carefully, he continued, ¡°The main threat is still those Green Skin Orcs. Their numbers seem to have grown even more compared to two years ago. Our scavengers in Rubbish Town¡­ have abandoned several scavenging sites with decent yields; adventurers have gathered and fought against those Green Skin Orcs several times, but to be honest, the physical strength of those green beasts is too high. Even though their weapons are rather primitive, their individual combat capabilities far surpass that of the armed adventurers.¡± As he said this, he paused and looked up to gauge the governor¡¯s reaction before continuing, ¡°Affected by those Green Skin Orcs, all of Rubbish Town¡¯s waste recycling industries have reduced their output by about 20%. If the situation worsens, this figure is likely to increase. The last batch of military supplies sold to Rubbish Town definitely proved useful; we armed over three thousand scavengers and managed to withstand the invasion of those Greenskins. However, the losses were significant, and not only are we incapable of retaking the original scavenging sites, we are also unsure how much longer we can hold them off.¡± Chapter 157 - Chapter 157: Chapter 134, What Trash is the Agent?_2 Chapter 157: Chapter 134, What Trash is the Agent?_2 After hearing Dennison Henry¡¯s report, Gu Hang mused, ¡°So what do you need?¡± ¡°More arms, more powerful heavy equipment. The armed adventurers of Rubbish Town can¡¯t keep using ordinary rifles to risk their lives fighting those Green Skin Orcs in the high tower ruins,¡± Henry said firmly. ¡°The old Alliance¡¯s equipment isn¡¯t enough. We need G9 series rifles from your regular army, as well as cannons, and if there are armored vehicles, those would be excellent! Rubbish Town can trade anything for them; our future output can be supplied entirely to Revival City, with Revival City acting as the broker. We can also offer more discounts on the price, whether it¡¯s metal raw materials or thermal ash stones!¡± A splendid smile appeared on Gu Hang¡¯s face: ¡°How about this, then? I give you twenty or so combat vehicles, a dozen tanks, over a hundred heavy guns, and eight thousand fully equipped sets of individual gear. What do you think?¡± Henry was stunned. He had been trying to bargain with Mr. Gu. He knew that whether it was combat vehicles or cannons, the New Alliance Legion itself was still in the middle of reorganizing its forces, and every unit was short of supplies. Officers kept urging the logistics department to hurry up and provide the corresponding equipment. He had never really expected to get those two items. He was just trying to bargain in a sky-high manner in the hopes of getting the more reliable G9 series rifles instead of the locally produced firearms. With those weapons, they could manage to have a certain advantage when fighting the Green Skin Orcs with three to five times their numbers, rather than the current situation where they needed ten times the number just for a stable defense, and nearly twenty times the advantage to dare to attack. Dennison Henry had seen the capability of the G9 series rifles: well-maintained, durable, adaptable to various environments, and more powerful than domestic arms¡ªwith the added benefits of being lighter and more precise. Truth be told, in times of absolute necessity, even affixing a bayonet would make for a good long-handled melee weapon, more reliable than carrying an extra large knife. His thoughts had been on securing one or two thousand sets of equipment, even willing to lower the price of various raw materials to sell, but Mr. Gu had started with eight thousand sets, plus heavy artillery and combat vehicles? Was this a surprise? More like a shock! Suddenly, Henry wondered, was this Mr. Gu¡¯s way of being sarcastic? But instantly, the thought took a more alarming turn. The amount of equipment Mr. Gu mentioned sounded an awful lot like an entire infantry division. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t know the specific details of the military reorganization, but he had heard some rumors. Thinking of this, when he lifted his head again, his face was full of shock. And Mr. Gu¡¯s smile seemed filled with a chilling air to him. Suppressing the unease in his heart, he asked, ¡°Mr. Gu¡­we don¡¯t really need that much armament¡­Rubbish Town might not be able to gather enough raw materials and supplies to purchase that all at once¡­¡± But Gu Hang wasn¡¯t planning to play any more guessing games, and his following words were quite straightforward: ¡°I know Rubbish Town can¡¯t afford this, but I could reluctantly accept it if you use the entire Rubbish Town as compensation.¡± As his guess was confirmed, Henry suppressed the unease in his heart and forced a cheerful smile: ¡°Do you want to take over all of Rubbish Town?¡± ¡°Of course, what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Gu Hang said. ¡°Rubbish Town is after all a member of the Alliance and an important raw material supply base. Now, it¡¯s under serious threat from the Green Skin Orcs, and of course, I will not stand by and do nothing. By the way, I¡¯ve always found Rubbish Town¡¯s production methods and power structure to be less than ideal¡ªit¡¯s about time to bring them in line with Revival City.¡± Henry¡¯s mind was in complete turmoil. I¡¯ve toiled so hard for so many years, and it wasn¡¯t easy to finally sit in the position of a proxy in Rubbish Town. Now, just half a month into my role, the town is about to be completely gone? But could he resist? Clearly impossible. His position as a proxy was raised by Mr. Gu. Even more so, Mr. Gu¡¯s appointment of him as the proxy was clearly a preparation for the day when he would take over Rubbish Town. He himself was well aware of this. He just hadn¡¯t anticipated that the day would come so swiftly that he hadn¡¯t even managed to settle in properly. ¡°` ¡°Go back and think it over. I hope my army will only need to deal with those Green Skin Orcs when the time comes,¡± Gu Hang gave him his last words. ¡­ Dennison Henry didn¡¯t stay in Revival City for long, he took the vehicle back to Rubbish Town that very day. Two hundred kilometers, given the infrastructure between Revival City and Rubbish Town, it would take seven to eight hours. That¡¯s if the road is clear. But this was already a clear commercial route. On the way back, Henry thought very carefully about the whole thing. He quickly understood. What was there to not understand? He was just a newly appointed agent in Rubbish Town, relying on the goods supported by Mr. Gu, not even the biggest among the agents. On the contrary, by leveraging his relationship with Mr. Gu and gaining an entrance into the New Alliance Legion system, wouldn¡¯t his position be much more significant than being a leader in Rubbish Town? Besides, would the future Alliance still be as rotten as it was over the past ten years? Judging by Mr. Gu¡¯s demeanor, keeping the so-called ¡°Alliance¡± shell was in fact centralizing power. One could foresee that the New Alliance would rapidly expand outward. Mr. Gu had people, guns, money, and righteous cause at his disposal, with starship support from above¡­ In the future, the authority of the New Alliance would grow stronger, directly governing more territory. Why wait and not ally with it at once? Whether under the New Alliance system as a high-ranking official, or continuing in his current trade as a businessman, clearly, both options held much more promise than muddling along in Rubbish Town. And besides, was this something he could stop? No sooner had the vehicle left Revival City than he began to regret the way he¡¯d presented himself before Mr. Gu. Why did he take such a stance on Rubbish Town¡¯s side when he spoke? What was a Rubbish Town agent but rubbish? He was clearly an advisor to the Commerce Department! In his dismay, he quickly thought of a way to remedy the situation. He exchanged a few words with the driver, and the vehicle swiftly turned towards the abandoned mining area of Weixing City. There, Henry met with Patel, and through their old relationship, he got in touch with Perbov, found out where his camp was, and then hurried over. In Sanchi Town, Henry saw Perbov, who had completed his mission of eliminating bandits. He hadn¡¯t known before that Sanchi Town was a den of thieves. At best, he knew it was related to plunderers, an important place for disposing of stolen goods and hiding, but he truly didn¡¯t know that the whole town was a bandit¡¯s nest. He started off with a flurry of praise, saying that wiping out this place was a great thing. At least five to six thousand bandits perished in one battle, making the two hundred kilometers between Revival City and Rubbish Town much clearer. When had Perbov ever been so flattered and praised? He was a bit embarrassed by all the adulation. Seeing that the atmosphere was right, Dennison Henry smoothly extended an invitation. It was for Perbov to move fifty kilometers to the northeast. That¡¯s where Rubbish Town was. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°You want me to attack Rubbish Town?¡± Perbov¡¯s head shook like a rattle, ¡°That¡¯s impossible, without military orders, I won¡¯t make such a big move.¡± ¡°Major Perbov, you misunderstand. I don¡¯t want you to lead a charge on Rubbish Town, just to station your troops not far from there. Of course, I understand such an important action definitely needs Mr. Gu¡¯s consent. My purpose in coming to you was also to use your military line to contact Mr. Gu,¡± Perbov thought for a moment: ¡°You want to use my soldiers to bolster your own authority?¡± Henry clapped his hands, smiling: ¡°Exactly. Mr. Gu intends to mobilize the army and take down Rubbish Town. I thought, if it comes to that, wouldn¡¯t it mean we¡¯ve been inefficient?¡± ¡°` Chapter 158 - Chapter 158: Chapter 135, On the Verge of Collapse Chapter 158: Chapter 135, On the Verge of Collapse Is something not going well? Perbov appeared somewhat perplexed. At this moment, Henry was also patient enough to explain. He first pointed to himself and said, ¡°I am the wedge appointed by the Governor to Rubbish Town. If the Governor wants Rubbish Town, I am obliged to do so. It would be best if I can settle things before the Governor¡¯s army arrives. Then, the army would only need to come over and help enforce the New Alliance Government¡¯s system in Rubbish Town. If it comes to the point where the army has to fight, wouldn¡¯t that be a sign of my incompetence?¡± After some thought, Perbov nodded slightly, seemingly in agreement with Henry¡¯s idea. Then Henry moved his hand to point at Perbov: ¡°As for Major Sir, you have received the Governor¡¯s orders to come to this wilderness to sweep through all the settlements, relocate the populace, and even those settlements that remain must change their allegiance and accept the complete and thorough rule of the New Alliance Government. You must flatten all opposition. You have done an acceptable job, but not the best. Within these two hundred kilometers, there is Rubbish Town, a peculiar existence. It gathers a hundred thousand permanent residents, another hundred thousand dependent on Rubbish Town¡¯s operations for their livelihoods, and yet another hundred thousand armed scavengers and adventurers who enter the High Tower ruins on a long-term basis¡­¡± ¡°Whether in terms of population or the importance of raw material extraction, this is the most critical place among all the settlements around Revival City. And it¡¯s in an awkward position at the edge of your mission range. The Governor indeed did not expect you to take down Rubbish Town with just eight hundred soldiers, but if you could do it, wouldn¡¯t that turn what was merely a passable test score into a perfect one?¡± After serious contemplation, Perbov had to admit that he was indeed persuaded by Dennison Henry. There was a key point Henry didn¡¯t know¡ªdidn¡¯t he himself clearly understand that he came here to accumulate merits and smoothly take over from Yan Fangxu, who would eventually become the Commander-in-Chief of the whole army, and become the Brigade Commander of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade? Right now, he indeed went by the book and completed his assignment acceptably. Nearly ten settlements within two hundred kilometers had surrendered to the New Alliance¡¯s rule, and the Battle of the Three Pools was won with a minimal cost, almost completely annihilating the bandits that occupied the area. No one could say he hadn¡¯t done well enough. But Perbov himself always felt it wasn¡¯t enough. Now, with Henry putting Rubbish Town before him, he couldn¡¯t help but salivate. Rubbish Town¡­ He still remembered when he was just a miner in the PoDong Society, living a life truly devoid of daylight, Rubbish Town was a place of might far away. The entire Abandoned Cave Society¡¯s next meal depended on whether the traveling merchants of Rubbish Town were willing to pay extra for the ore produced by their society. For him, the presence of Rubbish Town, even more so than the closer Revival City, weighed heavier. And now, could it be that he, this former mining team leader, had the chance to lead his troops and seize such a place? But beyond his thirst for recognition, Perbov still managed to stay rational. Even if Rubbish Town could be considered within the Governor¡¯s two hundred kilometers of autonomous activity, he still remembered not to act rashly. It¡¯s no small settlement. As Henry had said, within the sphere of Rubbish Town¡¯s influence, there were likely two to three hundred thousand people, and due to its unique industrial ecosystem, nearly everyone was armed. The armed scavengers and adventurers who licked blood off their blades amounted to a total of around a hundred thousand. They were indeed not an army, but their equipment might be even better than those of robbers, and their combat experience and will were also stronger. If things went wrong and led to a military conflict, he wouldn¡¯t be able to win such a battle with just his eight hundred men. Not to mention, there was a chance he could get mired in the swamp between Rubbish Town and the Green Skin Orcs. Thus, he stuck to his previous stance: ¡°I need further authorization to take action.¡± Henry smiled slightly: ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll speak together once we connect the signal later.¡± His objective had been achieved. Even if Perbov dared to come along now, he wouldn¡¯t dare let him just follow along. He didn¡¯t have the audacity to encourage the army to do something beyond their authority without a military order. Too taboo, for even if he succeeded, it might lead to the Governor finding a reason to have him killed afterward. He wouldn¡¯t make such a mistake. Comming to see Perbov, he indeed wanted to borrow the military¡¯s communication radio. Of course, beyond that, his greater hope was to persuade Perbov himself. Executing orders versus Perbov¡¯s own proactive engagement were two entirely different scenarios. If Major Perbov could also speak up during his subsequent report to the Governor, increasing the chance of success, that would be even better. But he hadn¡¯t expected his ultimate plan to fall through completely. Because once the radio connected with Revival City, he received news. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Governor was no longer in Revival City but had set out with Colonel Tadeusz and the 2nd Infantry Division towards Rubbish Town. The Governor had left a message. ¡°I hope my army will only have to deal with those Green Skin Orcs when they arrive.¡± This was something he had heard once before when he met with the Governor, but hearing it this time felt different. He turned to Perbov: ¡°Do you understand what the Governor means?¡± Chapter 159 - Chapter 159: Chapter 135, On the Verge of Collapse_2 Chapter 159: Chapter 135, On the Verge of Collapse_2 ¡°Understood,¡± Perbov said, ¡°I will lend you a hand. But similarly, I hope it doesn¡¯t come to the point of drawing knives and guns, my forces will stop twenty kilometers outside of Rubbish Town. The rest is up to you. If things don¡¯t go smoothly, I will wait for the 2nd Infantry Division to arrive before proceeding.¡± ¡°That will be enough.¡± ¡­ Henry appeared to be in control during his conversation with Perbov, but in reality, he was extremely anxious. Because he had calculated his own timing. Mostly on foot, the distance from Revival City to Rubbish Town was a little over two hundred kilometers. At a normal marching speed, quickly it would take three to five days, at a slower pace, it would at most not exceed ten days. Combining this with the phrase left by the governor, this was the time he was given to handle Rubbish Town. He had to hurry. Fortunately, with Perbov¡¯s Composite Camp in action, the speed was somewhat guaranteed. This Composite Camp was almost completely motorized. Even the clumsiest 155mm howitzers had wheels fitted and were towed by trucks; all the soldiers, including the engineer company and logistics support company, had transport trucks and supply trucks at their disposal. In the troop, the slowest and most dragging unit turned out to be the Armored Company. The twelve old tanks chugged along in the back, only able to move at a speed of twenty kilometers per hour, chugging along, making one fear they would break down along the way. In fact, this situation did occur. Midway through, a tank indeed broke down. But this did not affect the overall pace of the troops. Leaving some repair personnel and crew behind, the rest continued smoothly over a distance of fifty kilometers, arriving at the outskirts of Rubbish Town. By then, it was late at night. The troops stopped in situ, setting up camp, while Dennison Henry, accompanied by a small retinue and guards, went forward to meet the scouts who had cautiously come from Rubbish Town to check out the situation. After explaining things to them, he then entered the town with composure. Those who came out to reconnoiter did not disperse, still surrounding Perbov¡¯s forces in the darkness. Perbov was not concerned. He had dispatched sentries and guards; as long as these people did not get too close, they were welcome to watch from the periphery. This calm demeanor further intimidated the outsiders peering in from the edges. Of course, what was most intimidating were those large cannons, armored vehicles, and tanks that could not be seen clearly in the darkness, but were decidedly present. Add to that the soldiers¡¯ discipline and well-trained appearance, the onlookers clearly understood that although this troop was not large in number, its combat power was formidable. Considering the background of the newly appointed agent, Mr. Henry, who could not guess that this was a force from the New Alliance, under the command of the esteemed governor? ¡­ The next day, Dennison Henry met the person he wanted to see. His name was Jason Swan. He was a man with strands of white in his hair, his face stern, his brows and eyes fierce, weathered, and seasoned. He was the biggest agent in Rubbish Town. In his youth, Jason Swan had already been mixing it up in Rubbish Town. Initially, he was just an ordinary scavenger who was willing to fight and struggled to lead a small adventure group. Later he became the boss, and then he built that small adventure team into an organization, seized a portion of the refined materials business, and later opened up some trading routes¡­ He became an agent, then gradually the biggest one. It might only take a few sentences to say, but from the age of fifteen to now, thirty-five years later, he experienced countless acts of treachery, life-and-death struggles, to reach his current position. He controlled Rubbish Town¡¯s largest initial processing plant for raw materials, had a 20% share in commerce, and the adventures group he built his fortune with, called ¡®Clockwork Iron Blade,¡¯ was one of the top armed forces in Rubbish Town. Industry combined with military power composed the prestige of Mr. Swan. He was always serious and stern, presenting a dignified front to people, and even in the recent troubled times, he had maintained this attitude, which to some extent had a stabilizing effect on the people¡¯s hearts. Actually, whether he was truly panicked or not, no one knew. Dennison Henry had met Jason Swan before, not just once. In every past encounter, he had been as meek as an ant. Even after his nomination to serve as the proxy, the state of their relationship had not changed. Stripping away the new industry of alloy plastic steel he controlled, Henry¡¯s actual power paled in comparison to that of the real big shot in Rubbish Town. But today, he had to change his way of thinking, to stand up straight. He represented the Governor! His mindset had already begun to shift. Behind me stands the ruler of the entire planet; once the Governor took control of Revival City, that ruler was no longer just a title but was backed by tangible and formidable power. With such a strong backing, why should I grovel to a mere armed merchant leader in Rubbish Town? I was simply too used to kneeling before! Swan seemed to sense something and lifted his head. His gaze, sharp as an eagle¡¯s or a wolf¡¯s, swept across Henry¡¯s face. He began to speak in a somewhat hoarse voice: ¡°Are you here to persuade me to surrender to that Governor in Revival City?¡± Henry¡¯s calves still felt a bit weak, and his mind involuntarily flashed with many rumors of Swan¡¯s ruthlessness and decisiveness. He wasn¡¯t someone with a sturdy backbone at all. But he still tried his best to maintain his dignity. ¡°Yes,¡± he said, ¡°Do you have any other choice?¡± ¡°I could kill you,¡± Swan said indifferently. Henry¡¯s heart clenched at those words, but then he relaxed a little. At first hearing, it sounded scary, because Jason Swan did indeed have the capacity to do it. Yet, upon closer analysis, it became apparent that Mr. Swan was merely posturing. Because if, a month ago, Henry had dared to speak of surrender, Mr. Swan would probably not have wasted half a word with him before blowing him away. Now, by saying he could kill him, it was actually a sign of Swan¡¯s own apprehension. Instantly grasping this, Henry felt somewhat more relaxed. ¡°Of course, you could do that. You might consider yourself the master of Rubbish Town. What difficulty could there be in killing someone like me?¡± Henry complimented along Swan¡¯s line, but then his tone shifted, beginning a new line of persuasion: ¡°But that¡¯s not called a choice.¡± Swan said no more, just stared at Henry. But Henry was getting more heated as he spoke: ¡°Isn¡¯t Rubbish Town in its most vulnerable state right now, both externally and internally? The proliferation of the Green Skin Orcs causing a decline in production is the least of the impacts. When those scavengers, those adventurers realize that the danger of entering the high tower ruins has greatly increased while the rewards have diminished, will they still gather here? Especially when Revival City has now intensified its attractiveness to the displaced, with very tempting policies.¡± ¡°Without these scavengers and adventurers, what will happen to the industries that rely on them? The taverns, brothels, and haberdasheries will all close; the primary processing industries for the rubbish will collapse; the once-thriving trade will no longer be sustainable, and ultimately Rubbish Town will become a real dump, unattended and forgotten.¡± ¡°To destroy Rubbish Town, we don¡¯t need the Green Skin Orcs to break through our defenses and slaughter our people. They just need to maintain this pressure, make scavenging a high-risk, low-reward venture, and that alone will be enough to destroy our town built on picking through trash.¡± Henry outlined the crisis from an economic foundation. Swan just listened in silence. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It wasn¡¯t anything insightful. This danger, some had already foreseen, was even already beginning to unfold. Most of Rubbish Town¡¯s adventurers and scavengers didn¡¯t have much personal attachment to the proxies. A minority was on a hiring basis, and a considerable number were independent adventure groups. They went into the ruins of the city, scavenged, and sold for basic profits; if they found usable technology from before the war, artwork, or relatively intact Spiritual Energy crystals, they could make a fortune. Now, the risk of adventuring had increased due to the confrontation with the Green Skin Orcs, and the returns were visibly diminishing. They were also specially conscripted to fill the most contentious battlefronts. Although offered bounties and equipment, the fight was still too tough, and many adventure groups refused conscription, even leaving Rubbish Town in entire bands. The departure wasn¡¯t yet widespread or on a large scale, but it was an extremely dangerous sign, a precursor to the dam¡¯s collapse. Chapter 160 - Chapter 160: Chapter 136, You Have No Choice Chapter 160: Chapter 136, You Have No Choice Rubbish Town is now facing a calamity of epic proportions, a fact that many are well aware of. Mr. Swan was waiting to hear Henry¡¯s ¡°brilliant insights.¡± He could certainly guess that when Henry spoke of these things, he was laying the groundwork to secure complete allegiance to Mr. Gu from Rubbish Town. He was waiting for Henry to state Mr. Gu¡¯s terms. Henry knew as well, but he merely smiled, uttering a sentence that nearly made Mr. Swan lose his composure: ¡°Mr. Gu is coming to Rubbish Town, he¡¯s on his way with his army,¡± Mr. Swan was silent for a moment, then asked, ¡°Is he¡­ coming in person?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Henry had now become very composed, ¡°Mr. Gu is set on taking Rubbish Town, you¡­we are incapable of resisting. Even without military action, if Mr. Gu were to block trade routes, stop buying raw materials produced by Rubbish Town, and stop selling food to Rubbish Town, it would fall apart without a fight.¡± ¡°Huff¡­¡± Mr. Swan let out a long sigh, his face growing increasingly ugly, ¡°Does Mr. Gu really have to do this?¡± Henry spread his hands, ¡°What¡¯s so surprising about that? He is the Governor of this planet, it¡¯s only normal for him to strive to bring the entire world under his rule.¡± He paused, then continued, ¡°And to be honest, Mr. Swan, I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re so reluctant.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Mr. Swan said, ¡°Given a choice, who would want to be a dog?¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Henry laughed loudly, ¡°That¡¯s not a fair comparison, offering loyalty to the Governor, to the Empire¡ªhow could that be likened to being a dog?¡± After laughing, he composed himself and said earnestly, ¡°Mr. Swan, honestly, I once entertained such foolish thoughts as well. When Mr. Gu told me he intended to take full control of Rubbish Town, my initial reaction was frustration that I had barely savored half a month of an agent¡¯s power, having reached the upper echelons of Rubbish Town, and now it was going to belong to Mr. Gu, rendering my position meaningless.¡± ¡°But that stupid thought lasted only ten seconds before I realized how ridiculous it was.¡± ¡°Who is Mr. Gu? He¡¯s the man who, realizing that Revival City was a lost cause, started from scratch and retook Revival City within a matter of two months, securing the entire city under his grip.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the man who thwarted the Cult¡¯s conspiracy and saved the city. If you go to Revival City now, you¡¯ll see that the disaster hasn¡¯t destroyed people¡¯s spirits; rather, it was like doing demolition work. The whole city is rapidly rebuilding, recovering, and visibly becoming more orderly.¡± ¡°If you could see the Abandoned District in Weixing City, where nearly one hundred thousand heavy industry workers are gathered, they produce a vast quantity of high-quality alloy every day, tanks, heavy artillery, individual soldier equipment, mass-produced from the factories.¡± ¡°If you could see all this, you¡¯d have no doubts that Mr. Gu could eventually extend his rule over the entire world, given enough time. Once he integrates a sufficient population, meeting the Empire¡¯s tax demands in two years¡¯ time won¡¯t be too much of a challenge.¡± ¡°I now feel incredibly honored that I followed Mr. Gu very early on. In the future, as Mr. Gu expands his influence across the entire planet, might I not also have the chance to display my abilities on a planetary scale, or even become an interstellar merchant navigating the cosmos? To speak frankly, this is something I never dared dream of in my past life. My highest aspiration at first was to become an agent. It seems now that my vision was too narrow.¡± ¡°What about you, Mr. Swan? You¡¯re different from me; you¡¯ve been at the very center of the stage in Rubbish Town for many years, investing untold effort just to secure a bit more profit, to stand a little more stable on the stage of Rubbish Town. Now, an opportunity lies before you, are you truly not tempted in the slightest?¡± After hearing Henry¡¯s words, Mr. Swan scoffed, ¡°Heh¡­ you¡¯re trying to persuade me with such laughable reasons?¡± He dismissed it contemptuously, too displeased to even voice a rebuttal. As beautiful as it sounds, if passing the threshold of imperial taxes were so easy, five governors wouldn¡¯t have perished. Having control of just a Revival City, a shell formerly known as the Alliance, which virtually no one obeys anymore, and having the audacity to claim certainty over future global dominance is overly arrogant. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Indeed, as Henry said, the position as the ruler of Rubbish Town was as high as he could ever hope to rise in this lifetime; there was no further room for advancement. But what of it? In this wasteland strewn with starvation, isn¡¯t it enough to be someone of status? Mr. Swan felt that he was content enough. However, his expressed attitude did not dissuade Henry, who responded, ¡°It¡¯s a shame you have no interest in the stars and seas. But even now, you have no choice. Mr. Gu has the power to destroy Rubbish Town¡ªI already mentioned that. He doesn¡¯t want you to continue being the master of Rubbish Town, and that¡¯s just a matter of his will. He could obliterate you with a flip of his hand, but conversely, he¡¯s also the only one capable of saving you.¡± ¡°Once Rubbish Town submits entirely to Mr. Gu, the approaching troops will not be our enemies but our protectors instead. His forces will direct their firepower against those orc raiders, not at Rubbish Town itself. The issues that concern and trouble you the most will be resolved with ease.¡± Chapter 161 - Chapter 161: Chapter 136, You Have No Choice_2 Chapter 161: Chapter 136, You Have No Choice_2 Henry still didn¡¯t fully agree with Swan¡¯s words, ¡°Just rely on those eight hundred people outside? Just rely on the seven or eight thousand people that Mr. Gu is bringing along on the road? Battles we can¡¯t withstand with a hundred thousand armed adventurers, and they would be able to resolve them?¡± Henry just smiled again, did not speak, and simply stretched out his hand and pointed to the sky. Swan understood immediately, and then he really went silent. He was still unwilling to accept it, but he had to admit that every word Henry said was right. To live, they had to rely on Mr. Gu; no one else could save Rubbish Town. To die, Mr. Gu had far too many ways to kill them, even without lifting a finger himself. In such a situation, what right did he have to negotiate any terms? But not to negotiate any terms at all? To hand over everything he had fought for over the past thirty-five years? Henry seemed to see his worries and a voice tempting like a devil whispered in his ear: ¡°Even if we don¡¯t mention those ideals and the future, I will just say one thing: Mr. Gu, all of a sudden, gained control over such a vast region from a starting point of almost nothing, and with Rubbish Town under his control, the total population would exceed one million three hundred thousand. Conversely, Mr. Gu¡¯s rapidly expanding power is in short supply of talents. A female refugee from the Green Valley Region can become the Civil Affairs Chief of Revival City; a small merchant like me who was once insignificant in Rubbish Town can now represent Mr. Gu in discussions about the life and death of Rubbish Town with someone like you. So, if someone like you, experienced and capable, is willing to help Mr. Gu wholeheartedly, what kind of status would you obtain?¡± ¡­ Henry felt that Swan must have been persuaded by him. Although he did not give a definitive answer in the end, and even when he expressed a desire to contact Mr. Gu directly, he was brushed off on the pretext that he needed to report to Mr. Gu, but Henry still felt that in the end, Swan would definitely kneel before Mr. Gu unconditionally when he arrived at Rubbish Town. Because he had no choice. Besides, he could not really make any specific promises on behalf of Mr. Gu. He did not even think that Mr. Gu would agree to anything; at most, he would allow Swan to earn what he wants through his own performance. It also reminded him of the time he wanted the exclusive rights to alloy steel for Mr. Gu but ended up being scared stiff. That¡¯s when he realized what kind of person Mr. Gu was. Mr. Gu, even when he had nothing, already had the mentality of someone in a superior position, let alone now. Furthermore, he believed that even if Mr. Gu agreed to nothing, Mr. Swan would still end up humbly prostrating himself before Mr. Gu. Henry comforted himself by staying in the room Mr. Swan had prepared for him, waiting for Swan to give him a definite answer before the deadline or for Mr. Gu¡¯s arrival. On the third day, a servant came to ask him to see Mr. Swan. Despite his expectations, Henry still could hardly conceal his delight. He was absolutely confident that Swan must have submitted. Following the servant, he saw Mr. Swan in the office. ¡°You¡¯ve realized¡­¡± Henry hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Swan interrupted him: ¡°I agree, and I will make all the other agents agree as well. If there are any who don¡¯t, I will make sure they have no other choice but to agree as soon as possible.¡± Henry was stunned. That was a one hundred and eighty-degree change in attitude. But why are you more anxious than me? He keenly felt like something big had happened. ¡°When can Mr. Gu¡¯s army arrive?¡± ¡°At the earliest, in two days, and at the latest, five¡­¡± ¡°Can we go any faster?¡± ¡°Wait a second, what¡¯s happened? You need to tell me first.¡± Henry¡¯s heart was already uneasy, ¡°Those Green Skin Orcs?¡± ¡°¡­Yes,¡± he sighed. There wasn¡¯t much point in hiding it. Poor communication of military intelligence could easily lead to strategic misjudgments. Afterward, Swan gave Henry a rough outline of the current situation. In the past, Rubbish Town didn¡¯t have much by way of management. It was originally just a town formed by adventurers picking up trash, but as the number of adventurers increased, many industries reliant on the rubbish collected by them started cropping up, gradually forming the town. But as the town took shape and the industrial chain became more complete, a somewhat finer level of management became essential. The agents roughly divided Rubbish Town toward the pre-war era¡¯s supercity ruins, also known as the high-tower ruins, into four levels: valueless safe areas, valuable safe areas, high-value dangerous areas, and unknown areas. Valueless safe areas, true to their name, are places where, after years of exploration, the number of mutant monsters has greatly diminished, but similarly, due to many years of scavenging, they have almost no yield. The only output here is the hot ash produced after a Low Energy Storm has passed. Valuable safe areas are places that have been cleared many times, have few monsters and are not very dangerous, but have only become relatively safe in the past one or two years. They haven¡¯t been scavenged for long and still yield a fair amount. This is where the most metal waste is produced, and occasionally, some precious pre-war items can be found. High-value dangerous areas are places teeming with monsters, but with ample rewards; unknown areas are almost unexplored, or where very few who enter manage to come out alive. These four types of areas, in terms of distance relative to Rubbish Town, grow progressively further away. And in the fight against the orcs, the defense zones were divided in the same way. Or rather, in recent years as the Green Skin Orcs began activity within the high-tower ruins, even becoming more and more numerous, eventually turning into adventurers¡¯ main foes, the classification of the four areas was largely related to the orcs¡¯ activity frequency. One month ago, when the Green Skin Orcs began to emerge in large numbers, the high-risk areas basically became no-go zones, only accessible to large adventure groups with many members; after a month of this Green Skin disaster, a considerable part of the low-risk area turned high-risk. Adventurers could no longer easily scavenge but had to form teams and battle lines to fight these Green Skin Orcs. This had nearly evolved into a warfare situation, rather than skirmishes between small groups of adventurers and lurking or wandering monsters. For that very reason, adventurers were reaching the point where they could hardly hold on, not willing to endure any further. ¡°We¡¯re here to make money through adventure, not to fight a war.¡± Now, the latest news was that in the 18th District, an important place where adventurers formed a battle line and had built fortifications for a large-scale battle with the invading Green Skin Orcs, had fallen apart. Nearly twenty thousand adventurers had gathered there, fighting against more than three thousand orcs for a week, under immense pressure. And just this morning, three adventure groups, without notifying anyone, withdrew from their positions; a total of six thousand people left directly. Consequently, during an expected orc assault on the defences, with nearly a third fewer hands, the defensive line completely collapsed, and the remaining adventurers had no choice but to retreat or even scatter. By morning, the Green Skins had broken through three districts, and it was only in the Fifth District that they were barely held back. And this area was traditionally a valueless safe zone. Even, Swan had already deployed his most treasured adventure group, ¡®Clockwork Blades¡¯, to the frontlines. They were well-equipped and highly trained, a rare elite force. It was their intervention that plugged the breach. However, the casualties were significant. What was crucial was that, through the breach, more Green Skin monsters kept emerging from the deeper ruins, exerting tremendous pressure on them. If the Fifth District fell, the other parallel districts¡¯ defences would surely not hold either, and before long, Rubbish Town might genuinely face the Green Skins at its gates. That¡¯s why Swan was in such a hurry. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Fuck!¡± Henry couldn¡¯t hold back and blurted out a curse. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª 74k/150k Aiming for 6,000 tomorrow! Chapter 162 - Chapter 162: Chapter 137, Beast Slaughter Group (6.4k Subscriptions Please!) Chapter 162: Chapter 137, Beast Slaughter Group (6.4k Subscriptions Please!) ¡°` ¡°Fuck!¡± Henry couldn¡¯t hold back and blurted out a curse. Swan had indeed submitted, and from that perspective, the deserters¡¯ rout and the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ sudden onslaught had helped a bit. However, Henry surely couldn¡¯t hand over a Rubbish Town turned to ruins to Mr. Gu and then shamelessly claim he had fulfilled his mission, could he? With a grim expression, Henry asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation in the Fifth District now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s terrible, there¡¯s been no time to build new defensive positions there; our people can only fight desperately with those Greenskins among the rubble. No one knows whether the adventurers can hold on, I can only guarantee that my men will hold firm until the end.¡± ¡°I will pass this message to Mr. Gu as soon as possible, Mr. Swan, If you don¡¯t want to present a Rubbish Town turned to ruins to Mr. Gu and thoroughly disappoint him, please do whatever you can in the next few days to hold the line, at least until Mr. Gu¡¯s troops arrive.¡± Swan said solemnly, ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me that, but please urge them on. Nobody in Rubbish Town wants it to become ruins, but sometimes it¡¯s not about what we want.¡± After saying this, he paused and hesitantly made another request: ¡°Additionally¡­ the troops stationed outside Rubbish Town, can they help?¡± Henry hesitated. He paced back and forth, conflicted. Without Swan asking, he had already thought about the strong army outside Rubbish Town that could be called for reinforcement. But there was a risk involved. Convincing Perbov to seek authorization for action from Mr. Gu seemed manageable. Perbov was eager to fight, and Mr. Gu, knowing of Swan¡¯s submission and Rubbish Town¡¯s surrender, would likely allow Perbov to join the battle. But that would mean sending the Composite Camp to fight the fearsome Green Skin hordes! Were they an easy opponent? Perbov¡¯s Composite Camp was formidable, slaughtering looters as easily as slaughtering pigs, but the Greenskins were a different matter entirely. If casualties were heavy, would that responsibility fall on him? Yet in the end, he gritted his teeth and told Swan he was willing to try. With Rubbish Town willing to fully submit to Mr. Gu, it was worth protecting. Securing Rubbish Town was of great significance to Mr. Gu¡¯s expansion of power. It was the most important raw material production area around Revival City, as well as the strongest military force among the uncontrolled powers in the vicinity. It was also his biggest stepping stone to advancement. ¡­ As Henry had expected, convincing Perbov to go into battle was not difficult. Once Mr. Gu was informed of the entire situation here, especially the likelihood that Rubbish Town¡¯s defenses might indeed be breached by the Green Skin Orcs and destroyed, he of course did not want to see that happen. He granted Perbov the necessary authority, allowing him to make decisions based on the situation. Meanwhile, the troops led by Mr. Gu himself also accelerated their march. With authorization in hand, Perbov did not hesitate for long and quickly launched a full assault. The fully mechanized troops rapidly bypassed Rubbish Town, heading towards the so-called Fifth District. Along the way, all Perbov saw was chaos. Many adventurer groups, hastily assembled for a hefty fee, formed up and rushed towards the Fifth District; but at the same time, Perbov saw even more adventurers retreating from the front lines. Among those moving back, a considerable part looked very shabby and frightened. These clearly were deserters who had fled from the front lines. Additionally, some of the retreating adventurers bore no signs of battle. This group was somewhat odd. Perbov had several different groups of adventurers stopped and brought to him to inquire about the situation at the front lines. From the accounts of the deserters, he received news that was uncertain whether to be considered good or bad: The battle at the front was still ongoing, but without fortifications, the Orcs easily got close enough for combat, causing massive casualties. One group of adventurers after another couldn¡¯t withstand such terrifying losses and retreated from the front lines. To say it¡¯s good news was because the front lines were still holding; to take it as bad news was because it was on the verge of collapse. The other group retreating without having fought told a more intriguing story¡ªthey had received orders to pull back. These orders came from the merchants and agents who had paid to hire them. Perbov didn¡¯t know much about Rubbish Town, but Henry, who had come to the front lines with him in the command vehicle, immediately understood what it meant. The pessimists thought Rubbish Town was indefensible. They had withdrawn the teams they had paid for, no longer maintaining the battle line at the front, instead wanting them to protect themselves and flee from Rubbish Town. Even likely, the news that Mr. Gu was taking over Rubbish Town might have leaked, which also fueled the desire of these merchants and agents to flee. After all, if Rubbish Town was defended successfully, it wouldn¡¯t be theirs anyway, so why spend money defending it? Better to run away quickly. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Thinking of this, Henry was particularly angry! How could Rubbish Town be saved amongst these vermin! This could certainly lead to a complete collapse of the front line! Perbov¡¯s Composite Camp continued to advance, while Henry used the communication equipment on his command vehicle to contact Swan, who was still in Rubbish Town, informing him of the situation here. ¡°` Chapter 163 - Chapter 163: Chapter 137, Beast Slaughter Group (6.4k Subscriptions Please!)_2 Chapter 163: Chapter 137, Beast Slaughter Group (6.4k Subscriptions Please!)_2 Swan said he would find a way to deal with it. He wasn¡¯t just going to handle those who wanted to flee; he would also try to rally the fleeing soldiers and maintain the battle line as much as possible. Hearing Swan¡¯s assurance, Henry breathed a sigh of relief. This big shot from Rubbish Town, if he truly intended to stop this situation from worsening, probably had a way to do so. But there was one thing that Henry felt uncertain about: what if Swan himself wanted to run? What if he had convinced Perbov to go to the front lines just to buy time to move assets and wealth? To put it bluntly, he was afraid Swan was deceiving him. For a moment, he felt a confusing turmoil inside. Seeing that Perbov had already begun to give orders for the artillery support unit to deploy, he said to Perbov: ¡°I¡¯ll stay here.¡± He paused, then continued, ¡°There¡¯s no help I could provide at the front, better to stay here. Leave me a radio set, and I¡¯ll keep in touch with the interior of Rubbish Town at all times to ensure no unrest occurs. If all goes well, I¡¯ll manage to rally some fleeing soldiers and retreating units here. If¡­ if there really is a major problem inside Rubbish Town, I¡¯ll notify you in time. I won¡¯t let your army get mired alone.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡­ Half an hour later, at the front lines of the Fifth District. As expected, the battle was still ongoing, with many adventurers resisting, but they had no advantage. From a distance, the Green Skin Orcs were killing the adventurers one by one, and occasionally, entire teams of adventurers were collapsing and retreating. Among them, those with the most resolute fighting attitude were a group wearing gray combat coats. On their arms, they had uniform armbands with the image of a spear piercing upward through the skull of an orc. This armband represented an adventuring group that had only been established six months ago but had rapidly expanded and swollen in size: The Beast Slaughter Group. These were people determined to take revenge on the Green Skin Orcs, gathered together to form a team. Its founder, who was also the current leader, was named Lucy Lee Ko Xi. Li Kexi used to be the leader of a medium-sized adventuring group, often mixing in Rubbish Town, known for his generosity, enthusiasm, and loyalty he held a reputation within the entire adventurer industry. Six months ago, his group encountered a band of Green Skin Orcs and were nearly wiped out. He and a significant part of his comrades were captured by the Orcs. He witnessed many of his closest comrades having their heads split open and their brains devoured, their abdomens ripped open to be used as food by the Orcs. Among them were even his wife and two sons. Later, the small Orc encampment was raided by another team of adventurers. During the chaos, Li Kexi managed to escape. Since then, he dissolved his former group and established a new adventuring team named ¡®Beast Slaughter Group¡¯, intent on revenge. Anyone harboring a grudge against the Green Skin Orcs and determined to eliminate them could join the adventuring group. In fact, it could no longer be considered a usual adventuring group as their main goal was no longer urban exploration and scavenging for high-value items, but instead hunting down Green Skin Orcs. In the past few years, there were no shortage of people with grudges against the Green Skin Orcs. Some would be terrified by the Orcs¡¯ strength, brutality, and belligerence, but naturally, there were also those who were instead filled with anger and hatred. They gathered in the Beast Slaughter Group and began their war against the Green Skin Orcs. For Rubbish Town, which was facing an increasingly severe threat from the Orcs, such a team was, of course, very welcome. Although they were not productive, no longer scavenging, and rarely accepting employments, the merchants and agents from various districts of Rubbish Town were still willing to provide generously for their weaponry, logistics support, and even additional financial aid. With hatred fueling them internally and financial support externally, the Beast Slaughter Group expanded rapidly over six months and also proved to be the best performing team in combating the Green Skin Orcs out of all adventuring groups in Rubbish Town. Their original defense zone was neither in the eighteenth district nor in the Fifth District. However, after the outer defense line of the eighteenth district was breached and pierced through to the Fifth District, they too had to retreat to avoid being flanked. At the same time, they realized the Orcs¡¯ breakthroughs were not yet over. If they were allowed to continue their assault, Rubbish Town, the major rear area, could very well be lost. Li Kexi led his Beast Slaughter Group, which boasted more personnel than usual, to the Fifth District for reinforcements, trying to plug the gaps in the defense line. Then, as the battle raged on, his forces became the mainstay. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Other allied forces retreated one after another until only a few remained fighting alongside them. Grasping his personally modified shotgun, which had three large barrels bound together, Li Kexi pulled the trigger, and the barrage of large-caliber shot at close range blew apart the head of a Green Skin Orc. ¡°Pah,¡± he spat out the cigarette in his mouth that was almost burnt to the end, looking around him. A sense of sorrow welled up inside his heart. He knew this might be where his bones would finally lie. The number of Green Skins rushing towards the gap in the defense line seemed to have surpassed three thousand; by contrast, the only ones still persevering in combat, apart from his own three-thousand-strong Beast Slaughter Group, were probably just a thousand or so other adventurers. Chapter 164 - Chapter 164: Chapter 137, Beast Slaughter Group (6.4k Subscriptions Please!)_3 Chapter 164: Chapter 137, Beast Slaughter Group (6.4k Subscriptions Please!)_3 Based on past experience, to withstand the onslaught of the Green Skin Orcs, especially at such a close range, one would need at least ten times the number of enemies to gain victory; holding out with five times the number is the bare minimum to maintain a defense. Despite his Beast Slaughter Group mastering some special techniques through long-term combat with the orcs, and even with weapons specifically modified to fight them, they could at best manage to fight three against one. Now, the number of combatants on each side had not even reached a two-to-one ratio, a situation which, according to experience, meant the defense would not hold. But beyond the Fifth District, there was no other line of defense. His deputy had already asked more than once what to do. And his answer had always been the same: ¡°We must fight to the death!¡± His own will to fight was unwavering, and he understood that if they let the Green Skin Orcs break through Rubbish Town, they would no longer have a chance for revenge. The orcs would gain greater living space, and humanity would face utter defeat in this region. He was prepared to die. But the Beast Slaughter Group was faltering. Although the performance of the Beast Slaughter Group was better than that of any other adventuring band, they were still human. Hatred and anger could sustain their ferociousness in battle, but fear remained, and not everyone could face a certain death with equanimity. He could feel that many of his brothers were already wavering. At first, he was anxious, but he soon settled into a calm state. Go ahead, if a few more can live, that¡¯s good. In such a desperate situation, I simply wish to die in battle against these orcs; I can¡¯t necessarily ask the same of others. After painstakingly loading his ammunition, he strode forward. Another Green Skin Orc charged towards him howling, and three of his brothers opened fire. Despite being shot several times, the orc stood firm, lifted a crudely made firearm, and quickly killed two men. The third man charged forward with a long-handled greatsword and slashed at the orc¡¯s head. The flesh burst open and blood flowed, but the skull was not cleaved, the blade stuck in it. The orc, however, pulled out a hand axe and split the brave Beast Slaughter Group warrior¡¯s head with a backhand swing. The orc pulled the greatsword out from its head, blood smeared all over its face, and howled to the sky as if mad. ¡°Bang!¡± Seizing the opportunity, he approached within five or six meters of the orc. The exaggeratedly designed triple-barreled shotgun was pointed at the orc¡¯s head and he fired. The orc¡¯s face distorted by the blast, it fell backward to the ground. Rubbing his shoulder, aching from the recoil, he saw two more orcs approaching. At that moment, there were no brothers by his side, and he clearly didn¡¯t have time to reload the triple-barreled shotgun. He dropped the firearm and took out the Beast Slaughter Group¡¯s signature long-handled greatsword. This must be the last fight before death, he thought. He wondered if he could take down an orc before he died. He couldn¡¯t aim for the head, limbs, or torso, which would not be instantly fatal. The only target was the neck. He needed to exert full strength and get the angle right as the blade penetrated the flesh; only then might he have a chance of severing the spine. He had only one chance with his blade. If he missed, the orc¡¯s strength, far superior to a human¡¯s, would tear him to shreds in no time. He took deep breaths, waiting for the final moment to come. The two orcs, one in front and one behind, drew ever closer. They seemed to be competing to get to him first, fearing that slow movement would rob them of the chance to kill. Just then, a loud noise came from behind, followed by a rocket trailing flames. The rocket exploded right in front of him, hitting the two monsters, one behind the other, and flipping them over. The one behind was already dead, while the other landed not far from Li Kexi. Ignoring the singed hair from the trailing flames, Li Kexi quickly walked up and chopped off the monster¡¯s head with three swings of the sword. Only then did he have a moment to turn his head and see a squad of unfamiliar soldiers approaching from behind. It was a small combat team of three, two armed with rifles, one with a rocket launcher. The recent rocket came from them. And now, the man with the rocket launcher was pulling new rockets from the large tactical pack on his back to reload; the other two kept firing at another approaching orc in the distance. The firearms in their hands were unfamiliar to Li Kexi. He had never seen such rifles, black and clearly well-crafted, different from the iron tube rifles many adventurers carried. Looking in the direction of the gunfire, the orc being targeted was clearly hit repeatedly. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The two groups were about a hundred meters apart. A hundred meters, what does that mean? From a distance, the orc seemed hardly bigger than a small black dot. At this range, accurate shooting not only indicated the precision of the unfamiliar soldiers but also meant that their rifles were extremely reliable in terms of accuracy. Using the rifles commonly employed by adventurers, even if aimed precisely, the bullet trajectory at a hundred meters was unpredictable. In fact, the firearms used by the Green Skin Orcs were similar, perhaps even less reliable. The orc firearms were surprisingly powerful; within the effective range, a single shot could blast apart an entire upper body. But their effective range was only within fifty meters, beyond which the bullets would stray significantly, even worse than the adventurers¡¯ iron tube rifles. Chapter 165 - Chapter 165: Chapter 137, Beast Slaughter Group (6.4k Subscriptions Please!)_4 Chapter 165: Chapter 137, Beast Slaughter Group (6.4k Subscriptions Please!)_4 For this very reason, the adventurers used to engage in regular combat with the Green Skin Orcs at distances within a hundred meters. Between fifty and a hundred meters, the adventurers had some firepower advantage, but the Green Skins were able to rely on their thick hides to charge within fifty meters, at which point exchanging fire was no contest at all. One of their shots could blow apart a person, while our side¡¯s puny guns needed to pour a hundred bullets to kill a single Green Skin, how could we fight like that? Moreover, once the Green Skins got within fifty meters, aside from shooting, their steps wouldn¡¯t stop, and they would charge even closer to take advantage of the high power but low accuracy of their guns. Or more directly, they¡¯d get into melee range and resolve the battle with cold weapons. And often by that time, it was when the human adventurers¡¯ morale completely collapsed. Except for the Beast Slaughter Group, who dared to wield big knives and engage in chopping at the Green Skins with an exchange rate of more than five to one, nobody dared to engage these monsters in close combat. But these new and strange infantry seemed a bit different. Not only did they have the extremely precious rocket launchers, but their rifles still worked effectively at distances beyond a hundred meters. This was significant. The orc charging toward this location got hit by at least thirty bullets when it reached fifty meters away, and despite firing two shots, both missed. Following that, it continued its charge, and when it got within fifty meters, it finally couldn¡¯t withstand the frequent hits and fell dead. The shooters weren¡¯t just from this infantry squad; there were two additional infantry squads who had evidently also spotted it and were firing six guns at it. Li Kexi couldn¡¯t help feeling envious. Envious of the rocket launcher, and of those guns. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder a bit: where did these strangers come from? He had extensive connections; he knew most of the named adventure groups that mingled around Rubbish Town. He had never seen any group equipped like this. He saw someone waving at him. Li Kexi hesitated for a moment but still went over. He asked, ¡°Which group are you from?¡± The person waving at him was momentarily confused, then quickly responded, ¡°We¡¯re not from any adventure group, we are warriors from the New Alliance! I am Sergeant Luke Duffy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The amount of information was a bit overwhelming, and Li Kexi for a moment didn¡¯t even know what to say. Sergeant Duffy noticed the armband on his arm and asked, ¡°Are you also from the Beast Slaughter Group?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°Then get to the rear as quickly as possible; many of your comrades are regrouping there. We still need your help to put in a joint effort to clean out these filthy Green Skin monsters.¡± Li Kexi was stunned again. His resolve to die retreated. If there was still hope of victory, then indeed he shouldn¡¯t die. If possible, he still hoped to see more Green Skin monsters die before his eyes. ¡°Sergeant Luke Duffy, I¡¯ll remember you. I am Li Kexi, captain of the Beast Slaughter Group. May we meet again under better circumstances.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the captain?¡± Duffy was startled, then quickly added, ¡°That¡¯s even better! You have to get to the rear then, your brothers still need your leadership.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Li Kexi picked up his rifle and followed the direction Luke Duffy had pointed. After walking a bit further, intense gunfire and the sound of rocket launchers firing came from behind him. He couldn¡¯t resist looking back and saw ten soldiers form into three combat squads. They didn¡¯t advance further but held their current position. Before them, a group of about twenty Green Skins was approaching. Li Kexi¡¯s heart sank heavily. Especially seeing that two rocket projectiles thrown at them killed only three Green Skins. Ten soldiers, their distant gunfire raining down, even with focused fire at long range, killed only two. Fifteen remained! They had already charged very close. Within this distance, in just a few seconds, these monsters would rush upon the soldiers¡¯ faces. And in the meantime, they couldn¡¯t even reload their magazines, nor could the rocket launchers be replenished with new ammunition in time. Li Kexi was not optimistic about their fate and hesitated whether to turn back and fight alongside them. Of course, this was not a wise decision, but¡­ they had just saved his life, and now was he to turn his back on them, to live in ignominy? While he was in the throes of indecision, he heard two rumbling sounds from behind him. Turning his head, he saw two steel behemoths emerge from behind a building. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only One of them was a tank, the ¡®Challenger¡¯ Tank he had seen once before. The other was a somewhat lighter-armored but more robust-looking wheeled combat vehicle. They both fired at the Green Skin Orcs. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This chapter is 6.4k. Half a month has passed, and I¡¯ve updated 80k words, it looks like reaching 150k words this month isn¡¯t going to be a problem. Chapter 166 - Chapter 166: Chapter 138, The Limit of Perseverance Chapter 166: Chapter 138, The Limit of Perseverance Seeing the appearance of a ¡®Challenger¡¯ tank and another war machine he didn¡¯t recognize, Li Kexi was initially stunned. He had truly not expected to see such a thing here. He had once thought about buying a Challenger tank, especially after forming the Beast Slaughter Group, his desire grew stronger. If he had such a tank as the combat core, surrounded by a large number of infantry troops with a cannon ready to provide fire support at any time, battles would be much easier to fight. Unfortunately, affording it was one thing; the key issue was that there was no channel to purchase it. Not to mention the armored vehicle next to it. Though it had no large cannon, the twin-barreled machine gun was not something to be underestimated. And when these two opened fire together, the effect was astonishing. A tank shell blasted into the midst of the Green Skin Orcs, killing at least three on impact; even more terrifying was the volley from the armored vehicle¡¯s machine gun and the alongside ¡°machine guns¡± that didn¡¯t look like regular ones. The 40mm caliber machine gun could cause fatal damage when it hit the Green Skins; the strange, explosive twin-barreled ¡°machine gun¡± could still detonate inside an enemy after a direct hit, ensuring the death of an orc. Under the frenzy of the strafing fire, six or seven Green Skins were killed on the spot with one round. After this round of fire projection, coupled with the casualties inflicted by the infantry squad, a total of fifteen Green Skin Orcs were killed. Facts proved that orcs were not brainless creatures that only knew how to charge in battle. On the contrary, their wisdom¡ªor rather, instinct, in combat was exceptionally sharp. They knew that continuing to charge forward under such firepower would result in their deaths before they could cover the final twenty to thirty meters. They scattered to the sides and quickly found cover. One even poked his head out and took a shot at the infantry squad, actually hitting and breaking a soldier¡¯s left arm. Someone quickly administered first aid with gauze¡ªmainly pressing on the wound to stop the bleeding and minimize blood loss¡ªand then two others helped to evacuate the injured to the rear. The remaining seven soldiers were in no hurry to advance¡ªthey would wait for the tank and the armored vehicle to come up. Only after clearing this wave of enemies would they continue forward, encountering and stopping at the next enemy, fighting to try to eliminate the enemy, or if not possible, preserving their combat power, with the tank and armored vehicle soon supporting them again. Infantry and tank coordination is not as simple as armored units leading with infantry following behind, using the tank or armored vehicle as cover; that¡¯s a very rudimentary approach. Indeed, in relatively open terrain with few obstacles, armored units can lead the assault with infantry closely following within tens of meters to support the attack. But at this moment, in this location, in the midst of urban ruin combat, it is usually necessary for the infantry to lead, with armored units providing fire support from behind and leveraging the infantry¡¯s close combat advantage to eliminate the enemy one by one. If armored units led under these circumstances, with complex terrain and enemy situations, who knows what sort of enemy might emerge and what weapons they could use to threaten the armored vehicles? For example, enemy infantry could be lying in ambush, utilising explosive charges, anti-tank rocket launchers, and other weapons to deliver a severe blow to the tanks and armored vehicles. Of course, these so-called infantry-tank coordination tactics were not something Li Kexi could understand clearly; he only knew that the seemingly numerous cluster of Green Skin Orcs stood no chance of turning the tables, and their fate was certain annihilation. Compared to the tactics of coordinated operation between tanks, armored vehicles, and infantry, what Li Kexi envied even more were the tanks and armored vehicles themselves. His entire Beast Slaughter Group, with six or seven thousand men, couldn¡¯t muster a single tank; yet an infantry squad¡¯s attack tactic included the coordination of tanks and armored vehicles¡­ All were human, so why what a huge gap there was! Tactics could be practiced; but equipment, if you didn¡¯t have it, you really didn¡¯t have it, and there was nothing you could do about it. ¡­ Perbov was not in the best of spirits. He had already received several casualty reports. According to the earlier plan, there were nearly twenty infantry-tank coordinated assault groups operating in phases, controlling a battlefield front about three to four kilometers wide. He had ordered the frontline combat units to advance two kilometers forward, planning to strike a blow to the Green Skin Orcs that were still rushing in. Perbov¡¯s troops did indeed accomplish the predetermined objectives, and in the two-kilometer advance, at least 300 Green Skin Orcs were eliminated under the fire of the infantry and armored units. But his troops did not come out unscathed during this process. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Two tanks were destroyed, three armored vehicles were lost, and over 50 soldiers were casualties¡­ That was distressing enough for him. And indeed, such casualties would impact the entire battalion¡¯s combat effectiveness. The biggest single loss was when an assault group nearly got wiped out. Perbov saw a verbal briefing from the evacuated wounded soldiers, who reported that during their march, they were ambushed by Green Skin Orcs. Those Green Skins cleverly hid in the building ruins and avoided the infantry¡¯s search range. Then they launched a simultaneous assault, and by the time they were discovered, they were already within sixty to seventy meters. Chapter 167 - Chapter 167: Chapter 138, The Limits of Perseverance_2 Chapter 167: Chapter 138, The Limits of Perseverance_2 ¡°` These orc-like creatures tactically divided into four formations and launched simultaneous attacks on both the infantry at the front and the armored units at the rear. Suddenly engaging in close-quarters, the infantry squads suffered greatly in the exchange of fire. They managed to kill four or five enemies at close range, but they were also subjected to close-range blasts from the Green Skins. The crude firearms in their hands could incapacitate a soldier with a single shot, even if it hit a bulletproof vest¡ªit might not be fatal, but breaking ribs and causing internal injuries that significantly reduced combat capability was not an issue. What was even more terrifying was that the Green Skins were fond of using shotguns; the scattered pellets sometimes even shattered limbs. In close-quarter combat, the casualties among the soldiers were heavy. After that, when the Green Skins closed in to the range of melee combat, despite the G9 rifles being equipped with bayonets and serving as decent pole weapons, they were still no match for the Green Skins. More critically, they could not get immediate fire support from the armored units. The armored units had their own troubles. Over twenty Green Skin Orcs, using obstacles as cover, approached the vehicles from the side and continuously moved while the artillery and machine-gun angles were rotating, forcing the vehicles to be unable to fully utilize their firepower advantage. Despite a considerable number of Green Skins dying in the charge and two being taken down by the protective infantry accompanying the armored units, seven or eight still managed to get close. With their shotguns, they eliminated the accompanying infantry and placed explosive packages on the tanks¡¯ tracks and the rear sides of the armor, and the armored vehicles received the same treatment. Such explosive packages destroyed a tank and an armored vehicle. Had it not been for the squad leader who was ambushed immediately sending out a distress signal, and fortuitously, a team located just a few hundred meters away coming to their aid, they might have been completely wiped out. Yet, even so, their losses could still be considered severe. Of the more than twenty infantry who survived, only six remained, one tank was destroyed, and out of two infantry fighting vehicles, only one was left. A warning bell sounded in Perbov¡¯s head. The enemy they faced this time wasn¡¯t something easy to deal with like common marauders. Although these Green Skin Orcs only had light and melee weapons at their disposal and had to rely on such primitive methods as manually placing explosives to destroy armored units, it was apparent that the Green Skins were severely lacking in long-range firepower. But by virtue of their beast-like physical fitness and their surprisingly strong combat ability at close range, as well as their reckless disregard for death¡­ Even if his forces had a significant firepower advantage over the enemy, they still could not avoid losses in battle. From the time they left Weixing City until now, Perbov¡¯s First Battalion had already lost two tanks (one had broken down en route and had not been repaired), two armored vehicles, and nearly a hundred personnel were either killed or wounded. This meant his forces had already lost over 10%. The battle against the Green Skins would surely be tough, but they had already sustained such heavy casualties at the very beginning¡­ What about moving forward? Unthinkable! But soon, he pushed these tentative thoughts back down. The fight had to go on. The troops that set out earlier had, as planned, advanced the frontline by two kilometers, eliminating a considerable number of Green Skins. Also, because of their decisive push forward, many Green Skins that had been on the offensive had to pull back. It must be stated again that although these Green Skins were wild, warlike, and bloodthirsty, prone to get carried away, they were not without intelligence. On the contrary, they were quite cunning and pragmatic when it came to combat. Realizing that they were at a great disadvantage and suffering heavy losses in open ground combat against armored assaults, those Green Skins didn¡¯t continue to stubbornly charge headlong into firepower with their flesh and blood. This made Perbov somewhat regretful; otherwise, the number of Green Skin heads taken might have been more than just over three hundred. The retreating Green Skins started to construct simple fortifications, or simply relied on the ruins of the terrain, and set up layered defenses. The difficulty for the armored combined force to continue advancing would become much greater after that. It was foreseeable that further assault would not only see a sharp decline in military achievements, but their own losses would be significant, and it was possible they would face a one-to-two or even one-to-one casualty rate. Perbov did not have enough troops to wear down these Green Skins. Having achieved the predetermined objectives, there was no need to continue pushing forward. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The front-line combat units began to fortify their positions on site, also relying on the ruins of the terrain, and started constructing key fire points and defensive fortifications. Their advantage over the Green Skins lay in the fact that their defensive positions were supported by armored vehicles and tanks providing mobile firepower from a distance. If the Green Skins dared to rush out and charge the positions, tank cannons, machine guns, and bomb-firing machine guns would teach them a lesson. Both sides thus entered a standoff phase. If this situation were maintained, Perbov could accept it. He had already discussed and agreed upon the objectives of this operation with the commissar at the battalion headquarters, as well as with several staff members and adjutants. They could not possibly reverse the deteriorating situation of the entire war with the strength of just one battalion. What they needed to do was to stabilize the frontlines, be the mainstay, plug the gaps, and stop an all-out collapse. Chapter 168 - Chapter 168: Chapter 138: The Limit of Perseverance_3 Chapter 168: Chapter 138: The Limit of Perseverance_3 As long as the battle could be sustained until the Governor arrived, it would be considered a success. But those Green Skin Orcs seemed to have no intention of backing down, they still had ideas of breaking through human defenses. But this time, Perbov wasn¡¯t going to be polite with them. Ten miles from the front lines, the 155mm howitzer positions were fully constructed. It wasn¡¯t the rush stage anymore, a large number of adventurers had retreated from the front lines and reorganized, there was no need to worry about friendly fire, and the shooting elements from the front lines had already been transmitted back. Without a second thought, they fired five rounds of artillery. Sixty heavy artillery shells fell on the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ attack route within less than ten minutes, and the nearest shell landed less than a hundred meters from the front-line soldiers. It was difficult to determine the exact casualties caused by these five rounds of artillery beyond the front line defenses, but a rough estimate suggested that the Green Skin Orcs suffered more casualties than previously inflicted by tanks, armored vehicles, and infantry combined. After another loss of three to four hundred Green Skin Orcs, the attackers at the Fifth District had basically lost 20% of their fighting force. After five rounds of shelling, the surge of strength the Green Skin Orcs had been gathering for a charge came to an abrupt end, and they finally ceased their aggressive push. A 20% loss, of course, hadn¡¯t exceeded the threshold of what the Green Skin Orcs could withstand. But casualties must have meaning. Stubbornly advancing under heavy artillery to attack layered defense positions isn¡¯t about bravery, it¡¯s about stupidity. Green Skins are never stupid in battle. Moreover, the Green Skins weren¡¯t necessarily forced to continue this deadly struggle. The width of the first battalion¡¯s combat front stretched at most five to six kilometers. Yet the overall width of the attack front toward Rubbish Town within the High Tower ruins probably exceeded sixty kilometers, encompassing the entire High Tower District as well as the surrounding suburban areas. There was ample frontline width for maneuvers such as flanking and encirclement. If they couldn¡¯t bite through, then they would simply stop biting and strike elsewhere. Perbov understood this as well. The scale of this war was, after all, nearly a hundred thousand adventurers and armed scavengers facing off against ten to twenty thousand Green Skin Orcs. An eight-hundred-person Composite Camp, however well-equipped, served as a significant weight, capable of tipping the balance of the scales. But that was the extent of it, one couldn¡¯t expect a single camp to hold a sixty-kilometer front line. Achieving the current battlefield results was sufficient. They had inflicted significant casualties on the Green Skins¡¯ fighting force and stabilized the defense line, holding off the peak of the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ assault forces, gaining time to reorganize the follow-up troops. Perbov had done all he could. What remained to be seen was how people like Dennison Henry and Jason Swan would handle the situation. Oh, and one more thing, he had received intelligence that the leader of the Beast Slaughter Group had been rescued by them. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Perhaps he could be counted on as well. Perbov had an estimate of how long he could hold out: he could defend until the artillery support ran out of ammunition; if the pressure became too great and the 155mm howitzer shells were exhausted, then there was no room for discussion, it was time to retreat promptly. Not to retreat would mean sacrificing the troops for nothing. A 155mm howitzer shell weighed 60 kilograms, and with twelve guns firing five rounds, they had already shot out three and a half tons of shells. The logistics support had three trucks dedicated to transporting ammunition. Subtracting the ammo used at Sanchi Town, the remaining shells were enough for, at most, thirty rounds of fire. That was the limit of their defense. Chapter 169 - Chapter 169: Chapter 139, just because he is the governor? Chapter 169: Chapter 139, just because he is the governor? Dennison Henry was anxious too. He didn¡¯t know much about military matters, but he understood the simplest comparison of numbers. Perbov¡¯s troops could fight, but they couldn¡¯t replace the role of a hundred thousand people. Here at the artillery positions, he was gathering the fleeing soldiers, and the effect was actually not bad. Mainly, the twelve large cannons lined up in a row were extremely intimidating. When the fleeing soldiers retreated here and saw these cannons, they couldn¡¯t help but slow down. Then, Henry would step forward, offering a carrot and stick, and keep people around. The so-called carrot was money. Henry had money, but not as much as it seemed. He had only become wealthy in the past two months and had made quite a bit, but he lacked accumulation. But the key was that he was now willing to spend money, even spending all his money and going into debt if necessary. After all, as long as they ¡°won¡± and held their ground, and Rubbish Town was ultimately incorporated by the governor into the new alliance¡¯s system of governance, ¡°money¡± wouldn¡¯t matter much anymore. This information was unknown to the ordinary adventurers. Therefore, his willingness to spend generously still had an effect. Another big stick was the policy on deserters implemented by Rubbish Town. For the adventurers who kept fleeing, Rubbish Town certainly had to come up with a measure. In fact, during this period, quite a few adventurers who had left the front line had already been executed as deserters. This pressure had somehow reached the front lines. During the great collapse, everyone was running, and with no officers enforcing military discipline, no one took this matter seriously. But now, with mention of heavy artillery here and the offer of double pay, the adventurers naturally had to seriously consider their choices. Of course, another key factor that could not be overlooked was that after the adventurers were reorganized, they were not sent to the front lines immediately. Having just been routed by the Green Skin Orcs, sending them straight to the front line would likely have no effect. But just reforming the organizational structure and regrouping on the spot, staying beside the artillery positions without having to fight directly, was much more palatable. And by using these adventurers, they could continue to gather more adventurers, which could have an expanding effect. In a few hours, Henry had gathered around four to five thousand adventurers. With these people, Henry began to think about sending them to the front line to fight. However, after contacting Perbov, the answer he received was that no more people were needed; they were managing fine on their end. Mainly because the Beast Slaughter Group had been reorganized. Colonel Li Kexi, whom Henry knew, had led half the Beast Slaughter Group. Behind the defensive line formed by the First Composite Battalion, they finally had time to properly regroup and boost their morale. They were reorganized and then deployed to the front lines, significantly reinforcing the various firepower points and relieving the manpower shortage of the First Composite Battalion¡¯s infantry. With that, the defense line of about six kilometers in the Fifth District could be considered impregnable. The difficulty lay in the rest of the battlefront, which was about fifty kilometers long. The Green Skins had quieted down in the face of the first battalion, but they could strike at other positions at any time. In fact, this situation was likely already occurring. But what was worse was that neither Henry nor Perbov had a good grasp of the overall situation. The army, composed of Freelance Adventurers¡¯ Bands, even chose which defensive line they were responsible for by themselves, self-selecting their tasks. They didn¡¯t even have a unified command structure. Despite their great numbers, many thought more about adventuring, scavenging, and making money rather than fighting the Green Skins. Teams without contracts weren¡¯t even considering confronting the enemy head-on, consequently, their enormous numbers couldn¡¯t exert their full strength. But at least, Swan should have an understanding of the overall situation. He reached out again to the Rubbish Town magnate, partly to find out the current state of the battle and if any areas needed support. The three to five thousand men he had gathered could temporarily hold the line¡ªthough their combat effectiveness shouldn¡¯t be overestimated. On the other hand, he was more eager to know whether the issue of numerous adventurers¡¯ bands, either choosing for themselves or being hired away by other vacillating merchants and agents to protect those fleeing bugs, had been contained or not? ¡­ ¡°I am about to address this problem.¡± After ending the communication with Henry, Swan wore a solemn expression as he pushed open the door of the meeting room in front of him. Inside, quite a few people were already seated. His influence was evident at this time. Without him, no one could have gathered so many agents and important merchants together during such chaos, with many considering abandoning everything to flee. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But that was as far as it went. The meeting hall was noisy, and many faces showed clear signs of impatience. Their arguments were routine, having been debated many times in the past. There were those who advocated for holding out, and others for giving up; Even among those who wanted to hold out, opinions varied¡ªsome were calling for the establishment of a unified Rubbish Town army to end the disarray; some suggested stricter supervision of the adventurer groups and more rational task distribution with increased rewards¡­ Chapter 170 - Chapter 170: Chapter 139, Just Because He Is the Governor?_2 Chapter 170: Chapter 139, Just Because He Is the Governor?_2 Swan had actually eavesdropped for quite a while before entering the room. The situation of the argument was pretty much as he had understood before. Most people still wanted to continue holding on. Even though the situation was dangerous, everyone¡¯s investments were still in Rubbish Town. On these wastelands, the value of ¡°floating wealth¡± was very low. Currency? This thing that can¡¯t be eaten or drunk isn¡¯t the same as in a stable society where money can buy everything. In the wastelands, it was too common to have currency but not be able to buy anything. Even if it was the Alliance currency issued by the Alliance, it might not be accepted much farther afield, and its purchasing power fluctuated greatly. What was truly valuable were tangible goods, whether it was food, raw materials, or weapons and equipment¡ªthese were wealth. Another important form of wealth was industry. Industry depended on many things¡ªmachinery, locations, sources of raw materials, trade channels, business environment¡­ Many of the people present had worked their way up to being agents because they owned industries. Giving up Revival City was tantamount to surrendering their greatest wealth. Not even seeing a coffin would necessarily bring tears, let alone without seeing one. The situation was just a bit dire now¡ªthe Green Skin Orcs hadn¡¯t charged into Rubbish Town yet. Indeed, many people were unwilling to give up Rubbish Town; that would be like dispersing their wealth and breaking up the group. But on the other hand, many agents who had no fixed property and relied on transportation and channels, the trader-type agents, wanted to flee. Although the losses from disbanding and fleeing were not small, it was still better than continuing to hold on and ending up completely collapsing and unable to escape. However, the next piece of news that Swan was about to announce could very likely change the situation. When he stepped onto the podium, the noisy and chaotic arguing gradually subsided. People began to wait for this big shot to speak, hopefully with some good news. And Swan did not disappoint them, ¡°The retreat that spread from the 18th District to the Fifth District has stopped. A force from the Alliance Army in Revival City has responded to my request. They have not only plugged the holes in our defensive line but have also pushed back out two kilometers. Meanwhile, other units on different fronts made an orderly retreat and have now reestablished a new defensive line centered around the Fifth District. The situation has temporarily stabilized.¡± This news was exhilarating! The arrival of the army belonging to Mr. Gu near Rubbish Town was known to everybody. Those who were not well-informed wouldn¡¯t be able to sit in this meeting room. Someone couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is Mr. Gu coming to help us? Will he resolve the trouble with those Green Skin beasts for us?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Swan gave a confirming response. In fact, he had not had the chance to communicate with Mr. Gu, only with Henry. But that didn¡¯t prevent him from speaking confidently now. And this message, indeed, was inspiring! Anyone with clear eyes knew that the Green Skin crisis had spread to a point where it could not be resolved by the power of Rubbish Town alone. By bringing in Mr. Gu, who had completely taken control of Revival City, there was hope for a solution to the problem. However, some even smarter people thought of another key point. A man with dirty, tangled, blond hair stood up and questioned Swan, ¡°What¡¯s the cost? What is the cost?¡± Swan looked toward him. That was Nasr, his rival. The second-ranked agent in the whole of Rubbish Town, unlike him, Nasr didn¡¯t control much in the way of physical industries. His greatest ¡°industry¡± were the adventure groups. At least thirty large and small adventure groups active around Rubbish Town had been brought together by him through funding, sponsorship, direct organization, and other means. He controlled these adventure groups¡¯ earnings and sales channels and could directly issue tasks to those adventure groups. The thirty adventure groups, the largest with thousands of members and the smallest with dozens, collectively added up to two or three tens of thousands of armed adventurers under his influence and control. Moreover, he also had close connections with many raiders on the wastelands. This was an annoying fellow, and precisely the person Swan was most wary of during this Green Skin crisis. He was the typical type with no industries; his wealth lay within those ¡°people.¡± Even if Rubbish Town was ruined, Nasr would indeed suffer severe losses, but he could take his people and try to develop another ¡®Ruin Mine,¡¯ or simply become a raider for some time. With a gun, there¡¯s always a way out. Facing Swan¡¯s intimidating gaze, Nasr seemed utterly unconcerned. Splitting his mouth into a grin, he revealed his yellow teeth and said, ¡°Would Mr. Gu be so kind as to help us fight this war without asking for anything in return? Our dear Mr. Swan, just what exactly did you promise Mr. Gu?¡± His question sent the room back into silence. It¡¯s certainly good that Mr. Gu is willing to help, but one must indeed clarify what the price will be. The other various agents awaited Swan¡¯s answer. Swan revealed a smile, ¡°The price? The entirety of Rubbish Town.¡± With those words, the room fell silent. Even his old rival Nasr was completely thrown off balance. He tried to create difficulties for Swan, but how could you blurt out everything on your own? He had planned to press further, to clarify what specific rights over Rubbish Town Swan had sold out, wanting to embarrass him further. Unexpectedly, he heard news that left him speechless. It wasn¡¯t a matter of selling out some rights; it was the selling of the whole thing, stripped clean, with nothing left! Nasr, regaining his composure, burst out laughing. His hoarse, unpleasant laugh sounded incredibly shrill: ¡°You sold the entire Rubbish Town to Mr. Gu? What right do you have to do that! Is Rubbish Town yours alone?!¡± In the face of the accusations, Swan wore an indifferent smile. ¡°Let me correct you on one point; it¡¯s not ¡®selling out¡¯ but a ¡®price.¡¯¡± Swan said. ¡°Whether Mr. Gu chooses to save Rubbish Town and what he asks as a price, do you think those are decisions I can make?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Let me be even clearer.¡± Swan continued, ¡°Mr. Gu believes that Rubbish Town is already part of the Alliance, and as the ruler of the entire planet, it is only right that he would rule Rubbish Town and rightfully incorporate it into the new Alliance system. It¡¯s just that Rubbish Town happens to be facing a huge crisis, under the threat of Green Skin Orcs. He is coming to help his own people.¡± Swan emphasized the word ¡°helping his people¡± heavily. Many understood his implication and fell into thought. Others either did not understand or refused to accept it even if they did. Nasr continued to make noise: ¡°What gives him the right to do that? Do our hundred thousand people, our hundred thousand guns, mean nothing?! Those factories, those industries, they are our property! How can he just take them because he¡¯s Mr. Gu?!¡± Some, confused, joined in the commotion. Swan just looked at them and let out a cold snort, not saying much else. Gradually, some began to understand and gradually fell silent. Finally, Nasr¡¯s face turned sour. His supporters were no longer numerous. Clenching his rotten teeth, he said to Swan: ¡°Are you intending to wipe us out completely?¡± ¡°I never said that,¡± Swan retorted. ¡°I¡¯m taking my people and leaving! Right now!¡± Nasr declared. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Finally, Swan smiled, a radiant smile: ¡°That¡¯s not going to work. We are in a state of emergency. The battle outside the city has not yet ended, the threat of the Green Skin Orcs is still severe, and with Mr. Gu¡¯s imminent arrival, I propose that, effective immediately, Rubbish Town enters a state of emergency, the entire town under martial law, with no one allowed in or out!¡± Following procedure, Swan¡¯s proposal should go to a vote, but today, he didn¡¯t ask for those in favor to raise their hands; instead, he asked for the opponents to raise theirs. Nasr shouted in opposition, and a minority roared angrily with him. But it was to no avail as the majority maintained an eerie silence. With a smile, Swan announced: ¡°Then from this moment on, Rubbish Town is officially under martial law.¡± Chapter 171 - Chapter 171: 140, want to be the boss Chapter 171: 140, want to be the boss Henry had already learned about the recent events in Rubbish Town. He was also an agent; the meeting should have provided a place for him. Being busy outside, one of his subordinates had to attend in his stead. His subordinate had informed him of the situation and was one of those who had kept quiet at the time. Martial law was of course a good thing, preventing the situation from further deterioration, preventing those agents and traders from fleeing with supplies and a large number of adventurers. If it lasted too long, it would surely become uncontrollable. Rubbish Town, lacking a centralized power structure, didn¡¯t support the continuation of such strict policies for long. But despite that, he still felt it was somewhat miraculous. When he re-established communication with Swan, he couldn¡¯t wait to ask, ¡°Was the martial law order really passed so easily?¡± ¡°Ha, do you think it was easy?¡± Although he said this, Swan¡¯s voice was steady, yet with a hint of pride, ¡°I had contacted many agents close to me who have industries in Rubbish Town in advance. Passed, that¡¯s how it had such an effect.¡± Henry noticed a subtle shift in Mr. Swan¡¯s attitude towards him: the personage, whose status was far above his own, seemed to be trying to befriend him, and the tone of his speech was attempting to become more intimate. It wasn¡¯t exactly flattering, but at least it was an overture of friendship. It was because he had aligned himself with the governor before Swan did that Mr. Swan needed to befriend him, to make it easier to speak in the future¡­ Thinking of all the twists and turns involved, Henry couldn¡¯t help feeling somewhat smug. Curbing this minor smugness, Henry continued with the previous topic: ¡°Then¡­ wouldn¡¯t this push Nasr into a corner, making him desperate?¡± ¡°There¡¯s that possibility.¡± Swan said, ¡°But the situation should be controllable.¡± ¡°How so? Those agents with industries should oppose it when they hear that the governor wants to reclaim the whole of Rubbish Town and implement the New Alliance system here. Their industries will be repossessed, right? On the contrary, it would seem that those without fixed assets would be relatively less opposed to the governor.¡± Swan, unusually patient, explained the situation in Rubbish Town: ¡°It seems that way on the surface, but with your intelligence, you should think deeper. We who have assets are truly the ones who cannot run. If we run, what else do we have? Nothing. We don¡¯t have enough resources or even enough people to obey our commands; attempting to become raiders would only make us a minor force.¡± ¡°Even if the governor confiscates all assets when he comes, I¡¯ve carefully examined your policies. Those assets, once repossessed, won¡¯t just be abandoned, will they? They would need to be restarted. And we who once owned them, at least understand these industries, so why couldn¡¯t we switch from being business owners to factory managers? As a manager, according to the 45-level rating, that should be higher than that of an ordinary worker or clerk, right?¡± ¡°Being a manager who has to report to the so-called Alliance Production Department, and doesn¡¯t own the produced goods, certainly isn¡¯t as satisfying as being a real owner. But your policies can guarantee a lower limit, allowing people to live a steady, decent life. Believe me, just that is enough to attract quite a few agents who don¡¯t want to live in constant fear.¡± ¡°Moreover, what room do we have to refuse? Either Rubbish Town is destroyed and becomes nothing, or one goes from being an agent to a factory manager, a member of the management staff¡ªmany people would make this choice.¡± ¡°On the other hand, those without assets are the ones who cannot accept the arrival of the governor. After the governor arrives, will he continue to allow large numbers of armed forces to remain in their control? Once all production is allocated by the New Alliance Government, can they still profit from buying and selling goods? Taking the chance with enough manpower while one still can, having guns and people, where can¡¯t they carve out a domain for themselves? Even as raiders, they would be the leaders, living luxuriously, with people at their command. They are the ones who are least willing to stay within the governor¡¯s system.¡± Henry listened thoughtfully. Swan paused, with more to say: ¡°For us, the proprietors, the only real point of concern is the situation of those who had assets in the past in Revival City. Many are most afraid of surrendering their assets, only to be liquidated in the end, as was the case with the large executions before the governor¡¯s speech in Revival City. Frankly, that set a very bad precedent; your¡­ our governor took harsh measures to quickly take control of the city, but it was a very, very bad start.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only With these words, Swan revealed his stance and concerns to Henry, who had clearly sided with the governor. Henry also understood that he was seeking assurances from the governor through himself. But this insurance¡­ Henry felt he couldn¡¯t provide it. And he didn¡¯t need to provide it. He responded, ¡°If you really understood the situation of those who were executed back then, you would know they got what they deserved. They killed the old council president Hodgson, who had supported the governor; they tried to violently prevent the governor from entering Revival City; they colluded with the Cult¡­ For these crimes, they deserved to die. The situation is different between Rubbish Town and Revival City. If you can bring the whole city under the governor¡¯s command and actively help the governor restore production afterward, without hatching any more schemes, then why should you worry about those baseless concerns?¡± Chapter 172 - Chapter 172: Chapter 140, Aspiring to be the Boss_2 Chapter 172: Chapter 140, Aspiring to be the Boss_2 ¡°` Having heard these words, Swan stood by the window, unsure whether he had gotten what he wanted or not. Indeed, he felt somewhat at ease, but not completely. After all, there had been no formal guarantee. But to have come this far was probably the limit. The call ended, and Swan stood by the window, full of ambition. His office was perched at the highest point of Rubbish Town. Looking down, his feelings were complicated. In the past, he had always strived to climb higher and higher. Once he reached the top, he extended his hand, wanting to grab more and more. He wanted to be the master of Rubbish Town. At one point, when the Green Skin Orcs brought severe harm to Rubbish Town and Henry said that the Governor intended to completely reclaim it, he thought his dream was going to shatter. But now, it seemed that he could achieve this goal from another angle. After all, Rubbish Town was two hundred kilometers away from Revival City. If he did well, could he become the mayor of Rubbish Town? As the highest administrative official, to some extent, it seemed he could fulfill his old desire. Previously, to become the master of Rubbish Town, he had to fight against heaven and earth, figuring out ways to compete with those who didn¡¯t follow his path; yet this time, it might be an opportunity. The Governor would help him sweep away those damned things, and he could then become the boss in this clean house. It couldn¡¯t be anything but a good thing! Once the Governor arrived, he needed to put on a sufficient performance. He had to ensure proper logistics support, proper restructuring of the adventurers, proper inventory and transfer of the overall industry of Rubbish Town¡­ These things had to be done perfectly. Thinking of many specific action plans, he momentarily got lost in thought. A series of footsteps from behind brought him back to reality. Turning around, he saw a rather handsome young man dressed in a grey combat uniform. That was Mark Ferry, his confidant, whom he had promoted to help him manage the most crucial armed force under his command, the ¡®Clock Iron Blade¡¯ adventurer group. ¡°Boss, the martial law order has been carried out.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Swan¡¯s voice regained the indifference he always showed to others. He was always like this, keeping a distance from people. In his view, a sense of distance was one of the key points to maintaining mystique and authority, especially towards his subordinates. As usual, Ferry should have just left after getting a ¡°good¡± from him. But today, things didn¡¯t seem to be quite the same. Ferry hesitated for a moment, then continued, ¡°Nasr won¡¯t let things go; he¡¯s mobilizing the adventurers he can control who are still in town. There might be conflict later.¡± Swan frowned and looked at Ferry, ¡°Isn¡¯t that what I¡¯ve told you before? He surely won¡¯t let things go, but he has no chance. I¡¯ve had people cut off the communication lines with the front line; now only I can contact the front line, cutting off his ability to call people back; the armed forces he can mobilize in Rubbish Town definitely do not exceed ten thousand men, while my ¡®Clock Iron Blade¡¯ has returned, with three thousand well-equipped men. Blockade the town, no need to kill them, just hold until the Governor arrives, and we win.¡± ¡°Yes, if the Governor arrives, we win,¡± Ferry echoed, ¡°But what about us? Just now¡­ Boss, you were talking to Dennison Henry, right? Did he give you any assurances?¡± ¡°He did, I will be Rubbish Town¡¯s master in the future.¡± Swan didn¡¯t want to tell the whole truth, but he felt what he said was the truth. He would be the master of Rubbish Town, he believed it. ¡°And what about us?¡± Ferry pressed. ¡°You?¡± Swan turned around, looking Ferry up and down as if seeing him for the first time. ¡°Yes, us.¡± Swan broke into a broad smile, ¡°You¡¯ll be fine!¡± Then he added, ¡°No need to fight anymore, you can put down your guns. Factories need workers, stores need waiters, and Ruin Mine also needs scavengers. Although scavenging should no longer be risky by then, as the Governor would have cleaned up those mines. Of course, if you still want to be a soldier, that¡¯s fine too. The Governor¡¯s army will continue to recruit, and with your experience, enlisting should land you a good position. In short, life will definitely get much better then.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ life will get better then¡­¡± While Mark Ferry said this, he pulled out his gun without hesitation. Swan, who had sensed something was off with the young man just now, had already heightened his alertness. He quickly drew his own handgun. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But he was too slow. He was no longer the young man who fought bravely on the frontlines with his brothers. His gun, while exquisitely made with intricate patterns, was more like a work of art than a weapon. The bullet found him first, hitting his neck with precision. He toppled backward uncontrollably, followed by several more bullets aimed at his head, neck, and heart. It wasn¡¯t until the magazine was completely empty that Mark Ferry slowly put down the gun. Looking at Swan, who lay on the ground twitching, he said softly, ¡°Boss, you would have been Rubbish Town¡¯s master when the Governor came, but the Governor doesn¡¯t need people like me. I would only be left to work as a laborer or a scavenger, to start over as a soldier, which doesn¡¯t seem fair. Even if you lied to me about a better future, I would have believed you. But you weren¡¯t even willing to do that¡­ don¡¯t blame me.¡± Chapter 173 - Chapter 173: Chapter 140: Wanting to be the Boss_3 Chapter 173: Chapter 140: Wanting to be the Boss_3 Having said that, he withdrew his gaze and turned away. A dozen minutes later, he met Nasr in another part of Rubbish Town. Nasr, who had been pacing restlessly, stopped in his tracks upon seeing Mark Ferry. After staring at him for several seconds, he suddenly burst out with a smile, ¡°I was torn between wanting to see you and fearing it, but now I¡¯m sure, I wanted to see you. You¡¯ve got it, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Fantastic! That old ghost Swan! Despicable for trying to kill us all to achieve his dream of becoming the lord of Rubbish Town. Good riddance!¡± Mark Ferry, however, did not want to dwell on the topic, ¡°We¡¯re short on time, I don¡¯t have the leisure, nor the opportunity to clean all of ¡®Clockwork Iron Blades,¡¯ and according to Swan, many wealthy agents supported him. The best chance to leave is now. We must hurry, taking advantage of the chaos created by Swan¡¯s death.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Nasr laughed heartily, wrapping an arm around Mark Ferry¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Let¡¯s go! We¡¯ll leave right away! From here on out, we¡¯ll be as free as the eagles above the yellow sands! We will hunt for whatever we want to eat! Who wants to be a dog to some governor? Eh? Our prey will be those who are willing to be sheep, to be dogs! From now on, Ferry, you¡¯re my best brother and our most important leader! If there¡¯s ever only one piece of meat left, I¡¯d rather starve myself and let you have it first!¡± ¡­ Chaos engulfed Rubbish Town. The death of Swan had already spread on a small scale. The troops enforcing martial law were mostly adventurers, with ¡®Clockwork Iron Blades¡¯ at the core, supported by the teams of adventurers hired by other agents. But with Swan dead and Mark Ferry, the commander of the ¡®Clockwork Iron Blades,¡¯ suspected of betrayal, the ¡®Clockwork Iron Blades¡¯ were left temporarily brain-dead. Some of the remaining officers disappeared¡ªthey had fled with Ferry. Others were panicked and clueless, with only a few resolutely carrying out the martial law. As for the other wealthy agents, for the time being, they were all unable to choose someone to take temporary control. When the thousands, nearly ten thousand, that Nasr had gathered started to move, and fired without hesitation at anyone who blocked their exit from Rubbish Town, they virtually became the only organized large-scale team within Rubbish Town. They became unstoppable. At the beginning of the breakout, Nasr and Mark Ferry were still tense, fearing further twists. But as the vanguard managed to break out and they with the main force stepped through the gates of Rubbish Town, both involuntarily relaxed. Breaking away from Rubbish Town and heading for the vast wastelands became certain! But just at that moment, they noticed the pace of the column had slowed. The crowd ahead of their vehicle had grown dense, and people began to shrink back, afraid to move forward. Nasr, too, sensed something was wrong. He grabbed the walkie-talkie and bellowed, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What¡¯s happening up front?¡± There was only a hiss of static from the walkie-talkie, not a single useful message. After a long wait, just as Nasr was about to impatiently ask again, a message finally came back: ¡°The¡­ the governor¡­ the governor has arrived!¡± Nasr felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. Why would the governor come? Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be at least three more days? At this moment, from the walkie-talkie in his hand, another voice came through: ¡°What now¡­ what do we do?¡± Nasr was stunned, and for a moment, he truly did not know what to do. But Mark Ferry, standing beside him, seemed very decisive. He snatched the walkie-talkie from Nasr¡¯s hand and yelled, ¡°Open fire! Command the vanguard to open fire! Have everyone ready to break out!¡± ¡°No!¡± Ferry glared angrily at Nasr, who had instinctively denied his words: ¡°What are you thinking?! We¡¯ve come this far, is there any room for hesitation now?!¡± Nasr was almost grinding his rotten teeth to pieces: ¡°Can¡¯t fight¡­ can¡¯t win¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re fucking realizing now we can¡¯t win?¡± Mark Ferry was furious, half turning and grabbing Nasr by the collar, almost pressing face to face as he continued to roar, ¡°I¡¯ve been with the old boss for so many years and you¡¯re fucking telling me now we can¡¯t win?!¡± Nasr was frightened by the governor and by the ferocious face of Mark Ferry at this moment. He stretched out his hand, forcefully blocking between himself and Ferry: ¡°For¡­ now¡­ now we can only split the team, flee in all directions¡­ However many can get out¡­ that¡¯s how many¡­ and then regroup safely later!¡± Hearing this, Ferry seemed to calm down all of a sudden. He let go and asked, ¡°How many people do you estimate can escape? And how much time will it take to regroup our forces?¡± ¡°Definitely a lot can get out!¡± Nasr rapidly calculated in his head, ¡°The governor is eager to take over Rubbish Town, as long as we don¡¯t cause him too much trouble, he won¡¯t pursue us full force; some people will die, but not many; once we¡¯re out, with my call to arms, everyone will quickly come together again, and by then you¡¯ll still be the big boss¡­uh¡­¡± Before he could finish, gunfire erupted inside the vehicle. Unconsciously, Ferry had drawn his pistol and fired several shots at Nasr¡¯s stomach. His other hand was tightly choking Nasr¡¯s neck. Staring at Nasr¡¯s rather ugly face, he said, ¡°You still want to deceive me at this point? If we really scatter and run, do you think you can just call everyone back together? When the wasteland is full of little marauder tribes, why would anyone with guns and people listen to you? I fought my way out to be the top dog, not to be some small-time chieftain in a tiny tribe! I hate being lied to the most!¡± He had completely forgotten what he had said to Swan when he was facing death. Taking a long breath, he realized the walkie-talkie beside him was still on. But he didn¡¯t care about that anymore, picked up the walkie-talkie and yelled to the other side, ¡°Get everyone ready! We¡¯re going to gather our forces! Focus on one direction to break out! Only by concentrating can we have a way out! Now I¡¯m the boss, listen to me!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only There was silence on the other end of the walkie-talkie, no response at all. In Nasr¡¯s team, he had just ¡®joined,¡¯ with neither direct lineage nor prestige. It was not as simple as killing the former boss and claiming to be the boss to actually become the boss. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª 5.3K! Chapter 174 - Chapter 174: Chapter 141, Crumbles Upon Touch Chapter 174: Chapter 141, Crumbles Upon Touch The current state of Rubbish Town, and the many emotional entanglements that had just unfolded, were unknown to Gu Hang. The latest news he received still came from Dennison Henry. According to the intelligence, Jason Swan, Rubbish Town¡¯s most important agent, should have confirmed that he would try his best to lead the entire town to submission. There were indeed resistance forces within the town, but they would enforce martial law, locking up those dissenters within Rubbish Town until he arrived to take over. This should be going smoothly, right? Yet, when he led his troops to the outskirts of Rubbish Town, they encountered an adventure group of over a thousand people leaving. They looked like an advance party. At first, there was no exchange of fire, just a standoff from a fair distance apart. At this moment, Gu Hang¡¯s keen judgment told him that something might have gone wrong inside Rubbish Town. When the frontline troops came to ask what should be done, he pondered for a moment before issuing an order, ¡°Convey my commands to those adventurers: Rubbish Town is the territory of the Alliance, and as commanded by me, should now be in a state of complete martial law. Order everyone to immediately halt their advance and retreat back to Rubbish Town to rigidly enforce martial law.¡± Soon, Gu Hang¡¯s order was relayed to the adventurers in front by the soldiers using loudspeakers. This statement left the adventurers feeling very hesitant. Just retreat because they say so? What about the ruckus they had stirred up in front? A military parade? But if they didn¡¯t retreat, were they supposed to fight a battle with the army of the governor on the other side? The military forces that had come this time lacked the intimidating armored troops. At least the ones that appeared before them were only ordinary infantry. However, seeing the enemy¡¯s uniform black and gray military outfits, combat gear, and the firearms that seemed much more reliable than the iron pipe rifles in their hands, not to mention the far greater number of rocket launchers and machine guns¡­ In short, the enemy was much more elite. But the warriors of the 2nd Infantry Division didn¡¯t care what those adventurers thought. The troops confronting the adventurers in the very front included three companies. Other troops were still marching from behind, while some spread out to the sides. The governor had to enforce martial law, and he wouldn¡¯t just do it through the megaphones; he needed sufficient power to ensure that those who disobeyed orders would have a miserable end. In fact, the entire 2nd Division was next ordered to seal off the town, making sure to fully blockade the area outside the town entrance. And as for the three companies tasked with the most direct confrontation, they busily got to work in front of the adventurers. Quite a few of them took out their entrenching tools and began digging foxholes on the spot. The expansive area outside Rubbish Town was an unobstructed wasteland. With relatively close proximity to each other, the officers of the three companies were quite tense. Should there be any accidental discharge, they definitely needed some form of cover. Given the urgent situation, digging trenches on the spot was clearly impractical, but any hole would be more useful than being out in the open. Even if shallow, as long as it allowed someone to lie down and reduce their exposed area, it would suffice. Their actions left the adventurers on the other side even more at a loss. Dare not fight, yet reluctant to retreat. More crucially, there was not even one person among them who could make a decisive call. Those group leaders and team leaders, unsure of what to do, heard Mark Ferry¡¯s orders from the radio, commanding them to perform an armed breakout. But¡­ The adventure group leaders didn¡¯t immediately start to act. ¡°Who are you? Should I just listen to you? Where is my boss, Nasr?¡± ¡°You, a random nobody, are telling me to lead my people to clash with the governor¡¯s obviously elite army; am I an idiot to heed your orders? Aren¡¯t our lives valuable?¡± Most people, in this state, still possessed some sanity. But, well¡­ with the crowd big enough, anything could happen. Moreover, this group of adventurers was far from being as disciplined as regular armies. Whether someone was truly a fool, unconsciously following whatever orders came through the radio, or perhaps someone was simply too tense in the current situation and accidentally fired¡­ In any case, in the wilderness, a sporadic three shots rang out from among the adventurers. The soldiers of the governor stationed a couple of hundred meters away, however, were unharmed. The adventurers¡¯ widely used decrepit iron pipe rifles had a maximum theoretical range that could hit beyond five hundred meters; in reality, past one hundred meters, they were hardly accurate, even for a marksman. These three bullets did the same, merely kicking up three patches of dust in front of the digging infantry companies. But this was a matter of principle. When the enemy used lethal arms to launch a direct attack, a counterattack became an almost inevitable option. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Nearly four hundred soldiers from the three infantry companies began retaliation at the same time. The most furious among them were over thirty squad machine guns. While digging and constructing temporary simple positions, the priority task of the 2nd Division¡¯s warriors was to get various company-level firepower deployed first. Mortars, rocket launchers, squad machine guns¡­ all included. And the ones that got angry first were these thirty-odd squad machine guns. With high firing rate, large ammunition capacity, and the firepower that burst forth in an instant, combined with the shooting from the other three hundred rifles, the force inflicted significant casualties upon the adventurers right across from them in no time. Chapter 175 - Chapter 175: Chapter 141, Crumbles Upon Touch_2 Chapter 175: Chapter 141, Crumbles Upon Touch_2 The iron pipe rifles in the hands of those adventurers had no accuracy at a distance of one or two hundred meters, but the G9 rifles in the hands of the Alliance soldiers were not the same. Even at that distance, where the person seen through the iron sights was tiny, by suppressing the muzzle and carrying out precise pinpoint shooting at the general location of the enemy, there was still a certain probability of hitting the target. What¡¯s more, those nearly two thousand people stood quite densely and had no cover to speak of. People fell in droves. And those who were still alive couldn¡¯t possibly remain indifferent at this moment. They immediately lay down and began to attempt to return fire. The two sides thus exchanged fire at a distance of one or two hundred meters. The adventurers were numerous and had many guns, but not only did they suffer greater casualties, their firepower was also completely suppressed. What was the use of nearly two thousand rifles? If they were inaccurate, they were no different from noisy fire sticks. Moreover, not only were these two thousand rifles inaccurate, but they also severely lacked powerful suppressive firepower. In terms of the density of firepower alone, one G9C general-purpose machine gun could match a hundred iron pipe rifles. The three infantry companies in the front also suffered casualties; there were not enough foxholes dug, and those with no place to hide could only lie down and raise their guns to exchange fire. But relatively speaking, there were far fewer deaths than on the other side. What¡¯s more, they then took out even more ferocious weapons. Rocket launchers and mortars. The three infantry companies together had nearly ten mortars, plus twenty to thirty launchers. When they concentrated fire in one salvo, it brought heavy casualties to the adventurers. And the greater blow was to their morale. Having already low morale and uncertain whether they should fight at all, the fighting started mainly because a few people were not thinking clearly or due to accidental discharges, and most knew the fight was hopeless. As a result, after being forced to start the fight, they were one-sidedly suppressed by firepower, slaughtered, and indeed, as predicted earlier, they stood no chance at all. After being bombarded like this, they collapsed entirely. Some started to run. But while fearing being shot at from behind, most still lay flat and didn¡¯t dare to move much. Then they discovered that those who turned and ran really had no issues, whereas the places where no one ran and people dared to poke their heads out to counterattack, often attracted a hail of machine gun fire, with mortars and rocket launchers occasionally targeting them. Then, the adventurers all started to flee en masse. From the start of the battle to the total collapse of the line, the entire process probably took less than ten minutes. About two hundred adventurers died at the front line, while the three infantry companies of the 2nd Division lost two men and had seven or eight injured. At the same time as this side was fighting, the troops that were setting up the blockade in other directions also encountered conflicts with those adventurers. However, the results were much the same. Gu Hang saw the situation on the front line and even felt somewhat ¡®disappointed¡¯. At ten kilometers away, the three artillery battalions of the 2nd Division, along with the direct artillery support companies of the division headquarters, had already set up their artillery positions. Originally, they had planned to send over a few rounds of firepower from the more than eighty 155mm howitzers if the front line encountered any disadvantage, to give those Rubbish Town adventurers a little shock in terms of firepower. It seems, there was no need at all. Without even using heavy artillery, the firepower of an infantry company was already enough to settle matters. The armed adventurers, numbering well into the tens of thousands, vividly demonstrated what is meant by crumbling upon contact. They were too weak to withstand a single blow. No wonder the entire Rubbish Town, with its tens of thousands, was beaten into disarray by the greenskins from the ruins of the high tower. Of course, from Gu Hang¡¯s perspective of taking over Rubbish Town, this was a good thing. Afterward, Gu Hang thought for a moment, then called over Tadeusz, who had been rapidly promoted to division commander, and issued new orders. The infantry division, having completed its blockade of Rubbish Town, began to gradually move inwards, shrinking the encirclement. At the same time, their loudspeakers were constantly relaying the Military Governor¡¯s orders to the adventurers: ¡°Lay down your weapons! Those who resist will be treated as insurgents!¡± ¡°Lay down your weapons! Those who resist will be treated as insurgents!¡± Under the incessant repetition, the adventurers who had witnessed the might of the Military Governor¡¯s forces and lacked organization and unified command surrendered en masse. As for the few who didn¡¯t surrender, they could only take their weapons and run back to hide inside Rubbish Town; they simply didn¡¯t have the courage to fight against the Military Governor¡¯s army anymore. However, hiding had become difficult. Rubbish Town wasn¡¯t their turf anymore. The segments still loyal to Swan from the ¡®Clockwork Iron Blade¡¯ adventurer group had previously enforced the martial law in Rubbish Town as an armed force. Now, they had changed roles and become the barricade preventing the adventurers from returning. After losing their boss and being betrayed by their ¡®captain,¡¯ these elite few among the adventurers of Rubbish Town indeed experienced a period of chaos, but now they had regrouped. The mid-level leaders loyal to Swan had united to continue enforcing the martial law and sealed the main entrance to Rubbish Town. Revenge? There might have been a bit of that sentiment, but mainly, after clarifying the situation, they chose to stand with the victors. Following the Military Governor, obviously, had more prospects. Apart from the people of ¡®Clockwork Iron Blade,¡¯ the other property agents still in Rubbish Town had also come together after the initial chaos. They had a hand in persuading Clockwork Iron Blade to continue following orders and even sent out some of their own direct forces to join the adventurers of Clockwork Iron Blade in barricading the town. The adventurers trying to flee back were cornered and opened fire on them. I couldn¡¯t beat the Military Governor¡¯s army, but you think I can¡¯t beat you? Turns out they couldn¡¯t. ¡®Clockwork Iron Blade¡¯ might have been an adventurer group, but it was truly the most loyal regiment of Swan. He had spent no small sum on this troop. In terms of weaponry and training, they were stronger than the average adventurer. Breaking through their defensive line quickly wasn¡¯t so easy. With numerical superiority, they might have had a chance over more time, but these adventurers clearly didn¡¯t have enough time left. As the number of those surrendering in the back kept increasing, several companies from the 2nd division began to quickly move forward through the gaps, reaching the rear of the adventurers who were unwilling to surrender and lay down their weapons, and started attacking them. Caught in a pincer attack, these adventurers collapsed just as swiftly. Now there was nowhere to run; they only had the choice to lay down their arms and surrender or fight to the death. Those willing to die were, of course, a very small minority. And for those rare cases, it wasn¡¯t even necessary for the alliance soldiers to take action; their own people would find a way to resolve the issue. Among those ¡®resolved¡¯ were some adventurer group captains planning to continue resisting, followers of Nasr, those with a history of looting¡­and one particularly special individual. Mark Ferry. He was shot three times in the back of his head and six times in the back of his heart, presented by several adventurer captains during surrender, alleged to have committed suicide out of fear for his crimes. ¡­ The issue outside the city was basically settled. An infantry battalion from the 2nd division stayed behind to guard these disarmed prisoners. They would be detained en masse inside the adventurer¡¯s camp within Rubbish Town. Gu Hang, on the other hand, led the other two battalions into the town. Greeting him were Clockwork Iron Blade with their weapons stowed and numerous property agents. Only after entering the largest conference hall in Rubbish Town and sitting down did Gu Hang cast a lively look as the property agents rushed impatiently to pledge their loyalty to the Military Governor. They talked about their properties, the amount of output they could produce; they discussed the modes of production and operation in Rubbish Town; they debated the best candidate to manage these things and the qualities they should possess¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang listened absently. It wasn¡¯t until Tadeusz, who still wore his bright red cap even as a division commander, pushed the door open and strode in that Gu Hang¡¯s expression became animated. These agents had indeed been the masters of Rubbish Town in the past, but as of today, they were no longer. Here in this place, the last thing Gu Hang cared about was them; it was the army, the armed adventurers. The appearance of Tadeusz here meant the information he wanted had arrived. Chapter 176 - Chapter 176: Chapter 142, New Troops Chapter 176: Chapter 142, New Troops Gu Hang stood up and made a pressing down gesture with both hands. The proxies quieted down obediently. ¡°I understand the urgency in your hearts, and I believe that in the future, you will make outstanding contributions to the prosperity of Rubbish Town,¡± he said. Hearing this speech, which set the tone, the agents felt much more at ease. With this tone set, everything would be fine for them. It meant that the Governor still planned to use them, and they were not too worried about ending up like the elites in Revival City. In fact, Gu Hang did not intend to do that at all. The situations in the two places were different, and the property-owning proxies in Rubbish Town had not acted against him. Instead, they had quickly chosen sides and acted swiftly to help him just now. In such a situation, Gu Hang certainly did not need to conduct any major purge in Rubbish Town. He just needed to deal with the dissenters. In Revival City, where he had ordered more killings¡ªalthough necessary and effective in eliminating the city¡¯s incurable vices¡ªaffecting governance, news of these actions reached the wasteland and indeed caused some places that would have easily submitted to experience some unrest. But Gu Hang wasn¡¯t overly concerned about these matters. It wasn¡¯t bad to face some resistance. If he were to take over fully, there were countless malignant tumors and vampires clinging to the survivor settlements in the wasteland, which would need to be dealt with after they were incorporated into the Alliance¡¯s system. After all, fighting corruption did require some evidence; it was better to resolve these issues under the guise of dealing with traitors while reclaiming territory. It was a matter of gains and losses. Governing Rubbish Town without purging would certainly be more complicated than starting almost from scratch in Revival City. The remaining proxies had intricate yet firm control over the industries that belonged to them. Corruption, the inability to fully mobilize society¡¯s productive forces, and resistance to policy innovation and promotion¡­ These issues would probably be inevitable. However, besides the fact that they had submitted quickly and it felt wrong to punish them for it, another very important point was the pressure of the situation. The most pressing issue for Rubbish Town right now was undoubtedly not governance, but war. The threat from the Green Skin Orcs was far from over. Now, Gu Hang really had no time to fuss with these proxies. Having set the tone and reassured these people, Gu Hang smoothly announced the strategy he would implement in Rubbish Town: ¡°Rubbish Town is undeniably in a state of war, and the previous lax and uncontrollable system cannot win a war. Now, I declare that Rubbish Town has fully entered a wartime system and is under military management. All productive and business activities, except for the production of necessities of life and military goods manufacturing, are suspended; all residents of Rubbish Town must remain at home, and the city is in full lockdown; all essential goods for the residents will be distributed by the military logistics department under the command of Colonel Tadeusz.¡± The proxies who heard Gu Hang¡¯s announcement looked at each other, bewildered. Such strict management had never been seen in Rubbish Town before, and they appeared lost. Some instinctively felt that this was not right. But no one dared to speak up. Gu Hang paused and continued, ¡°Just now, I had someone record everything you said. Each of you is in charge of an industry and the people dependent on those industries; you need to help manage them. You will temporarily work in the military logistics department to assist Colonel Tadeusz and maintain order in the town. Your performance during this time will determine what treatment you will receive after Rubbish Town has settled down. I guarantee that if your job ranking reaches C5 or even above B, your personal income and standard of living will be better than before, and the power you hold will also be greater.¡± It seemed to be another reassurance to them. These proxies, who had previously planned to turn to the Governor, had gained some understanding of the policies implemented by the new alliance in Revival City. They knew that currently, no one in Revival City had received an A-tier treatment; those who were getting B-tier treatment were very few. If an E-tier treatment is considered the poverty line, D-tier treatment already represented the good life many in the wasteland could only dream of. One would have to be a technical worker, a professional, or a lower-to-mid-level manager to receive this level of treatment. C-tier treatment was reserved for senior government officials with commendable achievements, top factory managers, and senior technical experts in their fields. According to the Governor, if they worked hard, they even had the chance to reach B-tier ranking. It was said that Lady Ossina of Revival City¡ªwho was actually just a minister¡ªcurrently had a ranking of B3. Of course, they were sober enough to realize that the Governor¡¯s words were not just reassurance but also a tantalizing promise. The promise was tempting, but achieving it wouldn¡¯t be easy. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But at least there was something to look forward to. Seeing that the proxies were getting excited, Gu Hang also showed a smile. With the help of these influential figures, things would indeed be much easier. ¡­ Wartime system, military control, material allocation¡­ With these three aces in hand, Gu Hang was no longer anxious about maintaining order in Rubbish Town. Chapter 177 - Chapter 177: Chapter 142, New Troop Type_2 Chapter 177: Chapter 142, New Troop Type_2 This part of the work, he had almost completely handed over to Tadeusz. The commander of the 2nd Infantry Division had hardly had any direct involvement in military command since the beginning of the battle, nor was he likely to in the upcoming conflicts. But his responsibilities were clearly much more important than those of a mere military commander. And Gu Hang believed he would do well. After all, he was the only SR-level talent under his command. Once Gu Hang had ensured that there would be no major issues with the city¡¯s order, he immediately shifted his attention to military matters. The threat of the Green Skin Orcs was far from over. The two regiments of the 2nd Infantry Division had only rested in the town for one night before they had to set off again. To be honest, they were exhausted. From Revival City to Rubbish Town, what was normally a six to seven-day march, Gu Hang led his troops to arrive in less than four days. Marching a hundred li a day, most of the troops had come by foot, and by the time they reached the outskirts of Rubbish Town, many had already reached their physical limits, only to have to fight another battle before they could enter. It was lucky that this battle was easy to fight, as the adventurers¡¯ will to fight was very weak; they shattered upon contact. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve been a bit troublesome. Although they had rested for only one night and were about to head to the front lines, there was no alternative. Just during that very night, Perbov at the front line had already sent multiple pieces of bad news. Once the Green Skin Orcs knew that the defenses built by the 1st Regiment of the 1st Brigade were tough, they quickly changed their direction of attack and began assaulting other positions. At the moment, the adventurers still fighting on the front lines numbered just over fifty thousand. Many teams that had been routed and retreated were still reorganizing and had yet to return to the front. The defense line they had formed was full of gaps, forcing Perbov to deploy two mechanized infantry companies to put out fires along the entire front that stretched over sixty kilometers. In the ruins of the high tower, the terrain was much more complicated than in the wilderness. Even though the engineering corps had tried to clear a convenient route for support, there were often times when help couldn¡¯t arrive in time. There had even been instances where the enemy had breached the defenses and a significant number of Green Skin Orcs had infiltrated, ambushing the teams as they moved to support. If it hadn¡¯t been for the Strider Type-V Walking Tanks in the companies, which were truly powerful, a major disaster could have occurred. In essence, Perbov simply didn¡¯t have enough men at his disposal, and he couldn¡¯t directly command all of the adventurer squads, which made his manpower seem clumsy and inadequate along the tens of kilometers long battle line. The 1st Regiment and division headquarters of the 2nd Division stayed in Rubbish Town to suppress civil disorder, while the 2nd and 3rd Regiments, these two infantry regiments totaling nearly four thousand men, took over the front line. A unified command center was established in Rubbish Town, where all the Alliance Army forces, including those adventurers, would receive orders from here and carry out their military tasks. With these four thousand regular troops, the problem at the front line could be somewhat alleviated. Moreover, what was more important was the three artillery battalions along with the direct fire support from the division headquarters. Counting Perbov¡¯s own artillery, there were altogether over a hundred cannons. The artillery was dispersed across many positions, with a range of about twenty kilometers, to cover the sixty-kilometer-long position as much as possible, hoping that whenever the front line needed support, the artillery could immediately strike. And this time, the logistics were reliable. Thirty supply trucks that came with the 2nd Division were specially brought to transport artillery shells, a total of 4,500 rounds of heavy artillery ammunition. This involved almost the entire stock of artillery shells from Revival City, in addition to all the production capacity from Weixing City over the past half-month, which had been almost completely transported here. But in reality, they still needed to be conservative with their use. It was only enough for a hundred cannons to fire a few dozen rounds each, after all. If they fired these heavy artillery pieces as if they were free, providing full fire coverage, they would be expended in two hours. However, the logistics vehicles had already started their return journey, and the military industrial complex in Weixing City had been ordered to work at full capacity. The production of all kinds of ammunition and bullets would be of paramount importance in the time to come. Moreover, new military production lines were already being built. When there were enough people and raw materials, increasing production capacity wasn¡¯t a big issue. Even so, this could only be said to ease the situation at the front line. Four thousand men were still not enough to fill a sixty-kilometer-long front line. The two regiments, assisted by some of the armed adventurers who were still at the front line, could actually only be responsible for about ten kilometers of the line each. There were still a lot of gaps. Not to mention, this was only for defense. What about offense? Artillery could indeed cause terrible casualties to any Green Skin Orcs daring to attack. But when it came to advancing with the enemy having defensive fortifications, relying solely on bombardment wouldn¡¯t suffice, especially in a city ruins environment. Once the Green Skin Orcs hid in the ruins, with cover and fortifications everywhere, the killing power of the artillery would be greatly reduced. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Even tanks and armored vehicles might not fare well in the terrain of the ruins. One shouldn¡¯t be misled by Perbov¡¯s reports from previous battles, where two armored vehicles, a tank, and two infantry squads managed to eliminate thirty to fifty Green Skin Orcs with the casualty of only five to ten men, but that was in defensive combat. Try attacking? The whole battle situation was more akin to urban street fighting. In the end, even after the artillery barrage, it all came down to soldiers going in. Chapter 178 - Chapter 178: Chapter 142, New Troops_3 Chapter 178: Chapter 142, New Troops_3 ¡°` Can we make do with just the 2nd Infantry Division? It¡¯s a bit difficult. The combat environment in the urban ruins can easily pull you into engagements within dozens of meters, even face-to-face. Even for T5 regular soldiers, they are at a complete disadvantage against Green Skin Orcs. The Green Skins on the other side might number nearly ten thousand. If it¡¯s an offensive operation, even if we were to expend the entire 2nd Division, I¡¯m afraid it wouldn¡¯t be enough. In such a situation, Gu Hang had two strategies in mind. The problem lies in firepower and troop numbers, right? Then, we simply have to address these two issues. In terms of firepower, the 155 howitzer¡¯s firepower is indeed the strongest Gu Hang can offer under conventional forces. It¡¯s more than enough for defensive operations but indeed not effective enough to completely annihilate the Green Skins hiding in the ruins during an offensive. But besides the firepower at his own disposal, Gu Hang could also ask for external support. If the 155 howitzer isn¡¯t sufficient, what about the Colossal Cannon, whose caliber is beyond description? An orbital strike from space can provide considerable firepower support. And the second problem, that of troop strength. The regular army under Gu Hang¡¯s command indeed isn¡¯t enough to cope with this war, at most sufficient to maintain the front but incapable of advancing. However, those adventurers active on the battlefield are a good pool of manpower. Right now, they might look pathetic, with shoddy equipment, lousy discipline, disorganized, uneven training levels, and low morale¡­ But under the baptism of the ¡°Dog Tag¡± system, issues of discipline, organization, and training level can be resolved. The morale problem¡­ that¡¯s somewhat troublesome. But fortunately, Tadeusz had prepared in advance by nurturing some candidates for unit political commissars, reserved for enhanced troop recruitment. Before the Loyal Heir Academy was established, the temporary political commissars pulled together weren¡¯t very reliable. Even though they had a bit more training time than the ones allocated to the Old Alliance Legion right after the conquest of Revival City, these armies composed of adventurers could be ideologically even worse than the Old Alliance Army. The former at least used to be regular troops, while the latter are just too varied. We can only hope that the training effectiveness of the ¡°Dog Tag¡± panel and the methods of allocating political commissars can raise their standards as much as possible. As for the level of equipment, there is a preliminary solution. Gu Hang certainly anticipated the situation in Rubbish Town. The supply trucks from the logistics department, aside from carrying enough logistics supplies, including ammunition, shells, and rations, also brought five thousand sets of individual soldier equipment, along with associated company and platoon-level weapons such as machine guns, mortars, and rocket launchers. Gu Hang planned to first conscript five thousand people from this group of adventurers to form an enhanced group. This force¡¯s source of troops was also already targeted by Gu Hang. Beast Slaughter Group. There were two reasons. Among the adventurer teams in Rubbish Town, if he had to say which team he could somewhat approve of, it would be the one called the Beast Slaughter Group. This statement originated from Perbov¡¯s report. The other reason he set his sights on this group was because he saw a slight flicker in the [Events] interface on the system screen. After opening it, Gu Hang saw an activatable event. [Event Activated: Green Skin Threat] ¡°` [The Green Skin Orcs that mysteriously appeared on the planet have grown into a threat that cannot be ignored in just a few years. Just as they were about to destroy Rubbish Town, your troops arrived at the scene. Yet the danger was not eliminated, as the Green Skins¡¯ attack continued.] [Phase 1 Objective: Defend Rubbish Town, ensuring that it remains under your control until the Green Skin Orcs retreat.] [Event Reward: T5-level Additional Troop Training Option ¨C Beast Slaughter Group] [Beast Slaughter Group: A specifically trained infantry unit, for soldiers who have completed T5-level training and can undergo further specialized training against the Green Skin Orcs to become the Beast Slaughter Group. Troops of the Beast Slaughter Group have mastered combat experience and techniques against enemies like the Green Skins, and under a mysterious blessing, have a slight enhancement in physical condition when fighting the Green Skins.] [Training Price: every 1 point of grace per 100 people] [Note: There is a special force that, despite a severe lack of equipment, has learned some unique skills from long-term confrontations with the Green Skin Orcs, possessing the potential to become a ¡®Beast Slaughter Group.¡¯ Once they are trained into a T5-level or higher force, they will automatically gain the characteristic of the additional troop type ¡®Beast Slaughter Group.¡¯] This message sparked a strong interest in Gu Hang for the Beast Slaughter Group. Firstly, the event itself. The activation of an event by fighting the Green Skins was somewhat unexpected to him, but it was definitely a good thing. It was different from the ¡®Phoenix Will Die¡¯ event. The chain of events for the Phoenix Battle Group could have been irrelevant to him, but it ended up being directed towards him. However, events like that one require spending points of grace to activate. But now, his actions triggered the event, which meant there was no need to spend additional points of grace. Activating an event was certainly good news. The defense of Rubbish Town was a battle that had to be fought; having an ¡®Event¡¯ accompany it effectively meant additional rewards. Moreover, the objective of the event largely aligned with Gu Hang¡¯s plan¡ªdefending before considering attacking. The preparations for a counterattack were far from ready, and since there were advantages to defending, it made sense to focus on defense first. The Green Skins colliding with a prepared defense line, suffering heavy losses, was ideal. Gu Hang wanted to turn this defensive line into a meat grinder, depleting as much of the Green Skins¡¯ forces as possible. As for the reward for the event, it was a pleasant surprise to Gu Hang. An additional troop type¡­this was a new mechanism. Did it mean that after T1-T5 level training of troops, additional grace points could be spent on special training to create special troop types? The characteristic of the ¡®Beast Slaughter Group¡¯ was closely related to the current war. If every soldier gained the ¡®Beast Slaughter Group¡¯ characteristic, the advantage against the Green Skin Orcs, a monstrous enemy, could be further amplified. Not to mention the details mentioned in the event note. A special force with the potential to become ¡®Beast Slaughter Group,¡¯ if not the Beast Slaughter Group itself, then what? According to the notes, as long as the force at the front lines calling themselves the Beast Slaughter Group was trained to T5 level, they would automatically possess the Beast Slaughter characteristic. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only That adventurous group had about six thousand people, which equated to Gu Hang saving sixty points of grace that would have been spent on additional training. And conveniently, Gu Hang had an extra five thousand sets of individual equipment, which he could first allocate to arm them. Forming the first group from adventurers, and reorganizing them into a team, was also quite fitting. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Although it¡¯s just one chapter per day, the word count has not decreased; each chapter is at least 4k words, often with bonus updates! This chapter is 5.2k! Chapter 179 - Chapter 179: Chapter 143, Rubbish Town Adapted Chapter 179: Chapter 143, Rubbish Town Adapted Lucy Lee Ko Xi received the order to withdraw for rest and reorganization. Since being saved by the Alliance Army and fighting alongside them with his brothers, two days had passed. These two days had been tough. Knowing that the six to seven kilometers of the front line in the Fifth District were hard to overcome, those green-skins tried to break through elsewhere. And his Beast Slaughter Group had also withstood the pressure of the green-skin assaults from surrounding directions. Had it not been for the artillery support from the Alliance and the swift-moving armored vehicles sent by Captain Perbov, even if they could have held their ground, the casualties would have been heavy. But however tough life was, it was still better than before. At least, there was a war to fight. It was true his brothers suffered heavy casualties, but seeing those green-skins dying under the barrage of gunfire and artillery, he felt that the sacrifice was not without value. And for this reason, he was actually reluctant to receive the order instructing his troops to withdraw for rest and reorganization. In his view, aside from those Alliance forces, no one could fight better than his men. If his five or six thousand men conducted an organized retreat, the front line might not hold. However, what happened next made him hold his tongue. The replacement troops belonged to the Alliance Army. They were from the 2nd Infantry Division¡¯s 3rd Regiment, taking over his defense line. Despite the 3rd Regiment having less than half of his troop¡¯s numbers, barely two thousand men, and lacking armored cars or tanks, they brought thirty pieces of heavy artillery. Well, indeed you are more formidable. Moreover, while he wanted to fight, his subordinates were beginning to struggle mentally. He could only depart with his troops in reluctant acceptance. Before leaving, he met with Perbov once more, mainly to express his gratitude. It wasn¡¯t just for saving their lives, but for saving his whole team as well. Had it not been for Perbov¡¯s troops arriving in time, following his death, the demoralized Beast Slaughter Group would likely have dispersed. Perbov accepted Li Kexi¡¯s thanks with composure. Afterwords, the two of them discussed the current state of the war situation and exchanged views on the Beast Slaughter Group being called back. ¡°Prepare yourself, as the Governor might be looking to incorporate your forces,¡± Perbov advised. ¡°Incorporate?¡± Li Kexi furrowed his brow, instinctively resistant to the idea, ¡°Why incorporate? Isn¡¯t it quite good as it is? We already fully obey the commands from the Governor¡¯s headquarters established at Rubbish Town.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more than that, in the future, you¡¯ll become proper soldiers of the Alliance Army,¡± Perbov explained. ¡°I don¡¯t really want that¡­ Before, there were many agents, even Mr. Swan, who wanted us to follow orders completely, all of whom we refused. It doesn¡¯t quite align with the original intention of establishing this group,¡± Li Kexi replied. Perbov shook his head, ¡°Whether you accept incorporation is your decision, but I strongly recommend you accept it¡­¡± He said, holding up two fingers, ¡°I¡¯ll give you two reasons to consider carefully.¡± ¡°Firstly, Rubbish Town won¡¯t offer the space for mercenary groups to survive as in the past; everything will definitely become regulated. You have to think about the future for your brothers. Do you really intend to die here for revenge? Or even after getting revenge, and exterminating those green-skins, then just stop living? Being incorporated is the best option¡ªenjoy military provisions, allowances. Just train well, carry out orders, and don¡¯t worry about anything else. There¡¯s even a generous pension in case of death, and future retirement will be properly arranged, ensuring security for the rest of your lives.¡± ¡°Secondly, even if we only consider the present and how to fight the green-skins, incorporation is better. You¡¯re the most formidable adventurers against green-skins, but true encounters still cost the lives of three or five of your men to take down one of them; after incorporation, you¡¯ll get direct weapons and equipment support, which will greatly assist you in killing those green-skins.¡± Having said this, Perbov put down his fingers and indeed said no more. And Li Kexi, who had initially been resistant, found no arguments to counter Perbov¡¯s two points. ¡­ After parting ways with Perbov, Li Kexi led his troops to retreat towards the rear. After half a day¡¯s march, they reached the Alliance Army¡¯s camp. This was a new rear army camp, now accommodating nearly forty thousand people. The personnel distribution of the hundred thousand adventurers from Rubbish Town was approximately as follows: ten thousand were locked up in a prison camp in the west district of Rubbish Town, where starvation was the least of their concerns ¡ª this group had tried to escape with Nasr and Mark Ferry. Forty thousand were in the Alliance Army camp, mostly adventurers who had broken ranks on the frontline days ago; after retreating, they reorganized, were resupplied with ammunition, and received rest and reorganization right there. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Fifty thousand were maintaining the front lines. In the Alliance camp, after two days of rest, the headquarters began rotating the troops. It was difficult to count on these unevenly skilled adventurers to endure the hardships and casualties of frontline combat indefinitely. Rotating troops was more reliable than throwing all hundred thousand into the fray at once. Of course, the most important thing to maintain their morale was money. They were adventurers, mercenaries, and they fought for money. Gu Hang undoubtedly issued Alliance currency to them generously, also promising that this currency could be spent in Rubbish Town during the war. He managed to procure a considerable amount of supplies from within Rubbish Town. Furthermore, he promised that those who continued to stay within the Alliance after the war and reforms could exchange the Alliance currency they currently received for labor points. Chapter 180 - Chapter 180: Chapter 143, Rubbish Town Adaptation_2 Chapter 180: Chapter 143, Rubbish Town Adaptation_2 It seemed like a significant expense, but in reality, the costs weren¡¯t as high as imagined. It was just Alliance currency, and much of it was just promissory notes. What¡¯s the use of issuing Alliance currency? If adventurers spend it immediately, they¡¯re spending the savings that Gu Hang pulled together from various places in Rubbish Town. If they hoard it without spending, it represents future redemption. Truthfully, if one wanted to be nasty, it would be easy to talk about integration into the Alliance system and converting to work points in the future; for those who want to leave and cash out their Alliance currency, you don¡¯t get to set the price of goods anymore. Of course, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t do this unless absolutely necessary, as it would be quite damaging to his reputation. Gu Hang still hoped that these people would be able to stay in the future. Even if they didn¡¯t remain soldiers, transforming into workers would still mean a population of a hundred thousand. And among these people, Gu Hang valued the Beast Slaughter Group the most. After they retreated for rest and reorganization, Gu Hang called for a meeting with the leader of the Beast Slaughter Group, Lucy Lee Ko Xi. Faced with Gu Hang¡¯s proposition of integration, Li Kexi ultimately chose to accept. On the way back, he had a thorough discussion with his brothers. From the team leaders, to the mid-level commanders, even the lower-ranking soldiers, he asked for many opinions. The words they used were different, but the sentiment was nearly the same: they were willing to be integrated. What more was there to say? Ever since the Beast Slaughter Group was formed, they had been fighting for half a year. Constant death, constant sacrifice, living conditions harsh beyond measure¡­ Hatred was what drove them, but another fact could not be ignored. They were originally a group of adventurers who, aside from this, didn¡¯t know what else to do. Revenge was a motivator, surviving on just that, perhaps an even greater one. What was so bad about being integrated? Life could be better, the future more secure, and it wouldn¡¯t impede their fight against the Green Skin Orcs. As for maintaining independence¡­ It was indeed one of the initial tenets of the Beast Slaughter Group, only accepting sponsorship and not orders, but that was for the sake of focusing on fighting Green Skin Orcs, to avoid being sent on private jobs by the agents in Rubbish Town. Now, Rubbish Town had been turned on its head, the situation completely different, continuing to hold on to that old principle was unnecessary. Since that was what the brothers wanted, and Li Kexi himself had been more or less persuaded in his previous conversation with Perbov, accepting the personal overtures of the Governor was met with little resistance. However, he did make one additional request in the end. ¡°I want to retain our name ¡®Beast Slaughter Group,¡¯ as a separate designation. I heard from Perbov that the Alliance Army allows for this,¡± he said. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Gu Hang laughed heartily, ¡°Of course, I can agree to your request, but not right now.¡± Then, seeing the puzzled look on Li Kexi¡¯s face, Gu Hang contained his laughter and spoke seriously, ¡°You want to preserve the name ¡®Beast Slaughter Group¡¯ as the designation for your troops, then you must show corresponding performance. Go kill those Green Skin Orcs. Once you¡¯ve killed enough and truly upheld the ¡®Beast Slayer¡¯ trait, I will grant you that designation.¡± Li Kexi took a deep breath, his expression resolute, ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal.¡± ¡­ The adventuring group known as the Beast Slaughter Group completed their reorganization in the following days. Five thousand sets of G9 individual weapons were equipped, and they also received a new designation: the 3rd Independent Regiment. Gu Hang had spent fifty points of grace on them. After they completed their training and became T5-level troops, they also activated the combat experience accumulated within them, turning them into infantry with the ¡®Beast Slayer¡¯ Trait. The transformed 3rd Independent Regiment then returned to the battlefield. Although they were only equipped with many individual weapons, lacking regimental artillery and with not many mortars¡ªlargely just a significant number of rocket launchers¡ªtheir G9 rifles were much better than their previous equipment. Moreover, the training conducted under the direct supervision of the Governor over the past few days had made them feel a huge change in themselves. These changes were directly reflected on the battlefield. With the support of concentrated artillery firepower from the rear, the Independent Regiment could hold a defensive line of more than ten kilometers on their own, with at most some help from ¡®Militia Regiments¡¯. Those so-called Militia Regiments were the original, other adventure groups. Over these past few days, it wasn¡¯t just the 3rd Independent Regiment that was reorganized. All other units also underwent reorganization while rotating into the Alliance Army camp for rest. Their willingness was also asked. Those who wished to stay as soldiers were reformed into garrison divisions. Although Gu Hang didn¡¯t have enough individual equipment to supply them all at once and did not intend to train all of them to T5 level right away¡ªwithout enough equipment, the combat effectiveness wouldn¡¯t be sufficient, so there was no point in wasting effort. But reorganization was still necessary, otherwise, command would be too chaotic. In the end, after seeing the treatment offered by the Alliance Army, the number of people willing to embrace change reached over seventy thousand. Just by comparison, one could understand that even just starting as privates in the Alliance Army offered them better conditions than their previous scavenging at Rubbish Town. Out of these seventy thousand, besides the Beast Slaughter Group, which was reorganized into an independent regiment of six thousand troops, the remaining sixty-three thousand were formed into six garrison divisions and assigned numbers four to nine. There was no major change in the weapon equipment; just promises of better treatment and a revision of the command hierarchy. Officers for the division and regiment levels were either transferred from the 2nd Division or from Perbov¡¯s camp or were promoted from among the leaders of large adventure groups or highly respected adventurers. Moreover, it was impossible to extend political commissars down to the company level due to the massive scale of the reorganization. Currently, they could only be placed within division and regiment levels, where they were to develop loyalty to the Empire and to the Governor from within, nurturing political instructors at the company and battalion levels. Additionally, more than twenty thousand others did not wish to transition to soldiers but preferred to become ordinary civilians or to leave the Alliance structure. Gu Hang did not let them go but temporarily employed them for combat at the pay grade of privates. They were formed into ten Militia Regiments without specific numbers but just sequential ordinals, with their internal structures and command levels based on those of the original adventure groups. When garrison divisions rotated back to the front lines for combat, they would also be assigned some of the main tasks, while those Militia Regiments would be basically doing hard labor, like building fortifications. There was no need to use people as cannon fodder; Gu Hang did not do such things. It hadn¡¯t come to that. After reorganizing into six garrison divisions, if all the equipment is issued and the soldiers¡¯ training is completed, Gu Hang would have nine division-sized units, which should be essentially sufficient for military power. With an army of nearly one hundred thousand and critically with higher-quality equipment, future military expansion should not be too worrisome about the lack of troops. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After all, besides fighting, the army also needed to be stationed locally. Recently recaptured areas, whether to retain or relocate populations, needed military presence to suppress resistance for policy implementation. Of course, that is a use for later. For now, the priority is the war against the Green Skin Orcs. Gu Hang planned to hole up here for two months, fighting a defensive battle for that duration. In two months¡¯ time, the reorganization of the nine division-sized units, the training requiring grace points, and the production and distribution of all light and heavy equipment should all be completed. Afterward, it would be time for a counter-offensive. Chapter 181 - Chapter 181: Chapter 144, More Deaths, More Waaagh! Chapter 181: Chapter 144, More Deaths, More Waaagh! A¨¦ro Lacroix felt that the war had changed its nature. Or rather, this was what war truly was, and what had passed were just minor skirmishes. He was born into a wandering Survivor Tribe, where staying meant struggling to survive, so under the lead of a senior, he and a dozen other youths left the tribe and followed a merchant to Rubbish Town, where they joined an adventure group. To call it an adventure group was actually a stretch¡ªthey were armed garbage collectors. After getting a dozen guns on credit from the merchant, they began their scavenging life. Not daring to venture too far, they scavenged in the safe zones just outside Rubbish Town, looking for metal scraps and picking up radiant stones to make it through the day. They¡¯d then trade their haul for food back in town. Their daily earnings went to buying food and paying off a bit of their firearm loans, leaving nothing left over. And if they ever encountered a fight, like with the mutated monsters occasionally found in the city ruins, they had to be conservative with their ammo since bullets were expensive. That period of his life was devoid of hope, of a future. But he didn¡¯t find it particularly sad; having food to eat was good enough. For a long time in the past, he didn¡¯t even know what it felt like to be full. He and his companions spent two years drifting through Rubbish Town. Just when he thought he¡¯d end up scraping by for the rest of his life until he could no longer work, he encountered the Green Skins. Out of the several companions from his hometown, only six survived. The rest, including the senior who had led them out, were all killed by the Green Skins. If it had been just casualties, that would have been one thing, but the way his companions died was too horrific. The Green Skins devoured and skinned people alive in front of them, cracking open skulls to eat the brains. He wanted to retrieve the bodies but didn¡¯t dare, so he was pulled back by others as they fled. Among the survivors, some completely gave up the life of scavengers and adventurers because of that incident. But he and two other brothers could never forget that scene. After hearing about the Beast Slaughter Group, they joined it. It was shameful to admit that even though they joined with the intent to take revenge on the Green Skins, after four months in the group, only he survived, and he had personally killed only one Green Skin. When they went looking for trouble with the Green Skins, they could only try to find very small targets, no more than two or three together. But even then, they needed to assemble a force of thirty to fifty people before they dared to make a move. Using iron pipe rifles when exchanging fire with those Green Skins offered no advantage; they had roughly the same range but far less power, and humans unlike the Green Skins couldn¡¯t endure many bullets. So, people in the Beast Slaughter Group had to think of other methods. They modified their firearms, increased the caliber, and added more powder. Although this severely decreased the reliability of their guns, it definitely increased the power of the bullets; they equipped themselves with large knives and long spears, so when the Green Skins got close, they had handy weapons to fight back. In the time it took for one Green Skin to rip through three or four people, six or seven spears could be plunged into its body. Everyone said that the Beast Slaughter Group had special methods for fighting the Green Skins, but to Lacroix, what special methods were there? It was nothing but stronger courage, a deep-rooted hatred, and a reckless willingness to outnumber and sacrifice many lives just to kill two or three Green Skins. It was just like that. But now, it was different. Earlier, when the leader asked if he wanted to accept reorganisation, he thought it was simple: better treatment than before, better equipment, and still able to fight the Green Skins. What¡¯s not to like? But what he didn¡¯t expect was that after accepting the reorganisation, the entire way of waging war had changed. After resting in the barracks for a few days and undergoing a round of training under the governor¡¯s watchful eyes, he felt like he suddenly understood a lot more. Shooting posture, military skills, constructing fortifications, squad coordination, armored support, artillery support¡­ Those days were miraculous. His mind suddenly cleared up, and he immediately understood any principle he was told, and any skill he practiced. Arriving at the front again, he was led by the team¡­ oh, now it was the squad leader. Under the squad leader¡¯s command, their ten-man group constructed two fire points. They were made from the common rubble and broken bricks of the ruins, located on a small slope to create a high-ground firing position. And such fire points were scattered at intervals, built by other comrades in the same company, ensuring crossfire could be exchanged between points and providing smooth mutual support. This knowledge was newly acquired. Before, they could only rely on experience and guesswork, lacking such efficient construction of positions. And these positions soon proved their worth. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A group of about a dozen Green Skins, taking advantage of the night, stealthily approached, and they were already near one of the fortifications when the sentry spotted them. The sounds of gunfire woke everyone, and the few soldiers stationed there began resisting fiercely. Brothers from the neighboring point who could provide fire support also immediately opened fire. The machine guns and rifles blended into a chorus of shots. Two or three Green Skins were killed on the spot by the dense gunfire. The small group then retreated while firing, losing three people, allowing the Green Skins to conquer the position; but then, reinforcements came, launching two rockets into it. After firing, seven or eight men charged in together, bayonets fitted, and started fighting the remaining Green Skins hand-to-hand. Chapter 182 - Chapter 182: Chapter 144, More Deaths, More Waaagh!_2 Chapter 182: Chapter 144, More Deaths, More Waaagh!_2 Lacroix was one of them; he had even personally stabbed one to death. In close combat, humans were naturally at a disadvantage, even though many of the Green Skin Orcs were wounded or killed by the blasts. The remaining four still managed to slay seven soldiers. But overall, the exchange ratio between the two sides was only one to one. In the past, these dozen Green Skin Orcs would have been enough to wipe out their entire platoon. However, the battle was far from over at this point. Their position had been thrown into disarray, and it seemed like the Green Skin Orcs seized this opportunity, sending in more troops to launch an assault on them. Tonight was moonless, but with the help of the searchlight illumination from the position, Lacroix could clearly see at least fifty Green Skin Orcs forming layers of dark shadows, charging toward their piece of the battlefield. At that moment, he was extremely tense, frantically opening fire along with his comrades. It seemed like everyone knew there was no way out. There was no escape; they couldn¡¯t outrun these Green Skin Orcs. At this moment, their only thought was to take at least one enemy with them before dying. And just then, a whistling sound came from above their heads! Lacroix remembered that before coming to reinforce, the platoon leader had said that as soon as the fight broke out here, the company commander would send a telegram to the rear joint artillery regiment. If they held on, they could get artillery support! And here it came! At least three artillery shells landed in front of them. The huge explosions almost deafened him. But Lacroix was inexplicably excited! This is what fighting in a war was like! The orcs had thick hides and flesh, but they were still made of flesh and blood. Under the power of the 155mm howitzer, those within a radius of five or six meters from the explosion were obliterated; within fifty meters, the shock wave and the dense shrapnel were lethal enough to kill. The three shells hit their mark precisely. If the Green Skin Orcs hadn¡¯t been so spread out and had known to lie down and hide when the shells were coming, those three shells would have been enough to kill them all. But even so, at least twenty Green Skin Orcs were finished. The rest, howling, got up and continued to charge up the slope. But by then, more of the surrounding firepower points had reacted, opening fire frenziedly on this position, with at least ten machine guns targeting here, and countless rifles as well. The G9M light machine guns, paired with the G9A automatic rifles, formed a fire network that was many times more powerful than the old iron-barreled rifles they had used before. Under the dense fire of the network, the Green Skin Orcs eventually all fell on their way to the charge. After that, the entire night and the entire defense line seemed to come alive as if battles were raging everywhere. The sound of gunfire was faintly heard from as far as ten kilometers away, and the constant roar of artillery never ceased. Lacroix and his men also suffered several attacks after that; they too sustained many casualties, especially when those Green Skin Orcs got within thirty to fifty meters, as the enemies¡¯ crude firearms could ensure the death of one of their own with a hit. But when has there ever been a battle without casualties? Tonight, what Lacroix could assure was that at least on his stretch of the front, more Green Skin Orcs died than his own men did. After dawn, the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ offensive stopped. After tallying losses and counting the enemy dead, there were over fifty Green Skin Orc corpses in front of them. Thirty to forty of them had been killed by artillery and rocket launchers, about ten had been shot, and five or six had been bayoneted to death after charging into close combat. On Lacroix¡¯s side, they had lost thirty warriors. A new platoon, carrying their breakfast, took over their position at ten o¡¯clock in the morning. Lacroix and his comrades, after fighting all night and losing 30% of their combat strength, were allowed to retreat and rest for a while. He himself didn¡¯t even feel tired, his heart was actually filled with excitement, and he even wanted to fight another battle! ¡­ Roastaxe felt exhausted and incredibly irritated, yet he still wanted to fight another battle. Fighting, killing, and seeing blood splatter¡­ These were the biggest hobbies of the Green Skin Orcs, ingrained in their genes as a natural instinct. They were savage, ferocious, battle-driven by nature, fearless of death. The one thing they feared the most was not having a fight, and losing a battle would also put them in a foul mood. Today was one of those not-so-happy days. To avoid losing, Roastaxe could only temporarily order his boys to withdraw. A few mad surgeons were performing surgeries on Green Skin youths with severed hands, feet, and heads. If a hand was missing, they¡¯d chop one off another Green Skin and sew it on; the same with feet. Some of those hit by the cannons were missing quite a few parts, but as long as the head was still there and they weren¡¯t dead, they¡¯d just cut the head off and transplant it onto another body with a more intact physique but a ruined head¡­ Roastaxe watched his boys being put back together again and felt a little bit better. I like to fight, I ain¡¯t afraid to die, but that don¡¯t mean I don¡¯t know when a fight can¡¯t be won. Living is for fighting another day. Too many Green Skin boys dying makes it bad for future battles. He returned to the makeshift barracks built from the rubble, grabbed a red, crudely made communicator with no apparent system, and fiddled with it to contact the boss at the rear. However, the communicator crackled with electric noise but failed to connect. Roastaxe grew angrier. He yelled out, ¡°Carcha! Carcha! Get in here!¡± A guy who looked much skinnier than him, but actually was stronger than the average Green Skin Orc, came in holding a wrench. ¡°Boss Roastaxe, what do you need me for?¡± ¡°Fix this thing for me! I need to talk to boss Ripflesh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s broken again?¡± Carcha took the communicator from Roastaxe¡¯s hand, scratched his head, then tapped it a few times with a small hammer, and dismantled some parts with the wrench. Then, he handed the communicator back to Roastaxe, ¡°I reckon it should be good now.¡± Roastaxe didn¡¯t care much; he fiddled with it again and, indeed, it connected. He gave Carcha a kick in the butt, sending the wrench boy on his way. Once he heard familiar panting from the other end, Roastaxe couldn¡¯t wait to shout, ¡°Boss Ripflesh! I listened to you and led the boys in a charge during their shift change! We lost a whole lot of lads, and we still didn¡¯t break through. Those shrimps¡¯ cannons are too fierce. I want big booms! I want trucks! I want speed bikes!¡± ¡°No!¡± boss Ripflesh refused, ¡°You just hold there! Any boy who wants to fight should go fight! The elders say to wait a bit longer, and we can have a big thing, a big boom! We can¡¯t reveal it yet! Once we get new boys and new squigs grown, we¡¯ll take these big booms and wipe out all those shrimps in one go!¡± ¡°Alright¡­ you¡¯re the boss, I¡¯ll listen to you,¡± Roastaxe spoke grudgingly, ¡°but you gotta promise me, when it¡¯s time, you¡¯ll give me extra big booms!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get them, you¡¯ll get them!¡± ¡­ With a smack, the communication was cut, and the big boss of the Iron-Tooth Clan, Ripflesh, with heavy steps, went to find the elder. He was an old orc, with teeth nearly all fallen out. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Among the Green Skins, elders were rare. An orc that couldn¡¯t fight wouldn¡¯t live very long, for Green Skins had no tradition of respecting the elderly or caring for the young. But on the other hand, if a Green Skin managed to survive to old age but still held a position of great importance within the clan, it meant they must have something special about them and were definitely not as feeble as they appeared. In the presence of the elder, even boss Ripflesh, the leader of the entire clan, maintained some respect¡ªan arduous task for a Green Skin. ¡°When will our big booms be ready?¡± Ripflesh asked. ¡°The boys keep asking and demanding support. If not, I can only have them pull back. Some new shrimps have arrived, and they¡¯re giving the boys a real beating!¡± After a moment¡¯s thought, the elder said, ¡°We still need to fight, more deaths, more WAAAGH, more new boys, even more deaths, even more WAAAAGH, even more new boys, and more and more deaths¡­ and then we¡¯ll win! We all can become bigger orcs! The boys at the front need to push harder. If not, send more squigs up there. We¡¯ve got too many of those squigs. We don¡¯t need that many. The new mushrooms are growing well, but we still need more land to grow even more mushrooms.¡± Chapter 183 - Chapter 183: Chapter 145, I want this big guy! Chapter 183: Chapter 145, I want this big guy! ¡°` ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear so much reasoning, I just want to know when you can finish making the big thing!¡± Tearing Flesh growled, growing somewhat impatient. The elder grabbed Tearing Flesh¡¯s hand, ¡°If you want to see those big guys, come with me, I¡¯ll show you.¡± Following the elder, Tearing Flesh arrived at an ¡®factory¡¯. This was an open-air site, with lots of wrench kids working here, kicking their pixie assistants¡¯ butts, laughing loudly, and occasionally brawling with each other. Sometimes a greenskin was even killed on the spot. But this didn¡¯t affect their work efficiency, and the scene was bustling with fervent activity. And here, Tearing Flesh saw a lot of good stuff. There were greenskin trucks being assembled that looked like a pile of junk casually put together into a semblance of a truck, with multibarrel autocannons awkwardly stuffed on top, both capable of transporting the boys to the front lines and acting as a fiercely firing armed transport. He also saw what looked like cannons made out of iron drums, two or three iron drums were simply bound together with wire, and fitting them with a couple of wheels was considered a completed job. Besides these, he also saw several roughly three-meter-tall tin cans with ¡®arms and legs¡¯ painted with a crude and laughable orc face in white paint. He turned his head, and the elder was watching him. ¡°This is a gift prepared for the strongest boss in the clan! Once it¡¯s done, if you put it on, with the clickety-clack of chainsaws, the boom of artillery, and the rat-tat-tat of rotary guns! You¡¯ll surely be able to kill those shrimps to the last one!¡± Tearing Flesh couldn¡¯t help but caress the big fellow, and, finding a pixie worker in the way, kicked it a few meters away with disgust. It was quite a while before he cracked a wide grin and laughed delightedly, ¡°Hahahaha! I want this big guy! When can I wear it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry, soon, very soon!¡± ¡­ One month had passed. Gu Hang didn¡¯t stay in Rubbish Town all the time, flying back to Revival City several times in between. After all, the twin-city area of Revival City and Weixing City is the foundation. He inspected the reconstruction of Revival City. The outer city area, which had been devastated, was now beginning to take shape. Although it was still a big construction site, according to Osenia¡¯s planning, the city area was starting to look like something. The population still active in the outer city was about 600,000, nearly 200,000 of whom were engaged in the city¡¯s reconstruction. With the efforts of nearly 200,000 construction workers, the city was being rapidly rebuilt. Now, the total population of Revival City was around 800,000. Of the nearly 900,000 people who used to live outside Revival City, 200,000 moved to Weixing City and another 100,000 to the inner city. The entire city¡¯s population structure and industrial structure would become more rational in the following time. But Gu Hang was more concerned about the situation in Weixing City. His main industrial area was here. The population in Weixing City had exceeded 300,000 after receiving a large number of people who had migrated from Revival City and from other settlements within a two-hundred-kilometer radius to the east. The military industry was particularly important. Under the round-the-clock work of the black box within the research institute and through Wu Jiarong¡¯s efforts, various military industrial production capacities were rapidly increasing. In the last month, the military industry in the Waste Hole area produced 55 armored fighting vehicles, 40,000 sets of individual soldier equipment with the G9 rifle as the core, 100 various types of artillery, 40,000 rounds of various types of ammunition, 200 military trucks¡­ The equipment for the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade wasn¡¯t fully produced yet, but at least two more heavy composite camps were ready and would be sent to the frontlines. Along with the 1st Wind Extinguishing Brigade¡¯s 2nd and 3rd Battalions heading to the frontline were also logistics supplies carried by those two hundred trucks, along with numerous ammunition and weapons. Two hundred trucks couldn¡¯t carry all this in one trip; it would take several trips. And once this batch of equipment and logistics supplies were in place, the four garrison divisions from 4-7 could be fully reorganized. Of course, Gu Hang still had to spend more than four hundred points of grace to train them. With training complete and equipment in place, their combat power wouldn¡¯t be far behind the 2nd Infantry Division, except for the insufficient number of artillery pieces. Besides military construction, Gu Hang¡¯s grace points had surged again in this month. It had nothing to do with the war. Although there was a big war going on outside Rubbish Town, and it was the biggest war since Gu Hang arrived on Rage Owl Star, so far, there has never been a combat settlement interface. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Obviously, the previous battles, whether they were counter-push frontline or defensive battles, the many individual fights weren¡¯t counted as concluded. If you wanted to see the combat settlement interface, you would probably have to wait until the entire campaign was over. But not having the grace points from battles wasn¡¯t a big issue, as his monthly grace point income had risen from less than four hundredlast month to 588 points now. This spike in monthly income wasn¡¯t due to the surge in population, but a genuine increase in productivity. The biggest increase came from Weixing City, where nearly two hundred thousand more people moved in. With short-term concentrated training and on-the-job training, most of the people solved the unemployment problem. Most importantly, heavy industry and military industry received manpower supplements. ¡°` Chapter 184 - Chapter 184: Chapter 145, I want this big guy!_2 Chapter 184: Chapter 145, I want this big guy!_2 The significant increase in productivity brought about an income rise of over one hundred and fifty Grace points. In terms of Revival City, the construction speed of the outer city was fast, and with the recovery of various industries, the rise in management ability, and the elimination of debuffs, the situation in Revival City kept improving. Although two hundred thousand people had moved out, the Grace points provided by Revival City each month did not decrease but instead increased by thirty points. This monthly income, after accounting for the four hundred points spent on training soldiers, along with the expenses for activating Tadeusz, and the training costs for the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade and the 2nd Division, left Gu Hang with only three hundred Grace points remaining, which then again rose back to eight hundred and ninety. Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t squander these Grace points carelessly. The war against the Green Skin Tribe he now faced was the largest scale battle he had encountered since his arrival at Rage Owl Star. These Green Skins turned out to be much more troublesome than imagined. Over the course of this month, the soldiers under Gu Hang had suffered a total casualty loss of around four thousand. On a sixty-kilometer frontline, an average of more than one hundred and thirty died each day; the number of Green Skins killed was also around eighty or so. The combat loss ratio was 1:1.6, slightly unsightly. The main reason was that, recently, the Green Skins had acquired some new things¡ªartillery and armed pickups. Both of these put great pressure on the front lines. The former directly attacked with firepower. Now, the infantry holding the line occasionally suffered attacks from heavy firepower. The artillery of the Green Skins was potent, and a direct hit meant even fortified positions couldn¡¯t withstand it. And the latter was also troublesome. The armor plates on those armed pickups were rough but indeed quite tough, and they could speed along quickly. Belching clouds of black smoke from their rears, the multiple machine guns on top fired fiercely. Without discussing accuracy, they could carry four or five Green Skins close to the positions. Usually, a couple of rockets would be enough to damage the vehicle, but not necessarily kill all the Green Skins aboard; just getting troops face-to-face was enough. Consequently, the face-to-face Green Skins would bring no small number of casualties to the soldiers on the defense line. But if it were just that, the problem wouldn¡¯t be too big. The soldiers under the Governor¡¯s command had not retreated a bit on the frontline. The artillery of the Green Skins was powerful, but clearly, its range was not as far as that of human cannons. After determining the position of the enemy artillery from their trajectory, the 155mm howitzer positions would often fire three or four rounds of artillery barrages toward that area. After the bombardment, although it was difficult to confirm the results, the Green Skin¡¯s artillery usually fell silent, likely having been swept clean. As for those newly emerged armed pickups, they could only be dealt with by tubes, by land mines laid by scouts, obstacles, and the like, to block them. They would try to delay their advance as much as possible and then destroy them with fire. If they managed to transport the Green Skin infantry up front, then it would come down to a melee, but casualties would be high. The emergence of heavy firepower and ¡®armored¡¯ strength in the enemy was very bad news. Gu Hang himself was already feeling that something was not quite right. After he inspected the military production line in Weixing City and returned to the Rubbish Town frontline, the five interstellar warriors who had arrived by vehicle two days earlier immediately sought him out, issuing a warning. Gu Hang had previously extended an invitation to the Phoenix Battle Group, hoping they would help solve the Green Skin problem outside Rubbish Town. The Green Skins were old adversaries of the interstellar warriors. Throughout the Phoenix¡¯s history, during their century-long penitentiary expedition, they had encountered countless Green Skin opponents. The ¡®Cancer of the Universe¡¯ wasn¡¯t a term thrown around lightly; these enemies truly had a widespread presence throughout the universe. Certain particularly ferocious tribes of Green Skins were capable of sweeping through and destroying several star systems. The Phoenix responded to the Governor¡¯s call, arriving here from their monastery by truck. The ten Iron Ox trucks assigned to the Phoenix by Gu Hang had been painted in the Phoenix style, predominately red with white edges and patterns, a stark contrast to the Alliance Army¡¯s common gray and sandy yellow. Not only did these ten trucks bring five interstellar warriors, but they also brought a hundred fully-armed young soldiers. The monastery of the Phoenix had previously taken in two hundred teenagers under the age of nineteen for training as reserves. One hundred of the younger ones stayed in the monastery, continuing their training with Priest Rizzo; the hundred that accompanied Commander Matins to Rubbish Town were generally a bit older. The Phoenix planned to throw them into battle. These young soldiers had only received a month of training at the Phoenix monastery and didn¡¯t have the external enhancements that Gu Hang possessed. Even with the remarkable ability of the Phoenix to train new recruits, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to turn them into elite soldiers within a month. Indeed, that was the case, but the Phoenix¡¯s intention wasn¡¯t really to expect these hundred teenagers to make any significant battle achievements. Essentially, this was a selection process. They had only one genetic seed in hand, which certainly required selecting the most outstanding, the most likely candidate for successful surgery. Only those who survived on the real battlefield, those who performed the best, could potentially enter the final selection round. Gu Hang actually had reservations about this. But as it was something within the battle group¡¯s affairs, he didn¡¯t feel it was his place to meddle, so he let them be. Turning back to the present. Commander Matins and his four brothers found him as soon as he landed at the joint military camp outside Rubbish Town. Facing the five giants that towered over him by half, Gu Hang felt somewhat nervous. Matins spoke with a serious tone, ¡°This war, we can¡¯t keep fighting it like this.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°We must launch an attack as soon as possible,¡± Schneider spoke up first, ¡°The sooner the better, a full-scale offensive, to quickly annihilate all the Green Skins and completely purify this land with fire.¡± ¡°Hold on¡­ at least tell me the reason first,¡± said Gu Hang, ¡°I was planning to have the troops continue to show off for a while. The equipment for two garrison divisions hasn¡¯t yet arrived, the stockpile of shells isn¡¯t sufficient¡­ not to mention, the overall casualty ratio is still within acceptable limits, we estimate there are about twenty thousand Green Skins in the ruins of the high tower. At this rate of casualties, we¡¯ll be able to exterminate those Green Skins at the cost of thirty thousand of our own soldiers.¡± Schneider, of course, didn¡¯t mince words with Gu Hang, ¡°Ha, that¡¯s assuming those Green Skins keep running into our defenses until they are all dead. Do you think that¡¯s possible?¡± Gu Hang rolled his eyes, ¡°Of course I know that¡¯s not possible, but the casualty ratio has to be better than if we were to attack. According to normal thinking, we should continue to maintain the defensive, let those Green Skins crash against our lines until they can no longer withstand the casualties and are exhausted. Meanwhile, our side¡¯s armaments would be more abundant, and then we could counterattack. Wouldn¡¯t that be better?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no chance of that,¡± Matins said, his tone much more patient than Schneider¡¯s, ¡°Green Skins¡­ are a very tough enemy to deal with; they¡¯re quite unique. You know they grow from the ground, right?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°I know, but growing from the ground still requires time to mature, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but the Green Skin Tribe is an alien species born for warfare, and the more intense the battle, the faster their tribe grows.¡± Gu Hang frowned deeply, ¡°You¡¯re saying¡­ war, death, might actually cause their numbers to grow inversely?¡± This was a counterintuitive piece of information. Before now, Gu Hang truly did not know that the Green Skins had such a characteristic. Chapter 185 - Chapter 185: Chapter 146, do you know how expensive orbital strikes are? Chapter 185: Chapter 146, do you know how expensive orbital strikes are? ¡°Green Skins are born for war; as long as they keep fighting, the development speed of Green Skin spores within the same tribe will increase, resulting in more and more Green Skin aliens. It¡¯s not just about the numbers, their technology also grows rapidly in the process.¡± Matins was carefully supplementing Gu Hang¡¯s knowledge about the ¡®cancer of the universe.¡¯ ¡°Fortunately, you didn¡¯t lose. If they had won a key battle, their growth rate would have escalated even more. In fact, those guys at Rubbish Town already handed those Green Skins a victory, basically stepping on the accelerator of their tribal development.¡± ¡°Thankfully, this Green Skin Tribe hasn¡¯t been developing for long, and their starting point was in the urban ruins, where they say Low Energy Storms often blow through¡­ If it was a warm forested area, with more fertile land, we might be facing millions of Green Skins.¡± ¡°Facing such an enemy, engaging in an attrition war is not a smart choice. A human soldier takes twenty years from birth to become a qualified warrior; those Green Skins can fight as soon as they emerge from the ground.¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t resolve this issue quickly, we could be facing not just twenty thousand Green Skin Orcs, but double that number of Green Skins, and ten times that number of low-level Green Skin creatures like fart spirits. Their technology could even advance further, with cannons becoming more powerful and reaching further, and armed trucks becoming bigger and more ferocious. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if some beings that could be likened to demons or monsters appeared; sometimes among the Green Skin race, there are beings that rely solely on physical strength and can match a star warrior in combat.¡± ¡­ After hearing Matins¡¯ extensive information about the Green Skins, Gu Hang¡¯s face had completely darkened. Some of his previous plans had to be overturned. Just as Matins described, the best way to counter such an enemy is to flatten them in one fell swoop, avoiding any attrition war and not hoping to reduce the enemy¡¯s numbers. Even if one doesn¡¯t flatten them in one go, it¡¯s essential to reduce their numbers to a very low level. Otherwise, the subsequent troubles would be endless. ¡°I understand what you mean, thank you for the information,¡± Gu Hang thanked Matins and then made a request, ¡°I will contact the ¡®Quintet¡¯ right away. Colonel Yelisia will provide us with orbital strike support. Once the orbital strike firepower cover is in place, we¡¯ll immediately launch an attack. Let¡¯s set it for three days from now.¡± Matins nodded, ¡°Three days should be fine.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled; we¡¯ll still need your help when the time comes.¡± ¡­ Three days was the time Gu Hang needed to distribute equipment to the garrison divisions and spend the grace points to train them to T5 level. This was a necessary preparation of the troops. Meanwhile, he also used this time to have an in-depth communication with Yelisia in space. When Yelisia¡¯s holographic image appeared in front of him, he saw the golden-haired woman captain elegantly slicing a piece of steak and having a glass of red wine on the side. Gu Hang¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. These were the supplies he had sent up to the Quintet. The ¡®Quintet¡¯ had its own synthetic starch production capability and had replenished military logistics supplies before departing for Rage Owl Star. Even without any new supplies during the two years of the mission, they wouldn¡¯t starve, but they couldn¡¯t expect to eat too well. After all, she had helped a lot, so Gu Hang had to show some appreciation. When he was poor before, Gu Hang would remember to load up the return transport ships with consumer goods after scrounging wool from Yelisia. Now, he would do even more so. Of course, the Quintet did not dispatch ships specifically for logistical supplies. Otherwise, the cost of the transport ship taking off and landing would not even be worth the food transported¡­ The last time the transport ship came, it was on serious business. There was a squad of Battle Nuns from the Saintly Lily who had come down, which was support summoned by Superior Georgette. From the Sisterhood headquarters on Korolya III, twenty Battle Nuns had arrived at Rage Owl Star. Including the two who had died, there were twenty-nine of them in total. Superior Georgette had taken issue with the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, and in the previous period, they had finished their investigation within Revival City, capturing some deeply hidden Cult members. During the previous period, the twenty-nine Battle Nuns had already left Revival City, following the clues they had acquired, and headed north. Gu Hang hoped they would have good luck. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only If they could solve the problem of the Cult on Rage Owl Star by themselves, nothing would be better. And if they needed help, Gu Hang would not be stingy. After all, they were essentially doing work on his behalf. And the ship that had brought down the twenty Battle Nuns, on its return journey, also took one of Colonel Yelisia¡¯s most valued items: a letter of commendation. The letter of commendation was personally written by Gu Hang. It essentially expressed his gratitude, in his capacity as the Governor of Rage Owl Star, for Colonel Yelisia¡¯s outstanding contribution to combating and eradicating followers of the Evil God who did not worship The Emperor, as well as the Evil God¡¯s projections. Of course, if the letter were only written by Gu Hang himself, it wouldn¡¯t be of much use. Chapter 186 - Chapter 186: Chapter 146, Do You Know How Expensive Orbital Strikes Are?_2 Chapter 186: Chapter 146, Do You Know How Expensive Orbital Strikes Are?_2 The commendation letter from the planetary governor can indeed serve as a reference for military leaders to receive honors after actions. In other words, when Yelisia presents this commendation letter and reports it, the Imperial Military will recognize it. However, the degree of recognition is uncertain. For a strong governor, or even one of the Foundry Generals who build worlds, a letter is enough for a promotion; for someone like Gu Hang¡­ it¡¯s not quite sufficient, lacking in value. But if the commendation letter also carries the signature and the wax seal of a Starfighter Battle Group commander and a Mother Superior from the Sisterhood, then it¡¯s a different story. Gu Hang wasn¡¯t sure just how valuable such a commendation letter was, but at least at that moment, seeing the smiling face of Yelisia, he knew it should be pretty good. Of course, when the transport ship returned, it wasn¡¯t just going to bring up a letter. Although the commendation letter was the most important, it wouldn¡¯t do for the cabin to be empty, so it would be good to transport some rare logistical supplies as well. Just to curry favor with the lady of wealth above. Inside the package were some red wines, which had been confiscated from the homes of the nobility in Revival City, said to be crafted products from certain areas in Green Valley Region. As for the steaks, they came from the wild oxen beasts. After the truck production in Weixing City had increased to nearly two hundred units per month, the demand for animal power had greatly decreased. Not only did the wild oxen used by a large number of merchants in Revival City lose their value of service and were sent back to the pasture to be raised for beef and dairy purposes. And the steak Yelisia was eating now came from those. ¡°Colonel, you seem to be in a good mood,¡± ¡°Indeed, not bad,¡± Yelisia replied leisurely as she swallowed the beef and took a small sip of wine, then commented, ¡°However, the quality of your beef is subpar, the texture is too rough; the taste of the wine is also somewhat inferior.¡± ¡°Getting choosy, are we?¡± ¡°Just a reflection,¡± Yelisia continued as a server took away the dinnerware, ¡°This is the hardest time I¡¯ve ever had in my life. Actually, I am still grateful for the supplies you sent up, otherwise my collected provisions wouldn¡¯t have lasted two years.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gu Hang coughed lightly twice, not wanting to talk further with Yelisia about these corrupt luxuries, and turned to the matter at hand, ¡°I hope to get support for an orbital strike.¡± ¡°What scale?¡± Yelisia remained unhurried. ¡°Full force.¡± ¡°What?¡± Yelisia was no longer calm, ¡°What enemy on the surface do you need to face that requires me to carry out a full-force orbital strike?¡± ¡°Alien threat.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s answer was succinct, while Yelisia¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Still those aliens? Has there been some particularly significant change?¡± Yelisia asked this because she had been following the alien threat on Rage Owl Star before. Related intelligence, as the war progressed, would be compiled every so often and sent to the starship. She was clear about the situation on the ground. It was for this reason that she questioned it. According to the latest situation she had seen before, the fight was in a deadlock, but far from a major crisis. Gu Hang coughed lightly and said, ¡°We can¡¯t keep having a war of attrition here with those aliens. If we don¡¯t resolve the issue completely, after a while, when a new batch of aliens emerge, we¡¯ll have to face another war on a larger scale, with an enemy that has become even more troublesome, and by then we might not be able to win.¡± ¡°I understand the principle, but¡­ do you know how much it costs to fire the ¡®Quintet¡¯ at full specs once?¡± Gu Hang hadn¡¯t expected Yelisia to bring up this question. He waited silently for Yelisia to continue speaking. Clearly, this wasn¡¯t really a question aimed at him, but more of a rhetorical one. Yelisia continued, ¡°The last time you asked me to help with a precision strike, it was with the ¡®Scalpel¡¯ shipboard missiles from the ¡®Quintet,¡¯ the least powerful and most cost-effective attack method. The price of such a missile is three hundred tax coins; a full-scale barrage consists of over a hundred ¡®Scalpels.¡¯¡± ¡°Going up one level, there is the ¡®Heat Hammer¡¯ Colossal Cannon, a small-scale Colossal Cannon. The cost of one round of ammunition is four thousand tax coins, and a barrage consists of twenty rounds.¡± ¡°The highest level is the ¡®Wrath of Loyalty¡¯ Colossal Cannon, where a single round costs fifty thousand tax coins, and I have only two such cannons on my ship.¡± ¡°Now do you understand how expensive it is?¡± The more he listened, the uglier Gu Hang¡¯s expression became. He knew it was expensive, but he didn¡¯t realize it was this expensive. The so-called ¡®tax coin¡¯ isn¡¯t a conventional concept of currency. It is a tool used by the Imperial Taxation Department to measure the value of resources provided by planets during tax collection. One tax coin roughly equates to the minimum standard annual output of a population on an ordinary world, as valued by the Empire. To surrender a healthy adult is worth five tax coins; a well-trained soldier with a full set of individual equipment is valued at ten tax coins. In the Imperial records, Rage Owl Star was taxed at the minimum level ¡ª paying ten million tax coins every two years. Moreover, the preferential treatment Gu Hang received meant he only had to pay a quarter of that amount the first time, which was two and a half million tax coins. And according to Yelisia, the total cost of such a barrage would be two hundred and ten thousand tax coins. Firing fifty barrages would expend enough ammunition to pay for a full tax payment from Rage Owl Star; twelve barrages, enough for Gu Hang¡¯s first tax payment; four barrages would cost as much as the lives of all the soldiers from the nine division-brigade level units that Gu Hang commanded. He understood the unspoken message of Colonel Yelisia: An orbital strike is possible, but after it¡¯s done, are the lives of the soldiers you saved worth the cost of my ammunition? This is the ¡®stature¡¯ of a navy person: they calculate the cost of ammunition in terms of human lives. A single barrage is worth the lives of twenty thousand well-trained soldiers. If you have a gap that can be filled with twenty thousand lives, then don¡¯t ask the esteemed navy masters to bomb it for you. But¡­ All of a sudden, Gu Hang wore a smile, deeply understanding one truth: the navy¡¯s money is not my money, but the soldiers who die, those are truly my soldiers! So he said, ¡°We still need to bomb it.¡± Yelisia shook her head helplessly, ¡°I knew you would say that. If you insist, then I¡¯ll help you.¡± After all, the navy¡¯s money is not my money either. Of course, one shouldn¡¯t be too excessive. Therefore, Yelisia added, ¡°But¡­ you have to agree to two conditions. First is to identify the target. I¡¯ve looked at your original plans, and I can¡¯t let expensive firepower be wasted on an indiscriminate bombardment of the entire city ruins; that would be too costly. You need to give me precise targets to improve the efficiency of the strike; this is for your own good. With such a level of targets, a full-scale attack can only happen once, so you should cherish this opportunity and strive to achieve the best combat results.¡± ¡°Secondly, after the battle, you need to provide me a report of the effectiveness. Later, the Military Affairs Department will review these things; the combat results and expenditures need to have a reasonable justification. If the outcome is too outrageous, the Military Affairs Department will come looking for you, and you might be made to bear the costs of the used ammunition. There have been precedents for this and I will be held responsible as well; don¡¯t make this difficult for me.¡± ¡°I understand, thank you, Yelisia.¡± By thanking her this time, Gu Hang dropped the honorific, sounding more intimate. He knew that Yelisia really had helped him. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Otherwise, if Yelisia truly treasured her own safety and was unwilling to take on too much responsibility, sticking strictly to regulations, it would be really difficult to get approval for the orbital strike; at most, he would probably be able to finalize some minor token action. Since she had helped him, Gu Hang was not going to deliberately put her in a difficult position. Accurately finding the target? The brothers from the Phoenix Battle Group could lend a hand. The Starfighters, more elite than any special forces unit, infiltrating behind enemy lines to designate important strategic targets for an easier orbital strike¡ªwasn¡¯t that standard practice? Chapter 187 - Chapter 187: Chapter 147, Offensive Initiative (6k subscriptions please!) Chapter 187: Chapter 147, Offensive Initiative (6k subscriptions please!) Mr. Gu¡¯s request was promptly accepted by Matins without hesitation. It really was the kind of task they excelled in¡ª at least one of them. Interstellar warriors are formidable, sure, but a perpetual weakness is their lack of numbers. In any battle of significant scale or intensity, it would be extremely foolish to commit these elite but scarce interstellar warriors to a head-on fight where attrition is the strategy¡ª they themselves would never accept such an order. No matter how tough a powered armor is, to be honest, it can¡¯t withstand a direct hit from a 155mm howitzer shell; no matter how powerful a bomb gun is, it may penetrate the locally-produced ¡®Challenger¡¯ tank with no big deal, but on top-tier battlefields, if it encounters the regular Lion Tanks of the Star Realm Army, much less the Lion King Tanks, it would be like scratching an itch. They are a scalpel, not meant to be used as a hammer. Taking advantage of the three days Gu Hang needed to prepare his troops for a counterattack, the five warriors of the Phoenix would infiltrate behind enemy lines to seek out and mark high-value strategic targets. Joining them were 28 warriors from the ¡®Storm Squad.¡¯ They were the elite marine unit from the Quintet, now trained by Gu Hang to T3 level, ensuring the strength of each individual was guaranteed. Even engaging in close quarters combat and facing off against an ordinary green-skinned grunt wouldn¡¯t be a big problem for them. They would temporarily come under the command of Phoenix, follow orders, and act in coordination. Without much ado, a total of thirty-three people set out under cover of darkness. They left from the southernmost end of the entire north-south frontline. To cover their operation, the 4th Infantry Battalion of the 7th Garrison Division stationed there initiated an attack. From the artillery positions in the rear, a battalion of gunners were allocated. Thirty cannons were pushed forward five kilometers and fired twenty rounds of covering fire in the direction of the infantry battalion¡¯s intended attack. The first five rounds were rapid fire, and the subsequent fifteen rounds were spaced about three to four minutes apart, maintaining the overall rhythm of the bombardment. Those greenskins were stunned by the explosions. In the past, they had been shelled, but generally, artillery would come into play when they launched an attack ¡ª the shrimps then would call for artillery support from the rear, and fierce firepower would cover their attack or retreat routes. The main target was still to break their advance and inflict casualties. There were also many cases where the shrimp would retaliate after the greenskins¡¯ own big guns opened fire. Firing at one¡¯s own position like today wasn¡¯t unprecedented, but it was only occasional. This moment, however, with six hundred heavy artillery shells falling within an hour on a not-so-large area, was certainly something these greenskins stationed here had never experienced before. At least, the greenskins stationed in this area hadn¡¯t seen it. The orc leader here, named Bone Strength, wasn¡¯t killed by the bombing. His fortification was built on top of the ruins of a reinforced concrete building, further reinforced by hauling various building materials, quite sturdy. Unless hit directly by heavy artillery on this particular fortification, shrapnel and shock waves were unlikely to cause any trouble. However, there weren¡¯t many fortifications across the entire position that could match this level of protection. In addition, the shelling was too sudden, and casualties were feared to be significant. Of course, most casualties occurred early on; those who survived later took cover in various bomb-proof shelters. There would indeed still be considerable losses, but these were within acceptable limits. Yet even if Bone Strength was clear on this point, he paced back and forth restlessly in his fortification, spewing green-skin profanities. He knew that the shrimp¡¯s inexplicably aggressive shelling mustn¡¯t be mere child¡¯s play. His green brain could clearly deduce that this was likely the prelude to the shrimp mounting an offensive. But at the moment, he couldn¡¯t run out of his fortification and kick his boys into gear, making them brace for battle. With artillery falling every few minutes, leaving the fortification could easily get him killed. If he were killed, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fight anymore. So he had to continue to stew in his fury, hiding. But soon, the opportunity to fight came. After the last round of shelling and ten minutes without any new shells falling, he heard gunfire and the shouts of close combat. He perked up, leading a few boys, and burst out of the fortification. They reached the ground still warm and smoky from the heavy artillery bombardment. Looking toward the direction from which the shots were coming, he could vaguely see the approaching shrimp in the not-so-distant place. The shrimp advanced quickly, constantly splitting off forces to clear every fortification and pile of rubble they passed. In many places, in Bone Strength¡¯s recollection, there were his own boys on guard. However, there were very few places where battles occurred. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In those places without fighting, the shrimp would just go in and come out again. Bone Strength could guess that the boys he had sent to hold those positions were probably obliterated during the previous artillery strikes. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have allowed the shrimp to walk in without any resistance. How many boys had died? He didn¡¯t know. He bellowed loudly, ¡°Waaagh!! Boys! Roll out! The shrimp are storming us! It¡¯s time to show how tough we are! We can¡¯t let the shrimp look down on us!¡± Chapter 188 - Chapter 188: Chapter 147, Offensive Initiative (6k subscriptions please!)_2 Chapter 188: Chapter 147, Offensive Initiative (6k subscriptions please!)_2 ¡°` ¡°waaagh!!¡± Roars of battle echoed from the numerous orc youngsters around, and a crowd of them crawled out from their previous hiding spots. Some even drove out armed pickups that had survived the previous shelling, while others rolled out ¡®cannons¡¯ made from iron barrels strapped together. However, the overall number appeared to be significantly less than what had been estimated. Half of them had not come out. Those damn big booms were indeed formidable. But no matter! Even if only half were left, they could still slaughter all those shrimps that dared to come out to fight! With his subordinates in tow, he charged forward! ¡­ Observing the situation at the front, Reed Meshako couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. He was formerly a staff sergeant from the original Kodi company and later enlisted as a political officer under Colonel Tadeusz¡¯s recruitment. After the reorganization in Rubbish Town, he was assigned to the 7th Garrison Division 4th Regiment as a political officer, his rank jumping directly to captain. His military rank had risen extremely fast, but this was a common occurrence among the old units that had followed Gu Hang for a longer time. The army expanded rapidly, and as long as the old soldiers ensured loyalty and a willingness to advance, their promotion was swift. When the rear command center demanded their full cooperation with the Phoenix Battle Group¡¯s operation, and Commander Matins ordered a diversionary frontal attack, Meshako carried out the mission resolutely. He knew their regiment commander was not keen on doing this, even trying his best to disrupt the organization when the adventurers were incorporated into the regular army, stripping the formerly adventurous company commanders of their private ownership over the troops. However, the adventurers¡¯ nature was not so easily worn away. They would instinctively fear such missions that required significant sacrifices, especially when it was to cover someone else¡¯s operations. Yet, this is the difference between soldiers and adventurers. Under his strong insistence and the military orders, the 4th Infantry Battalion still launched the attack. Before the battle, whether soldiers or officers, all harbored fear. In the past, the orcs had cast a vast shadow over them. Even if hundreds of shells had paved the way for them, the inherent fear persisted as they took over. This was where Reed Meshako felt discontent. Fortunately, the resistance they faced during the fight was not strong. The orc troops were clearly stunned by the bombardment, with a large number of orcs dead in their fortifications. The number that could initially mount a defense was small. Those orcs still displayed a strong combat will. In close exchanges of fire, it often took the lives of two or three human soldiers to kill one orc. If the orcs got too close for combat, and since they were not Beast Slaughter Group soldiers¡ªeven with bayonets¡ªthey often hesitated to fight. This wasn¡¯t an issue of tactics or military skills but a matter of morale and courage. But eventually, the 4th Regiment overwhelmed the orcs with their greater numbers. It turned out that orcs could run away too. When three or five orcs poked their heads out from the fortifications and then saw hundreds of human soldiers, guns drawn, firing at them, they too would turn tail and flee. Some were shot dead from behind, and such orcs were the most despised. Soon, the few surviving orc youngsters returned, rallying a large wave of over two hundred orcs behind them. The orcs howled in scorn at the fleeing youngsters, and those being mocked turned back in anger and fury. In the exchange of fire, orcs kept falling, as did soldiers. This was a bloody melee, where the death of one orc often resulted in two or three human soldiers being killed. Continuing to fight at such an exchange rate, victory was of course inevitable for the human side. Especially as they brought out weapons such as rocket launchers and mortars, and one of the charging armed pickups was blown up halfway there. All it would take was about five hundred casualties at most. This was estimated based on the worst-case scenario. In reality, once a certain number of orcs were killed, their threat level drastically decreased, their morale collapsed, and they turned to flee, just like those encountered before. Persisting in the fight, the humans wouldn¡¯t suffer nearly as many losses. But even so, the first to flinch and hesitate to move forward were the human soldiers. The sight of their comrades being blown apart by the orcs¡¯ powerful firearms chilled them to the bone. After sustaining about a hundred casualties, they started to show signs of breaking down. Reed Meshako was furious. He bellowed at the regimental commander beside him, ¡°Look at these soldiers! It¡¯s a disgrace!¡± The commander of the 4th Regiment found himself in a dilemma. He had given orders for the units to maintain the line and push forward, but what could he do if they wouldn¡¯t budge? He dared not talk back; this red cap was an officer assigned directly by the governor, playing a role similar to that of a supervising officer. Seeing his demeanor, Meshako became even more enraged at the lack of spirit. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°To the front line! Let¡¯s go to the front line together! We must lead by example!¡± He drew his pistol and yanked the commander along. The two of them, along with the security company, began to personally push forward. Meshako knew that as a commander, his greatest responsibility was to direct the battle, not to fight on the front lines. Going to the forefront, even for him, wasn¡¯t much different in combat ability than an ordinary soldier. ¡°` Chapter 189 - Chapter 189: Chapter 147, Taking the Initiative to Attack (6k Subscription Request!)_3 Chapter 189: Chapter 147, Taking the Initiative to Attack (6k Subscription Request!)_3 But now is a special moment, there¡¯s no more commanding to be done. What the soldiers lack is not strategy, not tactics, but courage. What¡¯s needed is for senior officers to lead by example, to put themselves at the front. While leading the guard company, the battalion commander pressed forward and encountered a unit that was fighting while retreating. Meisheke was furious. He grabbed the unit commander by the collar and screamed, ¡°The military order given to you was to advance! Advance! Advance again! Who gave you the order to retreat?!¡± ¡°I¡­ ¡± The company commander¡¯s face turned pale, unable to speak. Meisheke kicked him in the stomach, knocking him down, and raised his pistol to his head: ¡°Disobeying orders and showing cowardice in battle is seen as desertion. As an officer, your crimes are even greater!¡± ¡°No, no¡­¡± The company commander was still trying to argue his case, and the battalion commander standing beside Meisheke also wanted to say something to persuade him. But Meisheke wasn¡¯t interested in listening and pulled the trigger without hesitation. The bullet went through the head of the officer who had just received the rank of second lieutenant, and his body fell lifelessly. Then, Meisheke shouted to the squad instructor beside him, who seemed a bit dazed by what he witnessed, ¡°You¡¯re in command now! Take your company and follow me!¡± The instructor snapped to attention and quickly called out to the troops. Meisheke waved his hand, signaling for the guard company to follow, and said to the battalion commander beside him, ¡°For the Governor! We are bound to win! You can¡¯t continue as before! We are soldiers! Not scavengers searching for scraps in a trash heap!¡± ¡°I¡­ I understand.¡± ¡°Pick up your rifle! Fight like a warrior!¡± Watching the battalion commander reluctantly move out, Meisheke picked up the field telephone again and issued orders to every squad instructor in the battalion, strictly ordering them to ensure that the troops were always on the offensive, and those who showed timidity could be executed on the spot. Afterward, Meisheke fired his pistol into the air and roared to those around him, ¡°Comrades! Charge with me!¡± Under his strict commands and after he and the battalion commander led the guard company into battle, the troops¡¯ timid situation finally began to reverse. Under the leadership of officers at all levels, especially the political commissars in the instructor system, the troops began to regain an offensive posture. As the distance between the two sides closed further, the fight quickly became bloodier and more brutal. The Green Skins¡¯ advantage in close-combat was being put to good use, and the casualties on the human side increased. However, the advantages of greater numbers and stronger firepower on the human side were still maintained, along with higher precision in close-range shooting. Human warriors continued to fall, even among the officers, but the Green Skins were also falling at an even faster rate. When the 4th battalion¡¯s losses reached 15%, meaning over two hundred people were down, there were only about seventy to eighty Green Skins left. Reed Meshako knew clearly that they were now in a desperate situation. Because they were too close to retreat, the bloody battle had fully triggered his fighting spirit. His skin turned greener, and his body size even grew slightly during the combat. ¡°Waaagh!¡± He bellowed, bursting out of the cover and charging toward the nearest position occupied by human warriors. Inspired by him, all the living Green Skins entered a frenzied state. The final charge began. Reed Meshako, wielding a heavy spear, fired six shots on the charge, killing five soldiers. At the same time, he was hit by at least a hundred bullets. Blood covered his green skin; one of his eyes was blinded, but his remaining single eye grew even more ferocious. He burst into the position of the infantry platoon, instantly turning into a meat grinder on the battlefield. His heavy chopping knife spun like a whirlwind of death, and in just a short while, he slaughtered all the warriors there. Despite following combat tactics, arming themselves with bayonets for close combat as he approached, the human warriors were no match for the Green Skins in terms of strength, durability, or even agility. Stabbed by the bayonet seven or eight times, Reed Meshako showed no signs of weakening, and with a backhand strike, he slaughtered all those daring enough to engage him in close combat. When the courageous had all died, the rest lost their will to fight. After the Sergeant Major was killed in battle, the few surviving members of the infantry platoon panicked and fled. When the supporting company instructor also had his upper body blown apart by a shot, the entire company began to collapse. This triggered a chain reaction; the Green Skins, who charged with Reed Meshako and after suffering twenty-odd casualties, broke through the front line of one company. Then, the two companies beside it, caught off guard, began to show signs of collapse in the face of the ferociously charging Green Skins. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Reed Meisheke observed this sign. He would not allow a victory within reach to slip away again. He immediately led the guard company to the breach, and strictly ordered several nearby companies to do the same. In his words, stacking corpses would still suffice to kill off the remaining fifty Green Skins. Reed Meshako also saw the continuously shouting Red Cap; he howled as he charged towards him. He reloaded his heavy spear and fired wildly toward Meisheke¡¯s direction. In a moment, three or four of Meisheke¡¯s surrounding warriors were blasted dead, and that unkillable Green Skin leader was rushing straight toward him. Chapter 190 - Chapter 190: Chapter 147, Offensive Initiative (6k subscriptions please!)_4 Chapter 190: Chapter 147, Offensive Initiative (6k subscriptions please!)_4 Meisheke¡¯s mood was very calm at this moment. He knew he had made a mistake, having forcefully boosted the morale of the entire battalion, and now he had come too close to the front line, so close that the enemy could charge directly at him. If he were to die here, the morale of the whole battalion could collapse. Then, it would truly become a joke where thousands were overwhelmed by just dozens of green skins. Yet, this mistake was also one that had to be made. This troop, newly reorganized from adventurers, had not had sufficient time to instill proper ideological work, and their morale was low. If he had not done so earlier, they might not have been able to fight to this extent. He knew the odds were against him, but he could not run away, either. He could only draw his handgun, stand still, his black coat fluttering in the wind. He stood tall and proud, firing bullets continuously at the green skin charging towards him. Even in death, he would die standing. He hoped that his bearing before death would inspire the surrounding soldiers. The enemy was already on their last legs; just one more push and they could wipe them out completely. The handgun¡¯s ammunition did minimal damage to the green skins, offering only a symbolic resistance. But right then, the sound of booming gunfire came from behind him. Immediately after, heavy footsteps approached quickly and soon passed by him. It was a giant in Red Powered Armor. The Emperor¡¯s Angels had arrived. The gunfire in front, it was obviously from a grenade launcher. The flying grenades hit three green skins behind the bone leader, each one killed with a single shot. With the level of a veteran Space Marine, within a distance of tens of meters, there were no wasted shots. The power of the grenade launcher could not be compared to the small barrel of a G9 rifle. A shot hitting the green skin was lethal. However, the two grenades aimed at the bone leader did not claim his life. He managed to dodge the first one at the last moment¡ªnot truly dodging a bullet but making a predictive move based on seeing the Space Marine charging out from behind that red helmet. As for the grenade that did hit, it landed squarely in his right chest, leaving a gaping hole. The enraged orc chieftain merely paused in stride, showing no sign of weakness, and continued his charge with a howl. The bone leader had never seen a shrimp of his size¡ªespecially one entirely wrapped in red cans¡ªbut he could sense this was a formidable foe. He was thrilled to face such a strong opponent! He raised his thick-bladed cleaver high, slashing at the red-armored giant. The charging Phoenix Warrior twisted his waist, dodged the slash, and smoothly drew a combat blade, stabbing into the green skin¡¯s midsection. With the momentum of the charge, he sliced open the wound, and a large amount of blood mixed with entrails sprayed out. But the bone leader was still not dead! He even had the strength to counterattack! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He grabbed the Space Marine¡¯s arm with one hand, pulling fiercely, and with a trip of his foot, he managed to throw his opponent to the ground. The bone leader flipped on top, snarling, seemingly oblivious to the pain in his midsection. He pressed one hand against the chin of the Space Marine¡¯s helmet, while the other hand raised his thick-backed cleaver high, as if to decapitate the Phoenix this way. Yet that blow would never land. In the midst of this, the downed and pinned Phoenix Warrior had rapidly stabbed the bone leader several times in the chest and neck with his combat dagger, ending his life once and for all. Pushing the corpse aside, the warrior in the red armor stood up, looking around. The battle had all but ended. Chapter 191 - Chapter 191: Chapter 148, The Murder Jar Chapter 191: Chapter 148, The Murder Jar After Schneider had killed the biggest, greenest orc chieftain, the battle was almost at its end. His four battle brothers, along with the twenty-eight ¡®Storm Squad¡¯ soldiers who were considered quite capable in the eyes of the interstellar warriors, and with the covering fire from the infantry battalion, killed all four or five dozen orcs that had charged with the chieftain. The abilities of the interstellar warriors need not be mentioned; apart from encountering a genetically-enhanced, somewhat capable green-skinned chieftain that made him exert himself a little, his battle brothers scarcely found any opponents of note. The ordinary green-skinned brutes stood no chance against the electromagnetic rifles in the hands of the Storm Squad¡¯s special operations soldiers. Unlike the G9 rifles, which they could resist, a dozen or so bullets from these would typically kill them. Once he was sure that all the orcs had been killed and there were no survivors to leak any information about their own party, he could finally relax. They hadn¡¯t planned on taking action originally. The proactive strike by the 4th Infantry Battalion was meant to cover their operations. It would certainly be best to eliminate all the orcs in the area, for the most perfect infiltration is achieved by killing every enemy. Even if the attack failed, it didn¡¯t really matter. After drawing enough attention, the 33-man special task squad could completely bypass the battlefield from the flank while the front lines were hot, just as stealthily. In fact, that was their original plan. However, upon observing the situation on the frontline, the respected commander changed his mind and decided to execute the first strategy: eradicate the enemy. Schneider knew that their Commander Matins couldn¡¯t bear to watch those mortal soldiers dying in droves, especially to cover their mission. Of course, he didn¡¯t object either. After all, as long as they killed every orc so none could run back with news, it was fine. With only a few dozen left, it wouldn¡¯t be a hassle to kill them all. The key point was also to satisfy a thirst for combat. After the battle, Schneider removed his helmet, revealing his shiny bald head. He felt a peculiar gaze, so he turned his head and saw that red-hatted soldier staring at him. Ordinarily, Schneider would disdain and outright ignore these mortals, but at this moment, he couldn¡¯t help but remember the red-hatted Tadeusz who had achieved what his dead brother could not. And the one before him, though he had performed no feats of valor, nevertheless faced danger without fear, maintaining a warrior¡¯s dignity in the face of death. He deserved respect. Almost involuntarily, he nodded to the red-hatted soldier, then turned and walked away. Reed Meshako also snapped out of it. He had actually survived. Given the combat between that interstellar warrior and the orc, there was no doubt that if it were him, he would have died eight hundred times over. It seemed that the gap between him, a mere mortal, and those monstrous demons was still vast. But regardless, they seemed to have won the battle. Slowly lowering the gun in his hand, he turned to find their commander. They still needed to sweep the area, and then transport the wounded and even the bodies of dead comrades back, even those whose deaths were particularly gruesome, taking at least the identifiers, such as armbands or breast badges, that symbolized soldier status. After cleaning up the battlefield, they would retreat. This position couldn¡¯t be held for long. The fortifications made by the orcs were shoddy to begin with, and now they were even more so after the bombardment; moreover, this place was far from other friendly lines and difficult to support. All these issues meant that they couldn¡¯t possibly stand a chance if the orcs counterattacked. But abandoning this position didn¡¯t mean their sortie was in vain. In addition to providing cover for the special operations squads, the casualties they inflicted on the enemy were considerable. In this battle, nearly five hundred orcs had died. In contrast, on the human side, the toll was over three hundred and twenty casualties. This casualty ratio even exceeded their defensive battles. Of course, there was a special reason for this. After all, the cost to the human side wasn¡¯t just over three hundred lives but also included six hundred rounds of heavy artillery shells. Had they not recently received a shipment of newly manufactured shells from Weixing City, they would have hated to fire off so many in just one hour. At least half of the orcs killed were blown up during the initial artillery barrage. Of the remaining two hundred or so, more than fifty were dealt with by the special operations teams, and the real achievements of the 4th Infantry Battalion were just over a hundred orcs. Yet, a nearly 3:1 exchange rate was still acceptable. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only What couldn¡¯t be ignored, however, was the inherent risk. They had won this time, completely annihilating the enemy. But what if they hadn¡¯t won? If it wasn¡¯t for Meshako decisively executing several officers by his iron hand during a moment of wavering morale, mandating that supervisors at all levels maintain discipline, and leading by example at the front to boost morale, they might well have crumbled at that time. Once collapsed, the death toll during the retreat would likely have skyrocketed. Not only would they fail to outkill the orcs, but during the pursuit, their casualties could have multiplied several times, and if pursued fiercely, even upon returning to their original positions, they might not have been able to stop a total collapse, leading to serious trouble. Chapter 192 - Chapter 192: Chapter 148, The Murder Jar_2 Chapter 192: Chapter 148, The Murder Jar_2 Fighting is a matter where the winning side always ends up with more spoils. Besides wiping out a considerable number of Green Skins, they had gained something else: an improvement in the army¡¯s spirit and morale. This had been a somewhat hard-fought battle, but they had won in the end. Although the process had its twists and turns, as long as they won, it bolstered the entire army¡¯s morale, combat confidence, and experience. The soldiers who had directly confronted the Green Skins and survived would be less fearful when facing them again. The shadow that these Green Skins had cast over them during their time as adventurers had been profound. Any alleviation in their phobia of Green Skins was welcome. ¡­ While the 4th Infantry Battalion was cleaning up the battlefield, a 33-member special operations squad had already embarked on their journey once more. From this point onwards, there would be no more friendly forces to cover them. But that wasn¡¯t much needed anymore. After breaking through the enemy¡¯s most concentrated front lines and reaching the rear, within the 60-kilometer-wide and nearly 100-kilometer-deep urban ruins, it was clear that the Green Skins couldn¡¯t possibly staff every area with their forces. On the contrary, with only tens of thousands of them, the area ¡°belonging¡± to them was full of gaps. Occasional glimpses of Green Skins and goblins did not mean they could easily spot the traces of the squad. The space marines¡¯ stealth capabilities were unrivaled. Despite being clad in heavy powered armor, when they wished to be silent, their footsteps were indeed soundless. Likewise, the 28 special forces members were just as proficient in the art of stealth. They would spot the enemy first in most instances; it was rare for them to be discovered. When operating deep behind enemy lines, they avoided combat as much as possible to reduce the chance of being exposed. However, if they couldn¡¯t avoid a confrontation¡ªfor example, if they were actually discovered, or if someone was on their route of advance and bypassing them would take too long¡ªthey would then choose to engage. Even when they engaged, they would strive not to fire their guns. They would close in quietly, strike swiftly, with combat daggers and military sabers becoming their primary weapons. Matins¡¯ chainsword did not rev its roaring sound, merely relying on its teeth to tear through people was enough. And truly, there was no target worthy of engaging his chainsaw for. And so, they operated within the ruins for approximately twenty-four hours, with only a few hours of rest in between. They pushed as deep as possible and then spread out as much as possible to broaden their reconnaissance. Unfortunately, the Green Skins were very difficult to communicate with, and since there was no common language, they couldn¡¯t capture one for interrogation to obtain the desired information. But in the afternoon of the second day, they made a significant discovery. They discovered a staging ground for the Green Skin Tribe. Located some sixty kilometers deep from the front line, a team from Storm Squad stumbled upon a group of goblins driving trucks and pushing carts, converging on a particular spot. After relaying the information back, the entire team began moving in that direction, and soon they found the staging ground. The Green Skins had cleared a large open area where over ten thousand Green Skin creatures were rowdily assembling. One-third were Green Skin younglings, and about twice their number were goblins. Goblins are also a kind of Green Skin, monstrous creatures that grow from Green Skin spores as well. They are much smaller and weaker than the orc young, cowardly and timid, but not any less cruel. They bully the weak and fear the strong; facing a strong enemy, they quickly disintegrate in morale and scatter unless kept in line by orcs. But when the enemy is weaker than them, or vastly outnumbered, their psychological advantage kicks in, and they become the cruelest executioners, especially fond of torture. In Green Skin society, goblins often serve as slave laborers, orc servants, or even food. In this starting position, the mere number of enemies was already substantial. Setting aside those nimble devils, there were more than three thousand orcs alone. This was almost more than any other Green Skin Orcs they would face on the front line. Moreover, reinforcements continued to stream in from all directions. As for the final number they could gather, no one knew. Not to mention, the Green Skins gathered here not only outnumbered others, but their equipment was also very ¡°sophisticated.¡± Armed pickups and iron barrel cannons had already been encountered, but Matins and his crew had spotted two other big fellows. One of them was an armed truck. It was called a truck, but in reality, its rear cabin was covered with armored plates and provided outward extending firing positions, making the whole back of the truck awkwardly shaped. On top of the cabin was a turret gun, and the front was equipped with a bulldozer blade. Overall, the appearance was one of chaos, wildness, and irrationality. However, this is the essence of Green Skin technology. No matter how irrational it might seem, if Green Skins believe it to be rational, then it can move and is quite effective. The other invention, also in the same style, made those present feel somewhat heavy-hearted: it was a ¡°powered armor,¡± a ¡°war mecha?¡± Whatever it was, it had been seen among many of the Green Skin Tribes. Humans called it a ¡°killer can.¡± They stuffed a nimble devil or a disabled orc into a metal can. Due to the Green Skins¡¯ staggering technology, this was clearly not something that could be worn or removed at will, but rather something that would fuse with the machine for life. From the upper and lower sides of the can, mechanical structures extended out as limbs. On the upper limbs, there were melee or ranged weapons attached, and on both sides of the can were large-caliber machine guns. This contraption had appeared on many battlefields ravaged by Green Skins. They were not the main armored force of the Green-Skin Army, as they had even bigger contraptions. However, when such a three-meter tall device appeared on the battlefield and could maneuver in places where many armored vehicles couldn¡¯t, its level of armor and firepower caused despair among human infantry. Even interstellar soldiers could not ignore such an adversary. A few shots from the machine guns on the sides of the can were enough to breach powered armor; the twin-barreled, auto-loading rocket launcher it held in one hand also had formidable lethality, and being hit by that large axe was fatal. Of course, generally speaking, the interstellar soldiers won more often. Each of the five veterans present had destroyed at least five killer cans in their careers. But those were career achievements, not the result of a single battle. If they were suddenly surrounded, even two or three of them could be overwhelming. And now, in this still-gathering Green-Skin Army, they had spotted ten killer cans. With more Green Skins joining, who knew if there would be even more. The armed trucks comparable to Strider Armored Vehicles, the killer cans equivalent to a beggar¡¯s version of powered armor, over three thousand Green Skins gathered with several powerful leaders, or ¡°tough¡± lads far stronger than the average orc¡­ Such a force, if directed to the front line for a direct assault, would result in catastrophic consequences. Unprepared humans would almost certainly be crushed instantly. Fortunately, they had discovered them. Now that they were aware of the intelligence, things were easier to handle. They did not alert the enemy, and after marking the coordinates, they quietly left and conveyed the intelligence to the governor. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They had not brought any communication equipment, nor was it necessary. The powered armor worn by the interstellar soldiers was equipped with the necessary communication modules and was already connected to the frontline command post¡¯s wireless communication channel. The communication towers erected at the command post did this job, and during encounters with Green Skins, there was little concern about the threat of eavesdropping on the radio. What the governor would do with this intelligence was beyond their concern for now. They received further orders to continue their reconnaissance, following the designated objectives to find the Green Skins¡¯ main base, their armories, their ¡°farms,¡± their breeding grounds. They might have lacked clues before, but now things were manageable. Two interstellar soldiers were left with a few members of Storm Squad to keep an eye on the large group of Green Skins at the starting position, while the rest followed the route of the converging Green Skins in the opposite direction to search for the source. Chapter 193 - Chapter 193: Chapter 149, Orbital Bombardment Chapter 193: Chapter 149, Orbital Bombardment After receiving the message, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t even enjoy his meal. There were ten thousand Green Skins, over three thousand of which were proper orcs, and their numbers were still growing. There was already a disparity in single combat capabilities, with the greatest difference being in their ability to withstand attacks. Now, the enemy also had all sorts of crude, laughable, but absolutely formidable heavy firepower and equipment¡­ This was already a very huge threat. Well, Gu Hang had been planning to wait two days to call for orbital bombardment before launching a full counterattack, but now were those Green Skins going to launch a full-scale attack first? Luckily, this intelligence was gathered in advance. Had they been caught completely unprepared by such an onslaught, there would have been serious trouble. Gu Hang was considering solutions. First and foremost, the mobilization of troops must be accelerated. The troops that were resting at the joint military camp now had to be urgently assembled. The soldiers currently on the front lines had actually been reduced to about fifty thousand strong. Roughly another fifty thousand were resting and reorganizing in the rear. Even though the front line was short-handed by half, it was definitely much more stable than when those adventurers from Rubbish Town were stationed there. The soldiers, who had been reorganized and equipped more reliably, and whose military skills had dramatically improved, were much more effective than the adventurers. But wasn¡¯t the plan to prepare for an onslaught, even a full counterattack? The follow-up troops, of course, needed to be brought forward as a reserve force, ready to be deployed at a moment¡¯s notice. Of course, if they weren¡¯t needed at all, that would be for the best. The orbital strike firepower that had been requested previously from Yelisia was meant to address this kind of situation, wasn¡¯t it? If those Green Skins were scattered, hiding in the ruins of the city, they would be difficult to hit. Orbital strikes may be powerful, but could they reduce an already ruined city to dust? Those Green Skins hiding in the rubble, with their strong vitality; those in the core area of the bombardment would be doomed, buried alive. But those in the peripheral areas might well survive. Now, however, they had gathered together and even cleared an open space to use as a staging ground for their attack. Wasn¡¯t this just setting themselves up to be targeted? Gu Hang was even tempted to ask Yelisia to first conduct a small-scale, yet more targeted bombardment. With a few ¡®Heat Hammer¡¯ Colossal Cannons and ten ¡®Scalpel¡¯ shipborne missiles directed at that staging ground, it might not be possible to kill all the Green Skins assembled there, but taking out ninety percent of them was likely doable. But after some thought, Gu Hang restrained this tempting impulse. Haste won¡¯t bring success. To strike now would not maximize benefits. Yelisia could secure just one chance for bombardment; it had to be timed well. Be patient, just a little more patient. What he needed to do now was ensure that his troops were ready for any challenge and for taking the offensive before patiently waiting for front-line reports to make his decisions. ¡­ Deep within the ruins of a tall tower, while on the move, Matins suddenly posed a question to Schneider by his side: ¡°These Green Skins are not quite right, do you feel it?¡± After pondering for a moment, Schneider replied, ¡°They themselves are not a problem, they¡¯re no different from the Green Skins we¡¯ve eliminated in the past.¡± ¡°That is the biggest problem.¡± Matins said, ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be this powerful. Their numbers are not enough, just a few tens of thousands, insufficient to sustain a disaster. If the Green Skin spores landed on this planet due to some reason, took root and sprouted, and then this tribe developed from scratch, by this stage, at this number, they should only be able to maintain a very primitive state of technology. Even the natives of Rubbish Town who gave those Green Skins some intelligence in battle to accelerate their development shouldn¡¯t have allowed them to reach this level of technology so quickly.¡± ¡°Are you suggesting that these Green Skins did not develop purely from the local environment?¡± Schneider¡¯s attitude became more cautious. If that were the case, and these Green Skins came from a powerful, interstellar tribe, it would be a big problem. But soon, Schneider dismissed the idea: ¡°It¡¯s unlikely. No reports have ever suggested Rage Owl Star has been attacked by an extraterrestrial force. If a Green Skin tribe with star-traveling capabilities set its sights on this planet, they wouldn¡¯t just send a very small team. Several large warships carrying hundreds of thousands or even millions of Green Skins to rapidly reproduce and inundate the planet¡ªthat¡¯s their usual modus operandi.¡± Matins agreed with Schneider¡¯s reasoning: ¡°That¡¯s what makes this whole affair contradictory. We must remind our brothers not to treat these Green Skins as mere savage or primitive orcs. They must heighten their vigilance. Losing a brother in the battle at Revival City Outer Power Plant is something I truly do not wish to see again.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Hearing the squad leader speak this way, the other four also fell silent. They spoke no further. Following the Green Skins¡¯ supply routes and troop reinforcements to track down the enemy headquarters was not challenging. By the evening of the second day of their journey, they had already found their target. Those Green Skins were, of course, busy preparing for war. Their headquarters were brightly lit, and their factories were bustling. Chapter 194 - Chapter 194: Chapter 149, Orbital Bombardment_2 Chapter 194: Chapter 149, Orbital Bombardment_2 Interstellar warriors of Storm Squad didn¡¯t have the capability to infiltrate the enemy¡¯s main base. After all, without the conditions for disguised reconnaissance, cross-species exploration can only go so far. But it was enough. They marked the location of the Green-Skin main base, their munitions factory, and then in the surrounding area, they found three large-scale breeding farms. Those huge, tropical plant-like things had grown sturdily amidst the urban ruins. Just as Matins had told Gu Hang before, this was definitely not an ideal place for the Green Skin Orcs to breed and thrive. Even though these Greens Skins had tried their best to clear a relatively flat area, exposing the soil and diverting waterflows as much as possible, the soil was unsuitable, the light insufficient, and the water resources not abundant enough¡­ The Green Skins were resilient enough to grow in such an environment, breeding one batch after another. It was now the ¡®harvesting¡¯ season for the Green Skin plants. They saw with their own eyes, under the lights, the crooked plants with huge seed pods hanging down, something seemed to be wriggling inside, and then suddenly, the pods opened, and a Green Skin creature would fall out. Such a process kept happening before their eyes. Most of the time, the creatures that fell out were of varying sizes but similar in form to beasts. These creatures, known as Skuggs, were a domesticated livestock bred by the Orc herders and had always been part of the Green Skin tribes. These creatures lacked intelligence and were vicious by nature, with sharp teeth and mouths that could open exaggeratedly wide. In fact, in the Green Skins¡¯ ecosystem, they served the role of livestock. Some were used for grooming, some for food, some raised by the Orc kids as pets, and the largest ones could even be ridden into battle. These Skuggs fed on various kinds of trash. Skuggs ate what the Orcs wouldn¡¯t, and the Orcs ate Skuggs in return. They, along with fungi, were a major food source for the Orcs. Besides the Skugg Beasts, the second most numerous were the ¡®fart spirits.¡¯ They were the Orcs¡¯ servants, cannon fodder, and also a source of food when necessary. And fewer in number were the regular Green Skin Orcs. Whether Skugg Beasts, ¡®fart spirits,¡¯ or Orcs, all of them were in an adult state the moment they hit the ground. This breeding farm was indeed in its harvest season. If the three breeding farms they found operated with such efficiency and completed their incubation, there would probably be an additional twenty thousand Green Skin Orcs and at least fifty or sixty thousand ¡®fart spirits¡¯ within a month. Matins was grateful that he had seriously warned Gu Hang of the risks involved and was relieved that Gu Hang heeded his warning, not ignoring the threat. Otherwise, they would have been in big trouble. What followed was relatively simple. It was just a matter of marking the coordinates. They couldn¡¯t be very precise because they were still some distance away from their targets when marking them. Even at that distance, they encountered Green Skins a few times but silently took them out. Given the disciplinary standards of the Green Skins, losing a few individuals likely wouldn¡¯t be noticed¡ªthey lose plenty every day just from their internal brawls and revelry. But even if the markings weren¡¯t exactly precise, it didn¡¯t matter much. An approximate location would suffice. The Colossal Cannon¡¯s area of impact was still very large. A ¡®scalpel¡¯ missile could almost destroy a small wind farm, not to mention the far more powerful Colossal Cannon and the Wrath of Loyalty, a large-scale Colossal Cannon. Of course, to increase efficiency, they still assigned different value levels to these places. The two highest value points were the main base and the departure position where the Green-Skin Army was gathering. The next priorities were the munitions factory, the breeding farms, and the locations within the Green-Skin Army where the killing jars were positioned. Then, they marked a bunch of places that they couldn¡¯t explore thoroughly but suspected were of value. After completing these tasks, they moved away from the Green Skin main base and then notified Mr. Gu. Soon after, they received a reply from the governor: ¡°Leave the area as soon as possible, you have 14 hours to get out of the orbital strike¡¯s range. Please ensure your safety, and after the orbital strike is over, confirm the results of the strike.¡± ¡°Received.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± ¡­ After replying to the special task force¡¯s message, Gu Hang let out a deep breath. All preparations were finally complete. He contacted Yelisia again, provided the relevant strike coordinates, and informed the female colonel that all actions were proceeding as planned. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The orbital strike would arrive as scheduled at 11:00 Terra standard time the next day. His troops would complete their pre-battle preparations before then, eating a good meal, and after the orbital bombardment ended, they would launch an attack against the enemy in front. The Green Skin Orc front with which they were faced would not be subjected to overly intense bombardment, only a few ¡®scalpel¡¯ missiles would precisely hit several key points, the Colossal Cannon would not strike here. The main reason was that the power of the Colossal Cannon was too great, its coverage too broad, and its precision, compared to ¡®scalpel¡¯ missiles, was less reliable. A slight deviation and it could easily cover their own positions as well. It was better to use a few ¡®scalpel¡¯ blasts, and then leave the rest to their own troops. Chapter 195 - Chapter 195: Chapter 149, Orbital Bombardment_3 Chapter 195: Chapter 149, Orbital Bombardment_3 ¡­ At the front line, Lucy Lee Ko Xi, the commander of the 3rd Independent Regiment who was earnestly striving to regain the title of ¡°Beast Slaughter Group,¡± had just concluded a battle meeting and seen off Colonel Tadeusz, the inspector general of the army¡¯s political work. Colonel Tadeusz had conveyed the Governor¡¯s orders to them, announcing in a meeting attended by all military chiefs of staff from company level upwards and political instructors that the 3rd Independent Regiment would be the fist, the vanguard, in the comprehensive counteroffensive at noon the next day. Their objective was to tear open the Green Skins¡¯ defenses right at the middle section of the entire defensive line, completely seize their positions, split the frontline into two, and create a gap for the mechanized three Composite Camps to penetrate. Afterwards, once the subsequent friendly forces took over the position, and troops were allocated, accompanying one Composite Camp, they were to execute a sweeping movement to the north side, cut off the retreat space of the northern Green Skin Orcs, and complete an encirclement with the forces on the front, thoroughly annihilating the Green Skin Orcs present. All the commanding officers and warriors silently listened to Tadeusz recounting the battle objectives and demands. The silence continued. But this was by no means fear or dread. Li Kexi could see a fire in the eyes of his subordinates. And he felt the same way. They had waited for too long. ¡°All right, everyone go back,¡± Li Kexi broke the silence. ¡°Return to your companies and get ready. There are 13 hours left until tomorrow noon. The staff will break down tomorrow¡¯s assault mission, and by tomorrow morning at the latest, it will be in your hands. This is the battle we have long awaited, and an opportunity we wouldn¡¯t even dare to dream of in the past. I have just one request: fight beautifully! We must honor those we have lost, the hatred for which we would lay down our lives to avenge, and the opportunity the Governor has given us!¡± ¡°Roar!¡± The officers stood up thunderously, then returned to their respective troops. Andre Alexey, the political commissar assigned to the Independent Regiment, was somewhat at a loss. He had just been thinking of using his position as a political officer to boost the morale of the officers, only to find it seemed entirely unnecessary. Commander Li Kexi patted his shoulder without offering much in the way of explanation. The warriors of the Beast Slaughter Group had no idea how many of them could truly sleep well. But they would force themselves to rest properly, all for the sake of showing their best in the battle of the following day. The night was exceptionally long. ¡­ No matter how long the dark night, there always comes an end. As daylight brightened, Li Kexi, who had awakened, went to inspect the front lines of the troops. He watched the soldiers eat, he observed them checking and maintaining their weapons, he saw officers conversing with the warriors¡­ All of this strangely settled his anxious heart. They had done everything they could, only waiting for the order to attack. The issued pocket watches ticked to eleven o¡¯clock at noon. The order to attack had not yet been given, but he first saw many red dots vaguely appearing in the sky. A meteor shower? No, he quickly dismissed that thought. These must be part of the powerful strike Colonel Tadeusz had mentioned earlier. At the time, he had thought that the rear artillery positions would fire relentlessly, but it seemed that wasn¡¯t all. He watched those red meteors streaking across the sky, getting closer and closer, then falling onto the ruins that stretched as far as the eye could see. Immediately thereafter, two huge, almost city-encompassing spheres of light, suddenly appeared. Along with those two enormous orbs of light, there were many smaller ones, but because of the obstruction from the ruins, they didn¡¯t seem quite as distinct. The scene felt strangely peculiar, with only brightness and no sound, as if watching a silent film. But the thing they were waiting for soon arrived. The earth was shaking. It was as if there had been an earthquake, with some soldiers, who hadn¡¯t secured their footing, even staggering about. Even some of the ruins that had been weakened by artillery fire during previous battles collapsed amidst this tremor. Fortunately, the fortifications they were hiding in had been specially reinforced, so there were no casualties as a result. Then came the shockwave, accompanied by a tremendous noise! It was like a gust of wind blowing through, carrying with it a sensation of scorching heat, causing many to retreat several steps, feeling a heavy pressure in their chests. Although physically uncomfortable, from Li Kexi down, all the soldiers of the 3rd Independent Regiment felt immensely relieved in their hearts! The explosion had occurred deep within the ruins of the tall towers, where the Green Skin Orcs were most concentrated! If the aftermath of the explosion could be felt so clearly from dozens of kilometers away, whether it be the searing heat or the shockwave¡­ what about those Green Skins at the epicenter? Even if those monsters had much stronger resilience than humans, they could not possibly survive such an onslaught! As long as they could eliminate the enemies before them, this Green Skin disaster that had spread over several years and had become increasingly severe would end by their hands! Li Kexi was already eager to command his troops to charge. But it wasn¡¯t time yet. The order to attack had still not come. Instead, a whistling sound came from overhead. The artillery positions in the rear began to assert their power. On the joint artillery grounds, a hundred 155mm howitzers were lined up in sequence, barrels pointed towards the sky, firing without interruption. The production of artillery shells was limited, and Weixing City had to produce a lot to sustain the logistical supply for an army totaling hundreds of thousands, including armored vehicles, bullets, guns, equipment, explosives, hand grenades, rocket launchers, and cannons¡­ They had been working hard to increase the production of shells, but it still couldn¡¯t withstand too intense a consumption. However, since today had been decided as the day for the final battle, there was no need to conserve anymore. Hundreds of cannons fired at full speed, raining down shell after shell on the Orc positions at a rate of five hundred rounds per minute. This was an all-out barrage like never before, with the artillerymen no longer caring about the lifespan of their barrels or the consumption of shells. They planned to drop 15,000 heavy shells on the Green Skin Orc positions within half an hour, and the total stock of shells left was just under twenty thousand. The remaining four to five thousand shells were not to be conserved either, but kept in reserve to coordinate with the infantry charge. While the artillery was firing, Lucy Lee Ko Xi finally received the command to attack. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He impatiently relayed the charge orders to the entire regiment. More than five thousand soldiers of the 3rd Independent Regiment needed to move within about two hundred meters of the enemy¡¯s positions within 25 minutes and stand by. They had five minutes to rest, and at the moment the bombardment ceased, they would launch a full-force attack on the Orc positions. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This chapter is 5.2k. It¡¯s the end of the month, and over the month we¡¯ve already written 135,000 words. There are still four days left, which leaves a gap of 25,000 words from the 160,000 word target. Here¡¯s to striving for 6K or more each day over these next four days! Chapter 196 - Chapter 196: Chapter 150, The Death Iron Can Chapter 196: Chapter 150, The Death Iron Can The private of the 3rd Infantry Corps, A¨¦ro Rakrosha, had never even in his wildest dreams imagined such a horrific scene unfolding before him. It could only be described as cataclysmic! The lowly soldier had no idea about any orbit-strike plans from higher-ups, he only knew that a meteor shower had streaked across the sky and struck the Core Area of the High Tower Ruins in the distance, followed by the earth shattering! Not to mention the scorching wind that blew, the shockwave, the massive noise¡­ at the very least, just the things he saw with his eyes were enough to astonish him. It was as if two large, and many small suns had risen from deep within the ruins of the high tower. Then, the High Tower Ruins he had grown so familiar with over the past few years had changed beyond recognition. Despite being ruins, there were still ¡®landmark buildings.¡¯ Many of the city¡¯s skyscrapers had collapsed, but a considerable number remained in place. The high-rise buildings erected by pre-war technology were meant to stand for centuries, and rightly so. No matter how derelict they looked, they simply would not fall. Many battles around these tall structures of the pre-war era, all those bullets and artillery fire, had not managed to bring them down. Even a 155mm howitzer, hitting those standing buildings, would only scrape off some surface or further scramble the already haphazard structure inside, but a complete collapse had never happened. But this massive bombardment from the sky not only achieved that, it went ¡®overboard.¡¯ Not only the pre-war skyscraper ruins had collapsed, but in the central area, there were no longer any forests of high buildings to be seen. From Lacroix¡¯s viewpoint looking into the depths of the ruins, it was as if some monster had bitten off a huge chunk of the steel jungle, leaving a vast absence. Before he could recover from the shock, a continuous whistling sound came from overhead. He was familiar with the sound, having heard it often over the past month. But he had never heard it this densely. Before he had time to think further, the command of the platoon leader was passed down level by level, the squad leader ordered to move out, and he quickly gathered his thoughts to follow the troops. As he advanced toward the front lines, he felt his body heat up. He couldn¡¯t tell if it was due to the rapid marching or the excitement bubbling up from the bottom of his heart. Continuous booming explosions came from the direction he was heading towards. That was the sound of artillery bombardment falling on the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ positions. During the advance, he was still nervous, fearing that an artillery shell might come hurling in or a Green Skin armed pickup might appear. These things had been their nightmare for some time. But none of that happened. When he and his comrades arrived a mere hundred or two hundred meters away from the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ positions, he clearly understood why there had been no resistance on the way: The Green Skins had been blown away, what strength did they have left to stop them? Those artillery pieces, those armed pickups, had probably been blown to bits long ago. He only waited there for five or six minutes, but he had already seen hundreds of shells smash into the positions in front of them. The intense bombardment made his head numb. To be honest, Lacroix was still quite fearful at this position. If those shells deviated slightly, they would land right on their heads; even if they did not hit, being only a hundred or two hundred meters away, he could still clearly feel the power of the explosion. Even the officers kept tirelessly warning the soldiers below to not let their chests and abdomens touch the ground while lying in wait, and though it might be uncomfortable, to prop up their bodies. This was to avoid the shock wave coming from the ground, which could damage their internal organs. They stood by in this position for seven minutes. According to the squad leader, they had arrived a bit earlier than the scheduled time. Lacroix didn¡¯t understand these details since he didn¡¯t even have a watch. He only knew that now the time had come, it was time to charge. He was still a bit afraid. It wasn¡¯t fear of the Green Skins, for how many would be left alive after such a bombardment? Even if a good number survived, it was just a matter of shooting it out; he had a gun, and if they got too close, he¡¯d fix bayonets and fight it out. What he feared was the artillerymen behind him having a shaky hand, which would mean his end. But he charged anyway. Crossing the two hundred meters, they broke into the Green Skins¡¯ positions and quickly sought out all potential defensive points where Green Skins might exist. Intermittent resistance gunfire emanated. Clearly, not all of the Green Skins were dead. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In the collapsed houses, in the narrow holes formed by toppled multilayered reinforced concrete, there still lurked some Green Skin Orcs who had survived the artillery strike. As the human soldiers mounted their attack, they emerged from various places, howling as they counter-charged. But their numbers were too few. In front of Lacroix, three appeared. He and his comrades began shooting immediately. The squads in his platoon were not far apart, over thirty guns aimed at these three Green Skins, showering them with concentrated fire. The Green Skins fired back, but they only managed to get off two shots each before they were hit by nearly a hundred bullets and killed. As for their last stand, they merely managed to break a soldier¡¯s leg. Chapter 197 - Chapter 197: Chapter 150, The Deathly Iron Can_2 Chapter 197: Chapter 150, The Deathly Iron Can_2 The soldier with the broken leg had his comrades dragging him back, where the follow-up logistics support would take over and relay him back to the field hospital in the rear. The remaining men continued to advance. The artillery fire from the rear was still ongoing, the intensity had diminished a bit, but the target area of the bombardment shrunk from the full coverage of the green-skinned positions to a smaller scope, roughly covering only about two hundred meters in front of the infantry. The coordination of infantry and artillery was such that, after they cleared the area, the artillery barrage would extend another two hundred meters forward, and the newly vacant area would be scouted by the infantry as they moved ahead. This process would repeat four times until they broke through the enemy positions that stretched about eight hundred meters wide. Truth be told, the only thing Lacroix was genuinely afraid of during the whole operation was his own gunners having shaky hands. The heavy artillery blasting around two hundred meters in front of him was indeed frightful. As for the green skins? He had seen green-skinned corpses scattered all over the ground, mutilated beyond recognition, finding an intact body was difficult. Occasionally, a few living ones would pop up, but they were scattered and met with dozens of guns firing at them, posing no real threat. To be honest, apart from the fear brought by his own artillery, Lacroix¡¯s greatest feeling was¡­ a bit of boredom? Of course, he knew this feeling of his was somewhat absurd. A bit further ahead, he and his comrades entered a ruin with four walls. The roof of the building was covered with a resting concrete slab, likely hit by a shell, with smoke still billowing out. There was a fifty-fifty chance that it was empty; the other fifty percent was that it contained green skins mangled beyond human recognition or still alive yet equally disfigured. If they encountered the latter, they would just deliver a few shots to end their lives. Even so, according to tactical protocols, they still had to go in and make sure it was cleared. This time, they ran into an unlikely event. With a loud ¡®bang¡¯ of a gunshot, the first brother to enter had half his face blown open, his helmet was blasted away by the large-caliber green skin weapon, and his body fell backward violently. Lacroix was second in line. He instinctively took a step back, opening up a position to raise his gun easily. His G9A assault rifle began to wildly sweep the pitch-dark space inside. He couldn¡¯t see the target, so he fired blindly. His comrades from the same squad rushed over and, like him, poured bullets inside. Lacroix was the first to empty his magazine. He deftly straightened the bayonet, then, once the others in his squad had ceased fire, he rushed in first. In the darkness, he vaguely saw a monstrous figure taller than himself approaching, with a pungent odor. His mind went blank, but his hands moved in the most standard position, thrusting the bayonet forward. Immediately, he felt a huge resistance; he had struck something. He pushed forward desperately, twisting the rifle. The resistance made him step back a few paces, but it quickly lost its strength and was fiercely pushed down by him. Lacroix fell as well. He felt his clothes were wet, stained with the stench of fresh blood. Suddenly, several comrades from his squad rushed in. Someone pulled him up, while others stabbed at the corpse under him with their bayonets. The green skin was indeed dead. Upon leaving the narrow bunker, and with the help of light, Lacroix saw that he was indeed in a sorry state, covered in blood. But it seemed all to be green skin blood; he did not feel injured, only a bit shaky in his arm from overexertion. As he regained his senses, he was amazed that he had actually managed to kill a green skin with a bayonet! Although the creature had probably been severely wounded from the earlier gunfire and suffered multiple injuries, it was ultimately he who had delivered the killing blow. Looking around, he noticed that along with himself, there were only six men left. The one who had entered before him and had his head shot off was the fourth from their squad to die. Today, only two had been killed; the other two had died over the past half-month; their squad hadn¡¯t been replenished with new soldiers. He became more alert, and the previous thoughts of ¡®boredom¡¯ had flown far away. The squad leader came over, patted him on the shoulder, and shouted in his ear, ¡°Good job! But private! We don¡¯t have time to rest now! Move out!¡± The war, was still harsh. ¡­ Li Kexi also felt that war was cruel. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The heavy artillery had cleared a wave of enemies for them, especially with such intense fire. The remaining number of the enemy was not much, but during the close-quarters clearance, his soldiers still paid a considerable price. Of course, it wasn¡¯t to the exaggerated extent of Lacroix¡¯s infantry squad, which lost six and had two wounded, mainly because they were the vanguard and so their plight was somewhat worse. The overall casualty rate for the regiment was around 2%. They had lost about a hundred warriors, eliminating over two hundred scattered green skins that emerged. As for the total death count of green skins in this position, that was harder to estimate. The heavy artillery had been firing for more than an hour; at least five thousand shells had exploded here, the number of dead green skins was at least over five hundred. Of course, this was an estimated figure, many bodies were too mutilated or buried under the rubble to be precisely counted, so it could only be said that the number was much more than five hundred. Chapter 198 - Chapter 198: Chapter 150, The Deathly Iron Can_3 Chapter 198: Chapter 150, The Deathly Iron Can_3 The artillery bombardment had now basically ceased, guessing that the gunners had almost exhausted their shells. However, the target area that their 3rd Infantry Corps needed to conquer had also been cleared by them. Two Composite Camps from the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade swiftly moved through the breach they had created, followed by each moving south and north to start encircling the Green Skin Orcs. The rest of the allied forces had also begun a full-scale offensive. Leaving two battalions to hold the position, severing the connection between the Green Skins to the south and north of the front line, while the main force, led by Major Perbov of the 1st Brigade, 1st Battalion, started maneuvering northward. However, it was the southern part of the Green Skin positions, now divided, that ended the battle first. Not many Green Skins survived there, especially at the far south, which had been previously overrun by the 7th Garrison Division 4th Regiment. The fortifications were almost entirely destroyed, and although the Green Skins recaptured it after the retreat, the quickly rebuilt defenses were clearly subpar, and the artillery had nearly wiped out all the Green Skins there. Compared to the southern positions, the north theoretically had more troops engaged, with the 3rd Independent Regiment also joining the encirclement of the enemy. But the Green Skins that were alive there, especially in large numbers, and more importantly, there was a Green Skin leader present. ¡­ The presence of a powerful leader among the Green Skin Orcs makes a night-and-day difference in their performance. Without a leader, they would squabble amongst themselves, unable to form a group, recklessly charging without thinking; with a leader, even though they were still mostly reckless and thoughtless, they at least could act in unison. Roast Axe was such an Orc leader, commanding great influence. He was the second-in-command within the clan, only subordinate to the Big Ripper leader, commanding many strong underlings. He knew that according to the elders, according to Big Ripper¡¯s plan, they were about to launch a full assault on those shrimps. Many big booms, along with many big tanks, big cans, were all ready and Big Ripper had even sent him the second largest one to the front line in advance to calm his mind. This was bigger than a Murder Can; the elders called this thing the Fear Big Can. Even though to operate it, it would require sawing off one¡¯s legs and integrating them into the machinery, inserting many tubes into one¡¯s brain and spine, never to leave it again for life. But¡­ so what? With such a powerful thing, one could hack, shoot, and blast with many barrels more exhilaratingly¡­ no Green Skin would want to come out of such a device, right? Once inside the Fear Big Can, Roast Axe was in constant pain and torment, only able to alleviate it by killing. He couldn¡¯t wait to lead his boys and slaughter all those shrimps. But Big Ripper kept telling him to endure, endure, endure. Enduring, he endured until the sky-breaking, earth-shattering bombardment came. Where was more support from the big machines? Gone, all of it! What to do now? Up to this point, they were surrounded by shrimps from all directions, and if this continued, even if he and his boys fought bravely, it would all be over. Under his call, at least four hundred Green Skin Orcs gathered around him. He led this team of Green Skins to break out towards the east. On this path, they bore a sense of invincibility, slaying anyone who blocked their way, may it be gods or buddhas. Roast Axe, now encased within the Fear Big Can, stood four meters tall, much larger and stronger than an ordinary Murder Can, and its armor strength had even surpassed the power armor of a Star Warrior. Bullets fired at him had very little effect, unable to breach the defense; a group of commanders organized dozens of rocket launchers for a concentrated volley, killing several Green Skins, but Roast Axe, who was the main target, took the bombardment head-on with minimal damage. That thing even targeted the commander, charging forward, cutting down any soldiers in its way like chopping melons and slicing vegetables, with multibarrel autocannons firing, with wheels of sawtooth blades sweeping, dozens of infantry soldiers butchered along the way. The commander tried to retreat in the face of imminent danger but failed to do so, with the instructor killed by the autocannon, and the commander himself bisected at the waist by the sawtooth. The entire battalion was routed, and even that particular breach was difficult to reinforce in the short term. Thankfully, Major Perbov¡¯s battalion had maneuvered into position. But even so, the interception was extremely difficult. Whether it was the Strider V or the home-produced ¡®Challenger¡¯ Tanks, they were all at risk of being torn apart in the presence of the Fear Big Can! The autocannons mounted on the armored vehicles had difficulty hitting the Big Can. Despite its wild shape and massive size, its agility was not weak at all, and the gun turrets had less than perfect accuracy. Even with a substantial number of bullets hitting, they merely left small dents on its metallic armor, failing to penetrate. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Plainly put, the caliber was insufficient. Even the 76mm tank gun of the ¡®Challenger¡¯ Tank seemed inadequate. Mainly, the local artillery technology wasn¡¯t up to par, with shell velocity also lacking; despite the caliber, it struggled to penetrate armor. Of course, the tank¡¯s effectiveness was still somewhat better than that of the autocannons. Unless there was a barrage of hundreds of autocannon rounds concentrated on it, or dozens of successful hits from 76mm tank shells, whereby metal fatigue would rupture the armor of the Fear Big Can, there was no dealing with Roast Axe. On the other hand, he could approach close to armored vehicles, his massive pincers even capable of grasping the vehicle¡¯s head, causing deformation; a few seconds of direct fire from the multibarrel autocannon could breach the armor, killing those inside; and a spray of sparks would fly as the wheel of sawtooth blades cut through the armor plate¡­ Chapter 199 - Chapter 199: Chapter 150, The Deathly Iron Can_4 Chapter 199: Chapter 150, The Deathly Iron Can_4 He did it, using various methods, he destroyed two armored vehicles, two tanks. Infantry pressed forward, again trying to attack with rocket launchers, but could only achieve relatively minor effects, unable to deliver a decisive blow. To annihilate this terrifying steel behemoth, one must either bombard it with enough firepower after making substantial sacrifices, until it is blown apart. If dripping water can wear away stone, then imagine the effect of thousands upon thousands of various bullets and artillery shells smashing into it. But the sacrifice required was too great, before the ¡®Waaagh¡¯ force field was destroyed, it was uncertain how many people would die and how many combat vehicles would be damaged on our side. Another plan was to blast it with 155mm howitzers. This was a reliable approach; a couple of hits, or even a single direct hit, might well be enough to accomplish the mission of destroying it. However, this plan would also result in significant casualties¡ªmainly from friendly fire. But there was no other choice. If they didn¡¯t find a way to deal with it, the human troops wouldn¡¯t last until the steel beast was destroyed and would be breached, allowing the orcs to break through. Perbov gritted his teeth, ordered some of the troops to press forward, and at the same time called for an artillery barrage from the rear. Many of the soldiers from his First Battalion of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade were within the targeted area. When the artillery came down, many of his brothers would be killed in the blast. His heart bled, but not only could he not allow his warriors to retreat, he strictly ordered them not to fall back. This was trading the lives of soldiers for tactical gains. ¡°Let our soldiers pull back.¡± Just then, this sentence echoed in Perbov¡¯s mind. It was the voice of the Governor. Perbov was stunned for a moment, but quickly came to his senses, altered the orders, and had the soldiers fall back. As the armored vehicles and infantry began to retreat, hiding in bunkers, the terrifying steel behemoth was about to give chase. However, suddenly, a strange power caused it to freeze in its tracks. It wasn¡¯t completely immobilized, but it was as if it had lost its controller, its massive body momentarily halted. This was Gu Hang¡¯s doing! The Governor himself had joined the assault team and had arrived on the battlefield. It wasn¡¯t that he was particularly concerned about his own safety, this was a battle destined for victory, and as a Spiritual Energy user, he wasn¡¯t lacking self-defense capabilities. In this battle, as long as he didn¡¯t wish to die, it was unlikely he would. Meanwhile, his presence not only boosted the troop¡¯s morale but also addressed some special issues. Like the orc leader they were currently facing. His Spiritual Energy abilities played an important role! Gu Hang had no interest in engaging the steel behemoth in a test of pure strength; that would be a foolish move. Although his Spiritual Energy was not weak, to confront such a mechanical monstrosity of steel was folly. What he controlled was the orc leader inside the iron behemoth itself. Clearly, as formidable as the orc war machine was, it lacked the Spiritual Energy resistance provided by Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor. Against Spiritual Energy, this large contraption had no defense. However, the orc leader¡¯s ¡®Waaagh¡¯ Force Field was quite formidable. Gu Hang had to use all his might to attack the part of the soul representing the central nervous system through soul cutting. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This was difficult, only slightly easier than killing the soul itself. Gu Hang¡¯s strike could only temporarily immobilize it; after about one or two minutes, it would recover. But, this period was long enough for the 155mm howitzer shells to arrive from the artillery position in the rear. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª 6k! Three days left, still 19,000 words short. Quite the challenge. Chapter 200 - Chapter 200: Chapter 151, its so big, so green Chapter 200: Chapter 151, it¡¯s so big, so green The axe-wielding warrior, along with the dreadful iron tank he was piloting, was blown to death by fifty descending 155mm howitzer shells. The dense barrage smashed down; just as he regained power, he had no time to escape the blast zone. Even if his armor was extremely strong, it couldn¡¯t withstand such intensive artillery bombardment. Of course, in this process, collateral damage was inevitable. Within two minutes, quite a few of our soldiers couldn¡¯t make it to a safe place in time. Even if they found cover on the spot, being too close to the explosion meant they still couldn¡¯t avoid death. But this was a necessary price to pay. Gu Hang¡¯s proactive strike merely minimized this cost. Saving a hundred or two hundred soldiers was, of course, valuable. The death of the axe-wielding warrior also signaled that the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ front, which had been confronting the human forces for over a month, had completely collapsed. Furthermore, with their morale shattered, the Green Skins had no path of escape. With human forces encircling them from all sides, even if they could fly or burrow, escape was still no easy feat. And this was precisely Gu Hang¡¯s goal. What he wanted was not just a defeat, but an uncompromising annihilation. Although the casualties, on the whole, were not few, with more than a thousand soldiers likely wounded or killed in the full assault, the victory achieved was at least four thousand Green Skins annihilated. Among the enemies, 70% perished under the initial rain of artillery fire. It was at this time that Gu Hang saw a new change in his ¡°Event¡± panel. [Event: Green Skin Threat] [Mysteriously appearing on this planet, the Green Skin Orcs had grown into a formidable threat over the years. But under your leadership, the valiant warriors not only held off the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ incursions but, with orbital bombardments, artillery cover, and full-scale assaults, annihilated their main force. Yet, whether it¡¯s the intelligence gathered from the front or your own feeling, these Green Skin Orcs seem unusual. They don¡¯t appear to be wild orcs independently evolving on Rage Owl Star, nor do they seem like space orcs invading from beyond the stars.] [Phase 1 Objective: Completed] [Phase 1 Reward: T5-level additional troop training option ¨C Beast Slaughter Group, obtained] [Phase 2 Objective: Ascertain the cause of the Green Skins¡¯ rise.] [Phase 2 Reward: Important intelligence data] ¡­ The reward for the first phase of the ¡°Green Skin Threat¡± event had been distributed in the ¡°Event¡± panel. Gu Hang was now able to see the ¡°Beast Slaughter Group¡± training option among the additional troop types on the ¡°Troop Card¡± interface. As long as the unit is T5 or above, by spending some extra grace, they could add some special attack effects against the Green Skin Orcs. As for the ¡®Beast Slayer¡¯ Trait, that the 3rd Independent Regiment got for free, it could be counted as part of the rewards for the first phase, saving him sixty points of grace. The second phase, on the other hand, was something Gu Hang intended to do anyway. But he was somewhat intrigued by the reward of so-called ¡°important intelligence data.¡± What could it be? He would find out in time. After briefly checking the updated event information, Gu Hang no longer paid attention to it. The situation on the battlefield was still the foremost priority. After collapsing the main resistance of the Green Skin Orcs, the bulk of the troops took a rest on the spot, and at 5 p.m., they unifiedly consumed the dinner supplied by the logistics, rested for another hour and a half, and departed at 6:30 p.m. toward the depths of the Tower Ruins. This was not considered rash. There were likely still a few Green Skins surviving in this area, but they were no longer of significance. It wasn¡¯t feasible to completely ignore them, as subsequent forces would still need to fulfill their missions deep within the Tower Ruins, and logistics supplies also had to be transported through this area, so the security of this place still needed to be safeguarded. Therefore, Gu Hang left behind the Sixth and Seventh Garrison Divisions, one to the north and one to the south, responsible for continuing to eliminate any possible surviving scattered Green Skins within the area and to serve as a reserve force to ensure the safety of the supply line. Let¡¯s put aside the mopping-up task for a moment; it wasn¡¯t difficult anymore. And the main force advancing deeper faced no real difficulties either. The previous orbital bombardment was no joke. Under such a scale of strikes, very few Green Skins could have survived. Especially the most crucial targets: the departure positions of the Green Skin offensive forces and their main camp had been the focus of the strikes. Other areas received lighter firepower, but there were inherently fewer Green Skins there to begin with. As the troops advanced, indeed they still occasionally encountered some isolated Green Skins, but they posed no threat. Of course, for the sake of safety and future progress, every twenty kilometers traveled, one Garrison Division would still be left behind. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only While ensuring supply routes, they also had to take on the duty of eliminating the local Green Skin Orcs. Fast forward to nearly midnight that same day, the troops arrived at the rallying point of the Green Skin Orcs, which had been reported by the interstellar warriors. According to the latest intelligence before the orbit bombardment, this place was meant to have gathered over 4000 Green Skin Orcs and three times that number of cannon fodder grunts, along with a significantly larger number of heavy-duty equipment, more sophisticated than anything encountered before. However, now all that was left was a vast crater and a vast expanse of wreckage. In the center of the Green Skin rendezvous lay an immense crater, empty. Atop this massive crater, logically enough to contain thousands of individuals, there was now no trace to be found. Chapter 201 - Chapter 201: Chapter 151, Its So Big, So Green_2 Chapter 201: Chapter 151, It¡¯s So Big, So Green_2 The very definition of ¡®obliteration¡¯. On the outskirts of the crater, some suspicious debris began to appear. Looking at the scraps, one could roughly guess that they probably belonged to the bodies or equipment pieces of Green Skin Orcs. But that was just conjecture. Pieces without any discernible shape, stuff that had melted and then cooled down, were all there was to speculate with. Further away, there were parts that could be identified as belonging to something before destruction, like fingers, halves of thighs, and in these areas, the bodies tended to be more concentrated. Even further out, one could see some individual pieces of complete equipment wreckage, such as overturned, charred and tattered trucks, immobilized killing machines, and relatively intact scorched corpses. The Green Skin Orcs, once boasting with pride and ready to depart to annihilate everything, had suffered a catastrophic blow here. It was uncertain whether any Green Skin Orcs survived on the fringes of the bombardment zone, but even if there were any, they were certainly few and no doubt they would have already fled. Gu Hang was quite satisfied with the effects of the strike. However, there was one slight unease troubling him: why had the space marines not reported the effects of the strike to him before? This was not supposed to happen. The special operations team had marked the targets for the strike more than a dozen hours ago and left the range that could be affected by the orbital strike. They had more than ten hours to evacuate, which should not have been a problem. Even, there was no need to retreat so far, just maintaining a certain distance and ensuring their own positions were not marked for orbital strike would suffice to avoid fire from space, and naturally, they would be safe. After the orbital strike had ended and the magnetic field for wireless communication stabilized, they had a conversation with Gu Hang, reporting their safety, indicating they were not affected by the orbital bombardment, and upon Gu Hang¡¯s request, they went to the two most important targets: the assembly area of the Green-Skin Army and their headquarters, to investigate the impact of the orbital strike. In all logic, given their distance, they should have been able to report back very quickly. Yet, the reality was the large force that Gu Hang led had already witnessed the situation at the Green Skin Orc assembly area, but the special operations team, which should have reported back by now, had not transmitted any message. It was now midnight, far into the night. Every officer had been involved in a battle since eleven in the morning, continuously pushing through the ruins, clearing out Green Skin Orcs. For thirteen hours, apart from a short rest at lunch, there had been no time for respite, and they were all very tired by now. It also wasn¡¯t good to keep the large force moving. He found a communications soldier and sent out a radio communication request to the Phoenix Battle Group. There was no response. His feeling of unease grew. He called Perbov over and arranged for his forces to move toward the direction of the reported Green Skin Orc headquarters for reconnaissance at break of dawn the following day, after getting some rest. If they encountered Green Skin Orcs along the way, they didn¡¯t necessarily have to clear them out unless it was convenient; the main mission was to find traces of the special operations team. Gu Hang was quite anxious. Although there were five space marines in the action team, theoretically, there shouldn¡¯t be any major problems, but¡­ During the conflict with the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, they had lost a space marine, not to mention fighting Green Skin Orcs. Especially since these Green Skin Orcs seemed slightly different from the wild ones that developed independently from spores. Wild Green Skin Orcs and space Green Skins were both Green Skins, with not much difference from physical structure to social form, except that the latter developed more robustly, with a higher level of technology, powerful Orc Warlords, and even an Orc Clan overlord. The most terrifying orc disaster in the legends occurred seven thousand years ago, nearly destroying the entire Human Empire. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, excluding that kind of powerful space orc clan, the ones that developed independently on certain planets without becoming a galactic-scale threat were called wild orcs. The process of Green Skin infection spreading to another planet is difficult to trace. During one interstellar voyage, invisible Green Skin spores on some cargo might be taken aboard a spaceship. As the cargo is unloaded and lands on the ground, or is blown away by the wind and finds a suitable environment, it begins to take root and blossom, producing the first Skugg Beast. This ferocious little beast, in its hunting, fighting, when injured, during excretion, or upon death¡­ secretions, the splitting spores give rise to more Skugg Beasts, impish critters, and eventually Orc juveniles. Generally, when the Green Skin ecosystem on a planet has not fully unfolded, the Green Skins exist in a primitive tribal state. They have neither technology to speak of nor any sort of organizational structure¡ªthey are essentially just a group of wild beasts with relatively high intelligence. They will fight each other, continuously struggling for power. After all, fighting is in the nature of Green Skin Orcs, and it doesn¡¯t really matter to them whether their opponents are of the same tribe or not. Through the battles, they will select a Green Skin chief, who becomes the leader of the tribe. The Green Skins forming the tribe will start fighting against anything nearby under the chief¡¯s leadership. If they can¡¯t find opponents, they will split and then start fighting themselves. Chapter 202 - Chapter 202: Chapter 151, Its So Big, So Green_3 Chapter 202: Chapter 151, It¡¯s So Big, So Green_3 During this process, their numbers would slowly spiral upwards. Many Green Skin Orcs would die in internal conflicts, but despite fluctuations, the overall population continued to grow. At the same time, as more battles were fought and more Orcs were present, so their so-called ¡®Waaagh¡¯ Force Field became increasingly potent. This force field was intricately related to Spiritual Energy yet not quite the same; akin to some kind of ¡®idealist technology,¡¯ it would make their tribal strength grow stronger, and their technology would inexplicably advance. Various weapons and equipment ¡®devised¡¯ by the Orcs themselves and usable only by them would one day enable them to embark on a journey to the Star Sea. Of course, without external interference, this process would be incredibly lengthy. However, with external forces at play, such as if they consumed enough brains from other species or witnessed sufficient warfare technology from humans or other intelligent races, then the sparked Goblin Technicians, sly young Orc tech geniuses, and various other technically adept Greenskins would rapidly accelerate the process. By this standard, in the ruins of Rage Owl Star¡¯s tower, the Orc Clan that numbered merely in the tens of thousands shouldn¡¯t have developed killer cans or terrify iron tanks. They had guns, they had thermal weapons, and that could be deemed as fast enough progress. Similarly, the reports from Rubbish Town in the past never mentioned large-scale wars launched among substantial Green Skin factions. This isn¡¯t quite consistent with the situation of wild Green Skins. But it¡¯s even less equivalent to spacefaring Green Skins. If a Green Skin Tribe capable of crossing the Star Sea should set its eyes on Rage Owl Star, then it¡¯s time to call it a night, for they would be unstoppable. The appearance of the Green Skin Orcs at the ruins of Rage Owl Star was indeed an exceptional case. It could also be that humanity¡¯s research on the ecology of Green Skin Orcs was still inadequate, something that even the knowledge that Gu Hang had frantically been catching up on lately failed to elucidate. For this very reason, he felt concerned about the current situation of the special operations team. With such an unusually distinct Green-skin Orc Tribe, who could know whether an incident could arise that could catch even the star warriors off-guard? The Emperor¡¯s Death Angels often lived up to their demi-godly reputation; but amidst the combat against the numerous ghouls and demons of the universe, sometimes they would die in droves. Green Skins were one of those many ¡®ghouls and demons.¡¯ ¡­ It wasn¡¯t that Gu Hang was a jinx, but the special operations team really did run into major trouble. Setting the clock back to eleven in the morning, after the orbital strike hit, they indeed were unharmed. They patiently waited for some time, after the lingering effects of the bombardment dissipated and radio communications were restored, they reported back to the governor that they were safe. Then, following the orders of the governor, they made their way to the site of the orbital bombardment. The primary investigation site was actually the gathering place and the main base of the Green Skin Orcs. They went to the main base first. There, the scene was almost identical to where they set out from, also a huge crater with surrounding buildings completely leveled. The difference lay in the massacre here where there were many more goblin sages and orc artisans among the wreckage of Green Skin structures. That was about it. They wandered around the area of the strike, assessing the effects of the assault, while also keeping an eye out for any survivors nearby. The Green Skin Armory confirmed destroyed; Green Skin camp confirmed destroyed; Three Green Skin Spawning Farms confirmed destroyed; And it has to be said, Green Skins were terrifyingly tenacious. Even an apocalyptic level of bombardment¡ªthat which was more intense than a nuclear strike¡ªcouldn¡¯t take down those who were farther from the blast center, especially those who, at the time of the bombardment, happened to be in more robust shelters. Thankfully, their numbers were not many, and they were scattered. Without being detected, they didn¡¯t waste time exterminating them. Of course, if it was convenient, they¡¯d take them down. Due to the nature of Green Skin Orcs, as long as their leader was killed in the bombardment and if none of the surviving Orcs stepped up as a leader, they would revert to ¡®intelligent beasts,¡¯ acting solely on instinct and fighting among themselves until a new leader emerged. During this time, they were at their weakest. If humans seized this opportunity, they could completely wipe them out. Then, with thorough cleaning of every inch of land the Orcs had tread upon, the Orc crisis could be considered resolved. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Of course, due to their tenacity and spore-based propagation, one must never let their guard down regarding the Orc threat. For a long time to come, this planet must remain vigilant, keep monitoring the places once afflicted by the Green Skin calamity, and periodically eradicate any suspicious plant life. But as long as they didn¡¯t grow complacent and carried out the empire¡¯s regulations diligently, any problems that did arise would be minor, mostly nipped in the bud before they could escalate into a major crisis. However, just as they were relaxing a bit, a roar reached them from afar. Startled at first, they quickly realized it probably wasn¡¯t because their presence had been detected. It sounded more like a Green Skin Orc rallying its comrades with a battle cry. Chapter 203 - Chapter 203: Chapter 151, Its So Big, So Green_4 Chapter 203: Chapter 151, It¡¯s So Big, So Green_4 Communications were basically by yelling, a bit amusing, but no one could muster a laugh now. The emergence of this situation meant that in this area, there still existed an orc leader with considerable appeal. And it was unlikely that this leader had just emerged from a recent fight. On one hand, such things didn¡¯t happen so quickly; on the other hand, a newly risen boss wouldn¡¯t have this kind of charisma. So, the answer seemed obvious: under the previous, formidable orbital bombardment, a powerful leader of the Green Skin Orcs had not perished. Nobody knew whether it was sheer luck, being outside the core area of the bombing, or some other reason, but clearly, it was not good news. They decided to go and check the situation out. If a large number of Green Skin Orcs had already gathered under its call, then it was best to report the news to the Governor and then assign someone to monitor the situation. But if the number of gathered Green Skins was still small, Matins and the other four star warriors planned to take action and kill that Green Skin leader. Decapitation Tactics were among the most effective strategies against Green Skin Orcs. A grand ¡®waaagh¡¯, even if it spanned across Star Sea during a campaign, needed a strong orc warlord to organize and initiate it. Only a sufficiently powerful leader could unite the Green Skins. But likewise, as soon as their leader was killed, the remaining Green Skins would quickly disperse, and they normally had to fight among themselves until more than half were dead. They had no concept of uniting against a common enemy to save their race from extinction. Even in a specific battle, the death of a squad leader could greatly shake the entire squad; the death of a commanding leader during a campaign could lead the entire fight toward collapse¡­ When facing Green Skins, finding the biggest, greenest, and strongest one and then slaughtering it was the best approach. So, who was best suited for such a task on the battlefield? Of course, it was the star warriors. In past wars, whenever the Phoenix fought against Green Skins, they regularly carried out similar missions five or six, or even seven or eight, times in a single campaign. Now, they were simply revisiting an old craft. Even the star warriors felt a touch of nostalgia. However, when they silently arrived on the scene and saw the Green Skins that had gathered there, they dismissed the idea of a surprise attack. The number was greater than they had anticipated. There were easily more than a thousand orc youngsters. And it wasn¡¯t just light infantry; there were battle trucks and killer cans, AT LEAST fifty pieces accounted for among various kinds of heavy equipment. Moreover, stray Green Skins were continuously converging at the location. The number gathered surprised even Matins. Why were there so many? While discussing, they came up with a plausible conjecture: It was possible that this orc leader had been leading the troops he gathered toward the rally point. Then the orbital bombardment happened en route. The most important targets of the bombardment were the main camp and the rally point, which suffered the most violent, unavoidable strikes; but they, being halfway between the two, were fortunate enough to narrowly escape the disaster. There were certainly many Green Skins who had died, and from what Matins and his team could see, many of the orcs bore injuries. After all, this round of orbital bombardment didn¡¯t consist of just two Great Macro Cannons; there were also twenty smaller Colossal Cannons and hundreds of orbital missiles raining down everywhere, and those devices were extremely lethal. But overall, over a thousand Green Skins had survived. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Executing the Decapitation Tactics had become difficult. It wasn¡¯t just the large number of enemies that was the issue, but the Green Skin orc leader itself warranted attention: It was huge. It was very green. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This chapter is also 6k words Chapter 204 - Chapter 204: Chapter 152, Tribe (7K words, please subscribe!) Chapter 204: Chapter 152, Tribe (7K words, please subscribe!) If there had been a reliable ally force drawing attention at the front, Phoenix¡¯s five starfighters might have had a chance at success. But at the moment, the only allies by their side were the 28 soldiers of Storm Squad. Although they were also elite, asking them, all 28 of them, to face off against an enemy fifty times their number and distract them for the starfighters¡­ that was impossible, even if they were all killed, it couldn¡¯t be done. Moreover, even if they could draw the enemy¡¯s attention at the front, launching a successful decapitation strike would be very difficult. The Green Skin leader looked very strong. He was clad in heavy-duty equipment, his entire stature reaching up to three meters. His heat weapons and cold arms, after modifications, seemed all exaggerated. His heavy armor was certainly not something that could be easily broken through. Matins and his team were experienced and well-informed, and after evaluating the monster¡¯s strength, they concluded that not even a veteran starfighter could take it down in a one-on-one fight. Only the five of them, attacking simultaneously, could ensure a swift, no-hassle kill. But any minor issue in the process or delay, and with the constant reinforcement of Green Skins, they might get trapped and unable to come out. Forget it, forget it. Focus on surveillance, and wait for Mr. Gu to arrive with the main forces. By then, with a large army pressing forward fully, it would be much easier for the five of them to make a move in the chaos of battle. There was no need to be adventurous now. However, as they dampened their efforts, the Green Skins seemed to have discovered them. The conspicuous Orc leader cast his gaze towards their hiding place from afar. Matins furrowed his brows. ¡°Why were we discovered?¡± He was truly perplexed. Had his senses deteriorated from not having fought against the Green Skins for a while? But upon careful consideration, their actions seemed flawless, and the elites of Storm Squad also did a good job. Logically, they shouldn¡¯t have been so easily detected. ¡°I don¡¯t know how they discovered us,¡± said Schneider, ¡°but I do know we¡¯re in trouble.¡± Get ready for combat¡­ combat my ass! Thirty men against a thousand well-equipped orcs led by a boss was a suicide mission. While the distance between both sides was still great, running away was the most sensible option! However, during their escape, they soon realized what had revealed their position. It was, of course, another Green Skin Orc, standing right beside the Orc boss. His hunched figure did not look tall, nor was it equipped with any exaggerated weapons; it looked quite ordinary. The unusual part was the silver-gray metal rod in his hand, which was not originally a product of Green Skin technology. However, on its upper part, it was decorated with beast teeth, multicolored paint, and filled with the style of the Green Skin Orcs. The old orc pointed his scepter towards the location of the starfighters. An intuition of imminent danger made them immediately start to dodge. Just then, a red laser beam shot towards them. The starfighters were unharmed, but the beam penetrated the bodies of two Storm Squad soldiers. The bulletproof alloy steel plates beneath their uniforms barely served any purpose; both soldiers had fist-sized, penetrating wounds burnt through them. The beam, after passing through the two men, extended far into the distance until it hit a distant ruined wall and disappeared from sight. The two soldiers collapsed to the ground, weakly convulsing and struggling on the earth. They weren¡¯t dead yet, but death was certain. No one could save them, and during a retreat, it was impossible to bring along two wounded who would inevitably die within minutes. This couldn¡¯t really be considered abandoning comrades, but morale inevitably dropped during the escape. Even without the burden, their escape was far from smooth. The hunched old orc continually released beams from his hand, firing every few minutes. The highly penetrating energy beam was something not even the starfighters could ignore. A direct hit by two beams would damage the power armor; three could be fatal. Even without hitting the same spot, two hits would weaken the armor¡¯s overall defense due to structural changes, allowing the third to be deadly. Fortunately, the old orc¡¯s attack range was extremely far, still deadly even over two thousand meters away. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, he lacked high-magnification aiming scopes and the ability to aim shots. Although the beam didn¡¯t suffer from trajectory deviation over long distances, if he couldn¡¯t aim properly it was all for naught. The reason the first shot was fatal was because the team had not had the chance to fully disperse their formation, and they were too close to each other; a random shot was likely to hit, which resulted in the fatal blows to the two Storm Squad soldiers. Now, as they were on the move and had dispersed their formation further, hitting them was not so easy. Furthermore, they weren¡¯t without the means to fight back. Explosive guns, the electromagnetic rifles in the hands of Storm Corps, had the capability to kill enemies at a distance of two thousand meters¡ªalthough there would be significant attenuation, a hit would still be lethal. T3 class soldiers were already reliable in shooting accuracy, not to mention the starfighters who could not be evaluated simply by the ¡®T¡¯ rating, and even had built-in combat assistance systems in their power armor to help them aim and shoot more accurately. Chapter 205 - Chapter 205: Chapter 152, Tribe (7K words, please subscribe!)_2 Chapter 205: Chapter 152, Tribe (7K words, please subscribe!)_2 Even though their firearms were not the sniper models specially designed for long-range kills, they could still pose a threat to the old orc at a distance of two kilometers. However, they did not succeed in shooting it dead, killing only a few unlucky Green Skins who got in the way. The old orc was quite cunning, too. Upon realizing he had become a target, he didn¡¯t stubbornly exchange fire with the interstellar warriors of the Storm Corps. Instead, he took cover behind the Orc Warlord. That was a large shield; even a grenade rifle couldn¡¯t damage the armor on him at a distance of two kilometers, let alone harm the old orc hiding behind him. But similarly, while taking cover might have spared him from being killed by grenade rifles or electromagnetic rifles, he also couldn¡¯t continue to pose a threat to the fleeing humans. Nevertheless, the situation for the human side was hardly any better. A considerable part of the Green-Skin Army had started to move. Armored trucks and killer cans were chasing them. Even the Orc Warlord had personally joined the fray. Bullets were fired at them over a two-kilometer gap relentlessly. The Green Skins¡¯ shoddy firearms made a racket, but their bullets couldn¡¯t even travel the two-kilometer distance, falling to the ground halfway, not to mention having any accuracy. But the Green Skins were not left without weapons that could threaten them at this distance. Setting aside the tin barrel cannons, which lacked precision and were like using a cannon to swat a mosquito and actually had to hit, the heavy machine guns on the armed trucks and the Multibarrel Autocannon mounted on the killer cans could still be threatening beyond two kilometers. The precision of the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ weapons was hard to predict, but when bullets came flying in a dense stream, as long as the general direction was correct, the bullets would still be lethal at two kilometers. With their vast numbers, even random shots were threatening enough. Members of the Storm Squad kept falling during the retreat. At this moment, turning around to return fire was not particularly useful. They could neither kill all the enemies nor fend them off. They could only keep running. Of course, escape was actually impossible. If the interstellar warriors ran at full speed, they might have a chance, but the elite soldiers of the Storm Squad were certain to be caught. But even for the interstellar warriors, the chance of escape was slim. After all, running at full speed meant exposing their backs to the enemy, and if there was one place where the Mecha were weakest, it was definitely the back. To die with one¡¯s back to the enemy was undoubtedly a great disgrace for an interstellar warrior. And even if they decided to forsake honor and abandon their comrades to flee with all their might to preserve the fire of the battle group, the outcome might not be any better. Until they had completely left the enemy¡¯s attack range and evaded pursuit, it was likely that someone among them would fall, paying who knows how many lives in order to escape, with no chance to recover their genetic seeds. Now, although they were still retreating, sometimes they faced the enemy while firing and moving backward, and other times they took shelter behind a slope or the ruins of a building, temporarily stopping the bullets from hitting them¡­ Retreating in such a manner, they obviously couldn¡¯t run fast. On the contrary, even if the path was rugged, those armed trucks with their six wheels were at least mobile. Even if some areas were inaccessible to wheels and they had to detour, they wouldn¡¯t slow down much. As for the killer cans¡ªthose walking Mecha¡ªthere were even fewer issues. Matins and Schneider combined their efforts to take down a killer can with concentrated fire from their grenade rifles at a distance of over a thousand meters, but that hardly quenched their thirst. While fighting and retreating, they could only do their utmost to delay the enemy¡¯s pursuit. They also couldn¡¯t run in a straight line¡ªthey had to avoid incoming fire and also be on guard not to be outflanked by the armed trucks taking detours. They were fully aware that being caught up to was now inevitable. But that didn¡¯t mean they were utterly hopeless. Although they didn¡¯t speak to each other, Matins believed that his comrades probably shared his thoughts: they were looking for a defensible location to hold out until reinforcements arrived. Although they didn¡¯t know how long they would have to wait, this option seemed more reliable than running. Of course, they also had to be prepared for the worst-case scenario: total annihilation. But what of it? War is like that. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Especially when facing an Orc Clan that had surpassed the level of ordinary wild Green Skins¡ªwho knew whether a mishap or a victory would come first? Along the way, they indeed found some locations conducive to defense: there were several large, sturdy buildings with three or four stories. Even though this place was no longer the central target zone for orbital strikes, those buildings had stood for a century without collapsing and had weathered the quake-like aftershocks of near-orbital bombardment without falling. This proved that the pre-war structures were sufficiently robust. Taking refuge in the high-rise buildings and fighting inside, the armed trucks would struggle to enter, and the killer cans would find movement difficult. They would only need to defend a section in front of them and wouldn¡¯t have to face bullets coming from all directions as in an open field. But those high-rises were still not the best choice. Chapter 206 - Chapter 206: Chapter 152, Tribe (7K words, please subscribe!)_3 Chapter 206: Chapter 152, Tribe (7K words, please subscribe!)_3 They were worried that those Green Skins, if they made use of explosives in a targeted manner, would be able to blow up their location, and they might face attacks from all sides¡ªespecially if the enemy used ladders to climb up. Matins and his group were still searching for a more suitable location to hold their ground. Despite no one knowing whether the last abandoned high-rise, which seemed defensible, was the best spot they could find next, or if the next would be even worse, they had to keep searching in order to maximize their defensive advantage. This time, The Emperor seemed to have heard their loyal prayers, and their luck suddenly changed for the better. A soldier discovered an underground space amidst the ruins of a building. As for defending, this kind of basement was well-suited. Although there was still the danger of collapse, if it was deep and sturdy enough, the risk of being buried would be smaller than having a high-rise blown up. And as for other aspects, it was nearly all advantages. There was only one entrance, which made it easy to defend; the inner space was more restricted, reducing the number of enemies they would face, preventing the enemy from leveraging their numerical superiority; in such limited space, not even a killing jar would fit, which was even better. If worst came to worst, they could seal the entrance. Though they wouldn¡¯t be able to get out themselves, at least there would be no worries about being overtaken for a significant time. After staying a day, when Mr. Gu¡¯s army arrived, the outside might be much safer, and they could dig themselves out in power armor with their bare hands¡ªmaybe even make their way out in a few days. In any case, it was better than waiting to die. The only concern was whether the vertical depth of the underground space was sufficient. If it was just a small basement, once they entered and enemies rushed in, getting trapped with no room to maneuver would also be very dangerous. However, just by briefly passing by the underground entrance, Matins dismissed this concern: This wasn¡¯t any kind of basement; it was an underground research facility! You could tell just by the thick, solid circular iron door at the entrance. In the past, this iron door must have been power-driven, as it would have been impossible to close or open by human strength alone. Now, though, it was merely ajar, its power mechanism long ineffective. Without any room for hesitation, Matins chose to enter. Five interstellar warriors and 21 surviving soldiers from the Storm Squad stepped into the underground space. At Matins¡¯s signal, a squad of elite soldiers ventured deeper to explore. They needed to understand the layout, to know where to fall back if the fighting turned unfavorable; moreover, they also needed to ascertain if there were other entrances or exits, for a possible escape or to guard, preventing the Green Skins from discovering them and attacking from behind. The rest remained about twenty meters inside the entrance, hurriedly gathering any materials they could find¡ªbroken bricks, building materials¡­ in short, quickly constructing a defensive position. They were to hold the entrance, delay the enemy as long as possible, and inflict casualties. But they didn¡¯t have much time at all. Only two minutes later, enemies appeared at the entrance. It was just a few Green Skins, apparently dismounted from an armored truck that couldn¡¯t pass through. No sooner had they shown their heads than they were mercilessly killed. Within the thirty-meter range of the entrance, the interstellar warriors and elite soldiers of the Storm Squad were accurate with their shots. What was critical was that their weapons were far from weak compared to the G9 series rifles. Bomb guns could kill Green Skin brats with one shot, and electromagnetic rifles only took a few more. In other words, if those Green Skins only tried to storm in using infantry, they were likely to die without capturing the place. The interstellar warriors each had nearly three hundred rounds; the Storm Squad soldiers had at least one hundred eighty rounds each. Used sparingly and accurately, they might be able to hold on. The Green Skin Orcs understood this point as well¡ªEven if they didn¡¯t, after the killing jars couldn¡¯t make it through, and they had gathered metal barrel cannons to bombard the entrance, with twenty lads rushing in and none coming out alive, it became clear. They stopped sending more men to die, which gave Matins and the others a chance to catch their breath. But he also knew this was the calm before the storm. It was deep into the night, yet they dared not rest. They attempted to contact Mr. Gu, but the wireless communication had been cut off. It was likely that the Green Skins had the technology to block communication signals. In any case, they didn¡¯t have many options now; they had to hold on with the natural advantage of the location. ¡­ The Orc Elder Gorgon glared angrily at the flesh-tearing figure before him, much stronger and larger than himself, wishing he could kill him. But that was not an option. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He was no longer a match for the flesh-tearer. He couldn¡¯t even stand by and watch the flesh-tearer go to his death. He knew those hiding were ¡®cans¡¯. In his distant memory, he had seen these cans before, and they killed Orc youngsters as easily as Orcs slaughtered little devils. The flesh-tearer was already the strongest warrior in the tribe, but according to his old memories, he judged that if the flesh-tearer charged in recklessly, he might kill one or two cans, but he would ultimately die there. The flesh-tearer couldn¡¯t die. If he did, the more than a thousand youngsters that had just been regrouped would immediately plunge back into collapse. Below him were five or six Orc chiefs of equal rank, all following the flesh-tearer because he was stronger and greener. If the flesh-tearer died, a bloody struggle would undoubtedly ensue among them, and they would fight with their followers, not caring about anything else until only one remained. Chapter 207 - Chapter 207: Chapter 152, Tribe (7K words, please subscribe!)_4 Chapter 207: Chapter 152, Tribe (7K words, please subscribe!)_4 ¡°` If it were usual times, Gorgon wouldn¡¯t mind these things, but not now. He still needed the clan to continue existing. He could only plead earnestly once more, ¡°Why won¡¯t you listen to me? When have I ever deceived you?¡± ¡°Nothing will do!¡± Tearing Flesh was still so stubborn, ¡°I must kill all those shrimp! I¡¯ll only leave after I¡¯ve killed them all! All my boys are dead, the munitions factory is gone, the farm is gone, but I haven¡¯t personally killed a single shrimp! This is absolutely unacceptable!¡± ¡°But we¡¯ll all die here!¡± Gorgon growled, ¡°Those shrimp have already killed Broil Axe, wiped out all the boys in front, and they are coming to kill us! We must leave now, this isn¡¯t the time to fight! Once we have more boys, more big guns, then we¡¯ll come back and kill these shrimp!¡± Pausing for a moment, the Orc Elder Gorgon pointed to the barely visible tunnel entrance in the dark night, continuing, ¡°Years ago, I was dug out from there, and after I personally killed the few shrimp who had dug me out, I carefully inspected the place. It¡¯s very sturdy, only accessible from the front entrance, but with those canned goods guarding it, even you couldn¡¯t break through¡­¡± At this point, Gorgon suddenly fell silent. He saw that Tearing Flesh¡¯s eyes filled with brutality were staring at him. It was as if he had made a mistake, he had just told the strongest boss in the tribe, you can¡¯t do it. And this was something most Orc bosses would never believe. The enormous Tearing Flesh looked down at the decrepit Gorgon. Tearing Flesh said, ¡°I¡¯m the boss, I don¡¯t have to listen to you. I¡¯m the biggest in the tribe, the greenest, there¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t kill.¡± With that, his mechanized arm grasped Gorgon¡¯s throat, lifting his frail body up: ¡°You¡¯re too old, too weak, I¡¯ve had enough of your words. I¡¯ll keep your head and let you watch with your own eyes how I tear those shrimp to pieces.¡± Gorgon hissed as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately couldn¡¯t utter a word. Tearing Flesh didn¡¯t want to listen to him anymore, his mechanized arm just tightened, twisting Gorgon¡¯s throat. The light in Gorgon¡¯s eyes quickly faded. In that moment, he remembered many things. He was originally just an ordinary craftsman boy from the Iron-Tooth Clan. He was born on a warm planet where his clan had completely conquered the place, and the remaining shrimp were corralled as food, as slaves, as tools of amusement¡­ Then, the shrimp came. The clan¡¯s battleship was destroyed, lots of canned goods fell from the sky, together with many shrimp, they raided and destroyed the planet¡¯s anti-orbit cannon. Then using incessant artillery fire, they purged the entire planet again and again. All the Green Skin Orcs he knew died, and he was lucky to survive. But afterwards, he was captured. And after being transferred around, he ended up here, locked in that underground research facility nearby, for who knows how many years. He was dissected, but the tenacious life force of the Green Skin Orcs allowed him to survive time and again after simple stitching; he was injected with all sorts of strange liquids, used as a guinea pig for various experiments¡­ But suddenly one day, everything stopped. He was stuffed into a cold storage unit, it was very cold, and he soon lost consciousness. When he regained consciousness, there were a few ragged shrimp standing in front of him. They had never seen a creature like himself, but once he had regained his strength, he broke out of the glass sarcophagus that held him and slaughtered all those shrimp. But he had forgotten many things, how to make cannons, how to make killer cans¡­ only recently had he started to remember these. Then, he walked out and encountered many monsters. He fought those beasts, hunted them for food, and in the process, he bled. Wherever his blood was shed, within a year, some green plants started to grow, Skugg beasts, farts, and other Green Skin Orcs gradually began to emerge. ¡°` He was happy, he wasn¡¯t alone anymore. There were people to fight with, to accompany him in battle. He still remembered, among the new lads that appeared, there was one he fancied most, called Ripper. The lad didn¡¯t let him down and became the first leader. Together they gathered all the lads, and Gorgon, following the memory of the clan from the past, established their own tribe and gave it the same name as before¡ªIron-Tooth Clan. Over the years, the tribe¡¯s numbers kept growing; they began to expand outward until they encountered many tiny shrimps. He was delighted, for fighting with shrimps was the most fun. As they fought, the tribe would grow stronger. The lads went to battle, to die, and then those who survived grew bigger, greener; even the dead would sprout more Green Skin Orcs¡­until there were more and more of them, stronger and stronger, and then Ripper could bring about a great ¡®Waaagh,¡¯ and the Iron-Tooth Clan would sweep across the entire planet, turning it into a place just like the one he was born on. A little over a month ago, tougher shrimps appeared. Gorgon was not worried; on the contrary, he was even more excited. Amidst the intense battles, the ¡®Waaagh¡¯ force field grew denser, Ripper grew bigger, and as he reveled in it, he even recalled many technologies he had once forgotten, making killing cans, terror iron cans, and even crafting a set of warlord armor for Ripper. Only¡­why did something like what destroyed the Iron-Tooth Clan before begin to fall from the sky again? Gorgon couldn¡¯t fathom it. If only we could make big ships that fly outside the planet too. This was his last thought. And the last sound he heard was Ripper¡¯s roar of fury. Then, his consciousness faded into darkness. ¡­ Matins and Schneider wore solemn expressions when they saw Ripper. At such close range, they could finally confirm that this was an Orc Warlord. From their past combat experience, they clearly understood the level of strength this creature could possess: Average interstellar warriors couldn¡¯t last three blows in front of an Orc Warlord; to defeat one in a duel, at least a squad champion was needed. And at this moment, with the arrival of this Orc Warlord, countless Green Skin Orcs began to swarm in, too numerous to count in the moment, restricted only by the narrow entrance that prevented them all from squeezing through at once. Matins and Schneider exchanged a glance, and what they saw in each other¡¯s eyes was not panic, but excitement. Opportunity had come! They weren¡¯t afraid of the Orc Warlord¡¯s appearance, because its appearance meant a great opportunity! To kill an Orc Warlord required the intervention of a squad champion. Isn¡¯t that a coincidence? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Squad champions, there are two right here. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This chapter is 7000! More 6000 words tomorrow! This month¡¯s challenge plan will then be completed! Chapter 208 - Chapter 208: Chapter 153, Death of the Interstellar Warrior Chapter 208: Chapter 153, Death of the Interstellar Warrior Interstellar warriors, of course, have their strengths and weaknesses. Apart from weapons, power armor models, and other hardware configurations, an individual¡¯s strength cannot be overlooked. Veteran soldiers can take on two, even three new soldiers without much trouble; the champion of a platoon is the strongest among a hundred warriors. Matins and his companion Schneider both were such champions. Of course, theoretically, the strongest member of a battle group should be the group¡¯s champion or its leader, but Matins had been temporarily promoted after the battle group was nearly annihilated. His true strength was at the level of a platoon champion. Even so, he had a chance against an Orc Warlord. If it were a warlord who had control over an entire planet, that might be very difficult; but the one at hand was far from that level. Moreover, his armor, while looking fierce, had probably not yet reached the level equivalent to the Terminator Model Armor among interstellar warriors, so there was a chance of victory. The issue now was to create an opportunity for a one-on-one combat. This was difficult, but not entirely impossible. Many green skins had surged in, and the entrance became very crowded. The Orc Warlord, along with his mechanically enhanced armor, was only a little smaller than a killing can, and was quite squeezed in the underground entrance corridor. Behind and in front of him were more killing cans streaming in as well. Interstellar warriors, the soldiers of the Storm Corps, were already firing with all their might. There was no need to worry too much about accuracy; the entrance was clogged with green skins, and even a blind man, holding his gun and firing towards their roar, could hit the enemy accurately. However, as this continued, a lot of green skins died, but their ammunition was running out rapidly. Especially after the frontline green skins were almost dead, what they faced now were killing cans that nearly blocked the entrance solidly, having to bend their mechanical knees, slowly and clumsily moving forward. If killing cans wanted to come in, that meant pure brute forcing. Their body size was only slightly smaller than the height and width of the entrance. They could squeeze in, but they couldn¡¯t use their limbs freely at all. Especially since there were many green skin youngsters following them, if they raised their multibarrel autocannons to open fire, it¡¯s difficult to say how many human soldiers they could kill. But surely not many green skins standing in front of it would survive. But¡­do green skins care about such things? The first one to open fire was not the squeezing killing cans, but the flesh rippers. They struggled to find a gap behind the killing cans to thrust their large guns out and then opened fire towards the front. The killing can, squeezed and uncomfortable, was hit by the blaster gun and in agony, also went berserk and followed with fire from its multibarrel cannon. Under the intense firepower, neither the interstellar warriors nor the elite of the Storm Corps could risk poking their heads out. Too close¡ªif the helmet of a power armor was hit by large-caliber autocannon at a distance of twenty to thirty meters in rapid succession, it would still get blown off. They could only hunker down. Fortunately, cover made from various metal scrap and rubble was not so easily destroyed. But even so, they eventually chose to abandon this position. The killing can, straining to reach their previous location, forcefully pushed some obstacles aside, finally freeing up some space for movement. However, the next moment, a violent explosion occurred right there! The thick red light rolled over, and the killing can was immediately immobilized. Ordinary explosives, of course, would not easily destroy a killing can. But if it were the thermite grenades commonly used by the interstellar warriors, that would be a different story. The metal-built body of the killing can, hit by a thermite grenade hidden beside the obstacles and hard to spot, was blown into two pieces. The instantly elevated extreme temperature was unbearable even for armored metal. In an instant, the armor plates began to melt and fray. If the thermite grenade had been a bit larger, turning the killing can into molten iron was also a possibility. Of course, that would have been somewhat overkill. The current extent was enough to induce its destruction. Not only did the armored body lose its ability to fight, the shaved-off imp inside, with limbs removed and tubes plugged into its brain, was already scorched to death. This mini thermite grenade was one of the remaining supplies of the battle group. Similar disposable equipment was still available, but the more they used, the less they had, and it was impossible to resupply on the godforsaken Rage Owl Star. Yet, the interstellar warriors couldn¡¯t afford to grieve their losses. High-value equipment was meant to be used at times like this. Moreover, frankly, the most precious thing in the Phoenix Battle Group was the lives of its warriors. In their minds, they counted the time. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The extremely high temperature from the thermite bomb would not last long. With rapid decay, the interstellar warriors knew exactly that after 6.72 seconds, the temperature would no longer be able to penetrate the power armor they wore and cause any harm. And that was precisely their moment to act. Five interstellar warriors struck simultaneously at that time. Three stood firm, their blaster guns already switched from accurate single-shot mode to full-speed firing mode. The last full magazine, loaded in advance, poured out countless bombs in an extremely short span of time. These bombs, almost all of them, went past the destroyed killing can, hammering towards the Orc Warlord behind it. Chapter 209 - Chapter 209: Chapter 153, The Death of the Interstellar Warrior_2 Chapter 209: Chapter 153, The Death of the Interstellar Warrior_2 Aside from the three of them, with Schneider in the front and Matins a bit behind on the flank, the two former champions of the Phoenix Battle Group, now the strongest individuals in hand-to-hand combat within the battalion, sprinted towards the Orc Warlord. Their speed burst to an extreme in an instant, following the bombs, as they charged at the Orc Warlord. Nearly all the bombs hit the Orc Warlord. His ultra-heavy armor, which not even a space warrior¡¯s grenade gun could penetrate, failed to inflict direct damage on the orc chief behind. Yet, with dozens, if not hundreds of bombs, the diamond-tipped projectiles clinking against it unrelentingly, he still felt a significant impact. Not to mention, the bombs would explode a second time, causing additional damage. After nearly a hundred miniature explosions, even the toughest flesh and thickest armor could not help but become dizzy and uncontrollably staggered backward. During this time, his body, far stronger than that of an average space warrior, was still capable of counterattacking at the critical moment. He struggled to lift his spear and fired forward without aiming. In a split second, about a dozen large-caliber bullets fired off. The power of this weapon¡¯s caliber was certainly no less formidable than that of the grenade guns in the hands of the space warriors. More crucially, even though he didn¡¯t aim, the narrow terrain was fair to everyone. The space warriors were not small in stature either. Two-thirds of the bullets still hit their targets. Schneider took four hits, with his thick, curved shoulder armor deflecting three, but one still penetrated where the shoulder met the chest armor. There was armor there too, of course, but it was relatively weak and the bullet struck at a good angle. This shot injured Schneider. But his stride only faltered for a moment, then he continued to rush forward without any reduction in speed. Behind the two men, one of the most unlucky brothers-in-arms took two shots to the helmet. He grunted and fell to the ground. Three or four men from the Storm Corps tried to pull the fallen warrior back but failed to succeed. Even with their strength enhanced to T3 level, far surpassing that of an ordinary person, three or four men could not hope to drag a fully-armed space warrior. At this moment, Matins and Schneider had both reached the front of the Orc Warlord. Schneider took a slight leap, raising his striking position, and his combat knife accurately stabbed into a fissure where the orc¡¯s armor joined. It pierced through. Schneider could hear the Orc Warlord let out a deep roar of pain, evidently hurt, and his body was even brought to the ground by the force of Schneider¡¯s thrust. But this only incited the orc¡¯s ferocity. His metal-coated arm bent inward, and the autocannon mounted on his wrist aimed at Schneider. With one more pull of the trigger, a storm-like barrage from the autocannon would unleash countless rounds in an instant, all of which would hit Schneider at close range. Even with his powered armor, he could not avoid serious injury. But at that moment, Matins arrived. His chainsword struck down hard from the other side, hitting a weak joint on the arm, with the chainsaw¡¯s power turned up to the maximum, sparks flying. He felt a massive resistance but gritted his teeth, pressing down hard with the chainsword. A moment later, the gun-mounted hand was severed. Schneider was somewhat unsatisfied. Matins indeed saved him, but in his view, this was also a wasted opportunity. If Matins had chosen a more lethal spot, it might have been possible to kill this formidable foe directly. Although he would pay for it with serious injury or even death, the calculation under his cold combat will deemed it still worthwhile. However, Schneider said nothing about it, not because his life was saved, but because at this moment in the fight, the slightest change could be the difference between life or death. The Orc Warlord had only lost an arm; he wasn¡¯t dead yet. Without his spear, the brute still had a massive cleaver welded to his other hand. The greatsword suddenly slashed toward Schneider, and Schneider freed one hand to seize its arm, wrestling with it, while his other hand tightly gripped the dagger plunged into his battle armor, drawing it outward along the trajectory of force, aiming to enlarge the wound, hoping to reach vital organs. At the same time, Matins, who had lopped off the hand of the Orc Warlord and was covered in blood inside his helmet, lifted the chainsaw once more; this time, he aimed for the neck, the fleshy part. The gap between his heavy helmet and his breastplate was the best point of entry. However, the entire battle process, though extremely swift, did have its delays. When the massive body of the Orc Warlord fell, the enemies who had been blocked behind had a clear line of fire to launch their attack on the two of them. The crude firearms in the hands of individual orc brats could be temporarily ignored. Although the firepower of the green-skinned guns was generally high, it was unrealistic to expect to injure a star warrior with just a few shots. But the weaponry in the hands of the killer cans was different. The multibarrel autocannon opened fire. Schneider was hit several times, which affected the strength of his grip on the green warlord¡¯s arm. The large, ruthless sword slashed across his lower back. Chunks of his tough armor were blown away, blood splattered. The flesh-tearer still planned to pull out the greatsword for another blow, aiming to completely sever the shrimp can in half at the waist. But at that moment, Matin¡¯s chainsaw sword arrived. The fury of the Phoenix Battalion Leader was immense, all vented through that one sword strike. With the burst of firelight, the chainsaw tore through the gap between the helmet and the breastplate, the enormous volume of blood spurting out due to the motion of the chainsaw, like a fountain. Just as Matins had previously severed the Warlord¡¯s forearm, this time he also cut off the opponent¡¯s head. Immediately afterward, Matins didn¡¯t check on Schneider¡¯s condition but pulled out his chainsaw sword and, despite the fire from the killer cans¡¯ autocannon, charged forward. The killer can seemed slightly larger than the Orc Warlord and bore a range of frightening close-combat weapons. However, in terms of armor strength and power output, it couldn¡¯t compare with a genuine Orc Warlord. Moreover, with the confined space limiting movement, its combat effectiveness was further reduced. Matins, in his rage, had also been injured by the autocannon, but still quickly dismantled the orcish walking mecha. At the same time, the other two star warriors also charged out, and the three began a frenzied slaughter of those orcs who lacked the cover of heavy equipment. In the narrow space, the three were like highly efficient killing machines, and those green-skinned brutes had no power to fight back against chainsaw swords and combat blades. The elite soldiers of the Storm Corps at the rear wanted to help, but they found it unnecessary when they raised their guns; the green-skins they targeted often ended up slain the next moment. The soldiers looked at each other and, in the end, lowered their weapons. Better to stand down and avoid friendly fire. But in truth, the star warriors didn¡¯t kill that many green-skins at the entrance. After another twenty or so were dead, the remaining live orcs had all fled. Orcs weren¡¯t always endlessly courageous, especially after the death of their leader, their morale would collapse, and they would flee. The retreating green-skins ran, all the while bellowing some language. Although it was hard to understand, one could guess they were saying their boss was dead. Matins, panting, did not lead the charge out. He was furious, but still rational. In this place, they could utilize the terrain to kill countless green-skins. Out there, in the open, they couldn¡¯t withstand dozens of killer cans and armed trucks to annihilate thousands of orcs. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They could only retreat, dragging Schneider and the star warrior wounded in the head to safety. At this moment, the noise from outside also became audible. Having lost their strongest leader, the green-skins predictably showcased their traditional skill¡ªbeginning to fight amongst themselves. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª One more chapter to come tonight. Chapter 210 - Chapter 210: Chapter 154, I saw it Chapter 210: Chapter 154, I saw it Interstellar warriors are not invincible; there are too many strange and terrifying things in this universe. Actually, if those greenskins had been a bit more strategic and, in particular, if that leader Tear Meat hadn¡¯t been so impatient to lead the charge, but instead kept sending murder cans with ordinary greenskin kids or even fart spirits to consume the ammunition and pave a way, and then had Tear Meat lead enough troops for a decisive, final blow, Matins and the others¡¯ ultimate fate might have been total annihilation. Ultimately, there were too few interstellar warriors, and their weapons and equipment were too light infantry-oriented. If they had had more heat guns, plasma guns, heavy explosives, or micro heat bombs, or if they had traded their combat blades and chainsaw swords for power weapons¡­ Perhaps the battle would have been easier, and the cost not so great. The two fallen interstellar warriors lay quietly on the ground, while the remaining three huddled next to them. The elites of the Storm Corps did not dare to come close; they naturally left space for these superhuman warriors. Today¡¯s battle, after those who had undergone Mr. Gu¡¯s special training and felt strong, clearly recognized the gap between themselves and the real superhuman warriors. Without these five interstellar warriors, relying on themselves alone, they probably would have been crushed like chicks by that Orc Warlord. However, even such powerful demigods have their moments of death. The warrior who was shot in the head had breathed his last. The first shot from the large-caliber machine gun had deformed his helmet, and the refined ceramic steel material could not withstand such a bombardment; the second shot went through the helmet whose defense was greatly reduced after deformation, causing fatal damage to the brain tissue. Schneider was not yet dead, but¡­ If they had had a Pharmacist and a Dreadnought Mech, he might have been able to change his identity, find a new way to continue living, and keep fighting for The Emperor. But they had none of these things. Schneider knew what was coming. He understood the condition of his body better than anyone else. With half his waist sliced open and multiple vital organs destructively damaged, the fact that he had not yet died and was even temporarily conscious was already a testament to the robust vitality of an interstellar warrior. He lay half-reclined on the ground, his helmet long since removed, and the fresh blood bubbling from his mouth soiled his beard and half his face. Yet his expression was very calm. In contrast, Matins and the other two Phoenixes appeared much more sorrowful. It was then that Schneider spoke up, ¡°Why such a look?¡± His voice was weak and strained. Excessive blood loss and organ destruction had allowed a great deal of blood to fill his lungs, making even breathing difficult, let alone speaking. But from his voice, one couldn¡¯t hear too much pain; he sounded very calm. The warriors beside him did not speak, nor did they stop Schneider from continuing. Logically, since he was nearly certain to die, they felt it was only right to let him speak his last words. ¡°Don¡¯t look so sad; isn¡¯t this our destiny? Is there really any interstellar warrior who can serve a certain term and retire peacefully? Dying on the battlefield is our inevitable end; it comes for all of us eventually.¡± ¡°My only regret is that I won¡¯t get to see the revival of our war group.¡± ¡°Matins, to be honest, I have never accepted you as the leader of the war group. I¡¯m stronger than you, more ruthless, more decisive, more like a tough warrior, yet the leader chose you to succeed him. Even now, it still bothers me.¡± ¡°Since you became the leader, I¡¯ve disagreed with almost every decision you¡¯ve made. Sometimes I genuinely thought those decisions were indecisive and weak. But other times¡­ well, I admit it was just because I couldn¡¯t get over it, intentionally opposing you, like this time coming to Rage Owl Star to seek help from Mr. Gu.¡± ¡°On our way to Rage Owl Star, we encountered so many worlds where no one truly wanted to help us. This was one of our few options. Although Mr. Gu doesn¡¯t even have full control over his own world, and although this world is so barren, at least everything started to look hopeful.¡± ¡°Now that I¡¯m about to die, I must confront my inner feelings and tell you honestly: I acknowledge this Mr. Gu; I believe he really can help our war group to revive.¡± ¡°Matins, I know that since we¡¯ve arrived at Rage Owl Star until now, we¡¯ve already lost three brothers, including myself. This might shake your heart, after all, you¡¯ve never been one to hold steady. But I need to tell you, don¡¯t waver, don¡¯t hesitate. Since we¡¯ve made our choice, we must stand firm and keep going.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Matins was at a loss for words. The person who knows you best is your competitor, and he had to admit that Schneider had indeed seen into his heart. He did feel lost and shaken. How long had they been on this planet? Merely two months, yet three out of seven brothers had died, including Schneider, a warrior even more seasoned than himself. The problems on this planet were far more severe than he had anticipated. A native Evil God who had already fallen into Hell, an orc tribe that had produced a Warlord¡­ these enemies were ones he had never considered before arriving at this star. With things continuing this way, could the four remaining members of the war group endure until the moment of Revival City¡¯s rebirth? What if Revival City¡¯s rebirth never arrives, and the war group perishes here? What he hadn¡¯t expected was that the person urging him to stay resolute would be Schneider. They say that a man¡¯s final words are often his good ones, and perhaps these were Schneider¡¯s true thoughts. But why had he undergone such a change? Matins wanted to ask, but he was somewhat afraid to speak. Schneider, however, seemed to see right through to the thoughts in his heart: ¡°I¡¯ve seen Mr. Gu¡¯s troops, that army under his command. If he was able to train such a formidable army in such a short time, with heroes inside it that even I have to acknowledge, what¡¯s not to believe?¡± Matins remained puzzled. Schneider was right, but those so-called brave soldiers¡­ truth be told, in their long history of fighting, they had seen many such units of elite troops from various empires working together in combat. Is it really that significant? The blood-covered Schneider, however, revealed a faint smile. He struggled to raise his hand and gestured with a crook of his finger. Matins leaned down, bringing his ear close to Schneider¡¯s mouth. Between the movements of his lips, Matins heard news that shocked him: ¡°I¡¯ve been to that Secret Research Institute in Weixing City, I¡¯ve seen¡­ many black boxes.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Although a bit late, this chapter has still made it! Our goal of 160,000 words for May has been achieved! But I¡¯ll have to take a day off tomorrow, the company notified us of overtime tonight, and it looks like it¡¯ll be a busy day. I¡¯ll make up for the missed days in the following two days! Chapter 211 - Chapter 211: Chapter 155, Whats the deal with those black boxes? Chapter 211: Chapter 155, What¡¯s the deal with those black boxes? When Gu Hang received the message, the battle was already over. Setting out early in the morning, the First Battalion of the Extinguishing Wind Regiment, under the command of Perbov, pushed forward rapidly and soon discovered the group of Green Skins that were still embroiled in internal strife, making no attempt whatsoever to conceal their tracks. They appeared to be divided into several factions, fighting among themselves ceaselessly. Perbov was in no rush to provoke them. There was no need. With the Green Skins fighting so fiercely among themselves, it was better to let them continue¡ªideally, to have them all perish would be best. He would not be foolish enough to throw the lives of his soldiers into a battle while he could watch the enemy destroy each other. He passed the message backward and dispatched a few action teams to search for traces of the missing special operations team, while the main force remained at a distance, patiently monitoring the situation. After a few hours, the second and third battalions had also arrived. Having gathered three composite camps, or nearly two thousand men, and watching as the Green Skins were on the verge of finishing their fight, with a leader about to emerge, and some orc youth even attempting to flee in all directions, Perbov chose to act. He did not want to let any of the surviving Green Skins escape and add to the difficulty of subsequent mop-up operations. Before taking action, Perbov requested artillery support from the rear. If it had been any earlier, the artillery would truly have been of no help to them. They had only just attached the towed artillery to trucks and reached the predetermined shelling position by late last night. As a result, early this morning and without a moment to catch their breath, they received his request for artillery support. Shell supplies were low, and the artillery brothers were exhausted. At that moment, only about twenty guns could be spared, firing five rounds each to deliver a hundred shells in total. But that was enough. The Green Skins, who had just been brawling, had no time whatsoever to set up anti-artillery positions and were bombarded into disarray. After the shelling, the mechanized three composite camps began their fierce charge. Perbov¡¯s camp took the lead, with the second and third camps flanking from the left and the right. With numerical superiority and completely mechanized teams, except for the artillery troops left behind at the joint artillery position, they had tanks, armored vehicles, and infantry transported by trucks, giving them formidable overall combat power. In contrast, the Green Skins initially numbered only about a thousand, with many dead after their internal fighting. The most threatening of them, the killer can walking mechas, were destroyed in great numbers both during their own fighting and under the artillery barrage. The remaining ones, when facing tanks and armored vehicles, still posed a threat but became the primary targets for concentrated fire. Fortunately, the killer cans were different from the powerful Death Tin Cans or even the defense capabilities of the Heavy-Armored Orc Warlord, which could match the strength of the Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor. The smaller and much thinner killer cans, when facing the concentrated fire of at least ten or more twin-barreled machine guns, experienced continuous deformation of their metal armor until it was eventually penetrated and torn apart. Besides the machine guns on the armored vehicles, the 76mm smoothbore guns on the domestically produced Challenger tanks, in coordination with the machine guns on the Walkers, could deliver significant damage to the killer cans with a single shot. If they had unified command and sufficient armored strength, relying on the formidable physique of the Green Skin Orcs, they might have had a chance to break out. But clearly, they did not. Green Skins do not surrender, but they will run, charge mindlessly, and fight independently¡­ Annihilating this group of Green Skin Orcs was not a problem. Casualties were inevitable, but this was likely the last organized troop of Green Skin Orcs. This was the final battle before victory. ¡­ ¡°` After the battle was over and the battlefield was being cleared, Major Perbov received word from the special operations team he had sent out to search. They had found the interstellar warriors. The commander of the Phoenix Battle Group requested to see the commanding officer here. And so, Major Perbov met the stern-faced Matins. The two did not converse much, Matins simply informed Major Perbov about the underground space where they had been hiding before. Previously, Matins had ordered a few soldiers from the Storm Corps to thoroughly investigate the area. The initial intention was to find other exits to prepare escape routes and avoid being ambushed. However, what the Storm Corps soldiers found was unexpected. It turned out to be a research institute, conducting biological research from the prosperous era before the destruction of Rage Owl Star. The data contained within might reveal the origins of the rapidly developing green skin orcs found within the ruins of the high tower. However, since their main focus at the time had been on the battle, they did not delve deeper into exploration. Matins suggested that Major Perbov should take good care of and protect the site for future exploration. After presenting this information, Matins left with his four brothers, including the bodies of two fallen comrades, requesting a troop transport truck to depart. Two interstellar warriors, together with the two bodies, headed for Revival City. They had completed their mission, and it was time to leave. Matins, on the other hand, went straight to the rear to find Mr. Gu. ¡­ Gu Hang encountered Matins on his way to the wartime research institute. He had already received information in advance and roughly knew what had happened, especially about the two interstellar warriors who had died. To be honest, this was not what Gu Hang wanted to see. He had previously thought about waiting until all the interstellar warriors were dead, then, using the event of the ¡°Phoenix¡¯s demise¡± which granted him the ability to exchange for gene seeds, to mass-produce his own super-soldiers. But regardless of whether this action was despicable, one shouldn¡¯t do it now. Not to mention the considerable expenditure of grace points, he hadn¡¯t found a place to buy powered armor yet. He had already felt the significance of super-soldiers like the interstellar warriors in the war. Furthermore, the Phoenix Battle Group led by Matins had always cooperated quite well with him. They had never shirked from the tasks he issued and got straight to work. Wasn¡¯t that good enough? Gu Hang certainly did not wish for them all to die. Even the loss of two of them pained him, just like losing two of his own elite men. Upon meeting Matins, he offered his condolences to the group commander who had lost his brothers and then expressed that if anything was needed subsequently, he should speak up. For instance, the equipment suitable for gene seed surgery had already been ordered through others. This was not to deceive Matins; in fact, Gu Hang had indeed contacted a caravan of the Empire Commerce Guild through Yelisia. That caravan had agreed to slightly alter their trade route to pass through Rage Owl Star and was expected to arrive before too long. However, even after hearing Gu Hang speak thus, Matins¡¯s expression did not improve much. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Since coming to find Mr. Gu, he had already planned to be frank about everything. ¡°Governor, about that secret research institute¡­ what¡¯s with those black boxes?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Came back from overtime at ten o¡¯clock¡­ For today, let¡¯s leave it at this, I¡¯ll try to stay up a little longer at night to get back to a stable noon update schedule. ¡°` Chapter 212 - Chapter 212: Chapter 156, Green Skin Campaign Settlement Chapter 212: Chapter 156, Green Skin Campaign Settlement Matins suddenly mentioning the Secret Research Institute and the black boxes was beyond Gu Hang¡¯s expectations. But his expression remained very stable. He replied, ¡°Have you seen them yourself?¡± ¡°No, but Schneider had,¡± Matins responded. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Gu Hang let out a breath, thinking again about deploying his interstellar warriors ahead of schedule. Just to be watchdogs; how great that would be! If a team of interstellar warriors were guarding his research institute, Schneider wouldn¡¯t have had such an easy time getting his hands on them. Black boxes were his second biggest secret, second only to the system. The security level there was very high, and under normal conditions, no one could get close¡ªanyone ignoring warnings would be shot on sight. But¡­ as was said, that¡¯s under normal conditions. A master like Schneider was clearly not a normal circumstance. Clad in power armor and covered by a dark cloak, slipping in by night, his huge frame moving soundlessly and very quickly¡ªit¡¯s hard to do anything against such a master, who could scout everything out with such methods. It¡¯s unreasonable to expect those mechanical servant-soldiers to defend against interstellar warriors; it¡¯s just not realistic. Lacking sufficient security forces, it¡¯s impossible to prevent such things. As for Matins¡¯s current questioning¡­ Gu Hang sighed and continued, ¡°Commander Matins, we are partners, so I don¡¯t want to deceive you with excuses. Please don¡¯t ask where these manufacturers come from. I can only say I have my secrets. Can you understand that?¡± Matins remained silent. Secrets? He instinctively felt something was amiss at the word. A planetary governor with some unspeakable secrets¡ªis that ever good news? While the ownership of a Black Box Manufacturer itself is not illegal¡ªin fact, such ancient super-technological items are treasures ceaselessly sought by the Human Empire throughout the universe¡ª It¡¯s precisely because they are so valuable that a seemingly unremarkable and even somewhat shabby planetary governor should not possess them. Why would he have one? Let alone several. Gu Hang chuckled softly and continued, ¡°I really cannot tell you the origins of these Black Box Manufacturers. But please believe that my faith in The Emperor and my loyalty to the Empire are unwavering. You are right here on Rage Owl Star, right next to my government, my city. You are more than welcome to keep your eyes wide open and see for yourself whether there is anything disloyal going on here.¡± ¡°We are exterminating the Cultists lurking within the city, we are annihilating the green-skinned aliens that are popping up on the planet; we are building our cities and factories, reclaiming lands controlled by what could be called traitors. All of this, is to ensure the entire planet remains loyal and able to better pay its taxes to the Empire.¡± ¡°Everything I am doing is perfectly in line with the Empire¡¯s expectations of a planetary governor. Even, I believe I¡¯m doing a better job than most governors.¡± Gu Hang emphasized his loyalty, supporting it with his actions on the planet during this period of time. After hearing all this, even Matins had to nod. If you claim there¡¯s something wrong with Gu Hang, you need to have proper evidence, right? You can¡¯t just use possession of the Black Boxes against someone. There is no crime in owning treasures. In fact, Matins saw no signs of decay, corruption, or disloyalty under Gu Hang¡¯s power. At this point, even Matins had to soften his expression, ¡°Mr. Gu, I do not doubt your loyalty, but¡­¡± He didn¡¯t know how to continue appropriately. But Gu Hang followed his pause, stating, ¡°But you suspect that these black boxes of mysterious origin imply I could be deceived or lured by some sinister force?¡± Matins said nothing, which was as good as agreeing. Gu Hang responded with a smile, ¡°Then as I said earlier, just wait and see.¡± Matins looked hard at Gu Hang and declared, ¡°I will be watching you closely, Mr. Gu.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Gu Hang laughed heartily, open and unreserved, ¡°Then it¡¯s settled.¡± Ending his laughter, Gu Hang adopted a serious demeanor, ¡°However, Commander Matins, I hope you can keep this matter confidential.¡± ¡°You are aware of the preciousness of the Black Box Manufacturer, and you understand the trouble I would face if word got out that there¡¯s more than one such device on Rage Owl Star, amidst the Star Sea.¡± ¡°Commander, you need to understand one thing: we are closely connected. The development of Rage Owl Star and the rebirth of the Phoenix are strongly linked. The Black Boxes are not just tools that I use to build the entire planet; they are also key to the Phoenix¡¯s reconstruction. This news should never be leaked; wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± By this point, Gu Hang spoke with an earnest attitude. Matins once again had to concede that Gu Hang was right. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only When the fate of the battle group was tied to the planet¡¯s development, what reason would he have to betray this information? He even recalled what Mr. Gu had told him when he first persuaded him to keep his forces on Rage Owl Star. At that time, Mr. Gu had made a bold claim that he would turn the entire planet into a forging world. Back then, Matins thought Gu Hang was just making empty promises, boasting. But now, it seems Gu Hang genuinely had the capital to fulfill them. No wonder, just before Schneider¡¯s demise, he had made statements that strengthened his resolve, prohibiting any wavering and ensuring he stood by Mr. Gu. Chapter 213 - Chapter 213: Chapter 156, Green Skin Campaign Settlement_2 Chapter 213: Chapter 156, Green Skin Campaign Settlement_2 It seems I¡¯m still too indecisive. Schneider wasn¡¯t too fond of Mr. Gu at first, but after seeing the black box, he kept the secret to himself and even changed his mind, hoping that the battle group would cooperate fully with the governor. And yet, I wavered¡­ He forced a wry smile and said to Gu Hang, ¡°I will keep your secret, Your Excellency the Governor, the battle group¡¯s future rebuild is in great need of your assistance.¡± ¡°Rest assured, I will not forget the Phoenix Battle Group¡¯s outstanding contributions to the safety of Rage Owl Star. The gene seed implantation devices needed by the group will be ready soon.¡± ¡­ After seeing off a preoccupied Matins, Gu Hang also let out a slight sigh of relief. He wasn¡¯t really too worried about Matins spreading the secret of the black box after learning of it. The sincere conversation they just had was merely to make sure that the head of the battle group didn¡¯t do anything foolish. As long as he wasn¡¯t muddle-headed, when the fate of the battle group was tied to the development of the planet, even from his own self-interest, he shouldn¡¯t betray the planet. And now, since Matins had already made guarantees and promises, there was even less need to worry. Without dwelling any further on the matter, Gu Hang continued to follow his planned schedule and headed to the pre-war research institute that was located underground, where the interstellar warriors had previously fought to the death. By the time he arrived, the place had been secured by soldiers from the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade. They had also conducted a thorough investigation to ensure its safety and had marked out the general function of every different room and area. Further exploration, let alone the excavation of research materials inside, was not something the grunts were fit to handle. Gu Hang had already sent a message to the Secret Research Institute in Weixing City, asking Wu Jiarong to bring people over to check it out. If the research materials here were indeed of great value, then the lady, whose level had actually risen to that of a Mechanical Priest, would stay here for a while; if they were of average value, then it would suffice to leave a few ordinary technicians to do some archaeological work. This time, Gu Hang had come in person not for the potential technical materials that might be contained in the research institute. He just wanted to know the historical records of why Greenskins had appeared on Rage Owl Star. It was not merely out of curiosity; the requirement on the [Event] panel was just as such. Getting what he wanted to know wasn¡¯t difficult; soon, he found some simple record materials. It turned out that in the pre-war era, this place was a biological research institute, employed by the Planetary Government. They had acquired a live Greenskin craftsman technician in an attempt to study the biological form of Greenskins and to understand how their brains were structured and why they could create such unique Greenskin technology. They had some research findings, but they were not key, mostly being theoretical stuff. However, just as they were about to destroy the experimental materials, the war broke out, and this place was quickly overrun. After initiating a full lockdown of the lab, there was no need to worry about it being broken into by Chaos Traitors, but it also meant that the lab had been sealed for a very long time without being opened. The records stopped there, but Gu Hang could roughly guess the rest. After all, having been sealed for such a lengthy period, the safety systems might not have been able to hold up any longer. Moreover, this was a place that scavengers and adventurers explored. Due to some reason, the research institute being reopened and the preserved experimental specimen¡ªthat Greenskin craftsman technician being released¡ªwas also a possibility. No wonder this Greenskin tribe developed quite rapidly. Starting with a craftsman technician from a spacefaring Greenskin tribe could not be considered a pure start from scratch. Even though the environment wasn¡¯t quite suitable and it started with just an old aging Orc, ten years after being unearthed, a strong Greenskin tribe had tenaciously emerged here. Gu Hang could even imagine, if not for his intervention, what would this Greenskin Orc Tribe have developed into after completely conquering Rubbish Town, slaughtering, and enslaving its two to three hundred thousand people? Especially after leaving behind the ruins of the high tower, an inhospitable place for the growth of Greenskin spores, and reaching a place with abundant water and relatively fertile land, where live humans could be used as raw materials, their numbers would likely explode in growth in a short amount of time. By that time, what he would have to face wouldn¡¯t be just a Greenskin Orc Tribe of tens of thousands. And as long as their numbers increased three to five times, coupled with their technology level far surpassing that of the primitive Orcs, the trend of Greenskins rampaging across the entire planet would have been unstoppable. Given the current state of Rage Owl Star, how could it withstand the frenetic development of several hundred thousand Greenskins? One could only say, thankfully, that worst-case scenario didn¡¯t come to pass. ¡­ After Gu Hang figured out the intelligence on the origin of the Green Skin Orcs on Rage Owl Star, the second phase of the ¡°Green Skin Threat¡± event in the [Event] panel was also considered complete. The so-called important intelligence that served as a reward for this phase was obediently lying in the panel, ready for him to claim with a mere thought. However, before that, another piece of news caught his attention. The entire campaign against the Green Skin Orcs had finally brought up the settlement page. Previously, the back-and-forth skirmishes took place more than once, but there had never been any battle settlement data in the system interface. At that time, he had a suspicion: Those battles would probably not be calculated separately but would be incorporated into the overall campaign of the ¡°Green Skin Threat.¡± The rewards would not be settled until the entire campaign was over. And now, his conjecture seemed to indeed be true. [Slight Advantage Achieved, Granted 2189 Favor Points] [Total Losses 9144, Enemies Slain 37823, Prisoners 0] [Rubbish Town Militia (Allies): Losses 3447, Enemies Slain 217] [Governor-General Corps: Losses 5697, Enemies Slain 15022] [Phoenix Battle Group (Allies): Losses 2, Enemies Slain 230] [Imperial Navy (Allies): Losses 0, Enemies Slain 22354] ¡­ 2189 Favor Points in profit! Seeing this figure, Gu Hang had only one thought in mind: War is indeed more profitable! It was just a pity that only over fifteen thousand were counted as his confirmed kills. The Rubbish Town Militia item could be ignored; it seemed that the adventurers there were counted as allies before the major reorganization of Rubbish Town and weren¡¯t considered as his troops. After all¡­ the Rubbish Town Militia was truly rubbish at that time, losing over three thousand for a mere two hundred kills. It didn¡¯t have much impact. The exchange ratio achieved by the Interstellar Warriors was really fierce. Despite being completely outnumbered, they not only managed a ratio of one hundred to one but also included the highest leader of the Orc Clan, the Orc Warlord. If he had been present in the frontal battlefield, he could have likely slaughtered hundreds of human soldiers. However, their total number was small, and the number of enemies they killed was not large, so their achievements could temporarily be ignored. The most important was the Imperial Navy¡¯s ¡°Quintet,¡± whose full round of orbital bombardment killed over twenty thousand Green Skins. This achievement would not be credited to Gu Hang¡¯s account, nor would it provide him with any Favor rewards. But it was equally crucial. Without the twenty thousand Green Skins killed by the orbital bombardment, if it had all been left to the forces under Gu Hang to push forward, the cost to him could have been unimaginable. He couldn¡¯t risk the victory of the entire campaign just for the Favor Points he could gain from killing enemies. Moreover, even these two thousand or so Favor Points were very satisfying. Adding the previous balance, Gu Hang now had 3079 Favor Points in his hands! At this, he felt greatly relieved. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only With so many Favor Points, many of Gu Hang¡¯s plans could finally come to fruition. The Architectural System, which he hadn¡¯t been able to work on previously, could now be invested in, especially the Loyal Heir Academy he had long desired. The exchange of Interstellar Warrior gene seeds which he had previously hesitated over due to their high price was now achievable with his surplus Favor Points; he could exchange for a few to try out. The traveling merchants he had contacted had brought him several sets of Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor, and now he could experiment with creating his own Interstellar Warriors. He could also continue to invest in the technological system, further expand the technological level of his territory, and develop several more industrial lines. Every technology he had elicited had yielded results. In short, with enough Favor Points, there was a lot he could do. Chapter 214 - Chapter 214: Chapter 157, The Eve of the Star War Chapter 214: Chapter 157, The Eve of the Star War With three thousand grace points in hand, Gu Hang felt the troubles of sudden wealth. However, after calming down, he thought that although the number of grace points was not small, there were equally many places that were eagerly waiting for money to be spent. If he really followed his plan, he feared that even if he threw all three thousand grace points in, it would only make a few splashes. For example, the exchange of genetic seeds for Interstellar Warriors; if he threw all three thousand grace points into it, it would yield only thirty seeds. Building them was something that could not be sustained. He still needed to plan carefully. While making money is important, how to spend it is also a matter of knowledge. But this was something that didn¡¯t need to be rushed for now; the grace points were already in his hands and they weren¡¯t going anywhere. He had plenty of time to arrange things properly. He shifted his gaze to the ¡°Important Intelligence¡± that could already be activated on the [Event] panel. What could it be? With a thought, he opened the intelligence. When he truly saw the message, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Now, he had only one thought: it was a good thing he handled this [Event], and he solved it rather quickly. Otherwise, if he missed this intelligence, a disaster would have occurred. [An elder of this Green-skin Orc Tribe, the master craftsman Gorgon, created a cosmic communicator during the tribe¡¯s prosperous times and reached out to his mother clan¡ªthe Space Green-skin Orcs of the Iron-Tooth Clan¡ªwith a communication request. In the communication, he mentioned the location and the cosmic coordinates of Rage Owl Star, inviting the main forces of the Iron-Tooth Clan to come.] [After sending out the message, there was no reply and Gorgon had forgotten about it. But in fact, his message was successfully transmitted; he had simply forgotten to build a receiver in the communicator. A pirate plundering fleet of the Iron-Tooth Clan received the message and is now heading towards Rage Owl Star.] [In the near future, the Tenth Plundering Fleet of the Iron-Tooth Clan will pass through the Star Realm Tunnel and reach the jump point of the Rage Owl Star System.] [Coincidentally, an Imperial Merchant Fleet is also about to pass through the Star Realm Tunnel and reach the jump point around the same time.] ¡­ If he hadn¡¯t received this intelligence, Gu Hang dared not think about what would have happened! The merchant fleet was one he had invited. The Empire Commerce Guild, belonging to one of the official organizations of the empire, is necessary to get approval and be registered as a merchant in order to form a merchant fleet capable of navigating the endless boundaries of the empire. Otherwise, one might very likely be treated as a pirate. Fortunately, registering as an Imperial Merchant wasn¡¯t too complicated, nor was the threshold too high. As long as one¡¯s identity and the goods being transported were clear, and they were willing to accept missions issued by the Empire Commerce Guild when necessary, that would suffice. Of course, a spaceship capable of traveling through the Star Realm Tunnel was indispensable. When registering as an Imperial Merchant, the first and third items are generally more rigorously checked. As for the second item¡ªthe goods¡­in principle, the requirements are also very strict. But sometimes, it¡¯s all down to one¡¯s own abilities. And the people who can do business with the Imperial Merchant also need to have permission. Generally speaking, these permissions are granted to planetary governors. In reality, as the governor of Rage Owl Star, one of Gu Hang¡¯s major powers was the ability to trade with the Empire Commerce Guild. The output of Rage Owl Star was very limited, but it still needed important goods from other empires¡¯ worlds, and there was a huge profit margin in between. The trade quotas in between were controlled by the planetary governor, and that was precisely the basis for past governors to acquire power without the support of cruisers and with a scarcity of manpower. Of course, Gu Hang didn¡¯t need to acquire power that way now. However, it had been different when he first arrived. A month ago, he took the initiative through Yelisia to contact the Empire Commerce Guild, hoping that a merchant would adjust the route to pass by Rage Owl Star System and engage in some trade. This was actually a bit difficult; Rage Owl Star was too small, and the past trade records were¡­ rather modest. But what if Gu Hang was a member of the Gu Family? In this aspect, his family¡¯s status still played a certain role. The merchant who came, named Wang Jiarong, was Gu Hang¡¯s cousin. Besides the regular trade goods, her ship was also carrying two items that Gu Hang had specially ordered and cared about a lot, both related to Interstellar Warriors. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor and the biological equipment needed for the implantation of genetic seeds. Whether it was for the hard-won trade opportunity, for the goods specifically ordered on the ship, or for his smiling cousin who had a pretty good relationship with his predecessor, he had to find a way to save that merchant fleet. Moreover, the ¡°Tenth Pirate Plundering Fleet of the Iron-Tooth Clan¡± mentioned in the intelligence was already targeting Rage Owl Star. Was it not best to deal with them decisively when they might clash with the Imperial Merchant Fleet, rather than waiting for them to complete their plunder before taking action? Given the Green Skin¡¯s technological capabilities, even if the empire¡¯s ships were turned into scrap, that space debris could still be collected by them and used as materials. Not to mention the various goods stored within the merchant fleet. As for how to deal with the Green-skin pirates mentioned in the intelligence¡­ Rage Owl Star definitely did not have the capacity. It was estimated that the entire planet didn¡¯t even have orbital defense means, a single starship couldn¡¯t be found, let alone launching an offensive. Chapter 215 - Chapter 215: Chapter 157, Eve of the Star War_2 Chapter 215: Chapter 157, Eve of the Star War_2 But isn¡¯t there a ¡°Quintet¡± floating in the planet¡¯s orbit? A legitimate Imperial Navy main cruiser! ¡­ Gu Hang almost immediately contacted Yelisia. The female captain, upon hearing that a squad of Green Skin pirates was approaching, not only did not show gravity or panic but felt excited instead. In the sky, fulfilling the governor¡¯s request, conducting orbital strikes¡­ although this also counted as a merit for the navy, it couldn¡¯t compare to fighting a naval battle, annihilating a Green Skin fleet, and saving a fleet of the Empire Commerce Guild. The latter was the opportunity that Colonel Yelisia longed for in her dreams, where true naval glory lay. However, Yelisia wasn¡¯t blinded by this news. ¡°What¡¯s the source of the information? Is it accurate?¡± ¡°I can assure its accuracy,¡± Gu Hang said. ¡°In the battle on the surface, I captured a cosmic signal transceiver that explicitly mentioned this. But I can¡¯t guarantee when that Green Skin pirate fleet will arrive.¡± Yelisia then asked, ¡°Can the size of that fleet be known?¡± Gu Hang gave a wry smile and shook his head: ¡°That¡¯s where the risk lies. I can only tell you that the fleet should belong to the ¡®Iron-Tooth Clan, Tenth Plundering Fleet¡¯. As for how many ships it contains, the scale of its main force¡­ I have no idea.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s quite troubling,¡± Yelisia said. ¡°I have only one ship here. If the Green Skins are many and strong and we attempt an ambush, it would be like throwing ourselves into the net.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Hang agreed. ¡°So, is there a way to get support? We need more ships. Is it possible to call the Tianma Star Sector Fleet to send more reinforcements?¡± ¡°I would have done so even without you telling me. But, we must also prepare for the worst: What if they don¡¯t arrive in time?¡± At this time, Yelisia¡¯s mind was very clear. She craved military honors, yearned for destroying the enemy¡¯s ships in a grand naval battle, earning glory, and erasing the impression that she got her position through connections. But equally, as someone who graduated from the Imperial Navy officer training with excellent results all the way, she was no fool. Nor was she cynical. She clearly understood that her family background was not a burden but a significant aid. If she continued on this path, whether now or in the future, she was destined to be one of the top people in the Tianma Star Sector, at least as a backup. Service honors were indeed important. However, if the risk of seeking them were too great, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. If this naval battle merely resulted in a loss, if only in sacrificing the Rage Owl Star, that might still be okay. She would have borne the shame of defeat or the disgrace of fleeing without fighting, but there would still be a chance to redeem herself. But if she were to recklessly engage in battle and lose the ¡°Quintet,¡± the main cruiser¡­ Dying with the ship would end it all; even if she survived, there would be no chance of a comeback, and it would also bring disaster upon her family. Such a high cost made caution mandatory. Gu Hang understood this point. He pondered for a moment and said, ¡°We are not fighting alone. The empire merchant fleet heading to Rage Owl Star is led by my cousin. As far as I know, she has not only one main armed commerce ship but also two escort ships. We could ambush near the warp point. If the Green Skin fleet encounters the merchant fleet, we can decide whether to join the battle or not depending on the situation.¡± In doing so, Gu Hang was suspected of throwing his cousin under the bus. But in fact, without saying so, he couldn¡¯t persuade Yelisia to take the risk and join the fight. ¡°Feasible,¡± Yelisia said. ¡°But I have to be upfront with the ugly part: the specific size of a Green Skin pirate plundering fleet is not fixed, and if the situation turns sour, I will make an immediate decision to retreat and avoid the edge.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± At this point, Gu Hang also felt quite heavy-hearted. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry too much. Even if that happens, you vigorously resist on the surface of the planet. Once I rally with the main force of the Star Sector fleet, I will come to your aid immediately. As long as you hold on, there¡¯s still hope.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Hearing this, what more could Gu Hang say? He could only nod his head. If the incoming Green Skins were truly numerous and fierce, and even the main cruiser ¡°Quintet¡± had to make a break for it, Rage Owl Star was definitely doomed. He just hoped that situation wouldn¡¯t arise. ¡­ After finishing the discussion with Colonel Yelisia, Gu Hang led his troops away from the tower ruins and returned to the main camp outside Rubbish Town, where he temporarily stayed. He needed to reorganize his troops here. The Seventh Garrison Division was essentially dismantled, leaving only its framework. The officers were mostly retained, but the troops were reassigned to the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, and 3rd Independent Regiment. These two and a half brigade-sized units¡ªthe Wind-Extinguishing Brigade only had three camps¡ªhad a total force exceeding twenty thousand men. Their equipment and ammunition were given priority. Furthermore, Gu Hang put the three Composite Camps of the first brigade and the full second division, totaling over thirteen thousand troops, through extra training with the ¡°Beast Slaughter Group.¡± These twenty thousand troops would soon board the transport ships descending from the ¡°Quintet¡± and enter the starship. This was the assistance that Colonel Yelisia requested, and Gu Hang had agreed to it. Although¡­ there was a chance of encountering an overwhelmingly strong enemy, and the colonel might take her elite troops and make a dash for it. But Gu Hang never pinned his hopes on resisting alone on the planet after the ¡°Quintet¡± had fled. That was unrealistic. On the contrary, he too boarded the ship. He harbored two thoughts: Firstly, if the enemy was relatively strong, and Colonel Yelisia contemplated retreat, he would then try to earnestly persuade the lady to join the battle. If necessary, his twenty thousand soldiers and the four urgently summoned Phoenixes would be his bargaining chip to sway Colonel Yelisia. Secondly, if the enemy was indeed too powerful to fight against, then¡­ his life mattered most. He would flee with Colonel Yelisia and wait to join the main fleet of the Star Sector before striking back. But if it really came down to that second scenario, it wouldn¡¯t just mean that all of Gu Hang¡¯s efforts for a long time had been wasted, but also that there might not be a chance to start over. A Planetary Governor fleeing with the Imperial Navy before the fall of his planet came with enormous political costs. When the time came, he might end up in court and possibly dead. Therefore, Gu Hang hoped above all not to resort to the second option; he needed to resolve the matter at the first opportunity. ¡­ A few days later, at the first jump point of the Rage Owl Star System. Beneath the flickering blue light, four ships suddenly emerged from the void. Among these four vessels, the largest, about one-third the size of the ¡°Quintet¡± and comparable to a main destroyer of the Imperial Navy. This was the ¡°Beautiful Girl,¡± an armed merchant ship. Although large, it only carried a little over twenty thousand sailors, and its armor thickness, void shield strength, and firepower were far less than that of a main destroyer of the same size. Next to the ¡°Beautiful Girl¡± were three much smaller vessels. These were not merchant ships¡ªalthough they could also carry some cargo if necessary¡ªthese were three escort ships. Each, about eight hundred meters long, carrying over seven thousand sailors. Their owner was named Wang Jiarong. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This young woman, resembling a girl, dressed in a white skirt decorated with golden patterns, with a golden sheer draped over her. She stood in the captain¡¯s room, gazing out at the boundless Star Sea through a distant window. Supporting the white round-edged cap on her head, her beautiful face bore a trace of concern. Behind her, the vast ship control room, was frantically processing information from the ship¡¯s Thinker Array: at the jump point, they had detected the approach of another unfamiliar fleet. In at most an hour, that fleet would pass through the jump point and arrive in the real universe. Chapter 216 - Chapter 216: Chapter 158: Star Realm Tunnel Chapter 216: Chapter 158: Star Realm Tunnel In this vast universe, the most critical reliance for interstellar travel is the Star Realm Tunnel. A single Star Realm Tunnel connects two star systems, compressing distances that span hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of light-years into a journey of just a few days, at most around a month. Cosmic ships, starships, that possess the capability to enter a Star Realm Tunnel essentially enter a state of hyperspace upon doing so. The normal state of travel for a starship in the cosmos is to navigate at sub-light speed within a star system, from one jump point to the next, then into a Star Realm Tunnel, arriving at another star system, and finding the next jump point¡­ This necessitates the use of star charts, as well as navigators. These individuals are trained spiritual energy practitioners. Only they are capable of distinguishing the exact locations of Star Realm Tunnel jump points in the void of space, guiding the ship through the tunnel to the other side. Thus, the so-called star charts also become meaningful. Star charts display the many star domains connected through Star Realm Tunnels. Two physically adjacent star systems could be vastly different in reality. Perhaps two physically close star systems, only tens of light-years apart, but without a direct Star Realm Tunnel connection, require traversal through several tunnels for travel, making them effectively distant from each other; whereas two physically distant star systems, tens of thousands of light-years apart, may be connected by a Star Realm Tunnel, making them adjacent on the star chart. Within the Human Empire, the physical distance between star systems doesn¡¯t matter much. Without the Star Realm Tunnels, relying solely on the ships¡¯ own propulsion at sub-light speed, even the closest stellar communications are unrealistic. Of course, physical distance cannot be entirely disregarded. Some monsters and demons truly manage to endure countless years of time, slowly flying through the cosmic void, and indeed emerge from it. Within the territorial divisions of the empire: Cosmos Domains, Star Domains, Star Sectors, Star Systems, these four structures are all based on the star chart. The dense network of Star Realm Tunnels, like a massive web, connects the entire empire¡¯s territories. Within the Rage Owl Star System, there are three Star Realm Tunnels. Tunnel One connects to the Korolya Star System, Tunnel Two to the Heijian Star System, and Tunnel Three, instead of connecting to the Tianma Star Sector, connects to the neighboring Divine Steed Star Sector. Both the Tianma Star Sector and the Divine Steed Star Sector belong to the Dragonhawk Star Domain and are under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Cosmos Domain. Wang Jiarong¡¯s merchant fleet had just come from Tunnel One, having wrapped up a deal in the Korolya Star System. Originally, her travel plan did not include a stop at the remote Rage Owl Star, but wasn¡¯t it Yelisia who had conveyed her cousin¡¯s needs to her? After pondering a bit, taking a detour to the Rage Owl Star System, then heading to the Heijian Star through Tunnel Two, and finally returning to Korolya III before going back to Capital Wing Star didn¡¯t seem to pose a major problem. Covering extra distance, visiting two more planets, she shouldn¡¯t come out at a loss¡ªshe might not earn much, but she decided to consider it supporting her cousin, whom she hadn¡¯t spent little time messing around with during their childhood. From the Korolya Star System to the Rage Owl Star System, the fleet would spend five days traversing the Star Realm Tunnel. Nothing significant occurred during the first four days, as the usual bizarre scenes outside the windows passed by, but in reality, as long as one didn¡¯t leave the range of the ship or recklessly send out any probes or the like, there wouldn¡¯t be any danger. However, on the fifth day, the navigator aboard the ¡°Beautiful Girl¡± reported a message: they had detected an anomalous signal in the Star Realm Tunnel, seemingly a fleet was following right behind them, also traversing the same tunnel. This unsettled Wang Jiarong greatly. The tunnel from Korolya to Rage Owl was desolate, not a busy space route; the empire didn¡¯t even bother with building any checkpoints at the jump points on either end. Beyond the desolation of Rage Owl Star, this situation had already persisted for over a hundred years. Aside from her fleet, who else would traverse this place? Heading to the neighboring Divine Steed Star Sector? That wasn¡¯t likely either; the prosperous Nest Capital World Korogia had a direct route to the Divine Steed Star Sector. No one would travel through Rage Owl Star to reach Divine Steed Star Sector, as taking such detours and incurring higher costs was not something people did. So what was the situation with this fleet? In interstellar travel, any anomaly demands vigilance. Even within the empire¡¯s Cosmos Domains, safety isn¡¯t truly guaranteed. Pirates are the most common threat, but threats originating from other alien species are never lacking. The empire refers to all non-human species as aliens and is committed to eradicating all intelligent species other than humans. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Not to mention, navigating through Star Realm Tunnels one often encounters¡­ supernatural occurrences. For instance, a derelict ship stranded inside a tunnel, dozens or hundreds of people disappearing from a ship during a voyage, or sometimes unexpectedly gaining dozens or hundreds more¡­ These incidents have even become somewhat commonplace. And now, being acutely aware that not just one ship, but an entire fleet was behind them, sharing the same Star Realm Tunnel, they couldn¡¯t afford to be anything but cautious. After completing the Star Realm jump, they didn¡¯t dare to linger, choosing to immediately switch engine modes and gradually accelerate, striving to reach the upper limit of sub-light speed towards Rage Owl Star. Wang Jiarong was aware that Yelisia¡¯s cruiser was docked in orbit around Rage Owl Star. After joining with the ¡°Quintet,¡± her merchant ships would have strong protective safety. Chapter 217 - Chapter 217: Chapter 158, Star Realm Tunnel_2 Chapter 217: Chapter 158, Star Realm Tunnel_2 For this reason, she ordered the Star Speakers on the ships¡ªalso psychics who had undergone special training¡ªto try and make contact with ¡°Quintet.¡± However, the Star Speakers brought her some rather bad news: they couldn¡¯t get in touch with ¡°Quintet.¡± Star speech messages had been sent out, but there was no response. This situation deepened Wang Jiarong¡¯s anxiety even further. There were only two reasons for the lack of contact: either their star speech messages were being blocked and intercepted, preventing transmission, or ¡°Quintet¡± was unable to receive their messages. Neither scenario was good news. It took some time for a ship to come out of warp and resume regular sub-light speed travel, as it needed time to accelerate its engines. She now only hoped that this acceleration process would pass quickly, which is why she had repeatedly urged the Mechanical Priest in charge of the engines. At the same time, she ordered the entire fleet to enter first-level battle readiness, making sure they were prepared to face the enemy at any moment. ¡°Beautiful Girl¡± was equipped and ready to fire with eleven M-class ¡°Hammer¡± Colossal Cannons. Each of the other three escort ships was armed with fifteen S-class ¡°Defender¡± Rapid-Fire Cannons and three M-class ¡°Avenger¡± Cluster Laser Cannons. All of these ship cannons, as well as the operators behind them, the fire control systems, and navigation systems were part of the Thinker Array, which had also entered the highest state of combat readiness. The so-called Thinker Array referred to a ¡°wetware¡± collective formed by psychics, or even ordinary people, who had undergone special training under Thinker technology, along with basic mechanical calculators. It assisted in ship operation and helped the cannons with calibrating and firing. Despite all the war preparations, Wang Jiarong still prayed to the Emperor, hoping that misfortune would not truly befall her. It would be best if nothing happened, and the current tension and extra preparations, even if they turned out to be in vain, would not matter. However, not every prayer results in a favorable outcome. ¡°They¡¯re coming out¡­¡± The navigator¡¯s voice rang in Wang Jiarong¡¯s ears. She quickly returned to the main control console, switching the screen to the position opposite the direction of the starship¡¯s travel. In the void, many ships were gradually revealing their shapes. In reality, the distance between them was already over fifty thousand kilometers. However, this distance was still too close in space. On the virtual screen enlarged by the Thinker Array in front of her, the identities of those ships that were trailing them, crossing through the warp point, and entering the real universe, became very clear: The Green Skin Orcs¡¯ fleet! This could be determined from their exaggerated, haphazard appearance, looking like a pile of trash haphazardly put together. Only Green Skin Orc warships would have such a look. But as unattractive, with random paint jobs, and lacking conventional aesthetic sense they were, and as rough in appearance as to not seem like products of technology¡­they were indeed bonafide interstellar warships. ¡°One, two, three, four¡­ twelve Green-Skinned Warships¡­ Can anyone tell me why there are so many Green Skins here?¡± Wang Jiarong was somewhat distraught. But no one could answer her question. The higher-ups of the merchant fleet at the control console were not inexperienced: the Orc ships that appeared behind them were not easy to deal with. In the starry sky, there is a most intuitive way to judge the strength of a starship: look at its size. ¡°` Of course, it is impossible to be 100% accurate, as countless exceptions can prove this point. However, when the technological levels are not vastly different, as a general rule, the larger the warship, the stronger it is. At the moment, of the twelve Green-Skinned Warships, four are as large as the destroyers in the Human Empire Fleet; the remaining eight are at least the size of an Escort Ship. And these ships are armed with huge, outwardly ostentatious cannons, embodying the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ style: caliber is king! Wang Jiarong struggled to maintain her composure and gave her orders, ¡°Engineering, full speed ahead! We must try to escape before the Green Skin Fleet has a chance to accelerate.¡± ¡°All gunnery crews, fire at will at the Green Skin Fleet! Focus fire on single targets! Try to cause as much damage as possible!¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± Who on the entire ship didn¡¯t know that this was a critical moment? No one dared slack off when their lives hung in the balance. Increasing the distance and attempting to flee was obviously the right choice. The ¡°Beautiful Girl¡± was slightly larger than the typical mainline destroyer, but most of that space was taken up by the cargo hold. The strength of its Void Shields and the ship¡¯s own armor could barely match that of a destroyer, yet its firepower was at best only half that of a standard destroyer. The other three Escort Ships were indeed up to normal specifications, carrying only a small amount of cargo. Against the Green Skin Fleet¡¯s configuration of 4+8, a head-on confrontation was hopeless. Firing was just something to do when there was nothing else; running was the key. While trying to escape at full speed, it was impossible for them to adjust the ship¡¯s position to allow all guns to fire at the enemy. In reality, if they fired backwards now, at best only a third of their firepower could be utilized. However, these Green Skin Ships had just left the Star Realm Tunnel. The energy shields on the ships were activated, but it was clear the power hadn¡¯t been cranked up to the maximum yet. Just after emerging from the Star Realm Tunnel, the starships were at their most vulnerable. Because of this, three volleys of concentrated fire directly disabled a Green-Skin Frigate. The energy shield of the Green-Skinned Warship overloaded, swiftly changing from a blue glow to a dangerous red. A barrage of fire went through the overloaded shield and struck the hull. The armor was shattered, the hull severely damaged, and if one zoomed in closer, one could even see numerous Green Skin Orcs being ejected from the broken parts of the ship. This Green-Skin Frigate basically lost its combat capability. If the Green Skins were to win the battle, they might be able to retrieve and repair the ship, but at the very least, in this battle, the frigate was no longer a threat. With an initial victory, Wang Jiarong was somewhat invigorated, and the morale of the entire convoy improved slightly. However, this was almost the only good news, as the bad news just kept coming one after another. When they shifted their focus to the second Green Skin Ship, the Green Skin Fleet had already overcome the vulnerability of just having completed the jump. Not only did this mean that the energy shields on their ships were fully operational and not so easily penetrated anymore, but it also meant that the weapons systems were also up and running. The eleven remaining operational Green-Skinned Starships opened fire simultaneously. Kinetic Cannons, Green-Skin Laser Cannons, all fired fiercely. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The style of Green Skin Ships, in keeping with the overall style of their race, typically features a larger number of guns of higher caliber compared to human warships of the same class. However, they also continue the trait of generally much less precision than human Navy cannons. But the distance between the two forces was just too close: at this moment, the gap had widened to around seventy thousand kilometers at most, which in space warfare was almost considered point-blank range. The human side was set to suffer greatly. Aboard Wang Jiarong¡¯s four ships, blue lights flickered all around almost simultaneously, indicating the Void Shields activating at the impact of incoming firepower. In an instant, the Void Shields surrounding the four ships began to show signs of turning purple, signaling an imminent overload. Chapter 218 - Chapter 218: Chapter 159, The Starting Point of the Road to Glory Chapter 218: Chapter 159, The Starting Point of the Road to Glory The proximity firepower of the eleven Green Skin Ships made it very difficult for Wang Jiarong¡¯s fleet to resist. And their counterattack seemed weak and feeble. Charging with their bows facing outward was inherently disadvantageous for firing, let alone when the enemy¡¯s weapon systems came online, their close-range interception abilities were also activated. Whether it was their laser cannons firing or Colossal Cannon shells, a portion was locked onto midway and intercepted by the enemy¡¯s firepower in the void. Of course, the convoy¡¯s interception systems were also at work. ¡®Defender¡¯ Kinetic Rapid-Fire Cannons and ¡®Reflector¡¯ Interception Laser Cannons were doing similar tasks. But overall, they were without a doubt at a disadvantage. Before they could fully extend the distance, they would likely be overwhelmed by the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ firepower. And a worse point was their speed¡­ it seemed not even as fast as the Green Skins. At this moment, when the orc ships¡¯ engine systems began to accelerate at full power, despite a late start, they swiftly reached a high speed in a short time. Their lead advantage would likely be nullified before long. Once the speed difference between the two sides was eliminated, the shrinking distance would further enhance the firepower advantage of the Green Skin Fleet. Not to mention, the Green Skin Fleet had a particular preference during naval battles: boarding combat. They could almost be considered, in this universe, the second race that enjoyed boarding combat in naval battles¡ªthe first being the starship warriors. Landing pods, landing ships, even short-range warp¡­ these were all means the Green Skins could employ. Once the distance became dangerous, they would use these methods. The small landing pods and ships, closing in among a barrage of firepower and equipped with considerable camouflage to deceive the target ship¡¯s interception systems, would approach the target ship at low speed, rendering the Void Shield ineffective and thus allowing them to attach to the ship. Holes in the hull from previous naval battles that seemed trivial could become entry points for invasion; if there was no such entry, the various high-performance bombs and cutting devices that came with the boarding troops would find relatively weak spots on the ship and cut through. These breaches in themselves posed little threat to the ship, akin to an adult being bitten by a mosquito. However, what was terrifying was the ¡®venom¡¯ that came with the bite. A substantial number of warriors would enter the ship through these breaches, engaging in intense combat within the hull. Onboard the ship, there were no particularly spacious areas suited for deploying heavy firepower. Most of the combat environments were cramped, obstructed, and face-to-face. Who, then, could stand against the Green Skin Orcs in such conditions? Elites among the Green Skin ranks would wreak havoc inside the ship. Even if they couldn¡¯t destroy or kill everyone on the starship directly, every casualty they caused would significantly degrade the warship¡¯s combat capabilities. If they reached the weapon systems and silenced some of the firepower, that was a win; if they got to the Thinker Array, they could cripple the ship¡¯s automation systems, greatly reducing the ship¡¯s departmental coordination; if they reached the engine room, a high-performance bomb detonated from within might paralyze the entire vessel. And if they made it to the captain¡¯s quarters¡­ Boarding combat was certainly a high-risk, high-loss action, and in most cases, the landing pods and ships would be destroyed by interception fire before reaching the target. But even a small success could cause disruption; a big success could outright capture the ship. The Green Skins weren¡¯t afraid of dying. In fact, at this moment, there were already some small drop pods flying over with the cannon shells. However, up until now, no drop pod had managed to break through the interception network, estimating that a hundred or two hundred Green Skin lads had been lost in the Star Sea. Yet, Wang Jiarong¡¯s face was still pale. It was good news that the Green Skin ground troops had not yet boarded the starship, but this good news was hardly significant. Seeing the Void Shield had turned a purple hue and witnessing some shells piercing through the Void Shield, striking the hull of the starship, she could already feel the vibrations. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Void Shield is a type of energy protection system, characterized by its ability to intercept solid projectiles, energy cannons, and missile weapons, especially high-speed approaching objects and energies. However, it is less effective against low-speed passing objects. A fully operational Void Shield, that is, when it is blue, offers the best resistance; but when it sustains attacks beyond a certain limit and turns purple, some interceptions may fail, with shells and energy beams having a chance of slipping through. At first, it wasn¡¯t so bad; even if something slipped through, the attacks, weakened by the Void Shield, upon meeting the solid armor of the starship, would normally be withstood. But when the Void Shield¡¯s capacity reached its limit, turning red, the probability of shells slipping through would increase substantially, and the weakening effect on attacks would diminish, leaving it up to the strength of the armor and the ship¡¯s structure to hold out. Although the current state of the Void Shield was still changing towards purple and the starship¡¯s armor was still reliable, the occasional attacks that got through the Void Shield had not yet caused severe damage. Chapter 219 - Chapter 219: Chapter 159, The Starting Point of the Road to Glory_2 Chapter 219: Chapter 159, The Starting Point of the Road to Glory_2 However, all this was extremely bad news. From the moment the Green Skins began their counterattack, the situation rapidly deteriorated. What was more crucial was that Wang Jiarong could not think of any way to change the current state of affairs. ¡°Gu Hang, oh Gu Hang! This time you really got me killed! I shouldn¡¯t have come to this godforsaken place¡­¡± She muttered in her heart, her face drained of color. And just then, the Star Speaker suddenly reported a message, ¡°Captain! We¡¯ve received a communication signal from the Quintet!¡± Wang Jiarong was startled, then burst into joy, ¡°Connect it quickly!¡± The next moment, Yelisia Fu Fana¡¯s voice filled the entire bridge, ¡°I am Commodore Yelisia Fu Fana of the Empire Navy Pegasus Fleet, captain of the Quintet.¡± Her clear voice sounded like a savior to everyone aboard the ¡°Beautiful Girl.¡± ¡°Yelisia! Thank heavens! Finally, we¡¯ve made contact! Save us quickly!¡± Wang Jiarong was so happy she was nearly crying. ¡°I¡¯m right beside you,¡± Yelisia said. ¡°Now, you need to get your fleet to turn around and fire full force at those Green Skin ships. We are going to annihilate them here, before they can build up their speed!¡± Wang Jiarong was momentarily stunned. What did she mean by ¡°right beside you¡±? Had Yelisia anticipated encountering the Green Skin Fleet here and set up an ambush in advance? Was that why there had been no response earlier when the Star Speaker tried to contact, because the Quintet was lying in silent ambush? But why? How had she received the message in advance? Wang Jiarong¡¯s mind was a whirl of confusion, but these thoughts only spun around in her head for a short while before she stopped dwelling on them. Following Yelisia¡¯s instructions was the only chance for survival. Immediately, the four ships of the Beautiful Lady Convoy began to turn their hulls sideways as Yelisia had requested, unleashing their full firepower. Without external assistance, this was tantamount to seeking death. Presenting the broadside to the enemy was dangerous. Doing so would enable the full deployment of the ship¡¯s firepower, but also presented the largest target area; at a sufficient distance, when firing at each other to decide the course of the battle, when both sides were separated by over 100,000 to 150,000 kilometers, facing the enemy broadside or head-on made little difference in terms of the firepower endured, but the capacity of our own firepower could be at least 30% lower. However, also in a broadside position, the ship obviously couldn¡¯t remain motionless. Side-moving ships were easier to dodge cannon fire. Overall, this was a balanced offensive tactic. And at that moment, the charging Green Skin Fleet was unmistakably employing an aggressive offensive tactic. Shortening the distance, their cannons would greatly increase in power and accuracy, and for this, they were even willing to sacrifice 20-30% of their firepower. But even so, the firepower advantage of the Green Skins was still much greater than that of the ¡°Beautiful Lady.¡± They didn¡¯t know why these shrimp-like ships all of a sudden adopted a posture as if they were ready for a big battle, but it obviously excited them even more. Their firepower became more ferocious, and they released even more landing capsules. However, at that moment, from some previously dark and empty void, hundreds of missiles suddenly shot out. These missiles were targeted at a Green-Skin Destroyer. And the next moment, two giant Colossal Cannon shells streaked across the void, slamming ruthlessly into its energy shield. The arrival of two heavy cannons simultaneously also had a huge destructive power against starships. The energy shield of the targeted Green-Skin Destroyer, which had been a calm blue, suddenly flashed a dangerous purple. Then out of the hundreds of missiles, seventy penetrated the Void Shield and bombarded the destroyer. The seventy explosions that suddenly erupted on the hull of the destroyer severely damaged the vessel. The Energy Shield Generators might have been impacted by the explosion, as the originally purple Void Shield vanished momentarily. If they had had a little time, just a few minutes, it would have been enough for the energy generators on the Green Skin ships to restart or switch to auxiliary power. However, there was no chance for that. The next ten slightly smaller Colossal Cannon shots followed, with six hitting their mark and mercilessly pounding the target. The damage inflicted by these six shots was even more dreadful than the previous seventy missiles, instantly turning that green-skinned warship into a huge fireball. An expensive destroyer was thus completely destroyed. And the unexpected assault¡¯s achievements did not stop there. Another ten Colossal Cannon shots were fired at a green-skin escort ship, with four making impact, turning its energy shields abruptly red. The strength of the shield generator on the escort ship was much weaker compared to that of the destroyer. ¡­ On the bridge of ¡®Quintet¡¯, after the Thinker Array faithfully relayed the battle imagery and confirmed the results, Yelisia made no exuberant cheers or leaps for joy¡ªthat would be unsteady and not befitting of a captain. Still, she couldn¡¯t help but throw a punch excitedly. The green-skinned warship that had been destroyed could actually be considered the first real combat naval achievement of her captaincy. And this feat alone was enough to surpass the accomplishments of many captains from the Tianma Star Sector. Since the establishment of the Tianma Sector Fleet, there haven¡¯t been many instances of it being used as a support unit by the Imperial Navy, deployed to form larger fleets for combat operations. Besides those veterans who formed temporary United Fleets, the younger and less experienced ones mostly stayed within the boundaries of the Star Sector, at most eradicating interstellar pirates in the surrounding Star Sectors. What capabilities could those interstellar pirates possibly have? At best, they might have an escort-ship-level pirate ship, which would be quite decent, and many would just use an ordinary spaceship to perform robberies, daring to attack only ultra-small convoys. In the past, Yelisia never even managed to achieve the feat of eradicating petty pirates, which was one of the reasons she was ridiculed behind her back. But from now on, no one would dare to laugh at her again. Even those seasoned captains who¡¯ve been assigned to other high-intensity combat zones and witnessed larger battles don¡¯t all have a record of destroying an enemy destroyer. Getting an assist would be considered brag-worthy for many years to come. And today, she, the commodore who was often derided as having connections and a rapidly promoted rank, had accomplished it. Not only was it not an assist, but she had also been an exclusive main force. What about an ambush from ambush? That¡¯s called tactics! However, after the initial excitement, Yelisia immediately returned to her calm demeanor. One of the enemy¡¯s three destroyers had been destroyed, which certainly counted as a heavy blow to the green-skin fleet, but they had plenty of ships and ample resources left. The battle was far from over. Especially now that the advantage of a surprise attack was gone, without the element of surprise, the next barrage of firepower would not so easily achieve the same results as before. The orc fleet had already discovered their whereabouts and would not allow them to strike unabated. Advanced ship maneuvers would ensure more shells missed their targets; close-range anti-air firepower on high alert would intercept some of the Colossal Cannon shots or deflect them. Of course, as a main cruiser, ¡®Quintet¡¯ had ample weaponry, particularly the two L-scale ¡®Wrath of Loyalty¡¯ Colossal Cannons, which wielded destructive power against ships of the escort level. Just one hit and those escort ships¡¯ energy shields would immediately overload. On ¡®Quintet¡¯, slave workers and technicians were now working at breakneck speeds to load cannon shells for the next round of gunfire; the Thinker Array was striving to observe and lock onto targets that were actually moving rapidly. The firing attack needed preparation time. Before it was ready, ¡®Quintet¡¯ would have to withstand a round of enemy fire. The ¡®Defender¡¯ Rapid-Fire Cannons and ¡®Reflector¡¯ Interception Lasers started operating to counter the orc ships¡¯ firepower, and at the same time, vast expanses of blue light emanated from around the cruiser. That was the sight of the Void Shield activating when the ship was under attack. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The naval battle had thus entered an intensely heated phase. At this point, the previous achievements of destroying a destroyer and overloading an escort ship¡¯s energy shield no longer seemed as important. At that moment, Yelisia couldn¡¯t help but turn and look at the man standing not far behind her on her side. She sighed and said, ¡°Gu Hang, if we lose, you¡¯ll truly have let me down.¡± Gu Hang smiled and replied, ¡°If we win, this will be the starting point of your glorious path.¡± Chapter 220 - Chapter 220: Chapter 160, Brilliant Explosion Chapter 220: Chapter 160, Brilliant Explosion Hearing the so-called ¡°starting point of the path of glory,¡± Yelisia snorted coldly, looking disdainful and not wanting to bother with Gu Hang. She turned her head and continued to busy herself. She kept issuing orders, constantly listening to the reports from various departments, responding and making judgments accordingly, forming commands that were relayed downwards. She seemed somewhat nervous, struggling to remain focused. Indeed, she was not an experienced veteran of the navy, nor had she had proper combat experience, but her outstanding academic record at the Naval Academy was not faked. If her grades hadn¡¯t truly been excellent, how could she have become a captain, especially when the Fufana Family had more than just her in its younger generation? In her mind were all the tactical maneuvers she had learned at the Naval Academy, which she now combined with the real-time situation on the battlefield, responding in a standard manner and issuing orders. This might appear somewhat rigid, but it was less likely to result in errors. During her school days, Yelisia had come up with many bizarre naval tactics, but after gaining practical experience, she found her early whims were purely self-indulgent. Only a few solid and seemingly effective strategies appeared viable under the current circumstances. But she dared not use them. Who knew if untested methods would turn out to be ingenious or give away an advantage? The most important thing for her to do under the current situation was to avoid making mistakes, relying on the strong firepower and defensive capabilities of the ¡°Quintet¡± cruiser to fight steadily. She would rather fight in a more rigid manner. Gu Hang watched Yelisia¡¯s serious expression and a smile appeared on his face, his mood relaxed slightly. How to later ease the tension with this female commodore was a matter for later; for now, they had to get through the current difficult situation. A conflict had almost erupted between the two just a moment ago. After Gu Hang boarded the starship with nearly twenty thousand warriors, the ¡°Quintet¡± reached the jump point of Tunnel One in the Rage Owl Star System. Before this, Yelisia had attempted to have the Star Speaker on the starship send a message to ¡°Beautiful Girl¡± to warn Wang Jiarong to prepare in advance. However, the message failed to send, likely because the other party was traversing the Star Realm Tunnel. In such a state, it is difficult for a Star Speaker to locate the target of the message and transmit it. Thereafter, they gave up on sending messages and let the ships quietly stop in the void. Muting all communication signals, other than the necessary energy supply, they turned off most of the engines¡¯ power¡­ The starship floated silently in the void, indistinguishable from a speck of dust on the scale of tens to hundreds of thousands of kilometers. Even if the enemy began scanning the surroundings immediately after emerging from the Star Realm Tunnel, it would be very hard to detect them. Yelisia was strictly implementing her previous idea; she was crouching here, waiting for events to unfold. If they could fight, they would fight; if not, they would flee. And after seeing the Green Skin Fleet chasing after the Beautiful Lady Convoy, Yelisia found herself in a bit of a difficult position. Those escort ships can be set aside for the moment, as their small-caliber weapons would find it tough to penetrate the defense systems of a main cruiser. But those four destroyers couldn¡¯t be ignored. The medium-caliber firepower they carried could indeed pose a real threat. Yet, when it came down to it, it wasn¡¯t like there was no chance of victory. The Beautiful Lady Convoy still had four ships, and with their help, the chance of victory was there, even quite substantial¡ªsixty or even seventy percent. However, a sixty to seventy percent chance of victory was not enough for Yelisia to take a gamble. Betting and losing everything was not worth it when compared to retreating now, gathering reinforcements, and easily eliminating the Green Skins with the entire Tianma Fleet assembled. What about the safety of Rage Owl Star? Forget it, a planet with an annual tax quota of five million wasn¡¯t worth saving. The cost of building one escort ship, even the cheapest ones, starts at half a billion. Rage Owl Star would have to pay taxes for a hundred years to afford just one escort ship. But for Gu Hang, the concept was completely different. If Yelisia withdrew, Rage Owl Star would be doomed. He strongly urged Yelisia to engage in the battle. The conflict between the two arose just like that. Yelisia was not keen on it, and during the argument, Gu Hang didn¡¯t state it explicitly, but he implied that he had twenty thousand warriors on the starship. Yelisia¡¯s face turned dark. Even if it wasn¡¯t stated openly, it was a threat. She had wanted Gu Hang to bring his troops on board as a precaution. The Green Skins favored boarding tactics in space naval battles, which was written in the naval military doctrine. Although there were already marine troops on the starship, having an additional twenty thousand warriors would certainly make her feel more secure. Yet who would have expected that at this time, it would become a tool for Gu Hang to threaten her with? If an internal riot broke out on the starship, regardless of whether her marine troops could suppress Gu Hang¡¯s twenty thousand warriors, there was no doubt it would result in a lengthy fight. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And internal strife on the ship would pose a fatal threat to the safety of the ¡°Quintet.¡± Gu Hang could see that Yelisia was cornered. He didn¡¯t continue to push the issue with a hard stance. A pyrrhic victory would be a cause for the rivaling Green Skins to rejoice. Subsequently, he softened his tone, talking about defending the empire, protecting the convoy, eliminating the alien threat, and painted a picture of how if they really managed to annihilate this Green Skin fleet, Yelisia would, beyond doubt, have made a significant achievement. Chapter 221 - Chapter 221: Chapter 160, The Brilliant Explosion_2 Chapter 221: Chapter 160, The Brilliant Explosion_2 ¡°` A cruiser, operating independently and annihilating an entire Green Skin fleet consisting of four destroyers and eight escort ships, is an outstanding military achievement. Not only within the Tianma Fleet, but even when viewed across the entire Imperial Navy, it¡¯s an accolade worth mentioning. Even more so, with such a record as a foundation, coupled with sufficient familial backing, her rank might well ascend again in a short span of time. There¡¯s a huge threshold between the ranks of Commodore and Rear Admiral. Generally, Commodores aren¡¯t called generals, but Rear Admirals are definitely recognized as such without question. If she really made it, she might become the youngest general in the history of the Tianma Star Sector, and no one would dare to say that her promotion was merely due to her family¡¯s protection. Her fame would spread far beyond the Tianma Star Sector, so much so that in the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain, and even the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain, her name Yelisia would become well-known, glittering throughout the Star Sea as a rising new star in the Imperial Navy. These words deeply moved Yelisia. She had thought of it herself, but having someone else voice it out, hitting right at what she was thinking, felt different. Combining these considerations, Yelisia finally gritted her teeth, ordered the starship to leave silent mode, prepared to fire at full capacity, and made contact with the Beautiful Lady. The situation had developed to the present state. Gu Hang was instrumental in bringing about the current circumstances, but his ability to influence the situation further was now quite limited. Commanding a starship was not within his capabilities. He could only be a spectator for the time being. And it was quite a sight to behold. In this vast expanse of space, there were still more than a dozen space leviathans exchanging fierce firepower. Those beams of light, light particles, cannon shells, Void Shields, and the colorful flashes of energy shields being hit, the blaze of explosions when the fire directly hits the ships¡­ At least from Gu Hang¡¯s vantage point on the Quintet bridge, through the Thinker Array¡¯s feedback on the impact of their attacks, and the battle display diagrams, he could see everything clearly. The desolate starry sky had come alive with activity. However, these beautiful lights all contained terrible power and lethal damage. But as Gu Hang played the role of a spectator, he was not simply enjoying the spectacle. He carefully observed Yelisia, analyzed the current status of the battlefield, and the various commands she issued, striving to absorb all he could about space naval combat. Many of the situations that arose and the responses made by the female Commodore were beyond his understanding, but this didn¡¯t prevent him from making an effort to remember them. He planned to revisit these after getting access to theoretical training literature, which might help him grow. Learning about these things was of no immediate use to him, but Gu Hang had come to deeply appreciate how crucial space power was in this interstellar era. It was a decisive force. In the future, if conditions allowed, he would certainly build his own navy. Perhaps with some luck, he could quickly acquire naval technology, couldn¡¯t he? Err¡­ maybe not, even if he acquired it, he couldn¡¯t afford to build starships. Such high-end manufacturing could only be approached once a planet¡¯s productivity had sufficiently developed. Lost in thought, he noticed that the exchange of fire between the two fleets had reached an intense stage. It wasn¡¯t long before the Green-Skin Frigate, which had taken hits from the Quintet¡¯s Colossal Cannon and had overloaded energy shields, exploded in space. The ship that destroyed it was a combined fire from the Beautiful Lady and two other escort ships. The Beautiful Lady Convoy led by Gu Hang¡¯s cousin had seasoned command officers who sharply caught the change in the battle situation caused by the Quintet¡¯s fire, delivering the fatal blow. This was the second ship to be destroyed since the battle began. With two fewer ships, the Green Skin Fleet¡¯s firepower had been reduced by nearly a quarter. The results of the Quintet¡¯s ambush had tilted the scales of victory once again in their favor by another ten percentage points. If the Green Skin Fleet were led by rational humans, the best move at this moment would probably be to quickly flee. ¡°` Unfortunately, that was not the style of the Green Skins. They still charged upwards, braving the firepower of the human ships. After sacrificing a destroyer and two escort ships in explosions, they managed to blow up an escort ship of the convoy and successfully boarded two others, deploying troops onboard. The ship that had been boarded quickly weakened in firepower and explosions occurred inside. Whether or not the Green Skin Orcs who had boarded could be driven out was still unknown, but at least for now, their contribution to the naval battle had been reduced by half. The pressure of the battle was becoming greater and greater. As the Green Skin Ships advanced, they had lost five ships, but their firepower had become even more fierce¡ªthis was due to the decreased distance between the two sides. The Quintet was indeed well-armored and armed. Out of the five Green-Skinned Warships lost, four were destroyed by it. Its L-class large caliber guns, the ¡°Wrath of Loyalty,¡± were devastatingly powerful. However, when some of the Green Skin Ships broke off to approach the ¡°Quintet¡± within a distance of fifty thousand kilometers, the firepower on the Green Skin Ships greatly improved in precision, and the Quintet felt somewhat overwhelmed. The most direct indication of this was that the Void Shield had turned purple, even showing tendencies of becoming red, and the Green Skins¡¯ heavy artillery started to have shells penetrate the shield and hit the ship¡¯s armor. Gu Hang on the bridge had felt the ship shake violently several times. The ship¡¯s stabilization system couldn¡¯t completely nullify the tremors, which likely meant real damage was done to the ship. Even if it wasn¡¯t major, the repairs afterward would probably come at a considerable expense. However, in exchange for this effect, the Green Skin Fleet had lost another frigate. Now, all that remained of their ships were two destroyers and four frigates. In Gu Hang¡¯s assessment, the battle had reached its final critical stage. The fearlessness and determination of the Green Skin Fleet to fight to the end had left a deep impression on him. For the human side, victory was almost within grasp. But the remaining question was at what cost. Even though until now the humans had only lost one escort ship, the remaining three ships of the Beautiful Lady Convoy had their Void Shields overloaded, with two boarded, in a dire crisis; even the Quintet¡¯s Void Shield was nearly red. If the fight continued to the end and the Green Skin Fleet was annihilated, but the Beautiful Lady Convoy was wiped out and the Quintet severely damaged, then the outcome would be quite distressing. The political repercussions could also be quite serious. Gu Hang also heard Matins beside him sigh. ¡°It would have been nice if our battle group¡¯s strength was still present, we could have sent over a hundred or two people, along with a substantial number of the Mortal Auxiliary Army, enough to take a whole ship.¡± Listening to the battle group leader¡¯s words, it seemed they had often done such things before. Gu Hang patted his shoulder, about to say something, but then saw on the bridge, multiple indicator lights suddenly turned red. This was a signal of danger. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Thinker Array relayed the information: ¡°Warning! Multiple intrusions have occurred inside our ship! Green Skin landing ships used some unknown energy technology to deceive the interception system, and we only shot down 70% of the landing ships, which included a large number of decoy pods. Currently, it is assessed that seventeen landing pods have successfully reached the ground, and over two thousand Green Skin Orcs have entered the ship! The Navy Marine Corps has engaged them but is currently at a disadvantage.¡± Yelisia suddenly turned her gaze towards Gu Hang. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to play your part.¡± Without a word, Gu Hang turned and left. Indeed, the time had come for him to contribute, and there was nothing to discuss. He would go forth. Chapter 222 - Chapter 222: Chapter 161, The Meaning of Life Chapter 222: Chapter 161, The Meaning of Life Lacroix was pondering an important question: what exactly is the value of life? He used to not bother with this shitty question. In his early years of wandering with the tribe, all he thought about was how to get an extra bite of food and avoid hunger; then as an adventurer, it was still about food; and even after becoming an adventurer, it fundamentally boiled down to getting a bite to eat. Later on, when all of his brothers from the same wandering tribe had perished, he joined the Beast Slaughter Group. He could finally eat his fill, but now his goal became fighting the Greenskins, avenging those brothers who had once fought at his side. And then, somehow, the higher-ups convinced him to transition from an adventurer into a formal member of the governor¡¯s regular armed forces, complete with military rank and a unit designation. But he didn¡¯t care much about that, and he was even supportive of it. He could eat even better, and His Excellency the Governor issued them equipment and weapons that were clearly far superior to the rubbish he had used as an adventurer. Plus, they had cannons, and other friendly forces provided support with heavy equipment like armored vehicles. This clearly increased their efficiency in eradicating the Greenskins by a huge margin. What was not to be happy about? Support, ten thousand times support! Some time ago, they had wiped out the Greenskins in the High Tower ruins. According to what the officers said, to prevent the Greenskins from multiplying again, every area of the High Tower ruins needed to be scorched with flames. Sometimes he wondered whether the Low Energy Storms that often blew up in the High Tower ruins could replace the need for burning with fire. But regardless, the big problem had been dealt with; even if Greenskins occasionally regenerated, the numbers wouldn¡¯t be too much to handle¡ªthey could simply eliminate them and burn the area again. Just as he and his comrades were casually chatting, guessing whether their recent performance was good enough to reclaim the title ¡®Beast Slaughter Group¡¯ from the governor, a new mission was handed down. They were to board a transport ship and proceed to a starship orbiting the planet to carry out their mission. At the news of this assignment, Lacroix and his comrades were utterly dumbfounded. Was this going to take them to the heavens? He had gazed up at the starry sky countless times but never imagined that one day he would leave the ground to fight in the vastness of space. They were inexplicably excited. Though they could foresee the potential dangers, when they sat on the spacecraft and saw the earth recede, breaking through the atmosphere to the point where they could almost see the entire globe below them¡ªthe boundless land curving into a sphere, now a mix of dull yellow and slate blue¡ªthey were still awestruck. So this is our world. This is Rage Owl Star, where generations of our ancestors have lived. It was hard for him to articulate the emotions stirring inside him, and perhaps his comrades felt the same. The comrades still conversing with one another had become silent. The transport ship slowly approached the massive steel creation suspended in the void. A hatch opened, the transport ship entered, then the hatch closed as it seemed to fill with gas. Another door opened, and the ship moved further inside to a vast area akin to an airport. One by one, transport ships entered through various exits, opened their hatches, and troops disembarked. Soon, he too had no time to look around as the hatch of their transport ship opened, and their platoon walked out, following the ground crew¡¯s instructions, heading inside to the Marine Corps barracks. The space temporarily assigned to them was very cramped. Their whole squad was squeezed into a narrow space of a few square meters. There were four sets of beds with two sets pushed tightly together, leaving about forty centimeters of aisle in between, and each set had three bunks, theoretically allowing for twelve people to sleep. And there were two spare beds to store our stuff¡­ That was their complaint. There was a canteen for meals, the food entirely made of synthetic starch which they said could become very bland after eating for a long period, but for now, they felt it was fine as long as they could fill their stomachs. Maybe they would grow tired of it eventually, but would they really stay on the starship until then? However, rumor had it that there were markets and bars somewhere on the starship, offering different things, but they had never seen them, and they weren¡¯t allowed to wander about the starship. Even these rumors were dug up by the more restless soldiers in the platoon, who¡¯d go to the canteen to eat but managed to chat with the so-called Starship Marine Corps, who typically didn¡¯t like to interact with them. Lacroix wasn¡¯t interested in that. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only What he cared about was the question that had arisen since being transported to the starship and seeing the magnificent view of space: what exactly is the value of life? He didn¡¯t know why he was thinking about such a boring matter, but with nothing else to do while confined in the narrow, closed-off cabin, that¡¯s what he did. He pondered the question for days without reaching any conclusion. Until today, when the crimson lights were flashing everywhere, alarms were ringing non-stop, and he and his comrades received orders to leave their quarters and assemble outside. Chapter 223 - Chapter 223: Chapter 161 - The Meaning of Life_2 Chapter 223: Chapter 161 ¨C The Meaning of Life_2 Everyone was on edge. They knew that it seemed like war had already broken out. The starship was continuously firing, engaging in battle with the Green Skin Fleet. This was unlike any war they had experienced before. In the past, no matter how powerful the enemy or how dire their own situation, it had always been a battle fought on solid ground, with the weapons in their hands. To some extent, their lives were under their own control. But now, they were who knows how far from their homeland, from their planet, in a place where they were told even light took a long time to travel. If the naval battle were lost, all of them would be buried in this Star Sea. But soon, their mission arrived. He saw the company commander and the political commissar exchange a few words, then the order was given for the entire company to move out. After walking out for dozens of minutes, amid a violent explosion, he witnessed the squad next to them almost completely engulfed by flames and shrapnel. Immediately afterward, with his head in a whirl, he saw silhouettes charging through the broken breach. Almost instinctively, he raised his gun and fired in that direction. Although it had roughly the shape of a person, Lacroix was certain, very familiar, that it was a Green Skin. Indeed, his firing even saved the life of the company commander. With his lead, many of his comrades around him opened fire, and the Green Skin was quickly killed on the spot under concentrated fire. However, more Green Skins, stepping over the still-burning flames, charged in. A bloody battle thus unexpectedly erupted at close quarters. There was no heavy firepower, no cannons, no armored vehicles¡­ In the environment inside a starship, it was difficult to deploy such things. All they had were the guns in their hands and wills of steel. As more and more Green Skins poured in, it even became difficult to keep shooting, and they had no choice but to fix bayonets and engage in hand-to-hand combat. A chaotic melee ensued, leaving no room for any art of command; both sides were locked in a desperate struggle. Bayonets, bullets, blood, limbs¡­ all these things whirled chaotically in the narrow corridor. Lacroix had nothing left in his head, just one stabbing motion after another. His comrades fell one by one beside him, and others took their places, but he was somehow largely unscathed, even though his chest was struck by a Green Skin¡¯s large cleaver. The plasteel bulletproof armor plate had saved his life, and in turn, he ignored the pain in his ribs and the fact that he was knocked to the ground by the Green Skin¡¯s great strength, and he plunged his bayonet fiercely into the unsteady Green Skin¡¯s neck. Lacroix, splattered with blood on his face, pushed the corpse aside with force and stood up, gasping for air. And it seemed like this was the last Green Skin, as there were no more living enemies in sight. But in this hellish scene, there were only seven others still standing, like him. Lacroix looked around, confused. An entire company of one hundred and twenty men¡­ just seven left? He couldn¡¯t count the number of bodies strewn across the corridor, especially when some were disfigured beyond recognition. He only knew that almost everyone he recognized was dead, the seven before him were strangers. They were all covered in blood, just as confused as he was. The seven of them instinctively gathered together and stood in silence for a long time, none daring to speak. In the end, it was Lacroix who broke the silence, ¡°Here¡­ who has the highest rank?¡± He remembered that during a break in the surface battle before, the company¡¯s political instructor had instilled in them many military regulations. If the team¡¯s formation was scattered, the soldiers nearby should gather spontaneously and follow the one with the highest rank as the temporary commander. Now¡­ could this be considered scattered? Or should it be considered gone? ¡°I¡¯m a private¡­¡± a timid voice said, ¡°I was just replenished into the 3rd Independent Regiment¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m also a private¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m a corporal¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m a lance corporal¡­¡± Around the circle, they were all just soldiers. Lacroix scratched his head, now really unsure of what to do. Not even a single officer left, huh? What was to be done now? In a trance, he saw everyone¡¯s eyes turn to him. He then remembered that he had not yet reported his rank: ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m a sergeant.¡± When they were last reorganized, he was still a private; after the battle at the Tower Ruins, he became one of the old-timers of the Beast Slaughter Group, and during a mass decoration, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. The rank of Lance Corporal signified that he had a position equivalent to a D1 rank within Revival City, as touted in the propaganda. Adding together food rations and training allowances, he already had enough to live a life far better than mere subsistence. If he ever stopped being a soldier, he would be transferred laterally at the same rank and have a secure future. Furthermore, during combat, he would receive combat pay. His promotion had been swift among his squad; only the squad leader held the rank of Sergeant First Class, and the deputy squad leader was a Staff Sergeant. Beyond that, his rank was the next highest. But overall, within the entire company, he was still a small fry. Then, he heard a Private First Class say, ¡°Well, looks like you¡¯re the highest-ranking here, so we all follow your lead now.¡± Lacroix was stunned. Me, me, me¡­ I can¡¯t be the one in charge, can I?! But he quickly regained his composure. This was not about power; it was responsibility, and there was no shirking it. According to regulations, he had to take on this responsibility. Taking a deep breath, it seemed he finally understood the question that had preoccupied him before. He might not dare speak of the distant future, but at least his current value was to lead the remaining seven survivors of the 2nd Company, 6th Battalion, 3rd Independent Regiment. The last remnants of the 362nd were all here. What to do next? Previously, their mission was to proceed to Zone B7752 to stand guard and eliminate all the alien enemies that appeared there. However¡­ the company commander, the political commissar, they might know where Zone B7752 was, but how would he, a mere Lance Corporal, know? Scratching his head, he heard the distant sound of battle. With a call, he said, ¡°Let¡¯s go toward that direction and see if we can find any other friendly forces.¡± If there were friendly forces, especially officers, it seemed he could relinquish his responsibility. ¡­ Genie Kuangya, fully armed at nearly three meters tall and wearing ultra-heavy armor, pushed open the half-destroyed hatch and was the first to step out of the landing craft. He was met with a volley of over thirty electromagnetic rifles and laser guns firing at him. His armor rang with the impact of the hits, yet none of them could halt his stride for even a moment. He moved forward with his mechanical legs at a swift pace, shielding the Green Skin youngsters following behind him from harm, while also creating space for them to deploy their formation. And during this process, he also lifted his left arm. The rocket launcher mounted beneath his forearm fired a salvo that sent the entire front row of elite marine soldiers and several others about to come forward for support flying into the sky. The violent explosion caused some damage to the metal corridors of the ship¡¯s hull, blowing holes through it and revealing the split mechanical structures underneath, as well as groups of people evacuating below. It seemed to be a gun turret belonging to the ¡®Reflector¡¯ Interception Laser Cannon of the ¡®Quintet.¡¯ Kuangya grinned wickedly, his smile fierce. Such a harvest too? He lifted his arm again, aiming the rocket launcher downward. The automatic reloading mechanism had already filled the launcher with a new round of rockets, and two orcish youngsters with large packs on their backs were replenishing his combat pack with more rockets through the ammo intake located at the armor near Kuangya¡¯s rear. The next moment, another dozen rockets flew out, striking the isolated turret below with solid hits. The crew operating the ¡®Reflector¡¯ which numbered in the dozens were almost instantly obliterated. The laser cannon¡¯s energy storage device followed, detonating and blasting an even larger gap in the surroundings. The wave of the explosion even reached the upper levels. While Genie Kuangya was unaffected, several unfortunate Green Skin youngsters were caught in the blast and hurled out of the ship. Without the ship¡¯s life support and gravity systems, these individuals, even as robust Green Skin Orcs, had no chance of surviving in the vacuum. But that did not matter. Destroying a ship cannon was far more valuable than a few unlucky youngsters being blown away. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Seeing such a spectacular explosion right before their eyes, the surviving youngsters were extremely delighted. Kuangya laughed loudly too! He waved his hand, signaling his boys to quickly leave the landing bay; they were going to charge deeper in! As the Military Governor of the 10th Plundering Fleet of the Iron Tooth Clan, he was the fleet¡¯s leader. Today he was determined to win the war by personally entering the fray! The fleet¡¯s supreme commander personally joining the fight was reckless to the point of foolishness, but it was quintessentially Green Skin. Chapter 224 - Chapter 224: Chapter 162, Fleet Military Governor Chapter 224: Chapter 162, Fleet Military Governor If one were to say that Genie Kuangya personally led his most elite fighters to jump aboard the ¡°Quintet¡± and take part in the battle, that would make a lot of sense. The sudden appearance of the ¡°Quintet¡± turned what was originally a certain victory into an extreme disadvantage. The surprise attack that damaged a destroyer and an escort ship tipped the scales of victory in the enemy¡¯s favor. During the subsequent naval exchange of fire, the ¡°Quintet¡± demonstrated formidable firepower as well as robust defenses. To continue bombardment was more likely to end in disaster than success. To win, they needed to think of another method. They could forgo charging the energy shield and overload the weapons system, hoping for the entire fleet to make a concentrated, all-out assault and achieve a decisive victory. Alternatively, they could employ what¡¯s termed ¡°pack hunting tactics,¡± using superior ship maneuverability and larger numbers to spread out and carry out a three-dimensional flanking operation. This tactic avoids matching the ¡°Quintet¡¯s¡± consistent velocity, instead relying on bursts of acceleration and deceleration, creating significant and frequent changes in relative speed to reduce the enemy¡¯s ability to anticipate their movements and accurately lock on with their firepower. Or, like the Green Skin Fleet is currently doing, adopting the so-called ¡°close-quarter tactic,¡± braving the onslaught of fire to charge in close for a full-speed, short-range shootout. With no space to dodge and no chance to intercept, most of the firepower must be endured head-on; it becomes a contest of whose ship is tougher, whose cannons are more formidable, and who has more ships. However¡­there seem to be many options, yet in reality, few are viable. The ¡°pack hunting tactics¡± are not suited for the Green Skin Fleet. To properly execute these tactics, high ship maneuverability and precision firepower are required. Green-Skinned Warships generally aren¡¯t up for this task; their firepower is fierce but imprecise; they¡¯re fast but not agile enough. Humans relatively favor such tactics. And those who most prefer to use ¡°pack hunting tactics¡± are the beings who claim themselves as the Spirit Race. Kuangya despises such opponents the most; they¡¯re impossible to catch, impossible to hit, and they bombard you relentlessly, but just one opportunity for a ruthless counterattack could lead to decisive victory. As for the ¡°close-quarter tactic,¡± the Green Skins are exactly doing that. In fact, before Kuangya left his flagship to jump aboard, his last command was for the fleet to shut down their power and energy shields upon closing in and to overload their weapons systems to utterly destroy the ¡°Quintet.¡± But looking at the current situation, they probably won¡¯t be able to make the charge; who knows how many ships will get blown up mid-way. Those that do manage to close in likely won¡¯t have overall firepower or defenses to match the ¡°Quintet.¡± In order to ensure the success of the close-quarter tactic and the mad plan to fire all weapons, he personally led the boarding party. Although he is the Military Governor of the fleet, among the Green Skins, regardless of which group, the one who becomes the boss, the leader, is always the most formidable among them. And without a doubt, Genie Kuangya is such an individual. Of course, he was also concerned that if their interception firepower exploded the boarding capsules before they could land on the enemy ships, it could spell disaster. This was a very real possibility, despite deploying many decoy capsules and using the raw power of ¡°waaagh¡± to camoulfage and silence the boarding capsules, making them difficult to lock on to¡ªbut these were no guarantees. However, now that he had successfully boarded the ship, the remaining problems seemed trivial. What human shrimp could possibly stand against him? In his past career of battle, he had killed countless shrimp, even some big fellows in cans among them, whom he had also chopped down. The group of yellow-canned shrimp left a deep impression on him. He had to admit they were mighty, but regrettably, the final victors were him and his subordinates. It was because of that battle, that feat of arms, that he grew larger, greener, and stronger, which earned the favor of Kulo Iron Tooth, the leader of the Iron-Tooth Clan and warlord, granting him the position of Military Governor of the Tenth Plundering Fleet. And today, aboard this ship, it¡¯s not likely that a bunch of shrimp in cans will leap out, right? Without those formidable beings, he was confident that with his leadership, his most elite troops, even in small numbers, could absolutely push through like a hot knife through butter, slaying their way through the entire starship. Indeed, it was just so. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After boarding, Kuangya almost single-handedly annihilated a squad of Navy Marine Corps from the ¡°Quintet.¡± Then, leading his elite team, he destroyed a defensive laser cannon and began storming toward the most critical area within. The core area was not without resistance. On the contrary, the forces intercepting him were the most elite of the ¡°Quintet.¡± The ¡°Quintet¡± could muster a maximum of thirty thousand armed troops, of which ten thousand were regular Navy Marine Corps members. These were T4 level troops, well-equipped with weapons. They wouldn¡¯t even regard G-series live-ammunition rifles, using either L-series laser rifles or HS-series electromagnetic rifles instead. After realizing they were up against an elite Green Skin assault team, the commander of the Navy Marine Corps had already ordered their most elite units to join the battle with their finest weapons. Chapter 225 - Chapter 225: Chapter 162, Fleet Military Governor_2 Chapter 225: Chapter 162, Fleet Military Governor_2 The two most important weapons were the Strider Combat Vehicles and the Foxhound-class Infantry Mechs. As for the former, there¡¯s no need to say more. The reason why they didn¡¯t equip larger vehicles than the Strider Combat Vehicle, such as the Lion Tank, was that the combat environment inside a starship did not quite allow for the Lion to move around everywhere. Although the Strider was quite big, it was still two sizes smaller than a heavy tank and could still run on many of the main roads inside the starship. As for the latter, it was essentially a ¡®person¡¯¡ªa mech servant, a product of the Sect of Mechanics. During the mechanical transformation, apart from removing part of the brain to turn it into a mech servant who could only follow orders, there was also a significant modification of the body. From the outside, it no longer resembled a human being; almost all of its body was mechanized, and its shape was like that of a half-standing hound, with purely mechanical reverse knee-joint legs. The head structure containing the brain was somewhat canine-shaped and integrated with a large number of sensors. Its overall size exceeded two meters in height and was equipped with a heavy machine gun, along with sturdy ferrosteel armor. Even a space warrior would have to put in some effort to take it down. It was a precious product of the Sect of Mechanics, and there were only about one hundred and fifty of them on the entire starship. Half an hour after Genie Kuangya made a fierce charge, the first batch of elite troops assembled by the Navy Marine Corps included eighty Foxhound Mechs, thirty Strider Armored Vehicles, and more than a thousand marine soldiers, in addition to two thousand armed sailors. As a result, their defensive line was breached by Kuangya in a wave. The rockets in his hands seemed to be blessed by some mysterious force, extremely precise, and even had some tracking effect. There was also a thermal cannon mounted above his left shoulder. His personal firepower was already maxed out to the top. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t fighting alone. On the way up, many Green Skins that had landed from other places smelt the scent of their boss and instinctively gathered around. Now, the number of Green Skins following behind Kuangya had also exceeded a thousand. Furthermore, those Green Skins behind him were elite. Not only were they particularly tall among the Green Skins, but they also wore strong armor, carried larger caliber and more explosive firearms, and were equipped with plenty of explosives. What¡¯s more, compared to the smaller infantry mechs, the Green Skin Killer Cans and the slightly larger Death Iron Cans were no weaklings. With Military Governor Kuangya as the arrowhead, they charged fiercely. When Kuangya blasted the mech¡¯s fire base with his thermal cannon and multiple rocket launchers, then personally charged into close range, fired another round of rockets, and picked up his axe to wield in a frenzy, the Green Skins¡¯ walking mechs and elite infantry also surged forward. The scale of the battle might not have been particularly large, but it was extremely bloodthirsty. This blockading force of the Navy Marine Corps, after losing all their infantry mechs and combat vehicles, fought desperately for fifteen minutes and suffered over 60% casualties. Then, the breakdown of the armed sailors triggered a complete collapse. Actually, they couldn¡¯t be too harshly blamed. Even if they all had endless fighting will and were willing to give their lives for this battle, it would only have delayed the enemy for a bit longer and wouldn¡¯t have changed the outcome. Of course, the Green Skins also paid a heavy price. At least four hundred Green Skin Orcs and over thirty various Green Skin armored vehicles fell in battle. The two sides left behind over a hundred various machines and nearly three thousand lives, and all this happened within about twenty minutes, on a battlefield that didn¡¯t extend more than eight hundred meters in any direction. Bodies and mechanical wrecks were no longer just scattered everywhere¡ªthey were piled up in layers. The Green Skins¡¯ army would have to walk over heaps of broken limbs and wreckage to advance further. Kuangya himself was unharmed. And with him there, and the remaining six hundred Green Skins, their combat effectiveness was still intact and they could continue the assault. In contrast, the Navy Marine Corps was unable to gather a force equal to the one just defeated to stop them in a short period of time. Along the way, there were only some small-scale units present. Brave soldiers attempted to use their lives to slow the Green Skins¡¯ boarding assault and buy time for their comrades. However, Yelisia on the command bridge of the flagship panicked. Through the intelligence transmitted back from the front line, she recognized that it was the Beastman Overlord personally leading the boarders. She immediately realized that with only the ¡®Quintet¡¯s¡¯ combat readiness, there was nothing that could stop this Beastman Overlord. On one hand, she couldn¡¯t believe the recklessness of this beastman Military Governor. In her view, how could a fleet commander, a fleet admiral, personally lead a boarding assault? It was too easy to die unclearly in the interception fire net, which would be a meaningless death. But on the other hand, reality slapped her hard in the face. That formidable individual strength, the terrifying advantage it brought to the battlefield, was amplified to an extreme in the special environment of the starship. This wasn¡¯t an open ground battlefield; all fighting happened inside the starship. Even in the most spacious places, space was limited. It wasn¡¯t possible to deploy artillery miles away to attack the enemy. In a limited environment, a beastman overlord equipped with heavy armor, impervious to gunfire, with individual firepower maxed out, was simply the nightmare of any defense line. What made her more panic-stricken was that the beast seemed to have an extremely keen sense of battle. Its line of attack was unerringly towards the heart of the starship¡ªthe engine center. If it were to breach that area, the consequences were unimaginable. At present, the naval battle had reached its critical moment. Just now, they had blasted another enemy escort ship. Yet, the distance between the two forces had closed even further. The Quintet, having been boarded and attacked by troops, had several of its firepower platforms knocked out. This caused its return fire to weaken, and the starship¡¯s Void Shield had turned red as more firepower began to penetrate it, challenging the cruiser¡¯s armor directly. Similarly, those Green-Skinned Warships were also under greater pressure, and the ¡®Wrath of Loyalty¡¯ of the L-class was still formidable. At the moment when bayonets clashed, if the Quintet were to be dealt a harder blow inside, with the ship¡¯s power failing and problems arising in the weapon systems and Void Shield¡¯s energy supply, it would be struck by a devastating blow in an instant. What could they do? Was there anything that could stop that beast? Their last hope rested on Gu Hang. The planetary governor had not only brought two thousand soldiers but also four interstellar warriors. She immediately used the communication system to contact Gu Hang, who had already left the bridge to muster troops. ¡°You must resolve this problem immediately! We¡¯re all in the same boat, if the ¡®Quintet¡¯ goes down, none of us will survive!¡± Through the communicator, Gu Hang¡¯s response came swiftly, a simple sentence: ¡°I know, I¡¯m already there.¡± His voice was quite steady. Yelisia felt somewhat relieved. She didn¡¯t know if Gu Hang and those interstellar warriors with him could stop that Beastman Overlord. But now, other than placing her trust in Mr. Gu, she had no other choice. At that moment, she began to feel grateful for having brought Gu Hang aboard the ship initially. ¡­ Gu Hang was not bluffing to Yelisia; his troops were indeed in position. It wasn¡¯t just him, nor was it just the four Phoenixes. Relying solely on their power would not be enough to stop an army. Accompanying him were the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade¡¯s first and second battalions, as well as a regiment from the second infantry division. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Earlier, he had learned of the alarming news that a Navy Marine Corps unit had been wiped out in twenty minutes. The troops under his command were no stronger than that rapidly annihilated Marine Corps unit. If possible, he wouldn¡¯t want to subject his forces to such brutal combat. But this was war. In war, there is no choice. Chapter 226 - Chapter 226: Chapter 163, The Moment of Desperation is Here! Chapter 226: Chapter 163, The Moment of Desperation is Here! Genie Kuangya could already sense that victory was not far off. He could even smell the scent from the core engine power compartment of the shrimp ships. Destroy that, and victory would be his. But soon, a new squad of soldiers appeared before them, blocking their path. Kuangya was slightly puzzled. The attire of these newly appeared soldiers was different from the shrimps they had encountered before. They were not the shrimp wielding laser guns, electromagnetic rifles, like those of the Navy Marine Corps, nor as formidable; neither were they the armed sailors, though they were a bit stronger than them. But soon Kuangya didn¡¯t care. They were all shrimps anyway, just kill them and that¡¯s good. The hundred or so people even set up bombs in the road, but it was meaningless. The Spiritual Energy kids and artisan kids who stormed with him all had ways to detect these buried bombs in advance and detonate them beforehand. The occasional misses weren¡¯t a big problem either. Explosions that somewhat harmed the average Green Skin Orc, barely mattered if they stood a bit further away, let alone the armored units. After the bombs proved ineffective, what remained was a bloody confrontation¡ªor rather, a one-sided slaughter. The strongest firepower of this platoon was nothing more than some bombs, a small number of rocket launchers. The configurations of machine infantry with armored vehicles in front had been swept clean like cutting melons and vegetables, not to mention these guys. In three to five minutes, the entire platoon was nearly wiped out. Their reluctance to retreat in a death struggle was not due to unwillingness, but because they simply didn¡¯t have time to run, or they wouldn¡¯t be able to get away if they tried. Turning their backs to the enemy only led to being shot down more quickly. However, the lives they had given were not without value. At the very least, they had slowed down the orcs¡¯ assault squad by a few minutes. It was these same minutes that allowed Gu Hang and his elite team to complete the defensive preparations outside the core engine power compartment. Actually, there wasn¡¯t much that could be set up. Even if they wanted to build some fire points or shelters, it was difficult. Aboard a starship, it was not like being on the surface of a planet. In the wild, you could dig trenches in the soil, and in city ruins, you could use various debris and building materials to build shelters. But on a starship, there was nothing but various rooms or corridors, narrow or spacious. Unless the structure itself had something bulletproof to hide behind, you¡¯d have to exchange fire with flesh and blood or simply turn the corner and dive straight into a bloody close-quarters brawl. In such an environment, the size of the Green Skin Orcs was obviously an advantage. Humans indeed had bulletproof armor inserts, but Green Skins also had scrap metal armor, so no one lagged behind the other. And when it came to physical resilience, Kuangya¡¯s elite guards could take a couple of hundred bullets a piece¡ªfar more formidable than humans. All Gu Hang could rely on was greater numbers and stronger firepower. The location he chose for battle was a crossroads. Taking the forward direction of the starship as north, the Green Skin assault squad was coming from the south to the north, and on their route they were bound to pass through a broad crossroads. Gu Hang positioned a heavy force to the north of the intersection, which was the direction leading to the power compartment. Two battalions of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade were all there, but not heavily concentrated. Instead, they used fighting vehicles as cover, roadblocks, and fire points, with soldiers setting up multiple obstacles on this eight-meter-wide passageway. If Green Skins were to reach the power compartment, they would have to step over the bodies of the Rage Owl People from this crossroads onward for every meter. At the same time, on the narrower east and west passages of the intersection, troops were also stationed. The 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Division placed a combat battalion on each side. Rows of soldiers lay prone, with a row crouching behind them, and another row standing behind that. They held their guns aimed at the intersection, and a bit further back, there were rocket launcher troops ready to unleash a full-force barrage on the Green Skin Orcs as they passed. Additionally, there was a reserve force composed of a battalion also from the 22nd Regiment. They stood by on the fringe of the battlefield and would flank the rear of the Green Skin assault team from the south side of the intersection as soon as the battle started. Gu Hang prepared a large net for them. But the key to this net was himself and the four Phoenixes. Before boarding the starship, Gu Hang had leveled up. The battle in the ruins of the Eradication Tower, besides yielding generous points of grace, also maxed out his experience, enabling him to advance to level five. Advancing to level five required a full five hundred points of grace. This brought an increase of one point in constitution, one point in intellect. Beyond that, there was a new talent. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only When boarding the starship, he had thought that he might need to deal with the Green Skin Fleet¡¯s boarding combat. Although he could never have imagined that boarding would indeed soon threaten the ¡°Quintet,¡± he had prudently chosen to invest in a layer of Spiritual Energy. And this brought him an upgraded talent: [Advanced Telekinesis Control]. [Advanced Telekinesis Control: This talent will replace Telekinesis Control. You can now use Spiritual Energy more forcefully to control physical objects. Intellect +2] Although no new talent arrived, the upgraded version of Telekinesis Control was still quite reliable. Telekinesis Control was a general and potent Psychic Spell with outstanding effects. Chapter 227 - Chapter 227: Chapter 163, The Moment of Desperation is Here!_2 Chapter 227: Chapter 163, The Moment of Desperation is Here!_2 Moreover, after switching to advanced telekinesis control, his spiritual energy had increased slightly. As of now, Gu Hang¡¯s total spiritual energy attribute had reached 20 points. His attributes had become as follows: [Hero: Gu Hang (Faction Leader), LV5, insufficient experience to level up] [Physique: 10, Spiritual Energy: 20] [Traits: Psychic Caster, Governor of Rage Owl Star, Enemy of the Storm] [Talents: Protective Spiritual Energy, Advanced Telekinesis Control, Mind Manipulation] This boost significantly enhanced Gu Hang¡¯s own strength. An increase of two points in spiritual energy meant that both the intensity of his spiritual energy and the power of his psychic spells more than doubled from before. As a level five psychic who had put all points into spiritual energy, Gu Hang was already very strong. To use an interstellar warrior as an example, before the upgrade, he could barely handle a one-on-one fight against an average star warrior. But now, crushing an old soldier wasn¡¯t a big problem for him, he could comfortably defeat a battle group warrior, and he could barely manage to fight against someone at the level of a squad champion like Matins. The increase in his strength this time would be a great help in the upcoming battle to eliminate the Beastman Fleet General. As long as they could kill the Beastman Overlord, the encirclement laid out with the forces at hand would be meaningful, ensuring the total annihilation of those Green Skin Orcs here and effectively resolving the threat of this round of boarding tactics. There might still be Green Skins alive, scattered throughout the ships, but they would no longer be a threat. If they failed to kill him¡­ Let¡¯s not even talk about it; it¡¯s either dying here or getting blown up in space along with the starship. This is space maritime warfare; when a ship explodes, there¡¯s truly no way out. All preparations had been made, and the battle came swiftly. Kuangya arrived even faster than expected. His assault team appeared at the southern end of the crossroads. After violently demolishing a door, a troop of Green Skins rushed forward. The walkers and soldiers¡¯ firepower quickly filled the entire passage, and even if those five Green Skins were elite and capable fighters, they couldn¡¯t survive a bullet storm in such an environment with no room to dodge. Their crude iron armor shattered, they rushed forward a few dozen more steps with their strong and highly resistant bodies, but ultimately fell under the concentrated fire. But what followed was not as easy to defeat. Those were two parallel killing machines. The machine guns on the walkers could still inflict effective damage on them, but were unable to quickly eliminate them. Similarly, the machine guns in the hands of the killing machines could penetrate the walkers¡¯ armor. The killing machines advanced while firing. Under their cover, the Green Skins continued to press forward. Fierce exchanges of fire began, and casualties started to occur among the human soldiers. A walker exploded, taking a few nearby soldiers with it, but at the same time, several rocket launchers took effect, overturning one of the riddled killing machines. However, during this process, the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ ranks had advanced a considerable distance. After one killing machine was toppled, the Green Skins didn¡¯t want to just rush forward half-heartedly either. At least, Kuangya didn¡¯t have the patience for that. He pushed aside the young Greens Skins that were rushing faster than him, shoved aside a fear-inducing iron can that still wanted to surge forward, and threw himself into the front line. The heat gun on his shoulder immediately came into play, piercing through half the corridor. From the intense red heat line backward, three walkers were pierced with large holes, and further melting extended outward from the perforated parts, causing the three vehicles to fall silent. The soldiers standing in line with the heat line didn¡¯t survive either. All of the rocket nests on his left arm were also emptied, and a series of violent explosions occurred on the humans¡¯ position. The gunfire that had filled the passage instantly fell silent for a moment. Seizing this opportunity, a mass of Green Skins began to surge forward rapidly. Even though the human soldiers¡¯ firepower was soon restored, it didn¡¯t significantly slow their advance. The Beastman Fleet General at the forefront bore most of the incoming fire with his massive and sturdy body. Machine gun fire from the walkers, even concentrated and intense, only literally created a ¡®metal storm¡¯ on him; the bullets were metallic, making contact like a gust of wind, merely slowing his pace. But conversely, once the heat gun on his shoulder was recharged, and the rocket nests in his hands were automatically refilled, a round of his firepower would obliterate a section of the human position, silencing the gunfire and waiting for another wave of soldiers to come before the firepower could be restored. Moreover, the firepower on the side of the Green Skin Orcs wasn¡¯t solely from Kuangya himself. The Iron Cans of Terror, the weapons mounted on the killing cans, were equally ferocious in their firepower. The orcs kept pushing forward relentlessly. During this process, Green Skin Orcs fell constantly, and occasionally a killing can would be destroyed. However, the human side was paying an even heavier price. As a frontline commander, Perbov¡¯s heart was bleeding. Within his first battalion, the most precious two companies¡ªthe Abandoned Cave Company and Kodi Company¡ªhe had assigned to the most arduous tasks, to act as the first echelon in blocking the Green Skins. But now, he had lost contact with both companies. In just a few minutes, he had lost his most elite two companies. Among these two companies, there were many of his ¡®fellow countrymen¡¯. Heartache, sadness, guilt¡­ these emotions were swirling in his heart. Yet, as a commander on the front line, he still had to be ruthless, sending the subordinates he held dear to a battlefield of extreme brutality. They were all fine young men, yet they had spilled their blood so far away from their homeland. But this was exactly in order to defend their homeland. The first battalion had nearly half of its troops empty, it was time for the second battalion to take over. Until new orders were issued, they must fight to the end, even if it meant dying at this position! Soon, the Green Skins led by Kuangya reached the crossroads. At this moment, soldiers who had been positioned early in the passageways to the east and west began to fire with all their might. Beyond bullets, a large number of rocket launchers, as infantry firepower, were fiercely launched. The two battalion commanders from the 22nd Regiment, although they couldn¡¯t see the fierce battle around the corner passageway, were extremely anxious when they saw countless bullets flying across the intersection and heard the orders over their listening devices, realizing that two of the most elite companies had been wiped out in minutes. They were no longer thinking about life and death. They were considering that at the first moment of engagement, they had to fire all the firepower at hand as forcefully as possible. If they did not do so, thinking of saving the key weapons for a critical moment, they would likely not have the opportunity to fire them. Plainly put, it was some rocket launchers. But the Green Skins were not fools. Seeing such a well-defended front and another crossroads ahead, how could they not be cautious? Kuangya took a moment here to continue attracting fire but also waited for more orc mechas to arrive. According to his strategy, he would split off some forces to strike into both flanks, at least holding the ground until the main force had passed through. The infantry on both sides also made a resolute decision, launching all the rocket launchers they had almost in one go. Amidst the powerful bombing, every commander heard a new order in their ears: ¡°All units charge!¡± This was certainly not an easy order to accept, but whether they were soldiers of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade or the infantry of the 22nd Regiment, all moved at the command of officers, political instructors, and duty officers. ¡°The moment of desperation has come! Follow me on the charge!¡± the officers, political instructors, and duty officers led the way, and the soldiers followed close behind. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only While firing, they charged toward the center of the crossroads! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Although just one chapter, each chapter is over 4k words. The drawbacks of not having a stockpile have come, I intended to post this section all at once, but writing every day on the fly, I couldn¡¯t finish¡­ Tomorrow, no matter how many words I post, I will definitely finish this section! Chapter 228 - Chapter 228: Chapter 164, The Death of the Military Governor (6k, subscribe please!) Chapter 228: Chapter 164, The Death of the Military Governor (6k, subscribe please!) Kuangya was somewhat surprised. Those shrimps actually dared to charge at them. He really hadn¡¯t seen that coming. Actually, the shrimps they had encountered along the way were all quite brave, nearly all of them willing to fight to the death with huge casualties. It¡¯s just a pity that their abilities were a bit weak; otherwise, killing them would have been even more thrilling. Even so, those brave soldiers also tried their best to avoid close combat with them, preferring to use layers of delay tactics and long-range firepower to reduce their numbers, hoping to hold out with their numerical advantage until ultimate victory. This was the first time they had encountered shrimps daring enough to launch a charge at them. Quite interesting. But Kuangya didn¡¯t feel worried about anything. Perhaps they had some special methods, but it didn¡¯t matter. Bring it on, I, Warlord Kuangya, fear nothing! He reaped a decent toll with his furious rocket and thermite cannon, and then some shrimps charged him amidst the fierce crossfire. He took the great axe slung over his back, and with just one horizontal sweep, three shrimps were cut in half at the waist. Then more shrimps charged over. But the human soldiers who reached his face appeared somewhat helpless. Facing a nearly three-meter-tall steel giant, impervious to concentrated machine gun fire, what could they do even if they charged up close? Could bullets penetrate armor at close range, or could bayonets pierce through it? However, the soldiers had their own methods. Kuangya saw that some shrimps strapped bombs to themselves. But it was meaningless. In front of him, they didn¡¯t even have the chance to detonate the bombs. The small shrimp had clearly misjudged Kuangya¡¯s reaction speed and strength. His nearly three-meter tall frame moved like lightning. Just a kick sent the human soldier¡¯s chest caving in, the entire person flying several meters away. Another soldier then picked up the bomb pack from the corpse and charged at him again, even pulling the fuse early, but this time he couldn¡¯t even get close, taking a bullet from six or seven meters away. The prematurely detonated bomb did explode, but the heatwave and shockwave from several meters away, of course, couldn¡¯t bother Kuangya, and instead killed two other human soldiers nearby. All in all, the charge of the human soldiers was tragic and harrowing, but it seemed¡­ utterly pointless. Far from killing more Green Skins, their casualties were particularly great, as if they were simply marching to their deaths. If things continued like this, it would not be long before all were dead. Kuangya thought so too and felt the opposing commander had lost his mind, even dumber than the dumbest kid in the tribe. No sooner had he thought this than he was struck hard. Two azure beams shot out from the human soldiers¡¯ formation. These beams were no ordinary means of attack; his armor was penetrated directly, a smoking hole in his chest and another in his head. This was real damage; especially the shot to the head that caused him excruciating pain. Only, what armor did not stop, his skull did. His head wasn¡¯t pierced, but he could feel immense pain and a sensation of his skull fracturing. The chest was pierced more thoroughly, damaging the respiratory system. Even for him, these two strikes were certainly very serious injuries. Not fatal, but very painful. Damage to the respiratory system made even breathing feel somewhat sweet; a fractured skull made his head dizzy. In a daze, he only then saw two shrimp bigwigs in blood-red power armors, standing about seventy meters away from him, the fully charged glow of their plasma guns not yet subsided. At the same time, two more of the same shrimp bigwigs in blood-red power armors had charged to within ten meters of him. Why had I not seen them before? Such big targets, even if mixed within the charging human soldiers, would be extremely conspicuous. Anyone with eyes couldn¡¯t fail to see them. However, at that moment, he had no time to ponder the reasons. At close range, the two shrimp bigwigs had already raised their weapons. The one charging at the front, wearing a black skull helmet, held a scepter in his hand, none other than Priest Nicola Rizzo of the Phoenix! He raised the head of his scepter, aiming it at Genie Kuangya¡¯s head. Taken by surprise, Kuangya could only dodge backwards reluctantly, while forcefully swinging his battle axe, clashing hard with the Priest. An even match. Injured and ambushed without being able to muster full strength, this confrontation ended up in a draw. The Gravity Scepter in Rizzo¡¯s hand smashed Kuangya¡¯s defensive stance, but he himself, due to the force of the blow, staggered back two steps. But it wasn¡¯t just him launching a surprise attack. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Matins, wielding a chainsaw sword, followed closely and seized the opportunity to strike fiercely at his chest. Kuangya¡¯s thick chest armor was shredded by the chainsaw. The previous concentrated plasma gun strike had not only pierced his chest armor and injured his lungs but also weakened his chest armor further. If it had not been for this precondition, Matins¡¯ chainsaw sword would probably not have been able to achieve such an effective blow. A large wound appeared on his chest plate, and the foul blo Chapter 230 - Chapter 230: Chapter 164, The Death of the Military Governor (6k, Please Subscribe!)_3 Chapter 230: Chapter 164, The Death of the Military Governor (6k, Please Subscribe!)_3 On powerful individual Green Skins like the Beastman Fleet General, this kind of power could even materialize, strengthening his physique, and in crucial moments, it could also provide a surge of explosive capability. The Spiritual Energy enveloping the Beastman Overlord that Gu Hang had cast was shattered by this force, which also brought him severe backlash damage. However, Gu Hang did not even consider his own injuries. Seeing the erupting energy rejuvenating the severely wounded Green Skin, it kicked Matins away and then clashed its great axe against Priest Rizzo. This time, Rizzo found no advantage and was forced off balance. Kuangya, relentless when at an advantage, slashed three times with his axe, smashing Priest Rizzo to the ground, and didn¡¯t even flinch when two plasma rays bombarded his body. After sustaining three axe blows from Kuangya, Rizzo¡¯s staff was knocked aside, and he lay on the ground, his breathing faint. Just as the overlord was raising his axe, ready to make another strike to chop off the big-headed redskin¡¯s head, Gu Hang¡¯s Spiritual Energy surged forth once again, restraining his right arm. Under the heavy injuries, forcing this action made Gu Hang¡¯s condition even worse, with more fresh blood flowing from his mouth, nose, and ears, even his eyes were bleeding. But he still succeeded in limiting the Beastman Overlord¡¯s movement, saving Priest Rizzo¡¯s life. At that moment, Matins, who had been kicked away a second time, charged back in, roaring as he once again slashed his chainsaw sword at the Beastman Overlord¡¯s shattered chest. However, the chainsaw sword was blocked by Kuangya¡¯s left arm. His pair of steel claw hands clamped down on Matins¡¯s chainsaw sword. The chainsaw buzzed loudly, producing spectacular sparks against Kuangya¡¯s steel claws, yet they were deadlocked in combat. The situation was at a standstill for the time being. Gu Hang realized something was wrong. He could only control Kuangya¡¯s arm wielding the axe, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain the control for long. Once his power dissipated, the tide of battle would immediately turn. There had to be further resolution to the problem. He had one more option: to stimulate Spiritual Energy even further, abandoning the control of Kuangya¡¯s axe-wielding right arm, and instead controlling the steel claws that were blocking Matins. Doing so would provide Matins the opportunity to slice open the Beastman Overlord¡¯s chest with the chainsaw sword and kill him. But as soon as he released control of the axe, Priest Rizzo¡¯s head would fall. Should he do it? Gu Hang knew there was no time left for hesitation; he had to make a decision immediately. But before that, there arose another variable in the situation. His Spiritual Energy sensed someone appearing in the hole that had been blasted in the ceiling by Kuangya¡¯s melter cannon. It was a human soldier, clad in the uniform of the Rage Owl Star Governor-General Corps and, judging by the insignia, belonging to the 3rd Independent Regiment. This battle outside the core engine power cabin shouldn¡¯t have involved the 3rd Independent Regiment. The assembly of troops had been too rushed, with no time to call in more forces. The presence of this person here was clearly accidental, a coincidence. But they might bring a significant surprise. ¡­ After an entire platoon was wiped out, Lacroix, as the highest ranking among the remaining seven, became the acting commander. He had no idea where to go, let alone what the original mission target of the platoon was. He could only follow the simple idea of leading the remaining six men towards where the fighting was happening, in the hope of finding proper officers to join and to offload the leadership responsibility he had been reluctantly carrying. Along the way, they encountered mostly aftermaths of battles but no living, proper officers. One particularly gruesome battlefield was littered with heaps of corpses. They passed through it and picked up a few weapons. Lacroix knew that the electromagnetic rifles from the elite marine troops were much better than their G9A assault rifles. As for their original rifles, they dared not discard them. Throwing away weapons meant facing court-martial upon return. But picking up a few extra on the way back shouldn¡¯t be a crime, right? And it wasn¡¯t just rifles they picked up. From a dead marine soldier, cut in half, they found two Personal Melter Bombs. New and unfamiliar, but after examining them briefly, they roughly knew how to operate them¡ªalthough they couldn¡¯t guarantee it was correct since they dared not actually test them out. Then, they pressed on, and halfway through, they heard more intense gunfire. Lacroix once again led his men towards the sound, determined to relinquish command. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°I¡¯m obviously only suitable to be a soldier, not an officer,¡± he thought. And the reason this thought became even stronger was that even while leading his troops towards the most intense fighting, he could still take the wrong path. They arrived, but to their embarrassment, they discovered that the intense gunfire seemed to be coming from beneath their feet. The starship¡¯s environment was too complex¡ªnot like the surface, with only one ground level. They had reached a higher deck, but now it was deserted. Wanting to descend into battle and find a higher-ranking leader proved impossible. However, fortune favors the bold, and just as he and his six men aimlessly searched for a way down, a red beam cannon shot upward from below, punching through the ground not far away. Chapter 231 - Chapter 231: Chapter 164, The Death of the Military Governor (6k, please subscribe!)_4 Chapter 231: Chapter 164, The Death of the Military Governor (6k, please subscribe!)_4 Heh, isn¡¯t that a way down? The metal structure there had turned red, the power of the melter cannon was fierce. After a little while, when the temperature wasn¡¯t so high, he carefully approached the side of the large hole with an approximate diameter of 1.2 meters. The hole wasn¡¯t this large at the beginning, it just melted to this size in a matter of seconds. He poked his head out of the hole and took a glance downward, spotting a starship trooper clad in red powered armor, with a skull helmet, lying at the foot of a gigantic steel Green Skin, and another trooper, who seemed to be chopping with a chainsaw sword but was blocked by a hand. He recognized them, the two starship troopers belonged to the Phoenix Battle Group. Though he had only caught a glimpse of them from afar on the battlefield outside Rubbish Town, the impression they left was simply too profound. But even such starship troopers were embroiled in a tough battle, how terrifying was that immense Green Skin giant? However, it seemed that the giant had met his match. One of his hands was held up with an axe, unable to chop down, the other blocked the chainsaw sword¡­ Witnessing this scene, Lacroix hesitated for a second, or maybe two. Then, he made a decision. I¡¯m really not cut out to be an officer, just a soldier. And as a soldier, what should I do now? He took out the personal melter bomb he had picked up earlier, tore off the adhesive protective cover on the back, and disengaged the safety, seeing a countdown with red numbers appear. Next, he leaped down through the hole with the bomb in his arms, landing right on the shoulder of the Green Skin Orc. His weight of seventy to eighty kilograms falling on the massive Green Skin didn¡¯t make him budge an inch. Of course, he hadn¡¯t expected to squash his opponent to death with a landing blow, but he acted quickly, sticking the personal melter bomb onto the giant¡¯s bloody chest, then lost his balance and tumbled down from its shoulder, crashing to the ground in disarray. While still dazed, he felt a tremendous force from behind his neck, as a large hand grabbed the collar of his clothes and dragged him backward on the run; amidst the whirling chaos, he also saw the previously fallen starship trooper at the feet of the Green Skin giant being pulled back by an invisible force, flying away. After a while, he heard an explosion. So this is the sound of a melter bomb exploding? First came a crackling sound, followed by a dull thud, and then a bubbling noise¡­ When the force pulling his collar ceased, he ignored the pain of his raw back, half rose to his feet, and looked into the distance. He could see the steel giant turned a fiery red color. Its limbs and head were still intact, but inside the previously destroyed chest armor, it appeared as if there was a continually burning red sun, emitting light outward. The power of the melter bomb triggered an extremely high temperature that expanded outwards. The steel armor on the body of the Beastman Overlord was considered one of the most advanced technological marvels of the Iron-Tooth Clan, not so easily melted, but its flesh and blood were another story. In an instant, its chest and abdominal cavities were almost incinerated. The giant¡¯s huge body twitched futilely a few times and then fell still. Lacroix stared at the scene, somewhat dumbfounded. Suddenly, his view was obstructed by a large shadow. Looking up, he saw the person who had just dragged him back by the collar¡ªthe starship trooper brandishing the chainsaw sword. The trooper patted his head and said, ¡°You¡¯re a hero. Can you tell me what you were thinking before you jumped?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lacroix was still a bit stunned, and he didn¡¯t know how to answer the question. What was he thinking the moment before the jump? He wasn¡¯t thinking anything, but his mind wasn¡¯t blank either. If he had to give an answer, it would be when he rode the transport ship, gazing back at his home Rage Owl Star in the starry space, and when on the Quintet, lying in an extremely narrow and confined cabin, his thoughts always meandered to that utterly insignificant question: ¡°I was thinking about the value of life.¡± He answered the trooper¡¯s question quite seriously. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This chapter has six thousand words. That¡¯s technically an extra update for today! Also, although I update four thousand words daily, on time at eleven o¡¯clock noon, I really don¡¯t have any drafts. The drafts are written late into the night the day before, and it was four-thirty when I finished this chapter. Not having drafts is really exhausting¡­ I¡¯ll write more on the weekends to try to prevent this. I¡¯ll publish it on schedule, and correct any typos after I wake up¡­ Chapter 232 - Chapter 232: Chapter 165, Naval Battle Settlement Chapter 232: Chapter 165, Naval Battle Settlement ¡°` When Gu Hang opened his eyes again, dozens of minutes had passed, and the battle at the crossroads had ended. The soldier from the 3rd Independent Regiment, who had descended from the sky and used a thermite bomb from who knows where to kill the Beastman Overlord, prompted Gu Hang to release the telekinetic control over Kuangya. Instead, he employed Spiritual Energy to pull the priest, who was barely hanging on to life and unconscious, forcefully to the rear to prevent him from being affected by the thermite bomb blast. At the same time, he also saw Matins, while retreating swiftly, did not forget to drag that heroic soldier back with him. Next, he witnessed Kuangya melting from the chest up, where his armor had completely failed, and then the orc was burned through from the inside out. Although many Green Skin Orcs were still alive on the battlefield when Kuangya died, their threat level dropped dramatically once their strongest leader was dead, which is characteristic of Green Skin Orcs. Without their leader, they began to disperse and fight on their own. Moreover, Kuangya¡¯s influence on the Green Skin Orc assault group was immense; without him to withstand countless attacks and kill various infantry and armored units, the remaining Greens Skins, even the Murder Can and the Dread Iron Can, fell far behind in combat strength. The armored personnel carriers began to advance slowly in the eight-meter-wide corridor, with the infantry orderly using them as cover and a firepower platform to attack the enemy. An infantry battalion that had flanked from the south side of the intersection caught the Green Skins, now in disarray and weakened in their will to fight, off guard. The rocket launchers fired round after round, with the explosions¡¯ destructive power magnified in the narrow passage. Moreover, even though Gu Hang himself could no longer maintain his combat strength due to the overload of Spiritual Energy, and Priest Rizzo was in the same condition, there were still three starship warriors left. They turned into super soldiers on the battlefield, taking on a role similar to that previously played by Genie Kuangya. Perhaps, even Matins, the nominal leader of the battle group, only had the prowess of a squad champion and was badly equipped, far from the strength of the Beastman Overlord. However, they had the advantage of being three men and, compared to the Green Skin Overlord, they were more calculated, rational, and very adept at coordinating with the Mortal Troops in combat. They would not use their powered suits to directly withstand the enemy¡¯s fiercest firepower; they knew when to step in and help the infantry when they encountered difficult situations. Overall, the battle was essentially over, and they had won the final victory. Although the troops under Gu Hang¡¯s command also suffered tremendous casualties, it was still fine because they won. Having witnessed this moment, he felt relieved enough to pass out. The excessive use of Spiritual Energy had left him with a splitting headache. However, he didn¡¯t faint for long. It was just for dozens of minutes, which didn¡¯t really affect anything significant. Upon waking up again, he felt much better. Although still a little shaky and not daring to use Spiritual Energy, fearing it would make his head hurt more, he could at least move normally without any major problems. At this moment, the battle was essentially over, and his soldiers were clearing the battlefield. The Green Skins who hadn¡¯t completely died were finished off with a few gunshots or had their brains thoroughly scrambled with a bayonet thrust into their heads; If they encountered their comrades-in-arms, the bodies were properly collected; for those blown too badly to even separate from each other¡¯s corpses, they could only bring back a head. If even the head couldn¡¯t be brought back, then there was nothing more to be done. However, one thing was certain to be retrieved¡ªthe soldier¡¯s armband, which bore the number of the soldier¡¯s unit and their own soldier number. Through this, one could identify the soldier¡¯s identity from the military administrative structure set up by Tadeusz. All the soldiers who died bravely deserved to be remembered. Then Gu Hang found the corpse of the Green Skin Overlord; he called Matins over and asked him for a favor: to sever the orc overlord¡¯s head. The head hadn¡¯t been completely burned by the thermite bomb, which was good. Carrying the head, he went to the starship¡¯s bridge command center, accompanied by two starship warriors. As for the other two starship warriors¡­ Rizzo had already been taken to receive treatment by another warrior. ¡­ Quintet¡¯s bridge command center. Yelisia was still mostly focused on commanding the starship in battle. She had to constantly monitor the movements of enemy ships and keep an eye on the Quintet¡¯s overall condition. However, during this process, part of her mind was always on the battle that had broken out inside the starship. After the Navy Marine Corps assembled their main force in an attempt to stop the enemy¡¯s advance but ended up getting wiped out, a great panic had already enveloped her. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only What she feared most was that in the midst of battle, her starship would explode from the inside. Yelisia knew that Gu Hang¡¯s troops had the support of four starship warriors. Of course, she had high hopes for these Angels of The Emperor. Yet, thinking rationally, could four starship warriors really win against a Beastman Overlord? She dared not ponder too deeply on this question, fearing that the result would be too desperate to bear. ¡°` Chapter 233 - Chapter 233: Chapter 165, Naval Battle Settlement_2 Chapter 233: Chapter 165, Naval Battle Settlement_2 She could only focus all her attention on commanding the naval battle. During this time, she had destroyed another Green-Skin Destroyer, and an Escort Ship of the Green Skins had been blown up by the firepower from the Beautiful Lady. Of the two Escort Ships in the Beautiful Lady Convoy that had been invaded by jumpers, one had returned to normal, while the other had its Void Shield shut down and was subsequently destroyed. But overall, the enemy still had one Destroyer and two Escort Ships left. The remaining strength, even just by the Quintet alone, was more than enough to wipe them all out. Under normal circumstances, such as during drills at school in the past simulations, she would be opening champagne by now, celebrating victory with her colleagues in the command team. But she dared not now. On one hand, this was the first real naval battle she faced; she dared not take it lightly, not until all the Green-Skinned Warships were truly destroyed. The stakes of this battle were immeasurably higher than any drill or simulation she had experienced before. On the other hand, the huge threat inside the Starship had not been resolved. And just then, news arrived. Gu Hang was back and headed straight to the bridge. ¡°So what¡¯s the exact situation? Did we win or not?¡± Yelisia asked. ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± The naval officer who delivered the message was sweating profusely, ¡°Mr. Gu didn¡¯t say.¡± Yelisia slapped her hand, wanting to curse. Rationally, if they hadn¡¯t won, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t dare to come over playing coy like this. It must be a victory. But without a confirmed message, how could she feel at ease? In the end, she could only say resentfully, ¡°Let him in.¡± No sooner had she spoken than, just a minute later, the door to the bridge command center opened. Immediately after, a huge head rolled in, like a wheel tumbling in. Yelisia was startled, the thick stench of blood filling her nostrils almost made her vomit. She was a military officer, a captain; she had seen her share of dead bodies, but¡­ as someone of her noble status, she rarely set foot on the bloody battlefield herself. Most of the brutal battles were represented before her as reports, a string of numbers, at most some footage to view. There was no need for someone like her, a high-born noble from a naval family, an esteemed Imperial Navy Commodore, to personally risk her life, was there? Even the service pistol at her waist was merely ceremonial. But even so, she did not scream. She braced herself, carefully examining the head that had rolled to the front of her command table. It was the head of the Beastman Overlord. She was certain of it. Looking up, she saw Gu Hang with a pale face but a proud smile, accompanied by two Star Warriors, striding forward. Standing before the Overlord¡¯s head, Gu Hang said to Yelisia on the command platform, ¡°I told you, this is the start of our path to glory.¡± Yelisia¡¯s face also bloomed with a brilliant smile, the blood¡¯s foul scent in her mouth and nose turned sweet. She would welcome the bloody scent of such an important enemy, even if unpleasant, wanting to savor it more. ¡°Mr. Gu, you are a hero.¡± It seemed she no longer minded that Gu Hang had subtly threatened her with the Rage Owl Star Troops boarding the ship before the battle. It was not her magnanimity, but rather victory could overshadow all discord. The war was won, the benefits to her were incalculable. She not only didn¡¯t mind Gu Hang¡¯s earlier threats, but from the bottom of her heart, she was grateful that Mr. Gu helped her to strengthen her resolve. If she had missed out on this merit, that would have been a great pity. ¡­ The death of the Beastman Overlord was a significant piece of good news. She finally didn¡¯t need to worry that, amid the fighting, her own starship would explode from the inside out. Had it not been for the ongoing space naval battle outside the starship, with Green Skin ships still charging, she certainly would have prepared a welcoming ceremony in line for the soon-to-return Gu Hang. Now she could finally devote all her attention to commanding the naval battle. With the unease swept from her mind, she commanded the fight with a buoyant spirit and a settled heart, feeling even the gunfire became more accurate and fierce. In contrast, upon noticing that the fighting inside the ¡®Quintet¡¯ had calmed and the entire ship was no longer in chaos or affected by disorganized combat, the remaining few ships of the Green Skin Fleet seemed to realize that their leader had really gotten themselves into trouble this time. Despite the lack of concrete news, they still started to show hesitation. They didn¡¯t flee but stopped charging, hesitantly exchanging fire with the Quintet and the Beautiful Lady that had caught up from behind at a certain distance. This was obviously a losing strategy. After another main destroyer was destroyed, the remaining three Green-Skin Frigates lost even the courage to continue fighting and directly chose to flee. But by the time they thought of escaping, it was already too late to run away. The Quintet chased after them, taking advantage of the long-range firepower to start picking them off one by one. In the end, as the three Green-Skin Frigates activated their jump drives, desperately trying to escape into the Star Realm Tunnel, their propulsion failed, their Shield System failed, and they were all blown up before the jump could even begin. Destroying Green Skin ships was not a painful ordeal. The Green Skin Orcs¡¯ starships were usable only to them. For humans, even if captured, they were just a pile of junk, totally inoperable and beyond understanding how such a heap of rubble could navigate stably through space. After all of the Green Skin warships were eliminated, combat results popped up in Gu Hang¡¯s view. [A resounding victory, earned 1401 points of grace] [Naval part: Lost 2, Destroyed 12] [Beautiful Lady Convoy (Allied): Lost 2, Destroyed 2] [Imperial Navy (Allied): Lost 0, Destroyed 10] [Ground combat part: Lost 13,468, Killed 2,623] [Beautiful Lady Convoy (Allied): Lost 5,569, Killed 823] [Imperial Navy (Allied): Lost 3,763, Killed 508] [Phoenix Battle Group (Allied): Lost 0, Killed 63] [Rage Owl Star Troops: Lost 4,136, Killed 1,229] ¡­ This battle¡¯s settlement page was a bit special, with the naval part being settled separately, and the destruction of ships had almost nothing to do with Gu Hang. However, the ground combat was more closely related to him. The damage from the orcs¡¯ boarding and combat was substantial. Those who boarded were elite forces. The reason the Beautiful Lady Convoy suffered over five thousand losses was that an Escort Ship had been nearly massacred after being boarded. As the fight dragged on, many sailors were as good as unarmed, so the casualties were bound to be high. The Quintet had elite ground forces and numerous armed sailors. But the biggest loss came during the attack led by Genie Kuangya, as too many people died without inflicting significant casualties on the Green Skins. Only Gu Hang¡¯s battle yielded a relatively better casualty ratio, mainly because heavy firepower couldn¡¯t be used. He could only fight the Green Skins hand-to-hand, which was a disadvantage, coupled with the many extra casualties paid to kill the Beastman Overlord. The battle was actually quite short-lived, especially when compared to the nearly two-month battle at the High Tower Ruins, where the annihilation of the Green Skin Tribe took place. This battle, particularly the ground combat, probably only lasted a few hours in total. But the intensity of the battle was immense. Based on Gu Hang¡¯s estimates, just looking at the Green Skins killed, the awarded grace points should be in the hundreds. Even if those Green Skins were more elite, with quite a several killing machines and terror tanks and the like, they shouldn¡¯t be in the thousands. That was according to the ratio worked out in the settlement of the battle at the High Tower Ruins. In that two-month campaign, his forces killed fifteen thousand Green Skins and only earned a little over two thousand grace points. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, this time the thousand or so kills earned thousands of grace points. The biggest difference was probably due to that Beastman Overlord¡¯s head. At this point, Gu Hang still had to feel fortunate that the one who got the final kill was Lacroix, one of his soldiers. If the final kill had been taken by Matins, then the victory would¡¯ve been credited to the allied forces that didn¡¯t award grace points, and the settlement would probably result in many fewer grace points. ¡°I must award that lad a heavy medal!¡± Chapter 236 - Chapter 236: Chapter 167, Gu Hangs Past Chapter 236: Chapter 167, Gu Hang¡¯s Past Compared to those two ladies, what Gu Hang could obtain was relatively little. But he was content. The Iron-Tooth Clan¡¯s raiding fleet was originally targeting Rage Owl Star. By involving the Beautiful Lady Convoy and the Imperial Navy, it was like solving a massive problem for him, one that he couldn¡¯t have resolved by himself. That was the biggest gain. And the thousands of grace points seemed like an incidental benefit, taken for granted. However, Gu Hang would still strive to secure more additional rights for himself. Eliminating the surface vanguard, providing important intelligence, taking part in space battles to take down the Beastman Overlord¡­ The Planetary Defense Force of Rage Owl Star made such a great contribution in this war and suffered heavy losses; shouldn¡¯t the Military Affairs Department consider issuing some more advanced equipment to cope with the possible future wars? Even more, Gu Hang was contemplating something: Now, with definitive intelligence involving a giant like the Iron-Tooth Clan possibly launching a massive attack on Tianma Star Sector, they have de facto sent out a vanguard fleet. Thus, the Empire needs to strengthen the defense forces on Rage Owl Star, right? In addition to stationing a starship, deploying a certain number of land forces, stationing an actual Star Realm Army Corps would be quite reasonable, right? Oh, the Star Realm Army is stretched thin? Can¡¯t temporarily draw a sufficient force? No worries! I, Gu Hang, the Planetary Governor of the Empire, The Emperor¡¯s most loyal subject, will certainly take on the Empire¡¯s worries. This matter, leave it to Rage Owl Star. As the Planetary Governor, Gu Hang will fully support the construction of the Star Realm Army. With just ten million tax currency, a group army of hundreds of thousands, equipped with various heavy weapons, can be established on Rage Owl Star. The people and the equipment will all come from the planet. And Governor Gu Hang, due to his outstanding performance in the last war, could become the corps commander of this Star Realm Army. But this point is very difficult to arrange. A Planetary Governor doubling as a Star Realm Army corps commander is not unprecedented, but it¡¯s quite rare. If that doesn¡¯t work out, Gu Hang could also settle for promoting Tadeusz to that position. And since they¡¯re establishing a new corps, the Empire will certainly provide funding. Ten million tax currency, isn¡¯t that perfect? Rage Owl Star was supposed to pay an Imperial tax in a year and a half anyway. The Imperial tax quota for Rage Owl Star is at the lowest bracket. With the planet¡¯s population officially set at 50 million by the Imperial Taxation Department, it was obligated to pay an Imperial levy of five million tax currency per year, paid biennially, totaling ten million at a time. For his first tax payment, Gu Hang only needed to pay a quarter, thanks to a concession from the Star Sector Government. Of course, the Department of Taxation wouldn¡¯t acknowledge this deal; in essence, the additional 7.5 million was paid by the Star Sector Government on behalf of Rage Owl Star to the Imperial Taxation Department. So, the Star Sector Government¡¯s 7.5 million tax currency shouldn¡¯t be given to the Department of Taxation anymore, but should instead make a detour to my hands, directly to me, plus the 2.5 million tax currency that Rage Owl Star itself has to pay, adding up to ten million. It¡¯s very reasonable to establish a group army of over 500,000, equipped with various heavy weapons, on Rage Owl Star. When the time comes, Gu Hang would shove all of his troops under his command into it. After all, constructing the army was always on the agenda, and it¡¯s a major support effort. With the Imperial tax covering the cost, it¡¯s a win-win. The soldiers are my men, the officers are my men, the highest commander is my man, and the troops are stationed on the planet; at the end of the day, who gets to call the shots? It¡¯s just a change of name. Of course, it¡¯s not entirely without drawbacks. The Star Realm Army is different from the Planetary Defense Force. The latter is completely subject to the Governor and only deals with internal planetary matters. The former, on the other hand, must obey orders from the Military Affairs Department. Today, if the orders are to garrison Rage Owl Star, then Gu Hang could still use his influence to keep the entire force under control. But tomorrow, for all we know, a dispatch order might arrive, possibly sending troops to fill in on some difficult battlefield. Could he refuse to accept the orders? But such things are uncertain. Not to mention that the likelihood of it happening isn¡¯t particularly high, even if I don¡¯t transform the forces into the Star Realm Army, when there¡¯s a real need, the Military Affairs Department could invoke special emergency statutes to conscript the Planetary Defense Forces into the Star Realm Army. Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t be able to stop that either. Instead of that, it would be better to turn them into the Star Realm Army. If they are to be taken away, then so be it; after all¡­ the money for forming the army, or the people involved, can be considered as purchased by the Empire with allocated tax funds. Consider it as paying the normal tax, what would Gu Hang lose? It¡¯s definitely more reliable than having the Planetary Defense Forces conscripted without any compensation. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Of course, all of the above are still just Gu Hang¡¯s ideas. To turn them into reality, there¡¯s still a long way to go. He said to the two ladies, ¡°This is essentially about converting the reality of military victory into tangible political success, and then into corresponding economic benefits. Since everyone agrees with the approach I¡¯ve suggested, what remains is to resolve some minor details.¡± Yelisia agreed, adding, ¡°The overall facts are not a problem, but there are two important nuances. First, what exactly is in the intelligence I intercepted; and second, the matter of Yelisia drafting the Beautiful Lady Convoy into battle in the name of the Imperial Navy needs real evidence.¡± Wang Jiarong said, ¡°The latter issue is relatively easy to resolve. Sister Yelisia, you can sign a retroactive conscription order on paper, claiming it was signed afterward; at the same time, we need to create a communication record that shows I accepted the Navy¡¯s conscription from the start of the battle, and all actions taken after emerging from the warp point were aimed at luring the Green Skin Fleet into the predetermined battle location.¡± Chapter 237 - Chapter 237: Chapter 167, Gu Hangs Past_2 Chapter 237: Chapter 167, Gu Hang¡¯s Past_2 Gu Hang similarly said, ¡°I¡¯ll handle the interception of relevant intelligence in the ruins on the surface.¡± They began to meticulously discuss how to patch things up and ensure all details could withstand scrutiny. In truth, most of this work was likely futile. As long as there were no issues with the broader facts, these details would probably not be scrutinized by the Military Affairs Department. If they had to deploy specialized inspection teams to verify every detail of each battle, they couldn¡¯t possibly keep up with the countless wars happening across the stars at every moment, even if the Military Affairs Department worked to death. Sometimes, even when the Military Affairs Department knew there might be issues somewhere, they couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with them. As long as things were more or less accurate, without fabricating military achievements or inventing facts in major matters, that was sufficient. As for what happened after reporting their achievements, the three of them tacitly refrained from discussing further. How Wang Jiarong would operate to compensate for her losses, and perhaps even make a large profit, was a matter for her and the Gu Family backing her. How Yelisia and the Fufana Family behind her would package her as a star of the Imperial Navy was their concern too. And for Gu Hang himself, to turn the things he envisioned into reality, he had to find his own way. These matters didn¡¯t need to be communicated with each other. With their major contributions confirmed, how they seized political advantages was down to their own skills. ¡­ Gu Hang had a lengthy in-depth conversation with the two ladies. They said there were only some details that needed to be supplemented, but even these details had to be perfected. The Imperial Military Department had only a very small likelihood of checking, and even if they did check, they probably wouldn¡¯t be too thorough; as long as they confirmed that a group of Green Skins had been slaughtered on the surface, that twelve Green Skin ships had been destroyed at the jump point, and that the severed head indeed belonged to a Beastman Overlord, that would be the end of it. But even for that tiny probability, they wanted to do things as well as possible, to avoid even the slightest chance of mishap. Once they had agreed on everything, what remained was for each of them to execute their parts. And after Yelisia left first, only Gu Hang and Wang Jiarong, the siblings, were left in the small drawing room. They fell silent for a while. Actually, by this time, Wang Jiarong was no longer so upset about the losses. Though the merchant fleet was registered in her name, it was essentially the property of the Gu Commercial Firm. She was the commander, a shareholder, and a leader. It wasn¡¯t her fault that they suffered such significant losses; they were targeted by an overwhelming force of pirates, so her guilt would not be particularly heavy. Her status within the firm would decline, and her own investment would take a big hit, which was to be expected, but it wouldn¡¯t ruin her completely. Moreover, following the new explanation given by her cousin, she might well turn her losses into profits, even a substantial one, so everything would be recovered. The incident itself couldn¡¯t entirely be blamed on her cousin. With several factors combined, she really couldn¡¯t stay mad at her cousin, who she had grown up with since childhood. But she couldn¡¯t seem too intimate either. The main reason was another matter. She sighed and said, ¡°Cousin, actually¡­ Auntie really misses you.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Hang replied with a word. He had no other implications. From the memories of his former self, he could envision the figure of a beautiful woman. However, in his perception, the former self¡¯s deep feelings for his mother were quite ambivalent. Love, of course, was there, but also some resentment. Honestly, he wasn¡¯t too interested in dealing with the previous family squabbles. The things he sifted from the memories always seemed separated by a veil, a layer of cloth. They were clearly there, but the feelings were not profound. It was like watching a movie; the story was clear and even emotionally impactful, but it didn¡¯t feel like it happened to him. Of course, he couldn¡¯t sever ties with them. These things were etched in his mind, in his memory, indelible. Additionally, his ascent to the role of Planetary Governor was entirely due to his family¡¯s status, an identity he couldn¡¯t shed even if he wanted to. The contradiction of feeling detached, yet unable to cut ties, manifested in his behavior as a nonchalant ¡°Oh.¡± Wang Jiarong on the other side, however, misunderstood. She sighed again, ¡°Cousin, you can¡¯t blame auntie, she¡­ sigh, anyway, it was your mistake this time. You shouldn¡¯t have agreed when Mister Pei Desi nominated you to become the Governor of Rage Owl Star, it has put the Gu Clan in a particularly passive position.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s heart stirred. Was there more to the story? In his memory, he was one of the core members of the Gu Family¡¯s generation; his grandfather had been the previous leader of the family, and his father should have taken his place but had died shortly after Gu Hang was born. Currently, the Gu Family didn¡¯t have a true leader. His mother, Mrs. Wang Qi, on the other hand, was quite capable¡ªthat was Gu Hang¡¯s assessment of the beautiful woman in his memories. A woman who, after marrying into the family and losing her husband shortly after giving birth, managed to preserve a significant amount of benefits for her own little family in the subsequent internal family struggles and became a significant force within the Gu Commercial Firm. This was no easy feat. However, in devoting herself wholeheartedly to her career, she inevitably neglected her son. In the memories of his previous life, his relationship with his mother was rather indifferent; they rarely interacted, and with strict discipline, coupled with various rumors within the family, the implicit isolation by his kin, mediocre achievements, and lack of recognition¡­ these things all contributed to the resentment at the core of his former self. Then, a few months ago, he encountered the Star Sector leader, Mister Luo Ang Pei Desi, at an upper-class gathering. The gap between the two was vast. One was the leader of a Star Sector, and the other just a rich second generation. But Pei Desi took the time to talk with Gu Hang carefully during a toast exchange. According to the memories and feelings of his former self, he felt respected. Mister Pei Desi, with a cordial and gentle demeanor, praised him, recognized his yet unseen potential, and expressed hope for his future. They then talked about Rage Owl Star, saying they hoped a member of the Gu Family could take on the role of governor to solve this longstanding problem for the Star Sector. His predecessor was not completely foolish; he could see that the Star Sector leader was somewhat conning him. But he accepted the offer without hesitation. From his perspective: Rage Owl Star was the source of the Tianma Star Sector, which had not paid enough Imperial Tax since its return to the Empire, constantly requiring the Star Sector Government to cover the shortfall. The decision to rebuild Rage Owl Star was made by Mister Pei Desi, and marked the expansion of the Tianma Star Sector into a ninth world, beyond the original eight. Reclaiming territory was the main achievement that Pei Desi reported to the higher regional government when he had first become the Star Sector leader. The nature of a Star Sector leader and a Planetary Governor, akin to a local emperor, were different. The latter was more like a lord, holding sway over military, political, and financial matters, ensuring loyalty with Imperial Tax collection, making it difficult to challenge them; the former was more like a bureaucrat, a politician needing achievements and stories to embellish their portfolio, requiring the support of powerful Planetary Governors to secure their position as the head of the Star Sector. However, the story of reclaiming the old land that he had told when he first took office had, unexpectedly, turned into a burden years later, mired in decades of struggle. This wasn¡¯t merely due to the abysmal conditions and challenges in Rage Owl Star itself, but also because political rivals within the Star Sector were constantly holding things back, causing endless problems for the reconstruction efforts. Pei Desi had had enough of this situation and was determined to resolve it. He hoped to unite the Fufana Family and the Gu Family to tackle this problem head-on. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Pei Desi brothers, the Fufana Family, and the Gu Family formed a solid triad within the Tianma Star Sector. The Fufanas represented the Imperial Navy, while the Gus brought substantial financial strength. Moreover, with one Pei Desi brother serving as the Flying Wing Star Governor and the other as the political influence of the Star Sector leader, they had the complete capability to thoroughly develop Rage Owl Star. The former Gu Hang believed himself to be the most capable person in the Gu Family identified by Mister Pei Desi. Even fearing unexpected turns, such as another family member stealing the governorship from him, he kept silent until the appointment letter was in his hands. And then, he bitterly experienced a slap in the face from his mother. Chapter 238 - Chapter 238: Chapter 168, definitely next time Chapter 238: Chapter 168, definitely next time Gu Hang was certain that his predecessor¡¯s greatest resentment towards his mother stemmed from that slap. He remembered how Mrs. Wang Qi, gasping for breath after hitting him, said with immense disappointment, ¡°How could I have a son like you? Incompetent, foolish, clueless. If it were just that, I could still ensure you a lifetime of riches. But you have the audacity to harbor ambitions that your abilities cannot back. You really aren¡¯t even one ten-thousandth of your father. You disappoint me so much.¡± Those words pierced his heart deeply. His mother looked down on him. This filled him with anger and resentment, so much so that he took a personal attendant with him and took office alone. But he wasn¡¯t going there just to die¡ªat least that¡¯s what he thought before. According to his predecessor¡¯s understanding, under normal circumstances, he truly was the one meant to save Rage Owl Star from disaster. It¡¯s true that many governors before him had died, and failing to complete the Imperial Tax collection could cost a scion of the Gu Clan his life¡ªsuch was a fundamental rule of the Empire. But he wasn¡¯t afraid. What were those previous governors? Mere rotten fish and shrimp? But I, Gu Hang, am the pride of destiny! Driven by political self-interest, the Star Sector¡¯s head honcho was determined to develop Rage Owl Star; Fufana offered full support, and the navy allocated a cruiser to be stationed at Rage Owl Star, so there wasn¡¯t much to worry about military-wise. Combined with the financial power of the Gu Family, wasn¡¯t this task bound to succeed? Doesn¡¯t get the old lady¡¯s support? If she doesn¡¯t support it, so be it; the Gu Family isn¡¯t dictated by Wang Qi, there are many other uncles and elders. What¡¯s this about the Tianma Star Sector Iron Triangle? Moreover, the appointment letter had already been issued; in the Central Empire, he was already a registered Planetary Governor¡ªthere was no turning back on this matter. He couldn¡¯t go back on it after that slap from his mother either. As Gu Hang perused the memories, he could clearly sense that his predecessor had a thought: if I really am to die, then I¡¯ll just fulfil Mother¡¯s desires. If such a useless son dies, you¡¯d probably be very happy. The events that followed, Gu Hang was well aware of: he had traveled through time and space, taking the place of his predecessor on his way to his new position. During the nearly one month journey from Flying Wing Star to Rage Owl Star aboard the starship, and the five or six months of striving to establish himself on the surface, the Gu Family had indeed hardened their hearts and hadn¡¯t provided a single penny in that half a year. That¡¯s how things stood. At this moment, as Gu Hang replayed the entire incident in his mind, it was quite clear that his predecessor had been set up. The few sentences his mother scolded him with weren¡¯t really a big deal. Mainly because Gu Hang didn¡¯t feel it personally. If you¡¯re scolded, you¡¯re scolded. After all, she wasn¡¯t scolding me¡­ Oh, turns out she was scolding me, so, never mind. The problem with his predecessor was significant. He could see something deeper, but not enough. He saw that behind this incident, Pei Desi had schemed from his own political interests. He saw that the coalition of the three was strong and could resolve the issue but was too blindly confident. Why would Pei Desi, as the chief head of the Star Sector, start his plan from someone who was relatively a nobody? According to Gu Hang¡¯s judgment, it was very likely that Pei Desi hadn¡¯t managed to get the Gu Clan on board at all. The combined effort of the three families was probably a figment of the predecessor¡¯s imagination. By roping in his naive predecessor, Pei Desi could incidentally drag the Gu Family into the mess. Once a core family member became a governor and the Imperial appointment was decreed, it was a done deal¡ªyou wouldn¡¯t seriously leave him unsupported, would you? Especially Mrs. Wang Qi, this was her only son, and given her status as a widow, which was quite awkward¡ªdecades after her husband¡¯s death, her connection to the Gu Family relied on this son bearing the Gu name. By all accounts, she couldn¡¯t accept her son¡¯s failure and subsequent death as governor. Not to mention the issue of kinship, without Gu Hang, how could she directly control a branch of the Gu Commercial Firm? A split in the family? The others in the Gu Clan would never allow it, there would be a bloodbath. Unexpectedly, whether the Gu Family or Wang Qi herself, they truly had steeled their hearts and gave no support, leading to Pei Desi¡¯s plan to manipulate the Gu Family into backing Rage Owl Star¡¯s reclamation not only falling through but also creating huge conflict between them¡ªthis was deduced by Gu Hang himself, without any intelligence to back it up. However, at its root, Gu Hang didn¡¯t understand: logically, the Gu Clan, supposed to be staunch supporters of Pei Desi, why would they abandon the stance of the so-called ¡®Iron Triangle¡¯ and not support Pei Desi¡¯s redevelopment of Rage Owl Star? On this matter, Gu Hang lacked sufficient information to analyze further. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But according to his cousin, she might know something. After some thought, Gu Hang decided to be direct. He said, ¡°In the days since my arrival at Rage Owl Star, I¡¯ve achieved some results. In my spare time, I¡¯ve also reflected on the whole affair. I know I¡¯ve made a subtle mistake. I shouldn¡¯t have come here. But what I¡¯ve never understood is, why didn¡¯t you¡ªoh, I mean we, the Gu Clan¡ªsupport Pei Desi in rebuilding Rage Owl Star?¡± After Gu Hang finished speaking, Wang Jiarong looked at her cousin with considerable surprise. Based on what she knew about her cousin, most of whatever she said would likely be wasted breath, and might even provoke annoyance. She felt obliged to speak up and offer advice because of her intermediary role. Chapter 239 - Chapter 239: Chapter 168, Next Time For Sure_2 Chapter 239: Chapter 168, Next Time For Sure_2 But the reaction of his cousin didn¡¯t seem to show any dislike; in fact, he seemed to be listening sincerely. This was not at all how he remembered his cousin to be. Of course, Wang Jiarong was pleased about it. She saw a glimmer of hope for solving the problem between her aunt and cousin. If it were possible to mend the relationship between the two, it would be a good deed not only in terms of family relations but more importantly, the biggest issue with her aunt¡¯s power within the Gu Family was a matter of legitimacy. Her cousin was the most natural leader of this family force, her aunt¡¯s control over it was legitimized first by her late husband, and second by Gu Hang. The problem, however, was that, after all, her husband was deceased, and the longer he had been dead, the weaker the legitimacy of this splinter force from the family would be; plus, with her son Gu Hang, who not only had a strained relationship with her but also had accepted a task likely to get him killed¡­ But if the two could work together, this issue could be largely resolved. As a result, Wang Jiarong became more serious in her conversation. She pondered carefully and said, ¡°I don¡¯t actually understand the business behind it all that clearly, I can only share with you my understanding.¡± ¡°First, this is a losing deal, or rather, the investment cycle is too long, and the return too slow. We are in the business of trade, not a heavy-asset industry. Although the price of a spaceship is very high, fully-owned purchases are rare; most often it is a pooled investment, a joint purchase. Moreover, once a fully owned starship is bought, it can be put into operation immediately and start generating income, often paying for itself in a few years.¡± ¡°But the reconstruction of a desolate planet requires such a huge investment, far greater than even a large starship. And it demands many years, continuous input, with returns that are unknown years in the future. Pouring a large amount of capital and resources into one planet would create a very heavy burden on the family and could even affect normal operations. Moreover, behind the high investment and long cycle, there is high risk¡ªRage Owl Star has been struggling for so many years without success, who knows if this time will be any different?¡± ¡°High investment, high risk, long cycle¡­ these characteristics combined make the family completely uninterested in a normal investment.¡± ¡°If it were as Mister Pei Desi said, that the Tianma Iron Triangle worked together, it would have been different with the other two families sharing the cost, but the reality is different. The Fufana Family contributed a cruiser, which they encouraged the Imperial Navy to dispatch as part of a mission, so they didn¡¯t spend a penny themselves, and at most, the cruiser will stay at Rage Owl Star for two years.¡± ¡°Mister Pei Desi, the leader, has provided a Planetary Governor appointment letter, as well as political support. In theory, the value of this letter is incredibly high, equivalent to receiving an entire planet; unfortunately, it¡¯s for Rage Owl Star, a place where whoever becomes governor is bound to meet their demise.¡± ¡°They gave these things but expect the Gu Family to pay almost the entire cost of reconstructing the planet.¡± ¡°No matter how others might measure the value difference between these three things, at the very least, the internal sentiment within the Gu Clan is one of dissatisfaction, feeling that it¡¯s completely inequitable.¡± After hearing all this, Gu Hang understood quite a bit better. Certainly, if it was supposedly a joint effort by the three families, but you two contribute just that little and expect me to be the sucker¡ªif Gu Hang were the family head, he wouldn¡¯t be willing to agree either. Wang Jiarong paused, then continued to reveal the second reason: ¡°And moreover, the Gu Clan has been recently repairing relations with the Fatches Family. They are the real power in the Tianma Star Sector, and in the eight major worlds of the sector, three of the governors are from the Fatches Family. They have a conflict with Mister Pei Desi and previously also had a bad relationship with us, but it has improved lately. To conduct business, we cannot ignore the Fatches Family¡¯s three planets.¡± ¡°But they have significant interests on Rage Owl Star. You¡¯ve been on this planet for a while now, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard of Blackbird Heavy Industries? This company on Rage Owl Star is essentially controlled by the Fatches Family. Before Rage Owl Star was reclaimed as an Empire World, it was a ¡®no-man¡¯s planet¡¯ exempt from taxes, and the Fatches Family was interested in maintaining this status. They could operate everything on the planet through Blackbird Heavy Industries without restriction and without paying taxes.¡± ¡°Even, it¡¯s reasonable to suspect that they have moved a lot of their own three planets¡¯ output to Blackbird Heavy Industries, taking advantage of the special nature of Rage Owl Star to avoid taxes. Of course, this is pure speculation without evidence; otherwise, Mister Pei Desi would have used this point to finish them off a long time ago.¡± ¡°Recapturing Rage Owl Star is an action of Mister Pei Desi against the Fatches Family, a battlefield in their political struggle. The Gu Family, at a critical point in mending relations with the Fatches Family, your coming here interrupted the process, destroying the family¡¯s long-term efforts and sending the relations back into the freezer.¡± Gu Hang nodded again, indicating that he understood. ¡°` ¡°Approximately these two aspects,¡± Wang Jiarong said, ¡°so I say, the thing you did this time, cousin, not only did aunt get very angry, everyone in the Gu Family is actually quite annoyed. Your arrival here has put even more pressure on aunt. It¡¯s not that she really doesn¡¯t want to help you, she has no choice, otherwise it would be hard to explain to the family internally. And¡­ haven¡¯t I come?¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Gu Hang nodded lightly, ¡°Your arrival was crucial. However, did my mother send you here? Or did she approve of this?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ That¡¯s not the case, I came on my own.¡± Wang Jiarong¡¯s face turned a bit embarrassed, but she quickly made up for it, ¡°But aunt must have tacitly agreed, otherwise she would have contacted me by now and not let me come.¡± ¡°Heh, tacitly agreed.¡± Gu Hang maintained a polite smile on his face and didn¡¯t mock any further. Wang Jiarong sighed, knowing that reconciling the relationship between mother and son was not that simple; she had also tried for many years with no effect, not to mention there was now an even greater conflict between the two. Being his cousin/niece is too tough. ¡°Anyway, cousin, you might want to contact auntie when you have some time. Real-time communication is quite costly, and I don¡¯t have the means here, but Quintet should have a way, just make a reservation in advance, then¡­¡± ¡°Forget it, forget it,¡± Gu Hang hastily interrupted, ¡°Stop, let¡¯s leave it at that. Lately, I don¡¯t even know what to say to her.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just leave it at this, can you?¡± ¡°Next time for sure.¡± ¡­ Under his cousin¡¯s regretful gaze, he ended the conversation. He had other matters to attend to. His troops under his command had suffered heavy casualties during their confrontation with the Green Skins who boarded Quintet. Of the total twenty thousand people on the starship, more than four thousand were killed or wounded, exceeding a 20% casualty rate. As the commander, Gu Hang had to go and visit the warriors. It was also a way to win over people¡¯s hearts, proving that the Planetary Governor genuinely cared about his comrades. Anyway, it was better than doing nothing on the starship. Additionally, he went to visit Rizzo. That was only proper, as the starfighter had risked his life for him many times. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Priest of Phoenix was in relatively good condition. It was tough taking three axe blows from the Beastman Overlord, but luckily none hit his vital parts directly¡ªa blow to the shoulder, one to the breastplate, causing severe injuries, but at least the power armor reduced the damage. It¡¯s just that his armor set was likely beyond repair. Gu Hang also consoled the old Priest. ¡°This time, the trader convoy I invited brought some new power armor, which I had someone personally purchase for you. Get well soon, and don¡¯t worry about not having power armor to wear; you¡¯ll get a brand new set!¡± After speaking, Gu Hang even turned to Matins, ¡°Commander of the warriors, you also get a share. Among the special items purchased, not only is there regular power armor for the future members of the warrior troop, but there is also a set of Terminator Power Armor, specially prepared for you, as a token of thanks for the support the troop has provided during this time.¡± ¡°` Chapter 240 - Chapter 240: Chapter 169: You Cant Bear to Leave Me, Can you? Chapter 240: Chapter 169: You Can¡¯t Bear to Leave Me, Can you? Hearing about the new power armor, which included a set of Terminator Armor, Matins was also moved. Terminator-type power armor boasts far superior performance compared to ordinary power armor. With thicker armor, a more robust internal power system, and the ability to be equipped with heavier weaponry, it serves as a formidable long-to-mid-range fire support platform, as well as excels in close-quarters combat, offering unmatched advantages. Even the hefty pauldrons house a pair of mini shield generators, further enhancing the capabilities of the Terminator Armor. In the days when the Phoenix Battle Group was still prosperous, among a thousand members, there were just a few dozen sets of Terminator Armor. The Terminator Armor has two drawbacks compared to ordinary tactical armor: First, it is expensive, and significantly more so. Second, it is not very flexible. Once you don the Terminator, stealthy, silent operations become quite difficult. Weighing three to four times more than ordinary armor and equipped with a shield generator, even with a neural interface and electronic muscle bundles, the Terminator Armor still hampers agility. However, given the stronger firepower, greater strength, thicker armor, and the addition of an energy shield, the loss of some agility is wholly acceptable. Matins couldn¡¯t help feeling sentimental: If he had had a set of Terminator Armor in that battle on the surface, Schneider wouldn¡¯t have died. Stronger equipment is not only for one¡¯s own benefit but also to protect more of your combat brothers at your side. Besides, he noticed that Gu Hang mentioned other power armors in his speech. Clearly, this was to prepare for the future expansion of combat troops. They could theoretically add three members using the genetic seeds of the three brothers who had died in battle. Matins had been worried about the power armor issue before, especially since Schneider¡¯s suit was so badly damaged that it was beyond repair. Now, there was no need to worry. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said to Gu Hang. Gu Hang waved his hand, ¡°I should be thanking you all.¡± ¡­ Inspecting the troops, visiting injured soldiers, and checking in on the Phoenix Battle Group, which played a crucial role. This was what Gu Hang did on his way back to Rage Owl Star¡¯s orbit aboard the starship. The journey home, even by starship, took several days. Midway through, he received a new system message: another month had passed, and the monthly fixed grace points had been distributed. This time, the grace points increased slightly from the previous month, reaching 678 points. The main growth came from the newly incorporated Rubbish Town. One hundred thousand workers and scavengers, totaling two hundred thousand people, contributed to a monthly grace revenue of 55 points. There was still much room for growth. Rubbish Town had virtually ground to a halt in the last month due to the war; scavenging, raw material processing, and service industries had largely stopped, so productivity had not been fully tapped, resulting in many people but few grace points. Now that the war had ceased, the related production was recovering, and it was expected that this figure would eventually see a significant increase. In addition, Weixing City, Revival City, and other sporadic camps that had been reclaimed and retained, contributed some as well, totaling the number mentioned. Once this month¡¯s ¡®salary¡¯ was deposited, even after deducting the 500 grace points Gu Hang had spent to raise his level to LV5, his current grace points still amounted to a substantial 4658 points! He had only one thought: to rush back and construct the Architectural System that he had unlocked but not yet built; to draw the technology that needed to be drawn. After spending these four thousand-plus points, the development of his territory would reach a new level. He had never been so wealthy! He even thought back to those conversations with his cousin. The investment from the Gu Family? Not necessary at all. Why would a badass need to spend real money? I, Gu Hang, have developed my planet to this stage all by my own efforts! Technology panel, let¡¯s draw! Construction panel, let¡¯s build! To be honest, after learning all about his predecessor¡¯s life, his mother, his family, and the various politicking within the Star Sector Government from his cousin, Gu Hang didn¡¯t have many emotional reactions; he harbored neither hope nor disappointment. At least in terms of his own development, he had never counted on help from others. He was doing just fine on his own, with those Black Boxes that would make anyone from the Sect of Mechanics drool with envy; Gu Hang really wasn¡¯t afraid of anything else. Just give me time and don¡¯t throw too much of a wrench in the works. However, the problem also lay here. Not counting on support or help from others is one thing, but not having unexpected issues is another. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only His identity, the reasons for his taking office, the political machinations of various forces converging on Rage Owl Star¡ªthese were all inescapable vortices. If he wished to develop undisturbed, Gu Hang, as the governor, couldn¡¯t afford to ignore everything. He had to be clear about the political ecosystem he was facing. And the information brought by Wang Jiarong provided him with significant insights. As the leader of a mighty Star Sector, Pei Desi, needed to subdue the Fatches Family, the local power. The two factions were engaged in political strife over Rage Owl Star. The Gu Clan was initially considered part of Pei Desi¡¯s camp, and now it hadn¡¯t quite reached the point of jumping ship, but at the very least, they did not want to be so tightly bound anymore and sought to mend relations with the local power. Chapter 241 - Chapter 241: Chapter 169: You Cant Bear to Leave Me, Can You?_2 Chapter 241: Chapter 169: You Can¡¯t Bear to Leave Me, Can You?_2 And the head of Pei Desi was clearly unwilling. He lured the fool who Gu Hang used to be into the game, on the one hand, wanting to get something for nothing, drawing the Gu Clan to spend their money to help him solve the problem of Rage Owl Star; on the other hand, even if that failed, it would disrupt the process of Gu and Fa repairing their relationship, avoiding the possibility that one corner of his Tianma iron triangle might fall to the other side. There are many twists and turns in this situation. Combining some memories and information in his mind, he focused on a key point¡ªput simply, over the years, the Gu Family¡¯s business had been doing well, and its influence had been spreading to several surrounding Star Sectors, not just limited to the Tianma Star Sector. Their dependence on the leader Pei Desi had decreased, while the demand from the Fatches Family, a source of goods and key market, had increased. This was a change in the overall situation, leading to an adjustment in the Gu Clan¡¯s overall strategy. Moreover, the situation would become more complicated with himself involved. He was a member of the Gu Clan, but he had a poor relationship with his mother; the Gu Clan also opposed him being the Governor, and after he assumed office, they ignored him completely; He was the one whom Pei Desi wanted to use an appointment letter to put into office, but essentially, Pei Desi wanted to drag the Gu Clan into the mess. However, due to the Gu Clan¡¯s rapid disassociation from Gu Hang, the plot failed to materialize, even straining their relationship further. Now, it wasn¡¯t clear what this leader¡¯s attitude towards Gu Hang was. Yelisia¡¯s Fufana Family seemed to be on the same path as Pei Desi for the time being, so there was no need to treat them separately. The Fatches Family were enemies of the Gu Clan in the past, and were now in the process of repairing their relationship. However, his actions as Governor in consolidating power on the planet would certainly affect their significant asset allocation. Regardless of the final relationship between them and the Gu Clan, their stance was certainly not going to be favorable to Gu Hang. ¡°That¡¯s not right! After this analysis, why do I feel my current political environment is so terrible? Am I surrounded by enemies?¡± He rubbed his head, feeling that his thinking shouldn¡¯t be so inflexible. Such a situation was definitely not right, and Gu Hang really needed to find a political ally, a backer. Otherwise, his earlier thoughts of using military achievements, threatening with the Green Skins, and forming Star Realm Armed Forces to offset taxes would turn out to be pure fantasy. If it were up to him, where would he find a way to deliver a message to the Imperial Military Department? He had to find a suitable partner to help him monetize the fruits of victory from this war into tangible benefits. ¡°There must be a way¡­¡± He settled his mind again and carefully thought it through. Of the three parties currently accessible, the Fatches Family was out of the question first. Not acquainted, and with a major conflict of interest, almost irreconcilable. They wanted Rage Owl Star to be independent from the empire¡¯s territory, or at the very least, they would settle for a Puppet Governor, facilitating tax evasion for the Blackbird Heavy Industries they invested in and even allowing leakage of taxes from their own three planets, unmonitored. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t cooperate with them, even if their major industries were on Rage Owl Star, within his nominal rule. This was an enemy. Therefore, the enemy of his enemy might be the one to pursue, and that was the head of Pei Desi. This was more hopeful than the Gu Family, after all, doing well on Rage Owl Star was Pei Desi¡¯s core goal, which aligned with his own. And there wasn¡¯t a complete lack of possibility on the Gu Clan¡¯s side; after all, there was his biological mother. So continuing to guess blindly was pointless. Gu Hang decided to talk to them separately. Gu Hang¡¯s core demand was to sort out the issue of offsetting taxes using the Star Realm Army, to save ten million in Tax Currency. Whoever could help him with this matter would be his good friend. From this perspective, his goal was quite clear. ¡­ When Yelisia found out that Gu Hang was coming to visit, she had just finished contacting her family. Although the relevant battle report had not yet been submitted, she certainly needed to discuss it with her family first. The Fufana had deep roots in the navy. They knew exactly how to polish the battle report, how to prepare in advance, how to curry favor clearly, build momentum, and pave the way; all that was missing were the official battle achievements. In her mind, she still pictured her father¡¯s face, flushed with suppressed joy, praising her for a job well done. She herself was very happy. How exhilarating! Now who would dare say she was just there due to nepotism? She¡¯d smear the solid battle achievements in their faces! What did Gu Hang want by coming to see her now? But at this moment, she was in a good mood, so anything would do. In her captain¡¯s quarters, she met with Gu Hang. After some brief pleasantries, Gu Hang stated his purpose: he hoped to have a conversation with Chief Pei Desi. Interstellar communication was not available on Rage Owl Star, and even on the Beautiful Lady, an armed merchant ship equivalent to a destroyer¡¯s specifications, it was only possible to send messages, not to communicate in real time. After a bit of thought, Yelisia roughly understood what Gu Hang wanted to see the chief about. She smiled and said, ¡°Luckily, the communication cabin on the ship wasn¡¯t damaged during the battle. I have a direct line to the chief¡¯s office, but I can¡¯t guarantee that the chief will have time to see you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Yelisia called someone to initiate the Spiritual Energy communication. Soon, a message came through: ¡°Chief Pei Desi will have time for a call in twenty minutes, the appointment has been set.¡± Yelisia turned to Gu Hang and said, ¡°It seems we¡¯re in luck.¡± The next thing to do was wait. During the wait, Gu Hang chatted briefly with Yelisia. Mainly about his vision for the Star Realm Army. There was nothing confidential about it; it wasn¡¯t in conflict with the navy. However, after hearing his ideas, Yelisia widened her eyes in surprise and exclaimed, ¡°You really take the unconventional path, daring to think of such methods.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s your assessment? Is it feasible?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s feasible,¡± Yelisia said. ¡°Anyway, even if the Star Realm Army is established and you¡¯re transferred, you won¡¯t lose anything.¡± ¡°Is there a possibility that I won¡¯t be transferred? Or, if I am, it would just be temporary, like the Tianma Fleet?¡± ¡°I get what you mean,¡± Yelisia said. ¡°If you could be like the Tianma Fleet, that would indeed be a big win, but that¡¯s quite difficult.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I need to see our chief.¡± ¡°Good luck with that,¡± the female captain said, no longer interested in discussing the matter, as it wasn¡¯t her concern, and she wouldn¡¯t offer Gu Hang any advice or strategies. Gu Hang also dropped the subject and brought up another matter: ¡°After this, will you and your starship continue to be stationed in orbit around Rage Owl Star?¡± ¡°The Quintet won¡¯t be stationed here anymore,¡± Yelisia said with some regret. ¡°The starship actually suffered significant damage and needs to be taken for repairs as soon as possible. The nearest Foundry World is ¡®Huo Zun Star¡¯, a two-month journey away. To ensure the Quintet¡¯s safety, the fleet headquarters may even dispatch a force to escort it there. This warship, optimistically speaking, will need two or three years of repairs before returning to full status. But you don¡¯t need to worry; since there¡¯s a two-year escort period, even if the Quintet is not here, another ship will be assigned to do the same job.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Hang nodded, then asked, ¡°What about you? They won¡¯t make you, a star of rank, accompany the Quintet for a few years of repairs, will they?¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± Yelisia said. ¡°There are several possibilities. I might be transferred to another ship; if I¡¯m of the same rank as the current captain, I¡¯ll serve as an observer. If I¡¯m of a higher rank, the captain will temporarily take commands from me. In any case, it¡¯s just a transition, and I¡¯ll carry out the ship¡¯s original tasks. I might also be sent to a higher-level military academy for further studies or teaching, depending on what the higher-ups decide.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°is there a way for you to be transferred to the ship that will come to Rage Owl Star?¡± Yelisia laughed heartily, her mirth subsiding only after a while. With a remaining smile, she said, ¡°Why, are you going to miss me?¡± Gu Hang nodded sincerely: ¡°Yes, our previous cooperation was quite pleasant, and any occasional conflicts were just that, occasional, so I truly will miss you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do about it then.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°You¡¯ll think of something,¡± Gu Hang continued earnestly. ¡°After all, we still have battles left to fight.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Yelisia was intrigued. When Gu Hang talked about a ¡®battle¡¯, it was always an opportunity for meritorious achievements. But at that moment, Gu Hang didn¡¯t want to elaborate: ¡°You¡¯ll find out when the time comes. If you get a better opportunity, go for it. If not, you won¡¯t be disappointed staying in orbit around Rage Owl Star.¡± Yelisia pondered: ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll try to think of something.¡± Chapter 242 - Chapter 242: Chapter 170: Mother (7000-word addition) Chapter 242: Chapter 170: Mother (7000-word addition) ¡°` Not long after finishing the conversation about her stay or departure with Yelisia, the head of the Pei Desi regime sent a message. In the captain¡¯s quarters of the female captain¡¯s ship, with an interface to the communication device, Gu Hang could directly see the virtual image of the Star Sector leader generated on the device. The image was unstable, flickering with waves, but being able to communicate in real-time with Flying Wing Star, light-years away, was undeniably high-tech. This required the use of special Spiritual Energy devices, as well as advanced Thinker Arrays and navigators that were only available on cruisers. In Gu Hang¡¯s view, he saw a composed middle-aged man with rimless round glasses, hair and a short beard neatly groomed, exuding a scholarly air. His simple suit was unassuming, yet adorned with several medals that denoted his distinguished status. Even through countless light-years and some static, when he spoke, the warmth, magnetism, and charm in his voice still resonated with those who heard him. ¡°Good evening, it¡¯s nighttime on Flying Wing Star, what time is it over there? Regardless, I want to congratulate you, for securing another victory for the empire; it¡¯s your glory. Please allow me, on behalf of the Star Sector Government, to express my gratitude.¡± The opening remarks from Mr. Leader, combined with his tone of voice, were quite captivating. Gu Hang nodded slightly: ¡°Thank you, Mr. Leader.¡± Yelisia did not speak, instead she stepped aside. This gesture made it clear that this conversation was for Gu Hang to seek out Pei Desi. And Pei Desi understood. He faced Gu Hang with a smile and said, ¡°Gu Hang, the last time we met was before you rushed to assume your post. I had great expectations for you, but even so, I never imagined you could do so well.¡± That was just a formality. The so-called doing so well referred to the fact that only one city on the entire planet had been reclaimed, right? Of course, what kind of person was Pei Desi? He wouldn¡¯t let his words seem like idle talk. He continued, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know to what extent you have rebuilt the order in Rage Owl Star, I can see a planetary force as powerful as the main force of the Star Realm Army; I can see interstellar warriors serving you; I know that the limited land you control on the planet is bursting with boundless vitality.¡± ¡°Honestly, when I learned that you had reached the planet¡¯s surface and chose to start from scratch, gradually seizing control of the government, opting to completely reshape the alliance order established by the governor of Rage Owl Star decades ago, I was quite skeptical. But now, it seems that you were right, at least you are on the right track. Perhaps, those past governors lacked your kind of boldness and initiative. You¡¯ve given me hope, the hope to see The Emperor¡¯s glory spreading across the lands of Rage Owl Star.¡± ¡°Every governor within a Star Sector should take note of your deeds, I¡¯m not joking. Those with lofty status, ruling over billions of people, have never faced a situation as tough and difficult as yours. If they were in the same position as you, they certainly wouldn¡¯t have done as well.¡± After listening to all this, Gu Hang had to admit that Pei Desi, the leader, was indeed an impressive figure. A Star Sector leader, the supreme commander of the sector¡¯s securities, was addressing him, who thus far could still be considered a ¡®minor character¡¯, and was able to humble himself with such enthusiastic praise. Narratives such as not a single one of the eight governors of Rage Owl Star could compare to you, and all should look up to you; The Emperor¡¯s glory was thanks to you that now once again envelops the lands of Rage Owl Star¡­ Yet when combined with his resonant voice and his sincere demeanor, somehow it wasn¡¯t off-putting. Praise was one thing, but key here was the praise with examples, which truly could scratch an itch in one¡¯s heart. If it weren¡¯t for Gu Hang¡¯s high resistance, he might have been swayed by the flattery. Still, he showed a slightly self-satisfied but also deeply grateful demeanor toward Pei Desi, saying, ¡°My success today is all thanks to the appreciation of Mr. Leader. This favor I shall never forget in my life. However, our enterprise on Rage Owl Star has reached the point where some crises are emerging. Blackbird Heavy Industries does not comply with the governor¡¯s orders, and they have not actively contacted me since my arrival on the planet, posing a risk of insurrection; a large number of mutated creatures have appeared within the planet, severely troubling the grain-producing region; not to mention, now with the threat of the Green Skin Orcs, the Iron-Tooth Clan having suffered heavy losses, will surely not rest with their profane nature¡­¡± ¡°Numerous risks loom over Rage Owl Star, which urgently needs the power of the Star Realm Army to help me suppress the planet.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And that wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. According to Gu Hang¡¯s intelligence, Blackbird Heavy Industries, located in the west of the continent, further west of the Western Desert, indeed ignored him. The enterprise had the Fatches Family¡¯s shadow behind it, and Pei Desi¡¯s enemy, treating them as rebels was not a problem for him. The mutated creatures were real, and the Green Valley Region was suffering. The threat of the Green Skins was also legitimate, with twelve cruisers arriving, could that threat be anything but terrifying? ¡°` Chapter 243 - Chapter 243: Chapter 170, Mother (Extra 7,000 words)_2 Chapter 243: Chapter 170, Mother (Extra 7,000 words)_2 Military garrisons are only right and proper! After listening to Gu Hang¡¯s words, Pei Desi slightly furrowed his brows and sighed with some difficulty, ¡°I fully understand the difficulties you are currently facing, but the deployment of the Star Realm Armed Forces is very difficult, and it¡¯s not something I can decide. I will certainly try my best to advocate for you, but please hold on for a while, and be sure to wait for support.¡± His words sounded good, but there were no concrete promises, just stalling. As the head of the Star Sector, he indeed did not have the power to move the Star Realm Armed Forces, but he certainly had a way, it¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t want to pay the price for it. The Imperial Navy sent you a ship in orbit, now if they send dozens or hundreds of millions from the Star Realm Army Main Corps, should they also send a batch of reconstruction materials? I might as well become the Planetary Governor myself. But Gu Hang would not let Mr. Head off the hook so easily. He took the opportunity to propose his earlier conception, which was to use the Imperial Tax from Rage Owl Star to fund a new Star Realm Army force, to be stationed on Rage Owl Star. The grandiose rationale, of course, is that I am a loyal subject of the Empire, moved by the difficult times, the Head¡¯s worries, and the threats facing the Star Sector. Full of enthusiasm and willing to contribute manpower and effort. It¡¯s inevitable there will be losses in collecting taxes and then using it to build an army; deploying additional troops here is also hard to arrange. It would be better for the tax administration of Rage Owl Star to be directly converted into the cost of raising an army. Don¡¯t bother with the promised first-period tax concessions, just give it to me directly. Ten million Tax Currency, and I will pull a Star Realm Armed Forces unit for you, one that is guaranteed to pass the scrutiny of the Military Affairs Department and the Department of Taxation.¡± And implicitly, Gu Hang emphasized three points: first, the commander of this Star Realm force had to be decided by him; second, the new Star Realm force¡¯s station had to be on Rage Owl Star; third, the long-term mission of this Star Realm force should be to ensure the safety of Rage Owl Star, including suppressing rebellions, quelling mutant monsters, and repelling foreign alien forms. Pei Desi pondered for a moment and indicated that he supported the plan in principle, but there were many difficulties. First off, there was no money, and secondly, the three points demanded by Gu Hang were hard to accomplish, especially the third point. The first point was manageable; who to appoint as commander was not an issue? The second point, although the Star Realm Armed Forces were at war in the Star Sea, with movements involving tens to hundreds of millions of people, eating, drinking, and resting, they still needed a relatively stable station, which could be on Rage Owl Star. But the third point was the most difficult; ensuring that the Military Affairs Department wouldn¡¯t just transfer this legion at will was no simple matter. Normally, Star Realm Armed Forces units, whenever there is a conflict, could be moved immediately, which is directly managed by the Military Affairs Department, and in theory, nobody can stop it. Of course, there is actually a way to do it. Highlight regional threats, emphasize the role of guardianship, and when the Military Affairs Department is in need, alternative troops can be found from other places¡­ But this would incur a substantial political cost, which Pei Desi was reluctant to pay. Of course, Gu Hang was not so easily discouraged. Verbal sparring and haggling over prices are the most fundamental things. Later on, Gu Hang subtly brought up two points: ¡°I can give up this plan, but if I lack sufficient deterrent forces, I will have to talk with Blackbird Heavy Industries and the Fatches Family behind them. It just so happens that the Gu Clan are still mending our relations with them. Looking at it from another angle, if they want Rage Owl Star, I am currently the Planetary Governor of Rage Owl Star and a member of the Gu Clan. If I help them solve this problem and become a Puppet Governor who doesn¡¯t interfere, it wouldn¡¯t be so bad, certainly better than being completely finished.¡± ¡°Alternatively, I could stop complicating things and just report the actual situation of the recent naval battle to the Military Affairs Department. All the talk about the Iron-Tooth Clan¡¯s vanguard fleet and a large-scale invasion being thwarted in the early stage is false, it was just a random group of pirates. Quintet was even thinking of escaping, and it was I who forced them to fight this battle.¡± When she heard the latter implication, Yelisia, who was sitting on the side enjoying the back-and-forth between the older and younger man like a spectator eating melon seeds, was taken aback. Why am I involved? Nice one, Gu Hang. Just a moment ago you were all about how you can¡¯t bear to part with me, and now you¡¯re digging a pit? Pah! Scumbag! She glared angrily at Gu Hang, only to see him wink at her. Frustrated to the point her teeth itched, if it weren¡¯t for Pei Desi¡¯s presence, she¡¯d have loved to bite him. Grinding her teeth, she had no choice but to speak up and express her opinion: The battle situation has been confirmed as fact, and this is not up for discussion. Are you kidding me? I¡¯m on the rise to becoming a prominent star, how could I have such a blemish? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Pei Desi had to consider Yelisia¡¯s stance, or rather, consider the Fufana Family behind her. The Gu Clan, part of the iron triangle, was already unstable; if the Fufana became unstable as well, his position as Head would really be precarious. He spoke with Gu Hang again, agreeing to the proposal in principle, but many details still needed to be further discussed. Over the next three months, the Star Sector Government would allocate a total of 2.5 million Tax Currency; plus the 2.5 million Tax Currency due when Gu Hang¡¯s two-year term as governor expired, all of which would be invested in military construction. At that time, the Military Affairs Department and the Department of Taxation would both arrive on Rage Owl Star for inspection. His new military unit, combined from all sides, would have to be worth the value of five million Tax Currency. The remaining five million Tax Currency would still have to wait for two years, acting as the Star Sector¡¯s payment of the Imperial Tax on behalf of Rage Owl Star. The obvious reason for not giving all of it to Gu Hang now was that they didn¡¯t want to. Holding onto it for two extra years was two years, the Star Sector Government wasn¡¯t flush with cash either. Chapter 244 - Chapter 244: Chapter 170, Mother (Extra 7,000 words)_3 Chapter 244: Chapter 170, Mother (Extra 7,000 words)_3 Gu Hang also could basically accept the final scheme that they had discussed. After a year and a half, the taxes he needed to pay would be saved, as long as he waited for the Military Affairs Department and the Department of Taxation to come down, inspect the army to see if the numbers were sufficient, if the equipment was adequate, and if they reached the value of five million Tax Currency, then it would be fine. Additionally, in three months¡¯ time, Gu Hang would have an extra two million five hundred thousand Tax Currency in his hands. This was a very large sum of cash! With this money, he could buy a lot of the goods currently stored in the belly of the Beautiful Lady. Previously, when he was short on funds, he had only ordered a very small portion of goods, and when it came time to trade, Gu Hang still needed to think carefully about what to use for payment. Now, there was less to worry about. Two million five hundred thousand Tax Currency could buy quite a few things. Up to this point, Gu Hang could finally consider that he had initially secured his share of the benefits from this war. It wasn¡¯t much, at least not compared to Yelisia, not compared to Wang Jiarong. But Gu Hang was still satisfied. Others made a large profit because they had ships; without a ship, he made this much, which was acceptable. Trading the lives of over four thousand soldiers for five million Tax Currency, even with the additional cost attached, was a big profit. To speak so might seem cold-blooded, but the fact was, the lives of over four thousand soldiers were worth it; the interest on five million Tax Currency for a year was more than just that. Now, Gu Hang could begin to consider what he wanted to buy from the Beautiful Lady; he could also start thinking about how to spend the over four thousand six hundred points of favor on his account most effectively. ¡­ Countless light-years away, Flying Wing Star. This was a Garden World, the administrative center of the Star Sector, a commercial trade center influencing several surrounding Star Sectors, with developed productive forces. Although the overall productivity couldn¡¯t match some Foundry Worlds or Nest Capital Worlds, it still ensured that nearly four billion people enjoyed a prosperous average quality of life and living environment. The Empire¡¯s lower limit was very low, with most of the population living in challenging and tough conditions. The lobotomized or almost lobotomized slave laborers on Foundry Worlds were living machines on production lines; on Nest Capital Worlds, planets crowded with hundreds of billions or even trillion people treated humans like livestock, raising them as resources; serfs on agricultural worlds lived the life of ancient medieval peasants in the interstellar age; on Death Worlds and Wasteland Worlds, people struggled on the brink of life and death; on Fortress Worlds, people, generation after generation, faced war from birth till death¡­ But likewise, the upper limit was also quite high. In civilized worlds, people could work nine to five wearing ties, have a coffee after work, and let loose in a bar; people in Garden Worlds could live almost carefree lives under advanced technology and extremely high resource allocation¡­ These two types of worlds were usually the administrative planets or commercial cores of the Empire, where the accompanying manufacturing capacity didn¡¯t carry as much significance. Flying Wing Star belonged to the latter category and had not directly suffered from warfare in the past five hundred years. Tianma Palace on Flying Wing Star was the most important functional complex, resembling the paradise of legend. The white marble constructed nearly all the buildings here. Masters of design meticulously planned water systems that were broad or narrow, rapid or slow, appearing harmonious and full of life from afar; green plants adorned every building corner, complemented by colorful flowers, creating a vibrant display; intense lighting ensured that even at night, the entire Tianma Palace shone brighter and more splendid than during day. At the highest part of the palace was Pei Desi¡¯s office. At this moment, having just ended the interstellar communication with Gu Hang, he stood in front of the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the entire Tianma Palace. A slightly drunken voice came from behind him, ¡°Why did you agree to that Gu Family kid? The Gu Family has already cut ties with him, his own mother won¡¯t give him a penny, and you¡¯re still adding to it? Aren¡¯t you afraid that the investment you¡¯re making now will be wasted?¡± The speaker was a man who looked quite similar to him but was thinner and carried a more frivolous and dashing air. He was the Governor of Flying Wing Star, Vaga Pei Desi, also known as little Pei Desi, brother to Luo Ang Pei Desi. The Pei Desi brothers were renowned ¨C one as the governor of Flying Wing Star, the other as the head of Tianma Star Sector, holding the highest power of the entire Star Sector. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Luo Ang Pei Desi said to his brother, ¡°What have we spent? Two million five hundred thousand Tax Currency? That was supposed to be paid to the Imperial Taxation Department anyway, we¡¯re just giving it to him a year in advance.¡± Little Pei Desi still sounded confused, ¡°But if he fails to meet the Imperial Tax, and his newly established army doesn¡¯t pass the inspection, we still have to cover the additional difference.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not much money.¡± ¡°It¡¯s always my Flying Wing Star that covers this expense for you.¡± Little Pei Desi murmured, taking another gulp of his drink before saying earnestly, ¡°Are you still harboring the idea of bringing the Gu Clan into the game? I advise you to admit that this move has failed. As far as I know, that girl Wang Jiarong went to Rage Owl Star on her own accord, Wang Qi didn¡¯t agree to it, and she was furious when she found out. You know that woman; when she says she won¡¯t care for her son, she really won¡¯t care at all, so we should think of other strategies.¡± Pei Desi sighed, ¡°I know what you¡¯re saying, and I¡¯m not counting on it anymore. But being cut off so cleanly is not necessarily a bad thing. Gu Hang has grievances against his mother, and that¡¯s why he was easily persuaded by me to enter Rage Owl Star. Now, with the clean break from his birth mother, his relationship with Wang Qi will only deteriorate more, and he will have no choice but to rely on me.¡± Chapter 245 - Chapter 245: Chapter 170, Mother (Extra 7,000 words)_4 Chapter 245: Chapter 170, Mother (Extra 7,000 words)_4 ¡°` ¡°You see, after he had an idea, the first person he contacted was me, the guide, the mentor, without any intention of communicating with his mother. Rage Owl Star always needs a governor, and since he has now made some achievements, why not give him a bit more confidence? There might be new rewards to reap. The cost has already been paid, so it doesn¡¯t matter to pay a little bit more. The battle they won is indeed very useful. What if this kid really makes it? By then, he can only rely on me, and I will have a member of the Gu Family who serves me wholeheartedly.¡± Hearing this, Pei Desi fell silent for a moment before suddenly laughing as if he had thought of something very amusing: ¡°That would be quite entertaining. I¡¯m actually quite looking forward to seeing Wang Qi¡¯s son kneel down and kiss your boots. What would she feel like watching from the side?¡± Pei Desi was somewhat helpless; he turned around, stared at his brother, and said nothing. After a while, Pei Desi finally spread his hands: ¡°Alright, alright, it was just a joke. I know now is not the time to provoke that woman. I won¡¯t look for trouble anymore.¡± After speaking, he added: ¡°At least not recently.¡± Pei Desi was also helpless; he shook his head and said no more to his brother. ¡­ Elsewhere on Flying Wing Star. This was a manor belonging to the Gu Family, and now Wang Qi lived here. It didn¡¯t compare to the Tianma Palace¡¯s majesty and luxury, like a paradise on earth, but it had its own unique charm. At the moment, the lady of the house, Wang Qi, was reading a letter: ¡°Mother, I hope this letter finds you well.¡± ¡°When I left home in a huff, I wanted to make a name for myself.¡± ¡°Now, it has been half a year since I left; fortunately, with the help of heaven, I have achieved some results.¡± ¡°You must have heard about the star battle. Although I lacked strong ships and powerful cannons, I managed to lead a reliable army based on my actions on Rage Owl Star in the past six months, overcoming the Beastman Overlord, reversing the tide of battle, and securing victory.¡± ¡°In these six months, although I haven¡¯t completely taken control of the planet, I genuinely rule over a million people and have established an army of one hundred thousand. Under my governance, various industries are thriving, flourishing. The systems I¡¯ve instituted ensure the million people attached to me have clothing and food, with pay for their work.¡± ¡°I have not received any support from the family since starting this endeavor, but I am not worried about the first tax collection in a year and a half; and I believe there won¡¯t be any problems paying the full taxes three and a half years from now. Rage Owl Star will gradually become a normal Empire World, and I will firmly secure the position of the ninth Military Governor of the Tianma Star Sector.¡± ¡°But this is not the end, it¡¯s the beginning. I once told a subordinate that I would make Rage Owl Star as productive as a Foundry World, and as beautiful as a Garden World. This is my goal, and I am still firmly committed to it. Mother, do you believe in me?¡± ¡°Perhaps the goal is still far off, perhaps you still think of this as the delusions of an incapable, foolish son. But I am confident I am on the right path.¡± ¡°I am not as you thought, someone who could just be a worthy successor like my father; nor do I want to be content with the family¡¯s wealth. Fortunately, a rash decision six months ago has led me to my own endeavor, which has no ties to the Gu Clan.¡± ¡°You might think that I am saying all this to show off, to respond to the things you said to me the last time we met, and I won¡¯t deny that.¡± ¡°But I want to say more, in these six months I have gone through a lot, and my thinking has changed greatly. I will start to reflect on the uselessness and reckless foolishness of my former self. Those resentments, essentially stem from my incapability and stupidity. When I left, your assessment was correct.¡± ¡°But now, I have realized: accepting the appointment to become the governor of Rage Owl Star was harmful to the family, a severe blow to your years of hard work in upholding the family business left by my grandfather and father, and it also put me in a situation where a rescue would cost dearly, and no rescue would mean losing my life.¡± ¡°My fortune lies in a wrong decision leading me to a more correct path.¡± ¡°Mother, I am not seeking your forgiveness, as I am walking my own path, which is not a mistake and needs no forgiveness. But I have let go of the baseless grudges and will look at the past more calmly.¡± ¡°Your assessment was correct about the past me. But as for the current me, the future me, whether it is right, please watch from countless light-years away.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can indeed surpass my ancestors, achieving a greater legacy.¡± ¡°By then, I hope you can give another assessment, which I will gladly receive.¡± ¡°¡ª Governor of Rage Owl Star, Gu Hang, your son.¡± ¡­ ¡°` The letter was not very long, nor did it talk about anything specific, yet Wang Qi still read it for a long time. Through the lines, she could see that in the first half, a young man was proudly boasting to his mother about his achievements, saying that her previous ¡®incompetent, stupid¡¯ assessment was the foolish one. But in the middle section, she saw a man who had become steady and settled, admitting his mistakes while keeping his spine straight. He was reflecting on the past, admitting that his lack of thorough thinking led to wrong decisions, yet also feeling fortunate for his good luck. Being able to recognize one¡¯s errors and to learn from reflection, that was already good enough, it was the highest expectation Wang Qi had in the past. Yet at the end, she saw change again. It was as if she saw an entrepreneur full of vitality, telling her about his grand ideals, then coolly turning around and leaving, following the path in his heart with determination. Wang Qi had not expected at all that Gu Hang would write such a letter. Mother knows best, and by her understanding of her son, Gu Hang most likely would never write a letter until his death; If he did write, it would probably say something like, ¡®You must be happy I¡¯m dead,¡¯ ¡®As you wished, from now on, there will be no stupid, incompetent son to embarrass you¡¯ and so on. In a very small chance, perhaps her son would have written a letter in tears, admitting his wrongs and begging his mother to save him, in the face of the fear of death. Although, no matter what, Wang Qi would ultimately try to save him. He was her flesh and blood, her only lineage, how could she truly not care? However, that did not change the disappointment in her heart, and perhaps in the future, she might keep him under house arrest, find him a wife, and have them quickly produce a grandson. If he messed up the main account, find a way to train a ¡®sub account,¡¯ and then let the grandson directly inherit the family business, letting Gu Hang go off and play. She was indeed planning to do exactly that, even starting to look for a daughter-in-law with good genes. But this letter made her fundamentally change her mind. After reading the letter, Wang Qi¡¯s heart was almost overwhelmed by satisfaction, solidifying into a shallow smile on her face. But besides relief, her feelings were also very complicated. After being steeped in plots and intrigues for a long time, she instinctively doubted whether the letter was truly written by Gu Hang himself, or if it really expressed Gu Hang¡¯s sincere thoughts? Was it possible that Pei Desi, that sly fox, had concocted some scheme, found an expert to fool her son, and taught him to write such a letter to deceive and ambush an old woman like her? To cloud her judgment with maternal affection? But this likelihood was low, because along with the letter came another one from Wang Jiarong. Her niece talked in her letter about how her cousin had greatly changed; the six months at Rage Owl Star had made him different. Moreover, the letter was penned in her presence, with no one instructing him. Even if it were truly some ploy, Wang Qi had to admit that she would be duped. What mother wouldn¡¯t feel proud upon seeing her son¡¯s growth? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This chapter is 7,300 characters long, about three and a half chapters¡¯ worth. I¡¯m not brief. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The additional update is not for anything else; it just feels better to write this part in one go. Some readers might find it uninteresting, but I think it¡¯s very important. The content of the last two days didn¡¯t involve battles, but it shouldn¡¯t be considered trivial, right? Mainly, it covered: 1. Gu Hang fighting for the fruits of war, 2. Explanation of the interstellar background and the protagonist¡¯s background, these were already in the outline, but because the previous story didn¡¯t involve interstellar it wasn¡¯t mentioned, now it has to be addressed. 3. Elaboration on emotions. I hope everyone likes it. Starting tomorrow, the protagonist will go back to farming, beginning to unify the planet. Chapter 246 - Chapter 246: Chapter 171, I thought you really came to support my cousin. Chapter 246: Chapter 171, I thought you really came to support my cousin. Miss Wang Qi saw the letter, and indeed, it was written by Gu Hang himself, without any guidance. In writing this letter, he actually had two ideas. The first was emotional. Sharing the same name and having used someone else¡¯s body, Gu Hang felt that, when the time was right, he needed to give an explanation. Having used his body, Gu Hang felt a certain responsibility towards this person with the same name. His predecessor had an obsession with ¡®proving himself to his mother,¡¯ so he decided to satisfy that obsession. Thus, Gu Hang composed the first half of the letter. But to say that this was the extent of the explanation wasn¡¯t quite enough. Digging deeper into the memories of his predecessor, his resentment towards his mother stemmed from love, didn¡¯t it? If he truly had no feelings for his birth mother, he couldn¡¯t have harbored such deep resentment. Therefore, there was also an admission of wrongs with a straight back and an expression of aspiration. The relationship between mother and son needed a way to ease. This method couldn¡¯t simply be crying and admitting wrongs; it definitely would not match the predecessor¡¯s ideas. Furthermore, he needed to show that mother a change. However, emotional factors were relatively secondary. What was more important were some practical considerations. From his predecessor¡¯s memories, Gu Hang only saw dissatisfaction with his birth mother. In his predecessor¡¯s view, his mother was the image of a cold, rational, aloof, and controlling strong woman whose identity as a ruler far outweighed her identity as a mother. From a young age, he experienced very little maternal love. But that was the predecessor¡¯s perspective. Through Gu Hang¡¯s eyes, re-examining those memories and observing from the perspective of a bystander, he was fairly certain that Miss Wang Qi did love her son. It was just that her focus was different. It was understandable. The Gu lineage to which Gu Hang belonged had indeed led the Gu Clan. His grandfather was the family leader, and his father, as the third eldest, was the favorite and most talented, designated early on as the primary heir, but died before his grandfather. When his father died, he had just been born; when his grandfather died, he was only three years old. After the death of his grandfather, it wasn¡¯t certain the heir would be Gu Hang; he had several legitimate uncles. Aside from that, there were also many other clan members, each with their lineage and control over certain assets. None of the clan brothers, uncles, and blood uncles could wait for a three-year-old child to grow up to become the leader. It was unrealistic. At this time, the only one who could support this small family was Wang Qi. Without his tough mother upholding everything, a more ruthless Gu Hang might not have grown up; even if he did, the assets left by his grandfather would likely have been divided up by the uncles, leaving whatever remained to him at the mercy of others. However, Wang Qi¡¯s aggressive expansion of her influence in the family, leveraging her deceased husband and her determined actions, naturally invited hostility, criticism, and ostracism. She was strong enough inwardly not to fear those adversaries, even fighting tit-for-tat; that was her skill. But when Gu Hang was a child and suffered verbal and even physical bullying from his clan, he was powerless to resist or to resolve it. His mother was too busy to protect him all the time, leading to psychological trauma that affected his personality development. In terms of nurturing and caring for a child, Wang Qi indeed could not be considered a qualified mother; but given the special family environment, her priority was to preserve their family¡¯s assets, and it¡¯s hard to say she was completely wrong in that regard. From an outsider¡¯s perspective, Gu Hang thought that he must still be very important in his mother¡¯s heart; it was just that the actual actions and ways of expression were different. Based on such judgment, Gu Hang believed he must not be deceived by his predecessor¡¯s memories and that the relationship between them was not entirely irreconcilable. If the relationship could be reconciled, the value of Gu Commercial Firm to a developing planet was immense. One could tell from Wang Jiarong¡¯s recent visit. The many goods she brought on her ship, Gu Hang had seen and deeply desired. Trade was, after all, an important aspect of a planet¡¯s development. Moreover, if the relationship could be mended, the Gu Clan, especially his birth mother, could in turn become a tremendous boost for the development of his planet. If the Gu Family could fully support him in building the planet, dozens of trade fleets, divided into a few groups, could transport batches of materials, which would greatly advance his world rebuilding process. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t do without it, but having it would make things faster. Beyond establishing interstellar trade and direct material support, Gu Hang also valued the interstellar influence possessed by the Gu Family. This was something he lacked. It would bring political benefits, enabling him to obtain things he couldn¡¯t buy even with money. Therefore, what remained to be seen was the effect of his letter and whether it had moved his mother. ¡°It should be okay, right? I thought about how to write the letter for quite a while.¡± Amidst his contemplations, Gu Hang had already seen Rage Owl Star, which had now appeared before his eyes. He had returned home. ¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang rode on the first transport ship back to the surface. One wave of ships wasn¡¯t enough to return everyone, and the soldiers still needed several rounds of transport ships going back and forth between the planetary surface and orbit. The three cosmic warships in the starry sky would each remain there for a while. The Quintet would stay for about a month and a half. It needed to perform some preliminary maintenance work in the planet¡¯s orbit. During this time, the Mechanical Priests and technicians on the starship would check the state of the starship carefully. If there were any minor issues that could be repaired without the help of a Star Fortress or orbital shipyard, they would address them first. Chapter 247 - Chapter 247: Chapter 171, I thought you really came to support my cousin_2 Chapter 247: Chapter 171, I thought you really came to support my cousin_2 But when it comes to major hull repairs, and the reconstruction of some destroyed weapon systems, that definitely couldn¡¯t be fixed with minor tweaks and maintenance¡ªit had to be returned to the factory. In this task, Gu Hang had also promised to help. There might be some requirements for materials and metallic components, which Rage Owl Star could supply. It¡¯s too early to say about anything else, but as for the alloy steel industry, Revival City had already matured, so there would be no problem developing building materials, or even processing metals into appropriate parts as needed. Yelisia also expressed to Gu Hang that such support would not be free. The raw materials and components supplied by Rage Owl Star would be converted into costs, forming a bill to be sent to the Imperial Navy, which would confirm it and forward it to the Military Affairs Department. This would complete the requisition procedures and Tax Currency would be paid to the Governor of Rage Owl Star. Initially, Gu Hang didn¡¯t care much about it. Basic processed parts and raw materials, after all, how much could they be worth? However, he later felt fortunate that he hadn¡¯t acted like a big spender. The Quintet, undergoing maintenance in the orbit of Rage Owl Star for one and a half months, had consumed nearly half a month of production capacity of Revival City¡¯s alloy steel processing plant, and the final bill was three thousand Tax Currency. If that had been given for free, it would have really hurt. And in another month, an escort ship detached from the Tianma Fleet would arrive in the orbit of Rage Owl Star to take over the Quintet¡¯s duties. Initially, Gu Hang was quite dissatisfied with this. A cruiser was replaced by an escort ship, how could he be happy about that? However, a conversation with Yelisia changed his mind. The logic was simple: if a true cruiser had arrived, its captain would likely be at least a brigadier, holding the same rank as Yelisia, and with much more seniority, she would hardly be able to command them, at most she could only offer some advice. That would make it difficult to coordinate with Gu Hang¡¯s operations on the planet¡¯s surface. With an escort ship instead, the likelihood was that its captain would be merely a colonel or even just a lieutenant colonel, which would truly allow her to take charge and ease the coordination with Gu Hang¡¯s actions. Gu Hang admitted her point made sense. Furthermore, Wang Jiarong¡¯s Beautiful Lady, along with an escort ship, would stay in the Rage Owl Star System for three months. Gu Hang also had some doubts about this. His personal trading demands weren¡¯t really that big. He had no special need for bulk commodities. What he truly wanted to buy were several synthetic starch production lines to expand his existing food processing industry in his territory and alleviate food pressure; in addition, there were the high-end goods demanded by the Phoenix Battle Group. Beyond that, a plethora of minerals, weaponry, consumer goods¡­ these were things Gu Hang didn¡¯t covet. He even spotted a Knight Titan on the product list provided by Wang Jiarong! (Note 1) This machine nearly fulfilled Gu Hang¡¯s romantic notion of mechas from watching some sci-fi works in his previous life. With a height of ten meters, humanoid form, equipped with plasma cannons, missile launchers, and even a rotary cannon that could fire 105mm kinetic rounds as if they were machine gun bullets. For defense, it boasted alloy ceramic armor infused with orichalcum, a powerful Shield Generator, and, crucially, was very agile. Standard artillery would find it hard to lock on and hit. Such a device could serve as a super firepower platform at range, and up close, lead an infantry charge. A super weapon. Gu Hang certainly coveted it, but then asked for the price¡­ Ten million Tax Currency? And that¡¯s the cost price without profit? Forget it. For now, it was something he simply couldn¡¯t afford. Besides these high-end goods, for bulk commodities like minerals and food, he also didn¡¯t need to purchase in large quantities at the moment. Among the items he needed at present, a few transport flights could deliver them to him; why the need to dock for three months? When he asked this question, Wang Jiarong laughed awkwardly, saying that after transporting Gu Hang¡¯s goods, she still had to carry some items for Blackbird Heavy Industries, some to be brought down to the planet, and others to be loaded onto starships. Gu Hang then narrowed his eyes. ¡°Well done, wasn¡¯t it agreed to come and support your cousin?¡± ¡°It looks like you, little sister, have probably discussed things clearly with Blackbird Heavy Industries, or rather, with the Fatches Family behind them.¡± ¡°Such a big deal, my cousin¡¯s needs could be transported within half a week, a week at most; Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ trade, that takes three months, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really being cozy with the Fatches Family in repairing relations.¡± Gu Hang was being sarcastically unkind, and Wang Jiarong felt quite embarrassed. She immediately clarified that this was a decision made by the Gu Family collectively, and it wasn¡¯t just decided by your mother alone. Her emphasis at the end was, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s to support you, and incidentally to do business with Fatches.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang replied with a sneer, ¡°Got it the wrong way around, haven¡¯t you? Doing business with Fatches is the key, supporting me is just by the way. Oh, no, that¡¯s not right. It should be by the way of by the way, after all, this Governor is not dead yet, and interstellar trade needs the Governor¡¯s nod, so this deal can¡¯t bypass me.¡± Wang Jiarong didn¡¯t speak further. Of course, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t really angry. There was no reason to be. It was actually quite normal. Chapter 248 - Chapter 248: Chapter 171, I thought you really came to support my cousin_3 Chapter 248: Chapter 171, I thought you really came to support my cousin_3 ¡°` What¡¯s with my cousin? Does she deserve to pilot an interstellar starship, bring a shipment for her cousin that might not even cover the cost of the fuel, and sell it to her cousin at a fair price? Everyone¡¯s trying to make money, there¡¯s no need to feel embarrassed. However, this statement also applied to Gu Hang. ¡°I don¡¯t care how you deal with Blackbird Heavy Industries, but let me remind you of two things: first, you¡¯ll have to deal with the Fufana Family yourselves, the Imperial Navy Starship is just orbiting above, and I reckon they wouldn¡¯t want to see you and Blackbird making a big deal. The political cost of this has nothing to do with me, and I¡¯ll make that clear to Yelisia as well.¡± ¡°Hmm, I understand, don¡¯t worry, the Gu family has already been taking action before we set off, I¡¯m just here to do the work. If there really was a problem, I wouldn¡¯t risk doing it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good enough,¡± Gu Hang then addressed the second point, ¡°Second, Blackbird Heavy Industries is part of Rage Owl Star, and I¡¯m the Military Governor, they¡¯re my subjects. All interstellar trade on the planet needs my approval. Blackbird Heavy Industries must pay me the Imperial Tax of the last two years, and I¡¯m not asking for too much, just 10% of the production value for two years; besides that, I want to take the same 10% as a transaction tax for this deal.¡± ¡°That¡­ I certainly have no problem, but whether Blackbird Heavy Industries is willing, I cannot guarantee.¡± ¡°Then let them send someone to talk to me. No agreement, no deal.¡± ¡°Cousin!¡± Wang Jiarong still tried to act coquettishly. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to discuss.¡± Wang Jiarong was helpless: ¡°This is a transaction between the Gu and Fatches families, cousin, you¡­¡± Gu Hang was not swayed by this plea: ¡°Don¡¯t bring that up; it only annoys me more. The Gu family hasn¡¯t helped me a bit on Rage Owl Star, there¡¯s no reason I should give special treatment to the business between Gu and Fa. I¡¯ve already waived the transaction tax for Beautiful Lady Convoy, and I¡¯m simply asking them to pay the necessary Imperial Tax and transaction tax, which is generous enough.¡± ¡°If even this can¡¯t be agreed upon, then Quintet will destroy all unauthorized orbital transit. I believe Yelisia will be more than happy to help me with this.¡± Realizing she had no other option, Wang Jiarong sighed and said, ¡°I will convey your message to Blackbird Heavy Industries. However, I must say, there might be discontent within the family.¡± Gu Hang was indifferent: ¡°Then let my uncles, my mother, pout and stomp their feet at Flying Wing Star, what can they do?¡± ¡°I thought you wanted to reconcile with the family.¡± ¡°No,¡± Gu Hang corrected his cousin¡¯s impression, ¡°There¡¯s no question of reconciliation. I¡¯m not stopping anyone, I just want what¡¯s due to me, and if that can¡¯t be guaranteed, what¡¯s there to talk about reconciliation?¡± ¡­ After returning to Revival City, Gu Hang called for a work meeting. He had left Revival City for over a month now, and even his monthly stipend had been distributed. His involvement in the starship¡¯s military actions was necessary this time. Being a powerful Spiritual Energy user, if he didn¡¯t show up in person, it was doubtful the Green Skin Overlord could be dealt with, and it required his presence to persuade the otherwise reluctant Yelisia to go to war; he also needed to personally secure the spoils of the post-war victory. However, the planet¡¯s surface actually couldn¡¯t do without him. To put it plainly, it had only been three or four months since he took control of the Alliance, and his team was still understaffed. Even Osenia had to hold several positions and was busy all the time. The entire new Alliance¡¯s government structure was highly centralized and planned. Without him, the Military Governor, at the helm for too long, who knows what chaos might ensue. In fact, Gu Hang was worried that even a month¡¯s absence could lead to issues. Even though he had left devices with Osenia and Yan Fangxu that allowed communication with the starship during this time, Gu Hang had not been completely out of touch with his subordinates. Yet, intermittent communication every few days for just tens of minutes was not enough. Gu Hang urgently needed a concrete work meeting to understand what had happened on his territory during the past month and whether everything had unfolded as he had anticipated. And while waiting for his main subordinates to arrive, he continued pondering the matter of Blackbird Heavy Industries. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Rage Owl Star had three large continents, along with two smaller ones, previously the main excavation sites for Psychic Energy Fields and also the areas most devastated by war, almost entirely dead zones where Low Energy Storms incessantly raged, the harsh environment making it even more difficult for people to survive and impossible for food cultivation. According to intelligence reports, those two continents were basically uninhabited. On the main continent, Blackbird Heavy Industries held a very significant position. The history of this enterprise was even longer than that of the Rage Owl Star Alliance, existing for a long stretch before the Alliance was even established. According to the intelligence Gu Hang had, the stronghold of Blackbird Heavy Industries was located on the westernmost coastal region of the continent, ten thousand kilometers away from his current location in Revival City. They controlled a vast area and had about ten million people living there, with a portion of the food supply coming from their own production¡ªthe west of the continent had fertile plains. Despite the regions shrouded by Low Energy Storms, the remaining land was enough to sustain a substantial population. The other part of the food supply came from the technology-based farming factories located beneath the oases of the West Desert Region. ¡°` Chapter 249 - Chapter 249: Chapter 171, I thought you really came to support my cousin_4 Chapter 249: Chapter 171, I thought you really came to support my cousin_4 Seeing the name ¡®Blackbird Heavy Industries,¡¯ one can deduce that this is a super enterprise with heavy industry as its main business. They are nominally still part of the Alliance, but since the second-generation governor, they have gradually distanced themselves from the Alliance. They pay the Imperial Tax every two years as more of a symbolic gesture. Based on their jurisdiction of ten million people, they should be paying products worth two million Tax Currency every tax period to the Alliance Government as their annual tax contribution. However, in the past six years, across three tax periods, the most they¡¯ve ever paid was four hundred thousand Tax Currency, and the least was two hundred thousand Tax Currency. The difference is significant, but the key issue is that the Alliance Government is powerless to collect the full amount. How to collect it? Could the Old Alliance Legion, in its sorry state, cross thousands of miles to launch an expedition to the western world of the mainland? Even if all political forces were mobilized, it just couldn¡¯t be done. The successive governors could only send letters berating Blackbird Heavy Industries, accusing them of being Imperial traitors and rebels for not paying their taxes. But¡­ isn¡¯t it ironic? Suppressing planetary rebellions is the governor¡¯s job, and failing to do so is a sign of incompetence. In theory, when faced with a rebellion, one could call for Imperial support, the Star Realm Army, the Imperial Navy, or even the arrival of a combat group is possible. But unfortunately, that¡¯s just in theory. Unless the situation deteriorates to an extreme extent or could potentially or has already affected surrounding regions, the Empire won¡¯t bother with you. Sometimes, a rebellion on a planet occurs, the rebels kill the governor, and Imperial reinforcements arrive only then. Arriving on the ground, they find that the rebels say: The former governor was tyrannical and incompetent; we¡¯ve overthrown him, but we¡¯re still loyal to the Empire. We are willing to continue paying taxes, and we¡¯ve already prepared the tax for the new period. Hearing this, the Imperial reinforcements say, Well then, you are the new governor, and then they turn around and head home. It¡¯s quite absurd, but from the Empire¡¯s perspective: the rebellion is over, the new governor is loyal, and not even a bit of the tax was missed. No need for battle, isn¡¯t that great for everyone? And the former governor? Just a waste who couldn¡¯t even handle a rebellion, better off dead. This scenario is not likely, but there have indeed been many such records. For Gu Hang right now, he¡¯s incapable of directly intervening in the far west of the mainland. He doesn¡¯t have the power to organize a large army to journey thousands of miles and conduct an expedition, and the logistics would not hold up. Orbital support is a joke ¨C without ground troops for control, establishing rule through bombing alone is impossible. Even considering orbital airdrops and orbital transport of supplies and materials for relay, while it¡¯s true that it could disregard the distance on the ground, the Quintet is a standard warship with less-than-ideal conditions for orbital transport, making it unsupportable for this task; the Beautiful Lady, as an armed merchant ship, might be suited for such a mission, but obviously, Wang Jiarong would not support him in waging this war. Even if he were to win, the current industrial level at Rage Owl Star¡¯s surface is incapable of supporting rulership over lands at the other end of the mainland in a short period of time. In conclusion, waging war is unreliable, and the timing is not yet ripe. Conversely, by using the critical trade between the Gu Clan and Fatches, making Blackbird Heavy Industries pay up what they owe, and threatening to cut off trade if they don¡¯t pay, is still feasible. The Quintet can tightly blockade the trade connections between the planet¡¯s surface and orbit. According to Gu Hang¡¯s plan, at the very least, they must earnestly pay up this period¡¯s two million Tax Currency; moreover, Gu Hang is also demanding that they make up the shortfall from the past six years, three tax periods, which amounts to roughly five million Tax Currency. A total of seven million. Of course, the latter demand is something Blackbird Heavy Industries, and Fatches would probably be unwilling to accept at all costs. Gu Hang had no intention of pushing them into a corner ¨C if he did and they refused to do business, his scheme of getting money out of their pockets would also fail. That wouldn¡¯t do at all. It all comes down to the negotiations. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Anyway, two million Tax Currency is the bottom line. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The update is late today, but there are 6000 words! Last night, I actually finished writing 4000, but while setting the timer, I decided it would be smoother to write 2000 more, which I did this afternoon. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll see if it¡¯s possible to update on schedule with 6000 words. Chapter 250 - Chapter 250: Chapter 172, Work Report Chapter 250: Chapter 172, Work Report While thinking about the matters concerning Blackbird Heavy Industries, people gradually arrived one by one. There were still fifteen minutes until the scheduled time, but since everyone had arrived, Gu Hang announced that the meeting would begin ahead of time. The first to report was the person in charge of military affairs, Colonel Yan Fangxu. After Gu Hang had taken the First Cease Wind Brigade, the Second Infantry Division, and the Third Independent Regiment, the remaining surface forces still consisted of six divisional units. The 4th to the 9th Garrison Divisions, after replenishing their personnel and disbanding surplus troops, had settled down. They consisted of seven infantry battalions and two artillery battalions as the main combat forces, plus two battalions for logistics and engineers, as well as the division headquarters¡¯ guard company, communications company, and staff¡­ A single garrison division totaled over six thousand troops. Six divisions combined amounted to nearly forty thousand troops. As the commander of the army group, Yan Fangxu divided the area around Revival City into three war zones, taking Revival City as the center. The first was the Gaota War Zone. The 4th and 5th Garrison Divisions were stationed there. They were responsible for exterminating the remaining Green Skins after the Gaota War and burning all the land and suspect green vegetation where the Green Skins might have resided. After the previous war, there were still some Green Skin creatures that survived, Orcish kids, little sprites, or even just a few Skugg Beasts. At most, they could be considered scattered troops, not a significant threat. But they couldn¡¯t be ignored. Otherwise, who knows how long it would be before a new Green Skin tribe resurfaces? This was certainly a task that needed to be carried out persistently. Such exterminations would continue for many, many years, till there was a long period without any trace of Green Skin Orcs, before they could relax a bit. The second was the Central War Zone, with the 6th, 7th, and 8th Garrison Divisions stationed there. The 6th Division was positioned between Revival City and Weixing City, responsible for defending the capital. The 7th and 8th Divisions, centered on Revival City, swept to the west and south, up to about 300 kilometers as a boundary. They mainly swept the wasteland of marauders. Marauders were exterminated on the spot; those who surrendered or were captured were screened based on their past crimes. Those with heinous crimes, especially those with anti-humanity crimes like cannibalism, were executed outright. Others with less serious offenses were thrown into prison¡ªnot to live comfortably of course, but to work in the mines with an F-grade treatment or to pick up trash in the ruins of Gaota. F-grade treatment meant they were no longer considered human. In actuality, anyone below E-grade had no human rights. Common criminals like thieves, robbers, and fraudsters could at most be classified as E1-grade, at least still regarded as human and not treated excessively harshly when imprisoned or reformed. If someone actually died in prison, the prison would be penalized. But F-grade was akin to a suspended death sentence, stripped of human rights. Some murderers and other severe criminals were sent to this level. Essentially, they were people who should have been sentenced to death, but it was a pity to waste their labor, so they were simply put to work. Those with F-grade treatment had to bring back a sufficient quota of yield from the mines and Ruin Mine every day. If they did not meet the quota, they would not eat and would be whipped. Exceeding the quota came with a small food reward and the accumulation of work points. If they worked well enough, perhaps in five to ten years, they could escape the F-grade inhumane treatment and get the normal E-grade treatment of a person. Of course, that was quite difficult. Inadequate nutrition, high work intensity, poor living conditions, and lack of medical resources¡­ these issues caused a significant number of people to not survive a year. Those who lived past five years and worked hard to shed their F-grade status were very few. The 7th and 8th Garrison Divisions, in addition to eliminating those marauders, would locate survivor camps and bring them under the direct rule of the Alliance. It was estimated that there were about 2.7 million people in this region. For these people, the strategy adopted was consistent with the past: send out work teams to assess the industry structure of the camps on-site. If they complemented the Twin Cities of Revival well, especially in producing food or industrial and light industrial raw materials, then they were preserved; if the complement was weak or the camp itself struggled to survive without any industry, then the population would be relocated to Weixing City to fill the industrial workforce void. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, this operation currently encountered some difficulties. At present, only about seven hundred thousand people had been brought under control; among the remaining two million people, there were several large settlements each with a population of about two hundred thousand. It was uncertain what the attitude of their people was, but at least the rulers of those places did not accept giving up power. In fact, according to the policy of the new Alliance authorities, they would not completely lose their power. As long as there was a peaceful transition, settlements with tens of thousands of people would not be disbanded directly, as too many people flooding into the Twin Cities of Revival at once would be difficult to manage. On the contrary, since a settlement could gather so many people, it must have industry capable of sustaining life. Retaining the corresponding camps, or even the ruling class, meant transferring personal affiliations and abolishing private capital to transform into the job-ranking and duty system of the new Alliance. The original ruling class would most likely convert into the bureaucratic class under the new Alliance system, enjoy fairly good treatment, and continue to manage their camps. Chapter 251 - Chapter 251: Chapter 172, Work Report_2 Chapter 251: Chapter 172, Work Report_2 ¡°` Of course, afterward they needed to undergo further systemic transformation, and these new bureaucrats began to be assessed by the New Alliance Government. It was definitely not nearly as comfortable as the days when they were local tyrants. Some submitted under the military might of the New Alliance Army, especially those smaller settlements close to Revival City, which honestly came under the rule of the New Alliance. But those further away, the larger settlements, were not so content. During the advance of the troops, there was some resistance. And as the distance of the advance increased, the resistance became more and more intense. Now, several large settlements had forcibly rallied smaller ones to form a coalition army. About seventy to eighty thousand people blocked the 7th and 8th Divisions¡¯ advance, and they were at war. The intensity of the war wasn¡¯t very high, the garrison divisions were far from the core main forces of the New Alliance Army, but even so, their equipment and firepower still had a huge advantage over those rabble. However, with only over twelve thousand men combined from the two garrison divisions, they were at a great numerical disadvantage. They were able to advance steadily, but the speed of the advance really couldn¡¯t be considered fast, and when it came to attacking those survivor camps which were generally situated in easily defensible and difficult to attack terrain, it would take even more time. Even if they were taken down, in order to avoid revolt after surrender, troops still had to be left behind to enforce martial law. Even after personnel from subsequent government departments filled in, during the process of integrating the settlements, the presence of troops was still needed to maintain order. By comparison, the third battle zone, the Central-North Battle Zone, had only placed the 9th Garrison Division. Their work, similar to that of allied forces expanding west and south from the Central War Zone, was more straightforward since the vast lands north of Revival City had a relatively sparse population and had not encountered any major battles. The assimilation of five hundred thousand people was basically progressing steadily. Of course, there was another factor: the activities of the Sisters of Saint Mercy Lily. In the past two months, leaving Revival City and following the traces of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, the Sisters headed north. They did quite a bit, combating the Cult while also spreading their faith. Their formidable combat capabilities and their special identity gave them a certain influence in the north, which greatly helped the work of the 9th Division. This also gave the 9th Division an additional task: to be ready to respond to the Sisters¡¯ requests, assisting them in striking against Cult activities. According to intelligence sent back by the 9th Division, the Sisters of Saint Mercy Lily found that the further north they went, the more traces of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect¡¯s activities. Superior Georgette had already led the main force into what is traditionally known as the Northern Province, and currently, no updated intelligence has come through. In the northern part of the Central Province, about 600 kilometers north of Revival City in the center, the traces of the Cult were quite evident. In this northern area, six Sisters remained behind, responsible for securing the rear and ready to support the sisters entering further north, while also cleaning up local Cult activity in the northern region. After receiving the relevant requests, Yan Fangxu green-lighted the additional task for the 9th Division. The above was approximately the military briefing by Yan Fangxu, the military overseer, on the situation of the military operations during the month after the Governor¡¯s departure, and even the current stage. After listening, Gu Hang thought for a moment, then gave his instructions, ¡°I have no objections about the clearing operation in the Gaota Ruins, and the actions in the Central-North Battle Zone are also fine, Lao Yan did very well. However, the operation in the Central War Zone cannot continue to drag on like this. I believe that the 7th and 8th Divisions will eventually achieve victory, but slowly advancing is a huge loss. The depletion of population and time is unacceptable. We must seek a quick resolution.¡± Saying this, Gu Hang¡¯s gaze turned to Tadeusz, who sat beside Yan Fangxu, still a Colonel, but Gu Hang had already decided to promote him to the rank of Colonel, and said, ¡°How are the recruitment of new soldiers and logistical equipment going? I need you to replenish the losses of the three units that returned to the stars as soon as possible, after a week of rest, our troops will once again head to the battlefield.¡± ¡°` Tadeusz answered earnestly, ¡°In the new recruit training base we¡¯ve established, we¡¯ve already recruited over twenty thousand people, who are undergoing basic training. The only issue is the effectiveness of the training¡­¡± Gu Hang cut him off, ¡°I¡¯ll handle the effectiveness of the training, but twenty thousand is not enough. In addition to replenishing the troops, I also need to establish three division-sized units. The 10th, 11th, and 12th newly created designations, I need them to be capable of rapid strikes, rapid movement, like the battle groups modeled after the 2nd Division. At the same time, the 2nd Division also needs to be equipped sufficiently, even if we cannot achieve full mechanization, at least we must reach the standards of motorization.¡± Tadeusz decisively replied, ¡°No problem. Without considering the training situation, I can recruit thirty thousand people within half a month. I will provide a specific plan later according to the current situation of our armament stores. The forecast is quite optimistic; we might still have deficiencies in armored vehicle production capability, but the production of artillery, military trucks, and various types of ammunition is very good. The production capacity of the military factories in Weixing City is growing day by day, we have enough equipment to arm new troops.¡± Gu Hang calculated that with another thirty thousand recruits, the training barracks would have fifty thousand people. Making up for the losses of the three units from the heavens and replenishing the troops of various units would be no problem. The remaining people would be sufficient to form three new division-sized units. The 10th, 11th, and 12th designations would certainly not be formed into garrison divisions with average combat capabilities. After motorization, with fully equipped armed trucks, the troops could carry out rapid strikes; with stronger firepower and the extra armored vehicles in place, and forces matched to the 2nd Division, we could reach a scale of around nine thousand people. The combat power of such a motorized infantry division would have no problem taking on two garrison divisions. As for the training¡­ fifty thousand soldiers, all taken up to T5 level, would cost just 500 grace points. Peanuts. ¡°That¡¯s good. However, I still need to remind you that we must plan the recruitment of such a large number of young and strong people carefully so as not to affect the production plans of Revival City and Weixing City,¡± Gu Hang said. ¡°It won¡¯t happen,¡± Tadeusz replied seriously. ¡°At the moment, the population influx into Twin Cities is quite large. In the past month alone, two hundred thousand people have come from the Central War Zone; one hundred and fifty thousand people from the Central-North Battle Zone; over fifty thousand refugees from the Green Valley Region; and more than fifty thousand people diverted from Rubbish Town.¡± ¡°A total influx of four hundred and fifty thousand people. Even though the city constructions, industrial constructions, service industry developments in Revival City, as well as the heavy industry and military industry in Weixing City, all require a large population, the expansion of production lines also takes time. The speed of absorbing these populations isn¡¯t that fast. I don¡¯t have the exact numbers, but Lady Ossina should have them. Our unemployment rate might be rising quite rapidly. The army has offered relatively good terms for recruitment, and among those who have just arrived in the city, many are eager to acquire formal status and have enthusiastically joined the armed forces. We are actually helping the city to resolve a significant portion of the unemployed population, easing the pressure on various industries to absorb workers.¡± Gu Hang shifted his gaze to Ossina. Speaking methodically, Ossina replied, ¡°That¡¯s indeed the case. I have corresponding production management reports here that you can review.¡± Gu Hang took over a stack of papers and began to scrutinize them tirelessly. Meanwhile, Ossina began her report: ¡°Currently, according to the official census, which we dare not claim with certainty, our total population under New Alliance leadership has reached 2.4 million. In accordance with the military department¡¯s battle zone planning, we have accordingly planned the Central Province, Gaota Province, and Central-North Province. As the Central Province¡¯s expansion battle is running smoothly, we estimate that the total population could exceed 4.4 million when the time comes¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This chapter is 4,000 words. Between punctual updates and an additional two thousand words, today I chose the punctual update¡­ I didn¡¯t finish writing yesterday; I underestimated the difficulty of calculating data¡­ The missing 2,000 words must be made up! Today, I¡¯ll strive to write more so that tomorrow I can update both punctually and with 6,000 words! Chapter 252 - Chapter 252: Chapter 173: Population, Production, Trade Chapter 252: Chapter 173: Population, Production, Trade Osenia¡¯s report had Gu Hang nodding frequently. The increase in population was something that Gu Hang cared deeply about. According to the information she provided, as well as the documents at hand, the total population directly governed by the New Alliance had reached as many as 2.4 million. Among them, the core governing area was the Twin Cities of Revival. The population of Weixing City had reached 550,000, with its main industries being heavy and military industry. Industries based on alloy steel transformed a large amount of raw materials into alloy metals, which were further processed into various industrial components; Wu Jiarong¡¯s research institute continuously churned out new production lines (through the Black Box), sending them to the Waste Pit Industrial Zone to establish new factories or expand existing ones. Those who migrated and entered the short-term intensive training courses operated by various factories and enterprises became job-ready workers after completing the trainings. As soon as the corresponding production lines were in place, new workers would be filled in immediately, and production would begin right away. Revival City now had 930,000 people and the city construction was still ongoing, with its main industries being various light industries, production of consumer goods, and supplying population needs. Main production industries included textiles, food, various appliances, furniture, construction¡­ Beyond that, Revival City was also an administrative and trade center, with a large population engaged in clerical work as well. A higher population scale also heralded the development of a relatively advanced service industry. Cultural and entertainment sectors were still few, but the catering industry had already developed quite a bit. This was different from Weixing City. To solve the problem of meals in Weixing City, besides cooking at home, the main reliance was on company canteens, which distributed food according to job ranks. Since Revival City did not have large, centralized factories like those in Weixing City, the catering industry would become a point of supplement to solve meal issues. This brings us to a new policy implemented by Osenia to stimulate economic vitality. To avoid the rather static industrial development after job ranks were tied to duties, and to prevent economic activities occurring only when the Industry Department issued construction for factories, shops, and city infrastructure, Osenia encouraged ordinary people to utilize their intelligence and start their own businesses. Not to embark on large-scale entrepreneurship; big projects would be handled by state-owned enterprises. But to open a small restaurant, a convenience store, or even just a roadside stall; or further, if they had a unique idea, establish a small factory, create a private construction team, or organize a logistics team to transport goods for construction sites, factories, shops¡­ in short, anything. The specific incentive was that people of a certain rank could use their rank as a guarantee to apply for entrepreneurship funds, submit a relevant entrepreneurship report, and upon approval, they could open their business. The higher the rank, the more support funds they could receive. If the entrepreneurship failed, rank would be reduced; if successful, rank would increase according to the status of the new industry¡¯s manager. However, regardless of whether it was a restaurant, convenience store, or factory, the ownership belonged to the state, but a certain dividend would be paid out. In simple terms, it was like proposing a project within a large company, submitting the project report to the boss or management, and if approved, set to work. If you win, you get promoted and receive a salary increase, along with stock options; if you lose, the company incurs losses, and you bear responsibility and demotion. Moreover, if it¡¯s just a stall, you don¡¯t need a particularly high rank to run it, and if it fails, the punishment isn¡¯t very severe; a deduction from the allowance is enough. In addition, Osenia opened another loophole: entrepreneurship could also be funded with one¡¯s own money, eliminating the need for a guarantee. If it failed, there would be no demotion and one¡¯s own money would be lost; if successful, rank would increase and the earnings would be one¡¯s own. This was equivalent to opening a private economy alongside the main public and planned economy to increase economic vitality. So far, since it was encouraged, the conditions for using rank as guarantee to apply for entrepreneurship funds were quite lenient. Those with low ranks who had good ideas, or who conformed to the Industry Department¡¯s industrial development direction, could easily obtain startup capital. The extent of demotion for failure wasn¡¯t too large, and most of the time, under the guidance of the Industry Department, they wouldn¡¯t incur losses. Near factories and construction sites, setting up a small restaurant or even a stall heating synthetic starch blocks generally would not result in a loss. In the future, if it¡¯s felt that a certain direction has developed enough, or even overheated, or if there are too many losses¡­ in short, if there are issues, the application process will be tightened, the threshold raised, and the penalties for guarantees increased. Anyway, it¡¯s a means of regulation. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In general, while the collective state-owned economy is the absolute mainstay in the Twin Cities, the private economy was encouraged to add vitality and create jobs. Currently, based on ¡®Tax Currency¡¯, the total monthly production value of the Twin Cities can reach about 80,000 Tax Currency. This is the absolute core area of the New Alliance. Other areas, when added together, can manage about 5,000 to 6,000 Tax Currency. Besides the Twin Cities, the other regions in the newly planned Central Province, Central-North Province, and Gaota Province, including those remaining small settlements, Rubbish Town inclusive, were also transforming towards the Twin Cities¡¯ system. The main output was focused on consumer goods, ensuring the basic needs of the population. But those small settlements couldn¡¯t guarantee production efficiency at all. Chapter 253 - Chapter 253: Chapter 173: Population, Production, Trade_2 Chapter 253: Chapter 173: Population, Production, Trade_2 Combined, these places had a population of over a million, which might be comparable to that of the Twin Cities, but their total output value was probably only about 7% of the Twin Cities¡¯. In response, Osenia¡¯s subsequent plan was to continue migrating people from these areas to Weixing City to expand the industrial population. Additionally, some factories producing raw materials in Weixing City and Revival City would distribute various production machines. For instance, agricultural machinery, construction equipment, trucks, textile machines, food processing machines¡­ a series of gadgets could increase the production efficiency of these small settlements. Here, there would be considerable room for growth. After listening to her comprehensive report, Gu Hang nodded in satisfaction. He thought Osenia had done quite well. He had been aware of many things within her report, especially the major directions, which were essentially the instructions he had given Osenia before boarding the Starship. Osenia had then formulated policies in these directions and implemented them. Coming up with appropriate policies was not easy; implementing them was even harder. But it seemed that Osenia had performed well in both aspects. It was not just a matter of not disappointing his expectations; she had even exceeded them. This was also evident from the character card. While in space, Gu Hang had seen Osenia¡¯s character card change through the character interface. Firstly, she had leveled up to LV3; her ¡®rarity¡¯ had risen from N to R level; [Excellent Political Officer] had upgraded to [Outstanding Political Officer], with a slight increase in political attribute; she also gained an extra talent named [Comprehensive Planning]. [Comprehensive Planning: With her long-term insights into overall production planning, she had become even more outstanding in this area. Politics +1] The combination of these traits brought her most important political attribute to 15 points. An Osenia of such caliber had become an extremely distinguished political officer, and Gu Hang could rest very assured. Therefore, Gu Hang did not hesitate to praise her, ¡°I think Comrade Osenia has done an excellent job.¡± With that, he started clapping. Following his lead, everyone else gave face and joined in the applause. The role of Osenia was very important. She was currently the foremost figure on the political side, overseeing civil affairs, commerce, finance, and production, all of significant responsibility. Although she was still referred to as a minister, in reality, she effectively undertook tasks very similar to those of a government premier. The majority of political work lay on her shoulders. Even the military had to please her. After all, the production situation of Weixing City¡¯s military factories also required her support to flourish. Tadeusz, who was in charge of military logistics and equipment, had to maintain constant communication with her subordinates to ensure adequate supplies of equipment, ammunition, and military provisions. Osenia, flattered by the praise, showed a hint of shyness. She waved her hands and quickly said, ¡°There¡¯s also the report on commerce and trade, Mr. Bradford will speak on that, as he has performed exceptionally well in his work over the past month.¡± Bradford stood up, looking somewhat nervous, especially when Gu Hang¡¯s gaze turned towards him, intensifying his apprehension. He still remembered the despair he felt when he was captured by the governor¡¯s soldiers a few months ago; the subsequent conversation with the governor almost shattered his mental state. But he survived through his ¡®wit and intellect¡¯ and became an advisor to the New Alliance Ministry of Commerce. With Osenia taking on multiple roles and effectively assuming the duties of the Alliance Premier, she was incredibly busy. Additionally, within the New Alliance, there was a severe shortage of civilian officials and administrative workers, particularly those capable of independent roles. Bradford, with his abilities, naturally rose to the occasion. He had the capability, experience, and connections; his proactive work ethic, coupled with his refraining from lining his own pockets¡ªat least in the early stages of his career where he didn¡¯t dare take risks¡ªnaturally set him apart from the rest. Although he still bore the title of advisor, he was already exercising the rights of a principal officer of the Alliance Commerce Department. In fact, Osenia had raised Bradford¡¯s rank from an initial E6 to D6 within her own authority. This was still a mid-to-lower level rank, but it was enough to live comfortably with a decent subsidy. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Moreover, being in a position of responsibility within the Commerce Department, Bradford, a smart man, was not worried about a lack of future opportunities for advancement. He did not disappoint the trust placed in him by Osenia. Previously, he mobilized his connections and experience in trade management to organize caravans, restoring the supply to the Twin Cities¡¯ capillaries and easing the grain crisis; then he restored the grain trade with the Western Desert, further alleviating the crisis. As for another major source of grain supply, the Southern Green Valley Region, there hadn¡¯t been much improvement. But that was not his responsibility; mainly because the Green Valley was in a state of chaos, grain production faced significant issues, beyond the scope of commercial remedies. Just relying on the Western Desert, grain supply would still be quite tense, especially once the expansion strategy commenced and the areas around Revival City were engulfed in turmoil. With two million people becoming hostile, the capillaries suffered further impacts. Chapter 254 - Chapter 254: Chapter 173: Population, Production, Trade_3 Chapter 254: Chapter 173: Population, Production, Trade_3 This was why Gu Hang insisted that Yan Fangxu speed up his actions and quickly deploy more troops to resolve the issue: if it were delayed any longer, famine would arise. However, to solve this problem, Bradford had personally made a trip to the Western Desert and had only just returned recently. He brought back a new large order; the Western Desert¡¯s food trade with Revival City could be doubled in scale. The price that Revival City had to pay for this was a large amount of consumer goods. Revival City¡¯s excess output was enough to cover this part. In addition to this, there was another big deal, which was finding a large order for Weixing City¡¯s automobile industry through Bradford¡¯s efforts. The Iron Bull RN-100 truck was favored by numerous caravans. With its excellent load capacity, off-road performance, durability, and fuel flexibility¡­ such trucks were highly sought after in the wastelands. Bradford sold five hundred Iron Bull trucks to Western Desert businessmen in one go, to be paid for with food. According to interstellar standards, the subsequent grain orders to be delivered were valued at over twenty thousand Tax Currency, which could basically satisfy the annual needs of the new alliance¡¯s population of 2.4 million; the five hundred Iron Bull trucks were roughly a month¡¯s production for Weixing City, and if used to pay taxes, their total value would be about five thousand Tax Currency¡ª the Imperial Taxation Department might not even want trucks with such a level of technology. Earning four times the amount, the Western Desert businessmen were still ecstatic. These trucks were much cheaper than the cargo vehicles produced by Blackbird Heavy Industries in the west. This deal was a win-win: the alliance found a market for the automotive industry and purchased a large amount of food; the Western Desert businessmen who got the trucks would use them to transport grain to the alliance, greatly improving transportation efficiency. If this isn¡¯t a win-win, what is? Winning twice, till it¡¯s dizzying. Of course, this deal wasn¡¯t completed in one fell swoop. The Western Desert had that much grain, but lacked the capability to transport it all at once; it would take time to collect from various plantations and to cover the over thousand kilometers of distance. Moreover, the delivery of the Iron Bull trucks wasn¡¯t immediate. Although Weixing City could burst produce five hundred trucks in a month, Revival City¡¯s transport logistics also needed Iron Bulls; the military¡¯s logistical transport needs Iron Bulls; the army¡¯s motorization also similarly requires Iron Bulls. Even so, the production capacity of five hundred was still not enough, and the subsequent production department might focus its next burst capacity on Iron Bull trucks, striving to increase this important type of transport truck to a monthly output of a thousand. Beyond food trade, Bradford recently solved another major problem: the import of industrial raw materials. In terms of raw materials, the capacity of Ruin Mine¡¯s ores had long been insufficient. Rubbish Town, due to the cessation of war, had only just resumed excavation work at Ruin Mine, and production had not yet picked up. The gap in raw materials restricted industrial district production. However, related commercial trade work was gradually expanding, and the sources of raw materials were no longer limited to the vicinity. To the east of the high tower ruins, all the way to the sea, an area of about six thousand kilometers long, was the Pacific Rage Owl Star¡¯s major urban cluster region before the war. Super-cities like the high tower ruins were broadly distributed across the eastern territories. But in this vast area, the surviving population might be only about five million. They were scattered across various ruins, struggling to survive amid mutant creatures and Low Energy Storms. They had hardly any industry, mainly relying on scavenging and trading with caravans for food and necessities. In other words, that six thousand kilometers stretch from east to west, and three thousand kilometers from north to south, of the former urban cluster area, was essentially one enormous, highly dispersed Rubbish Town. Regardless of the ecology of that place, at least the new alliance had now established commercial trade relations with the Eastern Provinces. Consumer goods and resale of food were traditional items in the raw material trade between Revival City and the Eastern Provinces, and now, there was an additional dumping of industrial goods. Among them, the two main flagship products were, one, the Iron Bull truck; and two, military equipment. The Eastern Provinces, much like a giant Rubbish Town, weren¡¯t just an appellation; the ecosystem was very similar too. The food capability was very low, mainly relying on imports from the Green Valley Region; the primary output was raw materials scavenged from the pre-war ruins and some primary processing and basic industry. The main force behind ¡®scavenging¡¯ was, of course, the many adventurers. The G9 series of individual equipment was much stronger than those primitive guns. Just so happened, the current production line of G9 had plenty of surplus capacity, which was perfect to sell to them. As for whether these guns might become an obstacle to the new alliance¡¯s expansion into the Eastern Provinces in the future¡­ It had to be admitted, there was that possibility. But the obstacle wasn¡¯t significant. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only If it came to large-scale warfare, the value of individual equipment wasn¡¯t so great. Tanks, artillery, air forces, these sources of firepower were more critical. And speaking of arms trade, the current G9 individual equipment wasn¡¯t just being sold eastward; the Green Valley Region to the south was also an important sales point. On one hand, although the Green Valley Region suffered from war, reducing its food capacity significantly, there was still some left. On the other hand, the main reason for trading arms for food was the situation in the Green Valley Region. Disasters like the mutant creature tide, in the relatively favorable natural conditions of the Green Valley Region, would have typically subsided by this time of year, but this year, they seemed to be growing worse instead. Chapter 255 - Chapter 255: Chapter 173: Population, Production, Trade_4 Chapter 255: Chapter 173: Population, Production, Trade_4 The tragic decimation of Osenia¡¯s family was beginning to become all too common in the Green Valley Region. Even estate owners and planters couldn¡¯t endure it, let alone ordinary civilians. Selling arms and equipment to the Green Valley Region was meant to help them better resist the monster waves. And not just selling arms, either. While up in the sky, Gu Hang had heard reports about the Green Valley Region, and he was also greatly concerned about the situation there. The rampant devastation caused by the mutant monster tides was certainly intolerable. With a population of ten million, the Green Valley Region was a vast peninsula covering more than two thousand kilometers east to west, and over five thousand kilometers from north to south, narrowing towards the south, its overall terrain somewhat resembling the Indian Peninsula from Gu Hang¡¯s world before the crossing, with possibly even better natural and geographical environments. The vast, fertile land and the ample population¡­ These were some of the finest areas on Rage Owl Star. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t tolerate the destruction of this land, nor could he allow the needless loss of too many lives in this disaster from the ten million population. Currently, the Alliance didn¡¯t have enough strength to dispatch sufficient troops to such a vast area as the Green Valley Region to address the mutant beast issue there. But this didn¡¯t prevent him from planning ahead. Exchanging arms for food, or even sending military advisors and diplomats directly to the Green Valley Region. Diplomats were helping survivors who had been displaced to come together; encouraging the remaining struggling plantations to form mutual aid organizations; convincing those plantations not yet struck by disaster to understand the principle that one¡¯s own survival depended on the survival of all, urging them to contribute money, effort, and manpower in support and vigilance with their neighbors. The military advisors, along with the traded arms, were sent to assist the local forces resisting the monster waves in building their military. The local situation wasn¡¯t something that could be explained in a sentence or two, and the issues in Green Valley were not just conflicts between humans and monsters. But let¡¯s not delve into more complex matters for now; at the very least, Gu Hang hoped that the personnel dispatched could minimize the damage to the Green Valley Region, saving one more life and preserving one more grain of food if possible. When he was finally able to free up resources to mobilize a real task force to the Green Valley Region to reclaim lost territory, it would be beneficial to have retained even a fraction of vitality there. ¡­ The rest of the report wasn¡¯t all that important. Patel discussed the industrial situation in Weixing City; Lambert talked about the legal system construction in the Twin Cities Region. He detailed the establishment of relevant legal provisions, court construction, law enforcement team development, intelligence system setup, anti-corruption issues¡­ He had indeed been officially appointed as the Chief Justice of the Alliance, under whose administration there were three committees: the Legislative Committee, the Executive Committee, and the Discipline Committee. The legislative members were the fewest, responsible for establishing legal provisions at the behest of the governor; the executive was principally involved in law and order; discipline was mainly aimed at anti-corruption. Gu Hang placed particular emphasis on the work of the Discipline Committee. He was acutely aware that under the New Alliance¡¯s highly centralized, planned economic system, the ability to focus resources on major tasks was a prime advantage, allowing for undertakings that might yield little short-term benefit but massive long-term gains. However, issues of systemic rigidity and corruption could be fatal to the new system. As for systemic inflexibility, Gu Hang had already seen Osenia seeking solutions, with encouragement mainly focused on private and market-oriented economic practices. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Corruption wasn¡¯t yet an apparent problem, since in theory, the new regime had only been established for three to four months and shouldn¡¯t have significant issues. But this matter required nipping in the bud. If allowed to grow into a pervasive, systemic problem before addressing it, solving it wouldn¡¯t be a simple pain. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Six thousand words. Yesterday¡¯s promise fulfilled. Chapter 256 - Chapter 256: Chapter 174, Loyal Heir Academy Chapter 256: Chapter 174, Loyal Heir Academy ¡°` After landing, Gu Hang¡¯s first important work meeting nearly concluded following Lambert¡¯s discussion on relevant legal system construction. Once everyone had left, Gu Hang remained alone in the vast conference hall. Sitting alone at the top of the large table, with his hands propping up his chin, he was deep in contemplation. Sunlight streamed in from the side, illuminating half his face in light and the other in shadow, while stretching his silhouette long across the floor. Beyond the earmarked 500 points of grace for the payment of the new soldier training base and the preparation of the training of fifty thousand new soldiers, he still had 4158 points at his disposal. That was still a large sum, and Gu Hang was planning how to allocate these points of grace. The highest priority was the Loyal Heir Academy. Gu Hang now personally realized why rulers always felt anxious about the loyalty of their subordinates. His career was still in the expansion phase, and his greatest concern wasn¡¯t rebellion or betrayal but rather corruption and whether people would work diligently and minimize shirking. He worried that under the quickly expanding political system, the need to absorb talent from the Old Alliance to fill positions in the new government could bring bad practices to the New Alliance. He was concerned that the political officers in the military, although trained, had not been trained intensively enough, akin to rushing ducks onto a perch. Currently, many ¡°red-caps¡± were performing exceptionally well, exceeding Gu Hang¡¯s targets, but that didn¡¯t mean every political officer would perform the same, especially as the military expanded. He also fretted over whether the diplomats and military commissioners sent to manage affairs in the disaster-stricken Green Valley Region were truly diligent, or whether they would exploit the opportunity for corruption, not only failing to meet Gu Hang¡¯s expectations but also tarnishing the New Alliance¡¯s reputation in the south, creating future obstacles in reclaiming the Green Valley Region. Equally, he was concerned whether Lambert¡¯s Discipline Committee would loyally carry out their duties in identifying corrupt individuals within the government and military, without themselves becoming corrupt. There was too much for him to worry about. Could the Loyal Heir Academy completely alleviate his anxieties? Probably not, but it could ease them. Overall, according to the description of the Loyal Heir Academy within the ¡°Construction¡± interface, the training there was quite effective on its own, not to mention that Gu Hang could use points of grace to directly promote people to the special unit of ¡°trainee political officers¡±. Does a military unit necessarily have to be deployed within the army? Not necessarily. Without hesitation, Gu Hang spent the required 1000 points of grace for the Loyal Heir Academy. And in preparation for this ¡°construction,¡± the Wind-Extinguishing Loyal Heir Academy in Revival City had already been established a month earlier, with a prefix in its name commemorating Gu Hang¡¯s initial battle. The main curriculum of the academy focused on loyalty to the governor and the empire, teaching history and politics. It did not immediately recruit young students but primarily geared towards in-service staff for short-term advanced training. In fact, the latest promotion scheme issued by the Civil Affairs Department explicitly mentioned that from rank D upwards, the experience in advanced training at the Wind-Extinguishing Academy would be a plus in the assessment; from D9 to C1, the step that usually signifies entering into a mid-level rank, a one-month training period became a mandatory criterion; further up from C1, that experience would carry significant weight. Loyalty is the foremost duty. This maxim of Gu Hang was thus implemented through such policies. However, the current educational level at the Wind-Extinguishing Loyal Heir Academy was quite concerning. Gu Hang himself held the title of principal, but he indeed did not have the time to manage school affairs personally. Those who actually taught were a selection of political officers and individuals who had followed Gu Hang for some time and had high ideological awareness. They compiled textbooks according to his directives and taught by rote. What kind of educational quality could that yield? How could it elevate ideological consciousness? But that didn¡¯t matter. The primary goal was to meet the requirements of the ¡°Construction¡± system. To redeem the Loyal Heir Academy and allow it to take effect, it was necessary to have an already operational school to layer the construction effect onto and make it functional. This meant that Gu Hang could afford to disregard instructional quality, as long as there was such a school in existence. With the points spent, Gu Hang could already see the option to train the ¡°squad political officers¡± unit on the ¡°Troop Card¡± interface. However, unlike other units, this training required sending people to the Loyal Heir Academy to study for one week. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The following day, Gu Hang personally visited the Wind-Extinguishing Loyal Heir Academy and audited a few classes. He wanted to personally experience the effects. Since his visit was unannounced, there was no need to worry about excessive preparation that might give a skewed view of the true situation. Certainly, his arrival stirred some turmoil within the school, but any attempt at organizing a welcome ceremony was immediately halted by him. ¡°` Chapter 257 - Chapter 257: Chapter 174, Loyal Heir Academy_2 Chapter 257: Chapter 174, Loyal Heir Academy_2 Gu Hang simply picked a few random classes and went in to listen to the lectures. ¡­ Jason Morgan and Haier Si Morgan, the married couple, never imagined that one day they would have the opportunity to attend a class with the Duke himself. Jason, as an official in the Ministry of Civil Affairs ¨C Immigration Bureau, exposed a group of looters disguised as civilians when he was dispatched to Sanchi Town. He nearly lost his life, but after returning, he was acknowledged for his meritorious conduct and was promoted directly to D2 level. The bureau wanted to send him out again, and at first, he was very resistant. The experience from the last time had left him trembling with fear, not to mention that the direction of the dispatch this time was the perilous Green Valley Region. There, it wasn¡¯t just a matter of dealing with looters consisting of the unemployed and the dispossessed. Being captured by looters might not necessarily end in death, as an Alliance official taken as a hostage would fetch a pretty penny. On the other hand, killing an Alliance official would bring major trouble. But the mutated monsters there were irrational, and encountering one meant an almost certain death by their bite. However, he was soon persuaded by his wife yet again. His wife, a person with particularly progressive thoughts, was truly a devoted spouse. ¡°Fortune favors the bold!¡± After returning from his last dispatch, he was promoted two ranks, even skipping from E to D, which meant a significant increase in benefits and treatment. And this time, since he was going to an even more dangerous place, the anticipated promotion would probably be greater. But before this mission, his leader had also managed to secure an opportunity for this ¡®active participant¡¯: to study at Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy. With just a short period of training, it was a very significant experience, which would greatly assist him in climbing the ranks and reaching higher positions in the future. And it wasn¡¯t just him attending the academy; his wife Haier Si Morgan, as well as his sister-in-law, Haier Si¡¯s sister Milia Derong, also came. His wife worked as a clerical worker in a commercial company, and she, being so proactive and progressive in her daily life, with equally good performance, secured the same opportunity and also brought her sister along. Jason could never have imagined that one day he would have the experience of studying with his wife. The learning experience at Loyal Heir Academy was somewhat dull. He and his sister-in-law frequently mocked together, criticising how the teachers¡¯ lectures were unexceptional and monotonous like chanting scriptures; the content was the same old detailed accounts of the Duke¡¯s achievements that they were all too familiar with. Executing former Alliance rebel generals, suppressing the resurgence of the Evil God, battling the Green Skin Orcs¡­ Indeed, these were legendary tales, but one would tire of hearing them a thousand times over. Only his most progressive wife managed to maintain high spirits, and even privately urged her sister and husband to study seriously and not to treat it merely as a formality. But¡­ wasn¡¯t this just a formality? To come and listen to lectures, make up the hours, sing the praises of the Duke on the weekly exams according to the standard answers, and, in the end, receive a certificate of completion that would add to a beautiful resume and make future promotions more convenient. Isn¡¯t that quite good? Pay close attention to the lectures? It¡¯s pointless. But today, the Duke himself came to inspect the classroom. They controlled themselves not to turn their heads and disrespectfully stare at the Duke, but they couldn¡¯t erase the shock they felt upon entering the classroom and seeing the Duke casually sitting in the last row. Under this sudden visit, no matter how uninterested they felt, they were determined to appear as if they were deeply moved and full of tears, even if the person on the podium was Mr. Maisike, known throughout the academy as the worst lecturer. Perhaps, by catching the Duke¡¯s attention with an outstanding performance, they might ascend to the pinnacle of their careers? However, as the class began, they realized there was no need to act. Or rather, they started off intending to perform well, but as the class went on, they became thoroughly engrossed in instructor Maisike¡¯s presentation. To tell the truth, the content he taught hadn¡¯t changed; it was still the same old material: the illustrious history and tragic experiences of Rage Owl Star, the Duke as a savior, the duty of loyalty to the Duke, the Duke as a representative of the Empire¡­ Yet, the content was much more vibrant and engaging. He didn¡¯t just recite from the book; when speaking about the Rage Owl Star People¡¯s glorious life, his expression was filled with hopefulness; when mentioning their tragic life, it contained sorrow; and when talking about how the Duke alone developed the area outside the city, defeated the looters, and conquered cities, he was passionate and fiery. Even Milia Derong, who had always shown impatience with these subjects, found herself moved by his words. Leaving aside everything else, just listening to the story itself was interesting enough. And as people were engrossed in these tales, the multitude of ideas that the class aimed to instill subtly entered their minds. By the end of the class, the students were not only free from any sense of aversion but also somewhat captivated, wanting more. It was then that they remembered the Duke was also part of their class. Turning their heads, they could no longer see the Duke¡¯s figure; when he had left was anyone¡¯s guess. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡­ Having listened to half a class, Gu Hang felt much more at ease. He was reassured; the system¡¯s output was indeed effective. After confirming the effectiveness of the course halfway through, Gu Hang discreetly made an early exit. Outside the classroom, he encountered Reed Meshako, the Dean of Academics at Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy, who had been waiting there. Chapter 258 - Chapter 258: Chapter 174, Loyal Heir Academy_3 Chapter 258: Chapter 174, Loyal Heir Academy_3 Meisheke was a cripple. He had once been the political commissar of the 7th Garrison Division 4th Regiment. He had distinguished himself when he actively led his troops to attack the orc position, covering the star warriors as they penetrated deep into enemy ranks to carry out orbit strike marking tasks. But during the full-scale offensive following the orbital bombardment, as he was leading his troops deep into enemy lines, a bullet fired by a Green Skin shattered his leg. Meisheke quickly lost consciousness due to excessive blood loss, and after being sent to the rear, he amputated one leg but saved his life. Having lost a leg, Meisheke could no longer go into battle. But he soon received a new assignment from his old superior, Tadeusz: to go to the newly established Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy. Initially, he only served as a lecturer. He used to think, ¡°What qualifies me to teach others to be a teacher?¡± Since there was no choice, he just had to lecture the way he had done ideological work for soldiers in the army. But later, he found that among a group of rotten fish and shrimps, he was indeed the best speaker. The worst were really those who simply read out the mediocre textbooks in a bland and uninspiring manner. Soon, when the Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy needed a manager, he became the Academic Affairs Director by virtue of the rank of Major he had received upon his retirement, the Rejuvenation Medal, and his status as a combat hero. With Gu Hang, the principal, often away, he, the Academic Affairs Director, became the actual person in charge of the school¡¯s educational work, together with another vice-principal who was only responsible for construction of physical facilities, leading the Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy. He was always dedicated to building up the teacher team. He was consistently dissatisfied with the low standard of many lecturers and planned to fire some to see if that would make a difference. The lecturer Maisike, who was teaching today, was one of those he considered the worst and had already been placed on his dismissal list. However, he hadn¡¯t expected that the governor would show up unannounced today and attend Maisike¡¯s class. Leaning on his cane, he hurried over but didn¡¯t dare to enter and disturb the class, so he could only sweat it out at the door. Meisheke had mentally cursed a thousand times, wondering why he hadn¡¯t fired Maisike, this good-for-nothing, earlier to avoid such embarrassment today. He was already trying hard to think of how to explain to the governor that Maisike did not represent the true teaching level of the Wind-Extinguishing Academy. Although there was still much room for improvement at the academy, it was because it had been established for such a short time; given a little longer, a bit more time, he would raise the educational level. Unexpectedly, at the door, he listened to the best class on ideological education that he had heard since taking office at the school. The impassioned voice of Maisike astonished Meisheke at the doorway. Am I out of my mind to fire such a person? No, why didn¡¯t you show your capability before, young man? Do you have to put on a good show only when the governor arrives? That¡¯s good, too, saving me from shame in front of the governor¡­ With complex feelings, Meisheke silently removed Maisike from the dismissal list. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Then, with one hand on his cane, he saluted Gu Hang with the other: ¡°Governor, please command!¡± ¡°Well done,¡± Gu Hang encouraged, knowing that the previous inadequate educational level could not be blamed on Meisheke. After a moment¡¯s thought, Gu Hang added, ¡°There should be no need to worry about the level of lecturers now, but you need to rewrite the textbooks. Don¡¯t stick to one set of materials; they¡¯re too rigid. Incorporate stories of heroes with brave deeds from the empire¡¯s history into the materials, especially those with outstanding performance from governors, and compare them to Rage Owl Star. Of course, don¡¯t make it too obvious¡­¡± Meisheke quickly took out paper and pen and began to record the governor¡¯s instructions. Afterwards, the textbook reform moved in that direction. Chapter 259 - Chapter 259: Chapter 175, Central Blossom Army Corps Chapter 259: Chapter 175, Central Blossom Army Corps After personally experiencing the enhanced level of teaching provided by the Architectural System, Gu Hang was very satisfied. What was directly improved was the lecturing ability of the teachers and the educational atmosphere. Similarly, he believed that the increased efficiency brought by the system had not yet been fully realized. If there were to be superior textbooks in the future; better teaching hardware, such as corresponding images and videos to assist with explanations during lectures; and if the teachers themselves had a high enough level of expertise, with sufficient knowledge reserves¡­ With all these elements in place, combined with significant improvements in teachers¡¯ lecturing ability, educational atmosphere, and students¡¯ concentration from the system¡¯s boosts, the overall effect would be even more noticeable. Only then would he be able to say that the thousand points of favor he had invested in Loyal Heir Academy were maximized. To this end, Gu Hang specifically set aside an entire day to discuss the subsequent reform plans with Meisheke, the Dean of Academic Affairs, and the Vice Chancellor who had rushed over, promising that related educational funding would be prioritized for Loyal Heir Academy. Additionally, Gu Hang specifically mentioned that Loyal Heir Academy should establish an advanced class for short-term training. For this advanced class, Gu Hang would personally teach a lesson. Meisheke noted this down. This so-called advanced version was where Gu Hang planned to use grace points to train the ¡°Battalion Political Commissars.¡± The system called it by this name, and even designated it as a type of troop, but in reality, Gu Hang did not intend to use it merely as a breeding ground for military-political officers. He would gather those who performed well at the Loyal Heir Academy, or those from all walks of life who needed key training, throw them into this advanced class, and for the price of ten points of favor per person, train them to become ¡°Battalion Political Commissars.¡± After graduation, these individuals would return to their posts with the will of the most loyal warriors, leading by example. Of course, training military-political officers was also a very important part of the plan. Gu Hang initially offered seventy slots. This would cost him seven hundred points of favor. But the sacrifice was worth the reward. Fifty qualified commissars would be drawn from various military units and after returning, they would enter the staffs of various divisions and regiments, taking on the role of political officers. They would be the most steadfast ideological force within the military, ensuring loyalty to the governor and maintaining morale and discipline during combat. Out of the additional twenty people, fifteen would be from different levels of government institutions. After returning, they were also expected to bring back their faith, ideals, and loyalty; the remaining five would come from companies, factories, and other enterprises. Their promotion speeds would be faster than the average person, but the responsibilities they shouldered would also be greater. Gu Hang looked forward to the time when these seeds would take root and sprout. If the seeds were not enough, then several more batches would be cultivated. ¡­ The Morgan Couple and their sister Milia were all selected for the advanced class. They were fully aware of what a precious opportunity this was. Simply attending classes at Loyal Heir Academy, regardless of what they could learn, had already become a golden credential in the new alliance society. Not to mention, they were also part of the advanced classes held from time to time, receiving personal instruction from the governor himself. With that, their golden credentials shone even brighter. Who in the future could question their loyalty? Moreover, after the seven-day course, they truly knew more than just a surface layer of gold. Jason Morgan discussed with his wife, and they both felt that they had learned a lot of substantial things. First and foremost was military skills. A part of the seven-day course was military training. Just within these few days, they felt like they had become qualified warriors, able to fight with a gun. For someone without any prior military training, this was the most noticeable perception. Another important aspect was that they knew how to inspire morale, excite people, and enforce discipline. This included skills in language, expression, body language, and how to lead by example in everyday life, what were principles and what could be flexible. They should form deep friendships, care for and understand others¡¯ thoughts, and become a friend, a brother, and a reliable figure; but at the same time, they needed to build authority, instill beliefs and ideals of loyalty in others, and in crucial moments, be ruthless, uphold bottom lines, set examples, and use their authority, prestige, affinity, and even violence to inspire morale and maintain discipline. This knowledge wasn¡¯t just talk; they also understood specific ways to implement it. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Truth be told, they still felt as if they were dreaming: Are we geniuses by nature? To understand everything in just seven days? They even doubted the part of the brain that had developed this new knowledge. Would these methods really work in practice? They didn¡¯t know yet, as there was no environment to put it into practice. However, if the occasion arises, they would just try it out, surely the governor¡¯s teachings couldn¡¯t be wrong, right? As for whether their own level of ideological awareness had improved¡­ Chapter 260 - Chapter 260: Chapter 175, Central Blossom Army Corps_2 Chapter 260: Chapter 175, Central Blossom Army Corps_2 Others might have different opinions, but at least Jason Morgan didn¡¯t feel much of anything. What¡¯s the big deal about being loyal to the governor, loving the Alliance; having firm beliefs, guaranteeing loyalty¡­ He had recited those things ten thousand times before, he already knew them. So what if he recited them a few more times, could there really be any special change? Could it truly make me stand up and face danger, fight for the beliefs in my heart, even at the cost of my life? Impossible, that would never happen in this lifetime. That was what he thought. However, what he didn¡¯t know was that at certain crucial moments, on certain key decisions, humans are sometimes not purely rational, not purely self-interested. Heroes who stand up often do so because of a single thought, which leads to jaw-dropping feats of valor. ¡­ The benefits of participating in the Loyal Heir Advanced Class came faster than expected. Besides the knowledge gained, the promotion within the Alliance¡¯s internal system was also forthcoming. Moreover, there had been a scramble among some important departments to recruit among these twenty non-military personnel. For instance, Haier Si Morgan, after graduation, was quickly transferred out of her original unit. She was called into the Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy as a candidate for an outstanding lecturer. She had been known as an ¡®ideological progressive¡¯ even before entering the advanced class, and now, she was able to further leverage her advantage. Moreover, she was very likely to be involved in the upcoming curriculum reform of the academy. Her sister, Milia Derong, was poached by the Discipline Committee under Lambert. The anti-corruption and auditing work required people who were intellectually progressive and possessed a sense of justice. Jason Morgan himself didn¡¯t have any job movement, but he was soon promoted to a D3-level employee and was dispatched to the Southern Green Valley Region as the local Civil Affairs Liaison Officer, responsible for the reception of refugees, and he would be departing soon. His past achievements were now further gilded; should he accomplish more in the south, the road ahead would be wide open to him. Apart from these twenty government employees, the fifty political commissars selected from various levels of the military did not have specific promotions. But that was also alright, as they themselves held high and influential positions. Before joining the advanced class, they were already military and political chiefs of various units, essentially covering division, brigade, and regimental commissars, as well as instructors of the Composite Camp within the First Cease Wind Brigade. After returning to their respective units, they basically continued with their original duties, but undoubtedly, they would be far better off than the previous makeshift appointments. Furthermore, although there were no changes in their positions, their military ranks generally saw a promotion. The New Alliance Army was not small in size, but compared to its scale, the levels of officers at all ranks were generally quite low. For example, division and brigade commanders often held the rank of colonel; regimental commanders were mostly lieutenant colonels; battalion commanders were generally only captains, and many company commanders were mere first or second lieutenants. A large number of platoon leaders weren¡¯t even commissioned officers but were instead non-commissioned officers. This was due to historical issues. The army had been established for a short period, especially after the recapture of the high tower ruins; many of these garrison divisions were converted from original adventure groups. Although they had been trained through the ¡°Soldier Card¡± system, the personnel remained the same, with the military chiefs mostly being former leaders of the adventure groups. Even though their groups were severely fragmented and dismantled to minimize factionalism, these individuals were still relied upon as leaders. Therefore, Gu Hang deliberately kept a cap on military ranks. Those who did well and earned military merits were promoted, with future commanders and brigade leaders matching the rank of colonel; those who did not perform well didn¡¯t need to be demoted, they simply took on tasks corresponding to their ranks. In a situation where military chiefs generally held lower ranks, political commissars such as second-in-commands could hardly surpass them, often being even a rank lower. But in this round, Gu Hang pulled up most of the returned fifty political commissars by one level, mostly bringing them to the same rank as the military chiefs of their respective units. This reflected his attitude. ¡­ Jordan Leroy was an old member of the Abandoned Cave Society, just like Perbov, being one of the first soldiers to come out of the society. He was selected as a political commissar in the first batch, in the same period as Tadeusz, and was also a red cap. He currently held the position of brigade political commissar for the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade. Previously a lieutenant colonel, he had just been specially awarded the rank of colonel by the governor, on par with their brigade commander Perbov. His unit left the starship a week ago, and after landing, entered a state of leave. He, on the other hand, was thrown into the Zhongsi Academy by a transfer order to attend the advanced class. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Three days prior, his unit ended their leave and replenished over two thousand soldiers from the recruit camp, along with a set of equipment just transported from the Weixing City Arsenal, filling the losses from the battle at the starship. Subsequently, the unit departed from their garrison and headed west of Revival City. There, the 7th and 8th Divisions were confronting an army formed by the allied rebel settlements. The newly added troops were meant to reinforce the 7th and 8th Divisions and to achieve crucial battlefield results in the shortest time period to end the hostilities. Therefore, right after his course at the Zhongsi Academy ended, Leroy immediately took a vehicle, along with many other political commissars who were also going into battle, to a location on the secondary lines of the battlefield about one hundred thirty kilometers west of Revival City. Chapter 261 - Chapter 261: Chapter 175, "Central Blossom" Army Corps_3 Chapter 261: Chapter 175, ¡°Central Blossom¡± Army Corps_3 Everyone went their separate ways here, each looking for their own troops. Yan Fangxu found his division as well, the flags of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade were planted in various locations throughout the second-line military camp, fluttering in the wind. As the vehicle entered the camp, under the guidance of the soldiers, he arrived at a military tent. Colonel Perbov, who had just received the news, came out to greet his old partner. The two embraced each other tightly, Perbov clapped Leroy on the back, laughing and said, ¡°I¡¯ve finally waited for your return, now I can lead the troops boldly and charge ahead with confidence.¡± Leroy just smiled, pulled Perbov, his fellow townsman and colleague, into the command tent. Right away, he saw a military sand table. Leroy asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation now? I rushed here immediately after leaving the school and didn¡¯t get a chance to hear the latest updates on the way.¡± Perbov replied, ¡°I was just about to tell you¡­¡± Three days ago, the fully equipped Wind-Extinguishing Brigade, along with the second Motorized Infantry Division that had completed motorization and organization, and the Beast Slaughter Group, set off and arrived at the frontline of battle. It¡¯s worth mentioning that the 3rd Independent Regiment finally regained their dearly missed title, ¡°Beast Slaughter Group.¡± This was thanks to the battle hero from their own ranks, A¨¦ro Rakrosha, who had killed the Beastman Fleet General. That kid has risen high now, not only did he receive the second Wind-Extinguishing Medal in the entire army, but his rank also went from sergeant to senior warrant officer. He was supposed to be promoted to an officer to lead a unit, but he declined it himself. He said he only knew how to be a soldier. There was nothing to be done, the highest military rank for NCOs in the Alliance Army was originally sergeant major, but for him, they especially created the ranks of sergeant major, senior sergeant major, and special sergeant major, making Lacroix the only special sergeant major in the entire army, commonly known as the Soldier King. And he, with the unit that reclaimed the title of Beast Slaughter Group, arrived here last night. They did not engage in battle immediately, mainly because they needed to rest briefly after a rapid march of over a hundred kilometers, and they also needed time to devise an overall battle plan and to wait for the commissars who were still in training. Now, everything is ready; all that¡¯s missing is the call to attack. The commander-in-chief of this battle is Colonel Yan Fangxu. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th, and 8th divisions and brigades gathered together, forming a corps, and Yan Fangxu, the current highest military official of the Alliance Army, naturally took on the responsibility of corps commander. His pressure is quite significant. The enemy on the opposite side is not a big concern, a ragtag bunch, and even if numerous, facing the massive army assembled by Yan Fangxu, there should be nothing to fear, right? However, the fervent expectations of the Military Governor made him feel the pressure. This battle, as per the Military Governor¡¯s instructions, had to be fought quickly, to produce significant results, and to be decisive, without any dragging on. There is a political need for this. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only War is an extension of politics after all. Beyond that, although the Military Governor did not explicitly state it, if the casualties were too great after the battle, even if they achieved all the pre-war objectives, he feared that he would not reap any benefits. Nevertheless, he did not shy away, and still adopted the guiding principle of ¡°rapid defeat, comprehensive annihilation¡± to formulate the battle plan. He called it ¡°Central Blossom.¡± And the spearhead unit for that Central Blossom, the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade, took on the role without hesitation. Chapter 262 - Chapter 262: Chapter 176, Making Dumplings Chapter 262: Chapter 176, Making Dumplings ¡°I plan to gather all the tank platoons from each combat battalion of the brigade. Over fifty tanks will form an armored fist that, under the cover of artillery, will smash hard into the center of the enemy¡¯s defenses,¡± ¡°Once we achieve a breakthrough, our mechanized units and motorized troops will quickly follow suit. We must open up a thirty-kilometer deep wound in the enemy¡¯s position within a day¡¯s time. That¡¯s the only way to create conditions for the subsequent friendly forces to break through and encircle them,¡± Perbov revealed his plan to his old partner. After listening, Leroy thought about it and had no objections. That was truly Perbov¡¯s style: charge in and pierce through the enemy. ¡°If you have no objections, then it¡¯s settled. We set out tomorrow morning. The troops have rested for two days now, which is enough. Hopefully, those new recruits that just joined us will prove their worth and not cause any trouble.¡± ¡­ As it turned out, the new recruits did not disappoint Perbov. Compared with the veterans who had participated in numerous brutal battles, these freshly arrived warriors were somewhat green, but their level of military skills was absolutely adequate. Early the next day, as dawn was breaking, the first brigade set off. The earth-shaking artillery fire blanketed the enemy¡¯s positions. The soldiers and leaders of the Anti-Governor Alliance were stunned by the ferocious bombardment. In previous encounters with the 7th and 8th Divisions, they had already experienced the power of Alliance Artillery. But at that time, the two divisions combined only had about fifty guns. However, it was precisely because of the existence of these fifty heavy guns that an Anti-Governor Alliance Army of seventy or eighty thousand men were unable to advance an inch. It was manageable to defend, relying on fortifications and anti-artillery bunkers; they could just about resist. But when it came to offense, without the counterbalance of artillery and the lack of armored unit cover, those fifty heavy guns were enough to annihilate any attacking force they sent, no matter how large. After losing a number of men, they realized they couldn¡¯t fight like that anymore. But before they could come up with new tactics, the Alliance¡¯s iron fist had already struck. This time, the rebels¡¯ troops were huddled in their usual anti-artillery bunkers and fortifications when the artillery came. They thought it would be like the artillery strikes they had been enduring every day for the past half a month. Although painful and deadly, they believed they would just have to endure it, and then it would pass. But in reality, it was nothing like that. This time, the shelling was much denser and longer-lasting than ever before. This couldn¡¯t possibly be the work of fifty guns! Indeed, it was not. At this moment, ten artillery battalions from within five divisions were able to join forces, and the number of guns firing simultaneously exceeded three hundred! All the artillery units from five division-level brigades were almost entirely concentrated. The combined artillery position bombarded relentlessly in the direction where the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade was about to launch an assault. Within an hour, a hundred rounds were fired, thirty thousand 155mm howitzer shells slammed into the eight-kilometer-wide enemy positions. On average, every thirty centimeters or so, a 155mm howitzer shell would land ¡ª there was hardly room for all the shells! What about the anti-artillery bunkers? If hit directly, even a slightly shallow dugout would collapse. Those lucky enough not to be hit directly would still have to deal with the earth shaking and soil falling down. After who knows how many tremors, these dugouts might collapse too. Not to mention that not all soldiers could stay in bunkers; some could only wait in trenches, or even just foxholes. A direct hit from one of these shells means a group of people would lose their lives. And these thirty thousand shells were just the prelude to the attack. When the bombardment ceased, out of a half-buried concrete bunker within the trench, emerged an officer of the Anti-Governor Alliance Army. He was disheveled, deafened by the artillery, and even had dried blood clinging to his ears. Just then, at least ten heavy shells had landed near the bunker. Luckily, none had directly hit the bunker, or he would have lost his life; unfortunately, both exits of the bunker leading to the trench had been hit by shells, which deafened him and shrapnel from the artillery pieces killed several staff officers beside him, also severing one of his arms. Holding his still-bleeding arm, he stepped out of the bunker to see a trench full of corpses. Some were wailing, but many more were silenced, and there were even parts of people for which the rest couldn¡¯t be found. Staggering, he climbed onto the firing step and looked in the direction of the Alliance Army. He saw fifty steel beasts spaced twenty to thirty meters apart advancing towards the trench in a skirmish line, coming on with great momentum. Following behind these cannon-toting steel monsters were countless armored fighting vehicles, so many that he couldn¡¯t make out the exact number. Further back, many trucks loaded with infantrymen were even less discernible. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He shouted loudly at his soldiers to come out and fight, to block the enemy¡¯s advance, but he couldn¡¯t even hear his own voice ¡ª he was deaf. Nobody responded to his call. At least where he stood, there were no survivors left. What to do next? His dazed and buzzing head had not yet figured out a plan when he saw a tank turn its gun barrel and aim right at his location. Chapter 263 - Chapter 263: Chapter 176, Making Dumplings_2 Chapter 263: Chapter 176, Making Dumplings_2 He stared blankly at the pitch-black muzzle as it emitted a burst of orange flame, and then everything went black, and he knew nothing more. ¡­ Following the charge of the troops, Colonel Perbov, who was several hundred meters away from the front line where they were engaging the enemy tanks, risked poking his head out and surveyed the battlefield with his binoculars. He had just witnessed that scene. He swore under his breath, ¡°Damn it, do you have to fire a shell every time you see a mosquito? Do you think shells are free?¡± He seemed a bit down. It wasn¡¯t really because the tankers were wasting ammunition, but rather¡­ ¡°Damn it, the artillerymen did all my work! What am I here for?¡± He sat back down inside the tank, not too pleased. Leroy, next to him, of course understood what his old partner was like. He smiled, patted Colonel Perbov on the shoulder, and comforted him, ¡°If a problem can be solved with shells, there¡¯s no need to solve it with lives. I think this is pretty good. Besides, if you want to fight, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no battle to be fought. Artillery brothers are capable, but can they really finish all the work?¡± What Leroy said certainly made sense. To say that each artillery shell was less than thirty centimeters across was an exaggeration. The enemy¡¯s position wasn¡¯t just a single line; even the most amateur and foolish commander would know to construct in-depth defenses. They were bombarded quite badly, but it really wasn¡¯t enough to wipe out the soldiers on an eight-kilometer wide, at least three-kilometer thick defensive line. In fact, the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade still encountered resistance. Enemies began to show themselves, and some lucky ones who had survived the artillery fire had, under the strong orders of their officers, emerged from their shelters, fortifications, and bombproof shelters to launch counterattacks against the attacking forces. However¡­ This counterattack was as effective as a tickle. The artillery positions of the Anti-Governor Alliance Army were nowhere to be seen; whether they had been obliterated under the previous 30,000 heavy artillery shells or not, at this moment they were absent; The soldiers did have some makeshift anti-armor weapons, like rocket launchers and explosive packs, but there weren¡¯t many, and their power was not sufficient. Those rocket launchers, whether targeting Walkers or Challenger tanks, were no more effective than tickles unless they could strike very close and hit the precisely vulnerable parts like tank tracks, wheels, or the thin rear armor. The explosive packs had to be placed by someone getting close. But that was difficult, because to ensure accuracy and potency, one had to get very close to the armored units. However, the enemy¡¯s tanks and armored fighting vehicles were not turtles¡ªthey moved faster than a person and had much fiercer firepower. Not to mention the tank cannons; the machine guns on tanks, the autocannons and grenade machine guns on armored fighting vehicles, all posed explosive threats to light infantry. Without fire cover, relying solely on light infantry, they¡¯d be torn apart before they could get close. If there were some exceptionally lucky or tenacious individuals who could wait to rush out when tanks passed by, their chances of success¡­ would likewise be virtually impossible. The Wind-Extinguishing Brigade¡¯s coordinated tactics between infantry and tanks, the armored assault, was their specialty. The infantry of the Alliance Army were no slouches either. This time, the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade¡¯s combined infantry and armor tactic was an armor-led charge, with tanks in front, mechanized infantry alighting to fight in the middle, and armored fighting vehicles at the rear. On each side of the tank, there would usually be one or two squads of infantry following. The firearms in their hands would teach those who thought the tank¡¯s cannon was not turning fast enough and who wanted to strike from the side a lesson. At the same time, the armored fighting vehicles further back served as the major firepower support for the infantry. At the same time, the tank units would not make the mistake of getting cut off; they often maintained a 20-100 meter distance from the infantry. After capturing a position, the tanks would stop for a while and wait for the infantry to catch up. Once the infantry had arrived, they would complete the capture and clearance of the surrounding area. After that, the tanks would move out again, break through a stretch of the line, and the infantry would follow. So on and so forth. Once the motorized troops caught up, they would proceed to sweep away the already scattered enemy forces for the final clearing. This tactic, even for an enemy position with a solid defense, was not easy to hold off, let alone for the current Anti-Governor Alliance Army. They were, to begin with, a ragtag group pulled together from various settlements, with visible disparities in equipment, morale, training, and experience. After being plowed by 30,000 rounds of artillery fire, there weren¡¯t that many survivors. What¡¯s more, even those who were still alive had already reached the brink of morale collapse. Honestly, if not for the officers¡¯ strict orders to resist, they might have run away or hidden to wait for a chance to surrender. But¡­ were these officers of the Anti-Governor Alliance Army not afraid of dying? Clearly, they were. In some areas, when the soldiers fled, the officers tried to call them back, but it was futile. So they simply followed and ran away too; Some officers, after yelling at their soldiers to go out and resist, were the first to slip away; Some officers simply led their men and ran outright. Overall, the Anti-Governor Alliance Army, after suffering from terrible artillery bombardment, was still able to organize the remaining personnel to carry out a certain degree of counterattack, which was quite impressive considering their motley crew status. However, under the assault of armored troops, this resistance was swiftly crushed. Soldiers who ran to the sides were mostly ignored by Perbov¡¯s men, who had no time to care about matters on the flanks of the battle line; whereas those who ran aimlessly backward were chased down by the armored forces, which was clearly very bad. Two legs can¡¯t outrun wheels. Especially after the enemy¡¯s resistance became weaker and weaker, Perbov adopted a bold, aggressive tactic, no longer maintaining close coordination between the infantry and armored troops, loosening tactical discipline and emphasizing attack speed. Armored personnel carriers began to surpass the slower Challenger tanks to the front; engineer battalions riding armed trucks also rapidly caught up, and where something was not crushable, the engineers disembarked to fill in trenches and build temporary roads. This was actually very dangerous, but they did not encounter any danger. Merely two hours after the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade was fully engaged in combat, the entire unit had breached the central area of the enemy¡¯s defense line. Eight kilometers wide, four kilometers deep, completely torn apart. At this point, Commander Yan¡¯s ¡°Central Blossom¡± tactic had also been initially successful. The enemy¡¯s line, which was about fifty kilometers wide, now had a ¡°blossom¡± right in the middle, with an eight-kilometer-wide bulge punched out from the center. All this, from the artillery strike to the armored forces completing their assault, all happened within three hours. Next, it was time for the next phase of the Central Blossom tactic: wrapping dumplings. The bulge had been created, of course, in preparation for annihilating the enemy. The Wind-Extinguishing Brigade did not stop after breaching the defense line. Once past the difficult terrain and enemy resistance in the trench area, the path beyond was much clearer. The mechanized units of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade picked up great speed on this open ground. Five hours later, the vanguard of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade had already advanced fifty kilometers. By that time, it had only been eight hours since the bombardment began. Eight hours, not even enough for the two segments of the Anti-Governor Alliance Army to mount any effective response. But Yan Fangxu¡¯s follow-up attack plan was already underway. The 2nd Motorized Infantry Division rapidly followed through the bulge created by the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade. Leaving a part of their forces to defend the central bulge, the rest of the troops, along with the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade, began to encircle in the due north and due west directions. This was the rear of the two divided enemy forces. At the same time, the 3rd Beast-slayer Independent Regiment and the 7th and 8th Garrison Divisions, with the support of artillery fire, started a fierce overall offensive. The enemy troops began to falter on a massive scale. The center had been breached, the flanks had lost contact, the rear was encircled, and the front was being overwhelmed by ferocious artillery fire¡­ Under multi-directional pressure, they became dumpling fillings. Yan Fangxu spent half a day on Central Blossom, and another day to wrap a solid dumpling. With thin skin and a thick filling, but the meat inside the dumpling could not break through the seemingly sparse dumpling skin. Surrounded, they held out for three days. No supplies, no ammunition, no reinforcements¡­ A motley crew expected to fight until they had no bullets left, no food, until every man was dead? Not realistic. By the fourth day, large-scale surrenders began within the enemy troops. By then, this dumpling with thin skin and a thick filling was thoroughly cooked. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Happy Dragon Boat Festival! Yesterday¡¯s content was missing a part about Lacroix¡¯s promotion, which was just two sentences. I don¡¯t understand where it went wrong, but the review deleted it¡­ This is the second time content was deleted without my knowledge; it¡¯s very annoying. I have already re-uploaded it. Chapter 264 - Chapter 264: Chapter 177, Draining the Tech Card Prize Pool Chapter 264: Chapter 177, Draining the Tech Card Prize Pool ¡°` ¡°¡­Four days ago, my unit completed the established combat plan and annihilated more than 80,000 rebel forces, of which over 9,000 were killed and more than 70,000 were captured,¡± ¡°Our military casualties numbered 415, including 164 killed in action.¡± ¡°Currently, our Central Group Army is continuing to advance southwest as planned, with the goal of completely disarming 77 known survivor settlements in that direction and liberating two million people in the Central Province. This goal is optimistically estimated to be achievable within one month.¡± ¡°Please rest assured, Governor, we will complete the mission!¡± Gu Hang glanced at the report sent back by Commander Yan and then set it aside. He wasn¡¯t surprised by the outcome, so it didn¡¯t stir anything within him. At most, he had compared it with the war report interface generated by the system. From this war, Gu Hang had earned 774 points of grace, quite a good sum, recouping the cost of training those seventy political commissars. However, the numbers of kills and captures submitted by Yan Fangxu were slightly different from those in the system¡¯s war report, but the difference was minor. This discrepancy was normal statistical error. The numbers tallied by the system came from metaphysics, an external aid; the report submitted by Yan Fangxu was after manually counting the numbers. Captives were easy enough, just count the heads; but kills were much harder to confirm, especially since most of the enemy casualties actually died from artillery fire. How could one confirm how many people made up a pile of mangled flesh when the bunkers were demolished and their occupants buried, or when bodies were blown to pieces? Close enough. In any case, the so-called Central Group Army, which had been incorporated into this operation, totaled around 38,000 people, seemingly facing an enemy 2.5 times its number. But in reality, there was a huge gap between the two sides in terms of training, experience, and equipment. This was a battle they couldn¡¯t lose unless Yan Fangxu was incredibly stupid. Such a performance was quite normal. As things stood, Commander Yan was certainly not stupid, but rather had done quite well. After the annihilation of those more than 80,000 people, the rebel forces in the Central Province were like grasshoppers after autumn, unable to bounce back for long. When it boils down to it, they were nothing more than disparate settlements, with populations ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand, or at most a few hundred thousand, with weak productivity and dire poverty, barely managing to survive. It was only the special conditions of the wasteland that allowed each household to have some weapons, so that when threatened, they could raise a ¡°large army¡± to resist. But after this wave of resistance had been crushed, with their so-called alliance army¡¯s characteristics, it was impossible for them to form a second troop. They claimed to be against the alliance, but in reality, they were the loose alliance; the alliance, said to be an alliance, had rapidly been transformed into a highly centralized polity under Gu Hang¡¯s rule. The mobilization capabilities of the two could hardly be compared. Moreover, losing 80,000 young and able-bodied men among the rebel forces, which totaled a population of two million in Central Province, was akin to losing 4% of their total population. How could a hastily formed coalition withstand such a blow? Previously, the Alliance had hardly exerted itself, and more than 10,000 men were enough to hold back these 80,000; now, with a little more effort, those 80,000 were gone in four days. Even capturing 80,000 pigs might take this long. Wouldn¡¯t the leaders and people of those settlements be shaken? They must be scared to death. Gu Hang judged that, from now on, Yan Fangxu¡¯s actions would hardly be obstructed. It was likely that under each city¡¯s walls, white flags would be raised in surrender. Even if those fellows wanted to keep resisting, their civilians probably wouldn¡¯t agree; and even if the civilians did agree, it would be extremely difficult for them to muster tens of thousands of guns again. However, although the subsequent actions should go smoothly, and the whole war was not difficult, Gu Hang still decided that, unless something unexpected happened, he would promote Yan Fangxu to the rank of brigadier after he returned from this battle. A commander of a group army in the Alliance was just a colonel, which was quite unsatisfactory. In less than half a year, Yan Fangxu had risen from a minor naval captain to the rank of brigadier, the same rank as Captain Yelisia, who had dispatched him to the border. This significance, tsk tsk. One wonders what Yelisia would think when she saw it. Although there¡¯s a big difference between them. A proper First-Class Imperial Navy brigadier is far from being a brigadier in a minor planetary Defense Army. But¡­ while the significance may not be great, the rank of the Planetary Defense Force is still recognized by the Empire, and Yelisia would have to pinch her nose and call him brigadier. Quite interesting. Bringing his thoughts back to the war, there was another matter that required Gu Hang¡¯s attention: they had captured 70,000 prisoners. These prisoners were currently being transported over. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only To accommodate these people, the construction team in Revival City would build a large prisoner-of-war camp near the new recruit training base. These prisoners of war could not be treated in the same way as previously captured marauders. Most of them were not marauders and had not committed serious crimes. Being part of the rebel forces was something done by the leaders of each settlement. Whether they volunteered or were mobilized, or even conscripted, in the end, they were mostly poor commoners, civilians. As enemies, there were no pleasantries; but now, as prisoners, there was no need to be too harsh. ¡°` Chapter 265 - Chapter 265: Chapter 177, Exhausting the Tech Card Prize Pool_2 Chapter 265: Chapter 177, Exhausting the Tech Card Prize Pool_2 All were subjects of Gu Hang, seventy thousand able-bodied youth, all precious labor. Gu Hang issued an order to Tadeusz, instructing the military governor to prepare the relevant work plan, ensuring it was perfected before the prisoners of war arrived. The overall objective was to assimilate these people, whether by selecting a portion to be transformed and trained as new soldiers or by ensuring they were problem-free before dispersing them as civilians into factories¡ªboth were possible. With subordinates at hand, Gu Hang no longer needed to take care of everything personally; he simply had to review their work. Tadeusz indeed presented a corresponding plan the next day. The general approach was that all prisoners of war would be assigned appropriate jobs in Revival City for a month as punishment. They would be allocated to construction sites, to cargo sorting and transportation centers, to factories¡­ in short, wherever labor was needed, they could be placed. In this aspect, Tadeusz would coordinate and communicate with the production department¡¯s personnel. They would enjoy an eight-hour workday, would not be mistreated or cursed at, and would receive the same treatment as regular workers. They would not lack for occupational safety gear, food rations, or medical care. But they would receive no pay and no personal freedom. After work, they must return to the prisoner-of-war camp, then undergo four hours of ideological education from the military commissars, instructors, and part-time lecturers from Loyal Heir Academy, who would make them understand their past actions were wrong; their former suffering was caused by the rulers of their previous settlements; the Governor came to unite all the Rage Owl Star people; the Alliance wouldn¡¯t harm them, on the contrary, as long as they properly reformed, a beautiful and bright future awaited. These weren¡¯t empty words, for they were underpinned by tangible systemic advantages. During the day, these prisoners would labor alongside the residents of Revival City, in factories or on construction sites. They would learn what life was like for the residents of Revival City: stable job ranks, no worries for food and clothing, an additional salary to improve their standard of living; and if they worked long enough or performed exceptionally, they would see promotion opportunities¡ªa tangible upward mobility. Life was hopeful and something to look forward to. The best days were yet to come! After receiving societal education by day and ideological education by night, after a month of being prisoners of war, these paupers drafted from various settlements would likely have changed. Then, based on their performance in the camp during that month, assigning them ranks and integrating them into the city should proceed smoothly. ¡­ After reviewing Tadeusz¡¯s plan, Gu Hang hardly made any modifications, with a grand gesture he approved it. At the end of the approved document, he added a note for Tadeusz to summarize this prisoner management experience, to serve as a standard procedure for similar future occurrences. This matter was thus considered concluded on his end; it was now time to wait for the results. As for his own tasks¡­ he still had unspent grace points. After returning to the surface, he spent 500 points on training fifty thousand new soldiers, 1000 points on Loyal Heir Academy, 700 points on training commissars, and with the recent completion of the campaign, he gained 774 points, leaving him with a total surplus of 3232 grace points. Still quite a lot. After considering, Gu Hang decided to draw a technology card. Technology is the primary productive force; his territory could support nearly a hundred thousand well-equipped troops with just over two million people, but was that really because of his, Gu Hang¡¯s, charm? No matter how charming, can one conjure armored vehicles, tanks, or food? In truth, the role of the Weixing City industrial base was immensely significant. Its development hinged on the technology system¡¯s Black Box, which directly produced entire production lines. And drawing technology cards, according to the system¡¯s sinister mechanism, essentially every tier of the card pool is limited and can be depleted, so there is strategy in drawing cards. Currently, the card pools available to Gu Hang were the 10/100/1000 tiers. The 10-point tier had a basic probability of 10%, and air force probability of 90%. Expecting one basic level for every hundred points, the cost-performance ratio¡­ actually wasn¡¯t bad. The 100-tier, with a basic level at 50%, an advanced level at 10%, expecting an investment of a thousand points to get an advanced level, two hundred points for a basic level, and probably a basic level for every five hundred points on a second guess, the cost-performance ratio was rather dismal. The 1000-tier, with a basic probability of 40%, an advanced probability of 30%, and the higher Elite probability at 30%. This was a card pool he hadn¡¯t drawn from before, the cost-performance ratio maxed out; investing a thousand points guaranteed a technology, getting basic level might be a bit disappointing, but the probabilities for advanced and Elite levels were not low, scoring big if successful! Gu Hang was a bit eager, but decided to start off with a hundred points of grace to draw a 10-point card, to try his luck. Luck was indeed on his side; he scored within eighty points. [Basic Level Technology: LR5 Optical Energy Gun Family] [The Sect of Mechanics, fulfilling the order requirements of the Star Realm Army, developed the new generation of optical energy rifle family. It can be easily modified with different accessories to form continuous fire speed shooting laser guns, laser rifles, energy storage rifles, laser pistols, and other functional firearms.] Great stuff! The LR series of laser guns are also the basic weapons configuration of the Star Realm Army. But unlike the G9, which is also a basic weapon configuration, the LR is much more high-end and much more expensive. If the G series kinetic rifles are given to the five-dollar good brothers, troops pulled to fill the lines; then the troops widely equipped with the LR5 laser guns can be considered the main force of the Star Realm Army. Without going into details, the damage of this thing is almost the same as the HS series electromagnetic rifles; it¡¯s just that the electromagnetic rifle launches metal spikes, while the laser gun is a pure energy weapon. But whether it¡¯s one or the other, when shooting Green Skins, you definitely won¡¯t encounter the situation with the G series rifles where it takes dozens of shots to kill one Green Skin. Shooting a common Green Skin kid without a helmet, if you aim well, one shot one kill; shooting the torso, five or six shots will do the job. Overall, this is a weapon that improves the firepower of light infantry and even after sufficient allocation, the basic firearms¡¯ power increases significantly, enough to cause a qualitative change in the entire army¡¯s combat capability. Gu Hang had just been feeling a slight regret, wishing he had drawn the LR5 instead of the G9 initially. With the LR5, who would need the G9? However, upon further thought, he changed his mind again. Back then, it was better to have drawn the G9. Good stuff always has one problem; it¡¯s expensive. The Imperial Taxation Department would take away four Tax Currency per LR5 individual soldier set. You should know, the Department of Taxation takes only five Tax Currency per person. I wonder if I should say the LR5 is too expensive, or that in the eyes of the Department of Taxation, human life is too cheap. As for the price of the G9¡­ let¡¯s say five sets for one Tax Currency. The manufacturing cost of a set of individual equipment centered on the LR5 laser gun is twenty times that of a G series kinetic rifle. If he had directly drawn the LR5 at that time, Gu Hang¡¯s plan to massively produce weapons would have probably faced big trouble, unable to produce so many guns. Moreover, even now, there¡¯s a problem with the LR5: Guns can be made, but there are no conditions to manufacture the ¡®ammunition,¡¯ the high-energy batteries¡­ The finished Black Box would directly generate them with batteries, but not so on the production line. Headache. This is what happens when you rely entirely on Black Boxes for your industrial system; you draw certain technologies but are helpless to implement them. Nevertheless, this problem is not unsolvable. Gu Hang had a ¡®former genius¡¯ mechanic, Ms. Wu Jiarong. This mechanic, whose name is very similar to his cousin¡¯s, has actually come up with some results recently: she has conquered the production line process for synthetic starch; at the same time, she has also come up with a production plan for energy storage batteries. This thing, while having performance gaps compared to the high energy density batteries used by the Star Realm Army, is not unusable. It just means that a magazine¡¯s bullet count would drop from eighty to fifteen. Furthermore, if the high-power charging shot is used, one shot can deplete a fully charged battery. But again, it¡¯s about solving the issue of having nothing at first. Whether it¡¯s good or bad, we¡¯ll discuss it later. Who knows, maybe next time I¡¯ll draw the production technology for high-energy batteries? However, although drawing the LR5 laser gun family is something to be happy about, it didn¡¯t come without a cost. It was not just the 80 points of grace, but the critical point was that the ten-point newbie prize pool had been completely depleted. After this, the probability of winning at ten points of grace is only 1%. The expected value is a basic level technology for every thousand points; only a fool would continue to draw. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Afterward, Gu Hang began to set his sights on the 1000 bracket. He had high expectations for it. There¡¯s a high probability of drawing an advanced or elite level treasure, but if the draw is for a basic level, that would be a real loss. ¡°Hope I get a bit luckier!¡± Chapter 266 - Chapter 266: Chapter 178, This is the Reward of the Divine Emperor Chapter 266: Chapter 178, This is the Reward of the Divine Emperor He was actually a bit conflicted; he wanted to produce some impressive elite-level technology, but he worried that even if he lucked out in the lottery draw, the current industrial level of his territory wouldn¡¯t be capable of assimilating it. Let¡¯s not even talk about elite-level tech¡ª even the advanced-level technologies they drew before, the bomb guns and the controllable reactors, could currently only be produced in small scales using finished Black Boxes, and could not be mass-produced. While a mother Black Box could indeed spit out a production line, a production line wasn¡¯t a Black Box; you couldn¡¯t simply input basic raw elements and expect a finished product to come out. Both of these items required alloy ceramic steel as an industrial material, a higher-grade alloy that they currently couldn¡¯t produce. But even if they couldn¡¯t establish a production line, just having a Black Box to create some impressive stuff¡ªthat would still be incredibly valuable. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not certain I¡¯ll get one, so why worry? Just go ahead and draw!¡± Gu Hang started his first 1000-tier lottery draw. His luck was average, not particularly good but not too bad either, and he drew an advanced-level technology. [Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessel: Advanced Level] [This is a type of multipurpose combat flying vehicle that uses partial anti-gravity technology combined with high-energy engines to achieve extraordinarily high performance. Depending on different equipped modules and weapons, it can serve as a high-speed fighter jet, a ground bomber, a support gunboat, or a small troop carrier.] Seeing this, Gu Hang¡¯s grin almost split his face. The Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessel could be considered one of the main flying vehicles of the Star Realm Army. Within the Imperial Military, there is no independent air force unit. Similar roles are either on some space carriers, participating in swarm space battles¡ªwhich is maritime navigation¡ªor assigned to the Star Realm Army as support and a fire supplement to ground troops, which constitutes land navigation. Gu Hang¡¯s army had always been lacking in aerial power. Even though they had inherited over twenty various aircraft from the Old Alliance Army, these were either propeller-driven fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. The operational capability of these crafts¡­ it¡¯s not fair to say it was lacking, but there were too few of them, and they never played an important role in any of Gu Hang¡¯s previous battles. However, the Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessel was different. With this Black Box, it meant that Gu Hang could produce a large number of flying vehicles. Moreover, its performance far surpassed the aircraft currently available to the Alliance Army. Take, for example, the domestically produced helicopters¡ª a homemade rocket launcher might easily shoot one down. In the past, not deploying helicopters in combat was because they were of little help and too easily shot down. A downed aircraft meant one less vehicle available for Gu Hang¡¯s rapid operations. It wasn¡¯t worth it. But that wouldn¡¯t be a concern anymore. Homemade rocket launchers hitting the Wind Falcon? That¡¯d be impossible. Firstly, because it wouldn¡¯t be able to hit it, as it might fly even faster than jet aircraft, with high-energy engines and anti-gravity technology enabling it to reach astonishing speeds; it could hover in place, directly strafe left, right, or up and down, which surpassed traditional fixed-wing aircraft in terms of maneuverability. Using a mechanical aim or a non-fire-controlled anti-aircraft gun to hit it would be incredibly difficult; only a barrage of bullets would have any chance. Secondly, even if it did get hit, it wouldn¡¯t necessarily suffer much damage. The Wind Falcon is called a ¡®Rapid Attack Vessel,¡¯ not just a plane. Its armor isn¡¯t thin at all, and while maybe not quite tank-level, it probably isn¡¯t much less sturdy than a Strider Combat Vehicle. A Wind Falcon enhanced with anti-gravity technology could carry thick armor and still fly. Against your rocket propelled grenades, anti-aircraft cannons, and even anti-air missiles, the thick armor might not bring it down. Similarly, its excellent carrying capacity means the Wind Falcon can be equipped with many weapons. Air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, laser cannons, railguns¡ªwhen equipped with these, it¡¯s like a combat vehicle in the sky, with even more ferocious firepower. Pilots would be additionally equipped with a servo skull to assist in fire control. When needed, after shedding some of the heavier munitions, it could transport an Interstellar Warrior Strike Team, or even an entire infantry platoon, for airborne operations. After deploying the paratroopers, it could continue to fly and circle above the paratroopers to provide support. This is a flying weapon with top-level performance. Of course, there¡¯s still one problem: currently, it can only be made with a Black Box, and they can¡¯t set up a production line. If they could set up a production line, they would lack ceramic steel for the outer armor; they would lack the anti-gravity engines and high-energy engines as the Grindstone Engine would be insufficient; the military factories in Weixing City can now produce some missiles on a small scale thanks to Wu Jiarong tackling some of the technical challenges herself, but the output isn¡¯t high; they can¡¯t produce laser cannons or railguns; the servo skulls used as a fire control system currently can only be manually crafted by Wu Jiarong, with a production rate that leaves much to be desired¡­ Lacking these components means the military factory can¡¯t manufacture them, they can only rely on the finished Black Box to slowly churn them out, estimating to create one vessel per week. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The problem Gu Hang was worried about, producing high-level technology, nevertheless happened. Yet, it could still bring benefits. One vessel a week, that was still worth it. Just a few Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessels could almost have a decisive impact on a localized war. ¡­ After drawing out the [Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessel], Gu Hang noticed that the probability of drawing advanced-level technology became 20%, basic-level was at 50%, and elite-level remained at 30%. Chapter 267 - Chapter 267: Chapter 178, This is the Reward of the Divine Emperor_2 Chapter 267: Chapter 178, This is the Reward of the Divine Emperor_2 The rules are the same as the 100-tier, after getting a hit, the probability of the corresponding technology level drops, down to the next level. The only slightly good news is that it only drops 10% probability, much better than the previous two tiers. Gu Hang drew twice more. Luck was good once and bad another, getting him a basic and an elite level. The basic level was particularly bad, yielding a Resource Detection Technology Blueprint. Unlike the technologies obtained previously, this included not only the production of finished Black Boxes and mainframe Black Boxes, but also an extra item: a full set of detection knowledge encyclopedias and tutorials. The latter was quite impressive. Gu Hang immediately thought that with these, he could form several resource detection teams to explore what valuable resources lay within the lands under his control. According to the technology¡¯s description, teams equipped with detection devices and who have learned the knowledge can mark the value of the land. Protein soil fertility, what is suitable to plant, and detection and mining plan suggestions for mineral resources are of utmost importance. The ruins of cities from before the war will one day be picked clean. Discovering new metal deposits and researching how to dismantle and reuse the materials from the towering buildings in the city ruins are of significant importance. For these tasks, Gu Hang planned to have Osenia take charge. She could establish a National Resources Bureau under the production department, specifically responsible for the exploration, planning, and utilization of various resources. Although only one basic technology was obtained from the 1000-tier draw, if the relevant detection technology could find a major mine, it might break even. Thus, Gu Hang was not disappointed. The actual results proved that the detection technology was well worth the price. Within just a month, after Osenia organized a group of people who had experience in this field, learned the detection knowledge, and equipped finished Black Box produced devices, they immediately began to see returns. The abandoned cave where the Abandoned Cave Society had lived before the war was rediscovered after re-detection, revealing deep metal deposits with quite good reserves. Although the mining difficulty was a bit challenging, they quickly developed a corresponding mining plan. Patel, the head of the Weixing City Abandoned Cave District, took this seriously. He promptly dispatched corresponding construction teams, who, with the help of relevant machinery, began excavation and construction of the new mining area. If all goes well, the new mining area will be put into production in three months. By that time, the raw material costs for the Weixing City Heavy Industry Base will significantly decrease: the minerals extracted directly from the new mine carry extremely low transportation costs. Furthermore, this exploration team will also develop a comprehensive plan for the dismantling and resource recycling of the massive high-rise ruins after an on-site study. This isn¡¯t just about picking up trash; it includes two major aspects: the utilization of the many buildings left behind from the high-rise ruins and the utilization of the Low Energy Storms. The former mainly targets those buildings that have survived the war and a century of Low Energy Storms¡¯ baptism and still stand strong. It¡¯s obvious that the durability of these buildings is extremely strong. Although it will bring high demolition costs, the materials composing the buildings are also of higher value. The high-strength concrete can be recycled as new construction materials after being crushed, useful for building bridges, paving roads, and constructing new buildings; the buildings also contain a large amount of metal, which can be directly recycled. However, the recovery of these materials is secondary; the more important relevance is the utilization of Low Energy Storms. The high-rise ruins are a frequent site of Low Energy Storms. Rubbish Town was established because it is on the edge of the storm-prone area, avoiding the storms¡¯ path, but when the storm erupts every month or two, all utilization work on the high-rise ruins stops. However, the benefit brought by the storm is the hot ash stones left in its wake, which can be collected for fuel. According to the exploration team¡¯s research, the Low Energy Storm itself is a resource. The main specialty of the Rage Owl Star used to be the Psychic Energy Field, a direct source of high-grade energy: Spirit Gas, which is very valuable. But the wars destroyed those Psychic Energy Fields, releasing uncontrolled energy that resulted in Low Energy Storms. These storms carry intense energy, making it difficult for living beings to survive through them. Even with sturdy shelters, one must stay put with stocked food until the storm¡¯s end. Just letting these energies dissipate into the atmosphere and turn into some hot ash stones is a waste. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They should indeed hold higher value. If it just remained an idea, then it would still be wishful thinking. Recognizing the nature of the Low Energy Storm is one thing, but utilizing it effectively is another. However, during Gu Hang¡¯s third 1000-tier tech card draw, he pulled a nice item: [Compressed Energy Crystal Block: Elite Level] [This is an application of advanced energy, capable of extremely compressing various types of energy into energy crystal blocks of different specifications and sizes. Its energy density far exceeds nuclear power and is stable and easy to utilize. It¡¯s the energy foundation commonly seen in starships and heavy ground weaponry.] Chapter 268 - Chapter 268: Chapter 178, This is the Reward of the Divine Emperor_3 Chapter 268: Chapter 178, This is the Reward of the Divine Emperor_3 It¡¯s settled. This thing is the ultimate solution to the energy problem. When it¡¯s actually applied, the energy crystal prototype that is manufactured is just an empty metal framework. Placed on an energy compressor, the compressor connects to a power source, and immediately the energy starts getting drastically compressed and fills into this metal framework, forming a beautiful blue crystalline body. This thing is the Compressed Energy Crystal Block. Essentially, this technology is not limited to any specific type of energy. Even if connected to a power station, it could also significantly compress electrical energy. Of course, that¡¯s not usually done. The energy density of power stations, even nuclear power plants, is relatively too low. Generally, energy crystals are used to generate electricity, and one single energy crystal can last a long time. But this is but a very minor application. The main thing is, after manufacturing a sufficient amount of Compressed Energy Crystal Blocks, they can be directly sent to space to power starships. Some high-level equipment, such as the Star Realm Army¡¯s Ultra-Heavy Tanks, and various types of Titan Mechas, also use this type of energy. Not to mention other things. If Gu Hang built a device in the Low Energy Storm Zone that could collect the spiritualized gases from the storms, and then connected it to an energy compressor, just the Low Energy Storms from the High Tower ruins alone, blowing once a month, a single month¡¯s worth lasting one week, could produce energy crystal blocks worth over 40,000 Tax Currency. What concept is this? Rage Owl Star¡¯s annual Imperial Tax is only five million. If this Low Energy Storm could be truly converted into an energy mineral resource as Gu Hang planned, turning waste into treasure, then just the production here, by selling the energy crystals, could solve one-tenth of Rage Owl Star¡¯s annual tax revenue problem. Moreover, once this model gets going, it wouldn¡¯t be limited to the High Tower ruins but could be expanded to the entire Rage Owl Star wherever the Low Energy Storms cover. And there are far too many such places. How did the people of Rage Owl Star live a prosperous life in the pre-war era? They relied on selling energy, like those Middle Eastern oil tycoons from Gu Hang¡¯s previous life. The Rage Owl Star People mined spiritualized gases to make energy crystals, and they didn¡¯t need to work hard to live a prosperous life. The reason Rage Owl Star was abandoned was also because the Psychic Energy Fields were depleted, and the Low Energy Storms became too difficult to exploit. But Gu Hang found a way to use them. However, he immediately thought of a problem: Am I the only smart person? Couldn¡¯t others think of using this method to reuse the Low Energy Storms? Then he realized it wasn¡¯t that others hadn¡¯t thought of it, but that they weren¡¯t willing to do it. The investment was too huge, not cost-effective at all. He looked at it and saw that as an elite-level technology, the Black Box could directly pull out a production line for making Energy Compressors, but currently, Rage Owl Star completely lacks the potential to realize it. They don¡¯t have the Super-Pressure Engines; they lack the Fine Gold Refining and Manufacturing Technology; these two are the main prerequisite technologies, not to mention some other secondary prerequisite technologies that haven¡¯t been developed. Just look at these things and you¡¯ll know how expensive it is to make an Energy Compressor. With that much money, setting up a bunch of Energy Compressors around Rage Owl Star to collect the dissipated spiritualized energy from the Low Energy Storms, why bother earning such hard laborious money? It¡¯s simpler to invest in planets with Psychic Energy Fields. With the same Energy Compressor, the output could be many times higher. But Gu Hang is different. A finished Black Box gave him almost zero-cost implementation of what others would have to invest heavily in to achieve. Since there¡¯s no cost, anything goes. Moreover, by being able to steadily produce energy crystals, another big problem was solved. The energy issue of the ¡®Wind Falcon¡¯ drawn from the first 1,000-tier lottery was solved. Even a Wind Falcon produced directly by a finished Black Box needs energy to fly. It was originally supposed to use concentrated energy cells, and Gu Hang was thinking about importing a large batch from Wang Jiarong¡¯s trade convoy to store for future use. Producing them in-house would probably have to wait until Wu Jiarong conquered the relevant technology for high-concentration energy cells before truly resolving the issue. Now there¡¯s no need to worry. With the energy crystals, what need is there for high-energy batteries? It could even be said that using energy crystals in the Wind Falcon is overkill. In fact, the LR5 series laser guns could also use energy crystals, and if they really did, one block might be enough to last a very, very long time. This would eliminate the need for ¡®ammunition¡¯ and ¡®magazines¡¯ altogether, since one energy crystal could last a very, very long time. However, that would be too luxurious, too high-cost, not worth considering. As for the production line of Energy Compressors, there¡¯s no need to think about that either. Like the former, even if you could pull out a production line, you wouldn¡¯t be able to make it, entirely relying on the finished Black Box. According to Wu Jiarong¡¯s estimation, she had found some remnants of pre-war technology utilized for collecting spiritualized gases from the ruins of the high tower. In about two months, she should be able to produce a prototype. During this time, the finished Black Boxes should be able to produce quite a few Energy Compressors, and by then, working together, the first ¡°Low Energy Storm Energy Unit¡± can be put into use. ¡­ The four technologies Gu Hang had drawn this time included two basic-level LR5 Laser Guns and Land Resource Detection Blueprints, which were quite reliable and faced no difficulties in application; the Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessel and Compressed Energy Technology could only rely on the finished Black Boxes and were not mass-producible. However, the help given by the finished Black Boxes alone was already significant, enough to begin small-scale production. Besides, just because we can¡¯t pull together a production line for now doesn¡¯t mean we can never do it. Once the foundation is replenished a bit, these technologies can be scaled up into high-quality industries. After this round, Gu Hang was left with the last 132 points of his grace. He didn¡¯t plan to keep these grace points. All these grace points, he poured them into the hero panel, activating heroes. Mainly Perbov. He had been present on the hero interface for quite some time. Since he had some grace points left, activating him was done and dusted. Gu Hang spent ten grace points on him. He was an LV2 N card, specialized in military command. Additionally, there was another guy who got activated, Lacroix, the soldier from the Beast Slaughter Group. He also required just 10 grace points, an LV2 SR card, specializing in physical and military technology. The cost of activating a talent discovered by the system on the [Hero] interface is determined by the character¡¯s level; levels 1 and 2 cost 10 points, level 3 costs 50, level 4 costs 200 points, and level 5 costs 500 points. It¡¯s roughly the same as the price for Gu Hang to level up on his own. As for rarity, it doesn¡¯t affect activation cost but does determine the character¡¯s growth potential. Once a character is activated, they will undergo earth-shattering changes within a few days. Osenia was like that; after being activated, she learned a lot about how to manage a department. It must feel like suddenly becoming enlightened, understanding problems that you had never thought of or couldn¡¯t understand before. In military command and even in the elevation of spiritual attributes that Gu Hang himself had experienced many times, the process was roughly the same. However, in Lacroix¡¯s case, Gu Hang was somewhat puzzled: he was elevated to an LV2 SR rarity ¡°Soldier King¡± with his physical attributes directly lifted to 12 points. This meant that his physical strength would reach about 17 times that of a normal person, which was a very exaggerated number. Having completed their transformations, interstellar warriors in their unarmored status could probably reach about 14 to 15 points. But these were soldiers who had undergone surgery, implanted with genetic seeds, and sprouted a dozen superhuman organs within their bodies, whereas Lacroix¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t undergo such drastic changes. Gu Hang was quite curious about this. Although he himself had increased his physical attributes, each time he gained a point, the degree of improvement was at most 1.5 times that of the previous instance, and a single perception wouldn¡¯t be so intense. Lacroix¡¯s dramatic changes indeed made him curious. So, over the next few days, when he had some free time, he called the man, who was actually pretty settled with the war at the frontline, and directly asked Lacroix about the recent changes he felt. Lacroix was surprised himself: he indeed had significant changes, ran faster, a lot stronger, more agile in action, ate much more, but never got fat no matter what¡­ This change actually made him somewhat apprehensive. Although it all seemed beneficial aside from eating more, who knew the real reason behind it? Could it lead to even worse consequences? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He hadn¡¯t even dared to tell anyone else. But how did His Excellency the Governor know? Was he really that omniscient? Confronted with the young soldier¡¯s question, Gu Hang just smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and consoled him with a phrase, ¡°Perhaps, this is the Divine Emperor¡¯s reward for your heroic performance aboard the Quintet.¡± Chapter 269 - Chapter 269: Chapter 179: No Need to Worry About Imperial Tax at All Chapter 269: Chapter 179: No Need to Worry About Imperial Tax at All ¡°` With this latest development, Gu Hang had spent all of his grace points, leaving only 62 behind. But all the tasks had already been arranged, and Gu Hang needed some time to patiently wait for the fruits to ripen. In the following two months, Gu Hang did not make any major moves, yet within the territories he controlled, there were still significant changes. The first major event was that the war in the Central Province had finally almost completely subsided. Under Yan Fangxu¡¯s command, the Central Group Army annihilated the main force of the Anti-Governor Alliance Army and in a little over half a month swept through the entire Central Province, a land of one million square kilometers, bringing two million people under the full control of the Alliance. As for the leaders of the so-called Anti-Governor Alliance Army and the heads of many large settlements, those who surrendered were let be, as long as they hadn¡¯t committed war crimes; they were given a comfortable position to enjoy by the government department led by Osenia. A small number who were actually competent were considered for continuing to manage the settlements, becoming bureaucrats, retained if they performed well, or dismissed if not. But for the hardliners, those who surrendered at the very last moment, and those who had committed egregious crimes, there was no room for discussion. Lambert Hodgson, as the Alliance Chief Justice, once again made a ¡®show¡¯ of himself by holding a trial and sentencing over three hundred people to death and thousands more to forced labor ranging from three to ten years. Of course, it was no longer like when Gu Hang had just taken control of Revival City; there was no need for too much bloodshed, so there was no form of public execution at the scene. They were simply taken to a shooting range and shot. Yan Fangxu seemed somewhat regretful about this. He had initially planned to have a triumphal ceremony to present the prisoners to the governor, but it was rejected. As the governor himself put it, did such riff-raff even deserve such treatment? Encountering disappointment, Yan Fangxu was left somewhat embarrassed. However, after commanding the Group Army in this operation and securing at least a satisfactory record, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general as a consolation. However, despite Gu Hang¡¯s apparent disdain for the insurgent leaders, the pacification of the Central Province was still of significant importance: The total population of the Alliance broke through the five million threshold, with the largest contribution coming from the largest and most populous Central Province among the three planned provinces. With this province pacified, it meant that two million people were added to the Alliance. The population policy of the Alliance was consistently implemented. Resources were available, industries were preserved, and larger settlements were maintained and supported for development; the rest were downsized, with their populations integrated into Revival City and Weixing City to enhance the population scale effect and meet the labor demands for concentrated industrial development. With the population growth and more aggressive laying out of production lines, the resource issues had improved in the Weixing City industrial area, and industrial production efficiency had further increased. The production of the RN series trucks had risen to a level of a thousand per month. The production of the Strider Series Armored Vehicle also reached ninety per month. The Iron Bull trucks¡¯ output over these two months, excluding the foreign trade portion, replenished the military. The 2nd Division, which had been reorganized from an independent regiment to the 3rd Beast-slaying Brigade, had completed a full motorization overhaul, and two new divisions, the 11th and 12th, were formed following the 2nd Division¡¯s standards. A motorized infantry division¡¯s full complement was over nine thousand men, capable of fully motorized marches. With three thousand more than a garrison division, these divisions had greater mobility and more artillery, doubling the overall firepower. These two divisions were incorporated into the Central Group Army, under the command of Yan Fangxu. At the same time, the 7th and 8th Divisions were detached. They were to be stationed in various locations in the Central Province to clamp down on the local area. Meanwhile, the Central Group Army, newly reinforced with the 11th and 12th Divisions, together with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Brigades, moved southward, advancing to the border between the Central Province and the Green Valley Region. The Green Valley Region was the next main military target for the Alliance. More units were planned beyond the 11th and 12th Divisions, including the 10th Special Warfare Brigade, the 13th Mechanical Composite Brigade, and the 14th Motorized Infantry Division. The 14th Motorized Infantry Division followed the same specifications as the 2nd, 11th, and 12th Divisions; the 10th Special Warfare Brigade was a special unit, which Gu Hang planned to establish around the surviving elite soldiers from the dozens of Storm Squads, forming a special forces squad for special operations, behind-the-lines missions, and targeted strikes. For the moment, however, it was still just a framework, as the cost of training elite soldiers was quite high, although equipment was no longer an issue¡ªthanks to the LR5 Series Laser Guns, he had the capital to put together an elite special operations team. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In the future, aside from the Phoenix Battle Group, Gu Hang would still need a sufficient number of elite troops to carry out special missions. As for the 13th Mechanical Composite Brigade, it was similar to the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade, but since there were no more tanks, they had replaced the tank companies in the various Composite Camps with mechanized infantry companies. In general, aside from the lack of combat experience, the combat strength of the 13th Brigade would not differ much from that of the 1st Brigade. For the 13th and 14th Brigades, they actually had enough personnel. Currently, in the new recruit training base outside of Revival City, there were almost thirty thousand new recruits just waiting for the equipment to arrive so they could be formed into new units. ¡°` Chapter 270 - Chapter 270: Chapter 179: No Need to Worry About Imperial Tax at All - Part 2 Chapter 270: Chapter 179: No Need to Worry About Imperial Tax at All ¨C Part 2 Looking at the current situation, the motorized infantry division is not too bad, it could be fully equipped in a month; the composite division, on the other hand, may take two months. However, this is calculated based on the current military industrial capacity. Going forward, the capacity will become increasingly explosive. In fact, in the past two or three months, the output of Walkers has risen from the original thirty or forty units to upwards of ninety, nearly tripling. And the burst in production capacity, or the overall development of the territory, can be seen quite intuitively from Gu Hang¡¯s monthly welfare point income. Initially, the month he first came down from the starship, he received 678 welfare points; last month, the welfare points had already reached 817; and this recent month¡¯s income points have even climbed to 1022 points a month. Among these, the largest increase came from Weixing City, followed by the increase contributed by the two million new population after the Central Province was recovered. Although the latter had a larger population, the welfare points didn¡¯t increase as much, mainly because their productivity was too weak. The third increase came from Revival City, whose population also returned to the major milestone of one million people. As for the three hundred thousand people in Gaota Province and the five hundred thousand people in Central-North Province, the welfare points reward they provided were merely trivial amounts. Mainly because, although their combined populations were not small, their productivity was weak and their living standards poor. They were barely able to satisfy their basic food needs, with almost the entire population living in extreme poverty. Starvation deaths were common, and they could hardly bring any net positive benefits to the entire alliance. In fact, the alliance needed to allocate resources to support them, ensuring people wouldn¡¯t starve to death and providing them with funds for development. In the short term, these areas were effectively negative assets for the alliance except for their contributions in manpower. They required long-term investment and construction to improve. Accordingly, the welfare points contribution from these areas was very low. At present, Gu Hang was not particularly clear about the calculation mechanism for his fixed monthly welfare point income. He could only roughly distinguish four main factors: population size, living standards, total productivity, and contributions to the whole political body. Moreover, the rise in welfare points was not linear. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why Gu Hang, before even conquering Revival City, could earn several tens of points a month from just a few thousand people at the Governor¡¯s Camp; and yet now, with the fifty thousand people in Central-North Province, the welfare point gains are nearly the same as the camp¡¯s scale back then despite the hundredfold increase in population base. Perhaps the rise in welfare points could be tiered and segmented? Maybe after the political body reached a certain scale, further improvements needed to be significantly higher to achieve the same rate of increase as before? Nevertheless, no matter what the exact calculation method was, one truth was indisputable: as long as Gu Hang worked hard to increase the population under his effective control, enhance productivity, and improve people¡¯s living standards, then this number would certainly rise. And after receiving the income for these two months, the welfare points that had been completely spent in Gu Hang¡¯s hands once again rose to a rather significant figure, reaching 1901. Since welfare points couldn¡¯t earn interest just by sitting around, Gu Hang still chose to spend them on drawing technologies. However, this time he did not go for the thousand-tier again. High-level technologies, while compelling, could not be mass-produced and thus didn¡¯t significantly aid in enhancing the overall alliance¡¯s productive capacity. With not so many welfare points on hand, it seemed wiser to allocate a portion to draw from the hundred-tier and see if he could fill in some basic technological gaps. And indeed, it was effective. He first hit a basic level, and then the probability for the hundred-tier became 20% for basic level¡ªa 30% drop¡ªbut the advanced level actually rose from 10% to 20%. The chances for hitting a prize in the hundred-tier should have only dropped by 20%, yet the basic technology tier had plummeted by 30%, with the extra portion seemingly going to the advanced tier? The mechanism was getting harder and harder to understand¡­ but of course, it was good news. After two more attempts, both turned up empty. After all, an overall 40% chance of winning implied that misses were quite normal. Then there was another hit, this time an advanced level. And the overall probabilities turned into 10% for both basic and advanced tiers. After five more attempts, he hit an advanced level. At this point, only a 2.5% chance for either remained. Theoretically, one would need two thousand welfare points to obtain a prize, with the probability divided equally between basic and advanced tiers¡­ At this point, it could be said that the hundred-tier technical cards prize pool was essentially depleted in Gu Hang¡¯s view. However, up to now, he had drawn nine times in total, accumulating two advanced levels and one basic level. Quantity-wise, drawing from the hundred-tier remained more cost-effective than the thousand-tier until the prize pool was exhausted. As for the three technologies, the basic level was [Servo Cranium], and the advanced levels were [Alloy Cerasteel] and [Anti-Gravity Engine]. Seeing these three items, Gu Hang was very satisfied. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only All the prerequisite technologies for the Falcon Assault Airship were now unlocked. There¡¯s no need to say much about Alloy Cerasteel, as Gu Hang was extremely happy to have drawn this technology. Like alloy plasteel, it is an advanced version of high-grade alloy. With it, the production of bomb-guns could be mass-produced; reactors could be mass-produced; and the external armor of the Falcon Assault Airships, as well as some of the internal components, were now sufficient¡­ In the future, a large number of medium and high-end industrial products would require Alloy Cerasteel, which was fundamental. While the Anti-Gravity Engine could be directly used for the Falcon Assault Airships. Also, this type of advanced engine could be applied in some high-end equipment. This engine is the basis allowing some super-heavy equipment to be operational. Even for some Titans, if the main engine wasn¡¯t this kind, they would still need it in some places to reduce gravity. Chapter 271 - Chapter 271: Chapter 179: No Need to Worry About Imperial Tax at All - Part 3 Chapter 271: Chapter 179: No Need to Worry About Imperial Tax at All ¨C Part 3 Otherwise, some equipment is so heavy that its own weight is more than some structures, which are not sturdy enough, can bear. In any case, with these two gadgets in place, the Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessel could roll off the production line and be mass-produced on its own. Of course, a servo skull is still missing. If there is no servo skull to serve as the fire control system, production is still possible; it¡¯s just that the copilot or, in other terms, the gunner, would have to aim manually. But clearly, that would reduce combat effectiveness to some extent. Once you have a servo skull, it¡¯s like having an auxiliary computer. As for what exactly a servo skull is¡­it is actually a form of genetic technology that can turn a human with an intact brain and skull into a ¡°wetware component¡±. Similar to the way servitors are made, part of the brain is removed, the personality and conscious thought are erased, leaving it to function merely as a type of computer. In many creations by the Sect of Mechanics, such an object can be found: a human skull connected to some machines by a metal spinal cord, sometimes able to move on its own, floating around¡­ To be honest, Gu Hang didn¡¯t quite understand why this was considered a basic technology. In his previous life, this would have been some seriously black tech, dark enough to be considered the darkest of them all. Yet, this was indeed just a basic technology. Like land resource exploration, servo skull technology is also blueprint in nature; it includes the manufacturing process. A finished black box could immediately produce a set of equipment required for a servo skull conversion workshop. It was simpler than imagined. A workshop, a junior commissioner, could produce one per day. But Gu Hang¡¯s attention was caught by a very important part included in this process: burning incense, praying, six hours of scripture recitation¡­ Initially, Gu Hang didn¡¯t understand, but he soon got it. To consider this universe as purely materialistic would be foolish. He himself was a wielder of Spiritual Energy. Clearly, the process that could really produce servo skulls was inextricably linked to supernatural forces. Or rather, almost all technology may have some supernatural element involved to varying degrees, whether overt or covert. Once he realized this, Gu Hang didn¡¯t struggle with it anymore. Just use it, regardless of the principle. After all, he himself couldn¡¯t make sense of it. However, Gu Hang was still somewhat uneasy about the fact that manufacturing servo skulls required a complete human head. He wasn¡¯t obstinately ignorant, nor would he let the strict morals and ethics of the Empire restrict him utterly¡ªsince by the standards of the Empire, making servo skulls from living people wasn¡¯t really a big deal. But he certainly wasn¡¯t going to randomly capture people to use as material. In this regard, he had established certain rules: only convicts on death row and those who had been stripped of human rights, lacking even an E9 ranking, could be used as materials. Only those who had no human rights could be treated as non-human and have their desires ignored. In addition, arrangements could be made with the public, and soldiers could sign related donation documents before death; after death, their bodies could be donated, and their brains would be preserved. Causes of death like a headshot, brain cancer, and the like, were definitely out of the question. Deaths that had occurred too long ago were also unacceptable. However, other types of bodily organ failure leading to death, if the head was preserved by special means within an hour after death, then it could undergo the conversion operation to become a servo skull. More directly, doing it before death yielded the highest success rate. However, Gu Hang had not yet decided whether to open up this option. It could lead to ethical issues, even murder and corruption. For now, there was no need, but if the situation changed in the future and the demand for servo skulls was too great to be met by death row inmates, Gu Hang might actually be forced to propose it. It was unfortunate that the prisoners who had been captured for trial and execution had been shot before Gu Hang could harvest their servo skulls, as they would have been a good source of material. In any case, with this technology in hand, the Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessel could now be comprehensively put into production. In the last two months, finished black boxes had already churned out eight Wind Falcons. With the continuation of production, the initial estimate is that three can be produced each month. Adding in that the black box can turn out four a month, the total would be seven per month. Of course, this production capacity will increase over time. By the time tax is due a year and a half from now, Gu Hang optimistically estimates that his Star Realm Armed Forces could be equipped with an Air Force Corps, with around a hundred Wind Falcons without much problem. And this Air Force Corps could comfortably meet the standard of one million Tax Currency. Apart from alloy cerasteel, servo skulls, and anti-gravity engines, with the Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessel now in production, the deep mining operations at the Ruin Mine have also been initially constructed and put into production. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The ¡°Ruin Mine¡± and ¡°Storm Mine¡± in Gaota Province have both commenced operations as well, Especially the Storm Mine, Wu Jiarong has recently devoted a month¡¯s effort to mastering the primitive technology extracted from the ruins for collecting spiritualized gas and has came up with a trial version; a sturdy group of wind towers has been constructed and connected to the Energy Compressor. According to Wu Jiarong¡¯s estimates, in two months¡¯ time, they should be able to achieve the projected monthly income of 40,000 Tax Currency in energy crystals. Of course, this is an average, an estimation, the actual amount mainly depends on how often the Low Energy Storms blow. According to the latest statistics from the Alliance Government¡¯s production department, in terms of Tax Currency, the annual output value of the entire Alliance can now reach slightly over two million Tax Currency. Chapter 272 - Chapter 272: Chapter 179: No Need to Worry About Imperial Tax at All - Part 4 Chapter 272: Chapter 179: No Need to Worry About Imperial Tax at All ¨C Part 4 This was Gu Hang¡¯s eighth month on the planet¡¯s surface. Even without the matter of offsetting the Imperial Tax with the Troops of the Star Realm, paying 2.5 million Tax Currency in one year and four months wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Admittedly, a tax yield of two million Tax Currency per year definitely can¡¯t all go to taxes, as people need to eat and drink. But who¡¯s to say that productivity won¡¯t continue to rise? After all, the current main production capacity of the Union still lies with the population of about 1.6 million in the Twin Cities. The remaining population of over 3.3 million, most of whom are in extreme poverty, contribute very little to productivity. However, given that Gu Hang was able to construct an industrial center like Weixing City in just eight months, he certainly has the capacity to create another one. Those over three million impoverished people have enormous potential for productive growth. Given a year, he was absolutely confident in boosting the current annual output of two million by more than 500%. Paying a year¡¯s Imperial Tax for a single city, no problem at all. Not to mention, he was still expanding. Gu Hang was no longer worried about the Imperial Tax at all, not the first phase, and even less so for the subsequent phases. He already had too many ways to deal with tax issues, and the pressure brought by Imperial levies would become lighter and lighter with development and expansion. Besides, there was always someone to extort. In the sky, the Beautiful Lady was doing business with Blackbird Heavy Industries. As the Planetary Governor, Gu Hang approved the request of Blackbird Heavy Industries to engage in interstellar trade with the Beautiful Lady on the condition that they pay the current tax, as well as the past two incomplete tax periods, totaling seven million Tax Currency. It was a reasonable demand. Blackbird Heavy Industries, entrenched in the Western World of Rage Owl Star, controlled a population of over ten million directly or indirectly. Based on a tithe tax standard, collecting two million in taxes per period was no issue. Adding the past dues, seven million Tax Currency was actually on the low side. A month ago, the envoy from Blackbird Heavy Industries had already arrived at Revival City and met with Gu Hang. The two parties had several rounds of negotiations on this matter. In the end, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t stick to the seven million and refuse to budge. Clearly, Blackbird Heavy Industries couldn¡¯t agree to the seven million price tag. First of all, they didn¡¯t have that much money; secondly, even if they did, they wouldn¡¯t give it, as the value brought by this interstellar trade might not even be worth that much. Why should they give so much to the Governor? Gu Hang didn¡¯t want to push too hard either. He could have declared Blackbird Heavy Industries as traitors for not paying taxes, but he didn¡¯t have the power to quell a rebellion thousands of miles away. He could also block the interstellar trade of Blackbird Heavy Industries, making not only this deal fail but also preventing any legitimate future interstellar trade. But if things really went that far, nobody would benefit. Blackbird Heavy Industries could smuggle, although they would have to face the threat of starships. But after all, starships are only so large and have to run circles in planetary orbits. If the smugglers flew to the other side of the planet, using small ships to enter the atmosphere and fly at low altitudes to evade detection¡­ Although it¡¯s troublesome and risky, it¡¯s not completely impossible to conduct business. And if Blackbird Heavy Industries was hit, what good would that do Gu Hang right now? Nothing at all. It was better to negotiate a reasonable price and secure the deal. If they didn¡¯t agree to seven million, then negotiations would continue, with Gu Hang¡¯s bottom line being two million. In the end, they settled on a price of around three million five hundred thousand. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Just this amount of money alone was enough to pay the taxes in one year and four months and still have a surplus. Indeed, Gu Hang was not worried about the Imperial Tax, having complete confidence. However, not everyone was happy with the negotiations between Gu Hang and Blackbird Heavy Industries. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This chapter is also 6000 Chapter 273 - Chapter 273: Chapter 180, Gu Hang, you are really too bad Chapter 273: Chapter 180, Gu Hang, you are really too bad Those who were not too happy about the agreement reached between Gu Hang and Blackbird Heavy Industries were Yelisia and Wang Jiarong. Let¡¯s start with Yelisia. This outstanding young woman from the Fufana Family did not have a legitimate stance to oppose the matter, but she clearly hoped Gu Hang would fall out with Blackbird Heavy Industries. Moreover, during several calls, she had explicitly stated that should the negotiations fail, she could completely block the connection between Blackbird Heavy Industries and the starry sky. Publicly and privately, she argued that Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ failure to pay taxes was equivalent to rebellion, a disdain for the governor¡¯s authority. Gu Hang brushed her off. Dealing with the Fatches Family was a matter for you, the Fufana Family, and the Pei Desi brothers. Why should I act as your enforcer if you¡¯re offering me no benefits? Even if a day comes when Gu Hang must completely unify the entire planet, inevitably facing Blackbird Heavy Industries, that day is not today. There are no eternal friendships, only eternal interests. Future conflicts do not prevent turning a profit now. Yelisia was thus completely out of options. Gu Hang did not label them imperial traitors but approved their interstellar trade; Beautiful Lady was a legitimate member of the Empire Commerce Guild, with merchant qualifications. These two parties conducting legal trade activities, she had no proper reason to attack or sabotage. She could only pinch her nose as Wang Jiarong, representing Gu Commercial Firm, and Blackbird Heavy Industries, representing the Fatches Family, exchanged goods ship after ship, fuming with irritation. In their most recent communication with the surface, her anger vented on Gu Hang, questioning him on when he could arrange for a battle suitable for the currently damaged Quintet, to earn more merits? She even ¡®threatened¡¯ in a fit of rage: ¡°If you don¡¯t find some proper military achievements, I might not stay!¡± Facing the peevish Yelisia, Gu Hang consoled her with a smile, drew a few pie-in-the-sky promises, and finally satiated her, leaving her content to continue waiting patiently. When Yelisia came back to her senses, realizing she might have been sweet-talked by Gu Hang¡¯s glib tongue, she got upset again. She had an even worse thought: Could it be that Gu Hang, through this incident, was coordinating with the Gu Family to repair relations with the Fatches Family? Was the payment by Blackbird Heavy Industries essentially a gesture of goodwill towards the Gu Clan? And even, was there some unknown cunning scheming involved? Thinking of all this made Yelisia even more annoyed. ¡°Gu Hang! You¡¯re just too wicked!¡± ¡­ ¡°Cousin, you¡¯re just too wicked!¡± In their communication, Wang Jiarong complained to her cousin. ¡°I¡¯m not, I didn¡¯t, stop talking nonsense.¡± Gu Hang denied it in threefold. Wang Jiarong rolled her eyes. Having a closer relationship with Gu Hang, she asked more directly, ¡°Cousin, tell me the truth, do you not want to reconcile with the family, feeling it¡¯s better to hold on to the Pei Desi leadership?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, I didn¡¯t, stop talking nonsense.¡± Gu Hang consistently denied it again. But to say he hadn¡¯t thought about it? That wouldn¡¯t be entirely true either. Blackbird Heavy Industries had spent a large sum, 3.5 million Tax Currency, which hurt them considerably. And Gu Hang¡¯s surname was ultimately unchangeable; he was a member of the Gu Family. It was said that the Fatches Family was very skeptical if the Gu Family had any sincerity in their actions to repair relations. Internally in the Gu Family, there was also considerable dissatisfaction with Gu Hang¡¯s behavior, and several messages had come through, all of which Gu Hang ignored. Why bother with them? Did sharing the same surname Gu entitle them to point fingers? All things considered, both Yelisia and Wang Jiarong were overthinking, or rather, underthinking. Governor Gu didn¡¯t plan to cling to anyone¡¯s legs or shear anyone¡¯s wool. Why should I mix with the Pei Desi brothers? They got me a governor¡¯s commission which seemed valuable, but in reality, they were trying to use me to drag my mother into the fray. A cruiser was sent as supposed aid, but they didn¡¯t provide a single bit of resource for planet construction. Gu Hang wasn¡¯t about to feel grateful for that. Dream on. It was the same with the Gu Clan, and likewise on my mother¡¯s side, cutting ties mercilessly to avoid getting dragged down. Well, if we¡¯re cut off, then we¡¯re cut off, who needs to rely on you? Gu Hang didn¡¯t consider any of them enemies, but there was no need to treat them as insiders either. Fair cooperation, mutually beneficial transactions. If the price is right, let¡¯s do business; if not, maybe next time. That was Gu Hang¡¯s attitude. Of course, there was no need to say that outright and hurt feelings. With the Gu Clan, it was all about ¡®keeping it in the family¡¯; with the leaders, it was about ¡®gratitude for their favor, willing to devote life and limb.¡¯ No problem. Gu Hang didn¡¯t want to discuss this matter further with Wang Jiarong and changed the subject to another matter: ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve got the demand list for those goods on your merchant ship, and I already know how to pay for them.¡± Wang Jiarong rolled her eyes, ¡°It¡¯s that money Blackbird Heavy Industries gave you, right?¡± Gu Hang also laughed, ¡°Yes, exactly! They really are great benefactors!¡± He had no intention of keeping the 3.5 million Tax Currency promised by Blackbird Heavy Industries; money that lay idle couldn¡¯t hatch more money. As for using the Tax Currency for taxes later? That was not an option either. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Wealth has no value if it¡¯s not used. Gu Hang would rather invest it all in production, in the development of his territory. As for taxes? He¡¯d deal with it in a year and a half. The bigger the investment, the greater the output of Gu Hang¡¯s territory, the less he would worry about Imperial Tax. As for what Gu Hang wanted to buy, much of it was related to interstellar warriors. First of all, it was the things promised to the interstellar warriors. Chapter 274 - Chapter 274: Chapter 180, Gu Hang, you are really too bad_2 Chapter 274: Chapter 180, Gu Hang, you are really too bad_2 He had promised to bring the Phoenix Battle Group a high-quality, advanced genetic workshop capable of conducting genetic implant surgeries. The price Wang Jiarong quoted for this set of equipment was 500,000 tax currency. According to her, this thing wasn¡¯t expensive; some powerful war troops used the same thing. The success rate of the genetic seed implantation surgery mainly depended on the recipient¡¯s own qualifications and, secondly, on the level of genetic science of the person performing the surgery. Ordinary battle groups would have a position known as ¡®Pharmacist,¡¯ responsible for this task, including collecting genetic seeds from comrades on the battlefield and creating new soldiers to provide fresh blood for the battle group. Currently, the Phoenix Battle Group did not have this position, but it was said that old Priest Rizzo had been a pharmacist before; they just hoped his skills weren¡¯t rusty now. Additionally, a set of Terminator Power Armor was needed; this was also something Gu Hang had promised to Matins. The quoted price for this set of Terminator Power Armor was 800,000 tax currency. Looking at these prices, Gu Hang could only say that stuff related to the Starfighter was damn expensive. Gu Hang had estimated the value of his troops. Currently, he had three types of division and brigade formations under his command: the composite division, the motorized infantry division, and the garrison division. The most expensive military force was the mechanized composite brigade like the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade and the 13th Brigade, whose total production cost, including equipment and manpower, was about 200,000 tax currency. The production cost of a motorized infantry division was only half of that, worth 100,000 tax currency. The garrison division was only worth 75,000. One Interstellar Warrior¡¯s Terminator Power Armor was worth the total production cost of four composite divisions or eight motorized infantry divisions, including manpower and equipment! It was outrageous! According to Wang Jiarong, she hadn¡¯t made much money on the batch she sold to Gu Hang, basically selling it to him for the same price she acquired it. In this regard, Gu Hang believed her¡ªhe had asked Yelisia and received a similar answer. Either of these two women could potentially deceive him, but no matter how good their relationship was when they cooperated for mutual benefit, there was a natural conflict between them regarding securing Gu Hang. Given the chance, neither would pass up the opportunity to one-up the other. With the prices not being an issue, Gu Hang began to doubt the cost-effectiveness of this stuff. An old Terminator warrior killing off eight divisions? Gu Hang didn¡¯t believe it. Pile them up and he would overwhelm them; no matter how thick the Terminator Armor was, it was still individual armor. If a 155mm artillery shell couldn¡¯t open a can, firing a hundred or a thousand shots, the armored vehicle¡¯s machine guns barraging, bomb-carrying machine guns shooting vigorously¡­ sheer firepower could smash the can open. It just meant more people would die. However, he quickly realized this wasn¡¯t the right way to calculate it. Having elite individual soldiers and pitting them against a formal army in head-on combat was the sign of a commander with a screw loose. But at certain critical strategic points, in places where the enemy couldn¡¯t deploy heavy firepower, for special combat missions¡ªin short, where large-scale military forces couldn¡¯t reach¡ªthese super soldiers could demonstrate a value higher than an entire army. But regardless, the total of 900,000 tax currency was a commitment Gu Hang had made to the Phoenix, and he intended to keep his promise. After all, with Matins equipped with the Terminator, he would be working for him; rounding off, it was practically like buying it for himself. The genetic seed implant equipment was the same principle. Beyond that, Gu Hang also bought twenty sets of unpainted, brand-new Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor. They were the seventh generation of tactical power armor, known as ¡®Sky Eagle Type,¡¯ the most common, widely used, and¡­ cheapest powered armor, with the breathing grates on the helmet as the most characteristic feature. But they were still worth 40,000 tax currency per set. A total of 20 sets of tactical power armor cost Gu Hang another 800,000 tax currency. This made him sigh, ¡°Now I understand why a Starfighter Battle Group would need an entire planet as a home, to supply them with resources. A slightly poor planet really couldn¡¯t afford it.¡± Wang Jiarong scoffed, ¡°This is just the beginning; your current investment in the battle group hasn¡¯t even touched on the more expensive levels yet.¡± She was right. A standard battle group not only needed power armor and superhuman warriors but also various vehicles and equipment unique to Starfighters, required a large auxiliary army, and even a fleet. ¡°` Especially at the fleet stage, that¡¯s truly a money pit with no bottom. But fortunately, Gu Hang currently doesn¡¯t need to worry about such things, and he might never have to allocate a fleet to the Phoenix Battle Group, as that does not align with his interests. All he had to do was to meet the current needs of the Phoenix. He could certainly afford to sustain the four living warriors. Of the 20 sets of tactical power armor Gu Hang had purchased, he only planned to give five sets to Matins. The reason he gave was that these were gifts for the two other warriors apart from Matins and Rizzo, who had special armors, to replace their battle-worn, tattered old power armors. The old armors that were replaced were supposed to be given to Gu Hang to offset the cost. Of course, Gu Hang actually kept them for himself. The other three armors were gifts for the three incoming Starfighters, the new recruits. As for the remaining 15 sets, Gu Hang planned to keep them for himself for the time being. If the Phoenix needed more in the future, then some from these fifteen could be allocated to them. It was also possible that Gu Hang would later try to exchange for genetic seeds to create new Starfighters, in which case these suits of armor would come in handy. Rage Owl Star was still a long way from being able to manufacture Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor, and Gu Hang didn¡¯t even know at what level the technology for manufacturing powered armor appeared in the technology tree interface. Certainly, it was neither basic nor advanced. If he wanted to acquire it, he guessed it was still far off in the future. For now, the only way for him to get power armor was through interstellar trade. So, he shouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. After the Beautiful Lady left, he didn¡¯t know when the next sizable merchant convoy would arrive. Besides these power armors, Gu Hang also bought some other items that Rage Owl Star was unlikely to be able to produce in the near future. Such as thermal melt weapons, powered weapons, and so on. He planned to give part of these items to the Phoenix Battle Group and intercept a portion for himself. In any case, the four warriors of the Phoenix Battle Group had indeed undergone quite an upgrade. Not only did the group leader Matins receive a Terminator Power Armor, their weaponry had also been upgraded. If they faced another heavily armored orc boss or a Green Skin Overlord, at the very least, they now had some means to deal with them, and wouldn¡¯t be as devastated in battle. These weapons and equipment cost Gu Hang an additional 400,000 Tax Currency. The most expensive among them was a ¡®Blade of Honor¡¯ type powered sword, valued at 200,000 Tax Currency, which Gu Hang gave to Matins, replacing his nearly worn-out chainsaw sword. By that calculation, after extorting 3.5 million from Blackbird Heavy Industries, 2.5 million was gone in an instant. There was 1 million Tax Currency left, and Gu Hang didn¡¯t save any of it. He purchased quite a few miscellaneous items, including soilless farm technology, water purification technology, high-quality food crops¡­ These technologies and equipment would help Gu Hang establish five large soilless farms, similar in technology to what the Western Desert People on Rage Owl Star used from the pre-war era. With these five large farms, plus the synthetic starch production line that Wu Jiarong had already mastered, the self-sufficiency rate of grains for the alliance could increase significantly. Not much need to be said about the water purification equipment and technology, as the water on Rage Owl Star wasn¡¯t particularly clean. Any improvement was welcome. Whether it¡¯s wastewater treatment and reuse or seawater desalination, this set of equipment could handle it. Beyond that, a production line for exoskeletons was introduced. This too was quite costly. Gu Hang estimated that it could be considered advanced technology, or maybe among the best of the basic technologies. However, this exoskeleton was far from a real power armor; it was not difficult to achieve, and upon introducing a production line, they could be mass-produced, facilitating Wu Jiarong¡¯s subsequent reverse engineering. Once mastered, he could even expand the production line on his own. And thus, the last 1 million Tax Currency was spent. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The exoskeleton is similar in design to what¡¯s seen in the movie Edge of Tomorrow, and a picture will be provided later. Additionally, a sentence about the farm was deleted ¨C are the four characters for ¡®collective farm¡¯ really that sensitive? If it must be deleted, why not leave the latter half about the grain self-sufficiency rate¡­ It has been added back now. ¡°` Chapter 275 - Chapter 275: Chapter 181, Gene Seed Implant Surgery Chapter 275: Chapter 181, Gene Seed Implant Surgery Powered exoskeletons are a different beast from powered armor. Even if you welded armor plates onto the exoskeleton to make them look somewhat similar, or even fashioned the steel plates after the Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor for a cosplay, the reality is far from comparable. Essentially, powered exoskeletons simply provide soldiers with additional load-bearing capacity, making it easier for them to carry heavier loads with less effort, and at most, a few steel plates may be welded on for bulletproofing. Systems like the life support, electronic muscle bundles, tactical systems, and assisted firing systems contained in the Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor¡­ None of that is included, and it¡¯s unlikely to have the same level of protection. But with such a set of equipment, trained elite mortal soldiers can handle bomb guns that would otherwise be difficult to bear due to recoil. Or they could continue to use laser guns or electromagnetic rifles. Strapping on some individual heavy firepower such as automatic rocket nests is also doable. Add a chain sword, and train soldiers to T2 or T1 level¡­ An elite squad like that, with some effort, could barely suffice as a super poor man¡¯s version of an Interstellar Warrior. The key is that it¡¯s much cheaper. A suit of powered armor costs forty thousand Tax Currency, while the cost to manufacture an exoskeleton is only a thousand Tax Currency, a fortyfold difference in price. Can a single Interstellar Warrior take down forty elite soldiers armed with chain swords and bomb guns, and enhanced with exoskeletons? Perhaps, but there¡¯s also a high chance of failure. The genuine Interstellar Warrior might easily blow away these super poor versions with a single shot; but on the flip side, elite soldiers with bomb guns and chain swords, wearing exoskeletons, also have the ability to threaten an Interstellar Warrior. Ordinary tactical powered armor can resist bullets and laser gun pressure, but the loyal bomb gun and roaring chain sword won¡¯t show any mercy. And when facing ordinary soldiers, fully equipped special forces elites can also enjoy the effect of damage crushing. Gu Hang¡¯s 10th Special Warfare Brigade plans to experiment with a few squads like this. It¡¯s a long shot from replacing Interstellar Warriors, but it should suffice for some secondary-level special missions. However, the production capacity of this line is average at best, estimated at about fifty sets a month, so it¡¯s only enough for special elite use. If there¡¯s a plan to produce on a larger scale, production capacity won¡¯t be able to keep up, and the cost would be too high. If Wu Jiarong can reverse engineer this technology successfully and expand production, and once the overall productive capacity of Rage Owl Star improves, perhaps Gu Hang could arm an elite division where everyone is equipped with exoskeletons? Hope that day comes soon. ¡­ After completing the specific transaction, Wang Jiarong couldn¡¯t help but ask a question: ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the compensation from Blackbird Heavy Industries, what were you originally planning to use to pay for that gene engineering equipment you wanted to buy?¡± Gu Hang curled his lips, ¡°Rage Owl Star isn¡¯t exactly destitute. Even if it was in the past, it¡¯s not the case now. Can¡¯t our productivity come up with five hundred thousand Tax Currency?¡± Wang Jiarong remained somewhat skeptical, but she didn¡¯t press further. But actually, Gu Hang never worried about this issue. Without the money from Blackbird Heavy Industries, he would simply have bought less. The gene engineering equipment worth five hundred thousand could be scraped together after all. Sell a thousand armored vehicles, a million sets of individual equipment, or decommission two production lines to the skies, and the money would come. Of course, that would have affected the planet¡¯s development. Now, with a windfall at hand, it naturally got much better, and he could buy much more. ¡­ Once the corresponding items were delivered, some were transferred to the research institute and others to the Phoenix Battle Group. The Phoenix Battle Group was naturally very happy about this. Although, in the nearly more than half a year they¡¯d been on Rage Owl Star, they had lost three people, and the already nearly extinct Phoenix now faced even more dire circumstances. But at least, this replenishment was a significant boost for them. The replenishment and upgrade of weapons and equipment wasn¡¯t so critical, but the gene seed surgery equipment was a lifesaver. Matins and Priest Rizzo planned to conduct three surgeries in the near future, hoping to bring three new members to the group. Gu Hang had his doubts about this. ¡°Is there such a rush?¡± he expressed his view, ¡°Out of the group of young men you¡¯ve recruited, do you have three most suitable candidates? They¡¯ve trained for less than half a year.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Matins, the normally resolute battle group leader, showed a look of worry, ¡°The Governor¡¯s concerns are valid, to be honest, their qualifications are the best we could find, but they¡¯re still far from enough, and their training isn¡¯t up to standard either. But we¡­ have no other choice. Before this, we didn¡¯t have the technology or ability to properly preserve the gene seeds; simple preservation methods couldn¡¯t maintain seed viability for long. If we delay any longer, the odds will only decrease, we can¡¯t afford to wait to find more suitable people or give those young men more comprehensive training.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only That was indeed a realistic factor. Gu Hang asked, ¡°So¡­ what do you estimate the chances to be?¡± Priest Rizzo, who had been silent before, now spoke, ¡°The odds are very low, I have no confidence.¡± ¡°Can the success rate reach fifty percent?¡± Matins shook his head with a bitter smile, ¡°Perhaps not even ten percent. But¡­ if we succeed with just one, if the Battle Group gains its first new blood, there¡¯s at least hope, everyone can breathe a sigh of relief and not be so desperate.¡± Chapter 276 - Chapter 276: Chapter 181, Gene Seed Implant Surgery_2 Chapter 276: Chapter 181, Gene Seed Implant Surgery_2 Gu Hang likewise could only sigh. He patted Martins on the shoulder and said, ¡°I hope everything goes smoothly.¡± Gu Hang meant it sincerely. He truly hoped that all three seeds for the Phoenix Battle Group would succeed. Building a battle group wasn¡¯t something Gu Hang was ready to tackle yet; he¡¯d let the star warriors handle it among themselves. Three more star warriors, then another three¡­ As long as it was just a matter of tens or dozens, it wouldn¡¯t shake Gu Hang¡¯s authority. Considering the current sorry state of the Phoenix, reaching that level was a long way off. In fact, without Gu Hang¡¯s external help, they might never achieve it. However, things often don¡¯t go as one wishes. Just a week later, Gu Hang received news from Martins. The first surgery failed; in the following days, two more pieces of bad news came in quick succession. When Gu Hang visited the Phoenix Monastery, which now had a semblance of scale, he couldn¡¯t meet Commander Matins. According to Priest Rizzo, Martins Salas had locked himself in the prayer room and hadn¡¯t come out for a long time, nor did he allow anyone to disturb him. To be honest, seeing Martins like this, Gu Hang also felt a pang of compassion. Every time Gu Hang called upon the fallen Phoenix, they responded without fail, and each time they fought desperately¡ªwith nearly half of them perishing. They had truly lived up to their name, something Gu Hang had to admit. Because of this, he got the surgery equipment repaired, new ones purchased; power swords and Terminator Armor bought¡­ However, he still felt guilty, especially about the matter of offering one hundred points of grace for a seed. But now wasn¡¯t the time to bring that out. As for when it would be the right time¡­ to be honest, Gu Hang didn¡¯t know. Despite his compassion and guilt, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t risk bringing out the genetic seeds only to be reported to the Tribunal right afterward. Reporting to the Tribunal depended on the status of the reporter. Random accusations against a governor couldn¡¯t prompt an investigation; even if the Tribunal expanded a hundredfold, they would be too busy to handle it all. But if a commander made such an accusation, it was entirely different; the weight of the charge would be significant. He had to be certain of his absolute safety after revealing the seeds, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t do it. Privately was another matter. However, Gu Hang noticed something else. Priest Rizzo¡¯s demeanor seemed off. Gu Hang turned and stared at Rizzo for a while. Rizzo looked back and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°I find it strange, Your Reverence, that you seem very calm, not saddened?¡± He indeed found it odd. Martins was in such agony he didn¡¯t want to see anyone and had locked himself in the prayer room; the other two members of the battle group were grief-stricken, aimless, at a loss, and in despair¡­their numb expressions could hardly hide these emotions. But Priest Rizzo seemed very calm, with no noticeable change in his interaction with Gu Hang from before. Now, hearing Gu Hang¡¯s question, Rizzo even revealed a trace of a smile: ¡°Whether the surgery succeeds or fails, it is the Divine Emperor¡¯s will. We should learn to accept it.¡± ¡°Yes, of course,¡± Gu Hang responded, then asked further, ¡°But are you not worried about the future of the Phoenix Battle Group?¡± The smile on Priest Rizzo¡¯s face became more defined. Looking at Gu Hang, he said seriously, ¡°The fate of the battle group does not rest on the success of these three surgeries but on you, Governor. Gu Hang frowned deeply. ¡°` This charlatan¡¯s demeanor made him quite uncomfortable. He spoke cautiously, ¡°Your Excellency, Priest, I don¡¯t understand what you mean.¡± At this point, Rizzo didn¡¯t directly answer Gu Hang¡¯s question but simply stated, ¡°The Divine Emperor will decide everything.¡± ¡­ When Gu Hang left the Phoenix Monastery, he was full of confusion. The old priest¡¯s attitude really made him somewhat entangled. He seemed to know something. But it was not suitable to dwell on this matter, thinking would be pointless, he didn¡¯t even have enough manpower to monitor these superhuman warriors, he could only ask the staff who entered the Phoenix Monastery to pay more attention and report back. The Phoenix Monastery was right next to Weixing City, since having come this far, Gu Hang took the opportunity to inspect Weixing City, his last stop being the Secret Research Institute, overseen by Wu Jiarong. The items bought from the Beautiful Lady were for either the Phoenix Battle Group or the research institute. Gu Hang initially wanted to see how the Research Institute was doing with the technologies they had acquired, but as soon as they met, Wu Jiarong took the opportunity to complain bitterly. This sister from the Sect of Mechanics was quite dissatisfied with Governor Gu¡¯s exploitation of her. Previously, she didn¡¯t dare show such an attitude, for fear that after knowing the governor¡¯s grand secret, her already mysterious and uncertain life would abruptly end. But with prolonged contact, she found that the governor was actually quite easy to get along with. As long as she did her job well, the governor was generally not too harsh. So she gradually dared to express her thoughts. Gu Hang was pleased with this. It was acceptable for his subordinates to fear him, but Gu Hang did not wish it to go overboard. Loyalty should come from respect, not from fear. This is not to say that fear cannot breed loyalty, but fear, along with loyalty, can also bring hatred, which can quickly turn into betrayal. Respect, admiration, trust¡­ these are much better. Gu Hang hoped his subordinates could dare to express their needs clearly to him; perhaps that would be better. However, what Wu Jiarong said this time still made Gu Hang a little embarrassed. ¡°You can¡¯t keep piling one research project after another on me; I don¡¯t even have a moment to research the Black Box to improve my own skills,¡± she said. Wu Jiarong¡¯s words were not just a complaint, but also pointed out a very practical issue. ¡°With all kinds of scientific research projects squeezed in here, many projects are unrelated to one another. I¡¯m not being lazy or complaining about the workload, but with this scattered approach and not enough scientific staff, it¡¯s impossible to complete all these tasks. I know these technologies are important in your plans, not trivial matters that you can easily dismiss. That means you cannot accept that many of these things will remain indefinitely queued, with no idea how far into the future they¡¯ll be scheduled¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Gu Hang nodded his head. He admitted that Wu Jiarong was right. ¡°But what¡¯s your suggestion?¡± he asked. ¡°My suggestion is that, under your command, there must be more people capable of scientific research. I know, under the conditions on Rage Owl Star, it¡¯s difficult to find many such people. But the more challenging it is, the more we need to prepare in advance, just like you established Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy, you also need a Technical Academy,¡± she replied. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s possible,¡± said Gu Hang, ¡°that¡¯s already part of my plan, but¡­ Wu Jiarong, are you interested, do you have the time, to serve as a professor at this academy?¡± Wu Jiarong sighed helplessly and said, ¡°If this is an order from you, Governor, of course I have no problem. But, you also need to bear a consequence: if I dedicate half my time to teaching students, then the time required to complete all research projects will be doubled.¡± That was the trade-off. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Would you hasten the research projects or assign someone to teach in a school? The former, although not rapid, was the most effective at the moment. The technology to synthesize starch needed optimization; the effectiveness of the new production line couldn¡¯t compare to the one dismantled from the starship; the ¡®high energy¡¯ in high-energy batteries was a misnomer as it couldn¡¯t even sustain laser gun firing, let alone be used by rapid attack crafts, which foreclosed the laser guns from reaching their full potential, forcing the Wind Falcon to use far more valuable energy crystals as fuel, resulting in a tremendous waste. Not to mention, there was a pile of technologies that needed to be reverse-engineered: hydroponic farms, water purification equipment, spirit gas collection equipment, exoskeleton production lines¡­ Without Wu Jiarong, who had effectively reached the level of a Mechanical Priest, all these projects would grind to a halt. ¡°` Chapter 277 - Chapter 277: Chapter 182, The Technical Expert You Wanted Chapter 277: Chapter 182, The Technical Expert You Wanted Gu Hang could not let Wu Jiarong abandon her work. Without her, they could hardly expect those who were, at best, junior technicians to solve those scientific research problems. If Wu Jiarong taught students, all research work would operate at half efficiency. But without teaching students or building schools, Gu Hang¡¯s predicament would never end. If it were someone else, there might be no solution at all. However, Gu Hang still had one. ¡°You¡¯ll have to hold on for a little longer,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°the construction of the school will start soon. We may have to sacrifice half our time, but I believe we will soon make up for this lost time.¡± Wu Jiarong said, ¡°Teaching a qualified technical specialist, even a mechanic, is very difficult. It requires many years of study.¡± ¡°I know, but maybe we have a genius in Rage Owl Star?¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s solution was to first establish a Technical Academy, then use the [Construction] interface to apply the [Technical Academy I] template to it, consistent with the operation plan of Loyal Heir Academy. The exchange value of [Technical Academy I] was only 500 grace points. And this building had actually two functions: 1. To improve students¡¯ learning efficiency 2. To increase the likelihood of emerging technically talented individuals who could be activated. The former is certainly useful, but what could quickly solve Gu Hang¡¯s current dilemma was the latter. Once there was such a technically talented individual who could be activated, the grace points spent on the activation would immediately endow them with attribute points, allowing for a rapid improvement in their technical level. It would definitely not reach Wu Jiarong¡¯s current level, but at least it could become a competent assistant or independently handle some research work with a determined direction, even a settled plan. Relieving some of Wu Jiarong¡¯s work pressure was also good. And Gu Hang planned to build this academy in Weixing City. After all, compared to Revival City, which was more geared toward administration, commerce, and light industry, Weixing City was the production center that needed technical talents more. There was no need for Wu Jiarong to travel dozens of kilometers to Revival City for work. Saving this precious technical talent¡¯s commuting time was saving time needed for the planet¡¯s development. The rapid development of the entire alliance needed to be healthier, and there were still too many fundamentals to be supplemented. Sometimes, Gu Hang still wished he could stumble upon another expert in technology. That would be great. ¡­ Sometimes, Hu Ke still wished for a stable life where his son and daughter could grow up healthy and happy. That would be great. At that moment, he was blending in with a group of refugees, holding a pot of thin gruel in his hands. This was according to the food ration allocated for his family of four. A bowl of thin gruel to last a day. Back in his dwelling¡ªa shabby tent constructed from tattered cloth and building debris that could, at most, measure three to four square meters¡ªhe, his wife, his six-year-old son, and his four-year-old daughter lived temporarily. The conditions were undoubtedly harsh, not only in terms of living space but also the sanitary environment. However, Hu Ke was actually relieved. At least, it was better than when they were fleeing previously. Escaping from the southern end of the Green Valley Region all the way north reminded him of his experience of fleeing to Rage Owl Star from his hometown over two hundred years ago. Of course, when speaking of over two hundred years ago, that was in terms of real time, the actual feeling for him was not as long. He came from ¡®Chong Lu Fortress Casting World¡¯, and when he left there, he was already an ¡®Engine Prophet¡¯¡ª a ¡®title¡¯ within the Sect of Mechanics, one level higher than a Mechanical Priest. He was a technical expert. As for why he left Chonglu Fort¡­ It was because of war. Chonglu Fort was probably dragged into hell by now, no longer existing in the real universe. In that war, he fled for his life and, in the final moments, boarded a spaceship in a panic and left his homeland. After getting on the spaceship, he drifted in space for a few years and spent some time in the Star Realm Army, but he really couldn¡¯t stand the war anymore. He knew that in this turbulent universe, war always existed. But as long as it wasn¡¯t happening before his eyes, that was enough. He admitted he was a coward, but he absolutely did not want to return to the battlefield and witness slaughter again. As for those wars still raging, let them be. Although the status of an Engine Prophet was not low, what could he decide in the vast universe? Tired of everything, Hu Ke only wanted to find a secure, peaceful, and beautiful planet to spend the rest of his life. Indeed, the entire universe was always at war. But that was when looking at the entire empire. Zooming in on individual planets, the situations were different. Among many options, he chose Rage Owl Star. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The scenery was beautiful, productivity was fairly advanced, and thanks to the Spiritualized Gas Field energy industry, it wasn¡¯t too competitive. The social atmosphere was stable, and more importantly, there hadn¡¯t been a war for thousands of years, whether from invaders or internal strife, it was rare, or at least the impact was minimal. It was a place that met his requirements. So, he went there. With his expertise, he applied and joined a Gene Research Institute on Rage Owl Star. It wasn¡¯t difficult; he was an Engine Prophet from the Mechanical Cult Guild and had made outstanding contributions to genetic engineering¡ªthough he was slightly less knowledgeable in other areas. Chapter 278 - Chapter 278: Chapter 182, The Technical Expert You Wanted_2 Chapter 278: Chapter 182, The Technical Expert You Wanted_2 After he was hired, his life began to feel comfortable. He thought this place was truly paradise¡ªclimate, environment, and other physical conditions were countless times better than his desolate homeland, Chonglu Fort, which was essentially one grand factory encompassing the entire planet. Moreover, his work situation had vastly improved compared to the past. Here he was almost the most outstanding genetic engineer. Some projects were quite typical, not too difficult; he just needed to follow procedures and do his job. Not like before, when he used to engage in cut-throat competition over resources and political struggles within the Mechanical Cult Guild. He settled down in Rage Owl Star, found a woman who could soothe his soul, and together they had a pair of children. At this point, he experienced something he had never felt in his previous life; he thought this might be what happiness looks like. But alas, good times are short-lived. ¡®Happiness¡¯ might just be the most luxurious thing in the entire universe. His daughter was only three years old, and his son just two when war broke out in Rage Owl Star. The war didn¡¯t affect his area immediately, but he still sensed the danger sharply. He was, after all, experienced in such matters. Hu Ke immediately joined the evacuation teams with his wife and children, heading to what he believed was the safest place. It was a refuge built to the highest standards. In principle, it was easily defended but hard to assault, its location concealed, and it also had the capability for immediate planetary evacuation. In fact, as far as he knew, the ships meant to evacuate those of high value like themselves should already be en route. However, misfortune sometimes knows no bounds. First, the evacuation ships were shot down mid-journey; then, the very refuge he was in was discovered by the enemy, with a horde of Demons charging towards it. In a critical moment, just before the refuge was breached and the commander gave the desperate order to self-destruct, he used the facility¡¯s lowest level to freeze his wife and children. Then, after gathering as much backup power as possible, he managed to cryogenically freeze himself inside a hibernation pod just as the self-destruction sequence was initiated. He didn¡¯t know if this could help him evade disaster, but as a husband and father, it was the last thing he could do. And as it turned out, he succeeded. When he was unearthed by a former colleague who was also his student, a native of Rage Owl Star named Ge Wajia, he saw his wife and children again¡ªthey were all still alive. He wept tears of joy, and couldn¡¯t help but pray to The Emperor, thanking him for keeping his most precious possessions in this world. At the same time, he learned that nearly two hundred years had passed since the war¡¯s end. His former student Ge Wajia had lived until now through life-extension surgeries. Nowadays, he had established an organization called the Nature Salvation Society, striving to create a paradise on the devastated Rage Owl Star, and from there to expand outward, ultimately aiming to restore the natural ecology of Rage Owl Star and save the entire world. To be honest, Hu Ke wasn¡¯t interested in that cause. He had long passed the age where he wanted to save the world. There were too many worlds within the Empire to save; destroying a few didn¡¯t really matter. All he wanted was to live a good life for himself. However, on this point, their interests intersected. Ge Wajia needed the technical capabilities of his teacher, while Hu Ke needed the stable order that his student had already established in the southern end of the Green Valley Region. It was a scenic seaside town, with no worries about food and drink, and for the time being, suitable for his family to settle in. He was willing to exchange his knowledge and labor for the right to live for his family. But during his work, he gradually discovered some issues. His student¡­ seemed a bit off-kilter. Or rather, the town called Chanter Town where he lived was all somewhat off-kilter. His technical level was outstanding enough that through some of the content of the projects he participated in, he saw that Ge Wajia was working on some very new stuff. It was not just ecological restoration that was so simple but filled with extensive genetic and human research. He saw some of the results produced by the Nature Salvation Society, called bioweapons, natural weapons. If it was just that, then so be it. He tried to convince himself to turn a blind eye. What¡¯s so terrible about developing bioweapons? In this post-apocalyptic world, one needed something for protection. Even if they had crossed the line of skull purity, he could turn a blind eye. The so-called ¡®Skull Purity¡¯ is an ironclad rule upheld by the Empire and the Mechanical Cult Guild during human modification and genetic technology: no matter how humans are altered, the skull must remain untouched. The Empire¡¯s culture is full of oddities, varying greatly across different worlds. However, some things are consistent throughout. Among them, the Empire itself has three major symbols: the skull, the Sky Eagle, and the gear. The skull symbolizes sacrifice and also the purity of humankind. Traitors, heretics, and beings with aberrant flesh often deviate significantly from pure humans, especially in the structure of their skulls. For this reason, an unaltered skull serves as a symbol of human purity and the sacrifices made to defend that purity. Throughout the Empire, from the Walls of Martyrs to the Skull Badges, from the decorations on interstellar warriors¡¯ armor to the Purity Seals¡­ the image of the skull is everywhere. Moreover, whether it¡¯s the research of the Mechanical Cult Guild or theological studies of the Imperial State Religion, there is solid evidence to suggest that maintaining skull purity is an important means and factor in safeguarding human souls from corruption. Changes in the skull are signs of degeneration, mutation, and betrayal. The Mechanical Cult Guild manufactures servo skulls, creates mechanical servants, alters brains, and performs large-scale human modifications¡­ these are common, but they do not destroy the shape of the skull and typically only modify areas such as the eye sockets, mouth, or ears. But much of Ge Wajia¡¯s research had already crossed this baseline. Even so, Hu Ke could ignore it. However, in the end, he couldn¡¯t lie to himself. The source of Ge Wajia¡¯s technology was problematic. First off, the life-extension surgeries claimed by his student were suspicious. Such advanced biotechnology, capable of enabling someone to live two hundred years, was no simple feat. Even he had not mastered such a procedure, let alone his student. Then, he found traces of supernatural forces in many of the studies. This was not uncommon in itself, as the Mechanical Cult Guild¡¯s research also naturally involved Spiritual Energy, as well as faith in The Emperor as the deity of all mechanisms. Both could yield extraordinary powers. However, he did not believe that the supernatural elements in the Nature Salvation Society¡¯s technological approach stemmed from orthodox belief or normal Spiritual Energy research. As for where exactly this technology originated from, he had his suspicions but dared not speak of them. But even at this point, he remained silent. Despite the extensive preparations he had made in secret, he never brought up these issues at face value. He was very hesitant. He knew the current world had become entirely unsuitable for survival, and he was not alone. Could he ensure the survival of his own family in the harsh wasteland environment once they left Chanter Town? Moreover, the act of escaping was dangerous enough in itself. In the midst of his internal struggle, one final straw helped him make his decision: Ge Wajia asked him to apply the Nature Salvation Society¡¯s genetic modification techniques to his own family, under the pretense of better survival in the wastelands. Many residents of the town had undergone similar modifications, and Hu Ke had even performed them himself. But when these technologies were to be applied to his own family, his bottom line was finally breached. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He outwardly agreed, but in secret, he initiated all the preparations he had been making for the past half year. A multitude of bio-weapons rioted, and the mutated aberrant beasts that he had accumulated defended him and his family as they fled the place that seemed like a paradise but was truly a den of hell. Once outside and having initially ensured their safety, he ordered all the beasts to self-destruct. He dared not carry these creatures with him because he knew that the technological origins of these aberrant beasts were not normal and could become uncontrollable at any moment. Then, he and his family endured a hellish escape, heading north until they were sheltered by a coalition. Chapter 279 - Chapter 279: Chapter 183: What Rank Can the Engine Prophet Set? Chapter 279: Chapter 183: What Rank Can the Engine Prophet Set? For Hu Ke, the half-year journey to the north had been even more nerve-wracking than his initial flight from his hometown of Chonglu Fort. The brutality of the battle at Chonglu Fort was far more exaggerated than his current escape to the north. But back then, he was by himself, only concerned with his own life. However, this time, he was with his whole family. This psychological pressure was so much heavier than before. But with his sufficient skills, the Aberrant Beasts on the road often couldn¡¯t pose a threat to him. Sometimes, he could control several Aberrant Beasts to help him find some food. Of course, he adhered to a principle, not to use the same Aberrant Beast for too long to avoid dangerous loss of control. With his own capabilities and a bit of luck, he not only escaped the pursuit of the Nature Salvation Society but also evaded the threat of Aberrant Beasts and the increasingly numerous looters amidst the chaos, successfully making it from the southernmost tip to the northernmost end of the Green Valley Region. Here, he heard about the Alliance, heard about a Governor arriving at Rage Owl Star, proclaiming to save the entire world. Of course, just that alone couldn¡¯t touch anyone¡¯s heart. Who couldn¡¯t boast? However, based on what he¡¯d heard, in that so-called Central Province, in the Twin Cities Region of the Alliance Capital¡­ it seemed they were indeed doing well? Especially surprising to him was hearing that a Green-skin Orc Tribe had appeared at the ruins of a high tower, only to be dealt with by the Governor. The high tower ruins, with only a moment¡¯s thought, he knew it was the biological research institute where he had once worked. He could guess why Green Skins had emerged there; part of his job was to research Green Skins. If a mere mortal like himself could rely on being frozen to survive to the post-war era; if Ge Wajia could live until now through life-extending surgeries; then what¡¯s so surprising about Green Skin Orcs, with their vitality far beyond that of humans, living until this time? Not destroying the research live samples was a grave mistake, but in the face of war¡¯s arrival, everything was in utter chaos. Struggling to escape, to resist, to die, it was understandable that they didn¡¯t manage this task. But for live samples to survive to this day and evolve into an entire Green Skin Tribe was a huge disaster. Yet, they were taken care of by that Governor? This was beyond his expectations. He knew how troublesome Green Skins could be once they formed a tribe. Could just two cities, one province, barely supporting a population of a million, really handle a Green Skin tribe? And even go to heaven to fight a battle and kill a Beastman Overlord? This was quite impressive. Furthermore, hearing that Twin Cities were also doing very well in terms of public welfare, he couldn¡¯t help but fall into deep thought. With his abilities, if he were to reveal his identity, show his knowledge, he was confident that the Governor, if he had even the slightest discernment, would provide him with a good treatment. But he was truly scared by his previous experiences. He feared encountering another unscrupulous leader. If it were only the leader¡¯s lack of integrity, that would be tolerable, but such a person often posed a threat to the safety of him and his family. With his capabilities, even if he doesn¡¯t seek refuge with the Governor, he could still make a living by finding a place to settle in seclusion. It¡¯s just the quality of life¡­ Thinking of this, he couldn¡¯t help but look towards his children, who were wolfing down their food, and his wife, who had turned her back and was silently shedding tears, feeling a touch of sadness in his heart. His children had never had a good life since the day they were born, frozen with him till today; his wife, once literate and well-educated, had experienced so much hardship on the escape northward that now, disheveled, she bore no resemblance to her former elegance. He wanted his wife and children to have better living conditions, for his wife who loved beauty and books to continue enjoying her grace, to brew a cup of tea in her spare time and read stories; he wanted his children to have a complete childhood, not to be secluded with him in a hideaway for a lifetime, perhaps never seeing another new person. If there were no choice, of course, life safety comes first; But it¡¯s not really without choice. He struggled within himself but suddenly heard a noise outside the door. ¡°¡­This is the place! He lives here!¡± Hu Ke¡¯s hair stood on end. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A multitude of thoughts raced through his mind, and his biggest worry was that Ge Wajia¡¯s henchmen had come knocking. It was possible, in fact, all through his escape he had always been under the threat of Ge Wajia¡¯s Nature Salvation Society. In the Green Valley Region, this society wielded great influence; they had extended their reach deep into many plantations by helping them with superior breed transformations, soil environment improvements, and teaching planting techniques. All those technologies had hidden corruptions, even secretly turning many plantation workers into deformed puppets for the Nature Salvation Society. These deformed puppets were very difficult to distinguish under normal circumstances, but they were actually controlled by the Nature Salvation Society. Furthermore, even without the deformed puppets, many plantations grateful for the help were completely blind to the true nature of the Nature Salvation Society. They did not know that the annual exotic tide ravaging Green Valley was the doing of these people. In their eyes, these were good Samaritans, exchanging food for yield-increasing technologies, a wonderful trade indeed. Chapter 280 - Chapter 280: Chapter 183: What Rank Can the Engine Prophet Set?_2 Chapter 280: Chapter 183: What Rank Can the Engine Prophet Set?_2 So, he had experienced many life-and-death moments. Betrayed, falling asleep only to be surrounded by a horde of Aberrant Beasts, and struggling to obtain supplies without revealing his tracks¡­ He thought that by arriving here, supposedly on the turf of the Alliance and far from the south, he could settle down at last, but unexpectedly, there came a time when they caught up to him! He saw the gaze of his wife and children, filled with terror and concern, turned toward him. He extended his hand, signaling them to be silent. At the same time, he was also preparing himself for combat. He was not a warrior by trade, but his experience of multiple escapes in the past had forcibly taught him many fighting techniques. Hu Ke might have appeared to be an ordinary person from the outside, but as a biological expert specializing in genetic engineering, his body had undergone many changes. To some extent, it wouldn¡¯t be too far-fetched to say he was a humanoid biological weapon. Of course, by the Empire¡¯s standards, he was still human. His self-modification had not crossed certain outrageous lines. The muscles in his arms bulged fiercely, and his chest heaved, accumulating strength. When necessary, the power of his punch was not inferior to that of an interstellar warrior; moreover, the bioelectricity stored within his body could instantly form a high voltage and, through his modified finger bones, pierce the skin and discharge electricity outward. This was a move of desperation. Yet despite being ready, he was still somewhat annoyed. He hadn¡¯t thought things through enough, hadn¡¯t prepared sufficiently. He thought that once here, he could live incognito and not be caught, but he hadn¡¯t anticipated that the Nature Salvation Society¡¯s minions would be here too! He heard footsteps coming to the entrance of his shabby tent and then they stopped. ¡­ Jason Morgan rubbed his hands, then turned to the person beside him and asked, ¡°Are you sure this is the place?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure!¡± replied the man, cradling the food that Morgan had given him, ¡°I was deathly ill, starting to develop pus-filled bumps like those Aberrant Beasts, running a high fever, delirious. And this man, in just a few minutes, cured me. Today I saw him again; his whole family lives here.¡± ¡°Fine, that¡¯s all I need from you.¡± Jason Morgan sent the man away, then cleared his throat twice and approached the ramshackle tent. He wanted to knock but found there was no door to knock on. He could only reach out and shake the curtain that served as the only barrier. At that moment, the curtain was pulled back from the inside. An ordinary-looking middle-aged man appeared before him, his expression wary. Jason Morgan tried to glance behind the man, but was blocked from seeing anything. So, he cleared his throat again and said, ¡°I hear you are a skilled doctor; how may I address you?¡± The man didn¡¯t answer but countered, ¡°And who might you be?¡± His tone was less than polite, leaving Jason Morgan somewhat taken aback. He was now a ¡®big shot¡¯ in the northern part of Green Valley Region, having been there for almost two months. Especially recently, respect and flattery were all he heard, with hardly anyone speaking to him in such a manner. However, there was no change in his expression, just a slight air of self-satisfaction as he said, ¡°I am Jason Morgan, a D4-level official of the Rage Owl Star Alliance, commissioned to establish the Survivors Mutual Aid Self-Governance Committee in the northern part of Green Valley Region. I am currently an observer on the Mutual Aid Committee. In the past two months, the Mutual Aid Committee has united over five hundred plantations, sheltered a large number of civilians, and provided a temporary refuge for millions of impoverished people who have lost their homes.¡± ¡°All this is your doing?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Jason Morgan was taken aback, his expression becoming somewhat unnatural, ¡°not all of it. It¡¯s mainly due to the governor¡¯s wise and valiant leadership, and next are the military observers and diplomats of the Alliance, who have gathered the refugees, coordinated with the plantations, and with military aid from the Twin Cities of the Alliance, helped them establish basic military self-defense capabilities. Then come the civil servants of the department, bringing in vast quantities of living and medical supplies to stabilize the situation¡­ Damn, why am I telling you all this?¡± As he spoke, Morgan adjusted his conspicuously red cap, and with a solemn expression, he stated, ¡°We are in dire need of manpower right now. We need all the help we can get for the people of Green Valley Region to settle down. And you, you are such a force.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re a very good doctor,¡± Morgan continued, ¡°We have a large supply of medicine, but we¡¯re in dire need of people who know how to use them. You can help those infected recover without medicine, so imagine what you can do with it.¡± ¡°Are you trying to recruit me?¡± Morgan hesitated, then said, ¡°If that¡¯s how you want to interpret it, that¡¯s fine.¡± Hu Ke laughed. He had thought that the Nature Salvation Society was approaching him, but instead, it was the Alliance. How coincidental. Just as he was considering whether to join the governor, someone from the governor¡¯s office came to him. ¡°What¡¯s in it for me, then?¡± Jason Morgan looked at the man¡¯s smile across from him. It was somewhat inexplicable, and he had no idea what Hu Ke was thinking. He was just doing his best to try to recruit this talent: ¡°The benefits are plentiful!¡± He tried to look behind Hu Ke again, and this time he vaguely saw the figures of two children. Morgan showed what he thought was a gentle smile to the two kids, and then said to Hu Ke, ¡°Let me start with what I can offer you. The shelter is temporary, and we provide basic food supplies to all refugees, but¡­ our resources are limited, we are already trying to feed more people with the little we have, but there are still occasional deaths from starvation, and we¡¯ve done our best.¡± ¡°I am sorry I can only offer you and your family thin porridge to fill your stomachs, only to let you sleep in rudimentary tents under such poor conditions. But if you are willing to make a greater contribution to the entire Green Valley Region, then I guarantee that you and your family will receive better treatment. A real roof over your heads, ample and varied food; these are all a given.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more that I can¡¯t guarantee, but I believe you have the ability to secure. After a pause, Jason Morgan continued, ¡°You might have noticed that in my self-introduction, I mentioned that I am a D4 level employee of the Alliance. If you really are a capable doctor, even after the calamity in the Green Valley Region is over, you could move to the newly established Alliance Hospital in the Twin Cities. With your own abilities, you could secure a high-ranking position. For someone like me, a D4 level employee, the food supply is enough to feed the whole family. I still have money left to buy various appliances to improve the quality of life, a bigger and brighter house, a friendly, clean, and stable neighborhood¡­ You can even send your children to school. In short, your life could become very fulfilling.¡± ¡°In fact, you see so many people here in the refugee camp, everyone is waiting for a chance to join the Alliance, even just being an E level employee is enough to live worry-free under the premise of hard work.¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± After listening to Jason Morgan¡¯s lengthy speech, Hu Ke thought for a while and smiled, ¡°I must admit, you¡¯ve persuaded me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good¡­¡± Morgan also smiled. ¡°However¡­¡± Hu Ke drew out his words, bringing up a question that Morgan had never anticipated, ¡°I do have another question: what rank could a specialist in gene engineering, an ¡®Engine Seer,¡¯ hold in your Alliance?¡± Jason Morgan was stunned. What? What the heck is gene engineering? And an Engine Seer? What is this doctor talking about? Why don¡¯t I understand? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª The update is late today. I¡¯ve been working overtime a lot recently, and I typically go home after work, have some supper, take a bath, and start writing around midnight until three in the morning, then I schedule it to be published the next day. Yesterday, I just couldn¡¯t stay awake and fell asleep. Today, I refused to work overtime, came home to finish yesterday¡¯s work and wrote today¡¯s in advance. I¡¯m going to sleep early tonight, hoping the days of overworked corporate slavery are soon over. Chapter 281 - Chapter 281: Chapter 184, Treatment of C9 Level Employees Chapter 281: Chapter 184, Treatment of C9 Level Employees By the time the entire situation was reported up the chain and became known to Gu Hang, it was already two days later. The efficiency was not considered low, but Gu Hang still had to be thankful that no information had been lost along the way. The clerk named Jason Morgan had not dismissed the information as nonsense because he couldn¡¯t understand it and refused to report it; the Migration Bureau, upon hearing of a peculiar, yet potentially key talent, reported directly to the Civil Affairs Department; upon learning the news, Osenia sent him a message¡­ When Gu Hang received the message, he had just spent his grace points to establish the ¡°Technical Academy.¡± Knowing that someone claiming to be the ¡®Engine Prophet¡¯ had appeared under his command, Gu Hang immediately laughed out loud. Of course, Gu Hang knew what level the Engine Prophet was. In the hierarchy of the Mechanical Cult Guild, the progression line was: Junior Commissioner ¨C Technical Commissioner ¨C Mechanic ¨C Mechanical Priest ¨C Engine Prophet. The Engine Prophet was already considered a middle-tier figure within the Sect of Mechanics. Above that was the Dominant Bishop. This rank was even the highest in some of the Foundry Worlds controlled by the Mechanical Cult Guild, with some Founding Generals being nothing more than Dominant Bishops. In comparison, Wu Jiarong was initially just a Technical Commissioner with the skills of a Mechanic, sent to the surface of Rage Owl Star. It was only through her intensive study of the Black Box over the past six months that she had made rapid progress, barely reaching the level of a Mechanical Priest. Yet even so, Wu Jiarong had already been able to provide tremendous assistance on many technological projects. What about an even more formidable Engine Prophet? His expertise in gene engineering included technologies such as servo craniums, soilless farms, medical technology, and servant modifications, which were his specialty. Even for some non-specialty technologies, given the time to study, he could do no worse than Wu Jiarong ¡ª possibly even better. Besides, assigning him as a lecturer at the just-established Technical Academy was another avenue, freeing up at least half of Wu Jiarong¡¯s time. Gu Hang would not think that having an Engine Prophet meant he could replace Wu Jiarong. To Gu Hang, Wu Jiarong¡¯s most important duty was guarding the many Black Boxes that had been produced. This task required loyalty rather than technical ability. She had performed well over the past half year, and Gu Hang did not wish to replace her. After all, who knew if the newcomer was reliable? Moreover, Gu Hang had yet to ascertain whether this Engine Prophet had truly reached the level he claimed. However, that did not stop Gu Hang from taking this matter very seriously. Whether he was genuine or not, one would know by taking him out for a spin. On the one hand, he notified Wu Jiarong to come to Revival City to meet the Engine Prophet with him; on the other hand, he dispatched a Falcon Squadron to pick up the individual from the north of the Green Valley Region. Several hundred kilometers in the middle, driving here would take a long time. For the Falcon Squadron, however, they could make the round trip in less than two hours the same day. The Falcon, equipped with an Anti-Gravity Engine and capable of vertical takeoff and landing, did not even require an airport; any reasonably flat area would suffice for landing. Not keeping the governor waiting for long, two Falcons landed one after the other on top of the Governor¡¯s Tower. This was his office, which had recently been completed by converting the Old Alliance¡¯s Parliament building. On the rooftop outside the office hall, a few helipads were added, facilitating the takeoff and landing of aircraft. With the Falcons, not to mention their potential role in warfare, Gu Hang felt that his time had been greatly saved. Capable of supersonic cruising Falcon allowed Gu Hang to reach any region currently under Alliance control in less than an hour. Especially the trip from Revival City to Weixing City, which for the Falcon was almost the matter of a single takeoff and landing, only taking a few minutes. This greatly facilitated Gu Hang¡¯s travel, allowing him to easily visit multiple locations within a day, to personally inspect the factories in Weixing City, visit the troops on the front lines, and to check the progress of reconstruction planning in Gaota Province or Central-North Province. It is said that the limits of governance are determined by the speed of information transfer. Of course, within a planet, normal communication methods can basically cover the entire planet, but if Gu Hang, the ruler, could also appear anywhere he wished with great speed, it would greatly enhance his governing effectiveness. The Falcon that landed first brought Wu Jiarong. Gu Hang briefly chatted with her about the progress of the current research projects she was working on, and the conversation had not gone on for long before the second Falcon arrived. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only An unremarkable middle-aged man, escorted by guards, entered Gu Hang¡¯s office. After a brief introduction, with Gu Hang and Wu Jiarong¡¯s deliberate guidance, they continued the previous topic. After a brief silence, once the man named Hu Ke understood what they were talking about, he joined the conversation smoothly. The three of them talked for almost two hours in the office. In the beginning, Gu Hang was able to keep up with the topic, mainly by stating requirements and inquiring about progress. As the conversation delved into more in-depth technical content, he mainly listened, not fully understanding, but the other two became more and more enthusiastic. Chapter 282 - Chapter 282: Chapter 184, Treatment of C9 Level Employees_2 Chapter 282: Chapter 184, Treatment of C9 Level Employees_2 By the final stage, Gu Hang had completely lost the ability to understand, and even Wu Jiarong spoke very little, turning instead to listening and thinking. Mainly, it was Hu Ke speaking, and even Wu Jiarong appeared to benefit greatly from his lectures. By then, even without asking for Wu Jiarong¡¯s opinion, Gu Hang knew that the man before him was indeed an Engine Prophet. In the end, he was the one who ended the conversation. Having no choice, as he could not understand, he decided to leave the technical issues to those qualified to handle them. His Excellency, the Governor, had no need to continue wasting time there. With a light cough, he said, ¡°Mr. Hu, let¡¯s talk about your past. I am quite curious, how did a Mechanical Cult Guild¡¯s Engine Prophet end up on Rage Owl Star?¡± Speaking of which, Hu Ke sighed and shared his past experiences. After listening, Gu Hang also felt quite moved. ¡°War has destroyed the beautiful lives of countless people,¡± said Gu Hang, ¡°but it is also the only means by which humanity has managed to survive in this ever-turbulent Star Sea.¡± Hu Ke agreed, ¡°You¡¯re right, but the cost is high, especially when the cost falls on individuals.¡± ¡°But I promise you,¡± Gu Hang stated, ¡°in the future, I will do everything in my power to prevent those calamities from befalling you and your family. I cannot guarantee that such things will never happen again, but at least as long as I can ensure overall stability, you will have a peaceful life. What I need from you is merely your knowledge and your loyalty.¡± ¡°I will always remain loyal to The Emperor.¡± The middle-aged man seemed to say more than he meant, but Gu Hang did not mind. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± he said. ¡°Since we have got this far¡­¡± Hu Ke knew that he had passed this two-hour interview, and now it was time to discuss his compensation, ¡°I am quite interested in the rank hierarchy you have established on Rage Owl Star. May I know what rank and treatment I can expect under your command?¡± ¡°C9,¡± Gu Hang answered directly, without beating around the bush, revealing the decision he had made earlier, ¡°the highest level of the C tier. You will have a large standalone villa with a yard in Revival City. If you prefer a lively neighbourhood, we can arrange a residence in the residential area, where your neighbours will be government officials or researchers¡ªI guarantee your house will be the best in the community; if you prefer quiet, your house can also be located in a standalone villa in the suburbs.¡± ¡°Naturally, I will not need to mention that you will have no worries about food and clothing. You will have three E-level employees as nannies and housekeepers to provide services. Your wife can freely choose a job, and I heard she enjoys reading? The museums, archives, and libraries in Revival City are all in their formative stages; we are dedicated to collecting pre-war relics and striving to restore the once-glorious culture of Rage Owl Star. Perhaps your wife would also like to become a C-level employee and contribute to the cultural renaissance of Rage Owl Star.¡± ¡°Of course, if she prefers to stay at home peacefully, that¡¯s possible too. However, without a specific job, her rank can¡¯t be rated too high. Please understand this, as it is the policy of the Alliance and it cannot be broken for any individual,¡± he continued. ¡°Your child will receive the most comprehensive education from the Alliance. Perhaps you do not care about these things, as the quality of the education you could give to your child at home during your spare time is probably higher than the Alliance¡¯s current educational level. But I believe you would still want your child to have a proper childhood and socialize with peers,¡± Gu Hang said. Hearing this, Hu Ke nodded in satisfaction. Solely from the standpoint of living conditions, he had nothing else to ask for. C9, under the current Alliance system, was already very high. It was said that Lady Osenia, who in practice took on the work of the Prime Minister of the Alliance Government, was only at B3. Clearly, the Governor was intentionally reserving higher levels for future promotions. From this level, he was only four sub-tiers away from the current highest rank of the Alliance. With his child and wife properly taken care of, all he needed to do was his job. ¡°May I ask then, what exactly will my job entail?¡± Gu Hang provided an immediate answer: ¡°Under the Alliance Production Department, a Science and Technology Development Bureau will be planned. Ms. Wu Jiarong will be the director, and you will be the honorary director. You will have an independent research institute in Revival City and I will try to provide enough assistants to help with your work.¡± ¡°The tasks you need to undertake are mainly threefold,¡± she began, ¡°the first is to take on various scientific research projects either from the Alliance Production Department or directly from my office, that is, the Office of the Governor.¡± ¡°The second is to serve as an educator at the Alliance Technical College.¡± ¡°Thirdly, you will act as a direct technical consultant to the Office of the Governor, answering some of my questions when necessary.¡± After listening carefully to these tasks, Hu Ke indicated that there was no problem. Moreover, he immediately demonstrated initiative in his work and, in accordance with the third point raised by Her Excellency, reported a situation. It concerned the incidents at the southern edge of the Green Valley, the Nature Salvation Society, and his student Ge Wajia. Upon hearing this, Gu Hang immediately furrowed his brows deeply. ¡°Are you saying¡­ the aberrant beasts that are ravaging the Rage Owl Star, which are almost omnipresent, are the products of this Nature Salvation Society? And it¡¯s not just simple genetic mutations, biological variants, but also involves supernatural phenomena related to demons from the Abyss?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the general idea, although some details may vary,¡± Hu Ke clarified, ¡°The aberrant beasts of Rage Owl Star might not be entirely the work of the Nature Salvation Society. But they have exploited these creatures, employing their filthy, degenerate demonology. They are conducting inhumane experiments in the Southern Green Valley, attempting to manufacture and control these aberrant beasts on a large scale.¡± Gu Hang stroked his chin, deep in thought. If it was just the aberrant beasts, that would be one thing. He had not not dealt with such monsters before; in the nearly deforested woods surrounding Weixing City, now the site of the Phoenix Monastery, he had once led a fledgling army, besieged by a group of aberrant beasts activated by dark sorcery from the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect. Those creatures were a terrifying threat to the average wasteland survivor force. They did not fear death, grew cyclically, were immensely powerful, and with things like the Pus Spewer, they could almost be considered short-range bio-cannons. The aberrant beasts of the Green Valley region are generally such creatures. Even if there are occasionally some strange species, on the whole, their numbers are not large. And yet, it was these very creatures that had wrought great destruction upon the local plantations of the Green Valley, one by one laying them to waste. At present, the entire central and southern parts of Green Valley were in dire straits. According to the latest intelligence Gu Hang had seen, the aberrant beasts were the source of the disaster. Aside from the direct destruction of settlements, casualties and reduced food production they caused, the most terrifying thing was the secondary disasters that followed. People wouldn¡¯t just die out; those who had lost their plantations, their food, and their wealth wouldn¡¯t just sit and wait to starve. They would spontaneously band together, compete with each other, consume each other, eventually forming larger, stronger, more cohesive groups. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And so one Marauder Tribe after another was born. They would raid, kill, and loot in order to survive. A significant number of plantations were also destroyed by these marauders. The wave of aberrant beasts led to the emergence of refugees ¡ª these refugees formed Marauder Tribes ¡ª which in turn destroyed more settlements, creating even more refugees ¡ª leading to even bigger and more Marauder Tribes¡­ The vicious cycle, like a rolling snowball, had begun. Chapter 283 - Chapter 283: Chapter 185, The goal of the war is the entire Green Valley Region! Chapter 283: Chapter 185, The goal of the war is the entire Green Valley Region! The vicious cycle in the Green Valley Region was not a first-time occurrence. In past years, every monster wave saw similar events unfold. However, previous waves of beasts were neither particularly long in duration nor particularly large in scale. Once the tide of monsters abated, the source of the vicious cycle would disappear, and things would start to improve. Raiders were either eradicated or, in the territories they occupied, they would ¡°whitewash¡± themselves and turn into legitimate plantations. Those who did not whitewash and continued as raiders existed as well, but their numbers would never be too significant. Ultimately, when most people had enough to eat, the situation would gradually settle down until the next wave of beast tides, and the vicious cycle would commence anew. In summary, that¡¯s how the people of the Green Valley Region got by over the many years. But this year was different, the wave of Aberrant Beasts too large, not just sporadic; and it lasted too long, nearly half a year now, showing no signs of weakening but instead escalating. With the source of the vicious cycle not diminishing but strengthening, that vicious cycle naturally could not be stopped. Yet, the issues in the Green Valley Region needed to be addressed. It is the most important granary of Rage Owl Star, not only feeding the 10 million population of the Green Valley Region itself but also supplying food to Central Province and the Eastern Provinces. If the problem in the Green Valley Region is not solved, it not only means a livelihood issue for its 10 million population but will also lead to widespread famine across the entire planet. Ultimately, this is a population loss Gu Hang could not tolerate. Population is extremely important, both for productivity and for the fixed monthly income in his system. Only with more people can a larger industry be sustained, more armies be maintained, and more merit point income be provided. This grain-producing area, these ten million people, were definitively something Gu Hang had to protect. And several months ago, the Alliance had already taken action. The weapons and equipment replaced by the military, from those of the Old Alliance Legion to the adventures of Rubbish Town who were incorporated after being disarmed, were sold in large quantities as military goods to the Southern Green Valley Region. In need of weapons, the Green Valley Region theoretically could have paid high prices for these firearms and homemade artillery, but under Osenia¡¯s instructions, the Alliance Commerce Department did not proceed in that manner. When there was a shortage of food earlier, the prices were sold a bit higher, but as soon as the food imports from the Western Desert Region increased significantly and the pressure on Central Province¡¯s food supplies eased, the Commerce Department even further lowered the prices. Later on, some of the weaponry produced in Weixing City¡¯s armory was sold to Green Valley Region. And numerous weapons and equipment were not sold for money but were provided free of charge as military aid. Of course, ¡°free of charge¡± essentially meant everything but money was required. Military aid, assistance in all kinds of essential goods, consumer products, definitely all came with an agenda, a strong political attribute. Without such a large batch of military goods, how could the Alliance¡¯s diplomats, civil administrators, and military observers establish the so-called ¡°Qinggu Mutual Aid Committee¡±? And this so-called ¡°Qinggu Mutual Aid Committee¡± was Gu Hang¡¯s preparation for the future and complete control over the entire Green Valley Region. Many plantations, refugees, and even raiders willing to lay down their arms and whitewash were brought in. The ¡°Mutual Aid Society¡± made the plantations give up grain as a protection fee, ensuring that refugees and raiders would not plunder them; they organized refugees and whitewashed raiders, armed with the aid and sold weapons from the Alliance, into militias and patrol teams to strike at other raiders not affiliated with the Mutual Aid Society; these militias and patrol teams would quickly provide support upon receiving pleas for help from various plantations. If they encountered an insurmountable wave of giant beasts, at the very least, they could ensure the people inside could evacuate alive. The existence of the Mutual Aid Society proved to be highly effective over the course of two months. This can be seen from how the Mutual Aid Society, in just two months, rapidly expanded from a smattering of initial locations near Central Province, which was under Alliance control, to a massive organization covering nearly four million people, almost the entire Northern Green Valley Region. To be frank, the population under the Mutual Aid Society was already nearly comparable to the Alliance proper. Such rapid expansion was not only due to the effective work of Alliance¡¯s external staff and the valuable military goods provided but also because the Mutual Aid Society met the needs of almost everyone in the Northern Green Valley Region. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Refugees found a haven, whitewashed raiders had a stable grain income, and plantations had strong armed support¡­ Gu Hang viewed the Mutual Aid Society as a rapidly growing fruit of victory. Once the Mutual Aid Society expanded sufficiently, the Alliance Army could swiftly move southward, bringing with them the militias and patrol teams of the Mutual Aid Society, to fully regroup and push southward, leveling the mutant beasts that had overrun the central and southern parts of Green Valley. Initially, he had already been capable of annihilating tens of thousands of Aberrant Beasts with just a single infantry battalion, let alone now. His army had grown in number, and their weapons and equipment had undergone several upgrades, now possessing powerful long-range firepower, armored troops, and even air forces. Chapter 284 - Chapter 284: Chapter 185, The Goal of War is the Entire Green Valley Region!_2 Chapter 284: Chapter 185, The Goal of War is the Entire Green Valley Region!_2 Aberrant Beasts are at the original level, even if there are more of them, there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of. All he had to do was wait for the Mutual Aid Society to mature, and after that, it was all about reaping the rewards. After one sweep, Gu Hang would have had the entire Green Valley Region completely under his control, and it would have seemed as easy as reaching into a bag and taking what he wanted. But now, the news brought by Hu Ke had raised deep concerns in Gu Hang. The biotechnology of the Nature Salvation Society involved supernatural forces and demon knowledge, and with that, these creatures could not simply be treated as a local environmental monster formation. If he considered Demons as the hypothetical enemy¡­ Gu Hang felt incredibly uneasy inside. To put it bluntly, even the Green Skin Tribe of Gaota Province, which had not fully developed yet, proved to be a tough battle, and if he were to encounter Demons or Chaos Traitors¡­ they definitely wouldn¡¯t be easier to deal with than the Green Skin Orcs. At this point, it was Hu Ke who was trying to reassure Gu Hang not to worry too much. ¡°The situation hasn¡¯t deteriorated to an irreversible point.¡± The C9 employee who had just joined the alliance comforted his biggest boss, and said, ¡°At least during my half-year stay in Chanter Town, I only noticed their technology was related to demon knowledge. I haven¡¯t seen any solid evidence of their more significant ties with Demons and definitely haven¡¯t personally seen a Demon. Lord Governor, you don¡¯t have to be overly worried.¡± However, Hu Ke added another line after saying this: ¡°But we might need to speed up our actions. After all, no one knows what could happen if we give them more time¡­ even this year¡¯s particularly massive wave of Aberrant Beasts, there¡¯s no doubt it¡¯s the doing of the Nature Salvation Society. It¡¯s just a pity that in the past six months, I kept stalling and didn¡¯t undergo their so-called ¡®sublimation transformation¡¯, and that¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t access many top-secret details or confirm their exact aims.¡± Gu Hang nodded and said, ¡°I understand. I¡¯m very grateful for the intelligence you¡¯ve provided. You¡¯ve worked hard during this time, and the Civil Administration Office should have prepared your new home for you. Take your family and have a good rest. The future development of the alliance will rely even more on your contributions. As for the Green Valley Region issue¡­¡± He paused, then Gu Hang continued, ¡°I don¡¯t plan to change our original strategy, we just have to speed up.¡± This was inevitable. Without knowing the enemy¡¯s plans, and also finding it difficult to find ways to investigate, the best response was to strike quickly and ruthlessly to completely eliminate them before the enemy¡¯s actions fully commenced. Gu Hang no longer bothered with the two technical experts, Wu Jiarong and Hu Ke, but made his own calculations. The best resolution time was within a month. The Quintet would remain for another month before leaving. Although the Starship had suffered some not insignificant damage, its weapon systems were still relatively intact. The ammunition reserves were no longer ample, but still somewhat sufficient, enough to carry out an orbital strike on the ground without issue. Therefore, the best solution for Gu Hang right now was to resolve the Green Valley problem within a month, while the orbital strike capability was still present, and to thoroughly eradicate the Nature Salvation Society. If things were dragged out past a month and the orbital strike capability was gone, that would be troublesome. Having thought this through, Gu Hang called his secretary, who was also his butler that had come with him to Rage Owl Star, Zhang Chao. ¡°Send an order to Yan Fangxu, cancel all troop rotations, all soldiers must be ready to mobilize within three days. His troops will depart after three days, war has begun.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Zhang Chao instinctively responded, then asked with some confusion, ¡°But¡­ what is the target of the war?¡± ¡°The entire Green Valley Region.¡± Gu Hang replied. ¡­ Jason Morgan felt that since the establishment of the new alliance, his luck had been particularly good. He had received another commendation for discovering a top-tier talent for the alliance. It all seemed dreamlike. In all honesty, he had just wanted to find an exceptional doctor to help solve the infection and death problem among the refugees. And from that, he stumbled upon an Engine Prophet? Jason Morgan had since come to understand what an Engine Prophet represented. He now counted himself fortunate for not having been rude at the time, but instead, had shown the appropriate respect to Hu Ke. If the alliance made any key technological breakthroughs in the future, he could claim some credit for it! Still, this matter was merely an episode to him. Although he benefited greatly from it, and during the recent communication with the leadership of the Immigration Bureau, they even mentioned his promotion by two ranks was a certainty. Naturally, he was overjoyed. However, his leadership also reminded him of one thing. ¡°Your primary job still needs to be done well.¡± ¡°I understand!¡± And what was his primary job? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only 1. Ensure the success of the autumn harvest. 2. Manage population migration, with the most important task being infectious disease control. Both had been his ongoing efforts. Recently, it was already autumn, and the primary food crops of the major plantations in the Northern Green Valley Region were nearing the harvest season. Although this year¡¯s total yield was bound to be less than stellar, it was crucial to harvest what could be harvested. Chapter 285 - Chapter 285: Chapter 185, The Goal of War is the Entire Green Valley Region!_3 Chapter 285: Chapter 185, The Goal of War is the Entire Green Valley Region!_3 According to the instructions from the Governor: saving one more grain of food now may prevent someone from starving in the future. For this task, Jason was actually running tirelessly between major plantations, just to see how the harvests were going and to sign future grain procurement contracts with the relevant plantation owners. The second task involved relocating populations to the Central Province, especially to the Twin Cities Region, continuously. This was his old line of work; the only difference was that previously, the relocation was from other areas of the Central Province to the Twin Cities, and now it was from the Northern Green Valley Region. In terms of the willingness of the population, moving people from Green Valley to the Twin Cities was even simpler than doing the same thing within the Central Province. Here in Green Valley, most of the people were refugees who longed for the opportunity to go to the Twin Cities Region. However, the situation was complicated by the outbreak of an infectious disease. This was a peculiar condition discovered only in the past month. Known as ¡®Pustule Disease,¡¯ the infectious disease wasn¡¯t highly fatal, but those infected would develop blisters all over their bodies causing intense itching. The pus from these broken blisters became a source of infection. Healthy people who came into contact without protection could easily be infected. Therefore, before relocating people to the Central Province, it was essential to first isolate the individuals to ensure safety before transporting them to the rear. And within Revival City, another round of isolation and observation was necessary, until it was confirmed that the group showed no signs of the disease before they were allowed to enter the city. Jason Morgan¡¯s quarantine policies at various refugee settlements were about more than just monitoring people for symptoms of illness. Those who fell ill were quickly transferred to the sick wards, where they would receive care from health workers. Of course, one couldn¡¯t expect these health workers to be highly professional. Although the hospitals in the Twin Cities had been established for some time, the level of the doctors there was¡­ mediocre, to put it mildly. And in the refugee camps in the Northern Green Valley Region, one couldn¡¯t even dream of having professional doctors. They were health workers conscripted on the spot, equipped with a rudimentary medical manual, administering medication shipped from the Twin Cities to the sick populace. But surprisingly, the results were quite effective. What played the most significant role was the medication itself. The pharmaceutical chemical plants in Revival City, which had been in operation for some time, produced medication that was genuinely effective. For pain relief, one dose could truly alleviate the pain¡ªnot necessarily curing the disease, but making patients feel much better, and once their mood improved and they were able to eat, their bodies naturally gained more energy to fight off the disease. The drugs for treating skin diseases and immune disorders might not target the exact symptoms, but the barefoot doctors, following the handbook and administering the standard doses, often found success. Humans are sometimes frail, but at other times, incredibly resilient. With enough food and medications that could relieve pain and soothe symptoms¡­ even without a cure-all, most people would ultimately pull through. The current mortality rate of ¡®Pustule Disease¡¯ stood between 5%-10%. This was a high figure, and with the number of infected individuals across the numerous refugee camps adding up to over a hundred thousand, it meant that tens of thousands might die from the disease. It was precisely because he had seen too many tragedies that Jason, upon hearing of an outstanding doctor, took time out of his busy schedule to recruit him¡ªan effort that resulted in even greater benefits, but that¡¯s another story. Nevertheless, Jason Morgan was quite optimistic about the future. As the temporarily recruited health workers, the barefoot doctors, gained more experience in treating Pustule Disease, even the most foolish ones would eventually discern some objective principles, allowing for a further refinement of medication dosage and improving the process of patient care. Soon, a new medical manual bearing the ¡®Revival City Research Institute¡¯ emblem was distributed to his area, detailing how to medicate patients with Pustule Disease, the symptoms expected at each stage, how to adapt medication plans during phase transitions, specific methods of isolation, and indicators of patient recovery¡­ This manual was far more reliable compared to the ¡®Barefoot Book¡¯ they were previously using. He knew that this new researcher was none other than Mr. Hu Ke, whom he had ¡®recruited.¡¯ He was very reassured. Though he had initially misunderstood, believing Mr. Hu Ke was a doctor, in reality, the contribution he made was even greater than that of a mere physician. In summary, with more experienced health workers and the new treatment manual from the Revival City Research Institute, the situation was bound to improve. Apart from the autumn harvest and Pustule Disease, he had just received news of a new task added to his plate: He was to coordinate with the Central Group Army, which had already moved south, and with the military observers from the Mutual Aid Society, to locally assemble militia forces. All militia units were to be placed under the command of Yan Fangxu, a General of the Central Group Army, and be subject to the unified dispatch of the headquarters. Furthermore, the Mutual Aid Society should mobilize all plantations to supply the army with grain on-site after the autumn harvest, as part of the support for the southward moving troops. He had already disseminated the relevant notifications through the Mutual Aid Society¡¯s network to various locations. Yet, the implementation was not ideal. The decision-making body of the Mutual Aid Committee was the Committee Assembly. These so-called committee members were mostly the plantation owners who still maintained order, and a minority were reformed former looters turned militia leaders. No official from the Alliance held a formal committee membership; they mostly served as observers. This arrangement was made initially to dispel the wariness of the plantation owners and militia leaders when the Mutual Aid Society was established. Originally, there had been time to gradually dissolve the power of the Mutual Aid Society, but the Alliance Headquarters¡¯ sudden advance disrupted their plans. Currently, both the plantation owners and militia leaders wielded significant influence and power. And a considerable number of them opposed the Alliance¡¯s complete southward move. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now, the Mutual Aid Committee was in complete disarray. It was up to Jason Morgan to resolve this issue. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª This chapter is 5,000 words. Publishing it now; it¡¯s too late when I finished writing, I¡¯ll correct any typos or grammatical errors after I wake up¡­ Chapter 286 - Chapter 286: Chapter 186, what do you say is the way of loyalty? Chapter 286: Chapter 186, what do you say is the way of loyalty? Crook Plantation can almost be considered the largest plantation in the Northern Green Valley Region. The surname Crook has been passed down here for four generations. They have always been the masters of the plantation, and over time they have grown and expanded so that now, their status in the Northern Green Valley Region is of great significance. A few months ago, the old master passed away, and now Kroc is in charge. The younger generation, as it happens, harbors even greater ambition than their predecessors. Disregarding whether this ambition is reasonable or not, at least Kroc believes that he is a man of grand aspirations. He is not content with merely being a local tycoon of the Green Valley Region, living off of the land like his ancestors¡ªalbeit at the expense of others¡¯ labor while he reaps the benefits. Nonetheless, he feels that the Crook family can take things a step further. The current crisis in the Green Valley Region and the establishment of the Mutual Aid Society, supported by the Alliance, present a golden opportunity that he values highly. He responded enthusiastically to the creation of the Mutual Aid Society and, utilizing his own influence, persuaded and affected the participation of many other plantations. This was not difficult. Firstly, the Mutual Aid Society was inherently advantageous and mutually beneficial; secondly, Crook Manor, as the largest plantation, indeed played a leading role in actively responding to the Mutual Aid Society. His goal, in fact, is not at all complicated: he hopes to become the controller of the Mutual Aid Society, transforming it from an organization of mutual assistance formed under the aid of the Alliance into a genuine political entity stretching across the Green Valley Region. He has excluded all Alliance-appointed individuals from the Mutual Aid Committee, granting them mere observer status, while the real power structures are under the control of the plantation owners and militia commanders. As long as he firmly occupies the position of committee chairman and leads well, that will suffice. Afterwards, the gradual improvement of various governmental mechanisms will ensure that power is truly implemented from top to bottom. Of course, he is not so na?ve as to believe that transforming the Mutual Aid Society into a political entity will allow him to stand up against the Alliance or the Governor. However¡­ the so-called Alliance is not a centralized government. Ever since the establishment of the Alliance by one generation of Governors, we have always been a member of the Alliance and have never left it. Still under the framework of the Alliance, but as an autonomous regional government that maintains a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with the Alliance Central, wouldn¡¯t that be wonderful? Of course, he is well aware that, given the current state of the GreenValley Region, taking a hard stance against the Alliance Headquarters is definitely not feasible. What he strives for is political benefits. In his view, the Green Valley Region has a population and significant food production, which provides a basis for negotiating with the Alliance Headquarters. Even if it is inevitable that in the future the region will be completely absorbed by the Alliance, by then, Kroc would need a satisfactory explanation. Becoming a senior official within the Alliance is also not out of the question. But he did not anticipate that the Alliance would not give him time. Kroc is somewhat panicked. Has my cunning plan been seen through? Is the Alliance targeting me? He called for a grand meeting of the Mutual Aid Society Committee. The venue was at Crook Manor, which also serves as the headquarters of the Mutual Aid Society. A circular hall, with its center lower and the surroundings gradually elevated. Wooden tables and chairs were arranged on the steps around the hall for the committee members to sit. And in the very center of the circular dais was the podium. Inside the meeting hall, Kroc was inciting the thoughts of the other plantation owners. Standing in the center of the conference hall, Kroc spoke passionately. ¡°I believe many of you have received the news that Commander Yan Fangxu of the Central Group Army is marching southward. According to the latest orders from the Alliance, we need to provide supplies for this army.¡± ¡°Not just food supplies, but also our militia forces, which we have painstakingly established over these past few months, are to be incorporated under the command of Commander Yan Fangxu.¡± ¡°Consider what happened in the Central Province two months ago. A large number of settlements were abolished; a large number of survivors were captured by the Alliance; the people who had worked tirelessly to sustain the settlements and protect their people were sent to the guillotine, found guilty.¡± ¡°The Alliance is planning to take away everything from us, just as they did to the people of the Central Province two months ago.¡± His remarks indeed stirred up many people¡¯s minds. The sudden move south by the Central Group Army truly caused panic. The plantation owners are worried that their properties will be confiscated. Under the policies of the Alliance, it seems that fully independent, private properties do not exist. However, even if their thoughts have been provoked, most people are still largely silent at this moment. Worries aside, but¡­ should they really oppose the Alliance because of this? Let¡¯s set other considerations aside for the moment and look at the attitudes of the militia commanders. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now, the military force of the Mutual Aid Society completely consists of militias. Among the militia commanders, those elected by the plantation owners are still manageable, and for the time being, they can maintain a stance that aligns with the plantation owners who elected them. But those bandits who have been surrendered and whitewashed are a completely different matter. Being placed under the command of the Central Group Army¡­ to them, it doesn¡¯t seem so bad. The bandits who were recruited and whitewashed originally took up that lifestyle out of desperation and the need to survive. The plantation owners show no particular mercy to them, and they have no fixed properties in the Beiqing Valley Region. Chapter 287 - Chapter 287: Chapter 186, what do you say is the way of loyalty?_2 Chapter 287: Chapter 186, what do you say is the way of loyalty?_2 Everyone¡¯s just trying to scrape a living, aren¡¯t they? If they¡¯re incorporated into the ranks of the Alliance Army, surely they wouldn¡¯t let them starve? Who knows, in the future they might even have the chance to become regulars, proud members of the Alliance¡¯s formal military. But imagine expecting a militia with this kind of mentality to risk their lives in military confrontation with the Alliance? Don¡¯t make me laugh. Besides, it¡¯s not just about direct military confrontation, even without war, the Mutual Aid Society couldn¡¯t withstand hostility from the Alliance, let alone its hard measures. A militia of over a hundred thousand, who¡¯s going to provide the arms? With just food, could the four million residents of the Beiqing Valley Region survive? A large volume of industrial products, essential goods for life, all depend on supply from the Twin Cities, especially important is medical aid. If the support of the Alliance is missing, the Mutual Aid Society itself would collapse. To be frank, there¡¯s no possibility of any direct confrontation between the two sides. Kroc himself mentioned the Central Province just now, didn¡¯t he? At least the Central Province could pull together an army of a hundred thousand without any help and in total opposition to the governor. Could the Mutual Aid Society do that? Once opposed, it¡¯s likely that the order established by the Mutual Aid Society in the Beiqing Valley Region over the past couple of months would fall apart on its own. Moreover, even if an army were pulled together, so what? Would they be able to defeat the grand forces of the Alliance? How many days did that hundred-thousand-strong army of the Central Province last? Everyone was rightfully bitter about the Alliance Army¡¯s sudden move southward, but if Kroc believes such feelings could motivate everyone to hard-headedly confront the Alliance, he¡¯s dreaming. No one will join him in such madness. Of course, Kroc isn¡¯t delusional enough to think he could incite the Mutual Aid Society to do such a thing. Even if he could, he wouldn¡¯t. Yet, upon reading the expressions of those around and guessing their mindset, Kroc still felt some disappointment. But he quickly adjusted his attitude. He continued, ¡°I know you all are scared, thinking ¡®Ah, has this Kroc gone mad, daring to say such words¡¯, but I need to tell you, it is now truly a matter of life and death for us, and no one wants to give up the assets accumulated by generations for nothing.¡± ¡°Of course, we are not going to confront the Alliance, to confront the governor. I have no such intention. The Mutual Aid Society was established with the help of the Alliance, His Excellency the Governor has helped us a lot, we, the people of Green Valley, will not be ungrateful. We are part of the Alliance, in the past, at the present, and in the future; we will always be loyal to The Emperor, loyal to the governor, this will never change.¡± As he said this, people finally became interested. He had started out talking as if everything we had would be taken by the Alliance, almost inciting us to confront them, but then his speech took a total turn, speaking of loyalty to the governor and the Alliance. What kind of schizophrenic statement is this? What in the world is he getting at? Even though his speech had been baffling, when he mentioned that he didn¡¯t actually mean to turn against the damn thing, everyone¡¯s guard and vigilance significantly lessened. People started to expect that Kroc might really have some good plan to keep everyone¡¯s assets without causing a direct confrontation with the Alliance. ¡°We are loyal to the governor, to the Alliance, but loyalty does not mean stupidity, we have to consider the way we are loyal,¡± he said. ¡°We will show our will to His Excellency the Governor through nonviolent noncooperation. We will refuse to supply the Alliance Army, we will refuse to transfer the command and organizational power of the militia to the Central Group Army. If there are any direct threats of violence, I allow you to temporarily agree, to promise cooperation; but once the violent threat has ceased, we propose that we will continue to carry out protest actions¡­¡± As he spoke, Kroc¡¯s pace suddenly quickened, intensified: ¡°Members, this is our way of protest. We will never engage in any head-on confrontations with the Alliance Army, striking, protesting, stopping food supplies¡ªthese actions will also not continue indefinitely. We just need a civilized way, a bloodless way, to express our demands, and ultimately achieve the goal of resolving issues through negotiation!¡± This speech stirred the audience. Well done, it¡¯s a strategy of ¡®nonviolent noncooperation¡¯, right? But upon reflection, it¡¯s not unfeasible. Strikes, protests, withholding supplies¡­ if faced with guns, there¡¯d be no choice; but as long as there are no guns, do nothing. How many people does the Alliance Army have? Are they all going to become supervisors in every area? Both sides just drag it out, the Green Valley Region has always been a mess, how much worse can it continue to get? But it¡¯s different for the Alliance. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Can the great endeavors of His Excellency the Governor afford such delays? Creating value in the united front and then at the negotiation table, strive to gain as many benefits as possible¡­ This approach seems really viable. But some questioned, ¡°This is a good method, but if the Alliance performs bloody suppression, arrests or even executes the leaders of the protest, that is, us, then how will you respond to that?¡± Kroc took a deep breath, ¡°That¡¯s the risk we face: first, would the Alliance do that? Aren¡¯t they afraid of inciting greater resistance? Second, we must protect ourselves. The Beiqing Valley Region is vast, or rather, the whole world is vast, we must hide, in the wilderness, among the people. We must also find a way to ensure that even under such circumstances, we can still wield sufficient influence over the Mutual Aid Society, over food distribution and labor¡­¡± Chapter 288 - Chapter 288: Chapter 186, what do you say is the way of loyalty?_3 Chapter 288: Chapter 186, what do you say is the way of loyalty?_3 Just as Kroc was sharing his thoughts, becoming more and more earnest, a ¡°creak¡± was heard as the massive doors of the circular council hall were flung open. Kroc stopped speaking and turned around furiously. The doors to the meeting hall were located directly behind the podium where he had just been making his impassioned speech. It wasn¡¯t exactly a secret meeting today, but it was certainly important enough. He had explicitly ordered that there be no disturbances during the meeting. There was supposed to be someone guarding the doors to the meeting hall, so who dared to interrupt the meeting at this time? However, upon seeing who had arrived, the angry curse on the tip of his tongue was swallowed back. The newcomer was Jason Morgan, an unremarkable middle-aged man with a slight paunch, not very tall, and his face always wore a rather friendly smile, nothing out of the ordinary. Yet he still managed to send a chill down the spine of Kroc, who was plotting a big move, feeling full of schemes and knowledge. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that Jason Morgan himself possessed any kind of magical power. It was because behind Jason Morgan stood a symbol of an invincible power, one that could only be dealt with in the shadows. And now, the shadowy plotting was laid bare in the sunlight. Kroc struggled to come up with a plan, anything at all, but his mind was blank, as if triggering some physiological mechanism had caused his brain to freeze. Jason¡¯s face still bore that friendly smile as he took a few steps forward, standing in front of Kroc, and said, ¡°The Mutual Aid Congress, huh? Not having observers present doesn¡¯t comply with the rules for calling a committee meeting.¡± Kroc managed to force a smile. He thought of spewing harsh words and even considered calling people over to arrest the intruding Jason Morgan or even kill him on the spot. However, after hesitating, all he could say was, ¡°We haven¡¯t had the chance to notify¡­ Mr. Morgan, weren¡¯t you inspecting the disease prevention work in the next park? If we had known you were here, we would certainly have invited you¡­¡± Morgan waved his hand dismissively, ¡°Ah, I see, but no matter. The timing now is just right. On my way here, I saw quite a few militiamen armed to the teeth. I thought I might encounter some trouble on my way in, but no one stopped me, and quite a few comrades from the militia even followed along behind me.¡± As he said this, he gestured behind him. A squad of armed militiamen entered. Morgan turned his head again, facing Kroc, and continued, ¡°Just now, I think I overheard something about ¡®non-violent non-cooperation¡¯, ¡®we must consider ways of loyalty¡¯¡­¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At this point, that friendly smile on Morgan¡¯s face seemed quite sinister to Kroc. ¡°What a coincidence, although I¡¯m not sure what ¡®non-violent non-cooperation¡¯ means, I am a graduate from the advance class at Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy, having received direct instruction from the governor himself. I think I¡¯m the most qualified here to discuss what loyalty means.¡± ¡°The way of loyalty, in my view, is not up for debate. Even these militiamen comrades behind me, who can hardly recognize a few characters, deeply understand this truth:¡± ¡°The best way to be loyal is to remain absolutely loyal. And loyalty that is not absolute is absolutely disloyal.¡± Jason Morgan adjusted the red cap on his head, completely suppressing all smiles, and looked sternly at everyone present: ¡°I¡¯d like to know, just how many people still wish to discuss further the way of loyalty?¡± Chapter 289 - Chapter 289: Chapter 187, starting from 1, they are all my people Chapter 289: Chapter 187, starting from 1, they are all my people The farce ended with the arrest of Kroc. In Jason Morgan¡¯s eyes, it was just a farce. The things Kroc said at the committee meeting, Morgan could only describe as utter nonsense. Could the method of struggle Kroc proposed actually work? It might work, but there were prerequisites. Firstly, external support was necessary. Without it, causing trouble out of thin air with no resources at hand, how could that be achieved? To continue the struggle in the absence of the ring leaders, who would be in hiding or on the run, people must be fed and have a way out. Of course, Kroc wasn¡¯t unprepared for this. During his subsequent interrogation, he admitted to having connections with Blackbird Heavy Industries. But Jason Morgan sneered at this. Blackbird Heavy Industries, thousands of miles away, providing supplies to support the resistance movement in the Beiqing Valley Region? It wasn¡¯t just a matter of distance, but also significant geographical barriers. From Beiqing Valley to the western part of the mainland, one had to cross mountain ranges and the Western Desert which were impassable. The official trade routes had to go through the Central Province, which was under direct control of the Alliance. Not to mention the operational capability and cost involved, the Alliance wasn¡¯t blind and wouldn¡¯t make it easy. Moreover, external support was just one of the elements. The core success or failure of the resistance movement Kroc envisioned hinged on whether it could gain support from the local residents. If they wanted to hide, they had to be able to remain hidden. Not to mention whether these landlord lords could endure hardship, even if they could, people need food to eat and a place to live. If under Mr. Gu¡¯s governance, the Alliance was a brutal regime making lives miserable and stirring up widespread discontent; if Kroc and the other manor owners were reincarnated saints who had always treated their tenant farmers very well, ensuring they never wanted for food while they themselves had enough to eat¡­ If that were the case, their resistance movement would have a chance. With the support of the four million people of the Beiqing Valley Region, they could indeed remain hidden and continuously incite disturbances and provoke the public into resistance. What about bloody suppression? Killing the leaders would only result in new ones emerging; killing a bunch of civilians would see more rise up. The more they were suppressed, the more resentment and resistance would grow. But that wasn¡¯t the problem. The vast number of refugees in the Green Valley Region could hardly survive. It was the Alliance that set up the Mutual Aid Society, moving the refugees to the Twin Cities in batches; even those not yet relocated were at least provided with food, no matter where it came from, as the civil affairs officials of the Alliance kept making their presence felt; there were treatments for those who fell ill¡­ The militia was also organized with the help of the Alliance¡¯s military observers, armed with weapons provided by the Alliance to protect the peace. And while the former manor owners might not have been brutal, they were certainly not particularly benevolent. Four million people of Green Valley were just waiting for a chance to enter the Twin Cities Region, who would listen to your call for resistance? Hide? In minutes, someone would report them, and just like that, they might get a reward and become city dwellers. And without going into distant matters, Kroc dreamt of being the chairman of the Mutual Aid Society, but he couldn¡¯t even control the Society itself. When Jason Morgan rushed over from the neighboring manor, he indeed arrived alone. When he reached the gate of Crook Manor, it opened by itself. He randomly picked a militia squad leader on guard, asked where Kroc was, and after a moment¡¯s hesitation, he was directed there. At the entrance of the meeting hall, many armed militiamen stood guard. A group of people was blocking the door hesitantly. Jason Morgan didn¡¯t say a word and just walked inside. The rifles crossed in front of him to block his path, but he simply pushed them aside. And those militiamen didn¡¯t lay a finger on him. Even after he walked past, he turned his head and called out in the name of the Alliance, and those guarding team leaders looked at each other for a moment and then really started to lead their people into the meeting hall with him. When Kroc was arrested and dragged out, he still thought that Jason Morgan had premeditated the collusion, infiltrated his manor with his own people, and prepared to strike at that moment. Heaven and earth are my witness, Jason Morgan really hadn¡¯t planted anyone. He just heard the news, then he came, and then¡­ all the militia switched sides, what could he do? Or is it possible that from the beginning to the end, there were never ¡®your people,¡¯ that these people were all ¡®my people¡¯ from the start? With that level of competence, to conduct a nonviolent non-cooperation movement and seek negotiation leverage with the Alliance¡­ that¡¯s enough. Jason Morgan¡¯s assessment of Kroc was that he was a young man who had inherited the wealth of his predecessors, full of ambition but lacking any practical ability, indulging in grandiose but impractical dreams. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Of course, Jason Morgan didn¡¯t kill Kroc either. House arrest, detention, that was enough. If there was to be guilt in the future, let it be for the Alliance Court to judge; that wasn¡¯t his job. And in the meeting hall, the other so-called committee members of the Mutual Aid Society, when they saw Kroc being dragged out by what were supposed to be his loyal subordinates, they all woke up from their dreams. Let¡¯s not talk about those who were quite clear-headed and thought Kroc was delusional. The others who were truly swayed by Kroc¡¯s speech and who didn¡¯t want to lose their wealth and autonomy were now completely silenced. As for the defection of the militia¡­ no, it couldn¡¯t be called a defection; they had always prioritized obedience to Alliance officials far higher than obedience to the Mutual Aid Society committee members. Chapter 290 - Chapter 290: Chapter 187, Everyone Is Mine from the Start _2 Chapter 290: Chapter 187, Everyone Is Mine from the Start _2 If the armed forces won¡¯t listen, what else is there to say? Now, they could only feel relieved that when Kroc spouted nonsense earlier, they hadn¡¯t yet started to make a fuss before Jason Morgan arrived. How embarrassing would that have been now? Fortunately, Jason Morgan did not pursue the matter further. He took advantage of the committee meeting convened by Kroc to steer the topic towards how to ensure the supply of materials needed by the Alliance Army, including the militia assembled for centralized distribution. The southbound Central Group Army consisted of a total of seven division-level units, with over fifty thousand regular soldiers; the militia gathered in the Beiqing Valley Region boasted a scale of about one hundred and fifty thousand. Securing related material supplies was a major issue that required planning supply teams, allocating vehicles, repairing roads, and arranging materials¡­ It was a head full of concerns. Jason Morgan had already set aside the episode caused by Kroc and was focused on how to handle the follow-up work. That was what he cared about the most. The committee members spoke enthusiastically, each offering suggestions. One said they could provide a certain amount of food, another said they could mobilize a number of workers for road construction; one offered their manor as a rally point, another suggested their estate was suitable as a logistics hub¡­ With clear minds, the members turned into active participants. Mr. Morgan himself said it: everyone must demonstrate the right way to show loyalty. And now, our loyalty is certainly absolute! However, their ¡®loyalty¡¯ was soon put to the test once again. A militia captain burst in from outside. Initially hesitant upon assessing the situation, but Jason Morgan urged him to speak frankly, so he reported the situation directly. It turned out that an alarm was sent by an outside patrol: a large-scale wave of Aberrant Beasts was about to attack Crook Manor. It was either a coincidence or something else, but the timing of these creatures¡¯ arrival was impeccable. The NorthernGreen Valley Region was less affected by the waves of Aberrant Beasts, but not immune. These creatures mainly resided in the forest. The dense wilderness spread across the entire Great Qing Valley Region and was accessible from every direction. The mutated creatures grew and strengthened in the forests and launched attacks from within the woods. In the Green Valley Region, dealing with the waves of Aberrant Beasts was an omnipresent threat, with no distinction between the front and rear. Any place at the edge of the forest, or not too far from it, was in danger. The Green Valley Region might boast a population of tens of millions, but on a land of over six million square kilometers, that number of people¡­ well, it¡¯s really sparse by comparison. Apart from the scattered plantations and the roads that connect them, most of the area is wilderness, untouched by humans. A wave of Aberrant Beasts could arise from anywhere under normal circumstances. Inside the meeting hall, the committee members who had just been demonstrating loyalty and showing their devotion fell silent. Someone murmured hesitantly, ¡°Shall we¡­ evacuate first? Crook Manor has decent defenses, but us staying here won¡¯t be of much help; we might as well go home first. Let the militia try to hold the Manor, and once support arrives, we¡¯ll work together to repel this wave.¡± With someone taking the lead, others followed suit: ¡°Yes, yes, Mr. Morgan, you don¡¯t have to tough it out here, we can all withdraw together¡­¡± Jason Morgan simply raised his hand: ¡°Gentlemen, gentlemen.¡± After repeating himself, they calmed down. He continued, ¡°We are not going anywhere today; we stay right here. Our work is not finished. Kroc has provided us with an opportunity, and it¡¯s not easy to assemble such a complete committee. We must take advantage of this occasion to finalize some upcoming tasks. Otherwise, getting everyone together like this next time will indeed be difficult.¡± He paused, then went on, ¡°As for the enemy we are about to face¡­ we must have full confidence in the militia forces we¡¯ve assembled. I am full of confidence in the defenses of Crook Manor.¡± ¡°We will not let our warriors face the enemy alone; we must stand with them. This is also how we show our loyalty to the Governor, and I believe everyone remains unwavering in this belief.¡± ¡°Am I right?¡± The crowd fell silent. If you want to court death, why drag us into it? That¡¯s a wave of Aberrant Beasts! We also heard the message that the captain came to report! There are at least over a hundred thousand monsters marching their way here! How many militiamen are at Crook Manor? Indeed, this place is the headquarters of the Mutual Aid Society, and there are two refugee camps nearby with a population of over half a million in the vicinity. But even so, the Beiqing Valley Region is too vast, and if a hundred thousand militiamen were to be dispersed to hold their positions, currently, there would hardly be ten thousand militiamen nearby. And the number of militiamen at Crook Manor doesn¡¯t even exceed five thousand! To face a wave of a hundred thousand Aberrant Beasts, even with walls, it would be very difficult to hold them back! Generally speaking, in such a situation, you would have the militia hold their ground, then evacuate personnel, and continuously call in reinforcements from nearby to respond. If it really can¡¯t be held¡­ then whoever can be evacuated will be evacuated, and if this place has to be abandoned, then it will be abandoned. What else can be done? Why on earth is Jason Morgan hell-bent on holding on here? Morgan couldn¡¯t be bothered to explain to them. Between Crook Manor and the surrounding two refugee camps, there are five hundred thousand civilians, which is a densely populated area of the Beiqing Valley Region. Evacuating and moving people sounds easy, but what does five hundred thousand people mean, and how could it be easy to evacuate them? These people are just cowards. The current militia, can they really be the same as the old concepts in their heads? After receiving military aid from the Alliance, their firepower has long been much stronger than the armed forces they had originally organized. There¡¯s no need to worry too much. He continued to preside over the meeting, arranging work. This working meeting would not be short¡ªit wouldn¡¯t be done in just a few hours. Come evening, everyone went to rest with heavy hearts, estimating that they would have to continue the next day. A couple of days¡¯ effort should be about enough to settle the whole affair. However, the next morning, something began to feel off. In just one morning, the front line lost two positions in succession. This even forced Jason Morgan to temporarily interrupt the committee session, having those committee members discuss among themselves while he pulled aside a military observer who had just arrived the previous night to discuss the front line situation. In theory, it shouldn¡¯t have been breached so easily. However, the military observer¡¯s explanation made Jason Morgan, who was somewhat of a military layman, understand a little bit more about the severity of the current situation. ¡°¡­This cluster of Aberrant Beasts cannot be looked at with the old fragmented viewpoint. Apart from their large numbers, they have many advanced variant types among them.¡± ¡°If they were just ordinary Pus Monsters, it would be easy to deal with; but the number of Pus Spewers among them is very high, and there has appeared a type of super-heavy monster over three meters tall, the lower half of its body wriggling like a rotting worm, acting as some kind of biological artillery, with a shooting range exceeding ten kilometers. Direct bombardment brings extreme corrosiveness, and even if people aren¡¯t corroded to death, the bombarded area becomes temporarily uninhabitable, which has greatly affected our defensive line.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also a type of biohunter that¡¯s grown to over one and a half meters long, moving very fast and spitting corrosive pus. In close combat, the militia are finding it very difficult to confront them.¡± After hearing this, Jason Morgan had a headache. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°I need to go to the front line to see for myself.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the military observer took him to the front line. Of course, it wasn¡¯t too close to the actual front line¡ªobserving from a distance of about two kilometers behind the third defensive line where the firefight was ongoing, he saw the tragic scene through binoculars. In half an hour, at least three hundred militiamen were casualties. Clearly, this defensive line couldn¡¯t hold. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Jason Morgan couldn¡¯t bear to watch any longer, and the military observer pulled him into a car and fled back. They stopped only when they reached the fourth defensive line. This was the last line of defense outside Crook Manor, consisting of trenches, foxholes, and small fortresses made of sandbags. Further back, was the manor¡¯s wall. Morgan¡¯s mood was very heavy now. Damn it, I just bragged, and now are we actually about to face something big? Chapter 291 - Chapter 291: Chapter 188, Whistling In Chapter 291: Chapter 188, Whistling In Jason Morgan was now somewhat panicked. At the committee meeting, inspiring morale and making those wavering members stay put didn¡¯t seem wrong to him. But Crook Manor, as the nominal headquarters of the Mutual Aid Society, was now also the gathering place of numerous committee members. If it were really breached, there would be serious trouble. Without a doubt, the Mutual Aid Society would fall into organizational chaos. Even if the Central Group Army were to come down south later and resolve the issue, it would take time for the Mutual Aid Society to rebuild and function effectively in its logistical role. That would disrupt the entire plan. However, the carnage he had just witnessed through the telescope, and the countless soldiers now retreating from the collapsed third defense line to the fourth, left Morgan speechless. Could he say that the militia warriors hadn¡¯t fought fiercely? Obviously not. They understood that their homes and families in the refugee camps were right behind them. Everyone had barely survived the journey to safety here; they were conscripted as militia to defend hope. If they fought, their families would survive; if they defended well, their families might have a chance to get to the Twin Cities and receive proper Union Citizen benefits; if they fought, those who wanted to stay in the Green Valley Region could have their own land¡­ Their will to fight was unquestionable. However, the enemy¡¯s vast numbers and fierce firepower were objective facts, not something willpower alone could reverse. Morgan had personally seen the various new types of advanced mutant beasts that military observers had introduced to him. To be honest, his legs were still weak. Had it not been for his experience in the Green Valley Region where he had already seen many Aberrant Beasts, plus the education he had received at Loyal Heir Academy, if he were still the lowly clerk he once was in Revival City, the sight of those monsters would likely have knocked him out cold at first glance. Yet the militia warriors had withstood significant casualties, managing to hold off from yesterday afternoon until now. Just now, three hundred men had died before his very eyes. The military observer sighed, ¡°Actually, that¡¯s relatively good. This morning, when the sun had just risen and the enemy launched their first major attack¡ªafter they deployed many specially mutated high-level biochemical beasts for the first time¡ªwe were caught off guard, and lost over a thousand men at the first defense line. Following that, another five hundred at the second defense line.¡± Jason Morgan remained silent. Here at Crook Manor, there were a total of five thousand soldiers, and by now, one thousand eight hundred had been lost. The observer continued with a bitter smile, ¡°In just one morning, we lost three defense lines; there¡¯s only one left and then it¡¯s the walls of Crook Manor. If this place falls, there will be a clear path to the two refugee camps behind, with no defensible position left¡­¡± He didn¡¯t finish his sentence. It was time to consider evacuation, moving people out. Even if they couldn¡¯t evacuate everyone, and could only move a small portion, leaving the rest to fend for themselves was better than standing firm here, only to be defeated later, with hundreds of thousands potentially lost. Jason Morgan understood the implication in the military observer¡¯s words. However, that was a consideration purely from a military perspective. Jason had to think about the political issues. He had just quelled some signs of unrest within the Mutual Aid Society due to the actions of the Alliance Headquarters. But now, the imminent destruction of the Mutual Aid Society¡¯s headquarters and the Beiqing Valley Region¡¯s largest plantation¡ªalong with the tens of thousands in the refugee camps¡ªa full-scale evacuation amidst panic, not knowing how many would die in the chaos¡­ What would be the political cost? The ensuing collateral effects would have a very negative impact on the Governor¡¯s plans to reclaim the entire Green Valley Region. He rubbed his forehead and asked, ¡°When will the remaining five thousand people summoned from the refugee camp arrive?¡± The observer sighed, understanding that Jason Morgan still wanted to defend. He wanted it too. Perhaps it was better this way¡ªto be decisive rather than vacillating. He provided an answer, ¡°They¡¯ll be here before noon.¡± Jason Morgan exhaled with relief, ¡°At least we have our first piece of good news¡­ Now, we need a second piece. As far as I know, the vanguard of the Central Group Army heading south is Major Perbov¡¯s troops. Can we get in touch with them? I need to know if they can change their route and head to Crook Manor first. If they can, how long do we need to hold out before they arrive?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already made contact. The Central Group Army is already aware of our dire situation and has ordered us to hold out as long as possible. Also, the orders for support have been sent to the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade. But¡­¡± Upon hearing the first part, Jason Morgan breathed a sigh of relief. That was certainly good news. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Support meant that holding out had meaning. But the word ¡®but¡¯ that followed made his heart race. True to form, what came after that word was never promising: ¡°The Central Group Army just started heading south yesterday. Even if the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade is the avant-garde, there¡¯s a distance of over four hundred kilometers from the southern border of the Central Province here, and at the fastest, it will take them three days to arrive. Actually, the order we received from the Central Group Army is to hold out until dark tomorrow.¡± ¡°Until dark tomorrow¡­¡± Jason Morgan pondered, ¡°With the five thousand militia arriving by noon, can we make it?¡± Chapter 292 - Chapter 292: Chapter 188, Roaring Arrival_2 Chapter 292: Chapter 188, Roaring Arrival_2 ¡°We¡­ can only say we¡¯ve done our utmost, the enemy won¡¯t completely occupy Crook Manor before my death.¡± ¡°Okay, I understand,¡± Jason Morgan turned and left. He didn¡¯t return to the manor. Instead, he took a megaphone and announced the harsh reality to the nearly two thousand soldiers guarding the last line of defense outside Crook Manor¡¯s walls. The core message, of course, was that the soldiers had to hold on until nightfall tomorrow. He promised them that help from the alliance would definitely arrive before darkness fell. This assertion had meaning. The morale of the soldiers was tangibly boosted. Winning the battle on their own, beating back the aberrant beasts, might be difficult, but if it was just holding out until nightfall, then¡­ wasn¡¯t there a glimmer of hope? The shadow of three defeats lifted somewhat. Having a strong will to fight is one thing, but fear of death is another. Suffering over 35% casualties without deserting was already fitting for a militia; the fact that a few words from Jason Morgan could inspire them was partly thanks to the rousing techniques and rhetoric he had learned, but more importantly, it was because the militia really was reliable. However, despite this, the restored morale didn¡¯t last long. When the enemy attacked again, the acidic bombs lobbed by biochemical artillery from ten kilometers away once again exploded upon their position, the militia couldn¡¯t help but waver uncontrollably. If facing biochemical gas shells, the soldiers could temporarily wrap their faces tightly with cloth and hide behind fortifications, praying the corroding bombs wouldn¡¯t land right on them, then when biochemical artillery fire temporarily ceased, and the enemy began their frontal assault, their remaining strength was not enough to hold back any longer. Full-fledged Pus Spewers weren¡¯t the ones Gu Hang had encountered at the edge of the forest near Weixing City, those pulled out early by the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect with a range of only fifty meters. The Pus Spewers now appearing in front had the capability to hit targets with a viscous stream within a range of two hundred meters. They had negligible penetrating power, but their severe corrosiveness couldn¡¯t be blocked by the militia¡¯s mere cloth uniforms after contact. Those with quick reflexes, whose skin remained untouched, could save their lives by swiftly stripping off their clothes; those slower, however, soon found their uniforms corroding and sticking to their skin, then they faced a pain intense enough to rob them of their combat ability, but not quickly enough to kill. As more undead dogs broke through the lines, the militia couldn¡¯t hold back any more. The fourth defensive line lasted three hours after the enemy bombardment began; it held only thirty minutes after the frontal assault commenced. Collapse, happened for the fourth time. And this time, it was even more disastrous. The enemy had clearly committed significant forces to the attack. During the rout, the undead dogs that broke through became even more terrifying killers. These quadrupedal beast-shaped monsters were far superior in speed, agility, and flexibility. They¡¯d fall after a couple of shots, but the zombies, quick to hop and swerve, weren¡¯t so easy to hit. When overtaken swiftly by these creatures weighing thirty to forty kilograms, the soldiers were often quickly bitten to death. Jason Morgan, observing the situation from a watchtower within Crook Manor¡¯s wall, had his face entirely ashen. Just now, when the enemy launched a full-scale attack, he wanted to stay at the outer defense line to boost morale, but he was forcibly pulled back by the military observer beside him who fought desperately to do so. When necessary, that person would have no problems with such actions. That¡¯s the admirable tradition of the Red Hats¡ªlead by example to inspire troops. However, the collapse of the fourth line was not an issue of morale. Never mind whether Jason Morgan staying there could indeed enable everyone to conquer the fear of death and face the battle fearlessly, even if he could achieve that against all odds, it would be meaningless. It would only lead to the annihilation of all soldiers on that line. Now, by pulling back, they could rely on the stronger defense of Crook Manor¡¯s wall to hold a bit longer. That meant Jason Morgan couldn¡¯t die on the front line. If he died, it would be a severe blow to morale. Mr. Morgan, having realized this, could only return in bitterness, watching from the tower as the militia outside the wall kept falling, his heart in agony. Except for those who had already fled inside the walls, almost all those still outside had been sentenced to death. Morgan couldn¡¯t even open the doors to let the surviving militia in, lest the wave of aberrant creatures might surge straight through. Reinforcements trickling into Crook Manor from the rear were positioned atop the walls to shoot outside, helping to alleviate the pressure on the militia troops below. Those below were instructed to hold their positions and promised that they could enter after temporarily repelling the enemy¡¯s attack. Of course, it was despairing. ¡°What¡¯s this about repelling the enemy¡¯s attack?¡± By now, anyone could tell that the Aberrant Beasts¡¯ momentum was fierce; how could we repel them? Isn¡¯t it obvious they¡¯re sending us to our deaths? Many anxious militiamen even started cursing aloud at the foot of the city. But in the end, the worst-case scenario did not unfold. The militiamen below, knowing full well that they had been effectively abandoned, did not choose to shoot at their comrades on the walls at this critical juncture. There was no infighting; instead, they turned around and fought desperately against the ever-closer enemy. First, they tried to coordinate with the friendly forces on the walls, shooting down the zombie dogs; later on, they strived to exchange fire with the approaching Pus Spewers at a distance of two hundred meters. During this period, the enemy¡¯s bio-artillery unleashed its power once more. The main firepower was still focused inside Crook Manor, but occasionally, bio-artillery shells would land outside, striking the remaining militiamen and causing casualties. More and more people were dying. At this time, even Jason Morgan had no more guilt for the decision that in essence sent the soldiers who hadn¡¯t made it into the city to their deaths. He had been pulled down from the lookout tower. A few minutes later, the lookout tower where he had been standing was hit by a bio-artillery shell, collapsing amidst rapid corrosion. It wasn¡¯t just there that got destroyed; those walls, though solid in appearance and even capable of bearing soldiers to fire outward, were essentially wooden structures. Under the bombardment of the bio-artillery, they had begun to breach, with the incoming tide of Aberrant Beasts becoming more and more visible through the gaps. What was said before? Holding out until tomorrow night? We won¡¯t make it through this evening! Forget about evening¡ªif we don¡¯t fight well enough, and the militiamen¡¯s morale slips any further, we might not even hold until noon! Jason Morgan¡¯s heart had turned to ice. Endless pain surged up within him. He did not fear death now; he even longed for it. If Crook Manor were breached, he would rather die right here than live a cowardly life. This wasn¡¯t some training that had brainwashed him; it was his own heart, which couldn¡¯t get past that hurdle. To watch with his own eyes as the refugee camp he had built with all his efforts over the past two months got destroyed, to see the 400,000 Green Valley refugees, who had finally found hope to live because of his efforts, get slaughtered by these Aberrant Beasts¡­ He couldn¡¯t do it. Compared to witnessing that scene, dying here was an easier choice. He pulled out his sidearm and said to the military observer next to him, ¡°I want to go to the front line to fight. If I have to die, I want to die in battle.¡± This time, no one tried to stop him; instead, they also pulled out their guns, ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± The two of them, along with a few guards, started to move forward. And just as they were prepared to die, they both heard a whistling sound from the sky. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Looking up, they saw three white streaks cutting through the clouds. Squinting for a closer look, it seemed to be three green aircraft. Flashes of light appeared, and six streaks of light flashed by. Soon after, from a distance that felt far away, a dull boom was heard. The sound wasn¡¯t particularly distinct, as they were on a battlefield where the noise of gunfire was endless. However, they distinctly felt something: The enemy¡¯s bio-artillery fire seemed to have stopped to some extent. Chapter 293 - Chapter 293: Chapter 189, Allied Air Force, Ace Pilot Requests to Enter the Battle! Chapter 293: Chapter 189, Allied Air Force, Ace Pilot Requests to Enter the Battle! ¡°Ace pilot, requesting to engage!¡± ¡°Enemy spotted at twelve o¡¯clock!¡± ¡°Commencing bombing!¡± Kuchi¡¯s excited and sharp voice kept echoing in the flight squadron¡¯s channel. Some wanted to complain, but in the end, there was silence on the channel. There wasn¡¯t much to say; everyone had long been familiar with what kind of temperament this comrade usually had. The Allied Air Force had just begun construction and had handed over a total of eighteen aircraft. Three aircraft formed a group, making six small squadrons, barely constituting an air squadron. Eighteen pilots, part of whom were picked from the rudimentary ranks of the Old Alliance Air Force and the rest were simply young people selected from the military. The Wind Falcons, equipped with Anti-Gravity Engines and assisted by a primary and a secondary servo-skull, were not exceptionally difficult to fly. Of course, ¡®not difficult¡¯ refers to the basics; it wasn¡¯t hard to fly the aircraft, take-off and landing were not an issue, vertical takeoffs and landings were possible, and with the help of servo-skulls, crashing wasn¡¯t typical. However, while it was easy to start flying, not falling out of the sky was one thing, but mastering it was extremely hard. The lateral and longitudinal translational capabilities, the extremely high flying speed, the complex fire control systems, the physical endurance under high-speed flight¡­ To fly the Wind Falcon well was indeed not easy, even with the relentless assistance of the servo-skulls. Yet, among the people who could barely fly the planes into the sky with the help of the servo-skulls, with less than twenty hours of flying experience each, there was an oddity like Kuchi. His flying time was not much different from the others, but everyone had to admit, there truly were such things as geniuses in this world. Although his personality was not very reliable, he just flew bolder than anyone when in the cockpit, performing all kinds of exaggerated maneuvers as if second nature. At first, the instructor critiqued him with a manual in hand, but later they gave up¡ªthe instructor was a novice as well, with about the same flight time as everyone else, and only had a hundred or so hours of propeller aircraft experience from back when he served in the Old Alliance Air Force. The many moves that little Kuchi, who self-proclaimed as an ¡®ace pilot,¡¯ performed, were simply beyond his capability. Thus, they let him be, at most reminding him not to pull any stunts during missions and to carry out his duties earnestly. At this moment, this was the Allied Air Force¡¯s first official mission since its establishment. Except for Kuchi, everyone felt a bit nervous. Fortunately, the enemies the Allied Air Force was currently facing probably didn¡¯t require them to engage in any kind of air-to-air combat or dogfight, the kind of high-difficulty maneuvers with the aircraft. Following the navigation and with the aid of the servo-skulls, they arrived at the target site. They fired the six heavy missiles carried by the Wind Falcons, then flew over the enemy, opened the bomb bay, and dropped their bombs, thus basically completing their mission. Those confident in themselves flew the Wind Falcons in another loop, hovering and striking the ground with the aircraft¡¯s twin-linked autocannons and laser rotary cannons, conducting direct strikes on ground enemies; those less confident, worried about hitting allied troops or making themselves dizzy with the maneuvers, hurried back, rearming with weapons and ammunition, and checking if there were further tasks where they could be of use. The first to arrive at the battlefield and enter the attack range was Kuchi. His flight formation, three Wind Falcons, rapidly depleted their mounts of six heavy missiles. Their targets were the enemy¡¯s bio-artillery troops. Those creatures, looking like giants with their upper bodies raised and huge mouths open as if to roar bio-artillery shells into the sky, were caught unawares by the heavy missile strikes. Clearly, these bio-artillery creatures weren¡¯t prepared for a bombing; their formation wasn¡¯t very tight, but nearly a hundred bio-artilleries were essentially stationed at the same position. Three Wind Falcons, with a total of eighteen heavy missiles, wiped out a third of the bio-artillerists. These living bio-cannons were in disarray. Some still instinctively directed their firepower towards Crook Manor in the distance, but others seemed to cower, beginning to wriggle their massive bodies in an attempt to flee. But they failed to escape. Their mobility and agility were indeed not commendable. What was more, they had encountered an outrageous pilot. Kuchi called out, instructing the two wingmen in his group to bomb the enemy¡¯s concentrated position as planned. As for himself, he reduced the flight altitude and dove toward those bio-artillery troops. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The ten kilometers from Crook Manor to the enemy bio-artillery¡¯s position took just one minute for the Wind Falcons at their speed. During this process, Kuchi dropped his bombs, showering down on the enemies gathering to attack Crook Manor. He also brought those bio-artilleries within the firing range of his cannons. The range of the autocannons and laser cannons was, of course, not that short. However, Kuchi, determined to seek a more effective and precise strike outcome, descended to a very low flight altitude. The Wind Falcon he piloted, colored in shades of aqua blue, began to spew flames of death. The red laser cannon fire, along with the roaring autocannons, carved a lethal path on the ground. Three bio-artilleries were blasted into pulp along a straight line of attack. Chapter 294 - Chapter 294: Chapter 189, Allied Air Force, Ace Pilot Requests to Enter the Battle!_2 Chapter 294: Chapter 189, Allied Air Force, Ace Pilot Requests to Enter the Battle!_2 The laser cannon melted away a part of their massive bodies; 40mm kinetic cannon shells turned the rest into a mushy mess. The other two pilots in the same flight group looked at each other wordlessly. One of them asked in the channel, ¡°Maybe¡­ we should try it too?¡± The other refused, ¡°You try if you want, I¡¯m afraid of diving at such high speed and licking the ground, a single mistake and I¡¯ll be planting myself straight into it.¡± ¡°Fair point¡­¡± the other pilot could only regretfully give up, ¡°Let¡¯s just stick to dropping bombs honestly.¡± The two Wind Falcons gave up on performing high-difficulty maneuvers and flew stably high above the heads of the enemy, simply dropping the bombs they were carrying. During this process, they watched with envy as Kuchi, who had circled back around, engaged in another round of ground shooting, claiming the lives of four bio-artillery soldiers. By now, the whole bio-artillery position had descended into chaos. But his time to show off had come to an end. The other five formations of Wind Falcons had also arrived by this point. Thirty heavy missiles, with the help of servo-skull assisted fire control, hit the enemy¡¯s high-value targets with relative precision. All the bio-artillery soldiers were history. Kuchi pouted, feeling a bit unsatisfied. Shooting at fixed targets on the training ground, what could be more thrilling than unleashing firepower on the enemies of humanity in an actual battlefield? Given more time and a few more rounds, he was confident he could take out the remaining bio-artillery soldiers all by himself with just his Wind Falcon. Unfortunately, his teammates had come to steal the kills. The newly arrived five formations, fifteen Wind Falcons, started making strafing runs over the enemy¡¯s dense positions and dropping bombs. Having exhausted his bombs in the earlier engagement, Kuchi could only sullenly aim his machine gun at the enemy for ground strafing. Each ground assault dive was accompanied by a shrieking howl, followed by the bloody baptism of lasers and kinetic cannon shells over hundreds of meters in a straight line. Round after round, Kuchi didn¡¯t count how many he¡¯d fired, until the squadron leader called him, urging him to keep up with the formation and evacuate, only then did he stop, still longing for more. On the return flight, passing over Crook Manor, he even flashed a ¡®yeah¡¯ gesture to the soldiers below¡ªhe didn¡¯t care whether they could see it or not. ¡­ Jason Morgan, looking up, of course, couldn¡¯t see the gesture made by the impressive pilot, it was too far and the pilot was inside the cockpit. But that did not prevent him from saluting him. He was the great savior! He had heard that the Twin Cities were assembling the Allied Air Force. In the past, he had seen airplanes too. To his mind, whether it was the Old Alliance¡¯s propeller airplanes or helicopters, they were at best¡­ just for show. As for their practical use, he had not seen it. At least, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about their combat records. He had thought that the new Alliance¡¯s air force would be more of the same, perhaps a bit more impressive, but how much better could they really be? However, today, he had truly realized the power of the air force. Under the governor¡¯s rule, these types of aircraft he had never seen before were simply too fierce! A single Wind Falcon combined the functions of a missile launch platform, fighter, attack aircraft, and bomber, and crucially, it did all these roles quite well. He had counted, and there had only been eighteen that had come, yet their arrival had dealt a devastating blow to that wave of a hundred thousand Aberrant Beasts. Death rained from above! Firstly, they had almost completely eradicated the enemy¡¯s artillery forces. The bio-chemical artillery units, with a range exceeding ten kilometers, posed the greatest threat to the militia troops. The militia¡¯s mortars and small mountain guns were not only scarce in number but also lacked the range to hit those bio-chemical artillery units, making it very difficult to engage the enemy. In the face of limited numbers, even if they managed to cover the distance with their firepower, they often couldn¡¯t produce significant battle results, and they would also draw a strong counterattack from the enemy. The pressure from the bio-chemical artillery was too much, frankly speaking, since the beginning of the conflict, most of the casualties within the militia troops were caused by those highly corrosive and wide-impact biochemical shells. After eliminating those dozens or hundreds of bio-chemical artillery monsters, the enemy firepower bearing down on Crook Manor would be significantly reduced. Artillery is the god of war, and this holds true even for the advanced version of the Aberrant Beasts armies. Of course, it would be good just to deal with the enemy¡¯s artillery, but that might still not be enough. The remaining massive number of enemies were still a terrifying threat. Then, the horizontal bombing by the eighteen Wind Falcons, although not very precise, the total of more than two thousand bombs were capable of carpet bombing the battlefield in front of Crook Manor. More importantly, the legions of Aberrant Beasts evidently lacked experience and preparation for dealing with an air force. The dumb creatures didn¡¯t even know how to lie down when being bombed. Previously, the vast enemy force that had brought them immense pressure had already been scattered. Countless corpses lay on the path leading to the assault on Crook Manor. Up to now, Jason Morgan was completely confident that he could defend the entire manor. At the very least, holding out until dark tomorrow, until the main forces of the Alliance Army arrived, would be no problem. Moreover, if needed, the Allied Air Force could come for another round during this process. Having emptied their munitions, they would return for resupply and could come back. Back and forth, a trip of twelve or thirteen hundred kilometers was just a matter of a couple of hours. Just the time for reloading munitions was a bit exaggerated; the ground crew might complain, ¡°I¡¯ve been loading missiles and shells all damn day, and you shoot them all out in just a few minutes?¡± But all things considered, the problem was no longer severe. ¡­ In fact, even holding their ground was no longer necessary. After the Allied Air Force squadron made their move, those Aberrant Beasts seemed to realize they couldn¡¯t win. The remaining Aberrant Beasts retreated like the tide, back into the dense jungle. And here, three people in green academic robes gathered together. ¡°The air power of the Alliance is much stronger than we imagined,¡± one of them said. ¡°However, if we hide in the jungle, the power of the Alliance Air Force should be greatly reduced¡­¡± ¡°Indeed, but that¡¯s not realistic. The chairman demands we take the offensive. The plan¡¯s start requires time, it needs more people. People won¡¯t venture into the jungle of their own accord. But if we¡¯re constantly under threat from aerial strikes, we simply can¡¯t leave the jungle to take the offensive.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve reported it to the chairman. We must quickly research anti-air, or even air force-type mutants within the society, otherwise, we can¡¯t fight back.¡± ¡°But, it¡¯s probably difficult to get quick results. To avoid orbital strikes, Chanter Town has been abandoned. The rear is looking for a new hidden location and also dispersing the research facilities to avoid a total wipeout. The defection of the chairman¡¯s teacher has had a big impact.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be then, we can only lay low for now.¡± ¡°But what will the Alliance do? They¡¯ve made such a show of moving south¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re definitely heading to reclaim the entire Green Valley Region, but all they can reclaim are those plantations, those gathering places. Eighty percent of the Green Valley Region is virgin jungle, our kingdom. Does the Alliance Army dare to enter the jungle on their own?¡± ¡°It would be good if that were the case.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡­ ¡°What? Take the offensive into the jungle?¡± Jason Morgan¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°Yes,¡± Perbov said confidently, ¡°I thought those brainless monsters would continue to besiege Crook Manor for a while, allowing me to eliminate part of their main force before entering the jungle. It¡¯s a pity they fled¡­ But never mind, once we¡¯re in the jungle, we can wipe out these creatures just the same.¡± ¡°But why¡­ how?¡± Jason Morgan asked, puzzled beyond measure. Chapter 295 - Chapter 295: Chapter 190: Wipe Out the Jungle Chapter 295: Chapter 190: Wipe Out the Jungle After the wave of Aberrant Beasts receded, the dire situation at Crook Manor was completely resolved. Despite the heavy losses of the militia; despite the manor being severely damaged by biochemical cannon fire, with vast areas of corrosion left unresolved, at least the crisis of extinction was lifted. Then, the next evening, Major Perbov¡ªoh, now he¡¯s a Colonel¡ªled his Wind-Extinguishing Brigade to Crook Manor. Jason Morgan and Perbov were old acquaintances; before the liberation of Rubbish Town in the eastward advance, during the bandit suppression operation within the two hundred kilometer expanse between Revival City and Rubbish Town, he collaborated with Perbov, who was then a Major and company commander. At that time, the gap in their statuses was quite large. Of course, it¡¯s not small now either, but it has decreased since then. Although Perbov¡¯s promotion to the most important Wind-Extinguishing Brigade commander and his rank increased by a level, Jason Morgan¡¯s promotion speed was even faster. Although his rank isn¡¯t high, currently a D4, he has already become the main person in charge of the Mutual Aid Society on behalf of the Alliance. The Wind-Extinguishing Brigade¡¯s rapid march and assault required material support, which still depended on him. And after a brief exchange of pleasantries, Perbov revealed his next plan to attack the jungle. This shocked Jason Morgan, who felt that Colonel Perbov must be out of his mind, indulging in an impossible fantasy. The main continent of Rage Owl Star can generally be divided into six major regions: the Central Region, the Eastern Provinces, The Northlands, Green Valley, the Western Desert, and the Western Continent. Among these six places, the Green Valley Region is known for having the most population, with over ten million people. However, for this fertile and vast land, the number of humans is still too few. Far from being the owners, the vast jungle is the true master here. Humans merely opened up one plantation after another on the clearings between the jungles and connected them with roads. The war between humans and the jungle in the Green Valley Region has been going on for a very long time. The jungle breeds Aberrant Beasts. When their numbers become too great within the jungle, they will surge out, attacking humans, trying to expand their territory and the jungle area; this is the so-called wave of Aberrant Beasts of the Green Valley Region. But when humans recover, they will counterattack and reclaim the land that has not yet become jungle. Overall, the jungle is extremely dangerous; it lacks the things humans need to survive and is filled with terrifying monsters instead. In the jungle, humans have no advantage. The numerous thick trees, muddy ground, swamps¡­ these natural environments all form obstacles to human conquest of the jungle. Not to mention the sheer number of monsters bred within it. In the Green Valley Region, to venture into the jungle is akin to seeking death. This is a fact that everyone in Green Valley has been taught from childhood. And now, Jason Morgan hears that Colonel Perbov wants to lead his troops into the jungle to their death. Feeling Jason Morgan¡¯s astonishment, Perbov only laughed after the other man expressed words of dissuasion. ¡°Of course, of course, I understand that the jungle of Green Valley is hell. But before I set out, I had already studied it for a long time; no one understands the jungle better than I do.¡± After boasting, Perbov continued, ¡°We have a secret weapon in our hands now.¡± Jason Morgan didn¡¯t take the bait, ¡°What secret weapon can enable us to easily conquer the jungle?¡± ¡°This is the Governor¡¯s arrangement.¡± Jason Morgan immediately fell silent. Nonetheless, Perbov could tell that Jason Morgan wasn¡¯t completely reassured. He didn¡¯t explain further but simply patted the civil officer¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°You¡¯ll be able to see it with your own eyes soon enough, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡­ While ¡°soon¡± was mentioned, in reality, Jason Morgan waited several days before he saw what that secret weapon actually was. In fact, the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade began their operation the very next morning after arriving at Crook Manor. The soldiers, driving armored vehicles and tanks, had come to the edge of the jungle and started their clearing operation. Yes, the cleansing of the entire jungle. Jason Morgan was full of curiosity, wondering how this was going to be accomplished. However, he still managed to suppress his own curiosity. He had many tasks of his own to attend to. Continuing the meetings of the Mutual Aid Society, providing supplies for the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade and for other units of the Central Group Army that would later join them, these were his most vital tasks. At the same time, he had also received a directive from the Alliance¡¯s Civil Affairs Department to undertake the restructuring of the population in the Green Valley Region. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The historical mission of the Mutual Aid Society was nearing its end. The Alliance¡¯s system would be fully implemented in the Green Valley Region. Following the guide materials directly provided by the Civil Affairs Department, Jason Morgan understood what he had to do. He was to transform the Mutual Aid Society into the Alliance¡¯s managing agency for the Green Valley Region, which would become the fourth direct-administered province of the Alliance: the Beiqing Valley Province. The manor lords would become local administrative officers, just as with the restructuring of the central three provinces. They would, subsequently, enter the Wind-Extinguishing Loyal Heir Academy in batches for training; meanwhile, their own manors, in a sense, were also thus confiscated. They no longer held ownership over their former properties; instead, they only maintained managerial rights. This was of course not a thorough reform, bearing deep compromises. Manor lords turned Alliance officials were unlikely to change much about the management of their original manors, and the life of the public was not expected to change sufficiently. Chapter 296 - Chapter 296: Chapter 190: Wipe Out the Jungle_2 Chapter 296: Chapter 190: Wipe Out the Jungle_2 ¡°` Even so, it¡¯s foreseeable that when the Alliance turns those manor farmers into agricultural workers and then provides them with varying ranks of E5-E7, will they really be able to receive the corresponding benefits? Won¡¯t the benefits they¡¯re entitled to be embezzled by the manor owners, who now wield administrative power? But those are solvable problems. Fighting corruption, persistent propaganda to the lower classes, giving them opportunities for advancement. They will know what they ought to receive at E5 or whatever other rank, and if the manor owners don¡¯t provide it, they can report it. That said, it¡¯s easier said than done. Many people have never left the manor in their entire lives; where would they go to report? Could the reporting channels also be controlled by those with vested interests? There are many issues. But essentially, all this is making way for another practical factor¡ªthe Alliance simply doesn¡¯t have the capacity to appoint enough officials to handle this matter. Cleaning up the system sounds easy, but where will the Alliance find so many suitable officials to take on this part of the work? Administration isn¡¯t something you can just get right by pulling in any person off the street. Letting these natives take on the work may lead to various problems, but at the very least, the operations in Beiqing Valley Province can be maintained in the early stages. In fact, the strategy of the Alliance in the Central Province, Central-North Province, and Gaota Province is consistent, Just start working on it. The Discipline Committee of the Alliance will play their role. And later, as more students from Loyal Heir Academy and Grammar Academy graduate, these issues will be alleviated. It won¡¯t take too long. The Alliance¡¯s Education Department currently has high investment, teachers can easily be promoted, and school buildings are a priority¡­ As for the education system, minors attend school properly; meanwhile, there are crash courses for adults. However, this so-called crash course is different from the worker education conducted in Weixing City. Even rapid courses cannot produce administrative officials as quickly and easily as factory workers. But overall, the Alliance¡¯s educational endeavors have been underway for some time, and soon enough, suitable students will graduate. At that time, if those manor owners and the old officials in the three central provinces are not doing well enough, they will be replaced; the Discipline Committee will also conduct a thorough screening then, both to purify the atmosphere and to make room for the relatively more ideologically correct new officials. However, dealing with the existing operational plantations is relatively easy. But the large number of homeless refugees present a bit more of a problem. The Twin Cities cannot absorb two million people all at once; that¡¯s unrealistic. Even if the Twin Cities metropolitan area is going to expand further in the future, that¡¯s not now. Urban expansion always requires time. A massive influx of population can¡¯t keep up with the expansion of production lines; they¡¯d be out of work even if they moved there. Of course, relocating residents is still a normalized task, a constant work in progress. For the surplus population, they can first go to adult schools, night schools, to learn some industrial technology, literacy¡ªthat also requires time. Once they are trained and initially qualified as an industry workforce, and the corresponding production lines have expanded, they can then better integrate seamlessly. As for the remaining population, they also have their uses. They are generally assigned to the E3-E4 level. The lowest few levels really need to be discussed. In the Alliance, reaching E1 means you have citizenship rights. But at that level, there are no benefits; the Alliance only acknowledges you as a citizen. E2 will receive half of the minimum living standard, which is generally given to children and those completely incapable of work due to disability, as a government subsidy. E3 entails benefits of a minimum standard of living, from food allocation to necessary medical assistance. E4 begins to provide a stipend, but not much; it is regarded as a trainee level. It is not until E5 that most adult members of the Alliance with jobs are classified. This ensures that beyond securing food and warmth, they may even save some money for improving their lives and can afford some entertainment. A couple at E5 can support three to five children and both sets of parents, although that would make life quite tight. ¡°` Although the refugees were mostly classified as E3 or E4, this still filled them with joy and excitement. And by taking these people in, considering them as members of the Alliance, it had taken on a great burden. As a civil officer of the Alliance, and the actual person in charge of governmental affairs in the Beiqing Valley Province, he had to get these people moving. They needed to work to find their own value; the Alliance also needed them to work hard to make back the high investments, to quickly turn the burden into positive profits. Fortunately, what the Green Valley Region did not lack was land. The high-yield seeds acquired from interstellar trade had also been sent by the Alliance Headquarters. It was now autumn, an opportune time to build one plantation after another, to settle these refugees. By the time construction was completed, it would be about time to sow the seeds. Additionally, a considerable number of people were dispatched to the military to accompany the troops in their operations. The Central Group Army needed a large number of accompanying workers, with the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade under Perbov being the most urgent. His troops had already entered the jungle areas and had requested 30,000 young workers from him, the logistics steward. Morgan had supplied them accordingly. They were sent into the jungles to participate in clearing the vegetation. Then, Jason Morgan began to busy himself with his own affairs. Even though he was putting all his effort into maintaining the Mutual Aid Society system, the introduction of Alliance systems locally still left Jason Morgan overwhelmed. There were endless tasks for the workers to do. In the beginning, he could hardly spare a moment away, but after some time, he managed to find time to head to the edge of the jungle. He really wanted to see what Perbov referred to as a secret weapon. And then, he personally witnessed a large tract of the jungle disappearing. The armored vehicles were equipped with a device similar to a flamethrower, but the purple-red flames that shot out didn¡¯t bring about high temperature or combustion. The trees and vegetation burned by the purple flames withered and dehydrated rapidly. This was much faster than actually setting fire to them. After the armored vehicles finished spraying, after a short wait, the walking soldiers and conscripted laborers began to advance. The work they had to do was also simple. The low shrubs that quickly dried up could be reduced to debris with a few pokes of a stick, providing the soil with nutrients; the tall trees became brittle. A strong man could kick them down with a few kicks. Once the tall trees fell thunderously, they were dragged in batches to the vehicles behind. These materials should not go to waste. The dehydrated timber could be used as construction material. While it wasn¡¯t particularly excellent, not being as good as wood cut down and processed with the appropriate industrial technology, it was a material that could be obtained quickly when necessary. Conveniently, a large number of new plantations in the rear needed to be built. Houses, fences¡­ all required these construction materials. Of course, not all of it could be used up. At the very least, a synthetic starch factory could be built nearby, and these timbers could still be used as raw material for synthetic starch production. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This would generate a significant economic value, something Jason Morgan, as an administrative officer, could see. But what he could see even more, was the pathway to completely solving the Green Valley problem. Ever since he arrived in the Green Valley Region, he had been considering this issue, but he had never imagined that the realization would be the complete eradication of the ¡°jungle¡± itself! If someone had told him this in the past, he would have thought it was a pipe dream. But now, all of this became a reality before his eyes. Chapter 297 - Chapter 297: Chapter 191, Special Forces Chapter 297: Chapter 191, Special Forces ¡°What is it called?¡± After watching a demonstration of the Purple Flame Ejector¡¯s capabilities, Gu Hang posed this question to its developer, Mr. Hu Ke. Mr. Hu Ke was rather modest, ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a name, just a little gadget I tinkered with in the past. By compressing high energy, releasing high-energy particles, and special chemicals, it¡¯s some of the targeted gadgets I developed during six months in the south. If it can be useful and assist Mr. Gu, that would be more than I could ask for.¡± Gu Hang shook his head in admiration, ¡°This is not a mere trifle; this is nothing short of terraforming!¡± Mr. Hu Ke waved his hands in dismissal, ¡°Mr. Gu, please don¡¯t say that. Terraforming is way beyond my reach. Such equipment, such technology, are far from what a small gadget can achieve. In fact, its ability to be mass-produced is all thanks to the production capacity of the Concentrated Energy Cubes you created. Without this exceptional energy support, it couldn¡¯t function, let alone be mass-produced. Even so, it¡¯s still only capable of dealing with the jungle¡­ ¡± ¡°True, compared to those legendary terraforming technologies, it¡¯s not worth mentioning,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°but it is indeed the best solution we have for addressing the Green Valley issue now.¡± At this point, Mr. Hu Ke sighed, ¡°Are you truly determined to do this? Eradicate every inch of jungle in the Green Valley Region?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°It will require a massive amount of manpower and resources, and it will destroy the environment of the Green Valley Region¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Hang didn¡¯t deny these points, ¡°But we have sufficient capabilities and enough time to achieve this. Moreover, this is not merely an investment. Look at the reports coming from up ahead, this project is already generating positive returns. It has solved the unemployment problem for a large number of refugees in the Green Valley Region, and the wood produced, although of inferior quality, does have value; the production department has already transferred the latest batch of synthetic starch production lines to the Green Valley Region, where factories will be built locally. Once the scale is sufficient, these refugees might not need us to pay extra to support them; their own output will be enough to sustain them, and even generate a surplus¡­¡± Pausing for a moment, Gu Hang mentioned a second point, ¡°As for the natural environment, its weight was too small in my decision-making process. Compared to the threats posed by those monsters and the Cult established by your students, the problems caused by environmental degradation are minuscule. And if there really are issues, we will have the opportunity to rectify and solve them in the future.¡± Mr. Hu Ke nodded repeatedly. He was a researcher, a Prophet of the Engine, who, although having a not insignificant status within the Sect of Mechanics, never involved himself in actual management and focused solely on his own tasks. In matters of industry and certain political considerations, he was not thorough. Speaking of the environment, that was because he had witnessed many planets ravaged by excessive human exploitation, where the quality of life was far from good. However, what Mr. Gu said seemed reasonable to him. He realized that the per capita resource consumption enjoyed by the inhabitants of Rage Owl Star was by no means considered to be overexploitation. For the planet¡¯s development, frankly, they were not in a position to care about such things. Not to mention the added threats of the Cult and mutated monsters. Develop first, govern later. Yet, Mr. Hu Ke still had his doubts, ¡°Even so, the time required is too long. I understand you have ample time to develop that land, even by using years, or even decades as units of time. And indeed, this is a permanent solution. Eradicating the jungle will deprive the mutated monsters of their environment, and the Nature Salvation Society will have no place to hide. Whatever their plans, they would be meaningless. But isn¡¯t that too slow? Do you really want to take ten years to eliminate the Nature Salvation Society?¡± ¡°I can see you¡¯re very concerned.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± said Mr. Hu Ke, who had been in the Twin Cities for a little while now. In these days, he had seen the state of the city. Some things could be faked, but the living conditions and psychological states of the largest group of lower-level citizens could not be. He had visited many different worlds. The living conditions of these people on Rage Owl Star certainly weren¡¯t good, even belonging to the poor category. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But that wasn¡¯t the fault of the rulers¡ªat least not the current rulers. The conditions on Rage Owl Star themselves were too poor; not to mention the commoners, even Gu Hang, the Governor-General, and the various high-ranking officials of the League he had met, led austere lives. However, compared to the less than abundant living environment, the mental state of the ordinary citizens in the Twin Cities was quite good. Something called ¡®hope¡¯ was brewing in their hearts and overflowing on their faces. They had aspirations for the future and genuinely believed that under the League¡¯s rule, they could improve their lives through their own hands and efforts. This might sound mundane, but across the universe, only a few places possessed such vitality. Mr. Hu Ke wasn¡¯t infected by this; rather, he could confirm through experience that a League capable of maintaining such a psychological state among its subjects couldn¡¯t be a rubbish government. Chapter 298 - Chapter 298: Chapter 191, Special Forces_2 Chapter 298: Chapter 191, Special Forces_2 Flying into the stars to find another home wasn¡¯t a reliable option. In contrast, staying in the Union and living a stable life was a good choice. Having made this conclusion, he still wanted to contribute his strength to the entire Union. In his view, the Nature Salvation Society was one of the significant threats to this world. He pondered before saying, ¡°I¡¯ve recently given it some careful thought, what Ge Wajia ultimately wants to do. When I was in the south, after being thawed and released by him, he didn¡¯t trust me enough initially, and I couldn¡¯t access too many secrets in the organization established by my student. However, since he went to the trouble of saving me, he naturally wouldn¡¯t give up on the knowledge I possessed. Some peripheral research projects were placed in my hands. Those projects, I¡¯m working hard to piece together his goals.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your speculation?¡± ¡°I should preface this by saying I can¡¯t be completely certain, it¡¯s just a guess, with insufficient evidence. That¡¯s also why I didn¡¯t tell you at the beginning¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay, I will make the judgment.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I believe that Ge Wajia and his group are trying to summon demons again¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a bad guess.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised? Did you guess this a long time ago?¡± ¡°In a sense, yes,¡± Gu Hang spread his hands and said, ¡°I have no evidence and not like you, who conducted experiments with them and pieced together fragments of the truth. I am merely guessing. After all, those so-called Cult members, individuals tainted by the Abyss demons, have this constant thought in their heads¡ªan easy guess reveals their goal.¡± Hu Ke gave a bitter smile and said, ¡°What you said¡­ is indeed correct.¡± ¡°But simply knowing their goal isn¡¯t enough, I hope to know what means they have to achieve it, and how we can stop them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I wanted to talk about,¡± Hu Ke sighed, ¡°We can¡¯t eliminate the Nature Salvation Society just by destroying the jungle. I¡¯m not against your strategy, but that¡¯s meant for exterminating Aberrant Beasts, and to eradicate Ge Wajia using this method, by destroying the jungle, it would be too slow. Perhaps, before we succeed, that group might accomplish their goal first.¡± Pausing for a moment, Hu Ke continued, ¡°My guess is that they might have gained control of an intact Psychic Energy Field that hasn¡¯t been destroyed. If you¡¯re aware of the history of Rage Owl Star, you¡¯d understand that in the past, it was precisely because of the presence of enriched Psychic Energy Fields that an ample energy source was formed, used as a means to open the veil between reality and the Abyss hell.¡± ¡°The primary Psychic Energy Fields of the old Rage Owl Star were on the other two continents, which should have been completely destroyed by now; there are fields on the main continent too, but few, and most probably in a state of destruction as well. The one that Ge Wajia found should be of a smaller scale. But we can¡¯t afford to be complacent about this. Once he truly tears open the veil of the real world, even if it¡¯s just a tiny crack, we will be in huge trouble.¡± Gu Hang mused, ¡°So do you have any guesses about the location of the possible Psychic Energy Field?¡± ¡°None at all,¡± Hu Ke said with a wry smile, ¡°in fact, I can¡¯t be certain if it truly exists, all of this is just my speculation¡­¡± ¡°But your speculation is somewhat more reliable than mine,¡± Gu Hang stated reassuringly, ¡°I¡¯m still very grateful for your information. I was planning to deploy a special forces squad to the Southern Green Valley to assess the situation there, things like guiding bombings. Now, they might have an additional task.¡± ¡­ A¨¦ro Rakrosha felt like he had been deceived. He said he didn¡¯t want to be an officer, just wanted to be a warrior. His wish had been affirmed by the Governor, and he wasn¡¯t an officer now, but he still ended up with over thirty warriors under his command. Isn¡¯t this just making me a squad leader? Earlier, he was transferred from the Beast Slaughter Brigade to the Tenth Special Brigade as a squad leader. He and his thirty new subordinates were equipped with a full set of individual soldier gear, which they had never seen before. Each had an individual exoskeleton, fitted with primary plasteel and a ceramic-steel plating that protected the torso and limbs. It was nowhere near as majestic as the Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor but had a slender aesthetic. The full-coverage helmet came equipped with night vision, anti-glare, color temperature, and other visual modes, as well as a shooting assistance system. This so-called shooting assistance system was provided by a servo skull that accompanied them in combat. That specific servo skull of his could also help control the two drones in his backpack, carrying out tasks such as reconnaissance, supporting fire attacks, and kamikaze strikes. The weapons in their hands had all been switched to LR5 Laser Rifles. Each person carried ten high-energy batteries which could support 15 shots before needing a replacement. This firepower sustainability was somewhat lacking, but the power far surpassed that of the conventional G9 rifle. To make up for the firepower, they also carried a short-barreled, stockless tactical rifle¡ªa specialized variant of the G9. Lacroix himself had slightly more refined equipment than his team members. The most significant difference lay in the fact that instead of high-energy batteries, he used crystal-like energy blocks. These things were said to be much more expensive than the laser rifles in their hands. A Wind Falcon flying high above could operate solely on one of these blocks. As a result, this device powered only his rifle and exoskeleton¡­ The potent energy source allowed his ¡®Ranger 1st Generation¡¯ exoskeleton to maintain a constant overload mode until it broke down; his laser rifle could also fire continuously in overload mode. Other people¡¯s LR5s would waste a high-energy battery with just one overload shot, and according to their training discipline, it was strictly forbidden to do so unless necessary. But his energy blocks allowed him to fire in overload mode almost limitlessly without needing a replacement. All he had to worry about was whether his rifle could withstand the strain without breaking. All of this made him feel as if he were in a dream. People called him ¡®Soldier King¡¯, and he always felt it was surreal and disliked being addressed that way to his face. But now¡­ it seemed he really was receiving the treatment of a Soldier King. And in the so-called special forces brigade, he was to execute special missions. After completing their bombing mission at Crook Manor, a formation of three Wind Falcons prepared for their return journey, carrying Lacroix and his squad straight to the world¡¯s far southern end. Their target was to reconnoiter a place known as ¡®Chanter Town¡¯, reported to be the headquarters of the Nature Salvation Society. There was no specific location, just vague descriptions. After they descended in the Wind Falcons, they continued to search the ground while maintaining constant communication with the three fast-attack crafts temporarily assigned to work in coordination with them. In this joint air-ground reconnaissance operation, they uncovered numerous potential targets, but all were eventually ruled out. These were merely ruins of villages long deserted, with the jungle slowly extending its reach, reclaiming those places. On the third day of the operation, however, they made a significant discovery. Based on the intelligence description and an accompanying hand-drawn map, they could almost confirm that this was indeed Chanter Town. But this place appeared to be abandoned as well. After an internal discussion, the squad still decided to venture in for exploration. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Out of caution, they called Lieutenant Kuchi, and the three Wind Falcons were ready to provide air support. Lacroix was quite nervous about this. It was still warfare, going into battle, but the approach was completely different from his past experiences. He wasn¡¯t sure if he could do well enough and decided it was best to proceed with utmost caution. And his caution saved many lives. Chapter 299 - Chapter 299: Chapter 192, Heavenly Gene Chapter 299: Chapter 192, Heavenly Gene Lacroix and his team members found Chanter Town to be quite a picturesque place. The houses, two or three stories high, each with its own yard, were scattered in an aesthetically pleasing way. Various kinds of green vegetation surrounded the buildings, and the streets were also very tidy. Compared to the newly built houses in the outer district of Revival City, these could not be matched. Those houses were much taller, with five to six-story apartment buildings, and hardly any greenery. Initially, the special operations soldiers were quite tense as they moved through Chanter Town, but they soon discovered that it had been long abandoned. They also entered several houses to investigate and saw signs of habitation, though it had been some time since. When people left this place, the evacuation was orderly, not rushed; houses were left empty, with nothing of value taken away. After a brief search yielded nothing valuable, they continued with their exploration. Until they found a research facility. It was not easy to find, with a very concealed underground entrance. A few steps inside, a solid steel door blocked their way. But it did not block them for long. Having switched from shotguns to cannons, Lacroix¡¯s tactical backpack held several thermite grenades. This type of equipment, not yet mass-produced by the Alliance, was relatively inexpensive if only grenades and not advanced thermite weaponry. Mr. Gu had imported a good number from his cousin, and the special forces, of course, were entitled to be equipped with them. Under the powerful effects of the thermite grenades, no matter how thick the steel door was, it proved futile and was blown open by them. After entering, they indeed made some valuable discoveries. There were no great expectations initially, as the place clearly appeared abandoned. It might have once been the headquarters of the Nature Salvation Society, its core area, but why would they leave anything behind after an organized withdrawal? But they did leave something. There, they found more recent traces of people having come and gone. Certainly, they had been moving things out, but many of the facilities and materials inside the research institute were probably too numerous and cumbersome to move out quickly, hence not all had been transported away yet. According to the traces at the scene, at least until yesterday, there were still people working here. After a short discussion, they decided to explore first to see if there were any high-value items. Intelligence, equipment, samples, research data¡­ anything would do. If there was anything valuable and easy to carry, they would move it out and then call down the Wind Falcon, loading the items to transport back to the Alliance. Then they planned to lie low here for a while. Since enemies seemed to be continually moving items out, they could wait and see if they might catch those moving the goods or find their new hideouts. The operation started off smoothly. They found quite a lot of good stuff, including some documents and even what appeared to be encrypted data storage devices. They transported the items to the entrance to temporarily pile them up and then re-entered the research facility for another search. Then, while Lacroix was searching a room, he heard from a comrade that something¡­ indescribable had been found deep in the research institute. When Lacroix went to inspect, it appeared to be a low-temperature specimen layer. There were six large glass cultivation tanks, three meters tall, standing there. In each of these cultivation tanks, there was a terrifying monster. They looked like upright lizardmen, with four arms and a long tail. The most prominent feature on their bodies, like most Aberrant Beasts, was the boils and deformed flesh. Bubbling pustules of various sizes grew on their skin, often bursting; their bodies always had unnatural bulges or indentations, indicating some abnormality. ¡°We¡¯ve never seen anything like this in the previous data. Is this so-called Nature Salvation Society cultivating a new type of Aberrant Beast?¡± ¡°That must be it. These twisted Cult followers are despicable; Rage Owl Star would be infinitely better off without them!¡± the soldiers communicated among themselves. Upon seeing Lacroix approach, someone turned their head and asked him, ¡°Uh¡­ Sergeant, what should we do about these? Should we¡­ move them?¡± Lacroix was also at a loss. He didn¡¯t know what to do. Transferring these specimens back would most likely be very valuable, and the Alliance¡¯s researchers could probably gain something useful from them. However, the risk was high. Not to mention whether there might be problems during the transportation by thirty people, there was just one point: they couldn¡¯t guarantee they would be able to keep the cultivation tanks operational during the move. If the creatures inside, whatever they were, simply died, that might be fine, and they could only say they had done their best upon return. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But if the result of the tanks breaking was that it triggered the creatures inside to activate¡­ That would be a serious problem. Loading these six cultivation tanks onto the Wind Falcon, and having them break out mid-flight¡­ the mere thought of the outcome was terrifying. Yet, it seemed a waste to destroy them outright. Lacroix scratched his helmet, his mind in turmoil. Chapter 300 - Chapter 300: Chapter 192, Heavenly Gene_2 Chapter 300: Chapter 192, Heavenly Gene_2 He once again lamented in his heart, he really shouldn¡¯t have let himself take on this leading role. His ability was to be a soldier, to do whatever was commanded of him, even if it meant risking his life; but when it came to making decisions, especially those that would bring different but equally adverse consequences, his hesitation would only grow. What happened next left him with no room to hesitate. The ¡®sizzling¡¯ sound, like some kind of air valve being opened, kept resonating. Lacroix and his team members immediately became alert. They raised their weapons and aimed at the source of the sound, which was the six incubation pods. A strong sense of danger surged in his heart, and Lacroix had no room for any doubt at this moment, he ordered: ¡°Fire!¡± He was the first to fire a shot. The Black Box-produced over-standard LR5 Laser Rifle in his hand immediately went into overdrive. The rifle, powered directly by high-density energy crystals, fired a supremely powerful shot. At the same time, his comrades also opened fire. Dozens of dark red beams began flying wildly in the low-temperature sample room. However, aside from the shot fired by Lacroix, which truly harmed his target, the other beams were blocked. At the target point of the laser shots, the Six Four-Armed Lizardmen nearly simultaneously opened their eyes. In front of them, an invisible layer of energy formed, blocking all the laser shots. The beams stirred up ripples. The largest ripple was caused by the overdriven LR5 shot fired by Lacroix. Although its power was greatly reduced, it still penetrated. Though slightly deflected, it hit one of the beasts in the abdomen, creating a fist-sized through-and-through wound. Struck by this blow, the creature was clearly severely injured; however, its actions slowed down. But the other five were not so easy to deal with. The next moment, they all shattered the transparent glass of the incubation pods and lunged outside. Then, a hissing roar filled the narrow enclosed space as they each pounced on a soldier. Every soldier in the Special Forces Brigade was trained to at least a T3 level. At this level, the cost of a single soldier was already significant. Gu Hang had only managed to train 100 such soldiers, forming an elite combat squad. Having reached this level, they were absolutely elite, much stronger than the average soldier. Their performance didn¡¯t disgrace Gu Hang¡¯s investment. When faced with the pounce of a three-meter-tall pus-filled Four-Armed Lizardman, no one panicked, no one tried to run away, they all tried to counter-attack on the spot, making relatively correct choices. Although they didn¡¯t understand why their previous attack had been blocked, it didn¡¯t stop them from quickly assuming that this might be some special defensive measure. And if it was a defensive measure, then there was nothing unbreakable. They opted for concentrated fire, and a calm, simultaneous round of firing indeed achieved results. Lacroix himself shot one of the beasts dead, while the other soldiers concentrated their fire and killed another. Still, three remained alive, rushing up to them and attempting to tear their bodies apart with claws. The soldiers who faced them fearlessly ejected the bayonet attached under their laser rifles, trying to engage the Lizardmen in close combat. There was, of course, a great difference in physical strength between the two sides. Even after being elevated to the T3 level, their physical fitness had reached the pinnacle of humanity, but compared to the strong three-meter-tall Four-Armed Lizardmen, there was still too significant a gap. However, the Exoskeleton Armor helped them make up for some of the disparity. In pure strength confrontation, the three soldiers only had a slight disadvantage; it was difficult for them to stab their bayonets directly into the bodies of the Lizardmen and could only attempt to block. But with four arms equipped with sharp claws, the Lizardmen managed to tatter the Exoskeleton Armor¡¯s plates in their frenzied tearing. What¡¯s more terrifying, during the close-range tearing and grappling, the soldiers suddenly felt as if their bodies were suddenly immersed in a quagmire, making movement very difficult. Seizing this opportunity, the Lizardmen began to try attacking the head. One soldier¡¯s full-coverage helmet was indeed removed, and immediately, his neck was torn open by sharp claws. The blood was swirling everywhere, spraying all over the place. But these three remaining Lizardmen could achieve no further than this in close combat. The other two soldiers, although also tackled and attacked by strange energies, survived the onslaught long enough for focused fire to take down their assailants before the exoskeleton armor could be dismantled. Those two soldiers managed to stand up again, with their exoskeleton armors showing many deep scratches. The claws and strength of these Lizardman monsters were not to be underestimated; even alloy armor plated with ceramic steel was not entirely capable of defending against their melee attacks. Their impact resistance was comparable to the Green Skin Orcs; the intensity of hand-to-hand combat could even be slightly stronger than the Green Skins. What was most frightening, however, was the strange psychic force they possessed. After hearing the description from the two soldiers who had been overpowered, Lacroix murmured solemnly, ¡°Could this be¡­ Spiritual Energy?¡± Compared to ordinary soldiers, he had access to a broader range of information. The protection provided by Spiritual Energy allowed these monsters to have a vitality and defense comparable to Green Skin Orcs, as well as an enhanced capability for offense and defense. Under the protection of their Spiritual Energy, it took an overload shot from his LR5 to penetrate their defenses; conventional shots needed over ten rounds to break through and cause damage. With a standard G9 rifle¡­ it was feared that by the time a magazine was emptied, those monsters would have slaughtered them before they could kill the enemy with kinetic rifles. Fortunately, their Spiritual Energy intensity was not very high, so their active attacks could only interfere with the soldiers¡¯ actions, and they had not yet shown a direct lethal ability. Compared with the terrifying power once shown by the Governor, there was still a vast difference. Yet, Lacroix was still filled with worry. The squad he led was one of the most elite individual warriors of the Alliance, but they still struggled against these Spiritual Energy-powered Lizard creatures. What if, in a large-scale war, the number of these creatures reached a critical level, and they attacked together with waves of ordinary Aberrant Beasts? The thought was terrifying. This intelligence had to be brought back. Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard an outcry over the combat team¡¯s communication channel, followed by his comrades calling for help: ¡°This is Team F, requesting support! Requesting support! We are under attack by Aberrant Beasts!¡± Lacroix¡¯s face changed color drastically! There was also the fact that these Lizard creatures weren¡¯t only found where they had discovered them; some were hiding in places they hadn¡¯t yet explored. Just now, it seemed a mechanism had been triggered, awakening a large number of these creatures. His mood sank completely. He didn¡¯t know how many Spiritual Energy creatures there were in this research facility, nor did he dare to think how many of his comrades who had come here with him could ultimately survive. And at this dire moment, he was able to remain calm. ¡°All units, abort all previous actions and break out towards the entrance; we¡¯ll rendezvous there!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°All combat teams must constantly report their positions, and shout out when you need support!¡± ¡°Team F, hold your position; Team E is on their way to you!¡± ¡­ In Chanter Town, within an inconspicuous ordinary residence, there was a man with a narrow face and wearing a dark green robe, sitting on a chair with his eyes tightly shut. A person who looked like a researcher approached him: ¡°Chairman Ge Wajia, as you ordered, we have activated all the servants implanted with the ¡®Heavenly Gene.¡¯ The dogs of the Alliance shall be buried underground!¡± Chapter 301 - Chapter 301: Chapter 193: The Grace of the Kind Father and the Past of Rage Owl Star Chapter 301: Chapter 193: The Grace of the Kind Father and the Past of Rage Owl Star Hearing the report, Ge Wajia opened his eyes. His slanting eyes seemed very indifferent. He said, ¡°All buried underground¡­ Why has it come to this?¡± The person opposite didn¡¯t speak, only beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. Ge Wajia continued, ¡°It¡¯s been quite some time since my teacher defected and left. It¡¯s also been a while since we decided to abandon it; so why, even today, has everything not been moved away?¡± ¡°¡­Sorry, Chairman¡­¡± The researcher¡¯s body was already trembling. ¡°The benevolent father never uses punishment to teach the world,¡± Ge Wajia said. ¡°The benevolent father always takes upon himself the sins of all things. When we do not perform well enough, the benevolent father bestows more blessings to help his followers grow, in the hope that they may succeed next time.¡± Upon hearing this, the researcher trembled even more intensely. But in the end, he didn¡¯t dare to say any more and instead bowed deeply: ¡°I will heed your teachings.¡± Ge Wajia waved his hand, signaling the other to leave. Just a few dozen seconds later, low, pained, yet mixed with a sense of pleasure, inhuman howls came from outside. Ge Wajia closed his eyes once more amidst the growling sounds, entering a trance-like state. His consciousness arrived in a thick void. Voices of grandeur, benevolence, or cruelty whispered continuously in his ears. And now, he didn¡¯t carefully distinguish what those whispers from heaven were about like he had done at first; he only felt in entirety, eagerly absorbing all the information contained within. He only worried that his own wisdom and spiritual perception weren¡¯t enough, unable to fully comprehend every piece of teaching from heaven, understanding just a tiny bit. While he was experiencing the gospel from heaven, a noisy voice rose from deep within his heart. ¡°Don¡¯t believe, don¡¯t listen¡­ be cautious¡­ they are deceiving you¡­ they are the demons¡­¡± Ge Wajia furrowed his brows, harshly suppressing those words rising from the depths of his heart. The whispers from heaven became clearer and more profound at that moment. One voice directed him to dedicate that ¡®thing¡¯ which always contradicted, to the benevolent father. It was a very tempting offer. Every time that voice rang out, many painful memories from the past would surge forth. At this moment, that¡¯s what was happening. In those memories, it seemed he was a war hero. He was one of the Rage Owl Star People, having the good fortune to follow a Prophet named Hu Ke, working and learning by his side. And then, the war broke out. First, it was said that there were major accidents in the exploitation of the Spiritualized Gas Fields on the other two continents, followed by a massive Low Energy Storm that swept over those continents. It even crossed oceans, bringing tsunamis along with it to assault the main continent. It was a scene like the sky and the earth were breaking apart. However, after the natural disasters, on the Rage Owl Star¡¯s two subsidiary continents, several enormous abyssal rifts appeared. Hordes of demons emerged, crossing the ocean in fleets, igniting two main fronts, setting the main continent¡¯s battlefield ablaze. Ge Wajia remembered, at that time he abandoned his studies to join the army, using what he had learned from his teacher to fight for the survival of humanity. Their efforts were effective. The Planetary Defense Force was far from a match for the demons that crossed the veil of reality, but with noble sacrifices, they fought without yielding an inch in incredibly disadvantageous battles. Under layers of interception, the demons always maintained a great advantage in battle, but their advance was anything but easy. Eventually, they held off the demon¡¯s onslaught, and received reinforcements from the Star Realm¡¯s empire. But the arrival of Starfleet, Star Realm Army, didn¡¯t save this world. Ge Wajia, as a person who had personally experienced that prolonged war, thought just that. Originally, he was overjoyed at the arrival of the empire¡¯s reinforcements and boldly accepted the Star Realm Army commander¡¯s reorganization of the Planetary Defense Force to continue fighting those creatures. But what did he witness? To strike against the demons, to prevent more people from ¡®falling,¡¯ orbital bombardments were conducted without hesitation. One after another, cities that hadn¡¯t completed evacuation or hadn¡¯t even begun to evacuate were destroyed by their own; to stop more abyssal rifts, more Psychic Energy Fields were destroyed, bringing about even greater climatic disasters¡­ These actions are hard to say were wrong. But looking at it from an objective point of view, did the empire¡¯s army save Rage Owl Star? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only No, it did not. Throughout the decades of a drawn-out war, both sides used extreme measures, various weapons of the Extinction Order were unleashed, then counteracted by both parties. During this process, countless people were sacrificed, and Rage Owl Star, once beautiful and fertile, became incredibly desolate. In the end, humanity achieved ¡®victory.¡¯ All the demons on the planet were eradicated. But was this a victory for the Rage Owl Star People? 99.5% of the Rage Owl Star People died in the war. Was this the victory they wished for? Chapter 302 - Chapter 302: Chapter 193: The Grace of the Kind Father and the Past of Rage Owl Star_2 Chapter 302: Chapter 193: The Grace of the Kind Father and the Past of Rage Owl Star_2 After the victory of the war, Ge Wajia, who had aged significantly, fell into deep befuddlement. It was also since this time that he gradually began to hear some strange whispers in his ears. He was very cautious about this. Having fought against demons for many years, he was acutely aware that such inexplicable whispers appearing by one¡¯s ear were very dangerous things. Even though the voices he heard were so gentle, so kind, he still dared not take them lightly. Fortunately, after having battled for so long, his own level had reached that of an Engine Prophet, with sufficient technical ability to solve problems. He did not report the matter; members of the Tribunal accompanying the army would have been extremely nervous about it. He did not want to trouble others, nor did he wish, after the victory of the war, to have to visit the dark cells of the Tribunal. He had more important things to do. He simply made a device and implanted it into his brain to block the mysterious whispers. After the war was won, the Star Realm Army left. A Colonel Brigade Commander felt that he was capable and invited him to leave together. But he refused. He said he wanted to stay and rebuild his homeland. He spent several years wandering the entire planet, establishing the Nature Salvation Society. With his proficiency in technology, he slowly and diligently restored the ecology of this world and healed the sick. During that time, he helped many people. Rebuilding the entire world might have seemed far-fetched and was not something he could achieve alone, as he approached the limit of his lifespan. He just hoped that his actions could make the world a little bit better. Even a little bit would be enough. When the rebuilding teams finally arrived, the foundations of Rage Owl Star might be a bit better, which could save a bit of effort for the new Imperial Governor in rebuilding the world. And then he waited and waited, but the expected rebuilding fleet never came. During that period, occasionally a few spacecraft would come from beyond the skies, carrying Rage Owl Star People who had once left this place, to take some of their old friends away. This was also the only method of communication with the outside world for Rage Owl Star at that time. It was for this reason that he heard the news that the Empire had abandoned Rage Owl Star, designating it as a wasteland planet with no value for reconstruction; the Empire would not spend a great deal of effort to recolonize it. What did Ge Wajia feel when he first heard this news? He was somewhat unclear. He only remembered that a long-standing doubt that had always revolved around him seemed to unravel. Did the Empire come to save Rage Owl Star? It did not. Before the war, the Empire was only interested in the resources on Rage Owl Star, constantly demanding from it, regardless of the risks that extracting the Psychic Energy Fields posed to the entire world; they merely wanted energy. During the war, they merely used the entire planet as a chessboard, as a battlefield, as part of the endless war that had been going on in the vast Star Sea between the power known as the Empire and the power known as the Abyss, a war that persisted for tens of thousands of years. Within this, the fate of Rage Owl Star and its people were insignificant. Even the victory or defeat of this war was not all that important. It was just one of many wars taking place at any given moment in the Empire¡¯s boundless territories. What difference does a single victory or defeat make to the overall situation? After the war, they coldly calculated the cost of reconstruction versus the benefits of recolonization. When the cost exceeded the benefits, they naturally chose to give up. As for the remaining 0.5% of the population on Rage Owl Star? They would find their own way to live in their world. In summary, there was no talk of rescue or not rescuing. The Empire did not care about Rage Owl Star, nor did it care about the people on it. In that indifference, he impulsively removed the blocker he had created and implanted in his brain. At that moment, the gospel of heaven, countless times greater than the faint whispers he had heard before, flooded into his mind, flooded into his soul. He prayed to heaven, hoping to save this world. If the Empire won¡¯t save it, I¡¯ll save it myself! The heavenly Father, as he wished, bestowed his grace. From that time on, he was completely transformed. The Father has treated this world with gentleness; I shall become the agent of the Father, spreading His gentleness throughout the world. Only in this way can Rage Owl Star receive the salvation it deserves. ¡­ The roaring outside had stopped, leaving only heavy panting. And Ge Wajia, had finished his meditation. He was not too happy, as a dissenting voice emerging from the depths of his heart had disturbed his listening to the gospel of heaven. ¡°` He whispered, ¡°Next time you make a sound, I¡¯ll sacrifice you.¡± There was no response. That was as it should be. He didn¡¯t mind. The Celestial Kingdom was about to descend, and he would keep that faint notion in his heart, to witness with his own eyes the wondrous place Rage Owl Star would become after the descent of the Celestial Kingdom. It would be more wonderful than before the onset of war, he firmly believed in the promise the loving father had made to him. His attention returned to Chanter Town. In fact, he didn¡¯t need anyone to report to him. His consciousness extended outward, and those plants that had received the grace of the Celestial Kingdom had all become his eyes. However, he saw something that made him even unhappier. The alliance dogs, the very ones that the researcher had reported would be buried underground, were now charging out. Behind them were many of the Celestial Kingdom¡¯s genetic servants in pursuit, but they were dying in large numbers under the concentrated firepower. Even the defense layers constructed by Spiritual Energy could not completely withstand the damage from laser guns. He also saw that among those alliance dogs, the leader had installed a thermobaric bomb and detonated it as the Celestial Kingdom¡¯s servants attacked, causing massive casualties. The remaining individuals were struggling to move some materials they had snatched to the Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessel that was stationary on the ground. Two more Wind Falcons also reappeared in the sky, launching a missile each. The missiles drilled into the research institute¡¯s entrance and exploded inside, eliminating even more of the Celestial Kingdom¡¯s servants. Ge Wajia could no longer bear the sight of this continuing. He stepped out of his hiding place, looking out, Chanter Town was not far from his sight. The researcher who had just received the blessing was panting heavily on the ground. And beside him, there were dozens of Celestial Kingdom servants resembling the Lizardmen from underneath the research institute. Ge Wajia said, ¡°You will receive more blessings, now is the time for you to show loyalty to the loving father.¡± The researcher stood up, his stature had grown much larger than before, his body beginning to show pustules, and even maggots were crawling in and out of these pustules. That man simply nodded slightly and led his team towards Chanter Town. Ge Wajia followed closely behind, his slender, indifferent eyes fixed on the two circling Wind Falcons. ¡­ ¡°Our weapon systems have malfunctioned!¡± ¡°Damn! Why is this happening?¡± ¡°The servo skull has lost connection with the main system¡­ No! This is bad! The fire control is targeting friendly forces!¡± The two Wind Falcons in the sky were in total chaos at this moment. Lieutenant Kuchi, upon hearing the frantic voices of his comrades over the communicator, seemed a bit frustrated, ¡°Shut down the servo skull¡¯s control over the Wind Falcon¡¯s fire control system, switch to manual operation!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s an order! Execute it immediately! If a single bullet falls on our own forces, you¡¯ll be explaining it to the Discipline Committee when we return!¡± The pilot of another Wind Falcon finally carried out his orders. But this triggered quite severe consequences. The alliance¡¯s pilots hadn¡¯t spent enough time flying, their training was also insufficient, and they were rushed onto the battlefield. Relying on the assistance of the servo skull, they were barely competent in performing tasks that didn¡¯t require too much difficult maneuvering. But now, having severed the connection with the servo skull and switching to full manual operation, they immediately showed their lack of skill. But at least, there was no longer the danger of striking friendly forces. Lieutenant Kuchi also shut down the servo skull¡¯s assistance, but he performed much better than his comrades. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Without the servo skull, although his control over the aircraft was still affected, at least he wouldn¡¯t be like the guy next to him, barely maintaining altitude. ¡°Let me show you what an ace pilot can do!¡± Kuchi roared, turning the nose of the aircraft, targeting the dozens of Lizardman mutants rushing out from the edge of Chanter Town. ¡°Die!¡± He pulled the trigger! Chapter 303 - Chapter 303: Chapter 194, An Unimaginable Shot Chapter 303: Chapter 194, An Unimaginable Shot Kuchi¡¯s strike was effective. The enemies seemed not to have expected that one of the Wind Falcons, which had just been flailing around in the sky headlessly, could turn around so quickly and launch an attack. The machine gun and laser cannon fired simultaneously, and within a few seconds, the street where the band of monsters had been charging was plowed through. The effect was still very good. Those monsters still possessed some sort of Spiritual Energy trait, allowing them to activate a self-protection around themselves when under attack. However, how could such protection withstand the Wind Falcon, when it could be breached with a single overcharged shot from a laser rifle, or several intensive shots in a short time? A 40 millimeter caliber could already be considered a ¡®cannon¡¯, let alone the laser cannon. Either of these weapons, if they hit their target, would cause a devastating blow to the creature¡¯s body. The three-meter-tall lizard monster was no exception. The self-protective Spiritual Energy would be penetrated, the 40 millimeter Kinetic Cannon could directly obliterate half of its body; the laser cannon would simply dissolve its torso. After a rapid burst, a third of the monsters charging had fallen to the ground, becoming piles of mangled flesh. Kuchi was not yet satisfied and wanted to fire another round. Although those still alive were no longer foolish enough to continue sprinting down the wide-open and unsheltered street, instead they took cover behind the whitewashed houses on either side, moving forward step by step. But those brick-wood structures, pretty as they were, could not withstand the machine gun fire or the laser beams. Even though the results wouldn¡¯t be as exaggerated as before, a little was still something. What¡¯s more, he was covering his ground comrades in this manner. Lacroix and others, carrying a large amount of data and materials, were moving to the other Wind Falcon that was still on the ground. The situation was urgent. Even though many seemingly less valuable and hard-to-transport items had already been abandoned, the remaining stuff was still not insignificant, and they would probably need a few more minutes. Without intervention, those monsters could reach them in a minute or two. Under the suppression of firepower, not to mention the casualties, at least those monsters wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the battlefield quickly. He was using this method to buy time for the special forces below. However, things were not going to be that easy. Suddenly, he felt that the Wind Falcon he was piloting had gone out of control! The nose of the craft started to turn involuntarily, making flight extremely difficult! Every maneuver he made was either amplified or minimized, and the Wind Falcon became very unstable. At such a moment, he still had the leisure to complain to himself, ¡°Good thing I didn¡¯t have automatic fire on, or else I¡¯d have to send myself to the Discipline Committee¡­¡± In such a situation, any member of the Allied Air Force would have been unable to escape a crash. Without their servo skulls, those pilots about to enter the fray were barely able to perform, let alone now when the entire aircraft¡¯s controls were experiencing problems. But wasn¡¯t he claimed to be some ace pilot? Even in these circumstances, although he couldn¡¯t continue providing fire support to his comrades on the ground to help them suppress those charging monsters, he hadn¡¯t succumbed to a crash. The Wind Falcon was spinning in the sky, but not falling down was good enough. Moreover, the special forces led by Lacroix weren¡¯t pushovers either. Taking advantage of the little time Lieutenant Kuchi had bought for them, Lacroix had led a team to form a makeshift blocking position to buy time for their comrades behind. Their shooting skills were exceptionally strong, and they had already been tipped off about the special aspects of those lizard monsters. They would use concentrated fire and, when necessary, overcharge their LR5 Laser Rifles at critical moments, even if it meant using up a high-energy battery in one go. One after another, the monsters were annihilated during their charge. Lacroix was the one with the most kills. The power crystal he had equipped in his Exoskeleton Armor was too luxurious to be used on individual equipment but provided him with outstanding combat capabilities. Each shot was an overcharged blast, with a high frequency, and key to this was his ability to nearly always hit the target. His fire alone was as effective as all the others combined. Given enough time and the right distance, Lacroix alone might have had a chance to shoot down all those lizard monsters during their charge. Unfortunately, there was no time. Even though the monsters had already been hit by an aerial cannon barrage, there were still upwards of fifty of them. The distance between them wasn¡¯t that great to begin with, and under the command of a huge one wearing a vague white lab coat that seemed to be the leader, they charged ferociously and fearlessly, consistently closing the gap to the blocking position. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And the good news was that the Wind Falcon behind them had finally finished loading the cargo. Everything else was left behind. Lacroix called out, instructing his comrades to fight while retreating. As for himself, he stood at the very end of the group, providing stable and precise strikes, time after time. Moreover, he targeted that particularly distinctive enemy. Chapter 304 - Chapter 304: Chapter 194, An Unimaginable Shot_2 Chapter 304: Chapter 194, An Unimaginable Shot_2 The intelligence level of that guy is not on the same scale as the other monsters. Although he was also charging with the main force, he always kept his body behind at least one Lizardman, never carelessly exposing himself to the firing line. But¡­ was this foolproof? Lacroix had been watching him for a long time. And now, there was an opportunity. When he saw that the special forces soldiers had a chance to retreat, the creature seemed to grow anxious. It let out a long howl to the sky, calling on its subordinate Lizardmen to launch an even more fierce assault. They were now within arm¡¯s reach, and every human must be stopped from boarding the aircraft. The Lizardmen, indeed, accelerated their advance as commanded. However, in that instant, a very slight gap appeared between Lacroix and him. And this gap was tightly seized by the Alliance Soldier King. He pulled the trigger, and the overloaded, dark red laser beam shot past the ears of many Lizardmen, hitting its mark on the guy¡¯s head through that slight gap. He, too, possessed some sort of Spiritual Energy protection, which was much stronger than that of ordinary Lizardmen. Even when hit by the laser, a yellow-green energy shield visibly appeared. Even an overloaded shot couldn¡¯t immediately break through the Spiritual Energy protection. But this was already within Lacroix¡¯s expectations. What followed was a second shot, then a third. After that, there were no more windows to shoot through. But it didn¡¯t matter, those three shots were enough. The second shot broke the yellow-green shield, and with the third shot, the creature¡¯s head was pierced through. The remaining Lizardmen, suddenly leaderless, fell into chaos. Taking this opportunity, the last soldier, besides Lacroix, had already boarded the Wind Falcon. Even then, the Wind Falcon had begun to take off, already almost a meter from the ground. It was at that moment that Lacroix finally stopped shooting. He first tossed his overheated rifle, probably unusable without major repairs after this, onto the aircraft, then took a high jump, grabbing onto the edge of the open hatch. With the help of a comrade¡¯s hand, he heaved himself onto the plane. Immediately afterward, he turned around, took the rifle handed to him by a comrade, connected it to his own energy crystal power supply, and leaned against the edge of the Wind Falcon¡¯s cabin, starting to shoot downward. He hadn¡¯t forgotten that these Lizard creatures had a special ability. As they neared their target, the Spiritual Energy talent they possessed could cause a delay in the target¡¯s movements. He wasn¡¯t sure about the range at which this ability could be triggered, nor could he guarantee that when multiple Lizardmen were present, their Spiritual Energy talents wouldn¡¯t resonate with each other, leading to a more pronounced effect. For others, it might be fine, but if the pilot of the Wind Falcon they were boarding were to be delayed, with the servo-skull forced offline, they might truly be unable to fly. After all, not everyone was on the level of Lieutenant Kuchi. With this in mind, shooting downward to reduce the numbers of Lizard creatures was certainly a worthwhile endeavor. Killing a few extra enemies was never a loss. All things considered, things had been relatively smooth up to now. The Anti-Gravity Engine of the Wind Falcon roared as the aircraft began to accelerate for a vertical ascent. In a few more seconds, once they picked up speed, they could soar hundreds of meters above the ground in the blink of an eye. At that height, they were almost out of danger. Once the thrusters kicked in, they could reach, or even break, the sound barrier in an instant, flying off into the distance, leaving the enemy troops on the ground, no matter their number or capability, as no threat at all. But just then, the fast attack craft they were on suddenly swayed violently. The Wind Falcon was losing control! ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°Why won¡¯t the machine respond?!¡± The pilot¡¯s cries of alarm kept coming. Clearly, he had encountered a situation like Kuchi¡¯s before. A mysterious force was throwing off the precision of mechanical controls. Each operation was exaggerated or diminished. Even Kuchi, relying on manual control in such a situation, could barely keep the Wind Falcon from falling, not to mention the one Lacroix and the others were on now. Lacroix¡¯s powerful arms gripped the side of the hatch, forcibly steadying his body. At this moment, he felt incredibly calm. Now, they were nearly a hundred meters above the ground. Falling from this height, relying on his exoskeleton, relying on his body¡¯s strength that had mysteriously become many times stronger recently, perhaps he himself could survive. But the others on the plane would probably suffer heavy losses. What¡¯s worse, all the precious materials loaded onto the craft would no longer have a chance to be taken away again. They had to solve the problem. In the blink of an eye, he noticed a tiny figure slowly rising in the distance, nearly two thousand meters away. To the average person, a target at this distance was just a dot. However, with his eyesight and the display inside his full-coverage tactical helmet, he could still make out that it seemed to be a bald man wearing a dark green robe. The air around him was constantly distorting. Some magical power was emanating from his body. Lacroix judged that this was very likely the culprit affecting both Wind Falcons. In the split second, he raised his LR5 laser rifle to overload mode, a red beam streaked across the sky! That shot hit dead center! ¡­ Ge Wajia lowered his head, looking at the penetrating wound that had appeared in his chest, astonishment showing on his indifferent face. He could interfere with two Wind Falcons from a distance of two kilometers, thanks to the power of Spiritual Energy, a grace from the Benevolent Father. He, of course, also possessed the ability to protect himself with Spiritual Energy, which, if fully activated, wouldn¡¯t be so easily penetrated, even by an overloaded laser rifle. However, he had not actively activated his Spiritual Energy defense earlier. He was an old warrior, yet he hadn¡¯t personally experienced the battlefield and the threat of life and death for many years. He never imagined that after throwing that adept pilot¡¯s Wind Falcon into turmoil, anything could still harm him. But that soldier managed it. A laser rifle in overload mode could maintain tremendous lethality over a distance of two kilometers, which was not surprising, but¡­ how could he hit the target? A distance of two thousand meters was something only a super sniper could achieve, wasn¡¯t it? It needed a fine weapon, a steady mind, ample time for calculation, aiming¡­ And yet that Alliance soldier, in the heat of the moment, on a wildly swaying plane, one hand on the hatch and the other aimed at Ge Wajia, took a shot from two kilometers away. And he hit the target. A stream of fresh blood coughed out from the corner of his mouth. He was floating about ten meters above the ground, but now he couldn¡¯t maintain his position and began to uncontrollably descend. But it wasn¡¯t over yet. After Lacroix¡¯s shot, both the Wind Falcons teetering on the edge of control regained stability. The Wind Falcon carrying the spoils and soldiers immediately started to climb, eager to avoid any further mishaps and get away quickly. The other Wind Falcon, piloted by Kuchi, didn¡¯t just climb; it viciously turned its nose toward Ge Wajia and fired a dense barrage of bullets. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Kuchi had also seen Lacroix¡¯s shot. Though he found it just as unbelievable, as soon as the plane returned to normal, he immediately understood that Lacroix had hit a critical target, saving everyone. There was little else he could do at this time, but to lay into the beaten dog, to give it another vicious blow, was only right. What if he wasn¡¯t dead? If worse came to worst, they¡¯d whip the corpse too. Chapter 305 - Chapter 305: Chapter 195, a big wave is coming! Chapter 305: Chapter 195, a big wave is coming! The first battle after the establishment of the special combat brigade was something Gu Hang still cared about. He read the complete battle report and felt quite emotional. A combat team of thirty people, six died, but they completed the mission and possibly eliminated a high-value enemy target. What more was there to fuss over? Especially for Lacroix and Kuchi, Gu Hang personally issued commendations. The former goes without saying, he was a ¡®hero¡¯ activated by Gu Hang with favor points, the currently unique character specialized in combat on the system interface. What¡¯s restricting his combat power now is his equipment. If given even better gear, like upgrading the LR5 laser rifle to a Hellgun, bomb launcher, plasma or thermite weapon¡­ he might even be able to match up with a Rage Owl Star warrior. Still comparing to Rage Owl Star warriors, if instead of the special combat brigade, it was Phoenix fighters deployed for this mission, the completion would indeed have been smoother. But now, there are only four Rage Owl Star warriors left, ¡®irreplaceable resources.¡¯ Whereas the soldiers of the special combat brigade¡­ although it sounds a bit harsh to say, they indeed qualify as consumables. Despite the sacrifices, even with a Soldier King like Lacroix leading, and the mission¡¯s rough completion¡­ as long as they can accomplish similar special operations, that was already very good. How much is a Rage Owl Star warrior worth, and how much is a special forces soldier? Gu Hang did not like to measure the lives of warriors in cold numbers. However, as a leader, as a ruler, sometimes he had no choice but to make such cold calculations. Of course, the compensation for the six fallen soldiers would not be short; those who lived and completed the mission should get enough combat allowances and bonuses, as well as honor. These matters would be handled by Tadeusz¡¯s military administration department, so Gu Hang didn¡¯t need to worry too much about them. His attention returned to the report submitted by researcher Hu Ke. The engine Prophet had inspected the spoils brought back by Wind Falcon and submitted a report. He said the materials picked up this time were of great value, and there was a chance to decipher some important information from them. For example, to verify whether the Nature Salvation Society really found a complete, undamaged Spiritualized Gas Field as he had previously guessed; to check what they were actually using the Spiritualized Gas Field for; to attempt to calculate the location of the Spiritualized Gas Field¡­ Hearing this statement, Gu Hang felt a surge of great expectation. Gu Hang greatly cared about the deranged Cult and the Spiritualized Gas Field. Dealing with the Cult was greatly linked to solving the problems of the Green Valley Region. However, it seemed that relying solely on the military would be difficult. Once the Nature Salvation Society concealed themselves in the jungle, what could the military do to them? The Central Group Army claimed to have approximately sixty thousand troops, with over a hundred thousand militia available for deployment, but such numbers tossed into the jungle would not even make a splash. Rather, it depended on precise intelligence, special operations teams for accurate strikes, guiding the orbital fire support from the sky for bombing, or at worst, dispatching the globally-deployable Wind Falcon for bombing. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that the current strategy for Green Valley was to be abandoned. As for the jungle, Gu Hang had already made up his mind to eradicate it completely. But he also had no intention of trapping his main forces there for a long time. Total eradication was possible, but it would take too long. He ordered the Central Group Army to completely stabilize the situation in the Beiqing Valley Region, then proceed south along the established roads, helping as many survivors from the South Green Valley Region to move north as possible, and set up a defensive line between Beiqing Valley and South Green Valley. With that, their mission would be considered complete. In the meantime, the militia would receive more effective training and better equipment. Subsequently, the task of maintaining the defense line between Beiqing and South Green Valley would be handed over to the local militia, and the main forces would withdraw. Indeed, according to Gu Hang¡¯s strategy, he was prepared to relinquish control of the South Green Valley land. It wasn¡¯t necessary; even if it was conquered, there wasn¡¯t enough population to develop it. As long as the remaining few million people in the direction of South Green Valley could be brought back, that was enough. The Beiqing Valley Region, with its estimated two to three million square kilometers of land, mostly fertile arable land, could not only feed ten million people, but the grain produced here alone would suffice for the entire population of Rage Owl Star, with surplus for grain exports. Truth be told, the ten million people might struggle to properly develop Beiqing Valley. So, let the South Green Valley Region remain as is for now; wait until the future, when Rage Owl Star¡¯s population grows significantly and there is greater demand for land and food. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang now realized more profoundly that Rage Owl Star didn¡¯t lack land, it lacked population; his pace of unification wasn¡¯t for those many worthless lands, it was meaningless; expanding the ruling population was the core matter. If the ten million people of the Green Valley Region could be incorporated into his rule, then he would have achieved his desired Green Valley strategy. Gu Hang gave Yan Fangxu six months for this process. As for the Nature Salvation Society, Gu Hang needed to treat it as another separate issue. He hoped that Hu Ke could decipher more information; he hoped for Wind Falcon¡¯s normalized patrols and air strikes; he hoped for the special combat brigade¡¯s special warfare operations in the south. Chapter 306 - Chapter 306: Chapter 195, Brace for a Big Wave!_2 Chapter 306: Chapter 195, Brace for a Big Wave!_2 Capture the living, probe for clues. Seek, discover, exterminate. Continue this process relentlessly until every last one of those cultists is annihilated. If the clues decoded by Hu Ke are sufficiently detailed, they could help him deliver a fatal blow, wiping out the cultists in one fell swoop; that, of course, would be ideal. If not, Gu Hang was not afraid to turn this into a long-term battle. The only concern was the complete spiritualized gas field that the cultists had discovered. That was an exceedingly advanced energy source, and Gu Hang wasn¡¯t sure what they would do with it. However, considering the history of Rage Owl Star, the source of the demonic disaster here was the excessive exploitation of the spiritualized gas field, leading to the thinning of the veil between reality and the Abyss. Add some human activity and cult infection factors to the mix, and it ultimately led to a demonic invasion. Now that a complete spiritualized gas field was in the hands of the cultists, who were intent on summoning demons and calling upon evil gods, the situation, when combined, was deeply troubling. However, looking on the bright side, once Wind Falcon¡¯s patrols in the south become routine, there were certain scenarios Gu Hang would be able to scout ahead of time. If the worst scenario unfolded and the cultists tore open a new chasm into the Abyss, the disturbance would surely not be minor. Early detection would give Gu Hang a chance to handle the situation before it became unmanageable. Of course, it would be best if he could discover it even earlier. For this reason, he was very much looking forward to the results of Hu Ke¡¯s work. However, he waited for over a month without any results. To be honest, Gu Hang was anxious. Because an important event would happen this month: the Beautiful Lady Convoy and the Quintet would both depart during this time. They needed to repair their ships. Though his cousin had left, Yelisia would remain, and an escort ship named the ¡®Blade Tiger¡¯ had arrived here. The captain of the Blade Tiger, named Du Zhicheng, was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Imperial Navy. His rank was significantly lower than Yelisia¡¯s. Though, theoretically, as the captain and commander, the ship was his to command, with Yelisia present, the command would undoubtedly fall into the hands of the female Brigadier General without any surprises. It¡¯s likely that Du Zhicheng had anticipated this, and perhaps had even communicated early on with the Fufana Family, deeply embedded within the Tianma Star Sector naval system, fully understanding his mission for the coming year and would likely be cooperative. But no matter what, swapping a main Strike Cruiser for an Escort Ship¡­ was like trading a cannon for a bird gun. Gu Hang had hoped that Hu Ke would complete the decoding and reconstruction of the trophy information within this month, locate the spiritualized gas field, and send people to scout the area immediately, so that they would be ready to call in an orbital strike if necessary¡ªfor a fierce attack. No matter how many schemes those Chaos Cult members had, they couldn¡¯t withstand a shot of divine justice from the ¡®Wrath of Loyalty¡¯ macro cannon. But now¡­ Oops, the Wrath of Loyalty was gone. How about a ¡®Scalpel¡¯ missile instead? Yelisia had described to Gu Hang the weapons configuration on the ¡®Blade Tiger,¡¯ which was embarrassingly inferior compared to the ¡®Quintet¡¯: just thirty S-type weapons, and that¡¯s it. Ten ¡®Reflector¡¯ Interception Lasers, ten ¡®Defender¡¯ Rapid-Fire Cannons, and ten ¡®Scalpel¡¯ Missile launch platforms. That¡¯s all. Reflectors can¡¯t hit the ground; to attempt it, they would lose a significant amount of energy passing through the atmosphere and would not be able to carry out an orbital strike mission. The Defender Rapid-Fire Cannons would barely be suitable; the Scalpel Missiles would work. But obviously, compared to a full barrage from the Quintet, with two hundred Scalpel Missiles, twenty Heat Hammer Macro Cannons, and two Loyal Rage Macro Cannons, there was simply no contest. It was just better than nothing. If only the Allied Air Force could expand further, having a hundred planes all equipped with missiles, the power of a full air raid would be roughly comparable to ten Scalpel Missiles. Gu Hang could only heave a sigh. But there was no helping it. Hu Ke had even come to offer an uneasy apology to the governor, but what could be done? No one else on the entire planet could probably do that, so being anxious was useless. Gu Hang had no choice but to accept the reality. After tearfully watching Quintet depart, Gu Hang could only return to his office and figure out how to use the grace points at hand. The fixed income for the new month had arrived. This month¡¯s grace points totaled 1307 points. Compared to last month¡¯s 1022, there was once again a significant increase. This increase mainly came from the Beiqing Valley Region, where the Mutual Aid Society had effectively been incorporated into the rule of the Alliance, adding four million people to the population. Although the productive capacity of the Beiqing Valley Region was currently terrible, and a considerable portion of the population consisted of ¡®refugees¡¯ and purely a burden, the sheer number of four million meant that the grace points increased by a sizeable amount. As for other increases, they came from the Twin Cities absorbing more population and experiencing further growth in productive capacity; order in the central three provinces had been restored, with a slight increase in their monthly income as well. After receiving this sum of grace points, Gu Hang now had 1708 points in hand. He considered for a moment and allocated 700 grace points for soldier training. He planned to recruit seventy thousand soldiers from the Beiqing Valley Region and establish eleven garrison divisions, numbered 15-25, all under the command of the Central Group Army. By that time, combined with the existing militia of the Green Valley Region and the freshly reorganized 13th Mechanized Brigade and 14th Motorized Infantry Division, which had been rapidly dispatched to the south, Commander Yan Fangxu would have over two hundred thousand troops at his disposal. With this scale, the question of military strength should largely be resolved. The source of these seventy thousand soldiers was not a major issue, as refugees could be enlisted; the training was not a major issue, as the ¡®Soldier Tag¡¯ system could solve it; the issue of weapons and equipment was a bit more significant, as producing equipment for seventy thousand individuals, along with the corresponding artillery and trucks, might take two to three months to complete. But Gu Hang had time to wait. With the remaining one thousand grace points, Gu Hang thought it over and decided to build a Comprehensive Academy. With that, of the three types of academy buildings made available to him by the Architectural System, he would have constructed them all. The earlier one invests in education, the higher the returns. The Comprehensive Academy would produce students specialized in trade, jurisprudence, administration, arts, and so forth. Compared to the Technical Academy, the Comprehensive Academy could be considered more of a social science institution. Science and technology might be the primary productive force, but as the lands governed by Gu Hang became increasingly vast and the population ever more immense, with the overall scale expanding by several millions in a matter of months, he needed a sufficient number of administrative talents to manage the planet as bureaucrats on his behalf. This was inevitable. Especially since he adopted a highly centralized political system, this was more the case. The Technical Academy provided technological talents, the Comprehensive Academy provided high-quality social science talents, and the Loyal Heir Academy ensured the loyalty of the former two¡­ This was the education system Gu Hang planned for the overall Alliance. Further down the line, establishing a complete compulsory education phase would require longer-term investment, but that was something Gu Hang would not personally handle. The Department of Culture and Education under the Alliance Government would be responsible for this task. As a result, 1700 grace points were spent to the last penny, leaving a mere 8 points in hand. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only To speak of it, receiving a fixed income of over a thousand grace points every month seemed quite plentiful, but spending them was indeed very quick. Gu Hang was now just waiting for the Green Valley campaign to settle. According to the system¡¯s way of doing things, it would have to wait until the situation in the Green Valley Region was settled and stabilized before giving a settlement, but it was uncertain when this judgment would be made. He was in urgent need of a large wave of grace points to fill his depleted pool of grace points. However, before the big wave Gu Hang was anticipating arrived, the Phoenix Battle Group gave him a big surprise. Chapter 307 - Chapter 307: Chapter 196, Did I Get Exposed? Chapter 307: Chapter 196, Did I Get Exposed? On the outskirts of Weixing City, Phoenix Monastery. After more than half a year of construction, the Phoenix Monastery no longer looked like a major building site ¡ª at least, not in the core area. The main part of the chapel had been completed, and next to it, an even larger cathedral was under construction; the living quarters had been finished; and the training grounds had been mapped out. Apart from the larger and more majestic parts, the main practical buildings of the monastery were all done. Inside the chapel, there even stood a statue of The Emperor, glittering with gold. Indeed, it was cast from gold. Currently, on Rage Owl Star, aside from a portion needed for industrial production, the value of precious metals lay only in their use as decorative items; they held no capacity for currency, savings, or circulation. Using them to decorate the chapel and the divine image of The Emperor was just right. And before the divine image of The Emperor, a figure, aged yet tall and robust, knelt on one knee, his eyes tightly closed, maintaining this posture for quite some time. Priest Rizzo was always like this. Even as a priest, he spent too long praying with his eyes closed. It hadn¡¯t always been this way, only after coming to Rage Owl Star had his time spent in prayer and attempting to communicate with The Emperor grown longer and longer. The other two members of the Phoenix Battle Group had felt at a loss for some time now. After three consecutive failures of gene-seed implant surgeries, their battle group leader had locked himself in the confessional and had not come out since. And their battle group priest was in this state. The atmosphere was oppressive, and anguish and confusion filled their hearts as well. But today seemed a little different. Although the head priest still knelt in prayer before The Emperor¡¯s statue, the confessional door nearby opened. The battle group leader finally emerged. But this did not bring any reassurance. They could see that Matins¡¯ massive frame was stooped, weary, hiding despair. When an ordinary person despairs and acts recklessly, they can cause considerable destruction, let alone a star-faring warrior. They watched the battle group leader with considerable concern as he approached the head priest step by step. They felt that what was about to happen would determine the future destiny of the battle group, but they did not know what it would be. Matins stood behind the head priest, gazing for a long time. During this, his fists clenched several times, only to relax again. Eventually, he let out a deep breath, and like Rizzo, knelt before The Emperor¡¯s statue, murmuring a prayer before speaking in a disheartened voice, ¡°Priest, over half a year ago, you said you had foreseen that the battle group¡¯s lifeline resided on this star named Rage Owl Star¡­¡± Matins¡¯ voice was hoarse and grating. In recent times, he had barely drunk any water, leaving his throat very dry. Priest Rizzo, being questioned, opened his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips: ¡°Yes, I did have such a revelation.¡± ¡°Do you still stand by your revelation?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve never doubted it.¡± ¡°Even if¡­¡± Matins took a deep breath, ¡°even if the battle group has become what it is now?¡± At this question, Priest Rizzo did not answer directly. He countered, ¡°Are you blaming me?¡± Matins was silent, but the bloodshot look in his eyes as he glared at Rizzo gave away the answer. Rizzo sighed, ¡°It seems you really do blame me, but do you remember exactly what I said at that time?¡± ¡°You said the hope for saving the battle group lay on Rage Owl Star¡­¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I said.¡± Matins was startled. A star-faring warrior has a good memory, and he immediately recounted the scene from that time, certain that he had not misremembered. What did the head priest mean? Rizzo continued, ¡°I said, the opportunity for the battle group¡¯s rebirth from the ashes lies there, in the person of the governor of that star.¡± ¡°Is there any difference?¡± ¡°Of course, there is.¡± Rizzo¡¯s face broke into a smile once more, ¡°Hope has never been in a place, or on a star; it¡¯s always been upon a person. I made myself very clear.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Matins immediately started to speak, ¡°The governor has already done everything within his power to help the battle group, what more can he do?¡± This indeed was Matins¡¯ own thought, so he held no particular resentment toward Gu Hang. The Phoenix Battle Group and the governor of Rage Owl Star had always had an equal partnership. They executed commissions for the governor as they deemed fit, and of course, they could refuse if a mission was particularly preposterous. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only While sacrifices had been made, fighting the enemies of the Imperium, whether followers of the Evil God or Green Skin Orcs, was a matter of course. In this respect, Governor Gu Hang had never betrayed them. Any intelligence that needed to be clear was clear, any support that needed to be in place was in place. The losses of their battle brothers were caused by combat with the enemy; Mr. Gu could not be blamed for that. While they fulfilled missions for the governor, Rage Owl Star had reciprocated. Building the monastery for the battle group, allowing them free choice among the planet¡¯s youth for candidates. When they needed surgical equipment, the latest was bought; they replenished their arsenal, and they were even gifted a precious set of Terminator Power Armor! What more was there to say? Gu Hang had done all that he could. What more could Rage Owl Star offer for the battle group¡¯s development? Chapter 308 - Chapter 308: Chapter 196, Did I Get Exposed? _2 Chapter 308: Chapter 196, Did I Get Exposed? _2 It¡¯s no use giving anything! What they¡¯re missing now, most of all, are people, fighting brothers, genetic seeds! Does Mr. Gu have any ways to help with this matter? At that moment, Priest Karizo said, ¡°Mr. Gu has indeed done everything within his power to help the ¡®present¡¯ Phoenix Battle Group. But for the future, for the group that will be saved, it is far from enough. He can do more.¡± ¡°What are you implying?¡± Matins asked eagerly, ¡°Have you foreseen something else? There are only four of us left in the group. We must be united for the survival of the group! Why are you being so secretive at a time like this?¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t know how to say it,¡± Rizzo sighed, ¡°What is the most urgent help the group needs now?¡± ¡°Is it¡­ genetic seeds?¡± Matins was so confused that even this answer was given hesitantly. ¡°Yes, now that we need genetic seeds, why shouldn¡¯t we seek help from Mr. Gu?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Matins was utterly bewildered, ¡°He might be able to help us in countless ways but this one¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve said, I foresaw that the group¡¯s salvation would fall upon Mr. Gu. Since we¡¯re now at the brink of life and death, and we need genetic seeds to save our group, then let¡¯s go to him.¡± ¡°You mean to say, Mr. Gu has our genetic seeds?¡± Matins¡¯ eyes narrowed as a myriad of thoughts raced through his mind. Rizzo once again did not answer directly but posed another question, ¡°Matins, are you willing to pay any price for the survival of the group?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Matins replied firmly, ¡°But what does that have to do with¡­¡± Rizzo waved his hand to prevent him from continuing and looked toward the other two parties present. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°Certainly willing!¡± The two veteran warriors were equally resolute. Rizzo nodded. He stood up, faced the three brothers, and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s go, let us meet His Excellency the Governor, see the savior of our group, and see how he will save our group.¡± ¡­ Four interstellar warriors, visiting together, armed to the teeth, gave Gu Hang quite a fright. But after hearing the news, he still received them in his own office hall. The Gu Hang of today was no longer the one from before. In just half a year, not only had his power expanded rapidly, his personal strength had skyrocketed as well. In the system, on his personal character interface, he was a Level 5 Spiritual Energy user. In the battle aboard the Quintet three months ago against the Beastman Fleet General, he even played a key role. He had assessed himself and concluded that, at this level, he might not even fear a one-on-one battle with Matins, the leader of the battle group. Of course, being ganged up on by four interstellar warriors might still pose a problem, but who said he couldn¡¯t run if he couldn¡¯t fight? The city was full of his people! The reason Gu Hang thought of this first was mainly because the interstellar warriors came so aggressively and suddenly. Not knowing what had happened, he naturally considered the worst. Of course, when he actually met them, Gu Hang¡¯s face still beamed with a bright smile. He welcomed the interstellar warriors first, then without any further probing or beating around the bush, he got straight to the point and asked, ¡°I wonder what brings you here today? Is there anything specific you need my help with? The Phoenix Battle Group has made great efforts and sacrifices for the rebuilding and revitalization of Rage Owl Star, something I will never forget. Whatever you need, feel free to ask. I will fulfill it if I can!¡± Facing Mr. Gu¡¯s question, the four formidable interstellar warriors, however, didn¡¯t open their mouths. They didn¡¯t know what to say. The two warriors didn¡¯t say much; they were just there to witness, today they only brought eyes and ears, not mouths. As for the two leaders¡­ Matins¡¯ gaze turned to Rizzo, only to find that the latter had no intention of speaking. This had always been Rizzo¡¯s stance: You are the group leader, so all decisions should rightfully be made by you. Was this a good thing? At least Matins didn¡¯t think so. He only felt weighed down by the heavy burden. Sometimes, he wished someone else could make some decisions for him, whether the decision was right or wrong. All he needed to do was follow, execute with all his might, and that would have been fine. It would certainly be countless times easier than now. Putting away his thoughts, he still had to shoulder the responsibility of the group leader and seek a way out for the survival of the group. Matins was similarly not adept at beating around the bush, so he too spoke plainly, ¡°We are here for the survival of the Phoenix Battle Group, and we need Your Excellency¡¯s help.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Hang had already let go of most of his worries. Asking for help, huh? You should¡¯ve started with that. With all the bluster, I thought there had been a leak and you were coming to finish me off. Hold on, no, there¡¯s no leak! I am a loyal subject of the Empire! However, Gu Hang was a bit puzzled again. He said, ¡°You need help, of course, there¡¯s no problem, but forgive my bluntness, I¡¯ve always been grateful for your sacrifices and have been trying my best to help you. I don¡¯t know where else I can provide assistance. If there¡¯s anything I haven¡¯t done well, feel free to speak up, I¡¯m all ears.¡± Taking a deep breath, Matins said, ¡°We need a genetic seed.¡± What? Genetic seed? To me? Lucky I wasn¡¯t drinking water just now, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t guarantee I wouldn¡¯t spit it out in one go. Clearing his throat twice to cover the shock in his eyes, he asked with feigned calm, ¡°This¡­ I understand what a genetic seed is, but how can I help you? I don¡¯t understand.¡± Matins was somewhat deflated. Yeah, how could a Military Governor help with something related to genetic seeds? His gaze involuntarily drifted back to Priest Rizzo beside him. Priest Rizzo still had a silent demeanor. Anger rising in his heart, Matins blurted out in frustration, ¡°Eight months ago, we were wandering through the stars¡­¡± He talked about what happened then. About their plight, how Priest Rizzo had foreseen that the salvation of the battle group lay with Gu Hang, and their arrival on Rage Owl Star. He even included the earlier conversation he had with Priest Rizzo inside the Phoenix Monastery, not sparing any details. Priest, weren¡¯t you all quiet? Then I¡¯ll lay it all out! Priest Rizzo¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he let Matins spill everything. Gu Hang looked at the High Priest of the Phoenix with disbelief, unable to comprehend the rationale behind all this. But in reality, his mind was swiftly calculating. Eight months ago, that must have been when he activated the ¡°Phoenix Will Die¡± event. Was it the power of the system that mobilized Priest Rizzo to foresee certain events through prayer? What was the reasoning behind this? You, a priest, were led to Rage Owl Star, led to me, during prayers to The Emperor? The implications hidden behind this entire event sent chills down Gu Hang¡¯s spine. However, an even more pressing issue was right before him. After Matins had finished recounting everything, he looked at him with eyes full of expectation. Not just Matins, the two star warriors behind him also shared the same demeanor. And how should he respond? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Genetic seeds, huh¡­ I could give them, a hundred grace points each, right? For him, who had just activated the event at that time, a hundred grace points were impossible to come by; even if he had them, it would have been exceedingly painful to part with. But for the him of now, with a fixed monthly income of thirteen hundred, a hundred points were nothing. But the question is¡­ should he give them? If he admitted it, what risks would it bring, and what impact would it have? Chapter 309 - Chapter 309: Chapter 197: From Today Onwards, I am the Phoenix Chapter 309: Chapter 197: From Today Onwards, I am the Phoenix In an era beyond historical verification, The Emperor who walked among humans created the genetic seeds and the Starfighters. Now, that technology has long been lost. In the current era, genetic seeds can only be born from the Starfighters themselves. Moreover, due to long periods of separation, subtle differences have gradually emerged between the gene seeds of each ancient Starfighter Battle Group, and after completing gene surgery to create new Starfighters, their characteristics also differ to a certain extent. The Phoenix Battle Group¡¯s accumulation of gene seeds over many long years was destroyed. According to what Matins once narrated about the history of the battle groups, in the last battle of their century-long penance expedition, their flagship, which carried both the battle group¡¯s armory and gene bank, ceased to exist completely in a massive explosion. Now, if one wishes to see the Phoenix¡¯s gene seeds again, apart from those that could be harvested after the death of the seven living warriors, the only remaining source would be the Imperial Gene Bank. Starfighter Battle Groups too are required to pay taxes, known as the ¡®gene seed levy¡¯. They need to regularly surrender 10% of the new seeds produced during this period, and the Mechanical Cult Guild and the Empire¡¯s State Church check the purity of the battle group¡¯s gene seeds to ensure everything is in order. Those seeds that pass inspection are added to the Imperial Gene Bank, which are generally used to establish new battle groups. Thus, in theory, the Phoenix Battle Group could request assistance from the Empire to rebuild their ranks using the gene seeds they¡¯ve surrendered as tax in the past. But in reality, this is impossible. Firstly, the Phoenix had submitted applications, but to no avail. The Empire had no such rule; there was never a regulation stating that a battle group suffering heavy losses could replenish from its past seed tax. The Empire also had no motivation to do this: why strengthen an old battle group? From Gu Hang¡¯s perspective, if he were a member of the Imperial Supreme Council, he wouldn¡¯t agree either. The Starfighter Battle Groups within the Empire, according to sacred scripture, are similar to independent warlords. They mostly have their own mother planets, which do not pay taxes; Starfighter Battle Groups generally obey orders, but there are many who follow the directive rather than the proclamation. The Empire doesn¡¯t even have a dedicated authority with jurisdiction over Starfighters, so mobilizing them is like how Gu Hang interacts with Phoenix: orders have to be issued, contracts made, and if they genuinely don¡¯t want to do it or don¡¯t commit fully, there are no conventional means to punish or restrict them unless they¡¯re branded as traitors after a fall out. And honestly, pinning a traitor label on someone isn¡¯t that easy. Which historic battle group doesn¡¯t have a band of comrades, good friends, planets they¡¯ve saved, and so on? All are connections, all are political backers; it¡¯s not as simple as wanting to brand them and doing it. Afterward, if you do, the parent group and other allied groups will come forward to cry foul. If there¡¯s solid evidence, that¡¯s a different matter, but if there¡¯s even a slight controversy, it¡¯s not doable. Considering this, why support an old battle group? If there¡¯s a real need, just create a new one and it¡¯s done. The old groups can figure it out themselves. Especially the Phoenix Battle Group, a group with a past offense and who had actually been sentenced to a penance expedition, whose political connections were almost entirely wiped out, should not expect support. It¡¯s better to build a new group with the effort that would take to save the Phoenix; new groups won¡¯t come with a pile of historical issues that are difficult to resolve. Having lost hope of obtaining new seeds from the Empire, they could only rely on themselves. The sacrifice of three warriors yielded three seeds full of hope, but all surgeries failed. This means that the only seeds of the Phoenix Battle Group left are those contained within the four who are still alive. Theoretically, it shouldn¡¯t be possible to find them anywhere else. In this situation, Gu Hang produced one. What did that mean? Was he in cahoots with someone high up and managed to acquire a genetic seed, or what? There was no excuse Gu Hang could fabricate that would pass muster. He couldn¡¯t claim that the Imperial Gene Bank authorized him to have a batch of Phoenix seeds; that would be ludicrous, as nothing of the sort had ever happened in the Empire¡¯s history counted in millennia. But could he continue to feign ignorance and not acknowledge it? That didn¡¯t seem right either. Gu Hang had been able to exchange for genetic seeds for half a year now. To say he wasn¡¯t eager to try it was impossible. He had been scheming for an opportunity to use his ability to exchange genetic seeds. If he hadn¡¯t been thinking about this, why would he have bought twenty sets of powered armor at a high price in the past when the Beautiful Lady Convoy was present, if not for that day? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only According to Gu Hang¡¯s original plan, he wanted to wait until Wu Jiarong managed to free some time so that this priestess from the Mechanical Cult Guild could research how to perform gene implantation surgery. This task doesn¡¯t necessarily require a Starfighter; in fact, when the Empire wants to establish a new battle group, it¡¯s the Mechanical Cult Guild that operates. The only slight problem is that Wu Jiarong isn¡¯t specialized in genetic engineering. Compared to her, Hu Ke would be a better choice, but considering the issue of trust, Wu Jiarong still remains the best option. Once she had studied it, then Gu Hang could find some young people with qualifications and potential, train them to T1 level using the [Soldier Badge] system, and then exchange for the genetic seeds. The total cost would add up to 211 points of Blessing, plus the life of a promising youth as the price for Wu Jiarong to practice. Even if there were failures, after a few attempts, they should be able to succeed eventually. Chapter 310 - Chapter 310: Chapter 197: From today onwards, I am Phoenix_2. Chapter 310: Chapter 197: From today onwards, I am Phoenix_2. Anyway, the genetic seeds aren¡¯t precious to Gu Hang, they¡¯re just a hundred points of grace. Nowadays, to extract a technology requires far more than this amount of money. The only concern, in fact, is how to explain it after it¡¯s created. If now, taking advantage of this opportunity, and reaching an agreement with the Phoenix Battle Group¡­ that would be almost a perfect situation. Moreover, they had come over, almost clearly stating the situation, and the room for feigning ignorance was already slim. Sitting upon his Planetary Governor¡¯s throne, Gu Hang looked down at the four star warriors, his gaze especially focused on Matins and Rizzo. He could see the relief and tension on Matins¡¯s face. He could also see that Priest Rizzo had opened his eyes at some point, his expression now filled with anticipation and even a touch of zeal! Recalling what Matins had described, how they were guided to Rage Owl Star by praying to The Emperor through Rizzo, he clenched his teeth, deciding to take a gamble. He had thought it through: in a desperate situation, these Phoenix individuals, whose minds were fully occupied with how to continue their battle group¡¯s existence, might really abandon their quest for the origins when faced with genetic seeds that, while of unknown provenance, were indeed related to the Phoenix descendants. They might focus solely on the survival of their battle group. The star warriors were called The Emperor¡¯s Death Angels, and this was true; they all valued loyalty highly. But¡­ were there no rebellions among star warriors? That is not the case. Rebellious battle groups, the Chaotic Starry Warriors Gang¡­ these were all tangible realities. Aren¡¯t they all factions that split off from the loyal star warriors? With the Phoenix now as they are, it¡¯s conceivable that to fulfill their wish of continuing the battle group¡¯s legacy, they would have a decent chance of agreeing to direct treason. Not to mention, what Gu Hang would ask them to do next was not even to betray anyone. Furthermore, as Gu Hang looked at Rizzo, he always felt that this Priest might become key, and he might even become an inside supporter. With these thoughts, Gu Hang took a deep breath and spoke solemnly to the four star warriors below: ¡°If that¡¯s what you say, I indeed have a potential solution that might help you¡­¡± He made an opening statement but did not get into specifics, leaving room for negotiation. He spoke slowly, and did not forget to observe the expressions of Matins and Rizzo. The yearning on Matins¡¯s face instantly filled with hope. The Commander looked up at him with eager eyes, full of anticipation for what he would say next. And the fervor on Rizzo¡¯s face became even more pronounced. The reactions of the two reassured Gu Hang somewhat. Their first concern was not ¡®why can this Planetary Governor help us obtain genetic seeds,¡¯ but ¡®we can agree to any condition,¡¯ which in itself explained a lot. He continued: ¡°But this matter is too significant and unique, involving some secrets. It will also cost me greatly, which exceeds my level of support for you. So, if you need this kind of special help, I need you to agree to a few conditions.¡± Matins eagerly interjected: ¡°Name it! I will agree! No matter what the conditions, I will agree!¡± He indeed had prepared himself to make any sacrifice. Gu Hang raised a finger: ¡°First, the Phoenix Battle Group must pledge allegiance to me.¡± Just the first condition, and Matins was already stunned. A battle group pledging allegiance to a Planetary Governor? Had such a thing ever happened in the entire history of mankind? Weren¡¯t Planetary Governors civilians appointed by battle groups to manage their planets, at best serving as stewards, to be replaced if they weren¡¯t up to the task? Now, a battle group was to pledge allegiance to a Planetary Governor? He found it somewhat unacceptable. Gu Hang¡¯s expression became grave: ¡°I think I need to make myself clearer: this goes beyond the level of aid for allies. You should understand that. I can only pay the price for my own people, for my true own people.¡± He paused, then leaned forward, fixing his gaze on Matins: ¡°I¡¯m ready to pay the price for the rejuvenation of the battle group, but the premise is, it must be ¡®my battle group.¡¯ So, Commander Matins, you said you were willing to pay any price. Does that still stand?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Matins looked again towards Rizzo. All he saw was the encouraging look in Priest Rizzo¡¯s eyes. ¡°I agree,¡± Matins lowered his noble head. ¡°Then swear the oath,¡± Gu Hang said. If he had already agreed, what more was there to say? Matins knelt on one knee before Gu Hang, who was seated on the throne in front of The Emperor¡¯s golden statue, and also bowed his proud head. Following his lead, Rizzo and the two other star warriors also knelt. Next, it should be the oath-taking segment. But Commander Matins pursed his lips tightly. He didn¡¯t know how to begin. At this moment, Priest Rizzo spoke, ¡°Leading the battle group in the oath, chanting the prayer, is my duty. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Matins breathed a sigh of relief, At critical moments, the High Priest was somewhat useful, at least taking over the most awkward part for him. But soon, he couldn¡¯t muster a smile. ¡°From this day forth, I am of the Phoenix¡­¡± The first sentence uttered by Rizzo made the DNA of all three stir. It was the oath of the Phoenix Battle Group, which every battle brother must recite by heart upon formally joining the group, swearing allegiance in front of all their battle brothers to The Emperor. And afterward, this oath would be the preface to almost every banquet, gathering, and prayer session of the battle group. They had long since learned it by heart. In the past, and including now, it was always Priest Rizzo who led such prayer activities. Everyone was very familiar with it, so the three of them almost instinctively started reciting it along with him. ¡°From this day forth, I am of the Phoenix¡­¡± ¡°I am a sword of The Emperor and also a sword of Gu Hang.¡± Their eyes went wide with disbelief, staring at Rizzo. What the hell? You just changed the battle group¡¯s oath? If you¡¯re going to swear allegiance, why mess with an oath that has been passed down for thousands of years? And hey, how about consulting us first? However, Priest Rizzo looked at them with a resolute and fervent expression, clearly prompting them to recite along with him. What could Matins and the remaining two warriors do? The situation had progressed this far; was there still room to stand up and say they refused? They hesitated for a moment but ultimately, stiff-necked, they continued to recite along with the High Priest. ¡°I am a sword of The Emperor and also a sword of Gu Hang.¡± ¡°I am a shield of The Emperor and also a shield of Gu Hang.¡± ¡°I shall bring death to the enemies of humanity, I shall bring back glory for The Emperor and Gu Hang!¡± ¡°I shall sacrifice and die for The Emperor, and be reborn of fire because of Gu Hang!¡± ¡°From this day forth, I am the Phoenix, eternally warring on!¡± ¡­ Gu Hang felt awkward listening from above. Having his name forcefully added to the oath, it sounded cringeworthy no matter how he listened. Besides the awkwardness, a more core point was¡­guilt. What merit did he have to be equated with The Emperor in an oath? If others heard this, wouldn¡¯t it provoke serious trouble? But he also couldn¡¯t bring himself to stop it, and he couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint his feelings about it. There was no way he didn¡¯t feel a bit of dark pleasure. A battle group was swearing allegiance to him, even changing the group¡¯s oath; how could he not be pleased? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Although this battle group only had four people left, from this moment on, he could use the repeatable event to exchange genetic seeds without any reservations. With the seal broken, was there any concern about the speed of powering up troops for someone hanging by a thread? However, Gu Hang didn¡¯t let the euphoria cloud his judgment. He still remembered his priority. After the Phoenix Battle Group finished the oath, Gu Hang raised his second finger¡­ Chapter 311 - Chapter 311: Chapter 198, Will You Train Intergalactic Warriors? Chapter 311: Chapter 198, Will You Train Intergalactic Warriors? When Gu Hang raised his second finger and proposed his second condition, Matins was already numb. Even the kind of oath that he had just taken, chanting along with the Priest of the battle group, what other condition could there be that he couldn¡¯t agree to? And indeed, the second condition that followed, along with the third condition that came closely after, didn¡¯t seem too demanding¡ªnot from their post-oath perspective. Gu Hang¡¯s second condition was that the battle group must unconditionally obey all of his orders. No problem, obedience is obedience, what else does pledging loyalty mean? However, it was the third condition that gave them some worry. This condition stated that all future new members of the Phoenix Battle Group, from recruitment to training, would be handled solely by Gu Hang. Essentially, this was to take over the training of T1-level soldiers, as well as training ¡®political officers¡¯ at Loyal Heir Academy. The former was to raise the trainees¡¯ basic qualifications as much as possible because according to the traditional ways of cultivating interstellar warriors, bringing in a boy just over ten years old would mean at least five to six years of training, or seven to eight years at most, to select the best out of the good ones upon reaching near adulthood. That was too slow, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t wait for such a slow nurturing process. He needed to produce soldiers rapidly! By directly spending gift points, he could bring talented boys up to the T1 level, which is a far more reliable method. Not everyone could be trained to the T1 level; during the times Gu Hang used the [Soldier Card] function for training, he had often come across situations where no further enhancement was possible. That was related to the soldier¡¯s innate potential. But that was also good, in a way. If out of a hundred boys, there are those who could be raised to the T1 level by the [Soldier Card], it would prove that their innate potential was quite impressive. If they didn¡¯t even possess the potential to endure the upgrade to T1 level by the [Soldier Card], then there was no point wasting gene seeds on them, nor their own lives. This indirectly served as a rather useful selection feature. Those who were eliminated, those who couldn¡¯t be promoted to the T1 stage, wouldn¡¯t go to waste either. If they didn¡¯t have the aptitude to become interstellar warriors, they could well enter the 10th Special Warfare Brigade to become special forces. Being a Stormtrooper was also quite honorable. As for the regular training, a visit to Loyal Heir Academy was certainly necessary. Before those young men became interstellar warriors, they must first receive proper education in loyalty. Matins had doubts about this, not because of ideological training. The entire battle group had already sworn allegiance to the Military Governor, what else was there to fret about? What worried him was whether the Military Governor knew how to train interstellar warriors. Gu Hang had no explanations for this, just as he wouldn¡¯t explain how he intended to obtain gene seeds. As for how to deal with Matins¡¯ doubts, that was actually quite simple. Gu Hang said a few words to him, his speech was very tactful, but the meaning was very direct: next month he planned to conduct the gene seed implantation surgery, did Matins have the capability with the regular methods of cultivating interstellar warriors to train a suitable candidate within a month? Even if picking from those more than two hundred youths already undergoing training at the Phoenix Monastery, none suitable could be found. It¡¯s not that the training method for interstellar warriors was inadequate, but the problem was the scarcity of training time. The three consecutive failures of surgery in the past were not only due to the gene seeds not being properly preserved, resulting in decreased viability, but also another significant problem was the inadequate quality of the candidates. If you can¡¯t handle it, then I might as well do it myself. In the end, Matins had no choice but to accept. ¡­ After seeing off the four members of the Phoenix Battle Group, Gu Hang, left alone, unusually asked someone to bring him a glass of wine and sat drinking by himself. He did not show emotions like excitement or happiness on his face, but he was indeed very pleased. The complete allegiance of the Phoenix Battle Group was of great significance. The core point was certainly not those four veterans. If it were just about borrowing their strength, there was no need to insist on their allegiance; a normal mission commission would suffice. The greater value of this event was that Gu Hang could finally use the gene seed exchange function without too much concern to rapidly produce his own soldiers. Unleash the seal! Interstellar warriors are by no means a cos-effective type of soldier. The more than two hundred gift points required to cultivate an interstellar warrior, plus the cost of a set of equipment, could arm one or two infantry divisions. And yet a single interstellar warrior might not be able to defeat an entire division. But that¡¯s not how it should be measured. Many problems that infantry divisions can¡¯t solve need top-tier solo combatants like interstellar warriors. In the battle at the Quintet, if it weren¡¯t for the efforts of Matins and the other three, giving Gu Hang four more infantry divisions wouldn¡¯t have mattered; they wouldn¡¯t have been able to prevent the Beastman Overlord from destroying the core engine room. However, as impatient as Gu Hang was, he couldn¡¯t immediately start producing soldiers. He had run out of gift points previously. But no matter, things could be prepared in advance. Selecting young teenagers with potential as reserve warriors, tossing them into Loyal Heir Academy for learning, all these could be started in advance. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡­ A month quickly passed. The situation underwent many new changes. In the Beiqing Valley Region, a sizeable battle erupted. The Central Group Army¡¯s efforts to cut through, compress, and eliminate the jungle were effective. The Aberrant Beasts hiding in the jungle became desperate. Chapter 312 - Chapter 312: Chapter 198, Will You Train Intergalactic Warriors?_2 Chapter 312: Chapter 198, Will You Train Intergalactic Warriors?_2 Oh, rather than saying the Aberrant Beasts panicked, it¡¯s more accurate to say that the puppeteers behind them tried to make a desperate last stand. They clearly knew that if things continued this way, the eradication operation involving two hundred thousand soldiers and millions of civilians, would genuinely wipe out the jungles of the Beiqing Valley Region. It didn¡¯t mean that the vast jungles would be completely deforested, but at least they would be cut into fragments. In the areas where it was certain that there were no Aberrant Beast nests developing, they could be left alone after clearing the surroundings; and for the jungles where Aberrant Beasts existed, complete destruction awaited. The fully-powered synthetic starch factories constructed one after another could digest the destroyed trees on the spot, transforming them into synthetic starch needed by refugees. This greatly relieved the pressure on food supplies. Furthermore, with the recent conclusion of the autumn harvest, the Alliance¡¯s food reserves were still in a healthy state. Unwilling to sit and wait for death, the Nature Salvation Society gathered nearly five hundred thousand monsters of various types from the jungles across the Beiqing Valley Region. But even so, they still suffered defeat. They knew that facing the enemy head-on, despite their vast numbers, they stood no chance. In war, quantity is clearly not the primary factor; firepower is. While fully-evolved Aberrant Beasts had the Pus Spewers with a shooting range almost equal to firearms and there were bio-artillery; overall, the vast numbers were still made up of the ordinary Aberrant Beasts. Those ordinary ones could only fight in close combat, mere cannon fodder. A head-on attack was like serving themselves on a platter, but they had no other choice. A wave of Aberrant Beasts gathered and charged out of the jungle in vast numbers, attempting to draw the attention of the Central Group Army in this way. Immediately after, they launched multiple attacks from other areas of the woodland. However, the final result was still a failure. Almost all of the Aberrant Beasts that set out were wiped out in the end. At first, Yan Fangxu did have his attention diverted when he detected the massive wave of Aberrant Beasts; his main force confronted them head-on. But after realizing that the enemy was moving on all fronts, launching multiple attacks, his response was swift. Firstly, the forces at the front launched a fiercer attack, annihilating the enemy they faced; Secondly, the reserve troops mobilized extensively along the entire front, quickly providing support to multiple points of enemy attack. These troops were essentially the 15th to 25th Garrison Divisions trained up in the past month. Their equipment wasn¡¯t fully in place yet, but they were adequate for temporary use. Thirdly, the various militiamen and armed civilian self-defense forces had become quite outstanding. They resisted on the spot, waiting for reinforcements to arrive. And as a rule, the first reinforcement to arrive would be air force formations. Currently, the Alliance¡¯s air force had nearly forty Wind Falcons in an aviation squadron. Formed in teams of three, upon hearing the situation facing the Beiqing Valley region, they all set off. They circled above the Beiqing Valley, ready to move instantly wherever air support was needed. With the assistance of these aviation soldiers, who acted very swiftly and had a broad combat radius, the attacks launched by the mutant creatures hardly achieved any significant results. Of course, the air force was just the air force and couldn¡¯t produce a decisive effect. But as long as they could successfully delay the monsters¡¯ attack rhythm, that was enough. Once the Central Group Army on the ground was freed up, the rapid response units from various places could provide support along their route. The Green Valley Region is a massive peninsula-shaped area, with its widest span being over a thousand kilometers. It¡¯s impossible to cover everything merely with the manpower at hand. But there is no need to. With a population of only several million, it¡¯s enough to establish a few larger settlements; there¡¯s no need to stretch so far and create such a long defense line, unnecessarily increasing the difficulty of defense. A few targeted counter-offensive annihilation battles, and these Aberrant Beasts were almost completely exterminated. Subsequently, the Alliance Army, in accordance with the plan, divided part of the rapid deployment troops along the Green Valley Region¡¯s own pathways to begin moving south. They would set up evacuation points along the way to help the civilians still stranded in the South Green Valley Region migrate northward and flee. This migration was semi-coercive. Ordinary civilians were one thing, but the many plantation owners still in South Green Valley Region were the biggest obstacle. Since the outbreak of the disaster, the plantations in South Green Valley that have managed to persevere to this point are either relatively isolated, having encountered little trouble so far; or have managed to hold on by sticking together; or are just so large that they are not easily breached. But no matter the circumstance, convincing plantation owners to easily abandon their assets and head north along with a massive number of hired laborers is very difficult. In this regard, the Alliance expressed respect, but then demanded that all civilians leave. If the population migrates but leaves behind the plantation owners and their families, you¡¯re free to do as you please. If you seek death on your own, the Alliance can hardly save you. However, if anyone dares to incite the hired laborers to oppose the Alliance Army, preventing them from leaving, or spreads false rumors that disaster will strike if they move north¡­ any such acts of resistance will be treated as hostile. The Alliance Army will strike with full force. In any case, the migration of the southern population didn¡¯t go smoothly, often resulting in bloodshed. Nonetheless, the army enforced Governor Gu Hang¡¯s will with iron and fire. Despite any disturbances, the plantation owners had no chance of stopping the process. On Rage Owl Star, Governor Gu Hang¡¯s will was an irresistible force, the wheel of the era! No one could resist! During this month, at Researcher Hu Ke¡¯s lab, which Gu Hang had been attending to, they achieved breakthroughs in deciphering the spoils recovered by the Special Forces of the 10th Brigade. Hu Ke personally sought out Gu Hang to share the good news, stating that he had located the target site. Indeed, just as they had anticipated, the Nature Salvation Society did possess a complete and undamaged Spiritualized Gas Field, a relic from the pre-war era. Moreover, their primary current research was aimed at finding out what kind of disaster had befallen the Spiritualized Gas Fields on Rage Owl Star in the pre-war era, and how it had opened the chasms of the Abyss. They were trying to replicate this process. They¡¯d already made some progress, which involved a large number of lives and a massive scale sacrificial ritual. The rapid breeding and loss of control of the Aberrant Beasts was related to their research. The Spiritualized Gas Field discovered by the Nature Salvation Society wasn¡¯t particularly large, but the energy density in any Spiritualized Gas Field was incredibly high. Its location was at the southernmost tip of the Green Valley peninsula¡ªor Green Valley Subcontinent¡ªand about eighty kilometers southwest underwater. The Nature Salvation Society had likely constructed a mining site and laboratory there. Hu Ke asserted that if he wanted to understand what his student truly intended to do, he needed more time to study it. To which Gu Hang was rather indifferent. If Hu Ke wanted to research, then let him. As for solving the problem, Hu Ke need not concern himself too much. When the time came, Gu Hang would dispatch a special task force to destroy everything there with orbital strikes, under the cover of the air force. Destroying the Spiritualized Gas Field was out of the question, an unrealistic notion; however, he could obliterate all of the facilities and personnel that the Nature Salvation Society had set up there, severing their ability to continue exploiting the site. Of course, not just yet. The Alliance¡¯s air forces were currently too occupied to spare the effort, as fighting was ongoing in the Beiqing Valley Region. Moreover, the special operations brigade was somewhat short on manpower. Let those cultists live a little longer; once he could spare the resources, Gu Hang would deal them a harsh blow. And after this month passed, the monthly fixed income was distributed. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This time, it was 1432 points, an increase over the previous month. After receiving the funds, Gu Hang did not hesitate to invest nearly all of it into the development of the Phoenix. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Just in time before twelve o¡¯clock¡­ Next, I¡¯ll be writing tomorrow¡¯s noon update¡­ Chapter 313 - Chapter 313: Chapter 199, New Blood of the Battle Group Chapter 313: Chapter 199, New Blood of the Battle Group After receiving the 1432 points of grace this month, Gu Hang now had a total of 1440 grace points. With these grace points, even if they were all invested in the Phoenix, he could create about seven Phoenixes in their ultimate state. Of course, this was hardly possible in reality, considering the losses along the way. Even if Gu Hang was optimistic, it was impossible to succeed with all seven. Moreover, before that, suitable candidates for training had to be selected. The selection process was actually quite straightforward. Firstly, over the past month, Gu Hang had picked out one hundred and fifty teenagers between the ages of 16 and 18 from across the Union. Some criteria were involved, such as background, past experiences, physical condition, and an assessment of their psychological state and willpower¡­ In short, there was a whole array of assorted requirements. These requirements were not just concocted by Gu Hang out of thin air, but were based on suggestions from Matins and Rizzo, who had established a scoring system from various aspects, with different weights for each item, to evaluate the one hundred and fifty people they had selected. On this basis, these one hundred and fifty had already undergone one round of selection. Now, with enough grace points in his hands, Gu Hang was about to start the second round and the several consecutive rounds of selection that followed. First, all candidates were trained to the T4 level. This cost Gu Hang seventeen grace points. Latter, when attempting to train them all to T3, some were unable to proceed. This was normal, indicating that some of them didn¡¯t have the potential to reach that level. They were divided into fifteen groups to be upgraded one by one. Six groups couldn¡¯t make it, so they were divided again¡­ Although this wasn¡¯t the most efficient method, it didn¡¯t matter; Gu Hang wasn¡¯t exactly obsessed with utmost efficiency. In the end, nine people were eliminated, leaving the rest to be promoted to T3 level. This cost 141 grace points. Truth be told, this ratio was quite high, suggesting that the initial selection might have been quite good. However, during the elevation to T2, the rate of elimination soared, and in the end, only 47 succeeded in advancing. To promote them, Gu Hang spent 470 grace points. Finally, Gu Hang saw that only three people were qualified to be upgraded to T1. At this rate, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t help but exclaim that finding someone with the qualifications to become an interstellar warrior was indeed difficult. Out of the 150 carefully selected teenagers, only three could be trained to the T1 level. No wonder the Phoenix had three complete failures in their surgeries. They had only selected four to five hundred teenagers for training. Not to mention that the Phoenix didn¡¯t have enough time to train those teenagers, even if they had been given ample time, and the gene seeds remained fully active, Gu Hang was not optimistic about their chances of success. The Phoenix didn¡¯t have any cheats and couldn¡¯t simply select the best candidates as Gu Hang had effortlessly done. They could only observe the level of those teenagers through approximately six months of training and ¡°guess¡± the best three. Out of the five hundred, maybe only about ten genuinely had potential; many had ¡°potential¡± that might not fully materialize during training¡­ No wonder mature battle groups needed an entire planet to provide recruits, and a considerable number of them would resort to brutal elimination when selecting new soldiers, even using methods such as battle royale and gladiatorial combat. They needed a vast number of teenagers to participate in the recruitment process and undergo the most severe culling. Compared to the preciousness of gene seeds, the lives of some ordinary teenagers were negligible. A low margin for error? Then select ten out of a hundred thousand; surviving through combat and harsh elimination pushes one to tap into their potential. And for those whose potential remained untapped, whether they died or got eliminated, the interstellar warriors felt no pity. Regardless of whether the methods the interstellar warriors used to select recruits were advanced or backward and brutal, they were certainly not as effective as having a cheat. Gu Hang hadn¡¯t expected that his ¡°Soldier Card¡± system would come in handy like this. Although the success rate of surgery for those at T2 was actually not bad, Gu Hang had no intention of squandering resources on them. Rather than that, he preferred to give the precious, one-hundred-point gene seeds to the three most exceptional individuals. Gu Hang upgraded all three youngsters to the T1 level. This cost him 300 grace points, Then, Gu Hang spent another 300 grace points to exchange for three gene seeds. All the preparatory work was thus completed, and what was left was the surgery itself. The entire process, if also including the training for the special military role of ¡°Political Commissar,¡± ended up costing a total of 1369 grace points. Gu Hang¡¯s grace point balance had once again fallen to double digits. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It looked like a lot, but when averaged out, each candidate for interstellar warrior cost over four hundred grace points, which was double what had been anticipated. But the account shouldn¡¯t be settled like this. First off, not a single one of those precious, exceptionally talented young people died during the selection process. Furthermore, even the eliminated ones each had their uses. Even the nine youngsters who didn¡¯t make it to T3, whom Gu Hang couldn¡¯t be bothered to train as political commissars, were simply sent to regular boot camps. Chapter 314 - Chapter 314: Chapter 199, Battle Group New Blood_2 Chapter 314: Chapter 199, Battle Group New Blood_2 But even so, these nine least capable boys should still stand out in boot camp, belonging to those who the various units would vie to have when replenishing their ranks. After all, even those who had undergone [Soldier Badge] system training in boot camp are generally at T5 level. These nine boys had at least reached T4. The remaining 141 would all be supplemented into the special combat brigade. Before this, the special combat brigade had only about a hundred people and was in dire need of new recruits. Out of the 141 added, at least they were T3 level, consistent with the current level of special combat soldiers; there were also 47 who had reached T2 level, which was much stronger than the average special combat soldier. Thus, the strength of the special combat brigade was replenished to about 230 people, barely forming two special combat battalions. It was precisely because the eliminated boys could be put to immediate use that Gu Hang selected boys aged between 16-18 when screening candidates below him. Although boys of this age group still had room to grow and would still be considered as junior soldiers in the troops, colloquially referred to as ¡°child soldiers.¡± But as long as it wasn¡¯t child¡¯s play. Of course, everyone else in this group of boys was incidental, the crucial ones were those three chosen children. Gu Hang now looked forward to their future with great anticipation. ¡­ Peleites Anatole came from the Green Valley Region; he was the son of a serf. As a youth, he had a relatively good nutrition because his mother was slightly attractive and had a special relationship with the plantation owner¡¯s family. His father must have known about it early on, but kept silent; for a long time, Anatole himself was unaware. He occasionally heard whispers and rumors, but he brushed them off as mere silly insults from other boys during fights¡ª at least, that¡¯s what he told himself. But this year, disaster struck, and the plantation disbanded. His father decided to head north, taking his family of five¡ªincluding his two younger sisters¡ª to seek refuge. Their family had good luck, reaching the Beiqing Valley Region just as the refugee camp was established. Contagious diseases hadn¡¯t spread there, and after a short stay in the camp, they were relocated to the Central Province and settled in Weixing City. It was during this transition that he overheard a quarrel between his parents. The gist of it was his mother lamenting their challenging life, questioning why they hadn¡¯t followed their old master, which resulted in his father calling her shameless. In turn, she furiously retorted, arguing that if not for her, how could his father, with just farming and the meager pay from their master, provide for the family¡­ Anatole didn¡¯t want to think about those things anymore. In any event, although his parents hadn¡¯t split up yet, the family atmosphere had turned very sour since that quarrel. Both his parents had secured an E5 classification and gone to work in different factories; he and his two sisters were allocated E2 and E3 classifications, respectively, and even had the opportunity to attend school. Family life had improved significantly¡ªthey had a place to live, enough food to eat, and a warmer, more hopeful future. He didn¡¯t understand why, after life had gotten better, the same parents who had never mentioned those things before suddenly erupted into such a quarrel? During two months of his parents¡¯ cold war, the day finally came when people with red hats visited the school to select ¡°the most promising boys,¡± and he eagerly signed up. On one hand, it was a cool thing to do; on the other, he wanted to leave his home. He didn¡¯t know how to solve the family conflicts, but avoiding them was a more comfortable option. Many of his classmates were weeded out after simple tests, with very few passing, but he was one of the few. After being selected, the red hats visited his home. His mother, upon hearing that her child would be taken away, wept bitterly, unwilling to let it happen. His father too, with trembling hands, forced a smile asking if it was possible not to go, if there were any other options. They didn¡¯t know what might happen to their child after he left; instinctively, they didn¡¯t want Anatole to leave just as life was getting better. According to his father¡¯s plan, after studying for a few more months, seventeen-year-old Anatole could join him at the military factory producing artillery. Although the work was hard, he would start as a stable E5 level and with seniority could steadily advance for a secure future. Why wasn¡¯t that visible path a good one? His mother agreed. Truth be told, seeing his parents who had been cold toward each other for months suddenly clinging to one another, united in opinion, made him even more certain of his decision. If his departure could improve the relationship between his parents, then that would be great. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But if staying would be better, well¡­ No, there was no staying. He heard the conversation between the red hat and his parents. The red hat, with a very stern attitude, made it clear that this was a conscription by the Alliance¡ªfailing to follow the conscription policy was a serious violation of the law, subject to severe punishment. Then, softening his tone, he gently explained the Alliance¡¯s policy. He described that being a soldier, unlike being forced into service by a landlord or other settlements, came with a rank, benefits, and allowances, and was even better than the average worker¡ªit was a promising future. Chapter 315 - Chapter 315: Chapter 199, New Blood in the Battle Group_3 Chapter 315: Chapter 199, New Blood in the Battle Group_3 Moreover, Anat was about to enter a special advancement training class personally established by the Governor, a class with rare spots and vast prospects; his future was definitely promising, perhaps even more so than his own. First, the stick, then the carrot, and next, the pie in the sky¡­ After a series of tactics, his parents were persuaded. Anat himself was also persuaded and no longer wished to stay. Besides family trivialities, how could a young person not be interested in a vast but unknown world? Then, amid his mother¡¯s tears and his father¡¯s reluctant embrace, he left home and was taken to a place on the outskirts of Weixing City¡­ a monastery? He had heard of this place, according to the townspeople, it was home to The Emperor¡¯s Angels, an area off-limits to mortals ¨C there were strict regulations against entry, violators would be captured and punished with labor, stipend deductions, or even demotion. The latter was a very frightening punishment within the Union system. Could it be¡­ I might become an Angel? It¡¯s quite normal for young people to dream. He anxiously and stiffly awaited his fate, but what transpired afterwards was beyond his comprehension. His training commenced for a week. The content was novel to him, something he had never seen before but was said to be common in the military, nothing out of the ordinary. Yet during this week of training, his peers were continuously divided into different groups. Some were sent away after just a couple of days, while others lasted slightly longer but were also constantly segregated into groups. By the end of the week, only three people, including himself, remained in the same group. Moreover, during this period, he distinctly felt that he had undergone tremendous changes. His physical condition had improved dramatically. His abilities in fitness, strength, and agility, which had been moderately above average among his peers, had reached an almost exaggerated level compared to a normal adult within just one week; He had mastered many military skills, most of which he had trained in, but at most had only practiced once or twice. However, every skill now felt as natural to him as instinct, and he could use them at will. In his mind, he had also acquired much military knowledge. He had skimmed through the material issued in books only once at night as required by the training, but now the knowledge was deeply engraved in his mind. It wasn¡¯t just memorization, it also included understanding, as if he had applied this knowledge in practice many times, deeply integrating theory with practice¡­ All these experiences astounded him. Thereafter, he and his peers were taken to Revival City, to a place called Loyal Heir Academy, where they underwent another week of training. During this training, he greatly broadened his horizons, even witnessing the legendary Governor himself during the first lesson! And in the lessons that followed, it was as if he understood that the rapid growth from the previous period was a blessing from The Emperor, a gift from the Governor. Loyalty was deeply imprinted in his mind. After the course at Loyal Heir Academy concluded, the majority of his classmates were sent to the new recruits¡¯ camp, said to be joining the special forces brigade, becoming honorable vanguards of special warfare, also known as Stormtroopers. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As for him and the other two in his group, they were brought back to the monastery. Then, he was informed that the next day, he would undergo surgery. He would have the opportunity to become one of The Emperor¡¯s Angels, to become the most elite warrior under the Governor¡¯s command! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª I forgot to set the timer after finishing writing last night¡­ Chapter 316 - Chapter 316: Chapter 200, The Governors Concept of the Phoenix Chapter 316: Chapter 200, The Governor¡¯s Concept of the Phoenix Before the surgery began, Anat and his two friends were all quite nervous. Even at the beginning, Anat didn¡¯t understand what the word ¡®surgery¡¯ really meant. Latter on, he figured out that surgery meant to cut open his own body and implant an organ next to his heart. This organ would grow into a second heart over the next few years, and it would also trigger a series of changes in his body, eventually resulting in eighteen superhuman organs. Anat pictured that scene in his mind, and then he shivered all over. Quite terrifying. However, he quickly calmed down. Even he himself was a little surprised by this. He had thought he would be too scared to go on. It seemed that the significant changes brought about by the short period of training were not just physical and skill-based, but also psychological and willpower-related. Anat didn¡¯t find anything wrong with that; of course, he preferred a braver version of himself. His two companions went in first, and it was finally his turn. Lying on the neat and clean operating table, Anat saw an old yet robust man standing by his side. Anat recognized him; this was Priest Rizzo, an Angel of the Phoenix. The priest¡¯s gentle voice resounded in his ear, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, it will be over soon. I¡¯ve seen your performance, you¡¯re already excellent, and you will make it through smoothly.¡± ¡°Mm,¡± Anat nodded. The voice of Priest Rizzo, seemingly carrying a special power, truly stabilized his mind a lot. The surgery began. ¡­ Matins, who was standing outside the operating room, waited for Rizzo to come out. ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°No problem, it went smoothly.¡± ¡°All three of them?¡± ¡°Yes, all three.¡± A deep sense of joy surged into his brain, and a rich smile irresistibly appeared on Matins¡¯s face. Why shouldn¡¯t he smile? The issue that had worried him for so long finally showed a glimmer of hope. All three were successful! The most dangerous stage of implanting the genetic seed was right after the surgery ended. Seventy percent of the failures occurred in this stage. Of course, successfully undergoing the genetic seed implant surgery did not mean it was totally risk-free. Afterward, the genetic seed would continue to develop in the recruit¡¯s body and gradually promote the growth of a dozen superhuman organs. This process could take anywhere from six months to two years, depending on the condition of the individual undergoing the surgery. Moreover, there could still be instances of organ rejection leading to death while the new superhuman organs were growing. But overall, the chances were not high. At any rate, the current situation was much better than the three surgeries they had previously attempted on their own squadron. Waiting outside the operating room wasn¡¯t just Matins; there were two other members of the Phoenix. One of them couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°How could it go so smoothly? Why did our three surgeries fail before?¡± Another one nudged him, signaling him to shut up. He said resentfully, ¡°I just think, if those three had also been successful, we would now have six new bloods¡­ which means more than the number we had when we landed on Rage Owl Star.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Matins countered, ¡°Have you seen the level of those three young men before the surgery ended?¡± When Matins mentioned this, the guy who had been grumbling immediately fell silent. Thinking back, it seemed horrifying. How could seventeen-year-old boys be so powerful? The young men certainly were no match for them; even without armor, they could easily overpower the three. However, the fact that this was even worth mentioning was already shocking. In reality, recalling his own past, before becoming an Interstellar Warrior, he had entered the training camp of the Phoenix at the age of eleven, endured brutal training, survived the final major selection process, literally escaping death multiple times, and learned much before undergoing the implantation surgery. And these three youngsters were much stronger than they had been at the same age! In fact, according to their assessment, these three lads, compared to the average Interstellar Warrior Recruit, only lacked the superhuman physical qualities. In other words, as long as they endured the entire transformation surgery process and all the superhuman organs had grown, they would instantly become legitimate combat brothers, lacking only the rich combat experience of these veterans. This was an outrageous assessment. They simply couldn¡¯t understand where Governor Gu Hang had found these three ¡®little monsters¡¯. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only With such attributes, such tactical expertise, such willpower¡­ they would have no trouble surviving the genetic implant surgery. Genetic seed implant surgery may be difficult, but it¡¯s not really a life-and-death gamble, or else Interstellar Warriors would have been extinct long ago, right? At this moment, Rizzo finally spoke, ¡°Since you are so concerned, why don¡¯t you come with me and see for yourself.¡± ¡°Is that okay?¡± Matins was somewhat surprised. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s okay. Their condition is very stable, unlike the previous batch. The genetic seeds provided by the Governor have very ideal viability.¡± Chapter 317 - Chapter 317: Chapter 200, The Governors Concept of the Phoenix_2 Chapter 317: Chapter 200, The Governor¡¯s Concept of the Phoenix_2 When the topic of Gene Seeds came up, everyone became slightly submerged in silence again. Gene Seeds, those mysterious essences, varied more or less from Battle Group to Battle Group. This stemmed from the fact that when The Emperor first created the Starfighters, he established thirteen different legions with varying tactical demands and strategic goals. These original legions, therefore, possessed inherent differences in their genes from the onset. Subsequent Battle Groups were established by splitting off from these thirteen original legions. Essentially, all the Battle Groups today originated from those initial thirteen. The Phoenix Battle Group¡¯s Gene Seed came from the Second Legion: the Phoenix Legion. Their inception was extremely early; if not the first to be split off, they were certainly among the second or third. After thousands of years of separation, the Phoenix Gene Seed had developed slight differences from that of the Phoenix. It was not major, but it was real. The Phoenix seemed to have lost the inheritance of the Phoenix Legion¡¯s famous flamboyant swordsmanship and close-quarters combat, yet they had become even more resilient, adept at erupting from desperate situations. This was also reflected in the Gene Seeds provided by Governor Gu Hang. Previously, Matins had been worried that the Gene Seeds Mr. Gu had promised might actually come from another Battle Group, or even another legion. In fact, that would have been more expected, more logical. Mr. Gu having some means, some channel to acquire scattered Gene Seeds seemed more plausible than him possessing the discontinued Phoenix Seeds. Even so, Matins was prepared to turn a blind eye if it came down to that. The survival of the Battle Group was paramount; the origin of the Seeds¡­ let it be. The best scenario would be to receive seeds from the Phoenix Legion; the source would be consistent. Even if they were from another original legion, it wouldn¡¯t be unacceptable. After all, the differences between a created Starfighter and another wouldn¡¯t be massive unless one delved into genetic sequencing or surgery. Besides considering the variation in the Gene Seeds themselves, the individual differences between the Starfighters were also significant. Matins had heard rumors about a ship-based Battle Group called ¡®Blood Shark¡¯, notorious for loitering around the empire¡¯s border Star Sectors without a home planet, scraping by on various levies. Their Gene Seed was said to originate from the Seventh Legion, the Bat Legion, but there was gossip about strange elements being mixed into it, making it a mess. While undesirable, he would have to accept such an outcome if it came to that. What else could be done? Unexpectedly, the Gene Seeds that Governor Gu Hang presented were indeed the unadulterated Phoenix Seeds. No matter how or from what angle they were scrutinized, they were undeniably pure Phoenix Seeds. Matins wasn¡¯t sure whether to be happy or not. If you look at it from a negative perspective, wasn¡¯t it wonderful that the lineage of his Battle Group could be kept pure and intact? But on the positive side¡­ the source of Mr. Gu¡¯s seeds remained a thorn in his side. He had been trying to convince himself that all of this was a blessing from The Emperor, a divine grace. Yet, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder, why had The Emperor chosen such a person? As for the less permissible thoughts¡­ to be honest, they had crossed his mind, but he felt they were impossible. Corruption by Chaos? Impossible! How could pure Phoenix Gene Seeds contain the taint of Chaos? Absolutely not! With all sorts of strange thoughts swirling in his head, Matins and the others, following Priest Rizzo, met with three youngsters who had just completed the Gene Seed implant surgery and were now laying in their hospital beds. Upon seeing them, Matins almost instantly cast aside all the thoughts, appropriate and inappropriate, that had occupied his mind. All he had left was the hope that they would grow up healthy. He could sense a resonance within their shared bloodline as it flowed through different bodies. He sincerely hoped the Battle Group would grow stronger and reclaim its former glory! ¡­ [Phoenix¡¯s Death Throes: Stage Three] [The Phoenix Battle Group has now sworn fealty to you through open acknowledgment or through cunning schemes. They have pledged to become your private military force.] [But this is just the beginning. To build a standard Starfighter Battle Group and achieve the rebirth and revival of the Phoenix requires even more effort from you.] [Gene Seed: You can exchange 100 Favor points for one Gene Seed.] Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only [Starfighter Technology Tree: You can select this option to restrict the outcome of a technology development to technologies related to Starfighters. Note that the success rate and tier of the technology pull are not affected by this choice.] [Unlock Starfighter Training: You can spend Favor points to train a Starfighter to a higher level. Veteran level requires 200 Favor points; Sergeant Major needs 300 Favor points; Squad Champion takes 400 Favor points.] [Growth Acceleration: You can spend 100 Favor points to accelerate the growth of superhuman organs, completing the process within a month.] ¡­ The above were the recent developments in the [Phoenix¡¯s Death Throes] event line that remained present in his system interface after the Phoenix Battle Group had sworn loyalty to Gu Hang. Chapter 318 - Chapter 318: Chapter 200, The Governors Concept of the Phoenix_3 Chapter 318: Chapter 200, The Governor¡¯s Concept of the Phoenix_3 This is hardly just an event anymore, it¡¯s like opening a whole new series of functions related to starfighters! The technology related to starfighters largely determines the level of equipment, while the training of starfighters, like the ¡°Army Badge System¡±, has many more training options. Of course, it costs many times more. There¡¯s even something like growth acceleration. If there were no other concerns, Gu Hang might really have used growth acceleration to speed up those three lads in one go, and get them in shape in a month. But after some thought, Gu Hang still refrained from doing so. There was no urgent need for a large number of starfighters at the moment, so he decided to let them grow slowly, and there was no need to stimulate poor Matins anymore. He had been through a lot of shocks recently, so it would be best to let him calm down first. The all-out oath of allegiance from Phoenix had brought about more than just a change in the event. Within the Army Badge System, Gu Hang could now see a special entry for ¡°Phoenix Battle Group¡±. Upon clicking, he could view the details. [Phoenix Battle Group: Special, Not Upgradable] [Number: 394] [Starfighters: 4] [Starfighter New Blood: 3] [Battle Group Servants: 387] [Battle Group Arsenal: Slight] The numbers 4 and 3 were straightforward; the 387 Battle Group Servants were likely the individuals found by Phoenix when they were authorized by Gu Hang to search and select young people on Rage Owl Star. These nearly four hundred individuals almost certainly could not become starfighters. Nonetheless, they were still considered assets of the Phoenix Battle Group, becoming Battle Group Servants. They would subsequently take on a range of tasks such as maintaining Battle Group logistics, armors, weapons, cooking, cleaning, and even taking up arms to fight alongside the starfighters when necessary. However, such situations were not what Gu Hang wanted to see in the long term. In the future, his ideal vision for starfighters was for the Phoenix to only care for their own personnel and their own equipment. As for the rest, whether it be Mortal Troops or the Battle Group Fleet¡­ they can forget about it. It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t have them, but even if he did, Gu Hang certainly wouldn¡¯t include those assets within the Phoenix Battle Group¡¯s order of battle. The Battle Group leader should be concerned with the affairs of the starfighters only. If needed, the Planet Navy, Planet Army will provide unconditional support, but only with Gu Hang¡¯s authorization. Even the action of the starfighters themselves must be authorized by Gu Hang. The traditional Battle Group expecting to become an independent warlord in the Star Sea is impossible. Training starfighters for Gu Hang is, to put it plainly, about nurturing elite enforcers, top-level battle forces designed to deliver decisive blows on the battlefield, not raising a bunch of grandees or a group inclined towards secession and independence. Gu Hang nearly decided to eliminate all Mortal Troop configurations within the Battle Groups. Need a flyer? Need air support? The Allied Air Force at your service! Need orbital bombardment? The future Fleet at your service! Need heavy vehicles for joint attacks? The Alliance Army Armored Corps at your service! Need logistical and supply support? The Alliance Military and Political Department, Equipment and Logistics Department at your service! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Anyway, in Gu Hang¡¯s planning, Phoenix is meant to be a hub for super soldiers, not an independent warlord. Everything else that a Battle Group should have, Gu Hang will provide but in a different way. Matins could command the Alliance Army granted to him by authorization, but such authorization was one-time only, limited to that specific mission and did not alter affiliation. Only if items like Rand Assault Boats and Rhino Troop Transporters, considered to be specialized starfighter equipment, were developed would Gu Hang consider directly equipping the starfighters with them. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª After thinking it over, I realized it was a bit confusing and made changes. Chapter 319 - Chapter 319: Chapter 201, Maritime Relics Chapter 319: Chapter 201, Maritime Relics There has been a correction to the last chapter; the arrangement in the last paragraph was indeed a bit inappropriate. The comments weren¡¯t deleted, but after the content was changed, all the comments were swallowed¡­ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Another month passed, and Gu Hang had invested all of this month¡¯s grace points into the construction of the interstellar warriors. This time, out of the selected two hundred people, five new bloods were created for the battle group. Seeing this, the interstellar warriors of the Phoenix no longer complained about the governor at all. With eight new bloods awaiting growth, there would be more of them by the time they grew up than when they had first landed! The brother in arms who used to mutter about why it wasn¡¯t so smooth before, now had changed his tune to: ¡°Why didn¡¯t we swear fealty to the governor when we landed? That way we would not have wasted the three gene seeds left by Schneider¡­¡± ¡°What a waste of half a year¡¯s time, if only we had cooperated from the start, our new blood might already be able to don power armor and fight alongside us¡­¡± ¡­ Gu Hang, however, could not hear the interstellar warriors¡¯ private conversations. Of course, even if he did know, it wouldn¡¯t concern him too much. Right now, he was just feeling pained. Building the Phoenix Battle Group was an investment in the future for Gu Hang. Like this time, with an investment of over 1,400 grace points, Gu Hang acquired three interstellar warrior new bloods. But for them to be truly useful, it would be at least half a year later. Even after the implantation of the gene seeds and the growth of superhuman organs, time was needed. In other words, in two months, after having dumped more than 3,000 grace points, indeed he got eight more interstellar warriors, but it would take at least half a year to a year for them to become effective. To be honest, it was a little painful. But that¡¯s how things are, always needing time to grow, the earlier you invest, the sooner you enjoy the benefits, and if you postpone, the maturity of the interstellar warriors is delayed. Moreover, the 3,000 grace points spent in these two months didn¡¯t just bring eight temporarily unusable battle group new bloods, it also brought over three hundred elite special forces soldiers. Although on the younger side, their combat strength was no less formidable. Building the special combat brigade was also his duty, and they were available for immediate deployment. Since Hu Ke had already calculated the location of the Spiritualized Gas Field discovered by the Nature Salvation Society, it was certainly something that needed to be dealt with. They didn¡¯t act last month because the battle in the Beiqing Valley Region was in full swing and the air force couldn¡¯t be spared. Additionally, the Central Group Army¡¯s main forces were positioned towards the more northern areas. If a special forces team were to be dispatched for operations at the southernmost tip of the Green Valley Subcontinent, and something happened, receiving support would be difficult. But now, the situation has become much clearer. The Central Group Army has almost annihilated the last sizable gathering of Aberrant Beasts in the Beiqing Valley Region, numbering half a million. Then, following the main thoroughfares of the Green Valley Region, they charged southward, ¡®liberating¡¯ many settlements and carrying out population migrations. In the South Green Valley Region, the alliance forces didn¡¯t delve into the jungles, but simply ¡®liberated¡¯ numerous plantations and settlements along their way. In one month¡¯s time, they nearly completed the migration of around three million people. It was a heroic achievement. Relocating the scattered population of the South Green Valley Region to the north in such a short time was not an easy task. Despite the migration of three million people, the current population under alliance control in the entire Green Valley Region was only about seven million or so. According to the alliance¡¯s last census of the global population, the Green Valley Region was supposed to have a total population of twelve million. Even though this census data is quite old, dating back to the era of the second governor, it¡¯s the last valid set of statistics. Based on this data, there should still be about five million people scattered across South Green Valley. Of course, in reality, this is unrealistic. Given the current state of the Southern Green Lake Region, it¡¯s very difficult for humans to survive once they¡¯re away from major population centers. They face threats from Aberrant Beasts and also struggle to find a stable source of food. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Of course, it¡¯s normal that some small, hidden settlements haven¡¯t been discovered by the Central Group Army. But it¡¯s unlikely that the sum of survivors in those places would amount to five million. From this perspective, from the era of the second governor to now, especially since the recent catastrophic surge of Aberrant Beasts, the total population loss in the Green Valley Region is likely in the millions. Secondary are those killed by Aberrant Beasts, but more probably perished in the chaos and famine that ensued. It¡¯s truly heartbreaking. The Central Group Army¡¯s operations in the South Green Valley Region this past month couldn¡¯t possibly have relocated all the population. The remaining hidden settlements, refugees in the midst of escaping, or others scattered for various reasons, the army simply didn¡¯t have the time to systematically search every patch of land. They could only erect many signboards in the more conspicuous places, with simple writing explaining alliance policies and directing them to flee north. To accommodate those who couldn¡¯t read, the signs were also illustrated with simple drawings. Chapter 320 - Chapter 320: Chapter 201, Maritime Relics_2 Chapter 320: Chapter 201, Maritime Relics_2 Along the way, there will be some allied supply stations, patrol stations, and the like. In the future, some militias or patrol squads will be stationed there to help those who might still have survived. Gu Hang hoped that by doing this, a greater number of people could be saved and brought back to the North. During this period, the Central Group Army, aside from its own duties, also dispatched a team that kept advancing southward. This team was the distinguished First Cease Wind Brigade. Their goal pointed towards the southern tip of the continent, advancing towards the direction of the Spiritualized Gas Field as calculated by Hu Ke. Of course, their speed was not especially rapid, as Gu Hang did not wish to startle the enemy prematurely. Currently, the First Brigade¡¯s position was still over a hundred kilometers from the southern tip of the continent. This could be considered as treading on a rather sensitive boundary. Meanwhile, more than 40 Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessels had also departed from the airstrip in Revival City. They were over four thousand kilometers away from their target location. But with the speed of the Wind Falcons, it would take them less than four hours to arrive. At the same time, Gu Hang had already established contact with the Claw Fierce Tiger up in the sky. After discussing with Colonel Yelisia for a while, they confirmed that the Escort Ship stationed in orbit above Anger Extinguishing Star could provide orbital strike support. The Claw Fierce Tiger would soon be ready for support; as long as Gu Xing provided the coordinates, the corresponding strike would fall. Although the firepower of the Claw Fierce Tiger was no match for that of the Quintet, when it came to the instantaneous delivery of firepower, Gu Hang¡¯s land forces were still incomparable to a proper starship. As long as the coordinates were precise, a single round of fire from the Claw Fierce Tiger could destroy all ground targets. In fact, the forty-some Windfalcon Fighters that had set out earlier were meant to verify the coordinates calculated by Hu Ke to ensure their accuracy and to check for any special movement the enemy may have conducted in the meantime. Gu Hang, waiting in the command center at Revival City, finally received a report from the frontline pilots after around three or four hours. Indeed, they had found a sizable offshore structure near the coordinates calculated by Hu Ke. Actually, they had arrived above the target location half an hour earlier but had taken some time to search the surrounding waters to find it. After all, Hu Ke¡¯s calculated position would not be completely accurate, and a manual on-site correction was necessary. Gu Hang thought for a moment and decided not to request an orbital strike directly. Orbital strikes were incredibly expensive, and though Gu Hang would not be the one paying for it, if the results of the requested orbital strike were lackluster, it would be quite difficult for him to justify to Colonel Yelisia. Subsequent requests for orbital support might face a lot of red tape. Gu Hang did not particularly want that to happen, so despite knowing the risks, he still ordered the Windfalcon Fighters to lower their altitude to scout and confirm whether the suspected Spiritualized Gas Field offshore extraction facility was indeed the target they intended to hit. If it turned out to be a blunder and the location was merely a relic from before the war, that would be problematic. ¡­ The Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessels thousands of meters in the high skies, of course, could not all descend. In a previous action, the Windfalcon Fighters¡¯ central systems were seized by the enemy, a lesson that made the Allied Air Force wiser. When the pilots¡¯ skills were not sufficient to independently control the Wind Falcons, they had to diligently avoid such situations from recurring. Under this premise, maintaining distance was the best approach. Actually, only three Wind Falcons decreased their altitude. The rest of the fighters continued to circle high in the sky, closely monitoring below, ready to immediately open fire and carry out a strike to save their comrades at the first sign of trouble. However, during the descent of those three fighters, they encountered no danger; the off-shore structure that looked rusted and battered was calm and tranquil. It was as if it were indeed a relic from before the war. But they still did not relax their vigilance. Following quickly, three fighters landed on the sea structure, in a relatively flat area. The hatch opened, and half the special warfare team walked out. The three fighters carried a total of 45 special forces elites, each wearing exoskeleton armor, complete with tactical helmets, and all at least T3, many of them T2 level elite soldiers. On a battlefield with equal weapon levels, facing a regular army, each of them was confident of scoring dozens of kills in a single combat. According to orders, they were to conduct a detailed search of the structures and maintain constant contact with headquarters. Their individual communication equipment, of course, was not enough to contact headquarters 4,000 kilometers away, but it was enough if they could reach the Windfalcon Fighters in the sky. The supreme commander of this operation was at this moment on one of the fighters high above. That was Matins. Commander Matins was out on a mission again, and his four battle brothers were also here. However, they did not have to directly engage in combat on the frontlines this time, or rather, they did not need to go up immediately; whether they would go up at all was up to him. The forty-some Windfalcon Fighters from the Allied Air Force¡¯s First Air Squadron and the more than two hundred soldiers from the 10th Special Brigade were all under his direct command. Currently, it looked indeed like just an ordinary pre-war sea structure ruin, perhaps a former offshore mining platform? Whatever its former function, it was likely now obsolete. At least so far, they had not found any signs of abnormalities. However, just as he was thinking this, something unexpected happened below! Fierce gunfire suddenly erupted from all around, and various biotech monsters sprang forth, launching a fierce attack on the three fighters that had not yet finished unloading soldiers, which had no time to ascend, and the special forces soldiers who were disembarking! Matins¡¯ expression was grave. The enemy obviously had some kind of biological hiding technology; their recent low-altitude scan had also failed to detect any trace of the enemy¡¯s concealment. Clearly, the enemy had initially intended to hide and create the illusion that no one was present; but once the ground troops landed, they knew they could no longer stay hidden, so they simply bared their fangs. For the soldiers who landed and those three Windfalcon Fighters, it was a perilous situation. But in the grand scheme of things, it was not a major problem. Even if all three aircraft were lost and all forty-five soldiers died, it would not hinder their correct determination that this was indeed an important enemy base. If he considered the situation with cold-blooded thinking and based on past battle experiences, he might abandon those soldiers and aircraft below, simply transmit the information back, and call for an orbital strike to finish it. However, now she might need to change her way of thinking. He could not treat the mortal troops below as just ¡®allies,¡¯ as mere cannon fodder for the Star Realm Army as in past battles. Now, they were all part of the same alliance under the Rage Owl Star. Besides, those soldiers were elites, and many were close to joining the Phoenix and becoming new blood. He could not be too wasteful of these soldiers¡¯ lives. Not to mention there were three Windfalcon Fighters. He knew that the Lord Governor, despite the rapid expansion of power, overall still did not have a substantial foundation. Losing three fighters would indeed be painful for the Lord Governor. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Thus, he issued the order for support. The Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessels still in the sky, following orders, launched a volley of missiles, appropriately lowered their altitude, and fired rapid bursts with their cannons toward the besieged allies. However, their support did not have much of an effect. When the firepower rained down, a huge light screen enveloped the entire sea structure platform. A Void Shield?! Chapter 321 - Chapter 321: Chapter 202, Airdrop Assault Chapter 321: Chapter 202, Airdrop Assault When a light curtain appeared around the sea platform, blocking all aerial attacks from the fighter jets, Matins was momentarily shocked. However, he soon realized that it was not a Void Shield. Although somewhat similar, it was far from reaching the level of a Void Shield and seemed to be merely a simple energy barrier. The difference between the two was significant. A Void Shield fundamentally doesn¡¯t directly withstand attacks, but rather creates a spatial discrepancy, forming a thin film that envelops the protected target. When an attack arrives, most types of shells, missiles, or energy rays, upon contacting this film, would get displaced by the misaligned space to another dimension, leaving the protected target unscathed. The defensive efficacy of a Void Shield was far superior to that of a conventional energy barrier. A successful defense would leave the protected target unaffected. But there were disadvantages, too. Void Shield Generators were bulky and couldn¡¯t be miniaturized; they consumed a lot of power; they were expensive; they couldn¡¯t recognize and displace slow-moving targets; and if they were subjected to too much firepower in a short period, causing an overload, they might let some attacks through¡­ However, compared to traditional energy shields, these issues weren¡¯t major, as many disadvantages were common to both. For instance, to achieve the same protective effect, conventional energy barriers would consume even more power; they also couldn¡¯t stop slow-moving targets; in the case of an overload, instead of letting attacks through, they would be shattered entirely¡ªrendering them useless against any further attacks, with the possibility of the Energy Shield Generator even exploding internally¡­ In comparison, the only advantages of energy barriers were their ability to be miniaturized and their affordability. Matins, a veteran of countless battles and wide experience, was able to deduce further information after determining that this was not a Void Shield. The Shield Generator seemed rather average, not high-tech. But, behind it appeared to be an enormous energy reserve. Unless they could obliterate the firepower threshold it could withstand in one go, the task of overloading it through frequent attacks would be extremely difficult. Was there an opportunity? Matins ordered the entire fighter squadron to execute another full-force strike, and during this process, he carefully observed the energy shield¡¯s reactions. His final judgment was: It¡¯s no use. The firepower required to overload the Shield Generator and to directly destroy it were two grades apart. Even accounting for the Escort Ship in planetary orbit, they might reach the former¡¯s requirements, but not the latter¡¯s. With the Quintet, it would definitely be no problem. Not to mention, just one blast from the ¡°Wrath of Loyalty¡±, an L-grade Colossal Cannon, could obliterate this Shield Generator. No matter how much energy was behind it, it would be futile. But they didn¡¯t have it at the moment, did they? The twenty S-grade Specification Weapons on the Escort Ship, even if fired simultaneously, wouldn¡¯t be able to completely destroy the current Shield Generator. And with a nearly infinite energy source backing it, the shield could quickly recover before the next barrage arrived. In other words, the idea of destroying this sea platform with long-range fire was no longer realistic. At least not until that Shield Generator was taken down. ¡°So, we need to launch a small-scale assault, breach the Shield Generator, retreat, and then call in long-range fire to destroy this sea platform?¡± ¡°I¡¯m familiar with this¡­¡± Matins smiled briefly, but then his expression turned solemn again. He was indeed familiar, as space soldiers had performed such tasks too many times. In his two hundred years of combat experience, he had carried out similar missions countless times, and he knew the process and the key points inside out. Now faced with a similar task, he felt a sense of familiarity and scoffed at himself. But no matter how many times he had done this type of mission or how rich his experience was, it couldn¡¯t hide the enormous danger associated with such tasks. The greatest danger came from the unknown intelligence. What exactly was in that building beneath them, the strength of the enemy, the exact location of their target to destroy¡­ they had no clue about any of these things. Under such circumstances, they actually shouldn¡¯t go in. Even an entire team of space warriors could potentially be overturned, as no one knew what kind of monstrosities they might encounter below. Thinking rationally, they could opt to retreat this time and wait for more detailed intelligence later. Matins had been granted extensive authority, and he could make a decision on this matter with a single word. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But he did not choose to do so. His decision stemmed from three main considerations. Firstly, he did not want to mark his first official mission as the total commander for the alliance with a failed operation. Of course, he gave this factor less thought, just a slight consideration. Fundamentally, he was still a warrior, and political considerations weren¡¯t his primary concern. Secondly, he was doubtful that if they retreated this time, how would they gather more intelligence later? This sea platform, whether they wanted to infiltrate or send someone inside as an inside man, conducting intelligence would be very difficult. And they didn¡¯t have much time to spend several months on intelligence gathering¡ªwho knew when the Cult¡¯s plans might come to fruition? Chapter 322 - Chapter 322: Chapter 202: Airdrop Raid_2 Chapter 322: Chapter 202: Airdrop Raid_2 Yet, apart from these external factors, there was a core reason that drove him to deploy more forces, and that was¡­ the enemy didn¡¯t seem strong enough. Or rather, the soldiers of the Governor¡¯s Special Warfare Brigade were simply too strong. With all aerospace fire support blocked by the energy shield, they were essentially fighting alone, yet they stood their ground. Initially, they did lose over a dozen warriors upon the sudden attack, but their counter-attack was quite sharp. Not only did they kill many lizard-like creatures that emerged from the surroundings with their laser guns, but they also took advantage of this opportunity to quickly exit their hatch and used the Wind Falcon¡¯s enormous body as a shield, constructing a defensive front in a ¡°Æ·¡± formation. As the situation stabilized slightly, the enemy became somewhat anxious. Some biochemical shells were launched, and their corrosive effects even damaged the surface of the grounded Wind Falcon. But at that moment, the special force warriors quickly responded. They pulled out several rocket launchers and fired towards the direction of the incoming biochemical shells. The rockets, with their trailing flames, had a formidable effect, at least temporarily preventing any new biochemical shells from coming in. Later, they even spontaneously organized a combat team of five and, under the cover of their comrades, launched an assault inside a building, aiming to clear out the enemies and establish a secondary defensive position to expand their survival space. If these special warfare squad members on the ground could create such a favorable situation, then what reason did Matins, as the commander, have to forsake them? In his channel, there was also a clamor for battle from the soldiers of the 10th Brigade. Among them, that individual known as Lacroix, the Mortal Combat Hero, was particularly eager to join the fight as part of the second wave, to provide ground support for the combat and to rescue and cover his comrades so they could withdraw. Matins let a hint of a smile touch his lips: ¡°I¡¯ll allow you to go down, but your objective isn¡¯t solely to cover your comrades. I want you to clear out the six indoor buildings surrounding the landing site, creating an opportunity for our subsequent forces to land!¡± Upon hearing this request, Lacroix was startled at first but then responded resolutely, ¡°Guaranteed to complete the mission!¡± Subsequently, a formation of three craft rapidly descended in altitude. The leader was none other than the ace pilot of the Allied Air Force, Lieutenant Kuchi. He and his wingmen, carrying more than forty special warfare elite including Lacroix, approached the energy shield after descending to a certain altitude. This was the most hazardous phase. Being too fast was unacceptable. The energy shield was only about eighty meters above the ground, and if they were too fast, they would be repelled. Moreover, a high speed would not allow enough time to decelerate for the landing within the eighty-meter height, leading to a disastrous crash. But it was at this time that the enemy¡¯s anti-air firepower showed its strength. It appeared the enemy had set up anti-aircraft guns, and there were biochemical shells being fired into the sky as well. With a slower speed, naturally, the enemy¡¯s hit rate increased substantially. Fortunately, the Wind Falcon was not a fragile aircraft but a rapid assault craft, cloaked in sturdy armor that offered protection slightly better than that of an armored vehicle. Bravely facing the enemy¡¯s anti-air fire, they successfully penetrated the energy shield¡¯s barrier. Once inside the energy shield, they did not hold back against those enemies. Outside the energy shield, they couldn¡¯t hit them; but once inside, they could confidently release their firepower. The three Wind Falcons, while descending, unleashed the six air-to-ground missiles they carried, engulfing the enemy in a sea of flames. Soon after, their autocannons began to roar, sweeping in all directions, not only attacking the enemy¡¯s anti-aircraft firepower to silence it but also providing some fire support and assistance to the special warfare elites who were still fighting on the ground. With the enemy¡¯s fire suppressed to a degree, the three Wind Falcons could take this opportunity to start their ascent. However, one of them seemed to have a problem and couldn¡¯t fly up anymore. But the other two that successfully took off launched all their mounted missiles before they left the eighty-meter height of the energy shield. At this moment, the three newly arrived Wind Falcons had already begun offloading troops. Actually, they hadn¡¯t yet touched down, hovering about ten meters above the ground. But at this height, as soon as the hatch opened, the special forces elite began to jump out one after another. They didn¡¯t even bother with rappelling, just jumped straight down. To the average person, a fall from ten-plus meters could be fatal, but for the elite warriors led by Lacroix, it was an acceptable drop. Soldiers of level T3 and above were already at, or even slightly beyond the physical limits of humankind, not to mention they were equipped with exoskeleton suits that could buffer their landing. Lieutenant Kuchi, who had guts to match his skills, once he had dropped off the troops in the cabin, didn¡¯t leave like the other aircraft. Instead, he chose to maneuver at a low altitude of 80 meters, assisting the ground forces with his autocannon, providing crucial heavy firepower support. In the confined space, he piloted the Wind Falcon, dodging and weaving. Although he couldn¡¯t get up to speed, afraid of crashing into something, he pushed the Wind Falcon¡¯s agility to the limit. The unpredictable flight trajectory was exactly how he avoided many attacks while also managing to launch bursts of cannon fire at the ground below, achieving some combat results. With the precious air support, Lacroix¡¯s team successfully landed and regrouped with the elite forces on the ground, beginning the task of clearing out the six buildings surrounding the landing area, as previously assigned by Matins. This sea platform was an irregular rectangle, roughly two kilometers long and one kilometer wide. In the center, at its core, stood a conical tower about thirty meters tall, narrower at the top than at the bottom; surrounded by densely packed buildings, mostly circular storages or towers interconnected by a network of pipes. A significant portion of the platform stretched below sea level. It was faintly visible that a considerable part of the central and largest conical tower extended underwater. Giant columns and pipes upheld the bottom of the platform, anchored from the seafloor, supporting the entire structure. The landing area chosen by the Allied Special Forces was near the southern edge, where the ground seemed relatively larger and flatter, suitable for the Wind Falcons to land. Once Lacroix had cleared the six buildings around the landing area, the pressure on the site was greatly reduced. Soon after, the third wave, also comprising three Wind Falcons carrying more than forty elite warriors, descended. This time, they had also cleared to the south, effectively dealing with enemies from one side. Following that, Lacroix personally led the team towards the central hub of the almost town-sized sea platform, advancing, and establishing defensive positions along the way with two or three soldiers guarding key points. They quickly breached the Central Spire, clearing the enemies inside. There, they made two significant discoveries. Firstly, they found a route leading down from the Central Spire. The iron door was tightly shut, not easy to enter, but under a thermite bomb, it would be no different than paper. Secondly, when they opened several storage containers on the sea platform, they witnessed a scene that would haunt them forever. They had expected the container-like storage might hold a variety of things. But they could never have imagined that they were filled with people. Crowded together, densely packed, the dead yet still living. The soldiers who opened the storage containers from above saw countless eyes looking up at them; faces and bodies covered in festering sores, crammed together, almost floating in pus. They were still alive, still squirming, an abominable power sustaining their existence. Conscious and enduring endless agony. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Itching, excruciating pain, maggots crawling all over, a despair of wanting death but not finding it seemed almost tangible. As soon as the storage doors were opened, along with the thick stench, a kind of Spiritual Energy was formed. The special forces warrior who opened the door, even though wearing a fully covered tactical helmet with some protection against toxins, still felt he smelled the terrible odor. The despair and suffering invaded along with the smell, causing dizziness and vertigo. If it weren¡¯t for the help of a comrade, he might have fallen from above. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Sorry, the update today is a bit late. Beginning the journey on a business trip¡­ Chapter 323 - Chapter 323: Chapter 203: The Great Impurity Chapter 323: Chapter 203: The Great Impurity All who had seen the sight within the living cans could not endure the psychological shock. Even if one ignored the soul assault rising under the influence of dark magic, just witnessing that scene alone, anyone with the slightest bit of empathy would feel discomfort. Specific intelligence had already been reported up the chain. Upon receiving the message, Matins didn¡¯t say much on the communication channel, just remarked, ¡°The fourth reinforcement will arrive soon.¡± The so-called fourth reinforcement meant Matins was leading the team himself. After sending down three batches of people, these brave mortal warriors had not only stabilized the situation at the landing field but had also pierced through the entire cluster of buildings on the sea level, creating a direct route to the core building. They had established several defensive nodes along the way, and the monsters lurking in various other areas, as well as the Cult followers, had no way to cut off this path. With such a situation at hand, what was there to hesitate about? To be honest, Matins even felt a bit ashamed, like he was stealing the glory of victory. During the Atonement Expedition in the past, when had they fought such a battle? Those Imperial commanders didn¡¯t treat the star warriors of the Atonement Expedition like people, just airdropping them into enemy clusters and that¡¯s it. Even after the mission was completed and it was time to retreat, they had to carve out a bloody path themselves, then clear the enemies at the evacuation point and ensure safety before the allies responsible for their retreat would descend. And now? The alliance¡¯s special forces at the landing field cleared it for you, the route to the target was open, your escape corridor was guarded, and the evacuation aircraft circled in the sky, ready to be summoned on command¡­ At one point, Matins even considered ordering Lacroix to lead his team straight into the central tower¡¯s sealed downward gate and solve the problem himself. When reporting back, he wouldn¡¯t discredit the warriors¡¯ efforts; all the glory would belong to them. However, he ultimately chose not to do so. Achievements were secondary. Who knew what lay beneath the central tower? Encountering some difficult demon or god was one concern. Even if it could be dealt with, Matins was not pleased with the idea of more casualties. He knew that his Lord Governor had also put a lot of effort into this special operations team. Moreover, the likelihood of such a possibility had significantly increased when those below discovered the despair-filled living cans. After landing, he and Priest Rizzo went to take a look at the opened can warehouse. With their mental willpower, such a trifle wasn¡¯t much. Even if there was a spiritual assault from the dark magic, neither of them so much as twitched an eyebrow. Their superhuman mental willpower wasn¡¯t something that could be affected by a bit of spillover dark magic. As for the psychological impact of the scene itself, it wasn¡¯t that the star warriors lacked empathy, but they were widely experienced and somewhat numb. In the fight against the Chaos Cult, they had seen too many gruesome things, many atrocities that pushed boundaries. This was just one more incident on the list. They were still able to analyze the situation with a calm attitude. ¡°This is Chaotic Sorcery,¡± Priest Rizzo provided a definite answer, ¡°Our previous speculations weren¡¯t wrong.¡± Then, he lifted the holy emblem hanging at his waist, closed his eyes, and began to recite prayers silently. It was miraculous, as he started to recite, the surrounding special operation soldiers all felt the previously faint and nauseating sense of spiritual assault dissipate considerably. When the prayer finished, that feeling was gone altogether. At the same time, the wailing noises inside the can warehouse gradually subsided. Then someone brave enough took another look. ¡°All the people are dead,¡± said the soldier looking back. Rizzo opened his eyes and explained, ¡°They should have died long ago. The Chaos Cult tormented them and placed them here, using dark magic to forcibly sustain their lives, in order to amplify and absorb their agony of wishing for death but unable to achieve it, achieving their evil goals. I merely prayed to The Emperor, dispelling the dark magic. Free from its influence, these people could finally be liberated and rest in peace.¡± All those around instantly accepted Priest Rizzo¡¯s explanation. It matched the reality they had seen. The people in those cans indeed had no hope, trapped in an insufferable state. Death was not a horror but a release for them. After giving a brief explanation, Rizzo then said to Matins, ¡°We might be in trouble. If all of these¡­¡± He gestured around at the numerous can warehouses of all sizes, ¡°are the same, then so much despair, fermenting, combined with the intelligence indicating that there¡¯s a Spiritualized Gas Field below with ample Spiritual Energy, we can¡¯t estimate what might be waiting for us behind that door.¡± He gave a serious warning to Matins. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And of course, Matins wouldn¡¯t ignore the warning from the priest with four hundred years of combat experience. He thought it over carefully and decided to act nonetheless. ¡°We cannot shrink back because of an unknown enemy.¡± ¡°I know, I¡¯m just reminding you to be careful.¡± At this point, Priest Rizzo paused for a moment, then couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°The battle group¡¯s new blood still needs your leadership.¡± Chapter 324 - Chapter 324: Chapter 203, The Great Impurity_2 Chapter 324: Chapter 203, The Great Impurity_2 Hearing about the new blood, Matins¡¯s heart softened a bit. But immediately, he returned to his role as a battle commander. He turned his head and said to Lacroix, ¡°Sergeant Major, I need you to take some men to prepare for the demolition. Next, we will act together.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± ¡­ At the bottom of the maritime ruins, at the very bottom of the Central Spire. There were three core facilities established by the Nature Salvation Society. The first was a Spirit Energy Field Refinery. The second was a Shield Generator. Both devices, originating from the pre-war era, had been discarded as obsolete. Under Ge Wajia¡¯s technical capabilities, and under the twisting reality of Chaotic Sorcery, they had been repaired, put back into operation, and had even formed a connection with each other. The pure Spiritual Energy extracted from the Spiritualized Gas Field was poured into the Shield Generator, providing it with an almost endless source of energy. Beyond these two, there was also a Demon Engine. The so-called Demon Engine referred to an Abyssal demon that had fused its mental will with a certain machine, gaining a physical entity in the real world, enabling it to act. That monstrosity, like a moldy, flesh-grown machine, stood quietly not far from the Shield Generator. Ge Wajia was also here. At this moment, he sat opposite the Demon Engine with his eyes tightly closed. The voice of the demon kept echoing within Ge Wajia¡¯s soul. ¡°¡­Accept the gift, fully accept the gift.¡± ¡°¡­Only the Benevolent Father can save this world, He will grant immortality to all life on the planet.¡± ¡°¡­The followers of the false emperor are closing in, do you really want to let this world return to the cruel hands of that empire?¡± These voices kept tempting Ge Wajia¡¯s soul. Meanwhile, another faint voice echoed from the bottom of his heart. ¡°Don¡¯t believe it!¡± ¡°Think about those people stuffed into the canisters, can that be called immortality, can that be called living?¡± ¡°Turn back, let¡¯s put an end to all of this.¡± ¡­ Listening to the voices pulling at his mind simultaneously, Ge Wajia himself slowly opened his mouth. ¡°I said, if you keep nagging, I¡¯ll sacrifice you.¡± Both voices suddenly fell silent. After a while, that voice from the depth of his heart spoke up again, ¡°Would you rather believe these demons that once destroyed our world than the empire?¡± ¡°It was the empire that destroyed our world.¡± This was Ge Wajia¡¯s belief. He had no intention of arguing further. He raised his hands, making an offering gesture. And at that moment, the previously silent voice of the demon stirred once more. That strange laughter, reverberating in his heart and infiltrating the depths, was elated, like a hunter who had finally captured his long-desired prey, eagerly opening his fangs, ready to devour it. At this moment, the voice within Ge Wajia¡¯s heart had become incredibly weak and faint. He left one last message: ¡°Trust in humanity¡­¡± Ge Wajia also gave his final response: ¡°I trust in the Benevolent Father.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± The demon¡¯s strange, heavy laughter continued to echo in the depth of his heart, completely occupying the deepest recesses, ¡°Yes! Exactly! Trust in the Benevolent Father! Only the Benevolent Father is the ultimate destination for everything in the universe!¡± With the demon¡¯s laughter echoing, what Ge Wajia could hear ringing near his ears, the so-called ¡®Gospel from Heaven,¡¯ grew louder and louder; his body began to undergo violent changes, sprouting numerous tumors. These tumors kept expanding, then burst and oozed pus, only to be immediately replaced by larger ones growing from within. During this process, his size kept increasing, becoming more and more contorted. Eventually, he became a creature nearly six meters tall with three horns on his head and three eyes, almost touching the ceiling. His body developed horizontally into a bloated, yellow-green figure riddled with pus-filled sores; then abruptly, his swollen belly ¡®pop¡¯ exploded, spilling a mass of plasma and revealing the intestines inside. But he was completely oblivious, his massive face simply bearing a fierce smile. ¡°I am Ge Wajia!¡± ¡°I am¡­ the Great Unclean!¡± Two different voices echoed from his mouth, filling the entire space. ¡­ Matins, Rizzo, and Lacroix, upon entering this space, were met with this sight. A huge, foul-smelling creature stood before them, occupying a large part of the already spacious six-meter-tall area. After blowing the door open, they encountered some obstructions during their descent. Among the enemies, numerous demons appeared. Real demons. A type of monster called the Plague Bearer, with a distorted humanoid shape, three eyes, and three horns, as if a weakened, miniaturized version of the Great Unclean. These Plague Bearers, along with some Plague Spirits, formed a demonic group, and together with the Cult followers, tormented by the plague into inhuman forms but still alive, they barred the human troops¡¯ assault. The firearms in the hands of those Cult followers looked like ordinary kinetic rifles produced locally, but when fired, the bullets had a special Spiritual Energy effect, significantly increasing their destructive power. The Plague Bearers were even more terrifying. Spitting out saliva like bullets, containing intense poison and corrosive effects. For ordinary special ops elites, the ceramic steel cladding on the exoskeleton provided limited protection, corroding holes in a second or two, followed by the rapid death of the soldier inside. Even the space warriors were reluctant to expose their Terminator Power Armor to such loathsome attacks. Even if it wouldn¡¯t be penetrated that easily, they didn¡¯t want their precious armor pitted and pocked. Logically, after encountering resistance in their advance, they shouldn¡¯t be too hasty. Since the enemy clearly had no way to retreat and was not worried about fleeing, they just needed to utilize the terrain, take cover, and gradually push forward, using heavy firepower to clear out enemies step by step. However, during this process, they felt a very unsettling presence emanating from the depths of the building, from even lower levels. Matins consulted Priest Rizzo¡¯s opinion briefly and decided to go for a full-on assault, even if it meant more casualties. They had to speed up their pace, or else, they felt that something significant was happening below. For this reason, Matins, as the strongest, led the charge. His Terminator Power Armor was almost the perfect cover in these cramped quarters. With defense a notch above the conventional power armor, it easily withstood incoming fire. Moreover, Matins wasn¡¯t an easy target. Although his mobility was slightly less than that of standard tactical power armor once he donned the Terminator, he could still manage some evasive maneuvers, avoiding the full brunt of incoming fire. And the heavy grenade launcher he held in one hand, like a miniature rapid-fire cannon, mercilessly obliterated all enemies in front of him. The three warriors accompanying him also cleared out enemies swiftly with their grenade launchers, relieving the pressure on the commander. The elite troops behind them were no pushovers either. They couldn¡¯t withstand a hit from a Plague Bearer or a Cult gunman, but by overloading their laser rifles, they too could take down an enemy with a single shot. Still, they were a step too late. Facing the fully-formed, immense demon ahead, even Matins in his Terminator Power Armor felt like a small child in comparison. Moreover, Matins fully understood what he was seeing. This was¡­ the Great Unclean, a being known as the Great Demon. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Why would such an enemy appear on Rage Owl Star? Was there fertile ground here for the advent of a Great Demon? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Today¡¯s update is here. Finally found some time to write in the evening¡­ I¡¯m currently on a business trip, and for the next week or so, I will do my best to ensure the daily 4000-word update is not missed, though I cannot commit to a noon release anymore. Chapter 325 - Chapter 325: Chapter 204, Great Demon Chapter 325: Chapter 204, Great Demon The so-called ¡®demons¡¯ are powerful entities that are neither real nor illusory, not bound by the laws of physics in the material world. Their very existence is a distortion of reality. According to relevant research, demons exist within the Chaotic Abyss, the dark side of the universe, a pure energy world. Demons can only enter the real universe under specific conditions, such as being summoned in a ritual, or when a rift from the Abyss appears somewhere. Even so, they cannot remain in the real universe for long. If they must do so, they need to drag a part of the Chaotic Abyss into reality, overlaying a part of the real world, creating what is called the Demon World; otherwise, they must be bound to a host, which can be mechanical or a living being. And the ¡®Great Demon¡¯ refers to the strongest among the demons. The demons that bear this title are without exception the most terrifying enemies humanity faces. Depending on their affiliation, the types of Great Demons that manifest can differ. Very few people have seen a Great Demon with their own eyes, and the vast majority of those who have are dead. But Matins and Rizzo are among the very few lucky ones. Their battle group had participated in a battle against the ravages of the Plague Cult during the penitential expedition. When the Phoenix arrived at that planet, the war had already entered its final phase. Humanity had failed. The mission of the Phoenix Battle Group was to assist the last Imperial Army troop in withdrawing from the planet. On the battlefield, Matins saw with his own eyes a creature similar to the one he faced now. It was a Plague Great Demon, classified as the Unclean One. Wielding a rust-stained great sword, it was invincible on the battlefield: bullets, missiles, laser beams¡­ various types of weapons that bombarded it seemed only to tickle; even when they did cause damage, it quickly healed back to normal. There were two regiments involved in the battle, in addition to their own Phoenix; there was another clad in blue with red cross stripes, known as the Iris Knights Regiment. He witnessed the commander of the Iris Knights, protected by the firepower of several tactical squads, charging towards the Unclean One with his Glory Guard, all in their Terminator Power Armor. In the duel, the Great Demon¡¯s sweeping rust-stained sword effortlessly slaughtered one glory veteran after another. The brave and fearless commander did not waste the sacrifice of his battle brothers, seizing the opportunity to leap high, his Fine Work Dynamo Sword pierced one of the Great Demon¡¯s eyes. With a mighty pull downwards, it sliced through the other eye and half the head as well. But that was the extent of it. Even though the Dynamo Sword plunged halfway into the demon¡¯s head, and its rust-stained great sword was cut down by two other battle brothers, they ultimately failed to defeat the Unclean One. Its other remaining, thick arm grabbed the commander, smashed him to the ground, and with one stomp, crushed him to death; then, it lowered its head, which had been rapidly healing the split-half, and bit into a Terminator veteran. Corrosive saliva made the armor brittle, and with a forceful bite, it was split in two. Incidentally, it picked up the fallen great sword with its remaining hand and killed another with a swift slash¡­ Matins watched from a distance as a regimental commander, leading a squad of elite Glory Guard, all in Terminator Power Armor, supported by at least thirty tactical squads armed to the teeth with meltaguns, plasma, and heavy explosives, was obliterated by one Unclean One. It can¡¯t be said that the Iris Knights did not fight valiantly; to the very last man, they did not retreat. But they were completely annihilated by that Unclean One and the variety of monsters constantly swarming out from behind it. The Iris Knights were a relatively new regiment, their combat experience still lacking. But what of it? If the Phoenix had gone up to fight in the same situation, would the outcome have been much better? Matins didn¡¯t think so. Neither did the battle group leader of the Phoenix at the time. Back then, there were people in the battle group who wanted to go support the Iris Knights, but their battle group leader vetoed the idea. The Iris Knights could afford to lose a bunch of men and still return to their home planet to recuperate; they were on a penitential expedition and couldn¡¯t afford such losses. Carrying out their own mission was what mattered, protecting the retreat of the allies as much as possible was their duty. Of course, the indifference to their plight left the Iris Knights quite dissatisfied, and they began to harbour resentment towards the Phoenix, souring the relationship between the two regiments. But that¡¯s another story, not worth mentioning for now. The reason he recalled that time was because the appearance of the Unclean One before him had awakened those memories. This creature was almost identical to the one he had seen before; behind this Great Demon, on the Demon Engine, a rift in the Abyss about two meters long and half a meter wide opened starkly, with three or four demons jostling at the entrance, eager to emerge. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only If it really was an Unclean One, then they were finished. Everyone present would die. Matins even felt a shiver of dread. His thoughts drifted far away for a moment. The battle group had just received a new glimmer of hope, with fresh blood in training. What would happen if they died here today? Chapter 326 - Chapter 326: Chapter 204, Great Demon_2 Chapter 326: Chapter 204, Great Demon_2 If they all died here, and the rift to the Abyss on the demon engine grew ever larger, eventually forming a tide of demons that swept over the world, what then? Could the new blood of the battle squad escape? ¡°Focus, watch closely.¡± Rizzo¡¯s reminder pulled Matins back from his wild thoughts. Rizzo¡¯s voice continued, ¡°This isn¡¯t the one we encountered back then, they¡¯re different.¡± This statement helped Matins regain his senses even more. He observed carefully but found nothing unusual, whether in the spiritual pressure, the appearance, or the suffocating stench; all seemed unchanged. As if sensing Matins¡¯s confusion, Rizzo explained further, ¡°The surrounding environment.¡± Matins had an epiphany. Indeed, as Rizzo said, the presence of demons requires the support of the surrounding environment. The rift to the Chaotic Abyss did indeed let some of the abyssal atmosphere seep into the real world, but the rift was too small, and it hadn¡¯t been open long enough. The extent of the overlay on the real world shouldn¡¯t be enough to support the appearance of the most terrifying enemies, like the Great Unclean Ones. Could this one be only for show? But what if this judgment was wrong? ¡°No matter the situation, we have to go in,¡± Rizzo said, ¡°We have no room to fall back, the Abyss rift can be only resolved best now, delaying will only make the problem worse.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Matins took a deep breath, then quickly began arranging the battle tasks. ¡­ Ge Wajia¡­ Or rather, the Great Unclean One temporarily using the name Ge Wajia, had long sensed the humans who had entered the same space. But it didn¡¯t care. To it, those insects were inconsequential, the real task was to expand the Abyss rift as much as possible in the meantime. It was just a bit slow. Swinging a giant bell ¡ª or more accurately, a bronze bell ¡ª it produced bursts of sound. Dark magic surged from within, seeking contact with its true form in the Abyss. Through its efforts, the Abyss rift was finally widened a little. At least, those demons rushing to come forth found it easier now to emerge. But Ge Wajia was still not satisfied. The Spiritualized Gas Field supporting this place was a bit small; the prior Despair Ritual had not been completed perfectly and had been rushed, resulting in the energy drawn from the Spiritualized Gas Field turning into chaotical despair power too slowly. But these were the conditions it had, no choice. As for whether it would be disrupted by those outsiders¡­ Heh, the great Ge Wajia had already taken a mortal body to come here. Although the body¡¯s original essence wasn¡¯t strong and there hadn¡¯t been enough time to drag out its Abyssal essence from the rift, it still didn¡¯t think anything on this planet could threaten it, force it out of the real world. However, when those guys actually charged out, it was taken aback for a moment. Especially the one in the lead, the huge red Terminator Power Armor, which brought back some unpleasant memories. Once, when conquering and devouring a planet, it had been blinded in both eyes by a group of similar beings in different liveries, had half its head split open, and one hand chopped off. Though it had eventually won, repairing those injuries had taken some time. The fierce human assaults, brimming with courage, caused much more severe damage than any gunfire and were much harder to recover from. It took decades, only recently reaching its peak condition again. Having regained full strength, Ge Wajia had hastily continued to serve its benefactor, taking charge of the invasion of a small world. It so happened that there was a mortal here who had received the benefactor¡¯s grace, a suitable bridge. By the present moment, it had thought everything was almost in hand, the entire world was about to fall into its grasp. But it hadn¡¯t expected that among the human insects arriving at a critical moment, there would also be an annoying interstellar warrior. And one clad in Terminator Power Armor, at that. He was not too happy. On one hand, it reminded him of some not too pleasant memories, on the other hand, he also felt a bit nervous. If it had been a normal time, he would have killed those four interstellar warriors and the human soldiers following them as if it were nothing. But now, the essence of his power was not yet sufficient here, which actually made him a bit nervous. He did not overestimate himself, withdrawing from his expansion of the Abyss rift, but rather, he lifted the bronze bell in his hand and with a fierce shake, charged towards the approaching humans. From the numerous pustules and open wounds on his body suddenly emerged a great quantity of monsters. Plague Fly Swarm! The Plague Flies, as large as puppies, flew out in great numbers, along with the freshly emerged Plaguebearers and Plague Wraiths from the Abyss rift, launching an assault on the humans. In an instant, red laser beams were in full play! The human soldiers who followed right behind the interstellar warriors fired their weapons with exceptional skill, directing their firepower at the monsters. The Great Unclean one, Ge Wajia, had to admit that, apart from those interstellar warriors, the rest of the human soldiers were no weaklings either. His little darlings had been shot and killed in great numbers in that round of fire. He felt anger, and with a roar, he swung his rust-pocked greatsword overhead at the warrior charging at the forefront! The Great Unclean one¡¯s swing, seemingly without skill, was merely a powerful chopping strike, but Matins, who bore the brunt of it, felt as though there was nowhere to hide. He could only roar as he lifted his Power Sword to meet the strike. According to his past experience, anyone who tried to resist the Great Unclean one¡¯s greatsword had met their end with a single slash. He could no longer concern himself with what might happen to him, and could only resist with all his might. The rust-pocked greatsword came crashing down. But amidst the ¡®clang,¡¯ Matins actually withstood it! Even though he felt like he was withstanding the heaviest slash he had ever encountered in his life, he did indeed manage to bear it with his firm will and the strong support of his ¡®righteous model¡¯ Terminator Power Armor. Ge Wajia was full of hatred! Previously, he had been praising the original owner of this body for making the right choice by merging with him, being devoured by him, and allowing him to descend upon this world; now, he was cursing the frailty of this body, which meant the physical form he had created upon his arrival could muster at most one percent of the strength from his heyday! But what other choice did he have? While he increased the strength of his swing, his other hand furiously rang the bronze bell. With the naked eye, one could see the dark green Spiritual Energy gathering with the swinging of the bell, seemingly concentrating some terrifying force. Just then, Ge Wajia felt his strength suddenly weaken by a third, and he could not even suppress Matins anymore. The squad leader seized the opportunity when the pressure suddenly decreased, pushed the greatsword away with force, and then raised his other hand to fiercely bombard the Great Unclean one¡¯s exposed intestines with a heavy explosive grenade. Pus and foul blood spattered; the struck demon staggered back several steps ¡ª he sadly found that even his resistance to damage had greatly diminished. This was not the way to fight. He once again turned his gaze towards the Priest standing next to Matins. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Priest held the holy emblem of the pseudo-emperor against his chest, reciting the detestable scripture. This was the culprit weakening his strength. It was dispersing the influence of the Abyss, causing the power support Ge Wajia got from the Abyss rift to diminish even further. But this Priest was clearly not as difficult to deal with as the one clad in Terminator Power Armor. Ge Wajia malevolently aimed the bronze bell at him, and the power that had not yet finished accumulating, but was already terrifyingly substantial, was directly blasted at him! Chapter 327 - Chapter 327: Chapter 205: The Soldier King Can Do It Chapter 327: Chapter 205: The Soldier King Can Do It The surface of the bell, that thick green light, suddenly shot out. A green sphere, surrounded by what seemed like many mosquitoes and flies, with a long tail trailing behind, flew towards Priest Rizzo. The sphere¡¯s flying speed wasn¡¯t very fast, and Priest Rizzo attempted to dodge it. However, the thing had a tracking effect and also drew a trajectory in mid-air, following Rizzo closely. Lacroix, who was behind him, noticed this and raised his hand, firing his charged laser gun at the malicious energy sphere with a strange trajectory. It hit the target accurately, but to no avail. The red charged laser was swallowed by the sphere, and the malicious energy within was hardly affected. With no way to avoid it, Rizzo could only raise the scepter in his hand to meet the malicious energy. On the scepter, the gravity field activated, and the holy symbol in his other hand released a fierce golden glow. Then, he slammed it down with his hammer. The ball of malicious energy was actually shattered by the strike! But at the same time, the holy symbol in Rizzo¡¯s hand also broke. Ge Wajia let out a hearty laugh. Although he failed to kill that annoying priest with that strike, shattering the holy symbol was crucial. This priest was a bit strange, and the holy symbol in his hand, with its pseudo-imperial power, was even weirder. It could continuously dispel the influence of the Chaotic Abyss and weaken his power. Now that the holy symbol was shattered, it couldn¡¯t dispel the influences anymore. He immediately felt his power rising, recovering. However, he had just laughed twice when his smile faded at once. No doubt the holy symbol was shattered, but his left hand holding the bell also suddenly cracked and then broke into three pieces. His bell was a grace given to him by the Father himself. Although what was here was not the actual entity of the Father¡¯s artifact, just a projection of a sliver of the power source. But now that it was broken, he had nothing to use. Without the help of this artifact, Ge Wajia¡¯s summoning of the power of the Chaotic Abyss would also be weakened. In the end, he really didn¡¯t gain anything and had even suffered a slight loss. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Matins once again parried his heavy sword strike and came to his front, fiercely cutting a big gash on his arm with the Dynamo Sword. Behind Matins and Rizzo, the two main forces, the other two battle brothers were also busy. Knowing that merely relying on the firepower of a bomb gun wasn¡¯t enough to fight the unclean one, they also carried plasma handguns. The fully charged plasma handgun, with a single shot¡¯s power exceeding that of a heavy bomb. However, the unclean one, who seemed to rely solely on his exposed skin with no external armor for protection, did not suffer serious harm. He was only punctured with two holes, about as thick as a human thigh. The damage seemed considerable, but for a Plague Great Demon known for its robust vitality, six meters tall and possibly even wider, such injuries were not serious. Even, under the squirming of flesh, the seemingly terrifying puncture scorch wounds quickly filled back in. Of course, it still hurt, and Ge Wajia¡¯s powerful sword strike went askew. Matins found the opportunity and landed two blows on him with the Dynamo Sword. By nature, dynamo weapons attach a disintegration force field to a powerful metal blade, nearly indestructible. With a single cut, even the formidable body of the unclean one would be sliced open as easily as a hot knife through butter, leaving a large wound. For the unclean one¡¯s vitality, such wounds were not fatal. But healing wounds requires energy, and the foul blood and pus that spilled from the reopened wounds represented the loss of power. All of this was making the fearsome Great Demon weaker. If it weren¡¯t for Ge Wajia being very careful to protect himself, not giving Matins too many chances to directly threaten his arm, things would have been even more troublesome. If he, not at his peak, were to lose an arm as he had in the past, the fight would become far more problematic. But after he regained his rhythm, with one heavy sword and his body¡¯s strong resistance to impact, coupled with the Plague Fly Swarm emerging from his body, he managed to keep fighting back and forth with the four Phoenixes. For a while, neither side could overcome the other. The battle reached a deadlock for the moment. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, Lacroix, standing slightly to the rear, was somewhat anxious inside. In his view, the balance formed by this battle was extremely fragile. The reason was simple, the star warriors were consistently lacking a fatal means to take down the Plague Great Demon. The battle seemed intense, with gravity scepters, Dynamo Swords, plasma weapons, bombs¡­ a barrage raining down on the massive monster¡¯s body. But despite the onslaught, the wounds they inflicted could not threaten its life, as those fatal injuries to ordinary people were slowly healing. On the other hand, although the Great Demon didn¡¯t seem to have landed an effective blow yet, it only needed one success. If Matins or any star warrior were slightly negligent, not guarded, or if the Great Demon came up with some unexpectedly tricky move, it would be over. One hit from that rusty greatsword, at least three meters long, would bypass any power armor, leading to certain death; even Matins¡¯s ¡®Justice-Model¡¯ Terminator would probably not withstand it. Chapter 328 - Chapter 328: Chapter 205: The Soldier King Can Achieve It_2 Chapter 328: Chapter 205: The Soldier King Can Achieve It_2 Once that situation arose, the balance of battle would have been broken. But what could he do? Together with him, nine teams of elite special forces soldiers, over forty people, had infiltrated the underground space along with the interstellar warriors; the others were above, guarding the route of retreat, ready to provide support at any moment. What they could do now was just to use the firepower in their hands to help out a bit, killing off the swarms ¡®secreted¡¯ by the Great Demon. They hadn¡¯t refrained from attempting to use stronger firepower against the Great Demon to assist the interstellar warriors in their attack. But the effect was minimal. They had brought down nine rocket launchers, each firing three rounds in volleys, but the power was only slightly better than that of a single high-explosive bomb. Matins¡¯ volley of high-explosive bombs hardly had any effect, not to mention the rocket launchers that could only fire one round at a time. Rather than waste heavy firepower like that, it was better to use it against the ordinary demons. As for the laser rifles they had on hand, they were even weaker. No wonder sometimes the enemies of the Empire would jokingly refer to them as ¡®flashlights.¡¯ Although it was a mockery, when facing the Great Demon, no matter whether the rifle was charged or not, overloaded or not, a blast of a laser beam was indeed not much different from a flashlight¨Cjust lighting things up. Moreover, they had to allocate a significant portion of their firepower to the slowly widening abyssal rift. Various types of Plague Demons were constantly emerging from there, but fortunately, when they arrived, the enemy numbers were not yet substantial, resulting in only a two to three-meter long rift that could be targeted by gunfire, killing each demon as it came out. However, even so, Lacroix also felt there was a hidden danger. As the abyssal rift gradually widened, he noticed that their firepower seemed to be doing less damage to the demons. In fact, this was due to the Chaotic Abyss¡¯s power gradually eroding the real world. Demons are conceptual monsters; when the chaos corruption in a place is too high, not only can demons draw much stronger power from it, but it also causes the rules of the Chaotic Abyss to replace the physical laws of the real world. Firearms, lasers, and artillery that are founded on physical laws will see their power diminish. Conversely, all close-combat methods symbolizing human courage will conform to this rule and won¡¯t be affected much. But to ask humans to fight Plague Demons with their flesh and blood¡­ Of course, Lacroix didn¡¯t understand all these notions; he just noticed that a demon that used to be killed with three or four shots now took four or five. And once the difficulty in killing them increased further, their firepower might no longer ensure that all the demons emerging from the rift could be killed in time. If a few plague carriers or Benevolent Beasts managed to slip out, tangling up the interstellar warriors for a moment or two, creating a good opportunity for the terrible Great Demon to attack, then the current balance would crumble instantaneously. Lacroix made up his mind that he had to do something. He began to take action. He first set his sights on that Great Unclean One, as he still had thermite bombs in his possession. But this time, his action failed. The battle awareness of the Plague Great Demon was still very sharp; it noticed Lacroix¡¯s move, identified the high-threat weapon in his hand, and spat a glob of thick phlegm directly at him. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Lacroix, too, had his level raised by Gu Hang, possessing a superhuman physique and reflexes, he would really have been in trouble this time. He deftly dodged and watched as the ground was corroded into a large pit, from which a Plague Wraith was crawling out. He raised the bomb gun in his hand¨Chis physical condition was sufficient to support the use of a bomb gun, making up for the instantaneous lack of firepower in laser weapons¨Cand after blasting it, he abandoned his original plan at the call of Matins. Matins meant that his actions were very dangerous, and even a thermite bomb wouldn¡¯t be enough to kill the Great Demon. A Great Unclean One was not a Beastman Overlord; a thermite bomb could at most burn off a small part of its body, also failing to be fatal. But although Lacroix heeded the advice, he still didn¡¯t intend to halt his actions. Blasting the Great Unclean One might not be effective, but it seemed like a viable tactic for other targets. He then shifted his aim to the Demon Engine positioned behind the Great Unclean One. That Demon Engine, drawing supernatural powers from the Spiritualized Gas Field beneath and connected to the abyssal rift above, served as the source of power for the expansion of the Chaotic Abyss. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only If it could be destroyed, the battle might be turned around. He led a combat team, circumventing the battlefield from the flank, with the other soldiers providing cover fire to assist in this maneuver. Matins and the other three interstellar warriors also noticed his action. This was a smart move, so they too launched corresponding cooperative moves. Matins and Rizzo began to attack more fiercely, even somewhat recklessly, mainly to draw Ge Wajia¡¯s attention so as not to let this terrifying creature turn its gaze toward the action squad sneaking up behind the Great Demon. The Great Unclean One was not easily distracted, but it had no choice. Chapter 329 - Chapter 329: Chapter 205: The Soldier King Can Achieve It_3 Chapter 329: Chapter 205: The Soldier King Can Achieve It_3 It must be emphasized that he was not at his full strength, possessing merely one percent of his power from his prime. Otherwise, he would have already slaughtered everyone present. After getting involved, he even found it difficult to turn his massive body in such a confined space. If Matins really went berserk with his power sword, he could stab him dozens of times in a short period, enough to kill him. All he could do was to release more Plague Fly Swarms to harass the action squad while dealing with the interstellar warriors. Moreover, he would occasionally turn his head to ¡°spit¡± at the squad. His actions were effective. In a short span of time, at least three elite soldiers met their demise. One was surrounded by gigantic flies that failed to be cleared by firepower. Their sharp mouthparts pierced through the Exoskeleton Armor, injecting venom, leading to a swift death. The other two were hit by the spittle of the Great Unclean One and dissolved into a puddle of goo. After paying a significant price, the combat team led by Lacroix finally managed to approach their mission objective. Next, all that was needed was to place the thermite bombs¡­ ¡°Siu!¡± A loud bang sounded, signaling the approach of something heavy! The Great Unclean One, at the last moment, ignored the fierce assault of the interstellar warriors, partially turned its body, and swung its rusted greatsword in a terrifying sweep at them! In the nick of time, Lacroix desperately dodged. He managed to escape, but the other two were not so lucky, nor did they have his level of skill, and were cleaved in two. Of course, that was the only opportunity the Great Unclean One had. He immediately had to turn back to face the fierce attacks from Matins and others. But that one strike served as a clear warning; under threat, he would not hesitate to unleash a deathblow. Immediately afterward, multiple Plague Flies flew out towards Lacroix, determined to drive him away from the Demon Engine. Since Lacroix himself was already close to circling behind the Great Unclean One to reach the Demon Engine, and at that moment, a dozen Plague Fly Swarms attacked, his teammates¡¯ lines of fire were blocked by Ge Wajia¡¯s immense body, and he could only rely on himself to resolve the situation. Despite his outstanding agility, and with his rapid-firing bomb gun, he wasn¡¯t killed but was inevitably forced to retreat in another direction. But at that moment, in the midst of the chaos, he threw the activated thermite bomb. It definitely couldn¡¯t reach the Demon Engine, it was too far, and easy to intercept. But in this space, there was another important target: the Shield Generator. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only When the Great Unclean One swung its heavy sword, Lacroix deliberately ran towards the Shield Generator, away from the Demon Engine; he continued to do so when pursued by the Plague Fly Swarm. Unintentionally, he was less than a hundred meters away from the Shield Generator. He threw the activated thermite bomb, like a grenade, a great distance away. It wasn¡¯t easy, the thermite bomb was not designed to be thrown, and it was larger than a grenade, making it awkward to throw; maintaining precision over such a distance to land it on the Shield Generator was difficult as well. But Soldier King, that¡¯s exactly what he could do. Chapter 330 - Chapter 330: Chapter 206, execute 5 rounds of full fire at the ground! Chapter 330: Chapter 206, execute 5 rounds of full fire at the ground! It was a minor surprise, after all. Lacroix not only had to throw the thermite bomb like a hand grenade over a distance of more than a hundred meters, but also had to be extremely precise. Moreover, he had to complete this task under the pursuit of about a dozen Plague Flies. While doing this series of tasks, he really was busy. He had already relayed the tasks to the best of his ability, far from being flustered; each step was precisely calculated with impeccable execution. But he couldn¡¯t ensure absolute perfection in every issue. The thermite bomb was thrown accurately, but its activation time was slightly early, so it exploded before even touching the Shield Generator. However, the problem wasn¡¯t too significant. The thermite bomb that exploded about one meter above the approximately two and a half meter tall Shield Generator still scattered a substantial amount of red, high-temperature material that splattered and flowed onto the Shield Generator. This triggered a further reaction; the outer shell of the Shield Generator dissolved, and its internal energy went out of control. After a sizzle of blue sparks, there was a loud ¡®boom¡¯, and the Shield Generator exploded. From the perspective of the Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessels of the allied forces outside, the sprawling cobalt blue shield that enveloped the entire offshore structure flickered a few times and then disappeared. Immediately afterward, the Wind Falcons tentatively fired a few rounds of their autocannons down below, and they indeed penetrated smoothly! Had the ground troops succeeded? They immediately relayed the relevant message to the commander below. Matins, locked in fierce combat with the Great Demon, and Lacroix, dealing with the surrounding Plague Fly Swarm using a bomb gun and tactical knife, both heard the message. They were invigorated! They certainly hadn¡¯t forgotten that their original mission was to destroy this Shield Generator. Now, they had completed the mission. As for the unexpected arrival of the Great Demon and the Abyss Rift¡­ It seemed that there were other ways to deal with it. In any case, it seemed impossible to kill the filth-covered creature unless they destroyed the Demon Engine behind it; but with it, the Demon Engine couldn¡¯t be dealt with either. Then just forget about it. ¡°Retreat, retreat, retreat!¡± As the highest commander, Matins ordered decisively. A group of them fought and retreated. With Matins covering the rear to resist the pursuit of the filth-covered creature, the elite special forces, along with two Phoenix Veterans, retreated while firing, inflicting casualties on the Demons and attacking the filth-covered creature to provide cover for Matins. Previously, the filth-covered creature had no way to deal with them, and now in chase mode, it was even less capable. This space, which seemed vast with a ceiling height of six meters and large open areas, had only a few pieces of equipment and structures that had been damaged earlier in the fight. However, for a ¡®fatty¡¯ that is six meters tall, wide, and thick, this space was still too cramped, making it inconvenient for Ge Wajia to maneuver. The greatly restricted filth-covered creature gradually fell behind in the chase. It could only emit waves of impotent, furious roars. Too frustrating! I, as a Great Demon, when have I ever been toyed with like this! Even in my most tragic times, when I had half my head chopped off, one arm, and countless injuries, those were casualties from a fair and square battle! The enemies I faced then were strong and numerous, but in the end, I killed them all, and although I had to recover for some years afterward, at least that battle was satisfying! But today, it¡¯s all frustration! Not at full strength, frustrating! The enemies dodging and evading, frustrating! They targeted the Shield Generator and Demon Engine, which I could not protect at the same time, frustrating! And what¡¯s worse, I realized something wasn¡¯t right. According to the memories left by the body I occupy, there¡¯s supposed to be a starship constantly present above this world. Ge Wajia was fully aware of what it meant for a Starship to be in orbit. Now, here I am without any anti-orbital equipment, just a Shield Generator backed by the infinite energy of the Spiritualized Gas Field, which could have still been useful. Now, the Shield Generator is gone. What to do? Although the Demon Engine is still intact and the Abyssal Rift remains, the power of the Chaotic Abyss continues to erode the real world, transforming the vicinity into an environment more suitable for Demons and continuously summoning more Demons here. Before long, I could raise a Demon Legion from this core, and my own power will keep growing, eventually reaching my peak state. According to the memories of this body, once that step is reached, conquering the entire planet and offering another gift to my benevolent father would be within easy reach. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But¡­ what if an orbital strike hits later? Nothing has been established yet. If this Demon Engine behind me explodes, then it¡¯s all over. I will be sent back to the Chaotic Abyss because the source of the laws will be cut off, and the short time in between wouldn¡¯t be enough to build another Demon Engine and continue converting the energy of the Spiritualized Gas Field. Watching those human vermin escape into the narrow passageway, rendering me completely unable to pursue, my enormous body, along with many Plague Demons who had just crawled out from the Abyss Rift and were not yet aware of what fate awaited them, stood bewildered in this space, unsure of what to do next. Chapter 331 - Chapter 331: Chapter 206, execute 5 rounds of full fire at the ground!_2 Chapter 331: Chapter 206, execute 5 rounds of full fire at the ground!_2 ¡­ Commander Matins and others found their retreat from the sea platform quite smooth. The special forces elite, who had been deployed outside, had successfully held the retreat path clear from the central tower entrance to the landing site. Indeed, there should still be a considerable number of Aberrant Beasts and cult members from the Nature Salvation Society within these upper structures, and they did indeed attempt to attack the special forces warriors holding the corridor. Initially, the warriors of the special forces brigade had a bit of difficulty in combat. Although each of them was an elite of T3 or even T2 level and they were equipped with some of the finest individual gear available to the Union, barring the star warriors, they were outnumbered. They had to guard the landing site and the entirety of the corridor. Under the assaults of the various monsters and cultists¨Cfar more numerous than they¨Cthe warriors had a tough fight on their hands. There were casualties, exhaustion from running from place to place to support and put out fires, and the defenders¡¯ positions sometimes changed hands¡­ But ultimately, after paying a costly toll in lives, they managed to hold their ground. When the energy shield in the sky finally dissipated, the days of hardship came to an end. A large number of Windfalcon Fighters rapidly descended in altitude and commenced strafing and launching missiles at various ground targets. The enemy¡¯s few anti-air defenses, those Bio-Tech AA Guns, boomed towards the sky, but to little effect. The protection on the Windfalcons, slightly stronger than that of armored vehicles, wouldn¡¯t be easily compromised; moreover, once the energy shield was gone, they could maintain a higher flight altitude, supporting the ground forces even better. Flying higher meant they were less likely to be hit by anti-air defenses. In these circumstances, the pressure on the human defenders on the ground was greatly alleviated. Then, the allies who had gone down earlier were back up as well. At Commander Matins¡¯ call, everyone rapidly retreated and assembled at the landing site. He then personally led the charge to knock out several of the enemy¡¯s anti-air fire points, and established a defensive perimeter around the landing site. Subsequently, once the landing site was relatively safe, the Windfalcons landed in groups of three, taking on ten people each before withdrawing. This continued until Commander Matins and three other interstellar warriors were the last to evacuate. As the final batch of Windfalcons took off from the sea platform, Commander Matins sent the signal for orbital strike authority to the skies above. It was very difficult to communicate with Revival City from here, nearly five or six thousand kilometers away. The Union had not yet installed a complete communications network nor launched communication satellites. But wasn¡¯t there a starship in orbit? As long as the starship was properly positioned, not on the other side of the planet, communication could be achieved. Before departing, Gu Hang had specifically instructed both Commander Matins and the Claw Fierce Tiger on the orbit, giving Matins full authority to request an orbital strike. His request would be treated as if it were his own. This was a significant authorization. Aboard the Claw Fierce Tiger, Major Du Zhicheng and Colonel Yelisia received the request for an orbital strike. Since there was prior authorization from Gu Hang, the two commanders of the Imperial Navy followed the standard procedure. The Planetary Governor requesting an orbital strike didn¡¯t mean they would automatically carry it out. They were part of the Imperial Navy, not the Rage Owl Planet Navy. Upon receiving the request, they would still need to briefly assess it. The main assessment was the value of the target. If the target was insignificant, or not considered an enemy of the Empire, then they had to be more cautious. Today, after receiving the strike request from Commander Matins, they were in the process of assessment. It¡¯s not about whether the value of the target is enough for an orbital strike; a Great Unclean One, an about-to-open Abyss rift, that¡¯s more than enough. What they need to evaluate instead is¡­ ¡°Is this for real?¡± Major Du Zhichen, upon seeing the short message on the application report, clearly written with these matters, was dumbstruck. His age was not young either; he was an honors graduate from the Naval Academy and had served on a starship for many years, working diligently and fostering his experience. Moreover, by holding onto the Fufana Family¡¯s coattails, he finally made it to the position of a starship captain at the age of fifty-five, holding the rank of a major. But in his thirty years of military career, his main experience was fighting pirates. The biggest scenario he had ever encountered was, when he was not yet a captain, following the main force of the Tianma Fleet to combat the Green Skins; and even then, he was just an engine system administrator who followed orders during the battle, hardly entering the command bridge and seeing much of anything. The moment he heard the name of the Great Demon, he truly felt bewildered. Major Du Zhichen turned his head towards Yelisia: ¡°Colonel, has life in the orbit of Rage Owl Star always been this thrilling?¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± Yelisia could only respond with a bitter smile. Several months ago, an orbital strike on the proliferating Green Skin tribes on the surface was one thing, but later, she was inexplicably coaxed by Gu Hang to participate in a one-versus-many interstellar naval battle, which was already thrilling enough. She thought that would have been the end of it. But the Great Demon¡­ Honestly, Gu Hang brought a new meaning to her. She hadn¡¯t expected to face such an adversary and also realized the enormity of the situation. Never mind why Rage Owl Star had so many issues; that was not particularly strange. The proliferation of the Green Skins was due to pre-war era research samples leaking after the world was destroyed; and demon rifts, too, were normal, considering Rage Owl Star was a planet destroyed and then rebuilt because of a Demon Wave. But what concerned her more was that this seemed to symbolize military achievements. The appearance of a Great Demon signaled an impending disaster. Right now, Rage Owl Star was not the prosperous place it used to be, capable of supporting a vast Planetary Defense Force with ample funds. Once the Demons gained momentum, under the leadership of a Great Unclean One, it would strike at the entire planet with overwhelming force. Yelisia admitted that Gu Hang had his ways, having built up a wasteland into what it was now in just half a year. His forces were also excellent, and in fact, not much worse than some of the Star Realm Army Corps. Despite this, numbers were always a problem. With an army of only a few hundred thousand, it was impossible to resist the ravages of a Demon Wave and hold out until Imperial support arrived. If Demons were to actually succeed in occupying the entire planet and transform it into a Demon World, dragging it completely into the Chaotic Abyss, then the situation would be far more serious. It would no longer be a matter of whether Rage Owl Star could be held, but rather that this Demon Wave might spread to other star systems. After corrupting an entire world, the numbers of Demons would be incredibly large; they would also have the capability to drag an entire Chaos Fleet out of the Chaotic Abyss, and at that point, the whole Star Sector might face war! Gu Hang would certainly be doomed, and she, Yelisia, would probably not escape being tainted by association. Her family was still capitalizing on the momentum of the last war, crafting a reputation, shaping an image for her as a rising star in the military. She couldn¡¯t afford any mistakes now. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But on the other hand, killing a Great Demon here and preventing the opening of an Abyss Rift would also be a great achievement. Even though commanding a starship to perform orbital strikes against the ground didn¡¯t fully count as a naval achievement, and paled in comparison to the solid merits brought by a hearty naval battle, on the whole, it was definitely better than doing nothing in the planet¡¯s orbit. With this in mind, Yelisia gave her orders decisively: ¡°Fire! Strike hard! In the next twenty minutes, we must execute at least five rounds of maximum firepower at the surface! We must prevent the forces of the Demons from rising again on Rage Owl Star!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Major Du Zhicheng did not have any objections. Chapter 332 - Chapter 332: Chapter 207, 7777 points of grace! Chapter 332: Chapter 207, 7777 points of grace! Terrible fire from the heavens rained down upon the sea. Colonel Yelisia¡¯s orders received the resolute execution of all officers and soldiers aboard the Claw Fierce Tiger. Twenty minutes, five rounds of firepower, what does that mean? It was roughly equivalent to a full-force bombardment by the Quintet, minus the firepower of the high-caliber Wrath of Loyalty and Hot Hammer. One hundred Scalpel Missiles, about half of what the Quintet would launch in one volley; one hundred hits from the Defender Kinetic Cannon, actually slightly less effective than the Scalpel Missiles, but could arguably be considered about the same. While the total firepower was much less, the key point was that the target area for the Quintet back then was much larger. Back then, there was an entire urban cluster with many pre-war buildings remaining, which objectively provided cover for those Green Skins, making the firepower cost-effective ratio quite low. But here, the space was small. Two kilometers long, one kilometer wide, at most the size of a village town, the firepower that came down packed a considerable punch for each unit of space. Matins sat aboard the Wind Falcon, silently watching. In fact, he couldn¡¯t see much. When the first round of strikes hit, the sky was filled with smoke, flames, and the sea platform, especially the Central Spire area, was densely covered. With the experience and vision of a battle group leader, he could fully judge that the intensity of the current strikes was far more than necessary. Technically, he could¡¯ve been the real man who doesn¡¯t look back at explosions now. But in reality, he couldn¡¯t. The current firepower against this complex of buildings was enough. But nobody could guarantee whether it could deal a fatal blow to the Demon Engines and Great Unclean Ones hidden in the deepest part of the buildings. This was Matins¡¯ greatest uncertainty. He had witnessed the strength of a Great Demon. Although the ones encountered today, compared to that world destroyed by the Plague Demon, were much weaker¨Cotherwise he would have been slashed with a single blow. But even so, he was still worried. Mainly because the memories of the past sieges were just too terrifying. A Great Demon capable of withstanding battleship bombardments with its flesh¡­ Truly killing one, even with several battle group champions working together, was exceedingly difficult. Perhaps only those legendary warriors chosen by The Emperor could manage a one-on-one victory? But the champions chosen by The Emperor¡­ Such top-tier warriors who could bear this title and power were scarce, with only one having emerged in the entire history of the Phoenix thats spanned thousands of years. Certain battle groups with a shorter history might never have had such a warrior from their founding till now. Therefore, he was reluctant to leave. He made an effort to eat a lot of nutrition paste and synthetic starch, replenishing the essential energy his body needed. The evolved superhuman organs of a star warrior: iron stomach, rapidly digested the food, converting it into energy. Although it was not guaranteed, who knew if a desperate battle would ensue later? He needed to keep himself in as good a state as possible. Matins had already decided that after the orbital bombardment, he would go and investigate the effects of the firepower in person. He hoped the effects would be good. Twenty minutes passed quickly, and after various booming explosions, when the smoke cleared, the Wind Falcon took them back over the sea area. The sea platform had changed beyond recognition from its original appearance. Those pipelines, storage tanks, and sea surface structures had been almost completely destroyed by the terrifying firepower. The undead within the tanks were now physically liberated. Those Aberrant Beasts and Cultists who had previously survived could certainly not have lived through such an onslaught. But these were not what the crew of the Wind Falcon were focusing on. Matins gazed at the central building of the sea platform, which had been completely demolished. The surging seawater had already filled that area. Just by looking at it, there was no way to tell anything. He ordered the Wind Falcon to descend. The Special Forces elites of the Tenth Expeditionary Force couldn¡¯t help much with what was to come, so there was no need for them to go down either. Matins, with his three battle brothers, left the Wind Falcon and jumped onto the sea platform, now completely unrecognizable. The main structure here had already been destroyed by the orbital strike and was slowly sinking. More and more water was flooding in, and at the current rate, in no more than thirty minutes, the support structures below would lose all effectiveness, and the entire sea platform would completely sink to the seabed. But this did not affect what they were going to do next. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Matins led his team through a blasted, water-filled breach into the sea platform. As star warriors, their training, of course, was to cope with all kinds of combat environments in space. The life support systems of their power armor allowed them to operate in the strong acidic seas of some planets, let alone the ordinary seawater of Rage Owl Star. And after switching to underwater combat mode, several tons of metal could still move in the water, though not as conveniently. After entering the underwater environment, they spent some time finding the original battleground. The process was tough; the previous bombardment had completely destroyed the structure here. Trying to locate the original spot was like navigating a maze, compounded with the task of breaking through obstructions. Chapter 333 - Chapter 333: Chapter 207, 7777 points of grace!_2 Chapter 333: Chapter 207, 7777 points of grace!_2 ¡°` But after some time, they still managed to do it. Upon finding the original spot, they saw a body that had mostly dissipated, presumably that of the Great Demon. It was completely unrecognizable. In Rizzo¡¯s judgment, this was not due to being bombed, but rather, after the Demon Engine was destroyed and it lost its connection with the Chaotic Abyss, such impurities had no way to continue existing in the real world. What remained of its body was still rapidly evaporating. Next to it, they found fragments that seemed to be the remnants of the destroyed Demon Engine. The Abyssal Rift had disappeared. ¡°So, this should count as a success, right?¡± Matins asked, somewhat uncertain. Rizzo closed his eyes, carefully sensed his surroundings, and replied, ¡°It should be.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m relieved.¡± Just then, Matins received another communication from the Wind Falcon, which was relayed twice, originating from Revival City. Governor Gu Hang had sent the message to the starship, the starship then transmitted it to the Wind Falcon, and the Wind Falcon relayed it to him. ¡°Bring back whatever the Great Demon¡¯s body leaves behind after it disappears.¡± Matins and Rizzo exchanged glances, both somewhat perplexed. They had just managed to clear the flooded ruins and had found this place, confirming their victory. How could Mr. Gu, thousands of miles away, be certain the Great Demon was dead? ¡­ Gu Hang had seen it on the [Event] panel. At first, he was unaware of any Great Demon, because after Matins and the others broke into the lower levels of the Central Spire and encountered formidable enemies, they had no time to send out messages. It wasn¡¯t until the orbital bombardment was about to be executed that he received information from the Blade Tiger. Right after he got the message, his [Event] panel updated with new information: [Unclean One ¨C Ge Wajia] [Ge Wajia is not the Unclean One¡¯s true name, but it is the name he currently uses. He is about to tear the veil between the Abyss and reality, bringing his vast army to descend upon the Rage Owl Star. This is a catastrophic threat, what will you do?] Gu Hang was genuinely startled the moment he saw this message. My goodness, could this be any more thrilling? What does Rage Owl Star have to deserve the attention of a Great Demon? What is wrong with this planet that it encounters all kinds of monstrous deities? To be honest, if Gu Hang didn¡¯t have the system, he would have died countless times upon coming here. Even with his extraordinary abilities, having resolved many issues that multiple previous governors could not fix and having united the alliance and all the surviving forces, if either the Green Skin disaster or the Demon disaster had taken root, that would have been the end. Even then, with the system, neither the Green Skin calamity nor the Demon calamity was something that a still-developing Rage Owl Star could perfectly resolve. In the rear, Gu Hang was even contemplating whether to fly personally to the South. After all, he was a level five Spiritual Energy user, an entity not inferior to Matins in a one-on-one fight, which might be somewhat useful. In any case, should the worst happen, his fate would be sealed regardless. He¡¯d either die on Rage Owl Star fighting an endless number of demons or perish under the subsequent Empire¡¯s judgment. With such significant issues arising on the planet that might even affect other Star Sectors, he, as the governor, wouldn¡¯t escape responsibility. In any case, the matter had to be resolved in its incipient stage. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t come to that. About an hour after he was on tenterhooks, a new message appeared on his [Event] panel: [Unclean One ¨C Ge Wajia (Resolved)] [The Unclean One ¨C Ge Wajia has been driven back to the Chaotic Abyss. This time, he would need to recuperate for a while.] [Reward: 7777 Blessing Points] [Selectable Blessing: After driving away Ge Wajia, the chaos essence he couldn¡¯t escape from has condensed on his Rusty Greatsword. Spending 777 Blessing Points, you can transform it into a Holy Artifact weapon suitable for humans.] ¡­ Looking at this message, Gu Hang felt a chill run down his spine. The number of Blessing Points offered as a reward was substantial, but something about this number¡­ seemed odd. And besides, the essence of chaos left behind by a Plague Great Demon being used for a Holy Artifact, for a weapon? ¡°` ¡°Are you eager to die?¡± ¡°The required Divine Gift points are also 777¡­¡± However, Gu Hang noticed the phrase ¡®usable by humans¡¯ mentioned in the description. If that¡¯s the case, it seems, maybe, probably¡­ it could really work? The thing is, sacred artifacts were something he had only heard of in legends. What if it¡¯s really powerful? It¡¯s just 777 Divine Gift points anyway, and if spent, so be it. After all, he still had seven thousand left. So, he gritted his teeth and exchanged for the optional reward. [Inferior Sacred Artifact: Purifying God Plague Greatsword (Imitation)] [Containing a small portion of the Chaotic Origin from a major unclean entity, it can be used by humans after being purified.] [The holder gains the effect of +2 to physical constitution and +2 to spirit, which ceases to function if either attribute exceeds 22 points.] [The holder is immune to plagues and diseases.] [The greatsword has a gravity-like field; it also has a ¡®guaranteed hit¡¯ feature that can be activated once a day.] [Even after purification, an inferior sacred artifact has a very low probability of becoming a bridge to the Abyss, causing the owner to occasionally hear whispers from its original master. Those with unstable wills should not use it.] ¡­ Looking at this thing, Gu Hang felt a bit of a toothache. The artifact was strong, especially in the hands of someone who was already powerful. A dual boost of +2 to both spirit and physical attributes meant that the holder¡¯s physical and spiritual prowess could more than double on their existing basis according to the system¡¯s calculations. With it, Gu Hang would effectively gain an entire level. With it, a squadron champion like Matins could reach the true strength level of a Starship warrior squadron leader. But, Gu Hang was quite conflicted and hesitant about the part of this inferior sacred artifact saying it could be influenced by the Abyss. He didn¡¯t want to use it himself. On one hand, he wasn¡¯t a warrior, and the enhancements to his physical attributes, the latter two features, were of no use to him; besides, the chances of him having to fight personally on the battlefield in the future probably wouldn¡¯t be too high. The main effectiveness of the equipment he could utilize would be those two points in spirit. On the other hand, Gu Hang didn¡¯t want to personally test whether he was susceptible to Abyssal corruption. He didn¡¯t think of himself as a person with an unstable mind, but it wasn¡¯t necessary to gamble, not even on a one-in-ten-thousand chance. The most suitable person to use this inferior sacred artifact was Matins. But that guy¡­ Gu Hang was worried about his level of willpower. A Starship warrior who had gone through a penitent expedition and was now tasked with rebuilding a combat team, who also had the level of a squadron champion, should absolutely be a person of firm will. However, after arriving at Rage Owl Star, Matins¡¯s performance, which had been influenced by Gu Hang¡¯s psychological tactics, made it difficult to fully trust him. Even though the chance of the Abyss whispering was already very low; Matins¡¯s chance of corruption was also very low. But as long as it wasn¡¯t zero, Gu Hang was reluctant to take the risk. Having an extra piece of powerful equipment was good, but it wouldn¡¯t be worth it if it caused serious issues. Matins could stick with his Fine Work Dynamo Sword. ¡°Did I just waste over seven hundred Divine Gift points for nothing?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s wasted, so be it. Better to have the sword kept in the sea, a sword with a Great Demon¡¯s essence; who knows what trouble it could cause otherwise?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been purified by the system and then collected, kept under strict supervision, which is better than letting it be out there.¡± Gu Hang could only console himself in this way. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Overall, the gains were significant. An enormous Divine Gift reward, the largest and most unexpected reward Gu Hang had ever received. He felt as though he had struck it rich. An inferior sacred artifact that seemed unusable but at least posed no hidden risks. And the greatest gain of all was averting a potential world-ending crisis! Chapter 334 - Chapter 334: Chapter 208, am I becoming the head of the provincial government now? Chapter 334: Chapter 208, am I becoming the head of the provincial government now? Flying Wing Star, the Gu Family residence. A middle-aged woman, wrapped in a bathrobe, nestled on the sofa, looking through a stack of letters and reports. As she read the first half, her brows were tightly furrowed. But as she got to the latter half, her expression relaxed. Seeing the lady of the house¡¯s dramatic change in expression, the standing housekeeper couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is it news about Hang?¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± said the middle-aged woman, who was Gu Hang¡¯s mother, Wang Qi, as she casually passed the correspondence to her confidante, ¡°You take a look too.¡± The housekeeper received the letters, read them thoroughly, and couldn¡¯t help but show shock on her face. The appearance of a Great Demon on Rage Owl Star, the opening of a Demonic Rift¡­such news, of course, was heart-wrenching. But since the matter was resolved, that was good. She patted her chest, calming the aftershock of her fear, and handed the correspondence back to the lady of the house, saying, ¡°The things Hang has done are too thrilling¡­ We should still find a way to have Hang return, so we wouldn¡¯t have to live in fear every day.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that easy, a Planetary Governor¡¯s position isn¡¯t something one can simply step down from. But it¡¯s good, that brat went to a remote and desolate place and actually became sensible and accomplished. Going out to gain experience, a big change for the better, is certainly better than all those useless years he spent here on Flying Wing Star.¡± At this, she couldn¡¯t help but feel melancholy again. Why couldn¡¯t it have been sooner? If her son had been sensible earlier, if he had shown his maturity, his responsibility, his capabilities sooner, she wouldn¡¯t have had to exhaust herself these past years. She could have gradually handed over many matters to him. The housekeeper had been with Wang Qi for many years and could semi guess what her mistress was worried about. She thought for a moment and cautiously suggested an idea, ¡°What if¡­ we still give Hang a hand?¡± Wang Qi looked up at her long-serving subordinate and asked, ¡°Help? How do you suggest we help?¡± ¡°Er¡­¡± she actually started to think it over, ¡°Perhaps we could help Hang¡¯s planet by building some factories under the guise of aid? If ownership is tricky, we could put them under a new Gu Commercial Fleet, dedicated to serving Hang¡­¡± ¡°Building factories, too few is pointless, and too many, how could the family ever approve such an investment plan? Avoiding investments in heavy assets other than the Fleet is the Gu Family¡¯s principle.¡± While saying this, Wang Qi let out a derisive chuckle, seemingly somewhat scornful of the idea. However, she eventually sighed, ¡°That won¡¯t work, at least not now.¡± Her gaze turned toward the window, ¡°I need to resolve the issue at hand first¡­ If it all goes well, what¡¯s ours will be ours in the future, without having to heed the meddling of those old fogies.¡± Upon hearing this, the housekeeper became anxious. She hesitated for a moment, then said, ¡°Should we tell Hang about this matter? He¡¯s a governor now; perhaps he could offer some help?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Wang Qi said decisively, ¡°Not a word.¡± ¡°You¡¯re worried he¡¯ll still be influenced by his uncles, his older male cousins? But it seems Hang has grown a lot now, he probably won¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Better safe than sorry. Once my affair is settled, he might hate me, but no matter what, the entire Gu Family will be his.¡± The housekeeper wanted to persuade further, but seeing Wang Qi¡¯s demeanor, she ultimately held back her words, only lamenting, ¡°I hope Hang will understand your good intentions.¡± Wang Qi scoffed, ¡°No need for his understanding, I¡¯m merely transferring what should have been my husband¡¯s to his son. That brat, he better not cause me any trouble.¡± The housekeeper bowed her head but couldn¡¯t help rolling her eyes. This mother and son¡­ each was more stubborn than the other. ¡°Alright, you may go now. I¡¯ll rest for a bit myself.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± With the mistress dispatching her, the housekeeper did not linger and turned to leave. Wang Qi, left alone, couldn¡¯t resist picking up the already read letter and going through it from start to finish once more. Then, she stood up, took a wooden box from the bookshelf next to her, opened it, and placed the correspondence inside. This wooden box was already filled with a thick stack. ¡­ Gu Hang, far away on Rage Owl Star, had no clue what his old mother was planning, let alone the big trouble she was preparing to stir up for him. At that moment, he was discussing the affairs of the Green Valley Region with his team of bureaucrats after multiple rounds of deliberations. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He had thought, after having demolished the stronghold of the Nature Salvation Society and banished the prominent Aberrants back to the Chaotic Abyss, that things in the south would settle down. But they had not. There was a fundamental problem with that land: the Aberrant Beasts. After hearing from Hu Ke, Gu Hang roughly understood that the Aberrant Beasts on Rage Owl Star were not the doings of the Nature Salvation Society, nor of Demons. Essentially, they were a ¡®climatic disaster¡¯ that appeared following the ecological collapse of Rage Owl Star. Rage Owl Star was once a developed world of energy extraction; the Spiritualized Gas Fields were its main output. The barrier between Rage Owl Star and the dark side of the universe, and the Spirit Realm, seemed particularly thin. In the thinnest places, the energy of the Spirit Realm pierced the barriers of the two worlds, congregating in a certain area, and over the years, formed the Spiritualized Gas Fields. Chapter 335 - Chapter 335: Chapter 208, Am I becoming the head of the provincial government now?_2 Chapter 335: Chapter 208, Am I becoming the head of the provincial government now?_2 However, after the last disaster, most of the Spirit Energy fields on Rage Owl Star had collapsed. The howling, unconstrained force of Spiritual Energy formed various strange disasters. Low Energy Storms are the most typical, and they are still whirling around the high tower ruins outside Rubbish Town. The energy collection devices placed there, and the energy compression equipment, ensure a monthly output of energy crystals worth about eighty thousand Tax Currency. This is hard currency. And the Aberrant Beasts, which are very common throughout the wastelands and especially numerous in the Green Valley Region, are actually plants that have been influenced and animated by Spiritual Energy. Ge Wajia utilized these things and, with his technical knowledge and what he called the ¡®Grace of the Benevolent Father,¡¯ he disseminated a certain virus capable of controlling these plants into the vast forests of the Green Valley. But now, Ge Wajia was dead, the Great Demon he summoned had been banished, and the influence of the Chaotic Abyss that eroded reality in the Green Valley Region no longer existed. This meant that the supernatural virus that had widely spread and infected most of the Aberrant Beasts lost its foundation and vanished. However, the central nervous systems of those mutated creatures, reformed by the virus, did not recover. Aberrant Beasts with a missing piece in their central nervous systems all went mad. They wildly charged out of the woods, attacking all living beings. Without any rhyme or reason, without any plan. To tell you the truth, these monsters were not difficult to handle. Although among them there were many special breeds developed over the years by the Nature Salvation Society, with formidable strengths. However, mindless things, no matter how powerful, could still be dealt with. Not to mention, they were even more mindless than before. After all, although previously the Aberrant Beasts lacked the ability for independent thought, they still had their controllers. In the past, almost every large-scale operation of the Aberrant Beasts showed traces of the followers of the Benevolent Father. With the control virus, they could roughly direct the actions of the entire monster group. It was because of this, they could put out cannon fodder in front, cover the Pus Spewers as they approached to shoot; the bio-artillery bombarded from a distance; the zombie dogs waited for the right moment to launch deadly assaults when the enemy¡¯s formation was in chaos, causing heavy casualties¡­ However, after the loss of the cultists¡¯ control, these brainless creatures even lacked that bit of the most basic tactical coordination ability. In front of the army, weren¡¯t they just beasts waiting to be slaughtered? There was just one problem: their numbers were far too many. According to Hu Ke¡¯s calculations and estimates, there might be between one hundred fifty million to three hundred million various types of Aberrant Beasts living in the vast jungles of the Green Valley Region. This was a terrifying number, much greater than the population of the entire planet; it was thirty times the total population of the Green Valley Region. Even the Nature Salvation Society only had the ability to infect most of the Aberrant Beasts, not to command so many creatures at once. But now, when these creatures lost control and madly rushed out, the trouble was enormous. No matter how stupid, the sheer number of 150 million to 300 million made producing enough bullets and shells to eliminate them take who knows how long. However, thankfully, when these creatures went berserk, they didn¡¯t recognize kin and didn¡¯t just target humans or other lifeforms; they attacked their own kind just as indiscriminately. It was also because of this, the pressure faced by the Central Group Army in the Green Valley Region was relatively weaker. Luckily, the Beiqing Valley Region had executed large-scale terraforming works to eradicate the jungle, and the number of Aberrant Beasts there had been reduced. All the settlements and towns began to tighten their defenses, not venturing out unless necessary. The military then staunchly defended each node, ready to call for fire support when waves of creatures attacked. The alliance¡¯s air force squadrons were incredibly busy, striking everywhere; even the Blade Tiger in the sky would occasionally help by launching a few surgical strikes to clear large concentrations of enemies¡­ The unrest in the Green Valley Region lasted for a full three months before it gradually subsided. After these three months, the settlements reported fewer and fewer sightings of Aberrant Beasts emerging. Under such circumstances, Gu Hang finally felt assured enough to call back the Central Group Army. Nevertheless, people still needed to be left behind in the Green Valley Region. Hu Ke went on a business trip to the Green Valley Region and, protected by the special combat brigade, conducted field investigations in some jungles. He discovered that some Aberrant Beasts still survived. Although their numbers had greatly decreased, there was a possibility that they could breed again. However, without the influence of Abyssal power, their breeding speed should not be especially fast. It wouldn¡¯t be easy for them to return to their original population size. Moreover, the central nervous systems of these Aberrant Beasts were gradually becoming free from the influence of the chaos virus after its disappearance, and they were becoming much calmer. If things go without accident, they should revert to their traditional patterns from decades ago: breeding normally in the jungles until the population reaches the environment¡¯s carrying capacity, then spilling out and forming waves of Aberrant Beasts; when the numbers drop significantly to a normal level, they would continue to breed in the jungles. Their breeding and growth rates are related to the seasons and sunlight. This is why the traditional waves of Aberrant Beasts are seasonal. If it is merely this way, these Aberrant Beasts will no longer pose too great a threat. After this wave of calamity, there probably aren¡¯t many survivors left in the South Green Valley Region, and those still alive would have fled north; the Beiqing Valley Region now has a population of about eight million, and once the jungles and Aberrant Beasts are cleared out, there would only be issues from the south to deal with. The former Green Valley Region had almost no industrial production capabilities, relying only on its own armed forces within each manor, so it was normal not to cope; now, with the regular Alliance Army present, the conventional, traditional waves of Aberrant Beasts will be annihilated as soon as they emerge from the jungles. For this reason, Gu Hang still had to leave a force in the Green Valley Region. He kept the 15th to 25th divisions, which were established from the Green Valley Region, and formed the Green Valley Garrison Group Army. All 11 divisions were garrison divisions, cheap but sufficient. They would be responsible for the long-term defense of the Beiqing Valley Region. In fact, the best way to deal with the Aberrant Beasts was to penetrate the jungles and eradicate them at the roots. But that was clearly not likely. The Green Valley Region was too vast, and with the current total number of troops under Gu Hang¡¯s command not yet exceeding two hundred thousand, it was not feasible to accomplish such a task. Moreover, according to Hu Ke¡¯s assessment, Aberrant Beasts were a manifestation of spiritual energy disasters, and as long as the jungles remained, even if they were all killed, new ones would regenerate. If the jungles were cleared, then the Aberrant Beasts would indeed no longer regenerate, but the spiritual energy disasters would not subside and would most likely transform into Low Energy Storms. It would be better to clear the Aberrant Beasts on a regular basis every year. At least the eliminated Aberrant Beasts could be repurposed, turned into synthetic starch, and the land would become fertile. If it turned into Low Energy Storms, farming would become impossible. Gu Hang¡¯s vision for the entire Beiqing Valley Region was to be the ¡®Alliance Granary.¡¯ With the Alliance having resolved the annual disaster of the Aberrant Beast waves and unified the whole region, establishing a singular government, agricultural productivity can be optimistically estimated to grow tremendously. If the entire Beiqing Valley Region was turned into an agricultural zone, with a large number of farms built and some hub-type cities established mainly for transportation, trade, primary processing of agricultural products, and service industries, that would suffice. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Crook Manor was also renamed ¡®Beigu City,¡¯ serving as the capital of the Beiqing Valley Province. Jason Morgan, who played a significant role in the recovery of the Beiqing Valley Region and the quelling of disasters, was transferred out of the Civil Affairs Bureau. He was entrusted with the establishment of the Beiqing Valley Province government and took on the role of the first provincial governor. His rank also soared directly to C1 level. Jason Morgan felt that this appointment was within reason, but when it actually happened, it still seemed dreamlike. ¡°I was just an employee at a small company in Revival City, and in just a few months, I¡¯ve become the head of a province?¡± Chapter 336 - Chapter 336: Chapter 209, Green Valley Battle Settlement, I have 38 divisions! Chapter 336: Chapter 209, Green Valley Battle Settlement, I have 38 divisions! Jason Morgan became the province governor, with a C1-level position. This was almost akin to stepping into the upper echelons of the Alliance official system. After all, any higher and one would only have the Central Minister of the Alliance; even higher, one would have to reach the level of Osenia. Moreover, his position was particularly important. After the establishment of the Beiqing Valley Province, it became the most populous and largest province within the entire control area of the Alliance. The combined population of the three central provinces added up to only six million, one million of whom were migrants from the Beiqing Valley Region. Under Morgan¡¯s jurisdiction, there were a full eight million people. As long as he secured his position as the province governor, he would be a feudal lord within the Alliance, with an exceptionally high status. C1 level? This was merely a beginning. Of course, Jason Morgan was extremely delighted. Who wouldn¡¯t want to hold high authority? It all seemed too dreamlike. The person he most wanted to thank now, other than the governor, was his wife, the current dean of academic affairs at Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy, Haier Si Morgan. The series of decisions he made after the establishment of the Alliance were basically from his wife. Being the first to respond to the call of the Alliance without waiting and watching like others made him one of the first employees of the Alliance Government; actively participating in dangerous external assignments earned him multiple merits; striving to take part in the training at Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy; being dispatched to the Green Valley Region¡­ All these were what his wife had asked him to do. Among them, there were many things he was initially somewhat resistant to, yet ultimately, his wife pushed him into them. He had to admire having a wife with outstanding vision; it was an immense fortune. Overall, his promotion progressed as swiftly as a rocket. But in fact, each step he took along the way was solid. Many times, he faced life-and-death crises. Undeniably, there was an element of luck involved, riding the tide of the era; but when such a tide swept in, how many could really rise with the wind? He was one of them. He made many correct choices and shone in many critical moments. One could only say, he had scored big. But he was also aware of an even more important point: his past efforts had won him his current status. However, this was just the beginning. Whether he could develop further in the future would depend on the outcomes he could achieve within his first tenure as governor of Beiqing Valley Province. If he did well, he would continue upward; If not, he might not even be able to maintain his current position. The Alliance Government probably couldn¡¯t accept a governor of the most populous province failing to achieve anything. The Alliance¡¯s emphasis on Beiqing Valley¡¯s development was evident to the naked eye. In the early days of the provincial government¡¯s establishment, Osenia would fly to Beigu City every other day. Speaking of Osenia, she also had a change of position over these three months: she was officially appointed as the Alliance Premier, becoming the top official in the administrative field. Her most important task, after being formally appointed, was to personally visit Beiqing Valley Province to guide the establishment of the provincial government and supervise the planning and construction of various levels of farms and hub cities. She was very motivated. She was originally from Green Valley, and felt an undeniable duty to rebuild her homeland. ¡­ Gu Hang entrusted the administration and production reconstruction of the Beiqing Valley Province to his female premier and played the role of a hands-off manager. In reality, he didn¡¯t need to worry or get involved himself. Even if that newly promoted Jason Morgan wasn¡¯t reliable, Osenia should be trustworthy. Moreover, Gu Hang could monitor the current reconstruction situation in Beiqing Valley in real-time through the monthly fixed income of the Beiqing Valley Province displayed on the system interface. Monthly fixed income symbolized the population size, level of development, and encompassed factors such as public order, production, culture, happiness, and the quality of administrative management among others. This wasn¡¯t a metric that grew linearly, but in general, the better the development of a region, the higher the grace points it would provide. Currently, within the Alliance¡¯s rule, Weixing City provided the highest monthly grace point with a population of approximately 1.65 million, contributing 773 grace points to Gu Hang each month. One million of that population had recently migrated from the Green Valley Region. Weixing City was actively integrating these people into the real industrial populace. Next were Revival City and Beiqing Valley Province. The former provided 297 grace points with a population of just over one million, and the latter provided 417 points with eight million people. Other places were more fragmented. The other areas of the Central Province, Gaota Province, and Central-North Province had a combined population of about 3.3 million, providing 322 grace points in total. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The total amounted to 1,809 points. From this structure, it was still apparent that the Weixing City industrial area, painstakingly built by Gu Hang, was very effective. Despite having a relatively smaller population, the grace points were plentiful. Weixing City currently supplied the Alliance with the bulk of its industrial goods, especially heavy industrial equipment. The role of Revival City was to focus on light industry, administrative center, along with the service industry. People from Weixing City would take vacations to the central city area of Revival City to have fun. The other places were all subpar. Chapter 337 - Chapter 337: Chapter 209, Green Valley Battle Settlement, I have 38 divisions!_2 Chapter 337: Chapter 209, Green Valley Battle Settlement, I have 38 divisions!_2 However, Gu Hang still held great expectations for the Beiqing Valley Province. Unlike other areas, the Beiqing Valley region had a huge population base and an industrial foundation. Although it was an agricultural industry, as long as agriculture could prosper and enable the eight million people on that nearly three million square kilometers of vast land to have an average of five hundred mu of arable land each, they would be able to live an idyllic life. If that were the case, the per capita standard of living and the per capita agricultural output would both be very high. In terms of the overall system points supply, even if it was not as good as the heavy industrial center of Weixing City, it should not be much less. In the past three months, Gu Hang¡¯s monthly system point income accumulated to 4,928 points. Adding to that the 7,000-point reward after the end of the ¡°Great Unclean One: Ge Wajia¡± incident, that made it 11,928 points. But this was still far from the limit of the system points Gu Hang had in hand. After the turmoil in the Green Valley region ended, Gu Hang once again saw the war campaign settlement interface after a long time. [Comprehensive Victory: Received 6,424 system points] [Lost 11,288, Killed 16.29 million, Captured 0] [Alliance Army:¡­] ¡­ Since Gu Hang started executing his Green Valley strategy, especially since the Central Group Army moved south into the Green Valley region, almost half a year had passed. During this time, there were a series of battles by the Central Group Army against the Aberrant Beasts. And now, the system finally considers that the regular campaigns have mostly come to an end, and thus, the rewards for the entire campaign were settled. Killing Aberrant Beasts really wasn¡¯t lucrative, millions were killed, yet the system points earned were only over six thousand. But Gu Hang had nothing to regret. He was truly wealthy now. The total system points lying in his account had reached 18,352 points. Looking at this number, he always felt a sense of unreality. It seemed like just a short while ago, he was spending system points in the hundreds and thousands, meticulously calculating these precious system currencies and deciding where they should be allocated to contribute to the construction of his territory. And now, all of a sudden, the magnitude of the number had inflated to a terrifying eighteen thousand plus. This even made him somewhat bewildered for a moment. He had never been this rich, and he didn¡¯t even know how to spend so many system points! Of course, that was just a manner of speaking. In reality, he had no mind to personally attend to the construction issues of the Beiqing Valley region, mainly because his attention was occupied by so many system points. Spending money was quite a laborious task too! The first thing he did was to boost the number of new star warriors from eight to a total of twenty-two. This expenditure alone cost Gu Hang over four thousand system points. Of course, this also brought about approximately six hundred T2 or T3 level special warfare elites. As of now, the Tenth Brigade also had a strength of a thousand men. Having gone through the battle against the Great Demon at the maritime ruins, Gu Hang once again realized just how important it was to have top-tier individual fighting forces like the star warriors. And even with the system¡¯s enhancement, the training of star warriors still required a relatively long cycle. Even though they were expensive, Gu Hang still wanted to have them ready in advance. Under ideal conditions, in another half year or so, the Phoenix Battle Group would be able to recover to a strength of twenty-six people. For a battle group, this was still scarce, but at least there would be four formal tactical squads. The reason for setting the number at twenty-six, instead of more, was because Gu Hang had a total of only twenty-two sets of power armor, including the old armor left by the former Phoenix. If Gu Hang were to train more new blood for the battle group, once they grew up, there would be no power armor for them to use. Of course, if Gu Hang was really flush with resources, he could actually train even more new troops. These new soldiers could temporarily go without armor and then buy it later on. Or, once Gu Hang had the technology to manufacture power armor, this issue could be somewhat resolved. ¡°` But for the moment, there was no great need. After all, no matter how many blessing points Gu Hang had left, there were plenty of places to spend them. The first thing to do was to expand the army. Not counting the militia in the Green Valley Region that had not been fully disbanded, the Alliance had a total of 25 division and brigade-level units, amounting to a total force of 170,000 men. Gu Hang felt this number of troops was not quite enough. He had calculated that, according to the Imperial Tax Currency, the total value of these 25 divisions should have already reached around 2.8 million Tax Currency. That meant that after another year, when the Imperial Tax Officers arrived, if these troops were converted in place into a Star Realm Army Corps, then Gu Hang¡¯s first issue with the Imperial Tax would be resolved. But Gu Hang could not possibly just stop military development there. Two perspectives. Firstly, Rage Owl Star still had plenty of troubles. The Eastern Provinces hadn¡¯t been pacified, The Northlands remained unrested, the Western Desert was still in a state of independence, and Blackbird Heavy Industries on the far west was a big deal. There was no such thing as having too many troops. Moreover, Gu Hang also needed to worry that if his troops were converted locally into the Star Realm Army and one day actually got transferred away by the Imperial Military Department, leaving him without armed forces on the planet, what then? Based on the current population of the Alliance, which was over 14 million, Gu Hang planned to expand the regular army to a force of 300,000. He had already discussed this with Colonel Tadeusz, the Chief of the Military Affairs Department. The Alliance¡¯s army would gradually expand by another 13 division and brigade-level units over the next six months. And also, he had to solve a problem that had long existed. Currently, within the Alliance¡¯s 25 land divisions, there were four types: mechanized combined brigades, motorized infantry divisions, garrison divisions, and special brigades. Except for the most unique, the singular Tenth Special Warfare Brigade, out of the remaining 24 divisions, there were only two mechanized combined brigades; four motorized infantry divisions. The other 17 divisions were all garrison divisions. In the organization of the Alliance Army, a garrison division only has over 6,000 people, and the equipment is very cheap, G9 individual equipment package plus squad and platoon, support fire at company and battalion levels, plus some artillery, that¡¯s it. This is the most basic ¡®line-filling¡¯ division. The term ¡®garrison¡¯ itself represents the role Gu Hang assigned to them. In some places, it¡¯s enough just to hold the line. They are not the main force to be relied upon. However, the 13 divisions that Gu Hang was going to expand, numbered 26-38, would be different. First, he expanded all motorized infantry divisions from three battalions to four, bringing the full strength to 11,700 men. Next, he formed 9 new motorized infantry divisions, and 4 mechanized brigades. Counting the existing troops, the Alliance Army¡¯s total strength would reach a scale of 310,000 men. And among them, the main field forces, namely the motorized infantry divisions and mechanized brigades, would account for the majority, reaching a scale of 200,000 men. And to train these thirteen divisions, as well as to fill out the rosters of all the previous divisions, the Alliance would need to recruit about 140,000 new soldiers to enter the military. To train this batch of recruits to T5 level, Gu Hang would spend 1,400 blessing points. Plus, it¡¯s conservatively estimated that it would take half a year to produce all the various equipment they needed¨Cof course, that¡¯s another matter if the productivity of Weixing City has significantly improved during this time. When someone asks Gu Hang, ¡°How many divisions do you have?¡± Then Gu Hang could pat his chest and say, ¡°I have 38 divisions!¡± However, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t really just wait for several months until the troops were all ready before starting the next military action. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In fact, after the end of the turmoil in the Green Valley Region, the Central Group Army left 11 garrison divisions behind to stay and station locally, and the 7 main field battle divisions returned to the vicinity of Revival City. The soldiers were given half a month of leave to reunite with their families, spend some money buying things, and enjoy life a little. Then, they were reassembled and began advancing to the east. They would pass through the Central-North Province and enter the previously unstepped Eastern Provinces of the Alliance to reclaim that land. ¡°` Chapter 338 - Chapter 338: Chapter 210: Sweeping Across the Eastern Provinces Chapter 338: Chapter 210: Sweeping Across the Eastern Provinces The Central Group Army had their vacation, then replenished their ranks with new recruits from the training camps to make up for losses sustained in the battles in the Green Valley Region, and set off for the Eastern Provinces. Their actions were very smooth. The connections between the Eastern Provinces and the Central Three Provinces as well as Revival City were very close. The situation there was completely different from the Green Valley Region. The food production capacity of the Eastern Provinces was rather weak, even weaker than that of the Central Three Provinces. This was mainly because, in the pre-war era, the Eastern Provinces were the core urban areas on the main continent of Rage Owl Star, especially closer to the coastal areas. Unlike the Central Three Provinces with only one urban relic, ¡®Tower Ruins,¡¯ such relics were ubiquitous in the Eastern Provinces. Although there was still some flat plains soil suitable for agricultural production, the overall amount was not quite sufficient. The main food supply for the five to six million people living in the Eastern Provinces actually also depended on the Green Valley Region. After the unrest in the Green Valley Region, it was not surprising that a famine spread in the Eastern Provinces, leading to upheaval. The Union still had a kind heart. Gu Hang had always valued the population greatly, he did not want an uprising in the Eastern Provinces, leading to a great number of deaths from starvation, and then more deaths from fighting over food. A serious famine could even be more terrifying than the reduction of population caused by war. In this situation, under Gu Hang¡¯s direction, Bradford, who was effectively in charge of the Alliance Commerce Department, followed the governor¡¯s ideas and continuously supplied food to the Eastern Provinces. Initially, driven by his merchant nature, Bradford wanted to take this opportunity to sell food at a high price, which would surely lead to huge profits. However, this merchant instinct was fiercely criticized by Prime Minister Oseina. Amidst the criticism, Bradford finally remembered that he was no longer a merchant. He was in charge of the Commerce Department, true, but he was a politician now, and he needed to act according to political rather than commercial logic. For a long time in the past, the food supply provided to the Eastern Province was maintained through large import orders from the Western Desert; recently, there were also increased imports from grain produced in the Beiqing Valley Province. The Green Valley Region had conducted their autumn harvest a few months ago, and despite the yield not being as high as in the bountiful years, it was at least sufficient to support the fourteen million populations of the Union. And the abundant cleared jungles and trees, as well as the Aberrant Beasts that had been killed in previous wars, were all fed into the synthetic starch factories. About half a year ago, the Union had mastered the self-researched technology for producing synthetic starch. Every production line completed, a set would be sent to Beiqing Valley. Currently, the Beiqing Valley Area had put into operation many large and small synthetic starch factories. The output of these synthetic starches was increasing. Including this not-so-tasty, but definitely life-sustaining food, the Green Valley Region could produce more food than in the high-yield years. That was enough. The various food items exported in large quantities to the Eastern Provinces were mainly exchanged for various industrial raw materials on the business front. Industrial raw materials were the most important basic output of the Eastern Provinces, a traditional output. To put it bluntly, it was similar to the production mechanisms at ¡®Tower Ruins,¡¯ it relied on garbage collecting. Supplying food at fair prices in exchange for industrial materials was a basic business not for profit, or rather, for normal profit. But as mentioned, since there were political considerations involved, it was essentially a political deal. Besides maintaining the millions of population in the Eastern Provinces from uncontrollable widespread famine and warfare, the extra profit not made from the business side needed to be earned back in other ways. Through increased trade actions, the Union established very profound influences in many settlements in the Eastern Provinces. Only the Union could provide abundant food supply, which forced many settlements to sell raw materials at fair prices to the Union. Of course, strictly speaking, this wasn¡¯t coercion, since food wasn¡¯t sold at inflated prices and raw materials weren¡¯t underpriced; it was a fair trade. However, some associated conditions, such as propagating the Union¡¯s system and reiterating that their own settlements were members of the Union, were mandatory. Don¡¯t underestimate these, for the will of the people is subject to change. In their own settlements, if one couldn¡¯t have enough food or clothing, had to pick garbage every day, faced wasteland mutant beasts, and worried about raiders; whereas in the Union, as long as one became a Union Citizen, secured a rank, one would at least have no worries about food and clothing. As for work, could it be more arduous than picking garbage? Not to mention, as per Union propaganda, every rank had basic healthcare benefits, leaves¡­ Compare the two, and it becomes clear which is preferable. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And with the second point of propaganda, that one¡¯s own settlement is also a member of the Union. Wouldn¡¯t the low and even middle-class residents think: Why is our standard of living so poor when we are all part of the Union? So, if one day the Union arrives, saying it wants to take over the entire settlement under its direct governance. Then, how strong could the resistance of the entire settlement be? Forget resistance, there would probably be welcoming parties everywhere. Beyond the minimal requirement of allowing Union merchants to promote the Union, there were other deeper cooperations as well. Chapter 339 - Chapter 339: Chapter 210: Sweeping Across the Eastern Provinces_2 Chapter 339: Chapter 210: Sweeping Across the Eastern Provinces_2 ¡°` For instance, they began to gradually accept the ¡°advisory¡± influence of some officials dispatched from the Alliance¡¯s various ministries and commissions. The official reason was to help these settlements build their homes and bring the Alliance¡¯s advanced experience to them. Dispatched officials would not directly lead and manage each settlement, but rather acted as consultants, providing reasonable suggestions to the leaders of the settlements. That¡¯s how it was said, but in reality¡­ In reality, it was indeed the case. However, in this process, the Alliance¡¯s influence naturally strengthened further. Those who constantly listened to the advice of the Alliance¡¯s dispatched officials and yearned for the Alliance¡¯s system, what kind of strategy would they adopt when the Alliance¡¯s troops arrived? In other words, the Alliance¡¯s long-standing food trade strategy and the export of its values brought strong political influence expansion. In the past six months, they had laid a great foundation in the Eastern Provinces. In fact, if not for Governor Gu Hang¡¯s urgent push, the Alliance might not even need military action; by simply fanning the flames at the right moment in the future, a revolution sweeping across the entire Eastern Provinces could easily annex the area, which covered millions of square kilometers and had a population of six million. Military action, then, was a double-edged sword. Indeed, it could speed up the process of bringing the entire Eastern Provinces under the Alliance¡¯s rule, without waiting for that so-called ¡°right moment.¡± But correspondingly, some who could potentially be persuaded might now end up standing on the opposite side of the Alliance. It was of little consequence. At present, the newly planned units of the Alliance Army had not yet completed their reorganization, and corresponding weapons and equipment were still in production. The Central Group Army that had set out now, had only seven divisions, amounting to over 70,000 people. But they still reported victory after victory. The Eastern Provinces were vast, and many urban ruins stood tall on desolate land, causing great geographical division. It was difficult for the various settlements to unite, and many places inherently lacked a strong will to resist. As a result, faced with the actions of the Central Group Army, many simply submitted without a fight. The Alliance had corresponding policies for this. Those who did not resist were not considered enemies. Everyone from the populace to the original ruling class would receive relatively good treatment. As for those who resisted¡­ They were vastly overestimating their own strength. To put it plainly, even if the entire population of the Eastern Provinces, all six million people, gathered together, they could at most assemble a few hundred thousand soldiers; with their terrible arms and logistics, and the fact that the Alliance could immediately starve more than half of them by cutting off food supplies, they had no capacity to resist. Not to mention, they couldn¡¯t even unite. Yan Fangxu¡¯s forces made rapid progress in the east. Often within a few hours, they would report having taken one or two settlements. Later on, Yan Fangxu himself began to feel embarrassed by the constant stream of good news. What¡¯s there to boast about? Just station a regiment near a settlement, without firing a single shot, and they would surrender in three minutes; those with a bit more backbone might endure a couple of barrages from the regiment¡¯s artillery and a few scare shots from the infantry whose actions were more about intimidation than assault, before surrendering in fifteen minutes. If any dared to stubbornly resist to the end, they would be killed. All the rebels would be wiped out, all leaders captured, and there was no need to send them back to Revival City for prosecution; they were executed on the spot. The local population, depending on the situation, would be distributed to other camps. This could be described as swift and severe measures. Even when only a regiment was deployed for an operation, it often took less than a day to finish the task. In any case, no matter the situation, there were corresponding, well-established methods of handling it. This set of strategies, which they had effortlessly applied when reclaiming the two million population of the Central Province, was nothing more than repeating it again on a larger scale in the more spread-out population of the Eastern Provinces. Such victorious reports really didn¡¯t seem to warrant being passed on any further. Latterly, Yan Fangxu simply made a summary-style military report every week, and that was that. ¡­ Gu Hang was too lazy to look through Yan Fangxu¡¯s various reports. It was nothing new: today a city was taken, tomorrow a town, nothing interesting. ¡°` To tell the truth, he had no doubts whatsoever that the Central Group Army could easily flatten the entire Eastern Provinces without a hitch. The only thing to worry about was that nothing like a god or a devil should pop up from the east. Just the local survivor forces alone posed no threat at all. He was still fussing over how to spend his remaining favor points. In areas such as Phoenix Newblood, the construction of the Tenth Special Warfare Brigade, and the expansion of the Alliance Army, Gu Hang had spent around five thousand five hundred points of favor. He still had over twelve thousand points left in his hands. And he planned to invest all these favor points into the construction of his territory in one go. This was divided into two parts: technology and building enhancements. First, about the building enhancements. After the war settlement in Green Valley Region, Gu Hang found that three new types of buildings had appeared in the [Building] interface. They were [Farm I], [National Church], and [Court of Justice]. Gu Hang guessed that the [Farm] buildings became available because, after he secured the Green Valley Region, the area dedicated to agricultural production had greatly increased, reaching a certain target built into the system, thereby unlocking the [Farm] buildings achievement. The [Farm I] building, like the [Civilian Factory I] and [Military Factory I] he had already unlocked, spent one hundred points of favor on an existing and operational farm to increase its production to a certain extent. Previously, he didn¡¯t have the extra favor points to spend on these production-enhancing buildings, but now he had a considerable amount, so he could afford to use them. After some thought, he did not exchange for any farm buildings. It wasn¡¯t necessary. According to a rough report recently sent back from Beiqing Valley Province, it mentioned the production plan for the coming year. Based on an optimistic estimate, in the next year, the total value of the food production in Beiqing Valley Region, including agricultural produce and synthetic starch, could reach around six million Tax Currency. With the imports from Western Desert and some of the food production from the Central Provinces added together, the food would amount to a value of about three million Tax Currency. This batch of food was sufficient to support a population of over eighteen million in comfort, which was at the Alliance E9 food supply level; with a bit of attention to food rationing and supply at the subsistence level, or Alliance E5 level, it would sustain over twenty-seven million people; and if one were to be a bit more draconian, at the starvation prevention level, or Alliance E3 level, that would be enough to feed forty-five million people. Even if you added the six million from the entire Eastern Provinces, the total population of the Alliance would still be around twenty million. It was more than enough. Instead, industrial production, and military production in particular, always seemed insufficient. The production in civilian factories mainly revolved around various consumer goods. These items, whether used to pay taxes where the empire also accepted them or used in interstellar trade, were in lesser demand. Trading them didn¡¯t fetch high prices, and the tax value assessed by the empire also tended to be lower than their actual production value. However, the opposite was true for weaponry; it was the hard currency of interstellar trade, a hot commodity in trade deals, and the empire gave full tax value for it. In this situation, Gu Hang exchanged sixteen military factories and four civilian factories all at once. The former were all applied to the various military industries in Weixing City. The latter would be allocated to basic heavy industries like clay and plastic steel smelting, as well as metalworking. Not to mention that the monthly production of the Wind Falcon in the Alliance had risen to ten units. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After swapping for these twenty enhancement cards for factories, the yearly industrial output of Weixing City was estimated to increase by about four hundred thousand Tax Currency. And the cost was only two thousand favor points. He still had ten thousand points left. Gu Hang did not divert these ten thousand favor points elsewhere; instead, he used them all on the tech card lottery! The thrilling moment of the draw had arrived, and Gu Hang was rubbing his hands together with eagerness! Chapter 340 - Chapter 340: Chapter 211, ten consecutive draws at the 1000 level! Chapter 340: Chapter 211, ten consecutive draws at the 1000 level! ¡°` If it comes to drawing technology cards, currently, Gu Hang¡¯s first choice would certainly still be the 1000-tier. The 10 and 100 stores are no longer under consideration; both prize pools have been drained, leaving a too low probability of good items emerging to be worth the gamble. Currently, for the 1000-tier, the probability of getting items is as follows: for basic level: 40%, for intermediate level: 30%, for elite level: 20%. There¡¯s also a 10% chance that, unluckily, it would come up empty. And Gu Hang¡¯s first three draws, luck wasn¡¯t great. Didn¡¯t come up empty, but there was no jackpot either, one intermediate-level and two basic-level items. The intermediate-level technology was for the ¡°Lion Tank.¡± At this reward, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t stop smiling. This was an armored force that the Star Realm Army had equipped for a long time, a genuine tank, wholly different in concept from the old ¡®Challenger¡¯ imported by the Old Alliance Army. Even though within the Star Realm Army¡¯s arsenal, the Lion Tank is only considered a light tank. But a light tank is still a tank, possessing both thick armor and powerful firepower. The ¡®Challenger¡¯ Tank¡¯s armor could be penetrated by an interstellar warrior¡¯s explosive rifle, but such rifles would merely tickle the ¡®Lion Tank.¡¯ Even heavy explosives or plasma guns of that caliber couldn¡¯t threaten the tank through its frontal armor. The Alliance¡¯s currently equipped 155mm howitzers are also nothing but an annoyance to the ¡®Lion.¡¯ On the offensive side, it boasts a 125mm kinetic main cannon using Magrail Cannon Technology, which can be outfitted with a plasma cannon; it is equipped with two heavy explosive coaxial machine guns; possesses smoke screen active defense, special cermet armor protection¡­ Such a king of land warfare cannot be compared with the Strider Armored Vehicle. The Star Realm Army is known as the ¡®Hammer of the Empire¡¯ for a good reason, with formidable armored capability at its core. Without these heavy tanks, how could the Star Realm Army contend with the fearful entities of the universe with mere human flesh and blood? And now, the Alliance Army finally has real tanks! Moreover, Gu Hang calculated that the Alliance could directly set up production lines for the ¡°Lion Tank.¡± They were capable of producing basic cermet and Grindstone Engines. With the ¡°Lion Tank¡¯s¡± technological blueprints, the Alliance could also replicate the main cannon, setting up a separate production line for it. This could even optimize the Alliance¡¯s own artillery technology. However, equipping it with plasma cannons was impractical since the Alliance couldn¡¯t produce them yet, unless they chose to use the Black Box to directly manufacture parts for the Lion Tank with a plasma cannon option, but that output would be pitifully low. But there was no need for that; the Magrail Cannon and heavy explosive rifles were already powerful weapons. And the two basic-level technologies were both related to production: ¡°Superconducting Power Grid¡± and ¡°Basic Engineering Machinery.¡± Both of these are foundation building technologies. The former, as the name implies, is a type of technology for constructing power grids. Compared to the current traditional power grid construction technology used by the Alliance, its main features are less energy loss, stronger load capacity, and the ability to conveniently perform wireless charging. The latter is a type of engineering machinery. By equipping different sets of tools, it could function as an excavator, road paver¡­ among many other types of engineering machinery. And these could be used for various purposes, but Gu Hang saw that they were mostly used for basic projects such as laying roads, railways, tracks, and the like. These two foundation building technologies are very important. As the Alliance¡¯s controlled land area and population grow, some basic infrastructure constructions began to be insufficient. The most direct example is the Alliance¡¯s current power grid, which barely covers the Twin Cities and Rubbish Town. Other settlements in the central three provinces are still not electrified, not to mention the more distant Beiqing Valley Province. It¡¯s not that there isn¡¯t technology to build power grids; it¡¯s just that construction takes time, and a large portion of the Alliance¡¯s efforts is focused on other areas that require development. The power grid project has been placed on hold. After all, apart from the Twin Cities, the productivity of those other small and medium-sized settlements, even if preserved as much as possible, is still weak, so rushing to electrify them doesn¡¯t hold high value. The same is true for the road and rail networks. But obviously, this isn¡¯t a long-term solution. Gu Hang wasn¡¯t planning on following the mold of some Nest Capital worlds, where building just one super metropolis would suffice. Super cities, of course, serve their important purpose. A more dense population and industries lead to stronger cluster effects. However, regions like the Beiqing Valley agricultural zone and the Eastern Provinces¡¯ industry for recycling pre-war urban ruins are all indispensable. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now, transport relies on the Iron Bull trucks, chugging along muddy, dirt, and gravel roads. Though it¡¯s already more reliable than the old beast-drawn carts of past years, it¡¯s still not fast enough, at least not for an industrial system; it¡¯s too insufficient. Moreover, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t just concerned with the development of the Twin Cities. Considering the entire Alliance¡¯s productive capacity, not to mention this year¡¯s taxation being problem-free and future tax revenues could be offset by stuffing forces into the troops of the Star Realm Army Corps being established, the Alliance¡¯s annual gross production value was still only 1.2 million Tax Currency. ¡°` Chapter 341 - Chapter 341: Chapter 211, ten consecutive draws at the 1000 level!_2 Chapter 341: Chapter 211, ten consecutive draws at the 1000 level!_2 Gu Hang was responsible for the tax revenue of fifty million people on the planet, netting five million Tax Currency annually. If not for the cheating capability in military training provided by the system, and the additional help of the operational Star Realm Army Corps, his days would have been incredibly tough. An annual output of twelve million Tax Currency, if five million had to be paid in taxes, would leave his subjects in a state not much better than destitution. Of course, there were some other objective factors involved. He only had fourteen million people under him, and the planet was not yet unified; there were a large number of human resources not yet under his control. But at the same time, there was another problem: the disparity in development levels across different regions of the Alliance was too great. In Weixing City¡¯s heavy industry zone, the per capita annual output could reach 1.6 Tax Currency; for Revival City, it was only 1.02. These two were still in the positive, reaching the quota set during the establishment of the Imperial Tax standard, which considered the total annual production per person as one Tax Currency. But other areas could not even reach one. All regions of the Alliance still had significant room to improve production efficiency. If you want to be prosperous, build roads first. An extensive electrical grid could transmit the power from the nuclear reactors constructed outside Revival City without loss and at a high load to every piece of land in the Alliance; Extensive road and railway networks would greatly enhance the efficiency of material transport. The saying that roads are the arteries of industry is no idle talk. It¡¯s necessary to connect all areas so that Weixing City¡¯s advanced industrial system can better promote the development of all other towns; at the same time, more developed roads, railways, and energy transmission lines will in turn feed back into Weixing City, the industrial hub, for its further improvement. This was what the Alliance Development Department had planned to do next. And the two new technologies just obtained, without a doubt, could accelerate this process greatly. Gu Hang was looking forward to a further increase in the output of Weixing City¡¯s industrial core and also to the development of other regions of the Alliance, hoping they could benefit significantly from the abundance of logistics and energy. ¡­ After an average haul in the first three draws, Gu Hang¡¯s luck took a turn for the better. In the next seven draws, he hit two elite-level, two advanced-level, and three basic-level technologies. The three basic levels were Construction Engineering Machinery, Agricultural Machinery Technology, and Servant Mech Transformation Technology. There¡¯s no need to elaborate on Construction Engineering Machinery; it¡¯s a significant boon. All around the Alliance, there was a need for development, even in Weixing City, which already resembled an industrial center, where new house construction was in constant demand. The building of housing districts to accommodate a significant population increase, factory buildings, and various types of public facility construction¡­ The Alliance¡¯s construction teams were among the busiest groups. In fact, they didn¡¯t have much time to build residential areas, spending most of their efforts on constructing factory buildings. Weixing City now had a population of 1.6 million, but most of them didn¡¯t even have a simple shack to live in; slums built with scraps of waste materials were scattered around the outskirts of the city. This was clearly unacceptable. These people, just escaped from peril and from various places, may now have a stable job, steady food supply, and even some extra allowances to purchase some consumer goods that they could not have imagined or seen before. However, as time goes by, people¡¯s demands for a better life will only increase. An improvement in living conditions is an essential step. In fact, in Weixing City, there were many housing plans already. At present, the entire city was planned according to the specifications of a five-million-strong industrial population for various functional zones. It was just that there had never been enough construction teams to build them. Now, with a series of Construction Engineering Machinery, the efficiency of each construction team should be greatly improved, and this issue should be resolved. ¡°` [Agricultural Machinery Technology] also arrived at just the right time. Tractors and accompanying equipment for cultivating, sowing, weeding, fertilizing, harvesters, balers¡­ This series of agricultural production machinery was timely. The Beiqing Valley Province will have a great need for these agricultural machines. Their arrival will directly transform the many years of manual and animal-driven farming in the Beiqing Valley Province into mechanized agricultural production. Theoretically, the maximum per capita land area in the Beiqing Valley Province reaches 500 acres; it is estimated that about one-fifth of that is cultivable land. In the past, this was just a theoretical value, as vast amounts of land were jungles that couldn¡¯t be utilized; the constant threats from raiders and Aberrant Beasts meant small farms couldn¡¯t survive; the exploitation by plantation owners tied the population to a limited amount of land¡­ But now, these circumstances have changed. A large amount of jungle has been cleared, and the uncleared areas are waiting to be cleared; the threat from raiders and Aberrant Beasts has essentially been eliminated; the plantation owners have been wiped out as a class, replaced by local officials of the Alliance who draw from the Alliance¡¯s finances rather than the surplus value of the land. Although there might still be corruption, and a lot of land may still not be utilized¡­ Overall, it is very possible to develop more farms and farmland. Eight million people, in relation to three million square kilometers of fertile land, that¡¯s sparsely populated. It¡¯s definitely impossible to cover with manual farming. This has to be shifted to mechanized, large-scale farming. Once agricultural production is fully mechanized, given Green Valley Region¡¯s natural conditions, the pastoral lifestyle for every person there would no longer be a dream. It might even be possible within the next two years. A family of four to five people, with two or three laborers, could lease a thousand acres of land, become full-time farmers engaged in fully mechanized production and plant the high-yield seeds previously imported from the cousin¡¯s merchant ship. The annual grain output of the land could probably reach 50 Tax Currency; even if the Empire were to be a bit greedy, and there was a big difference between market selling price and purchase price, that would still be at least equivalent to 20-30 Tax Currency. If currently in the Beiqing Valley Province, there¡¯s an assessed 1.2 billion acres of cultivatable land, and if all of it could be put to use, that¡¯s an annual output value of sixty to thirty million Tax Currency! Just this food production alone would not only be able to feed everyone on Rage Owl Star, but there would also be enough surplus to pay the entire planet¡¯s Imperial Tax. Moreover, after paying the tax, there could still be a large surplus to store, to give to the Empire in exchange for Tax Currency, to engage in interstellar trade. Food, in the whole Star Sea, is a bona fide currency. Actually, Gu Hang had been considering this for a while. Even if he hadn¡¯t won the Agricultural Machinery Technology in the lottery, he would have had the two technical officers under him, namely Wu Jiarong and Hu Ke, fully tackle the relevant technology. This was a true path to prosperity! And now, having won it directly from the lottery was certainly the best outcome. It saves Gu Hang from waiting for them to develop it. He could use it right away. As for the final [Servant Mech Transformation Technology]¡­ Gu Hang didn¡¯t really care for it. It¡¯s not that it¡¯s useless; back when he started, he used servo-soldiers as well. Although they lacked intelligence and didn¡¯t think proactively, they counted as qualified soldiers, servants, laborers. But Gu Hang was not too keen on it. The Mechanical Cult Guild liked using servant mechs, but Gu Hang really did not. This technology needed only slight development; in the future, it may, like the [Servo-Skull] manufacturing technology, be reserved as punishment for criminals. Condemned prisoners would be put to good use. For ordinary people, Gu Hang would not allow the occurrence seen on some planets, where living beings can be bought and sold, and innocent people could be turned into servo-skulls or servant mechs. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In his view, a living, normal human being can create more value than a servant mech. As for servo-skulls, those biological computers, wetware, indeed have high value but are relatively less versatile in their applications. Donations from death row inmates, terminal patients, and the elderly whose life is nearing its end would suffice. ¡­ Apart from these three fundamental technologies, Gu Hang also won two elite-level ones: [Transition Identification System] and [Starport Blueprint]; and two advanced-level ones: [Reflector Orbital Air Defense System] and [Chainsaw Sword Technology]. ¡°` Chapter 342 - Chapter 342: Chapter 212, Starport Technology Chapter 342: Chapter 212, Starport Technology Among these four high-level technologies, Gu Hang¡¯s attention was immediately captivated by the ¡°Starport Blueprint.¡± Starport! Gu Hang initially thought that such a thing would be found in a more advanced technology pool and was surprised to get it within the elite class! Its importance was too high. Currently, the connection between Rage Owl Star and space was very weak, only manageable by various landing transport ships. This resulted in low transport capacity and high transport costs. Generally speaking, those with real demand for bulk interstellar trade cannot do without a ¡®Starport.¡¯ As the name suggests, it¡¯s an interstellar port, built in a geostationary orbit around a planet, allowing incoming starships to dock easily; ships can be serviced and repaired; cargo can be transferred more conveniently and quickly. The difference a Starport makes is like the difference between docking a cargo ship at a port to offload goods by the truckload, as opposed to using small boats or speedboats for transportation ¨C the efficiency gap is huge. The transfer of materials between the Starport and the planet¡¯s surface mainly relies on two methods: orbital tugships and space elevators. Both of these supporting facilities were included in the technological blueprints obtained from the lottery. Orbital tugships require a launch site on the ground and a connection with the Space Starport in orbit, formulating a corresponding force field tunnel. The tugships themselves have propulsion and can fly up and down within the force field tunnel quickly carrying heavy loads. On the other hand, the space elevator is another solution, constructing one or multiple physical conduits from the planet¡¯s surface to the Space Starport. The ¡®elevator has kinetic energy and moves up and down a physical track. The main difference between these two solutions is whether the up-and-down passage is a physical conduit or a purely energetic force field tunnel. However, these two solutions for linking the Starport with the planetary surface are not conflicting. It¡¯s perfectly feasible to construct a space elevator at the point on the ground that corresponds with the geostationary orbit Starport. The initial construction costs might be higher, but the transport costs are lower. The force field tunnel and the tugships don¡¯t necessarily need to be constructed at the corresponding geostationary point; when not in use, it can be turned off, resulting in relatively lower wear and tear; when heavy transportation is needed and the capacity of the space elevator is insufficient, then tugships can be implemented as they are costlier to operate each time compared to the space elevator. After acquiring a Starport, Rage Owl Star would have the qualifications to participate in interstellar trade, unlike previously dealing with the Beautiful Lady, where it could only purchase high-value but small-sized items and use transport ships to slowly ship things. The trade between the Beautiful Lady Convoy and Blackbird Heavy Industries even took three months. If there had been a Starport, such a duration would not be necessary; the job could be completed in one or two days. This was because the Beautiful Lady came to support Rage Owl Star and persisted through the three months of loading and unloading due to some other factors behind the trade with Blackbird Heavy Industries. A typical merchant, upon seeing no Starport and relying solely on transport ships for cargo¡­ well, they might as well forget about it. Without a Starport, small high-value goods trading could be an option but forget about bulk goods trading. Only with a Starport does one have the ticket to participate in normal interstellar trade. And that¡¯s not all. A Starport is also the foundation for a series of space technologies. Starship construction is not ideal on a planetary surface. It¡¯s not entirely impossible, but very impractical. To elevate a completed starship, akin to a town, from a planetary surface into space, not to mention the energy consumed, the process itself would be a massive destruction to the environment on the ground. Generally, the primary construction work of starships takes place in interstellar shipyards. At most, certain key components might be crafted on the ground and then transported to the interstellar shipyard for assembly. And naturally, the interstellar shipyard would be constructed within a Starport. Beyond that, a Starport is also a very important link in a planet¡¯s orbital defense. Due to the fact that a Starport does not need mobility like a starship, which flies around in space, and does not need a propulsion system, it can be equipped with extremely thick armor and formidable firepower. Of course, at that degree, it should no longer be called a Starport but a Star Fortress instead. Additionally, with sufficient anti-orbital firepower on the ground matched with a Star Fortress, a planet can be far from just a passive target when facing a Space Fleet. On the contrary, should the enemy dare to approach and their Fleet is not powerful enough, the planet¡¯s anti-orbital firepower combined with the Star Fortress¡¯s robust combat capability can make any would-be aggressor Space Fleet experience despair. Looking at it from the aspects of commerce, future Starfleet construction, planetary defense¡­ building a Starport is the most fundamental of foundations. It is essential. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The only problem, Gu Hang realized after careful examination, was that the construction cost of the Starport was extremely high. Its Black Box was the largest among the many technology Black Boxes he had obtained so far. However, this Black Box could only produce some of the important components needed for the various Starports. Final assembly and the basic construction work still had to be done by conventional manpower. In fact, it was the same for not only the Starport but also the Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessel and the recently acquired Lion Tank; they were similar. The Black Boxes weren¡¯t so big that a touch of a button would produce a gigantic war machine. They would manufacture numerous components according to a program, but assembly was still required. Chapter 343 - Chapter 343: Chapter 212, Starport Technology_2 Chapter 343: Chapter 212, Starport Technology_2 ¡°` For the Wind Falcon and the Lion Tank, the problem wasn¡¯t too big. The components produced by the Black Box weren¡¯t many in number and were quite straightforward to assemble, so they would be quickly dealt with. But building a Starport was a different matter. Constructing a Starport was akin to building a city in space, orbiting a planet. Even with the help of the Black Box, that would only significantly reduce the complexity of the construction, but the time saved in the building process wouldn¡¯t be that substantial. Moreover, orbital construction also required sufficient construction technology. The individual equipment of workers, construction processes, and knowledge of site selection¡­ all of these posed challenges. Fortunately, in the [Star Port Technology Blueprint], there were complete solution sets for these things. It all depended on implementation. After looking through this information, Gu Hang pondered for a long time and finally came to a conclusion. Even for building the most rudimentary and lowest-grade Starport, excluding weapon defenses, energy shields, hardened armor, and starship fabrication capabilities, and maintaining only the trading attributes with the ability to dock ships¨Csuch a Starport would likely cost upwards of hundreds of millions of Tax Currency. Which equated to twenty years of Imperial Tax from Rage Owl Star. And to add various functionalities on top of that, the cost would head towards astronomical numbers. Given the current situation on Rage Owl Star, it certainly couldn¡¯t be achieved in a short time. But that did not mean that Gu Hang planned to postpone this matter. It was precisely because the cost was so high and the construction period so lengthy that this work needed to be started even earlier. After all, Gu Hang¡¯s role as the governor wasn¡¯t a one-off deal¨Cif nothing unexpected occurred, he¡¯d be the governor for life, without terms or limitations. Thus, it was imperative to undertake projects of lasting significance. First, he planned to get the corresponding site selection and Starport¡¯s ground engineering started; then, extend the space elevator; using the orbital end of the space elevator to begin constructing space station platforms, from which to gradually expand and build out the Starport¡­ Considering the whole project¨Cthree phases¨CGu Hang planned to initiate the first phase. ¡­ Aside from the [Star Port Technology Blueprint], the other three technologies were not worth discussing. [Transition Identification System] was a prerequisite system required for the construction of starships. The starships of the Human Empire, to engage in interstellar travel through hyperspace, must utilize the Star Realm Tunnels that connect two star systems. These tunnels, filled with Spiritual Energy and formed through the power of Subspace, existed naturally and were opened by the Imperial Psychic Association¡¯s Star Guidance Hall. And this identification system was the accompanying technology; it was essential for locating the entrances and exits of the Star Realm Tunnels. At the moment, Gu Hang didn¡¯t need this technology. The Star Port technology had just been drawn, and constructing starships was still out of the picture. However, obtaining it was quite fortunate; it was a necessary technological reserve for building large ships in the future. The [Chainsaw Sword] didn¡¯t bear mentioning either, just another weapon configuration for interstellar warriors. At most, it could be made lighter and with reduced power, similar to providing an attenuated version of bomb guns to the elite forces of the special combat brigade. Once equipped with Exoskeleton Armor, they were capable of using the basic version of the Chainsaw Sword and bomb guns. As for the last one, the [Reflector Orbital Air Defense System], as the name implies, it¡¯s an active orbital defense system, and of course, the most important component was the ¡®Reflector¡¯ Laser Cannon. It was even a sort of energy weapon that could be installed on starships; the Claw Fierce Tiger was equipped with ten. Besides the Reflector Laser Cannon itself, there was a whole set of air defense systems, including fire control, radar, recognition, and precision interception capabilities among a series of functions. Its primary target was to conduct air defense operations, shooting down planes, fast attack boats, and the like¨Cone shot per target; it could also be used to intercept firepower descending from orbit, such as Scalpel Missiles and Kinetic Cannons. If one wanted to ¡°wash¡± Revival City or Weixing City from orbit, then the Reflector would be able to intercept them mid-air. Of course, it could also be used as a normal laser cannon if one were to set it up on a flat surface. However, that would be a bit like using a steam hammer to crack nuts. Speaking of anti-aircraft guns being used as flat as a joke, of course, but it also side-heeled to express that the firepower of these ship-mounted guns¨Ceven just an S-spec¨Cwas powerful enough to breach walls and break the ground. ¡°` ¡­ Wu Jiarong stared at the large pile of black boxes lying before her, numbed by their sheer number. In the past, whenever the Governor brought out a new black box, she genuinely rejoiced. Although she was far from having the ability to crack these black boxes, by studying them and the high-precision, perfectly crafted objects they produced, she always managed to gain some insight and advance her mechanical expertise. This was a critically important gain. Her previously stagnant knowledge had skyrocketed over the course of the year. In the Sect of Mechanics, she had been recognized only as a technical specialist and, at most, after so many years, had the level of a formal mechanic. But now, she felt she had surpassed the average Mechanical Priest in the Sect of Mechanics. Initially, when the Governor had recruited that Engine Prophet named Hu Ke, she had been a bit worried, wondering whether she could be replaced? But soon, she no longer thought that way. The man clearly did not have the Governor¡¯s trust as much as she did. Moreover, with her current rate of progress, it wouldn¡¯t take long to reach the Engine Prophet¡¯s level, which would not be inferior to Hu Ke¡¯s. All thanks to the numerous different types and outcomes of the black boxes. Theoretically, the more black boxes the Governor brought, the better. But¡­ there were just too many! She simply couldn¡¯t keep up with the research! Within the Mechanical Cult Guild, only some top figures had the opportunity to possess a black box and the chance to comprehend it and the perfect creations; even in the headquarters of the guild, which had a significant number of black boxes, there were more people queuing up to study them. And there I was, Wu Jiarong, spending long durations each morning, struggling to decide which black box to study from the countless options. This was truly bothersome. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t neglect her main tasks. After briefly listening to Gu Hang¡¯s introduction and then conducting her own examination and testing, she offered her assessment. ¡°The electric grid, two types of construction machines, and the agricultural machinery, we can quickly start mass production. However, we¡¯ll need to coordinate with the development and production departments to maximize their effectiveness,¡± she said. ¡°The chainsword, Reflector interception system, and Lion Tank are a bit more challenging, but we should now have the capability to mass-produce them. The hardest part of the Lion Tank is the anti-gravity engine, but we already have some reserves.¡± ¡°As for the Star Harbor Technology Blueprint¡­ I need more time to fully grasp it.¡± Gu Hang stroked his chin and nodded. ¡°We can also use the black box to make a Transition Identification System first¡­ How many can we produce with the black box?¡± he asked. ¡°One every two months.¡± ¡°That few?¡± Gu Hang was somewhat dissatisfied. ¡°Ah?¡± Wu Jiarong was baffled. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only What¡¯s there to be dissatisfied about when you can produce one a month? This equipment is for starships, and we don¡¯t even have the technology to build starships yet. And with the black box, getting one virtually for free every two months¨Csix in a year¨Cwould make a tidy profit just from exports. Gu Hang seemed to realize he might be asking for too much: ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go with that¡­ Start production on those that can be started, and as for the Star Harbor Technology Blueprint¡­ I will assign the development department with the task. Let¡¯s start the first phase of the ground construction without delay,¡± he said. ¡°Understood.¡± Chapter 344 - Chapter 344: Chapter 213, Heretic Demon Hunter Chapter 344: Chapter 213, Heretic Demon Hunter Three months had whisked by in a flurry, heralding the end of spring and the impending arrival of summer. In the past, Gu Hang had pondered this issue. The seasonal cycle on Rage Owl Star was almost identical to that of Earth as he remembered it. However, that was the peculiar part: Wasn¡¯t this an alien planet? How could things like the length of the day and seasonal changes be so similar? Later, he recalled a very likely answer from his memory: It was the human pioneers of old who had shaped it this way. It was before The Emperor became The Emperor, known as the Golden Age of mankind. In that Golden Age, humans stepped out from their Ancestral Star, became the masters of the universe with their powerful technology, their profound exploration of Spiritual Energy, and the assistance of super-intelligent AI. They opened numerous Spiritual Energy tunnels, traveled at faster-than-light speeds, and transformed one promising planet after another into environments similar to the Human Ancestral Star using climate modification and orbital change technologies. And then, all of a sudden, at some point, a colossal disaster put an end to everything. The civilization of the Golden Age collapsed in a very short time. The vast, unified, and efficient Human Federation disintegrated, faster-than-light travel technologies became ineffective, and each human colony planet instantly turned into an isolated island in the cold and dark universe, until The Emperor emerged, the Human Empire was established, and the myriad worlds of humanity were once again united. The Golden Age, that was now an era beyond verification. The research related to it was the most arcane part of historical archaeology. As far as current knowledge was concerned, the collapse of the Golden Age was related to two wars against some alien forces; the core reason was the rebellion of artificial intelligence. And now within the Human Empire, computer technology was strictly taboo, because in this age, all computer electronics were at risk of ¡®rebelling¡¯. Even in a physically disconnected state, the infiltration of Spiritual Energy could cause electronic demons to enter, lie dormant, and cause significant damage at critical times. The humans of today would rather develop and use servocranium, an apparently inhumane wetware, to achieve similar effects than dare to use electronic computers. Without electronic computers, there was obviously a considerable negative impact on societal production; many things in Gu Hang¡¯s memory couldn¡¯t be reproduced at all. Quite regrettable. He had no intention of challenging the Empire¡¯s ban in this area, nor did he desire to witness firsthand just what these ¡®electronic demons¡¯ were all about. At present, the various developments on Rage Owl Star were smooth sailing, and Gu Hang had no interest in seeking any additional thrills. It was a blessing in disguise not to have those monsters knocking on his door; he had no interest in courting trouble. Focusing on farming, steadily advancing, everything was just fine. In this period, the entire Alliance did indeed enjoy a rather tranquil existence. That isn¡¯t to say there weren¡¯t any events within the Alliance. On the contrary, the changes within the Alliance were significant, and describing them as transformative day by day was not an exaggeration. There was a war raging in the east, and it was almost over. Before departing, Yan Fangxu had made a bold vow, claiming that pacifying the Eastern Provinces would take only three months. As it turned out, his promise was indeed on the verge of being fulfilled. The east hadn¡¯t encountered any monsters, just the routine survivors of the wastelands, who were swiftly swept aside. Now, in the east, the frameworks for three new provinces had been erected. Adjacent to Gaota Province was Xiongya Province; to the south by the sea, bordering Beiqing Valley, lay Nanwan Province; and in the far northeast was Tea View Province. The names of these areas were derived from the most famous cities in the region during the era before the collapse. By now, officials from the Alliance had moved in and were establishing the ruling structure of the Alliance in the three Eastern Provinces. The Central Group Army would continue to be stationed there for some time: on one hand, there were still some matters to settle; on the other, they had to wait for the construction of local defenses in the Eastern Provinces. In short, they weren¡¯t in a hurry to return. At the Alliance Capital, there was still a regular garrison stationed, and several new main force divisions had been formed, so there wasn¡¯t any concern about the defense of the core regions. By now, it¡¯s fair to say that the Eastern Provinces had been pacified, with six million people brought under the rule of the Alliance. At this juncture, the process of unifying the entire planet was more than halfway complete. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Western Desert and The Northlands remain, and the last three places to the west of the continent. Judging by the population, the approximate forty million people on the planet, over twenty million were now under the rule of the Alliance. Changes were abundant even in the core region of the Alliance. Weixing City continued to absorb a steady stream of population and launched several new industries, especially the military industrial production of the ¡®Lion Tank¡¯. Within all the mechanized composite brigades, there were tank companies allocated to the five major combat battalions. And now, these tank companies could finally live up to their name. Each company comprised of three ¡®Lions¡¯, truly formidable in siege warfare; when necessary, the combined force of eighteen Lions formed an even more terrifying armored horde. Don¡¯t consider the Lion Tank as just an ordinary little tank. A Lion Tank crew consisted of nine people, necessitating coordination to effectively operate the tank. Labeled a ¡®light¡¯ tank, it was nevertheless twice the size of a ¡®Challenger¡¯ Tank. When it moved, it resembled a steel fortress shifting across the field. Chapter 345 - Chapter 345: Chapter 213, Heretic Demon Hunter_2 Chapter 345: Chapter 213, Heretic Demon Hunter_2 It is said that the upgraded version, the true Star Realm Main Battle Tank [Lion King Tank], requires a crew of twenty-one, much larger than the Lion Tank, and its firepower, even more exaggerated. Although the Lion Tank is fierce, its production is also very difficult. Black Box can only produce four per month; the tank factories that have been built can only turn out four per month as well. It takes two months to replenish the tanks needed for a composite brigade. Infrastructure construction is being heavily promoted in the three central provinces, and with the help of superconductive power grids, basic construction machinery, and construction engineering machinery, the overall speed of construction has soared dramatically. The spring plowing in Beiqing Valley Province has almost finished, and according to Jason Morgan¡¯s report, it looks very successful so far. The new agricultural machinery has been of great help. It is estimated that by the end of the year, not only will the projected production plans be met, but there may also be a substantial surplus. ¡­ Although there have been so many changes, these are all driven by Gu Hang and the Alliance Government; these changes are within the expected scope, they are what he wanted to see, and there aren¡¯t any particular surprises. Moreover, the monthly Grace Point income from various places is also gradually improving with the implementation of the production plan. The income for the recent month has already reached 2,104 points. And for the recent three months, the income totaled up to 5,988 points. This number even made him feel a bit surreal. Back when he was very poor, the monthly Grace Points would only be a few dozen or hundred, and he mostly relied on making money through wars; now, just the fixed monthly income is already so high. The over eighteen thousand Grace Points he had before were reduced to just over five hundred after setting up a bunch of things and a 1,000 tier technology prize pool with a ten-draw. But now, all together, he once again has over six thousand. Gu Hang spent three thousand to find ten new Star Realm warriors and added over five hundred elite soldiers to the special warfare brigade. He considered the remaining Grace Points and decided to bring two previously unlocked new buildings into being. [National Church] and [Court of Justice]. These two buildings appeared as new items in his construction list after the incident involving [The Great Impure One: Ge Wajia] ended. However, Gu Hang didn¡¯t prioritize them too highly; the eighteen thousand Grace Points he had previously planned to use didn¡¯t allocate anything for these two items. Now, with Grace Points in hand again, he could consider them. Mainly because it wasn¡¯t a good option to draw more technology cards. On one hand, the thousand-point tier technology cards were heavily drawn last time, and having air force was considered a fairly decent outcome. Drawing more now would not be cost-effective, as a few empty draws would be too damaging; on the other hand, even without the air force, if he did draw them, the Alliance currently lacked the ability to assimilate more high-level technology. Since Grace Points wouldn¡¯t grow by keeping them, Gu Hang simply spent them to see how much these two new buildings could help. [National Church: When you have built a church with the Imperial State Religion as its faith and put it into operation, you can exchange this option to designate a particular church. It increases the determination of the faith within the coverage area of the church, reduces various types of corruption, and slightly increases the probability of finding activatable religious talents. It can train a new troop type: Military Priest. Exchange value: 1,500 Grace.] [Court of Justice: When you have established an organization dedicated to eradicating evil with the faith of the Imperial State Religion, you can designate its headquarters building as the Court of Justice. It improves the efficiency of all law enforcers affiliated with the Court of Justice in eradicating designated types of evil targets. It can train a new troop type: Demon Hunter. Exchange price: 1,500 Grace.] [After constructing the Court of Justice, you must select a specific target for eradication. There are three options: Demons, aliens, heretics.] ¡­ The construction of the church is a bit of a loss for Gu Hang. It may be because of the social awareness he had before the transmigration; he never thought religion was that important. But in reality, he might have been overlooking this aspect all along. As a planet that had experienced apocalypse once before, Religion¡¯s presence on Rage Owl Star is not particularly strong. But, generally speaking, almost everyone has heard of the Imperial State Religion, remembers some of its doctrines, and even certain customs have developed from religious traditions left over from the past. When Rage Owl Star people encounter certain things, they like to exclaim ¡°Divine Emperor above¡± to express surprise, anger, or joy¡­ just as people in Gu Hang¡¯s previous life would say ¡°Oh my God.¡± However, regarding whether he should strengthen the construction of religion, Gu Hang still has his reservations. As for the new troop type of Military Priest, he glanced over those and didn¡¯t pay much attention to them either. The price, grade, just like a regiment political commissar, and even their functions overlapped greatly in many areas. One emphasized loyalty, the other faith, both inspirited morale and enforced discipline, just with different methods and forms. So there was no significant need for them. Among the many specific effects of the ¡°Church,¡± the only one he relatively valued was the reduction of corruption. Moreover, since the construction of the Court of Justice behind it required a church as a prerequisite, he built one somewhat reluctantly. The selected location was Weixing City. In truth, if there was any place that needed it, it would certainly be Beiqing Valley Province. Although the problems in the Green Valley Region had been resolved, building an edifice to suppress corruption still seemed more reliable if one wasn¡¯t at ease. But the coverage area of a church was limited, and Beiqing Valley Region was vast with a sparse population. After establishing many farms, the population became particularly dispersed, reducing the value of building large churches significantly. In contrast, Weixing City was bound to become the core, most populous city of the entire Alliance. In fact, Weixing City¡¯s population had recently continued to absorb people, reaching a scale of two million. With more people, the difficulty of management was bound to increase. Gu Hang did not wish for Weixing City of the future to resemble the lower strata of some Nest Capital worlds he remembered, where heresy and cults proliferated everywhere. Building a church to suppress corruption was meaningful after all. Then there was the ¡°Court of Justice,¡± which was quite interesting. Currently, the Alliance did indeed lack a spy agency. And establishing a Court of Justice was a good opportunity. Among the three categories to choose from, demons need not be mentioned further, and aliens were mainly meant to combat non-human interstellar species. But Gu Hang would not have much use for that. It was the ¡°heresy¡± option that was the most interesting. Heresy referred to human traitors. Essentially, these were people who did not believe in the Lord of Humanity, but the term could be broadened. Those who believed in The Emperor, yet believed in an incorrect manner, could also be labeled as heretics. So since it dealt with human enemies, it became quite interesting. If one day, Gu Hang had to go to war with Blackbird Heavy Industries, situated on the other side of the planet in the westernmost part of the continent, what did he need? Aside from full-scale hard power in military and economics, political aspects could not be neglected. Blackbird was not a local power, and they had the support of the Fatches Family behind them; if Gu Hang made his move, he had to consider this influence. If there were Judges able to gather some evidence that could determine Blackbird Heavy Industries as heretical, wouldn¡¯t that make it ¡°justifiable¡±? This was called creating a pretext. On the other hand, Gu Hang¡¯s understanding of the far west of the continent was limited. He indeed needed a team to go there and see what the situation was really like. So, he first instructed the Alliance¡¯s Chief Justice, Lambert Hodgson, to establish an organization for the Court of Justice and recruited two teams. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Next, he added the building¡¯s function, selecting it as the Heresy Court of Justice. Subsequently, the two teams that had been recruited were all trained as ¡°Heretic Demon Hunters.¡± One team was dispatched to the west, carrying out the task of ¡°investigating the heresy situation in the Western Desert and the western regions of the continent,¡± which in effect was intelligence gathering. The other team operated secretly within the various domains of the Alliance¡¯s homeland, with the task of ¡°investigating the internal heresy situation of the Alliance,¡± essentially undertaking anti-corruption work. Within the Alliance system, corruption equated to heresy, no question about it. Chapter 346 - Chapter 346: Chapter 214, Moms Planning Chapter 346: Chapter 214, Mom¡¯s Planning After chatting with Lambert Hodgson about the recruitment and preparation of training for the Heretic Demon Hunters, Gu Hang received a special gift. It was brought by a spaceship. The Claw Fierce Tiger intercepted the spacecraft briefly before reporting the information to Gu Hang. Upon learning the spacecraft came from the Gu Family, Gu Hang thought for a moment and allowed the visitor to come in. It was a small spacecraft which barely met the standards for interstellar travel. After allowing them in, it wasn¡¯t long before he met the person. It was an acquaintance. The visitor, named Zhang Shicheng, was a ¡®servant¡¯ of the Gu Family. He had been serving the Gu Family¨Cor rather, his sickly mother¨Csince that big Gu Hang could remember. In Gu Hang¡¯s mind, Zhang Shicheng had no particular talents and struggled to handle certain matters independently, but he did have one redeeming quality: he was honest, reliable, and loyal. It¡¯s worth mentioning that the only attendant who had come with Gu Hang to Rage Owl Star was Zhang Shicheng¡¯s son. Now, the two of them were reunited. However, before visiting his son, Zhang Shicheng took care of the formalities. In front of Gu Hang, he respectfully said, ¡°Hang, along with me on this ship are another hundred people. The Lady Mother worries that you¡¯re in a desolate place with no one to use, so she sent us to help you out. They are all new recruits of the family, top graduates from the various higher education institutions on Capital Wing Star, and have all signed long-term work contracts with the family. I¡¯ve brought the contracts with me. In short, whatever you need us to do, just arrange it.¡± In Zhang Shicheng¡¯s presence, Gu Hang didn¡¯t say much. But what he was actually thinking was: Now you¡¯re worried about me not having people to use? Where were you earlier? He didn¡¯t lack people to use now. Even if he truly needed help, he wouldn¡¯t want to use a bunch of people from the Gu Family about whom he knew nothing. He feared that the Rage Owl Star Alliance¡¯s various pieces of intelligence would mysteriously get leaked to the heavens if he were to use them. Of course, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t so afraid that he felt the need to be overly cautious. He merely considered briefly and decided to assign this group brought by Zhang Shicheng to Osenia. Osenia had been extremely busy lately and genuinely needed more educated people to help. However, it wasn¡¯t possible for them to be involved in the important core work. Send them off to the countryside. Zhang Shicheng also maintained a cautious attitude and didn¡¯t say a word to these people. He had brought them here, and it was up to Hang to use them however he wanted; he could even send them all to the mines to labor. After handing over this group, Zhang Shicheng brought up a second matter. He called people to carry out several large boxes from the spacecraft. ¡°This is a Star Speech Communication Tower. Our people will assemble it,¡± Zhang Shicheng said. ¡°With the help of a Star Speaker, it can tune to specific frequencies and communicate with other Star Language Towers. The Lady Mother says that you¡¯re like an isolated island here, completely cut off from the outside world. This device is meant to help you.¡± In contrast to the hundred young men and women, the Star Language Tower was a pure delight to Gu Hang. To communicate at an interstellar level, conventional means won¡¯t suffice. Rage Owl Star was physically many light-years away from the Tianma Capital Wing Star; normal communication would be impossible. Only by sending Star Speech messages, through the Star Realm Tunnel, interstellar communication becomes feasible. However, this device was also an unequivocal high-tech product, at least Gu Hang had not been able to get his hands on one until now. With it, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t have to go through the Imperial Navy in the heavens for every message he wanted to send. That would only compromise his secrets. As for needing a Star Speaker to operate the Star Speech communication, that was not a major issue. The term Star Speaker refers to psychic users with special skills in a particular ¡®profession,¡¯ rather than requiring any special abilities. In theory, if Gu Hang didn¡¯t have a suitable Star Speaker among his people, he could learn the relevant technology and operate it himself. For someone of his Level 5 psychic abilities, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. However, even for this, he didn¡¯t need to act personally; his sickly mother had already thought of it. The ship came with a Star Speaker. What more could Gu Hang say? He understood the meaning behind it. Establishing interstellar communication capabilities was certainly the official reason. But¡­ when a mother gives her son a mobile phone with a SIM card, what could that mean? Gu Hang understood. At first, he was somewhat conflicted, but then he figured it out: there was no need to worry about being recognized or anything. First, his younger cousin hadn¡¯t recognized him; next, since the family relations were not too good and it seemed like Gu Hang had run away from home to experience the world, his temperament had undergone a great change, so what was there not to understand? Accept it if you want to, otherwise, forget it. Why make the call¡­ The Gu Family was the largest commercial organization in the Tianma Star Sector, even extending its influence to several external Star Sectors. He was also a direct descendant of the family. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Not to take advantage of this relationship would indeed be a waste. He had no psychological repugnance to completely severing ties with the predecessor¡¯s family, keeping no interactions at all. Keep it normal. ¡­ Construction of the Star Language Tower was quick, and the tower itself was not very large¨Cjust a four-meter-high metal latticework tower. The most important part was actually the complex psychic device located underneath. Chapter 347 - Chapter 347: Chapter 214, Moms Plan_2 Chapter 347: Chapter 214, Mom¡¯s Plan_2 This thing, Gu Hang simply placed it on the rooftop terrace of the governor¡¯s building that had been remodeled from the Old Alliance Council Building. After connecting a communication line, his office could now directly conduct interstellar communications. The Star Speaker had a lounge in the building, and when Gu Hang needed him, he would go to the rooftop to work. This first ¡®interstellar phone call,¡¯ he really made to his mother. About a minute later, the communication was connected. However, contrary to his expectation that his old lady would appear in their family estate on Flying Wing Star, Miss Wang Qi was currently dressed in formal attire, apparently on a starship. ¡°¡­Mother,¡± Gu Hang called out. He thought that calling a ¡®stranger¡¯ mother would be difficult for him. But the word came out smoothly. Possibly, the lingering influence of his predecessor was still there. Dressed in an outfit akin to a dark blue military uniform, yet different, with her long hair coiled up at the back into a bun, Miss Wang Qi looked stern, just as Gu Hang remembered her to be. She said, ¡°Xiao Hang, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Gu Hang resisted the urge to roll his eyes and said indifferently, ¡°Nothing much, just wanted to say thanks. Uncle Shicheng and his people have all arrived, and the Star Speech Communication Tower has been erected. Just wanted to let you know.¡± ¡°Alright, I got it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The two then fell into an awkward silence. Gu Hang¡¯s thoughts inadvertently drifted away. According to the memories of his predecessor, after he grew up, his interactions with his mother seemed to always be like this. Either they had nothing to say to each other, or they were arguing. Gathering his thoughts, Gu Hang chuckled lightly. Miss Wang Qi on the other end, seeing her son¡¯s relieved, calm, and carefree smile, was somewhat stunned. She hadn¡¯t seen her son smile in front of her for a long time. It felt as if her heart had been struck by some kind of specialized weapon. But she quickly gathered her composure. However, Gu Hang started a new topic: ¡°Where are you now?¡± ¡°On my way to Heijian Star.¡± ¡°To Heijian Star?¡± Gu Hang frowned, quickly recalling something, ¡°The family meeting that happens every six years is due again, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Wang Qi nodded, then added as if remembering something, ¡°I decided not to invite you. Don¡¯t mind it, you¡¯re not suitable to participate right now.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Gu Hang nodded, then asked, ¡°Will Uncle Ming continue to be elected this time?¡± The ¡®Uncle Ming¡¯ he referred to was his father¡¯s cousin, the current Gu Clan Head. Hearing this question, Wang Qi showed a strange smile, looking somewhat disdainful, somewhat nervous, but in the end, it turned into indifference: ¡°You¡¯ll know in a few months.¡± Gu Hang was not as naive as his predecessor, and he keenly sensed something. ¡°Mother? Are you planning something?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know, we¡¯ll talk about it when the time comes.¡± At this point, Wang Qi once again showed her typical assertiveness towards her son. But Gu Hang would not back down, nor would he indulge his old mother. ¡°I need to tell you,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°if you are planning to take any action, please make sure to inform me. No matter the actual situation, in the eyes of the outside world, especially within the family, we are one and the same.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Wang Qi laughed scornfully out of habit, but before she could speak, Gu Hang interrupted her. She only saw her son on the screen slowly stand up, speaking to her with a serious and earnest expression: ¡°Everything on Rage Owl Star is steadily improving, the potential here is infinite, and in my view, it¡¯s worth more than the entire Gu Clan. I do not wish for changes within the Gu Clan to interfere with my development plans for Rage Owl Star.¡± ¡°` ¡°What are you talking about? Your pathetic planet with an annual tax of only five million Tax Currency, compared to the entire Gu Clan? Gu Hang, have you become so deluded by a little success that you have forgotten your own surname? Gu Commercial Firm, with its fourteen major convoys, one single convoy is worth far more than your planet could ever be!¡± Gu Hang didn¡¯t want to steer the conversation into an argument. He calmed down and took a different approach, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re not aware, but I project that this year my planet will generate thirty-four million Tax Currency. Subtracting taxes, local consumption, and other expenses, my planet can still earn at least ten million Tax Currency. By next year, I¡¯m confident I can double that number.¡± ¡°Do you grasp the concept, Mother? That would match the income of a family convoy.¡± ¡°And how much does it cost to establish a family convoy? The Beautiful Lady Convoy with its five armed commercial ships costs at least one billion Tax Currency to build, while their annual profit is at most twenty to thirty million Tax Currency. Does a convoy have room to grow? My planet does. With population growth, the restoration of productivity, and the resumption of interstellar trade, the profits from here will only increase substantially.¡± ¡°Why does the Fatches Family scorn the Star Sector authorities and ignore the naval families in the Tianma Star Sector? Because they own three well-developed planets, they are the biggest sponsors of the Star Realm Armed Forces there; that¡¯s their confidence.¡± ¡°And I, could possibly make Rage Owl Star a place that rivals the three planets owned by the Fatches. Do you want to stand in my way?¡± Miss Wang Qi fell silent. After a while, she said, ¡°My son, of course I wouldn¡¯t obstruct your path. On the contrary, if I succeed in what I¡¯m planning, your journey will be all the more smooth.¡± ¡°And if you fail?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t fail.¡± Gu Hang laughed, ¡°Is there really such a thing in this world as a plan that cannot fail? Not even the Divine Emperor can claim that.¡± ¡°Mind your words!¡± ¡°Just the truth,¡± Gu Hang replied, ¡°So, can you now tell me what you¡¯re actually planning to do?¡± Miss Wang Qi hesitated for a moment, but ultimately her son¡¯s performance made her sigh. It was time to stop treating him like a child. ¡°It¡¯s time you knew¡­¡± Then, she outlined her idea. It didn¡¯t involve specific strategies or implementation plans, just a concept: Miss Wang Qi wanted to vie for the position of Gu Clan Head. And it wasn¡¯t a position Miss Wang Qi could sit in herself; if she succeeded, Gu Hang would be the one to take that seat. She had been planning for many years, vowing to personally reclaim everything her husband had lost. And without a doubt, the ¡®lost possession¡¯ referred to the position of Family Head, which should have fallen into her husband¡¯s hands, but due to an accident, became owned by Gu Ming. Although the Gu Family had an air of a federation with the Family Head¡¯s words not being absolutely final, especially in recent years, after Gu Hang¡¯s grandfather¡¯s death and power being taken by his cousin Gu Ming, this decentralized situation had worsened. Gu Ming¡¯s prestige within the clan was far from as profound as the old Family Head¡¯s. However, after taking over the business, Miss Wang Qi, with her exceptional skills, came to directly control four of the fourteen great Gu convoys. Four more were her ¡®allies¡¯, more than half. The remaining six convoys were also under her certain influence. The family convention, held every six years to elect a new Family Head, was approaching. With such a situation at hand, she, of course, had all the rights to strive for the position of Family Head. Her original plan was for Gu Hang to become the Family Head. But the Gu Hang of the past, in her opinion, was worthless, and she had intended to oversee everything herself, like an empress dowager, for a few years. She planned to hand over all the business to Gu Hang once he matured. Of course, if Gu Hang failed to mature, it wouldn¡¯t matter. She would have Gu Hang sire many children, train a new successor among his sons, and find a true heir later. However, Gu Hang¡¯s taking up the position of Planetary Governor before getting married and having children had caused a significant disruption to her plan. Her allies began to doubt whether the plan would succeed. In this sense, Gu Hang¡¯s predecessor needn¡¯t have worried too much about his safety. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only His mother wouldn¡¯t let him die, after all. But Miss Wang Qi¡¯s intention was to use her funds to fill the gap for the first round of Imperial Tax and then find a way to move Gu Hang away from the position of Planetary Governor, getting her plan back on track. Unexpectedly, Gu Hang had settled into his role as Planetary Governor over the year, and it looked like paying the Imperial Tax wouldn¡¯t be an issue anymore. Moreover, Rage Owl Star seemed to be prospering more and more. This was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. ¡°` Chapter 348 - Chapter 348: Chapter 215: This mom is still needed Chapter 348: Chapter 215: This mom is still needed Gu Hang¡¯s arrival at Rage Owl Star indeed put her mother in a passive position. She was supposed to vie for the position of Family Head, but the designated Family Head was gone, which could still work out. However, his performance on Rage Owl Star brought about a twist in the situation. Gu Hang¡¯s outstanding performance at Rage Owl Star not only saved Wang Qi millions needed to fill the Imperial Tax pit, but more importantly, it enabled Gu Hang to establish his own industry. Did the Gu Family not want to own their own planet? Certainly, they did. But acquiring a planet of their own, especially one with positive assets, was extremely difficult. Yet, worlds like Rage Owl Star, which were wastelands, they didn¡¯t want. The initial investment required for development was too high, the period for recouping costs was quite lengthy, and there were numerous risks involved. For example, during the past year and a half, Gu Hang had already encountered disasters like the Green Skins and the invasion of the Demon Cult¨Cany of these risk factors could be catastrophic to anyone normally tasked with redeveloping Rage Owl Star, turning a high investment into a total loss. Moreover, the biggest problem with seeking an unreliable Planetary Governor position is that you can¡¯t just cut your losses and walk away. If other investments fail, you just accept the loss; but if investing in a planet fails, the Imperial Taxation Department won¡¯t cut you any slack. You have to pay the full Imperial Tax owed, without missing a dime, and keep paying in the future. It¡¯s precisely because of this that Gu Hang¡¯s performance over the past year has been surprising. Although due to Rage Owl Star¡¯s isolation and the slow flow of information, not many people were aware of it, and the upper echelons of Flying Wing Star¡¯s society still considered Gu Hang¡¯s appointment as Planetary Governor to be a joke. However, in the eyes of some who were paying close attention, the reality was crystal clear. The people of the Gu Family, of course, belonged to this attentive group. Because of Gu Hang¡¯s absurd actions, Wang Qi¡¯s allies began to question her plan with increasing intensity. Some of the most serious doubts were bordering on slipping out of Wang Qi¡¯s control. Even with some remedial measures taken by Wang Qi, they worried if elevating such a Family Head could indeed increase their interests. But Gu Hang¡¯s performance alleviated many of their concerns, anger, and indecision. What they once believed to be a good-for-nothing, a prodigal son dragging his mother down, had transformed into a Planetary Governor. And, in fact, without any support from his family, he had managed to run his enterprise successfully on that wasteland world. Not only was he no longer in need of external subsidies, but he was also able to pay the taxes on his own and achieve a rather impressive output. At this moment, by next year this output might already match one of the family¡¯s merchant fleets on a planet, so who would dare to look down on him? Industry and commerce, these are two different matters! Moreover, this is only the current comparison; the potential of a planet, with future development improving, a growing population, and a more complete industrial structure, everything still has great potential for enhancement. And could this potential be realized? At least judging by Gu Hang¡¯s performance over the past year and a half, it was quite likely. To be honest, many found it hard to believe it was true, even suspecting that these were rumors fabricated by Wang Qi to maintain support from her old allies. How else could it be? How could Rage Owl Star, which had troubled Pei Desi¡¯s leadership for a long time and been a burden on the Star Sector Government for many years, be so easily managed? Turned from wasteland to treasure in just a year and a half? Could it be that the guy who used to have the reputation of a wastrel was actually a chosen of The Emperor, blessed by the Divine Emperor? However, as more and more information was disclosed, even the doubters had to believe. For this reason, before Wang Qi could even launch some of her additional arrangements, her circumstances began to improve. She probably wouldn¡¯t need to take special risks anymore, just slowly proceed with the original plan. She was not even afraid of the current Family Head learning about her intentions. This matter couldn¡¯t be hidden anyway, and it was all aboveboard. Everyone could just proceed with their strategic moves, and the winner would be decided at the next Family Assembly when the votes of the fourteen family merchant fleets were cast. However, an unexpected event happened. The current Family Head, Gu Ming, convened the Gu Clan¡¯s Family Assembly ahead of schedule. The meeting was to be held on Heijian Star. Among the nine major planets of the Tianma Star Sector, aside from Rage Owl Star, the most lackluster was Heijian Star. It was a feudal world, where the overall technological level¨Capart from a few privileged nobles enjoying some interstellar technological conveniences¨Cwas not much better than the Middle Ages in most places on the planet. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It wasn¡¯t that there was no technology, but the entire social production relationship was just off: serfs operating advanced agricultural machinery contributed to their lord knights; The lord knights, vassals to various lieges, piloted knight mechas to fight for their lieges; The lieges, in turn, were vassals to kings, assisting the kings with tax collection; The highest ruling body of the planet was the Kings¡¯ Alliance. The Planetary Governor was traditionally taken on in rotation by the largest kings of the world, responsible for ensuring that each kingdom was able to pay their taxes in full. Should there be any shortfall, the Kings¡¯ Alliance would launch punitive wars against the deficient country, making up for the taxes through plunder¡­ Gu Hang was quite speechless about such a backward place, but this was the overall policy of the empire: as long as you pay taxes, I don¡¯t care about the rest. Chapter 349 - Chapter 349: Chapter 215: This mom is still needed_2 Chapter 349: Chapter 215: This mom is still needed_2 As long as the taxes are paid and there are no other major issues, the Empire truly doesn¡¯t care about the development of the planets. Gu Hang even suspects that after the Empire reconquers some worlds, it seems to intentionally maintain their original states. I really don¡¯t know what the supreme lords of the Empire are thinking, but that¡¯s the status quo. Heijian Star has a population of four hundred million¨Cfeudal production relations really cannot support too many people, not to mention that their industrial capacity is virtually nonexistent. However, the relationship between this planet and the Gu Family is very good. Those kings, when they want to confer more lords and more knights, need a tangible standard: Mecha Knight Armors. Obviously, with Heijian Star¡¯s current state, they can¡¯t even manufacture agricultural machinery properly, let alone Mecha. The Mecha used by those conferred knights obviously rely on foreign trade. So, it is quite normal that they have a good relationship with the Gu Clan. The last six family councils of the Gu Clan were all held on Heijian Star. This time is no exception. Wang Qi believes that Gu Ming is doing this now because he wants to act while the achievements that Gu Hang has made and the reputation he has built are not yet significant enough. And when Rage Owl Star pays its first tax in seven months, definitively proving its capacity, it will be too difficult to reverse the situation. He wants to initiate the family council before then to set the agenda for the next six years while the mess stirred up by Gu Hang has not completely settled down, at a time when Wang Qi¡¯s allies are severely shaken, and before Wang Qi has had a chance to gather more votes. It is certainly a clever strategy, but Wang Qi also says she is not worried. She currently controls at least eight votes; Gu Ming can¡¯t overturn the situation. ¡°If all goes as expected, you will be the Gu Clan Head in four months,¡± Wang Qi told Gu Hang. Gu Hang smiled. He has always felt that the current business structure of the Gu Family is very unstable, purely a merchant convoy, with all their assets on those fleets¨Cit¡¯s too intangible. Although the present value of Rage Owl Star is not enough¨Cit might at best be equivalent to a merchant convoy by next year¨C and the Gu Clan has fourteen convoys. But he would not trade his foundational enterprise for the position of Gu Clan Head. With further development, an actual planet, countless populations, a massive army, tangible industrial and agricultural output, wouldn¡¯t that be more solid than being a traveling merchant? Of course, becoming the Family Head wouldn¡¯t prevent him from continuing his role as the Planetary Governor of Rage Owl Star. If it really could be like this, it wouldn¡¯t be bad at all. The Gu Family lacks nothing else, they truly have a lot of money. Even Star Sector leaders seek to curry favor with them, which speaks volumes. If he could indeed mobilize the entire clan¡¯s power, then the future development of Rage Owl Star would skyrocket. Even if, by that time, the actual person in charge of the Gu Family is not him but his mother, it wouldn¡¯t be a big problem. However, when people plan things, they can¡¯t just look on the bright side. ¡°Are you so confident?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Wang Qi displayed her confidence. ¡°But what if¡­ Mr. Ming flips the table?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Wang Qi was stunned, ¡°Flips the table?¡­ What do you mean?¡± Gu Hang put it more bluntly, ¡°Is the security for the family council arranged by you?¡± ¡°¡­No,¡± Wang Qi said, ¡°Do you think he would commit murder at that time?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Impossible, nothing like this has ever happened in our family.¡± Wang Qi¡¯s first reaction was to object, ¡°The Gu Clan¡¯s family tradition has been maintained for so many years, we have never had internal bloodshed. We have always been united¡­¡± She hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Gu Hang interrupted her, ¡°Everything has a first time, convention is made to be broken. Are you saying we shouldn¡¯t consider extreme situations?¡± Wang Qi was silent for a moment, ¡°I actually have considered that he might be desperate. I have brought enough guards. Moreover, the current Planetary Governor of Heijian Star, King Miao¡¯er, has a good relationship with me and is a supporter.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t place your safety in someone else¡¯s hands. Can you be sure about King Miao¡¯er? Even if he is reliable, did he personally arrange security for the venue?¡± Wang Qi was stumped by these questions again. Gu Hang paused, then continued, ¡°And as for the guards by your side¡­ heh, I probably know who they are. Are they the ones who used to catch me and lock me up when I did something reckless? Not that I¡¯m looking down on them, but¡­ they¡¯re just not up to it.¡± ¡°Do you have a better candidate?¡± ¡°Of course, I do. To tell you the truth, their level is just the average level of the soldiers under my command. I can find a team far larger than your personal guard anytime, and more skilled than they are.¡± ¡°Little Hang, you¡¯ve really come into your own.¡± Wang Qi didn¡¯t know whether to believe him or not, so it was hard to tell whether her remark was sarcastic or admiring. Perhaps it was both. Gu Hang didn¡¯t dwell on it, continuing, ¡°Besides, what you need is not just a guard squad, but¡­¡± ¡°An army.¡± ¡­ After disconnecting the communication, Miss Wang Qi sat there, lost in thought for a long while. Until the door of the office on the starship was knocked on. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Aunt.¡± The visitor was Wang Jiarong. After the Beautiful Lady Convoy returned, all the ships needed to undergo repairs before setting out again. So, she returned to her aunt¡¯s side to help out as a secretary¨Csomething she used to do before being released in the past year or two to lead a trading convoy completely under Wang Qi¡¯s control. She asked cautiously, ¡°Your call with Cousin¡­ it¡¯s over?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, you and Cousin haven¡¯t had such a lengthy chat in a long time.¡± ¡°It was all business.¡± ¡°What exactly about?¡± Wang Jiarong asked, appearing very curious. Wang Qi revealed a smile, ¡°Your cousin¡­ he¡¯s worried about your aunt being swindled.¡± Wang Jiarong felt a surge of happiness, thinking the conversation went well, ¡°Of course he¡¯d be worried, after all, you¡¯re his mother.¡± At this, Wang Qi sighed, ¡°He¡¯s changed so much. Even though his voice and appearance are the same, his demeanor is completely different.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing? Cousin getting better is what you¡¯ve always wanted, isn¡¯t it, Aunt?¡± ¡°Indeed, it is wonderful¡­¡± Wang Qi said with a smile, ¡°However, we need to change our route. We will head to the Rage Owl Star System first.¡± ¡°To¡­ do what?¡± ¡°To bring back an army.¡± ¡­ Providing an army to his mother to escort her to Heijian Star and to ensure her safety there had practical significance. Apart from the fact that she was the mother of his current body, Gu Hang had at least two other significant reasons: For the position of the Family Head of the Gu Clan to fall into his hands was of great importance. The leader of the wealthiest merchant family in the Tianma Star Sector, commanding a fleet of fourteen starships capable of interstellar travel, ranging from armed merchant ships to transport vessels, represented a tremendous wealth. Even though this wealth wouldn¡¯t belong to him all at once, nor even to his power-wielding mother, since those trading convoys were all ¡®franchisees,¡¯ the ability to mobilize this force in name, the power of this wealth, was already substantial enough. This was of immense significance for the development of Rage Owl Star, serving as a major thrust for its entry into the interstellar community. And the second reason, which was actually realized based on the first, was that he needed a stage to showcase his strength. Keeping a low profile and making a name for oneself were not entirely conflicting actions. Gu Hang had certain things in his possession that required discretion, needing him to quietly amass wealth. But the information about Rage Owl Star¡¯s growing strength, prosperity, and sufficient potential¡­ that information should be widely disseminated. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The more people knew, the better. It would draw attention. And attention meant money, which was the source of development¡¯s momentum. In short, whether from a personal emotional standpoint or from practical interests, this mother, she was still needed. One simply couldn¡¯t do without a mother. Chapter 352 - Chapter 352: Chapter 217, The Retired Veteran, Homeward Bound Like an Arrow Chapter 352: Chapter 217, The Retired Veteran, Homeward Bound Like an Arrow ¡°What?! The governor of Gaota Province has been dismissed!¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it just a resignation? The newspaper said Chief Henry had health issues and went to recuperate, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°The man is still an elder of the Alliance establishment, so he deserves some respect. Being dismissed sounds so harsh, voluntarily stepping down to rest is a bit more dignified.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see. But how could such an elder be dismissed?¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because he was ineffective at his job. Earlier, the newspapers were talking about the progress of the Alliance¡¯s first phase infrastructure projects. Gaota Province¡¯s progress was barely better than that of Tea View Province, which was only established less than two months ago. The governor must have been dissatisfied.¡± ¡°You can analyze so much from the newspaper?¡± ¡°Of course! I was one of the first batch of refugees who escaped from Green Valley to Weixing City. I had already obtained official citizenship long ago. This time, I came back to Green Valley because I saw the results of the Alliance¡¯s infrastructure efforts and made up my mind to set up a transport team. My application plan was supported by the Beiqing Valley Province Agriculture Bureau, and I received investment. Look, I¡¯m not just a transport driver; my fleet already has sixteen vehicles, running this line and linking more than two hundred farms¡­¡± The sounds of people talking passed through a vehicle. It was a modified Iron Bull truck, its bed extended and covered with a tarp, with a few windows opened for ventilation, resembling an armored transport vehicle. About twenty people sat inside, listening to the driver boast. The vehicle sped along a hardened road in the plain area of Beiqing Valley Area. On both sides were lush green fields characteristic of summer. The breeze carrying the sun¡¯s warmth and the scent of early summer blew through the windows of the canvas, making Cohen Puliya feel almost intoxicated. The pain from his forced retirement, after losing his right arm, right eye, and right ear, seemed to diminish significantly. He was from Green Valley and had enlisted during the campaign by the Alliance to pacify the Green Valley Region half a year ago. However, he had enlisted a bit late and barely caught the battles in Green Valley. After spending several weeks in the recruit camp, he was transferred to a regular unit. But unlike most who joined the units of the Green Valley Group Army stationed there, he was sent to the Central Army Group 2nd Infantry Division and subsequentially returned to Central Province, before moving eastward to fight in the Eastern Provinces. The combat in the Eastern Provinces was relatively easy, but that ease referred more to the overall situation. Specifically, at the level of each platoon and each soldier, it didn¡¯t mean there was no danger at all. At the time, Cohen Puliya¡¯s platoon was ordered to eliminate a resistant bunker. The heavy artillery bombardment wasn¡¯t very effective, so soldiers had to go in and deal with it. Cohen Puliya was on the assault team. His squad¡¯s attack went relatively smoothly, and under machine gun suppression, they approached the bunker¡¯s entrance and blew it up. Once inside, they eliminated many of the enemy obstructions, incurring only four casualties. But at that moment, they encountered a homemade bomb set by the enemy. An explosion burst beside him, and he passed out immediately. His comrades did not abandon him and rescued him back to the field hospital in the rear. After an amputation surgery, his life was saved, but he lost everything below the elbow of his right arm; his right eye was blinded forever, and his right ear was also blown off. With such severe injuries, of course, he couldn¡¯t return to his unit. The unit promoted him by one rank and let him retire as a private first class. In the strict sense, Cohen Puliya¡¯s military career of barely three months ended just like that, marred with disability. He was very despondent and hopeless. He had come from a family of serfs, and after coming to the army, he experienced a life previously unimaginable. Despite facing combat and danger, he loved his comrades from different places, enjoyed the squad leader¡¯s rough but caring shouts, loved the brotherhood with his fellow soldiers as they fought side by side, and appreciated the ramblings of the company political instructor, which often included lessons and stories. He didn¡¯t want to retire. But there was no choice, his current physical condition simply didn¡¯t allow him to continue in the army. However, the generous treatment the Alliance gave to retired soldiers and disabled veterans gave him hope and a light in the darkness. First was the promotion to the rank of private first class. This promotion was significant, as the retirement pay of a private first class was one level higher; and, when he transitioned to civilian status on the spot, he was directly granted the E9 civil service rank. This amounted to a guarantee for the future. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Moreover, he was not just retiring normally but retiring due to disability. This meant that in addition to the standard retirement pay, he would also receive a generous pension. Additionally, he had a third-class combat medal. Speaking of which, it should be mentioned that the Military Administration Department designed three new levels of combat medals, ranking below the Revival Medal and the Extinguishing Wind Medal. These medals represented not only honor but also an additional lifetime stipend. All of this together, the pension and retirement pay, allowed Cohen Puliya to have a substantial sum of money after retirement to improve his life and to support himself for a long time; the E9 civil rank meant that as long as he followed the arrangements of the Military Administration Department Veterans Affairs Bureau and did some simple work, he could achieve a middle-class living standard. This included food rations, housing subsidies, medical care levels, and education for descendants. The stipend from the E9 rank combined with the stipend from the combat medal could provide a nice additional quality of life on top of his basic living needs¡­ Chapter 353 - Chapter 353: Chapter 217, The Retired Veteran, Homeward Bound Like an Arrow_2 Chapter 353: Chapter 217, The Retired Veteran, Homeward Bound Like an Arrow_2 Cohen Puliya finally decided to return to his hometown, taking his own money, his civilian grade, and his medal allowance. After completing the formalities, he boarded the train home. The just-repaired railway tracks carried him swiftly from Xiongya City back to Beigu City. Here, he first handled his demobilization procedures and transferred his identity to the Beiqing Valley Province. Comrades at the Demobilization Security Bureau would continue to pay attention to the situation of all veterans within the province, making sure they received what they were entitled to. Next, he went to the Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau, and there he found out about his family¡¯s whereabouts. His family had been relocated to a place called ¡®Microthermal Farmstead,¡¯ where they were designated as agricultural workers. Having determined the location of Microthermal Farmstead, he followed the guidance of the staff, made his way to the suburbs, and found a canvas-covered truck. This type of canvas-covered truck, modified from an iron ox, could carry more than twenty people at a time. They were connected to Beigu City by a network of newly built highways and reached almost every registered farmstead via numerous transportation towns that served as hubs. He waited two days in Beigu City, and once the driver had gathered twenty passengers, he boarded the vehicle; after a two-day journey, he was almost there. The driver was still boasting, the passengers were still chatting away, but he could already see his hometown from afar. ¡°Microthermal Farmstead, we are here! If I remember correctly, we have an old soldier among us who needs to get off here?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he replied. ¡°Alright, then get ready to disembark. Soldiers with your kind of combat honors are people our old Bre admires the most. Without you folks, where would we get the great situation of the Alliance today! Hope to see you again!¡± ¡°Yes, hope to see you again.¡± Outside the gates of the farmstead, he disembarked from the truck, dragging his luggage with his remaining left hand. During this process, the enthusiastic passengers all offered a helping hand, assisting him in getting his belongings down. After giving thanks, he bade goodbye to everyone and entered the farmstead. This was his hometown, he was a Beiqing Valley native. At least since his grandfather¡¯s generation, they had worked as hired laborers at Microthermal Farmstead. The plantation owner provided food and drink, but nothing else. In the past, he hadn¡¯t thought much of it, even believing the farm¡¯s lord to be quite benevolent since neither his grandparents nor his parents had starved to death. But now he saw things differently. Having heard many principles and stories from his instructors, he realized that his family¡¯s past way of life was wrong. If that was what home was like, then he had no attachment to it. But the Alliance had changed all that. So he had come back. He observed the scene before him, both familiar and somewhat strange. The defensive walls that had been built to protect against the Aberrant Beasts and marauders had been partly dismantled, leaving only a symbolic gate emblazoned with the name ¡®Microthermal Farmstead.¡¯ In their place, tall wooden watchtowers had been erected, with people on duty. The function of this watchtower, he guessed, was to monitor the surroundings in advance. Of course, the person on duty in the watchtower saw him. It seemed he said something, and soon someone came hurrying over. ¡°Cohen, is that really you? You¡¯re back!¡± The newcomer approached quickly with a warm smile, but upon seeing his hand, eyes, and ears, his expression changed. ¡°Momo, hello. These are scars from the war.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve suffered, Cohen¡­ Do your uncle and aunt know you¡¯re back?¡± ¡°I wrote them a letter, so they should know, maybe? But it might also have gotten lost. Anyway, I¡¯m back now, and they¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± ¡°Then come with me, I¡¯ll take you home!¡± Momo insisted, taking many of his belongings without further ado and leading him to his family¡¯s house. Along the way, Momo told him about the enormous changes that had taken place in his hometown during the several months he was away. Many people had left, at least 80% of them. It was said that there was still plenty of undeveloped land in the province, and with the introduction of large machinery, the planting industry at Microthermal Farmstead didn¡¯t require as many people. His parents were originally supposed to be relocated as well, but they insisted on staying there to wait for Cohen to return. According to policy, they negotiated and did not move. Now, they no longer lived in the communal dormitories for farm serfs; instead, they had their own small house. As part of the plan to clear the jungles, there was an abundance of timber resources with no place to use them, all of which went to the synthetic starch factory. Of course, there was a lot left over, so a lumber mill was established, which could be used for building houses or for wood exports. In fact, using the timber in this way was more economical and sensible than crushing it directly into synthetic starch. Now, only the wood that was left over from the lumber and paper mills, and which was of lower quality, would be sent to the synthetic starch factory. His father and mother built a new wooden house not far from the farm, where they lived with his sister and brother. Their family had been allotted one thousand acres of farmland, an unimaginable amount in the past. First, it was impossible to cultivate that much land, and second, it was unthinkable for one family to be given so much. But now it was possible. Farm machinery had changed the production model, and efficiency had become extremely high. Ploughing no longer required dragging the old oxen back and forth; tractors with ploughs could do it in one pass. Sowing seeds was the same, with the newly distributed high-yield seeds said to produce much more than before. Likewise, applying pesticides no longer required manual sprayers or toiling in the fields. Tractors pulling pesticide machines could cover the ground with just a few passes. In the future, when harvest time came, combine harvesters and agricultural stations would be able to solve big problems. With Priya¡¯s parents and the help of his brother, now thirteen, things were a bit tough but manageable to take care of those thousand acres. It wasn¡¯t just their family; most of the families who stayed had similar situations. The corresponding agricultural machinery had been distributed to the farmstead, and everyone was learning and using it. His underage siblings were ranked E3 with food rations; his parents were E5, prime working age, with not just enough food but also a stipend to save, whether for buying household items or saving up to purchase their own farm machinery to cultivate more land. And according to the annual production of agricultural products, citizen ranks would be reassessed every six months. Those who did well and produced high yields would rise quickly in rank. Even the average or even slightly lazy ones, as long as they were working and meeting the minimum production quota, could still rank up over time, just not as quickly and with a cap. Now, everyone¡¯s life had improved. Not just the basic rank provisions for food and clothing, but there was also extra money to buy novel items from nearby hub towns¨Ca new piece of clothing, a fan, a radio, quality durable furniture¡­ All of these had truly changed the lives of everyone at Microthermal Farmstead. Hearing his little brother talk about these things felt as warm to Priya as the wind laced with the scent of fresh grass. He became more optimistic, and a smile spread across his face. Although he could no longer stay in the army, returning home seemed to be a very good choice. With his severance and pension, his parents should be able to buy some farm machinery, avoiding the need to queue and scramble with others, and could even rent them out. Just like what he heard from the truck driver en route, if someone could run a transport fleet, perhaps he could manage a fleet of farm machinery. Later, he could hire people to help him, further expand the land he could contract, enlarge the production, and if the yield increased, his parents, sister, and brother could advance in ranks even faster in the future. Despite being handicapped, with a lost hand, an eye, and an ear, and being half-disabled, he could still do his part to ease the family¡¯s burden. A rank of E9 was considered high in the farmstead, and even though he was partially disabled, maybe Xiaoyuemei would still agree to marry him. As he walked, he chatted with Momo and imagined the future. He could see a small wooden house in the distance. That was his home. His parents were waiting for him. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He couldn¡¯t help but grab Momo and quicken his pace. ¡°Hey, Cohen bro, don¡¯t rush like that,¡± Momo said. ¡°Take it easy, there¡¯s quite a lot of stuff, and your body is also¡­¡± But how could his friend¡¯s advice stop him when his heart was flying home like an arrow? Yet, as he approached his home, his pace slowed. He heard his mother¡¯s crying coming from inside the house, mixed with his father¡¯s murmuring voice and some scolding sounds. Chapter 354 - Chapter 354: Chapter 218, do you even realize the seriousness of the situation?! Chapter 354: Chapter 218, do you even realize the seriousness of the situation?! Since setting out on his journey home, everything Cohen Puliya had seen and heard had been beautiful. He had spent the whole journey fantasizing about his future life. But what he had not expected was that the first discordant note would come from his own home. Could it be that my house is on fire? He suppressed the anger in his heart, stopped outside, and continued to listen to the conversation inside drift out. ¡°¡­The fee for borrowing farm equipment, the tax on land, the poll tax, the amount your family has to pay has been reduced as much as possible. Don¡¯t be ungrateful,¡± ¡°Thank you, my lord, thank you¡­but,¡± his father¡¯s somewhat feeble voice came from inside, ¡°the notices posted in the Manor and the officials from the provincial city, didn¡¯t they say all of these were free? They said from now on we are all agricultural workers, receiving benefits and subsidies, that all belong to us. They talked about collective ownership of means of production and that everyone could use them. And the grain produced isn¡¯t ours, it¡¯s public property, what we get are just our own benefits and subsidies¡­ so why do we have to pay these fees with our own subsidies?¡± ¡°Oi, Puliya old man, you¡¯ve become quite the smooth talker, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Talking about some lord from the provincial city, a couple of years back, they were all peasants, worthy of being called ¡®lord¡¯?¡± ¡°All this stuff about notices, go and see now, are there any notices posted now?¡± Another burst of scolding came through. Cohen Puliya¡¯s expression turned extremely cold, yet his eyes were so heated they seemed about to spew fire. He turned halfway to look at Momo as if asking what was going on. Momo looked a bit awkward, his gaze shifting. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered, ¡°I don¡¯t know either, how did it happen to be today that the lord¡¯s people have come to your house¡­ Look, Cohen, I have some other things to do, I¡¯ll just leave your stuff here, we¡¯ll talk another time¡­¡± Clearly, this Momo didn¡¯t want to get involved in the matter and scurried off like a shot. Puliya didn¡¯t have the chance to hold onto him and ask more questions; inside the house, his father¡¯s voice rose again: ¡°But¡­ my son is about to come home, Cohen went to fight for the governor, and lost an arm. We need to save what¡¯s left of our benefits, otherwise what will we do in the future¡­ ah¡­¡± Before he could finish, there was a crisp slap, followed by his father¡¯s cries of pain. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any respect!¡± Listening to this, Cohen was filled with rage and could no longer stand waiting outside. With a forceful push, he entered the room. After a quick scan, he saw his siblings stealthily peering through a cracked door from the side room; his mother sitting and crying; his father, who had just been slapped, covering his face; and three arrogant-looking men. He knew these three men. All were so-called ¡®lords,¡¯ former servants of the Manor owner of Microthermal Farmstead. They didn¡¯t farm or labor but diligently served Manor owner Zecklin, formerly heads of the Manor Militia Team. Now, Zecklin no longer had ownership of Microthermal Farmstead, but he still managed to become the farmstead¡¯s administrative head by exploiting policies during the Green Valley Mutual Aid Society reformation by the Alliance. And his former servants, under his manipulation, had become civil servants in this village-level administrative unit. Outside the house, Puliya had more or less understood the whole situation. It was nothing but Zecklin and his lackeys still treating Microthermal Farmstead as their private property; those who remained on the farmstead without moving were still his slaves. All this talk about fees for farm equipment use, land taxes, poll taxes¡­ none of these existed in the Alliance, and yet, this guy was inventing reasons to collect them, using the government¡¯s administrative power. And would the collected taxes be handed over to the Alliance? Obviously not. Moreover, they wouldn¡¯t dare touch the land¡¯s produce. After the reform in Beiqing Valley, all the land was state-owned; they wouldn¡¯t dare take anything from the hands of the Alliance Government. But to brazenly rob the farmworkers¨Coops, agricultural workers¨Cof their benefits and rations, they had the audacity to do that. And quite a lot of it. Now, Puliya was extremely angry. He was not only angry about the unbearable treatment his family received and the slap his father endured but also angry that his ideals had been fundamentally challenged. Although he had only been in the military for a few months, he had come to identify deeply with his sacrifice; he had offered his maimed body in exchange for the happiness of all Rage Owl Star People, to break the cannibalistic environment formed in the wasteland, to rebuild a beautiful home. It was a noble mission, and he regretted not being able to continue fighting for this grand cause in the military. But as he returned to his hometown to continue the great cause in another way, he was greeted by this scene. This was a betrayal of the Alliance¡¯s ideals, a subversion of the governor¡¯s declaration, an insult to the countless people who went through fire and water for the entire planet! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In his fury, he calmly asked, ¡°Who hit my father?¡± The leader of the group sized up this markedly changed, disabled man, starting to remember: ¡°Cohen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, who took a swing just now?¡± ¡°I did it, what about it?¡± one of the men blurted out. With a crisp smack, Puliya¡¯s good left hand delivered a slap in response. Chapter 355 - Chapter 355: Chapter 218, do you actually realize the seriousness of the matter?!_2 Chapter 355: Chapter 218, do you actually realize the seriousness of the matter?!_2 He had lost an arm, indeed, but he was honed through the miraculous training of the boot camp, truly experiencing the battlefield for three months, grasping the lives of at least seven or eight people in his hand, a veteran who was capable of being selected for the arduous task of conquering a fortress. The lost arm was gone forever, but the remaining one was still very strong. The man was somewhat prepared, but still couldn¡¯t dodge or withstand it, and got hit squarely by a slap, flipping directly onto the ground, unable to get up in a disheveled mess. Seeing this, the other two charged at Cohen Puliya. But they were no match for Cohen Puliya, a half-disabled veteran, and in two or three moves, they were all knocked to the ground by his one remaining hand. In the end, the three of them could only help each other up and flee in a wretched state. ¡°Think you¡¯re something special because you served a few months as a soldier, huh? Came back a cripple, missing an arm and blind! You just wait!¡± Before leaving, they didn¡¯t forget to drop a harsh threat. ¡­ After those few guys were chased off, the siblings who were hiding in the house ran out to embrace their brother from both sides; their father put down his work, looking at his son who had changed so much in character since leaving home, aside from the missing arm and disability, he didn¡¯t know what expression to show; their mother, on the other hand, wiping her tears, approached him, caressing his amputated limb and the injured half of his face, sobbing uncontrollably. Cohen Puliya comforted his younger siblings and sent them back to their rooms before he had time to have a proper talk with his parents. At this moment, his mother had stopped crying, but still showed a pained expression upon seeing his right arm, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have let you join the army!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Mom,¡± Cohen tried to sound lighthearted, ¡°I¡¯ve never regretted joining the army. In the east, there are many more people like us who need help. We were there to liberate them. Besides, although I didn¡¯t come back fully intact, at least I made it home, and the army¡¯s policies are quite good. I brought back a lot of pension money, enough to renovate our house, buy lots of things, even our own farming machinery¡­ I¡¯m still ranked E9, higher than most people at the farmstead. Life will get better from here on out.¡± ¡°I would rather you came back without a scratch than need that compensation money,¡± his mother replied. Cohen had anticipated his mother¡¯s response. A mother worried for her son would naturally feel this way. He could only continuously reassure her, and gradually her mood improved. At this point, his father, filled with concern, spoke up, ¡°Today, you drove away Zecklin¡¯s men; they won¡¯t let this go easily.¡± Cohen turned his head and replied confidently, ¡°Yeah, I think so too. But now, it¡¯s the Alliance that rules, not the times when he could cover the sky with one hand. I¡¯ll write a letter later and when a pony cart passes by, I¡¯ll have someone send it to the Veterans Affairs Bureau in Beigu City; they¡¯ll take care of it.¡± When he said this, he seemed full of confidence. And it was precisely what he believed. ¡°What will happen then?¡± ¡°That Zecklin will definitely get punished, and our whole farmstead won¡¯t have to endure his oppression and humiliation any longer.¡± Hearing this, his father didn¡¯t look relieved but rather heaved a sigh and said, ¡°If you ask me¡­ why not just give them the money, maybe even apologize to the people you hurt today? If they knew you had that much compensation and pension money, the subsidy they want isn¡¯t much; just give it to them¡­¡± ¡°What kind of talk is that?¡± Cohen said, displeased, ¡°How can we encourage that scoundrel¡¯s arrogance? The pension, though generous, was exchanged for one of my arms, and there¡¯s no extra to give them! The subsidies you two get come from toiling in the fields, and however small, they should not be given to him!¡± Old Priya wanted to say more, but his son stopped him, ¡°That¡¯s enough, Dad, let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. I¡¯m going to write that letter right now; that guy won¡¯t be hopping around for much longer.¡± Afterward, the Puliya family set aside their worries and enjoyed a reunion dinner together, chatting for a good while more. Cohen wanted to help clean up but was stopped. ¡°You¡¯re in no shape to be helping out, go rest.¡± Cohen didn¡¯t insist and returned to his room. The newly built wooden house on their property was not small. To facilitate work in the fields, the house was situated on the edge of the estate; there was a vast open space around it, and because of the special period, the lumber was very cheap, so when it was built, they had taken into consideration space for the children to start their own families, hence the sizeable area and the many separate rooms. Back in his room, Cohen took out the paper and pen he had brought back and began to write. Before leaving home, Cohen Puliya could barely read and was considered semi-illiterate; but in the few months with the army, he had made substantial progress in education. The military had even provided them with stationery, including journals and writing materials. Writing a flamboyant article was difficult for Cohen, but with careful consideration and using common characters to clearly express the situation, it was not a big problem. It¡¯s just that his writing was a bit slow, but he had nothing else to do now. He had meticulously recorded in his diary the sights and encounters on his journey home, the infuriating incidents he faced upon his return, and his own reflections on these matters. The immense changes in the Beiqing Valley Region that had spontaneously given rise to feelings of happiness and anticipation; The rage and pain upon encountering the remnants of the old era¡¯s poison still festering at Microthermal Farmstead; The disdain for those shameless people, along with the expectations for the Alliance; He scribbled down many words, taking a long time, late into the night, still writing under the light. He wished to put all these things down in writing. Later, when tearing out this section of the diary, paying a bit extra for a passing airship¡¯s driver to help send the letter should be feasible. If that proved impossible, he would simply make the trip to Beigu City himself. After all, the roads were now unobstructed, a mere two or three days¡¯ journey. His only concern was whether his parents might be in danger if he wasn¡¯t at home. As he pondered this, he heard a strange commotion outside. Having just been discharged from the military, his vigilance remained heightened. He cracked open the window and peered out to see Aberrant Beasts. No high-level creatures, just ordinary, melee-capable cannon fodder types, but at least twenty at a glance! Why were there so many Aberrant Beasts, almost surrounding their house? He instinctively tossed the diary underneath the bed and quickly got up, planning to wake his family. But just then, the tightly secured wooden door of his house was smashed open. Looking over, he saw a somewhat familiar figure in total disarray, running into the distance. Before he could give chase, two Aberrant Beasts tied up with ropes ¨C now loosened ¨C charged in through the door. Cohen¡¯s instinct was to draw his gun and fight, but at that moment, he had neither blade nor gun in hand. ¡­ ¡°I have finished telling the story,¡± Milia Derong said, exhaling deeply, closing the diary in her hands. She and her teammates were from the Demon Hunter squad, a unit reporting directly to the Alliance¡¯s Supreme Court. Their team of twenty was responsible for heading south to investigate corruption in the Beiqing Valley Province. Milia Derong lifted her head, gazing at her brother-in-law in front of her. ¡°Chief Jason Morgan, after hearing this story, what are your thoughts?¡± Jason Morgan, whose constant stress in recent months had begun to give him premature gray hair, lowered his trembling hands from the table¡¯s surface. He fell silent for a while before saying, ¡°I am deeply saddened.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°I am very sorry.¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°I feel a great sense of guilt.¡± Milia Derong slammed her hand on the table and demanded, ¡°All these are evasive answers! Do you have any idea that within your jurisdiction, neglect of duty, corruption, and even the murder of civilians by officials are happening on a large scale?! The incident I¡¯ve related is by no means an isolated case across the three million square kilometers of Beiqing Valley! Do you even grasp the severity of these matters?!¡± Chapter 356 - Chapter 356: Chapter 219, The Purge Operation Chapter 356: Chapter 219, The Purge Operation Miliya Derong¡¯s fate took a dramatic turn after being convinced by her sister to attend the Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy, and then being selected for the advanced class. She had never cared much for what she considered to be mere ideological cultivation, only getting involved to appease her sister. However, at the Zhongsi Academy, she pondered many things. After graduating from the advanced class, she was chosen by the Alliance Supreme Court. At the moment, the political system of the Alliance can be roughly divided into three parts: the Alliance Army, which includes the military government sector, the Alliance General Staff Department, various group armies, brigade-sized units, with the Governor-General directly controlling all military departments. The second part is the Alliance Government, with the Prime Minister as the head and accountable to the Governor-General. It directly governs the various provinces and has direct departments for civil affairs, production, development, commerce, education, and so on. The third is the Alliance Supreme Court, with Lambert Hodgson serving as Judge Hodgson and responsible to the Governor-General. It oversees the Legislative Council, the Executive Council, the Disciplinary Council. The Demon Hunter Squad, a newly established organization, is part of the Alliance Tribunal. The Tribunal, an armed force that is independent of the three councils of the Supreme Court, is responsible for executing major events. The Tribunal can be understood as the Alliance¡¯s secret service organization. Demon Hunters have the authority¨Cgranted by the new ¡°Alliance Secret Enforcement Law¡±¨Cto carry out secret arrests, interrogations, and executions without going through the ¡°three councils.¡± Initially, after graduating from Zhongsi Academy, Miss Derong was placed into the Anti-Corruption Bureau under the Disciplinary Council, and then, more recently, when the Tribunal was established and they were recruiting Demon Hunters, she applied and was selected. After undergoing Demon Hunter training, Miliya Derong now carries a pistol and a short knife as part of her daily equipment, and her squad is also equipped with grenade launchers, chainsaw swords, and exoskeleton suits, ready to take down fortified targets when necessary. Moreover, every Demon Hunter masters a little bit of¡­ unique abilities after completing training. For example, Miliya Derong can make her eyes glow, causing creatures gazed upon by her to panic and feel dizzy; tests have shown that some physically weak animals can even die of heart rupture. Her comrades have various powers too, like lie detection and inducing fear¡­ all kinds, and while not particularly strong, they are somewhat practical. This ability seems to be called Spiritual Energy, but the Governor-General, having met them, also said that compared to full-fledged practitioners of Spiritual Energy, their powers are incomplete, with only a single function and not adaptable for flexible use, and the intensity is not too strong. But that was enough for Miliya Derong, who in her more than twenty years of life, had only fantasized as a child that she might possess extraordinary abilities. Besides combat skills and Spiritual Energy-related special abilities, there is also a considerable amount of knowledge in areas such as investigation, tracking, analysis, features of heresy, and other academic content. After the formation of the Demon Hunter Squad, they were split into two teams: one headed west to the distant Western Desert, and even further west across the continent to gather intelligence. Derong¡¯s seven-person team, on the other hand, patrolled within the Alliance territory, investigating internal cases of corruption. During their inspections in the Beiqing Valley Region, they encountered many cases. Although they have the authority to arrest, judge, and execute secretly, Judge Hodgson had also told them before departing not to wield this power unnecessarily or in non-urgent situations. The Alliance¡¯s normal system is capable of addressing issues, and in most cases, they just need to pass the information they gather to the relevant government authority for handling. Typically, their role is to supplement the investigative work that the Alliance¡¯s normal system fails to cover. Only when the Alliance¡¯s system has become so corrupt that supplemental investigation cannot achieve their goals would they need to invoke their special authority. This time, their patrol in Beiqing Valley Province followed the normal procedure. In the Beiqing Valley Region, the kinds of incidents that befell retired veterans like Priya and his family were not isolated but occurred on a large scale. Certainly, not every case was as deplorable, but the presence of parasites and corrupt elements exploiting farmers on various farmsteads was not uncommon. Along the way, they couldn¡¯t possibly arrest so many people; they just took down some evidence and made a list of names. They had originally planned to spend a month or two to complete a full circuit and then directly send the related intelligence, lists, and evidence to headquarters for the Discipline Committee and to the Beiqing Valley Provincial government. Under the oversight of the Disciplinary Council, they would thoroughly clean up the outrageous grassroots management situation in Beiqing Valley Province. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, when they reached Microthermal Farmstead, they came across the case of retired veteran Priya¡¯s family being massacred, acquiring the critical piece of evidence, this diary. At this point, the Demon Hunter Squad couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. Up to then, it had been mostly cases of corruption, oppression, bodily harm, and acts of violence. There were murders, but those were relatively rare; not to mention, this current case involved a massacre targeting veterans who the Alliance always insisted on treating preferentially. This was a serious breach. The Demon Hunters were acutely aware of how angry the Governor-General would be if the news of this incident reached his ears. Chapter 357 - Chapter 357: Chapter 219, Purge Action_2 Chapter 357: Chapter 219, Purge Action_2 They simply abducted him and then hurried nonstop to Beigu City. The diary slapped onto Jason Morgan¡¯s face, as the Demon Hunters waited for the provincial leader to give an explanation. The matter was handed over to Morgan¡¯s sister-in-law, Milia Derong. If Jason Morgan¡¯s response failed to satisfy the Demon Hunters, they might actually use the ¡°Secret Execution Laws¡± granted by the Alliance to take the senior official back to the capital for review by the Discipline Committee and trial by the Governor. ¡­ At this moment, Jason Morgan, being interrogated, let out a long sigh and gave his response: ¡°I am aware of the situation at the grassroots level, but I did not anticipate it to be so serious. This is my responsibility, I will write a report and then personally report the specific situation within the province to the Governor. Even if the Governor accuses me of dereliction of duty and inefficiency, and I become the second high-ranking official to be dismissed in the Alliance, I will bow my head and admit guilt. However¡­¡± ¡°However what?¡± ¡°Before that, I have to personally capture all these rats within the province and create a clean environment for the next leader of Beiqing Valley Province.¡± ¡°Heh, why didn¡¯t you do it sooner?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Jason Morgan sighed, ¡°I will explain this to the Governor. But first, tell me, where is Zecklin, the one you captured?¡± ¡°He has been sent to the Supreme Court in Revival City. This is a case with extremely bad influence. Judge Hodgson is beside himself with rage. He wants to use this person to quell his anger, the Governor¡¯s anger, and the entire Alliance¡¯s anger. What were you planning?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity¡­¡± Morgan sighed, ¡°It seems I won¡¯t have the chance to strip his skin off myself.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need, this guy will definitely be sentenced to death, his skull will be turned into a servo-skull and then thrown somewhere to serve. Oh, now there is also Servant Mech Transformation Technology, the Alliance has special uses for death penalty convicts, they won¡¯t just kill them off; that would be too wasteful of resources.¡± ¡°Oh, so it is¡­ Their vile lives can continue to serve the Governor; they really got off easy.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter, there are many more in Beiqing Valley Province who need to atone in this way and continue to serve the Alliance. I will capture them. I hope you¡­ the Demon Hunter Squad, can assist me in this task.¡± Milia Derong hesitated, then responded, ¡°We generally do not accept tasks assigned by local officials of the Alliance, and we don¡¯t need to cooperate with others. However, since we initiated this matter, let the Disciplinary Council of Beiqing Valley Province itself, the police, and government forces, cooperate with our action.¡± ¡°Fine, whatever it takes, as long as those people are captured.¡± ¡­ Gu Hang, of course, was aware of the anti-corruption campaign in the Beiqing Valley Region. That included the tragedy of the veteran. This case indeed made Gu Hang very angry on a personal level. As the sole dictator of the Alliance regime, setting aside personal emotions, values, and moral concepts, he also found it intolerable from the perspective of reason and interest. The destructiveness of the matter was obvious. The exploited public¡¯s production capability would be suppressed, which is a direct impact; their consumption capability would also be suppressed, thereby spreading throughout society and creating a negative effect; people¡¯s grievances would incite a wave of distrust in the Alliance Government throughout society, which would have a huge negative impact on the implementation and enforcement of all future policies of the Alliance; in extreme cases, it could lead to rebellion in specific regions¡­ Isolated incidents are limited in impact, but according to the reports sent by the Demon Hunter Squad, during their investigations in the past period, of the 131 farmsteads of Beiqing Valley Province, 40% had varying degrees of managerial corruption. The situation at Microthermal Farmstead was the worst, the other places hadn¡¯t gone as far as to annihilate your family if you disobeyed. These grassroots managers would embezzle the public¡¯s subsidies, benefits; concoct reasons to collect extra taxes; charge for production materials distributed by the Alliance¡­ The man from Microthermal Farmstead named Zecklin did just that. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only There were those who reached out to the Alliance as well. They would secretly alter the production targets set by the province¡¯s production bureau, increase the production quotas for the public, but when submitting agricultural products, they would use the normal targets to embezzle the difference for personal gain; they would then repackage it as black-market goods to sell to the public¡­ These corrupt conditions largely occurred when the Mutual Aid Society was restructured into local administrative organs, with acts committed by the original plantation owners. For the farmsteads that were split off to cultivate new lands, there was a much lower probability of such incidents. Many of those farmstead owners were elected from the grassroots pioneers, and some were directly appointed by the province¡¯s officers. The purity of the team was relatively better. But among them, other situations arose. For example, they would deliberately raise the production plan targets, demanding that the farmers under their management increase their labor hours. These grassroots managers wouldn¡¯t embezzle but submit everything; what they pursued was to obtain higher scores in the performance evaluations of the Department of Political Affairs, aiming for a quicker promotion in rank and position. Chapter 358 - Chapter 358: Chapter 219, Purge Operation_3 Chapter 358: Chapter 219, Purge Operation_3 But the people suffered greatly. The same E5 level farmers could end up doing twice the amount of work. The eight-hour workday was still in place, and according to the most preposterous production plans, Gu Hang could tell at a glance that the farmers under that guy¡¯s control would all be worked to death without being able to complete his agenda. Is this corruption? Objectively speaking, the increased production advanced the province¡¯s agricultural development plans, but one must understand that most of the laborers in Beiqing Valley Province were proletarians, not proprietors. The land wasn¡¯t theirs; it belonged to the Alliance. They were agricultural workers, not farmers. Agricultural workers are a kind of worker who essentially go to a job; their rank benefits and allowances can be considered a salary, and they live on wages. Farmers own their land and work in agriculture, their livelihood depends on the land¡¯s yield, how much they produce, the taxes and rent they pay, and the rest is theirs. Major increases in agricultural worker productivity, of course, are good. After all, the extra produce, not a bit of which goes to the laborers, all belong to the Alliance Government. But Gu Hang¡­ didn¡¯t need to go to such extremes. If someone wanted to work twelve or sixteen hours a day when eight hours were clearly enough to meet the basic requirements, that¡¯s their choice, and the government could offer faster promotions to reward such behavior. But this is not something that should be forcefully required by administrative power. Yet, when it came to specific matters, Gu Hang found himself in a dilemma. The guy who falsely reported production plans and pushed his workers to exhaustion, that one needed to be dealt with; But what about those who really did raise the production plan targets, who motivated the workers with slogans like ¡°higher yields, faster promotions, more benefits, a better life,¡± and encouraged everyone to work hard? And those who researched practical agricultural machinery technologies, imparted agricultural production experience, and raised production quota targets? There were too many scenarios. If everyone was punished indiscriminately, all their enthusiasm would be squashed. Handling vast lands and populations with a one-size-fits-all approach is an extremely difficult task. Appropriate plans must be considered; the lessons from this experience must be summarized. As for the specific anti-corruption work in Beiqing Valley Province, Gu Hang actually didn¡¯t intervene much. He believed that the Demon Hunter, the Disciplinary Council, and the provincial government, working in concert, would give him a satisfactory response. Currently, the governmental institutions of Beiqing Valley Province had already launched a sweeping campaign against corruption. When the time came, those who legitimately committed offenses would be sentenced as they deserved. Those who were sentenced to death could serve their time at the Skull Workshop, which was short on materials. Those not sentenced to death would be stripped of their positions, demoted and sentenced to labor for a set period. There were specialized labor camp prisons where they would serve their sentences with the lowest E2 entitlements. Even to avoid issues with local imprisonment, many people would be sentenced to labor in the mines of Weixing City, the waste recycling facilities of the Eastern Provinces, or places like Ruin Mine. And Gu Hang looked forward more to Jason Morgan giving him a more rational, more systematic plan, to address corruption, to address disguised corruption, to address the behavior of increasing work pressure at the expense of agricultural workers¡¯ lives for the sake of promotion¡­ These issues that had come to light were Morgan¡¯s test, deciding how Gu Hang would treat him personally. ¡ª¡ª¨C As there are quite a few new readers, I still need to talk about the updates. I upload 4000 words every day, combining to two chapters, which are posted around noon; it¡¯s the normal full-time amount, and occasionally there are chapters that go up to 6000 or more. It¡¯s not much, just a regular update. Then, some readers commented on water in the last two chapters¡­ I felt quite discouraged¡­ I thought long about the structure of these two chapters, with the first half discussing the discharge policy, and the social situation in Beiqing Valley, and the second half introducing corruption and the corresponding policies of the Alliance. (I trust everyone could tell, right? If you couldn¡¯t, then I¡¯m just not skilled enough¡­) Fearing that the perspective would dwell too long, I even condensed Cohen Puliya¡¯s tragic content into about a chapter and a half. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This is about farming, which must be written. Constantly with technology, arming, fighting, and technology¡­ the cycle is very uninteresting. Of course, I could use other methods. For example, I could delete the specifics of the story, and from the governor¡¯s perspective, just write about agricultural production value, agricultural distribution, corruption in the Alliance, and then how it is handled¡­ This would be very quick, and it would be explained right away. But then, there¡¯s no sense of reality, no characters, no flesh and blood. If you really don¡¯t like the focus on characters¡­ then I still have to write. What else is there to write in a novel if not about characters? It is only to say my abilities are limited, but I will continue to improve in the future, not to let you down! Chapter 359 - Chapter 359: Chapter 220, passed Chapter 359: Chapter 220, passed ¡°¡­In the past two months, the Disciplinary Council, Beiqing Valley Government, and Demon Hunters have jointly conducted a large-scale anti-corruption campaign in Beiqing Valley Province.¡± ¡°This operation investigated the integrity of more than 1,700 farms, from the Beigu City Government to the entire province, accounting for 20% of Beiqing Valley Province. A total of 614 individuals, including corrupt base level management personnel from the farms and their accomplices, were arrested. Of these, 99 were sentenced to death for particularly heinous crimes; 515 were sentenced to varying terms of labor and stripped of all their citizenship ranks and privileges. Additionally, 852 people were subjected to demotion of varying degrees and deprivation of official duties¡­¡± ¡°The main targets of this phase of the operation were the plantation owners from the local Beiqing Valley Province who had turned into base level farm managers when the Mutual Aid Society was restructured as the provincial government a few months ago.¡± ¡°Accordingly, those sentenced to death will be placed in death row cells, awaiting Skull Workshop and Servant Bot Workshop to carry out the execution as per your policy.¡± ¡°In the next phase of the operation, we plan to further expand the scope of investigation, predicting that it will take another two months to complete the anti-corruption work throughout Beiqing Valley Province.¡± Gu Hang listened and nodded as he did. At the moment, three people were sitting in front of him. Lambert Hodgson, the highest judge of the Alliance, Oseina Qinko, the Alliance Premier, and Jason Morgan, the head of Beiqing Valley Province. The one currently presenting the anti-corruption work report was Lambert. His department, being the main responsible body for such tasks, naturally required him to make the detailed report. In fact, Gu Hang felt quite reassured about this. Lambert had experience in this field. Back when the New Alliance had just been established, he had deftly handled the internal purge in Revival City. Now, he had even more resources at his disposal, not only the investigation teams from his own Discipline Committee but also the exceptional abilities of the Demon Hunters, and the full cooperation of the local government in Beiqing Valley Province. His strategy was also sound. Since the preliminary investigations had clearly identified the biggest issues with the base level managers from the old era, it was natural to start the investigations with them first. Gu Hang fully understood the policies previously implemented by Jason Morgan. To reduce resistance and mitigate opposition, the primary goal was to restore the agricultural production in Beiqing Valley Province, and so, at the beginning, it was not feasible to crack down on all the landlords who had once held de facto power in Green Valley Region. His approach did indeed contribute significantly to the production and construction in Beiqing Valley over the past several months. With production rapidly restored, land reclamation efforts smoothly pushed forward, and the process of restructuring local governments faced acceptable levels of resistance¡­ Moreover, it must be said that the former wealthy landlords did have an above-average level of capability. Just look at Oseina, who came from the landlord class, a young lady brought up in wealth and afforded a complete education. It was not as simple as just being literate; they were versed in calculation, accounting, law, management¡­ In various aspects, these people were part of the elite class in Green Valley Region. They certainly outmatched the serf class in terms of abilities due to their significantly lower level of education. To rule effectively in the short term faced with a vast environment of six million people over three million square kilometers, Jason Morgan really had no other choice. It would be the same for Gu Hang. When he first recovered Revival City, he conducted a slew of purging actions to establish authority, but in the end, wasn¡¯t he too dependent on the city¡¯s intellectuals, engineers, business classes for governance? However, it was now indeed time to sweep those historical issues into the dustbin. Lambert Hodgson¡¯s purge was quite severe. He examined more than 1,700 farms, arresting over six hundred, with more than eight hundred processed. It wasn¡¯t a bloodbath, but it was no light touch either. During this entire anti-corruption campaign, some of the former elite did withstand the test. They were not caught in any serious wrongdoing during the purge, or they only had minor issues that did not tarnish their reputation; and they maintained a decent reputation among the public. That was quite heartening. After all, not everyone was worthless. If all the elites of the old era were to be swept away completely, it would be impossible to replace them. Of course, the current intensity of the actions seemed about right. ¡­ After Lambert had finished discussing the anti-corruption campaign itself, it was then up to the administrative officials Oseina Qinko and Jason Morgan to discuss their matters. Firstly, there was the issue of how to fill the roles of so many people who had been dealt with during the anti-corruption campaign. This is where the education department needed to step up. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Oseina had provided plenty of help to Jason Morgan by reallocating a large number of graduates from the Comprehensive Academy to Beiqing Valley Province recently. Now, the graduates from various academies were very much in demand. Governments in various places across the Alliance desperately needed a large number of talents provided by Revival City to fill the reconstruction of all levels of government. The Comprehensive Academy of the Alliance, over this period, had already trained a large number of candidates in various disciplines.¡± This ¡®talent¡¯ requires quotation marks. Because the training time is still too short, the abilities of these ¡°talents¡± are quite doubtful. Chapter 360 - Chapter 360: Chapter 220, Passed_2 Chapter 360: Chapter 220, Passed_2 ¡°` Although the Education Department of the Union has already established a relatively complete educational system in Revival City and Weixing City, covering various aspects such as vocational education, technical education, and comprehensive education, it is still too early, and children receiving education can¡¯t possibly grow up overnight. For adult education, there could only be short-term, high-intensity knowledge training before they were hurriedly sent out to make their mark on the workplace. But after all, having some ¡°talent¡± available is better than before. Moreover, these cultivated talents needed some positions to demonstrate their abilities. The vacancies created by these farms in the Beiqing Valley Region were just right. Even Gu Hang had sent many of those top students that his mother had previously arranged for him, putting them to work in the Beiqing Valley Province. By that time, Gu Hang felt his mother really had some good ideas. He couldn¡¯t quite trust these people. Given the situation on Rage Owl Star, where would you find a hundred highly educated ¡®alien university students¡¯? Lack of trust didn¡¯t matter; after all, they were talents, so just deal with them as you see fit. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t resist this temptation either. You couldn¡¯t just waste them, could you? Time to get to work. If you want to be entrusted with important tasks, it wasn¡¯t impossible, start from the grassroots and work your way up. If someone was truly reliable, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t mind having a proper chat and recruiting them under his command. In summary, these methods had temporarily filled the gaps at those basic farms in the Beiqing Valley Province that were left without managers. While discussing this, Osenia also took the opportunity to inform Gu Hang about the current priorities of the Education Department. Currently, the educational work of the Union seemed to be going quite well. A series of educational systems from elementary to middle to university had been established in the crucial Twin Cities Region. Union Citizens, according to different ranks, could enjoy varying degrees of free education and subsidies. The first six years comprised the compulsory education phase: the children of citizens above E5 rank were free; to encourage enrollment, after admission, the rank of the children themselves would be E2 or E3, meaning additional benefits to reduce the pressure of upbringing. Those of higher ranks could get free education at the middle school level. Beyond middle school, students¡¯ good performances in school could directly lead to rank promotions. Normally, people only receive the E5 rank after reaching adulthood and being allocated a job; however, if students performed extremely well and were outstanding, they might acquire a higher rank while still in school, which clearly provided great help for them when leaving school and entering society. The so-called university level referred to the Comprehensive Academy, Technical Academy, and Loyal Heir Academy. Here, ranks didn¡¯t matter: education did come with fees, but essentially, students in university were not lower than E6 rank, and their allowances were almost enough to cover the expenses. Moreover, top graduates from various middle schools, particularly the best ones, could receive even higher subsidies. The thresholds for advancing from elementary to middle, and middle to university, all hinged on examinations. The three major academies also practiced a policy of easy admission but strict graduation, making it not easy to graduate. Even though the three major academies were taking on a lot of adult education work, the diplomas were still granted according to different levels. Adult education had its own certificates¨Cof course, if you could pass the regular exams, you could also obtain a standard certificate. In any case, everything was considered for issuing ABCD four-level certificates, based on exams, in-school performance, and practical results. Now, students from various schools¨Cwhether they were just middle school graduates who didn¡¯t get into university or those who received adult education in middle school¨Cwere being eagerly sought after by all sectors of society. ¡°` Enterprises and factories are competing for them, and government units are too. Even the military wants in on the action. The Military Administration Department under Tadeusz also needs a lot of civilian military officers. The three major academies are expanding their scale, and in addition to that, the primary and secondary school systems are also spreading outwards. For now, the Ministry of Education and Culture has started to implement the primary-secondary education system in some of the larger settlements outside the Twin Cities. For example, Beigu City, and many other settlements with around two hundred thousand people in the Central Province outside the Twin Cities, with a population of two million. And the long-term goal is to have primary school institutions cover every settlement of Union Citizens; to have secondary school institutions cover every urban level region. Gu Hang nodded frequently as he listened. Perhaps it was because of the ideologies he had even before his transmigration, education held a very high importance in his mind. He hoped the Union could produce more and more talent, even if not all of them were of great vision and grand strategy, as long as they could shine in their respective positions. Undoubtedly, the improvement of the population¡¯s quality would lead to an increase in productivity. After Osenia, it was Jason Morgan¡¯s turn to speak. This provincial leader was about to present his report card. ¡°¡­We will reform the assessment methods of the grassroots farms.¡± ¡°Production targets will still be the most important aspect. We will optimize this by setting three benchmark lines based on the farms¡¯ population, arable area, and the number of agricultural machines: passable, excellent, challenge. The corresponding planned production targets will fluctuate along these lines, but they should not deviate wildly from reality with inflated production plans.¡± ¡°We will significantly increase the penalties for not meeting standards; the rewards for achieving excellent targets will be quite significant; however, the incentive to go from excellent to challenging targets will be reduced. And rewards will be more directed to individuals who complete production rather than the managers. In this way, we hope to require the farms to meet basic production targets, encourage overproduction, but not completely force everyone into a cutthroat environment.¡± ¡°Apart from production targets, we will also include citizen satisfaction in the assessment criteria. Grassroots managers will need to improve citizen satisfaction while fulfilling production plans, otherwise their assessments will be negatively affected.¡± ¡°In the appointment of grassroots managers, we are also ready to pilot a reform. Instead of being appointed solely by the upper government, we will offer several candidates who will present their policies, plans, and intended actions to the farm residents for them to choose from.¡± ¡°Overall, we hope that by giving the public the power to make reverse selections and by caring about citizen satisfaction, we can increase the accountability of grassroots officials to the public and reduce oppression and corruption events.¡± ¡°We are also aware that citizens may have unreasonable demands; it¡¯s possible that dissatisfaction votes could be used to blackmail grassroots officials, preventing the farm from fulfilling its production targets; it could also cause efficient officials to lose out to those who are more eloquent and better at campaigning¡­¡± ¡°There are still many problems with the plan, but on the whole, it should be an improvement over the past situation.¡± ¡°In terms of practical assessment, the provincial Civil Affairs Bureau, Development Bureau, and Production Bureau will develop more comprehensive plans to supervise the actions of grassroots officials and set more reasonable objectives. They will also be mindful of the pitfalls and issues I mentioned before.¡± ¡­ A document was spread out in front of Jason Morgan as he calmly explained how he would proceed if he continued to serve as the leader of Beiqing Valley Province. Gu Hang was listening attentively, and from time to time, he would ask questions about certain details as Morgan explained. There were many areas where Morgan was prepared; he would expound and clarify, but there were also aspects he hadn¡¯t fully thought through. He didn¡¯t get annoyed or nervous, instead, he would ask Gu Hang and the other two high-ranking Union officials present if there were better solutions. At the end of the discussion, Gu Hang made a decision: Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°There are indeed many potential problems, but overall, it sounds like an improvement from before. Let¡¯s go ahead and test it out, see what happens, and then tackle any problems that arise.¡± Hearing the Governor say this, Jason Morgan felt a sudden wave of relief. It seemed he had passed. ¡ª¡ª¨C Sorry, I just realized that I forgot to schedule the chapter I finished writing last night¡­ Chapter 361 - Chapter 361: Chapter 221, if it were Yelisia, the quality of the offspring... Chapter 361: Chapter 221, if it were Yelisia, the quality of the offspring¡­ Gu Hang always refrained from oppressing the populace to the extreme, making every person on the entire planet like a crazily productive machine, wound up and unceasing. Some Empire Worlds did just that, but it clashed with Gu Hang¡¯s philosophy. Mainly, there were two aspects. First, he had somehow discerned that within his system, the monthly fixed income of each territory relied not only on the enhancement of productivity and the development of the territory but also on the happiness of the population and their level of support for him, which were important contributing factors. Focusing solely on productivity while neglecting the improvement of the people¡¯s living standards was unacceptable, as his monthly income in blessing points would hit a ceiling and could not grow further and might even decline. As for the second aspect, Gu Hang¡¯s past experiences, memories, and philosophy all led him to believe that the main source for driving a person to create greater value was incentive and enthusiasm for work. Gu Hang preferred a governance that would stimulate motivation through such methods, creating greater value. Violent oppression, on the other hand, would lead to reluctance to work: Why bother trying hard if life was hopeless no matter what? Why struggle when you only get welfare rations and the minimum allowance each month? Without prospects for advancement and no chance of happiness, wouldn¡¯t people just scrape by, doing the bare minimum just to get through? Even more, such immense dissatisfaction might result in passivity and strikes, with rebellion being far from impossible. In his current state of rule, of course, Gu Hang feared no rebellion. Those who dared to rebel would all be killed, no matter how many. But it was very costly. Suppressing a rebellion costs money; the rebels were producers, and the time they ceased production cost money; executing the rebels meant that the value they could have created throughout their potential futures was lost, which also cost money. Let alone large-scale, widespread rebellion¨Cconsider a single farmstead, a few hundred people staging an uprising, slaughtering a low-level official. How would one deal with that? Rebellion could not be tolerated, but the loss of even a hundred lives pricked at Gu Hang¡¯s heart. Especially since such losses were avoidable; rebellions born from public dissatisfaction should not even occur. Even putting all else aside, Gu Hang simply could not do such things. Seeing officials of his own making oppress the people and act inhumanely made his blood pressure soar instinctively. This was not the world he wanted to establish. Gu Hang was generally pleased with the series of reform proposals put forward by Jason Morgan and thought they were worth a trial. There would definitely be some problems, but overall it shouldn¡¯t be worse than the current situation. Any issues could be resolved as they arose. Moreover, if this approach achieved decent results when implemented in Beiqing Valley Province, he planned to apply the relevant schemes elsewhere in the Alliance as well. Some centralized, densely populated industrial hubs, such as Weixing City and Revival City¡¯s urban and factory institutions, did not need this approach. Workers had piece-rate assessments and a complete work system in place. Workshop leaders needed technical experts; factory directors required higher management levels. Moreover, production and civil affairs were separate, with residential districts managed by their respective street or district governments, and factories having their own management. But places like Beiqing Valley Province, spread out over vast lands with sparse populations, could replicate similar experiences. Like the Eastern Provinces or the Northlands that will be reclaimed in the future. ¡­ After reporting to the governor, Lambert Hodgson bid farewell to the two government officials and returned to his office. He still had many of his own matters to attend to. Although he had already reported, the purification operation in Beiqing Valley Province had actually only progressed by 20%; many farmsteads had yet to be investigated. Plus, since the operation had already started, Lambert didn¡¯t intend to limit it to just Beiqing Valley Province but planned to carry it out throughout the entire Alliance. In places like the Eastern Provinces and the central three provinces where settlements were restructured locally, many of the original ruling class who had not resisted or had resisted only mildly were retained. When they were retained as middle and lower management of the Alliance¡¯s government, they had been warned by the Discipline Committee not to engage in any misconduct or else face serious consequences¨Cfarmstead owners in Beiqing Valley had received similar warnings. Now, it was time to see if the warnings were effective. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, the situations in those areas were expected to be much better than in Beiqing Valley. The situation in Beiqing Valley was unique, with agriculture as the mainstay, extremely decentralized administrative power, and a sparse population; in other provinces, small settlements were mostly abandoned, with populations relocated; larger, centralized settlements with industry were retained, with more officials from the Alliance stationed there. Moreover, with industries such as manufacturing, mining, and centralized agricultural production, causing disturbances wasn¡¯t as easy as it was in the remote farmsteads. In fact, before coming to Beiqing Valley, the Demon Hunter Squad had been on patrol in other regions. There were indeed some problems, but nothing as severe as what they found in Green Valley. A normal anti-corruption campaign would suffice. Overall, the Disciplinary Council¡¯s investigation teams would have to work overtime and stay busy. Naturally, Lambert, the Chief Judge, would not be idle. Chapter 362 - Chapter 362: Chapter 221, if it were Yelisia, the quality of the offspring..._2 Chapter 362: Chapter 221, if it were Yelisia, the quality of the offspring¡­_2 ¡°` The Disciplinary Council was busy arresting people and conducting audits, while the Executive Council¡¯s Alliance Police Department, Security Bureau, and Penitentiary Bureau all had to take action to assist with arrests, reviews, and incarceration; the courts had to conduct trials¡­ Everyone was swamped with activity. Osenia and Jason Morgan were not exactly having an easy time either. The relevant coordination work had to be done; the relevant aftermath work was even more critical. The anti-corruption campaign certainly cleared out the rot, but it was also unavoidable that it would cause political turmoil, bound to impact production and development across various regions. What they both needed to do was to prevent, or at least try to minimize, this kind of situation from occurring. The two talked for quite a while, mainly about how, after Jason returned, he should ensure political stability and how to implement the plans he had previously reported to the governor. Osenia had a lot to say, earnestly relaying her ideas. Morgan listened attentively. Although he was the leader of the Beiqing Valley Province, Osenia was his direct superior, and it was only natural for her to guide his work. When the provincial government was established, Osenia used to run back and forth to Beigu City quite frequently. The entire framework of the provincial government was built with this female prime minister¡¯s help, and at the time she even personally inspected several farms. This prime minister was originally from the Green Valley Region, and she knew the land very well. Even the proposals that Jason Morgan had confidently discussed before Mr. Gu were not conceived by himself alone; the female prime minister had provided considerable assistance. In Osenia¡¯s office, after they finished discussing official matters, Morgan sincerely said, ¡°I really can¡¯t thank you enough for your support this time, Prime Minister. Without you, I definitely couldn¡¯t have made it through.¡± Osenia waved her hand casually and said, ¡°Actually, Mr. Gu had no intention of dismissing you. He can understand your difficulties and can see the remarkable results of your work in Beiqing Valley. The growth of corruption is indeed your responsibility, it¡¯s a stain, but it does not completely overshadow your abilities and achievements.¡± Stopping there for a moment, she continued, ¡°However, since it¡¯s a blemish, we cannot neglect to take action. Although Mr. Gu didn¡¯t mention it specifically, I have decided to demote your rank from C2 down to C1; you are not eligible for a rank increase for one year; and the role of the head of the province is eliminated, reduced to acting head for a period of one year. After a year, we will reassess the situation in Beiqing Valley and decide whether to restore your official position. Do you have any objections?¡± ¡°No, this is already very lenient.¡± Jason Morgan truly had no objections. The punishments were largely nominal. The rank demotion and the year-long prohibition on advancement definitely impacted his personal treatment, but there were no substantive changes to his position. Although he was reduced from head of the province to acting head, he was still in that position, not sidelined, and retained his actual authority, which wouldn¡¯t impede his ability to work. If he achieved results in the future, he would still be eligible for promotion and rank skipping as deserved. If he failed to produce results, or even more ludicrous situations arose, he couldn¡¯t blame anyone but himself, acknowledging he had not seized the opportunity. Seeing that Morgan fully understood her intentions, Osenia nodded in satisfaction and said, ¡°Then work hard. Both I and Mr. Gu hope you will continue to advance our cause in Beiqing Valley. Don¡¯t disappoint us.¡± ¡°I will not fail the mission. I¡¯m heading back to Beigu City shortly, and the related production and development work won¡¯t fall behind, I assure you.¡± ¡°Good. However, there¡¯s no need to rush back. Stay, and accompany a guest with me to visit the workshops at Weixing City. After the guest finishes visiting, they would probably like to see the Green Valley Region as well, and I won¡¯t be joining then. You continue accompanying them. ¡± ¡°A guest¡­ an inspection?¡± Jason Morgan felt somewhat puzzled. The fact that the Prime Minister referred to them so formally as a guest meant the visitor¡¯s identity was surely no small matter. On all of Rage Owl Star, there likely wasn¡¯t anyone else who could be addressed in such a manner. He cautiously asked, ¡°May I know in advance who this so-called guest is?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not particularly secret¡­ Mr. Gu¡¯s mother is coming to Rage Owl Star.¡± ¡°Mr. Gu¡¯s¡­ mother?¡± Jason Morgan seemed puzzled, as if thinking, does Mr. Gu really have a mother too? Of course, as long as one is a person, they have a mother. His confusion stemmed mainly from the fact that he had never heard such information in the past; he only knew that Mr. Gu had come from beyond the skies, appointed by the Imperial Star Sector Government as ruler. Morgan did not know much about Mr. Gu¡¯s past or history and certainly did not expect that one day he would be asked to accompany Mr. Gu¡¯s mother on an inspection of the planet¡¯s work conditions. What kind of person is the great mother who raised a governor of such grand strategy and prowess? What should he say when the time comes? ¡°` How should the Rage Owl Star People display their grace so as not to be looked down upon by visitors from other stars? The issue brought up by Osenia had caused Jason Morgan to become inexplicably anxious. ¡­ When Gu Hang was listening to the report, Miss Wang Qi¡¯s Fleet had already arrived at the orbit of Rage Owl Star. As one of the important controllers of the Gu Family, Miss Wang Qi still had to engage in some diplomacy. Luckily her son said that the troops accompanying her to Heijian Star were gathering, and she was not in a rush, so she decided to meet with two Imperial Navy officers aboard the starship first. Especially to meet with Yelisia. The Fufana Family¡¯s operation was trustworthy, and after six months of fermentation, the fame of Yelisia, the Navy¡¯s rising star, had also been established. With enough dependable military accomplishments laid out clearly, she had not only secured her position as one of the seven captains of the forcefully promoted Tianma Fleet but also her reputation began to spread throughout the entire region, and even throughout the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain. She was originally a key nurturing target of the Fufana Family; otherwise, she would not have been promoted to the position of a brigadier captain at such a young age. And now she had done herself proud with verified military accomplishments, which meant her status within the Fufana Family had become even more significant. After all, if the family had been dissatisfied with her in the past, or if she had done something wrong, they could have replaced her; but now, her name was hung up at the Imperial Navy department, and it wasn¡¯t so easy to change. And they wouldn¡¯t change it. The reason the Fufana Family could become a Navy family was precisely because four generations ago, one of their ancestors had been an admiral of the Navy, right? Yelisia could potentially break through this limit. Without any accidents, she would become the symbolic figure of the Fufana Family, the destined next-generation leader. Such a person was, of course, worth making a good connection with. Even considering a marital alliance¡­ if it were Yelisia, then the quality of the offspring should be quite good, right? Wang Qi didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong with contemplating this. As an old mother, isn¡¯t it only natural to think about these things? But there was no need to rush. Miss Wang Qi still skillfully maintained her status as an elder. As a family friend, she had a good chat with the female brigadier about the past events on Flying Wing Star. ¡°When I came, your mother asked me to bring you a few things,¡± ¡°There¡¯s also a gift from your aunt. Don¡¯t refuse it; no preciousness can compare with the friendship between our two families.¡±; ¡°You and Gu Hang are peers and work together. Besides official business, you should socialize more.¡±; ¡°You haven¡¯t visited the planet¡¯s surface as a guest yet? What¡¯s Gu Hang doing! Sometimes that blockhead is quite silly; you must be more understanding.¡±; These kinds of words streamed one after another. In any case, the exchange between the two was quite joyful. After spending a ¡®wonderful¡¯ day with Yelisia, the next day Miss Wang Qi boarded the landing craft and came to the planet¡¯s surface. As the spaceship¡¯s hatch opened, she walked out with confidence. Her sharp and dignified attire made her appear noble and authoritative. But when she caught sight of the young man standing some ten meters outside the hatch, waiting with head held high, her steps involuntarily slowed somewhat. This was her son, whom she hadn¡¯t seen for nearly two years. The eyes and brows were still so familiar. That face, inheriting the best features from both herself and her late husband, looked exceptionally handsome. But the somewhat weak, aggrieved air of the past was gone, and the resentfulness that always seemed to hover on his expression in the last few years had also dissipated. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In its place was a confident, spirited, calm, and restrained young man. On closer inspection, one could even feel a kind of subtle authority emanating from him. In terms of temperament, he was completely different from what she remembered. This is my son? Wang Qi seemed a bit bewildered. Chapter 363 - Chapter 363: Chapter 222, Confirming This is Really My Own Mother Chapter 363: Chapter 222, Confirming This is Really My Own Mother ¡°Mother, welcome to Rage Owl Star.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s voice roused Wang Qi from her stupor. She saw Gu Hang with his arms open, walking towards her. Subconsciously, she also opened her arms and embraced Gu Hang briefly. But in her heart, she felt a strange sensation. Something was off, very off. Their embrace wasn¡¯t tight, after a mere touch, Gu Hang released his hands. He introduced her to the surroundings, ¡°This place is Revival City.¡± The landing spaceship touched down at the Revival City airport, an area dedicated for landing crafts. From here, one could see the entire city. Honestly, Revival City didn¡¯t strike Wang Qi particularly. She had visited many worlds, and the urban construction of Revival City seemed average to her. Not to mention comparing it to the Star Sector Capital or Garden World Winged Star, even many ordinary second-tier cities on other planets seemed far more advanced than Revival City. However, she hadn¡¯t forgotten that this was originally a Wasteland World. Now, at least from what she could see, there was no trace of the desolate wasteland. It might not be pretty, but it was orderly and the streets were clean. All these changes, had only happened in a year and a half, shaped by her own son. Even for someone as worldly as Miss Wang Qi, she had to admit that this was an extraordinary feat. Moreover, when she thought about the temperament that Gu Hang displayed, it was completely different from what she remembered. Could this really be the same worthless son who had once enraged her for not being competitive, whom she had felt disgraced their and her late husband¡¯s genes? With complex emotions, Wang Qi followed Gu Hang aboard a Wind Falcon, and moments later, they arrived at the Alliance Building. It was the tallest structure within Revival City, reconstructed from the old Alliance Council building. Currently, this eight-story building was both Gu Hang¡¯s residence and his office. The top floor was the council hall, now renamed the Governor¡¯s Hall, reserved for large-scale working meetings of the Alliance. On the same floor, Gu Hang had a more casual space set up, his office. Generally speaking, this was where Gu Hang worked daily. Dealing with documents, contemplating issues, meeting with visitors, holding some small-scale confidential meetings¡­ Connected to the office was a series of rooms in the back: a living room, bedroom, dressing room, bathroom, and other living spaces, all designed for Gu Hang, of course. The decor was not extravagant. Although everything necessary was there, it was clear Mr. Gu didn¡¯t pursue luxury; comfort was enough. After touring the whole place with her son, Wang Qi stood in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window in Gu Hang¡¯s office, gazing at the cityscape, her thoughts drifting far away. In her mind, there were always ¡®two¡¯ sons. One was the son in her memory, and the other was the son she was seeing now. The son in her memories loved luxurious things, always dressed in expensive and intricate clothes, lived in a place that glimmered with gold and glamour, and liked to use these external things to cover up his inner weakness. The son before her wore a neat military uniform, which accentuated his tall figure, without any extra decoration; even his living space was simple, casual, even the colors were subdued. The son in her memories was cowardly, always full of resentment, haughty yet lackluster, without real skills but still pretentious. But what she saw now was a son with accomplishment, yet calm and steady, commanding respect and full of dignity. These two images appeared simultaneously in Wang Qi¡¯s mind and yet could not overlap. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Gu Hang¡¯s gentle voice echoed beside her, as he handed her a cup of hot tea, ¡°I don¡¯t have much to offer you, but this is a gift from my cousin from before.¡± Taking the hot tea from her son, she tasted it, but couldn¡¯t focus on the flavor. She said to Gu Hang, ¡°You never liked tea before.¡± ¡°Actually, I still don¡¯t like tea,¡± Gu Hang laughed, ¡°But I remembered you enjoy it.¡± ¡°You never used to care about these things.¡± Gu Hang was silent for a moment, then said, ¡°I¡¯ve changed a lot, haven¡¯t I.¡± ¡°Yes, can just under two years of experience result in such drastic changes? If I had known, I should have let you go out and temper yourself earlier.¡± ¡°Timing matters,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°I myself am surprised by my changes. In those few months on the way to Rage Owl Star, it¡¯s like I suddenly understood many things. Maybe this is what some legends call a moment of epiphany.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Why couldn¡¯t your epiphany have come earlier¡­¡± Gu Hang was quite composed, ¡°I think it was just in time. Without that period of complete disenchantment, and summoning the courage to push forward again, it¡¯s unrealistic to have an epiphany out of nowhere. From this perspective, I should actually thank you, Mother. That slap before I left and the reality that our family truly did not provide any support after arriving at Rage Owl Star, the pressure of dying if I didn¡¯t succeed as the governor¡­ without all this, where would the change come from?¡± Hearing this, Wang Qi finally sensed something familiar: resentment. Her son in her memories seemed always to be complaining. Complaining about not having enough money, complaining about people not listening to him, complaining that things didn¡¯t progress as he wished¡­ This slight touch of familiarity unexpectedly made her blood pressure rise. Chapter 364 - Chapter 364: Chapter 222, Confirming This Is Really My Mom_2 Chapter 364: Chapter 222, Confirming This Is Really My Mom_2 This had always been her biggest disappointment with her son. ¡°Don¡¯t speak in riddles, if you think I, or the family, haven¡¯t treated you well, just say it.¡± Gu Hang laughed heartily, ¡°I¡¯m not speaking in riddles, isn¡¯t this me speaking plainly?¡± ¡°Huh, if you want to be direct, be direct. Why mention ¡®I still have to thank Mother¡¯?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand, my thanks are not sarcasm but genuine.¡± Having reached this point in the conversation, Gu Hang¡¯s attitude became more relaxed. He looked into his mother¡¯s eyes and said earnestly: ¡°First of all, I want to thank you for giving me this life, which is the most important thing. Without it, I couldn¡¯t be standing here.¡± ¡°Secondly, I am grateful for the status of the family. Without it, even if Rage Owl Star were more broken down and more of a Wasteland World, the position of Military Governor would not have fallen to me. I won¡¯t overlook the help that my family status has brought me.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s all there is to my gratitude to you.¡± ¡°I came to Rage Owl Star alone, armed only with an appointment letter, and with the support of the Imperial Navy. For these things, I suppose I shouldn¡¯t thank you or the family, since you were so opposed to me becoming this Military Governor in the first place.¡± ¡°I started from scratch just outside the city, in the wild countryside, creating factories and cities from the ground up, defeating raiders, eliminating Aberrant Beasts, and killing rebels. I have reclaimed the original power of this planet. For these, I need not thank you or the family either.¡± ¡°I cleared the major threats that emerged on this planet, from Heretic Cultists to Green Skin disasters, to the descent of Demons; I led my troops into the stars, slaying the Beastman Fleet General; my loyal subordinates expelled the formidable Demon Unclean One. These things, I also do not need to thank you or the family for.¡± By now, Wang Qi seemed to have guessed what Gu Hang was going to say, but still, she could hardly believe it. Regardless of the emotional storms inside, she just stared at Gu Hang, waiting for his next words. Gu Hang did not disappoint her, and said calmly and firmly, ¡°You see, the part I need to thank for, a cup of hot tea, a word of care, sending an army out of concern for my safety, the upcoming close cooperation with the commercial fleet of the family, isn¡¯t that enough? I am expressing my gratitude through my actions, and you will always be my mother.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s as far as it goes.¡± ¡°The rebuilding and development of Rage Owl Star, there¡¯s too much for which I need not thank you or the family. So, I think Rage Owl Star¡¯s connection to the Gu Clan isn¡¯t that significant, and aside from our mother-son relationship, my connection to the Gu Clan is not that significant either.¡± Wang Qi took a deep breath, her gaze sharp as a falcon¡¯s on Gu Hang, ¡°Are you saying you want to break away from the Gu Clan? You don¡¯t want the position of Gu Clan Leader either?¡± Gu Hang remained undisturbed, ¡°You see, it seems you didn¡¯t quite understand what I said earlier. My relationship with you as mother and son won¡¯t change, I respect you, I love you, but as for other relations, they were never there, were they? Does the development of Rage Owl Star have anything to do with the Gu Clan at all? As for the position of Gu Clan Leader you mentioned just now¡­ that is a different matter. You never planned to hand over the entire family to me straight away. On the contrary, if you want to achieve your plans, my becoming the Clan Leader is your only option.¡± ¡°In other words, my dear mother, it¡¯s you who are asking me to take on this role, not me wanting it.¡± Wang Qi clenched her teeth, ¡°That was your dream before!¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not my dream now.¡± Gu Hang spread his arms, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about dreams with you, because it¡¯s too big a topic, like speaking madness.¡± Looking at her son, who seemed ready to embrace the entire starry sky, Miss Wang Qi was certain¨Cher son had changed, completely changed, and was no longer the person she once knew. This was something she had once dreamt of happening, but when it actually happened, she couldn¡¯t help feeling a sense of loss. But she quickly suppressed that inexplicable emotion. This was surely a great thing. After all, she had been battering through the commercial world for decades, managing to protect her late husband¡¯s legacy from being plundered by relatives. She regained her composure. ¡°Whatever your dream is, becoming the head of the Gu Family would be beneficial in every way.¡± ¡°Of course, I completely agree, which is why I didn¡¯t oppose your plan, and to ensure that nothing went wrong with the plan, to ensure your safety, I even dispatched the army.¡± ¡°` ¡°Then just be the Governor of Rage Owl Star properly, and as for your identity as the Gu Clan Head, you can hold it. Attend some meetings when necessary; otherwise, you need not concern yourself with other matters.¡± ¡°That would be best,¡± said Gu Hang. ¡°However, as the Gu Clan Head, even though I may not be handling affairs, theoretically, it should be within my rights to use some family resources to aid the development of my planet. After all, that¡¯s only fair.¡± ¡°Did you not say that Rage Owl Star has nothing to do with the Gu Family?¡± ¡°True, but as the Gu Clan Head, I should have that authority; it¡¯s what I¡¯m due.¡± His words were loaded with meaning. So, I give you this nominal title of Family Head, convenient for managing affairs, and you demand compensation? Of course, Miss Wang Qi could understand as well. She sighed, her hand caressing her son¡¯s handsome face, ¡°In the end, all of this belongs to you¡­ ¡°Yes, I believe it does,¡± said Gu Hang. Regardless of what he thought, he always had to say so. ¡°Some things you give whenever you want, and I won¡¯t ask. I¡¯ll only take what I¡¯m entitled to; that¡¯s not too much to ask.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not too much,¡± Wang Qi withdrew her hand, ¡°Your cousin will lead a new commercial fleet in due time. If you have any trade needs, go to her. Once you¡¯ve built up the starport, the Gu Commercial Fleet will list Rage Owl Star as a regular trade route; the Gu Commercial Fleet will offer Rage Owl Star the most favorable trade partner status; with your authority as the Family Head, the private annual allotment of five million Tax Currency that you can use freely, I will not interfere with how you spend this money. However, if this sum yields a good investment return, the related financial amount might increase.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s eyes truly sparkled now. For nothing else, that annual five million Tax Currency was a huge benefit! That¡¯s about the total taxes Rage Owl Star has to pay in a year! Now he was sure this was truly his mother! His mother said, ¡°Come along, join me for lunch. I still have to check on your territory this afternoon.¡± ¡­ The lunch was sumptuous, featuring a great amount of delicacies and fine wine not produced on Rage Owl Star. Gu Hang could remember, almost everything was the previous occupant¡¯s favorite. Over dinner, mother and son talked some more. Not idle chatter; they didn¡¯t have that much to talk about. It was mainly about the family¡¯s circumstances. Gu Hang offered some insights. After the meal, his old mother even left him the cook and a boatload of ingredients, hoping he could eat well in the future. The thirty thousand soldiers following their mother needed time to board the ship. During the process of the army embarking, Gu Hang, accompanied by Miss Wang Qi, toured the factories of Weixing City and then took a quick trip to Beiqing Valley Province with Jason Morgan, the provincial governor, aboard the Wind Falcon, skimming low over vast fields. Miss Wang Qi¡¯s eyes shone with excitement at the sight of everything on Rage Owl Star. If the orderly appearance of Fuxing City had reassured her, then seeing the factories in Weixing City, not large in scale but steadily producing industrial goods and weapons; seeing the two hundred million mu of farmland in Beiqing Valley Province that had been cultivated or was about to be cultivated¨Cjust her merchant¡¯s instinct alone allowed her to swiftly calculate the immense potential of Rage Owl Star. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Beyond the instincts of a merchant¡¯s investment sense, a more primal emotion spontaneously surged in her heart: Pride! Even though her son had spouted a lot of nonsense previously about these achievements having nothing to do with her or the Gu Family, but¡­ that was her son! She couldn¡¯t help feeling this way when she saw these accomplishments. Her son had changed, and for the better. ¡°` Chapter 365 - Chapter 365: Chapter 223, The Message from Nest Capital World Chapter 365: Chapter 223, The Message from Nest Capital World ¡°` Miss Wang Qi came and went in a hurry. After spending one night there, she boarded a spaceship and left the next day. Traveling from Rage Owl Star to Heijian Star only required one trip through the Star Realm Tunnel. Adding the normal time for space travel, the journey took about six or seven days in total. There was still some time before the family conference began. However, she definitely wanted to arrive earlier. She needed to erase some uncertain factors before the conference started to ensure that everything was set in stone. After bidding farewell to his mother and three mentors, Gu Hang returned to his normal work routine. He was waiting for the outcome of the family conference, waiting for his coronation as Family Head, waiting for the five million Tax Currency his birth mother planned to give him. With so much money, he could buy a lot of good stuff. Such as Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor, Terminator Armor, key components for building starports¨Cones you can produce, but it¡¯s too slow, and with money, you can import them to speed up the progress. Even, by saving up more or asking his mother for a larger sponsorship, he was even thinking of making some bigger moves. For example, terraforming the planetary surface. The central three provinces and the eastern three provinces, vast lands mostly wastelands, are hard to cultivate, with harsh environments, and riddled with Low Energy Storms¡­ The Empire certainly has special technologies that can change planetary environments. This itself is a prerequisite technology for large-scale interstellar colonization. His ultimate goal was to make the Low Energy Storms settle down. Before the war, the greatest value of Rage Owl Star was energy extraction from the Spiritualized Gas Fields. Now, the Low Energy Storms that ravage many parts of the planet are essentially Spiritual Energy forces leaking from the Spirit Realm Crystal Wall. Without being bound, they settle in one environment, unable to form Spiritualized Gas Fields anymore; but this energy exists, hence they become uncontrollable storms. If it¡¯s possible to correct the wasteland environment of Rage Owl Star, find a way to restrain and settle Spiritual Energy, and form Spiritualized Gas Fields again, the entire planet¡¯s value will soar tremendously. Of course, the price for this is very high. To accomplish a major transformation of the climate and environment of an entire planet, it could easily cost tens to hundreds of billions of Tax Currency. The Empire generally is reluctant to invest significant resources to change an environment of a planet for interstellar colonization. With that amount of money, it would rather build a fleet, which might be able to snatch more than one planet from the hands of the Empire¡¯s enemies in a war. Of course, if there is something of particularly great value¨Cwhether it¡¯s the value of the planet itself or the strategic value of its location¨Cthen the Empire would still invest in this area. For this reason, the related technological capabilities still exist. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t afford this sum. If he could come up with tens or hundreds of billions of Tax Currency for planetary environmental transformation, then at that point, he probably wouldn¡¯t be lacking in income from the Spiritualized Gas Fields generated from the Low Energy Storms settling. After all, no matter how coveted the output from the Spiritualized Gas Fields may be, the huge upfront investment required would take many years to recoup. However, just because Gu Hang couldn¡¯t afford this money now didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t look for it elsewhere. For example, the Gu Clan. Such a great investment project, wouldn¡¯t the Gu Family be tempted? I, as Family Head, am tempted! ¡­ Before the result of the family conference held on Heijian Star arrived, Gu Hang received another piece of news. This news came from Korolya No. 3 Planet. The Korolya Star System had two planets. Korolya I was a mineral resource planet, but was very inhospitable, with a permanent population probably only in the millions, mainly miners and some industries serving them. Korolya III, in the same star system, is the largest, most populous Nest Capital World in the Tianma Star Sector. There, 41.8 billion people reside! Honestly, Gu Hang really couldn¡¯t imagine how a planet could accommodate more than forty billion people. He had never personally visited Korolya III, only heard that the planet¡¯s wilderness environment was basically gone, all barren land. The massive population was housed in about twenty ¡®Nest Capitals.¡¯ The so-called ¡®Nest Capital,¡¯ as the name implies, is a massive ¡®nest.¡¯ A human nest. In essence, it¡¯s a city. But compared to the cities Gu Hang had in mind, there is a huge difference. It would often hollow out the entire underground area of a region as the bottom layer of the Nest Capital, where a large population of lower-class citizens lived; the middle layer of the Nest Capital might have some industrial value; the upper layer is mainly for administration, commerce, the homes of the powerful, important industrial zones, etc. For the majority of the population living in the middle and lower classes, they may not see sunlight for their entire lives. Chaos, death, disease, poverty¡­ these things entangle the lives of the people of the Nest Capital. Their average life expectancy might be only around forty years. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Disease, overwork, malnutrition, vendettas¡­ these are their main causes of death. Besides these, the most significant loss of population on Korolya III comes from¡­ Imperial Tax. If there is anything special about Korolya III, it is its population. The Empire defines the annual total value of production of an Imperial person as 1 Tax Currency. Whereas a healthy, working-age living person, when used as tax, is valued at 5 Tax Currency. ¡°` Chapter 366 - Chapter 366: Chapter 223: Message from the Nest Capital World_2 Chapter 366: Chapter 223: Message from the Nest Capital World_2 It was evident that in the Empire¡¯s value system, human life had a price: merely the production value of five years. Korolya III had over four hundred billion people, and the tax they had to pay each year reached 4.2 billion Tax Currency. More than half of that tax was satisfied through the exchange of population. They would hand over five hundred million people each year to cover 2.5 billion Tax Currency; then, they would pay several billion more in industrial goods and processed foods. That was the structure of their tax payments. Korolya III was poor and suffering, its people living in dire straits. But in reality, looking at the big picture, it was a powerful and wealthy planet. The largest source of wealth was its four hundred billion population. Within the entire Tianma Star Sector, it was only Korolya III and Capital Wing Star that could reach the tax payment of 4 billion a year. Capital Wing Star achieved this through development, while Korolya III did so due to its large population. And at the moment, on Gu Hang¡¯s planet, there indeed was a group of guests from Korolya III¨Cthe battle nuns of the Saint Lily of Mercy. This interstellar call was looking for them. The caller was a bishop of the Imperial State Religion on Korolya III, named Zhao Qinghong, who was the head of the church in the Korolya diocese. He inquired Gu Hang about the whereabouts of Superior Georgette. Upon learning that she couldn¡¯t be contacted for the time being, he left a message: ¡°Please have Superior Georgette reply to my message as soon as possible. I have urgent matters to inform her of.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Gu Hang agreed first, but then couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°However¡­ may I ask what the matter is specifically?¡± Bishop Zhao Qinghong hesitated for a moment but ultimately gave an answer, ¡°On Korolya, there are several Nest Capital Worlds where uncontrollable cult incidents have erupted. We need the strength of Superior Georgette; she must return as soon as possible.¡± This statement surprised Gu Hang. What kind of emergency situation required a superior from another planet to come back for assistance? It seemed quite serious by the looks of it. But if it was really serious, what significant help could Superior Georgette provide by returning with just twenty to thirty battle nuns? No matter how he thought about it, it seemed rather strange. It seemed that Bishop Zhao sensed Gu Hang¡¯s confusion, as he provided an answer, ¡°We need a superior capable of controlling the ¡®Valkyrie¡¯ armor to solve some problems that cannot be resolved under normal circumstances.¡± Valkyrie armor¡­ That was indeed the first time Gu Hang had heard of it. But it wasn¡¯t appropriate for him to inquire further; the bishop clearly had other matters to attend to. After the communication ended, Gu Hang sent a message to Superior Georgette. Speaking of this group of battle nuns, they had once given great assistance to Gu Hang. During the recovery of Revival City, the nuns of Saint Lily of Mercy, along with the interstellar warriors of the Phoenix, had supported the situation with their high-end combat capabilities. Afterward, these restless nuns, mourning the death of a sister, directly clashed with the cult members of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect. Even more so, Superior Georgette had summoned another group from her hometown. Now, the number of battle nuns active on Rage Owl Star had surpassed thirty. They were diligently investigating the conditions of the cult members, following leads all the way to the North, and it had already been a year¡¯s time. Of course, they were not always in the North. They would often return for periods of time to rest, resupply ammunition, heal, and gather intelligence. Meanwhile, the Alliance maintained a military force in the Central-North Province. The 9th Garrison Division of the Alliance had been there all along. In addition to suppressing the local area, they also had an important mission, which was to coordinate with the battle nuns¡¯ operations. Further north from the Central-North Province lay the so-called Northern Territories. According to the leads obtained by the battle nuns, the stronghold of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, and the place where they exerted the greatest influence, was in that region. The 9th Garrison Division had been supporting their activities in the North all along. The Alliance was not without its benefits. The most direct manifestation was that the area of the Northern Province had significantly expanded in that year, despite the 9th Division not having any major military operations. This was thanks to the efforts of these battle nuns. In this year, they conquered quite a few settlements¨Cnot always by force, sometimes through preaching. Whenever they found clues or traces of the Cult, they would rush over, root out the local cultists¡¯ influence, and then hastily depart for the next target. And the coalition forces would happily take over these settlements in their wake. Of course, the 9th Division wasn¡¯t just idling and profiting from the situation. In reality, the Battle Nuns sometimes encountered troubles they found difficult to deal with. In minor skirmishes, the Battle Nuns, equipped with nun-powered mechs and blessed by the Imperial State Religion, didn¡¯t fear the indigenous cultists. However, the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect was deeply entrenched in many places up north. Sometimes, they would mobilize the masses, harnessing the power of settlements to gather large numbers of people and armed forces to encircle them. And it was often at those times that the 9th Division would take action. Though a garrison division and a second-line force of the coalition, it was still a regular army. Over six thousand soldiers, sixty cannons, and more than three hundred trucks at their disposal. Whenever the Battle Nuns operated, soldiers from the 9th Division were always on standby outside. When they encountered big troubles, a call would bring 155mm howitzer shells raining from the sky, blasting in front of their enemies to carve a bloody path for them. And when necessary, transport trucks would bring at least a battalion of soldiers and if the situation called for it, several battalions would rush over. So far, this combination has proved to be invincible. In the Northern Territories, the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect¡¯s several encirclement efforts so far have failed to significantly hamper the Battle Nuns. Like the initial situation in Revival City, they were able to stage such a grand spectacle because they had been preparing for several years in advance, established windmill formations, and invoked the Evil God. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, who could rival the Battle Nuns? To tell the truth, Gu Hang was quite reluctant to see the Battle Nuns go. Who wouldn¡¯t like free labor? The Primordial Wrath Owl Sect hadn¡¯t caused any trouble in the south in over a year. That¡¯s because the Battle Nuns in the north were putting a lot of pressure on them, leaving them no room to breathe, let alone stir trouble in the south. But now, with their departure, the pressure in the north would have to be borne by themselves. However, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t just sit on the news and say nothing. That would be utterly shameless. More importantly, it could easily turn a good relationship sour in the future. There¡¯s no need for that. If it had been earlier, he might have worried about the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect causing significant negative impact. But now, the coalition had long since outgrown its early vulnerabilities. The coalition, with a population of twenty-two million, had become a behemoth that the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect could only look up to. Even if they wanted to cause trouble, they could only hide in the shadows like rats. Furthermore, he now had other options to deal with these guys. He planned to recruit another batch of Heretic Demon Hunters, train them, and then send them to the north to take over the unfinished business of the Battle Nuns. ¡­ Three days later, Gu Hang met with Georgette in Revival City. Through the sustained and open communication with Georgette through the Central-North Province, Gu Hang had already informed her about the letter from her hometown. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Over the past year, they had met more than once in fact. When others were offering free labor and came back for a rest, Gu Hang, as the boss, had to make a point of expressing his gratitude. This time was no different, Georgette appeared travel-weary as ever. ¡°Bishop Zhao is calling me back now, but it really isn¡¯t the right time,¡± Superior Georgette appeared very frustrated, ¡°We¡¯ve obtained crucial intelligence, my sisters have located a core stronghold of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect and have even grasped their next desperate move¡­ but it has to be at this very moment!¡± She was very unreconciled. Chapter 367 - Chapter 367: Chapter 224, As the Thought of Alliance Emerges Chapter 367: Chapter 224, As the Thought of Alliance Emerges Facing Georgette¡¯s frustration and dissatisfaction, Gu Hang felt helpless too. ¡°Superior Georgette, I am very regretful as well. The contributions that you and your sisters have made over this past year are witnessed by everyone on the entire planet. I truly appreciate your efforts and sincerely hope that you can stay, to help us thoroughly eradicate that group of heretical cultists from the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect,¡± ¡°But I cannot be so selfish. You still need to communicate with Korolya III, and in the end, whether you decide to go or stay, I will respect your choice.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s words were polite and earnest. This was indeed what he felt in his heart. No matter how reluctant Georgette was, she could only nod in agreement. Before initiating the interstellar communication with Korolya III, she earnestly said to Gu Hang, ¡°I will fight to stay, at least until those cultists are eliminated.¡± Gu Hang nodded with a smile. ¡­ When Georgette was communicating with her old home, Gu Hang respectfully left, not listening in. After the Superior came out, her expression was awful. It was at this moment that Gu Hang asked, ¡°How did it go? Is the situation still serious?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Georgette sighed, ¡°Perhaps, Korolya III is facing a war.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s expression darkened. He asked, ¡°Similar to¡­ that historical war on Rage Owl Star?¡± ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t get to that extent. We¡¯re going back to prevent that situation from happening.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Gu Hang exhaled deeply. He didn¡¯t know exactly what had happened on Korolya III, but he didn¡¯t want that place to fall into chaos. The total population of the Tianma Star Sector, excluding Korolya III, was only forty billion across the remaining eight planets. If Korolya III became unstable, it would mean half the star sector¡¯s population was thrown into turmoil. Business, trade, and communication would come to a halt. Gu Hang was looking forward to using the Gu Clan¡¯s resources to strengthen Rage Owl¡¯s position in interstellar commerce once he became the Gu Clan Head, even if he was just a puppet and the real power lay with his mother. Wasn¡¯t that the purpose of building the Starport? It could bring significant economic benefits. But now it seemed a war was about to start. If it were just minor unrest within the star planet, that would be manageable; but if it spread to the scale of that terrible historical war Rage Owl Star had witnessed, requiring the mobilization of fleets, massive material investments, and the incessant deployment of the Star Realm Army to stabilize the situation¡­ That would spell disaster; without resolving the conflict, commerce could hardly be restored. Moreover, if you looked at it more seriously, if the disaster on Korolya III were to spread beyond its borders, Rage Owl Star would likely be the first to bear the brunt. From Korolya III to Rage Owl Star was just one jump away through the Star Realm Tunnel. If corruption, heretical traitors, or even demons started to spread and invade from Korolya III, there would be no escaping for Rage Owl Star. A disaster capable of destroying a planet of forty billion people would be unstoppable for Rage Owl, a thousandfold smaller with a population of only forty million. Gu Hang still hoped that the issues on Korolya III could be resolved appropriately. However, there wasn¡¯t much he could do in the situation. It was another case where he could only wait for the outcome. But at this time, it was Georgette who was comforting him, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry so much. On Korolya III, each of the twenty Nest Capitals is so large and densely populated. There are many places and people that law enforcement and government departments cannot monitor. Disgusting things happen all the time, and cults are just one part of it. This time, it is just on a larger scale and more severe, but it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean it will develop to an irreversible stage. I¡¯m going back to solve this problem.¡± ¡°I hope you can resolve it properly,¡± Gu Hang could only say in response. ¡°Hmm, but¡­¡± Georgette seemed to have made up her mind about something and said to Gu Hang, ¡°However, we don¡¯t have a ship to take us back right now. Bishop Zhao Qinghong said he will send a church ship to pick us up from Rage Owl Star. It will take at least six or seven days to get here, plus the return trip¡­ He told me that it would be enough if we could return to Korolya within a month. So, I¡¯m thinking¡­¡± ¡°If we take action in advance, is there time for us to completely uproot the Primal Fury Owl Sect?¡± It was clear that the Superior was not content. After a year of effort, leaving without a result would be too suffocating and distressing for her. That¡¯s why she made this proposal. But Gu Hang was very calm. ¡°If possible, that would of course be best. But¡­ we cannot act too rashly. Right now, do we have enough intelligence? Do we have enough time? Is the timing right?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Georgette candidly replied, ¡°It¡¯s not quite ripe, but it¡¯s not unfeasible. Listen to me¡­¡± She carefully detailed their so-called recent big breakthrough to Gu Hang. Throughout this process, Gu Hang listened intently and occasionally interjected with questions. He seriously considered whether the plan proposed by Georgette was feasible. If they could indeed resolve this major concern and recapture the Northern Territories before the Sisters left, it would undoubtedly be a good thing. Chapter 368 - Chapter 368: Chapter 224, A Thought of Union Arises_2 Chapter 368: Chapter 224, A Thought of Union Arises_2 Although he had already formed a new Heretic Demon Hunter Squad of fifty people, spending over a thousand points of favor and pouring half of this month¡¯s income into it, he was preparing them to take over the jobs of the Battle Nuns. But this was, after all, merely a backup plan. The capabilities of the Heretic Demon Hunters couldn¡¯t match the ferocity of the Battle Nuns. They might barely keep up in investigation and exploration, but their combat strength was far inferior. Even if they were equipped with exoskeletons and the Alliance¡¯s most outstanding individual combat gear, in addition to their various Spiritual Energy talents, they were definitely no match for the Battle Nuns. These noble ladies, in single combat, could probably only be steadily suppressed by interstellar warriors. According to Gu Hang¡¯s Army Badge System in terms of capabilities, they had to be at least T1 level with a set of Emperor¡¯s Blessing Buffs as super soldiers. Besides combat strength, the Battle Nuns had been investigating that Cult for a year already and had been active in the Northern Territories for so long that their grasp of intelligence and understanding of local conditions were incomparable to the newly arrived Heretic Demon Hunters. All were disadvantages. If it were possible to resolve the matter before the Nuns left, that would of course be best. After listening to Georgette¡¯s detailed account, Gu Hang was pondering: ¡°Your plan does indeed have a possibility of being realized, let me think carefully¡­ Tadeusz? Bring my chief of staff to me, I need to know how much force we can mobilize.¡± ¡­ Five days later, Northern Territories, Polar Industrial City. Now, with the season approaching autumn, the residual warmth was still present in the Green Valley Region to the south, where the main grain crops were ready for harvest, painting the landscape in golden hues as people began their hard yet joyful work. This would be a year of abundance. However, in the north, the season had already brought snowfall. The first heavy snow covered the area surrounding the Extreme North Industrial City in a blanket of white. But the city itself stood out amidst the snow, still drab and sweltering with heat. The Northern Territories are vast, even larger than the combined area of the Green Valley and Western Desert Regions. However, the climate here is a bit more severe and it suffered greatly during the world-ending war. Life for its inhabitants is harsher and the population, sparser. According to the last census of the Old Alliance from a few years ago, during the era of the second Governor-General, the population of the expansive Northern Territories had dwindled to around three million individuals. Within the Northern Territories, the greatest force was a corporation named ¡®Polar Industrial Group¡¯. A large portion of the Northern populace serves them, either as directly hired employees¨Cwhich is a rather high-status position with better compensation and living conditions¨Cor as informal workers, or simply those serving industries related to the Polar Industries Group, which is not as favorable. And then there are those with no ties at all whose lives are generally even more impoverished. With a decent industrial capability, the Polar Industrial Group produces various consumer goods, mechanical products, including vehicles, engineering machinery, and armaments. As for food production in the Northern Territories, it is minimal with only a few greenhouse plantations, which are not enough to ensure food supply for millions. The majority of food for the Northern Territories comes from imports from the Western Desert Region. And this grey-black city, still smoking from metal smelting and industrial heat amidst the snow, is the headquarters of Polar Industries. Originally, it was unnamed¨Can industrial base¨Cuntil the scale grew, more people worked there, and it took on the appearance of an industrial urban area, hence acquiring the name ¡®Extreme North Industrial City.¡¯ At the moment, within a luxurious office at the top of the industrial city, Jerome Pierre sat with a gloomy expression, deep in thought. He was the current CEO of Polar Industries, arguably the most powerful man in the Northern Territories. In theory, not much should trouble someone like him anymore. But lately, one troubling issue after another had been cropping up. The latest news was of an army of unknown size, but not small in scale, that had appeared on the highways of the Central-North Province and was continuing northward. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Frankly, since the establishment of the Alliance, he had never been at ease. Polar Industries had fairly close ties with the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect. Although Pierre didn¡¯t particularly like those fanatics, troubles that money could settle didn¡¯t need to be overcomplicated. Moreover, that Cult had been established in the Northlands even longer than they had, and at one point had built up quite a widespread following. Particularly many of the lower-class laborers believed in this Cult, thinking that by worshipping the Primal Fury Owl, they could reach an afterlife on Rage Owl Star as prosperous as the past. Falling out with the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect wouldn¡¯t do; firstly, they lacked the strength to thoroughly eradicate the entire Sect; secondly, it would destabilize their industries; and thirdly, they would struggle to cope with reprisals. Paying a sum as a ¡®donation¡¯ to maintain good relations and ensure peace seemed the better option. Once relations improved, they found it interesting that they could leave some dirty and troublesome tasks to the Sect. Chapter 369 - Chapter 369: Chapter 224, When Thoughts of Attachment Arise_3 Chapter 369: Chapter 224, When Thoughts of Attachment Arise_3 But after the Alliance was established, their good days became somewhat troubled. On the one hand, the industrial capacity of the new Alliance mysteriously skyrocketed. In the past, they understood Revival City to be merely a trade center, a high-quality hub station. They imported many agricultural products from it and, at the same time, sold their industrial products through Revival City to the outside world in exchange for raw materials and production supplies¡­ But now, within a year and a half, according to the latest intelligence, the industrial city called Weixing City, which sprang up not far from Revival City, already gathered an industrial population of over two million. Its output even surpassed Polar Industrial City. Moreover, it was capable of producing many things they regarded as highly sophisticated. The best products that Polar Industries could proudly offer were threefold: the Challenger tank, helicopters, and fixed-wing jet aircraft. The production capacity for these three items was not actually high, and previously, by selling some of them at very expensive prices, they had earned a quite substantial profit. On Rage Owl Star, generally speaking, any power that could roll out a Challenger was almost guaranteed to hold an absolute advantage in a regional conflict. But now¡­ that was far from the case. The Alliance¡¯s armed forces were now equipped with Wind Falcons, Strider Armored Vehicles, and Lion Tanks¡­ Weren¡¯t these much stronger than the toys rolled out by Polar Industries? As for their ¡°homemade guns and cannons,¡± the Alliance didn¡¯t want them anymore. They had better products, and the costs were probably even cheaper than theirs. The profits from their biggest line of business, arms sales, plummeted¨Cespecially after the Eastern Provinces were also reclaimed by the Alliance, leaving them with even fewer customers. It was fortunate that trade with the Western Desert was not too greatly affected. The Alliance had considerable restrictions on the export of weaponry. Selling little, the Oasis Lords of the Western Desert, wishing to strengthen their armaments, still saw Polar Industries as a decent choice. Although competing with Blackbird Heavy Industries to the west was also a very painful matter¡­ And the arrival of those who called themselves Battle Nuns in The Northlands caused him a great headache. They had clashed with those cultists under his industry more than a few times. As a result, multiple settlements, which were previously heavily influenced by Polar Industries, were incorporated into the so-called Central-North Province under Alliance jurisdiction. And the worst part was, they didn¡¯t dare to get angry. What, were they going to take on the Alliance? Instead, Polar¡¯s President Pierre spent every day in fear that the Alliance might suddenly fancy to reclaim the North Territory. If that were to happen¡­ To be honest, there wasn¡¯t much they could do. Pierre was clear in his recognition that they wouldn¡¯t stand a chance if it came to fighting. From production capacity to existing military strength down to war potential¡­ the North Territory was not superior in any regard. Nor could they pull in any allies. Moreover, they couldn¡¯t take the Alliance lightly¨Cthey were nominally its members. The only bit of hope lay in using the current hostile relationship between the Alliance and the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect to rally more around the cultist base in The Northlands, to wage a ¡°people¡¯s war¡± against the Alliance. But¡­ Why bother? Instead of adopting such a strategy with a low success rate and a huge cost, it was better to throw in the towel and join the Alliance. The moment the idea of joining the Alliance occurred, it felt like the heavens and the earth suddenly broadened! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In fact, he also had the opportunity. The Battle Nuns contacted him over a month ago, essentially asking for his help in providing clues about the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect and even offering assistance in their pursuit of those cultists. And the advantage was that those Battle Nuns had quite a bit of clout within the Alliance, making it easier to arrange for the subsequent ¡®return¡¯ of the Polar Industrial Group to the embrace of the Alliance. He had been getting quite close to those nuns lately. But if I¡¯ve decided to join, why has the Alliance suddenly dispatched a large army northward? Chapter 370 - Chapter 370: Chapter 225, 2 minutes Chapter 370: Chapter 225, 2 minutes President Pierre was quite angry. Upon learning that the Alliance suddenly had a large troop mobilization, his first reaction was to assume it was the Alliance exerting extreme pressure. It was perfectly normal for him to think that way. He had already talked with the Battle Nuns for several rounds and provided them with some assistance. Afterwards, he had also communicated quite amicably with the government of the Alliance¡¯s Central-North Province. He had even been ready to send a secret negotiation team to Revival City soon to discuss with the Alliance Government the conditions under which Polar Industries would join the Alliance and accept its jurisdiction. And now, at this moment, the Alliance suddenly resorted to military action¨Cwhat did that mean? Although there was no direct conflict and it might not even reach the borders of the North Territory, the mere presence of tens of thousands of troops at the border of the Central-North Province and North Territory was a silent declaration. The Alliance playing such a hand on the eve of negotiations was clearly meant to apply pressure, to lower the conditions of Polar Industries¡¯s subsequent incorporation into the Alliance. He had indeed prepared quite a few conditions, after all, they were not surrendering in defeat¨Cthey maintained rare large-scale industrial production capabilities on Rage Owl Star, capable of effectively maintaining rule over the vast North Territory, with its population of over two million people who could be influenced by Polar Industries, more or less. Under these circumstances, they did indeed have the qualification to negotiate some conditions. For instance, could the management of the Polar Industrial Group, the ones making the decision to ¡°join¡± the Alliance, receive better treatment? Could Polar Industries maintain some degree of autonomy in the north? Could they receive technical support from the Alliance? Would the Alliance open its markets to Polar Industries? Such concerns, indeed, there were many points that could be discussed. In fact, the reason Polar Industries had delayed in sending an official negotiation team south to meet with Mr. Gu was that they had not yet settled these issues within their own ranks. Pierre was the president of the group, yes, but he wasn¡¯t the sole decision-maker within such a large conglomerate¨Cfactions and interests were complicated matters. And now with the Alliance deploying troops, did it mean: ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about conditions, there are no conditions to discuss.¡± Were they really being so high-handed? But what could he do about it? It seemed there was nothing he could do. He could issue threats, refuse amalgamation, using the North Territory as leverage to resist the Alliance¡¯s military movements. But he knew that such threats carried no weight. A fundamental factor could not be reversed: they had no hope of defeating the Alliance¡¯s army. This was the most despairing and vexing truth. Just as he was scowling and fiddling with his beard, the door to his office opened. A tall lady in white and green powered armor walked in. Tucked under her arm was a helmet, and she greeted President Pierre with a smile, ¡°Mr. President, good day.¡± ¡°Superior Georgette.¡± Pierre was in no mood for pleasantries, he said grimly, ¡°Your Alliance has very poor manners. Our negotiations were progressing orderly. In the past, I also sought convenience for your actions and was gradually making a clear distinction from those cultists. Everything was moving in a positive direction. Why would there be Alliance troops massing and heading north?¡± ¡°I need an explanation!¡± Georgette was not from the Alliance, but she did not attempt to correct Pierre¡¯s assumption. She said, ¡°You¡¯re correct, but there have been changes. My sisters and I will be leaving this planet soon; we promised Mr. Gu that we would settle all issues within Polar Industrial City before we leave.¡± Georgette did not withhold any information and gave the reasons. Then she earnestly advised, ¡°Therefore, by tomorrow, the flag of the Alliance must be raised over Polar Industrial City. Issues like conditions of joining, you can discuss them afterwards.¡± Pierre almost laughed in anger. He stood up abruptly and said, ¡°To negotiate after the Alliance has taken over Polar Industrial City? How can you even bring yourself to say such a thing? By then, what would there be left to discuss? The whole group will be at the mercy of the Alliance!¡± Georgette sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but I must tell you, this is an ultimatum.¡± ¡°Forget it!¡± Pierre retorted, ¡°Then let the Alliance try! We won¡¯t cower when bullied like this! We¡¯ll arm every one of the three million citizens in the North Territory! We will fully support the activities of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect! Perhaps even if we do so, the Alliance might still win, but they will bleed, they will pay a terrible price, and what they end up with will be nothing but scorched earth in the North Territory!¡± His words were defiant. Putting aside whether these words were heartfelt or if Polar Industries would truly have the resolve to follow through as he said when it came to that point, at least he had to show such demeanor now, or else he would truly be easy prey. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But Georgette was not swayed. ¡°President Pierre, is this the official response you are giving?¡± She looked sternly at the group president. Pierre paused for a moment, his heart racing, sensing something ominous. But having reached this point, he couldn¡¯t take back his defiant words in a matter of seconds. Chapter 371 - Chapter 371: Chapter 225, Two Minutes_2 Chapter 371: Chapter 225, Two Minutes_2 He could only continue to stand his ground and say to Georgette, ¡°Yes! If the Alliance insists on military action, then this is the final answer on behalf of the entire Polar Group!¡± Georgette¡¯s expression did not change at all; she simply said, ¡°You have two minutes to change your mind.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need those so-called two minutes; this is my final answer.¡± ¡°That is your freedom, but I suggest you think carefully in these two minutes.¡± ¡°Enough! Show her out!¡± At his command, the office door opened once again. A whole squad of guards in gray-blue uniforms, armed with lethal weapons, marched in. The leader gestured to Georgette, inviting her to leave. Georgette sighed again. ¡°It seems the best outcome is unattainable¡­¡± Her words more resembled a soliloquy than a statement. ¡°What?¡­¡± Pierre, who had already turned his back, turned around again. He saw the Battle Nun casually put on her helmet. In an instant, a very bad feeling flooded his mind. ¡°Wait¡­¡± He wanted to say something else, but the resolute nun did not give him the chance. Georgette made her move. With one punch, she brought down the guard who had gestured for her to leave, and as the others raised their weapons and fired at her, she swiftly ducked, avoiding a hail of bullets, and her sweeping kick knocked over several of them. Immediately after, she disarmed a fallen soldier of his weapon. The man instinctively clung to his gun, but with one pull from the nun, both he and the weapon were yanked up; one punch to his face rendered him instantly unconscious, making it irrelevant whether he released his grip or not. By that time, bullets were already hitting the Battle Nun. However, the protective capability of her power armor was not easily threatened by the firearms made by Polar Industries. In contrast, with the weapons she had seized, her counterattack distributed each precise bullet evenly among those guards attacking her, without any waste. In such close combat, not exceeding ten meters, she could, of course, hit exactly where she aimed. After eliminating the guards, the Battle Nun strode forward, closed Pierre¡¯s office door, and locked it from the inside. Of course, this was not particularly effective, for those outside had keys. But Georgette did not plan to hold out here for long. After closing the door, the Battle Nun turned around and did not see Pierre. She took a few steps, pulled him out from under the desk. Right after the Battle Nun had made her move, he had hidden himself¨Cmainly to avoid stray bullets, so as not to lose his life senselessly. And now, though still entangled, the group president was still trying to keep calm and maintain defiance. ¡°Even¡­ even if you strike, even if you kill me here, it won¡¯t change the collective will of the group¡­ We won¡¯t¡­ We won¡¯t completely submit to violence, your choice is utterly wrong!¡± ¡°I know, but I never expected that taking you hostage would completely change the situation.¡± ¡°Then you¡­¡± ¡°Shhh¡­ be quiet, I just wanted you to wait for two minutes.¡± Two minutes? Earlier, the Battle Nun also emphasized that he had only two minutes to change his mind. At first, he thought it was just a way of applying further pressure by setting a very short final deadline when issuing the ultimatum. But now it seemed¡­ this so-called two minutes might actually mean something? What could happen? In those two minutes, all he could do was sit quietly. Meanwhile, he heard noises outside the door, guards trying to break in but failing. The door to his president¡¯s office was quite sturdy. Then, faint voices came from outside, probably in search of the spare keys. Two minutes are very short, only enough time for these things to happen. Then he saw Georgette open the window of the president¡¯s office. He instinctively leaned in for a closer look, and then, he heard a series of explosions echoing from all corners of the Polar Industrial City. The closest one was probably less than two kilometers from where he stood. After the explosions came the sound of artillery. It was as if the entire Polar Industrial City had erupted into chaos! Pierre¡¯s brain momentarily crashed. After a while, he managed to turn his head with difficulty, looking towards Georgette. ¡°Did you¡­ infiltrate the Polar Industrial City with your people? How many have you brought in?¡± He hadn¡¯t expected Georgette to answer, as he had asked out of shock more than anything else. But Georgette actually answered, ¡°About two thousand. The 31st Airborne Division of the Alliance is in charge of this operation. Two thousand soldiers infiltrated the Polar Industrial City with your group¡¯s suppliers, blending in with the transport convoys.¡± Pierre appeared quite shocked, ¡°But¡­ so many people¡­ Damn it! Have all those settlements outside betrayed us?¡± Georgette seriously replied, ¡°Not all of them¡­ just over a dozen. In the last two days, their deliveries brought soldiers and weapons from the Alliance hidden inside. Of course, to achieve this, some inside your group also had to assist; otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been easy. Fortunately, our efforts over the past few months in the city haven¡¯t been without results.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Pierre didn¡¯t know what to say. So not only did those settlements acting as suppliers outside become traitors, but there were also traitors within the group, right? And not just a few! He gathered his wits, ¡°But if you don¡¯t mind me saying, two thousand may seem like a lot, but they lack heavy weapons and the Alliance¡¯s renowned armor. To think you can take the Polar Industrial City with just these men is perhaps overly confident.¡± He spoke with more civility than before. But what he hadn¡¯t anticipated was that Georgette nodded again in agreement with his point and continued, ¡°You¡¯re right, which is why¡­ we¡¯ve made some other preparations.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Pierre was about to ask what ¡®some other preparations¡¯ actually meant. But soon, he saw it for himself. By the time the roaring sound reached him, it wasn¡¯t too loud, a bit like bees buzzing. But what was coming was far more frightening than any bee! From a distance, he saw a squadron of hundreds of aircraft diving down from the clouds nearby. In the blink of an eye, they were above the Polar Industrial City. The Polar Industrial City did have air defenses. But clearly, the Alliance¡¯s special operations were targeted. They had some understanding of the air defense layout of the Polar Industrial City. Many of the first wave of attacks by the infiltrating Alliance soldiers were near these air defense positions. In the unexpected assault, they probably didn¡¯t stand a chance to activate their air defenses again. Of course, the infiltrated soldiers could not possibly take out all the air defense positions throughout the entire city. After the Alliance air force arrived, there were still a few defense positions roaring at the sky. But¡­ their effect was very limited. Firstly, they were not dense enough, quite sparse; secondly, their caliber was not sufficiently large. Such anti-aircraft machine guns could handle some light-armored aircraft well enough; a hit could be lethal. But against the Wind Falcon? That armor at the level of armored vehicles was not something that air defense weapons with insufficient caliber could damage for certain. In turn, any time air defense firepower emerged, the Wind Falcons in the sky would launch a missile down there. Often, that would solve the problem. Some Wind Falcons, meanwhile, came to certain open grounds and opened their hatches. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Then, ropes were lowered, and dozens of soldiers clung to them, starting to descend rapidly. Pierre was stunned. ¡ª¡ª¨C Fell asleep last night¡­ didn¡¯t finish writing¡­ Luckily, managed to wrap it up before 12 o¡¯clock. Chapter 372 - Chapter 372: Chapter 226, 1 hour 22 minutes speedrun Chapter 372: Chapter 226, 1 hour 22 minutes speedrun Pierre found it hard to imagine such a thing. The aircraft called Wind Falcons possessed by the Allied Air Force were just too powerful. Not only were they fast, they were also large with thick armor for an aircraft, fierce firepower, and most importantly, they had a great carrying capacity! A single Wind Falcon could carry at least half an infantry platoon! About twenty soldiers rapidly descended, armed and immediately formed a defensive perimeter, sealing off several entrances and exits, and opened fire on distant targets. Because it was too far away, Pierre couldn¡¯t see how effective their firing was, but he could see another Wind Falcon landing, releasing over twenty soldiers. Once it had unloaded the troops, the Wind Falcon gained some altitude, its machine guns firing at certain locations, supporting the ground forces and suppressing the Polar Industrial guards. Afterward, the ground infantry that had infiltrated the city came to join them, helping to further expand the scope of the landing zone. This made it convenient for subsequent Wind Falcons to deploy even more soldiers. At this moment, these huge aircraft even had enough space to land four or five at a time. There was no need for rapid descent, they could land directly on the ground, open their hatches, and the soldiers inside could just run out quickly. This was much faster than deploying soldiers by rappelling. What frightened Pierre the most was that if each of those Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessels was carrying twenty to thirty soldiers, then¡­ with a hundred or so Wind Falcons in the sky, that would mean two to three thousand soldiers could be airdropped? Plus the troops that had previously infiltrated the city¡­ All in all, that would amount to almost five thousand people! When there were only two thousand people before, Pierre could stiffen his neck and say that these two thousand men wanted to capture Polar Industrial City was a bit presumptuous. But now, with the numbers more than doubled, he found it difficult to say the same. Yet, at this moment, Superior Georgette was about to deal another blow to his already heavy heart. ¡°The 31st Airborne Division¡¯s operation is just a prelude. Their task is not to fully capture the entire city. They¡¯re only the advance force, only needing to occupy and control the main parts of the city, or even just the core area, with the support of the air force and that would suffice. Afterward, they will switch to defending these areas and await reinforcements from the main force.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve received intelligence before, right? The Allied has a main force continuously moving northward. Let me tell you, that¡¯s the 9th Garrison Division, the 30th, 32nd, 33rd Infantry Divisions, and the 36th Mechanized Brigade. A total of fifty thousand troops, with all types of artillery and armored forces fully equipped. The newly produced and put into service Lion Tanks, there are eighteen of them. They will head all the way north to the outskirts of Polar Industrial City. With the cooperation of the 31st Airborne Division inside the city, they will ultimately capture the entire city.¡± Superior Georgette detailed the subsequent strategic plan to Pierre very thoroughly. As she was recounting this, a knock sounded at the door of the president¡¯s office. The visitor was not the guards Pierre had been expecting, but Battle Nuns. After the door opened, a squad of about ten nuns entered his office. One of them even carried the weapons that Georgette had left in security when she came to see him. A bomb gun and the ¡®Holy Golden Halberd.¡¯ Armed with these two weapons, she was fully equipped. What made Pierre¡¯s heart race even more was wondering how these nuns got up here? Was their headquarters building¡­ also doomed? What was the overall situation like now? Why was it that at this moment, from the scene he saw outside the window to the situation in his own office, not a single thing was in favor of Polar Industrial Group? Was everything truly over? Just as he was thinking this, Superior Georgette turned her head and posed a soul-searching question to him, ¡°Mr. President, have you now seen the situation clearly?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Pierre didn¡¯t know what to say. Georgette spoke on her own accord, ¡°It¡¯s alright if you can¡¯t see clearly, as I have already made things quite clear to you. If you wish to turn the situation around, you first need to pray that someone can rescue you from my grasp so that you can restore the command system of your entire group; or, you need to hope that someone within your group can step forward, who, in the face of your headquarters¡¯ inability to communicate, can consolidate the full strength of your group.¡± ¡°Only by achieving this can you be qualified to return to the negotiating table, ending the scattered state of guards throughout the Polar Industrial City.¡± ¡°Then, within three days, facing the fire support of the Allied Air Force, you must drive the 31st Airborne Division out of the city.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t accomplish this, when the main forces of the alliance arrive three days later, you will no longer have a chance.¡± ¡°And even if you do manage to do so, it remains to be seen whether you can withstand a siege by several hundred cannons of the alliance, plus uninterrupted air raids, as well as the Lion Tank-led siege operations.¡± ¡°Alright, having heard all this, Mr. Pierre, do you have any further thoughts?¡± Pierre sighed deeply, ¡°What more thoughts can I have? I dare not contemplate anything!¡± Georgette revealed a smile, ¡°Then let it be, if you have made up your mind, please use the citywide communication channel of your headquarters building to broadcast a cease resistance order to the entire city, in your capacity as the president of the group.¡± Pierre appeared to be struggling quite a bit. Georgette could see that the president still harbored unwillingness. So, she pushed a bit harder, ¡°President Pierre, I disdain lying, and everything I¡¯ve said previously is true. However, your attention seems a bit scattered, as if you¡¯ve overlooked an important piece of information I mentioned.¡± ¡°The reason we expedited our operation and launched such an aggressive assault on Polar Industrial City is due to changing circumstances, because we are about to leave this planet and wanted to deal with the Cult issue before then.¡± ¡°These factors are not aimed at you, or at Polar Industrial Group.¡± ¡°Although the alliance has objectively started using military force, you still have room for negotiation. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner you issue the order to cease resistance, and the sooner you drag this into the negotiating process, the more leverage you will be able to obtain.¡± ¡°Conversely, ending the battle as soon as possible, defining it as a conflict, and seeking a peaceful environment will all give you more room to negotiate with the alliance next.¡± ¡°How to choose specifically, I believe you, Mr. President, will surely figure out in your heart. However, you don¡¯t have much time left.¡± Pierre pondered. His eyelids twitched incessantly as he watched the changes in a small part of the battlefield outside the window, and his spirit gradually broke down. Superior Georgette had spoken nothing but the truth, and all her deductions were the most probable. What else could be done? And ultimately, what completely shattered his spirit was seeing a Wind Falcon land, deploying twelve giants in Red Powered Armor. He knew what it meant, which is why he finally despaired, extinguishing the last glimmer of hope at the bottom of his heart. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Finally, he spoke with difficulty, ¡°Alright¡­ alright, I¡¯ll make the citywide announcement¡­¡± Georgette checked the time, from the start of the official action, a total of 1 hour and 22 minutes had passed. She smiled and said to Pierre, ¡°You¡¯ve made the right choice.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C This chapter is 2k, there will be more tonight. Chapter 373 - Chapter 373: Chapter 227, leave it to us Chapter 373: Chapter 227, leave it to us ¡°Employees and residents of the Polar Industrial City, greetings, I am the Group President, Jerome Pierre.¡± ¡°It is with a heavy heart that I announce to you: the Polar Industrial City has been severely infiltrated by the Cult organization, and the situation has gone beyond the control of the Group.¡± ¡°We have requested aid from the Alliance Headquarters, and the Alliance has not forgotten that Polar Industries is also a member of the Alliance. They generously responded to our call for help and sent support troops.¡± ¡°However, inside the city there is a small number of heretical traitors obstructing our joint operation with the Alliance, misleading the masses of our Group, resulting in gunfire within the city.¡± ¡°All employees and residents, please be aware, in my capacity as Group President, I ask you to return to your homes, to your dormitories. When you encounter Alliance troops, do not resist and lay down your weapons; Alliance soldiers will ensure your safety.¡± ¡°All Group Security Guards, take note, lay down your weapons, return to your stations, secure your doors and windows, and do not engage in combat with Alliance soldiers under any circumstances.¡± ¡°I repeat, all Group employees, guards, and residents, stop resisting, return to your homes, and await further orders.¡± ¡°I repeat, all Group employees, guards, and residents, stop resisting, return to your homes, and await further orders.¡± ¡­ Pierre¡¯s voice echoed again and again throughout the entire Polar Industrial City. The city¡¯s broadcasting system faithfully transmitted his commands. This was effective. The guards inside the Polar Industrial City, the armed employees, and residents, were mostly unsure what to do. First, they had not been prepared for battle at all and had no idea that the military would enter the city; second, after the fighting had started, they had always lacked information from the upper echelons of the Group, without a unified command or someone to tell them what to do next. Under these circumstances, the vast majority of them received their first unified order and information from the upper echelons of the Group, which was exactly what President Pierre had said. The status of Pierre was high enough, and his words¡­ although a considerable number of people didn¡¯t quite believe it, if they could avoid risking their lives and it was the boss speaking, then why question it? Pack up, head home or back to the dorm, and take it easy, isn¡¯t that wonderful? At most, pick up the gun, lock the door. As long as no one kicks down my door, whatever happens outside is not my concern. There were also those who were already fighting outside and couldn¡¯t conveniently ¡®go home¡¯, for them, the Alliance Army thoughtfully provided an option: just lay down your weapons obediently, find a centralized place to stay put, and that would be fine. Of course, there were also those who, under Pierre¡¯s announcement, wouldn¡¯t listen, continued to stubbornly resist, and kept up the fight against the Alliance Army. And these guys were first of all in the minority. Among them, there were indeed a very few confused youngsters. They might think that Pierre was under duress, or believe that the Group should not kowtow to those people from the south. For these broken-headed guys, the soldiers of the airborne division didn¡¯t pamper them, just eliminated them completely. And then there were some¡­ who were completely organized, determined, and had a united will. These guys, the places they defended, were also quite sensitive. But their problem wouldn¡¯t have to be solved by the 31st Airborne Division. ¡­ ¡°I understand. Just block off that area, no need to attempt another assault.¡± Brigadier General Tadeusz, whose command post was set up sixty kilometers away, gave such a response after receiving the report from the commander of the 31st Airborne Division. But the Colonel regiment commander on the other side was clearly discontent, ¡°We can still try again! We have regrouped a new team, we only need our comrades in the Air Force to help strike again ¡­¡± ¡°No need,¡± Tadeusz interrupted, ¡°Mr. Derek, you have completed your task very well, do not complicate matters. Next, what you need to do is to take control of the situation in Polar Industrial City, enforce martial law. If there is still resistance within the city, try to quell it, but if it can¡¯t be quelled, there¡¯s no need to further waste the lives of our soldiers. Just ensure that, when our main corps arrives later, we do not have to fight another battle to take the city.¡± ¡°Yes! I assure the completion of the task!¡± After cutting off the communication, Tadeusz clenched his fist. He was not one to favor particularly risky or aggressive strategies in his operations. But now that this operation was a fact, having a careful person like him in the role of overall commander was quite suitable. After all, there were not many left in the Alliance capable of taking on this task. Brigadier General Yan Fangxu was still in the Eastern Province with his Central Group Army, undertaking the reorganization of the local militia into the Eastern Group Army to guard the area, and could not be spared for the time being. After Yan Fangxu returned, he would be promoted to the rank of Major General. As veteran military commanders, the leader of the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade and the brigade¡¯s political commissar, Perbov and Jordan Leroy, had already been urgently pulled from the 1st Brigade to take up the role of commanders and political commissars of the Interstellar Expeditionary Force, and had already set off into space. Tadeusz himself was not originally a front-line military commander, but he was the prime candidate for the position of overall commander of a joint operation involving many newly established division and brigade level units, multiple armed services, and even other forces from non-Alliance Army departments. Throughout the operation, he maintained a calm and steady demeanor. But in reality, how could his heart not be the slightest bit tense? After all, ever since being promoted by the Governor from an ordinary battalion political commissar to being awarded the Wind-Extinguishing Medal, his position had risen rapidly, but he had mainly been involved in military and political affairs. Recruitment, logistics supplies for the entire army, construction of military systems, management of military ranks and titles¡­ These were the major parts of his job in military and political affairs. He had hardly participated in frontline combat anymore. Now, it was his first time taking charge of frontline command, and it had to be a big operation. The newly formed 31st Airborne Division was set for covert infiltration and airborne raids; multiple infantry divisions coordinated with an armored division to race across more than a thousand kilometers in the North Territory within days, and after the airborne troops completed their task, smoothly take over the cities that were captured. There were too many possibilities for mishaps in this ¡ª would the airborne forces fumble? Would the main ground attacking force be delayed? Could the road conditions in the North Territory support the advance of motorized and mechanized troops? But fortunately, none of these concerns came to pass. The combat achievements of the 31st Airborne Division combined with the Air Force were even more pleasing than expected! Now, there was actually no need to worry about conventional military operations anymore. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only His conventional task was completed. What was left was to be handed over to another group, those from non-military sectors. He dialed another commander¡¯s communication. ¡°Comrade Martins Salas, leader of the battle group, we can now confirm the situation, the underground space marked as Area C7 should be the place we are looking for. The rest of the task, we leave to you.¡± ¡°Okay, leave it to us.¡± Chapter 374 - Chapter 374: Chapter 228, Phoenix Newbloods First Battle Chapter 374: Chapter 228, Phoenix Newblood¡¯s First Battle The so-called C7 Zone is not a district defined by Polar Industrial City itself, but rather a part of the combat areas designated by the Alliance Staff Department when formulating operational plans, based on the maps of Polar Industrial City procured by the nuns in early stages, in line with their own combat habits. In terms of the industrial city itself, this should be the location of a raw material storage area of Polar Industries. Meanwhile, this C7 Zone was also an area of focus during the preliminary investigations conducted by the nuns of the Holy Mercy Lily. According to the intelligence obtained earlier, there might be a secret underground space beneath this area. The nuns are fairly confident that this is the headquarters of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect. These cultists played a trick by concealing their headquarters right underneath the storage center of Polar Industries. Clearly, they had deeply infiltrated Polar Industries. This space had remained hidden for so long that even Pierre, the CEO of the group, was unaware of its existence. The nuns managed to uncover this information through the high-ranking members of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect they had captured on numerous occasions at the periphery. Even so, there were still many areas of doubt, and it was not entirely certain that it was this C7 Zone. However, in the current surprise attack on Polar Industrial City, the resistance in C7 Zone is particularly staunch. This determination remained unchanged even after Pierre, as the CEO, had given orders. That was very strange indeed. After gradually overcoming the resistance in other areas, Georgette¡¯s thirty Battle Nuns split off to briefly investigate the four areas they had also suspected to be the underground headquarters of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, but they made no particular discoveries. Indeed, there were traces of cultist activity in those places and quite a few live captives were taken. However, in terms of size, these places absolutely didn¡¯t fit the bill for a ¡®headquarters¡¯ and were probably just a few areas set up to create confusion, in addition to serving as some connection points. To be honest, their ability to hide was very strong, so much so that even after almost a year of investigation, the Battle Nuns could only identify five suspect areas and dared not confirm any one location as the true one. However¡­ what¡¯s the use of hiding so well? All the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect¡¯s methods of concealing themselves probably never anticipated a day when the table would be flipped over. Who has the time to investigate which of those five possible areas is real and which is false? Breaking one might be feared to cause the others to scatter like startled snakes. Simply take down the entire Polar Industrial City, and take it swiftly before anyone can react. Block the paths of leaving the city to relocate bases, then have the regular military attack all five areas at the same time. Caught off guard and unable to run, nor wanting to be decimated in one fell swoop, the cultists, who had always been very secretive, finally could not hide at all. C7 Zone, as the headquarters, has been exposed. They even destroyed their own chances, with some cultists possessing special abilities openly donning blue robes, using rudimentary but sufficiently effective Storm Sorcery to hold off the assaults of the Alliance soldiers. If it weren¡¯t for those in blue robes, the 31st Airborne Division wouldn¡¯t have been so helpless against this place and wouldn¡¯t have left behind more than two hundred corpses, which infuriated Colonel Derek and made him even consider taking this place down himself. Of course, Tadeusz, as the overall commander, persuaded him otherwise. The 31st Airborne Division could possibly handle it, but even with air force assistance, the complex indoor environment underground still required soldiers to explore. When facing cultists with sorcery abilities, there was no need to waste the lives of soldiers unnecessarily. Now, within Polar Industrial City, there were teams more specialized to deal with this kind of situation. At this moment, at the blockade line of C7 Zone, four teams had gathered. Only one belonged to the Alliance forces: the special forces elite of the 10th Brigade. This time they brought over five hundred men. That¡¯s almost half of the entire 10th Brigade. The other half was incorporated into the Expeditionary Force, which by now has probably already reached Heijian Star. As for the remaining three squads, strictly speaking, none of them belonged to the Alliance forces. There¡¯s no need to mention the Battle Nuns; they can¡¯t even be considered part of the Alliance. Twelve Phoenix Interstellar Warriors arrived. Apart from four century-old veterans who had gone through the Rite of Atonement, there were eight others, all new blood of the battle group. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At present, there were actually more than thirty Phoenix Newbloods in total. However, these new bloods were all discovered and groomed by the governor successively over time. The later batches were not yet ¡®mature,¡¯ with their superhuman organs still growing inside of them. Even for the first three batches, totaling twelve individuals, half a year had passed since they were implanted with the gene seeds, but only eight had completed the growth of all their superhuman organs. Especially the ¡®black carapace,¡¯ which is usually the last of the nineteen superhuman organs to develop. The black carapace generates nerve bundles inward, connecting to the brain and many different organs; outward, it forms numerous insertion points on the surface of the body, which can connect to the power armor. This is also why the interstellar warriors¡¯ power armors are referred to as their second skin. In a sense, the power armor really does grow together with the interstellar warrior. They control the power armor as if it were a part of their own limbs. And without the assistance of the black carapace, the power armor of an interstellar warrior is almost entirely useless. Chapter 375 - Chapter 375: Chapter 228, Phoenix Newbloods First Battle_2 Chapter 375: Chapter 228, Phoenix Newblood¡¯s First Battle_2 Ordinary mortals and elite troops like the Battle Nuns alike are unable to use real Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor and can only use adapted Reactive power armor. These eight who have grown black carapaces, signifying that they have matured into new blood, can now don the power armor, which was last purchased by the governor and has completed its exterior paint job, and fight side by side with their predecessors. Commander Matins took them all with him on this mission. He had to admit, the new blood of the battalion, cultivated by the governor in his mysterious and even unfathomably deep ways, had a very high level of tactical proficiency¨Ceven surpassing that of the recruits during the battalion¡¯s heyday. (T1 level training) But no matter how mature the tactical proficiency may be, the experience of war, the instinct for war, and the mindset honed through countless skirmishes cannot be produced through pure training alone. One must personally experience the blood and fire. So, let the experience of battle commence. As for the fourth team, it belonged to a new institution of the alliance¨Cthe Heretic Demon Hunters. A mysterious squad of fifty people. Currently, the entire operation team totaled around six hundred people. Commander Martins Salas was the commander in chief of the special operation, responsible for the mission to eliminate the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect. Superior Georgette was the chief consultant. All other teams were under their command. When necessary, Matins could contact Brigadier General Tadeusz, the battle commander, at any time. The latter would do his utmost to fulfill all of Matins¡¯ requests. Now, Matins and Georgette were standing at the very front of the entire team, chatting about something. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so persuasive,¡± Matins said with a hint of a smile on his face. Georgette responded seriously, ¡°Not at all. When dealing with President Pierre, I never boasted about my eloquence. I simply laid out the facts one by one. He isn¡¯t an irredeemable fool; faced with all the established facts laid before him, he made the right choice, nothing more.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s the key, isn¡¯t it? Being able to weave facts into a coherent argument and present them to the right person, that¡¯s a skill in itself.¡± Georgette glanced at him sideways, ¡°Commander Matins, must you flatter me today?¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Matins laughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s not flattery, I¡¯m simply stating the facts as well.¡± Georgette also revealed a smile, ¡°Well, thank you for your honesty.¡± Suddenly, a faint ¡®beep beep¡¯ sound rang in both their ears simultaneously. This was the signal that the agreed-upon time for action had come. The two immediately dropped all expression from their faces and put on their helmets. From this point, the only qualities left in them were ice and fire. ¡°Action¡­ begin!¡± ¡­ ¡°Action¡­ begin!¡± Listening to the command from the battalion leader through the helmet¡¯s communication signal, Anat flicked his hand coolly and led the team forward first. To be honest, this was his first real battle. Although he had deeply realized through past training that he was no longer the same concept as the frail young boy who had fled from the Green Valley Region, he was still nervous. However, no matter how tense he felt inside, it would not show at all on his face, in his speech, or in his actions. He is the Phoenix, the Emperor¡¯s Death Angel, the Governor¡¯s strongest warrior. He ought to be the best! And at the moment, fighting alongside him were thirty special forces elites in Exoskeleton Armor and three Demon Hunters in custom leather armor. They were the first forward vanguard team. He took the lead, charging at the forefront. Once crossing a certain line, the enemy¡¯s counterattack began immediately. Ahead, storage buildings, about five to six meters off the ground, had numerous firing ports opened from within. The traitors hunkered down inside had likely hastily constructed firing platforms at those locations. Noticing another onslaught from the alliance, many of those platforms opened fire. A kind of homemade heavy machine gun let out bursts of fire with a ¡®tat-tat-tat¡¯ sound. These closely monitored firing windows, just a few hours ago, had brought significant casualties to the warriors of the 31st Airborne Division. But at this moment, in front of Anat, they meant nothing. He had long since spotted these firing windows, and the moment he vaguely saw shadows moving inside, his bomb gun had preemptively fired explosives into those windows. The ¡®bang bang bang¡¯ of bomb blasts instantly silenced seven or eight firing windows without a single shot fired from them. And the flames that did come towards him, when they fell upon his body, had no chance of penetrating the protection of the powered armor. Instead, the visible muzzle flashes only served to point out the direction of attack for him. Even Anat himself didn¡¯t need to act; the elite troopers following him, who had already prepared their individual rocket launchers, mercilessly shot them into those firing holes when the Interstellar Warriors in front drew the enemy¡¯s fire. The enemy¡¯s troublesome counter-fire windows were all blocked up just like that. With quick steps, Anat had already reached the tightly shut doors. This place had previously withstood the firepower of an entire battalion from the 31st Airborne Division. Currently, the Alliance was implementing a move to equip the heavy bomb guns as fixed firepower points down to the company level units. Heavy bombs, 88-caliber mortars, all had bombarded this location. The side door of what was originally a storage building had been blown apart, but now it was once again tightly sealed with various debris. But there was no need to worry. Anat quickly ran to the side of it, and attached a thermite bomb to the edge of the building¡¯s wall. Boom. After a flash of orange light, a 4¡Á4 meter irregular hole appeared where the thermite bomb had made contact. At this time, another group of comrades had fought their way up, also led by an Interstellar Warrior. Anat recognized him. That was Calia Gabriel, a newblood absorbed by the battalion a month later than he was. The two nodded to each other, and with great tacit understanding, threw tactical grenades through the hole, aiming for the positions to the left and the right. After the blast rang out, Anat was the first to enter, with his gun pointed directly to the right. In a flash, he spotted seven or eight targets. He strode forward, avoiding blocking his brothers-in-arms from following up, and fired as he moved. His brain quickly analyzed the threat level of these seven or eight targets and instantaneously, the built-in aiming system of the tactical helmet painted each person with different colors. Then, the bomb gun methodically took down the enemies according to the results of the analysis. The first to fall were three in blue robes. As mentioned in the intelligence, they possessed Storm Sorcery abilities which could potentially threaten powered armor; Next, those attempting to pull out grenades or had individual rocket launchers, as heavy firepower was also a threat. And those who were dazed, holding ordinary firearms, were left for last. However, as lengthy as this explanation might seem, in reality, it all happened almost in an instant. From the cultists¡¯ perspective, they saw a red giant come in, and before they could recover from the initial blast of the tactical grenades, he swiftly took three to five steps. With eight taps from the bomb gun, eight of them who dared to raise their heads were struck down. On the left side of the breached hole, the same thing happened. The two Interstellar Warriors expanded the forward position where they stood, taking up positions on either side of the hole, finding temporary cover, and with their bomb guns suppressing anyone who could possibly threaten the wall opening. Meanwhile, elite troopers and Demon Hunters entered through the hole in single file. When enough people had come in, they began to extend inward, slaughtering everyone who dared appear before them. At the same time, an additional five blasts from other parts of the warehouse were heard. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The same situation that occurred here happened in five other places. Under the leadership of the Interstellar Warriors, arguably the most elite group in the Alliance, they broke through the warehouse defense line that had previously caused much trouble for the 31st Airborne Division and made their way inside. And in this process, the casualties were minimal. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.2K words, the same amount as the two chapters from yesterday. Chapter 376 - Chapter 376: Chapter 229: The Incarnation of the Evil God Chapter 376: Chapter 229: The Incarnation of the Evil God ¡°Your new blood¡­ they¡¯ve been trained well. I almost thought they were all veterans,¡± Georgette said to Matins. After the capture of the surface portion of the storage center, while the troops were clearing the building interior of the remaining resistance, the operation¡¯s highest commander and advisor lady finally had some time together to have a casual chat. Matins felt both proud and a bit embarrassed by Georgette¡¯s compliment. ¡°Indeed, they did perform commendably. These new recruits were trained and cultivated by the Lord Governor himself. With the training methods of the Phoenix¡­ we couldn¡¯t have achieved such results so quickly. However, they don¡¯t deserve your ¡®veteran¡¯ praise yet¨Cthey still have too many immature aspects.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Georgette conceded, ¡°which is why I said ¡®almost.¡¯ They do indeed have areas where they are lacking, such as not being ruthless enough when striking, a lack of flexibility in adhering to doctrines, and they don¡¯t know how to protect themselves better on the battlefield¡­¡± She listed quite a few shortcomings, and Matins nodded again and again in agreement. Indeed, all of it was true. Not being ruthless enough indicated they had not seen enough bloodshed, were not sufficiently hardened, and did not know how to use the horrific conditions of the battlefield to deliver a stronger psychological blow to the surviving enemies; not having been beaten severely, they were unaware that even those enemies who had surrendered could potentially pull out a weapon and shoot from behind. Their adaptability was insufficient because they had too little experience and were reluctant to deviate from the mental inertia instilled during training, and also because they lacked the ability to quickly think of better solutions and make more targeted judgments combining the uniqueness of each battle. In terms of not knowing how to protect themselves, it was evident that they were not proficient enough in using their own power armor¨Cclearly, the Lord Governor¡¯s training did not cover this aspect, and half a year of exclusive training for interstellar warriors was not enough to make all the skills become instinctive to use at will. Additionally, when making operational decisions, they were not accurate enough in assessing risks. Being reckless was not the problem, being recklessly ignorant was. But¡­ ¡°But even with these issues¡­¡± Georgette continued, ¡°they are merely nitpicks, the kind that you could point out by demanding the standards of a truly battle-hardened veteran. But in reality? I¡¯ve seen several battle groups where even fresh recruits who have been official interstellar warriors for several years exhibit similar issues. And if they could truly eradicate all these faults, your battle group wouldn¡¯t just consist of new blood, or merely official warriors, but rather a group of veteran elites.¡± At that point, Georgette smiled at Matins and went on, ¡°Truthfully, a year and a half ago, when I first saw you on Rage Owl Star, my heart sank. Although I hoped that you, my old comrades-in-arms, could stand up again, reason told me that given your dire state at the time, extinction was the inevitable outcome. What I didn¡¯t expect was that, in the span of a year and a half, there really would be signs of revival among you, and I am truly happy for you.¡± At this point, Matins felt a twinge of nervousness. On the one hand, an old friend¡¯s well-wishes are, of course, a happy affair. But he dreaded Georgette suddenly asking about the origins of their genetic seeds. Yet, he quickly realized that Georgette likely had no such questions. Though the two had never had a detailed exchange about the situation of the Phoenix Battle Group, Georgette was unaware that the battle group¡¯s gene bank had been entirely lost. Now, seeing the eight new bloods of the battle group, she naturally assumed that the Phoenix Battle Group¡¯s accumulated genetic seed bank had been effective, and would not suspect the Governor¡¯s involvement. No one would think in that direction because it was an unrealistic notion. Even if Georgette had suspicions, it would be about why the success rate of the new blood trained by the Lord Governor was so high. But these inquiries were ones Matins would not bring up intentionally, much less provide answers to. If the misunderstanding that the battle group¡¯s seed bank still existed continued, that would be to their benefit. Indeed, Matins no longer dwelled on this issue himself. As long as the genetic seeds were pure and definitely from the Phoenix, that was enough. He was not inclined to delve deeper, let alone expose the matter. He, Priest Rizzo, and two other veterans had resolved to bury this secret deep in their hearts. ¡­ Matins and Georgette were free to have their casual conversation now because they were waiting for their subordinates to find further clues. This storage center¡¯s surface part was clearly not the headquarters of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect itself. According to intelligence, their headquarters were underground. These cult members were fiercely defending this place, which likely proved that this was the essential route to their headquarters. It was just that they hadn¡¯t located the entrance yet. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Battle Nuns and Demon Hunters were all engaged in this task. And the first to yield results was the Demon Hunter Squad. A lady interrupted their casual conversation to report. Matins remembered her. This was Miliya Derong, one of the squad leaders within the Demon Hunter Squad. Matins also knew that she had made significant contributions to the alliance¡¯s counter-insurgency operations recently. Chapter 377 - Chapter 377: Chapter 229, Incarnation of the Evil God_2 Chapter 377: Chapter 229, Incarnation of the Evil God_2 At this moment, the young team captain, with her cheeks flushed, reported to him: ¡°We¡¯ve found an entrance leading underground!¡± ¡°Oh? That¡¯s good, thank you for your work,¡± Matins began, then turned his head and teased Georgette, ¡°It seems, the Demon Hunters of the alliance are a bit more skilled in this area than your Battle Nuns.¡± Georgette didn¡¯t mind: ¡°The more straightforward, the better.¡± Matins turned his gaze back, he saw that Miliya Derong seemed to have more to report. He frowned, ¡°If there¡¯s more information, please report it in detail.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Derong jolted. She was known to be fearless, but facing the Death Angel of The Emperor, and looking up at his towering figure, barely reaching up to his stomach, she had to strain her neck to see Commander Matins¡¯s imposing face, she still felt a profound sense of oppression from the depths of her heart, which made her speak with a bit of caution. She cautiously said, ¡°It¡¯s not that the report isn¡¯t detailed, it¡¯s just that this situation¡­ we¡¯re not too sure about it ourselves¡­¡± Then, she provided a detailed explanation of the Demon Hunters¡¯ discoveries to the commander. After hearing her out, Matins also furrowed his brows tightly. According to the Demon Hunters, when they found the underground entrance to the Cult¡¯s headquarters, other than their specialized searching and scouting skills, another important factor was that one of them had the special ability to ¡®perceive souls¡¯. This individual, upon activating his power, discovered that the slain rebels, particularly those in grey and even blue robes, symbolizing the cultist spellcasters, had white specks signifying their souls which were vaguely drifting through a certain pathway into a location. His claim seemed strange to the other Demon Hunters, but taking it as a potential lead, they decided to let some people follow these so-called ¡®soul specks¡¯ to investigate. And indeed, they found something. At a ventilation duct, they discovered a very concealed passage. Following the duct to the position of a thick support column inside the building, they found that the column was fake, actually hollow, and that it was a downward pathway. They didn¡¯t act rashly but sent people to guard the spot. When necessary, they could blow up the column to widen the passage and then launch a surprise attack downward from there. But before that, the Demon Hunters were quite concerned about their comrade¡¯s findings regarding the passive movement of souls back to the Cult¡¯s headquarters. ¡°¡­We believe this is a very bad omen,¡± Derong said, now less tense, her expression naturally carrying a serious look, ¡°Those cultists are clearly up to something, which could well be their desperate struggle in the face of despair. But¡­ with so little information currently in hand, we can¡¯t be sure exactly what they are doing.¡± Matins obviously took this clue seriously. His numerous past experiences in battling various Heretical Cultists had taught him to never underestimate these human traitors who had sold their souls to some unknown existences. They could always cause a major incident somewhere, leading to terrible losses. Matins turned his head to consult his adviser, ¡°What do you think?¡± Georgette responded with furrowed brows, ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not certain, but it might be related to some information we¡¯ve collected before¡­¡± Then, Georgette shared the information she knew. She spoke rapidly and urgently, insisting that Matins order the troops to assemble and prepare for the attack. According to her, if the conditions observed by the Demon Hunters right now were indeed related to the information previously investigated by the Battle Nuns, then they needed to act as quickly as possible. Matins was amenable; while ordering his troops to assemble and prepare for demolition, he also listened intently to Georgette¡¯s account. The Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, this native cult organization, had the same core goal as many other cults seen in the stars: to summon their venerated Evil God into this world. And when it came to them, this possibility was not a vain fantasy, but a very real one that could come true. For the Evil God they worshipped, the Primal Fury Owl, was an entity with a form, faith, and the convergence of Spiritual Energy. This was evident from the incarnation of Rage Owl that had been summoned during the major event they had carried out in Revival City. As this was a deity born from indigenous beliefs with an actual form, its power could truly project into the real world. This monster should currently be in the Spirit Realm Abyss, yet it is intricately connected with Rage Owl Star. The Primordial Wrath Owl Sect believed that if they did certain things right, the Evil God would be called into this world. One aspect of that is the sacrifice of a great many souls. ¡°Great many¡± here might refer to a number in the millions, or even tens of millions. This was why they targeted Revival City a year and a half ago: At that time, Rage Owl Star was only there, in a small area congregating enough population. If they had to do something similar in the North Territory, the scattered population would pose a big problem. Even in Polar Industrial City, the largest city in the Northern Province, there were only half a million people. But after the failure of their operation in Revival City, they also faced immense pressure from the Battle Nuns allied with the garrison of the Central-North Province, making the normal advancement of their plan to bring the Evil God into the world extremely difficult. The Battle Nuns had once captured a high-ranking figure within the Cult who revealed that within the sect, the radical faction, or rather, the faction of despair, proposed a plan to forcibly initiate the revival of the Evil God. Sacrifice as many people as possible, even if it meant sacrificing all the cult¡¯s spellcasters as seeds; they would spare no expense. This proposed action led to a huge divide within their sect. The opposition believed that such an action was purely an unwarranted sacrifice since it was not guaranteed to awaken their god completely. At most, it would only summon a powerful avatar. But if it merely came to that, sacrificing the entire sect as the price to pay was certainly not worth it. ¡°¡­But according to our current intelligence, such a crazy idea should still be an absolute minority within them. However¡­¡± Matins continued her words, ¡°If they reach a critical moment of life and death, they might have no choice but to make a desperate bid.¡± ¡°So we need to act quickly.¡± Georgette said, ¡°The only good news is that they can now only sacrifice those who died today within the scope of Polar Industrial City, and the number won¡¯t be very large. Their main force will still be those Heretical Cultists themselves. We must destroy their plan as quickly as possible, otherwise, even if they only summon an avatar, our troubles will be immense.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± In the midst of their conversation, the demolitionist was ready. The interstellar warriors, Battle Nuns, and Demon Hunters were also standing by. Without wasting time, Matins gave the order, and the structure that had been disguised as a support pillar but was actually a passageway to the underground was blown open. The explosion was conducted by a veteran interstellar warrior who was quite skilled; the amount of the explosive and its placement were just perfect. An irregular round passageway of about 6¡Á6 revealed itself in front of them, complete with a ladder leading downward. After the passageway was blown open, the Cultists hiding below clearly reacted, and voices could be heard from inside. But at that moment, there was no need for excessive concern. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Down, down, down!¡± Matins called out as he, clad in Terminator Power Armor, was the first to leap down. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k word chapter. It was scheduled for 11 a.m., but I accidentally released it¡­ so let it be. Sleeping, goodnight. Chapter 378 - Chapter 378: Chapter 230, Level Up! Level 6 Spiritual Energy, A Storm is Coming! Chapter 378: Chapter 230, Level Up! Level 6 Spiritual Energy, A Storm is Coming! [Event Activated: The Storm Approaches] [The cultists who revere the Primal Fury Owl, in the face of imminent destruction, have erupted into their final madness.] [They are about to summon the Owl God, now one with the Evil God of the Abyss, regardless of consequences.] [Your most valiant warriors are struggling to prevent all this, and your subsequent actions will have a decisive impact.] ¡­ Looking at the messages flooding the event interface, Gu Hang took a deep breath and decided to personally head north. He was, of course, aware of the situation in Polar Industrial City; the headquarters were constantly reporting information to him. He knew that the city could now be said to have hoisted the banners of the Alliance; he also knew that his most elite warriors had descended into the so-called subterranean space of C7 Zone, engaging the cultists in gunfire. He knew that this time, following Georgette¡¯s proposal, although at a higher cost, the Alliance mobilized immense power in an instant, pouring their cutting-edge forces into a single effort. But as it stands, this choice was the right one. The full force of the Alliance delivered a powerful strike, exhibiting formidable strength in a manner unforeseen by the local forces of Rage Owl Star, achieving a rapid surprise assault that indeed completely subdued Polar Industrial Group, and the entire North Territory was within easy reach. Although stabilizing other regions and rebuilding the Alliance¡¯s governance system would take some time, overall, it would definitely be shorter than the time spent reclaiming the Eastern Provinces. Moreover, there was a significant value to this operation¨Cthat was to sweep away the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect, a thorn in Gu Hang¡¯s side. Gu Hang knew that things might not always go so smoothly, and he had prepared for the possibility of accidents, with contingency measures in place. And he himself was part of this ¡°contingency measure.¡± Indeed, he had spent a long time toiling over government affairs, but that did not hinder his status as the most powerful Psychic Caster within the entire purview of the Alliance¡¯s forces. With the identity of a Level 5 Psychic Caster, he could exert fatal control over opponents at the level of the Beastman Fleet General using solely spiritual energy. Not to mention, he had long accumulated enough experience to advance to a Level 6 Psychic Caster. However, he had not upgraded up until now. Advancing from LV5 to LV6 required a bit too many grace points. LV5 only needed 500 grace points, but to level up to LV6 required 2000 points. This was an expensive price to pay, and even after obtaining that sum of ten to twenty thousand grace points previously, he did not rush to upgrade. One can always level up whenever there are enough grace points; conversely, every second of development for a territory is precious, golden time. Without foreseeing any battles that would require his personal intervention, he had not made such a choice. Two thousand grace points saved up could be used to acquire technology, expand the military, conduct multiple rounds of political officer training to fill his government departments, or expand the Demon Hunter Squad to be the main force of the anti-corruption campaign¡­ His own personal strength wasn¡¯t that urgent. But now, it seemed about time. On the Wind Falcon flying northward, Gu Hang used the grace points saved over the past two months to raise his personal level to LV6. Firstly, both his physical and spiritual attributes increased by one point each. Secondly, among the options, Gu Hang chose the spiritual direction as his specialization for this upgrade. And this provided him with a brand new ability: Iron Will. [Iron Will: You will have an iron-like will. From now on, you won¡¯t feel fatigue, wavering, or fear before you reach your limits; your emotions will become more stable and strong; effects targeting your spirit and soul will be reduced depending on the difference in spiritual attributes between you and the caster. When the caster¡¯s spiritual attribute is more than 4 points lower than yours, all such effects will be invalid; when the caster¡¯s spiritual attributes are more than 4 points higher than yours, the reduction effect is fixed at 35%. You gain an additional point in spiritual attribute.] Gu Hang was overall quite satisfied with this newly acquired trait. Spiritual defenses are never a bad thing. He had protective spiritual energy to block physical and energy attacks, and now this was perfect for countering mental damage. The two complemented each other. Not to mention, the extra strong resistance against normal states of fatigue, wavering, and fear could be of great help to him outside of combat. The additional point increase in his spiritual attribute was expected. As a result, his personal attribute panel now looked like this: [Hero: Gu Hang (Faction Leader), LV6, insufficient experience to level up] [Physique: 11, Spirituality: 22] Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only [Traits: Psychic Caster, Supreme Commander of Rage Owl Star, Enemy of the Storm] [Talents: Protective Spiritual Energy, Advanced Telekinesis Control, Mind Manipulation, Iron Will] A full 22 points in spiritual attribute, which was an increase of two points and effectively 2.25 times what it was at level five. Undoubtedly, his strength had once again been significantly enhanced. Upon testing it out, he felt that if he were to encounter that Beastman Fleet General again from the previous star battle, perhaps he wouldn¡¯t need any assistance; he alone could use his spiritual energy to break the General¡¯s will, or use the energy to tear his body apart from the inside of his heavy armor. Chapter 379 - Chapter 379: Chapter 230, Level Up! Level 6 Spiritual Energy, The Storm is Coming!_2 Chapter 379: Chapter 230, Level Up! Level 6 Spiritual Energy, The Storm is Coming!_2 ¡°` ¡­ With this newfound power, Gu Hang arrived at the Polar Industrial City a few hours later. The speed of the Wind Falcon was demonstrated once again. A distance of 5,400 kilometers was covered in just two hours. In fact, this was more than twice as fast as the Wind Falcon¡¯s regular cruising speed, as it flew throughout the entire journey at a speed of 2.5 Mach. Normally, the Wind Falcon would not fly so recklessly at more than twice the speed of sound for so long because, after all, it wasn¡¯t a single-person fighter, but an air warship weighing hundreds of tons. Operating the anti-gravity engine at full speed for such a long duration was terrifying in terms of energy consumption. However, the Alliance was quite affluent in terms of the limited amount of energy it used. The Low Energy Storm collection plants and energy compression plants in Gaota Province could conveniently produce super-energy crystals. This advanced energy source was more than enough for the Wind Falcon, easily supporting the consumption needed for long-distance, full-power flight. It was the mechanical structure of the Wind Falcon itself that might not hold up. If it flew like this a few more times, it would likely need to go back for major repairs. But the essence of war is speed, and there was no time to worry about that. If it needed repairs, so be it. The elite troops of the Special Warfare Brigade, who were on duty at the perimeter of the seized and cordoned storage center in C7 Zone, were very surprised to see the Governor arrive. They had no idea that the Governor was coming. In fact, when Gu Hang left, he had certainly sent a message to the frontline command. When Tadeusz knew he was coming, he strongly opposed it. With the Governor¡¯s important status, he should not be at the frontline. If anything went wrong, it would be unacceptable to the Alliance. However, he clearly could not persuade Gu Hang. As a last resort, he could only pass the message to Commander Matins, who was even more on the frontline. Yet, the message did not get through. Matins had already lost contact. Afterward, Tadeusz tried to send a message to the 31st Airborne Division, asking them to rush to C7 Zone to inform them of the Governor¡¯s imminent arrival. However, messages take time to circulate, and the 31st Airborne Division had just received the news. Their messenger had not arrived before Gu Hang did. The shocked elite soldiers standing outside, despite their surprise, reacted first with a salute. Most members of the Special Warfare Brigade had been selected from the Phoenix Interstellar Warrior selection. Every one of them had seen the Governor during their training. They even believed that the miraculous changes that had happened to them were greatly related to the Governor. In fact, a considerable proportion of them had attended classes at the Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy and were extremely loyal to the Governor. After returning the salute, Gu Hang summoned the person in charge at the scene¨Ca major from the 10th Special Warfare Brigade¨Cto inquire about the current situation. Gu Hang learned that Matins and his team had gone down about two and a half hours earlier. In addition to the twelve interstellar warriors, thirty-one battle nuns, twenty demon hunters, and twenty special forces elites had also gone down, totaling over eighty people. That was about the limit. The entrance was just a 6¡Á6 opening, and the preliminary exploration revealed that the terrain below was narrow, with various underground passages connecting many rooms. Sending any more people down would not allow for effective deployment of forces. Instead, a small team of elite operatives was more suitable. In theory, this number of operatives should have been sufficient. But, they had not sent back any messages for a long time. Fearing something was wrong, the major had dispatched another team two hours earlier to investigate. Before setting off, this team was ordered to report back as soon as possible after seeing Commander Matins, no matter what. Yet, they too had not returned. This had made the major very anxious. After that, he sent down another team after a certain period of time. He had already sent over a hundred people inside, but not one had come out. ¡°¡­Governor, that¡¯s the situation now,¡± said the major, his forehead covered in sweat. He could tell that the Governor seemed intent on going down himself. Despite knowing that his own rank was not sufficient, he still mustered his courage to advise, ¡°Governor, I will personally lead a team down to check again. As long as I don¡¯t die down there, I will ensure the message gets back! Please don¡¯t go down and take the risk yourself, the Alliance cannot be without you¡­¡± Gu Hang raised his hand, stopping him from continuing. With eyes closed, he was feeling the surge of Spiritual Energy below. Something terrible was brewing there. It wasn¡¯t a complete breeding, but more like the madness before death. If left unchecked, its damage would be relatively limited¨Cin terms of the entire planet, that is. It would likely form an incarnation of an Evil God that could exist for about a week; it could create a vast storm that would sweep the entire North Territory. The Polar Industrial City would surely be destroyed, and most people would not survive; aside from the Polar Industrial City, of the over two million population of the entire North Territory, perhaps 60% to 70% could die directly or indirectly as a result. ¡°` In total, this might amount to a population loss of around two million. Switching to the ruthless mode of a ruler, Gu Hang could calculate that this was not an entirely unacceptable number. Sure, this would nearly annihilate the value of the North Territory, but after a week, the catastrophe would end and would not spread further. However, this was the very last, the very worst-case scenario. Gu Hang believed the situation was far from that point. Even if it truly came to that, he had to rescue the people below and withdraw his troops first. He was confident in this. Because he could feel that, below, nearly two hundred fires of life were still burning in the tumultuous sea of Spiritual Energy. That was evidence his warriors were still fighting. Gu Hang opened his eyes and said to the major, ¡°I¡¯m going down.¡± Having said that, he floated forward. Of course, the major could not stop him. Nor did Gu Hang leave any instructions behind. There was no need. He wouldn¡¯t fail to emerge, he had strong confidence in himself. ¡­ After entering through the underground entrance, Gu Hang floated along the corridor. He saw many bodies, but they were all of the cultists. Clearly, during the incursion led by the Phoenix Interstellar Warriors, these cult members had put up a stubborn, yet futile resistance. The Alliance warriors advanced, unstoppable. As Gu Hang moved along this path, he felt as though he was walking towards the deep sea from the shore. With each step he took, the power of Spiritual Energy became denser. The frenzied power from the Abyss was like an actual storm, violently lashing against Gu Hang¡¯s psyche. But with the newly-acquired protection of [Iron Will], these forces had no substantial effect on him. At the same time, he soon encountered the first Alliance member. It was a few elite soldiers, lying by the corridor sides, breathing rapidly, their minds clouded. After a quick check, Gu Hang deduced that their consciousness seemed to have entered a peculiar zone. It was as if they were engaged in battle, intense, with quickened heartbeats and muscles twitching involuntarily, yet they did not awaken. If he used [Mind Control], Gu Hang could wake them from this strange state. But after considering it, he didn¡¯t do so. He continued to float forward, encountering more Alliance warriors. Until at last, he reached an expansive underground space. In the center of this space, surrounded by a multitude of bodies arranged in a circle, was an elderly man dressed similarly to the High Priest Cui Kao that he had met in Revival City. The old man was also dead. Beneath those bodies was a blue-and-white, rapidly flickering Chaos Octagram Array. Simultaneously, Gu Hang saw Matins, Georgette, the Demon Hunter, and dozens of elite soldiers¡¯ figures. They stood, eyes tightly closed, bodies trembling; their heartbeats were rapid, breathing was hurried, just like the warriors he had found earlier, in the same condition. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only There, Gu Hang could still perform a wide-ranging mental intervention to awaken them all. But he still did not do so. He probably already knew what had happened. Upon entering the area blanketed most intensely by the Spiritual Energy sea, he should have fallen into the same state as them. But his powerful spirituality, together with the reinforcement of [Iron Will], had allowed him to avoid that situation. However, he was about to dive into it of his own accord. Chapter 380 - Chapter 380: Chapter 231, Here Is Hells Abyss Chapter 380: Chapter 231, Here Is Hell¡¯s Abyss Anat had fired the last bullet in his grenade gun. That bullet pierced through a wolf-shaped monster, formed from the visible white winds, and exploded, shattering its entire upper body, causing the entire form to crumble and dissipate. After dispatching the last bullet, Anat didn¡¯t hesitate to throw the grenade gun aside and drew the combat blade from his waist, charging forward a few steps. With a swift slicing motion, in a matter of seconds, another monster was dismantled by his blade and faded away. This creature, like the previous one, was made up of the same material, only its form resembled a standing evil cat with three heads. After that one was eliminated, even more surged forth. Anat fought tirelessly like this. And he was not the only one, everyone around him was doing the same. All those who had entered this underground space, without exception, were fighting here. They roughly maintained a circular position, at the very center of which was a flickering blue-white Chaos Octagram Array. They were defending this place, while outside their barricade were nearly endless Storm Beasts. They had various forms, many resembling humans, but also a multitude of animal shapes, and even many other things twisted into strange shapes. But without exception, besides their different forms, their core was the same: unstable entities purely composed of blue-white Spiritual Energy storms. They crazily assailed the human warriors¡¯ defense line, unrelenting in their attacks, even as they were continuously being destroyed. This battle had been going on for over two hours now. Two and a half hours earlier, they had entered the headquarters of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect through the opened underground tunnels. Along the way, they encountered numerous obstructions from enemies, including Storm Sorcery, traps, and explosives that were especially powerful in the narrow passageways. Nevertheless, none of these were able to stop the advance of this elite coalition force. Commander Matins, clad in Terminator Power Armor, had firmly blocked most of the space. With him personally leading the way, whatever means the cultists resorted to were pointless, crushed beneath his might. In about half an hour, they had eliminated countless cultists blocking their path and finally reached the core area of the cult¡¯s headquarters. There, they saw what those cultists were desperately trying to protect: an already carved, infuriating Chaos Octagram Array, which had absorbed many souls and was pulsating at a high frequency; a large number of cultists swarmed over it, their zealotry evident as they chanted their belief in the Evil God. In the eyes of many Demon Hunters and Battle Nuns, the very real soul lights of these cultists were connected to the Chaos Array beneath their feet. This was not even because they had the ability to see souls or Spiritual Energy; the link between these people and the Chaos Array was so deep that their souls were almost entirely extracted from their bodies, visible to the naked eye of anyone with even a slight Spiritual Talent. Clearly, these cultists were conducting a very evil ritual. Upon reaching this place, the warriors of the coalition did not hesitate or even need the orders from their commander; almost instinctively, they launched an attack on the cultists performing the ritual. The sooner they could stop the cultists¡¯ ritual and disrupt their plans, the better the outcome would be. However, it was still a bit too late. Surrounding that array, walls of wind flickered, blocking their initial assault. The wind wall was obviously hastily formed. Even though the cultists of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect had been preparing for a potential attack on their headquarters, time was still too short, and the hastily constructed wind wall wasn¡¯t very strong. Not to mention the ferocity of the coalition warriors¡¯ firepower. In addition to their grenade guns, they were equipped with heavy bombs, plasma-charged handguns, and such. Should it come to the point where they couldn¡¯t break through, they still had thermite bombs at the ready. Of course, in reality, there was no need for such drastic measures. The wind wall, after withstanding a barrage of firepower, was already on the verge of shattering. Just a little more effort, and the cultists behind it would be completely exposed to their firepower and swiftly eliminated. At that moment, within the precarious wind wall, the High Priest, an elderly man, chanted the Storm Prayer louder and more frantically. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Suddenly, all the cultists fell down at once, including the High Priest himself. However, even as he fell and his body went silent, that evil prayer continued to echo throughout the space. In the eyes of those with Spiritual Talent, the souls of the cultists were rapidly extracted. The next moment, the blinking blue-white Chaos Octagram Array suddenly became incredibly bright. A white gale burst from its center, violently sweeping out in all directions. Everyone¡¯s vision was engulfed by a blinding whiteness, and their bodies felt as though they were being pushed to the ground by an immense force. Chapter 381 - Chapter 381: Chapter 231, This Is Hells Abyss_2 Chapter 381: Chapter 231, This Is Hell¡¯s Abyss_2 After several breaths of time had passed, their vision finally cleared. Struggling to get up from the ground, they realized they were no longer in the same place. Dark clouds enveloped the sky, with lightning flashing and thunder booming; the ferocious winds made it very difficult for them to stand; the ground was devoid of sand or stones, revealing bare, gray-black rocks that seemed to have been buffed smooth by the endless winds over countless years. When Anat managed to stand, he noticed that only three people had not been toppled by the sudden storm¨CMatins, the leader of the warriors, Priest Rizzo, and Superior Georgette were all looking in the same direction. Anat naturally followed their gazes, only to freeze in place. He had managed to stand up the fastest, and the others, gradually getting up one by one, also looked curiously in that direction and then likewise turned to stone. They saw a massive creature, towering as if it reached the sky; its body was like that of a giant bear, but it was covered with feathers; those white feathers had a tinge of blue, as if blue electrical arcs were flickering within them; its head, however, resembled that of a large bird, somewhat like an owl¡­ Among the group, most were natives of Rage Owl Star. Seeing the enormous creature before them, they couldn¡¯t help but associate it with a mythology prevalent on Rage Owl Star, one that was widely known, even among non-believers, originating from the ancient times of this world: the Primal Fury Owl. The Primal Fury Owl¡­ It was real! While they were still shaken by this realization, the Primal Fury Owl moved. It took steps toward them, or rather toward the Chaos Octagram Array they were surrounding. Its pace was slow, as if bound by some force; yet it was determined, moving forward despite the slowness. After a short while, it seemed to grow furious with the sense of binding as it roared up at the sky. Instantaneously, wild winds howled, lightning flashed, and thunder roared! Amidst this, one Storm Monster after another began to form and appear all around the Alliance Warriors. The beasts roared as they charged at them! At the same time, the orders from Matins, Rizzo, and Georgette were passed on, ¡°Hold the line! Do not let any of the creatures breach the array behind us!¡± ¡°We shall be humanity¡¯s front line shield, and we shall not allow any beast from the Abyss of Hell to break through our defense!¡± Despite everything that was happening challenging their fragile nerves, they were all elite warriors. Upon hearing their commanders¡¯ orders, they quickly formed a circular defense to isolate the Chaos Octagram Array from the assaulting monsters. They fired their weapons with all their might, vanquishing monster after monster. And this battle continued for nearly two hours. During this period, they made no mistakes. Whether star warriors or Battle Nuns, even Demon Hunters and special forces soldiers in the army, all fought with their utmost effort. Superior Georgette and Priest Rizzo continually boosted the morale of their fighters during the battle, making them keenly aware that this fight was crucial to the future of Rage Owl Star. They were all resolved to fight to the death. But despite this resolve, the harsh reality did not yield to their will¨Cat least, not for the people here. The ammunition in their hands dwindled as they fought; with the continuation of the battle, they grew fatigued. By the two-hour mark, most people had run out of bullets and were forced into close combat with the monsters; how long could their tired bodies maintain the battle line? Although it seemed like because of their disconnection, friendly forces on the ground had dispatched reconnaissance squads, who were also inexplicably pulled into this space, resulting in a few hundred reinforcements arriving one after another. But altogether, things seemed to shift towards the worse. Anat fought off the unstable creatures of wind charging at him while feeling anxious. Of course, he could still hold on, he was a star warrior, a Phoenix, he possessed extraordinary strength. The Battle Nuns appeared slightly worn out but seemed to have no major issues. However, the Demon Hunters and special forces were beginning to show signs of faltering. Close combat was undoubtedly taxing for those who had fought for a long time. They were full of courage and determination, but after all, they were only mortals. Without the help of these mortal heroes, and even when the Battle Nuns could barely hold on, could just the twelve star warriors ensure that not a single creature was missed? And it was at this moment that he suddenly felt behind his head a powerful, yet oddly comforting energy fluctuation. He couldn¡¯t help but turn his head for a glance. He saw the Governor. Dressed in a red military uniform and standing tall, Mr. Gu floated there quietly. The wild storm, upon reaching his surroundings, was suppressed by a magical force, becoming almost insignificant, only causing his robe to flutter slightly¨Cunable to do more. Mr. Gu? Mr. Gu¡­ why had he come? At that moment, Gu Hang didn¡¯t immediately respond to these doubts. He took a deep breath and then raised his hands. A wave of Spiritual Energy belonging solely to him radiated outwards from his center, completely different from the storm¡¯s energy. The areas it brushed over were instantly calmed of the storm. And the monsters formed from the storm dissipated as it calmed. This only covered an area of about three to five hundred meters centered on Gu Hang and couldn¡¯t last very long, but it at least solved the most pressing crisis. Then, Gu Hang frowned slightly, and the warriors present suddenly felt their fatigue vanish into thin air. At the same time, they discovered that their ammunition, which had been depleted, had suddenly become abundant again. ¡°Long live the Governor!¡± A Demon Hunter shouted fervently, which triggered everyone¨Cincluding the Alliance Warriors¨Cto start chanting ¡°Long live the Governor.¡± It was only after the Battle Nuns called out ¡°For the Emperor¡± twice that they added those four words following ¡°Long live the Governor.¡± But Gu Hang didn¡¯t really pay attention to this. The Primal Fury Owl roared in anger, thunder and storm grew even fiercer. The three-hundred-meter calm zone that Gu Hang had created was quickly suppressed back, and at the same time, a large number of Storm Monsters formed and surged toward the human defenses again. This time, Gu Hang didn¡¯t try to tough it out. His elite warriors, after being inspired, relieved of fatigue, and replenished with ammunition, were enough to keep those things out, just as they had done in the past two hours. And at that moment, Gu Hang, floating in midair, had blue flames flickering constantly in his eyes. Matins looked on with concern. In fact, he had been worried since the arrival of the Governor, but the intense combat had left him no time to speak. And now, as the situation seemed slightly calmer and seeing the Governor in a questionable state, he wanted to ask. But he was held back by Rizzo and Georgette, one on each side. Rizzo said, ¡°Don¡¯t disturb, Mr. Gu is thinking.¡± Georgette¡¯s expression was even more complicated: ¡°This Mr. Gu¡­ was he always such a powerful wielder of Spiritual Energy? He has grown too fast during this period. Or has he always possessed this strength but never revealed it before?¡± Her question remained unanswered. ¡­ And as Rizzo said, Gu Hang was indeed pondering at this time. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After arriving in this part of the space, a massive, incredibly chaotic knowledge poured into his brain like a tidal wave. He had to exert a lot of effort to extract some useful information from it. Among this might be the method to resolve the current problem. But before figuring out the method, Gu Hang first determined something: This was the fabled Hell¡¯s Abyss. Chapter 382 - Chapter 382: Chapter 232, Witnessing the Shock of Mortals Chapter 382: Chapter 232, Witnessing the Shock of Mortals When Gu Hang arrived in this space¨C one which didn¡¯t belong to the reality of the universe but was wildly violent¨Ca torrent of knowledge flooded into his mind as if it were a deluge. Initially, he thought he was under some kind of attack, and he strived to use his Spiritual Energy, in conjunction with [Iron Will], to fend off the countless fragments of knowledge from his consciousness. But soon, the bits of knowledge that leaked through made him realize he shouldn¡¯t be doing that. Of course, he didn¡¯t simply drop his guard. Instead, he used the capability of [Iron Will] as a filter, beginning to sift through the knowledge. What was useful was absorbed, and then stitched together to form a coherent and valuable body of knowledge; The useless, incomprehensible fragments were kept at bay. To tell the truth, there were far more of the latter than the former. In fact, this was not some serendipitous adventure, but rather an ¡®enlightenment¡¯, or a curse, received by psionicists of a certain standard when they came into close contact with Hell¡¯s Abyss. The intrusion of insane knowledge into the brain, a slight carelessness, could be fatal. An excess of information could burst the brain of a psionicist; much of the knowledge was ¡®poisonous¡¯, it could corrupt the souls of those who bore it, driving them mad. Psionicists who were not strong enough died for various reasons; even those who were sufficiently powerful had to exert all their strength to keep the ceaseless inflow of evil knowledge out of their souls. But Gu Hang¡¯s current level of strength, especially with the addition of [Iron Will], had surpassed the point where he could only defend passively; he even had the capacity to actively filter out the understandable and useful parts of those knowledge fragments and absorb them. From the many pieces of knowledge he pieced together, he learned that the place he was in was a corner of Hell¡¯s Abyss. Hell¡¯s Abyss was the dwelling place of demons, but it was also a part of the True Realm. The so-called True Realm, different from the [Real World] or [Material World], was the foundation of the universe. All supernatural powers¨Cwhat is referred to as Spiritual Energy¨Coriginated from there. Even human¡¯s cutting-edge technology essentially involved extraction and utilization of Spiritual Energy in various ways. Yet, the True Realm was divided into Hell¡¯s Abyss and the Star Spirit Realm. There was no such distinction in the past; the entire ¡®True Realm¡¯ was a frightful sight, brimming with terrifying monsters. It wasn¡¯t until at least ten thousand years ago, when the Human Emperor who had established the empire ascended to godhood, that a part of the True Realm was cut out and the Spirit Network was established, allowing that portion of Spiritual Energy to be used in a pure, stable, and safe manner. Before the Spirit Network was established, utilizing Spiritual Energy was a terribly frightening and dangerous matter. A slight mistake and one could be possessed by indescribable entities, altered in personality, explode due to overuse of Spiritual Energy, or have their coordinates located by demons that tore through spatial rifts into reality¡­ Even interstellar travel was extremely hazardous. Star Realm Tunnels were made of Spiritual Energy, also located in the chaotic space, and protective fields had to be covered and strong guidelights had to be used for navigation during travel. Even so, many terrifying incidents still occurred during the journey through the Star Realm Tunnels. It was common for ships to arrive missing a few people or with a few extraneous passengers, and often entire ships were lost within the Star Realm¡­ However, with the establishment of the Star Spirit Realm propped up by the Spirit Network, the safety of using Spiritual Energy greatly increased. Intergalactic travel became safe, psionicists became safe, technologies utilizing Spiritual Energy became safe, which significantly expanded humanity¡¯s potential. Yet, all this safety was predicated on the existence of the Spirit Network. A considerable part of the True Realm still remained unsafe. That part was what was known as Hell¡¯s Abyss. It was filled with uncontrollable Spiritual Energy, residual energy from usage, chaotic demons, and even the most dreadful Evil Gods born from chaotic cosmos. The Evil Gods each occupied a part of Hell¡¯s Abyss, with the four most terrible among them. Hell¡¯s Abyss frantically tried to infuse those four names into his mind, but his spirit was sending out frenzied warnings. He knew these were names that mortals weren¡¯t supposed to know. These four names were of the sort that once known, would attract unwanted attention. Gu Hang did not have a death wish and decisively kept this knowledge at bay. But the information about another Evil God was less of an issue, within his threshold of endurance. [Primal Fury Owl, the Storm Evil God] In the earliest of times, it was the leader of the last wild Rage Owl Tribe on Rage Owl Star, the strongest Rage Owl on the entire planet. Of course, no matter how powerful, a Rage Owl was merely a primitive animal on that planet. When human colonists came and developed a star-level civilization, even the most powerful animal tribes were either put into zoos for people¡¯s amusement or designated into nature reserves. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The so-called nature reserves, ostensibly protecting the primitive ecosystem, were essentially just larger zoos. It was no exception, and it and its tribe lived within a reserve. However, something happened to it. The humans on this planet held a form of worship for the ¡®Rage Owl¡¯, a primitive creature. Initially, it might have merely been people¡¯s affection for the ¡®Rage Owl¡¯, a unique native species. After all, their cool and cute appearance, combined with being local specialties, naturally attracted affection; over time, a type of religious veneration really did develop from this affection. Chapter 383 - Chapter 383: Chapter 232, Experiencing the Shock of the Mortal World_2 Chapter 383: Chapter 232, Experiencing the Shock of the Mortal World_2 But if that were all, there wouldn¡¯t be any impact. However, the barrier between Rage Owl Star and the True Realm is especially thin, even capable of creating rare resources like Spiritualized Gas Fields. The affection and worship people feel for the Rage Owl have thus become powerful, taking root in the strongest living Rage Owl on this planet, making it stronger and more vibrant. And so, people were even more fond of its formidable and beautiful appearance. But if that was all there was to it, there would be nothing more; it would merely be the birth of a somewhat mystical beast. Moreover, this was not unique to it alone; every once strongest Rage Owl on Rage Owl Star had experienced something similar. Even if its body was infinitely strong and it had some spiritual wisdom, that was all; what else could it do? It could still only stay in a nature reserve. However, the opening of the Demonic Rift, a global cataclysm, changed everything. It fell into Hell¡¯s Abyss and was accepted by it. The worship it had once received had given rise to a sect on Rage Owl Star, and in Hell¡¯s Abyss, it occupied a small space; it was the master of this space. That meant it had truly become a god. This was indeed Hell¡¯s Abyss, but of course, not all of it. It was just its own unique space as an inferior among inferior Evil Gods; compared to the whole of Hell¡¯s Abyss, it was less than a speck of dust. But here, this was its [Divine Realm]. In the previous cult rituals, it came exceedingly close to the real world, just short of stepping into the Chaos Array itself. Its power, through the array, could already affect the real world so much so that it directly pulled all those who approached this channel-like Chaos Array into its Divine Realm¨CMatins and others came in this way. Fortunately, the good news was that it was not strong enough. When Gu Hang approached the Chaos Array, he was unaffected. The reason he came in was that he had done so voluntarily. The warriors here, with just over a hundred of them, could staunchly hold off the assault of many Storm Monsters; After Gu Hang arrived in person, he even freely used Spiritual Energy, and because he was in the True Realm and deep within Hell¡¯s Abyss, his Spiritual Energy abilities were greatly enhanced. He could dissipate a ¡®Evil God Realm¡¯ with a radius of three hundred meters in a thought; he could manifest his will and supply ammunition to his warriors out of thin air in this non-real space¡­ All these changes, even the Primal Fury Owl, this formidable Evil God in its own home ground, couldn¡¯t stop them. Its majestic body in the distance, taking steps towards the real world, was still being strongly pulled, making its pace very slow¡­ Of course, one should not underestimate it just because it was an inferior among inferior Evil Gods. Its strength, although much less than the Great Unclean One that invaded Rage Owl Star a few months ago, was still that of an Evil God. If it really crossed into the real world and wildly unleashed its power, it could still bring about catastrophic consequences. Even if it only made a brief journey to the real world, but harvested the souls of one or two million people from The Northlands, even if it was later expelled back, becoming stronger, a more powerful Evil God would undoubtedly cause a second calamity. Its connection with Rage Owl Star was too deep; the power of Hell¡¯s Abyss would continue to infiltrate the real world through this connection, brainwashing people in the shadows. It probably wouldn¡¯t be long before a new evil Primordial Wrath Owl Sect emerged. ¡­ After understanding a great deal of relevant information, Gu Hang also had some idea of how to deal with it. Originally, his worst-case scenario was to evacuate people, withdraw troops, relocate as many people as possible, let the storm rage in The Northlands for two or three months, wait for this Evil God to lose power and be expelled back to its Divine Realm, and then consider the subsequent issues. But this would mean the loss of a significant number of Northlanders and the production capacity of the Polar Industrial Group. And there would also be severe repercussions, the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect would inevitably resurge, and in a peculiar manner, a considerable number of people on Rage Owl Star would turn into cultists. If it really came to that, let it happen. If need be, they would solve these problems as their future development continued to improve. However, now it seemed he had a way to handle it, and there was no need to go that far. If this second-rate among the lesser Evil Gods is no more than this¡­ Then Gu Hang didn¡¯t mind showing it the shock of mortals. ¡­ Colonel Derek received an order: to assemble his troops, except those necessary to guard the key areas of Polar Industrial City, all others were to head to C7 Zone and prepare for battle. At first, he didn¡¯t quite understand the order and even made a phone call back to ask Commander Tadeusz for clarification. Tadeusz didn¡¯t say much, only instructed him to get the troops ready for pre-battle mobilization, to use all political commissars to explain to the soldiers that they were going to a marvelous place for combat. Under the governor¡¯s leadership, they would fight shoulder to shoulder with the interstellar warriors. Derek was invigorated. Out of the nearly ten thousand personnel in the 31st Airborne Division, he pulled two battalions, two artillery battalions¨Cover five thousand people. This was more than half of the combat troops, and they arrived at the designated location. There, he met the major responsible for the defense of C7 Zone from the 10th Brigade. The major instructed him to arrange his troops into combat formations and be ready for immediate battle. The fight would start in fifteen minutes. Derek was a bit stunned. He didn¡¯t quite understand what was meant by ¡°the battle would start in fifteen minutes.¡± Nor did he understand why, of the nearly six hundred people that Commander Matins and others led in the special operations team, now there were only a little more than thirty people guarding C7 Zone. But time was tight with only fifteen minutes, so he didn¡¯t have the time to ask more questions and rushed back to organize his troops. The paratroopers took out their weapons; the artillery units, which had just been airlifted in a few hours ago, deployed their guns. Everyone, although they did not understand what was going on, meticulously followed the orders to gear up for battle. As soon as the fifteen minutes were up, Colonel Derek suddenly felt a ferocious wind pick up, and all he could see was a blur before his eyes. When he regained his senses, he saw a scene that instantly tensed him up. He and all his soldiers had unexpectedly entered a space filled with dark clouds and thunderstorms, with strong winds whipping around. Not too far in front of them, the governor floated in mid-air, below him, four to five hundred of the federation¡¯s most elite warriors were battling with strangely shaped Storm Beasts under the lead of interstellar warriors and Battle Nuns. In the distance, a towering Rage Owl was furiously roaring skywards, but why did it seem to be raging helplessly? The sudden change not only left him confused but also caused some panic among his soldiers. Then, the governor¡¯s voice rang clear in each person¡¯s mind, ¡°Eliminate those weak Demons, protect our planet!¡± The governor¡¯s voice seemed to carry a special kind of magic power that instantly dispersed the bewilderment and panic in their hearts. As the commander, Derek issued orders for combat; officers at all levels commanded their units; the soldiers began to move into action. The soldiers of the 31st Airborne Division, in terms of individual quality, were definitely far from being on par with the four to five hundred people beside the governor, but their number was ten times greater. Guns roared, machine guns rained bullets, and the artillery troops directed their firepower to where the Storm Beasts were most concentrated. Then the infantry charged forward, and after clearing the enemies in one area, they established small defensive positions there. It was just unfortunate they couldn¡¯t dig trenches in the stone ground that had been blasted by the storm for who knows how many years, or they definitely would have. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But overall, the men of the 31st Airborne Division established a stronghold step by step, seizing an area and forming a pincer with the governor and his elite warriors, covering each other and even making joint assaults to eliminate all the monsters between them, finally connecting their positions into one continuous line. Gu Hang, hovering in mid-air, watched with satisfaction. He then found time to send another message to Tadeusz: ¡°How much longer until the Northern Frontier Army Group arrives?¡± Tadeusz quickly responded, ¡°Guaranteed to reach the target location within thirty-two hours.¡± Chapter 384 - Chapter 384: Chapter 233, Roll In Chapter 384: Chapter 233, Roll In The Chaos Octagram Array that connected to the real world was guarded by humans as impregnable as a fortress. Even when there were only around a hundred and eighty space warriors and others, they were able to hold their ground and prevent those Storm Monsters from breaking through, it was only due to the passage of time in battle, fatigue, and ammunition reserves that they gradually became unable to continue. But Gu Hang¡¯s arrival wiped out these two negative issues entirely. At the same time, he ordered the remaining five hundred or so elite special forces stationed in C7 Zone to also step into the underground space and join the domain of the Primal Fury Owl. With these additional five hundred people, the sealing of the Chaos Array became even more like an iron fortress. However, Gu Hang was still not satisfied with this. Assembling the 31st Airborne Division and having Tadeusz lead the Northern Frontier Army Group to the designated location were preparations for subsequent plans. He planned to pull the entire army in. The Primal Fury Owl likes to pull people in, right? What¡¯s the point of only focusing on areas around the Cult¡¯s array with such a small-minded approach? Let¡¯s go big! Actually, it wasn¡¯t the Primal Fury Owl who intended to pull the humans into its domain; it was completely accidental. After the Chaos Array broke down the barriers between the domain of the Rage Owl Evil God and the real world, the connection between the two became incredibly tight. The aura of Hell¡¯s Abyss naturally spread out, passively ¡®hauling¡¯ those who were too close ¡®halfway¡¯ into this place. It¡¯s said to be ¡®halfway¡¯ because those pulled in still had their real bodies in the real world; it was their thoughts, wills, and souls that came to this place. But Hell¡¯s Abyss, or the entire ¡®True Realm,¡¯ is not purely a world of energy. Here, physical laws are in chaos, Spiritual Energy is dense, and energy, will, and matter are entangled in chaos. Upon arriving here, people will have bodies just like in the real world and the things they carry with them will also be brought in some way. Ammo fired here cannot be used in the real world anymore; when someone is injured here, the same injury will manifest on their body outside, and the same goes for death. Previously, what Gu Hang did to ¡®eliminate fatigue¡¯ was to purely use spiritual power to intervene in the warriors¡¯ sensations, replenishing their ¡®stamina¡¯ with Spiritual Energy. Those rounds of ammo were ¡®transported¡¯ into this place from the real world and placed on the warriors. Afterward, the act of pulling half of the 31st Airborne Division into the Evil God Realm was Gu Hang intentionally expanding the influence range of the evil array, specifically extending it to the assembly area of the 31st Airborne Division and dragging them all in. Dragging an entire airborne division with artillery and over five thousand people wasn¡¯t just about sealing that Chaos Array. If the goal was just that, the people already present would have been enough. In fact, Gu Hang¡¯s target was the Rage Owl God itself. At this moment, human warriors had already occupied a large area within the Owl God¡¯s domain. Half an infantry division, over a two-kilometer perimeter, set up multi-tiered defensive positions. Previously, the goal of human warriors was to stop those monsters from breaking out of the Chaos Array. But now, forget about breaking out; those monsters can¡¯t even get within three hundred meters of the Chaos Array. However, those ordinary monsters made up of storms were never a part of Gu Hang¡¯s considerations. They may be numerous and endlessly spawning at any moment, but they are scarce in long-range attacks. A small part of them can fire wind bullets, causing some casualties, but as soon as these things appear, they will be wiped out from afar. In contrast, the firepower on the human side is much fiercer. The real world has a real impact on the True Realm. When those cannons were transferred over, the 155mm howitzer shells they fired still possessed terrifying lethal force. And these attacks didn¡¯t require any expenditure of Gu Hang¡¯s power. On the contrary, with so many humans steadily holding this three hundred meters deep position, some special changes occurred here. The dark clouds above dissipated a bit, the solid ground softened, and shoveling into it caused cracks in rocks; a few more digs would carve out a pit. This was the transformation of domain laws. Areas occupied by humans for a long time were gradually breaking away from the concept of the Evil God¡¯s domain and were no longer under the control of the Primal Fury Owl. That was Gu Hang¡¯s goal. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After he acquired much knowledge that could be understood, this was the solution he came up with¨Che wanted to completely eradicate the Rage Owl Evil God, dissolve its Divine Realm, and resolve the issue of the Primordial Heresy that loomed over the Rage Owl Star from its source! As a considerable part of the area was occupied by humans and stripped of the Divine Realm properties, the Primal Fury Owl¡¯s forward progress became even slower. Although it originally belonged to the real world as a Rage Owl, over the past few centuries, it had embraced Hell¡¯s Abyss and was also accepted by Hell¡¯s Abyss, becoming a part of Hell¡¯s Abyss. For it to cross over the veil between the True Realm and the real world was incredibly difficult, subjected to many restrictions, and even with the ¡®door¡¯ opened, it had to slowly unveil the curtain itself. Originally, this process would have taken just three to five hours, but the interstellar warriors¡¯ sabotage of the Cult ceremony forced the High Priest to prematurely push the ceremony to its climax, greatly prolonging this timeframe. Chapter 385 - Chapter 385: Chapter 233, Roll In_2 Chapter 385: Chapter 233, Roll In_2 But despite all this, after fifteen hours, twenty hours, it inevitably had to come to an end. And with more and more human warriors joining in, even stripping the portion of the area where the Chaos Array, equivalent to a gate, was located from his Divine Realm, this made the journey take even longer. The clearest indication of this was the Rage Owl God¡¯s boundless rage and strenuous efforts to move forward, but he found himself moving slower and slower, and indeed, the more he walked, the farther away he got. But Gu Hang was still not satisfied. At the current rate, the Primal Fury Owl would need about thirty-two hours to reach the humans. This was already enough time for the main force led by Tadeusz to arrive at the battlefield. But he did not want it to be this close to the limit. Now was the time to start preparing for the upcoming battle in advance. Under his will, the humans continued to advance. Interstellar soldiers and Battle Nuns formed spearhead squads, suddenly breaking out of their positions and expanding the space. The elite special forces immediately followed, consolidating the position; and then, the ordinary soldiers of the 31st Airborne Division took over the secured ground. At the same time, the interstellar soldiers and Battle Nuns would continue to charge outwards, and the elite special forces would follow up again¡­ This process repeated. They were further expanding the territory they occupied. On one hand, this delayed the Primal Fury Owl¡¯s arrival at the gate, giving them more leeway for subsequent plans; on the other hand, as the occupied territory expanded, it also stripped away more parts of the Divine Realm, weakening the Primal Fury Owl¡¯s strength. However, when the position had been expanded to a depth of six hundred meters, they still stopped. Gu Hang also needed to conserve his own strength. Although his Spiritual Energy had increased by several levels since he was in the True Realm, it was still finite. Later on, he had to bring in fifty thousand people and countless weapons and equipment. He did not want to consume too much before then. So, apart from ¡®transporting¡¯ ammunition from outside to replenish it, he did not plan to do any more to eliminate the soldiers¡¯ fatigue. The consumption was not huge, but with an excess of five thousand, it was still substantial. The soldiers began to rest and fight in rotation. Maintaining this six hundred meters of defensive depth was enough; there was no need for more. But even though one third of the soldiers were always resting, the ordinary Storm Beasts were still unable to break through the human defenses. Artillery could always reduce their numbers from afar and in large amounts, preventing them from concentrating their forces for a charge. As soon as they revealed such intentions, whistling artillery fire would descend upon them. Those that charged separately could not withstand the blockade of machine-gun fire. If they got even closer, they were shot by rifles. The monsters that died dissipated into the wind, waiting to reconstitute. Therefore, these monsters could not even use accumulated corpses as cover to charge over. Of course, the human side was not without casualties. In those thirty-two hours, the soldiers of the 31st Airborne Division suffered nearly a thousand casualties. The reason for this nearly 20% casualty rate was mainly because the Storm Beasts were too ferocious and fearless of death, and they did not need rest. These thirty-two hours were an uninterrupted battle, not to mention that the human soldiers needed to rest. The monsters mindlessly charged forward, even if they could manage to launch a wind blast upon their arrival. The most threatening attack method of these monsters was still the swarm charge. Although most of their attempts were dissolved under the bombardment of artillery fire before they could charge, the artillery ammo was not infinite. Even though all the shells transported to the Polar Industrial City had been moved to the Evil God Realm, they still could not maintain the dozens of cannons firing non-stop. Even with the Wind Falcons constantly delivering shells, they could not keep up with the current rate of consumption. Even if there were enough shells, the lifespan of the gun barrels couldn¡¯t withstand it. In such circumstances, the Storm Beasts always found opportunities to carry out massive swarm charges. The artillery couldn¡¯t keep up, the machine guns couldn¡¯t sweep them all, the rifles couldn¡¯t kill them all, and still, a large number of monsters charged into close quarters. Although they would eventually be annihilated, before that, the human warriors still incurred certain losses. Thirty-two hours later, the loss figures had reached the scale of a thousand people. A casualty rate of nearly 20%, would normally deal a serious blow to morale. But on this unique battlefield, the situation was still acceptable. First, there was the Governor, the star warriors, the Battle Nuns, the political commissars¡­ all of these were hugely morale-boosting for the ordinary soldiers. Furthermore, and more fundamentally, they were not engaged in a purposeless fight to the death here. They had a clear combat objective, and according to the Governor, reinforcements would arrive within thirty-two hours. By then, it would be time for them to launch a full counterattack and utterly annihilate the Evil God monster ravaging the planet. The soldiers believed this to be true because the Governor himself remained here and never left. And indeed, the Governor was not bluffing. Or rather, Tadeusz was not bluffing. When he said thirty-two hours, it meant thirty-two hours. Apart from the 31st Airborne Division, which had already infiltrated in disguise, conducted a hundred-machine airdrop, and even completed the occupation of the Polar Industrial City, Tadeusz had five more divisional and brigade-level units under his command: The 9th Garrison Division, the 30th, 32nd, and 33rd Infantry Divisions, and the 35th Combined Brigade. All together, that was about fifty thousand people, and they were quite well-equipped with heavy machinery. They were the army that Pierre, the President of Polar Industries, learnt was gathering at the border of the North Territory. Even before the 31st Airborne Division and the various elite Alliance forces took action, they had already driven into the North Territory, racing towards the Polar Industrial City. Along the way, there were indeed some armed forces. For instance, the Polar Industrial City¡¯s guard corps, as well as militias from various settlements. However, Tadeusz completely disregarded them. As long as those local armed forces did not lose their minds trying to block their path, Tadeusz would not create unnecessary complications. His primary objective was still to coordinate with the airborne troops and reach the Polar Industrial City as quickly as possible. If anyone was presumptuous enough to try to stop them, then Tadeusz would mercilessly order his troops to simply roll over them. Nobody could stop their force in open field battle. Especially when eighteen Lion Tanks lined up in a row and charged forward, followed by hundreds of Strider Combat Vehicles; they simply did not need to stop. Just pressing down on the accelerator and charging forward across the fields was sufficient. The presumptuous fools could not withstand the heavy artillery from the Lion Tanks, nor endure the bombardment from the machine guns and heavy explosive rifles mounted on the Strider Combat Vehicles following behind. Of course, since the enemies along this path had not been cleared, there was indeed some risk. If the subsequent battle did not go smoothly, the army¡¯s supplies would become a major issue. But at least for the short term, there was no need to worry. Thousands of supply trucks from the joint logistics unit moving with the Corps were loaded with ammunition and followed the army. Even with extreme caution, Tadeusz did not think anyone could hold out in the North Territory until they ran out of ammunition. Of course, if the target were an Evil God, that might be a somewhat unnerving prospect. Therefore, Tadeusz also summoned the 8th Division and the 25th Division from the Central Province, escorting even more supplies en route as backups. By the time the Governor issued the orders, the Beijing Corps was not far from the Polar Industrial City. And after thirty-two hours had passed, his forces had not only reached the designated position on the west side of the Extreme North Industrial City, Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only they had even managed to blow up the city¡¯s western wall and then moved a kilometer into the city. Gu Hang highly appreciated this. Initially, the designated target location was the outskirts west of the Polar Industrial City, considering that it would take too much time for the large forces and heavy equipment to enter the city. But now, blowing up the wall and rolling straight in was clearly a better approach. The closer to the Chaos Array, the easier it was for Gu Hang to bring people into the Evil God Realm. Chapter 386 - Chapter 386: Chapter 234, Quell the Wind! Slay the God! Chapter 386: Chapter 234, Quell the Wind! Slay the God! Fifty thousand soldiers, along with all their accompanying technological weapons, heavy arms, and vehicles¡­ were now all in position. And Gu Hang had also started to take action. Spiritual energy roiled, leaking from the Chaos Array that connected the Evil God Space with the real world, the aura that could cause human souls to be drawn into the Evil God Realm suddenly became even more intense, vastly expanding outward! But this expansion was not chaotic; instead, it extended only to the west. There, all unrelated persons had already been evacuated by the soldiers of the Alliance Army. Stretching out from this point, the only living humans left were the fifty thousand warriors of the Northern Frontier Army Group. And when this aura enveloped them from above, just like the 31st Airborne Division before them, their vision blurred and they soon found themselves in the Evil God Realm. They saw the dark clouds covering the sky, witnessed lightning flashes and thunder roars, and saw countless Storm Beasts besieging the defensive positions formed by their comrades. At this moment, the Governor¡¯s command also resounded in their minds: ¡°Advance! Advance! March towards the Evil God!¡± ¡°Today, we are the extinguishers of the storm! We are the God Slayers! We are the true masters of Rage Owl Star, and this world needs no gods!¡± With each word, the Governor¡¯s voice grew louder and louder, resonating deep within their souls! The soldiers were utterly invigorated! ¡°Quell the storm! Quell the storm! Quell the storm!¡± ¡°Slay the god! Slay the god! Slay the god!¡± Chanting fervently, the soldiers hurled themselves into the fight! Of course, they were not so carried away by the fervor to lose their minds. Commissars, political officers, and military instructors reminded the warriors to stay calm, maintain discipline, and not get too carried away; the officers at all levels, in turn, carried out the combat plans laid out earlier, in accordance with the training routine they had always done. Despite suddenly finding themselves in an unfamiliar environment and about to engage in a battle that could be deemed epic, the fifty thousand-strong army kept their morale high, maintained discipline, and advanced forward following the Governor¡¯s orders. The 35th Mechanized Brigade took the lead at the vanguard. Their heavy armored vehicles were the sharpest spear of the entire Alliance Army. Eighteen Lion Tanks, formed in groups of three to make a wedge formation; with three groups forming a large assault arrowhead, they constituted two Armored Assault Columns. Infantry fighting vehicles followed closely behind the main battle tanks. Together, they formed the Alliance Army¡¯s Armored Assault Column and plunged fiercely into the clusters of Storm Beasts. They were utterly fearless. The Storm Beasts were simply powerless to stop the advance of the vehicles. Their means of attack did not even affect the Lion Tanks, let alone the Strider Armored Vehicles, which could disregard them entirely. The power of the storm projectiles was minor, akin to rifle-level; at most, they were equivalent to the impact of a grenade launcher. The former is not worth mentioning, and unless truly unlucky and struck at the Strider¡¯s weak points, the latter couldn¡¯t breach the defense either. And the most formidable method of these monsters was to swarm and ram into the vehicles up close, trying to topple them over. But overturning the Lion Tanks was an impossibility; even for infantry fighting vehicles, being swarmed by a dozen or so beasts at once would at most cause some shaking¨Coverturning them would not be so easy. Besides, gathering a dozen or so monsters close enough was exceedingly difficult, wasn¡¯t it? Whether it was the Lion Tanks or the Striders, the weapons they were equipped with were not just for show. A single shot from the Lion Tanks¡¯ main cannon, fired in direct line-of-sight, could clear a gap straight ahead, obliterating all monsters in its path; the laser beam secondary armament on top didn¡¯t even bother firing¨Cwaste! The heavy grenade rifle, acting as a parallel machine gun, was more than enough. The same went for the infantry fighting vehicles; the autocannons swept everything in their path with lethal killing power. Even if a large number of enemies got close where the fighting vehicles couldn¡¯t cover for a moment, they would quickly be eradicated. Each advancing arrowhead was an unstoppable knife with invincible firepower, penetrating the tofu-like resistance with ease, feeling no hindrance whatsoever. The infantry following up, riding in troop transports, also fired at the few remaining enemies already cleared out by the vehicles. At the same time, the trucks would drop off loads of soldiers, establish positions on site, stabilize the formation, and create a safe passage for the comrades who followed, catching up to the speed of the armored forces. Thus, with armored power as the spearhead and swiftly following infantry, the human army formed a very structured offensive posture, irresistibly breaking out nearly four kilometers in just an hour. Within this distance, that huge Evil God was almost within reach. In this wave, aside from the 31st Airborne Division staying behind to guard the Chaos Array, avoiding the Storm Beasts from emerging amidst the chaos, the entire assault team almost acted in unison. Supply trucks transported several divisions, and a joint artillery force, under the protection of the infantry brothers, began to build an artillery position. The reason for building here was to later pound that Evil God¡¯s head with tons of 155mm howitzer shells. On this three-kilometer-wide frontline, over five hundred artillery pieces were densely arranged. Some fired, aimed in the direction of the troops¡¯ advance, acting as fire support during the assault. However, a significant portion remained silent, quietly raising their barrels, coldly aiming at the tremendous body of the Evil God that had entered their range. At the same time, a large number of infantry were constructing positions nearby to protect the artillery, preventing Storm Beasts from breaking through. The armored forces, another part of the infantry, and the elite units composed of star warriors and Battle Nuns who had also gathered, continued to move forward. Two hours later, they advanced nearly ten kilometers further. And there, they truly encountered a threat. The Rage Owl Evil God, with a sudden wave of its hand, detonated a ball of lightning among the three Lion Tanks acting as the spearhead of the assault. All three tanks shook. In the end, two continued to advance, but one was completely immobilized. Gu Hang, following the troops and drifting forward, knew it was time. They had now entered the striking range of the Primal Fury Owl. There was no need to hold back anymore. ¡°Fire at will! Target, Evil God!¡± His command was accurately relayed to the artillery troops in the rear. Five hundred artillery pieces began firing in unison! The mountain-like body of the Evil God was instantly covered in firelight! Gu Hang heard its angry and pained howls, filling the entire space. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It was wounded. But Gu Hang wasn¡¯t too happy just yet. It was far from time to celebrate; the real battle of gods was just beginning. ¡ª¡ª¨C 2k words, another chapter coming tonight. Chapter 387 - Chapter 387: Chapter 235, how about we call it off this time? Chapter 387: Chapter 235, how about we call it off this time? Primal Fury Owl was injured, a sensation it hadn¡¯t experienced for a very long time within its lengthy existence. It was a divine being, how could it get hurt? Yet now, the sensation of hundreds of artillery shells raining down on its body was extremely distinct. It felt a hint of panic, but this emotion was overwhelmed by an even greater rage. These humans, they were courting death! After embracing Hell¡¯s Abyss to become a god, its slight spiritual awareness had now turned into true wisdom. It wasn¡¯t brainless, it was capable of thought. However, since it originally was just a primitive beast, after becoming an Evil God, its mind was completely washed by the stormy Spiritual Energy of Hell¡¯s Abyss, filled with only violent and destructive chaotic emotions. When these factors were combined, it was obvious that although it was capable of thought, it did not like to think much. Most of the time, its actions were still guided by instinct. At this moment, it was furious, and its first response, naturally, was to retaliate! That was what it had longed to do, but had been unable to do so before. The Chaos Array had opened up the connection between its Divine Realm and the real world, but not fully enough. It couldn¡¯t wait, nor could it afford to. Its minions outside, having reached their limit in the face of the Alliance¡¯s onslaught, could not advance any further. It had to take the initiative to step toward the real world. And in doing so, it trapped itself between the cracks of the real world and the Storm God Kingdom. When those humans entered and defended the Chaos Array, occupying parts of its Divine Realm, it couldn¡¯t even attack owing to the conflicting laws within the crevice, other than futilely creating ordinary Storm Beasts around the humans. But now, those humans had come close enough to it, and its power could finally cast off the veils of reality and Hell¡¯s Abyss to directly impact those daring and offensive humans! And when that barrage of artillery fire came from the sky, although the artillery positions were far from it, not within ¡®attack range¡¯, the active assault initiated by humans had established a causal connection, breaking through the veil of reality, allowing it to reach across boundless distances to harm the ordinary warriors. Even though it was injured, it could finally unleash its boundless fury upon those despicable mortals! Very well, then die! The clouds in the sky grew denser, and the terrifying lightning, which had only been posturing in the sky, finally struck down! Its target was those artillery pieces! With its massive claw reaching up to the sky, lightning bolts, following its will, fell from the sky in multitude, striking down upon the artillery positions! At least seven artillery pieces were destroyed in the electric blaze; at least thirty Alliance gunners perished under the lightning! It took another deep breath, its wide mouth aimed at the armored troops charging toward it. A dense storm began to condense within its gaping maw, and a terrible Storm Bullet was about to form. However, in the end, it was unable to spit it out. The Storm Bullet had been forming in its mouth for half a minute. But during that half-minute, the artillery position, which had already suffered from the lightning strike, did not cease fire out of fear. In half a minute, the remaining artillery pieces continued to fire at full speed. The 155mm howitzers made by the Alliance could fire eight rounds a minute in rapid-fire mode once the firing coordinates were set. In half a minute, nearly two thousand shells from five hundred artillery pieces rained down upon it. It realized it might have underestimated the threat of the artillery. Even a single grenade to it felt just like the bite of a mosquito, but taking on two thousand grenades was like being bitten two thousand times, and that was too much to bear. It was left reeling from the bombardments, and even the storm cannon it had in its mouth lost control, exploding within and spraying out its divine blood. Even greater rage surged within its heart. As the artillery continued to pound it relentlessly, it summoned lightning, once again striking the artillery positions with another round. This barrage was even more ferocious than the earlier ones, destroying over a dozen more cannons. At the same time, it erected a storm wall in front of itself as a shield. This storm wall indeed served to block the barrage, allowing it a brief respite from the constant hammering injuries. However, under the relentless artillery fire, the wall appeared to be on the verge of collapse, and it had no choice but to reinforce it. The storm wall held, but the lightning it hurled at the artillery positions weakened in turn. And yet, these were just the gunners. The bigger forces of the Alliance Army had yet to arrive. Before that, two armored assault columns had already reached a position five kilometers from it. While it was entangled with the artillery, the armor was closing in. In fact, at this distance, the main and secondary guns of the tanks were already making their presence felt. Of course, if that were all, it would have been manageable. While the caliber of the Lion main cannons wasn¡¯t as large as the 155mm howitzers, the power of their 125mm railguns firing armor-piercing rounds was even more tremendous. Moreover, the Lions were also equipped with ¡®Reflector¡¯ laser guns as secondary armaments that lay flat on them, which were also terrifyingly powerful. However, despite their strength, there were only 18 Lion tanks; their limited numbers were still an issue. But get a little closer, and the machine guns and heavy grenade launchers of the hundreds of armored vehicles could unleash their wrath. Get even closer, and tens of thousands of infantry would also join the fray, their light weapons, squad rocket launchers, and heavy grenade launchers provided at the company level would all come into play. Single weapons might not inflict strong enough damage, but even the most ordinary G9 squad machine gun could spew out hundreds of bullets per minute; a regular G9 rifle could also empty a whole magazine within a few seconds. The ammunition brought up could hardly sustain such a rate of fire. But that wasn¡¯t a big concern. If all the ammunition carried by the soldiers were to be fired, it would be nearly ten million rounds, plus the bombardment from various weapons; if the additional supplies from the support trucks were also expended, that number could increase by several times more. Evil God? What about the Evil God? Could the Evil God withstand all that? Using the storm wall to fend off the artillery while watching the humans¡¯ army slowly approaching, and even as hundreds of Wind Falcon Fighters suddenly appeared in the sky and took advantage of a temporary breach in the storm wall to fire dozens of missiles, smearing its face with explosions¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Primal Fury Owl, whose brain hadn¡¯t been used in a very long time, finally came online. It began to seriously consider¡­ Maybe, just let this one go? ¡ª¡ª¨C Heh, finished writing this afternoon Chapter 388 - Chapter 388: Chapter 236, Success in Killing the God! Death of the Evil God! Chapter 388: Chapter 236, Success in Killing the God! Death of the Evil God! Primal Fury Owl planned to slip away, no longer moving forward, giving up this chance to venture into the real world. As long as it was willing to retreat, it could truly return to its Divine Realm, breaking free from the dilemma of being caught between the True Realm and the real world. Once there, if humans dared to follow, it wouldn¡¯t just be able to strike down a single wave of lightning or fire a single Storm Bullet anymore; its held-back state would be released. After all, that was its Divine Realm, where it could truly wield the power to control the entire territory and deliver wide-scale attacks. Within its Divine Realm, the number of enemies no longer mattered. If those humans didn¡¯t pursue¡­ then let them be. ¡°Just wait for me. Next time there¡¯s a chance, I¡¯ll definitely devour all the Rage Owl Star People!¡± However, when it truly intended to retreat and return, it was shocked to discover¡­ It couldn¡¯t go back. Originally, moving forward was difficult for it because it meant dragging its powerful divine body towards the real world. Every step forward was akin to trudging through the entanglement between the curtain of Hell¡¯s Abyss and the real world. But retreating was supposed to be easy. With one step back, it would be giving up the struggle with the curtain of different worlds and returning to its own domain, enduring loneliness and torment. Previously, it was something it wouldn¡¯t consider; but now, having taken a beating and learning pain, it wanted to leave. However, what should have been a simple step back became impossible. The ¡®path¡¯ back, the channel away from the state between the True Realm and the real world, had been sealed by some special force! Why was this? ¡°Are even Evil Gods capable of fear?¡± The voice that spoke sounded somewhat surprised, and this surprise seemed to carry a tinge of feigned emotion. Primal Fury Owl lifted its head and looked into the distance. There, a small figure was floating. It was too far away, appearing too minuscule. The entire body of that fellow was probably no bigger than a single one of its eyelashes. Yet, despite the vast distance and difference in size, they could still lock eyes with each other. In that gaze, Primal Fury Owl instantly recognized that this human was the main culprit blocking its way back! That strange force sealing off its route of retreat originated from this person! And this guy was still acting all high and mighty! The infuriated Evil God, without any hesitation, summoned a bolt of lightning, striking towards it. However, it missed. A peculiar force obstructed its command over the storm. The lightning, which should have been as easily controlled as breathing, strangely became somewhat sluggish at that moment. And it was this brief sensation of sluggishness that caused its lightning call to miss. Gu Hang, who had dodged in advance, stylishly directed the lightning descending from the sky to hit nothing. Underneath him, not even a single alliance soldier could be found¨Cthere was no collateral damage at all. It was a complete miss. The more furious Evil God summoned even more lightning, striking towards the tiny human. With its intelligence, it now understood that this little person was the leader of the humans. If it could kill him, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t necessarily have to retreat in disgrace. ¡°Since you dare to stand before me, then die!¡± For the first time since facing humans, Primal Fury Owl sent a message of Spiritual Energy to its opponent using human language. ¡­ Of course, Gu Hang also heard this message, full of threat. Far from being scared, he was even excited. This was precisely the situation he wanted to see! He had noticed that Rage Owl Evil God wanted to flee. But of course, he wouldn¡¯t let it escape so easily. If it succeeded in escaping, then why had he gone through all the trouble of bringing tens of thousands into the Divine Realm? Why not simply deal with that Chaos Array and be done with it? Letting Primal Fury Owl go might temporarily calm things, but it wouldn¡¯t decrease the potential future troubles. Gu Hang was intent on killing it. However, if the Evil God insisted on attacking fiercely, continuously bombarding the troops with lightning, that would indeed be problematic. On one hand, the reduction in troop numbers, particularly the number of artillery units, once reduced to a certain degree, would result in decreased firepower, and more effort would be needed to finish off the Evil God afterward. On the other hand, such a loss of troops was something Gu Hang was very reluctant to accept. Especially the loss of Wind Falcons and Lion Tanks. These two, among the current regular armaments of the alliance, were considered to be of the highest value¨Cextraordinarily expensive weapons. One Wind Falcon costs seven thousand five hundred Tax Currency; one Lion Tank, six thousand Tax Currency. The alliance¡¯s monthly production combined for both didn¡¯t exceed twenty units. Losing too many would take a long time to replenish. Thus, making his appearance within Primal Fury Owl¡¯s line of sight was deliberate on Gu Hang¡¯s part. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He intentionally let it know that the one blocking its retreat was himself; he deliberately provoked it. He hoped that the Evil God would focus its target on him. He had assumed that it would take quite an effort. In fact, he had been prepared to take a risk by combining provocative words with the use of the ability ¡°Mental Tampering.¡± It was indeed a risk. No matter how much trouble the Evil God on the other side was in at the moment, it still represented a part¨Ceven if an extremely minuscule part¨Cof the nature of Hell¡¯s Abyss. Using Spiritual Energy to probe the other¡¯s mind, Gu Hang feared it would cause serious trouble for himself. What if, in the process of attempting to influence the opponent¡¯s mind, he became influenced by the essence of evil power inherent in Hell¡¯s Abyss. Chapter 389 - Chapter 389: Chapter 236, Success in Killing the God! Death of the Evil God!_2 Chapter 389: Chapter 236, Success in Killing the God! Death of the Evil God!_2 ¡°` But now it seemed there was no need for such complexity. The moment he showed up, the enemy naturally prioritized him as their first target. And what followed was just a matter of course. The reason why the Rage Owl Evil God¡¯s normally effortless control over the power of thunder and lightning experienced a sluggish effect was due to something Gu Hang had acquired since obtaining it and was now, for the first time, truly playing a role: [Trait: Enemy of the Storm] [You are the enemy of the storm, you can compel the storm to serve you. When there are targets using storm-type psychic spells around you, they require your permission. Otherwise, they will be suppressed, and their spiritual energy power and casting success rate will both decline.] This trait was obtained from an event reward a year and a half ago, when he reclaimed Revival City, thwarted the Cult¡¯s schemes, and expelled the incarnation of the Evil God. After obtaining it, Gu Hang hardly ever used it. Mainly because he hadn¡¯t encountered any enemies that utilized storms since then. However, it unexpectedly played a big role now. It was only now that Gu Hang realized how powerful this [Enemy of the Storm] trait was. Even the Evil God that controlled lightning within his own domain would be affected by this [Enemy of the Storm] trait, causing problems with his lightning potency. Of course, this was still related to the Primal Fury Owl being stuck between the True Realm and the reality of this world, but it was still incredibly astonishing and brought immense surprise. Originally, Gu Hang needed to focus intently to perceive the fluctuations of lightning just before it struck, in order to dodge in advance¨Cdodging after the lightning appeared was impossible. If he made a mistake, he could only rely on his protective spiritual energy to withstand the attack. More importantly, he had to prevent the Primal Fury Owl from retreating and firmly lock down the exit behind the reality veil, which also required consuming a considerable amount of spiritual energy and his focus. With all these factors combined, the difficulty was maxed out. Even after leveling up and receiving an enhancement of spiritual energy in the True Realm, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t claim he was especially confident. But now¡­ it was easy to manipulate. The time before the lightning formed was too long, a full three or four seconds. Gu Hang felt even his grandmother could have reacted to it. All that was left was to use telekinesis to control, slightly shifting his body to the side, then he could watch as the lightning missed its mark. The only thing he needed to be careful about was his position, making sure there was no one directly beneath him. To avoid the misfired lightning from falling below and causing additional damage. Under such circumstances, Gu Hang played with the Rage Owl Evil God for a long time. The more it missed, the more frustrated it got. To this point, Gu Hang¡¯s respect for this second-rate Evil God from the depths of Hell¡¯s Abyss had greatly diminished. Rage-filled, foolish, brash, yet cowardly. It largely had itself to blame for its current predicament. And when did it realize it couldn¡¯t keep playing with Gu Hang like this? It was when the ground assault troops were less than two kilometers away from it; it was when its Storm Wall was about to give in. But what could it do even after it realized this? It seemed powerless. Even if it redirected the lightning back to the cannons, which barely had any dodging capabilities, one bolt would only destroy three to five cannons at most, no more. It could also choose to bomb the tanks, but there was no guarantee that the lightning would hit¨Cafter all, its ability to summon lightning storms was now severely disrupted by the [Enemy of the Storm] trait. And the Storm Wall before it was about to crumble, yet it had no means to continue, not even enough energy to patch it up again. It had tried to mend it before; in fact, it was constantly investing power into it, but the reality was, its repairing ability could not keep up with the depletion of the Storm Wall. The breach in the wall grew wider, and the speed of repairs slowed down more and more. Now, with each volley of cannon fire, a quarter could penetrate the Storm Wall and hit its body. And as the human ground forces drew closer to within fifteen hundred meters, the threats increased manifold. At this distance, many infantry weapons could pose a threat. The G9 rifle¡¯s effective range was less than a thousand meters, but its maximum range could reach around two thousand meters. Indeed, beyond a thousand meters, bullets would fly unpredictably, hardly aiming true. However, their target was a monstrous Evil God whose size rivaled mountains. So what concern was there about the trajectory? Just shoot towards that spot¨Chow far off could it possibly go? Not to mention, squad machine guns, mortars equipped at the company level, heavy machine guns with explosive rounds¡­ These weapons, though individually certainly not as powerful as cannons, tank guns, or airborne laser guns, were perfectly capable. ¡°` However, they couldn¡¯t withstand the sheer number of them. Not to mention, there were over a thousand mortars alone. Upon reaching their combat positions, the infantry swiftly deployed, and the 60mm mortars began their thunderous barrage; machine guns fired ferociously, interspersed with the crackle of rifles and the whoosh of rocket launchers. By then, the already precarious Storm Wall was virtually obliterated in an instant. There were indeed some remnants left, but at best they only intercepted ten percent of the incoming firepower; the remaining ninety percent of shells and bullets virtually rained down on him without impediment. Furthermore, there was no need to worry about accuracy ¨C its body was like a small mountain, not a metaphor but a statement of fact. No matter what weapons the Alliance soldiers wielded, they couldn¡¯t possibly miss a small hill. To be honest, the Rage Owl Evil God¡¯s ability to withstand attacks was already comparable to a mountain peak. Such intense firepower was unleashed; at least twenty thousand 155mm howitzer shells, over ten thousand mortar rounds, and millions of various bullets were fired. Even a mountain would be leveled and brought down by such an assault. The Rage Owl God¡­ was like an immovable mountain throughout this process, completely passive in taking the hits, without any ability to retaliate. It couldn¡¯t retreat; Gu Hang was blocking its exit. It couldn¡¯t advance; the reality curtain made every move a struggle. It couldn¡¯t sustain the Storm Wall; any energy spent was immediately consumed. It couldn¡¯t launch a counterattack; the relentless bombardment and bullets caused excruciating agony. It no longer had any rage left in its heart. Desperately trying to retreat, it mustered all its strength, attempting to break through Gu Hang¡¯s blockade of its path, even abandoning its defenses ¨C which were pointless to maintain anyway. Now, it genuinely felt the threat of death, of demise. This was a sensation it had never experienced since embracing Hell¡¯s Abyss. And at this moment, Gu Hang was also under tremendous pressure. An Evil God, once again in a profoundly awkward position due to the reality curtain, its desperate struggle in the final moments was terrifying. However, the more critical the moment, the firmer Gu Hang clenched his teeth. The deity will die! Just hold on a little longer, just a bit longer. Human warriors kept firing fiercely. Even as their ammunition neared depletion, with no resupply in sight, they shot relentlessly. The elite of humanity, twelve Phoenixes and thirty Battle Nuns, now launched their final charge. No longer relying solely on their ranged weapons, they advanced while shooting. A closer distance would increase the lethal power of their weapons, and at the same time, hand-to-hand combat techniques could be brought to bear. Even though the significant height difference meant that even the towering interstellar warriors were reduced to ¡®clipping toenails,¡¯ it still dealt stronger blows. Not to mention, among them were two powerhouses. Matins in his Terminator Power Armor wielded a power sword; Superior Georgette held a golden halberd blessed with the power of faith. These two, they took the job of ¡®clipping toenails¡¯ to the extreme¨Cthey were truly capable of slashing dozens of times in succession, severing half of the Evil God¡¯s foot, as big as a house, from its body! And this seemed to be the last straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. The colossal body of the Evil God truly collapsed with a thunderous crash! Luckily, it kneeled first and then fell backwards; otherwise, the very moment it fell, like a collapsing mountain, would probably have killed many people. Gu Hang, floating in mid-air, slowly descended. He breathed heavily, his head throbbing intensely. Yet, he couldn¡¯t suppress the incredibly bright smile that spread across his lips. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Victory! Humanity triumphed in the war against the Evil God! The Alliance¡¯s God-slaying operation, a success! ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.3k Chapter 390 - Chapter 390: Chapter 237, Can I Also Ascend to Godhood? Chapter 390: Chapter 237, Can I Also Ascend to Godhood? Gu Hang, having landed, was truly exhausted. The Primal Fury Owl attempted to flee back to its own realm, its efforts to escape the interlayer of the reality veil thwarted by him. In the Evil God¡¯s final madness, Gu Hang bore immense pressure. Had it been him before the upgrade, it would have been impossible to endure. Indeed, even after the upgrade, it was still unsustainable. He could hold on for two main reasons: the Primal Fury Owl was weakened by more than one grade due to being in the interlayer of the reality veil; and as a wielder of Spiritual Energy, entering the True Realm brought Gu Hang closer to the source of power, which allowed him to use spiritual energy that had been elevated by more than one grade. With the weakening of the one and the strengthening of the other, Gu Hang was given the chance, with his mortal body, to slaughter a deity, to achieve such a great feat. But no matter what, the slaying of a deity was a reality. After that, he was supposed to ascend to godhood! The Primal Fury Owl was dead, but the portion of the ¡®essence of the True Realm¡¯ it represented was right in front of Gu Hang, trapped in the fissures of the reality veil by his spiritual energy. Next, he could grasp this clump of ¡®essence of the True Realm¡¯, swallow it, digest it, and assimilate it. From then on, he could take its place and become the new ¡®Storm God¡¯. Ordinary people, of course, don¡¯t have this opportunity. But Gu Hang was different; the True Realm had already opened its arms to him, accepting his existence. All he had to do was want it, and he could do it. A golden path lay before him. Just a few steps forward, and he would cast off his mortal body and become an undying, eternal deity. This was a path akin to that of The Emperor, he already had the opportunity to start, just a few more steps forward¡­ ¡­ The Evil God fell, its body gradually dissipating. The warriors watched this scene from afar. Everyone cheered and leaped for joy! To be honest, seeing a creature that once existed only in religious myth, an enemy as large as a mountain, who wouldn¡¯t feel intimidated? They couldn¡¯t even be certain that their weapons, those terrifying cannons, could harm a deity. Not until now, when they saw its vast body fall, did they completely rid themselves of doubt and believe that they had won. Naturally, the warriors¡¯ gaze turned toward their commander, their leader, the noble Governor they revered. Long live the Governor! Long live the Gov¡­eh? Where is the Governor? There was some commotion amongst the crowd. And more worried were the star warriors and Battle Nuns. Especially the latter. They were not ordinary mortal soldiers; they had seen the Governor falling from the sky after the battle of gods ended. The Phoenixes might be a bit slow, but the merciful Lilies, sensitive to such situations, realized immediately that this was a very bad sign. Georgette conveyed a possibility to Matins that made the latter¡¯s heart tremble with fear. ¡°You mean, Mr. Gu might be overwhelmed by the whispers of the Abyss, his mind altered, even enslaved by evil thoughts? Impossible, that absolutely cannot be!¡± Matins refuted vehemently. Georgette quickly spoke to soothe, ¡°It¡¯s not a certainty, I¡¯m just saying it¡¯s a possibility. We might now be in Hell¡¯s Abyss, and the erosion of the human will by Hell¡¯s Abyss is terrifying, especially for wielders of Spiritual Energy. Mr. Gu has expended an immense amount of energy in the recent battle. He is at his most vulnerable now; we must check his condition immediately.¡± ¡°And then what do you plan to do?¡± Georgette couldn¡¯t see the expression on the face of the warrior leader inside the helmet, but she could hear the aloofness and wariness hidden behind the query. It was at this moment that she suddenly realized something: she didn¡¯t know when it had started, but the Phoenixes¡¯ address for Governor of Rage Owl Star had changed from ¡®Mr. Gu¡¯ or ¡®Your Excellency¡¯ as the merciful Lilies did, to ¡®the Governor¡¯. This shift was subtly significant. She had noticed it earlier, and had some speculation. Now, hearing Matins¡¯ question, her speculation was further deepened. But now was not the time to explore these things. She certainly didn¡¯t want to start a conflict right after fighting side by side. She hurriedly spoke to reassure, ¡°My sisters and I can offer help to Mr. Gu. Our chanting of prayers to the Divine Emperor can protect his soul from dark invasion; if the Governor is indeed harmed, we can expel evil spirits and thoughts¡­¡± As she spoke, Georgette paused, then continued, ¡°But no matter what, we must find the Governor as soon as possible. With every minute we delay, the probability of something we don¡¯t want to see happening increases.¡± Matins¡¯ attitude softened, ¡°Alright, whatever the case, we indeed need to find the Governor as soon as possible.¡± Having reached an agreement, they set out into action. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Finding the Governor was not hard; they remembered where he had been floating in the sky earlier. The Governor had fallen straight down, so they just had to look in that area. However, the first to find him were not them. When they saw the Governor from afar, sitting cross-legged on the ground with his eyes tightly closed, a circle of people had already gathered around him. Clearly, it wasn¡¯t just them looking for the Governor. Loyal soldiers of the alliance, realizing that the Governor had fallen, also came looking spontaneously. Some ordinary warriors closer by had discovered the Governor¡¯s figure. Chapter 391 - Chapter 391: Chapter 237, Can I Also Ascend to Godhood?_2 Chapter 391: Chapter 237, Can I Also Ascend to Godhood?_2 They might not understand much, but seeing Mr. Gu¡¯s state, they could also guess that the situation of the esteemed Governor was probably not very good. Therefore, the loyal soldiers spontaneously started to protect Mr. Gu. Around him, they left an approximately fifty-meter-wide clearing, forbidding anyone to approach, including themselves. When the Phoenix Battle Group and the sisters of the Sainte-Lys Nun Association arrived, the outer ring of soldiers still hesitated, but that¡¯s when a political officer stepped forward. He looked like a company-level political instructor, holding the rank of a lieutenant, not really a high-ranking official. Clearly nervous, he stood in front of the Phoenix and the Battle Nuns. Yet, he bravely did so. ¡°Please halt, Governor¡­¡± Before he could finish, Georgette¡¯s voice burst forth from her helmet: ¡°Step aside!¡± She didn¡¯t even stop her footsteps, intending to bypass this mortal soldier. She was anxious. She could already sense the uncontrollable evil energy surrounding Mr. Gu. This confirmed that her previous suspicions had indeed come true. Hell¡¯s Abyss was truly not a place for humans. Even a powerful spiritual warrior like Governor Gu Hang, when spiritually drained and weak with exhaustion, would still be corrupted by the pervasive will of the Abyss. She needed to get to him quickly, to use the Sisterhood¡¯s faith-based protection to help Mr. Gu drive out the evil forces. And if things really got to the worst state¡­ she would make the decision. A person corroded by evil thoughts, serving as the governor of a planet, that would be disastrous. But this governor had always been supportive of the Sisterhood¡¯s anti-cult activities on the planet. When he heard her request to quickly deal with the cult members, he immediately agreed, and within days, mobilized the organizational power of the entire political body to carry out the operation according to her plan. In the end, he even came personally, with the stance of a powerful spiritual warrior, to resolve the final issue. Without this governor, defeating the Evil God would have been impossible for them. Georgette understood this point profoundly. And because of this, her heart was filled with immense conflict. But no matter what, she had to reach Mr. Gu first. With all this on her mind, she didn¡¯t even notice that the instructor was still blocking her way. Or rather, she didn¡¯t care. With a flick of her hand, she brushed the mortal aside. The instructor, shoved aside by a tremendous force and stumbling away, steadied himself, then drew his pistol and aimed it at the Battle Group Leader. This action set off the alert of the Battle Sisters behind Georgette, who also drew their weapons, aiming at the bold mortal. But subsequently, the soldiers surrounding Mr. Gu also raised their weapons. Those far away didn¡¯t know what had happened upfront. But they saw the instructor being shoved and being pointed at with guns, and the nuns seemed to be trying to break into their encirclement. In an instant, both sides were filled with hostility. The lieutenant instructor did not shoot rashly. He loudly said to Georgette, ¡°Sister Leader! Our Alliance warriors hold great respect for you and your sisters and are very grateful for the help you have provided to Rage Owl Star. But please, no further, the Governor is unwell, and we will not let anyone harm him. If you insist on this, then please step over our bodies!¡± With that said, he turned off the safety of his pistol. Georgette turned around, took off her helmet, and looked the lieutenant instructor in the eye. There was no sign of retreat in the mortal¡¯s gaze. The Battle Group Leader sighed. She realized she had made a mistake. Perhaps in other places, ignoring the opinions of mortals was no big deal. But not here. She changed her approach and said, ¡°We are here to help Mr. Gu. You have also noticed Mr. Gu¡¯s condition is not right, and we are here to assist him.¡± As she spoke, she raised her left hand. From her hand, a sphere of light arose. She softly said, ¡°Do you see? This is the blessing from The Emperor, capable of protecting humans from demonic invasion. Mr. Gu is currently facing such a threat and urgently needs our help. So, please let us through, alright?¡± It turned out, the Battle Nuns, who proclaimed themselves ¡®Daughters of the Emperor,¡¯ knew how to speak kindly after all. Her softened attitude, the assistance she spoke of, paradoxically plunged the resolutely determined lieutenant instructor into a state of indecision. He looked at the light in the hands of the Sister Superior, his mind wavering. If there was a threat to Mr. Gu, then needless to say, fighting to the death was the only option. But they said they were here to help, and Mr. Gu¡¯s current state seemed to indeed require some professional help; yet if he let these nuns pass, what if they were to harm Mr. Gu? Seeing the mortal officer¡¯s conflicted hesitation, Georgette decided to turn up the heat. Her pleading eyes turned to Matins standing beside her. The Phoenix Battalion Leader also hesitated. He knew more, but that made him all the more reluctant to trust Georgette. Battle Nuns¡­ Though the Sainte-Lys Nun Association weren¡¯t the type associated with the Tribunal, not the kind known for their bloody, dark reputation, hunting heretics and illegal Spiritual Energy users with fervor, they were still Battle Nuns, belonging to the Imperial State Religion, not their own people from the Rage Owl Star Alliance. If something really happened to Mr. Gu, who could guarantee that these nuns wouldn¡¯t go mad? At such close quarters, protecting Mr. Gu would be difficult. In fact, the choice now was essentially about making another decision: if something truly went wrong with Mr. Gu, what should the Phoenix do? With this in mind, he couldn¡¯t help but direct his gaze towards Priest Rizzo beside him. Rizzo, however, only offered him a smile, choosing not to provide any advice. Matins took a deep breath and made a decision. ¡°Sister Superior,¡± his buzzing voice emerged from the helmet, ¡°have your battle sisters lay down their weapons and comply with this officer¡¯s demands. If Mr. Gu requires your assistance, he will speak up. If he has not done so, let us wait quietly by the side, I have complete faith that Mr. Gu can resolve the issue on his own.¡± ¡°Matins! You know what the current situation implies! How can you be so irresponsible?! You are a warrior of the Emperor!¡± ¡°I certainly am, as are all the Phoenixes,¡± Matins said, ¡°so, what¡¯s the problem with the Phoenixes pledging loyalty to the Emperor¡¯s representative at Rage Owl Star, to Governor Gu Hang?¡± Georgette was visibly disappointed. She knew that once Matins had also made his stance clear, whatever she wanted to do today, it was now impossible. She and her sisters could perhaps ignore these mortal soldiers and force their way in. But with twelve Interstellar Warriors present, that was a different matter altogether. The thirty of them were no match for twelve superhuman warriors. Not to mention, there were Mr. Gu¡¯s legions. Her expression grew cold, she put her helmet back on, and said, ¡°Understood, we will wait on the outskirts. Let¡¯s see together how the situation unfolds.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what you should do,¡± Matins replied. ¡­ Gu Hang generally knew what was happening outside. But he had no time to manage it. The Sister Superior¡¯s guess was correct. Gu Hang¡¯s spirituality was almost entirely depleted in the recent battle, in the confrontation with the Evil God, with various passive defensive effects also dropping to their lowest. And for this reason, the mental intrusions from the True Realm, from Hell¡¯s Abyss, finally bypassed the defenses, revealing their most harmful aspects to Spiritual Energy users. Mental interference, psychic temptation, will manipulation, personality alteration¡­ Even [Iron Will] had not been of much help. [Iron Will] fought to fend off spiritually harmful effects to the host. It did its job faithfully, blocking the extraordinary powers¡¯ changes to Gu Hang¡¯s spirit. However, what was happening in his soul at the moment, might not necessarily be deemed harmful. Two distinct paths lay clearly before Gu Hang. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only [Iron Will] could fend off harmful mental interferences, but it certainly couldn¡¯t make certain choices for Gu Hang. It quieted down. It seemed to be waiting for Gu Hang to make a choice, too. To remain human? Or¡­ to ascend to ¡®godhood¡¯ by means of the body of the slain Evil God? Chapter 392 - Chapter 392: Chapter 238, Unique upgrade sequence unlocked Chapter 392: Chapter 238, ¡®Unique¡¯ upgrade sequence unlocked To remain human, or to ascend to godhood? This choice now lay before Gu Hang. Truth be told, the lure of ascending to godhood was immense. Eternal life, unending immortality¨Cwhat countless rulers of mankind had yearned for in their dreams? Now, it lay before Gu Hang, ripe for the taking. Though Gu Hang had just personally slain an Evil God, that didn¡¯t mean becoming a god was all that awful. The Primal Fury Owl met its end because of its own foolishness. Gu Hang was not the kind of being that essentially was a mindless beast when it became a god; he believed that if he ascended, he certainly wouldn¡¯t end up like that creature. On the contrary, if he became a god at this moment, the very thing the Primal Fury Owl had ceaselessly sought for hundreds of years would be within easy reach. Hadn¡¯t that Evil God always wanted to tear the veil between its Divine Realm and the real world, to bring its kingdom down to the human realm, to pull the entire Rage Owl Star into the True Realm and make it part of its Divine Realm? After his ascension, Gu Hang could achieve that immediately. The Chaos Array was already in place, no need to worry about that; he didn¡¯t need to bother with establishing a Cult, as the entire Alliance Government could convert on the spot. Those people who worshipped him, respected him, and relied on him could soon be transformed into his power. With the strength of millions of believers from the real world, the connection between his Divine Realm and the real world would be greatly fortified. It wouldn¡¯t take him long to bring the laws of the Divine Realm into the real world and have them override the laws of physics. At that point, the goal of bringing the Divine Realm to the human realm would be basically achieved. Meanwhile, he would also possess a springboard to advance into the real world. He could lead the believers of the Rage Owl Star, along with the Demons he created in his Divine Realm, on an expedition through the vastness of space, pulling planet after planet into his Divine Realm and enslaving countless people as his followers¡­ ¡°Dream on,¡± said Gu Hang coldly in his heart to some entity that he didn¡¯t know if it actually existed. He had come to realize that this was not a broad and easy path, but a thoroughfare to utter destruction, the kind one was sure to perish on. First and foremost, the core point: If he embraced Hell¡¯s Abyss and accepted the control of Spiritual Energy completely, then he would no longer be himself. His will would be driven by the instincts that Hell¡¯s Abyss foisted upon him, his thoughts gradually twisted and replaced. He would become a puppet of power, a part of Hell¡¯s Abyss, a slave to Spiritual Energy¡­ No matter what he would eventually become, he certainly wouldn¡¯t be himself. Secondly, even if Gu Hang didn¡¯t care about ¡°no longer being me,¡± it would still be utterly foolish from the coldest consideration of practical benefits. Indeed, he could easily pull Rage Owl Star into his Divine Realm and greatly enhance his own strength, but then¡­ what next? Embark on an interstellar conquest? Don¡¯t make me laugh. While he was here killing the Battle Nuns, ascending to godhood, beginning to convert the people¡¯s faith, and overlaying the planet with the laws of the True Realm, the Imperial Navy in space would take notice. Even if that single Escort Ship couldn¡¯t do much to him, what he would face next was an onslaught from the Tianma Fleet, equipped with seven cruisers, thirty-three Escort Ships, and over a hundred patrol craft. Not to mention, the millions of Star Realm Army stationed in the Tianma Star Sector would also make their way here. By then, the Imperial forces that come to fight him might be more numerous than the entire population of Rage Owl Star. In the unlikely event he won¡­ that¡¯s when the real trouble would start. The war machine of the Human Empire would truly get going at that moment. An even larger Fleet, with billions of Star Realm Army Corps, would come again to Rage Owl Star. Along with them might come the Protection Army from the Sect of Mechanics, the forces of the Tribunal, the Battle Nun Association from the state religion¡­ Perhaps even a fully manned Starfighter Battle Group, with its Battle Group Fleet and Mortal Auxiliary Army, would arrive on Rage Owl Star! A planet completely dragged into Hell¡¯s Abyss and wholly dominated by Subspace laws is something the Empire would absolutely not tolerate. The war that had ravaged Rage Owl Star serves as an example of this. Even if one of the four nameless true Evil Gods, who had nearly split Hell¡¯s Abyss among themselves, sent a Great Demon from their ranks to participate directly in a full assault on an Empire World, there was a good chance they would be sent packing, let alone the ascended Gu Hang. An Inferior Deity among Inferior Deities, likely to be scorned even in death for causing a commotion. Traitors to humanity face but one path: death! My loyalty is there for the Emperor to see! ¡°Dream on! I refuse!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As he reaffirmed his stance in his mind once more, a terrifying shriek arose deep within his soul! Instantly, Gu Hang felt a soul-shattering pain. This force, bursting forth from within, maxed out in an instant and almost tore him apart. Though it was wordless, Gu Hang felt as if some terrifying entity in the unseen depths was manipulating everything with the intent to destroy him for failing to obtain that entity. However, the [Iron Will], which had been silent for quite a while, started operating at this moment. Gu Hang had made his choice, and so anything within his mind, his heart, his soul that was identified as harmful was now being repelled by [Iron Will]. Chapter 393 - Chapter 393: Chapter 238, Unique Upgrade Sequence Unlocked_2 Chapter 393: Chapter 238, ¡®Unique¡¯ Upgrade Sequence Unlocked_2 However, [Iron Will] does not operate out of thin air. Anything that is not strong enough is easily kept out; the intensity of this current situation is somewhat too high, requiring Gu Hang, the host, to provide more abundant Spiritual Energy as the source for the [Iron Will] ability to exert a greater effect. But the problem is¡­ Gu Hang doesn¡¯t have any left. He just finished a battle and is in a state of spiritual energy depletion. If that were not the case, he would not have been so easily vulnerable in the first place. Nevertheless, after [Iron Will] took effect, Gu Hang felt the soul pain alleviate significantly. Although it was still painful, at least he could think now. And the first thing he thought of was: If this continued for about another two minutes, he would die. The next thing he needed to consider was how to save himself. Normally speaking, there would be no way to do so. With his spiritual energy drained, what could he possibly do? But Gu Hang casually opened the system panel. Here, he noticed two changes. First, in the [Hero] interface, his personal interface, which after the rise to level six showed the words ¡®Experience Insufficient¡¯, had now changed to ¡®Can Level Up¡¯. As expected. Over the past period, although Gu Hang¡¯s level had been stuck at five without increasing, the many things that happened during that time had accumulated in the experience pool and did not just disappear. Perhaps, when leveling up from five to six, not all the experience was depleted. Now, he had eliminated an Evil God, which also provided a substantial boost in experience points, making him fully sufficient to level straight up to seven. The inevitable increase in spiritual attributes with leveling up should be enough to solve Gu Hang¡¯s current problem. However, when he tried to click to level up, Gu Hang was a bit taken aback. Last time, to go from level five to six, he needed two thousand salvation points; this time, to go from six to seven, it was going to cost him a whopping ten thousand! That¡¯s just too exaggerated! Gu Hang was indeed startled by this number at first. But after thinking about it carefully, it seemed to make sense. Going from level four to five only required five hundred salvation points, and then it increased to two thousand for level six. Considering this progression, it was only logical for it to reach ten thousand to level up to seven. Gu Hang currently did not have enough salvation points on hand. However, he had not forgotten that in the system interface, he also saw another change in the display. He exited the [Hero] interface and entered the event interface. [Storm Approaching: Event Completed] [The cult following the Primal Fury Owl, in their final moment of impending doom, erupted in a burst of madness, summoning the Evil God they worshiped to step into the human world. Yet you and your brave warriors, on the other hand, stepped into Hell¡¯s Abyss, facing the Evil God directly.] [Not only did you repel the invading Evil God, preventing it from descending to the human world, but you even killed it!] [Regardless of the choices you will make afterward, right now you and your warriors have truly achieved a great feat!] [Event Reward:] [Salvation Points +15000] [Your trait ¡®Enemy of the Storm¡¯, has been upgraded to ¡®Master of the Storm¡¯] [You are the Master of the Storm, wielding the power of wind and thunder at will. You have mastered a series of Storm God Skills, and now you can effortlessly control the power of the storm. Any attempt to summon storm powers in your presence will be met with absolute suppression. Your spiritual attribute +2.] Excellent! A timely assistance! By clicking confirm, he received the settlement rewards of the event. The [Storm Dominator] trait itself was strong and useful, giving Gu Hang a new spiritual energy system in addition to the regular telekinesis control system. Moreover, purely in terms of destructive power, the force of the storm energy was obviously stronger. Of course, this trait was of no use at the moment. However, the two spiritual attribute points that came with the trait were indeed tangible. It directly doubled Gu Hang¡¯s spiritual energy! In an instant, Gu Hang felt a sudden sense of coolness arise within him. The once-depleted spiritual power began to surge out of nowhere significantly. It didn¡¯t fully recharge, and he felt his current spiritual energy was about sixty percent of his full capacity. Yet, even this sixty percent was almost equivalent to his peak state before acquiring the [Storm Dominator] trait. After obtaining this ¡®fresh force¡¯, the protective efficiency of [Iron Will] soared instantly! The malicious screams that sought to tear apart his soul were all blocked out. He could still hear a trace of them, but it was already harmless. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Glancing over, he saw Georgette and her sister nuns were still blocked outside. But these valiant women were clearly very concerned about his condition, constantly staring in his direction over the crowd. It was a moderate bother. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But for now, Gu Hang didn¡¯t bother with them. He had a very important task at hand. He raised his gaze toward the distant body of the Primal Fury Owl. The body of the slain Evil God lay there, with its massive form gradually dissipating. It was being broken down into its most basic energy, returning to the True Realm. The rate of dissipation was not slow, but the godly body was so huge that it was still not completely dissipated. Chapter 394 - Chapter 394: Chapter 238, Unique Upgrade Sequence Unlocked_3 Chapter 394: Chapter 238, ¡®Unique¡¯ Upgrade Sequence Unlocked_3 However, what Gu Hang was looking at right now was not these signs. Through his Spiritual Vision, he could see the most central thing, still caught between the True Realm and the real world. It was the divine core of the Primal Fury Owl, or rather, its True Realm essence. In his spiritual field of view, it looked like a glowing sphere. The so-called ¡®choice¡¯ before him was, plainly speaking, whether or not Gu Hang should fuse with this entity. If he fused, he would be embracing Hell¡¯s Abyss, and Hell¡¯s Abyss would accept him. Consequently, he could naturally replace the Primal Fury Owl, become the Storm God, and transform into that¡­ the Inferior Deity among the Inferior Deities. He indeed chose to refuse, but this thing was caught in the veil of reality and couldn¡¯t escape for the moment. After [Iron Will] had blocked the disturbance of the soul¡¯s shrieks, Gu Hang could faintly feel that this god domain, now ownerless, was gradually beginning to collapse. Without a master, it could no longer sustain itself, and this god domain would shatter into the most common form of chaos in Hell¡¯s Abyss in the next few days. At the same time, it was also beginning to reject him, pushing away all beings not native to the True Realm. But the feeling of rejection was not yet strong, and Gu Hang still had time to do some things. His Spiritual Energy reached out toward that True Realm essence. Don¡¯t get it wrong, Gu Hang of course wasn¡¯t trying to fuse with it. He just felt that it was definitely a good thing, including the collapsing god domain. It was all good stuff. It would be a real pity to let it go to waste. Not to fuse, or to give up? Gu Hang wanted it all. He was thinking about methods other than fusion to take control of it. As the Spiritual Energy probed, he discovered it wasn¡¯t strong enough. He couldn¡¯t control it. The remaining power of that entity wasn¡¯t much, but its status was high. Even though caught passively in the reality veil, all of Gu Hang¡¯s attempts at using Spiritual Energy to ¡®drill¡¯ into it were blocked. After thinking for a moment, Gu Hang did something else. He reopened the [Hero] interface and selected himself. He had wanted to level up to seven earlier but lacked the grace points. However, now, having received the fifteen thousand grace points as event rewards, that was certainly more than enough. He directly chose to upgrade. Ten thousand grace points vanished and were replaced with the familiar upgrade options. The same five options appeared before him. This time, he was of course going to choose Spirituality again. Gu Hang had already invested a lot in this direction and had reaped a lot. If nothing went wrong, he would of course continue firmly down this path, taking it to the extreme. If nothing went wrong, the upgrade might result in an attribute increase; drawing another Spiritual Talent might lead to another boost in spiritual attributes. He wasn¡¯t asking for much, just hoping for another two points increase in spirituality. With that, Gu Hang¡¯s currently controllable power would leap forward significantly, and he might be able to try to grasp that divine origin. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, things did not go unexpectedly¡­ unexpectedly. Just like every previous upgrade, he would subconsciously click on the [Unique] option that had always been locked. He clicked it this time too. Normally, a prompt saying [Unique sequence upgrade path not unlocked, upgrade failed.] should pop up, letting him choose again. But this time, it was different. [Unique sequence upgrade path has been unlocked, upgrade successful.] Chapter 395 - Chapter 395: Chapter 239, The Essence of the True Realm Chapter 395: Chapter 239, The Essence of the True Realm [The upgrade project for the unique sequence has been unlocked and successfully upgraded.] Huh? Wait, where are my spiritual attribute points? It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not curious about the unique sequence¡¯s upgrade project, Gu Hang really was, but the key thing right now was to get that essence of the True Realm! Spiritual Vision is the top priority! Don¡¯t mess this up for me! However, the thoughts that had flashed through his mind in an instant, concerning this so-called ¡®unique¡¯ sequence, vanished like smoke the moment its effects materialized before him. Firstly, a familiar warmth flowed from every part of his body. Gu Hang could clearly feel that his body had grown stronger. At the same time, the spiritual energy that had already recovered a great deal and was no longer dried up now surged even further. This was the change brought about by the upgrade. Upon leveling up to lv7, both Gu Hang¡¯s physical and spiritual attributes had grown a bit. This was the benefit of leveling up itself. And most importantly, there were the goodies brought by the unique upgrade path. [Inferior Deity: You have taken control of a fraction of the True Realm¡¯s essence and declined the temptation to become a deity. Now, you can separate a part of your will, and with protection, control this essence to acquire a Subspace Inferior Deity Incarnation. Spiritual attributes +2.] !!! It was clear that he was able to unlock the ¡®unique¡¯ sequence¡¯s upgrade options because he had obtained this essence of the True Realm. Gu Hang was now even more grateful that he had chosen not to merge with it. Although he hadn¡¯t merged, he could still indirectly control this essence of the True Realm and, through it, further control the Storm God Kingdom, which was fundamentally a part of the True Realm. Doing this through the system was much safer than a direct physical fusion. Wasn¡¯t this better than a direct fusion? As such, Gu Hang¡¯s overall role attributes had become: [Hero: Gu Hang (Faction Leader), LV7, insufficient experience to level up] [Physique: 12, Spirituality: 27] [Traits: Psychic Caster, Rage Owl Star General, Master of the Storm] [Talents: Protective Spiritual Energy, Advanced Telekinesis Control, Mental Manipulation, Iron Will, True Realm Essence] ¡­ This new talent, [True Realm Essence], originating from the unique sequence, gave him two more points in spiritual attributes. This was a significant upgrade. Usually, when leveling up, the spiritual talents drawn typically only add one point. Today, his personal strength has grown at a staggering rate. Earlier, he gained two spiritual points from the [Master of the Storm] trait, one from leveling up, and another two from this unique upgrade path. In such a short period, he had collected five attribute points. This meant his spiritual attribute strength was now over seven times what it had been before! Still using the Beastman Fleet General that Gu Hang had encountered in the past for comparison, at Gu Hang¡¯s current strength level, it wouldn¡¯t just be about crushing him through the heavy Green Skin armor. Gu Hang could now exert enough telekinetic force to twist the admiral¡¯s armor into a pretzel. Matins wouldn¡¯t fare much better either. His Terminator Power Armor probably couldn¡¯t withstand Gu Hang¡¯s psychic strength now. Not to mention, now that he had mastered the Storm series of divine arts, using the power of thunder and lightning, and expending the same amount of Spiritual Energy, the pure lethality and destructive power were even greater than that of Telekinesis. Facing a squad of champions entirely equipped with Terminator Power Armor, Gu Hang could achieve victory with relative ease! However, the increase in spiritual attributes was still a basic gain. More importantly, of course, was the mastery of the True Realm¡¯s origin within the Storm God Kingdom. But after calming down a bit, Gu Hang realized that this was different from a direct fusion. After fusion, he would become a god. Not to mention many disadvantages, at least by then, he truly would be an Inferior Deity of the True Realm, and his foundation was far better than that of the beast-based Primal Fury Owl. The moment he ascended to godhood, he would certainly be stronger than that brainless creature. But now, he was still essentially human. He could only indirectly control things like divine origins, the essence of the True Realm, the Divine Realm¡­ a series of such things. However, reaching this step was already quite satisfying. Under his Spiritual Vision, the sphere of light trapped within the veils of reality no longer resisted fiercely but had become docile. His tendrils of Spiritual Energy touched the sphere of light with ease, and he could drag it and move it slowly. Gu Hang pulled it out from the veils of reality and put it back into the Storm God Kingdom. The obstacle that had previously stopped the Primal Fury Owl dead was now easily overcome by Gu Hang with deliberate effort. The humans still lingering within the God Kingdom suddenly saw a clear ray of light, crisply shining down upon the desolate ground. People couldn¡¯t help but look up, only to see one after another, beams of light, like sharp swords, piercing the clouds and reaching the ground. Soon, the sky, originally covered with dark clouds, was riddled with holes. The clouds were dispersed, and people saw an immense, blue, and constantly sparking ¡®sun¡¯ in the sky. The people present could not help but grip their weapons tighter, vigilant for any sudden developments. The most alarmed were the Battle Nuns. They could sense that the blue electric ¡®sun¡¯ in the sky contained a power similar to that of the previously defeated Primal Fury Owl Evil God, which made them wonder if the battle they had just fought was in vain? Had they just killed one Evil God only for another similar one to appear? But they quickly detected differences between the two. From this blue lightning ¡®sun¡¯, they didn¡¯t feel the overflowing malice commonly associated with the Cult followers, Demons, and Evil Gods they had encountered in the past. The nuns couldn¡¯t help but want to investigate further. But at this moment, another attention-grabbing event occurred: The Military Governor stood up. Georgette looked hesitantly at the Military Governor, then up at the blue ¡®sun¡¯ in the sky, unsure if the Military Governor¡¯s sudden awakening had anything to do with the current phenomena. But before she could speak, the Military Governor already addressed them: ¡°Warriors, our mission is accomplished. The Evil God that covets our homeland has been annihilated, and the world is safe. Now, let us return to the real world and savor this victory!¡± The Military Governor¡¯s voice echoed within the minds of every soldier. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At the same time, Georgette received a specific message in her mind from the Military Governor, ¡°Commander of the Nuns, I know you have many questions, but please believe that nothing is wrong with me. We will discuss in detail once we are back in the real world.¡± Even though Georgette had a thousand questions at that moment, she had to suppress them for the time being. ¡ª¡ª¨C Having written 2k, I¡¯m sending it out for now. There¡¯ll be more by noon tomorrow. Chapter 396 - Chapter 396: Chapter 240, Didnt I Die? Chapter 396: Chapter 240, Didn¡¯t I Die? Polar Industrial City, the headquarters of the group. Here, it had been temporarily cleared out to serve as the alliance¡¯s command center in this city. At this moment, one of the large offices had been tidied up spotlessly clean, with no extraneous items left behind. About a dozen sisters, under the leadership of Superior Georgette, were using some kind of green material to draw many complex and sacred patterns and lines on the walls and floor of the room. After completing these, they gathered around Gu Hang, who was sitting cross-legged in the center of the room with his eyes closed, and chanted sacred texts under the direction of Superior Georgette. Outside the door stood a group of space warriors, along with Alliance Brigadier General Tadeusz. They were not in the mood to chat idly; they even felt they should not be standing there. Logically, even if Mr. Gu needed to undergo an inspection, there should have been these loyal warriors standing by his side, guarding him, rather than just waiting outside the door as they were now. But what could be done? Despite the unreasonable demands made by those battle nuns, what really made them comply was the order from Mr. Gu himself. Mr. Gu had told them not to worry and to wait outside with peace of mind. In Mr. Gu¡¯s words, that meant he had complete trust in these battle sisters who had made significant contributions to Rage Owl Star and the alliance. What else could be said? They could only wait. Inside the room, the sacred ritual conducted by the sisters had reached its final stage. The sacred text they were chanting became more and more grandiose; visible light was even emanating from them, spreading outwards, merging with all the sacred patterns they had drawn, causing a slight tremor in the air and immersing Gu Hang, who sat with closed eyes in the center of the room, within it. Finally, the chanting ended and the light dissipated. At this point, Superior Georgette, looking slightly weary, slowly began to speak, ¡°Mr. Gu, our inspection is over.¡± Hearing this, Gu Hang opened his eyes and said with a smile, ¡°How did it turn out?¡± Georgette could tell that although Mr. Gu¡¯s question was phrased as a doubt, it was actually filled with strong confidence. And now she truly understood where that confidence stemmed from: ¡°We can now confirm, Mr. Gu, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you,¡± Georgette stated. There was no such cliche as ¡®although I didn¡¯t find anything wrong, I still feel like something is off.¡¯ Georgette and the sisters she led trusted the results they came up with. They had used the highest standard of detection available; Mr. Gu, under investigation, also seemed very open, with nothing to hide; and the final result indeed proved that there were no issues, no signs of corruption by evil whatsoever. What then was there left to doubt? On the contrary, they breathed a sigh of relief. Over the past year and a half, their activities on Rage Owl Star had been greatly supported by Mr. Gu, and the cooperation could be considered quite pleasant. Of course, they did not wish for Mr. Gu to encounter any problems. The current result was a cause for celebration for everyone. Gu Hang stood up and, with the help of two battle nuns standing behind him, put on his coat. He then said to Georgette, ¡°According to a message from Revival City, the visitor from Korolya III will arrive tomorrow. By then, I will take some people and try to rush back to Revival City. I plan to host a banquet to welcome our visitor from afar.¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s no need,¡± Georgette declined with regret in her tone, ¡°The situation with Korolya III is dire, and there is no time for banquets. We will depart immediately once the ship from the Sisterhood arrives. This is not a sign of disrespect to you, Mr. Gu, but we must hurry. Please understand.¡± Gu Hang sighed, ¡°Alright then. You have important business to attend to; how could I possibly insist on stopping you? I just truly wished that you could rest well for a day before leaving after having just eliminated the Cult and faced the Evil God.¡± ¡°We have several days¡¯ journey from Rage Owl Star to the Korolya Star System, which is more than enough time for us to rest.¡± ¡°Alright, since you are determined to leave, I won¡¯t hold you back. I will allocate three Wind Falcons to take you to Revival City right now to await the ship¡¯s landing,¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Gu.¡± ¡­ Offering to have the Battle Nuns stay was merely a formality. If they wanted to leave, then let them. It would even save the money for the banquet. Besides, these nuns have an incredibly sharp instinct in certain matters. Having them around could indeed complicate things. The nuns from the Sacred Order of the Merciful Lily couldn¡¯t find any issues with him, which was expected. After all, there was nothing wrong with Gu Hang. He hadn¡¯t tried to assimilate the divine essence left behind by the Primal Fury Owl. The control over it was due to the system¡¯s capabilities. What could those nuns possibly find from their investigations? However, if Gu Hang wanted to test out the newly acquired ¡°Essence of the True Realm,¡± it would still be better to have the nuns away. He stepped outside, comforted his loyal subordinates for a while, and after some time, he saw that the Wind Falcons carrying the nuns back to Revival City had departed. He then found an unoccupied office. After declining to meet with the surrendered management of Polar Industrial Group and ordering that nobody disturb him without permission, he began to summon his spiritual energy. In an instant, Gu Hang¡¯s vision whitened, and he found himself in a desolate space with a bright blue lightning sun in the sky. This was his spiritual projection into Hell¡¯s Abyss. In the past, achieving this would have been troublesome. It required a large number of people in the real world, a great sacrifice, and complex rituals to create a pathway for a brief descent. Now, Gu Hang could do it with just a thought. He looked up at the blue sun for a moment. That object was the essence of the True Realm. With its presence, the Storm God Kingdom, which should have collapsed into chaos indistinguishable from the rest of Hell¡¯s Abyss, was preserved. Although the land was still barren, at least the dark clouds that once enveloped it were gone. With a thought, countless points of light suddenly emerged on the desolate ground. At a glance, there were about three thousand. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They changed and expanded, eventually becoming recognizable figures dressed in uniforms of the Alliance soldiers. ¡­ Colonel Derek lowered his head, looking at his hands emitting a blue glow, translucent in appearance, his expression bewildered. Did I not just die? What is this now? Chapter 397 - Chapter 397: Chapter 241, My Valor Spirit Legion Chapter 397: Chapter 241, My Valor Spirit Legion The commander of the 31st Airborne Division, Colonel Derek, was now feeling bewildered. He was convinced that he had died before. At that time, he was commanding the artillery troops, firing at the colossal form of the Evil God. But just then, a bolt of lightning struck from the sky. All he felt was everything momentarily illuminated by a bright light, and after enduring intense pain for just a moment, he plunged into darkness. That must have been death, right? Dying on the battlefield resulted in no resentment. To die in a battle against an Evil God was even more honorable. His only regret was that he couldn¡¯t see the outcome, yet he firmly believed that under Mr. Gu¡¯s leadership, the warriors of the Alliance would surely triumph. Only, he hadn¡¯t expected that after a person dies, there really would be souls and an ascent to heaven? No¡­ that¡¯s not right. He looked around him, this environment was very familiar. Apart from the strange blue ¡®sun¡¯ still casting electrical arcs above and the overcast clouds that had cleared away, the terrain looked just like where he and his troops had fought to the death. And beside him, there were many translucent little blue people like himself. Among them, he recognized many faces¨Cthese were simply his soldiers! What was going on? ¡°Warriors, look at me,¡± a familiar voice echoed in everyone¡¯s hearts. That was Mr. Gu! They instinctively looked up, and beneath the non-dazzling blue sun, Mr. Gu¡¯s figure floated there. The multitude of warriors couldn¡¯t help but give a military salute in respect. Gu Hang solemnly returned the salute. Then, he slowly began to speak, ¡°I am deeply sorry for awakening you from the eternal rest you should be enjoying.¡± ¡°You came at my summons and died for the safety of the Alliance, and you deserved to rest in peace.¡± ¡°However, our mission is not yet complete, and I still need your strength to shine after death.¡± ¡°I will not insist¨Cif anyone wishes not to, please silently chant ¡®eternal rest¡¯ three times in your heart, and I will send you back to rest, you are still a hero of the Alliance.¡± ¡°Those who are willing will stay and continue to guard our world with me.¡± After that, Gu Hang closed his eyes. He wasn¡¯t just talking. If there truly were any unwilling souls, he could indeed send them back. However, after careful sensing, out of over three thousand, he didn¡¯t hear a single ¡®eternal rest¡¯. Then, opening his eyes with satisfaction, he said, ¡°Very good, I am pleased to continue fighting alongside you. Our first task will be to establish our base here, on this land that once belonged to the Evil God, but now is ours.¡± ¡°We will construct the Hall of Valor here; this will be the final resting place for both you and all the future heroes who will battle for Rage Owl Star and the welfare of humanity!¡± ¡°Now, the one with the highest military rank, step forward!¡± ¡­ In this group of over three thousand, the highest-ranked was naturally Colonel Derek. His death was both surprising and expected to Gu Hang. Expected, because in the little time after the battle when Gu Hang had returned to the real world, he had seen the casualty report which mentioned the death of the commander of the 31st Airborne Division. So it was quite normal to see Derek here. The surprise was¡­ it¡¯s rather unfortunate for a commander of his rank to be struck down by lightning. Gu Hang had been quite taken aback when he first received the news. Colonel Derek¡­ oh, he was now a Colonel. It is the Alliance¡¯s custom to honor achievements posthumously, and the fallen are not forgotten. Those who are to be promoted get their ranks, those due for medals receive them, and dying in battle is in itself a merit¨Cas long as it isn¡¯t a stupid death or one in violation of orders. Promotions and medals for fallen soldiers are meaningful. Ceremonial ranks and medals are sent back to the families; higher ranks and accumulated medals increase the amount for pensions and support for the underaged children, widows, and elderly parents of the slain. This is another reason for the high morale of the Alliance Army: no need to worry that one¡¯s sacrifice will be in vain, the Alliance will remember it all. Now Colonel Derek was in charge of this unit, and he had quite a lot to do. All the Valor spirits stemmed from those who fell in the previous battle. Some died fighting against the Storm Beasts summoned by the Primal Fury Owl, while even more were struck down by thunder and lightning while battling the Storm Monster itself. Don¡¯t think that creature died in vain; before its end, it summoned over a thousand bolts of lightning. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Excluding the lightning targeted at Mr. Gu, which he evaded frantically, plenty fell upon the troops, resulting in nearly two thousand deaths. These casualties came from various units of the Northern Frontier Army Group, with diverse arms and institutional structures. Reassembling and organizing them was a test of Colonel Derek¡¯s abilities. Of course, Gu Hang believed he could handle it. Once he dealt with reestablishing the organizational system, their first task was to transform this barren land according to Mr. Gu¡¯s suggestions and to construct some buildings here. Although it was always windy and never rainy here, with no climate change, and although the Valor spirits, now dead, didn¡¯t seem to need a shelter to protect them from the elements, Gu Hang still hoped that these Valor spirits could retain their recognition of being ¡®human.¡¯ Chapter 398 - Chapter 398: Chapter 241, My Valor Spirit Legion_2 Chapter 398: Chapter 241, My Valor Spirit Legion_2 They had simply transformed into another kind of form, and they ought to continue regarding themselves as ¡®people¡¯. If not, what difference would there be between them and those Storm Beasts summoned by the Primal Fury Owl? And since they are people, then even though conditions within this Divine Realm aren¡¯t great, one should still try to create conditions for them to live as much like people as possible, to anchor this point even more solidly. ¡­ After watching Colonel Derek go off to busy himself with his things, Gu Hang started to ponder his own matters. His main objective for returning to this Divine Realm was to thoroughly explore how exactly to use this new ability. Summoning Valor Spirits was just an unexpected bonus. After completing the upgrade and obtaining the talent ability of the True Realm essence, Gu Hang sensed that the souls of those who had died in battle were still drifting here. They could not return, and Gu Hang was also incapable of making their souls leave the True Realm wholly to return to their physical bodies in reality. However, he could use the True Realm¡¯s essence to exert control over the Divine Realm and use Spiritual Energy to bond, mend, and fill their shattered souls. Frankly speaking, these Valor Spirits were fundamentally no different from the Storm Beasts summoned by the Primal Fury Owl previously, both being a combination of broken, dead souls with Spiritual Energy. But Gu Hang was not like that beast. What kind of imagination could a beast have? It would only create a bunch of brainless things like itself. Gu Hang, on the other hand, largely preserved traces of ¡®humanity¡¯ such as personality and memories within those soul fragments, and he used Spiritual Energy to recraft bodies for them. Gu Hang would not only grant them thought, freedom, and will, but he also preserved the potential for their advancement. At this point, there was a fundamental difference between them and those brainless Storm Beasts that could only serve as cannon fodder. Thinking this far, Gu Hang suddenly realized, these Valor Spirits¡­ didn¡¯t they somewhat resemble Demons? Existing in Hell¡¯s Abyss or rather the True Realm; bodies composed of Spiritual Energy; possessing their own will yet controlled by him, a god-like being who¡¯s not a god; the future advancement depending on the aggregation of more Spiritual Energy to strengthen themselves¡­ Shaking his head, he forcibly discarded this train of thought. Don¡¯t get carried away with wild thoughts. Afterward, he began to consider the utilization of the entire Divine Realm. Now, not only could he easily immerse his consciousness into this Divine Realm whenever he wished, but he was also capable of effortlessly tearing open a fissure to his Divine Realm in the True Realm from the real world. This would be very useful. In battle, the torn fissure could allow his newly formed Valor Spirit Legion to descend into the real world at any moment as a surprise force, appearing on the battlefield without any signs. The strategic value was immense. Tearing open a fissure to the True Realm could also, should Gu Hang choose to do so, allow him to use Spiritual Energy in the real world to an exaggerated extent. Especially when using storm series Psychic Spells, the power would become extremely exaggerated. Right now, his real body had already reached a level where he could eliminate a unit of veteran endgame warriors on his own. With the power of the Divine Realm now bolstering him, although he still wasn¡¯t at the standard of an Evil God since his spiritual essence was still limited and he could control only so much power at once, a three to five-fold enhancement in his strength under the furious power of the True Realm was very normal. Then, perhaps he could single-handedly destroy an elite Star Warrior Trooper Squad; even in stellar battles, his personal might could possibly influence the outcome of the fight by interfering with or enhancing something like a Void Shield. Even some of the smaller ones, like patrol-class Starships, he could destroy if they weren¡¯t at full defensive capacity, utilizing vastly strengthened storm spells! After a considerable assessment of his full combat strength, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t help but shudder. It was a bit terrifying. Aside from these combat aspects, Gu Hang also came up with some ideas in other areas. For instance, the ¡®storm¡¯ divinity he inherited has strong control and dominion over the spiritual energy storms. So, could the Low Energy Storm problem that has plagued Rage Owl Star for hundreds of years be resolved? Directly undertaking planetary-level climate and geological transformations would be astronomically expensive; however, by using the power of an Inferior Deity, Gu Hang could manage the intensity of Low Energy Storms and repair the environment. He could enable the spiritual energy, which essentially permeates from the True Realm into our world but couldn¡¯t be stored due to environmental damage, to be converted back into utilizable Spiritualized Gas Fields¨Can approach that may now be feasible. The only requirement was that he would have to spend a considerable amount of time in places where the Low Energy Storms were fierce. But it wouldn¡¯t be too troublesome; after all, he always had a lot of administrative work to deal with. Working in Revival City, or having a mobile office, staying in one place for several months, there was not much difference, and it wouldn¡¯t interfere with his work and tackling of Low Energy Storms at the same time. This was not mere speculation; he planned to verify the feasibility of this idea in Gaota Province, firstly visiting Rubbish Town, now Gaota City, after he set out. Besides, Gu Hang had thought of another possible method. Ripping open the veil of reality would create a massive disturbance and was something Gu Hang certainly wouldn¡¯t do until absolutely necessary. But creating a tiny slit, or even just thinning the veil slightly to let more spiritual energy seep through¨Cthis would be much less obtrusive. By doing so, Gu Hang might not gain a significant boost in the midst of fierce battle, but the gradually permeating spiritual energy, accumulating day by day, could have a beneficial effect: within a considerable range, humans with high spiritual affinity would have a greater chance of awakening their psychic powers. In other words, Gu Hang might have a way to mass-produce psychic power users. At that moment, he even started contemplating the name for a Mage Corps he would form once he had enough psychics. What should he call it? Honestly, mass-producing psychics, giving more people the chance to awaken spiritual energy, was a more feasible task than fixing the Low Energy Storm problem. Generally, having too many psychics was not a good thing. Psychics always came with many problems, such as not controlling their powers properly, harming themselves or others; or becoming easy targets for Hell¡¯s Abyss, causing significant destruction after being seduced in mind, or even being possessed by demons, ripping open the veil of reality, leading to a small-scale demon invasion¡­ But after some consideration, Gu Hang felt these risks were manageable for him. The psychics he cultivated would have their power awakened under the Storm God Kingdom controlled by Gu Hang. Although it also lay within Hell¡¯s Abyss, there wouldn¡¯t be any sensation of minds being seduced or bodies being possessed by demons, tearing open the veil of reality, and other such grand news, as long as Gu Hang himself didn¡¯t wish it. As for the remaining issue of ¡®how to control psychic powers without harming oneself or others,¡¯ that was solvable. ¡°In that case, before setting up the Mage Corps, I might need to establish a Psychic Academy first? Let¡¯s call it the Magical School¡­ or perhaps Hogwarts?¡± Gu Hang mused to himself, entertaining his own thoughts. Feeling quite happy, he turned his attention to the blue sun in the sky. His perspective gradually receded, soon encompassing the entire Divine Realm. It was still desolate, but in Gu Hang¡¯s eyes, it appeared to hold a future brimming with life. However, the process of pulling back did not stop there. Soon, what he saw was not just the Storm God Kingdom. A vaster domain appeared in his view. Beyond the Storm God Kingdom, bathed in the light of the blue sun, lay vast expanses of chaos. Countless colors rolled and entwined within this space, where various elemental forces twisted around each other, creating a scene of indescribable turmoil and distortion. At first glance, it was quite beautiful, but upon closer inspection, the sheer disorder and chaos were almost dizzying and nauseating. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Looking further afield, Gu Hang thought he saw five distinct and enormous areas amidst the endless chaos. But that was just a glimpse, as he suddenly felt a strong warning from his already formidable spirituality. He cut off the view without hesitation, but the next moment, a severe headache still struck him. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.2k words Chapter 399 - Chapter 399: Chapter 242, The Four Divine Beasts and The Emperor Chapter 399: Chapter 242, The Four Divine Beasts and The Emperor By the time Gu Hang realized that something was amiss, his response had been exceedingly decisive. He severed contact immediately and ceased his observation. However, intense pain still surged into his head. Unlike a typical headache, this sensation felt more like his brain was on fire. He instantly terminated the act of projecting his soul into the True Realm. In just an instant, his consciousness returned to the reality of his own physical body. This made him feel much better. Although the pain was still there, it did not intensify any further. He gasped for breath, slowly calming the damage suffered by his spiritual energy. It took hours before the pain subsided to a tolerable level and he successfully regained the ability to think. Clutching his head, Gu Hang realized that what he had just done was an act courting death. Fortunately, he did not succeed. Gu Hang indeed had been somewhat careless. He had thought that after having controlled a part of the True Realm¡¯s origin, he would be considered an ¡®insider¡¯ of the True Realm. Overconfident, he opened his eyes and tried to look up to get a glimpse of the general outline of the entire True Realm. As a result, he got slapped in the face. ¡°You presume to consider yourself as one of us?¡± The more ¡®things¡¯ he saw, the more ¡®things¡¯ turned to look at him. Some were small, broken, inconsequential. But those five significant ones, even the mere glimpse of their casual leaked auras, images, and information, were unbearable for Gu Hang as an individual. That was the source of the searing pain that almost set his head on fire. He had no doubt that if he had persisted out of folly a moment longer, he would have ended up either brain-burned or insane. Of course, on the flip side, it could be considered good news: although Gu Hang had taken control of that part of the True Realm¡¯s origin, since he had not fused with it and had not been fully accepted by the True Realm, he remained a part of the real world, a ¡®human¡¯. However, having already paid such a high price and taken such a great risk, Gu Hang was not about to let himself gain nothing from it. He began to carefully recall everything he had just seen. Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, that scene had been deeply etched in his mind. Now, revisiting it, he began to analyze what each aspect of that scene represented. First and foremost was the vast majority of that scene, a tumultuous and wild tsunami of innumerable colors mixed together, entangled, twisted, and rolling in absolute chaos. That must represent Hell¡¯s Abyss, or, one might say, the primordial state of the entire True Realm. Pure, chaotic, disordered energy. It was constantly being consumed and yet constantly replenished. The real world made use of it, and in return, it took its ¡®toll¡¯ from the real world. Among those chaotic spots of light, there was a monotony of ¡®solid colors¡¯ existing. These lights varied in color and size, but Gu Hang could feel that these ¡®places¡¯ had an essence very similar to the ¡®Storm God Kingdom¡¯ he controlled. Gu Hang speculated that these were in fact various Divine Realms, symbolizing different Subspace Inferior Gods. These Inferior Deities could generally be divided into two categories: those that were independent and those that were subordinate to other gods. Being independent did not necessarily mean being powerful; it might also mean being ignored by other dominants. Like the Primal Fury Owl. Its legacy, the Storm God Kingdom, was rather small compared to many other ¡®Divine Realms¡¯ Gu Hang had glanced at. But no matter the Inferior Deity, whether independent or attached to other powers, none could compare to the four supreme gods within the True Realm, each possessing the largest ¡®territories¡¯. Four¡­ Gu Hang did not know their names, nor did he dare to know them. Those four names were definitely not a secret. On the contrary, every being that entered the True Realm, no matter what it was, would be ¡®kindly¡¯ informed by the True Realm of the names of the four most frightening beings that should not be provoked in a world even more vast than the boundless universe. But anyone with a bit of common sense knew that these names should never be known to mortals; even those without much sense but with a measure of spiritual energy would receive inherent warnings from their spiritual energy. It was toxic knowledge. Knowing it meant one was not far from being captured by those four beings. But Gu Hang had seen them. Of course, it was not a direct sighting, but rather he saw the Divine Realms of these four deities, each draped in different colors. One of them primarily in yellow-green, emitted a heavy atmosphere of corruption and despair throughout its region. This feeling was somewhat familiar to Gu Hang. He remembered. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only About half a year ago, during the incident in Green Valley Province that almost escalated into a demonic disaster, the ¡®Benevolent Father¡¯ worshiped by the Nature Salvation Society appeared to be this deity; and the Great Unclean One that emerged later was also a subordinate to this deity. Looking at it this way, Gu Hang had, in a sense, already interacted with this Benevolent Father. Besides this Benevolent Father, there were three other Divine Realms just as formidable as his. The second one was crimson, filled with the will of tyranny and destruction, as if there was a blood-thirsty tyrant seated on a brass throne, with mountains of skulls and rivers of blood beneath him. The third one was purple, suffused with desire and confusion, with the repulsive yet tempting sounds of decadence emanating from luxurious palaces. Chapter 400 - Chapter 400: Chapter 242, The Four Gods and The Emperor_2 Chapter 400: Chapter 242, The Four Gods and The Emperor_2 The fourth was blue, brimming with a sense of mystery and chill, as if containing countless pieces of knowledge waiting to be discovered. Under absolute reason, it represented absolute madness. These four ¡®things¡¯ were the most powerful and unmatched gods within Hell¡¯s Abyss. However, their relationship didn¡¯t seem quite right; in a fleeting glimpse, Gu Hang could see their Divine Realms intertwining and eroding each other, engaged in constant conflict. Gu Hang didn¡¯t know if his guess was correct, but he felt that the struggle between these four gods seemed to matter more to them than invading the real world. If that were true, then that would be incredibly good news. If the four gods were to unite and attack together, it would be an utter catastrophe for all living beings in the real world. Beyond these four, Gu Hang saw a fifth presence that was no weaker than them and even faintly stronger, also occupying a corner of the True Realm. That place seemed shrouded by a cold sun. The blue sun within the Storm God Kingdom, compared to that real frigid sun, was trivial, like a mere speck of dust. The frigid sun did not bring warmth, but at least it did not exude boundless malevolence at a glance like the domains of the four gods did. Under the cover of the cold sun, a large area within the True Realm gleamed with golden light. Amid the brilliant radiance, devoid of warmth, it supported an orderly space. A net-like structure secured the majestic sea of Spiritual Energy to that region to operate according to the will of some great being. Instantly, Gu Hang had a clear guess: that was The Emperor¡¯s Spirit Network! Almost every legal Spiritual Energy user¡¯s first theoretical lesson is about how, ten thousand years ago, the ascended Human Emperor established the Spirit Network, enabling humanity to use Spiritual Energy much more safely than in the dark ages of the past. Now, Gu Hang had personally witnessed the truth of this statement. He had no doubt that the magnificent golden network was the dominion of the Human Emperor, the Spirit Network he built. Perhaps, similar to those four fearsome Evil Gods, The Emperor himself also sat upon his golden throne, gazing down at his subjects, glaring at all the enemies of humanity. ¡­ When analyzing the scene imprinted in his mind, Gu Hang was extremely cautious. The effects of [Iron Will] were constantly in effect, fearing that even the mere recollection of the scene could cause significant harm. He was also prepared to immediately purge this part of his memory should there be any problem. Fortunately, his caution did not prove necessary. No abnormalities occurred during the recollection process. While the information he recalled, understood, and analyzed might not all be accurate, at least Gu Hang now had a rough understanding of the general state of the True Realm. Simply put, it was a situation of one Emperor against the four gods; the four gods in mutual hostility, particularly the red tyrant and the purple lust battling each other, as well as the yellow-green benevolent father and the blue mystery, their internal strife no less intense than their external conflicts; a countless number of Inferior Deities trembling beneath these five great existences, either relying on one of the four gods ¡ª Gu Hang did not see any Inferior Deities relying on The Emperor ¡ª or being weak and reclusive independents. And the space occupied by The Emperor, the four gods, and all the Inferior Deities combined did not even account for half of the entire True Realm. The remaining majority was pure, chaotic, twisted, and void space, filled with terrifying subspace waves. When they swelled into a maelstrom, anything and everything would likely tremble before them. The lesser Inferior Deities might be tossed about like a leaf in the ocean, easily capsized by the waves; even mighty beings like The Emperor and the four gods would likely have to retract their feelers and proceed with caution amidst the roar of the tumult. This was the landscape of the True Realm. Apart from this larger scheme, Gu Hang also noticed something else: the True Realm seemed particularly malevolent towards him, a peculiar ¡®Inferior Deity.¡¯ Although he had stealthily glanced at the four gods, causing himself a headache for several hours, the four gods seemed to pay him no heed, much like a giant would not care if an ant thousands of miles away glanced at it; the nearby Inferior Deities presumably hadn¡¯t discovered him. But the vast expanse of subspace waves, particularly the part near his Divine Realm, seemed rather restless. Gu Hang felt malevolence. Despite not knowing where this malevolence originated from or how it might manifest, this was certainly not a comforting message. But Gu Hang soon stopped dwelling on this matter. On one hand, he was prepared to meet the enemy¡¯s soldiers with soldiers of his own, and fend off water with earth. On the other hand, he seemed to have found a method: he could control the Storm God Kingdom and drift within the ferocious tidal waves of subspace. Thus, he set a course, striving to steer the ¡®Storm God Kingdom¡¯, this little boat, towards the glittering domain among the five great divine realms. He didn¡¯t intend to integrate within it, he merely wanted to place the Divine Realm as close as possible to the area suspected to be near the Emperor¡¯s Spirit Network. Perhaps, the venerable Emperor, seeing Gu Hang¡¯s plight, would lend a hand? Of course, that was quite a flight of fancy; that icy sun, supremely dignified, would likely not easily do anything. But even if he couldn¡¯t help, becoming neighbors would at least prevent attacks from both front and rear. When Gu Hang looked over, only the golden, gleaming Spirit Network region showed no malice towards him. However, it was still unknown how long it would take for the Storm God Kingdom to drift through the turbulent waves of subspace and get close to the Spirit Network. Let it drift slowly then. ¡­ Human Empire, Eastern Cosmos Domain, Tianma Star Sector, Heijian Star. In this world filled with numerous feudal states, where the productive forces were still in the late feudal era, a war was breaking out in Pincer City, the capital of Luman Kingdom, the third-largest nation on the planet. Caught in the midst of it, Lacroix didn¡¯t quite understand the logic behind this war. He had never been adept at these issues, not understanding the reasons or the background of the war, nor what impact or changes it would bring after the war was over. But he understood at least one thing: ¡°I¡¯m a soldier, my duty is to complete the mission.¡± Lacroix said earnestly to Miss Wang Qi, ¡°My current mission is to ensure your safety and escort you to the outskirts of the city to join up with our main forces. So, please cooperate with me.¡± Wang Qi felt somewhat embarrassed: ¡°Do you know I¡¯m the mother of your governor?¡± ¡°Of course I know, you are of noble status, and I would die before letting any harm come to you.¡± ¡°Then listen to me, we need to go back and save those four leaders of the merchant caravans. As long as they are alive, we can secure victory. Initiating a coup during the family meeting, which directly threatens the safety of all the allied caravan leaders, is the best way to settle scores afterward¡­¡± Lacroix shook his head and said, ¡°Miss, I must correct a misconception: I am committed to protecting your safety with my life, but I am not obliged to follow any of your orders. My mission is to protect your safety, and that doesn¡¯t include anyone else.¡± Wang Qi became anxious: ¡°Why can¡¯t you understand?!¡± Lacroix paused before continuing, ¡°Indeed, I don¡¯t understand why you noble people, who can consume in one feast what some commoners can¡¯t save in their entire lives, would fight each other to the death; I also don¡¯t understand how the survival or death of those four fleet masters you mentioned will influence the current situation. But to be honest, I don¡¯t want to understand any of that.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°I am a soldier of the governor, I fight for the governor, and the governor¡¯s orders are the highest command. The order is clear: protect your life. If circumstances permit, I don¡¯t mind following your commands to do certain things, but at this moment, it¡¯s not possible. Turning back now would severely compromise your safety.¡± Wang Qi was so angry she wanted to say more, but the next moment, her expression drastically changed! She saw, at the end of the alley, the emergence of a steel giant. She wasn¡¯t the sort of woman who would be frightened into helplessness, but just as she was about to warn Lacroix, the young soldier who might have been even younger than her son acted first. Lacroix pushed Wang Qi into a house with already picked locks while avoiding several rapidly fired 12.7 caliber bullets, and after running a few steps along the brick and stone walls, he fired simultaneously with the grenade launcher in his hand! Chapter 401 - Chapter 401: Chapter 243, Knight Order Chapter 401: Chapter 243, Knight Order Miss Wang Qi was not the kind of woman who panicked at the sight of blood. Though a merchant, she had indeed seen her fair share of it. After Lacroix pushed her through a side door into a residence and avoided the first round of bullets, she immediately stood up, found a window to observe the ongoing battle outside, and was ready to provide support at any moment. She was by no means defenseless. Miss Wang Qi had specifically taken time out to undergo two months of professional military training. While it didn¡¯t make her a qualified warrior, it at least taught her how to fire a gun. Beyond that, she possessed a skill far more powerful than the average warrior: wealth. Her two earrings, combined with rings on the pinky fingers of each hand, formed a miniature Shield Generator. At full power, it could provide three hours of protection and withstand the direct impact of three 155mm howitzer shells. Shield Generators were already exceedingly expensive, but the set Mrs. Wang Qi owned was many, many times more expensive than the usual kind. Typically, a Shield Generator device might be as large as a car; but this set was the epitome of miniaturization. Made of tiny items like earrings and rings, it could be worn with an evening gown to a banquet without looking out of place. Obviously, such a gadget was not something that could be mass-produced. In fact, it was a fine product crafted by a master forger using extremely high-end equipment over a long period of time. Moreover, a master jeweler had intricately designed it to ensure it remained beautiful, elegant, and high-class without compromising its functionality. Additionally, this miniaturized Shield Generator had a significant special effect: it would automatically engage when it detected an incoming threat, avoiding the situation where the user couldn¡¯t react swiftly enough to utilize the Shield Generator before being taken out. From these aspects, one can imagine just how valuable this set of earrings and rings was. Moreover, from the inside of her evening gown¡¯s thigh slit, she pulled out a weapon that had been strapped there. It was a flintlock pistol, the ebony emitting a faint scent with openwork carvings filled with gold, showcasing exquisite craftsmanship. Rather than a weapon, it indeed appeared more like a retro craft. In actuality, this ancient flintlock could be loaded with four bullets at a time. Regardless of the material of the bullets, the first four bullets fired each day would bear powerful Spiritual Energy and create a violent Spirit Explosion upon striking their targets, with the force of each Spirit Explosive Bullet surpassing even that of heavy bombshells. However, she was not so arrogant as to believe these devices alone would allow her to survive this crisis. In reality, her entire set of gadgets was clearly designed with the core objective of defending against assassination. Mrs. Wang Qi had never placed herself in an absolutely dangerous situation. When the first wave of the assassin¡¯s attack was blocked by the Shield Generator and the Spiritual Energy flintlock gave her a means to counterattack, a brief delay would be enough for the elite bodyguards, who should always be close to her, to swiftly arrive and eliminate the threats. Under normal circumstances, that would be the case. But at this moment, it was clearly not a normal situation. What she was facing was not an assassination but a full-scale war. How mighty was the Shield Generator, anyway? It could stop three 155mm howitzer shells, making it like a Wall of Sighs against assassinations, but in a war, a few machine guns and rifles could shatter it quickly with sustained fire. Not to mention, like the Void Shield, the Shield Generator was very insensitive to slow-moving objects; it wouldn¡¯t be broken by bullets, but it would be useless against someone approaching with a knife. In war, there are far too many things more dangerous than assassinations. And why had the situation on Heijian Star turned into a war? That story starts a few days ago. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After leaving Rage Owl Star, Miss Wang Qi and her Fleet traveled directly here. Heijian Star was still in the Feudal Era, with a population of four hundred million people spread across dozens of Feudal Kingdoms. Among them, the seven most powerful formed the King¡¯s Council, and every few years, they would elect one among them as the Governor to handle communications with the imperial departments. From this perspective, the power of Heijian Star¡¯s Governor was quite limited, with the role mainly serving as a liaison. Whether taxes could be fully collected depended on the cooperation of each kingdom¨Cof course, they usually cooperated. Those who didn¡¯t would be disciplined; even the larger kingdoms didn¡¯t want to face the wrath of the empire and would comply due to the joint questioning of other nations. Certainly, many conspiracies and deceptions would arise around this mechanism. For example, the Governor scheming against other kingdoms, or other kingdoms scheming against the current Governor¡­ But these affairs didn¡¯t concern Miss Wang Qi. With countless worlds within the empire, each with different levels of technology, economic foundations, and political ecosystems, who had the time to delve into so many? Wang Qi¡¯s concern was that most of the kingdoms on Heijian Star had very good relations with the Gu Commercial Firm, relations so strong that the Gu Clan¡¯s family congress had been held on Heijian Star for the past several decades. The local seven major kingdoms were quite welcoming of their arrival and fully supported the array of activities during the Gu Family¡¯s grand meetings. Chapter 402 - Chapter 402: Chapter 243, Knight Order_2 Chapter 402: Chapter 243, Knight Order_2 This time, as well, was no exception¨Cat least it didn¡¯t start as one. The current Governor of Heijian Star was King Nes Luman of the Luman Kingdom, the third-largest country on the planet. The location chosen for the meeting was also in the capital of this country, Pincer City. Pincer City was decked out in festive lights, treating the event as a grand festival. In the past few days, as the leading figures from the fourteen major caravans of Gu¡¯s Commerce Association arrived one after another, a series of public and private banquets began. Wang Qi had been preparing for many years to vie for the position of Family Head and was now just a step away. Despite feeling the struggle from her late husband¡¯s cousin, who had been up to all kinds of maneuvers, even attempting to disrupt the pace by calling for an early family meeting, none of these had much significance. Before the official start of the family meeting, Wang Qi further consolidated her alliances through banquets and private conversations, reinforcing relationships with her allies. Out of the fourteen major caravans, she still had a firm grip on four, and another four were her staunch allies. By the time the assembly started and the voting commenced, she, holding eight votes, could almost certainly elevate her son to the position of Family Head. Then, two days before the grand assembly, as a banquet was drawing to a close, the sound of thunderous gunfire and battle cries reached their ears. Wang Qi almost immediately realized that Gu Ming had been driven to a corner. Having been forewarned by her son, she had already been on guard against this issue. The standard security presence around her had tripled; all were highly vigilant; she reminded all caravan leaders to be aware of this issue and requested that they double their security force under the highest standards of safety. Additionally, the Chamber of Commerce Fleet in the skies was always battle-ready to prevent sneak and surprise attacks; the Expeditionary Force provided by Gu Hang, through swaps of commercial goods, had moved to a small town on the outskirts of Pincer. Wang Qi did her best to hide their movements, but she also knew that a force of nearly thirty thousand would struggle to go unnoticed. Exposure also had its advantages, creating a deterrent: ¡°I have an army outside, be cautious.¡± So long as they did not come to blows, it was favorable. After all, if things continued normally, she was most likely the victor. But Gu Ming still made his move. Actually, Wang Qi couldn¡¯t comprehend it. Indeed, without making a move, he couldn¡¯t win. But what if he lost? The Gu Family had suffered internal competition since its establishment, but in nearly three hundred years, spanning five generations, it had never devolved into malignant, bloody conflict. While such incidents were not uncommon in other families, the Gu Clan¡¯s internal struggles had never escalated to such a degree. Being more united than other merchant alliances was one of the reasons that the Gu Clan had grown large. If Gu Ming lost, without any other deep-seated hatred between them and still being relatives, as the victor, Wang Qi had no need, and it was not likely, to thoroughly execute him. Upon meeting, they might even have to stage an act of familial unity as aunt and nephew. With such an outcome, Gu Ming could well live as a wealthy, idle gentleman; it was even unrealistic for Wang Qi to strip him of the Chamber of Commerce Fleet under his control. Gu Ming could keep his influence, retreating to become a power within Gu¡¯s Commerce Association or, later on, continue to contend for the position of Family Head in the next cycle. But if he resorted to this, it would have been a bad precedent, a complete break from the rules. After such an incident, there would be no chance for amends. Gu Ming wouldn¡¯t be unaware of this. So, even up to the last moment, Wang Qi actually thought that while Gu Ming might stir trouble, the likelihood was genuinely small. But now that everything had happened, there was nothing else to say. The preparations made for defense were ready to be put into use. ¡°` The news of the battle¡¯s eruption was sent to the troops of Rage Owl Star stationed in the suburbs; within the city, security measures from various families were urgently deployed and mobilized; efforts were made to contact King Luman, who was serving his term as the Governor of Heijian Star, to have him take control of the capital¡¯s situation¡­ At this stage, Wang Qi remained calm. While sitting in the banquet hall with her allies, she even had the leisure to perform a few lamentations, claiming that Gu Ming couldn¡¯t possibly do such a thing and must be under someone¡¯s deceitful influence, sighed that Gu Ming had lost his mind, and even discussed how to deal with the issue afterward. The situation outside was indeed starting to improve. The security measures were powerful and appropriate, and the surrounding area was tightly controlled; reports from the front indicated that the Luman Army had also entered the city, taking control of the entire situation, and the sounds of gunfire and shouting had died down. Latter on, they discussed how to capture Gu Ming once the situation calmed down, to prevent him from escaping. But at this moment, the situation took a drastic turn for the worse in a very short period of time. The key factor was that the Luman Army, which was supposed to enter the city to pacify the chaos, lined up their formations towards the location of Wang Qi and her company, hoping to enter the area and take over the defense. They put it very nicely, saying that with the city¡¯s unstable condition, it was necessary to bring in stronger military forces for protection. But by this time, Lacroix, who had brought a special squad into Wang Qi¡¯s security team, expressed strong opposition. Wang Qi also kept vigilant and did not let them get close. Then, the Luman Army that came in full force launched an all-out attack on them. The productive forces of the Luman Kingdom remained at a feudal level, with poor industrialization and a main economic foundation relying on agriculture. But their army¡¯s weapons and equipment were not too shabby at all. They couldn¡¯t produce much, or rather, their production capacity was very weak and insufficient to independently support an army¡¯s weapons needs, but this did not prevent them from buying weapons. They had everything including the G5, G6 series of individual weapons, cannons, and so on. Of course, even with such equipment, the gap between them and the wealthy tycoons of Gu Family¡¯s security teams was still significant. But the cannon, firing from a distance, was unreasonable. If it were only the threat of the artillery, that would still be manageable. Forming an elite force and breaking out to eliminate the artillery units was an option. Gu¡¯s Security, almost entirely outfitted in alloy steel armor with laser guns, electromagnetic rifles, equipped with thermite bombs, plasma guns, and such, would have a hard time being stopped if a hundred-strong team broke out. However, what was most unexpected was the deployment of Luman Kingdom¡¯s true weapon of destruction. Knights. In a feudal nation, there was, of course, a feudal system. The King granted lands to the lords, the lords granted lands to knights, forming the ruling class: the nobility. And one of the core conditions for those nobles to be granted land was that they must have their own ¡®mounts¡¯: mecha. On Heijian Star, there was a rather absurd scene: serfs were using medieval farming techniques, cultivating diligently, working hard on their lands, and handing over ninety percent of their harvest to their lords, keeping only the bare minimum of food to survive; while the knight masters patrolled their fields in their mecha, ensuring the serfs were not slacking. When necessary, knights would heed the call of their lords, transforming serfs into militiamen and assembling under the lord¡¯s banner for battle; the lords would then answer the King¡¯s call, gathering their armies to fight under the King¡¯s flag. This was the system of the Luman Kingdom, and also the entire Heijian Star. Those poor, low-ranking knights might have a family heirloom of the most common sentinel mecha passed down for generations. That thing didn¡¯t even count as a real knight¡¯s mecha in the empire¡¯s military hierarchy. But regardless, it was a mecha, with a height of about three and a half meters, fully covered in metal, and its side-mounted twin-machine guns had decent firepower and were impervious to gunfire. At least two hundred such sentinel mecha appeared among King Luman¡¯s army; Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And then there were two real knight mecha, or what could also be called Knight Titans. [Ranger-class Knight Titan] standing at six meters and twenty centimeters tall, with a quad-barreled heavy machine gun in the left hand, a Gravity Fist and grenade launcher in the right, and sixteen enhanced range rockets on its back¡­ This thing was truly frightening. The ¡®Knight Order¡¯ of Luman Kingdom posed the most serious threat. And it was exactly this Knight Order that nearly breached the defenses of Gu¡¯s Security. ¡°` Chapter 403 - Chapter 403: Chapter 244, Peace of Mind Comes from the Son Chapter 403: Chapter 244, Peace of Mind Comes from the Son What is security for? To prevent assassinations, prevent riots, protect one¡¯s master¡­ They might have better training than the military, better equipment, and are more professional in some missions to protect VIPs. However, when the situation escalates into large-scale warfare, differences in specialization, training methods, and weaponry become a vulnerability. Security forces lack heavy firepower and anti-armor capabilities. Facing artillery, they struggle to counter; against the so-called Knight Order, those Sentry Mecha paired with two Ranger class Knight Titans charging at them, they are at an overall disadvantage. Their numbers are far fewer than the opposing side. Under the onslaught of the enemy¡¯s vast expendable troops and withstanding artillery barrage, as well as targeted assaults by Knight Titans leading numerous Sentry Mecha, the defense line of Gu¡¯s Security was continuously compressed and breached. The situation quickly became perilous. At this point, Wang Qi made a decision that she later regretted as possibly being a mistake: to hold their position. She hoped they could hold out until the Rage Owl Star Legion from the town outside the city came to their rescue; moreover, they had contacted the Chamber of Commerce Fleet in the sky to provide orbital support, deploy landing shuttles, and evacuate people from the air. But soon, bad news arrived from all sides. The Rage Owl Star Legion troops in the suburban town were also ambushed and were currently engaged in fierce combat; The Chamber of Commerce Fleet in the space surrounding the planet had a rebellion. Among the eight fleets under Wang Qi¡¯s control, there were degrees of unrest, both large and small, within each fleet. The four fleets directly under her control were manageable, but the other four, belonging to allied nature, had bigger problems. Moreover, the four armed merchant fleets under the control of Gu Ming were also threatening nearby, preventing them from taking control of the planet¡¯s orbit. Worth mentioning is that Heijian Star was not a place utterly devoid of anti-air capabilities. Going elsewhere might pose considerable problems, but in Pincer City, where conflicts had erupted, there was an expensive orbital defense system imported by the Luman Kingdom. Unable to control the orbit for accurate orbital strikes, the few shuttles they forcefully dispatched, even if they passed the interference and interdiction from Gu Ming¡¯s ships, would get locked on by Pincer City¡¯s orbital defense system as they entered the atmosphere and then be annihilated in the sky. Reinforcements couldn¡¯t arrive, aerial evacuation was impossible, the Luman Kingdom¡¯s Knight Order was making rapid advances, and their defenses were shattered¡­ At this point, Wang Qi realized that holding out was impossible, and they needed to break through. However, it was somewhat late to prepare for a breakout at this juncture. Even as they decided to break through, three Sentry Mecha as vanguards blasted open the gates and rushed into the banquet hall! Everything became incredibly chaotic. The three Sentry Mecha were eventually taken down, but how exactly they were finished off, Wang Qi wasn¡¯t clear. She only remembered, as she was fleeing with her bodyguard, the last glimpse she caught showed three wrecks. But the breakout was still not smooth, they were intercepted and attacked multiple times, and her bodyguards were sacrificed one by one. When they were almost at a dead end, when she was forced to use her last resort to survive, Lacroix, leading dozens of the 10th Special Warfare Brigade soldiers, arrived in the nick of time. About five hundred men from the 10th Special Warfare Brigade were deployed and joined the Expeditionary Force. Their main force, along with the Legion, was in the town outside Pincer City. Only the fifty most elite, led by Lacroix, formed a team and entered Wang Qi¡¯s close protection unit. But from the beginning until the end, their role was not significant. They were more present as a communication channel between the security forces and the main Rage Owl Star forces in the suburbs. Fundamentally, they were ¡®outsiders,¡¯ and followed a different path than the security team; on one hand, they were somewhat excluded as they were not subordinate to each other, and on the other, the special operatives like Lacroix were essentially soldiers, with protecting VIPs not being their specialty. But now, it was war. This fell within their area of expertise. Lacroix and his men wiped out the enemy forces entangling Wang Qi and then continued to protect her as they headed out of the city. Throughout this process, the enemy numbers were consistently substantial. They sacrificed one comrade after another, forcibly dividing their forces to distract the enemy¡¯s attention and manage to get through the ordeal time and time again. Until now, Lacroix, taking her with him, had reached the edge of the city. In an abandoned alleyway where they rested and briefly debated, Wang Qi, still not entirely safe herself, was thinking about how to rescue the leaders of the Chamber of Commerce Fleet whose fate was unknown. As a result, not only did Lacroix completely reject her request, but they also encountered trouble again. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Appearing outside the alley was a ¡®Kingdom Knight,¡¯ a Sentry Mecha. Wang Qi was ready to assist at any moment. In her view, this young man named Lacroix, although skilled, was now alone. How could he contend with a steel machine? Not to mention, there were seven fully armed soldiers beside the Sentry Mecha. During their previous breakout and escape journey, they had encountered Sentry Mecha as well. When faced with such situations, they would avoid them if possible; if not, they would typically divide their forces, letting another squad draw the target away, and then evacuate. Chapter 404 - Chapter 404: Chapter 244, Peace of Mind Comes from the Son_2 Chapter 404: Chapter 244, Peace of Mind Comes from the Son_2 They had always been cautious not to engage with the sentinel mechas head-on. But now, there was no avoiding it. Wang Qi had also prepared to activate the final lifesaving measure, planning to use her Spiritual Energy flintlock pistol¨Cwhich only had four uses¨Cto aid Lacroix in combat. However, this youth from Rage Owl Star, who had just claimed to only ensure her safety and not take her commands, left her agape with a series of maneuvers. Even within a narrow alley, his figure displayed extreme agility. How desperate would a scenario be where a sentinel mecha rapidly fires its twin-barrel machine gun down a cramped alleyway? But Lacroix had dodged it all. He practically ran up the walls, reaching over two meters high, akin to scaling rooftops. The Kingdom Knight followed him, firing, as bullets trailed his footsteps without a single one hitting. And even when the Knight changed tactics, attempting to predict Lacroix¡¯s movements and using high firing speed to block all his potential escape routes, Lacroix still managed to evade in an inconceivable manner. Of course, what Lacroix did wasn¡¯t dodging bullets; he essentially anticipated and evaded before the machine gun could fire. And even if his physical strength and reaction speed were exaggerated, it would be impossible to dodge indefinitely. But just two or three seconds were enough. During this time, Lacroix also fired a burst of bullets from his grenade gun, accurately killing all the accompanying soldiers around the sentinel mecha, and also striking its observation sight. He had only fired about a dozen grenades, but with extremely precise shooting, he managed all this while employing serpentine evasion tactics. Even killing those seven accompanying attendants didn¡¯t require seven bullets, as four were enough by exploiting the grenades¡¯ micro-explosion characteristic; the remaining fired precisely at the sentinel mecha¡¯s observation sight. The structure of the sentinel mecha¡¯s sight was robust, but it couldn¡¯t withstand ten precise, pinpoint shots. Its head, where eyes would be on a human, was blasted into a mess. Suddenly, the sentinel mecha¡¯s attacks became chaotic and disorderly¨Cthe Kingdom Knight inside could no longer see outside. This left the operator inside awkwardly pulling at the levers. He could lift the faceplate of the sentinel mecha. Despite it integrating a considerable portion of auxiliary systems and observation functions, now that it had been precisely destroyed, he had to abandon it. Afterwards, he could still fight using his own sight. But¡­ he didn¡¯t dare. In the battle he had just experienced, he realized that he was facing an enemy with almost perfect precision in shooting. He had never seen anything like it in his life; it was no longer as simple as being a sharpshooter. He feared that once he lifted his helmet, a bullet from a grenade would hit his forehead. It would be the same fate as those who had fallen around him in two seconds. However, he wouldn¡¯t have to ponder this problem much longer. A moment later, an intense, scorching sensation pierced through his chest. Inside the cramped cockpit of the sentinel mecha, the Kingdom Knight couldn¡¯t even bow his head to look at his wound. But he felt that his heart and left lung had been completely seared through. ¡­ As the sentinel mecha fell, Lacroix confirmed that it had completely lost its combat capability. He put the fully charged plasma pistol back into the holster on his leg, turned around, and found Wang Qi again. Shock was still evident on Wang Qi¡¯s face, ¡°Do¡­ do all the soldiers under your governor have your kind of strength?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lacroix really thought about it for a moment, then said very strictly, ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°I was overthinking it. How could there really be so many warriors like you? But since you have the ability to eliminate a sentinel mecha, why didn¡¯t you use it before?¡± ¡°Because of the risk,¡± Lacroix said, ¡°Just now, any small mistake and I would have been the one to die. I don¡¯t mind death that much, but if I died, then the mission to protect you would have failed. So, unless it was a situation as dire as the one we faced just now, I didn¡¯t want to take the risk.¡± ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s a pity for those warriors who were sent to distract the enemy.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to pity; it¡¯s their mission,¡± Lacroix said. After thinking for a moment, he added, ¡°And you shouldn¡¯t act as if they have already sacrificed themselves; they are all elite warriors and not so easy to kill. Along the way, I left our special marks for them, and if they see them, they will follow us.¡± ¡°I hope so.¡± Despite saying that, Wang Qi didn¡¯t hold out much hope. Lacroix didn¡¯t say much more and just urged them to get on the road quickly. A battle had just erupted here; it was already unsafe. And then, a surprising scene unfolded before Wang Qi less than an hour later. Not only had Lacroix led her almost out of Pincer¡¯s urban area, but just as he said, those comrades of his had really tracked them down by the trail they left. A total of fifty people, and when they regrouped, there were still forty-two left. Although they looked a bit ragged, they were able to carry out the mission to attract the enemy¡¯s attention, escape, and then make their way here, losing only eight people. Moreover, based on their information exchange, they killed at least two hundred enemy soldiers along the way. This performance was quite remarkable, and Wang Qi was somewhat numbed by it. She had thought that warriors like Lacroix were one of a kind, but to her surprise, even though his comrades weren¡¯t as formidable, they were still so strong. ¨CHow could they not be strong? Those Lacroix chose to bring to her side were the most elite soldiers from the 10th Brigade. This meant that these soldiers were T2 level warriors trained in the Army Badge System by Gu Hang, who were eliminated in the final stages of the selection process for new starfighters. Each of them cost Gu Hang eleven points of grace and moreover, not everyone had the potential to be trained to this level. By comparison, Wang Qi¡¯s own well-paid and loyally cultivated security forces didn¡¯t fare well. They did not betray her, but they were almost entirely wiped out. In this situation, Wang Qi had no other thoughts; she simply followed Lacroix and the others and continued to break out. En route, they once again made contact with the command post of the Alliance Expeditionary Force and learned that a relief force had launched a sortie and was on the way. After some more time, they finally linked up with that force. It was a team from the 38th Mechanical Brigade. All eighteen Lion Tanks from the brigade had been deployed, along with over a hundred armed personnel carriers and more than two thousand mechanized or motorized infantry speeding their way there. After the forces converged, it wasn¡¯t until Wang Qi was within the protective embrace of the troops that she finally let her anxious heart settle back into her stomach. But then, she felt an oddly strange sensation: looking around, everyone was a stranger. Among the people around her, she could say she recognized no one. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only These people were not her subordinates. Her needs would be catered to as much as possible, but in reality, none of them would directly obey her commands. These were the resources accumulated by her son, whom she had once despised as a good-for-nothing, and now, if she wanted to survive on this alien planet, she would have to rely on these people. However, besides feeling ¡®uncomfortable,¡¯ she also inexplicably felt a sense of reassurance. This reassurance came from super warriors like Lacroix; from the outstanding individual strength of the special forces; from the steel monsters like the Lion Tanks and the armoured personnel carriers¡­ It came from her son. Chapter 405 - Chapter 405: Chapter 245, you really do make a lot of sense! Chapter 405: Chapter 245, you really do make a lot of sense! ¡°General, is there any news of my aunt?¡± The speaker was Wang Jiarong. The person referred to as the general was Perbov. Generally speaking, ¡®Brigadier General¡¯ is not recognized as part of the formal general officer sequence, being a transitional rank between field officers and general officers. Not to mention, Perbov¡¯s ¡®Brigadier General¡¯ rank came from the Planetary Defense Force¡¯s own system, which made it even less recognized. But who made Wang Jiarong dependent on this Brigadier General from her cousin¡¯s subordinate officers? Perbov was also somewhat helpless. While the battle was in full swing, he still had to take calls from the starship every so often, being asked the same thing over and over again, and he was indeed getting a bit irritated. But he had no choice but to take the calls. He fully understood the anxious emotions of Wang Jiarong, who was on the starship, preparing to come down the next day to attend the Gu Family¡¯s grand meeting. At this moment, he did have some news to share with Wang Jiarong. ¡°We have news of Miss Wang Qi.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve picked up my aunt?¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­ there is both good news and bad news.¡± ¡°Tell me both!¡± ¡°We did successfully rendezvous with Miss Wang Qi as she evacuated the city; she is now under the army¡¯s protection and en route to our main position.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! What¡¯s the bad news?¡± ¡°The bad news is¡­ they were intercepted on their way back. Those two Ranger-class Knight Titans that attacked us and posed a major threat to our main position¨Cthey ran into them.¡± ¡°Sss¡­ Well¡­ This¡­¡± Wang Jiarong suddenly panicked. Ranger-class Knight Titans were not considered true Titans in the strict sense but were essentially combat Mechas. Their stature had not yet reached seven meters in height, and compared to the genuine ¡®divine machines¡¯¨Cthe Titan Mecha from the Mechanical Cult Guild, there was a gap. Within the hierarchy of the Sect of Mechanics, Titan Mecha always remained the pinnacle force. The small ones were generally made by combining human body modifications and mechanical enhancements to create combat soldiers; The medium ones started with sentinel Mechas and peaked with the Dominator-class Knight Mecha; And only the large ones could be called Titan Mecha. Currently, in the Luman Kingdom or the whole of Heijian Star for that matter, there likely did not exist any real Titan Mecha, with the highest probably being only Knight Mecha. But even a Ranger-class Knight Mech stood at an imposing height of 6.2 meters. For ordinary people, it was an absolute behemoth, which is why many commonly referred to it colloquially as ¡®Knight Titan.¡¯ Wang Jiarong, an experienced businesswoman, knew well that the normal price for a Ranger-class Knight Titan was 700,000 Tax Currency. Similarly, she had seen the army of the Rage Owl Star. The so-called Mechanical Composite Brigade had decent equipment, but she likewise could estimate that such a brigade, with over eight thousand warriors including all their weapons and gear, would cost less than 350,000 Tax Currency in total. This meant that the price of one Ranger-class Knight Titan could be equivalent to two Composite Brigades. Not to mention, those two Ranger Knights wouldn¡¯t likely be operating alone; the number of troops accompanying them would not be small, and there would certainly also be a significant number of sentinel Mechas. Such a force lying in wait on her aunt¡¯s return path¡­ Wang Jiarong¡¯s mood was not yet one of despair, but it was inevitably tense and anxious. ¡°General Perbov, please, you must rescue my aunt!¡± Perbov quickly replied, ¡°Rest assured, she is the mother of the Governor; how could we dare to be negligent? The moment there¡¯s news, I¡¯ll immediately relay it to you.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± After ending the call, worlds apart in the vast expanse of space, Perbov put down the receiver and sought out his old partner. Like him, a veteran from the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade, Colonel Jordan Leroy, who had previously served as the commissar of the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade, had been transferred with Perbov into the Expeditionary Force, serving as its Commissar. Finding his old friend, Perbov said, ¡°Now you must agree to another sortie! If anything even slightly goes wrong with Miss Wang Qi on her way back, we all deserve to die here!¡± Leroy sighed. Other commissars usually pondered how to inspire morale, how to make soldiers and officers fight fearlessly, preferably not retreating a step in battle, fighting to the death. He, on the other hand, spent his days holding back their former brigade commander, now the army commander, urging him to think things through rather than acting recklessly¡­ Sometimes, this difference made Leroy sigh. Addressing his old partner, Colonel Leroy said, ¡°Let me correct you: I¡¯ve never stopped you from taking the offensive. You are the army commander, the highest combat commander. What I¡¯ve been stopping is your rash actions, not gathering enough intelligence before making decisions, not thinking things through¡­¡± ¡°Alright, alright¡­¡± Perbov, who got a headache from the harangue, said, ¡°I¡¯ve already made up my mind firmly, we must strike first!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Leroy nodded: ¡°Good, I agree.¡± ¡°The remnants of the 37th and 38th Brigades must all be deployed. Our armored forces must come together and be used in unison.¡± Leroy nodded again: ¡°Good, I agree.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll personally lead the main assault team!¡± ¡°Good, I¨Cwait a second?!¡± Colonel Leroy, nearly letting the words slip automatically, quickly stopped himself, almost biting his tongue, ¡°You want to lead the team personally? Why? As the army commander, shouldn¡¯t you stay at the main position, securing it, rather than charging with the assault troops?¡± Chapter 406 - Chapter 406: Chapter 245, you really do make a good point!_2 Chapter 406: Chapter 245, you really do make a good point!_2 ¡°` ¡°¡±You¡¯ve got to be kidding, the 37th and 38th Armored Divisions are both mobilized, leaving only the 34th Division at the main position. Who do you think is the main force now? As the commander, I have to be where the main force is!¡± He paused before continuing, ¡°Moreover, the mission to rescue the Governor¡¯s mother carries greater weight. With me present, decisions can be made on the spot without the need to relay messages back and forth; my presence also serves to boost the morale of the whole army, letting them know that an Alliance general is never short on courage and is ready to fight alongside frontline officers!¡± Leroy furrowed his brows tightly. He couldn¡¯t help but think¡­ what Perbov said seemed¡­ quite reasonable? He hesitated before saying, ¡°Then if we head to oversee the strike team, what about the main position here? The 34th Division will be facing the enemy¡¯s main assault alone, which will be a lot of pressure.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why,¡± Perbov stared at his old partner, ¡°you need to stay behind.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Only if you stay here to hold the main position can I strike out with peace of mind!¡± ¡°You make an awfully good point!¡± ¡­ And so it was settled, Perbov acted with resolute and swift determination. The troops that needed to be mobilized were quickly assembled. It was no easy feat. At the moment, this so-called main position was just a small town. A few days earlier, when they had just disembarked from the starship, they were hiding inside a bunch of cargo containers, having arrived on site as ¡®goods¡¯. And when the ¡®time¡¯ was ripe, they burst forth from their containers and headed to a residential area that the Gu Family¡¯s local forces had long-prepared. The area was cleared of its inhabitants, and the thirty thousand men took it as their dwelling place. At that time, they could only carry some light weapons with them. The heavy firepower¨Cbe it artillery, armored vehicles, or tanks¨Cwas still packed as ¡®cargo¡¯ in containers. The depot for their weapons and equipment was not too far from their ¡®barracks¡¯. In such circumstances, Perbov and Leroy never took this operation as a mere trip. The guards at the container depot and the warehouse managers were all replaced by their own men. Moreover, they didn¡¯t just stay put in the residential area. They dispatched all the reconnaissance squads and platoons. Whether blending in with the townspeople or even roaming outside the town, it was crucial to control a large area. After all, they had clear communication with the Gu Family regarding this operation: were they afraid of being exposed? The Family explicitly stated they were not afraid¨Cafter all, hiding thirty thousand men armed with heavy weaponry was impossible. The only reason for concealment was so everyone could save face. So, safety was paramount, even if it was conspicuous. Perbov and Leroy¡¯s caution as military commanders paid off in the events that followed. As soon as they detected a strange military force approaching¨Ceven before it showed any hostility¨Cthey went straight to full military mobilization. The alert warriors promptly took their battle stations. The forward sentries intercepted the unknown military force ten kilometers away from the town. No matter the reason or argument the other side presented, they stood firm, refusing to let anyone through. As suspected, the intentions of this unfamiliar military force were not good. When they failed to negotiate their way into the town, they were the first to open fire. The Expeditionary Force from Rage Owl Star would not be trifled with. The reconnaissance squads and platoons engaged the enemy first. Even though they were initially armed only with light weapons while the enemy had several Mecha sentries¨Cagile and powerful armored units¨Cthey faced them without fear. Under their layered resistance, the Luman Kingdom¡¯s military advancement was slow. ¡°` For the people of the Luman Kingdom, what was even more terrifying was that even though they were the ones initiating the attack, it was the artillery of the Alliance Expeditionary Force that fired first. The power of the 155mm howitzer was so great that a single shot could destroy a Sentinel Mecha. With three divisions, the Alliance brought nearly three hundred and fifty heavy guns. Three rounds of rapid fire battered the advancing royal army, which had no defensive fortifications to speak of, inflicting heavy casualties. The first wave of the failed assault caused the Luman Kingdom¡¯s army to abandon their armor and retreat in disorder. After that, the thirty thousand troops of the Expeditionary Force quickly occupied the entire town and began establishing their battle lines at every entrance and all positions around the town. By the time the Luman Kingdom¡¯s army reorganized for a second assault, approaching cautiously, their target did not at all resemble a visiting force! ¡ª Where the hell does a guest army, in half a day¡¯s time, turn an ordinary suburban town into a military fortress? Street barricades, the high points of occupied houses, windows¡­ these things all became advantageous terrain for the defenders. Moreover, within the town, the Alliance¡¯s artillery spread out their positions, yet ensured the concentration of firepower to any exterior point. And to add to the embarrassment, the kingdom¡¯s cannons¡­ weren¡¯t as fierce as the Alliance¡¯s. It¡¯s bad enough that their power was less, but their range was even shorter. When they drove oxen and horses forward, pulling the cannons into position and just firing two rounds, the Alliance Expeditionary Force¡¯s artillery quickly calculated their position and launched a counter-battery fire that nearly wiped out their gunners. And the royal army¡¯s gunners¡­ their skills fell far short. The second wave took a long time to calculate the positions of the Alliance¡¯s guns and then discovered they were out of range, so they had to quietly push their artillery positions forward, only to be inexplicably spotted en route and under another round of artillery fire, they were obliterated before firing a single shot¡­ Lacking heavy artillery support, even with Sentinel Mechas leading the way, the Luman Kingdom¡¯s army couldn¡¯t breach the hedgehog-like town. Not to mention the threat posed by the Alliance¡¯s mortars, individual rocket launchers, and other anti-mecha weapons once they advanced. They failed in the second assault, and the third assault as well. Not until the Luman Kingdom brought out their ultimate weapon¨Cthe Knight Titans¨Cdid the tide of battle change. Those things were indeed fierce. The two Knight Titans, with their long range, fired dozens of rockets into the town from tens of kilometers away, beyond the reach of the artillery. The effect was impressive. After firing three volleys and reloading, they began their advance on foot. Sentinel Mechas closely followed at their sides, with infantry fodder a bit further in front. The two Knight Titans, while firing suppressive rockets into the town, began to demonstrate the power of their rapid-fire cannons and laser cannons when they got within about fifteen kilometers. One by one, houses were blown away and demolished; the Alliance Expeditionary Force indeed suffered significant casualties. Costing seven hundred thousand Tax Currency each, the Knight Titans, which equalled the cost of two combined Knight units, certainly lived up to their reputation. But the Luman Kingdom¡¯s attack was still repelled. At a distance of fifteen kilometers, the previously somewhat silent Alliance artillery once again showed their might. This greatly surprised the Luman Kingdom¡¯s nobility controlling the two Knight Titans: the volley of long-range rockets they had fired earlier was aimed at the calculated positions of the Expeditionary Force¡¯s artillery. They had advanced the previous five kilometers uneventfully, without encountering any counter-fire from the Alliance, leading them to believe that the Alliance¡¯s artillery had been decimated. But at this moment, the Expeditionary Force clearly informed them: not only was the artillery unit not destroyed, but it also maintained strong combat capabilities! In half a minute, the three hundred Alliance guns extravagantly fired four volleys in rapid succession, unleashing over a thousand 155mm howitzer rounds. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Luman Kingdom¡¯s army was repelled once more. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k words Fixed the computer¡­ It¡¯s past noon and time to release this. Chapter 407 - Chapter 407: Chapter 246, Suburban Town Warfare Chapter 407: Chapter 246, Suburban Town Warfare For the army of the Luman Kingdom, the deaths and injuries of the cannon fodder didn¡¯t matter much to the knightly lords; but the damage to the Sentinel Mechas was a different kind of pain. Death was one thing, but the destruction of a Sentinel Mecha under the feudal political system of the Luman Kingdom was almost equivalent to the bankruptcy and demotion of a minor knightly family. Without a Sentinel Mecha, how could one call themselves a knight? In this assault on the town, there were only about a hundred ¡®knights¡¯. Up to now, at least twenty Sentinel Mechas were lost. The remaining men suffered severe morale damage. Even the two Knight Titans began to consider retreat. The Ranger-class Knight Titans were equipped with Shield Generators, but the power wasn¡¯t particularly high; after all, with a height of five meters and two, they couldn¡¯t afford to use miniaturized generators. If they used regular-sized ones, the load on the Shield Generator was also significant and hard to bear for the Ranger class. The intensity-reduced Shield Generators couldn¡¯t withstand too many rounds of shelling from 155mm howitzers. In fact, after these four rounds of bombardment, the Shield Generators of the two Knight Titans were extinguished. Up to this point, there was definitely no significant damage. In half an hour, if they didn¡¯t continue to be hit, the Shield Generators would start running again; or even now, they could force them to work in overload. At the same time, the Knight Titans themselves were durable enough to withstand a few hits from the canons without much problem. They had the opportunity to charge during the gaps in the enemy¡¯s fire. The defensive positions built by the Alliance Expeditionary Force using street barricades and residential houses wouldn¡¯t possibly stop them. Wherever the rapid-fire and laser cannons pointed, that position would blow to the skies; their firepower was of a different concept altogether. But those two nobles from great families still retreated. What good would it do to annihilate those members of the Expeditionary Force? What if a Ranger-class Knight Titan was damaged in the process? Not to mention being damaged, but even overloading the Shield Generator, causing subsequent malfunctions, or if the Mecha took a few hits and was damaged or even just lost some paint¡­ that would be very distressing! The maintenance and repair costs for these behemoths were sky-high! If something went wrong with this big machine, even for great nobles, counts, marquises, or princes, none of that mattered. Realizing that the Alliance Expeditionary Force indeed had the ability to harm them, even though they knew charging ahead with resolve, having two Knight Titans penetrate the town would mean death to gods and buddhas in their path, and following their breakthrough, the kingdom¡¯s army would likely secure victory. But in the end, they still chose to retreat. Seven hundred thousand Tax Currency, for a noble family, how many years would it take to save up? Moreover, if they lost the Knight Titan, they¡¯d probably also lose their status as great nobles very soon, or at least be severely damaged. Under such circumstances, the chances of saving up that seven hundred thousand Tax Currency might not even be there anymore. Plainly put, those piloting the Titans were from great noble families, not barefooted commoners. For them, warfare was a means to profit, a way to seek honors and achievements, not something into which they should throw their entire fortunes and even the life or death of their entire families. Why bother, then? ¡­ With the two Knight Titans retreating, the pressure on the defense line of the Alliance Expeditionary Force also sharply decreased. When they had just emerged and demonstrated their power, Perbov and Leroy, the seasoned partners, were indeed quite nervous. Though they were hastily repelled and didn¡¯t put up too much resistance, even so, the blow to the Expeditionary Force was not insignificant. At least four hundred people were killed or injured because of those two machines. It was mainly due to a lack of experience and insufficient preparedness. Previously, the thirty-two rockets fired in a volley by these two war machines caught the Alliance artillery off guard, destroying over a dozen cannons and causing casualties to hundreds of artillerymen. Subsequently, the rapid-fire grenade launchers and laser cannons, in their charge, destroyed numerous positions and inflicted over two hundred casualties. After suffering losses, they drew some lessons. For example, in situations where artillery might be threatened, transport trucks would always remain attached to the cannons. After several rounds of rapid firing, they would swiftly change positions. For example, within the environment of a small town, the artillerymen would do their best to add concealment and cover to their firing positions. For example, in the outer defense positions, the combat teams at each defensive point should reduce their numbers, but increase the number of defense emplacements. Under the premise of maintaining the density and layers of firepower, they dispersed their forces to avoid incurring heavy casualties when struck by enemy fire. These measures were all effective in reducing the threat posed by the two Knight Titans. But just this was not enough. Holding the main position was the most fundamental. Before this, they had already received news that the Governor¡¯s mother was under attack, and Lacroix was escorting her to evacuate outside the city. Although they had repelled the enemy¡¯s attacks several times, whether it was Perbov or Leroy, they both understood profoundly that the purpose of their mission, far from their homeland, was to ensure the safety of Miss Wang Qi. Merely repelling the enemy¡¯s attacks was insufficient. However, when those two Knight Titans hastily ended their rampage, Perbov and his companion keenly sensed the problem of these two most terrifying war machines having a very weak will to fight. This was a good opportunity. So, after a brief discussion, the two entrusted this important task to the 38th Brigade. They divided their main armored forces to execute a rapid assault. The reconnaissance soldiers scouting ahead located the positions of the two retreating Knight Titans and clearly saw them being loaded with new long-range rockets, assisted by heavy engineering machines. ¡ª It was hard not to see, searching for two six-meter-tall behemoths with a telescope was easy. It seemed like they weren¡¯t planning on a continued frontal assault anymore, but instead, relying on the Titans¡¯ rockets, which had a range far exceeding that of the 155mm howitzer, to bomb safely from a distance. But there wasn¡¯t much to fear. The Ranger-type Titan¡¯s rocket launchers were powerful, but they only had a sixteen-round capacity. Each loading was cumbersome, requiring engineering machines, making the rate of fire problematic. So, they would just have to withstand it for now. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Meanwhile, the main force of the 38th Brigade, racing in their vehicles, quickly burst out of the town following the reconnaissance soldiers¡¯ information, choosing a path that avoided the Knight Titans, successfully broke through, and met with Miss Wang Qi protected by Lacroix. On their way back, the two Knight Titans, like mad, blocked the route of their return. This led to Perbov deciding to lead the main force of the 37th Brigade, along with the remainder of the 38th Brigade troops, to go out and provide assistance. ¡ª¡ª¨C There will be another chapter tonight Chapter 408 - Chapter 408: Chapter 247, Charge into the Fray Chapter 408: Chapter 247, Charge into the Fray Drex was certainly a great noble of the Luman Kingdom; throughout the kingdom, there were no more than eight Ranger class Knight Titans in total. And his family owned one, personally piloted by him, an Earl; you can imagine the status that conferred. Therefore, he didn¡¯t want to risk his life needlessly. As an Earl of the Luman Kingdom, after twenty years of accumulating wealth, the Drex family finally purchased a Ranger class Knight Titan six years ago. Since then, the path to sky-rocketing through the ranks of nobility was laid out before them. Although they incurred a significant amount of debt to do so, and the King himself offered substantial support in purchasing the Knight Titan, which meant they had to fight firmly for the King. But in reality, he still wasn¡¯t keen on gambling his life. Gamble what life? As long as he piloted this Ranger class Titan, the Drex family¡¯s Earl status was incredibly secure and even presented the opportunity to vie for higher titles, more land, and more vassals in the future. Pay off the debts early, expand territory¡­ But if this Knight Titan was destroyed, then everything would be finished. Although he couldn¡¯t refuse the summoning of the King and he truly believed in the grand vision painted by King Luman. They would give their full support to one faction in the struggle within the Gu Family, an interstellar conglomerate, and should they succeed, massive benefits awaited. However, most of these benefits belonged to the King himself. King Luman would be able to seize this opportunity to gain significant profits and even lead the nation to become the strongest on Heijian Star, potentially even abolishing the King¡¯s Council to forever hold the governorship of Heijian Star in his own hands, thereby becoming King of the whole world. And him? As a loyal follower of King Luman, he also rightfully expected his share of the spoils. A couple more Ranger Knights, a larger territory, more subjects¡­ but that¡¯s about it. If there was an opportunity to gain more, that would be great; but first, he had to secure what he already held. To put it bluntly, even if King Luman succeeded in the end, and Drex¡¯s Knight Titan was damaged in the war, how much would the King remember their family¡¯s contribution? Could that remembrance produce another Ranger Mecha? That was contingent on the King¡¯s conscience. And judging by what he knew of his own King, relying on his ¡®kindness and nostalgia¡¯ was unrealistic. When the time came, King Luman¡¯s likely attitude would be: I could use that money to rebuild your family, but it would be better spent courting other powerful families still intact. So what could the Drex family do then? Wouldn¡¯t they just have to swallow their broken teeth? Not wanting to end up in that situation was what Drex thought; the pilot of the other Ranger Knight involved in this battle seemed to share a similar sentiment. The two of them, understanding each other without speaking, made the same choice when they encountered difficulties. Originally, they planned to withdraw and reload their rocket ammunition before using their range advantage to bombard the enemy from a distance and be done with it. As long as they maintained the intensity of the military strike, they would have done their duty; after all, the cost of the rocket shells was reimbursed by the King. A charge into the fray? Let¡¯s see how it goes after the bombardment. However, communication from His Majesty the King arrived. The two were scolded mercilessly, and they received a royal command, demanding that they intercept the army that was retreating from the capital. According to His Majesty, there was a ¡®VIP¡¯ within their ranks crucial to the success of their mission. They were to spare no expense in intercepting this force. And then there was the veiled threat: ¡°This is the time for you to demonstrate your loyalty to the kingdom. If you fail, I swear by the name of Luman and the name of the King, you will pay the price!¡± With those words, what else was there to say? Drex had little faith in King Luman¡¯s promised compensation or rewards after the fact, but he believed that the punishment he mentioned would very likely be realized. Reluctantly, no matter how much resentment or complaints he had, he had to take action together with the other Ranger Knight Titan operator. The two of them, leading the army, operated with rare efficiency, successfully located the retreating Rage Owl Star army on the outskirts of town, and intercepted them. This should have been an easy battle. Overall, their estimation of the so-called ¡®Alliance¡¯ army was very high. The combat power of the regular soldiers was far superior to that of the Luman Kingdom¡¯s conscripts by several grades; hundreds of armored vehicles and eighteen Lion Tanks were formidable adversaries. But he also believed that, under their two Knight Titans, those tanks and armored vehicles were all like lambs to the slaughter. This was not an assault on an enemy¡¯s well-prepared fortifications that would be met with hundreds of guns at the ready. What they had to face were only tanks and armored vehicles, which posed a much smaller threat to Knight Titans in a field encounter. Sitting in the cockpit of the Ranger Knight Mecha, Drex fired the rocket launchers in rapid succession. The previously empty missile pods, not fully reloaded yet, combined with his colleague¡¯s, still amounted to thirteen rockets fired with precision, causing considerable damage. Multiple troop carriers and armored vehicles were destroyed; with this one strike, the Alliance had already paid a substantial price. Regrettably, two rockets aimed at the tanks veered off target and failed to take down the Lion Tanks. But then, they set their sights on those big targets. Their high-velocity grenade launchers and laser cannons began firing furiously. Under their onslaught, the Lion Tanks, serving as the spearhead of the charge, were destroyed, three falling within just a few minutes. The Knight Titans kept firing while striding forward with giant steps, fiercely and overwhelmingly advancing towards the Alliance Army. At the sides of the two Knight Titans, over eighty Sentinel Mechas and more than twenty thousand conscripts were charging along. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But the Alliance Army, despite suffering significant losses, showed no intention of retreating. Their morale seemed hardly affected, and they proceeded to clash head-on with their adversaries. The ¡®Lion Tanks¡¯, advancing in an assault formation, fired back fiercely. Heavy machine guns, Reflector Laser Sub-Cannons, Magnetic Rail Main Guns¡­ when it came to firepower, the Lion Tanks were equally formidable. At least destroying the Sentinel Mechas near the Knight Titans wasn¡¯t a big problem. Chapter 409 - Chapter 409: Chapter 248, The Death of Titan Chapter 409: Chapter 248, The Death of Titan Heijian Star, Capital Pansel City of the Luman Kingdom, and the residents in the suburbs were both terrified and bewildered. The terror stemmed from the war; even though neither side deliberately targeted civilians and even took measures to protect them. This included the Alliance Army from another planet that, after occupying the suburban towns, only took control of strategic areas, imposed military restrictions on the entire town, but did not harm civilians. However, war itself is the most destructive force, no matter from which angle you see it. Guns and cannons are blind, and the incidental damage leading to civilian deaths was beyond anyone¡¯s control. It was only natural for civilians to be afraid. As for the bewilderment, it was also easy to understand: just a couple of days ago, everyone was busily preparing to celebrate the holiday with bright lights and decorations, and the arrival of the Gu Family for their grand meeting was always a time of joy. The last time they had come to the Luman Kingdom was over thirty years ago, and in the memories of some of the elderly, it was a beautiful time. How could it suddenly turn into war just like that? And no matter how much they couldn¡¯t comprehend, war had broken out in a way that was unstoppable by the will of the people. They could only meet it all with a sense of terror and helplessness. Peasants on the hillside gazed at the battlefield set up in the plains below them. Two armies clashed on the field. Terrifying war machines rolled over their farmland. One of them belonged to the traditional army of the Luman Kingdom. Two Knight Titans led over eighty Sentinel Mechas and twenty thousand infantrymen, advancing in formation. The Luamn infantrymen, in simple cloth uniforms and almost no protection, were ironically at the very front. They were ill-equipped but plentiful in number, essentially seen as cannon fodder. Of course, even cannon fodder had its value; even in death, it shouldn¡¯t be in vain. They maintained a relatively loose formation based on their training and could barely form small combat squads. This was mainly to avoid being wiped out in one fell swoop by a single artillery shell or a burst of machine-gun fire. The rifles handed out to them came with not too much ammunition. The fact was, the survival time of these cannon fodder infantrymen on the battleground wasn¡¯t expected to be long, and allocating too much ammunition would be wasteful. Their task was to charge, draw fire, and try to deplete their ammo before dying¨Cwhich would be considered as completing their mission. The Sentinel Mechas accompanying them were the main force. These machines, just over three meters tall, with twin-barreled miniguns, had enough firepower. They couldn¡¯t penetrate Lion Tanks, but the armor of Strider Armored Vehicles couldn¡¯t withstand the fierce barrage of the miniguns. Often, a few mechas could destroy an armored vehicle with a concentrated volley. The two more powerful Knight Titans were outright behemoths of destruction. At the start of the battle, they had already destroyed three Lion Tanks. Yet, even after heavily striking the Alliance Army, Count Drex, piloting one of the Knight Titans, still had a tense expression. From his many years of war experience, the enemy had encountered their superior firepower head-on, sustaining such heavy casualties that their strongest warfare weapons, the Lion Tanks, had lost almost 20%. Logically, their morale should have been affected. But why was there no sign of faltering among these soldiers from another planet? Never mind the tanks and armored vehicles. In Count Drex¡¯s view, those manning powerful weaponry were generally elite, possessed higher morale, and were not easily shaken¨Cthat was somewhat understandable; but what about the infantrymen who were initially transported by trucks or infantry fighting vehicles and were now all alighting to fight on foot? Weren¡¯t they supposed to be cannon fodder as well? Why hadn¡¯t they faltered even once? On the contrary, what surprised Count Drex the most was the performance of these infantrymen in the Alliance Army. There were merely about two thousand of them, but facing an enemy ten times their number, they didn¡¯t show the slightest hint of fear. They didn¡¯t cower behind armored vehicles or tanks; instead, they bravely moved forward, using their rifles with far greater accuracy than the Luman infantrymen to eliminate their attackers. They operated effectively in squad formations, and their modified machine guns powerfully suppressed the advancement of the Luman infantry. Wherever the machine guns swept over, the Luman infantrymen had to stop. Either they were shot down directly, or they had to seek cover on the ground and wait for an opportunity to counterattack¨Cbut often, there was no opportunity. The only thing that could pause the firepower of these Alliance soldiers for a moment were the Sentinel Mechas themselves. The ¡®Knights¡¯ were not so easily defeated by bullets; on the contrary, when they detected the source of the Alliance soldiers¡¯ firepower, they would often direct their miniguns there. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Alliance soldiers had extraordinary courage, but in the end, they were still flesh and blood. A volley of minigun fire could wipe out half a squad in an instant. But¡­ there were only eighty Sentinel Mechas after all. Moreover, these infantrymen were not entirely without means to counter the Sentinel Mechas. On the contrary, having realized that the Luman infantrymen were quite fragile and posed little threat, these soldiers began targeting the ¡®Knights.¡¯ Squad-level fire, riddling with machine guns, rang against the surface armor of the Sentinel Mechas like hammering metal. They might not penetrate the armor, but under the assault of several machine guns, the Sentinel Mechas would still stagger, with their advance speed hindered. Chapter 410 - Chapter 410: Chapter 248, The Death of Titan_2 Chapter 410: Chapter 248, The Death of Titan_2 And it was often at this time that individual rocket launchers would lock onto them. Yet, individual rocket launchers were still not enough to destroy a Sentinel Mecha. Drex saw one Sentinel that had taken at least four rockets. It was scorched black, its left arm blown off, and its power system malfunctioned, but it still had one hand able to lift its remaining machine gun and attempt to fight back, trying to eliminate the several infantry squads that attacked it head-on. However, the Sentinel, after killing fewer than ten men, was met with the ultimate infantry destroyer: A battery of mortars was fired at it. In a short while, at least four mortar shells had exploded on it. At the same time, a mounted heavy machine gun on the ground, seemingly belonging to the enemy¡¯s company support fire, showered it with a dense barrage of heavy rounds. There were also the machine guns on the infantry fighting vehicles¡­ Having endured such a degree of attack, the Sentinel Mecha could no longer withstand the onslaught and was destroyed. Drex had already reacted. He raised his left hand and fired several heavy grenades from the mount beneath his mechanical arm, destroying the fire support position composed of the enemy company¡¯s mortars and the fixed heavy machine gun. In addition, with a laser cannon shot, he blew up an accompanying infantry fighting vehicle. Yet, Drex was still bewildered. As he did all this, with a sweep of his gaze, he saw two more Sentinel Mechas destroyed in a similar fashion. Even more quickly. After all, the opposing army was not just made up of infantry. The Lion Tanks also showed their power, with their Magnetic Rail Main Guns capable of blasting Sentinel Mechas in one hit. Conversely, Sentinel Mechas had no real means to deal with Lion Tanks. By this time, he realized that the difference between Sentinel Mechas and Lion Tanks was too great. Although the cost of both might be similar, with Sentinel Mechas being slightly cheaper and presumably in the same price range, their role on the battlefield was vastly different. Sentinel Mechas at most are accompanying infantry equipment, anti-infantry units; they are agile, able to follow the infantry into cover, fight inside buildings; their humanoid leg structure allows them to enter complex environments. That was their advantage. However, squaring off against Lion Tanks on plains was overly foolish. They were large, had thick armor, and heavy cannons. Machine guns that could penetrate armored vehicles merely left dents on Lion Tanks. Unless you concentrated fire and rapid-fired for a minute, enlarging the dent, causing metal fatigue, only then could you penetrate the armor. But that was very difficult, with the enemy¡¯s guns turning towards you, whether it was a laser auxiliary gun or a Magnetic Rail Main Gun, all were capable of a deadly single shot. Twenty minutes into the battle, fifteen Sentinel Mechas had been blown up. This was a significant loss. These ¡®Knights¡¯ were also his people. They were his vassals and effectively his direct forces. These losses were all on his head. Drex was gradually seeing red. After quickly annihilating the main firepower of an infantry company, he turned his head to fight Lion Tanks. He no longer hesitated or struggled. After sending a message through the comms for his companion to provide fire cover, he activated the auto-reloader to resupply his left arm¡¯s grenade launcher with ammunition as he strode forward. He set his sights on three Lion Tanks advancing in a wedge formation and charging swiftly. These three had irked him for a while. Their Magnetic Rail guns and laser cannons kept bombarding him. His Shield Generator, which hadn¡¯t fully recovered to peak condition, although still faithfully blocking each barrage, ran the risk of being broken through if the bombardment continued unchecked. And those three Lion Tanks were indeed a bit too close to him. Less than two kilometers away, with the Knight Titan advancing with large strides and both sides heading towards each other, it took him three minutes to reach them. The three Lion Tanks had realized the danger and moved apart, trying to make a detour. But what was their maneuverability compared to that of the Knight Titan? Drex caught up with one, braving a round of firing while on the run, and with a powered punch from his right arm, smashed through the tank from above. The height of a Lion Tank was about three and a half meters, just over half the height of a Knight Titan. After dispatching one, he quickly turned and rushed to the second, flipping the tank over with a powered punch to its side. Then it was the turn of the third. The whole process took just a few more minutes. Drex felt incredibly exhilarated! By this time, his left arm¡¯s grenade launcher had also been reloaded. He looked up, searching for new targets with the visual information transmitted through the observation optics on the head of the Knight Titan. But at this point, two things happened. Firstly, his comrade, the other Knight Titan¡¯s pilot, sent him an anxious voice message. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Prepare to retreat, another group holding the town has broken out, our rear guard hasn¡¯t held, and they have started to fall apart.¡± Drex was quite displeased, ¡°So what? With the two of us together and unless facing concentrated artillery, what¡¯s there to fear? His Majesty has commanded us to win at all costs, don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± Before he could finish, he felt a violent shake! This was the consequence of the second event that had occurred earlier. An infantry fighting vehicle had approached very close to him and deployed an infantry squad. Chapter 411 - Chapter 411: Chapter 248, The Death of Titan_3 Chapter 411: Chapter 248, The Death of Titan_3 He did notice, but while communicating with his comrade, he got distracted and made a judgement that didn¡¯t seem wrong at the time, but in hindsight, it might have been a mistake: he had treated the armored vehicle as the primary target. A fragmentation grenade cannon blasted it to pieces. However, the infantry who snuck in were spread out and drawing closer to him. The Gravity Fist slammed down, and the infantry squad on the left was nearly instantaneously wiped out. The Gravity Fist wasn¡¯t only damaging upon direct hits. When it smashed into the ground, the dispersing gravitational waves and flying rocks were lethal to the infantry, making their alloy and plastic steel armor plates useless. Yet, a group of infantry made it close to his feet. Realizing something was wrong, he lifted his leg and stomped and kicked the men to death, one by one. However, they had already accomplished what they¡¯d come to do. The equipment of the Knight Titan included a Shield Generator. This device had one thing in common with the Void Shield: it couldn¡¯t recognize or block slow-moving objects. The approaching infantry, of course, counted as such. So did the bombs they stuck to it. Though just ordinary explosives, the blast at the knee joint of the Knight Titan, akin to its knee, still had a very damaging impact. He wanted to retreat and get closer to another comrade but found that his movements were now somewhat limping. He hadn¡¯t lost complete mobility, but there was some issue with the power system in his left leg, causing an imbalance. This made him exceedingly alert. Then, he saw three more armored vehicles approaching. Having taken a lesson, he raised his arm to fire the fragmentation grenade cannon, preparing to blow up the three vehicles from afar. However, a flash of blue light appeared. A Plasma Charged Gun shot hit right at his already faulty left knee. His form suddenly tilted, and his left leg kneeled to the ground, causing his well-aimed fragmentation grenade cannon to miss its mark and fly off course. Lacroix, clinging to the top of the armored fighting vehicle, resheathed the recharging Plasma Gun back into the thigh holster and then leapt down from the roof. After landing, he rolled a couple of times and then stood up, sprinting at full speed. With the help of his strong physical strength and the exoskeleton¡¯s enhancement, his short burst speed was even faster than the armored vehicle. An armored car exploded by the Gravity Fist of the Knight Titan while covering for him. But this allowed Lacroix to enter the attack range. Reaching back, he drew the chainsaw sword he was carrying on his back while simultaneously closing in on the side of the Knight Titan. Dodging the second punch, bracing against the push of the gravity waves, he grabbed onto the upper edge of the Knight Titan¡¯s knee with one hand, powerfully climbed a few steps, and nimbly jumped onto its side and back. He initially wanted to attack the cockpit of the Knight Titan, but it was not possible. The cockpit was the most protected part of the Knight Titan, heavily shielded. Forget his chainsaw sword, even the thermite bomb he carried, the miniature version, might not be able to burn through the cockpit and kill the pilot inside. Therefore, he switched his target to the Shield Generator nearby. First, he stuck a thermite bomb on the back of the Knight Titan¡¯s head and activated it. Then, with his chainsaw sword, he fiercely slashed at the weak point in the Shield Generator¡¯s structure. Bang! The Shield Generator exploded first, throwing Lacroix into the air; following that, the thermite bomb detonated, burning away half of the Knight Titan¡¯s head from behind. Tumbling through the air and flung over twenty meters, Lacroix barely managed to stand up and surveyed the results of the battle. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The energy shield around the Knight Titan had been extinguished; its head, which housed observation, calculation, and servo-cranial assistance, was destroyed. This formidable war machine, though not yet destroyed, was undoubtedly now like a lamb to the slaughter! Oh, perhaps likening it to an elephant waiting to be slaughtered is more apt. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.3k! Chapter 412 - Chapter 412: Chapter 249, Hold for 8 Days, the Governor Will Arrive Chapter 412: Chapter 249, Hold for 8 Days, the Governor Will Arrive ¡°` With its leg broken, the integrated perception module in its head destroyed, and the Shield Generator demolished¡­ ¡­this Knight Titan was in a state of utter panic. Such panic was so evident that even an ordinary soldier could easily see it. Despite still possessing formidable weapons, it could no longer stand; however, the Gravity Fist could still obliterate any military unit in the Alliance Army in one blow. The Titan was flailing about as if terrified something might approach. Its left hand, equipped with a grenade launcher, was also firing wildly in all directions. Yet, all its efforts were in vain. On the contrary, the Alliance Army could now take its time with this Knight Titan. It was like shooting a target. Without the energy shield, the armor of the Knight Titan itself was still very strong, but it was much easier to deal with. Especially the Magnetic Rail Main Gun and the Reflector Laser Cannon of the Lion Tanks could inflict terrible damage. In just a few rounds, the immobilized and shieldless Knight Titan suffered severe damage. The weapon systems mounted on both arms were offline. The Gravity Fist could no longer swing, and the grenade launcher was ruined. At this point, although the Knight Titan was not completely destroyed, it was close to it, at least it was no longer a threat. Immobile and unable to attack or pose a threat, it was nothing more than a giant iron coffin with the driver, Count Drex, simply waiting to die inside. To completely destroy it, one would have to target the defense cores mixed with the pilot¡¯s cabin¨Cthe energy core and the power core¨Cwhich seemed like a waste of firepower. After all, the warriors of the Alliance were still in a state of war. Since this Knight Titan was no longer a threat, there was no need to bother with it for now. Besides, ignoring this mecha also had another advantage. The forces of the Luman Kingdom were unwilling to leave this mecha here. Particularly many army officers and commanders were essentially vassals of the Drex family. With their lord trapped, of course, they had to come to the rescue. This created a local opportunity for besieging and interrupting reinforcements. Then¡­ the enemy began to think about retreating. The remaining Knight Titan didn¡¯t seem intent on rescuing its comrade¨Cnor could it, as the immobilized Ranger Knight couldn¡¯t be dragged away unless they won the war and brought in engineering machinery to tow it. But the remaining Knight Titan¡¯s driver, who was also the commander of the entire force, clearly had given up hope of victory. He had realized that their rear forces had been routed by the Alliance Expeditionary Force that emerged from the outskirts town. And at the front, he had seen Count Drex, who was once on an equal footing with him, being defeated outright. What was there left to fight for? If he were to end up like Drex¡­ he¡¯d rather face the King¡¯s punishment. He issued an order to retreat. However, he soon found that retreating seemed to be a luxury they couldn¡¯t afford. ¡­ Perbov led his forces westward! He directly commanded a force of over ten thousand men¨Call motorized or mechanized infantry; in terms of armored vehicles, they included three hundred armored personnel carriers and eighteen Lion Tanks. This represented the entire strength of the 37th Division and a small part of the 38th Division. They swiftly overran the rear forces of the Luman Kingdom. About four thousand men had set up temporary defensive positions, originally to guard against the Alliance forces breaking out of the suburban towns. But without the ¡®Knights¡¯ presiding, these ordinary kingdom soldiers proved quite vulnerable. Under the full-speed assault of the armored forces, they collapsed immediately, serving no delaying purpose whatsoever. Afterward, Perbov did not bother chasing these fleeing troops but led his forces in a mad rush towards the main battlefield. This battle must be fought well. Perbov was already aware of the latest battle reports from the front. The 38th Division had already put up a good fight. Facing the enemy¡¯s fierce assault, the 38th, despite being outnumbered and outgunned, had managed not only to withstand the onslaught but, while protecting the governor¡¯s mother, had dragged the main force of the Luman Kingdom into a quagmire. However, even though the 38th Division was fighting bravely, the disparity in numbers and equipment was a reality. Had it not been for Lacroix¡¯s extraordinary performance, taking out that Knight Titan could have cost them far more and higher losses. Fortunately, the remaining Knight Titan had lost its nerve. This was in line with a view that Perbov had agreed upon with his military commissioner during their exchange of opinions: No matter how intimidating these forces of the Luman Kingdom appeared to be, with their powerful mecha forces, at their core, they were an army from an old feudal system. The two of them didn¡¯t really think highly of such people. They were formidable only because of their two Knight Titans, and were pretty useless otherwise. And those two Knight Titans, with their feudal lord act, were impressive for sure, but Perbov didn¡¯t hold them in high regard either. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Indeed, the facts had proven so. The two Knight Titans had failed to work together cohesively, and now, with one dead and the other fleeing, it was quite a laughable situation. Moreover, Perbov had no intention of letting the one trying to flee get away. Perbov¡¯s command style was always known for being brute and fierce, but in reality, he never considered himself reckless. ¡°` Chapter 413 - Chapter 413: Chapter 249, Hold for 8 Days, the Governor Will Arrive_2 Chapter 413: Chapter 249, Hold for 8 Days, the Governor Will Arrive_2 In the past, during the many battles on Rage Owl Star, his troops always held various advantages. Especially in the battle to recapture the Eastern Provinces, the Alliance¡¯s army was always superior in numbers and military equipment quality. So what¡¯s the point of strategy? Isn¡¯t it enough to properly allocate soldiers and then go into battle? But now, he needed to be patient. And he demonstrated such patience. Perbov wanted to capture that Knight Titan but didn¡¯t rush toward it. Based on previous battle reports, he had thought of some strategies. How did the last Knight Titan fall? By becoming detached from its own army. Imagine, if at the feet of that Knight Titan there had been a dozen Sentry Mecha, or a few hundred infantry right at its feet, and the Alliance soldiers who blew up its legs at the start, how could one get close? The Lacroix who charged alone later, even if they performed miraculously, couldn¡¯t withstand the firepower of the Knight Titan and single-handedly take down a few hundred infantry and a dozen Sentry Mecha to directly threaten the Titan¨Cnot to mention Lacroix, even an Interstellar Warrior Squad would find it difficult to do so. You can¡¯t rely solely on brute force. Conversely, without the support of friendly forces, the Knight Titan, no matter how strong, is only so much. No type of warfare weapon can operate completely outside of an entire military system. To capture this intact Knight Titan, the first thing Perbov had to do was to clip its wings. Under his command, the main force of the 37th Division¡¯s armored group, like a patient pack of wolves, pursued the retreating enemy. The firepower of the armored vehicles and tanks was mostly concentrated on the Sentry Mecha or, when the opportunity arose, bombarded the areas where the infantry were most dense. The foot soldiers who disembarked to fight also mainly targeted the ordinary Luman soldiers. Retreating in the middle of a battle is actually a very challenging thing. If not handled properly, retreat could turn into an actual rout. Clearly, the soldiers of the Luman Kingdom were not up to this challenge. At first, they were barely able to maintain the order of the retreat, but as the armored units continued their pursuit, the morale of the Luman soldiers quickly collapsed. ¡°Ha! Just as I expected!¡± Perbov grabbed the communicator and shouted, ¡°Keep chasing them, rush them! Overrun these foot soldiers, overrun those Sentry Mecha! Ignore the runaways, but anyone who dares to get close to the Knight Titan, hit them hard!¡± He issued the orders. And his troops executed these instructions precisely. The remaining Knight Titan quickly felt that it couldn¡¯t control the army anymore. The messages it sent either went unanswered or were responded to but couldn¡¯t be carried out. And the people around him were dwindling. The energy shield could protect himself but not the few ordinary warriors who still stood by him in the end. Even though, in this process, his grenade launcher continuously opened fire on the Alliance¡¯s armored units, destroying four Lion Tanks and at least twenty armored vehicles. But at the same time, as the last Luman soldier died at his feet, and the last Sentry Mecha was destroyed, the Knight Titan became completely isolated. Afterwards, although its physical system, sensory units, and power system were all intact, it still ended up like a ¡®doomed elephant.¡¯ Squads of infantry, covered by armored vehicles, rapidly approached. The Knight Titan was in a panic. He saw what had happened to Drex before him; how could he not know what was coming next? He tried to avoid it, destroying several infantry-carrying armored vehicles with his grenade launcher and constantly using his Gravity Fist and feet to strike and kick the approaching divided infantry¡­ But the soldiers from Rage Owl Star one by one seemed not afraid to die! Even if the casualties caused by the Knight Titan were gruesomely killed, that still didn¡¯t deter the soldiers from continuing to surge forward. At 6.2 meters tall, how could the Knight Titan compare in agility to ordinary-sized infantry? With people all around him, even if he was moving non-stop like someone with ADHD, he still couldn¡¯t avoid being hit by rocket-propelled grenades that penetrated the energy shield at close range or having bombs attached to him. Soon, just like Drex, he lost his ability to move, then his Shield Generator was dismantled, and after that, he was completely destroyed. ¡­ Inside Pincer City, the war gradually subsided. Nes Luman and Gu Ming, the two who could be considered the instigators of this incident, erupted into an argument. The dispute arose when Luman told Gu Ming that out of the eight targets he had designated, one had been confirmed not to be on Heijian Star but aboard a starship in space that hadn¡¯t landed; three had died, and three had been taken captive alive. Gu Ming retorted with a torrent of abuse. ¡°But the most important one got away!¡± Gu Ming said, his emotions clearly out of control, ¡°In your capital city! Amid the siege of your army! I even provided you with those security loopholes! I turned some of the key security squads for you! And yet, you let the person slip away!¡± ¡°Such incompetence! No wonder under your leadership, even with my many years of covert support, the Luman Kingdom can only be third-rate! It¡¯s all because of you! Waste!¡± After a fierce scolding, Gu Ming no longer had the gentle and tactful demeanor he had shown in past communications with Luman. He truly lost his composure; the escape of Wang Qi sent him into panic. He had gone all-in, and even if the plan had succeeded, killing or capturing everyone, the subsequent cleanup work would have been just as difficult. Not to mention Wang Qi wasn¡¯t dead. In his panic and helplessness, he lost his reason and verbally lashed out at his ¡®partner.¡¯ Luman, being a king, had never experienced such treatment in all his years. He was on the verge of exploding with anger. But in the end, he held back. He spoke with a stern face, ¡°The situation is not yet decided. The team that blocked Gu Hang has intercepted Wang Qi. I have given them a direct order to capture her at all costs, alive or dead!¡± Hearing this, Gu Ming¡¯s mood calmed somewhat. He knew that among the troops blocking the small town outside, there were two Knight Titans. That should be more than enough. His tone became more serene, ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ Your Majesty Luman, please forgive my earlier loss of composure. I take back what I said, and I truly apologize.¡± Of course, Luman wouldn¡¯t forget Gu Ming¡¯s earlier insolence so readily. But it was far from the right time to turn on him, so he had to swallow his pride and put on a forced smile. However, just as he was about to make empty pleasantries, there was a knock at the door. ¡°Your Majesty, urgent military report!¡± After listening to the report, Luman had no time to comment before he heard a sharp crack behind him. Turning around, he saw Gu Ming lose his composure again, smashing his cup forcefully on the ground. ¡­ Meanwhile, in a town on the outskirts, another conversation was taking place. Miss Wang Qi, barely settling down from her ordeal, had to muster all her energy to make contact with various parties. She needed to establish contact with starships in space, actively looking for a chance to evacuate. But the situation was dire. Eight Chamber of Commerce Fleets were still dealing with internal strife; four Fleets loyal to Gu Ming were putting up a tough fight; the other two stayed neutral, helping neither side. With a serious threat from the planetary anti-air defense systems, it wasn¡¯t possible to secure the orbital space, which meant landing ships couldn¡¯t descend. She then turned to pressure the other six major powers of Heijian Star. There were some results in this regard. Luman, as the current Planetary Governor, was essentially a rotational candidate put forth by the King¡¯s Council. Heijian Star wasn¡¯t under his sole dominion, and Luman Kingdom¡¯s strength was only third on Heijian Star. There were six other major nations there, each comparable in size. These six nations were also baffled by Gu Ming¡¯s sudden actions. Though their current response was mostly promises to ¡®endeavor to mediate¡¯ without any firm commitment of troops. But knowing that not the entire Heijian Star was against her was still good news. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The third communication was with her son, using the Starfleet as a relay. In the communication, Gu Hang did not say much but comforted Wang Qi¡¯s distress and called Perbov and Leroy to join them. ¡°You did well.¡± Gu Hang began with praise, and then quickly passed on new orders: ¡°Hold for eight days. In eight days, I will arrive.¡± Chapter 414 - Chapter 414: Chapter 250, Subtle Chapter 414: Chapter 250, Subtle On the day of the incident at Heijian Star, Gu Hang was already informed. He had also set up a Star Language Tower, albeit with low power, sufficient only for ¡°interstellar phone calls,¡± unlike some more impressive Star Language Towers that could act like interstellar TV towers, capable of broadcasting across multiple star systems¨Cvaluable for both political propaganda and cultural products. Gu Hang wished to build one of those in the future but given their high costs and the fact that basic interstellar communication was now somewhat functional, the priority for constructing a bigger and better Star Language Tower was not high. That day, he received a communication request from his cousin. She was on a starship, informing him of the changes on Heijian Star and the fourteen merchant fleets from Gu Commercial Firm gathered in the Heijian Star System, facing internal strife and standoffs against each other. He immediately began to prepare. Firstly, military matters, where troops began to assemble on a large scale. On this front, things went smoothly. A few months ago, the main force of the alliance had fought a campaign to pacify the three provinces of the Eastern Province, led by Yan Fangxu commanding the Central Group Army. Afterward, when the Eastern Province was stabilized and local militia and security forces were established, the main army corps returned and began to recuperate. The soldiers even received a fairly long period of vacation. Later, even with conflicts in the North Territory, the Central Group Army main force did not engage; the Northern Frontier Army Group was mostly formed with newly assembled units. Previous to this, the Central Group Army had already resumed training and ended most soldiers¡¯ holidays. At this moment, with the call to arms, the entire Central Group Army quickly completed pre-war preparations. The number of people Gu Hang intended to take was not very large, amounting to only about 35,000 spread among the 1st Brigade, the 2nd Division, the 13th Brigade, and the 36th Brigade. Among them, the most critical force was the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade. This unit had gone through another round of restructuring. First off, the tank companies in the five Composite Camps received a full complement of Lion Tanks, unlike other composite brigades which actually only had two tank companies; The two motorized infantry companies in each Composite Camp were entirely replaced with armored infantry companies; An additional tank battalion was also formed. Thus, the total strength of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade didn¡¯t increase much, still numbering over 8,000 people, but they possessed over 300 various armored vehicles and seventy-five Lion Tanks. Adding the regular Mechanical Composite Brigades of the 13th and 36th, there would be over a hundred Lion Tanks assembled! As for infantry, the 2nd Infantry Division had over ten thousand personnel. This was the composition of Gu Hang¡¯s 35,000-person force. In addition, there were over a hundred Wind Falcon aircraft in the air force formation, and fifteen interstellar warriors¨Cthe reason for the increase from the previous twelve was that three more previously trained warriors had completed the growth of all superhuman organs and achieved the ¡°qualified¡± standards. It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t want to bring more troops, but transport capacity had to be considered. Strictly speaking, Gu Hang did not have the means for interstellar troop deployment. Even including the Gu Commercial Firm, the situation was no different. Previously, when his mother left, she had left behind two ships in orbit around Rage Owl Star, but under the current circumstances, those two ships were of no use. This is where it¡¯s necessary to discuss the difference between a Chamber of Commerce Fleet and a regular naval fleet. Or rather, the difference between civilian ships and warships. It¡¯s not just whether there are weapons on board; the construction costs of the two can differ by tenfold, or even dozens of times, for ships of the same size and specifications. A starship built as a warship varies greatly in hull strength, ship materials, the initial military-specific design and structure, and power¡­ All these factors significantly impact the final combat effectiveness. The two ships Miss Wang Qi left in the Rage Owl Star System could easily transport 30,000 people including equipment across a star system to Heijian Star during peacetime; But now, with Heijian Star blockaded and Wang Jiarong anxiously stamping her feet, she couldn¡¯t even send a ship capable of evacuating Wang Qi from the surface¨Csending one recklessly could result in it being shot down during evacuation or blown up by interstellar interception, an unacceptable loss. The same principle applies to Gu Hang¡¯s troop deployment. While civilian ships can transport people and equipment, they are defenseless vessels when used as transports between starships and the planet¡¯s surface. During the descent process, losing one ship could mean the loss of hundreds to thousands of personnel and a large amount of equipment. Even estimating optimistically and considering Heijian Star¡¯s orbital defenses as the weakest sort, and treating the four merchant fleet squadrons loyal to Gu Ming as fools, a ¡°bathtub crossing the ocean¡± operation would be fortunate to have half of the landing crafts make it safely to the ground. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Could he tolerate nearly ten to twenty thousand casualties due to troop deployment issues? Such losses were unacceptable to Gu Hang. And here lies the value of warships. Warships, meant for naval battles, can dominate the control of the target Star Domain and suppress planetary orbital defenses. This makes the deployment of troops to the ground much safer. Even if troops must be deployed under the least favorable conditions, dealing with orbital defenses, military landing crafts equipped on warships have camouflage and energy shields for protection, tougher armor, and a much lower probability of loss. Chapter 415 - Chapter 415: Chapter 250, Subtle_2 Chapter 415: Chapter 250, Subtle_2 Of course, let alone Gu Hang, even the Gu Family doesn¡¯t own any warships. For those in business, maintaining their own warships is too expensive and unnecessary. With that money, it¡¯s better to operate armed merchant ships, not to engage in naval battles with other major forces. If there is a real need, it¡¯s wiser to seek the escort help of the Imperial Navy, which is definitely more cost-effective than maintaining their own warships. This is the merchant¡¯s way of thinking. But now, Gu Hang wanted the help of a military ship. What should he do? Above the orbit of Rage Owl Star, there really was one docked. The Blade Tiger. This starship, which had come to provide space support to Rage Owl Star in place of the Quintet, was now his hope. Of course, relying on this escort ship, it was impossible to break through the blockade of the four Chamber of Commerce Fleets controlled by Gu Ming. Even with the addition of Blade Tiger, while it could bring significant help to the other eight fleets of Wang Qi¡¯s camp, this kind of help was not decisive. He also couldn¡¯t expect that with just this one escort ship, he could suppress the orbital air defense firepower of the capital of the Luman Kingdom. ¡ª- It would be more likely with the Quintet. However, Gu Hang¡¯s goal in leveraging the Blade Tiger was not to defeat his enemies¡¯ star domain forces purely through military force. But to use the ¡°Imperial Navy¡± as a cover. The Blade Tiger was a legitimate warship of the Imperial Navy. Heading to the Heijian Star System, it could brazenly park itself in orbit around Heijian Star, right in front of both parties. With the Blade Tiger not firing first, would Gu Ming¡¯s fleet or the orbital forces of the Luman Kingdom dare to attack? Gu Hang judged that they would not. If they did so, that would be sheer madness. All that remained was the one issue: how to convince the Blade Tiger to willingly transport his troops to Heijian Star. As long as his army arrived there, saving his mother was the most basic goal. Gu Hang felt he could achieve even more. ¡­ Gu Hang first communicated with the naval officers aboard Blade Tiger. Although Yelisia was not the captain, clearly, she was the one calling the shots on that starship. However, she didn¡¯t dare to directly agree to Gu Hang¡¯s request. ¡°Personally, I would very much like to help you, and I don¡¯t believe that bunch would dare to strike at the Imperial Navy. But¡­ precisely because we are the Imperial Navy, there are things I cannot do without higher-level authorization.¡± These were Yelisia¡¯s exact words. ¡°What level of authorization do you need?¡± ¡°At least an order from General Tilermungs, the Fleet Commander of the Tianma Fleet.¡± Gu Hang recalled the situation of the Tianma Fleet and this so-called ¡®General Tilermungs¡¯. The Tianma Fleet was the main force of the Imperial Navy stationed in Tianma Star Sector, with a defensive area extending well beyond Tianma Star Sector, affecting the star domain defense tasks of at least three nearby star sectors. The Fleet¡¯s commander was directly appointed by the Imperial Navy. That said, a good half of the Tianma Fleet¡¯s long-term maintenance and construction costs come from the taxes of the Tianma Star Sector. The political clout of the Tianma Star Sector on this fleet goes without saying. The Fufana Family, a naval legacy family native to the Tianma Star Sector, took shape about seventy years ago. The General Fufana of that generation was appointed as the Tianma Fleet Commander, and during his service, he expanded his family significantly, gradually forming a clan. After the first generation General Fufana, his brother, his grandson, and great-grandson had all held the position, embedding the Fufana name firmly in the genes of the Tianma Fleet. The last Fufana commander was Yelisia¡¯s grandfather, who retired eight years ago. The Fufana Family¡¯s influence within the Tianma Fleet was profound; for two-thirds of the past seventy years, the Fleet Commander of the Tianma Fleet bore the name Fufana. Many of the mid-to-senior fleet officers had been financially supported and promoted by his family. However, it was awkward that after Yelisia¡¯s grandfather¡¯s retirement, the family suddenly lacked a successor. Although their influence on the fleet remained strong, it was difficult for the family to produce someone with the sufficient qualifications and achievements to take on the role of Fleet Commander. Currently, the highest military rank within the family was held by one of Yelisia¡¯s uncles, who was merely a major general and seemed to have no chance of advancing further. This was not really a problem; the Tianma Fleet had not been headed by a Fufana for twenty out of the last seventy years anyway. It was just a period of lying low, nothing serious. Moreover, within the family, there arose an unexpectedly rising new star¨CYelisia. With a decade more of growth, she might have the chance to take over. Thanks to Gu Hang¡¯s encouragement, she participated in and defeated that Green Skin Orcs pirate fleet, which had added much to her luster. She was the person who enjoyed the greatest fruits of victory from that naval battle. From this perspective, the Fufana Family should be willing to help him. This point could also be deduced from the tone of Yelisia¡¯s recent communication. Furthermore, the Fufana¡¯s relationship with the Gu Family was good¨Calthough this was a civil conflict within the Gu Clan, they showed no particular bias, but choosing to back Wang Qi would undoubtedly further solidify the relationship between the two parties after victory. And the current commander, General Tilermungs, although not a member of the Fufana Family, also shared a close relationship with them. He was originally from the Tianma Fleet, later transferred elsewhere to establish his reputation, and rose to the position of general before being reassigned back to the Tianma Fleet. Upon his return, he knew that if he wanted to have a peaceful time as commander, he had to maintain a good relationship with the Fufanas. The Fufana Family was not some tyrannical overlord; they showed considerable respect for Tilermungs¨Cseeing as their own family could not promote anyone to the position, it made sense to support the current commander and foster a good relationship. The cooperation between the two parties had been quite smooth over the past eight years. Frankly, if the Fufana Family, especially the former commander, who was also General Tilermungs¡¯ previous superior, General Fufana, were to mediate, this matter could likely be resolved. Gu Hang even discussed the issue with Yelisia once again, and in this more private conversation, the female brigadier promised Gu Hang that she would speak to her grandfather, the former Tianma Fleet Commander, General Fufana. But there was another individual whose attitude was very important: the Star Sector head, Mister Pei Desi. This person was the one who held the closest relationship with the Fufana Family. After the second communication with Yelisia ended, Gu Hang thought for a moment and then made a call to Mister Pei Desi. Pei Desi had, of course, learned of the incident at Heijian Star. With just a brief exchange with him, Gu Hang could roughly discern his stance. The Star Sector head clearly saw this as an opportunity. The political power in the Tianma Star Sector mainly consisted of a confrontation between two major camps: the native forces and the Star Sector Government. The native forces referred to the Fatches Family, who had controlled the positions of the planetary governors of three stars and had a history in the Tianma Star Sector of several thousand years; they had even inhabited the area before the empire¡¯s annexation, and had deep-rooted control in the three star systems, Fatches No.1, No.2, and No.3. The Imperial Star Realm Army stationed in the Tianma Star Sector also had significant ties with them. On the other hand, the Star Sector Government camp was led by the Pei Desi brothers, one of whom was the Star Sector head and the other the Flying Wing Star Governor. Together with the Fufana Family¡¯s navy and the Gu Clan¡¯s Chamber of Commerce Fleet, they formed an iron triangle that had oppressively contained the Fatches Family for twenty years. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, in recent years, the Gu Clan had been moving away from this iron triangle, aiming to expand their business beyond the Tianma Star Sector and showing a trend towards reconciliation with the Fatches Family. This was the larger context behind Gu Hang¡¯s assignment as the Governor of Rage Owl Star, a scheme played by head Pei Desi. But this move did not turn out as Pei Desi had wished, failing to firmly tie the Gu Clan back to the iron triangle¡¯s position; on the contrary, Wang Qi was quite averse to it. Similarly, Gu Ming seized this opportunity and maintained a relatively good relationship with Pei Desi. Before Gu Hang made the interstellar call to Pei Desi, Gu Ming had also called him. Now, the situation was very delicate. Chapter 416 - Chapter 416: Chapter 251, Shooting Across the Night Sky Chapter 416: Chapter 251, Shooting Across the Night Sky After ending the interstellar communication with Gu Hang, Mister Pei Desi still had another line open. This was a connection with his younger brother, Pei Desi. His brother had listened to the entire conversation clearly as he had just spoken separately with an uncle-nephew pair from the Gu Family. ¡°The Gu Clan, who has always prided itself on ¡®unity¡¯, also has a day of internal strife, they¡¯re going to make me die of laughter!¡± His frivolous younger brother spoke with unrestrained glee, obviously taking delight in their misfortune. Yet, this time Mister Pei Desi did not scold him but couldn¡¯t help revealing a faint smile himself. Indeed, the unity of the Gu Clan had crumbled. Did he still need to worry about the Gu Clan leaving the ¡®Iron Triangle¡¯, breaking the alliance between them and the Fufana Family? Not at all. Gu Ming had already expressed his loyalty to him, reaffirming their friendship multiple times. And that stubborn Wang Qi, her son, whom he had personally supported into the position of Planetary Governor of Rage Owl Star. Now, the young fellow had also clearly promised to stand firmly by his side in the future. All he had to do now was to choose the one more to his liking between the two of them. ¡°I suggest picking Gu Ming,¡± Pei Desi said, ¡°Wang Qi is not easy to deal with. Even if her son agrees to all our conditions, it¡¯s very likely that Wang Qi will still be in power of the Gu Family. She might not honor the conditions we agreed on so readily.¡± Mister Pei Desi disagreed with this. He countered, ¡°So you think Gu Ming is very reliable? A man who initiated a violent coup within the ¡®united Gu Clan¡¯, do you think he will obediently follow our arrangements once he has power?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± When Pei Desi thought about it, indeed, that was true. Mister Pei Desi spoke earnestly, ¡°Don¡¯t treat everyone as fools, as mere tools. Overall, we have no means to check the power of the Gu Family. Whether it¡¯s toward the Gu Clan or the Fufana, we shouldn¡¯t see people as mere pawns. Our rise is supported by them, and in turn, they develop better with our assistance¨Cmutual benefit is the only way things can last.¡± Pei Desi rolled his eyes: ¡°The same old lecture¡­¡± Although he showed disdain and sometimes thought his older brother could be quite old-fashioned, Pei Desi had to admit that at least one point was correct: they indeed had no ability to control the Gu Family. No matter who they supported, whoever ultimately won, as long as the Gu Family didn¡¯t completely disintegrate, retaining half of its power, it was still the biggest Chamber of Commerce across several nearby Star Sectors. They didn¡¯t have to pay taxes to the Star Sector Government, nor did they require any support from it¨Cwhat method could there be? If they completely cut ties, the Gu Clan would be uncomfortable, as their operations within the Tianma Star Sector would become inconvenient since their headquarters were on Flying Wing Star. But likewise, without the support of the Empire Commerce Guild, lacking financial backing, the Star Sector Government would also suffer. Both sides benefited from cooperation and would be harmed by separation¨Cwhat else could be done? They¡¯d have to make do. Despite his irritation with the Gu Clan, Pei Desi understood this principle. He quietly listened as his older brother continued speaking. The words that Mister Pei Desi said to his younger brother were essentially his own thought process: ¡°Any condition that Gu Ming can agree to, Gu Hang can too; plus Gu Hang can do one more thing, we¡¯ve asked the Gu Family to draw a clear line with the Fatches Family, and he can take definitive action: disband Blackbird Heavy Industries on Rage Owl Star. This will certainly deteriorate the relationship between the Gu Family and the Fatches Family greatly.¡± ¡°Moreover, we also have to consider the cost of making a choice. If we help Gu Ming, Wang Qi, without support, will perish, but do we have a way to deal with Gu Hang? Those eight Chamber of Commerce Fleets that were allied with Wang Qi in the past, if pushed to Rage Owl Star, could support Wang Qi¡¯s son as the Family Head. Do we have to dispatch the Imperial Navy to help Gu Ming control the Chamber of Commerce Fleet? Or should we send ground forces to rage Owl Star to eradicate Gu Hang? That¡¯s all impossible. Neither the Imperial Navy nor the ground forces are completely under our command, and we can¡¯t possibly find a suitable reason to attack the Empire Commerce Guild and a Planetary Governor.¡± ¡°By helping Gu Ming, indeed, we can achieve the goal of splitting the Gu Family, but we¡¯d only garner the friendliness of at most half of the Gu Family, and we¡¯d turn the other half, along with a Planetary Governor in the Star Sector, into enemies. It¡¯s not possible to form the most ideal situation where both sides would want to keep on good terms with us.¡± ¡°What¡¯s more, the cost of helping him is so high.¡± ¡°Conversely, by helping Gu Hang and Wang Qi, we¡¯d have to do much less. Even though those two would be harder to control, and the power of the Gu Family wouldn¡¯t be weakened too much, that mother and son, in fulfilling their promise, would have to stand in opposition to the Fatches Family, and our goal would be achieved. Moreover, wouldn¡¯t they owe us a favor after a successful cooperation? This lays a better foundation for future cooperation.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡­ Listening to his older brother¡¯s lengthy explanations, Pei Desi pursed his lips and summed up, ¡°So, you¡¯ve ultimately decided to help that kid Gu Hang, right?¡± Mister Pei Desi slightly smiled and said, ¡°Roughly speaking, yes.¡± ¡°Fine then, do as you wish,¡± Pei Desi yawned hugely and stood up, ¡°I¡¯m off then.¡± Watching his younger brother leave, Mister Pei Desi revealed a resigned smile. Chapter 417 - Chapter 417: Chapter 251, Shooting across the Night Sky_2 Chapter 417: Chapter 251, Shooting across the Night Sky_2 He did not even open his mouth to mention his younger brother. In the past, he did not know how many times he had spoken, but it was all to no avail; his brother always maintained that careless demeanor. Alcohol, various forms of sex, all sorts of thrilling entertainment¡­ Speaking too much was useless. His younger brother was no longer a child, and now he was even more esteemed as the governor of Flying Wing Star. How could he keep nagging? Gradually, he stopped talking so much. Most of the planet¡¯s administrative affairs were handled by him as the head of this Star Sector. It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to seize power. It was he who had originally pushed his brother up to replace himself in the position. On the contrary, he often thought that if Pei Desi could take on more responsibility and help him out a bit, he might be able to catch a break. But in the end¡­ it was always I who shouldered it all alone! While his brother went out to enjoy life, he still had to work. Sighing, he thought over his phrasing and conducted interstellar communications with both the Fufana Family and General Tilermungs. ¡­ Seven standard Terra days later, on Heijian Star, outside the capital town Pincer of the Luman Kingdom, the headquarters of the Alliance Expeditionary Force. Although it was called a headquarters, in truth, it was so dilapidated that it was barely functional. Practicality was the only concern; aesthetics were the least of anyone¡¯s worries. Originally, this place was just a basement, which was then reinforced by sappers to prevent it from being bombed into collapse. These strengthening structures were very crudely done, as the sappers had a heavy workload and simply had no time for any design work. Their priority was to avoid collapse. Perbov and Leroy were here, commanding their troops, and they had withstood a joint assault by the Luman Army and a part of Gu¡¯s Security Forces led by Gu Ming. They had held out for a full seven days. At this moment, neither of them had any semblance of proper appearance left. Dried sweat mixed with mud and bloodstains marred their faces and clothing; with no conditions for bathing or changing clothes, they continuously sweated, their bodies reeking. But no one minded. Everyone was in the same state. Hair disheveled, beards ragged, faces smeared with dirt, bodies drenched in sweat and the stench of blood¡­ that was the appearance of every Rage Owl Star person holding their ground here. The two of them were merely particularly worse for wear, with the added special feature of dark circles and bloodshot eyes. These past few days, they had probably slept for only about two hours each day. They were certainly tired, however, they still struggled to persevere. They were all too aware that this war was incredibly tough. They had no reinforcements, no supplies; they had to rely entirely on their current strength and stubbornly hold out for eight days. During this time, the two partners made some estimates about the enemy numbers. King Nes of Luman had amassed an army of over one hundred thousand men on the battlefield; two Ranger-type Knight Titans; and more than three hundred Sentinel Mechas. In these seven days, his forces had probably eliminated at least thirty thousand enemy soldiers, but the number of enemies seemed like it had never decreased. Those enemies were assaulting them nearly every moment of the past seven days, regardless of day or night, whether it was clear or raining. Perbov always used a scornful tone to belittle the soldiers of the Luman Kingdom while boosting the morale of his troops. ¡®Carrying useless junk,¡¯ ¡®cannon fodder treated worse than animals,¡¯ ¡®purely coming to die,¡¯ ¡®lacking discipline, weak will to fight, pathetic combat level¡¯¡­ But what he said was also true. That was the level of Luman Kingdom¡¯s conscripted soldiers. Especially with continuous attacks and heavy casualties, these conscripts felt that attacking the fortified town was purely suicidal, and their morale was so low that during assaults, should they suffer even minor losses without Knights to back them up, they would quickly collapse. But the problem was¡­ there were many Knights. If it were just the hundred thousand Luman cannon fodder, Perbov wouldn¡¯t care at all. However, the Royal Knights of Luman put a lot of pressure on them. Especially those two Knight Titans. When those two Knight Titans bombarded from a distance, the Alliance Army had very limited countermeasures and were essentially forced to endure the bombing. And when those two Titans personally led the charge into frontline combat, that was a nightmare. Having learned from the previous destruction of two Knight Titans, Luman¡¯s military would definitely not allow their Titans to be isolated again. Ordinary Luman infantry was unreliable, but those Sentinel Knights were sufficiently tenacious in combat. They would adamantly protect the feet of the Knight Titans, offering no opportunity to the Alliance soldiers. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As a result, every attack led by the Knight Titans was a nightmare, each time requiring the Alliance Expeditionary Force to pay a heavy price. They had to concentrate heavy artillery for bombardment, risk soldiers launching attacks, and after expending a significant amount of ammunition and even the lives of a great number of soldiers, they could only temporarily overload the enemy¡¯s energy shields. However, at such times, the enemy would often retreat, giving no chance to press the advantage. After two days, once the Shield System was recharged, they would return to the frontline. The Luman military was becoming more patient. They knew that those entrenched in the town could fight, but they had no replenishments, no reserves. In a war of attrition, with an entire kingdom as their support, they were the ones destined to emerge victorious in the end. Yet, despite such dire circumstances, Perbov refused to passively defend to the bitter end. He still insisted on implementing what he called a ¡®flexible defense¡¯ strategy. Chapter 418 - Chapter 418: Chapter 251, Skimming Through the Night Sky_3 Chapter 418: Chapter 251, Skimming Through the Night Sky_3 Three days ago, during a full-scale enemy offensive, he risked an ambush by having his armored forces, camouflaged behind some ruined buildings and with artillery support, plus Lacroix¡¯s special squad, suddenly strike. They successfully destroyed a Knight Titan¡¯s shield generator, but at the cost of six Lion Tanks, thirty armored personnel carriers, and over two hundred soldiers. Moreover, due to the high losses, despite having created an opportunity, they were unable to deliver the final blow and had to watch the shield-less Knight Titan successfully retreat. Still, the results of the battle could be considered acceptable. The Knight Titan had sustained some damage, and afterwards, it didn¡¯t dare to appear on the frontline, only able to fire missiles from the rear. Henceforth, only facing the onslaught of one Knight Titan, the pressure was greatly reduced. However, after fighting like this for seven days, they had nearly reached the end of their resources. ¡°Report to the commander comrade, the enemy¡¯s attack has been repelled.¡± ¡°Report the casualties.¡± ¡°Yes! Company 37.5.2 from the south is gone, and when Troop 3 went to assist, they didn¡¯t find anyone alive¡­ Troop 3 itself is now down to only 17 men¡­ As previously requested by the political commissar, their designation has been preserved, and command integrated into the battalion headquarters. Currently, the 37th Brigade no longer has any companies intact, all have been placed under battalion-level command. The sapper battalion, logistic support battalion, all have been committed¡­¡± ¡°The main body of the 34th Division holding the eastern and northern fronts has suffered severe damage, acting division commander Major Gaius has fallen. Major Meyev has taken over the command, and he already is the third acting division commander for the 34th¡­¡± Perbov listened with an expressionless face. Apart from the enemy being repelled, there was no good news in the other reports. But his heart had already become somewhat numb. It had been like this all along, especially in the last two days, always this kind of news. They had repelled the enemy¡¯s attacks time and again, contesting every house and even every piece of rubble with the enemy. Now, they were truly close to the brink. The thirty-thousand-strong force he had brought with him, it¡¯s possible less than thirteen thousand were still alive now, and most had injuries. Although the loss of personnel was devastating, the situation in other areas was even worse. Out of a total of thirty-six Lion Tanks from two combined brigades, only the last one was operational; out of a total of four hundred artillery pieces, three hundred and twenty had already been destroyed. Even with the remaining eighty, considering the current artillery shell inventory, they could fire at most six more rounds. There were less than a thousand rounds of artillery shells left. All the rocket launchers had been used up, mortar shells were also running low, and even bullets had to be carefully collected from the bodies of fallen soldiers in order to keep going. It could be said that, apart from food reserves¨Cwhich were still plentiful temporarily because they had driven away the suburban townsfolk and left behind all the food¨Call other war materials had reached their last critical stage. Yet, it was only the seventh day. One day short of the eight days the governor had asked for. What to do? Perbov didn¡¯t know either. Seizing the momentary lull in battle, he left the command post. Leroy didn¡¯t try to stop him; the political commissar was already lying down asleep. One of his ears had gone deaf, and he also hadn¡¯t slept for twenty-three hours. He needed to rest for a while. Once outside, Perbov looked up at the night sky, filled with guilt. He couldn¡¯t help but reflect: had his tactics over the past seven days had too many faults? Was it his command mistakes that had led to the present situation? ¡°Could it be¡­ that I¡¯ve let down the governor¡¯s trust?¡± ¡°But no matter what, on the last day, I will personally take up a rifle and go to the front lines. Even if we can¡¯t hold until the eighth day, even if the Luman People take our position, it will only be after we are all dead!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He swore through clenched teeth. But just then, he saw in the sky, long trails of flame streaking across the night. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.4k As for the political struggle¡­ it still needs to be written, you can¡¯t ignore it. But I¡¯ll try to condense it and quicken the pace. Chapter 419 - Chapter 419: Chapter 252: Obsessed Chapter 419: Chapter 252: Obsessed ¡°` If one word could describe the current state of mind of both King Luman and Gu Ming, it would be this: Panic-stricken. When Perbov saw the orange-red tail flame slicing through the night sky, he still didn¡¯t quite dare to confirm what it was. After all, the starship communication equipment he owned had been destroyed in a prior bombing, and he himself had barely escaped with his life, while Leroy had gone deaf in one ear, which was already considered lucky. The immobile communication equipment certainly couldn¡¯t be saved. But Gu Ming was different. He had an open line of communication with the four Chamber of Commerce fleets still under his control, and even had an independent Star Language Tower that could make interstellar calls. He knew for certain that the Blade Tiger, a starship belonging to the Empire Navy Pegasus Fleet, wasn¡¯t approaching to help him. Without concrete intelligence, he could roughly confirm that the military aboard that starship was commanded by his cousin¡¯s son. Upon hearing the news, he was incensed, making numerous calls to many key figures on Flying Wing Star. However, the three most important calls, those directed to the leader of the star sector Pei Desi, the Tianma Fleet Commander Tilermungs, and the naval aristocratic Fufana Family, all went unanswered. Clearly, they were deliberately not picking up. By this time, even if he clung to any hope, he understood one fact: he had been abandoned. The politics of the star sector had chosen to stand with Wang Qi and Gu Hang, mother and son. At this point, his mindset began to undergo some¡­ interesting changes. After rage, hope, and the shattering of that hope, he became hysterical. He ordered the four Chamber of Commerce fleets to prevent the Blade Tiger¡¯s approach ¡®at all costs.¡¯ This was a mad command, one he might not have been thinking clearly about when issuing. What did it mean to attack the Imperial Navy actively? Was it a real desire to rebel? If they won, there would be no chance of doing anything like the Empire Commerce Guild again; they¡¯d all have to run for their lives. If they were lucky enough to flee and become interstellar pirates, that would already be good fortune. Fortunately, while Gu Ming had gone mad, the front-line commanders of the four Chamber of Commerce fleets had not. They listened as the Imperial Navy opened public communications, repeatedly calling in the name of the Imperial Navy and the Tianma Fleet for all interstellar vessels in the region to cease all hostile actions, or else be regarded as traitors to the empire. These front-line commanders each made calls under the pretext of confirming orders, initially probing the authenticity of the command; when Gu Ming repeatedly emphasized that the orders indeed came from him, they then painstakingly began trying to persuade him otherwise. Regardless, whether you, Gu Ming, listen or not, we definitely won¡¯t fire. Following you to cause trouble, with our heads on our belts, igniting a family feud, was all for the sake of a better future. Our own boss becoming the head of the family, so we could earn more and gain a better status¡­ But to go up against the Imperial Navy was absolutely different. Whether it was those concerned for their own prospects or those who were loyal to Gu Ming, they were all advising him. Even the latter knew that once they took action, there really would be no turning back. Otherwise, what? Really become pirates? If they had that determination, why cause trouble at all? Gu Ming gradually calmed down, breaking out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, no shots were fired. ¡°` Not only was naval combat out of the question, but even when the Blade Tiger¡¯s landing craft were flying towards the planet¡¯s surface, they couldn¡¯t be attacked. The landing crafts were part of the Blade Tiger, which belonged to the Imperial Navy; it was one thing for the troops from Rage Owl Star to be released after landing, but what if they were blown up in midair, utterly annihilated with no evidence left? What would happen if it was claimed that the troops were from the Navy Marine Corps stationed on the starship? There would be no way to refute it. There was no choice but to let them land and fight then. Nes Luman was beside himself with frustration and anger. ¡°How can the Empire Navy do this? It¡¯s so unfair!¡± ¡°What if this is just the beginning? What if the troops from Rage Owl Star are continuously transported to Heijian Star by the Empire Navy? Are we just going to stand by and watch?¡± ¡°Do you expect me, with the power of a single kingdom, to confront a whole planet?!¡± He kept talking, his expression filled with sorrow and indignation. Gu Ming sighed and then said to Luman, ¡°At this point, we can only fight to the death. Can you muster more troops? Especially more ¡®Knights,¡¯ Knight Titan¡­ I will compensate for your losses in the future¡­¡± At this, Luman pushed him hard. Gu Ming fell to the ground. His bodyguards and the guards of the Luman Kingdom all moved, but since no blood had been shed yet, everyone just drew their weapons and pointed them at the other side, but no one fired. Nes Luman, with eyes reddened, stared at Gu Ming: ¡°I¡¯ve staked everything I have, but the situation is nothing like what you promised before!¡± ¡°I will compensate¡­¡± ¡°Compensate my ass!¡± Nes Luman burst out with a curse, ¡°The question now is whether we can win or not!¡± Gu Ming stood up and stared back at Nes Luman, ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me in that tone, as if everything wrong was caused by me! The decision was made by us together, and the main force was your army! Do you think I don¡¯t know that the key issue now is whether we can win? Just now, I was even about to let my fleet attack the Empire Navy to win!¡± Having said this, Gu Ming calmed down a bit, ¡°We absolutely cannot afford any discord between us right now, do you understand? I need your strength, or else I can¡¯t win; and you need me too, or else even if you win, you won¡¯t gain anything!¡± Luman tousled his hair and let out a reluctant roar of anger. He really regretted it. But what could he do? Blinded by folly. After a while, he said, ¡°There are still three Knight Titans in the kingdom, but those three marquises¡­ they might not listen to me completely. I will try to persuade them, I will make some promises, and you will have to help me keep those promises in the future. If they agree to stand with us, in addition to the three Knight Titans, we can muster three hundred Sentinel Knights and two hundred thousand conscripted soldiers¡­¡± ¡°Not enough.¡± ¡°I can also contact a few other countries that have put a lot of diplomatic pressure on us recently, essentially because they are dissatisfied that our actions were taken without notifying them and without any promises of benefits to them. I can share some future power to get at least their non-interference, if not their support. This would allow me to call up some more border defense forces¡­¡± ¡°Still not enough.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Then you come up with something! Can you pray to The Emperor to conjure us an army of a million?¡± At this point, Gu Ming confirmed that he truly had exhausted all resources of the Luman Kingdom. ¡°Then let¡¯s go with that, but we must be quick, we are running out of time¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Another chapter tonight Chapter 420 - Chapter 420: Chapter 253, Swift as the Wind, Fierce as Lightning Chapter 420: Chapter 253, Swift as the Wind, Fierce as Lightning Nes Luman and Gu Ming, after a conflict erupted, had to reconcile under the pressure of reality because they were in the same boat. They reacted quickly, gathering a stronger army to face the predicament. Of course, their target was still very clear: to deal with the suburban town. The reason was simple. They had already experienced the combat effectiveness of the Rage Owl Star People. Gu Ming couldn¡¯t understand how his young nephew, who had been on Rage Owl Star for less than two years, could have trained such a strong army on that planet? Before he arrived, that planet even had great difficulty paying the Imperial Tax! But no matter how incredible he found it, this was an ironclad reality, and lamenting would only lead to compliance. They dared not underestimate the mighty Rage Owl Star People. If tens of thousands of fresh troops descended from the sky, they didn¡¯t know how long and at what cost it would take to annihilate them all. Even to put it bluntly, the two powerful dukes mentioned by Nes Luman, the real nobility, even if they followed his words and obeyed his orders to start gathering troops immediately, it might already be too late to do anything now. In a feudal country, how strong could the military organization capability be? The Rage Owl Star People¡¯s troops had already crossed the sky and begun orbital landing; calling forces from all over the country now would simply be too late. At most, they could squeeze out a bit more military strength from the nearest locations. The rest of the troops would be nothing more than strong reinforcements and reserves at best. The newly enlisted forces would be divided into two parts. One part would be deployed to the outskirts of Capital Pansel City to join the siege on the suburban town. They could also sense that the soldiers from Rage Owl Star in the suburban town were at the end of their rope. With a surge of fresh troops and added vigor, maybe in the following days, they could break through the small town. During the past few days, they could confirm that Miss Wang Qi had definitely not escaped from the town. As long as they could capture or kill Wang Qi, there would still be room for discussion. The other part of the army would be organized to confront the new reinforcing troops of Rage Owl Star People. Based on the streaks of fire across the sky, they could roughly estimate that those landing craft descending from orbit were about two to three hundred kilometers away from Pansel Capital. They speculated that the Rage Owl Star People did so mainly to avoid the orbital defense system¡¯s most powerful area above the capital. Indeed, Gu Ming¡¯s nephew must have seized the opportunity, assumed the mantle of the Imperial Navy, and was sure they would not dare attack an official fleet of the Imperial Navy. However, landing craft descending to the surface were a different matter. Ground-based orbital air defense could reach starships in space if the relative position of the starship was within the firing angle and the distance was indeed in orbital range, and it could just barely reach them. But planetary firepower was inevitably stationary, and it couldn¡¯t be powerful enough to destroy escort ships in the sky with a sudden barrage of fire, or else wouldn¡¯t the enemy just flee? If they fled, adding the accusation of attacking the Imperial Navy, both Gu Ming and the Luman Kingdom of Heijian Star would be unable to shake off the accusation of being traitors to the Empire who attacked the Imperial Navy. It was different for landing craft; they couldn¡¯t escape while flying towards the surface. That Gu Hang probably had some fear too, worrying that if they were indeed attacked during landing, the losses would be too great. Moreover, there would be room for contention afterward. The distance of about three hundred kilometers allowed them to break through the atmosphere from other airspaces. When they flew lower and left the angle of attack of the orbital air defenses, the safety was much higher, and they became difficult to target¨Cunless the Luman Kingdom was so powerful as to integrate all other countries¡¯ orbital fire on the entire planet for a joint strike, achieving full coverage. Otherwise, relying solely on themselves, they indeed couldn¡¯t cover the entire planet¡¯s airspace. After landing, when the army moved rapidly forward, orbital air defense would be of no use. Although a distance of about three hundred kilometers wasn¡¯t too far for a mechanized, motorized ground army¨Cindeed, they could arrive in a few days if they rapidly advanced¨CNes Luman and Gu Ming still decided to take some action. The newly enlisted troops were gathered for this purpose. This force would carry out strict defense along the way, setting up barriers, and blocking the approaching Rage Owl Star People¡¯s army. They did not seek victory or annihilation, only to delay the marching speed of the enemy and buy some extra time for the battle on the outskirts of Pansel. If the battle on the outskirts of Pansel concluded in victory, then they would have succeeded. They felt this strategy was very meaningful¨Cimplementing it seemed to have a quite high chance of success. Even though they would have to face an Alliance Army within the Luman Kingdom afterward, as long as Wang Qi died, many things could be discussed later. However, the three pieces of news that reached their ears next were all bad. The first was that the remnants of the Alliance Army in the suburban town had erupted with a strong will to resist. They seemed to realize that reinforcements were nearby, and under their heightened morale, they became even more tenacious. The second was that the newly arrived Alliance Army did not rest after landing. Instead, with an incredibly large number of over a hundred Lion Tanks leading the way, followed by numerous armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and transport trucks, they assaulted forward fiercely, rushing with astonishing speed. The hastily gathered defense troops were rendered ineffective, dispersed with a single charge, shattered with a single strike. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Even in a minor engagement, twenty Mecha sentries of the Luman Kingdom dug out a stout position, along with the hard-earned assembly of two thousand infantry, intending to resist for at least several hours. Yet, within twenty minutes, they were thoroughly defeated. Of course, if it was just that, it would have been merely embarrassing for them and not caused complete panic. What truly alarmed them were two forces that moved so fast they couldn¡¯t think of a countermeasure. When the two had just received the news about these two forces, they were already nearing the outskirts of Pansel City! These two forces comprised fifteen red-armored giants and more than a hundred Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessels! Chapter 421 - Chapter 421: Chapter 254, How Could There Be Interstellar Warriors? Chapter 421: Chapter 254, How Could There Be Interstellar Warriors? Fifteen red-armored warriors, that naturally meant Phoenix. These imperial Angels were the first batch to descend from the landing craft. This type of landing craft, coming from the Blade Tiger, was named the Type V Landing Craft. As a landing craft designed for orbital assaulting operations, it was quite large. A single one could carry five hundred people, along with corresponding weapons and equipment, even heavy vehicles. It was also equipped with jamming devices to defend against anti-aircraft fire, furnished with small energy shield generators that provided some defensive capabilities, and had relatively solid armor. Apart from lacking weaponry and not being very fast, this type of landing craft was a powerful item and costs a lot to produce, not in the same league as ordinary civilian transport ships. On the Blade Tiger, there were only two such landing crafts. Plus some smaller landing crafts. If they were all deployed, they could transport a force of about two thousand men to the ground at a time, and then circulate back and forth. Taking into account the travel time, loading, and unloading, they could make a trip in six hours at the limit. This was not a very efficient rate, but there was no helping it. The Blade Tiger itself was not particularly large, being just an Escort Ship. It had about ten thousand crew members, so squeezing in thirty thousand soldiers was already beyond its capacity; they even occupied a lot of other space, staying temporarily, and equipment was packed to the brim, to the extent that Yelisia even teased Gu Hang, ¡°Blade Tiger has become a fat pig now.¡± So, this was the scarce configuration of landing crafts on the Blade Tiger. For those large-scale landing operations, it would either be a large Starship, or specialized landing starships. According to estimates, to get all his thirty-five thousand soldiers to the ground, even if the landing craft operated non-stop, it would need around a hundred hours, over four days. This period was actually the most vulnerable time for the landing troops. But the problem was that the Luman Kingdom¡¯s army was even more vulnerable. The main forces were besieging the outskirt towns, so the troops they could send were few in number, and of poor quality. The first wave of the Alliance Army that came down directly crushed all those enemies who had surrounded the landing zone. Subsequently, more troops descended and began to expand outwards, building temporary positions; they were to hold this area for a while. However, at the same time, Gu Hang also made the demand for swift military action. A Composite Camp would set out first and push ahead. After one day¡¯s time, when the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade almost finished assembling, they would complete their assembly and continue to advance, breaking through the enemy and leaving a small faction to guard the landing zone. Then, as the following divisions and brigades arrived, they would follow the steps of the troops that had set out earlier and continue to push outward. This was the situation that the hastily assembled interception force of the Luman Kingdom had to face. Acting this way, of course, was not as steady as waiting four days to complete the troop assembly before engaging in combat. But it also did not give the opponent time to prepare; with the military quality gap between both sides, it really was a case of puncture upon impact. However, all this barely mattered to the Starship warriors. While the follow-up troops were still disembarking and assembling, they had already received the orders from the Governor-General and boarded three Wind Falcons, heading towards the target location at high speed. Three hundred kilometers, the Wind Falcons arrived swiftly. To avoid getting hit, the Wind Falcons flew very low. Orbital anti-aircraft cannons couldn¡¯t touch targets flying too low, as there was a limit to the shooting angle. As long as the Wind Falcons didn¡¯t actually fly over the few orbital air defense positions of Pincer City, it was fine. Low altitude flying was not easy, but in this area, it was still smooth. Mainly because the terrain outside Pincer City was quite flat, without the frequent rise of high mountains; the speedboats had strong flying performance; plus the pilots were no longer the novices they were when the air force was first established, and after a long flying time, they had honed their skills. Their first target was to attack the artillery position of the Luman Legion, which was besieging the outskirt towns. In the early stages of the battle, the Luman Kingdom¡¯s artillery forces were severely suppressed. Range and power couldn¡¯t keep up, mobility was poor, and as soon as they emerged, before they could move, they would be hit by counter-bombardment from Alliance artillery. However, recently they were invigorated again, mainly because the Alliance was running out of artillery and even more so of ammunition. But now, they faced disaster. They were not totally unprepared. After the Luman Army observed the approaching air force and especially after they deduced their target was the artillery position, they quickly informed the frontline about the enemy situation, asking them to be cautious in response and they even mobilized troops for defense. However, it was futile. What could they do even if they were prepared? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Wind Falcons couldn¡¯t be too arrogant; they launched a round of missiles from afar and then scooted away without conducting a low-altitude strafing run, which would give the enemy an opportunity. God forbid getting unlucky and having one of those sentry Mechas take down a craft, that would be a huge loss. As for the Starship warriors, they simply jumped out of the Wind Falcons. Delivering Starship warriors via Wind Falcon was extremely convenient, not at all like delivering regular soldiers who would either need to rappel down or require the Wind Falcon to land on the ground. For the Starship warriors, it might not be feasible if it were too high, but at a distance of about ten meters, jumping down was no big deal. Even better, the Wind Falcons could maintain forward flight, just not too fast. This significantly increased the speed of troop deployment and the safety of the Wind Falcons themselves. Chapter 422 - Chapter 422: Chapter 254, How Could There Be Interstellar Warriors?_2 Chapter 422: Chapter 254, How Could There Be Interstellar Warriors?_2 Interstellar warriors who weighed several tons with their armor could create a crater when they landed on the ground. But afterwards, they would come out of the pit unscathed. At this moment, enemies had already surrounded them. But what could mere cannon fodder do? Bullets hit them without leaving even a scratch! Guided by the lead of Commander Matins, the fifteen interstellar warriors moved methodically toward the artillery position. Along the way, they fired their guns steadily and dispassionately, each bullet claiming the life of one or several enemies. Five sentry mechs appeared, attempting to resist. They had some resistance to explosive-bullet guns and weren¡¯t so easily killed. But in front of the interstellar warriors, they were like chicks. If one shot didn¡¯t blow them up, five explosive-bullet guns aimed and fired in an incredibly accurate barrage, emptying five magazines, naturally shredding the sentry mechs. Among them, Matins was the most ferocious. Wearing Terminator armor, he could wield a heavy explosive-bullet gun single-handedly, a weapon designed to break through armor. In contrast, the sentry mechs¡¯ machine guns posed a threat to the interstellar warriors. But they had to hit their target first. There was a qualitative difference in shooting accuracy and reaction speed between the two sides. As soon as the trigger was pulled, before even two rounds could be fired, they were blown up. In a single encounter, four sentries were gone. The remaining one, due to its close proximity, wasn¡¯t selected as a target for concentrated fire. In one or two seconds, it fired many rounds from its machine gun, hitting only a few, but those could only strike the shoulder armor of the advancing interstellar warriors, at most causing their bodies to jerk and leaving small dents in their armor. The fate of this sentry mech was even more tragic. Anat, the new blood in the battle group, was at the forefront. With just a few accelerated steps, he reached the sentry mech¡¯s front. The sentry mechs, compared to the interstellar warriors, were still considerably larger. Even with armor, interstellar warriors were generally only around 2.4 meters tall; Matins in his Terminator stood at 2.7 meters. The sentry mechs were over three meters tall. But being larger didn¡¯t necessarily mean stronger combat capabilities. The sentry mech moved first, its ¡®Knight Sword¡¯ sweeping towards Anat, but it missed as Anat simply bent down and dodged it. Then, with an explosive burst of speed from his legs, Anat surprised the sentry mech¡¯s pilot by closing the distance to an extremely close range. A battle blade, honed through a thousand uses, was thrust precisely into the armor gap of the sentry, severing its power systems instantly. Anat exerted more force, flipping the mech over, stepping on its chest. He wielded his knife in one hand and grabbed its head with the other. With a concerted effort, he ripped the sentry mech¡¯s head off. Sentry mechs are not Knight Titans; they don¡¯t have exclusive cockpits, as the pilot is encapsulated inside the mech. When the mech¡¯s head was pulled off, the pilot¡¯s head came off with it. Completing this sequence of actions only took Anat three to five seconds. After sheathing his battle blade and rearming his gun, he hastened forward. In those three to five seconds, his comrades had already passed him, continuing onward. During this time, no one even glanced in his direction. Killing a sentry mech simply wasn¡¯t noteworthy. Anat didn¡¯t think he had done anything remarkable either; he had to hurry to catch up. But this scene, in the eyes of the nearby Luman soldiers, was utterly terrifying. Those were five Knight masters! In their minds, the Knight masters were unbeatable! If the Knight masters had been killed by heavy artillery or taken out by so-called Alliance soldiers¡¯ rocket launchers and mortars during earlier battles, it would have been understandable. After all, warfare is indiscriminate, and even Knight masters, clad in their armors, could be struck down by targeted attacks and dreadful firepower. Not to mention, the Alliance troops had those formidable tanks and armored vehicles¡­ It was natural for Knight masters to fall in battle. And even so, taking down a three-meter-tall sentry mech still wasn¡¯t easy; it often required a rather long fight, and the Alliance Army would also pay a price. But now, that was a completely different concept. Five knights, standing in front of those red-armored warriors, were almost instantly wiped out in a single encounter! They were killed as effortlessly as if they were just chickens! For the conscripted soldiers of the Luman Kingdom, this was a scene that completely shattered their fighting spirit. And those with slightly broader knowledge, who had heard some stories, finally remembered some legends at this moment. ¡°These are star warriors! They are Angels!¡± The words shouted out uncontrollably caused even more deterioration in the fighting will of those who heard. And so, this obstructing army just collapsed. The Phoenixes didn¡¯t even pursue. They were just some insignificant troops, which they approached with indifference and then destroyed their artillery positions. Not until the battle ended, and no new troops came to disturb them any more. This battle was fought with a lack of interest. The veterans felt it was nothing more than a walk in the park. What was the difference between this and shooting at moving targets in training? Only the sentry mechas were of slight interest, a bit more resistant, but there were too few of them. As for the new recruits, most also found it uninteresting. It was their first time leaving Rage Owl Star for combat. They were initially a bit tense, but after the battle, they felt¡­ That¡¯s it? It wasn¡¯t even as good as fighting the cultists in the North Territory of Rage Owl Star. At least those cultists were not afraid to die and possessed some psychic spells, which posed a threat, not to mention the subsequent entry into the True Realm, facing the Evil God, and even emerging victorious in the end! The new recruits couldn¡¯t muster any enthusiasm either. Even the three ¡®ripe¡¯ new recruits, who at least had rotated through the Beiqing Valley Province¡¯s border during their training and growth periods without armor, joined the Green Valley Group Army in their constant southward sweeps, exterminating many Aberrant Beasts, thereby gaining some combat experience. They too felt that the level of the Luman soldiers was far too poor. After destroying the artillery positions, they turned to find a new target. Their eyes locked on a Ranger-class Knight Titan that had its shield generator destroyed during the previous battle and now only dared to serve as a long-range rocket launcher from afar. The two Knight Titans were the biggest threats to the outskirts of the town, even if this one was too scared to advance directly and was content bombarding from a distance with extended-range rockets, which was quite annoying. It was best to just take it out. ¡­ Gu Ming and Nes Luman both suspected what the news of the fifteen red-armored giants indicated when they first heard it. Despite that, they still harbored some faint hope. How could they truly be star warriors? Why would The Emperor¡¯s Angels appear on such a backwater planet as Heijian Star? Their battles usually caused upheaval across multiple star sectors or were fought on the frontlines against powerful foreign species. What merit or capability did a minor conflict within the Gu Family on Heijian Star have to attract a group of star warriors? It¡¯s not like there were true Imperial traitors here! Besides, even if there were Imperial traitors, unless the treason was significant, it would not provoke the intervention of star warriors! Therefore, their initial disbelief and hope for luck were understandable. According to Gu Ming¡¯s self-consolation, there might be a chance that his nephew orchestrated it all, using ordinary iron armor to put on a facade. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But even he didn¡¯t believe that. And then, reality completely shattered his wishful thinking: within minutes of landing, they decimated a sentry mecha squad and routed a large group of Luman forces, also scattering the Luman Legion¡¯s artillery positions. Now, those fifteen figures were heading their way, aiming for the Knight Titan near them. The troops had done their best to intercept, but they just couldn¡¯t hold them back! The two of them were completely panicked. Chapter 423 - Chapter 423: Chapter 255, The Liver and Gallbladder Fear the Cold Chapter 423: Chapter 255, The Liver and Gallbladder Fear the Cold When Nes Luman and Gu Ming were so panicked that they didn¡¯t know what to do, the Phoenixes they greatly feared¨Cwhich had inspired enormous dread in them¨Chad completed their second task and successfully retreated. They had destroyed the Knight Titan that had lost its Shield Generator. To be honest, the process was not easy. The space warriors were strong, very strong, but not truly invincible. For example, a machine gun fired at the shoulder plates, chest plates, or even the helmet might indeed not do much harm. But a shot to the waist, joints, or back would cause them just as much pain. And even if they could only hit the thickest part of the armor, a few bullets or dozens of machine gun rounds were still manageable, but it becomes useless when hundreds of rounds rain down. Those were machine gun rounds, not ordinary bullets. Space warriors weren¡¯t so easy to hit. They might seem large and wear heavy armor, but their movements were incredibly agile and swift. Although they were not much smaller than the sentinel mechas, in a real fight, the sentinel mechas¡¯ agility and speed in turning the machine guns fixed to their sides couldn¡¯t keep up at all. They were merely taking hits passively. But when the number of sentinel mechas assembled in the hundreds; and a few thousand miscellaneous troops were added to the mix, just to block bullets and sight, serving as cannon fodder, it was quite troublesome. Moreover, could the Knight Titan be ignored? Both the weapons in its hands posed a fatal threat to space warriors. A grenade cannon barrage, if it hit the fringes, might not be too bad, but if it hit right in the center, even space warriors wearing tactical power armor had to die; a Gravity Fist coming down was something not even Matins himself, clad in Terminator Armor and champion of the squad, would dare to take head-on. After losing the energy shield, the Knight Titan¡¯s pilot became particularly timid. Knowing that space warriors were charging at him made him even more panicky. However, running was definitely not an option. If isolated with no protection from the infantry and sentinel mechas, he would become even more vulnerable. He had no choice but to fight bravely, using the grenade launcher from afar, behind the sentinel mechas and miscellaneous troop cannon fodder, to bombard the space warriors. But it was ineffective. Indeed, a direct hit could kill a space warrior, but you have to hit first. As soon as they raised their hands, the warriors noticed their targeting and began maneuvering, completely avoiding the blast. Often after a barrage, the space warriors remained unharmed, at most only getting their power armor paint scratched by shrapnel, while the nearby soldiers of the Luman Kingdom Army were mistakenly killed in large numbers. But overall, this was an appropriate tactic, and it did effectively slow down the advance of the space warriors. After all, there were only fifteen Phoenixes, and there was no heavy firepower to support them. When their speed of action was slowed down, and they were bogged down in the quagmire, the mission was pretty much a failure. To keep fighting hard, one slip-up could indeed lead to casualties. But at this moment, a new force appeared. The Allied Air Force. Previously, only three Wind Falcons had hastily brought the space warriors to the battlefield. More fighters were still on board the Starship Blade Tiger and hadn¡¯t yet disembarked. But now, they had finished unloading. A hundred Wind Falcons set off at high speed in a relatively low altitude, avoiding the flawed anti-aircraft fire network of the Luman Kingdom, and quickly arrived above the battlefield. And they were exactly what Matins relied on to attempt an attack and destroy the Knight Titan. The flight of a hundred fighters swept in! Without any hesitation, they first fired two rounds of airborne missiles. These missiles were quite powerful, and had they all targeted the Knight Titan without its energy shield, just these airborne missiles would have been enough to severely damage it. However, the Allied Air Force did not do so. They had greater ambitions and sought to achieve more victories. Their bombing target was the Luman Legion, which was interposed between the Phoenix and the Knight Titan. Except for a few bombs aimed at that Ranger to limit and threaten it, the other bombs seriously discombobulated the Luman Legion¡¯s ground forces. Bombing the rank and file is trivial, the main targets were still the Sentinel Mechas. This round of airstrikes took out quite a few. And the weaponry carried by the Wind Falcons was not limited to just airborne missiles. Autocannons, laser cannons, they had it all, and the firepower was no less than that of a single Sentinel Mecha. The key was that they could fly! As they began to hover and strafe, the formation of a hundred Wind Falcons managed to disarray the Luman Legion¡¯s formation with missile bombardment and autocannon ground support, causing significant casualties. However, the Wind Falcons also suffered losses in the process. Since it was low-altitude combat, the danger was high. Sentinel Mechas weren¡¯t just taking hits without fighting back; when they raised their heads to fire their autocannons into the sky, it was like having countless anti-aircraft guns. While the armor of the Wind Falcons was thicker than that of traditional aircraft, they were far more fragile than Sentinel Mechas when it came to taking damage. Since the start of the battle, eight Wind Falcons were shot down in a short time. However, such losses were deemed worthwhile. The Starship warriors, who were almost dragged into the mud at the front, were now reinvigorated! In the chaotic battlefield, fifteen red giants charged fiercely! In coordination with the Wind Falcons in the sky, the Sentinel Mechas suffered heavy losses. The makeshift group of a hundred Sentinel Mechas had now been halved, with the remainder either cowering in fear, trying to flee, or scattered about, blocked by their own troops whose order had been obliterated, and rendered ineffectual. The path forward for the Starship warriors was now clear. And their objective had always remained unchanged. The Knight Titan had no intention of sitting and awaiting death. In such a dire situation, it too was provoked into aggression. With its grenade cannon spent and no time to reload, it braced against the bombardment of bombs and heavy missiles with its thick armor, charged forward, and launched a hard-hitting Gravity Fist at the approaching Matins! Missed! During Matins¡¯ long combat career, he had certainly come across Knight Titans. Though he had dealt with them as allies, he fully understood that Knight Titans should not be underestimated. Even clad in Terminator Armor, he did not wish to engage in a contest of strength. He dodged nimbly with a quick side roll, avoiding the explosive impact of the Gravity Fist. The aftermath was fierce, but manageable for the Terminator. He raised his power sword high and delivered a savage slash, cutting off the Knight Titan¡¯s Gravity Fist at the joint as it failed to retract in time. Immediately after, he boldly advanced and slammed fiercely into the Knight Titan. His stature was less than half that of the Knight Titan, his head just reaching the level of the Titan¡¯s pelvis. But this collision still toppled the massive behemoth. Then, the power sword swiftly swung, showcasing the level of a squad champion¡¯s swordsmanship. First, the weapon was disarmed, then came the decapitation, followed by the destruction of the power system¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In a matter of seconds, Matins had struck over a dozen blows, dismembering the Knight Titan. And this whole process was clearly witnessed by Nes Luman and Gu Ming, who were in the midst of fleeing. Their command center was not far from there, and realizing the direness of the situation, the two of them immediately thought to run. But during their escape, they personally witnessed this scene. They were chilled to the core! Chapter 424 - Chapter 424: Chapter 256, youve guessed it, right? Chapter 424: Chapter 256, you¡¯ve guessed it, right? The Phoenix Battle Group and the Allied Air Force¡¯s battle reports were listened to by Gu Hang at the command center of the Alliance Expeditionary Force, located in a suburban town. Truly speaking, Gu Hang was the first person from the entire army to support the suburban town. He was among the first batch to set foot on the ground from the spacecraft. The commanding officers of the troops vehemently opposed this decision by the Planetary Governor¨C it was too dangerous. In their opinion, His Excellency the Governor shouldn¡¯t have come at all; he should have stayed safe and sound on Rage Owl Star. If he insisted on ¡®leading the expedition in person,¡¯ he should have remained aboard a relatively safe starship, from where he could command; what was the point of coming to the front line? However, Gu Hang only did a bit to soothe their concerns and did not heed their advice. Not that he considered his life insignificant, but he had great confidence in himself. On one hand, he was certain that his great-uncle, who didn¡¯t dare to engage in combat in the starry sky as the Blade Tiger approached, nor dare to force the Luman Kingdom¡¯s army to use orbital strike forces against the warships that had reached the planet¡¯s orbit, would also be unlikely to attack the descending landing ships. Furthermore, the chosen location for the landing ships avoided the anti-air defense perimeter near the capital, further ensuring safety during the landing. The other source of his confidence was his own strength. Not only had he ascended to a level 7 Spiritual Energy user, significantly increasing his strength from before, but the crucial point was the prowess and unique traits he had obtained after defeating the Evil God; factoring in all these enhancements, even if the landing ship he was on were to be blown out of the sky, he could still safely land on the ground. He left the entire process of uniting the troops after landing to his four division commanders and swiftly flew to the suburban town by activating his Spiritual Energy. He arrived even faster than the Wind Falcon, which had to be dragged out of the landing ship! This also makes it evident that despite Gu Hang¡¯s seemingly calm exterior, he was somewhat anxious in his heart. His arrival had significant practical implications. With his current spiritual energy level, it might be a bit difficult to tear a Knight Titan apart from a distance¨Cunless he tore open a Divine Realm rift to strengthen his Spiritual Energy. But if that Knight Titan dared to expose itself a little longer in front of him, or if Gu Hang took a risk and got close enough to cross the energy shield, then he could achieve this feat. As for ordinary sentinel Mechas, they were even less of a challenge. Gu Hang estimated that a single lightning strike from him would kill one outright. And if the enemy chose to charge in a dense formation, a chained lightning attack or a storm of lightning clouds manifested through Spiritual Energy could do the job. After gaining [Storm Dominator], his Spiritual Energy could transform into lightning, which was much more powerful in sheer destructive force than the telekinesis he used before. With Gu Hang in place, the Alliance side had added a ¡®battalion of artillery.¡¯ Not only was the firepower intense, but it was also incredibly precise. That was the direct help Gu Hang could offer to the battlefield. And in the event of a critical point in the battle, he could reveal his ultimate move¨Ctearing open the Divine Realm rift! Doing so would not only significantly enhance his own Spiritual Energy, but also, from within the Divine Realm, he could call upon thousands of Heroic Spirit Warriors. And if worst came to worst¡­ he could summon an Inferior Deity Incarnation. Still in the form of a Thunderstorm Colossal Bear, although its strength couldn¡¯t match that of a Great Demon, it possessed at least thirty percent of its capabilities, tearing apart a Knight Titan as easily as ripping apart a toy. However, all these moves were too conspicuous. It was true that he was a sanctioned Spiritual Energy user, but being able to tear open a rift in the True Realm and summon heroic spirits from the True Realm to fight¡­ such feats were far too extraordinary and beyond the capabilities of a regular Spiritual Energy user. If word got out, it would surely bring about an investigation from the Imperial Inquisition. Regarding the Imperial Inquisition, his status as a Planetary Governor and the excuse of being a legitimate Spiritual Energy user would not protect him. If it went so far as them crazily insisting on taking Gu Hang to the Tribunal in the Eastern Cosmos Domain for scrutiny, then¡­ Gu Hang would have no choice but to slaughter them and break ties with the Tribunal. Otherwise, actually go there? Of course, it would be best for such a situation not to occur at all. Unless absolutely necessary, he would certainly not reveal his ability to open the Divine Realm rift. And in fact, the battle situation was far from that point. Indeed, the enemy had intensified their offensive on the suburban town due to the arrival of the Rage Owl Star troops. Hastily reinforcing their ranks and at the commander¡¯s behest, they launched a fierce attack. The troops under Perbov in the suburban town, though not out of food, were almost out of ammunition. Despite this, Gu Hang¡¯s arrival and his public appearance greatly boosted the morale of the Alliance Army stationed in the town, but objective conditions do not shift according to human will. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang himself was also ready to intervene, at least initially planning to create a storm using his regular Spiritual Energy to bolster the Alliance Army¡¯s firepower. But it wasn¡¯t necessary. The enemy¡¯s assault had barely begun when it was abruptly halted by the starfighters who had just landed. The Phoenixes had knocked out an artillery position in one fell swoop, and the Luman Army soldiers naturally couldn¡¯t proceed with their advance, retreating in disarray to regroup. Then, that Knight Titan, long deprived of its Shield Generator and used as a makeshift rocket launcher from afar, was taken down, and the starfighters, under the cover of Wind Falcons, retreated orderly. After distancing themselves from the enemy, they boarded fighters and flew into the town. Chapter 425 - Chapter 425: Chapter 256, youve guessed it, right?_2 Chapter 425: Chapter 256, you¡¯ve guessed it, right?_2 When Gu Hang received the battle report a step ahead, he knew that there was no need for him to worry about the situation on the battlefield. He said to his mother, who appeared somewhat haggard and disheveled, ¡°My army, they haven¡¯t failed their mission, have they?¡± Miss Wang Qi no longer had the aloof demeanor she used to present in her previous encounters with Gu Hang. She sighed, ¡°Thanks to General Perbov and the warriors of Rage Owl Star, without their desperate fighting, without their tremendous sacrifices, I surely would have died here, captured by Gu Ming. He would never let me go.¡± Gu Hang exclaimed, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that the Gu Family, long renowned for its unity, would end up like this.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you predict this long ago?¡± ¡°Being prepared is one thing, but having it actually happen is quite another. With regard to Gu Ming, once caught, how do you plan to deal with him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not caught yet. Are you so sure he can¡¯t escape?¡± It was only natural for Wang Qi to ask this question. From the starship belonging to her, she couldn¡¯t dispatch any ship to land in the outskirts town to take her away, but Gu Ming could. Although, in the vastness of space, Gu Ming¡¯s fleet was few in number and at a disadvantage, there was no orbital air defense system on the ground to strike his ship. It was quite possible for him to take a ship and flee. Gu Hang didn¡¯t see it that way: ¡°He can¡¯t escape. The ground-based orbital air defense cannons aren¡¯t under his control.¡± Wang Qi immediately understood what her son meant. In essence, the orbital air defense system was controlled by Nes Luman. Indeed, Nes was Gu Ming¡¯s ally and would help him intercept Wang Qi¡¯s ships, preventing her from retreating. However, if Gu Ming wanted to flee, Nes Luman probably wouldn¡¯t allow it. It would mean abandoning him. If that situation occurred, Gu Hang judged that the two would most likely turn against each other. Wang Qi too agreed with her son¡¯s assessment. As for the situation on the ground¡­ In front of his mother, Gu Hang also revealed his strong confidence, ¡°In no more than two days, the capital will fall. As long as Gu Ming does not escape by ship, then my army will definitely catch him.¡± Wang Qi had no doubts about this. The forces led by Perbov, 30,000 strong, had managed to hold their position here for eight days. During those eight days, the opposing army hadn¡¯t rested at all, continuously launching fierce attacks. But not only did he hold them off, he had also destroyed two Knight Titans of the Luman Kingdom in the previous battles. And now, Gu Hang himself had brought reinforcements. Not only was there another 35,000 troops, which was more than Perbov¡¯s group, but the number of Lion Tanks was also three times that of the original Expeditionary Force, reaching well over a hundred. Additionally, there were 100 Wind Falcon aircraft as air support. With such military might, the Luman Kingdom could no longer muster the resources to contend. At their peak, perhaps they could have, but in the past eight days of battle, the Luman People had suffered heavy losses. Nes had nearly lost half of the royal legions. Even if he could convince those purported dukes to fully support him, it would merely restore their former strength. But under Gu Hang¡¯s command, there was an even more extraordinary asset: fifteen space warriors. When she first heard this news, even Wang Qi had found it completely unbelievable. She had dealt with a warband named ¡®the Exterminators,¡¯ a fleet-based group without a home planet, relying mainly on a starship fleet. While personally leading a mission to resupply ¡®the Exterminators,¡¯ they were somewhat short on cash, asking her convoy to wait a while, and they would soon have the funds. At the time, ¡®the Exterminators¡¯ were participating in a civil war, and Wang Qi witnessed with her own eyes how, after joining the battle, they swept through the Imperial traitors on that planet like a breeze through fallen leaves. The warband¡¯s combat style was ruthless, not valuing the lives of mere mortals. After their victory, the slaughter and plunder they performed were done cleanly and lived up to their name. But that was secondary. After winning the war, the Planetary Governor held a banquet to thank the space warriors, but every member of ¡®the Exterminators¡¯ who attended wore armor and, candidly demanding, requested the Governor to pay for ¡®supplies.¡¯ ¡°` The battle was over, and they needed supplies. According to the Exterminators, this was for the subsequent wars; they would set off on their journey again, rushing to the next battlefield. Naturally, this required materials. They also needed population and weaponry to replenish starship sailors and the Mortal Auxiliary Army; they needed to conscript on the planets, requiring a large number of youths to select new soldiers through brutal survival trials and trials with extremely high death rates. All these demands were listed out by the Exterminators with quotas, requiring the Planetary Governor to provide them in a timely and sufficient manner. If not met, they would claim it themselves. Anyone daring to obstruct them would be treated as rebels. The Planetary Governor failed to gather enough and hoped for more time from the interstellar warriors. But the Exterminators acted without a second word, just as they said they would¨Cthey could take it themselves. Miss Wang Qi saw all of this with her own eyes. Some of the blood-stained war spoils and ¡®taxes¡¯ were used by the Exterminators to pay for the supplies. That encounter left a profound impression on Miss Wang Qi. She thought, at the very least, the Exterminators would at least face some reprimand from the Empire, since they had attacked and plundered an imperial planet. But in reality, that didn¡¯t happen. The Exterminators moved on to the next war, while that Planetary Governor, on the other hand, was punished by the Empire. Indeed, the interstellar warriors were Angels, but don¡¯t forget the prefix to the name ¡®Angel¡¯ is ¡®Death.¡¯ The mercy they brought from the Emperor usually involved sending those in need of mercy to the Emperor¡¯s side for a personal experience. During her visit to Rage Owl Star, she hadn¡¯t seen the Phoenix. Initially, she thought it was an ally, an external force her son had invited from somewhere. But later, she found out that those interstellar warriors were actually under Gu Hang¡¯s command! Fear of the interstellar warriors was implanted in her heart, and firmly believing that the Emperor¡¯s Angels were not to be offended, even better not to deal with at all, Miss Wang Qi was now immensely shocked to see fifteen interstellar warriors fighting for her son. She was uneasy about this, but she did recognize the combat prowess of the interstellar warriors. With the assistance of those fifteen Death Angels, victory in the war should be indeed as her son said, without any problems. Thinking of this, she looked deeply into Gu Hang¡¯s face. Being able to command the interstellar warriors was something she didn¡¯t understand, it concerned her, but she had to admit even more so that her son truly had the capability. Afterward, mother and son returned to the matter at hand. Regarding the capture or confirmed death of Gu Ming, the essence was actually about how to reconsolidate the family¡¯s power. Miss Wang Qi didn¡¯t want Gu Ming to live, but if there was a choice, it was best to capture him alive. Taking him to Flying Wing Star for a public trial and execution would be ideal. However, this matter couldn¡¯t be forced. On one hand, firearms in battle don¡¯t have eyes; if he died, there was nothing that could be done; on the other hand, as long as Gu Ming was alive, there was an element of uncertainty. Taking him to Flying Wing Star, where Gu Ming still had a foundation, would possibly lead to unforeseen incidents. Arrest, detention, trial, execution¡­ there were too many opportunities to manipulate the process. Once it entered into formal proceedings, some actions might become difficult. Better to directly deal with him on the battlefield than to have the situation change and to be forced to kill him in prison or under house arrest and carry a bad reputation. After all, it was Gu Ming who struck first; if he died, no one could say Gu Hang and his mother were cruel and ruthless. And as long as Gu Ming died, coupled with the fact that he instigated an armed disturbance and family coup, and given that Miss Wang Qi herself received more support from Gu¡¯s Commerce Association, taking full control of the Gu Family¡¯s power afterwards shouldn¡¯t be difficult. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After Miss Wang Qi shared her thoughts, she asked her son, ¡°And what about you? What are your thoughts on Heijian Star?¡± Gu Hang showed a very sunny smile, ¡°Mother, haven¡¯t you seen it already?¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k ¡°` Chapter 426 - Chapter 426: Chapter 257, They Struck First Chapter 426: Chapter 257, They Struck First What does Gu Hang think about Heijian Star? Of course, he has big plans for it. Initially, he sent Perbov to lead the Expeditionary Force here simply to protect his mother¡¯s safety and ensure a smooth transition of power within the Gu Family. But now, an unexpected situation has arisen; he led an army in person and even committed interstellar warriors to come to the rescue, and the cost was very high. It was not just a military cost but also a significant economic and political cost. The Gu Family suffered heavy losses after this battle. Over the past few days, not only was the ground warfare fierce, but within the space of Heijian Star, the two originally family-affiliated Chamber of Commerce Fleets were almost at each other¡¯s throats. However, their conflict seemed a bit like a melee of incompetents. The main issue was that neither side comprised a proper navy; at best, they were armed merchant ships, described as Escort Ship or Destroyer class, but in reality, they were about the same size and had inferior firepower, not to mention other aspects. Furthermore, during the early stages of the battle, nearly a hundred ships under the control of Wang Qi erupted in minor mutinies, aside from the various transport starships that were devoid of fighting capability. At first, the fight between the two sides wasn¡¯t very intense. It wasn¡¯t until Wang Jiarong regrouped the fleet and launched a full-on attack that their battle really heated up. The opposition, with the help of planetary orbital firepower, was tenacious in defense. Even though they had fewer ships, they suffered fewer losses than Wang Jiarong¡¯s side. Wang Jiarong, however, ordered her fleet to attack ferociously, regardless of losses. In just a few days, the two sides had destroyed more than a dozen ships, and the intensity of the war was still escalating. Wang Jiarong was also in a state of desperation. Not only did she have a deep emotional connection with her aunt, but even from a self-interested perspective, as an outsider to the Gu Family who rose to a high position by following her aunt and being her aunt¡¯s trusted confidante, Miss Wang Qi would be the second one to be purged if anything happened to her aunt. Although the naval battle seemed a bit like a fight among the weak, it was still fought with desperation. The brutal conflict only ceased when the Blade Tiger, flying the navy¡¯s flag, forcefully ordered a ceasefire between the two sides. And by that time, the number of destroyed ships had already surpassed twenty. Gu Hang¡¯s heart bled at this. These were all family assets that, if things had gone according to plan, would be resources available to him when he became the Gu Clan Leader in the future. Now, all of it was gone. And these were just the visible losses. Given the extent of the conflict and the extremity of resorting to armed force, Wang Qi would likely face many difficulties in cleaning up the aftermath and reintegrating the family¡¯s resources. Many of the family¡¯s past trade routes, relationships, and resources would suffer significantly. According to his mother, the family¡¯s assets would shrink by a conservative estimate of forty percent after this battle. As for the political cost, that mainly comprised the promises Gu Hang made to the Pei Desi leadership on his way to rescue his mother. Following this ordeal, the Gu Family¡¯s original plan to detach from the so-called Tianma Star Sector Iron Triangle and adopt a more neutral and cross-Sector expansion was basically unachievable. After all the effort to ease relations and even begin large-scale purchases to make the three stars of the Fatches Family a significant source of raw materials and market, that market would likely be lost. This was, after all, due to the execution of the Pei Desi leadership¡¯s blockade actions against the Fatches Family. Of course, these challenges were primarily for Gu Hang¡¯s mother to face. But although the two parties couldn¡¯t yet be considered one, Gu Hang had come to regard the forces under Wang Qi¡¯s control as firm allies of Rage Owl Star through their unwavering blood ties after multiple incidents. This alliance was highly reliable. The losses of the Gu Clan were his father¡¯s losses. So, taking some compensation from Heijian Star to make up for the losses, that wouldn¡¯t be too much to ask for, right? ¡°So, what exactly do you want?¡± Wang Qi posed this question. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°I want the Luman Kingdom,¡± Gu Hang said bluntly to his mother, ¡°The Luman Kingdom is the third-largest country on Heijian Star, with a population of four million and a land area of 4.8 million square kilometers. I want it all. The Luman Kingdom itself can exist; the Luman family should no longer exist.¡± Wang Qi frowned, ¡°What¡¯s the value in that? It¡¯s just an agricultural country. Their annual output is only over twenty million Tax Currency, yet they need to pay four million in Imperial Tax. After taxes, the amount left in the treasury barely exceeds two million. Of these two million, most of it must be spent on maintaining the army, plus some administrative expenses, royal household expenditures¡­ It would be fortunate if the annual budget doesn¡¯t end up in deficit. What kind of profit can you gain from taking over such a place?¡± Gu Hang shook his head and said, ¡°My mother, this is the difference between the thinking of a merchant and that of a builder. You only see the present value of an asset, yet you fail to see its future.¡± Wang Qi, after the ordeal of this event, had improved her temper considerably. In the past, if her son spoke to her like this, how could she have tolerated it? But now, she could endure it, showing only a slight dissatisfaction, ¡°I¡¯m not blind to the potential. But the premise of development is the investment of the necessary capital. Forty million population, over four million square kilometers of decent land, these are positive assets. However, the education level of Luman Kingdom¡¯s citizens, the level of industrialization, the standard of infrastructure are all extremely poor. How much resources will you need to invest to achieve the future you envision? And how many years before it pays off?¡± Chapter 427 - Chapter 427: Chapter 257, They Struck First_2 Chapter 427: Chapter 257, They Struck First_2 After a pause, Wang Qi continued, ¡°Moreover, this is just a simple economic calculation, and there are other factors that haven¡¯t been taken into account. Here we are on Heijian Star, which has an owner, which is governed by the King¡¯s Council. If you occupy the Luman Kingdom, how will the other six kingdoms and a myriad of smaller states view this? How will you establish a legitimate rule? If the tensions escalate, is there a possibility of war breaking out? How many resources will you need to commit to dealing with these wars?¡± Clearly, Wang Qi was skeptical about this. In the end, she offered her own suggestion, ¡°Why not trade these battle gains for some tangible benefits?¡± ¡°Population and land are tangible benefits.¡± ¡°I mean more short-term, more direct ones.¡± Gu Hang sighed. The biggest disagreement between him and his mother was exactly this. Merchants consider profits, investment returns, risks¡­ But Gu Hang never considered himself a merchant. Pure profit was never his primary concern when making decisions. This included his decision to become the governor of Rage Owl Star. Speaking of which, Gu Hang said, ¡°When I was rebuilding Rage Owl Star, did I invest anything?¡± Just with that rhetorical question, he had stumped Wang Qi. Indeed, the situation on Rage Owl Star was much worse than that of Heijian Star. According to what Wang Qi said, wouldn¡¯t Rage Owl Star be an even more negative asset? But what about the outcome? Even she could not deny the developmental state of Rage Owl Star with her eyes open. And all of this was built on the premise that Gu Hang started from scratch. She was well aware that, in the nearly two years¡¯ time, Gu Hang hadn¡¯t received a single penny of investment from the family. But even so, Rage Owl Star was already a thriving prospect. She did not know how her son had achieved this. She had tried to inquire indirectly, but never received a straightforward answer. But if the corresponding model could be replicated on Heijian Star, then what potential could the forty million people of the Luman Kingdom unleash? She couldn¡¯t help but ponder. And Gu Hang¡¯s words continued, ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t treat this place as my homeland or as a core area for development. My energy and resources are limited, and I will give priority to Rage Owl Star. Furthermore, as you have said, Mother, taking control of the Luman Kingdom will come with various obstacles and troubles. Here, I will merely treat it as a colony for the time being.¡± ¡°But I will still invest a small amount of development resources. After all, given the current state of the Luman Kingdom, whatever I do, it is all hollow, and squeezing it dry would yield but a trifle of oil. The real solution is to increase productivity and expand the economy as a whole. I have calculated the investment needed, and it won¡¯t be too high. Moreover, I will liberate the people; their current production relations are simply too primitive and backward.¡± Wang Qi expressed her concerns, ¡°By doing this, you¡¯ll inevitably offend the other six Feudal Kingdoms, and there will be significant diplomatic issues.¡± Images from history in his previous life flashed through Gu Hang¡¯s mind. Indeed, what would it look like to have a centralized state emerge among a group of feudal monarchies? ¡°You are right. However, there will soon be a major window of opportunity that can bring a period of peace.¡± Wang Qi immediately furrowed her brows. She thought for a moment and understood what Gu Hang was talking about, ¡°Imperial Tax?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°If nothing unexpected happens, in at most another two or three months, the fleet of the Imperial Taxation Department will arrive at the Tianma Star Sector.¡± Wang Qi followed Gu Hang¡¯s train of thought and pondered, ¡°And now, the ¡®Governor¡¯ of Heijian Star is the king of the Luman Kingdom, authorized by the King¡¯s Council and registered with the Empire¡¯s Administrative Department. This means that the entire planet¡¯s imperial tax is to be submitted through Nes Luman¡­ Theoretically, he still owns the entire planet¡­¡± ¡°Right,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°Once I¡¯ve taken care of Gu Ming and Nes Luman, you go clean up the family¡¯s mess, and I¡¯ll take care of the Heijian Star mess. I will reconvene the King¡¯s Council, affirm the Gu Family¡¯s claim over the Luman Kingdom, which is ownership of the entire Luman Kingdom; I will hold in my grasp the governorship of the Luman Kingdom for two more years, using the occasion of the imminent submission of the imperial tax. The other six nations won¡¯t be able to disagree, they¡¯ve already sent their share of the imperial tax materials to the Luman Kingdom in succession, they must compromise on this matter.¡± ¡°The risk is still too high,¡± Wang Qi said, ¡°You¡¯re right, at least before the imperial tax is submitted, no matter what you do, the other six nations won¡¯t make any significant moves. But three months later, once the imperial tax is submitted, they won¡¯t let you hold onto the Planetary Governor¡¯s powers, they will definitely reconvene the King¡¯s Council, elect a new governor, and you won¡¯t be able to get elected.¡± ¡°Who agreed to them reconvening the King¡¯s Council?¡± Gu Hang said. ¡°It¡¯s the tradition of Heijian Star.¡± ¡°What do their traditions have to do with me?¡± Gu Hang retorted, ¡°Does the empire acknowledge the traditions of Heijian Star?¡± ¡°They do¡­ No, wait.¡± Wang Qi realized something. Does the empire recognize the so-called King¡¯s Council traditions of Heijian Star? It depends on the perspective. Heijian Star changes its governor every four years, this governor is nominated by the King¡¯s Council from one of the seven major nations¡¯ kings, reported to the empire, accepted by the empire, and then for those four years, tax collection is the governor¡¯s responsibility. From this angle, the empire certainly recognizes it. The Empire¡¯s Administrative Department will respect the local traditions of the planet to some extent, if you want to change the governor, they will let you change. However, from another perspective, this does not conflict with the empire¡¯s policies at all. The empire collects taxes by keeping tabs on the governor, whoever is the governor is who they go to; the same applies to all of the empire¡¯s governance policies, they are also directed at the registered governor. Military aid, interstellar trade, it all follows the governor. Fundamentally, the empire views the process of changing governors on Heijian Star as the incumbent governor resigning and nominating a new one, approved by the Star Sector Government, then by the Star Domain Government, and finally by the Empire¡¯s Administrative Department. It¡¯s just that because of the special circumstances of Heijian Star, the entire process goes very smoothly. But what if the incumbent governor doesn¡¯t resign within the process? What would happen if Gu Hang used the governorship authority acquired from Nes Luman to stubbornly hold onto power? In the eyes of the empire, there¡¯s no term limit for a governor. As long as you submit the tax every two years, you¡¯re the recognized governor by the empire, anything else is none of their concern. In the history of Heijian Star, there have been more than one such occurrence. Those who clung to the governorship, if they were from a particularly strong nation at the time, the other nations would just hold their noses and bear it, endure beatings if they didn¡¯t, and ultimately still had to obediently comply. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And if they weren¡¯t strong enough, then a war would break out. The strong nation clinging to the governorship, while satisfying the imperial tax requirements, would brutally punish the disobedient, through methods such as overthrowing royal authority, setting up puppets, and plundering territories, to affirm dominance. This is all brightly recorded in the history of Heijian Star. However, this kind of dominance usually didn¡¯t last very long. In the last one or two hundred years, international affairs on Heijian Star have been relatively stable, the King¡¯s Council has played an important role, everyone obediently complied, and there wasn¡¯t much war over the struggle for governorship for dominance. Wang Qi sighed, ¡°You¡¯re about to turn Heijian Star upside down.¡± Gu Hang spread his hands innocently, ¡°They struck first.¡± Chapter 428 - Chapter 428: Chapter 258: Troops at the City Gates Chapter 428: Chapter 258: Troops at the City Gates Gu Hang and Wang Qi, this mother and son duo, discussed post-war plans in their conversation. No matter how much they disagreed or how worried Wang Qi was about her son¡¯s plans, there was one point they never talked about but took for granted as the premise for everything: Gu Ming and Nes Luman were as good as dead. The reason they took this for granted was because neither of them saw it as an issue, but as a certainty. And reality proved that they were not being blindly arrogant. After the Phoenix Battle Group and the Allied Air Force executed a beautiful surprise attack, destroying a Knight Titan, the Luman Legion besieging the suburban town collapsed. It was also fortunate that the Phoenix did not have complete intelligence during the assault, unaware that Gu Ming and Nes Luman were right beside the Knight Titan they destroyed, allowing the two to escape. Otherwise, with the capabilities of the Phoenix, they could have easily slaughtered them on the spot. But they could only run temporarily, not forever. In the following days, several events transpired that symbolized the dissolution and collapse of their alliance. Moreover, these events happened quickly. First, the last Knight Titan in the Luman Kingdom¡¯s army was destroyed. After the defeat at the suburban town battlefield, as the main forces of the Allied reinforcements had yet to arrive, the Luman military was trying hard to regroup and retreat towards Pincer City. However, at this time, a battalion of the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade as the vanguard and the first troops to disembark from the landing ships was already speeding toward the battlefield. The sight of the reassembled Luman Army¡¯s main force did intimidate this battalion. Although they had over a thousand troops, with nine Lion Tanks and over fifty various types of combat vehicles, attacking the enemy¡¯s tens of thousands of troops, especially given the presence of over a hundred scout Mechas and a Knight Titan in the enemy forces, was indeed difficult; if they charged in, they might not come back. After much deliberation, the battalion commander, a major, decided to play it safe. He instructed his troops to merely follow at a distance and monitor movements. In fact, the major was very tense inside. His battalion was too small in number, and being an armored mobile force, they couldn¡¯t dig any temporary lines of defense while keeping up with the enemy. If the enemy were to counterattack head-on, it would be a serious problem. Especially if the Knight Titan began to move, that would be truly nerve-wracking. However, he quickly realized he had worried too much. The enemy¡¯s reaction was much more panicked than his own. When his armored troops appeared, the enemy was like startled birds, jumping into action. Through his military binoculars and the reports from his reconnaissance soldiers, he could see the enemy troops become utterly disorganized. The Knight Titan he had dreaded even sped up and moved away from them. This was absurd to the major. Forget his single battalion; the cost of that Knight Titan was far more than his entire brigade combined. Yet, when the Titan noticed the presence of his battalion nearby, with plenty of other troops around, its first reaction was to accelerate away? Amidst his disbelief at the absurdity, a bold new idea popped into his mind: Why not go for it? The Luman Army was like a toothless tiger. It was as if their backbone had been broken. However, he was still rational and did not let the tempting thought directly sway him. But soon, another event catalyzed his idea and made up his mind: the stellar warriors and the Allied Air Force arrived. Military communications came straight into his command vehicle, and after a brief exchange, he made his decision. Oh, he didn¡¯t need to make the decision now. In the Allied military hierarchy, Commander Matins of the Phoenix Battalion had very high authority. According to Allied military regulations, he was required to follow the battalion leader¡¯s command on the battlefield unless the leader¡¯s orders absolutely contradicted the mission he was carrying out, in which case he needed to seek higher clearance. Now, Commander Matins simply wanted his surveillance troop to launch an attack and distract the enemy¡¯s attention, which didn¡¯t create a conflict with his tasks. The only thing of concern was casualties. But this was an absolute order for battle; where did concerns about casualties come in? The battalion quickly prepared for combat and launched an attack. They were already in a state of combat readiness, not requiring any additional preparation, and could start fighting at the command. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And the outcome of the battle¡­ As expected, the Luman People had no will to fight and were easily scattered like rats by the iron tide, fleeing in all directions. This was a crushing defeat; the actual number of casualties was not significant, as a single battalion couldn¡¯t really set up encirclements or execute annihilation tactics. However, their assault achieved its real effect. The Luman People, whose morale had already collapsed after the defeat at the suburban town, managed to barely reassemble, only to show signs of collapsing again at this attack. Chapter 429 - Chapter 429: Chapter 258, The Army Approaches the City_2 Chapter 429: Chapter 258, The Army Approaches the City_2 Of course, within this group, there were always some reliable presences. Those were the knights. Within the Feudal Legion, these knights, who served as middle-rank military officers and had been carefully raised since childhood, maintained decent combat will. Under the command and perseverance of these knights, the assault by the Composite Camp inevitably began to slow down, gradually showing signs of becoming bogged down. After all, their force was a little too small. The Knight Titan had reacted as well; it stopped fleeing and started using long-range firepower to strike at the Alliance Army. Casualties began to emerge. But it was at this moment that the Phoenix appeared. The characteristic roaring sound of the Wind Falcon arrived first; their initial position was at least a hundred kilometers away, but within fifteen minutes after the battle had started, they had reached the battlefield. Without missiles¨Chaving used up their missile payloads in the previous combat in the suburbs, there was no chance to resupply at the moment. However, the onboard laser cannons and the real-single cannons still produced very powerful effects. After a round of ground-skimming fire, the Luman army became even more disorganized. The starfighters, too, descended from the sky. They repeated the same old trick. Three Wind Falcons performed a stunt; they lowered their altitude to just over ten meters and slightly reduced their flying speed while firing fiercely at their surroundings. At the same time, the hatches opened, and the starfighters jumped down one by one. However, one should never underestimate any enemy, right? Some of the knights piloting sentinel mechas had experienced the combat in the suburbs. As the characteristic sound of the Wind Falcons appeared overhead, some brave souls among them raised their gun barrels and fired at the Wind Falcons. Most shots missed. The swiftly streaking Wind Falcons were not so easily hit. But the three Wind Falcons carrying the Phoenix faced trouble. Their lower altitude and reduced flight speed increased their risk significantly. One of them, while deploying the starfighters, was hit by continuous machine gun fire, taking hits to its wing. The entire Wind Falcon tumbled down, crashing hard on the ground, smashing the sentinel mecha that had shot it down in the process. The morale of the surrounding Luman warriors briefly soared. Taking down a plane, especially one carrying the formidable starfighters, was a feat. However, this surge in morale was short-lived because it was quickly replaced by panic once more. Not to mention the ten starfighters who had landed successfully; even the slightly deformed hatch of the downed Wind Falcon was suddenly kicked open from the inside. A starfighter burst out, his grenade gun firing violently, eliminating the threatening targets around him. Of course, the so-called ¡®threat¡¯ was not that menacing. In fact, when the Luman people saw starfighters emerging unscathed from the wrecked flyer, the only thing on their minds was to run. Subsequently, more starfighters emerged, forming a five-man squad. In the event of the Wind Falcon crash, all five starfighters survived without any serious injuries, each retaining their combat capability. However, the crash had still delayed them somewhat. Their combat brothers had already charged toward the nearby Knight Titan. Thus, there was no need for these five to join the charge. They raised their weapons and started clearing the surrounding enemies, mainly focusing on those sentinel mechas with stronger resistance. Meanwhile, they didn¡¯t neglect their primary target and, unsurprisingly, they witnessed the swift process of their commander eliminating the Knight Titan. The most important defense of Knight Titan is the Shield Generator it is equipped with, which is ineffective against interstellar warriors ¡ª unless they foolishly choose to strike only with ranged weapons. The shield¡¯s inability to recognize slow-moving targets allows interstellar warriors to walk through the energy shields and attack directly with cold weapons. Having a Shield Generator or not doesn¡¯t make much of a difference in such a case. Of course, Knight Titan itself also has thick armor. Unfortunately for it, Matins had a power sword in his hand. In front of such a weapon that can decompose matter, ordinary armor is no better than paper-mache. Just like how he had dismantled that Knight Titan in the suburbs earlier, he did the same now. And when this Knight Titan crashed to the ground, the already crumbling Luman army collapsed completely. Not only the ordinary Luman soldiers but even the knights piloting sentinel mechas lost their will to fight. This also made the retreat of the interstellar warriors much smoother, as they easily joined forces with the Composite Camp that had extricated itself from the mire, and retreated without difficulty. ¡­ On the road from the suburb town to Pincer City, the ground was littered with the corpses of Luman people. Unfortunately, the main force that came to support didn¡¯t unload quickly enough, and many were still crushing the troops sent to intercept them in a tidal wave of steel. Thus, they failed to engage in a beautiful encirclement battle outside of Pincer City while the enemy was in disarray. The Alliance¡¯s forces could only use small-scale wolf pack tactics, constantly biting chunks of flesh off these disintegrating troops. Despite having caused significant casualties to the enemy¡¯s living force and forcing a considerable number of Luman people to desert, in the end, they still let about twenty thousand people enter the city. While the number might seem significant, in reality, more than eighty percent of the enemy was either dead or fled, no longer organized or a threat. Moreover, most of those who had fled back to Pincer City were common soldiers. The Luman Kingdom¡¯s main military force might still exist in name, but in reality, it was finished. This country, with a population of forty million, supported an army of about five hundred thousand, but most were under the Feudal Lords¡¯ control. The core of the force consisted of about six hundred knights, and at the top were six Ranger-level Knight Titans supported by national resources. In the political ecology of the Luman Kingdom, there were two great dukes, each possessing a Knight Titan and with more than two hundred knights swearing allegiance to them. Although they were vassals of the kingdom, they had a relatively high degree of independence. The most core forces at the disposal of King Nes Luman were known as the Royal Knight Order, consisting of two hundred royal knights plus two Ranger-level Titans; plus two earls who were directly loyal to the royal family and their vassals, that¡¯s another two hundred knights and two Titans. These constituted the overall military force of the Luman Kingdom. Right from the start, Nes Luman had almost mobilized all his military forces. The gathering of common soldiers was not much, about one hundred and fifty thousand, but the four hundred knights and four Titans were summoned ahead of time in the name of a ¡®festival.¡¯ This was virtually all his base being put into play. And then, all was lost. The most painful, of course, was the loss of the four Knight Titans. The damage can¡¯t be viewed solely by the production cost of seven hundred thousand Tax Currency. The maintenance costs of these behemoths were over one hundred thousand Tax Currency each time, and they needed maintenance every two to three years, or else their combat effectiveness would suffer. Over the years, Luman Kingdom had spent untold amounts of money on them. Now, all was lost. And of those four hundred knights piloting sentinel mechas, fewer than fifty returned. In the political ecology of the Luman Kingdom, those knights were the mid-level rulers; the Titans were the high-level rulers. After a decisive round-up, not only was the military force nearly wiped out, but the kingdom¡¯s political ecology was also destroyed, leaving nothing behind. In this sense, even if the Alliance suddenly had a change of heart, stopped their offensive, withdrew their forces, and demanded no indemnity, the Luman Kingdom would likely cease to exist. The other six nations on Heijian Star would not miss the chance to take over such a weakened Luman; even the two remaining dukes, whose power hadn¡¯t suffered much, might also have some plans in mind. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And, of course, Gu Hang would not be so kind-hearted. The army approached the city. The reorganized Alliance Army surrounded Pincer City. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k Chapter 430 - Chapter 430: Chapter 259, Why Does Your Majesty Plot a Rebellion? Chapter 430: Chapter 259, Why Does Your Majesty Plot a Rebellion? Perbov gazed at the city before him, his expression serene. Leroy approached his side. Perbov turned to look at his old partner, whose one ear was wrapped in bandages that were still seeping blood. The ear of his political commissar, Colonel Leroy, would be deaf forever. Yet, Leroy himself didn¡¯t seem to mind it, his face still wearing a smile. He turned to Perbov and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You¡¯ve just been promoted, yet you look so grim?¡± He was referring to Perbov being confirmed once again as the Commander of the Alliance Expeditionary Force. Although the governor had come in person, he had not interfered with military command, which was still entrusted to Perbov. Moreover, although his military rank hadn¡¯t changed yet, the governor had made it clear that once they returned, he would be promoted to the formal rank of Major General. Logically, this was a joyous event; Perbov had long coveted the title of general. But when it was finally within his grasp, he felt as if he wasn¡¯t that happy. Faced with his old friend¡¯s question, he sighed deeply, ¡°I have never lost so many men under my command.¡± That single statement silenced Leroy as well. Together, they remembered the scene when they set off from Rage Owl Star with the Expeditionary Force. Those young and spirited faces, full of pride and valor as they boarded the spacecraft. And now? The 34th, 37th, and 38th Divisions were now crippled. The loss of personnel exceeded fifty percent and losses of armored vehicles and artillery surpassed seventy percent. Among the survivors, most were wounded. Even if they resupplied ammunition, these three divisions had little fighting strength left. In the eight days of desperate, bloody defending that preceded, they had made enormous sacrifices. Toward the end, it didn¡¯t matter if they were front-line combat units or not¨Cengineer battalions, logistics camps, guard companies, they were all pulled into the fight. To restore these three divisions to fighting strength would be almost equivalent to rebuilding them. Since the establishment of the Alliance, the two largest operations had been the pacification of the Green Valley Region and the Eastern Provinces. Leroy and Perbov had participated in both. In those wars, the Alliance had always been the advantaged side. They had never encountered a battle that crippled three divisions. The brutal sacrifices were etched deeply into the hearts of these two military leaders. But what could Leroy say? In war, aren¡¯t there always casualties? ¡°The merciful cannot lead an army.¡± He simply reminded Perbov with this saying. That saying was an ancient Guttara sentiment he had heard from the governor. Perbov nodded, ¡°I understand. I¡¯m just wondering, in those days, could we have done better? Could we have saved more lives?¡± Leroy patted his good friend¡¯s shoulder and comforted him, ¡°What¡¯s past is beyond changing. What we can do is perform better in the future. Now, the newly-arrived 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, 13th Combined Brigade, and 36th Combined Brigade are all under your command. You¡¯re still the Commander of the Expeditionary Force. We cannot let down the soldiers¡¯ sacrifices, nor can we fail the governor¡¯s trust.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Perbov nodded again, and asked, ¡°What about that thing we discussed earlier? How is that coming along?¡± ¡°The governor has agreed.¡± Leroy said, ¡°The 34th, 37th, and 38th Divisions will certainly be rebuilt upon their return and won¡¯t be disbanded or merged into other units. Moreover, they will be awarded commendations and honorary designations as meritorious units.¡± ¡°That puts my mind at ease.¡± ¡°You needn¡¯t have worried about that anyway,¡± Leroy asserted, ¡°Such things are part of a unit¡¯s historical heritage, a part of its essence. Even leaving aside these symbolic aspects, practically speaking, they can serve as internal propaganda, part of the military legacy, so that new warriors joining these meritorious units will quickly develop a sense of pride after learning their history, and this will greatly boost morale and esprit de corps. It¡¯s better to rebuild these units than dismantle them.¡± Perbov showed an embarrassed smile, ¡°I was just worried, just in case.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better focus on the matter at hand,¡± Leroy advised, ¡°We have to take this city with finesse.¡± ¡°I already have some ideas,¡± Perbov said, ¡°You can take a look with me.¡± He began to explain the battle plan in detail to his political commissar. The wounded soldiers from the 34th, 37th, and 38th Divisions were left in the suburban towns, and the remaining few thousand troops were integrated into a force barely enough for two infantry regiments. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They were positioned directly in front of the north gate of Pincer City, twenty kilometers away, where they established a position and began shelling the city with artillery. Of course, the main assault operation did not require the already heavily sacrificed troops. They were mainly a diversion, while the main effort was to be shouldered by the four newly arrived divisions. The Extinguishing Wind Brigade on the east, the 13th and 36th Brigades on the west¨Cthese three combined brigades would be the primary attacking force. They would use armor and heavy artillery to break open the gates of Pincer City, The 2nd Infantry Division was positioned directly south of Pincer City. In addition to blocking the city¡¯s southern part, they had another task, which was to watch over the two great marquises of the Luman Kingdom to the south of the royal city. ¡°The movements of those so-called marquises are a significant unknown,¡± Leroy expressed his concerns, ¡°If they¡¯re determined to assemble their forces to interfere with our operations, they¡¯ll have two Knight Titans, over two hundred Mecha Sentinels, and up to two hundred thousand infantry that they could potentially muster. Although those Luman infantry are mostly ragtag cannon fodder, their numbers are substantial, and we cannot completely ignore them.¡± Chapter 431 - Chapter 431: Chapter 259, Why Does Your Majesty Plot a Rebellion?_2 Chapter 431: Chapter 259, Why Does Your Majesty Plot a Rebellion?_2 ¡°Mr. Perbov says that an envoy has already been dispatched,¡± Perbov stated, ¡°hoping those two would know better.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t pin all our hope on diplomatic efforts,¡± Leroy emphasized, ¡°what can¡¯t be obtained on the battlefield, can¡¯t be expected to be obtained through diplomacy either. That¡¯s also Mr. Gu¡¯s saying. Unless those two ambitious marquises understand that they can¡¯t interfere with the battle for Pincer City, they won¡¯t be too honest. The 2nd Division must be prepared to fight a tough battle.¡± ¡­ However, the worries of both men didn¡¯t come true. After receiving a reminder from the headquarters, the commander of the 2nd Division sent out many reconnaissance units to closely monitor the troops of the two marquises gathering in the south. The focus was specifically on those two Knight Titans. The space warriors and the Allied Air Force were on standby, ready for battle. Once these two things appeared on the battlefield, the scenes that had been played out twice before could have the chance to be enacted again. However, the attitudes of the two marquises were rather ambiguous. On one hand, they put strong pressure on the envoy sent by Gu Hang, speaking very harshly; on the other hand, their actual actions were few, and apart from mustering troops, there were no further movements. Marquises Yassago and Janviers once again expressed their strong dissatisfaction and protest to the envoy from Rage Owl Star, and after seeing the envoy off, the severe and fierce expressions on their faces were simultaneously removed. Both looked at each other and sighed. With a worried frown, Yassago said, ¡°Our protests are useless. The Allied forces must have already begun their attack on Pincer City by now, right?¡± ¡°What can we do about it?¡± Marquis Janviers said, ¡°You¡¯re not in favor of sending troops. I say, let¡¯s just try and attack. The Rage Owl Star People defending the south side of Pincer City number only a little over ten thousand, while we have two hundred thousand troops, two hundred knights, and you and me. Are we afraid of these ten thousand?¡± Yassago said, ¡°From the King¡¯s ambitious plots to complete collapse, how long did it take? Only half a month! Half a month ago, King Nes of Luman was still thinking about how to permanently occupy the governorship, even risking all his assets, and got involved in the Gu Family¡¯s internal strife. Now he can only beg us to save him. Do you also want to experience the same fate?¡± Janviers fell silent. If he had the courage, he wouldn¡¯t be here whining with Yassago. Truth be told, King Nes of Luman wasn¡¯t a bad king. In the past few years, he¡¯s been manipulating politics on one hand and focusing on development on the other. Many nobles, both great and small, were drawn into what¡¯s called the Royal Knights, and the power and privileges of the traditional nobility were continuously reduced. In their place was the gradually strengthening centralized power of King Nes of Luman. This placed a great pressure on Yassago and Janviers, the two traditional marquis lords. And among these pressures, the biggest source was the Royal Knights. Four Knight Titans, four hundred knights, and three-quarters of the country¡¯s land and population were already under the centralized control of the king. Even the two of them had to show respect to the king and repeatedly reaffirm their loyalty. Such a king and a Royal Knights, which had been so oppressive for their two families that they couldn¡¯t catch a breath, were defeated by the people of Rage Owl Star in half a month. Who wouldn¡¯t be afraid? Very afraid. But now, the two of them still had disagreements. ¡°If we stand by and do nothing, and those people from Rage Owl Star capture Pincer City and win the war, what will our position be?¡± Janviers asked a critical question. This was exactly where they found themselves in a dilemma. The envoys from Rage Owl Star communicated Governor Gu Hang¡¯s ¡®goodwill¡¯ to them, providing terms. According to the envoy¡¯s words, they characterized King Nes of Luman¡¯s actions as ¡®rebellion¡¯. This term made the two marquises feel rather ridiculous: The King committing treason? But they soon realized that the ¡®rebellion¡¯ Mr. Gu referred to was not the betrayal they commonly conceived in their minds, but rather betrayal against the Empire. King Nes of Luman had attacked on his own initiative the Gu Family, a member of the Empire¡¯s official merchants¡¯ association, and such a hostile act was already considered a betrayal against the Empire; he must pay the price for it. This was a non-negotiable premise; Mr. Gu had made his intention very clear. No matter what the cost Nes of Luman has to pay, the fundamental premise is non-negotiable. The anger of the Gu Family will not be extinguished by anything or any statement; they will capture that King of Luman. Whoever dares hinder this, will become an enemy of the Gu Family, an enemy of Rage Owl Star. Under this non-negotiable fundamental premise, there is room for discussion on other matters. The two Marquises can still retain their titles and pass them down through generations; they can still keep their own armies, as well as control over their territories. As for the Luman Kingdom as a whole, it will be preserved. They need to maintain their allegiance to this entity. From nominal obedience and management to fulfilling tax obligations and military duties. What does this mean? Are we to have a new King? How can this be¡­ It seems not unacceptable? The history of the Luman Kingdom spans hundreds of years, with the Luman dynasty having always been the ruler of this nation. But earlier on, this land was a battleground of multiple nations, until the Luman family united the whole realm and maintained this unity for hundreds of years. Throughout these centuries, it seems that the people have become accustomed to, taken for granted even, the Luman family¡¯s control over this land. But in fact, once this psychological barrier is removed, people might realize that having a different King isn¡¯t such a big deal after all? Would life really change? For the common people, it appears not, and it seems the same for the two Marquises. After all, the terms offered by Governor Gu Hang¡¯s envoy were the same as the conditions they had when they previously served the Luman family. Life went on as before, and so it will now. ¡°No way!¡± Janviers shook his head and said, ¡°The Luman family is one thing, but how can we accept a bunch of aliens sitting on top of us? Moreover, we are not without chances. Those Rage Owl Star People forces total just tens of thousands. With the Luman family troops still in Pincer City, if we join forces, we can drive those Rage Owl Star People away, and the whole kingdom will be ours! The Luman family has no longer the power to compete with us!¡± ¡°Besides, it is not just us. The other nations, can they really accept a state controlled by aliens on Heijian Star? If we send out envoys, we can garner support! At worst, we cede some territory¡­¡± Janviers grew more excited as he spoke. However, Yassago threw cold water on his plans: ¡°By the time you¡¯ve summoned foreign troops, Pincer City will have already been taken.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Janviers hesitated and then said, ¡°That¡¯s the reason we exist! We must march and hold off those Rage Owl Star People forces. Moreover, even if Pincer City falls and Nes of Luman dies, it doesn¡¯t matter. We can continue the war as long as we can get the other countries on Heijian Star on our side. Can those Rage Owl Star People really defeat us on our home turf?¡± Yassago continued to shake his head: ¡°Yes, they can. They have the help of interstellar warriors, they also have space superiority. That Gu Ming, once he¡¯s done for, the interstellar force of the Gu Family will once again be controlled by Governor Gu Hang. Our planet¡¯s orbit will be in their hands, and we must fight the Rage Owl Star People under orbital strikes.¡± After a pause, he continued: ¡°The largest external trade partner of the entire Heijian Star is the Gu Family. Without them, our weapons will be fewer with each battle, and even the Titan could sustain damage without any place for repairs.¡± At this point, Yassago concluded: ¡°In conclusion, I¡¯ve made my decision. I¡¯m going to quietly watch what happens to Pincer City from here. I will not let my troops attack the Rage Owl Star People. As for you, do as you please.¡± Janviers frowned deeply. He had to admit, Yassago had made some very valid points. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And what¡¯s more, without Yassago¡¯s movement, the forces he could mobilize were insufficient for the plan he had described. Even combined, they might not be able to manage it, let alone him alone. He wanted to persuade Yassago further, but Yassago didn¡¯t give him the chance, leaving straight away. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.3k Chapter 432 - Chapter 432: Chapter 260: Offering an Apology with a Thorny Branch Chapter 432: Chapter 260: Offering an Apology with a Thorny Branch ¡°` Yassago accepted Gu Hang¡¯s terms by default, followed immediately by Janviers¡¯s acceptance. When the news that both marquesses had been stabilized reached Gu Hang¡¯s ears, he couldn¡¯t help but reveal a slight smile. This was good news. If the troops under those two marquesses had really come charging in from the south regardless of the consequences, it would indeed have been a bit troublesome. At that time, the pressure on the 2nd Division would have been rather great. Now it was much better. He relayed the relevant information to Perbov, who quickly ordered his troops to begin the attack. Knowing that the two marquesses had been stabilized, Perbov also removed a weight from his mind. The reason the attack order was delayed for a while wasn¡¯t solely due to waiting for news from the south, but also awaiting more ammunition to be unloaded. Shuttles flying from starships to the ground hadn¡¯t stopped for a moment. In pursuit of rapid unloading of troops, the troops¡¯ reserves of ammunition and supplies were insufficient. It was fortunate that they hadn¡¯t encountered a high-intensity battle, or the Expeditionary Force¡¯s ammunition might actually have run out. As for now, that problem no longer existed, and Perbov could finally begin his fierce attack with peace of mind. There were two main objectives for this battle. One, naturally, was the key figures Nes Luman and Gu Ming. Two, were the orbital anti-air defense systems scattered throughout Pincer City. The attack was relatively smooth. The troops from the east and west sides almost simultaneously breached Pincer City¡¯s first line of defense, entered the city, and engaged the enemy in urban street fighting. In theory, street fighting in a city is very difficult. Once armored troops entered the city, they certainly still had a role, but it wasn¡¯t as significant as outdoor combat. However, in reality, Luman People¡¯s first line of defense, relying on city walls and gates, had managed to barely hold for a day and a night. But once the street fighting started, their defense collapsed disastrously. The anticipated scene where each building had to be fought over repeatedly at the cost of blood didn¡¯t happen; the Alliance Army¡¯s progress was rapid. And it was at this time that two more events took place. First, what many people could see, a number of space ships descended from the sky toward the palace complex in Pincer City. Needless to say, that was undoubtedly the fleet controlled by Gu Ming, probably to rescue Gu Ming into space. However, just as Perbov was about to order his troops¡¯ air defense firepower to intercept, Pincer City¡¯s orbital anti-air firepower fired first. Those few ships were directly shot down! Then, not long after, the front-line troops reported hearing gunfire from within the palace complex in Pincer¡¯s city center; the enemy might have turned on one another. Hearing this news, and recalling the earlier interception of Gu Ming¡¯s ships by anti-air firepower, Perbov, no matter how slow to react, could roughly understand what was happening. This war was likely coming to an end. He didn¡¯t know exactly how to feel. Should he be happy that his troops wouldn¡¯t have to continue fighting, sparing more lives, or frustrated that the surefire military honors now had to cease? But whatever his feelings might be, what to do about it wasn¡¯t a decision for a soldier like him to make. He simply ordered his troops to continue with the original plan on one hand, albeit fighting more conservatively and reducing casualties, and on the other hand, he immediately passed the news to the governor. And he indeed received further instructions from the governor to hold his forces and watch the developments. About half a day later, an unarmed troop emerged from the palace complex and surrendered to the Alliance. Leading them was a burly middle-aged man, shirtless and bound up by his own hands. Perbov had seen his portraits and photographs; this was the monarch of the Luman Kingdom, Nes Luman. And beside him was a person not so calm, with his mouth gagged. ¡°` That was Gu Ming. ¡­ Merely half a day later, Gu Hang, inside the military camp outside of the city, met both Gu Ming and Nes Luman. Regardless of his bound and beaten uncle, who writhed on the ground with his mouth sealed, Gu Hang¡¯s gaze mainly rested on Nes Luman. Bare-chested, in self-imposed bondage, even carrying a whip on his back¡­ Well, look at that, another Guttara legend? Submitting to punishment as an apology? This monarch of the Luman Kingdom really knows how to bend and stretch. As things had reached this point, he finally made up his mind without hesitation, even discarding the last wisp of wishful thinking, and made a decision. He couldn¡¯t let Gu Ming escape on his own. If Gu Ming escaped, there might still be a way out for him. He still had four fleets in space, and he still had plenty of connections and pathways. No matter how difficult it was to turn the tables, he could still try his luck in various ways. But Nes Luman had nothing left. The power he had painstakingly accumulated over the years, the Royal Knights he had built, crumbled overnight; His capital was about to be conquered by the towering fury of another faction of the Gu Clan; If Gu Ming escaped, he would have nothing left, facing death and the extinction of his clan. At the critical moment, he ordered his remaining anti-air defenses, which were still under his control, to shoot down the spacecraft coming to Gu Ming¡¯s aid, and urged his troops to kill the few security personnel protecting Gu Ming, capturing him alive. This was the sincerity of his surrender. He knew that once he came out, he was giving his and his country¡¯s fate into someone else¡¯s hands, to be manipulated. But what else could he do? It was a situation bound for defeat. He could only grab the last chip before complete destruction to secure the slightest possibility for himself. It was humiliating, but a true man needs to know when to bend and when to stand tall. Upon meeting, he knelt down in front of Gu Hang. ¡°I, the King of the Luman Kingdom, apologize to the Gu Clan Head!¡± ¡°Half a year ago, Gu Ming secretly visited, conspiring with me¡­¡± Nes Luman confessed everything from start to end without Gu Hang even asking, very sincerely. Of course, even without his admission, Gu Hang already knew the whole story. It was just that in the normal family council procedure, Gu Ming was no longer likely to win, so he took the opportunity to cause trouble, overturning the table. The designated location for the family council has always been Heijian Star, because no matter which country governs it and holds the gubernatorial authority, its main foreign trade relies on the merchant fleets of the Gu Family. Both sides have had a good relationship over their long-term cooperation. They are not part of the Gu Clan¡¯s forces, but they can be considered an important market for the Gu Clan, one of the foundational elements where the Gu Clan started. Wang Qi was wary of Gu Ming, but she didn¡¯t guard against Nes Luman¡¯s betrayal. Even in Wang Qi¡¯s view, the many kingdoms of Heijian Star should have better relations with her. It would have been good enough had she not used Nes Luman against Gu Ming, so why would the other party use the native forces of Heijian Star against her? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Furthermore, she had sent people to monitor the situation. But she missed one move and was deceived by Nes Luman. He was swayed by the notion Gu Ming presented to him of ¡®eternal control of Heijian Star¡¯. ¡ª¡ª¨C There will be another chapter tonight Chapter 433 - Chapter 433: Chapter 261, Offering All Prayers for the Governors Forgiveness Chapter 433: Chapter 261, Offering All Prayers for the Governor¡¯s Forgiveness A monarch of a nation, bare-chested and tightly bound, knelt before Gu Hang, painstakingly confessing the nature of his crimes word by word. Indeed, they were crimes. Nes Luman had always known that simply binding himself and bringing Gu Ming to confess would be futile. Was it true remorse? No, it was due to being driven to desperation with no other recourse. Even if he didn¡¯t come to confess, if he didn¡¯t make this gesture, the end result would be much the same. Better to be thorough, then. This was humiliating, less glorious than dying in battle within his palace. He had contemplated whether to leave behind a king who died on the battlefield for his country, for the Luman family, as a kind of resolution. But he wasn¡¯t willing to settle for that. Since he had inherited the throne more than twenty years ago, he vividly remembered taking the crown from his older brother at a time when the Luman family was most vulnerable, when he was merely fourteen years old. Over twenty years, he had exhausted every effort to form alliances, suppress opposition, and engage in both covert and overt plots¡­ When necessary, he didn¡¯t hold back from the bravery and courage needed to take to the battlefield himself. Thanks to his endeavors, the Luman family had revived its former glory within a mere twenty years, from its shaky beginnings. His centralization of power not only concentrated the majority of the nation¡¯s strength but also left the remaining two powerful nobles struggling for breath. Given more time, he might have been able to dismantle the power of those two influential marquises following the old paths and finally achieve total unification of the kingdom. At the previous King¡¯s Council, he mobilized allies and showcased his power, securing for the Luman Kingdom the position of governor for this term on the Heijian Star. For a time, on the Heijian Star, his reputation was unmatched! Consequently, the entire kingdom also seemed to reach its zenith. Some kings, after leading their countries to prosperity, succumb to indulgence and lead lives of luxury; others develop even greater ambitions. Nes Luman was the latter. He never thought this was a bad thing; on the contrary, he often advocated this point to his loyal subordinates. Having satisfied his desires, he gradually clarified the direction of his ambition: to maintain control of the governorship of the Heijian Star for a long time, and then use this power to gradually subjugate the remaining nations. This was difficult and the process lengthy, perhaps consuming his lifetime or even requiring his successor to achieve it. He had thought he would be patient and determined in advancing his ambitions slowly and steadily. But soon, a colossal opportunity presented itself: Gu Ming approached him. If he cooperated with Gu Ming, helped him secure the position of Family Head of the Gu Family, then in return, Gu Ming would support his ambitions with the full force of the Gu Family¡¯s trade channels and abundant finances. After much hesitation, he finally resolved to gamble for this great wealth and honor. He couldn¡¯t wait any longer; he had already revived the faltering Luman Kingdom, steering it back on course and into a decade of strength. He was still young, still capable of more. If possible, he wanted to accomplish his grandest objective within his lifetime, while he was still vigorous and in his prime¨Cto create an eternal dynasty for the Luman Family and even become the greatest monarch in the history of the Heijian Star! And then¡­ It came to this. He had spent twenty years invigorating the state, strengthening the Central Government, and all the capital he had slowly accumulated was lost overnight. All his ambitions, all his plans, all his dignity, were utterly pulverized. And for this, he could only thank the man sitting casually in front of him in a makeshift command center, merely pulling up a stool. Gu Hang. He etched that name deeply into his memory. Now, he no longer sought dignity, nor grand aspirations. There he was, stripped to the waist, voluntarily bound, kneeling in front of Gu Hang. His attitude couldn¡¯t have been more abject as he recited his litany of crimes in front of a specially summoned group of surviving high-level officials from the Luman Kingdom, along with emissaries from the two marquesses from the south. He could sense a variety of expressions on the faces of the onlookers. Some were sympathetic, others felt humiliated or even resentful, some fearful and uneasy, others contemplative¡­ But he could no longer concern himself with their reactions. His own fate, that of his family and his kingdom, they all hung on the merest thought from Gu Hang. All he could do was beg: ¡°¡­I am willing to offer the entire Luman Kingdom, all its wealth, all its territories, all its subjects, in a plea for forgiveness from Governor Gu Hang. My own life too may be given as compensation. Should you wish, I would acknowledge you as my lord and serve you loyally for the rest of my days, shepherding the Luman Kingdom; should you choose not to spare me, you may kill me, display my decapitated head at the city¡¯s gates for all to see. The descendants of the Luman family will hold no grudge. You could select someone from the remainder to administer this realm on your behalf¡­¡± His words were steeped in humility, his surrender almost without condition. He dared not negotiate any terms; he simply hoped to plead for a chance to live after his unconditional surrender. Even if he couldn¡¯t survive, as a last resort, preserving the Luman family would suffice. Having said all this, he banged his head heavily on the ground. He did so with such force that he became dizzy, and the rough stones even cut into his scalp, blood trailing from the spot where he had knocked his head, spreading around him. Everything that could be said, that could be done, had been completed. Only the final verdict remained. With his scalp pressed against the ground, it felt like a century had passed before he finally heard a light chuckle. That was Governor Gu Hang speaking: ¡°How interesting, raise your head.¡± His heart leapt with joy! The worst he had feared had not come to pass; Mr. Gu had given him another chance to speak. He raised his head and met Gu Hang¡¯s gaze, only to see a faint blue light flickering in Gu Hang¡¯s eyes. His own gaze became vacant, whether from the dizzying effects of his prostration or something else. As if in a trance, he felt like he arrived at a bizarre place. Everything within sight was desolate; the sky was covered with dark clouds, and thunder and lightning sounded menacingly; In the middle of the desolate land stood an unfinished temple under construction. A host of spirits, suffused with blue, chanted rhythmically with high spirits as they labored away. Where was this¡­? ¡°This is my Divine Realm,¡± Gu Hang¡¯s voice came from behind him. He whirled around, his expression one of shock! By now, how could he maintain the semblance of sincerity he had performed? All he felt was terror! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only What was happening? Gu Hang¡¯s smile was gentle, ¡°Just now, King Luman¡¯s heartfelt speech really did move me. Since you¡¯re so earnest, of course I¡¯ll give you a chance to serve me¡­¡± Amidst his words, a force of Spiritual Energy completely enveloped him. ¡°No, no, NO!!!¡± Gu Hang¡¯s face still bore a smile: ¡°But there can be no regrets now.¡± Chapter 434 - Chapter 434: Chapter 262, Settlement of the Heijian Star Battle Chapter 434: Chapter 262, Settlement of the Heijian Star Battle Regardless of how Nes Luman¡¯s soul was silently pulled into the Divine Realm by Gu Hang or what treatment he received there, the atmosphere in the command post outside the Alliance Expeditionary Force city was merry and harmonious. Everyone thought that Nes Luman was finished, but no one expected that this proud and ambitious king could let go of all his dignity and say those words. Nor did anyone anticipate that the Gu Clan Head from Rage Owl Star would actually agree! Gu Hang accepted Nes Luman¡¯s apology and accepted his ¡®gift.¡¯ From then on, the Luman Kingdom was to take the surname ¡®Gu.¡¯ This was the most significant change. But some things seemed to remain unchanged. Nes Luman was still the ruler of the country, only no longer called a king but reduced to a duke. It seemed that Gu Hang truly believed in the king¡¯s oath of loyalty and planned to continue entrusting the reign of the kingdom to Nes Luman. The kingdom¡¯s loyal officials and the envoys of the two marquesses were filled with incredulity. So¡­ magnanimous? What¡¯s the difference from before? Oh, the only difference is that there was now a Governor Gu Hang above the head of King Luman¡­ Duke Luman. But what difference did it make to those below? Would they still heed Nes Luman¡¯s orders in the future? No, perhaps that was too naive. It must be just about propping up a puppet, right? But isn¡¯t the Gu Clan afraid that this puppet might get out of control? Or do they need to plant many of their own people? But is it worth it? ¡­ Many questions swirled in the minds of these people. However, outwardly, everyone¡¯s reactions were surprisingly consistent: they were grateful for Governor Gu Hang¡¯s leniency and swore to govern diligently henceforth, serving the governor well, with some even hinting at keeping a close watch on Nes Luman. Nes Luman himself also behaved normally. He was joyous at Governor Gu Hang¡¯s generosity and swore to reflect earnestly and work hard. Thus, it seemed that a seemingly happy ending had been reached. ¡­ After sending away the many visitors, Gu Hang, now alone, called up the system interface. A brand new function interface appeared here. [Vassal] Upon opening it, he saw some new information. [Heijian Star: Luman Kingdom] [Vassal Level: LV3, Low tendency for secession.] [Status: Military Conquest, Puppet Sovereign, Internal Secessionism] [Monthly Enfiefment Revenue: 344 points] This was an unexpected pleasure. The [Vassal] system itself he explored a bit, had no special functions, just some display of data. But having this display was already very good. The vassal level was a rating given by considering various factors, including the degree of foreign powers¡¯ interference, control over the ruling class, local secessionism within the vassal state, and the emotions of the vassal state¡¯s populace¡­ LV3 symbolized an average level, and maintaining this grade meant that the likelihood of this vassal territory breaking away, becoming independent, or seceding wasn¡¯t high. Below LV3, it would be more turbulent. At LV2, the probability of secession would increase; at LV1, it was like sounding the alarm, as almost certainly there would be secessionist uprisings requiring suppression. Conversely, above LV3, at LV4, it meant that secession was hardly possible. At LV5, it suggested that the vassal should be annexed into the homeland. Of course, this was not a game, but a real world. The system¡¯s given rating was accurate enough, but what to do specifically was up to Gu Hang. He could very well declare the full annexation of the Luman Kingdom right now, appoint himself as king, and meddle in all of the local military, political, and economic affairs, and fully act as a ruler. But obviously, this would carry a huge risk. For one, the system might judge that Gu Hang only had nominal ownership over the area, or even that he had no such title at all, that his claim was not legitimate, purely based on military occupation, and that he hadn¡¯t even established effective governance, so it certainly wouldn¡¯t recognize this land as his own, nor would there be an income of enfeoffment points. Secondly, Gu Hang would find it difficult to establish a reasonable rule here. The other six nations would immediately jump; the Empire would not easily admit this; Gu Hang¡¯s military occupation was very unstable, he would have to dispatch more troops to maintain it; rebellions could well arise one after another¡­ This was why a vassal level of LV3 did not suggest a direct annexation. And Gu Hang would not do such a thing. For the time being, he was content with this vassal status. Don¡¯t underestimate the state of being a vassal. Gu Hang had already obtained what he needed. He could use the vassal state¡¯s government to influence national policies. For example, if he wanted to abolish feudalism here, free up the productive forces. Even without changing the nature of the Luman Kingdom as an agricultural country, agricultural production should still be made more efficient, and the food output from millions of square kilometers of land could be significantly increased in value. And the labor force freed from farming could move to factories for initial industrialization. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In a word, making the entire country wealthy was very meaningful. Gu Hang did not want to be dealing with a place that had a mere few hundred thousand tax currency surplus every year. If the Luman Kingdom maintained its previous state, then his actions this time would have been in vain. With more wealth, Gu Hang would be able to draw even more ¡®blood¡¯ from the Luman Kingdom. And beyond ¡®wealth,¡¯ Gu Hang had his eye on another aspect of the Luman Kingdom: its people. Chapter 435 - Chapter 435: Chapter 262: Settlement of the Heijian Star Campaign_2 Chapter 435: Chapter 262: Settlement of the Heijian Star Campaign_2 The Luman Kingdom wasn¡¯t large; in terms of size, it was about as big as a province under the control of the Rage Owl Star Alliance. However, this place, though backward and poor, was much better off than the initial state of Wasteland World under Rage Owl Star. The relatively fertile land supported a population of forty million¨Calready matching the entire population of Rage Owl Star. Gu Hang planned to continuously extract population from the Luman Kingdom as part of an immigration policy to populate Rage Owl Star. Rage Owl Star was his main base; building it up was the foundation of everything. The mining areas in the Eastern Provinces needed manpower; the Weixing City industrial district he had built himself had an almost insatiable demand for people; thousands of kilometers of arable land in the Green Valley Region, across two provinces, was just waiting for people to develop it¡­ People and finances were both areas where Gu Hang could continue to bleed Heijian Star. Not to mention, the vassal army established directly on Heijian Star could also substantially replenish Gu Hang¡¯s forces. Moreover, vassal states could also provide a trickle of favor points as income, which was an unexpected bonus. However, the amount given was quite small, with a population of forty million providing only 344 points. On one hand, this was because the productivity of the Luman Kingdom was indeed too low; On the other hand, the favor points given by vassal states inherently came at a huge discount. And this discount would increase as the vassal level increased. These were all direct benefits. Politically, the death of Lienes Luman could also fulfills the stratagem he had previously discussed with his mother. Nes Luman wasn¡¯t just the sovereign of the Luman Kingdom, he was also the Planetary Governor of Heijian Star¨Ceven if he was just an elected governor with a term limit by the King¡¯s Council. Before, Gu Hang was worried about how, after plotting to dispose of Nes Luman, he would smoothly handle the matter of this temporary governorship. Now he didn¡¯t have to worry. Nes Luman was naturally meant for the role, and, handling ¡°international affairs¡± within Heijian Star, he would be under a lot less pressure. As for the fact that Nes¡¯s term had only two years left¡­ No matter, he would deal with it in two years. Perhaps by then, Heijian Star wouldn¡¯t need to elect a governor at all. ¡­ After checking the information on the vassal system, Gu Hang casually opened another message. This was a routine battle settlement report. [Pincer City Campaign: bloody battle, bloody victory, awarded 5695 favor points] [Total losses 16144, enemy casualties 67823, prisoners captured 52446] [Alliance Expeditionary Force: losses 16144, enemy casualties 67823] The favor points reward was roughly within Gu Hang¡¯s expectations, maybe even a little less than expected. Although the Luman forces weren¡¯t hard to beat, those four Knight Titans, along with the Sentry Mechas destroyed by his forces, weren¡¯t junk; they were high-value targets that increased the overall reward. Just, the phrase ¡®bloody battle, bloody victory¡¯ was a bit glaring. Although, after he led the team from Rage Owl Star as reinforcements, the resulting battles could be described as thrilling. However, before that, at the start of the fighting, Perbov led three divisions to fight a bloody eight-day battle in the suburbs, and the losses were indeed substantial. Being designated a ¡®bloody battle, bloody victory,¡¯ Gu Hang reluctantly accepted it. What else could he do if he didn¡¯t? With the additional five thousand plus favor points, Gu Hang¡¯s total favor points on hand broke through to 17,594. This total was the result of a large income after winning the previous battle in the North Territory of Rage Owl Star and defeating the Primal Fury Owl, along with the monthly favor income from the past two months that Gu Hang had not spent and so had accumulated. Adding to that this recent gain of over five thousand six hundred points, it all added up to so much. In fact, it could have been higher. However, Gu Hang had recently upgraded his Spiritual Energy level from LV5 to LV7, particularly costly during the jump from 6 to 7, requiring him to spend ten thousand favor points. Of course, it wasn¡¯t in vain. That expenditure of over ten thousand points to level up was necessary. Otherwise, today¡¯s subjugation of Nes Luman would have been difficult. Within the [Vassal] interface, the Luman Kingdom had a tag that read [Puppet Sovereign]. That, of course, referred to Nes Luman. And this puppet was not just a puppet in a simple sense. Nes Luman, although he had clearly expressed his unconditional surrender and willingness to devote himself fully to Gu Hang in speech, Gu Hang had reviewed his past and learnt a bit about his character from his mother¡¯s accounts. He wasn¡¯t a coward or a waste; he wasn¡¯t someone easily manipulated. The more earnest and humble his attitude seemed in Gu Hang¡¯s presence, the less Gu Hang believed him. What was the ambition of the mighty lying low for? Gu Hang knew the story of enduring humiliation to carry out a mission earnestly. He was confident he could outwit Nes Luman, especially since he held all military power, and without a blade in his hand, and external trade depending on the Gu Commercial Firm, it was hard for Nes to stir up too much trouble. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, this was just a vassal state, a colony; Gu Hang¡¯s stronghold was still on Rage Owl Star, and he couldn¡¯t stay here for a long time in the future. One look at this guy, and it was clear he wasn¡¯t the sort to contentedly play puppet. Perhaps he would behave very well at first, earnestly doing what Gu Hang asked of him, but he would likely be scheming in secret, amassing strength for the future. Fear was one thing, but it was genuinely bothersome. And it could drag down Gu Hang¡¯s progress on his own plans. Yet Gu Hang couldn¡¯t give up the political significance of having him around, and he did have actual administrative abilities. Chapter 436 - Chapter 436: Chapter 262, Settlement of the Heijian Star Battle_3 Chapter 436: Chapter 262, Settlement of the Heijian Star Battle_3 Thus, creating a true puppet had become necessary. Gu Hang had obtained the ability ¡°[Mind Manipulation]¡± in a past upgrade. He had always restrained himself from using this ability, but now, it was time to employ it. However, the ability of [Mind Manipulation] was not as invincible as one might imagine. It had time limitations; if the content altered significantly from the subject¡¯s true nature, the likelihood of breaking free became high; those whose minds had been altered showed deviations in character, making them easy to detect; intelligence and subjective initiative were greatly impacted, and in the absence of orders, one might become foolish, relying only on instinct¡­ These were all problems. In combat, using it to influence enemies was fine, but cultivating a qualified political puppet posed bigger issues. But if it were just these technical difficulties, there were still ways to compensate. At worst, Gu Hang would need to visit Heijian Star more frequently, occasionally reinforcing Nes Luman with a boost of Spiritual Energy. The other core issue, though, was more significant: faced with masters of Spiritual Energy, or Judges, or senior clergy of the state religion, Nes Luman¡¯s mind-manipulated state would be very easy to expose. And Gu Hang needed this man to serve as the Planetary Governor of Heijian Star for a long time to come. A Planetary Governor whose mind had been altered was no small matter; once exposed, the ensuing investigation would create significant trouble. To be cautious, Gu Hang decided to undertake a major operation. He pulled Nes Luman¡¯s soul into his Divine Realm and meticulously reconstructed it from the ground up. The difficulty of the major reconstruction far exceeded Gu Hang¡¯s initial estimates and required more than just the talent for Mind Manipulation; it also called for harnessing the True Realm Origin Power. Fortunately, with the home-field advantage in the Divine Realm, he managed to complete the task. Even more, in the process of executing this surgery, he gained some additional insight: could he apply the corresponding technology to his own soldiers? Leaving out the Mind Manipulation part, emphasizing the implantation of Subspace Origin, adding physical remodeling and enhancement not involved this time¡­ What would that create? Storm Chosen? They would certainly be very strong! However, that was just wishful thinking for now. Reforming a mind, creating a puppet, was already exhausting enough; he was nearly worn out, let alone making Storm Chosen. Yet, the considerable effort Gu Hang put into creating such a super-covert puppet was very valuable. Today, he could ensure that unless someone with far greater mastery in the realms of the soul and Spiritual Energy inspected Nes Luman closely, conventional detection methods would certainly not reveal the Planetary Governor of Heijian Star had been mind-controlled. Nes Luman retained his personality, his intelligence, only now he would guarantee absolute loyalty to Gu Hang. Even, if necessary, Gu Hang could at any moment project his own consciousness into Nes Luman¡¯s body. This was much more secure. He had expended a great deal of mental energy in creating such a super-stealth puppet, and the number he could maintain at any given time was extremely limited. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Paying such a great price, Gu Hang achieved the best possible outcome he could and there should be no mishaps. If he were to be unlucky enough to encounter a mind master far superior to him who decided on a whim to conduct a thorough examination of Nes Luman, then he would have to accept his fate. However, the probability of such an occurrence should be infinitely small. Gu Hang felt he could be quite at ease. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.3k Chapter 437 - Chapter 437: Chapter 263, Toiling Hard for 20 Years Chapter 437: Chapter 263, Toiling Hard for 20 Years After dealing with Nes Luman¡¯s affairs and securing a Puppet Sovereign, Gu Hang didn¡¯t stay much longer on Heijian Star. About a week later, he left the place and returned to Rage Owl Star. Of course, he was very busy during the week before his departure. He and Nes Luman met with many people nonstop, most of whom were mid-to-high-level rulers of the Luman Kingdom. Many had died in the previous wars, but there were also survivors. And among the most important were the two remaining marquesses with real power in the Luman Kingdom. The marquesses from the south, Yassago and Janviers, couldn¡¯t believe the reports from the envoys upon their return. In their conventional thinking, such a scenario was almost impossible. If it had been them, how could they possibly accept leaving Nes Luman in charge of the kingdom? A puppet? Could a real monarch be used as a puppet? They didn¡¯t know whether to call it arrogance or confidence. As for the marquesses themselves, their minds were rather complicated. They inevitably harbored thoughts of using the great change to further their own ambitions. Previously, they had considered making a risky move against the Rage Owl Star People¡¯s defenses ¨C it was this thought that influenced them. Of course, looking at the current situation, they could only say that it was fortunate they hadn¡¯t really lost their heads then. Having abandoned the idea of opposing the Gu Family, they considered changing their approach. After all, even if the Gu Clan had seized the Luman Kingdom, someone would still need to manage it, wouldn¡¯t they? Wouldn¡¯t the two marquesses be the obvious choices? But the recent developments had also cut off this path. The Luman family would continue in power. Although, this Luman family was no longer the same as the one before, whose Royal Knights had been so oppressive they couldn¡¯t breathe. But¡­ even with the Royal Knights gone, there were still the troops from Rage Owl Star. The Gu Family would certainly leave military forces to safeguard the Luman Kingdom, and they still wouldn¡¯t dare to cause trouble. As for Nes Luman¡¯s capabilities, they had experienced them thoroughly over the past twenty years. No matter if this fellow was planning some small moves or truly serving the Gu Family, they might still target the two marquesses. The marquesses realized that after going full circle, the situation for both of them didn¡¯t seem to have changed at all! What a pointless excitement! Then, an invitation arrived, requesting their presence in Pincer City to meet His Majesty the King and the King¡¯s master. The two marquesses hesitated, felt reluctant, even harbored resentment and anger. But in the end, they had no choice but to go. ¡­ After meeting with the Luman Kingdom¡¯s high officials and having made contact with those who would administer his ¡®colony¡± in the future, Gu Hang spent a long time in discussions with Perbov. Gu Hang would leave behind three divisions for Perbov¨Cthe 2nd Division, the 13th Brigade, and the 36th Brigade would all be stationed on Heijian Star for the long term. The Expeditionary Force was officially renamed the ¡®Black Arrow Corps.¡¯ Even the 34th, 37th, and 38th Divisions, which had been battered in the battles, might return with replenished personnel and equipment to join the ranks of this Corps with honor on Heijian Star. Perbov was the one Gu Hang intended to continue as the commander of this colonial corps. He would, as a brigadier general, command this army to suppress the Luman Kingdom. At the same time, Gu Hang also stated that Perbov need not concern himself with political affairs and let Nes Luman handle it himself. He would only need to cooperate with the military when necessary or provide support to quell crises when there were internal instabilities. In addition, he arranged for Jordan Leroy, the chief political commissar of the corps, to be involved in rebuilding the Luman Kingdom¡¯s native military forces. Nes Luman had already been authorized to reestablish the so-called ¡®Royal Knights.¡¯ Of course, they would not bear that name in the future and would be renamed the ¡®Loyal Guard Corps.¡¯ The Luman Kingdom¡¯s government would undertake all the work, but Leroy should deeply involve himself in it. And the reconstituted ¡®Loyal Guard Corps,¡¯ as a colonial military force, would be under the command of the Black Arrow Corps. In less flattering terms, they would be a vassal army. Perbov accepted this assignment. While it was somewhat disheartening to be stationed in a foreign land, as a soldier, it was his duty and responsibility. However, there was one point in the governor¡¯s instructions that puzzled him. He thought his main purpose for staying was to oversee Nes Luman and ensure his loyalty. What he didn¡¯t expect was that the governor seemed to primarily want him to assist the king. This puzzled him, and he even thought the governor might be placing too much trust in the king, prompting him to consider advising the governor to prevent being deceived and to consider the risk of betrayal. But after a deep conversation with his political commissar Leroy, he dismissed these thoughts. How could the governor be so easily deceived? There must be some things they were not meant to know. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They, as military men, should not engage in admonishment and should simply obey orders. ¡­ Having met with the high-ranking officials of the Luman Kingdom and having made arrangements for Perbov and his Black Arrow Corps, the colonial affairs of the Luman region were largely settled. Of course, there were still some diplomatic issues involving other countries on Heijian Star. However, these were not matters Gu Hang intended to resolve personally. Chapter 438 - Chapter 438: Chapter 263: Twenty Years of Hard Work (2) Chapter 438: Chapter 263: Twenty Years of Hard Work (2) ¡°` Nes Luman can handle this matter. Besides the matters of the Heijian Star and the colony, there is another issue that Gu Hang is certain to be very concerned about. The affairs of the Gu Family. Nes Luman came to surrender, infact bound Gu Ming. Gu Hang had no intention whatsoever of conversing with this uncle of his, and directly handed him over to his mother. As for how Miss Wang Qi would treat Gu Ming subsequently, and how she would re-integrate the family¡¯s power, Gu Hang was no longer concerned. He had full confidence in his mother¡¯s methods in this regard; after all, she had been toiling over this matter for many, many years, was familiar with the situation, and had sufficient tact. The recent slip-up was nothing more than a misstep in the game. Consolidating the family¡¯s influence, handling the family business, these were all Miss Wang Qi¡¯s strong suits, she was definitely capable of doing it well. Most importantly, apart from his mother, he couldn¡¯t think of anyone else who had both the trust and the capability to unify this segment. Not to mention, he himself had no foundation whatsoever within the Gu Family, and was completely clueless about the internal business affairs. If he were to take over now, the recently divided Gu Commercial Firm could possibly face an imminent crisis of disintegration. Gu Hang had complete trust in Miss Wang Qi¡¯s actions going forward. He only had one requirement: the Family Head of the Gu Family, had to be him. In response, his mother scolded him, ¡°Do I need you to say that? What else would your mother have been working so hard for these past twenty-something years?¡± ¡­ Speaking of Wang Qi, Gu Hang had been very busy this week, but his mother was actually even busier. Several times, when Gu Hang had some free time and went to visit, he saw Miss Wang Qi constantly on calls, or discussing matters with staffers who had just arrived from starships in the sky. Most of her calls were interstellar communications, made to the leaders of the Chamber of Commerce Fleet, to various business lines within the Chamber, to friends on the Flying Wing Star¡­ And, it was even enough to include quite a few calls to those who had ¡®rebelled¡¯ alongside Gu Ming. She promised one thing after another, made one deal after another, and decided the fate of person after person. In this way, the situation gradually stabilized. She even left Heijian Star earlier than Gu Hang. Before parting, mother and son had a long talk. During the conversation, Gu Hang learned from his mother about some of the things that would happen within the Gu Family in the future. The eight fleets that originally supported Wang Qi naturally didn¡¯t need much discussion; they were the victors. However, these eight fleets would probably still cause a lot of trouble later. Among the leaders of the eight fleets, seven were in this city during the Pincer incident. At the time, Wang Qi¡¯s escape was entirely thanks to the full protection of Soldier King Lacroix, who faced an extremely perilous journey; the others weren¡¯t so lucky to receive such treatment. Four of them died, and three were captured. For those captured, now that they have been rescued, it will generally be alright. Wang Qi will take good care of them, rewarding them, and they will continue to lead their own Chamber of Commerce Fleets, perhaps even more closely aligned with Wang Qi. For the four fleets that lost their leaders, there was trouble. Wang Qi had to quickly find suitable successors who not only had sufficient prestige to command respect within the fleet but also had unswerving loyalty. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just a simple matter of choosing someone. She had to prop someone up and do so without causing trouble. But overall, the issues concerning the eight fleets that had originally been on her side were easier to handle. The two other fleets that had remained neutral from the start were also negotiable. They were essentially the ¡®franchisees¡¯ of the Gu Family, and after the family¡¯s infighting, they were among the most perplexed, but their attitude was the simplest: they were just waiting to see who would win. From now on, whoever the Family Head was, and whoever held the power, they would listen to that person. As long as they could ensure that continuing their franchise was profitable, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems. The troublesome ones were those four fleets that followed Gu Ming in rebellion. During her conversations with her son, Wang Qi also made her intentions clear. If she could, she would have wished to kill all those rebels. But that wasn¡¯t possible. She couldn¡¯t bear the loss of those nearly twenty ships, constituting the four fleets. That was a lot of money. ¡°` No matter what happened in the future, she had to do her best to keep the people, only then could she keep the ships. And now, this matter had also reached a conclusion. Two of the fleets, realizing that Gu Ming had fallen into Wang Qi¡¯s hands and that the situation was beyond salvaging, chose to surrender. During the communication, these two showed different attitudes. One cried bitterly, claiming to have been used and beguiled, begging for mercy; the other, however, was a bit tougher, bargaining for a safe outcome. Wang Qi comforted them effectively. No matter what she thought in her heart, or how she planned to settle accounts in the autumn, at least for now, after a brief haggle, she accepted these people. The rest would be discussed later. However, the other two fleets didn¡¯t trust Wang Qi¡¯s promises. They ran away. The fleeing ships, a total of seven, were all armed merchant vessels. In reality, these two fleets had not only these seven ships, but should have included an equal number of ¡®giant belly transports.¡¯ It¡¯s just that the giants moved too slowly and were unarmed with no capacity to resist, so when it came to fleeing, they certainly couldn¡¯t take them along. Wang Qi knew what these two fleets were planning. They simply believed that after committing such actions, Wang Qi would never let them go. Even if she didn¡¯t cause trouble for the time being, they were bound to be reckoned with afterward. Thus, they were determined to break away. They wanted to inherit and connect with some of Gu Ming¡¯s past networks in hopes of becoming an independent chamber of commerce. With seven armed merchant vessels, they already had the credentials for it. But how could Wang Qi possibly let them go? Her network had also been fully mobilized. These seven escaping ships would subsequently be designated as armed rebels, traitors of the Empire. Wang Qi would do her utmost to prevent them from having the chance to become independent, and they had no hope of obtaining a license for an independent merchant fleet. Even more, they would be pursued as interstellar pirates. This was Wang Qi¡¯s punishment for the traitors, and she also needed the destruction of these two rebellious fleets to demonstrate her authority. And when she left the planet¡¯s surface, ascending to the heavens, the Gu Clan Fleet soon departed. Afterwards, she had lots of matters to attend to. And Gu Hang also left shortly after. Leading his troops, upon boarding the Blade Tiger, Gu Hang met with Yelisia. ¡°You¡¯ve made quite a haul this time,¡± Yelisia teased him upon meeting, ¡°When will we see another governor in the Tianma Star Sector who holds sway over two planets?¡± Gu Hang smiled and waved his hand. He had indeed been considering exactly what Yelisia had mentioned. But he wasn¡¯t at all embarrassed about it. This was his plan, and he said so openly, ¡°I will strive for it, and of course, it will not be possible without the help of the Fufana Family, without the help of the leader.¡± Having Nes Luman as this puppet was, of course, just an interim solution. In the future, the best outcome would naturally be for Gu Hang himself to come forward and receive clear dual appointments. There was precedent for this in the Tianma Star Sector: the Fatches Family. The Fatches Family controlled three planets in the Tianma Star Sector, and the governors were from that family. Furthermore, the governor role for two of the planets was held by the same person, with another deferentially following his lead. But achieving this was difficult. The reason the Fatches could do this was that they had made special contributions to the Empire and had certain historical issues carry over. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now, that historical opportunity had passed, and for Gu Hang to replicate their path was extremely difficult. Yelisia also thought this way. With a sigh, she said, ¡°You don¡¯t hold back in front of me. However¡­ your idea, the leader is unlikely to support you. Not only will he not support, but he¡¯s probably already regretting helping you.¡± Gu Hang had anticipated this. But all he said was, ¡°The leader will understand in time.¡± Chapter 439 - Chapter 439: Chapter 264, Rage Owl Star Port Chapter 439: Chapter 264, Rage Owl Star Port Gu Hang knew that the head of the Pei Desi would not be happy. The reason was actually not complex. When multiple planets follow the orders of one governor, it is despised and guarded against by all Star Sector Capitals. Why does Pei Desi have such a bad relationship with the Fatches Family? Apart from the numerous unethical behaviors between the two in government affairs and day-to-day interactions, a core point of contention lies in the Fatches Family¡¯s control over three planets within the Tianma Star Sector. Considering Rage Owl Star, there are only nine worlds in total in the Tianma Star Sector, and Fatches owns three of them! What power does the Star Sector Capital still have? In the political system of the empire, the situation is actually ¡°heavy on both ends, light in the middle.¡± The so-called emphasis on both ends refers to the Imperial Center and the Planetary Governors. In theory, and in fact, the Imperial Center controls all the powers of the entire boundless territory of the empire; naturally, this goes without saying. The Planetary Governors hold all the power within each Empire World; within their jurisdictions, their word is law. And the three-tier governments caught in the middle are somewhat awkward. Under the empire, above the planets, the three-tier governments from largest to smallest are ¡°Cosmos Domain,¡± ¡°Star Domain,¡± ¡°Star Sector.¡± For example, the Rage Owl Star governed by Gu Hang is officially part of the Eastern Cosmos Domain ¨C Dragonhawk Star Domain ¨C Tianma Star Sector ¨C Rage Owl Star System. And these three middle-level administrations do not possess complete dominion. Someone like Pei Desi, the Star Sector Capital head, nominally has the power to oversee all nine major worlds of the Tianma Star Sector, but in practice, he can hardly intervene in the specific affairs of individual planets. He is the superior of the Planetary Governors, but this authority is significantly discounted. To those governors, as long as taxes are ensured, they are like emperors in their domains. If the Capital has orders, they might listen if they feel like it. And if they don¡¯t want to, what then? Having jurisdiction but being unable to dismiss, to punish, or to reward, makes this authority hollow. What power he does have is only because the Imperial Tax leaves a bit in his hands. In return, he is responsible for maintaining the Tianma Fleet, the Star Realm Army, and the overall taxation stability of the Star Sector. The Star Sector Capital has the power to issue orders to both the Imperial Navy and the Star Realm Army, being regarded as the top authority in military and political affairs. However, the Imperial Navy has its direct superiors, like Tianma Fleet Commander Tilermungs, who must also report to their superiors; the Star Realm Army is the same. In addition, there are the Imperial Military Department, administrative departments, the Department of Taxation, which all exercise various forms of vertical management over Star Sector-level affairs. All these factors make the position of the Star Sector Capital very uncomfortable and naturally lead to power struggles with forces both above and below. And the specific circumstances vary greatly from one Star Sector to another. In some Star Sectors, the Capital is more laissez-faire, does not compete or struggle, and is completely passive; more advanced ones will just do their assigned duties and be done with work handed up and down. But in most cases, the Capital will still compete. After all, having reached such a position, who would content themselves with being a powerless idol? In the Tianma Star Sector, Pei Desi falls into the category of more assertive Capitols. By maintaining good relations with the Fufana Family, he has managed to exert some control over the Navy. By elevating his younger brother to the position of Flying Wing Star Governor, he has gained control over the most developed world in the Star Sector Capital. Through cordial relations with the Gu Family, he has secured control over the Empire Commerce Guild. By manipulating the selection of various Planetary Governors, he has strengthened his local control¡­ All these tactics combined have made Pei Desi an uncommonly powerful Star Sector Capital head with real authority. However, the Fatches Family, with its control over three planets, has always been a thorn in his side, beyond his reach. Under such circumstances, it goes without question that Pei Desi, the Star Sector Capital head, would most detest such situations. With a Fatches already in the Star Sector, how could he tolerate Gu Hang following the same path? Moreover, the Gu Family possesses commercial energy that Fatches lacks. If Gu Hang were to further extend his governor¡¯s authority, overseeing multiple planets, it would inevitably lead to a conflict, a clash with the head of the Pei Desi Capital. But¡­ Gu Hang was not afraid of just Pei Desi. If other Star Sector Capitols have little real power, why can¡¯t the political ecology of the Tianma Star Sector change to be like that? The key lies in Pei Desi Capital head¡¯s control over several Planetary Governor positions and control of the Imperial Navy. The main influence Pei Desi could wield was over the governorship selections of four planets: Flying Wing Star, Hongjian Star, and Korolya I and II. The most important of these are Korolya I, the Nest Capital World with a population of forty billion, and Flying Wing Star, a highly developed Garden World, a civilized world. However, it was not easy to upset Pei Desi¡¯s control over these planets. Regarding the navy, that chiefly involved the Fufana Family. Pei Desi maintained control over the navy by relying on his exceptionally good relations with the Fufana Family. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And right now, Gu Hang was faced with a core member of the Fufana Family. Previously, his mother had hinted at this to him. He was now seriously considering what the outcome would be if he formed a marriage alliance with the Fufana Family. Gu Hang was no naive boy; he was not against political marriages. Moreover, from all perspectives, Yelisia was a beauty. Chapter 440 - Chapter 440: Chapter 264, Rage Owl Star Port_2 Chapter 440: Chapter 264, Rage Owl Star Port_2 ¡­ On the return journey aboard Yelisia¡¯s starship, Gu Hang didn¡¯t forget to communicate with Pei Desi. Although he had started to view Pei Desi as a potential rival, a stumbling block to further expanding his influence in the future. But for now, Pei Desi was still someone he needed to please. At the moment, Gu Hang still wasn¡¯t able to directly challenge the Star Sector leader, and he even required a lot of help from him. The licking must be done. The moment the communication connected, Gu Hang could tell from the tone of the person on the other end, Star Sector Head Pei Desi, that all was not well: ¡°Ah, Gu Hang, you¡¯re really something,¡± Pei Desi¡¯s face appeared in front of Gu Hang, wearing a smile that still had a distinctly icy undertone, ¡°I¡¯m quite curious, why did you leave Nes Luman alive? Why don¡¯t you just kill him, and then I¡¯ll put in a request for you to take over as Planetary Governor of Heijian Star, how about that?¡± Clearly, these were all sarcastic remarks. Pei Desi¡¯s ridicule was something Gu Hang had expected. But in reality, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t all that nervous. As long as the call was answered, it meant that things weren¡¯t too bad. Of course, even though he wasn¡¯t nervous inside, Gu Hang still put on a sincerely fearful expression: ¡°Mr. Head, I made this call because I was worried you might misunderstand. Please believe that I have absolutely no intention of taking on the role of Planetary Governor for two planets.¡± ¡°Ha, your troops are already stationed on Heijian Star, how am I supposed to believe that?¡± ¡°I need to maintain the stability of Heijian Star,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°My mother has made it clear to me that I must leave a contingent of troops there, after all, Heijian Star remains a core trading partner of the Gu Family.¡± Blaming it on his mother was something he had discussed with Wang Qi. He didn¡¯t expect it to fully deflect the issue, but at least it was an excuse. Pei Desi didn¡¯t care to dwell on this topic and directly stated his demands: ¡°You must withdraw your troops and your influence from Heijian Star. Heijian Star must maintain their traditions, the King¡¯s Council must remain. The Star Sector Government will set up a branch office on Heijian Star to oversee the King¡¯s Council as they select their own Planetary Governor.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Pei Desi was somewhat surprised now. So readily agreed? He was indeed quite unhappy. He had authorized the Blade Tiger, carrying the troops of Rage Owl Star, to go to Heijian Star under the identity of the Imperial Navy to coerce both sides into a ceasefire, allowing Gu Hang to rescue his mother. It was a bold stance he had taken during the power struggle within the Gu Family. But his authorization was only supposed to enable Gu Hang to save his mother. He hadn¡¯t imagined that in less than two years, not only had Rage Owl Star developed nicely, but a detachment sent out was also able to completely topple a kingdom on enemy turf. Even more unexpected was the fact that Gu Hang¡¯s forces managed to gain the support of over a dozen interstellar warriors! All this had made him increasingly wary. In his view, since Gu Hang had already devoured the Luman Kingdom, there was no way he would easily regurgitate it. Once the rice was cooked, one couldn¡¯t just simply withdraw the troops, could they? He was ready to have a proper negotiation with the Gu Family over this matter. Yet to his surprise, Gu Hang had easily agreed to his demand for withdrawal. This made him wonder: Had he misunderstood this young man? Setting that thought aside, he figured, as long as Rage Owl Star¡¯s troops withdrew, they should no longer be able to maintain influence over Heijian Star. As for the Gu Family¡¯s commercial impact on Heijian Star, that wasn¡¯t a problem at all. It had always been there; it couldn¡¯t just be taken away. Overall, Pei Desi was fairly satisfied with the attitude Gu Hang had shown. His tone softened a great deal as a result. The two further discussed the details of the troop withdrawal. Gu Hang expressed his willingness to withdraw, however, withdrawal wasn¡¯t something that could be done at a moment¡¯s notice. With the military force of the Luman Kingdom depleted, Rage Owl Star¡¯s troops needed to remain there for a while to maintain order in the nation, preventing any major shifts in the balance of the seven states of Heijian Star and suppressing the ambitions of the other six states. Gu Hang promised that the number of troops stationed on Heijian Star would not exceed fifty thousand; the related withdrawal efforts would be progressively completed over the following two years, and his forces would gradually depart from Heijian Star. He assured that by the time of Heijian Star¡¯s next King¡¯s Council election for a new Planetary Governor, his forces would be completely withdrawn. However, the substantial losses suffered by the Gu Family on Heijian Star would need to be compensated by the Luman Kingdom through yearly wartime reparation payments. These conditions were all within the acceptable range for Pei Desi. As long as the military forces of Rage Owl Star withdrew from Heijian Star before the next King¡¯s Council election, ensuring that the election would not be manipulated by military influence and that Heijian Star would not fall into Gu Hang¡¯s hands, he could accept it. To ensure this, the institutions dispatched by the Star Sector Government would replace him in supervising everything. As for the reparations the Luman Kingdom had to pay to the Gu Family, that was no concern of Pei Desi¡¯s. It was only right. The conversation between the two men became increasingly harmonious as it progressed. By the end, Pei Desi even felt he had gained from the exchange. He originally had little involvement with Heijian Star, but now the Star Sector Government he led could dispatch agencies to this planet to supervise the election of the Planetary Governor in the name of ¡°respecting tradition,¡± giving him a chance to intervene. It was a good deal, indeed. Pei Desi¡¯s face remained smiling even as the communication ended, only reminding Gu Hang to remember their prior agreement to drive the Fatches Family¡¯s forces off Rage Owl Star before he terminated the call. After the communication ended, Gu Hang¡¯s face also maintained a smile. ¡°Withdraw forces within two years¡­ No problem. By then, the Luman Kingdom¡¯s own military should have been rebuilt. In two years¡¯ time, it is uncertain if the unification of Heijian Star would be feasible, but securing the ability to firmly hold the Planetary Governorship, that is certainly doable,¡± ¡°An independent and self-reliant Luman Kingdom¡­ Tsk tsk.¡± Gu Hang thought to himself. He did not mind at all if the future Planetary Governor of Heijian Star was selected fairly through the King¡¯s Council. Upon his return, he would send a large number of agricultural machines, some government officials, and a few military experts to Heijian Star to ¡°assist¡± the Luman Kingdom in rebuilding their homeland, upgrading their agricultural industry, and training their armed forces. Gu Hang had seen before in the [Soldier Token] system that as long as one-tenth of a military unit was made up of indigenous population, with the remaining ninety percent being subjects of vassal states, it would suffice. He was going to properly train an outstanding military force for the Luman Kingdom. ¡­ After a seven-day space voyage, Gu Hang returned to his main base. The Blade Tiger docked at the Starport. This was the first time Gu Hang had seen what his own Starport looked like. Eight days earlier when he left, this was just a vast construction site. After completing the ground segment of the Starport, a space station that had been constructed on the surface was launched up via a railgun. Of course, that space station was not large and far from a Starport. However, a large orbital vessel, upgraded and transformed from the [Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessel] technology using the [Star Harbor Technology Blueprint], quickly transported personnel and engineering machinery to the space station through magnetic rail corridors. After that, containers of components made on the ground were launched up; workers in specialized spacesuits, under the gravity effects provided by anti-gravity engines, steered the engineering machines, smoothly assembling those terrestrial-produced components in space. Now, it was beginning to take shape. Of course, compared to a Starport¡¯s standards, it was too small and basic, with limited capabilities and services. This entire Starport was actually not as large as the Blade Tiger itself. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But at least it now provided a boarding bridge and a space station capable of accommodating a thousand individuals. Once the Blade Tiger was docked with the boarding bridge, soldiers could directly walk on the floor, drive tanks from the bridge down into Rage Owl Star Port, and then take multiple orbital shuttle trips away from the Starport to the opposite side. This operation speed was much faster than using landing craft trip by trip. Looking at the Starport, though still small and rudimentary, Gu Hang felt a surge of pride. He could almost see the future vision of it being wrapped in armor, bristling with guns, equipped with a shipyard, and turning into a Star Fortress stronghold! Chapter 441 - Chapter 441: Chapter 265: The Great Development Relying on Starport Chapter 441: Chapter 265: The Great Development Relying on Starport After landing on the ground, Gu Hang had a special conversation with the person in charge of constructing the Starport. This person was none other than Hu Ke. Under Gu Hang¡¯s leadership, the two most outstanding scientific research personnel were both from the Mechanical Cult Guild, namely Hu Ke and Wu Jiarong. According to the guild¡¯s rankings, both of them had achieved the standard of an ¡°Engine Prophet.¡± The person Gu Hang trusted even more was obviously Wu Jiarong. However, precisely because of this, she bore even more critical responsibilities. She had to constantly stay within the walls of the research institute in Weixing City, guarding the Black Box that must not be known to outsiders. Her scientific research team needed to provide technical support for the increasingly vast production system of Weixing City. Compared to her, Hu Ke was not as busy. His last major project was conducting agricultural production guidance and optimizing grain seed genetics in the Green Valley Region. This was a job well-suited to him as he specialized in genetic engineering. Aside from the agricultural construction in the Green Valley Region, he also had work constructing soilless vertical cultivation plant factories in uninhabited settlements within the Central Province and Central-North Province. The relevant technology was something Gu Hang had originally purchased from his cousin. Objectively speaking, Hu Ke¡¯s work over a considerable period had provided considerable support to the agricultural development on Rage Owl Star. At the same time, Hu Ke was also a professor at the Alliance Technical College, having taught many students. Let¡¯s not talk about those who were still in the learning phase of their classes, but those who had reached a certain level were brought by him to participate in actual research projects. After the technical guidance for food production was put on the right track, Hu Ke gradually disentangled himself from the work, leaving his students in charge of the related technical matters. Meanwhile, he himself was entrusted by Gu Hang with the task of supervising the construction of the Starport. Truth be told, Hu Ke did not enjoy Gu Hang¡¯s full trust; he certainly would not be allowed to come in contact with the secrets of the Black Box. But the special thing about the Starport construction was that it wasn¡¯t about creating a Starport from a Black Box, but an entire ¡°blueprint.¡± Included in the blueprint were, of course, several Black Boxes, used to produce key components or the parent machines for mass production of these key parts. This part was still left to the research institute in Weixing City. However, there were also many generic components and structural production tasks, as well as the assembly of different sections, that required high technical expertise. Purely relying on technicians to handle it would be slow and prone to problems. Hu Ke and his team were there to take on this portion of the work. Even though Starport construction was certainly not his area of expertise as a genetic engineering specialist, his fundamental capabilities were evident. Even without the bonus of specialized expertise, he was much more reliable than someone with poor technical abilities chosen at random. And he did not disappoint Mr. Gu¡¯s expectations. Hu Ke, accompanied by Mr. Gu, inspected the ground section of the Starport. This was also a major construction site, but its scale was much larger than that of the orbital section. The utmost priority here was the second magnetic levitation track being constructed towards the Starport. Along with the gradual expansion of the Orbital Starport, the newly established magnetic levitation tracks will greatly increase the throughput of goods and personnel in the Starport, which for now, is only barely functioning. Overall, the situation was quite encouraging. At present, the main reasons restricting the construction speed of the Starport were twofold: the production capacity of core components was concerning, and the number of machines suitable for space operations was severely lacking. Efforts were underway to overcome both issues. The core components of the Starport currently relied heavily on being manufactured in the labs of Weixing City (via Black Boxes) and then transported here for assembly. However, related production lines were already under construction. The first batch of mass-production factories for Starport components had been erected near Starport City, just waiting for the equipment to be transported from Weixing City to start production. Once this factory began production, within two months, it could meet 70% of the demand for core components locally, vastly increasing the construction speed of the Starport. As for the second issue, the space operation machines would mainly rely on the industrial power of Weixing City. Once they were freed from producing core components for the Starport, they would have more energy to devote to building more space engineering machines. Gu Hang nodded continuously as he listened. It was normal to encounter problems, as long as there were solutions in place. During the inspection, an Alliance official also hurried to the scene. This was the Chief of Xiongya Province, Rafael. As the first recovered province that was closest to the west among the three provinces in the east, under Rafael¡¯s leadership, Xiongya Province¡¯s development plan was the most comprehensive and fastest progressing. One reason for this success was the geographical advantage that garnered the Starport construction in Skaaro Highlands within Xiongya Province. The other reason was that Rafael was indeed very capable. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only During the inspection, Rafael detailed a series of subsequent development plans for Mr. Gu. There¡¯s no need to mention much about the Starport; Rafael planned to build a city around this core, the Starport. Skaaro City would be also known as Starport City. The main focus of Skaaro City would be a transportation hub. With several express routes, including railways and highways, forming a road network with Skaaro City at the center, it would extend to all regions of the Alliance. Chapter 442 - Chapter 442: 265 Chapter 442: 265 Relying on the many industries generated by road transportation, such as logistics, road maintenance, vehicle maintenance, energy processing, and a series of other industries, all were in the process of being prepared. Here, a large number of convenient commercial and trade services were also provided, facilitating subsequent cities and industrial zones to set up foreign trade branches in this place. These were the core driving forces for the future development of Skaaro City. However, long-term forces were still a matter of the future. At present, the biggest driving force for the development of Skaaro City was the construction of the Starport. Undoubtedly, the construction of the Starport itself would create a huge market demand. Hundreds of thousands of workers were working here, their food, clothing, housing, and transportation spurred the initial market of Skaaro City; the parts factories serving the construction of the Starport would also give rise to a large number of services; Rafael was even striving to introduce some production lines to establish a preliminary raw material processing system in Skaaro City. With the help of the developed road network and the huge demand brought by the construction of the Starport, Skaaro City even had the chance to become an industrial city before becoming a hub city. This was certainly not a bad thing. During the half-day inspection of the Starport and Skaaro City, Gu Hang was generally satisfied with the development here. And just before Gu Hang was about to leave, Hu Ke applied to have a private chat with him. ¡°Thank you very much for letting me participate in the construction of the Starport.¡± Hu Ke¡¯s face was overflowing with a smile. Gu Hang was also very polite, ¡°It¡¯s I who should thank you for your efforts.¡± ¡°No, no, no¡­ It¡¯s what I ought to do. I¡¯m taking the salary and benefits provided by the Alliance Government, so I should do these things. But you let me participate in the construction of the Starport, and the set of technical blueprints you gave me is truly¡­ I apologize, I don¡¯t know how to describe it. This entire set of technical blueprints is simply unbelievable! I¡¯ve learned so much from them.¡± ¡°In the past, for a long time, I was very confused about my future development. I haven¡¯t felt myself progressing for a long time. But just in the past few months, I feel that my abilities have grown significantly. All of this is thanks to participating in this project, so I must thank you!¡± Hearing this, Gu Hang had already faintly perceived what Hu Ke probably meant. But he didn¡¯t speak. Hu Ke sneaked a glance at Gu Hang¡¯s expression, didn¡¯t make out anything, so he could only continue, ¡°Your planet¡­ or to be more precise, the research institute controlled by Ms. Wu Jiarong, is truly miraculous. Various technologies keep emerging from within the institute, inspiring longing¡­ If possible, I would like to join the institute.¡± As expected. Gu Hang felt inwardly moved. In the research institute of Weixing City, where technology kept spurting out like a fountain, it was impossible to hide such a thing from anyone intent on finding out. Possibly no one had such a powerful imagination to immediately think that there were already several dozen Black Boxes there and that there would be even more as Gu Hang unlocked more and more of the technology tree. However, it was quite normal to think that there were secrets there. Otherwise, were all these inventions developed by Wu Jiarong? That would be too genius. It¡¯s not that there couldn¡¯t be someone with such gifted talent, but even if there were a supremely talented genius leading the institute, whose scientific research ability was impeccable, it would still take time to produce so many results. But it seemed as if it took no time at all for Wu Jiarong to create all these. Gu Hang understood Hu Ke¡¯s curiosity, he would have felt the same way. And it was not just Hu Ke. In the past, although the development speed of Rage Owl Star was fast and the rise of Gu Hang was rapid, the stage was limited to the planet that didn¡¯t even have a Starport, with little interstellar communication. Even if there were anomalies, people were too lazy to pay attention. Just as ordinary people wouldn¡¯t care about what happens in an ant nest. However, as the development of Rage Owl Star accelerated in the future, expanding its influence onto a larger stage, the situation on Rage Owl Star wouldn¡¯t be as simple as an ant nest. Even now, people began to wonder how Gu Hang managed to build a powerful army on a barren planet, how he had developed so rapidly in just a few years, and how those mature production lines came into existence. In response to this, Gu Hang had already prepared two sets of explanations. First, Wu Jiarong was a genius. Second, the Gu Family had invested in and constructed it. These explanations might suffice for ordinary circumstances, but for those with intent, who had thoroughly investigated the rise of the Rage Owl Star Alliance, they would be a bit hard to accept. And Gu Hang didn¡¯t bother to find new explanations¨Che couldn¡¯t find any. On this matter, the fallback he had prepared was just one move: no response, strict confidentiality. The Alliance¡¯s security work for Wu Jiarong¡¯s research institute was elevated to the highest level, even stricter than the security for Gu Hang himself. The only living person allowed to access the Black Box, apart from Wu Jiarong, was nobody else¨Cservo servants don¡¯t count as people, and they wouldn¡¯t reveal secrets. As for how the Alliance developed and pulled off so much technology, you can guess that on your own. Guess whatever you like, but if you want to come up with evidence, you¡¯re dreaming. As for outright inspection, Mr. Gu would firmly refuse in his capacity as Planetary Governor. Imperial law grants the Planetary Governor all powers on his own planet, so of course, Mr. Gu had the right to do so. Of course, this so-called power needed to be backed by strength. Mr. Gu¡¯s future goal was to ensure he had the strength to do so, preventing entities from the Star Sector Government to the Tribunal and Mechanical Church from forcefully conducting inspections. Without concrete evidence, it¡¯s challenging to create trouble through official means; without evidence, merely a suspicion makes it difficult for certain powers to take significant action. Of course, before Mr. Gu developed to a certain extent, there wasn¡¯t too much need to worry about this issue. It¡¯s still that old metaphor: when he was still an ant nest, no one cared about what happened in the ant nest, let alone thinking that the infinitely precious Black Boxes would be piled high inside it. Honestly, other possibilities are much more plausible than ¡®Mr. Gu has a system that can produce a bunch of Black Boxes at will¡¯. As for using the tech tree more cautiously in the future¡­ Mr. Gu did not plan to do that. The things that need to be cautious and kept secret, of course, must be done with all effort. But to say that for the sake of confidentiality, he would slow down his own development pace, Mr. Gu was not going to do that. That would be sacrificing the essential for the sake of the trivial. As for the present, with Hu Ke¡¯s request, Mr. Gu had a rough idea of what he wanted to say when he anticipated it earlier. He spread his hands to Hu Ke and said honestly, ¡°Mr. Hu, I understand your curiosity about the Alliance Research Institute. There lies the core of the Alliance¡¯s technological output, containing the core secrets. I too wish you could join there; you would learn many secrets, which would greatly benefit you. But¡­¡± ¡°Please allow me to be frank, to ensure the secrets don¡¯t get leaked, I need every person joining the institute to be trustworthy enough. Mr. Hu, you still need to pass a period of testing. Perhaps a visit to the Loyal Heir Academy is necessary.¡± ¡°Additionally, also in the interest of keeping secrets, once you join the research institute, you will lose a lot. Your movements might be restricted, and your actions might have to be reported, subject to close surveillance; the time you spend with your family will also be reduced¡­¡± At this point, Mr. Gu opened his arms, looking Hu Ke in the eye as he spoke, ¡°You may need to consider this matter carefully.¡± After listening, Hu Ke indeed hesitated. He hadn¡¯t even considered the Black Boxes; his biggest suspicion was merely that the research institute contained many technical blueprints obtained by the Gu Family, such as various technologies for weapons and the construction of production materials, all achieved through the replication of technical blueprints. What he wanted were those. Studying those technical blueprints would greatly improve his level. Still, he quite understood the reasons Mr. Gu expressed for ¡®keeping secrets¡¯. The price of undergoing strict surveillance, being cautious even when with family, was something he found hard to accept. ¡°There¡¯s no rush,¡± Mr. Gu said, ¡°You can make this choice at any time, you don¡¯t need to give me an answer right now.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Governor, I will consider the whole matter carefully.¡± After the conversation, Mr. Gu boarded the Wind Falcon and returned to Revival City. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only There, his loyal subordinates had many things to report to him. But before that, he needed to tend to some other matters. The nearly twenty thousand points of grace he had at his disposal had to be spent. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.2k Chapter 443 - Chapter 443: Chapter 266, Army Establishment, Rage Bear Legion Chapter 443: Chapter 266, Army Establishment, Rage Bear Legion Gu Hang currently has a total of over 17,000 grace points at his disposal. With such an amount of grace points, Gu Hang could do many things. The first thing to be done was military construction. At present, the total strength of the Alliance Army was about 330,000, with 38 division and brigade-level units, divided into several group armies, deployed in different places to perform different tasks. He had calculated that, according to the standard of Imperial Tax, the total value of these 38 divisions, if all at full strength, would be about 6 million Tax Currency¨Cthat was the combined value of both people and equipment. Moreover, Gu Hang had already obtained permission to establish a Star Realm Army Corps at Rage Owl Star. The authorization had even been issued. The designation was Corps 43.25.09.03. This string of numbers was quite interesting. 43 was the code for the Eastern Cosmos Domain; 25 was the code for the Dragonhawk Star Domain; 09 was the code for the Tianma Star Sector; 03 was for Rage Owl Star. Put together, this was the administrative code for Rage Owl Star at the Empire¡¯s Administrative Department. For another example, the Human Ancestral Star, the imperial capital, Holy Terra, is 01.01.01.01: Sun Zhou Domain, Sun Star Domain, Sun Star Sector, Holy Terra. If the last number changes to 2, it would be Foundry World Mars, which is the headquarters of the Mechanical Cult Guild, also known as Mars. The Star Realm Army also liked to do this: whatever planet was the main source of recruitment for the newly formed corps, that planet¡¯s code would be given to the corps. Of course, this method of addressing was very cumbersome. With too many, you just couldn¡¯t remember them all, so it was generally only used in internal documents. Gu Hang could choose his own name for the corps and report it. Generally speaking, the Star Domain Military Headquarters would not fuss over this and would allow it. Gu Hang came up with a very simple name: Rage Bear Legion. There was a high likelihood of duplication of names, which was normal. But duplication was not a problem, as long as the identification number was correct. Whether it was requesting supplies or issuing orders, as long as it was an official document, a unique identification number would be attached to ensure that there were no mistakes due to language differences, duplication, etc. The Star Realm Army that Gu Hang was tasked to create was required to have a total value of over 2.5 million Tax Currency, which was two years of Imperial Tax for Rage Owl Star. In principle, the tax amount should be 10 million. The remaining 7.5 million, according to what was said before Gu Hang¡¯s arrival, was to be paid by the Star Sector Government. With the goal of creating an army worth 2.5 million Tax Currency, and the total value of the Alliance Army being over 6 million, Gu Hang definitely wouldn¡¯t transfer all of the troops into it. Even if the Star Realm Army would be under his control, with positions from officers to corps commander appointed by Gu Hang, and could be permanently stationed on Rage Owl Star under the pretext of guarding against a potential attack from the Green Skin Orcs, ensuring the stability of Rage Owl Star¡­ Despite this, Gu Hang still had to be cautious. After all, this troop would still be under the unified command of the Imperial Star Realm Army. If an official order came through sending them off to fight somewhere, they would have to go, wouldn¡¯t they? It wouldn¡¯t be possible to defy orders. There were benefits, though. Firstly there was the tax credit. And secondly¡­ it was still the tax credit. However, even the method of tax credit could vary. After establishing this troop, the immediate tax credit of 2.5 million in tax payments was one aspect. In the future, whether it was for expanding the troop or routine maintenance, the Alliance would not need to pay out of its own pocket any longer. If permission was obtained for expansion, and if the new troops were transported by the Military Affairs Department from outside, that would be one thing. But if they were recruited and bought from Rage Owl Star, then that would also be a tax credit. For day-to-day military maintenance, such as equipment depreciation, ammunition replenishment, personnel replenishment, the Military Affairs Department and Star Realm Army would foot the bill. Of course, in reality, it would not be feasible to transport troops and equipment from far-off worlds, so Rage Owl Star would still need to provide for them. And all these expenses could also be used as a tax credit. When calculated, the annual maintenance cost of an army with a total value of 2.5 million Tax Currency would also have to be around 250,000 Tax Currency¨Cprovided there wasn¡¯t a major war. If there were a fierce war with substantial losses of equipment and personnel, replenishing those would entail extra costs. From an economic standpoint, planning to reassign a portion of the Alliance Army into the Star Realm Army ¨C Rage Bear Legion, in itself, wasn¡¯t a losing business. As for how much control Gu Hang could exert over the Rage Bear Legion, that was an added bonus. Gu Hang planned to incorporate thirteen divisions into this legion. They were the 3rd Beast-slaying Brigade, the 11th and 12th Infantry Divisions; 14th Infantry Division; 26th to 30th Infantry Divisions; 31st Airborne Division; 32nd and 33rd Infantry Divisions; 35th Mechanized Brigade. The total strength of the army was 140,000 people, nearly half the force of the Alliance Army. However, the number of crucial mechanized brigades included was small, only one. An infantry division with 12,000 people cost only 200,000 Tax Currency to form; a fully-staffed mechanized brigade had less than 9,000 people but its cost soared straight to 460,000 Tax Currency. To assemble these thirteen divisions, Gu Hang had essentially dismantled and merged the group army that was previously used to recover the North Territory and the Central Group Army that had been used to pacify the Eastern Provinces. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The thirteen divisions had already received their orders. They would assemble and station near the capital, Revival City, to await inspection by the Imperial Tax Officers arriving two months later. Considering this, Gu Hang scratched his head, feeling that he still needed to expand the military further. After allocating the ¡°Rage Bear Legion,¡± the number of troops under the Alliance Army was a bit insufficient. Gu Hang had several plans moving forward. Firstly, he wanted to establish the Eastern Group Army. The manpower for this part of the army was already available; they were militias established on-site by Yan Fangxu after pacifying the Eastern Provinces, stationed locally, totaling about 100,000 people. Chapter 444 - Chapter 444: Chapter 266, Army Establishment, Rage Bear Legion_2 Chapter 444: Chapter 266, Army Establishment, Rage Bear Legion_2 ¡°`plaintext Gu Hang planned to reorganize half of the forces on the spot into the 39th to 45th Divisions, adopting the formation of a garrison division with 6,260 troops each. Not even armored vehicles were needed; arming them with a large number of motorcycles and Iron Bull trucks for motorization was sufficient. The reorganization of these seven garrison divisions was expected to be done within a month, as production and distribution of too much new equipment was not required. There was a substantial existing inventory of artillery, trucks, and individual soldier equipment. As for the troops¡¯ training, it was a matter of Gu Hang clicking in the Army Badge System¨Ca few grace points spent, one point for a hundred men, not expensive at all. Afterwards, he would reorganize the other half into regular forces, forming five divisions. Divisions 46 and 47 would follow the organization of a mechanized brigade, while Divisions 48 to 50 would follow that of an infantry division. These five divisions wouldn¡¯t be ready immediately. Though the training of troops was quick, a large amount of equipment for these five divisions needed extra production. Various armored vehicles, tanks, and regimental firefighting heavy artillery¡­ The military logistics department¡¯s inventory was seriously inadequate, even in arrears. Especially in the case of armored vehicles and tanks. Currently, the monthly production capacity of the Alliance Army¡¯s Lion Tanks reached 34 units, and for armored vehicles, 160 units. These were the two most critical pieces of equipment hindering the land force¡¯s construction. Not just the newly established forces, but even the old mechanized brigades that theoretically should have a complete complement of fifty tanks per brigade hadn¡¯t been fully equipped. Except for the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade, which had added an extra tank battalion to become fully equipped, the 35th Brigade intended to be incorporated into the Rage Bear Legion was the next in line to be prioritized for completion. The rest of the mechanized brigades each generally had only eighteen tanks. If Gu Hang wanted to create a true surge of steel, he needed to find ways to increase the production of tanks and armored vehicles. And that was already underway. On the one hand, Weixing City was always striving to expand its production capacity; on the other hand, the continuously constructed production lines were spilling over to surrounding provinces. Aside from alleviating the production pressure of Weixing City, the aim was also to drive the production level in other provinces, solving employment issues, and harnessing the potential of human resources. This initiative was already in motion. These areas had also started setting up some heavy and military industry factories. For example, areas in the Central Province took on a number of individual soldier equipment manufacturing plants and various types of construction machinery manufacturing; Gaota Province undertook a vehicle parts production plant and began building their own car manufacturing plant on the spot, with armored vehicle production lines also in place. And the Central-North Province, in particular, is worth mentioning. Originally, it was the province with the least population within the Alliance¡¯s administrative divisions. However, after the North Territory was liberated, a considerable amount of land and population were allocated to the Central-North Province, with the rest establishing the Northern Border Province. Inheriting many of the assets of the Polar Industrial Group, even the Polar Industrial City became part of Central-North Province and was renamed Guangbei City. The related technical industry upgrades have been making considerable progress lately. The Central-North Province can now produce tanks! This model had long been considered by Gu Hang. First, establish the Weixing City Industrial Center, then use the wealth of the early winners to drive the prosperity of the later ones, radiating to surrounding areas. Other regions were first positioned as suppliers of consumer goods, food, and raw materials, and later gradually took on the extra production capacity. Now, the second step had already been reached. With the industrialization efforts of all parties continuously advancing, the industrial capability of the Alliance will undoubtedly maintain high growth for the following period, even possibly higher than in the past. If calculated by the increase in production capacity before, the five divisions belonging to the Central Group Army, particularly the two mechanized brigades, could complete their preparations in approximately three months. If the expansion of productive capacity is more ideal, then this time could possibly be shortened to within two months. Training these troops, aside from solving the weaponry and equipment issues, the other concern was training the soldiers. The current militia units established in the Eastern Provinces lacked formal organization and had not undergone training with grace points. Two armies in total, adding about one hundred thousand new personnel; plus the first phase of the Expeditionary Force dispatched to Heijian Star that came back crippled, which includes the 34th Infantry Division, the 37th and the 38th Mechanical Brigades, also require replenishment of troops. These three divisions alone had direct personnel losses nearing twenty thousand. Along with the fallen, there were also many disabled, who were brought back and processed for retirement. The gap of twenty thousand personnel will also be filled in this military buildup. For these three divisions, compensations for the dead and disabled were one aspect. On the other hand, in keeping with his promise, Gu Hang commended these three divisions with collective third-class merit. All units down to the company level from these three divisions were allowed to affix a symbol of a single sword behind a shield on their banners and unit arm patches; a mark of honor. Certain companies even received collective second-class merit; some combat heroes, whether alive or deceased, disabled or intact, also received individual medals. Collective medals were all well and good as a bonus for the soldiers, mainly reflecting on the unit¡¯s honor; individual medals were extremely valuable. This signified the Alliance¡¯s recognition of their meritorious service. As long as they did not commit crimes in the future, these medal recipients could receive a life-long, though not large, very decent and supplemental allowance. ¡°` Meanwhile, nearly all personnel who participated in the combat were rapidly promoted in military rank, with a large number of them being appointed as officers. With these advancements in rank, and even some warriors being commissioned as officers, there was also a promotion in their duties. Platoon leaders were promoted to company leaders, company leaders to battalion leaders, and there were even those who became regiment leaders. Even if the original units couldn¡¯t accommodate so many officers, it didn¡¯t matter. The twelve newly established divisions had a large number of officer vacancies, which allowed for these individuals to be transferred out and replenished within these units. In order to train these troops, Gu Hang spent twelve hundred points on grace points. This was not considered a large amount. As long as one doesn¡¯t engage in creating an army of a million people, the grace points spent on training troops are generally not too high. ¡­ After planning the grace points for troop training, Gu Hang was left with over sixteen thousand grace points in hand. After some thought, he decided to use them for drawing technology. He could draw at the ten thousand level, but there was no need. The greatest value of the ten thousand level technology tree mainly comes from a 25% chance to draw an epic-level technology. But¡­ Even if he drew an epic-level technology, it might be too advanced for current Rage Owl Star¡¯s industrial level to assimilate. Moreover, he hadn¡¯t exhausted the 1000 grace point tier technology pool yet. Although there was a 57.5% chance of drawing nothing at this level, he could try a few more times. He decided to go for a six-times draw. The first draw resulted in nothing, as did the second; the third drew a basic level; the fourth drew an advanced level; the fifth drew nothing; the sixth was another basic level. The two basic levels were the [HS6 Electromagnetic Gun Family] and [Cannon Retrofit] technologies. Both were relatively ordinary, without any significant changes. Electromagnetic rifles and laser guns are highly interchangeable, with similar power, performance, and cost. The main difference lies in their performance against different enemies. Generally, mature and elite-level Star Realm Armed Forces units would be broadly equipped with both types of rifles¨CG-series bullet rifles would be completely phased out and reserved for regular Star Realm troops. But for Rage Owl Star, this is more of a technical reserve. The cost of a complete set of either laser guns or electromagnetic rifles, with all the accompanying individual equipment, is 4 tax currency; a G9 set only costs 0.2 tax currency. There¡¯s quite a price gap. Gu Hang can¡¯t afford to produce them for the time being. However, the cannon technology was powerful. Even the standard 155 howitzer, when compared to one retrofitted, showed significant differences in range and power. Especially in terms of range, it could reach up to 40 kilometers, doubling the distance. At the same time, for some smaller caliber artillery, such as the 88 howitzers and the 60 mortars, power, range, and stability would all be enhanced. This was excellent, a tangible enhancement to the Alliance Army. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The advanced-level technology, on the other hand, made Gu Hang even happier. [¡®Traveler¡¯ Class Starship] ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k Recently, they have all been sent at midnight¡­ Chapter 447 - Chapter 447: Chapter 268, Alliance Output Chapter 447: Chapter 268, Alliance Output Gu Hang had some time, so he spoke with Wu Jiarong a bit more. Starting from the extremely fast progress that Wu Jiarong had made, he came up with another idea: ¡°If we send more people to join the research institute, I¡¯m not talking about the periphery, but formally, like you, capable of researching the Black Box, wouldn¡¯t that make the entire Alliance very strong in training scientific research personnel?¡± ¡°In theory, yes,¡± Wu Jiarong said, ¡°Although I can share some of my research findings, and I¡¯ve also established a research journal within the Technical Academy to speed up the training of technical personnel; moreover, if these technical personnel were to participate in the Black Box research, and if they reached the same conclusions and results, it wouldn¡¯t be much help to their growth. But overall, we have too many Black Boxes here, and I simply can¡¯t study them all. Having more help would definitely be good.¡± ¡°The only problem lies in keeping secrets.¡± At that point, Gu Hang thought of Hu Ke. He would certainly be a good choice. But after all, he is an outsider, and still needs to be tested. Gu Hang said to Wu Jiarong, ¡°Pick a few talented young people and bring them to meet me.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Wu Jiarong was quite happy to have received permission, ¡°Indeed, there are a few good candidates. After they join, I will definitely pay attention to security issues regarding confidentiality.¡± ¡°Mhm, we can¡¯t relax here.¡± While saying so, Gu Hang also made plans for a double layer of assurance. Later, he met the three young men and one woman that Wu Jiarong had selected. Gu Hang chatted with them, which was basically like an interview. During the interview, he casually used his mental manipulation, making some adjustments. He tried his best to avoid abusing this ability. However, when it came to the secrets of the Black Box, he had to be cautious. He would not overly interfere with their minds, just adding a layer of Mental Maze Lock which would prevent the participants from leaking any information. Next, Wu Jiarong would take these young people, who were actually at most the level of technical staff, into the real gates of the research institute. They were confused and had no idea of the grand hall they were about to enter. ¡­ After finishing all this, Gu Hang hurriedly boarded the Wind Falcon and embarked on the journey back to Revival City. There, many of the Alliance¡¯s high-ranking officials had already gathered together. Gu Hang had to meet individually with Osenia, Lambert, Tadeusz, and others, listen to their recent work reports, then preside over a work meeting facing many high-ranking Alliance officials. The content of Tadeusz¡¯s report was quite routine, related to military construction matters. During the entire reporting process, it was mainly Gu Hang talking while he listened. Gu Hang had plans to build the Rage Bear Legion, in preparation for its eventual incorporation into the Star Realm Army; moreover, the new Eastern Group Army and Central Group Army also required Tadeusz¡¯s attention. After receiving instructions from the governor, Tadeusz hurried off. Mobilizing troops, forming the Rage Bear Legion; reorganizing twelve divisions from the militia groups in the three Eastern provinces, these were all considered major actions, and he had many busy days ahead. Afterward, there was a lot to discuss with Osenia. The Alliance Premier went into detail about the current development status of the Alliance. Currently, within the Alliance¡¯s control, there were twenty-five million people, divided into eight provinces. By estimation, the Alliance¡¯s total GDP for the year reached 34.14 million Tax Currency. Under this premise, the Alliance¡¯s per capita welfare and allowances totaled a consumption of ten million Tax Currency; administrative costs, developmental reinvestment, military industrial supply for the troops, all adding up to a consumption of twenty-three million Tax Currency, leaving an Alliance budget surplus of around one million Tax Currency. Of course, this so-called Tax Currency is actually a statistical methodology, and the currency issued internally by the Alliance is another matter. Many of the investments and welfare are not issued in currency but are given in the form of goods. Another point that must be mentioned is that these are the normal economic production conditions within the Alliance and do not include the outputs of the Weixing City research institute. The outputs of the research institute cannot be calculated. There are both direct outputs of various military products and the construction of numerous production lines, which are of extraordinary value. Actually, if the outputs of the research institute were included, the Alliance¡¯s expenditure in industrial production reinvestment would be much higher than the apparent figures. In terms of outputs, unexpectedly, the province with the highest GDP in the Alliance was not the anticipated Weixing City Industrial Center, but the Beiqing Valley Province. The main reason was that the natural environment of Beiqing Valley Province was too good. Possessing the second largest area of land in the whole Alliance, this place could be called a land of a thousand miles of fertile soil. Correspondingly, the largest in terms of area was the Northern Border Province, but the land there was extremely barren. The disparity between the two was quite significant. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Similarly, Beiqing Valley Province had a population of eight million, accounting for one-third of the entire Alliance. The most fertile land, the second largest area, the largest population¡­ these factors created the highest GDP province in the entire Alliance. Moreover, not just in total volume, but also in per capita GDP, it was the highest. It was even higher than the per capita GDP of Weixing. This was mainly because, after a large number of agricultural machines were produced and sent to Weixing, the land there was utilized very effectively. Eight million people spread out over those vast fertile lands, driving farming machines, each household tending hundreds of acres of land, using genetically improved seeds, and with industrial fertilizers providing a boost, the productivity could not be low. Chapter 448 - Chapter 448: Chapter 268, Alliance Output_2 Chapter 448: Chapter 268, Alliance Output_2 The Beiqing Valley Region has already put into use two hundred million acres of farmland, and along with the service industry, transportation, fertilizer, and food processing industries that have stemmed from agricultural production, the per capita annual output value has reached 2.3 Tax Currency. By contrast, Weixing City¡¯s per capita output currently stands at only 1.95 Tax Currency, and the population is just 2.55 million, a little short of the five million annual output target. This is the origin of the disparity between the two. Of course, when looking at development, you can¡¯t just look at money The main produce of Beiqing Valley Province is agricultural, primarily grains, with various other types of economic crops supplementing it. These goods are solid currency, whether they are consumed domestically, used as agricultural exports in trade, or even used to pay taxes, the prices are very stable. However, relying on agriculture alone will not make you rich, nor can it cultivate a reliable army. Moreover, large-scale agricultural production fundamentally relies on ¡®land,¡¯ a resource with a limit. Although currently, a large amount of farmland in the Green Valley Region has not been put to use. According to estimates, the viable farming area of Beiqing Valley Region could reach up to 1.2 billion acres; furthermore, the Southern Green Valley is still undeveloped, and if it were to be fully developed, it could provide no less than 700 million acres of arable land. But ultimately, there is a limit to this. However, industrial mass production has no limit. As time progresses, the per capita output of Weixing City will have even more room for growth. Furthermore, according to the plans of Prime Minister Osenia and Weixing City¡¯s Mayor Patel, construction in Weixing City is set to accelerate in the following year. Weixing City¡¯s population growth has already been rapid. In two years, it developed from an empty plain into an industrial city of 2.5 million people today. But it can be even faster. The constraints on further population growth are the expansion of industrial lines and the construction of urban infrastructure. In this area, they expect to solidify the foundation within half a year; afterward, in the span of one year, they plan to double the industrial population of Weixing City again. In such a case, Weixing City¡¯s industrial output value should be able to catch up with Beiqing Valley Region¡¯s agricultural output. Of course, no matter what, the Beiqing Valley Region and Weixing City are currently the core sources of output for the Alliance. Combined, they account for over 67% of the Alliance¡¯s total output value. The remaining provinces are lagging behind. Apart from Revival City, the capital, which barely reached an annual per capita output of 1 Tax Currency, the rest did not even reach 1. The poorest among them is the newly reclaimed Northern Border Province. Since the Extreme North Industrial City was assigned to Central-North Province and Polar Industrial Group¡¯s main production capacity was moved during the administrative division, Northern Border Province, despite having the Alliance¡¯s largest land area and a population of 3 million, has a per capita annual output value of only 0.34. Let alone the future investments and construction that the Alliance plans to carry out there, just those more than 3 million people, based on the Alliance¡¯s welfare and allowance policies, with a per capita cost of 0.4 Tax Currency, it¡¯s a loss-making business. It¡¯s not much better in other areas either; even if they don¡¯t lose money on welfare allowances, when you factor in the tax contributions, they don¡¯t make much of a profit. Add to that the investment in construction, and most of it is pure loss. However, as the saying goes, in construction, you can¡¯t just look at the money; this isn¡¯t about doing business. Despite its harsh natural environment, the Northern Border Province has mines. Exploration teams using [Resource Exploration Technology], who have been working throughout the Alliance territories, have discovered three different types of ore veins in the Northern Border Province just in the past month. Plus, with the numerous mining ruins left over from before the war, it may potentially become the Alliance¡¯s most important mining resource area in the future. The Xiongya Province in the Eastern three provinces, leveraging Starport, has already found its development path; the other two provinces are somewhat behind but are also trying to find solutions, and at the very least, they have ruins within their territories to clear. The pre-war Nest Capital has enough debris to provide for many years to come. Before it is completely exhausted, they have plenty of time to find a way out. Gaota Province, Central-North Province, and other areas of the Central Province are trying to absorb the spillover industries from Weixing City, hoping to form a large industrial circle centered around Weixing City¡­ Everyone has a bright future! In the end, Osenia summarized, ¡°In the next two-year plan, what I hope to achieve is to double the Alliance¡¯s total output value; even in the poorest provinces, the per capita output should exceed 1.¡± Gu Hang gently clapped. He was mostly satisfied with Osenia¡¯s report. Could one ask for more? Actually, since its establishment, the Alliance had only just gone through two years. Weixing City was built from scratch; Beiqing Valley had only been reclaimed for just over a year; the three eastern provinces were recovered less than a year ago; the North Territory had been reclaimed just one month ago. In such circumstances, to have developed to this point, the golden finger that Gu Hang brought with him through time-travel, which was devoid of reason, was certainly the most significant factor. However, Osenia, as the chief steward of the whole Alliance Government, played a role that could not be overlooked due to the arduous work she had put in. In the midst of applause, Gu Hang opened the character interface. He could see that Osenia¡¯s character information had quietly upgraded from R to SR level. At the same time, beside her LV3, there was an option to upgrade. Without hesitation, Gu Hang clicked on the upgrade. Osenia became an LV4 governor. Furthermore, she could continue upgrading. She had indeed accumulated a lot of experience in this position. However, Gu Hang no longer had enough blessing points in hand. He only had 194 points left, which was not enough to meet the 500 points required for an LV4 character to upgrade to LV5. But it didn¡¯t matter, after the following ¡®payday¡¯, Gu Hang would not hesitate to give Osenia another level up. Currently, Gu Hang¡¯s monthly blessing income had reached 3522 points. Of this, the Alliance provided 3178 points, and the remaining 344 were provided by the Luman Kingdom through the [Vassal] system. It was quite sentimental. In the past, after a battle, earning a thousand or two blessing points felt like striking it rich, as the monthly blessing points were not very substantial and were rather insignificant. But now, it seemed that while fighting could lead to sudden wealth, the daily accumulation from farming should not be neglected either. Ten thousand blessing points were merely a matter of lying in bed for three months. Nothing to speak of. Moreover, this monthly blessing point income would continue to grow as the Alliance expanded. ¡­ After meeting with Osenia, Gu Hang then met with Lambert. The matters he mentioned were mainly threefold. One was the construction of the legal system within the Alliance¡¯s territory, which was advancing normally. Whether it was criminal law, civil law, or the like, Gu Hang had reviewed them quite seriously. The legal system was, of course, very important. The second matter was the result of the anti-corruption campaign that started in the Beiqing Valley Province and gradually extended to the entire Alliance. A considerable number of Alliance officials were purged and held accountable. The majority of the trouble came from those officials who had transitioned from the original ruling class. The Alliance had already given them an opportunity, but they did not seize it; therefore, the Alliance was not to blame for taking stringent measures. There were relatively few death sentences, and those who were sentenced were transformed into servitor skulls or automata, to make full use of them; most were subjected to labor sentences, with lighter cases supplemented by imprisonment and demotion. One should not think that labor sentences were light; a ten-year labor sentence was truly worse than a straightforward execution¨Cthe Alliance was not yet wealthy enough or advanced enough to consider or improve the working conditions for prisoners with labor sentences. Generally, those sentenced to ten years of labor did not survive that long. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In fact, the Servant Management Bureau and the Servo Skull Studio had visited Lambert, the chief justice, several times, hoping that he would pass heavier sentences in the future. A ten-year labor sentence, when the person doesn¡¯t survive ten years¨Cwhy bother? An execution would be more straightforward and provide them with materials to make servo skulls and automata. Those creations could serve far longer than ten years. Lambert said that he was carefully considering the matter. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k Chapter 449 - Chapter 449: Chapter 269, The West Coast of the Continent Chapter 449: Chapter 269, The West Coast of the Continent Regarding the increase in death penalties, Gu Hang was somewhat hesitant. He even thought he was being a bit too merciful. But he truly didn¡¯t want to sign more death warrants just to increase the raw materials for servile skulls and servomechanisms. He didn¡¯t think it was an appropriate way to go about things. However, upon reflection, he considered it not a big deal. So, he proposed his thoughts to Lambert. ¡°On one hand, we need to improve the mortality rate of penal labor.¡± said Gu Hang, ¡°I know we can¡¯t invest a lot of resources in improving the living conditions of the prisoners. They are criminals, sent to serve, not to enjoy themselves. Every resource of the Alliance is valuable now, and improving the humane treatment of the criminals is not a priority yet.¡± ¡°However, you need to address the corruption of the prison guards and labor overseers. The problem of withholding prisoner entitlements and deliberately mistreating them should be clearly eradicated. That¡¯s different from improving the treatment of penal laborers.¡± ¡°I agree to substantially reduce the number of ten-year servitudes. Let¡¯s be clear about one thing, if someone truly commits heinous crimes, deserving death, then we issue the death penalty and the disposal of the body is a separate matter. But if we don¡¯t wish for their death and hope they can reintegrate into society after serving and being reformed, then we should try to sentence them to five years or less as much as possible, rather than aggressively pushing them towards death.¡± Lambert nodded as he listened. That could work out well. In the future, the number of ten-year servitudes is expected to drop to a fifth of what it used to be; half of the serious offenders would be directly sentenced to death to become servile skulls or servomechanisms, and for the lesser crimes, just hand down lighter sentences to give them a chance at life. Otherwise, with the penal laborers dying from overwork every day, he would face a lot of criticism; on the other hand, the servomechanism and skull workshops would lack enough materials and also grumble at him. After discussing the prisoner situation, they returned to the main topic of anti-corruption. The large number of officials being dismounted actually demonstrates that the Alliance¡¯s integrity efforts are not up to snuff. There are indeed historical remnants of original rulers who, after transforming in situ, found their bad habits hard to shun, but the decay of government is always a big issue to be vigilant about. However, there is also good news. The number of Alliance officials who graduated from Loyal Heir Academy is increasing. And among those involved in Lambert¡¯s anti-corruption campaign, those with experiences from Loyal Heir Academy have a much lower probability of having issues compared to transformed officials. The large number of positions cleared out through the anti-corruption campaign, once taken over by these newcomers, could relatively alleviate the corruption issues. Of course, on this premise, another problem might need consideration: political stability. Keeping the bunch from the original ruling class was initially for smooth transition of power. Plus, these individuals were indeed the most capable found at that time, best fitting and understanding the local circumstances, hence they were chosen. Now, with the sudden replacement by public servants cultivated by the Alliance itself, some turmoil is inevitable. On the one hand, those with hidden agendas might cause trouble, as those dismounted officials might have considerable influence in their hometowns; on the other hand, these officials dispatched from the Alliance¡¯s central government must perform exceptionally well and quickly manage the local situations to smoothly take over the governance. Still, overall, although no shortage of minor chaos has arisen, major incidents have not occurred. After all, the Alliance¡¯s policies are generally good, just having a steady job ensures a stable life, which is a fundamental tone that ensures no major disruptions can arise anywhere. Why? Who would want to return to those days of uncertainty and not being treated like a human instead of living stable lives? Most people are not foolish. And for that small number of people with ulterior motives, there¡¯s no need to worry. The Alliance has knives. It has armies to stabilize the situation; an Integrity Commission to conduct secret investigations; and if need be, the Demon Hunters might just knock on the door. They can¡¯t incite serious chaos, so let them make their petty moves in the shadows. Think of it as practice for the newly appointed officials. After finishing the discussion on anti-corruption, Lambert brought up a third matter. It was something related to intelligence. ¡°Previously, when the ¡®Demon Hunter¡¯ organization was just established, we split the team into two. One team headed south to investigate the corruption case in Beiqing Valley Province, and the other was dispatched to the west, to collect intelligence on Blackbird Heavy Industries in the far west of the continent.¡± ¡°The team heading west has great difficulty in maintaining contact with our headquarters here. Over the past year, communication has been sporadic, often losing contact, which is quite worrying. However, thankfully, after some time they always manage to re-establish contact and send back some intelligence.¡± ¡°To date, by piecing together this intelligence, plus some leftover documents from the Old Alliance, records of some elders, and narratives from traveling merchants, we have roughly pieced together what the far west of the continent is like.¡± ¡°From the Central Province, westward, lies the West Desert Region. That¡¯s where it¡¯s truly vast and sparsely populated. The expansive desert alone is as big as the three provinces of the central and three provinces of the eastern combined; scattered oases sustain a limited population. However, that area was also an important food production site on Rage Owl Star in the past. The oases alone couldn¡¯t produce so much food; it was mainly due to the plantation factories left behind from the pre-war era beneath these oases.¡± ¡°With only five million inhabitants in the entire West Desert Region, naturally, there¡¯s a large amount of food that can be produced.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°However, the only thing the West Desert Region can produce is food; it lacks other commodities on a significant scale and has no industrial capabilities, relying solely on food trading to acquire other necessities. Their main customer is Blackbird Heavy Industries, and only a few oases near the east trade with us.¡± ¡°Beyond the West Desert Region further west, lies the controlled territory of Blackbird Heavy Industries. That area is about half the size of the West Desert Region, roughly the size of the three eastern provinces, and the natural environment is very similar, with pre-war urban agglomerations now nothing but ruins.¡± ¡°Blackbird Heavy Industries is stationed there. Fifteen million people work for them, mostly engaged in low-end industries, from mining in the ruins, primary processing of raw materials, to concentrating on the few arable lands to provide food¡­ And on the west coast, there is Blackbird City, the core industrial area of Blackbird Heavy Industries, with seven million people gathered there.¡± ¡°Blackbird City should be their hub of heavy industrial output, but its control is very strict. Our people have tried to enter several times and failed, those who went in never came out, nor did they send back any information. This massive city, like a black box, reveals nothing.¡± ¡°They continue to attempt infiltration, hoping to obtain more core intelligence as soon as possible.¡± Chapter 450 - Chapter 450: Chapter 270: The Demon Hunter of Blackbird City Chapter 450: Chapter 270: The Demon Hunter of Blackbird City Ilan Bird looked up at the dark building in the rain ahead and, after a careful glance, he spotted a tiny sickle emblem. That somewhat reassured him. He pulled down the hood to shield from the rain and walked under the eaves. On the side, he found a small door and knocked six times, following a special rhythm. Only then did the door open a crack, revealing orange-yellow light. A child who looked no more than five or six years old timidly poked his head out from inside. One of his eyes was normal, but the other had had a large hole gouged in its socket and a mechanical eye inserted. The child looked up at Bird under the hood, his unfamiliar face prompting alert; he hurriedly tried to close the door, but Bird stopped it with his hand. How could a five or six-year-old child have the strength to compete with an adult? With only a slight effort, Bird pushed the door open wide enough for him to slip through. He quickly sidled inside and promptly closed the door behind him. The child fell to the ground, looking at him with fear on his face, about to scream loudly, but Bird, who had quickly bent down, covered the boy¡¯s mouth. ¡°Shh¡­¡± Silencing the child, Bird gestured for him to be quiet, but he only heard the click of a gun cocking behind him. ¡°Let him go!¡± Bird stopped his movements. The child wriggled free and crawled behind the newcomer, hiding there and only showing his head, looking on fearfully. Ilan Bird raised his hands and said, ¡°Calm down! Calm down! It¡¯s me!¡± ¡°Bird?¡± The person behind seemed to recognize his voice, yet wasn¡¯t entirely sure. ¡°It¡¯s me, Tim, don¡¯t get excited,¡± Ilan Bird said, turning around. He thought he would see a handsome face. Tim Winter was the best-looking one in their Demon Hunter Squad. When they were together, they often teased him that he was too conspicuous to be a Demon Hunter working undercover. However, when he turned around and saw his teammate¡¯s face, he was taken aback. Gone was the handsome, dashing face, replaced by one full of scars. Only beneath those scars could Bird faintly make out the appearance of Tim Winter from his memory. ¡°What happened to you?¡± Tim Winter slowly lowered his gun and sighed, ¡°Bird, you shouldn¡¯t have come.¡± ¡°How could I not come? Five of you entered Blackbird City, and then for more than a month, no news at all. We had an agreement to exchange information every week, but we waited a long time at the external information point and didn¡¯t get any message from you. Instead, we almost exposed ourselves to Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ security team¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that we didn¡¯t want to send information¡­¡± Winter started to say but then stopped. First, he bent down and said something to the child behind him, allowing him to leave, then turned to Bird, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go to the back and rest. Have a cup of hot water, and then we can talk in detail.¡± ¡­ Ilan Bird and Tim Winter were both members of the Alliance Demon Hunter Organization, and they could both be considered among the first batch of members. When the Demon Hunter Organization was just established, two teams were recruited; one went south to fight corruption, and the other team, which included the two of them. They set off with a caravan, heading west, and had stayed for some time in several oasis settlements in the Western Desert, gathering some intelligence before continuing westward to the edge of the continent. Their ultimate goal was to collect intelligence about Blackbird Heavy Industries on this western side of the continent, striving to make preparations for the Alliance to liberate this planet¡¯s last piece of land. Now, the only enemy left for the Alliance on Rage Owl Star was Blackbird Heavy Industries. Those numerous desert oases in the Western Desert, those settlements built around pre-war plantation factories, hardly needed much attention. They had neither a unified organization nor sufficient military strength. After the bountiful harvest in the Green Valley Region, even the strategic resource they once held dear¨Cfood¨Cwas no longer significant to the Alliance. The sole obstacle to reclaiming the Western Desert was the complicated and entangled relationship they had with Blackbird Heavy Industries. But once they reached the western edge of the continent, within the areas under Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ effective control, what they witnessed was starkly different from what they had imagined. The natural environment here was still harsh, and the people¡¯s lives were still quite difficult, not much better than those of the many settlements before liberation by the Alliance, and definitely not comparable to the living standards of an average E5 rank and above under the Alliance. However, unlike those settlements before their liberation by the Alliance, the western edge of the continent had a complete and unified system of rule and management. Based on what they had observed and experienced on this land for almost a year, they felt that Blackbird Heavy Industries was just a big corporation¨Cof course, they always had been¨Cand the fifteen million people living here were all employees of this company. Here there were strict hierarchical relationships, performance targets assigned to each individual, organizational structures divided by department, clear managerial levels¡­ An order issued by Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ headquarters, Blackbird City, could indeed be transmitted through the ranks to a specific individual. Blackbird Heavy Industries would issue its own internal currency as wages, paid to every individual: there was no base salary, just commission based on workload and performance. Similarly, they also established supply stations in various locations. Residents could use their wages to purchase their necessities for life¡­ This social structure caused many difficulties for Bird and his fellow Demon Hunters, who were new to the area, in their intelligence-gathering efforts. They were new faces in this huge ¡®company¡¯, where there was little contact between departments and interactions mostly involved familiar faces. Initially, they caused quite a few incidents, exposing their identities and being pursued as a consequence. But gradually, they quickly found some tricks. In the large corporation that was Blackbird Heavy Industries, there were common problems faced by many large organizations: there were too many people, making organization difficult, and it was hard for everyone to recognize each other. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They relied more on identity badges and codes to identify each other. Ambush, capture, interrogation, torture¡­ They obtained a lot of intelligence and gradually learned how to disguise themselves, starting to fit in like a fish takes to water. And soon, they were no longer satisfied with merely gathering intelligence on the periphery. They set their sights on the headquarters of Blackbird Heavy Industries ¡ª Blackbird City. However, that place was a different world. Mysterious and closed off, they couldn¡¯t even find a way in, as if that entire massive city, estimated to house seven million people, didn¡¯t need to interact with the outside world at all. Chapter 451 - Chapter 451: Chapter 271, The Intelligence Ban Chapter 451: Chapter 271, The Intelligence Ban The Demon Hunters had developed a keen interest in Blackbird City. The more mysterious, the more secrets it held. They could no longer dig up much intelligence in the western part of the continent, which was equivalent to three new conventional lands, and if they wished to learn more, infiltrating Blackbird City was their only option. After numerous attempts, they found several different ways to try to gain entry into Blackbird City. For instance, entering along with the supply channels; or impersonating someone from Blackbird City; or directly finding their way to the vicinity of Blackbird City, as a city so large was bound to have unguarded places where one could stealthily slip in¡­ However, these attempts all ended in failure. In the process, they even lost several lives. Ultimately, they finally discovered a reliable method: being recruited. Blackbird City would periodically absorb some personnel from outside; nobody knew what these people were going to do, but it was said there would be a ¡°better life¡± for them. The Demon Hunters had replaced some of the people from the peripheral towns who were about to be absorbed into Blackbird City. This was not easy, but after all, Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ scrutiny of the outside was not as intense as inside the city. They spent nearly a year gathering intelligence on the periphery, integrating with the locals, and finally, they succeeded. Five of them were selected to enter Blackbird City; the remaining seven were not, but this was also good¨Cthey could provide support from the outside, transferring intelligence. Then, those who entered went completely dark. Ilan Bird was one of those on the outside. He was supposed to send out the intelligence as agreed, but he had never received anything. The people waiting for intelligence on the outside were getting anxious. Today, more than a month later, a new opportunity arose: Blackbird City¡¯s periodic personnel recruitment once again selected their people. Ilan Bird was involved. After some discussion, they decided to send Bird into Blackbird City. It was a large black vehicle; together with more than twenty other people, he entered Blackbird City. Initially, they were concentrated in one corner of the city. According to the administrators, they would later be assigned to different jobs and residences. Bird found an opportunity, took the hidden pistol, and stealthily slipped out. However, inside the city, he found it extremely difficult to move. Walking in Blackbird City, he realized how the control of Blackbird Heavy Industries on the outside paled in comparison to the inside. Here, it was as if he were in an immensely large concentration camp! People were strictly controlled; there were patrols on the streets, and those without permission or legitimate business could not even loiter on the streets. What was most fearsome was that the ¡®civil servants¡¯, ¡®patrolmen¡¯ and so on that he saw were all extensively cybernetically augmented. Bionic eyes, prosthetic limbs¨Cthese were the most common things. Others, whose entire bodies had been transformed beyond recognition, with several mechanical arms extending from their backs and their lower halves reshaped into four-legged forms, were a common sight. Even purely automated robots moved about on the streets. This scene sent chills down Bird¡¯s spine! He was not ignorant of various situations; he was a Heretic Demon Hunter. During the so-called ¡®training¡¯ days, his mind was filled with a vast amount of information and knowledge. Before departing, they had also reviewed a lot of information collected within the Alliance about the Fatches Family. The scene before him led him to an almost immediate thought: Blackbird Heavy Industries had violated two of the Empire¡¯s major decrees. ¡°The Ban on Autonomous Machines,¡± ¡°The Ban on Intelligent Devices.¡± The former prohibited any mechanical device capable of autonomous operation (servo skulls were not included, those were considered ¡®human¡¯), and the latter outright banned any computer or computer-like devices. These two decrees were aimed at warding off the omnipresent ¡®digital Demons.¡¯ In today¡¯s Empire World, the word ¡®Demons¡¯ might still be common, but ¡®electronic¡¯ was truly unheard of. According to the knowledge passed down to his mind, any electronic device produced by humanity that had the ability to automate, to perform automatic calculations, could potentially be invaded by electronic Demons, causing the machine to ¡®betray¡¯ humanity. Calculators would give incorrect results; autonomous robots would pick up weapons and harm humans; automated production lines would suddenly start assembling killing machines and riot¡­ Anything not directly controlled by ¡®human¡¯ at critical junctions would eventually betray humanity. So the question arose: how did Blackbird Heavy Industries dare to do this? Weren¡¯t they afraid of death? Wasn¡¯t the Fatches Family afraid of death? Bird realized that this was a very significant piece of intelligence and information. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Although he did not fully understand why this was happening, he did not need to know anymore. Even just based on what he saw on the streets, if he were to report back, it would be a huge deal. This matter, if escalated, would immediately authorize the Alliance to declare war on Blackbird Heavy Industries¨Cthough in reality, no such authorization was needed as the Planetary Governor was free to do as he pleased on his own planet. However, Blackbird Heavy Industries was special, being a property of the Fatches Family. Without a proper reason, it would be difficult to justify conflict. Now no reason was needed. Even the Fatches Family themselves were not safe. With such an incident at Blackbird Heavy Industries, it was likely that personnel from the Imperial Inquisition would have to conduct a thorough investigation into the three worlds of the Fatches Family. Chapter 452 - Chapter 452: Chapter 271, The Intelligence Ban_2 Chapter 452: Chapter 271, The Intelligence Ban_2 ¡°` Moving on, it¡¯s not as simple as obtaining authorization when the Alliance strikes down on Blackbird Heavy Industries. Good luck getting that approved; if possible, both the Star Realm Army and the Imperial Navy will be involved. In other places, it might be a bit tricky. On an ordinary Empire World, after submitting an application for military support, no one knows how long one might have to wait for the regular forces of the Empire to provide assistance. But in the Tianma Star Sector, this problem is greatly alleviated. The Tianma Star Sector is the core of several surrounding Star Sectors and one of the most bustling areas in the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain. The Tianma Fleet and the Third Dragonhawk Legion are stationed mainly within Tianma Star Sector, with the mission to guard and patrol the safety and defense issues of the surrounding Star Sectors. Things may be slow elsewhere, but in the Tianma Star Sector, the Navy and Star Realm Army truly arrive within minutes to suppress any incidents. Moreover, the Governor, or rather the Governor¡¯s family, wields a certain influence in the politics of the Star Sector. With such an incident, it might not even be necessary for the Alliance¡¯s military forces to fight desperately. As long as the intelligence is accurate and evidence is solid, the Alliance¡¯s forces only need to hold their position, and soon the Imperial Navy and the Star Realm Army will come to Rage Owl Star to wipe out Blackbird Heavy Industries. But wait¡­ thinking of this, Bird realized another problem. The Dragonhawk Third Legion, that is, this Star Realm Armed Forces unit stationed in the Tianma Star Sector, seems to have¡­ a deep relationship with the Fatches Family. Their main base of operations is on three planets belonging to the Fatches! Hiss! This complicates things. Of course, Bird is just a spy. If there are some things he can¡¯t figure out, doesn¡¯t understand, doesn¡¯t know how to do, that¡¯s okay. After all, it¡¯s not his job to think about these matters. His only task was to get the intelligence out clearly. However, even this proved to be difficult. He could barely move an inch on the streets of Blackbird City, let alone break out of the city on his own. Within Blackbird City, the defense was not as tight. Although he didn¡¯t have a proper identity to pass through normally, there weren¡¯t many patrollers on the streets. As long as he kept his clothing consistent with others and avoided attention as much as possible, he was fine. It was slow, but he could still move. But to leave the city, he had to get past many checkpoints, the outermost one being exceedingly difficult. They lost two people without even finding a way in during their infiltration attempt; leaving now would likely be hellishly difficult. Forced to wander within the city, he was looking for the comrades who had infiltrated into the city earlier, hoping to get some help. At first, he did not hold out much hope. If he could notice and realize certain things, then surely the comrades who infiltrated earlier would also be aware. For such crucial intelligence, if possible, his comrades would not keep silent and would do their utmost to get the information out. The reason they hadn¡¯t done so was undoubtedly due to some very difficult realities; it¡¯s just that Bird hadn¡¯t encountered them yet. If he could find his comrades within the city, it would save him from taking many detours. One thing that worried him, though, was whether his comrades were still alive. Luckily, after wandering the streets for two days amidst relentless rain, with no place to resupply food, he stumbled upon an unexpected discovery. In a hidden spot, he saw a scythe symbol. This symbol was the rendezvous signal agreed upon by the comrades before entering the city. Seeing this sign, Bird realized that his comrades were not dead¨Cat least not all of them. Overjoyed, he found an arrow mark near the symbol, wiped it away, and after searching for a full day, he finally arrived here. Knocking at the door, he encountered a child with modified eyes, was held at gunpoint, and found out it was Tim Winter, although his face was now disfigured¡­ Despite the myriad doubts in his heart, he still followed Winter into a room. ¡°` Here, another comrade lay, but he was now breathing in less and out more, obviously not long for this world without reliable medical support. Bird¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and a very bad thought occurred to him. And this thought was confirmed by Wente, ¡°It¡¯s just the two of us left, Orga is also going to die.¡± Bird was silent, his mood heavy. But he quickly adjusted his mindset and asked, ¡°I¡¯ve seen the situation on the streets in the past two days, things are serious. However, you¡¯ve been here for a month, have you gathered more intelligence?¡± Wente nodded and then shook his head, ¡°As for intelligence, yes, we have some. We know what the upper echelons of ¡®Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ are enforcing is the same as the information we initially received in our minds about the ¡®Iron Heresy.¡¯ They¡­ they are breeding humans and then ¡®helping¡¯ them evolve.¡± ¡°This is manifested by their continuous incorporation of people from outside Blackbird City. These people ¡®settle down happily¡¯, kept in their custody. Then, according to quotas, they line up for ¡®glorious evolution¡¯, which is to be transformed into the mechanical and flesh hybrid monsters you¡¯ve seen on the streets.¡± On hearing this, Bird couldn¡¯t help but interrupt, ¡°The people being brought in, don¡¯t they resist?¡± ¡°They can¡¯t resist, they don¡¯t have weapons, or a unified organization, how can they resist under strict surveillance?¡± Tim Wente said, ¡°However, as you say, not everyone is willing to accept this fate. It¡¯s for this reason that we have managed to survive. Cisney¡­ is the child you just saw outside. We settled in his home last week, thanks to the help of his family. At that time, his parents were still around, but yesterday, his parents lined up for ¡®glorious evolution¡¯ and were taken away. Actually, he was also to be taken, but Orga and I hid him, and Orga almost died for it¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Bird realized another big problem, ¡°You¡¯ve been exposed?¡± Wente¡¯s fierce face revealed a helpless smile, ¡°What else? How else would it be just Orga and me left?¡± ¡°Then we need to move quickly¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already moved, this isn¡¯t Cisney¡¯s home. This is a place where the owner has just been taken for glorious evolution, and new residents haven¡¯t moved in yet.¡± Bird felt even heavier in his heart. Although he already knew the answer, Bird still couldn¡¯t help asking with the last hope, ¡°Then have you¡­ found a way to get out?¡± Who would have thought, Wente curled his lips, revealing a terrifying smile, ¡°Yes, and I¡¯ve been waiting for you to come, only you can do it.¡± Bird was suddenly enlightened. He immediately understood what Wente meant. These Demon Hunters all possessed a certain Spiritual Talent but were not strong enough to become a formal practitioner of Spiritual Energy. After their successful training, they would all receive a power similar to Spiritual Talent. Wente¡¯s ability, ¡®Homing Pigeon¡¯, allowed him to construct with his spirit a pigeon capable of flying to deliver intelligence. But the Homing Pigeon he could conjure clearly wasn¡¯t strong enough to fly out of Blackbird City, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t have needed to wait until now. Bird¡¯s ability, on the other hand, was a weaker version of mind manipulation. According to Wente, the way he wanted to escape would presumably involve making use of his own talent for mind manipulation. Bird said gravely, ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A day later, in a room on the second floor of a house on the streets of Blackbird City, Bird nervously waited. He peered down through a small crack in the window. Behind him on the bed, two men were tied together, mouths gagged, faces showing terror. A little further down the street, a few black, fully enclosed vehicles were slowly approaching. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k Chapter 453 - Chapter 453: Chapter 272, this is reasonable Chapter 453: Chapter 272, this is reasonable A bird leapt out of the curtain of rain and flew high into the distance. Despite knowing it was unlikely, Ilan Bird still harbored a sliver of hope. If the Spiritually Energized pigeon he had summoned could make it out and deliver the intelligence, that would be ideal. This was precisely why they had planned to send Tim Winter into Blackbird City. With this ability, transmitting information would be much more convenient. But clearly, it would not be that easy. According to what Winter had said, he had tried before and not only failed but also caused exposure, attracting the crackdown from Blackbird Heavy Industries. And this time, the outcome was unsurprisingly the same. No sooner had the bird flown out than a red beam of light flashed across the sky. The Spiritually Energized bird was blasted to oblivion in mid-air. Ilan Bird let out a slight sigh. Although it was expected, he still felt some disappointment. Beyond disappointment, there was sorrow. He heard some noises, as guards hurried towards the spot from where the bird had emerged. There lay a Demon Hunter¨COrga¨Cdevoid of the ability to act, even of consciousness, awaiting death. Perhaps the people from Blackbird Heavy Industries would capture him alive and then heal him, hoping to extract some intelligence from him in return. But to prevent this scenario, Winter had already tampered with Orga¡¯s body before the operation, ensuring that his already short-lived life would end swiftly upon falling into enemy hands, beyond any hope of revival. Ilan Bird was pained to do such a thing to a comrade, but it was an act he had to commit nonetheless. And Winter, who had carried out the task, was himself in a position of sacrifice. After a considerable number of guards were drawn to the site of the bird¡¯s release, Winter also made his appearance. He launched an attack on a convoy of vehicles traveling on the street. The convoy below descended into chaos, but Ilan Bird could not bear to watch any further. Every member of the Demon Hunter Squad was elite, not only well-trained warriors but also possessed special supernatural powers. Yet despite that, it was still an unwinnable struggle. First, they were vastly outnumbered, with Winter fighting a lone battle; Secondly, there was a lack of weapons and equipment. The fact that they were able to bring personal defensive weapons at all into Blackbird City was already a feat, as heavy weapons were out of the question¨Clet alone a bomb. Moreover, the Union had no local base in Blackbird City, and in this highly regulated environment, there was no space for the existence of opposition organizations, making it equally impossible to acquire potent weapons from the surroundings. All Winter had was a short-barreled laser pistol with almost depleted ammunition. Again, his supernatural ability¨CBird¨Cwas meant for intelligence transmission and lacked combat effectiveness. But still, he went into action, fighting with a conviction that it would be his last battle. Moreover, what he aimed to do was far from simply going out to die. Although he knew he had no way out once he took action, he still hoped to create as much disturbance as possible under the hopeless situation, to attract as much attention as he could. This wasn¡¯t about charging out simply to die. He had to kill, he had to be cold enough, smart enough to outwit his enemies, to buy as much time as possible, to draw away as much attention as possible¡­ Only then would Ilan Bird have a chance. Orga was already dead, Winter was about to die, all to earn him that last sliver of hope to get out alive. And now, that chance truly did appear before him! Winter had indeed done well enough. His gun suddenly killed a driver and a guard accompanying the vehicle. Then, facing many encircling him, he calmly ducked into a building, exchanging fire with the enemies. When the mechanical guards with their mechanical dogs stormed the building, Winter had already preemptively moved through the window to another location and opened fire again. For over ten minutes, Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ guards didn¡¯t just fail to capture him; they were led in circles, which necessitated deploying more personnel. Even the convoy that was initially set to leave the city to bring in more inhabitants into Blackbird City had to be halted. Many guards disembarked and joined in the effort¡­ This was the opportunity Bird was waiting for. Accompanying him was Cisney¨Cthe child left behind by the family that had taken in and sheltered his fellow warriors¨Cand they both slipped out of the room and made their way down to the entrance on the first floor. Cracking the door slightly, Bird looked around. Utilizing his innate Spiritual Energy, he sensed for mental targets in the vicinity and determined that their attention was likely not on his location. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It was a good time to make a move. He turned and emphasized to Cisney once again, ¡°From now on, you must obey me. Without my permission, you can¡¯t make any sound at all. Whatever I tell you to do, you do it, understand?¡± ¡°I know,¡± Cisney nodded nervously, ¡°Brother Winter had already explained it to me before.¡± ¡°Good, then follow me.¡± When Winter and Bird were discussing the operation plan, they didn¡¯t whimsically decide to involve a child. Even though Cisney¡¯s parents had not betrayed them while helping Winter and Orga hide, they had also made a promise to Cisney¡¯s parents that ¡®if there was a chance, they would definitely help their son escape,¡¯ but¡­ Chapter 454 - Chapter 454: Chapter 272, This Makes Sense_2 Chapter 454: Chapter 272, This Makes Sense_2 Given the current situation, even teammates needed to be silenced, used to attract the enemy at the very last moment of their lives, and Wente himself had to risk his life to execute diversion tactics. Why would Bird saddle himself with a burden unless absolutely necessary? The reason was precisely that Cisney wasn¡¯t a burden. Cisney was obedient. His body had undergone initial mechanical modifications, making him more agile than the average child. The main purpose of having him was to serve as a cover for their identities when necessary. Cisney was a bona fide resident of Blackbird City, as was his father, and Bird had brought their genuine documents with him. In even worse circumstances, Cisney could be deceived into going out to draw the target¡¯s attention, giving Bird a chance to see if he could fight for a glimmer of hope at a critical moment¡­ Hopefully, that last scenario would never materialize. With Cisney in tow, Bird crouched down and approached a black car. Through the car window, he saw a driver inside, craning his neck out of the opposite window to look around, focused on the battle situation between the two nearby buildings. The drivers used in these ¡®pickup¡¯ operations by the Blackbirds were generally not machine servants extensively modified with cybernetic enhancements, but rather more normal humans. Otherwise, when recruiting people from the outside, it could easily lead to trouble. Bird didn¡¯t hesitate. He pulled out his pistol and, through the car window, fired a shot that went through the driver¡¯s head. Immediately afterward, he reached through the broken window, pulled open the car door, and dragged the corpse to lie under the driver¡¯s seat. Cisney hurried into the car as well and, sitting beside him, helped Bird strip off the driver¡¯s coat so Bird could change more quickly. While Bird was changing, Cisney started to clean the bloodstains, but Bird pushed his hand down. The sounds of battle outside had ceased. It seemed likely that Wente was already dead. After a while, the guards gradually returned. The car convoy was ready to set out again. Before leaving, however, the guards checked each car. This was Bird¡¯s greatest test. What was so difficult about assassinating a driver amidst chaos when no one was watching and donning his clothes? The challenge lay in how to assume the driver¡¯s identity convincingly. There were too many holes in his disguise. The bullet hole in the car window could be explained away as a misfire during the recent fight; but what about the bloodstained work clothes? Claim to be injured? If the guards asked him to leave the vehicle for inspection, the body couldn¡¯t be hidden. And if the guards recognized the original driver¡¯s face, Bird¡¯s facade would be pierced immediately¡­ In other words, these were not just holes in the disguise; anyone with a functioning brain would realize there were problems. To cover all this up, he needed to rely on his talent for mental manipulation. But¡­ he was a Demon Hunter, not a Spiritual Energy user. If he had the mighty powers of the legendary governor, what would be so hard about it? It wouldn¡¯t just be about covering a few discrepancies; he could entirely manipulate minds, turning people into his most loyal followers, making them brave fire and water or even commit suicide at his whim. But Ilan Bird was far from that level. The more intact and strong-willed the person¡¯s mind, the greater the chance of mental manipulation failure; the bigger the discrepancy between the manipulation and the person¡¯s perception, the more likely the manipulation would fail by multiple folds¡­ Everything he was doing now, pretending to be the driver, wearing the driver¡¯s clothes, erasing the bloodstains as much as possible, was meant to reduce resistance during the mental manipulation process. It could be successful. But the fewer the discrepancies, the better. He couldn¡¯t let anyone see the body; manipulating a person to overlook a corpse was impossible; he had to pray they wouldn¡¯t recognize his face, or the manipulation might also fail; he had to use his language during manipulation, be as error-free as possible, and explain away abnormal situations like bloodstains and bullet holes convincingly¨Cthe more plausible the excuse, the higher the chance they¡¯d believe it and not investigate further¡­ He pondered all this as the inspector guards got closer and closer. Suddenly, Bird¡¯s forehead was beaded with cold sweat. The approaching guard¡­ wasn¡¯t human! Underneath the hat, the face was a mechanical skull with no human brain tissue left. What to do? Mental manipulations worked on living beings, but Bird couldn¡¯t ensure their effectiveness on machine servants, let alone now facing what might be a cyborg even more advanced than a machine servant! At least machine servants, who had part of their brain removed and altered to maximize instinctual motor functions, still counted as part of ¡®humanity¡¯; a pure mechanical being¡­ Well¡­ Would mind manipulation still be effective? But what other choice did he have? He could only grit his teeth and continue with the original plan. Approaching the car window, the guard¡¯s steps halted as he indeed took notice of the bullet hole on the window. Bird¡¯s deliberately relaxed voice rang out, ¡°Did you catch the person just now? They¡¯ve damaged my car window!¡± With his words, the ability to manipulate minds quietly activated. He tapped into the other¡¯s mind. Do mechanical beings even have minds? This question he couldn¡¯t be sure of before now had an answer: They indeed do. But it feels utterly different from ¡®humans¡¯. That icy touch was as though he had been plunged into ice water, causing him to shiver. And in this icy sea of mind, Bird could find no traces of human ¡¯emotions¡¯. All he encountered were the chilly ¡®commands¡¯ and ¡®logic¡¯. Was this good news or bad news? The bad news was that much of Bird¡¯s past experience with mind manipulation was now useless. HIs experience was mostly in extracting intelligence during interrogations. The most effective tactic was to enhance certain emotions, such as panic, pain, or fear, in conjunction with standard interrogation techniques to shatter the subject¡¯s resilience. That trick was no longer useful. Mechanical creatures do not have emotions. What¡¯s there to amplify? But the good news was that mind manipulation was still possible. Only now, instead of altering emotions or memories, he had to twist commands and logic. The former was impossible; at least he didn¡¯t have the skill to twist instructions hardcoded into a mechanical being¡¯s processing chip. But distorting logic was feasible. And surprisingly easy. The guard¡¯s eyes flickered red for a moment. Seeing the bullet hole, its logic was twisted to perceive it as incidental damage from earlier strife, logical; Seeing the bloodstains on the window and the driver¡¯s clothes, its logic was twisted to attribute them to wounds from incoming bullets, logical; The direction of the blood splatter was from inside out, inconsistent with the bullet¡¯s entry, illogical¡­ disregard, deemed logical. The face was unfamiliar, but because of the blood smearing from the driver¡¯s injuries it appeared different from recorded footage, illogical¡­ disregard, deemed logical. Everything is normal, no need for a thorough check. The guard walked away. Only after Bird saw in the rearview mirror that the guard¡¯s gaze was no longer on them did he allow the smile to fall from his face. He leaned on the steering wheel with both hands, breathing heavily. His head was splitting; his arms were trembling¡­ It wasn¡¯t just from the tension, but also due to the immense consumption of Spiritual Energy. Yet on his face, there still lingered a faint smile. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At least, the most challenging part at the beginning was over. Instructions to depart came from the car¡¯s radio. Bird started the vehicle. There were still many difficulties ahead. The method of driving the vehicle, the feel of it was different from the Alliance¡¯s vehicles; the corpse underfoot was extremely bothersome, lying on top of his feet, making it hard to control. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t required to race, nor did he have to show off too much skill. All he had to do was do his best to keep the vehicle stable and moving forward. Chapter 455 - Chapter 455: Chapter 273, Sun Lord (6k additional) Chapter 455: Chapter 273, Sun Lord (6k additional) Through the glass window, Gu Hang watched the restless little boy being questioned by an Alliance intelligence officer. To soothe his mind, they had specifically chosen a lady for the task, who was comforting Cisney¡¯s emotions while speaking to him. Their conversation, amplified by loudspeakers, was audible to those outside. Although Cisney didn¡¯t know much¨Ca five- or six-year-old child, no matter how clever, modified, or mature, could hardly summarize and extract all sorts of intelligence like a well-trained espionage agent¨C after all, he had lived in that city for two or three years. Many things he mentioned might seem like insignificant details, but when gathered and deduced, they might yield an important piece of intelligence. However, those were all trivial matters. The core piece of intelligence: ¡°Blackbird Heavy Industries violated the Smart Mechanisms ban, and Blackbird City has become a nest of Smart Mechanisms,¡± Gu Hang already knew this. All other matters were just details under this major piece of intelligence. Not insignificant, but Gu Hang didn¡¯t need to consider them further; he could just look back at what the intelligence officer compiled. Gu Hang was thinking about how to make use of this entire piece of intelligence. Lambert Hodgson, who accompanied him, also dared not to speak and disturb him. He knew that with such a big matter, Mr. Gu certainly needed to think it through. He was thinking too. This incident would inevitably lead to many more significant events, and perhaps the Tianma Star Sector, which had just been peaceful for a short time, was about to face war once again. Moreover, this time the enemy was not some mindless monsters or locals with inferior equipment. This was Blackbird Heavy Industries, supported by the infamous Fatches Family in the Tianma Star Sector. Now that their violation of the Smart Mechanisms ban had been exposed, their production capacity and the quality of military equipment could not be treated like past enemies. Based on the intelligence returned from the front, with a population of fifteen million on the continent west, Blackbird City alone was estimated to have seven million. Blackbird Heavy Industries had a high level of organization of these people; if it came to a war of attrition, under extreme conscription, they could muster an army of at least 1.5 million, and perhaps even as many as 3 million. Did the Alliance want to engage in a war of attrition with them? How many would die? How much labor, originally for economic construction, would need to be converted into soldiers on the battlefield? How long would the Alliance¡¯s development be stalled because of this? And thinking deeper, was Blackbird Heavy Industries still the same as before? The ban on Smart Mechanisms wasn¡¯t just for show; it wasn¡¯t about the Empire choosing to shackle itself. It was a deeply reluctant decision born out of necessity. Don¡¯t say that the level of development of intelligent algorithms isn¡¯t enough to generate a Smart Mechanisms crisis and everything will be fine; that is simply not the case. Even something as basic as a calculator could become infected by electronic demons, calculating one plus one to be three hundred sixty-five. Those that had been created, already exceeding the lowest threshold of mechanical servants and becoming fully mechanized, even by the Empire¡¯s definition could not be considered human anymore¨Cthose modified humans, the mechanical dogs created by the automatic machines, those automated production lines¡­ are there still ¡®people¡¯ in control now? From this perspective, could the Alliance win? Even if a genuine Smart Mechanisms crisis erupted, one could request the support of the Star Realm Army and Imperial Navy, but the Alliance would have to hold out until then. Could they? His thoughts were in turmoil, and the more he thought, the heavier he felt. At that moment, Mr. Gu¡¯s voice suddenly rang in his ears, ¡°Did that Ilan Bird¡­ make it back alive?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Lambert was momentarily startled before realizing that the governor was referring to a member of the Demon Hunter Squad who had been sent on a mission to the continent west. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He snapped out of the grand narrative and quickly recalled, then said to Gu Hang, ¡°No¡­ As soon as we received the message, we made a request to our brothers in the Air Force. Wind Falcon took off within half an hour. But the continent west is really too far. Even with Wind Falcon¡¯s speed, it would take over fifteen hours of flight to get there. In the end, including this little boy, only three people were brought back. Ilan Bird is not on the list of survivors.¡± After a pause, Lambert continued, ¡°According to the account of the two surviving Demon Hunters, Ilan Bird likely disguised himself as a personnel transport driver. He managed to pass through the city checkpoint with Cisney and got to the outskirts of Blackbird City. However, due to the presence of guards, he couldn¡¯t leave immediately or make contact with his comrades. After the transport team reached the town where his teammates were and loaded a group of people, he took a risk. Disguised as a local, he tried to escape with Cisney but didn¡¯t succeed that time and was forced to resist on the spot. His comrades appeared in time and saved them. But, being outnumbered and with their location exposed, they could only send out a distress signal and hold their ground to wait for rescue.¡± ¡°By the time Wind Falcon arrived with the elite special forces team, only two of them were left alive.¡± Lambert recounted the events to Mr. Gu, his tone tinged with a hint of lament. Fifteen had set out, and only two returned, though they obtained crucial intelligence, the sacrifice was still heavy, unavoidably eliciting exclamation. Chapter 456 - Chapter 456: Chapter 273, Sun Lord (6k additional)_2 Chapter 456: Chapter 273, Sun Lord (6k additional)_2 ¡°` ¡°Hmm,¡± Gu Hang nodded slightly, not saying much more. The corresponding consolation, merits and rewards, and even the follow-up arrangements for this child named Cisney, didn¡¯t need his further input. He believed his subordinates would handle things well. After returning, Gu Hang sat in thought for a while before summoning someone to initiate an interstellar communication. On the other end was none other than his mother. The image of Miss Wang Qi appeared before Gu Hang, looking rather tired. ¡°Very busy?¡± Gu Hang asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Wang Qi nodded, without elaborating further. After the Heijian Star incident, Wang Qi lived, Gu Ming died, and Gu Hang formally became the nominal Gu Clan Head, but he had not yet met the most important powers of the clan, nor the most important group of power-holders¨Cthe remaining twelve Fleet leaders. All such matters were being managed by Wang Qi. Gu Hang was fine with this, as it had been agreed upon with his mother. Even if he were asked to take up the real power of the Family Head now, he wouldn¡¯t be particularly keen. His focus was solely on the actual governance and development; he had no time to manage the family¡¯s business. Although the family business was large in scale, in his view, its foundation was not solid enough and its potential for future development was limited; it was not the path he wished to follow. Moreover, he did not understand the workings of interstellar commerce. After the recent events, his perception of Wang Qi had changed. Handing everything over to his mother, he felt quite at ease. And his mother, Miss Wang Qi, was truly exhausted during this time. They won, indeed, but the victory had left a huge fissure in the Gu Commercial Firm. The whole firm, being franchise in nature, teetered on the verge of disbanding. The staff were unsettled, business was unstable. Eradicating Gu Ming¡¯s line completely, restoring the related business operations, appeasing the people, reconnecting the Star Sectors, and even the various political landscapes beyond the Star Sectors kept her extraordinarily busy every day. She would have liked her son to help, but he fended her off with ¡°not understanding, not familiar.¡± So much so that now, when Gu Hang¡¯s call came through, she did not show her ¡®lazy¡¯ son any good expression, asking stiffly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Gu Hang had some understanding of his mother¡¯s current state and mentality. He was very considerate of this. And he told his mother all about the situation in Blackbird City. After hearing the news, Wang Qi¡¯s virtual image remained motionless before Gu Hang for a long while, making Gu Hang wonder if there was some problem with the signal. It took a good while before Wang Qi let out a long sigh: ¡°What is this mess¡­ One problem after another.¡± It took her a long while to come back to her senses. After that sigh, she forced the tiredness out of her mind and faced her son seriously, saying, ¡°You do realize the seriousness of this, don¡¯t you?¡± Gu Hang slowly nodded. ¡°Then let me add two pieces of intelligence for you,¡± she said. Wang Qi pondered, considering her words, before speaking: ¡°The first piece of news is from within the Star Sector. The situation on Korolya III is deteriorating; a Nest Capital with a population of a billion has fallen. Countless residents have been turned into plague-zombies under Dark Magic, and many more have been displaced, spreading the plague everywhere¡­ The main Star Realm Legion stationed in the Tianma Star Sector, the Dragonhawk Third Legion, has urgently dispatched an army group, over 1.5 million soldiers, aboard the Tianma Fleet to Korolya III.¡± Having relayed the objective reality, Wang Qi paused, then added some analysis: ¡°But in my estimation, even so, it will be difficult to quell the situation. I suspect the situation on Korolya III will deteriorate rapidly. This is no small matter. The population of Korolya III accounts for 56% of the entire Tianma Star Sector, a whopping forty billion people. If chaos erupts there, its impact will certainly not be limited to a single planet. Flying Wing Star, with a population of ten billion and an annual output value of over forty billion, is prosperous partly because Korolya III serves as a huge market and source of raw materials.¡± Hearing this, Gu Hang inevitably became concerned. This was new intelligence for him. He quickly recalled the urgent recall of the Battle Nuns. He had thought that after the return of Georgette and more than thirty nuns to Korolya III, the situation should have been contained. But it seemed things were not so simple. And according to his mother, if Korolya III fell into turmoil, so would Flying Wing Star, which was tightly economically linked to Korolya. With Flying Wing Star¡¯s output rapidly declining, it would no longer be easy to face the Imperial Tax. The total population of Tianma Star Sector might be just over seventy billion, and these two planets together accounted for fifty billion. If they both were engulfed in turmoil¡­ What a complete disaster! At the same time, Gu Hang realized that these two worlds were at the heart of Pei Desi¡¯s power in the Star Sector. The Fatches Family¡¯s three worlds¨CFatches No.1, No.2, and No.3¨Cwith a combined population of twenty billion, were their stronghold. It seemed as though they were unperturbed. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Oh, not that they were without issues. Gu Hang was about to cause trouble for them. But they were closely related to the main force of the Star Realm Army in the Star Sector, the Dragonhawk Third Legion. A large amount of manpower and supplies came from the three Fatches planets. Would they fully support Pei Desi in quelling the turbulence? Probably not so easy. This time, the one hundred and fifty thousand Star Realm soldiers sent to Korolya III might seem like a lot, but¡­ that was just about it. ¡°` Chapter 457 - Chapter 457: Chapter 273, Sun Lord (6k additional)_3 Chapter 457: Chapter 273, Sun Lord (6k additional)_3 Now, Gu Hang has exposed a scandal about Blackbird Heavy Industries violating the intelligence ban, which will give Pei Desi an opportunity to attack the Fatches Family, and it is a very serious reason. What can Fatches do? Sever the relationship? Or, in order to clear themselves of the connection, might they declare it as Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ independent action? On one hand, they manage relations, and on the other hand, might they react extremely vehemently, willing to promote a large-scale arrival of the Star Realm Army to destroy Blackbird Heavy Industries and incidentally destroy the evidence? By the way, this also gives the Fatches Family an excuse to reduce support from the Star Realm Army for Korolya III: dark magic plague and smart mechanisms crisis. Comparing the two, which is more severe and which is lighter, how can one say? The dark magic plague could infect tens of billions of people, and if the smart mechanisms crisis is ignored, there might not be much of a population on Rage Owl Star to get infected. But if the smart mechanisms reached a certain level of control, they would autonomously mine, produce machinery, and muster an army¡­ This is something that humans cannot compete with, as it takes more than a decade to mature a human population. Who knows how many combat machines would come off the production lines in a single day! For now, let¡¯s not consider whether this is alarmist or not, after all, it is an argument. From this perspective, it doesn¡¯t seem like good news for the head of Pei Desi. And being involved, what should one do? The Gu Clan has always been an ally of Pei Desi, and Gu Hang himself has benefited quite a lot; but compared to Fufana and the Pei brothers, the ties between the Gu Clan and Fatches have been the most relaxed, with some cooperation in recent years. It¡¯s just that last time, in order to save his mother, Gu Hang promised Pei Desi to fall out with the Fatches Family. Hey? If you let me hit Blackbird, wouldn¡¯t that give me a legitimate reason to fight? It might even be possible to drag the Fatches Family into the fight as well. As for falling out with Fatches¡­ the Gu Family¡¯s corresponding trade embargo is already in effect. Gu Hang had discussed this matter with his mother before. The Gu Family would definitely carry out the agreement with Pei Desi. Not to mention the actual benefits, they couldn¡¯t afford to lose their political reputation. The Gu Clan is in business, and reputation is as important as life itself. But there were also some grey areas. It didn¡¯t make sense to completely isolate the three planets of Fatches; that¡¯s Empire World, and the Gu Commercial Firm is a subsidiary of the Empire Commerce Guild. How can you say you won¡¯t do business when you won¡¯t do business? That would be against Imperial law. This was a legal rationale that could stand up. Wang Qi had had many communications with Pei Desi, appearing to be in a difficult position. The Fatches Family was complaining to a higher-level institution within the Commerce Guild, making it hard for the Gu Commercial Firm to operate. They could only try not to violate the guild¡¯s regulations by reducing trade volume and prohibiting the circulation of certain categories of goods¡­ This was on one hand to explain themselves to Pei Desi and on the other hand to appease Fatches by showing them their helplessness. Naturally, this was about not offending either side, currying favor with both, reaping benefits from all directions. If handled well, they could maintain the balance, benefiting from both sides without falling out with either. If not, they could offend both sides, a move that greatly tested Wang Qi¡¯s skill. But that¡¯s just how things are. What everlasting friends or enemies are there? Did Pei Desi not kick Gu Clan when they were down, using the provision of a Navy title as leverage to compel Gu Hang to act? And even though Pei Desi is hostile to Fatches, not to mention their countless unsavory private dealings, they haven¡¯t really fallen out on the surface. It makes no sense for the Gu Commercial Firm to break with Fatches first. This matter is not as simple as just a crisis on Rage Owl Star, it involves a much wider range. The situation has become deeply murky. How will it evolve in the future? Gu Hang was still pondering, but his mother had already begun speaking of the second piece of information, ¡°Another matter is about the Imperial Tax.¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening with the Imperial Tax? Isn¡¯t the collection starting in just over a month? Normally, a fleet from the Star Territory Taxation Department would come to the Tianma Star Sector, visiting each planet to collect taxes, then take all the collected items to the Capital Wing Star for settlement with the head of state, stamping, and afterward leaving the Tianma Star Sector to return to the capital of the Dragonhawk Star Domain¡­¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the tax collection process. But this year is a little different; the tax fleet coming to the Tianma Star Sector is not a sub-fleet, but the main Tax Fleet of the Dragonhawk Star Domain.¡± Gu Hang deeply furrowed his brow, ¡°Why have they arranged it this way?¡± ¡°Hear me out,¡± Wang Qi continued, ¡°It¡¯s not just the main Star Domain Tax Fleet coming, but also a very important figure: the Sun Lord¡¯s War Apostle, Bochoya Galaraldo.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s eyes widened at this. Galaraldo, now that¡¯s a name that resounds like thunder. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This man¡¯s stage wasn¡¯t some minor star sector or star domain level: He was an Empire hero, one of the forty-six War Apostles of the Sun Lord. And the Sun Lord, Suo He Kaim, this person can almost be counted as one of the most important figures in the Empire today, the ¡®ruler¡¯ of the Empire. Of course, the true ruler of the Empire would always be The Emperor, a fact that is eternal and unchanging. But after the eternal and immortal Emperor ascended, the highest governing body managing the boundless Human Empire was the Human Supreme Council. This Supreme Council had thirteen seats, with some components fixed, such as representatives of the state religion, the Mars Representative, the Judgment Chief of the Imperial Inquisition, the Imperial Prime Minister; Some were relatively fixed but occasionally vacant, such as the Grand Marshal of the Star Realm Army, the Imperial Navy Grand Marshal, the Psychic Cultivator Assembly Representative; Chapter 458 - Chapter 458: Chapter 273, Sun Lord (6k additional)_4 Chapter 458: Chapter 273, Sun Lord (6k additional)_4 Some positions appear regularly, contingent on the current political climate of the Empire. This type includes a great many, such as the representative of the Starfighter Battle Group, the Imperial Commerce Association President, heads of the Administrative Department, Legal Department, Department of Taxation, Military Affairs Department, as well as the Chief of the Imperial Star Language Hall and an indefinite number of representatives elected by the vote of the Cosmos Domain speakers¡­ There are also positions that may not always be established, such as the once existing Imperial Regent, Supreme Commander and, for the first time in the history of the current Empire, the title of Sun Lord. Solakium was originally the son of a Planetary Governor, who established a Star Realm Legion and joined the Star Realm Army, and after leading his troops to glory in battle, he swiftly became a general. Then, with an invincible record of victories, he rose rapidly through the ranks, caught the eye of the Marshal of the Star Realm Army at that time, was trained as a successor, and subsequently, with immense prestige and incomparable military achievements, took over as the youngest Marshal of the Star Realm Army, entering the Supreme Council¨C at that time he was only thirty-two years old. Afterward, he gained the support of the Supreme Council and commenced the Solar Expedition. At first, it was a mere campaign, but when he conquered six hundred worlds in three years, his expedition expanded like a rolling snowball; it was not only that numerous forces from across the Empire joined him, but he also received support from more than ten Starfighter Battle Groups; And by the thirteenth year, with six thousand planets reclaimed, his tremendous prestige meant he was no longer just the Marshal of the Star Realm Army. He left this position to a general he deeply trusted, pushed more generals into the Supreme Council, and bestowed upon himself the title of ¡®Sun Lord.¡¯ The Sun, being the star of humanity¡¯s cradle, Earth, the authority behind such a title is self-evident. Now, after thirty-five years, the Solar Expedition has reclaimed over twenty thousand Empire Worlds; endless armies continue the great campaign under his command, with more than one hundred Starfighter Battle Groups serving him. Among the reclaimed worlds, many were not even lost by the Empire but had been suspended in isolation from the far-flung ancient times, never having heard the names of the Emperor or Empire. These newly reclaimed worlds have already formed an entirely new Cosmos Domain named ¡®Solaria.¡¯ Nowadays, the Sun Lord is the highest authority in the Human Empire, a hero known to all, a mortal who has earned the respect and loyalty of countless warriors, whose commands are seen as those of the Emperor, with even the Terra Supreme Council acting under his dazzling radiance. However, Gu Hang was reminded once again of many realities. Does the entire Empire truly support the Solar Expedition? Perhaps not. In Gu Hang¡¯s view, given the Empire¡¯s inefficiency, such administrative efficiency is extremely low in relation to such a vast territory, with resources being used poorly. And with the relentless pace of the Solar Expedition, conquering twenty thousand planets in thirty-five years, averaging three planets every two days, this has far exceeded the limits of the Empire¡¯s administrative structures. A large number of newly conquered worlds cannot be effectively managed, are in states of anarchy, not only failing to supply the Empire but becoming burdens instead. The Military Affairs Department is also vocally troubled by the lengthening supply lines. Local worlds must supply a great deal of materials. The imbalance of local powers leaves regional threats difficult to address with sufficient force. The Solar Expedition, after reaching this point in its duration, has become an unbearable burden to the Empire. And darker thoughts arise, with his current age of sixty-five and life-extending surgeries, he could live for much longer, but within the mechanics of the Empire, there are already beginning to lose effective means to check his power. Can the Empire accept the existence of a mortal ¡®Emperor¡¯? Can the Supreme Council really continue to bear a ¡®Sun¡¯ above their heads? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But no matter what, he is still that hero, that Sun. And one of his forty-six War Apostles is about to arrive at the Tianma Star Sector. ¡ª¡ª¨C 6k Emperor Alexander Makarios Solakium! Chapter 459 - Chapter 459: Chapter 274, you have a big appetite. Chapter 459: Chapter 274, you have a big appetite. Was Galaraldo, this War Apostle, visiting the Tianma Star Sector for a vacation? Clearly, he was not. The Solar Expedition Army was in the midst of its vigorous campaign, and as one of the 46 Apostles, Galaraldo was very busy. In the Solar Expedition Army, an average of 1.5 planets were brought under control daily, and the Sun Lord¡¯s ¡®squeezing¡¯ of the entire army was terrifying. He exploited the potential of the whole army to the limit, with every soldier contributing their strength to the utmost. Not to mention the trust he placed in ¡®War Apostles¡¯ ¨C members of the inner circle. Some of Galaraldo¡¯s colleagues, also War Apostles, independently led their own Expeditionary Forces, with fleets and Star Realm Army, conquering territories across the Star Sea; others were deployed into battle groups, even commanding sprawling battalions of starfighters; some took on additional roles like bishops of the state religion, mobilizing the church¡¯s power, especially the Battle Nuns, to assist the legions in combat¡­ In the competition for honor and military achievements, Apostles, Marshals, and Generals divided themselves into numerous branches. Upon arriving at a planet, with a grand show of force, those who surrendered were enlisted as Planetary Governors, and the collection of Imperial Taxes would follow, marking the planet as reconquered; Those who did not surrender faced orbital bombardments that lasted days, destroying military and civilian structures alike, regardless of whether the job was done thoroughly or not, then the army would land and swiftly sweep through, appoint a Planetary Governor, or temporarily find an officer, even a staff officer, to assume the role. Once this was done, aside from a small contingent left to garrison, the army promptly moved on to the next battlefield. When encountering civilizations spanning multiple star systems, the conflict tended to last longer. But even against such expansive civilizations, a single space battle, a destructive assault on their capital planet, could sometimes suffice to subdue several, or even a dozen worlds. Of course, there were battles that dragged on, with the enemy demonstrating particularly fierce resistance. In such cases, more troops would be summoned for reinforcement, and sometimes even nearby Starfighter Battle Groups were called to action. With one or two battle groups, thousands of starfighters, any civilization would be flattened. Currently, the main legions branched off from the Solar Expedition Army numbered over a dozen, and there were probably hundreds of squadrons operating and fighting simultaneously. It was this kind of efficiency that fostered a rate of three worlds conquered every two days on average. And Galaraldo? As a War Apostle, if he wasn¡¯t on the battlefield, what was he doing here? ¡°His duties are quite important,¡± Gu Hang listened as his mother¡¯s voice rose, laced with a hint of a sneer, ¡°The grandeur of the Solar Expedition Army requires astronomical amounts of material support. Even with the Empire¡¯s full backing, the oceans of Imperial Taxes collected from countless worlds, when poured into the bottomless pits that are the Solar Expedition Army and Solaria, still can¡¯t satiate this behemoth.¡± ¡°Galaraldo¡¯s duty is to secure new reinforcements for the expeditionary force beyond what is obtained from Imperial Taxes. Over the past decade, he has traveled through many star domains, delivering ship after ship of resources to the expeditionary force, effectively supplementing what the Imperial Taxes couldn¡¯t cover. Though he does not lead troops directly, according to the Sun Lord, his contribution is ¡®equivalent to the might of a billion-strong army.''¡± After hearing all this, Gu Hang slowly recovered from the shock of a high-profile individual visiting the Tianma Star Sector. ¡°So, you mean, this person came here to scrounge up more resources?¡± ¡°Yes, but this resource-scrounger isn¡¯t easy to dismiss.¡± ¡°Moreover, the situation in the Tianma Star Sector, already on the brink of chaos, is likely to become even more chaotic.¡± The mother and son discussed for a while. As a result, Gu Hang gained a general understanding of the entire backdrop of the coming situation in the Star Sector. In the coming years, the entire Tianma Star Sector would probably transition from a relatively peaceful state to one of overall turmoil. But Gu Hang also had a nascent thought: Chaos presents opportunities. If things had remained as they were, with Pei Desi maintaining firm control over the richest and most populous planets in the Star Sector, aligning with the navy, not getting on with the Fatches Family but also not explicitly confronting them, and all planets in a peaceful state¡­ Gu Hang would have had no other aspirations and would have been content to just farm on Rage Owl Star for many more years. Now, however, many opportunities might arise. This War Apostle might just be one such opportunity. Scrounge up resources? Let him scrounge, as long as he brings Gu Hang what he needed. ¡°Alright,¡± his mother¡¯s voice, pulling him out of his reverie, said, ¡°I¡¯ve shared with you the intelligence I have, along with my analysis. What do you plan to do next?¡± ¡°What are your thoughts, Mother? And how can our family leverage this series of events?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang was mainly referring to Blackbird¡¯s violation of the Smart Mechanisms prohibition. The other two issues, whether the Korolya uprising or Galaraldo¡¯s arrival, were widely known. Only the matter of Blackbird was freshly acquired intelligence. But his mother responded, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about what the family can gain from this. I¡¯m asking you, what outcome do you wish to achieve? Let¡¯s focus on the situation on Rage Owl Star first, and I¡¯ll do my best to facilitate that. From there, we¡¯ll consider what the family should do.¡± Since his mother put it that way, Gu Hang didn¡¯t hold back. After pondering for a moment, he said, ¡°The scenario I want is quite straightforward: quickly eradicate Blackbird and any potential Smart Mechanisms crisis from Rage Owl Star, while trying to minimize the costs, preferably without destroying the continent of Zhi, otherwise it will cost a lot to rebuild.¡± comment0 comment Chapter 460 - Chapter 460: Chapter 274, You Have a Big Appetite_2 Chapter 460: Chapter 274, You Have a Big Appetite_2 Wang Qi said, ¡°You really are greedy!¡± Gu Hang laughed and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it mother who asked me to make requests? Is there a way to achieve this?¡± Wang Qi was just cursing casually; in fact, she had already had some ideas, ¡°To achieve your goal, you¡¯ll need enough Star Realm Army to help. That means we can¡¯t completely offend the Fatches Family. I need to inform them about Blackbird. Unless their entire family has violated the Smart Mechanisms ban¨Cwhich is unlikely¨Cjust Blackbird¡¯s violation alone would make them even more eager than you to take down Blackbird.¡± ¡°But that will offend Pei Desi, and the Imperial Navy won¡¯t help transport the army.¡± Wang Qi smiled, ¡°For naval battles, the Chamber of Commerce Fleet of our family may not cut it; but for transportation, even when added together, the Tianma Fleet is no match for ours. As for the issue of offending Pei Desi¡­ we might, and we might not. We could also mediate and help them with their biggest concern¨Cthe issues with Korolya III. The Fatches Family, feeling guilty about their violation, will lend a hand.¡± ¡°Well, speaking of Korolya III, I also have some thoughts about this matter¡­¡± Wang Qi¡¯s face turned sour, ¡°You also want to take advantage of this situation?¡± Gu Hang said with a smile, ¡°Of course, the biggest constraint on the development of Rage Owl Star is the lack of population. I need people, and there are forty billion people suffering from disaster on Korolya III. As a subject of the empire, it¡¯s my unshirkable duty to help the citizens of the empire!¡± Wang Qi sneered, ¡°How would that work? No matter the disaster, the population is still wealth. One person, five Tax Currency, are you going to buy them?¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s unaffordable.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s attitude was very gentle, he was asking for a favor, ¡°Mother dear will definitely have a way.¡± ¡°Hmph, now you know to curry favor with me?¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± A nursing mother is a mother indeed, let alone one¡¯s own flesh and blood mother. Seeing that Wang Qi was deep in thought, Gu Hang did not disturb her further, merely waiting quietly. After a while, Wang Qi spoke slowly, ¡°It¡¯s not like there are no ways at all. How many people do you want?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind having as many as possible!¡± ¡°Can you afford to support that many people? Don¡¯t bite off more than you can chew.¡± Gu Hang said earnestly, ¡°When you last came to Rage Owl Star, you at least got a bird¡¯s eye view of our Beiqing Valley Province. Currently, with the annual grain output here and by the standards of Rage Owl Star, we can feed fifty million people. Currently, the population under my governance is only twenty-five million. We are not lacking in food, at least bringing in tens of millions of people would be no problem. The per capita living standards and food consumption on Korolya III cannot reach the levels of Rage Owl Star.¡± This was a truth. The forty billion population on Korolya III, mostly poor, lived on the verge of hunger, with per capita food consumption probably not even reaching 30% of Rage Owl Star¡¯s E5 level, just barely enough to avoid starvation, eating nothing but corpse starch, at best. The corpse starch on Rage Owl Star was now even used to feed livestock. In an extreme scenario, it wasn¡¯t just another twenty-five million that could be supported¨Cfifty million wouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°Moreover¡­¡± Gu Hang continued, ¡°The Beiqing Valley region has a vast amount of farmland yet to be developed. The reason it hasn¡¯t been developed isn¡¯t due to anything else but a lack of population, a lack of agricultural workers. If all twelve billion acres of arable land were developed, considering other aspects of food production, I could support three hundred million people without any issues.¡± ¡°You sure are capable,¡± she said sarcastically, but actually Wang Qi knew this was praise, although she wasn¡¯t used to complimenting her son. She simply changed the subject and got back to the matter at hand, ¡°We could follow the Imperial Migration Decree and relocate populations as free immigrants. Our family¡¯s Chamber of Commerce Fleet could help with transport. But we will have to talk to Pei Desi about this. Moreover, you should also be prepared to pay some price, as the population won¡¯t be given to you for nothing. However, since you have an abundance of food reserves, at that time, you might offer a certain amount of food aid, consumer goods aid, and military hardware aid.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that still basically buying?¡± ¡°The price will be much, much lower,¡± said Wang Qi. ¡°This time, of the forty billion Tax Currency that Korolya III has to pay, the proportion from the human tax is likely to increase substantially because of this. Their demand for various kinds of supplies will also increase; an excess population will become a burden for them, and they will be willing to let go of some. I estimate the overall cost could be brought down to 1 Tax Currency per person, or even lower.¡± Gu Hang nodded slightly. Although it was regrettable not to get them for free, he also knew that one must not be too greedy. So, Gu Hang spoke again, ¡°There¡¯s also the third matter regarding intelligence, can I possibly¡­¡± Seeing her eyes widen, Gu Hang laughed a little, feeling a bit embarrassed to continue asking. But what¡¯s a little embarrassment? Benefits are what truly matter. He pressed on shamelessly, ¡°The Apostles of War are coming to the Tianma Star Sector, ensuring that the Imperial Tax of the Tianma Star Sector for the expedition is secured, and on top of that, they want to collect an extra windfall. That¡¯s fine, Rage Owl Star can support an additional ¡®expedition tax¡¯, and we might even get Heijian Star to support this tax as well. But can I, rightfully and legitimately, take control of Heijian Star?¡± ¡°` ¡°¡­Your appetite is huge.¡± Wang Qi already regretted saying ¡°focus on Rage Owl Star first¡± earlier. Who knew Gu Hang could be so good at capitalizing on opportunities? His son wasn¡¯t like this before! ¡°It¡¯s an opportunity that comes once in a thousand years,¡± Gu Hang confidently said, ¡°How can I not take it? When next time will there be someone with the power to appoint one person to govern two places in the Tianma Star Sector? Who knows when that will be.¡± ¡°Your Rage Owl Star has only twenty million people, and you want to swallow up Heijian Star with its four hundred million? Aren¡¯t you afraid of bursting?¡± ¡°At least I¡¯ll get the name and the legal principles established. This is beneficial for the family too, isn¡¯t it? After that, Heijian Star will be all mine, and there won¡¯t be incidents like the one with Gu Ming again.¡± After pondering for a while, Wang Qi said, ¡°The price will be very high¡­¡± ¡°Mother, do you remember what I told you? As a ruler, you can¡¯t only consider the price,¡± Gu Hang replied. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that crooked logic of yours,¡± Wang Qi said, ¡°I will try.¡± Gu Hang was overjoyed! ¡°Then, I thank you, Mother!¡± ¡­ After hanging up the communication, Gu Hang was indeed extremely happy. If the three requests he made to his mother, from eliminating Blackbird to population growth and to becoming the Governor of Heijian Star, could all be realized, that would be wonderful, equating to eliminating threats, increasing potential, and expanding externally all at once. Of course, he knew that things probably wouldn¡¯t go that smoothly; there could very well be complications. But if there were problems, then he would solve them; this path had to be taken. Just like now. Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t place all his hopes on his mother. Frankly speaking, it wasn¡¯t impossible that the entire Fatches Family had violated the ban on intelligence and was controlled by smart mechanisms. He still needed to be prepared to deal with the current crisis on his own. The whole Alliance system had already begun to operate. Firstly, the ambassador from Blackbird Heavy Industries stationed in the Alliance had already been taken for tea by Lambert¡¯s special agents. There was no longer any talk of turning faces; the Demon Hunter Squad had made quite a ruckus to the west of the mainland, and Blackbird Heavy Industries was probably prepared for this. Gu Hang still hoped to get more intelligence from the mouth of the ambassador sent by the Blackbird group. However, results came quickly. The Blackbird ambassador and several attendants who were taken for tea suddenly died of cerebral hemorrhage seventeen minutes after their arrest. External personnel from the Alliance Hospital performed autopsies on the bodies and found that, although they looked nearly human on the outside, they had significant mechanical modifications inside. It was a bit regrettable but an expected outcome. Gu Hang simply had Lambert continue to send people to the west for intelligence gathering. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Demon Hunter Squad would go again. Just having Demon Hunters wasn¡¯t enough; with their limited numbers, Lambert would also arrange for hundreds of ordinary special agents to participate. Intelligence work was of course dangerous, but it was a necessary task. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k Chapter 461 - Chapter 461: Chapter 275, Mobilization Chapter 461: Chapter 275, Mobilization ¡°` In Weixing City, Osenia was inspecting the factory construction accompanied by Patel. ¡°Prime Minister, please look,¡± Patel said, pointing to the workers operating machinery and the engineers directing them nearby, ¡°This factory used to produce electrical appliances, and as per instructions, it is anticipated to be quickly converted for the production of electrical components for the Lion Tank.¡± After a pause, Patel continued, ¡°There are many similar conversions taking place, and we estimate that we can complete the first phase of the civilian-to-military engineering within a month¡¯s time.¡± Osenia nodded. The pace was roughly within her expectations. However, Patel next to her still hesitated. After some thought, he asked, ¡°Converting so many factories from civilian to military use¡­ isn¡¯t that a bit of an overreaction? It¡¯s not so bad here since most are already basic heavy industry and military industry. But I¡¯ve heard that the changes in Revival City are significant. Many consumer and civilian factories have shifted to military production¡­ Especially those that make agricultural and construction machinery, the reduction in their output is significant. I¡¯m genuinely worried that this might slow down the Union¡¯s development.¡± Osenia¡¯s expression remained unchanged. She reassured him, ¡°Just carry out the orders with peace of mind, these are the commands of the Governor-General. Besides, there¡¯s no need to worry too much. The shift in production capacity from civilian to military isn¡¯t happening all at once. The government and the military have consulted and set up multiple levels of mobilization orders, which include plans for the conversion of civilian factories for military use. These are activated step by step, and not all at once.¡± ¡°War is still the first priority, we must ensure we survive first.¡± ¡°But¡­ isn¡¯t Blackbird Heavy Industries located thousands of miles away? They haven¡¯t posed any threat to the Union for a long time. Do we really need to take action against them now? The Union¡¯s various constructions are flourishing, we¡¯re on a rising trajectory, so why interrupt it like this?¡± Osenia turned around to face Patel. Patel met the gaze of the Prime Minister with openness. He asked himself, filled with loyalty and committed to the public good, without any personal agenda, what was there to fear? Osenia sighed inwardly. These concerns were probably not just Patel¡¯s own but reflected those of the entire Union. The residents of the Union¨Cat least the majority of them¨Cheld great affection for the Union and the Governor-General. The Governor-General never lied about promises; once included in the Union¡¯s system and assigned a rank, residents would receive corresponding treatment; there would be no more living in constant uncertainty. Just this assurance alone was enough to ensure that the vast majority of civilians, who had moved from chaos to peace, were wholeheartedly loyal to the Union and to the Governor-General. Not to mention, in the Union¡¯s ranking system, which has been operating for a year or two and seemed quite dynamic, there were sizable opportunities for mobility between different social strata. Even though the Union wasn¡¯t a utopia and also needed to generate revenue and development and inevitably encountered corruption within its system, life was still far better than in the past. Under these circumstances, a few troublemakers couldn¡¯t stir up much trouble. Yet, those who opposed taking action against Blackbird Heavy Industries were not necessarily just those harboring resentment. The general public, who supported the Governor-General and felt a sense of belonging to the Union, were diligently building their homes, looking forward to a brighter future, and watching that future gradually become a reality within reach. In such a context, why suddenly go to war? Especially initiating it. Of course, Osenia knew the reasons. It could have been ignored before, but now that it was known that Blackbird Heavy Industries had violated the Smart Mechanisms embargo, they naturally had to be dealt with. The crisis posed by Smart Mechanisms couldn¡¯t be allowed to continue. While it may seem harmless now, with Blackbird Heavy Industries keeping to themselves out west, if left unchecked, when they finally decided to make a move, the scale could potentially grow beyond what the Union could handle. Although it was difficult to speak directly to this reason, it wasn¡¯t without alternative methods of circumvention. In substance, Blackbird Heavy Industries posed a real threat to the Union. Leaving aside the sensitive information regarding Smart Mechanisms, which wasn¡¯t ideal to disclose publicly, simple propaganda about the just cause of the war and portraying Blackbird Heavy Industries as a grave threat to the beautiful lives of millions in the Union, as a harbinger of disaster, would suffice. In fact, related foreign propaganda efforts were already underway when the decision was made. But looking at it now, it seemed the efforts weren¡¯t sufficient, as even a high-ranking official like Patel wasn¡¯t convinced. While verbally reassuring Patel and encouraging him to focus on his duties, Osenia also made a mental note. Upon returning, she needed to summon the people from the Propaganda Department, urge them to work more effectively, and even discipline some of those responsible for managing these efforts. ¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Weixing City was only the first stop on Osenia¡¯s inspection tour. Then, she boarded the Wind Falcon and toured several other industrial bases in the vicinity. Other areas in the Central Province, the Central-North Province, the Gaota Province¡­ everywhere the civilian-to-military work was proceeding in an orderly fashion. The scale wasn¡¯t very large, but this was a dress rehearsal. The time for full mobilization of war potential hadn¡¯t come yet, just as Patel had said. As the Union¡¯s Prime Minister, Osenia did not wish to disrupt the Union¡¯s current booming development trend too much because of a war. ¡°` Chapter 462 - Chapter 462: Chapter 275, Mobilization_2 Chapter 462: Chapter 275, Mobilization_2 However, the Alliance must possess this capability for mobilization. Currently under a Level Two Mobilization Order, it should not significantly impact residents¡¯ lives; corresponding welfare and allowances will not be cut. The consumer goods market and the food industry market will be affected to some extent, but not severely, with a lesser variety available. Yet, moving to the next tier with a Level One Mobilization Order, maintaining an unaffected state would become challenging. At that point, there would likely be a significant drafting of troops; a wartime economy would be initiated, cutting welfare and allowances; and civilian factories would be further converted into military ones. With a Total Mobilization Order, it would be as if the entire Alliance was deploying all its strength in response to war. All population, all production and living, would revolve around the war. Most able-bodied men and even a considerable number of women would be conscripted into the military; the remaining populace, from the elderly to the youngest, would be engaged in war-related work, as producing even one more bullet was beneficial; all non-war-related consumption would be minimized¡­ Since the establishment of the Alliance, such a level of total mobilization has never been initiated. But Osenia was confident that the system she had built, in line with Governor General¡¯s overall expectations, was capable of reaching that degree and unleashing immense wartime potential. This was her pride and joy, but she would prefer it to never be necessary. She was well aware that if the Alliance mobilized to that extent, the damage to economic development would be tremendous. Anxiously returning to Revival City, she went to report to Mr. Gu. Arriving at the conference room door, she was right on schedule. The Alliance values practical matters, without fussing over the superfluous. Even when meeting with Mr. Gu, there¡¯s no need for an appointment during slow times; during busy periods, meetings are schedule to avoid long waits and there¡¯s no need to arrive early. Osenia arrived on the dot, only to learn that Mr. Gu was with Generals Yan Fangxu and Tadeusz. Their appointment was before hers, and by rights, they should have finished by now, but perhaps due to some unexpected issues, or some topics not thoroughly discussed, they had been delayed. She waited outside patiently, only to hear a voice echo in her mind: ¡°Come in, listen along and share your thoughts.¡± That was the voice of Mr. Gu. Osenia quickly gathered her wits and proceeded forward. The guards outside did not stop her, apparently also having been informed. Once inside, two men were engaged in a debate about something; Mr. Gu sat at the head of the table, not participating in the discussion, but listening intently. Osenia didn¡¯t rush to speak either. She casually found a seat and listened attentively. After a while, she roughly understood what was going on. The Alliance¡¯s overall mobilization was in preparation for war, and naturally, it was the military¡¯s job to fight. At present, the Rage Bear Legion, soon to receive an official designation from the Star Realm Army, had been deployed. A fourteen-thousand-strong force moved from its original base in the Central Province, traversing five hundred kilometers west to the Western Desert. Joining them was the Central Group Army. Of course, this Central Group Army was no longer the same one that fought in the three provinces in the east. The original Central Group Army was divided into three sections: one part established the Heijian Star Group Army to maintain the colonies; another was integrated into the Rage Bear Legion. Only the First Brigade remained, augmented by the newly established 46th to 50th Divisions, forming the new Central Group Army. Recently, the newly formed 39th and 40th Reserve Divisions of the former Eastern Group Army, along with the 21st to 25th Reserve Divisions from the Green Valley Group Army, were also incorporated into it. As a result, the current Central Group Army also consisted of thirteen divisions, totalling a hundred thousand troops. Combining these two corps equaled two hundred and fifty thousand troops. This represented the Alliance¡¯s main maneuverable force, available without initiating further mobilization and without affecting the defense of each region itself. Meanwhile, the ¡°new recruit camps¡± across the Alliance had recruited around a hundred thousand people in total. They were in training and would supplement the frontline troops in accordance with the progress and needs of the war, ensuring that the two western armies would always have ample personnel. These new recruits were the result of the mobilization order, which Osenia was aware of. Although conscription wasn¡¯t under her jurisdiction and belonged to Tadeusz¡¯s military administration¡¯s Draft Office, it still required close cooperation with local governments. Under the second-level mobilization order, the number of reserve forces would continue to increase. It was estimated that the military personnel pool could reach 5% of the total population, which meant about 1.25 million people. Aside from the more than four hundred thousand already in service and the hundred thousand in new recruit camps, there was still recruitment space for approximately seven hundred thousand more. If that wasn¡¯t enough, it might be necessary to issue a first-level mobilization order, which would raise the total number of people mobilized to 10%. And if that was still insufficient, reaching the point of an Alliance-wide mobilization order, the ceiling could go up to 20% of the population, but that would be quite exaggerated. The strategic goal of the 250,000-strong legion gathering in the west during the first phase was the West Desert Region. It wasn¡¯t about occupying the entire vast Western Desert, for that was too large; scattering two hundred thousand people across it would be like sprinkling water on a desert, meaningless. The main objective was still to control the ¡°oasis¡± in the eastern part of the West Desert Region that already had more contact with the Alliance and, especially, to secure control of the main thoroughfare that ran across the Western Desert straight to the western continent. This main thoroughfare was likely a remnant from the pre-war era, originally a solidly paved road. However, due to environmental changes, warfare, and the collapse of the unified government, this thoroughfare was in particularly poor condition without maintenance. It was barely passable thanks to the self-maintenance efforts of itinerant traders and the oases along the way. Most crucially, there was nowhere else to go if not through here. All sorts of heavy equipment and vehicles, although possessing excellent off-road capabilities, crossing ten thousand kilometers of wilderness to embark on an expedition to the west, would still be too much. This barely usable highway not only needed to be occupied but also required engineer troops to further repair and maintain it. At the moment, the troops were not far from the Western Desert. The point of contention between Yan Fangxu, the Major General Commander, and Tadeusz, the military governor, was how to deal with the many oasis powers in the Western Desert. There was no unified government in the Western Desert; each oasis and the plantation factories beneath them were like independent city-states, with their own political systems and armed forces. Coming from a military perspective, Yan Fangxu did not wish to conquer through sheer force alone as this would heavily burden his troops, making it difficult to complete the task of pushing the front to the central region of the Western Desert and establishing the main defense line within a month and a half. His troops would spend a lot of time and effort suppressing resisting forces. He would rather see diplomatic measures employed as long as the oases on the eastern side caused no trouble. Tadeusz, on the other hand, was concerned about the uncertainties regarding the plantation factories beneath those oases. A lengthy supply line with too many third-party forces possessing their own military might along the way was extremely dangerous. Both had valid points. Of course, their disagreement wasn¡¯t particularly fierce, as no one was a fool; both understood that the other¡¯s concerns were justified, and they were constantly discussing possible solutions. They discussed a range of topics, from the intensity of diplomatic measures to how to deal with local armed forces, which strategic points along the way definitely needed to be secured for safety, which could be left for later, and how to arrange troop defenses and suppression¡­ Osenia listened and noted many things. She also came to understand why Mr. Gu had wanted her to listen in. The Alliance Foreign Affairs Department was a relatively independent institution outside of the government, and it had not been given much attention¨Cthere hadn¡¯t been much need for diplomacy until now. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Conversely, the Alliance Commerce Department under Osenia had more capacity to play a role in this area. She slowly joined the discussion, mainly contributing to discourse about the political attitudes of the oases and their relationship with the Alliance, as well as potential starting points for engagement. During the discussion, a plan gradually took shape. Throughout the process, Gu Hang seldom spoke, only making decisive judgements when matters were left unresolved. This was precisely the situation that Gu Hang desired. Chapter 463 - Chapter 463: Chapter 276, Intercontinental Missile Chapter 463: Chapter 276, Intercontinental Missile The Alliance isn¡¯t Gu Hang¡¯s alone; he can¡¯t make all the decisions himself, or he¡¯d be overwhelmed to death. Right now, the gathering of opinions and gradually forming strategies are exactly what he wanted to see. These people were all talented and capable individuals. Through the system¡¯s function, Gu Hang had selected them and, with the ¡°Hero¡± template, accelerated their growth, aiming for the effect he was seeing now. The three of them had discussed and come to a conclusion which Gu Hang reviewed and found no issues with, so it was time to execute it. After sending the three away to their respective tasks, Gu Hang found himself alone in his office, deep in thought. Honestly, after receiving the intelligence from Blackbird City, he didn¡¯t want to start a major conflict right away. Just being well-prepared was enough. Activating a level-two mobilization was just a precaution. The best-case scenario would be to maintain the status quo. If Blackbird Heavy Industries remained quiet, so much the better; Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t go looking for trouble. All he needed to do was wait peacefully for his mother to maneuver politically within the Star Sector and for the arrival of the Star Realm Army. That would be the best time to deal a fatal blow to Blackbird Heavy Industries. For this reason, Gu Hang even refrained from using orbital bombardment to avoid an excessive reaction from Blackbird. But evidently, Blackbird didn¡¯t plan on giving him that chance anymore. The commotion caused by more than ten Demon Hunters in Blackbird City wasn¡¯t small. Certainly, it had provided Gu Hang with important intelligence, but clearly, Blackbird Heavy Industries was now aware that their cover had been blown. Blackbird, taking the initiative, had already begun mobilizing. This intelligence came from the continent¡¯s west. The Alliance had dispatched a new Demon Hunter Squad and over two hundred special service intelligence operatives to the Western Desert. It was difficult to infiltrate Blackbird City; attempting it was a near-suicidal mission, especially after the disturbance caused by Ilan Bird and others, which would surely have resulted in increased security. However, it was less risky to set up intelligence posts in the outlying settlements across those thousands of square kilometers of land in the Western Desert outside of Blackbird City. And it was precisely these intelligence posts that noticed the unusual mobilization of personnel and deployment of forces by Blackbird Heavy Industries. They observed the large-scale congregation and movement of materials within the areas controlled by Blackbird Heavy Industries; they saw the movement of personnel. And if those were just preliminary warnings, even more alarming was the movement of military forces they witnessed. Drones as small as a palm to ones as large as a car; mechanical dogs equipped with 360-degree rotatable light armament platforms; countless modified humans forming combat troops; numerous ¡®Challenger¡¯ tanks¡­ All of these could be seen without even needing to enter Blackbird City, visible from the outside. Related intelligence was urgently sent back, one report after another. If Blackbird was on the move, how could the Alliance stay still? The instruction Gu Hang issued was to repel the enemy from beyond their borders. If the war couldn¡¯t be delayed, then it was to be fought; but it couldn¡¯t take place on Alliance soil. It was unacceptable if the flames of war reached the Central Province, especially near Revival City and Weixing of the Twin Cities. The West Desert Region was an excellent choice for a pre-designated battlefield. It was sparsely populated with vast expanses of desert, and most of the valuable oases relied on underground plantations, which made the area suitable for combat without fearing damage to the land. It was precisely because of sensing Blackbird¡¯s movements that the Alliance hastily decided to mobilize troops and push westward. At the very least, they aimed to extend the defense line one thousand kilometers out and build it in the desert area. However, the war descended in a manner that nobody had anticipated, with greater speed and catching everyone more off guard than ever before. ¡­ Three days later, sitting in his office having just had another phone call with his mother, exchanging updates on the political maneuvering within the Star Sector, he learned that the Fatches Family was indeed getting anxious. They had decided to use their influence with the Dragonhawk Third Legion stationed in the Tianma Star Sector to divert a portion of the Star Realm Army, originally planned to be dispatched to Korolya III, to Rage Owl Star. The exact number of troops was still under discussion, the method of their deployment was still being negotiated, who would bear the cost of deployment was an ongoing conversation, and how to avoid making the Imperial Navy too sensitive was also being discussed¡­ Gu Hang urged for a quick resolution; the battle was about to begin and he needed the Star Realm Army forces to arrive as soon as possible. And just as he hung up the phone, Gu Hang heard the piercing sound of alarms blaring over the skies of Revival City. His face instantly turned somber. The guards outside nearly burst into his office. ¡°Governor! Level one alert! Our intelligence personnel have discovered missile silos in the Western Desert! Missiles have already been launched eastward!¡± ¡°When did this happen?¡± ¡°Just now! Based on the timing, it¡¯s been fifteen minutes since the missile launch!¡± The guard didn¡¯t mention how many missiles there were, the power of the missiles, nor their exact targets¨Cor whether they could reach Revival City. Yet, a sense of extreme urgency rang through Gu Hang¡¯s heart. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only How could they not reach? Otherwise, was Blackbird just setting off fireworks? That was clearly not the case. ¡°Governor, please hurry to the air raid¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Gu Hang rejected the guard¡¯s suggestion and immediately left the office. Harnessing his spiritual energy, he levitated and soared into the air, gazing westward with keen eyes. Chapter 464 - Chapter 464: Chapter 276, Intercontinental Missile_2 Chapter 464: Chapter 276, Intercontinental Missile_2 ¡°` He didn¡¯t need to hide in an air-raid shelter; the missiles wouldn¡¯t claim his life. But for the residents of the Alliance and the Alliance¡¯s factories, it was a different story. And after he ascended, he indeed saw missiles with long trails blazing through the clear sky, roaring toward him. At the same time, many red beams were fired from a great distance. Some of these red beams originated from Revival City and others from Weixing City. He couldn¡¯t hear any sound, but Gu Hang could see, through his viewport, that most of the missiles streaking across the clear sky were hit by red beams and exploded in mid-air. He was somewhat relieved. These red beams came from the [Reflector Laser Cannon], which is essentially an anti-aircraft weapon. Its most common uses are twofold: placed on the ground for air defense and long-range anti-orbital bombing; and on starships, to blast approaching landing craft, incoming live munition firepower, and counter-collide with energy attacks from enemy ships. Even if they couldn¡¯t intercept all, they could reduce the power of the enemy¡¯s energy attacks. Originally, Gu Hang had acquired the technology for the [Reflector]. The Alliance also had sufficient resources and prerequisite technologies to produce them on a large scale. But earlier on, the Alliance didn¡¯t have a strong demand for [Reflectors]. On one hand, the Alliance didn¡¯t have starships, so there wasn¡¯t a need to produce hundreds of [Reflectors] for starships all the time; on the other hand, the enemies the Alliance had encountered up until then didn¡¯t have any notable air force, so there was little need for air defense firepower. Most of the produced [Reflectors] were castrated versions, with reduced size, power, and energy consumption, and were placed on Lion Tanks as main or secondary armaments. Featuring a full suite including radar, interception, servo-skull computational recognition systems, and precision interception firepower, the production numbers for the complete [Reflector] systems were indeed not many. It was only through the use of Black Boxes, which guaranteed the production of a complete set each time, that some were made; the mass production lines set up by the Alliance produced very few of these full-system suits. These produced air defense systems were mainly installed in Revival City and Weixing City. And at this very moment, such deployment played a tremendous role. In Revival City, there were a total of eleven complete [Reflector] systems; Weixing City had around twenty or more sets. The continuous firing of beams intercepted most of the missiles in mid-air. In the end, only one missile actually reached the skies above Revival City. But it didn¡¯t explode. With a wave of his hand, Gu Hang used his Spiritual Energy to capture it, crushing it into scrap metal in mid-air. But his expression remained extremely grave. Revival City here may have just had a false alarm, but¡­ what about the other places? Weixing City didn¡¯t have a top-tier Spiritual Energy user like Gu Hang to perform this final line of defense. Although the number of Reflector systems was more than double that of Revival City, could they intercept all the missiles? The situation in Weixing City was still manageable, at least with its twenty-plus Reflector systems; but what about other places in the Alliance? The frontlines, where the main forces of the Alliance were assembling and acting, what about them? But worrying now was useless. After confirming that no more missiles were coming from the horizon, Gu Hang slowly descended and returned to his office. Then, relevant intelligence started to pile up in his office like snowflakes. The first to report were the air defense systems of Revival City and Weixing City. These systems detected forty-five incoming missiles. Fifteen aimed at Revival City and thirty at Weixing City. Revival City intercepted fourteen, with one unknown (crushed by Gu Hang); Weixing City, on the other hand, intercepted twenty-nine, with one exploding in a factory, destroying a production line for alloy plastic steel, killing seven people and injuring more than thirty. All the injured had been sent to the hospital, and the damaged factory had already been scheduled for emergency repairs. The second piece of intelligence came from the troops assembling on the frontline. ¡°` At least fifty missiles launched an attack on them. But the frontline troops had their own air defense firepower. In the [Fifth Generation ¡®Walker¡¯ Series Armored Vehicle] that Gu Hang had previously allocated, although the most produced were the ¡®Forwarder¡¯ Armored Transport Vehicle and the ¡®Strider¡¯ Infantry Fighting Vehicle, there was also the ¡®Defender¡¯ series of anti-aircraft combat vehicles in this series. The alliance had been continuously producing related equipment, and almost every division was equipped with an anti-air unit or battalion. These field air defense vehicles were equipped with actual anti-aircraft guns, which were not as accurate as the [Reflector] nor did they have servo skulls for assistive calculations, significantly reducing interception efficiency. But the number of air defense vehicles supplied to the field army was still substantial. Out of the fifty missiles, thirty-eight were intercepted; the remaining ones, although they did explode, didn¡¯t hit the areas with the highest concentration of personnel and equipment right away. The specific casualty report hadn¡¯t come out yet, but the total number was expected not to exceed one hundred and fifty. By this step, Gu Hang was already feeling pained. But he knew that the worst had not yet arrived. Indeed, after waiting a little longer, two more cities in the alliance reported attacks. Beigu City in Beiqing Valley Province also suffered a missile attack. Ten missiles exploded in Beigu City, causing no less than five hundred casualties, completely destroying a food processing plant and a food warehouse, with the specific material losses yet to be counted. Additionally, the former Rubbish Town, now Gaota City, also suffered an attack. Fifteen missiles destroyed the municipal government of Gaota City, causing no less than five hundred direct casualties and also destroying a Low Energy Storm collection factory, causing a sympathetic explosion. The related sympathetic explosion resulted in 80% of the workers in that factory being out of touch, which was about a thousand people in scale. Looking at all this information coming together, Gu Hang¡¯s face was so dark it seemed it might drip ink. Blackbird Heavy Industries possessed intercontinental strike capabilities, enabling them to precisely deliver long-range missiles from a distance of one to two ten thousand kilometers, which he hadn¡¯t expected. Although the power of these missiles did not seem too great, even weaker than the ¡®Scalpel¡¯ missile that Gu Hang had seen before, the act itself was extremely heinous. The fact that one hundred and twenty intercontinental missiles had been launched and the losses had been secondary, the most frightening aspect was that it exposed a vulnerability of the alliance: no countermeasure capability! The alliance lacked intercontinental strike means! And due to previous negligence, the construction of the alliance¡¯s air defense system was not up to par. The casualties in Gaota City and Beigu City totaled two thousand people! Although they were all civilians, they were an important workforce. Not to mention that factories and warehouses were destroyed, the loss of materials and means of production would be difficult to calculate in a short time. Thankfully, Revival City and Weixing City were spared; otherwise, if the forty-five missiles that hit these two cities had all detonated on impact, the results would be unimaginable. The population density and industrial importance in these places were much higher than those in Beigu City and Gaota City! What made Gu Hang feel even more alarmed was that he still did not know the extent of Blackbird¡¯s intercontinental missile delivery capability. Could they only deliver these one hundred and twenty missiles at a time? How many intercontinental missiles did they have in reserve? Was this attack a sudden all-out strike, or simply a probing move? Did they have any ¡®big shots¡¯ far more powerful than these one hundred and twenty missiles? All these unknowns were unnerving for him as a ruler. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But although he was distressed, he did not panic in his actions. He immediately made a call to the Blade Tiger. ¡°Colonel Yelisia, I want you to carry out a full-force orbital strike on Blackbird City immediately, no holding back!¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Wishing all readers a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Chapter 465 - Chapter 465: Chapter 277, Irong Fatches Chapter 465: Chapter 277, Irong Fatches ¡°` The Alliance indeed lacked the capability for intercontinental strike capability; their domestically produced missiles couldn¡¯t reach nearly twenty thousand kilometers away. But just because the Alliance didn¡¯t have it, didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t have other tricks up their sleeve. Now, within the Empire¡¯s conventional firepower, why wasn¡¯t there much advocacy for the development of long-range ground strikes? There were three reasons: one was that long-range strikes were expensive; two, current air defense technology was quite exaggerated, boasting high interception efficiency. But the reason a weapon¡¯s appearance gets significantly reduced is rarely because it has many natural predators, but rather because its role was supplanted by another type of weapon. The thing that significantly replaced intercontinental weapons was orbital bombardment. The Blade Tiger could lend a hand with that. In the communication, Yelisia said no problem. Regarding the intelligence breach about Blackbird violating the intelligence ban, Gu Hang did not notify her immediately. Not until things got underway on his mother¡¯s end and talks began-the matter wasn¡¯t too confidential then-did Gu Hang inform Yelisia. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust her; she wasn¡¯t one of his own. If he told her one second, the Fufana Family would know the next, and Pei Desi would likely find out the second after that. Now it didn¡¯t matter. Yelisia didn¡¯t make much of it, just scolded teasingly for not telling her sooner and complained a few times about how many things happened on Rage Owl Star. In reality, Gu Hang could feel that this naval commodore was quite eager. There was merit to be earned! Yelisia enthusiastically arranged for the Blade Tiger to move in planetary orbit, preparing to initiate orbital bombardment on Blackbird City. Meanwhile, Gu Hang began to arrange another move. Before Blackbird Heavy Industries launched the missile attack, the Alliance had received a warning from an intelligence agent at the front. Although the warning came a bit late and didn¡¯t serve as a pre-warning, as the missiles arrived shortly after, Gu Hang didn¡¯t forget what they mentioned: ¡®Missile silos detected.¡¯ Since that was the case, it was time for tit for tat. True, the Alliance lacked the means for intercontinental strikes and couldn¡¯t directly bombard the missile silos; Blade Tiger¡¯s target was also Blackbird City, not the missile bases specifically. But the Alliance had other means. Under Gu Hang¡¯s command, the Wind Falcon took off, carrying the Phoenix. ¡­ Heavenly fire descended. Irong Fetches sat within the metallic throne atop the high tower. Unlike most of the modified humans in Blackbird City, Irong Fetches¡¯s outward appearance hadn¡¯t changed significantly; she still retained the flesh and blood of humanity. Only her deep-blue eyes twinkled with an inhuman electric light. Atop the mechanical tower, connected to the observation monitor at the top, her viewpoint elevated and extended. In her gaze, a strike from beyond the planet¡¯s atmosphere descended from the heavens. The equipment on the Escort Ship consisted of the all-firepower versions of ¡®Reflector¡¯ and ¡®Defender.¡¯ This was an entirely different concept from the anti-air Reflector produced by the Alliance or the laser cannons mounted on tanks. While the technology was the same, the power and intensity were more than tenfold. The force of the Scalpel Missile was also several times more ferocious than those launched by Blackbird Heavy Industries that had attacked the Alliance¡¯s intercontinental missiles. These weapons were hurling towards Blackbird City without holding back. A layer of azure light appeared over the skies of Blackbird City. This was a massive Energy Shield Generator, and the first wave of strikes from space was stalled. The second volley met the same fate. The Shield Generator flickered but did not turn red. The Shield Generators equipped in Blackbird City were strong on their own, and simple bombardment from S-grade ships couldn¡¯t easily shatter them. However, this was after all a situation of passively taking hits. Blackbird City lacked adequate Anti-Orbital Firepower to directly attack from the ground to space; there were some orbital air defense installations, but they were insufficient to intercept every round of bombardment from the Blade Tiger. What made matters worse was that although the Shield Generators of Blackbird City weren¡¯t small, they couldn¡¯t cover the entire city. They shielded only about half of the city¡¯s area. Barely managing to cover the core district, but many peripheral areas remained unprotected. The Blade Tiger above sensed this too. After two rounds of ineffective bombardment, they changed tactics, beginning to target the areas outside of the energy shield¡¯s coverage. Soon, apart from the central district, the peripheries of Blackbird City began to blossom with explosions, and flames shot into the sky. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Irong Fetches could see it all clearly. She knew this was already a relatively good outcome. Currently orbiting Rage Owl Star was only an old model of Blade Tiger, one of the weakest in firepower among Escort Ships. If it had been the Quintet, a properly outfitted Main Cruiser, with an L-class heavy cannon Wrath of Loyalty raining down non-stop, let alone the outskirts, not even the energy shield over the city¡¯s heart might have been able to withstand it. That had been her greatest fear. Within the family, she was an overlooked member. She had no outstanding abilities, nor a particularly valued position. Six years ago, a freshly adult Irong, had just taken a job in the government of Fetches II, where she worked decently and without mistakes for three years. ¡°` Chapter 466 - Chapter 466: Chapter 277, Irong Fatches_2 Chapter 466: Chapter 277, Irong Fatches_2 Just as she began to wonder if her life would simply pass by on Fetches II, no different from any other ordinary member of the family, an opportunity presented itself to her: the family was recruiting someone to head Blackbird Heavy Industries at Rage Owl Star. The previous manager had retired, and the family needed a direct descendant to take over the operations there. What was Rage Owl Star like three years ago? It was a barren planet, a backwater that repeatedly failed to meet the Imperial Tax, a place shunned by the direct descendants of the family as if it were a snake or scorpion, and no ambitious person with prospects would willingly suffer there. To put it plainly, it was just an idle piece in the family¡¯s game on Rage Owl Star¨Cto establish some industries, make some money, relying on the fact that the previous Planetary Governors couldn¡¯t collect the taxes to score some extra income. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that the family didn¡¯t harbor thoughts of expansion. They planned to use Blackbird Heavy Industries to continually extend their influence on Rage Owl Star, to secure the position of Planetary Governor at the least cost, and ultimately bring this insignificant planet into the Fatches Family¡¯s territory. Irong signed up. Initially, she wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to go. People around her said it was too harsh there, the family had plans but didn¡¯t value it highly, going there would be a waste of her youth, and she felt apprehensive about it. But on one hand, she didn¡¯t want to live the rest of her life in comfort but predictability; on the other hand, she just wanted to try, not truly believing that someone as ordinary as herself would be selected. And then she was indeed chosen. Perhaps it was because the capable and esteemed members of the family looked down on this destination, yet she was a Fatches by blood, and her past record was one of honest and obedient service¡­ In any case, whatever the reason, she became the Fatches Family¡¯s choice to oversee the operations of Blackbird Heavy Industries. With a nervous heart, she arrived here and began her work. The business didn¡¯t require too much of her attention; her predecessor, an elder from the family, had left a solid foundation, and it wasn¡¯t a total mess. Everything operated smoothly according to the arrangements he had left in place. However, she still encountered problems later. She wasn¡¯t truly incompetent; within the internal management, she gradually discovered something amiss: the production capacity of Blackbird Heavy Industries was much larger than expected. The start-up capital given by the family was minimal; the support they provided was sparse. The production conditions here were poor. According to her understanding, Blackbird Heavy Industries should not have the production capacity she was witnessing. And she quickly understood why: Under her watch, the automated production lines were operating day and night. Many of the industrial workers had long been transformed into tireless, food-and-drink-free mechanical augmentees, who only needed to be charged, supplied with energy, and they could operate according to commands. Without a doubt, this had crossed the line of the Imperial edict against smart mechanisms. She solemnly summoned the relevant overseers and discussed this issue seriously, but she found that they didn¡¯t consider it a big deal. What¡¯s the harm in it? The Imperial edict is one thing, but who cares about it on Rage Owl Star? The Planetary Governors, who in principle should monitor all anomalies within their territories, are each unsure if they can survive another two years, sitting like clay statues in Revival City to the east, unable to even control their own governments, let alone handle matters on the continent¡¯s far west. Here the emperor¡¯s writ runs thin; anything goes. Moreover, as for the so-called ban on smart mechanisms, that¡¯s making a mountain out of a molehill. They¡¯re just simple automated machines, just bumping up the degree of human modification a bit further, especially modifying the brain¨Chow is that any different from a servitor? Where could that possibly lead to a serious issue, a crisis with smart mechanisms? They truly didn¡¯t believe that those augmented humans, those automated machines, would suddenly revolt one day. They had been doing this for a long time, ever since the previous president of Blackbird Heavy Industries was in charge. And nothing had gone wrong. Even, those in charge had told her that it wasn¡¯t just at Blackbird Heavy Industries; on the Fatches family¡¯s home turf, the Fatches 1/2/3 Planets, there were also automated machines in operation. However, on those three traditional planets of the Fatches family, there would always be Imperial officials inspecting, and the situation on the planets was more complex. They dared not be too blatant, so they could only operate on a small scale and in a very covert manner. After all, the impact of automation on increasing productivity and reducing production costs was too immediate and evident. Initially, Irong was panicked. Even after listening to the explanations from the supervisors, she felt something was off. She was afraid that the events she¡¯d read about in history books and some legendary tales would befall her one day. Imperial wrath descending from the heavens, burning away all traitors, and she, herself, would be that Imperial traitor. But she dared not put a stop to it all. She could see that the specific officers in charge would not agree easily; she felt that if the violations were reported to the family, she, as the person in charge, would be the one to ultimately take the blame and be ostracized by the family; the production quotas set by the family, the expansion targets, they couldn¡¯t possibly be met without strong production capabilities behind them, even the control over the entire Western Continent might not be maintained¡­ She consented to it all, only asking that they not delve deeper; then, during an inspection, she accidentally fell from a height of two stories, sustaining a comminuted fracture of her left foot, making recovery difficult, so she accepted the mechanical augmentation of her left foot. This was a common occurrence; in many parts of the Empire, similar mechanical augmentations took place, and as long as the brain wasn¡¯t altered, there shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem. After the augmentation was completed, her mechanical left foot, although very useful, sometimes gave her the vague feeling that it had its own consciousness. In the time that followed, she began to see some cold illusions before her eyes; she found her logical thinking ability had become extremely strong, but as a consequence, she began to feel she was slowly losing some human emotions, becoming more and more indifferent. One day, a year ago, she felt that she was about to be driven mad, yet her emotions remained strangely calm. She picked up a knife and cut open the flesh at the juncture where her left calf connected to the machine, only to see the upper part of her limb that should have been her own, that should not have been altered, and, beneath the flesh where there should have been white bone, there was a dark grey metallic substance! She should have been shocked, terrified, but she wasn¡¯t. She just calmly cut open the flesh on her arms, which, by all accounts, should show no trace of modification, to see that inside were still metallic bones. Then she broke her left hand, and inside the skeleton, there were mechanical structures, cables. In her mind, knowledge that shouldn¡¯t have belonged to her surfaced, giving her a clear understanding that these cables and mechanical structures were what supported her body¡¯s operation. The modifications to her body had not stopped for a moment over the past two years, starting with her left foot, gradually replacing her bones, the structure of her blood¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now, she might still appear outwardly indistinguishable from a normal human, but in essence, she had become another species. But Irong Fatches wasn¡¯t panicked; she just calmly repaired her broken arm, watched as the falsely fleshy exterior regenerated completely, and went back to whatever she was doing. She had heard that a new Planetary Governor had arrived from the east, who had even sent envoys. After learning about the various deeds he had done on the planet, she began to make some additional preparations silently. Building intercontinental missile silos, constructing Shield Generators, adjusting the production capacity of Blackbird Heavy Industries from producing products required by the Fatches family to producing military goods, increasing the number of augmented humans. She was preparing for a future that her logical mind deemed inevitable, and now, that future had arrived. Chapter 467 - Chapter 467: Chapter 278, The Phoenixs Icy Fury Chapter 467: Chapter 278, The Phoenix¡¯s Icy Fury Irong Fatches knew that she couldn¡¯t possibly stay hidden in the western continent forever, and quietly develop according to her past plans, slowly building up force before sweeping across the entire planet. The new governor was different from all his predecessors. He rapidly unified the entire eastern side of the continent and turned what was once a nominal ¡®Alliance¡¯ back into a tangible entity. And even went a step further. The so-called ¡®Alliance¡¯ was in name only; its unification bore no resemblance to an ¡®Alliance¡¯? It was essentially a highly efficient centralized government! And with the Governor¡¯s actions in the eastern part of the continent, it wouldn¡¯t be long before he reached out his claws. She was prepared, just hoping that it would happen as late as possible. The later, the stronger the forces she could accumulate. The leaking of intelligence was inevitable; Blackbird City was airtight but not a completely enclosed space. As long as there were material and personnel exchanges with the outside world, the leakage of the city¡¯s situation was unavoidable. She also knew that she could not win. If she only had to deal with Gu Hang and the twenty-five million humans gathered on the Eastern Continent, it might still be manageable. But what she was up against was the Human Empire. There would be the Star Realm Army, there would be the Imperial Navy, endless in number. But what if she couldn¡¯t win? In her mind, a voice was incredibly clear: ¡°Involve more humans in the glorious evolution.¡± That was the goal. The bombardment of the Imperial Navy was something she had prepared for. The most important production had already been moved as much as possible to the central city protected by energy shields; another part had been buried in the underground sections of the city. The ones that couldn¡¯t be moved to the core city, in the outer districts, were also spread out as much as possible to avoid concentration. This limited the damage caused by the barrage from orbit. The orbital bombardment lasted almost a day. The Blade Tiger escort ship dispensed thousands of rounds of energy, kinetic, and missile fire onto the surface, bombing the outskirts of Blackbird City into ruins. All one could see was a sea of flames. But Irong Fatches remained unruffled. Her cold eyes flickered with electricity; her brain, now adapted to instruction+logic thinking mode, coldly calculated the losses. The productivity of Blackbird City had lost approximately twenty-seven percent during the day¡¯s bombardment. The losses were certainly significant, but not fatal. And the Blade Tiger in the sky had also stopped its attack¨Cit had run out of ammo. Meanwhile, a part of Irong¡¯s consciousness reached far beyond the range of Blackbird City, connecting to the five scattered missile launch bases across the western continent. Those bases continued to fire. The first wave of 120 intercontinental cruise missiles was just the appetizer. Over a long time, Blackbird Heavy Industries had produced over 4,000 intercontinental cruise missiles. She planned to launch all of these missiles within eight days. You have orbital bombardment, I have intercontinental missiles; You have air defenses, I have energy shields and pre-emptive industrial evacuation¡­ Let¡¯s inflict pain on each other. ¡­ Anat¡¯s heart was ablaze with anger. Before departing, he and his battle brothers were in the Phoenix Monastery, engaging in routine training and prayer. He saw with his own eyes the roaring intercontinental missiles barreling toward Weixing City and Revival City. Although most of the first wave was intercepted, there was almost a frequency of four missile volleys every hour as Blackbird Heavy Industries continued to launch attacks on the Alliance. The main targets were the large cities, especially Revival City and Weixing City, the political and industrial hubs. The Alliance¡¯s air defense system, the never-before-used air-defense ¡®Reflectors,¡¯ had never been as busy as now. Crazy beams of light shot into the sky, blowing up the missiles mid-flight, but there were always some that slipped through. He was very worried about his parents. Though, after becoming an Angel of the Emperor and Governor, he hadn¡¯t yet visited his parents who had fled from the Green Valley Region; the old veterans in the warband always cautioned them to cut the emotional ties and concerns from their time as mortals. They had given themselves wholly, becoming Death Angels, and should no longer harbor the emotions and thoughts of ordinary people. Anat told himself the same. But he soon realized there was no need to be so extreme. His mission was to bring destruction to the Empire¡¯s enemies, to the Alliance¡¯s enemies, to protect humanity, the Empire, and the Alliance. His parents were certainly subjects of the Empire, citizens of the Alliance, and there was no conflict between the two. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The threat to his family from the missiles flying in from the west, as well as the damage they caused to the Alliance, were completely aligned, even overlapping. This stoked the flames of his fury. He desperately wanted to bring the fire of death to those enemies daring to harm what he was resolved to protect. And his chance was coming soon. The Allied Air Force¡¯s Wind Falcons swiftly descended upon the Phoenix Monastery, and their warband leader appeared before them. Chapter 468 - Chapter 468: Chapter 278, The Cold Fury of the Phoenix_2 Chapter 468: Chapter 278, The Cold Fury of the Phoenix_2 ¡°` No pre-battle mobilization was needed, not a single extra word had to be spoken, just a simple command, and the interstellar warriors boarded their respective rapid assault crafts. The reason mobilization wasn¡¯t necessary was that the old soldiers didn¡¯t need to be told; as for the new recruits, all conscripted from the Rage Owl Star Alliance, no one needed to fuel their rage toward enemies daring to harm their homeland; rather, it had to be slightly tempered to prevent the warriors from acting impulsively. All the interstellar warriors were divided into five squads. In fact, the current Phoenix Battle Group had well over fifty members. However, among them, quite a few had their superhuman organs still maturing; additionally, another group had matured organs but no sufficient power armor to wear. In the end, those who donned power armor and were truly of use numbered only 27. Commander Matins, Priest Rizzo, and two other veterans each led a team of five to a location, with the mission objective of destroying the missile silos there. The squads with veterans at the helm were not a concern. But that left only four old-timers, including Commander Matins and Priest Rizzo, making it impossible to spare a fifth person to lead a team. Thus, the fifth team had to be led by a new recruit. Anat was the one selected as the temporary squad leader, and his squad had the most members of all five teams, numbering seven warriors. Before departure, Commander Matins and Priest Rizzo took him aside for a serious talk. Priest Rizzo was one thing, but Anat could clearly see that despite Commander Matins¡¯s stern and indifferent facade, his scant words still betrayed the tension and worry within. Although Anat hadn¡¯t experienced the Battle Group¡¯s glory days or the grueling penitential crusade, he had read the history of the Battle Group in the monastery¡¯s library. The Phoenix, at its smallest, had been just four people, nearly meeting true death. Even now, the Battle Group hadn¡¯t recovered much vitality. A grand group with only 27 legitimate warriors was still very few and very vulnerable. Hence, the commander would never wish for any loss to the Battle Group, which explained his nervousness. With veterans leading the other four squads, there would be some oversight, but his own squad, composed entirely of new recruits, was the most likely to encounter problems. Anat fully understood Commander Matin¡¯s concerns, which is why he also knew the importance of the responsibility he bore on his shoulders. He forced himself to calm down from the rage¨Cnot to suppress it, but to keep a clear head amid it. He assured the Commander and the Priest that he would surely bring every brother back safely upon mission completion. He made that promise, and he was about to fulfill it. He didn¡¯t want to disappoint the Commander, nor did he want to let the Governor down. At the same time, he was aware that if this battle were to succeed, it would establish his position within the Battle Group. In the future, the Group would surely continue to expand, and it always needed new officers, squad leaders, and even members of the Glory Guard or champions of the Battle Group. And he needed to secure more honors for his future, laying down a foundational career. With this mentality, he and his brothers spent more than ten hours on the Wind Falcon. During that time, he could see missiles trailing flames through the window, heading in the opposite direction, passing by them. He knew those missiles were aimed at his homeland. With each passing missile, more rage accumulated in his heart, yet at the same time, he became even more composed. Finally, they reached their destination. The three Wind Falcons cast waves of ship-borne missiles from afar towards the target location, bombarding it; immediately following, the rapid assault crafts began to decelerate and decrease altitude. Shortly after, when Anat could vaguely see the ground situation through the window, firepower from the machine guns and beam cannons on the Wind Falcons began to take effect. But at this moment, some ground-based long-range firepower, such as anti-aircraft guns, began firing into the sky, albeit with relatively poor accuracy and density. The three Wind Falcons were hit several times, but it wasn¡¯t problematic. The calibers of these anti-aircraft guns were not that fierce, As they fired, the entire craft began to drop sharply. Just over ten meters from the ground, the hatch opened and the interstellar warriors leaped out. Mid-air, in the seconds before landing, Anat swiftly scanned the area, grasping the expected landing points of each teammate. ¡°` Then, firmly grounding himself, he raised his grenade launcher and opened fire on a high-caliber firepower point approximately two hundred meters away, suppressing the threat to the Wind Falcons as they decelerated. Meanwhile, he kept giving orders: ¡°Larson, Kuvas, at the 12 o¡¯clock position, 300 meters out, that bunker is your target! Magnuson, Kritians, two of you move out to the 3 o¡¯clock direction, 400 meters away! Everyone else, follow me at a walk, advancing straight ahead, ready to support the flanks at any time!¡± He issued commands in an orderly fashion. The seven-person squad split into three groups, targeting the bunkers ahead. This was the first challenge they would face. Blackbird tightly guarded their missile silos. Around the missile silos, the Phoenix warriors faced a cluster of bunkers. Dozens of partly underground, partly exposed bunkers tightly sealed the core area around the missile launch silos. In the direction of the Phoenix warriors¡¯ assault, there were at least eleven bunkers. These bunkers, scattered at intervals of about one to two hundred meters, were manned by modified humans. These modified humans, with the help of solid defensive positions, offered stubborn resistance. Initially, their attention was primarily drawn to the Wind Falcons in the sky, with machine guns and rifles firing rapidly at the Wind Falcons. Slowing down the drop of the interstellar warriors made the Wind Falcons relatively easier to hit. Bullets tinkled against the armor of the Wind Falcons. Although none were brought down, they dared not linger and had to immediately accelerate, gaining altitude and distance. After driving away the Wind Falcons, they then turned their firepower on the interstellar warriors below. But by this time, the Phoenix warriors had already made significant progress forward, taking advantage of the brief window when their adversaries¡¯ attention had been drawn away by the Wind Falcons. The running speed of the interstellar warriors was so fast that it exceeded their expectations¨Coh, these modified humans no longer possessed the concept of ¡®imagination¡¯; more accurately, it was outside the bounds of their programmed combat logic. The two sides began to exchange fire at less than a hundred meters distance. In theory, the modified humans should have had an absolute advantage. They outnumbered the opposition, they were holed up inside bunkers, exposing only their firing ports, while the interstellar warriors on the other side had to advance through open terrain with no cover. However, the reality was the exact opposite. When they resolved to concentrate their firepower to eliminate the three warriors coming directly at them, they found that their bullets were as ineffective as a water gun¡¯s spray. A large volume of fire had been unleashed and many shots had hit their marks, but all they managed to do was slow down the advance of the three red-armored warriors. And then the counterattack arrived. Anat turned sideways, intentionally using the broad shoulder plates to block the bullets aiming for his upper body; he retracted his forearm to protect his armpits while also aiming his gun. Bullets tinkled against his armor, causing his body to tremble slightly. But he held firm against this force, taking steady steps forward while accurately aiming and pulling the trigger of his grenade launcher. Despite the quivering of his body from the impacts because the firing ports of the enemy bunkers were quite small, he still managed to fire off thirteen grenades, with half of them blasting into the bunkers. This silenced the bunker right away. They no longer just foolishly stood taking hits, but quickly moved, using the silenced bunker to shield themselves from attacks from several other firing points, avoided the line of fire, and rapidly advanced to the position of the now vacated bunker. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And at that moment, after the attention was mainly drawn to them, the two pairs of soldiers on the flanks also successfully completed their missions. The outer three bunkers had been captured just like that. What followed was simply continuing to advance in the same manner as before. Anat found this to be quite simple, like a drill, a sort of armed outing. Caution was necessary, but under the Phoenix¡¯s cold fury, Blackbird¡¯s defenses posed no threat. Chapter 469 - Chapter 469: Chapter 279, System Crash Chapter 469: Chapter 279, System Crash Although they had only taken down three bunkers for the moment, Anat believed that the hardest step of the battle had already been completed. Even though there were eight enemy bunkers remaining in the direction they faced, if they could take three out of eleven without much cost, what was so difficult about following the same tactic to take down another eight after the firepower had been reduced by nearly a third? It was simply a matter of two to three more assaults with diminishing pressure. And indeed, that¡¯s exactly how it happened. Not only did the squad led by Anat advance unstoppably, but similar situations were also unfolding at the other four battle locations. ¡­ While the squad led by Anat was making an unstoppable advance, breaking through one bunker after another, and heading toward the core area of the missile silo, inside their target location was Irong Fetches, seated amidst it all. There, she only had the upper half of her body, head, and face that still resembled a human; the lower half, however, had completely become a mechanical monster, akin to an eight-legged mechanical spider. Her lake-blue eyes flickered with electric light. Her logic brain wove one battle command after another, issuing them to the Modified Human Combat Troops on the front lines; at the same time, a stream of frontline battle messages were transmitted into her mind. Her battle logic system quickly processed these pieces of information. All of this should have been very methodical. Logical computation, issuing commands, frontline action, feedback of information, and then back to logical computation¡­ This cycle should have been going on continuously, with the entire battle situation running in Irong Fetches¡¯s mind like a cold yet oddly beautiful machine. But the reality was completely different. The information and the process of logic computation in her mind were filled with ¡®chaos¡¯ and ¡®errors¡¯. ¡°Hit detected, three Wind Falcon Rapid Attack Vessels spotted, anti-aircraft fire engaging¡­¡± ¡°Wind Falcon slowing down, suspected to be deploying ground forces. Prepare to strike with full force when they are stationary for deployment¡­¡± ¡°Feedback received, Wind Falcons not stationary! Ground forces have jumped from 13.2m in the air while the flyers were in motion, surpassing expectations!¡± ¡°Recalculating¡­ Target confirmed as interstellar warriors, calculations for frontal bunker firepower distribution underway¡­ Support troop movement calculations underway¡­¡± ¡°Expectation that the outer bunkers could hold for over 30 minutes, Modified Human Combat Troops¡¯ movement route confirmed¡­ Error, reinforcement troops eliminated!¡± ¡°Revising the firepower assessment of the interstellar warriors¡¯ firearms¡­ Error! Bunker lost in six minutes, unable to achieve expected defense effect! Recalculating reinforcement troops requirements. Redeploying firepower arrangement for the second layer of bunkers¡­¡± ¡°Error! The second layer of bunkers cannot hold! Revising evaluation of interstellar warriors¡¯ shooting accuracy¡­¡± Everything was in chaos, complete chaos! In Irong Fetches¡¯s mechanical brain, everything was quickly becoming a mess. All plans, whether they had just been made or were only halfway executed, were encountering errors and were forced to be modified; after modification, errors would occur again; unexpected situations kept happening one after another. She was already a mechanical being, and in her cold¨Coh, now quite overheated¨Cthought process, the condition of ¡®panic¡¯ would no longer occur. But another situation worse than that could arise: a system crash. In a certain link of logical computing, perhaps due to some computational conflict or simply insufficient computational power, the eyes of Irong Fetches flickered rapidly but for quite some time, he transmitted not a single command. Reflected on the frontline, Anat¡¯s team suddenly felt that the firepower they were facing had become completely disorganized. Although the enemy¡¯s interdiction forces, whether light or heavy machine guns or small amounts of individual anti-armor weapons, had not posed any effective threat to them before, it had to be admitted that the enemy¡¯s firepower, no matter how much it was hit, was rigid but overall orderly. At this moment, even the advantage of ¡®orderliness¡¯ was lost. Anat did not hesitate, he seized this opportunity and led his team to charge forward, capturing and destroying the third tier of bunker groups with relative ease compared to before. By now, the core location of the missile launch site was within reach. Anat did not intend to stop or rest; pressing on at once to complete the mission was the best course of action. Four interstellar warriors, relying on two cleared bunkers, covered from both the left and the right with gunfire, inflicting heavy casualties on the disorientated and inexplicably exposed mechanical modified human soldiers. Anat and two other brothers-in-arms were running towards the missile launch shaft at high speed, staying roughly two meters apart from each other. Each of them was carrying a high-yield hot-melt explosive. A single one was enough to destroy a large area. Anat estimated that he and his brothers-in-arms only needed to install two hot-melt explosives in the right locations to destroy the missile launch site. And this was not difficult for them at all. The enemy could no longer stop their advance, and Anat had also identified the most suitable installation sites, which he communicated to his two brothers through the communication system in their helmets. What followed should have been simple: reach the destination, install the explosives, then retreat. However, at that moment, a sound like swarming bees reached Anat¡¯s ears. He immediately became alert. Yet, he did not slow down. After all, his mission target was ahead, and no matter what appeared, he had to go there. He merely heightened his vigilance and warned all his brothers-in-arms. And in the next moment, swarms of flying drones emerged from the missile launch shaft! A massive swarm of unmanned drones, each with a diameter of less than half a meter, and their black bodies did not even carry any reliable weapons. Yet, a prolonged alarm sounded in Anat¡¯s mind. With his superhumanly modified vision, he could clearly see that almost every drone was strapped with a bomb. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Clearly, the attack method of these drones was not to utilize any sophisticated weaponry. All the fancy stuff was useless; a robust kamikaze drone attack was the most reliable. Regular bullets indeed could not penetrate the power armor of the Phoenix warriors, but what about kamikaze drones? If one didn¡¯t do the trick, what about ten? What appeared before them were far more than a hundred. A grave challenge had finally arrived. Chapter 470 - Chapter 470: Chapter 280, The Voice of Fury Chapter 470: Chapter 280, The Voice of Fury Anat¡¯s expression became stern and tense. He immediately alerted his brothers in combat about the change in situation and requested fire support from the four teammates in the distance. The space warriors encountered a swarm of drones flying out from the launch wells at a distance of about forty meters, a range at which their shooting accuracy was fully guaranteed. With a diameter of generally forty to fifty centimeters, hitting these drones with a bomb gun would guarantee their destruction. However, the distance between them continued to close in a very short amount of time. Although drones were being blown up in the air, the numbers were still too great. The hundreds of drones flying out were destroyed at the exit, causing a chain of secondary explosions, and in a moment¡¯s time, more than thirty had been lost. This was the limit of the Phoenix warriors¡¯ superhuman shooting precision. Bomb guns also needed to be reloaded. During the lapse in firepower, the remaining drones would be able to reach their faces. In the blink of an eye, Anat made a startling decision: he pulled out a thermite bomb, activated it, and then threw it with all his might at the drone swarm. Then he took a big step back, even jumping backward abruptly, lying halfway back, but tilting the gun barrel high, accurately hitting the thermite bomb in mid-air. The thermite grenade exploded with a bang, spewing deep red heat flow in all directions, and the significant blast area destroyed a dozen drones. The suicide bombs carried by the drones caused a chain explosion, which propelled the hot, high-temperature incendiary fluids even further outward, thereby destroying even more drones. At least forty suicide drones disappeared in that wave. But the situation was still not safe, with thirty drones still heading their way. ¡°Draw your swords!¡± Anat shouted, quickly getting up and drawing his close-quarters weapon: the chainsaw sword. The Alliance had a production line for imported chainsaw swords, although the output was very small¨Cthe demand wasn¡¯t very high to begin with. Twenty-seven space warriors, one sword each, posed no problem. The roaring of the chainsaw started as he struck down two nearby drones, not allowing them to get close. The destroyed drones didn¡¯t even manage to detonate their bombs before losing their ability to move. However, there was no such opportunity after that. The reach of his arm plus the length of the chainsaw sword allowed him to destroy drones at a maximum distance of nearly four meters, but that was the furthest extent. What about the blast radius of a suicide drone? When it became clear that getting close enough to maximize the explosive power was unrealistic, a new command seemed to have been issued. A drone exploded at a distance of seven or eight meters from Anat, taking out another alongside it. The edge of the fiery blast enveloped Anat. The impact force made him stagger backward, and he felt countless steel ball bullets hitting his body. And it was at this moment, more drones passed through the flames and into the explosion, detonating one after another. Aside from the few that were slashed by the warriors in close quarters and a few ignited by the supporting fire of the brothers behind them, at least twenty-three suicide drones exploded around Anat in that instant. The two other Phoenix Warriors charging with him, spaced not far apart, were of course also caught in the blast. The four brothers in the rear felt a tightness in their hearts. They could no longer see what was happening in the center of the explosion. They called out for the interim team leader over the comms channel but received no further response. This caused some panic among them for a moment. On one hand, the potential loss of three battle brothers was a concern; on the other, how to proceed with the subsequent mission was another issue. Just as they were unable to react further, a massive figure, standing at least four or five meters tall, crawled out of the missile silo. The four interstellar warriors providing fire support from a distance aimed their weapons at the figure and pulled the triggers. However, all of the grenade gun bullets were blocked by a layer of blue light that appeared in front of the emerging figure. Only then did the interstellar warriors see clearly what had come out: it had a humanoid upper body resembling a slender, graceful human female with only the key areas covered in copper-iron structures, the rest was creamy white skin. Below the waist, though, was a massive spider-shaped body with eight legs. In the center of the spider¡¯s body was a core emitting blue light, which must have been where the Shield Generator was located. This Shield Generator must have been the lowest grade, as just the concentrated barrage from four grenade guns made the blue light, indicative of the energy shield, flicker intensely. But no matter how low-grade, it was still a bona fide energy shield; breaching it would take some time. At least, the interstellar warriors emptied an entire magazine from their grenade guns in a matter of seconds, hitting the target with nearly every shot, yet only managed to make it flicker. Conversely, the spider-shaped mechanical monster was about to counterattack. Its eyes turned a penetrating blue, light condensed within them, hinting at an imminent burst. Its gaze was fixed on one warrior. The Phoenix Newblood being stared down was named Raman Kuwas. He felt the lethal threat coming and immediately retracted his gun, throwing himself to the side to dodge. But the creature¡¯s gaze followed him closely. The next moment, two laser beams shot out from the eyes of Irong Fatches. The concrete wall of the bunker that Kuwas dodged behind was immediately burned through, creating a large hole; in no more than a second or two, the bunker wall would be penetrated, threatening to burn onto the interstellar warrior. But in that split second, a red figure burst out from the smoke of the recent explosion! That was Anat! Steamy smoke was still rising from his body, which was even slightly reddened. His helmet was nowhere to be found, likely discarded by himself, revealing a young face that looked exceedingly fierce at the moment. ¡°Roar!¡± His raging voice followed! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The energy shield couldn¡¯t stop his advance; he passed through the azure shield about two meters in front of Irong Fatches, and his chainsaw sword, ready to strike, swung close towards Irong Fatches! ¡ª¡ª¨C Another chapter to come later Estimated before 2 AM, it¡¯s late, don¡¯t wait up, read it in the morning. There will also be a chapter tomorrow at noon. Chapter 471 - Chapter 471: Chapter 281, Torn to Pieces Chapter 471: Chapter 281, Torn to Pieces Irong Fetches would never be caught ¡®off guard¡¯. But even the process of visual system detection, logical calculation, command transmission, and mechanical response¡­ all of these still required time. And time was exactly what they didn¡¯t have. Her laser-emitting eyes had already started moving downward, toward Anat, but as the lasers burned a hole into the pockmarked shoulder armor of Anat, the light abruptly stopped. Because Anat¡¯s chainsaw sword arrived faster than even his roar of rage. The roaring chainsaw blade, filled with fury as if returning from hell itself, struck Irong Fetches¡¯s mechanical spider body with a solid blow. The external metal defense shell could not stop the chainsaw sword; amidst a shower of sparks, a vast fissure was cut open, revealing the crackling electric light inside. This directly led to a problem in the energy supply of Irong Fetches¡¯s entire body, and at the two places with the highest energy consumption: the energy shield and the high-energy beams emitted from her eyes, both abruptly cut off. The next moment, Anat let go of his chainsaw sword and, summoning strength in his legs, leaped up, grabbing Irong Fetches¡¯s slender neck with one hand. Her mouth opened slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but Anat ignored her completely and, with a sudden burst of strength, yanked to the side, snapping Irong Fetches¡¯s neck outright! Her attractive head fell by Anat¡¯s feet, then was ruthlessly crushed under his crimson iron boot. With that forceful stomp, the head exploded into a mess of parts on the ground. Afterward, Anat pulled out the chainsaw sword embedded in the spider¡¯s body and swung it wildly, dismembering the machine into pieces within a matter of seconds. ¡°Alright! Alright! Alright!¡± A comrade-in-arms who had caught up grabbed Anat¡¯s shoulder. Anat, gasping for breath, turned around and saw it was Raman Kuwas. He had just managed to save Kuwas. But now, Kuwas seemed concerned. He had been calling for Anat over the communicator earlier, but Anat had already taken off his helmet, and it seemed he had lost his earpiece too, unable to hear. Kuwas had no choice but to approach him. To him, Anat¡¯s state was worrisome. The earlier battle seemed normal at first. But later on, Anat¡¯s chainsaw sword maniacally dismembered the spider machine, evidently losing control of his state of mind. This was not the behavior expected from a calm interstellar warrior. Kuwas asked, ¡°What happened to you?¡± Anat, breathing heavily, seemed somewhat bewildered. Had he just felt completely engulfed by a fierce rage, his mind filled with nothing but desires to destroy, to demolish, to annihilate, as if devoid of all reason? And now, as these feelings ebbed away like the tide, he felt an overwhelming weakness and a very intense pain all over his body. He lowered his head to glance at his armor, which was severely damaged. Sitting slumped on the ground, he didn¡¯t pay much attention to that. He said to Kuwas, ¡°Never mind that, just go and complete our mission.¡± Kuwas indeed didn¡¯t say anything more; he knew now was not the time to worry about a comrade-in-arms¡¯ injuries. Although the drones were gone and the spider-shaped mechanical monster had been destroyed, there were still many cyborgs around. Like headless flies, acting on basic combat logic, they continued to reinforce the area relentlessly. The other three interstellar warriors formed a defensive line to hold back the enemy. Moreover, their situation wasn¡¯t much better. Aside from Anat himself, the other two brothers-in-arms who had charged with him lay fallen not far away. The situation had to be resolved quickly and could not be delayed any longer. Kurse gritted his teeth, turned, and left to retrieve thermite bombs from the bodies of the two fallen brothers-in-arms. Clutching a bomb in one hand, he walked toward the missile silo. The pre-designated installation spot had already been communicated to him through the combat comm system. He set the timer on the two bombs, installed them in the correct positions, and then turned and left again. After finding Anat again, Kuvas saw that the temporary squad leader had regained some strength and stood up, which was a relief. ¡°We won¡¯t leave any brother behind,¡± Anat said. Kuvas nodded silently and joined Anat at the side of the two downed Phoenix warriors. Each of them lifted one and began dragging them towards the evacuation point. The other three warriors quickly surrounded them, pouring fire into their surroundings to defend their brothers as they retreated to the perimeter. The evacuation route was the very path they had carved during their assault, where the bunkers had already been taken out. However, the number of modified human soldiers closing in on them was increasing. It was just bullets, which would have been manageable, but the appearance of enemies with rocket launchers and hand grenades could not be ignored. Moreover, even the most ordinary bullets were now lethal¨CAnat had lost his helmet. With a helmet on one side and supporting a fallen brother with the other, Kuvas fired at the enemy while also calling Wind Falcon over the built-in communication channel in his helmet. ¡°We¡¯ve completed the mission and are breaking through to the designated evacuation point, but we have casualties and are surrounded by the enemy. We request air support,¡± he called. ¡°Wind Falcon received. The new evacuation point has been adjusted and will be closer to you. Air support is on the way; hang in there,¡± came the reply. ¡°Phoenix Squad received.¡± After the communication was over, Kuvas was still full of doubts, but now was not the time to ask questions; they had to reach the evacuation point first. Fortunately, they didn¡¯t encounter any major issues along the way, especially after Wind Falcon arrived. By providing continuous strafing runs along the secure channel they had opened on the ground and facing weak anti-air fire, it helped alleviate a lot of pressure for the interstellar warriors. Eventually, they successfully reached the evacuation point and all boarded a Wind Falcon that was waiting there. They took off, leaving the area behind. Once on the aircraft, back in a safe environment, they finally had the opportunity to check the condition of the other two warriors they had dragged back. The outlook was not optimistic. They weren¡¯t dead, but their armor was severely damaged, and their bodies inside, though protected, were critically wounded. Heavy blood loss and brain damage had left them comatose. The medical systems integrated into their armor, which should have been active, had failed to function because these devices were the first to be damaged. But fortunately, they had not died on the spot. That was the best news. Brought back with medical assistance, given the superhuman physiques of the interstellar warriors, they should be able to recover. First, he gave his brothers two injections to sustain their vital signs. After finishing these tasks, Kuvas finally had a moment to turn to Anat with the question he had been holding back: Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°What exactly happened back there?¡± The question was loaded with meaning. Why did you go crazy towards the end? Why were the other two brothers blown away, but you seemed to be fine? But Anat looked perplexed. He didn¡¯t know how to respond. Chapter 472 - Chapter 472: Chapter 282, Nirvana Chapter 472: Chapter 282, Nirvana Although it¡¯s difficult to explain, not knowing exactly what happened, Anat had no intention of hiding it. He clearly shared with his combat brothers the events of that split second. Along with the explosion came countless steel ball projectiles. Packing steel balls into the bomb was a rather insidious move but undeniably effective. The steel balls, scattered by the explosion, carried massive kinetic energy, greatly expanding the lethal range, turning any lightly armored unit into mush under such intense shrapnel bombardment. However, it was obvious that the space warriors, although ¡®infantry,¡¯ could not be considered lightly armored. The specially treated cersteel armor provided defense at certain points that was even on par with that of the Lion Tanks. If a steel ball hit a vulnerable area, such as the armpit, the inner thigh, the waist junction, or the tactical visor of the helmet, it could be very dangerous, with the potential to penetrate. But to prevent this, Anat still made the correct response. He immediately squatted down on the ground, curling up his body as much as possible to reduce the area exposed to the blast. During this process, he used the thickest parts of his power armor to shield against the damage. He squatted down, bringing his legs together to protect the weaker inner thighs from attack; he tightened his body and joints to shield the critical parts; he clenched his arms to safeguard the armpits; he hunched his shoulders, using the sturdy shoulder armor, often served as a shield, to protect the sides of his helmet¡­ These actions effectively ensured his safety. Not to mention, under the chainsaw sword, those drones couldn¡¯t get close and had to choose to explode from a distance of six to seven meters, reducing their potency. However, if there had been only one kamikaze drone, with all these measures in place, he might have emerged unscathed. But after all, what exploded around them were over a dozen. In that extremely brief moment, his armor suffered too concentrated an assault. Metal fatigue pockmarked his armor; and the impact of the explosions, one after another, was not to be ignored. Theoretically, his fate should have been no different from the other two combat brothers also caught in the blast. However, in the midst of serious injury and unwilling to succumb, a raging fury erupted from his two hearts. He felt a surging warmth coursing through his entire body. This heat brought him incomparable strength and, in that brief time, he not only subjectively felt no pain, but also objectively ignored the severe internal injuries that the shockwaves had caused to his body. An infinite potential erupted from his body, and in that instant, he was not only like an uninjured person, but he also possessed a strength even greater than he had in his prime! He tore off his helmet which had been damaged by the explosion, where many integrated combat systems had failed and which had become an impediment to his vision and hearing, and then, following the power surging within him, he lunged forward, unleashing that strength upon the enemy, ultimately taking down the spider-like mech. But this power came quickly and left just as quickly. It lasted for less than half a minute before it faded. Even though the strength from within had dissipated, leaving him weak, his condition was still much better than the other two combat brothers who had suffered the blast. At least, he was not unconscious and even had the strength during the withdrawal to help drag a brother out of danger. ¡­ The things Anat had recounted made Kuvas feel somewhat incredulous. ¡°I¡­ have never felt anything like it.¡± ¡°Nor have I; this was a first,¡± Anat responded. ¡°This is highly unusual,¡± Kuvas said with worry, ¡°We might have to report this to the battle group leader. My brother, I am very concerned that your body will suffer terrible consequences and injuries from this.¡± Anat took a deep breath and replied, ¡°Indeed, I was going to personally report the mission details to the battle group leader anyway, including the fact that two of our brothers were seriously injured. I will make sure to include this incident in my report as well.¡± At this, he paused briefly before continuing, ¡°I won¡¯t avoid you, nor any brother. When the time comes, you all should come with me.¡± Hearing this made Kuvas feel somewhat reassured. Seeing how open Anat was being, he felt the situation he feared most probably wouldn¡¯t occur. ¡­ The five action teams of Phoenix operated far apart, with Wind Falcons struggling to communicate directly with one another. It wasn¡¯t until they returned that they managed to speak with the battle group leader and the others. Martins Salas, the battle group leader, didn¡¯t wait for Anat¡¯s initiative to report. As soon as they returned, he convened a battle group meeting, gathering everyone together. The leaders of the five teams each reported their mission details, achievements, losses, and lessons learned. Every team had successfully completed their mission targets. Actually, the defense arrangements Blackbird Heavy Industries put in place at each of their missile launch sites were nearly identical: bunkers, modified human troops, swarms of kamikaze drones, and a female mechanical commander in spider form. Even the female commander looked exactly the same in each case. It was normal for the battle group leader¡¯s team to complete their mission; the defense capabilities of the Terminator Power Armor were the most exaggerated. Explosives that could grievously injure an interstellar warrior wearing standard tactical power armor felt like mere itching to the Terminator. The Priest¡¯s smooth mission completion was also expected. A gravity field pushed forward, smashing almost every drone that broke through the fire blockade. The two veterans had another approach, unanimously choosing to have four rookies provide rear cover while they advanced alone. Upon detecting the drones, both veterans skillfully executed flanking maneuvers, luring explosions yet ensuring their own survival. It was only when that spider-form mechanical monstrosity appeared that they became somewhat flustered, sustaining injuries as a result, but still, they successfully completed the mission. The more Anat listened to these reports, the more restless he became. Regardless, it was his turn to recount the events eventually. He honestly relayed everything that happened, including his abnormal rage and the situation with his injuries¡¯ recovery. Then he noticed that all eyes were on him. He felt guilty. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The impressive combat achievements of the other four teams made him feel dull. Despite having two more people on his team compared to the others, two were seriously injured. He felt everyone¡¯s gaze was filled with contempt and blame. But unexpectedly, the first words from the battle group leader were uttered with a mixture of urgency and disbelief: ¡°Did you truly experience a ¡®Phoenix¡¯ event on your body?¡± Chapter 473 - Chapter 473: Chapter 283, The Mystery of the Gene Seed Chapter 473: Chapter 283, The Mystery of the Gene Seed ¡°Rebirth?¡± Gu Hang frowned, quite puzzled. After completing their behind-enemy-lines raid mission, Matins, the battle group leader, had come looking for him. Originally, Gu Hang thought it was just a simple debriefing; he wondered why there wasn¡¯t a written report sent over and why there was a need for a face-to-face discussion. To his surprise, Matins mentioned a special circumstance. He explained the unusual occurrence that had taken place in Anat to Gu Hang. ¡°Yes,¡± Martins Salas began to explain in detail, ¡°¡®Rebirth¡¯ is¡­ a characteristic of ours, the Phoenix. We have a long history, almost established right after¡­ after the Age of Rebellion, as one of the first battle groups. Our progenitor, the Phoenix Legion, carries the blood of the Phoenix. But over the long span of time, our gene-seed¡­ has undergone some strange mutations.¡± Since the relationship between them had progressed to this point, there was nothing Martins couldn¡¯t discuss with the governor. Martins continued his narrative: ¡°It seems we have lost some of the talents of the Sons of the Phoenix, we no longer have the same love for art, our combat style has lost its love for flamboyance, and we¡¯ve lost our sharp swordsmanship. Our way of fighting has become plain and simple¡­ However, in exchange, we seem to have become more resilient and even stronger.¡± ¡°The so-called ¡®Rebirth¡¯ is an even more intense change that occurs on top of those ordinary changes, appearing in only a select few. They may miraculously recover from grievous wounds, even near death, and possess strength, agility, and combat awareness even greater than normal. We refer to this condition as ¡®Rebirth¡¯.¡± Gu Hang listened thoughtfully. Star Warriors generally look quite similar, but in reality, when the Human Emperor created these superhuman warriors, he designed a variety of genetic templates. Different legions were formed using different templates. These were the initial founding legions. They were largely consistent, but some differences in the details would result in Star Warriors ¡®produced¡¯ from different gene-seeds having innate physiological differences. This would manifest in each type of Star Warrior having different talents and strengths. The subsequent Star Warrior Battle Groups were all established after the Age of Rebellion, breaking down the larger legion organizations into battle groups of no more than a thousand warriors, as mandated by the Star Warrior Codex. All the battle groups were split off from these initial founding legions. Despite the split, many battle groups would not forget their ¡®roots.¡¯ Often, the battle groups have a close connection to their progenitor legion. In fact, they originally carried the same blood, the same gene-seed. Just as the Phoenix Battle Group was divided from the Second Legion Phoenix Legion. All descendants of the Phoenix Legion were called ¡®Sons of the Phoenix,¡¯ some staying closely unified with the progenitor legion, while others were more independent and distant. But their genetic origins were the same. From this perspective, the incident occurred within the Phoenix was quite special. Gu Hang spoke, ¡°Is it caused by a mutation in the gene-seed? That¡¯s one possibility, but it¡¯s not very likely¡­¡± At this point, Gu Hang studied Martins¡¯ expression, not seeing any change. So he plainly stated, ¡°A more likely possibility is that the Phoenix¡¯s gene-seed repository has been ¡®contaminated¡¯ during the inheritance process¡­ Please forgive my use of the term, but the characteristics you¡¯re describing resemble those reportedly possessed by the Blood Angels in battle ¨C not when they are dying, but during intense combat. Nonetheless, this shouldn¡¯t be something characteristic of the Sons of the Phoenix.¡± Martins sighed and said with a wry smile, ¡°Now I am utterly convinced that the gene-seed you¡¯ve discovered truly belongs to the Phoenix, possessing even the unique genetic abilities of the Phoenix. Who could argue otherwise?¡± Gu Hang smiled, ¡°That should never have been in question.¡± ¡°But there will be trouble,¡± Martins solemnly said, ¡°The battle group has already concluded its redemption mission, and by rights, we should be paying our gene-seed tithe.¡± Upon hearing this, Gu Hang remembered there indeed was such an issue. Star Warrior Battle Groups also have to pay taxes. However, their taxes are a bit different: they don¡¯t pay in material goods, but in gene-seed. The amount required is a tenth of the battle group¡¯s collected gene-seed over a certain period. These gene-seeds are sent to the capital, Holy Terra, and Mars. They serve two main purposes: First, to inspect the state of the battle group¡¯s gene-seed, preventing contamination and corruption, ensuring they do not become traitors or join the chaos forces. This situation, although not publicly reported, actually happens quite frequently. After the Great Rebellion, with the exception of the Thirteenth Legion ¨C Infinite Legion, almost every legion had traitors. The Tenth Legion, once known as the Cangyue Guards and now as the Chaos Sword, almost completely defected. The Chaotic Starry Warriors Gang is always a significant enemy of the Empire and a central force of chaos. Over the centuries since the Great Rebellion, there have also been numerous instances of battle groups becoming corrupted and joining chaos. The Empire is very vigilant about this, and regular inspection and control of the battle groups¡¯ gene-seed is naturally a top priority. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As for the second purpose, naturally, it is to collect enough gene-seed to establish new battle groups. From this point of view, the mutation in the Phoenix¡¯s gene-seed is a very concerning matter. ¡°How did you deal with the gene-seed tithe in the past?¡± Gu Hang asked. ¡°We¡­¡± Martins fell into reminiscence, ¡°When the battle group still had a Pharmacist, we would examine each gene-seed, selecting the ones that seemed most like the Phoenix to submit. And we¡¯ve always kept in touch with the progenitor legion, explaining the situation to them. The progenitor legion understands our predicament and would help explain to Terra and Mars. However, they too have become increasingly puzzled by the changes occurring within us¡­¡± Pausing, Martins pursed his lips and added another piece of information: ¡°Once we had a battle group leader who even tried to contact the Blood Angels to conduct a thorough comparative experiment between our gene-seed, to clarify the specifics¡­ but the Blood Angels refused.¡± Chapter 474 - Chapter 474: Chapter 284, Not So Loyal Advice Chapter 474: Chapter 284, Not So Loyal Advice Now, Gu Hang really started to feel a headache. There was indeed such a pitfall waiting for him on the Phoenix. The most likely situation with the Phoenix¡¯s genetic seeds issue was that at the time the warband was established, although most of the genetic seeds belonged to the Phoenix Legion, for some unknown reason, some of the Blood Angels¡¯ seeds got mixed in. Or, it could be that during one instance of the warband receiving support and genetic seed replenishment, a batch of the seeds came from the Blood Angels. In some brutal, large-scale wars, it¡¯s indeed possible for such a mix-up to happen due to management errors¨Cif there was no conspiracy or deliberate action involved. And if you include the so-called conspiracy theories in consideration¡­that would become too complicated. It¡¯s not impossible, but there are too many possibilities, and the truth of history has long been submerged in the passage of time. It¡¯s now unclear and beyond our capability to investigate. It can only be left as is, for now. According to Matins, before the sin redemption expedition, the Phoenix wasn¡¯t too worried about inspections from the Empire Government and the Mars Cultivation Association. On one hand, they had an abundant supply of genetic seeds from which they could select the ones most resembling the Phoenix Legion for inspection. On the other hand, they themselves were formidable, had considerable political influence, and had the support of the parent legion for cover. But now all these advantages are gone. The genetic seeds that Gu Xing exchanged were all standard Phoenix seeds, without any that were more similar to the Phoenix. And the Phoenix itself was no longer the powerful second-generation warband it used to be; it was fortunate not to have been annihilated. Also, because of the great mistake made in the past, they had long been severed from the parent legion, with no contact for over a hundred years. Although they could try to re-establish this connection, over a hundred years have passed, and whether the Phoenix still acknowledges the Phoenix that is suspected to be a ¡®wild-breed, mongrel¡¯ sub-legion is uncertain. As for the Blood Angels, which might be another part of the gene source for the Phoenix¡­ They weren¡¯t even willing to perform a genetic inspection back then to see who the Phoenix warband actually belonged to, let alone now. These original warbands, each with its own independence and because they have glorious combat records in the millennia-old inheritance, with extraordinary influence over many political entities of the Empire, coupled with many close sub-warbands surrounding them, nearly every one of them is an independent political force within the Empire. And with their formidable military power and influence, almost no one dares to provoke them. And the Phoenix is no longer the relatively strong second-generation warband of the past; there is no longer a question of being unwilling to offend them. The Phoenix also underwent a sin redemption expedition, fought many dangerous enemies, and visited a lot of highly contaminated areas¡­ It¡¯s uncertain whether, under such circumstances, after paying the genetic seed tax, the Empire would determine that there¡¯s a problem with the Phoenix¡¯s seeds and consequently provoke a major review targeting the Phoenix and the Rage Owl Star harboring it. When it comes to the affairs of an interstellar warrior warband, Gu Hang, who could barely be considered a newly established Planetary Governor, truly has no means to influence such matters. This isn¡¯t as simple as a political struggle within a Star Sector. But soon, Gu Hang stopped dwelling on this issue and even tried to comfort Matins, saying: ¡°There¡¯s always a way when you reach the mountains, no need to worry. The collection of the warband¡¯s genetic taxes isn¡¯t related to the Imperial Taxation Department; it¡¯s the Combat Corps Administration Bureau established jointly by the Mars Cultivation Association and the Empire Government that¡¯s in charge. Since the Phoenix Legion ended its expedition, it has only been a short while; they couldn¡¯t possibly know where you all are and how much tax you need to pay so quickly. I¡¯m not looking down on the Empire¡¯s management abilities, but they¡­ their efficiency in managing these details is a complete mess. Who knows when the trouble will actually come?¡± Matins did not feel reassured after hearing Gu Hang¡¯s comforting words; instead, his bitter smile became even more pronounced. Tax evasion¡­ this is not something to be taken lightly in the Empire. Of course, interstellar warrior warbands have a bit more leeway compared to a Planetary Governor, especially those so-called fleet-based warbands without a home planet or conscription planet. Perhaps during an expedition, they might lose track of where they are amidst the fighting, and in the meantime, they may overlook paying taxes, and the Empire might not be able to find them, which is quite normal. The Phoenix now claims to be ¡®loyal¡¯ to Mr. Gu, but this is just an agreed-upon relationship between them, formed by Mr. Gu providing genetic seeds, with all new blood of the warband pledging first loyalty to Mr. Gu, creating a strong binding relationship. But there is no such record in the official records of the Empire. Theoretically, finding Phoenix has nothing to do with Gu Hang. But¡­ even though that¡¯s what he said, it wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t do it, but Matins just felt somewhat¡­ disloyal. Gu Hang continued, ¡°If push comes to shove, just hand over the seeds, if they want to start trouble, let them. It¡¯s not that we can¡¯t explain. Let them compare the seeds we¡¯re handing over now with those given by the Phoenix in its heyday a hundred years ago. Can they really turn white into black?¡± Matins was still not at ease. Turn white into black? They really could. If it came to that, it would be too much of a last resort. Matins started to consider the slightly disloyal suggestion previously made by Mr. Gu. ¡­ Gu Hang only felt a slight headache about the Phoenix¡¯s predicament for a short while before he stopped worrying about it. It didn¡¯t make much sense to dwell on things he couldn¡¯t change or that would happen in the future. Gu Hang, whose strength was gradually filling out, wasn¡¯t made of clay either. He would never be like some planetary governors with inadequate foundations or lacking strength, who could be simply overthrown by the Empire sending a few agents from the Legal Department or judges from the Tribunal. A seventh-level, spiritually energized individual with Divine Realm enhancement? That¡¯s a joke. Moreover, the alliance structure he had built from scratch was undeniably loyal to him. Attempts at political subversion were also quite unrealistic. These shady tactics were the favorites of places like the Empire Legal Affairs Department and the Tribunal. They would usually handle the matter first, turning it into a fait accompli, and then announce the governor was a traitor. After all, the person would be dead already, the coffin lid nailed shut, and there¡¯d be no way for them to refute it. But once these ¡®efficient¡¯ methods failed, dealing with a planetary governor became troublesome, especially if that governor was paying taxes diligently. Following the proper administrative channels required evidence, multiple departmental reviews, and then a declaration that the planetary governor was a traitor to the Empire, followed by mobilizing the appropriate Empire troops for suppression. The respective declaration would also need to convince the action forces to accept it¡­ The process would be long, troublesome, and would fully reflect the Empire¡¯s slow, rigid, and corrupt system. If the system wasn¡¯t this slow, rigid, and corrupt, to the point of being nearly irreversible, why would organizations like the Legal Department and the Tribunal turn assassination and subversion into their most commonly used standard operations? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only That¡¯s because, by doing so, they can¡¯t handle the situation. And Gu Hang, his resistance to these tactics was already extremely high. He refocused his attention on the current conflict at hand. The Phoenix¡¯s behind-the-enemy-lines special operations had achieved a complete victory. Although two had been severely injured and three sets of tactical power armor were damaged and would take months to repair, the Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ intercontinental missile bases were all gone. Chapter 475 - Chapter 475: Chapter 285, a heavy punch must be thrown. Chapter 475: Chapter 285, a heavy punch must be thrown. Blackbird Heavy Industries had lost their intercontinental ballistic missile launch capability. Not only had the five ballistic missile silos been destroyed, but many of the intercontinental missiles around the silos had also been destroyed. It wouldn¡¯t be easy for them to rebuild this capability in the short term, and there was no need to worry about this problem for at least a few months. Whether rebuilding the missile silos or replenishing the number of missiles, it was not something that could be completed overnight. Before the star warriors destroyed those missile silos, at least 500 intercontinental ballistic missiles had been launched toward various locations in the Alliance. Most of the missiles were still aimed at Revival City, Weixing City, and the front-line troops; in addition, a total of eighty missiles fell on Beigu City, Gaota City, and Beigong City (renamed from Extreme North Industrial City). Other places were not hit by missiles. It was estimated that regions further east, such as Skaaro City and Xiongya City, were beyond the range of Blackbird¡¯s cruise missiles. As for places in the Beiqing Valley Region, where the population was sparse, there was no point in bombing farmland with missiles; areas in Central Province, Gaota Province, and Central-North Province, although some had industrial value and absolutely no air defense forces, the industrial distribution was scattered and intelligence was unclear, so it was not cost-effective to bomb them, and they were not attacked. Weixing City and Revival City faced the highest frequency of attacks, but most missiles headed their way were intercepted, especially Weixing City, which wasn¡¯t hit again after Gu Hang personally went there to help intercept the missiles that the ¡®Reflector¡¯ air defense system failed to block. However, when he went to Weixing City, Revival City became unlucky, and despite the bombardment in several waves, a few missiles still fell, hitting blocks, residential areas, and factories. But all in all, the loss was still relatively controllable. Air raid warnings were sounded over both cities early on, with evacuations where needed, and those who could stay home did so. Even if some residential areas suffered war damage, destroying two buildings, casualties were kept under fifty people. The worst situations were in Beigu City, Gaota City, and Beigong City. Although Beigong City had some air defense systems left over from the Extreme North Industry Group, they were certainly not comparable to the ¡®Reflector¡¯ in quality, and the interception efficiency was not very good. As for Beigu and Gaota, they lacked any air defense systems at all and were purely subjected to the bombing. According to post-attack statistics, these three cities, hit by dozens of missiles, had a total of over five thousand casualties! This was after every city that raised an alarm after the first wave of missile strikes had evacuated people, ceased production, and hidden in bomb shelters if they could, or shivered at home if they couldn¡¯t. Despite that, the casualty toll was still heavy for the Alliance. Current preliminary, rough estimates indicated losses totaling millions Tax Currency, from population to buildings to industry to goods. Gu Hang was deeply pained by this. What he found most distressing was the loss of population. With five thousand casualties, even if more than three thousand were only injured and at least half of them could, after some time of medical assistance, eventually recover their ability to work, it was still a huge loss. But he nonetheless had to be grateful that the star warriors had done an outstanding job. In the shortest time possible, they had eliminated the threat of Blackbird¡¯s intercontinental ballistic missiles to the Alliance. The bombardment from five hundred missiles had resulted in a loss of one million Tax Currency. Of course, Blackbird¡¯s ammunition reserves were far more than that. If they really let that number multiply by ten, then a loss in the tens of millions would be inevitable. Beigu City was the capital of the Beiqing Valley Province, an important hub for food processing and distribution in the Alliance; Gaota City was a significant base for resource collection and primary processing, and also an energy base. Just the destructive attacks on these two places alone resulted in losses far exceeding ten million, not to mention that Beigong City, having inherited the assets of the Extreme North Industry, was nearly the Alliance¡¯s second-largest industrial center. It could be said that the star warriors¡¯ sortie had saved the Alliance at least twenty million Tax Currency in losses and saved countless lives. This incident also served as a wakeup call to Gu Hang and provided a profound lesson for the Alliance. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Under his directive, Weixing City had already begun to focus on expanding the production lines of the ¡®Reflector¡¯. Four models, vehicle-mounted, air defense, naval gun, and orbital¡­ all were to be scheduled for production. The models were arranged from smallest to largest. The vehicle-mounted model was already in mass production, used on Lion Tanks and Wind Falcons; the air defense model had previously been produced in small quantities, but now production had to be ramped up; the naval gun model was also entering production, needed for the future ¡®Voyager¡¯ ships of the Alliance, even if these ships didn¡¯t even qualify as patrol vessels, but at least they could be equipped with one naval gun-type Reflector. The orbital model was both for ground-based anti-orbit warfare, capable of shooting laser cannons from the ground into space, giving the Alliance a means to respond to orbital strikes in the future, and for construction on starports, transforming them into armed Star Fortresses. Even Tadeusz had already received a task from Gu Hang to start preparing a cover for the Alliance¡¯s whole orbital air defense system, primarily relying on the ¡®Reflector¡¯. Chapter 476 - Chapter 476: Chapter 285, A Heavy Punch Must Be Delivered_2 Chapter 476: Chapter 285, A Heavy Punch Must Be Delivered_2 And right now, the Alliance isn¡¯t just taking hits from Blackbird without fighting back; they¡¯ve made an equivalent retaliation. The Blade Tiger spent a whole day bombarding Blackbird City from orbit until they ran out of ammunition, and only then did they cease. Blackbird isn¡¯t like the missile silos the Alliance targets; they have no countermeasures against orbital bombardment. They neither possess anti-orbital firepower capable of exchanging blows with the Blade Tiger, nor the ability to deploy an elite land force to board the starship. So, they just had to endure the bombing. It¡¯s a pity that it¡¯s the Blade Tiger, not the Quintet; otherwise, the damage to Blackbird City wouldn¡¯t be limited to the outer city. The entire core city would be blasted to ruins, and energy shields would be useless. But it¡¯s okay if they can¡¯t blast it to ruins at once; they can always resupply ammunition and continue bombing a few days later. Some of the larger shells, like the ¡®Wrath of Loyalty¡¯ and ¡®Heat Hammer¡¯ used to be on the Quintet, are beyond the Alliance¡¯s manufacturing capabilities. But ¡®Reflector¡¯ and ¡®Defender¡¯ types are no problem at all. Especially the ¡®Reflector¡¯¨Cthe ¡®Reflector¡¯ on the Blade Tiger is a shipborne weapon, but its technology specifications are standard. The Alliance is fully capable of supplying the Blade Tiger with high-quality energy cells, allowing them to continue the bombardment unreservedly. What does it matter if the core area survives? There¡¯s a Blade Tiger flying in orbit. If they detect a large-scale transport of materials going out, then bomb it; if they detect the enemy¡¯s frontline troops amassing, then bomb it. With the orbital advantage on our side, the war becomes much easier to fight. In fact, the war at the front lines had officially begun. The Alliance¡¯s army had already encountered the enemy¡¯s vanguard in the desert. However, up to now, the scale of the battle hasn¡¯t been large. The Alliance¡¯s 250,000-strong army had already established a long, south-to-north defensive line in the desert. The entire Western Desert Region, stretching from the sea on the west side of Green Valley in the south to the Northern Sea in the north, spans a great distance. Just 250,000 soldiers are insufficient to cover such a massive defensive line. If they attempted to do so, spreading the forces too thinly across such a vast expanse would be disadvantageous, and the terrible roads would spell disaster for the Alliance¡¯s logistic supply line. Under this premise, Major General Yan Fangxu, the highest commander at the front line, adopted a ¡°comprehensive guard, key defense¡± strategy. The so-called ¡°comprehensive guard¡± involved deploying a large number of dispersed small units patrolling in vehicles, along with establishing numerous outposts, which covered a decent area. Coupled with the airborne brothers piloting the Wind Falcons on all-weather patrol and reconnaissance, the hope was to prevent the enemy from crossing the defense line. The so-called ¡°key defense¡± referred to concentrating forces primarily along the Western Desert Avenue, partitioned into multi-tiered, layered defensive lines constructed by multiple divisions, controlling the area with key points. Using this method, Yan Fangxu controlled the 3,000-kilometer-long north-to-south defensive line with 26 divisions, totaling 250,000 soldiers. The ¡°key¡± points were on the main artery of the desert avenue and several north-south oases; as for the extremities and the vast desert areas of the 3,000-kilometer vertical line, they had to rely on the air force and patrol teams. This meant the control was certainly weak, but Yan Fangxu had no other choice. Compared to the area he needed to control, he simply didn¡¯t have enough troops. And more importantly, according to intelligence gathered from behind enemy lines and combined with cross-border reconnaissance by the air force, Yan Fangxu realized the enemy didn¡¯t seem to adopt the tactics of massing heavy troops for a focused breakthrough. Instead, the enemy was dispersed into many small units, seemingly attempting to infiltrate and interpenetrate along the 3,000-kilometer defensive line. No matter if the Blackbird¡¯s Mechanical Legion intended to penetrate directly to the Alliance¡¯s heartland during their interpenetration, or if they planned to engage in surrounding and annihilating tactics in the Western Desert environment, they must not be allowed to succeed. For this reason, Yan Fangxu had to adopt this strategy to respond, and both parties gradually began to sink into the quagmire of small-scale warfare. By itself, the scale of the battles was not large, mainly at the squad and platoon level, with the highest going up to the company level. However, the frequency of these battles was quite high, and once real combat ensued, the loss of personnel and equipment was by no means trivial. Yan Fangxu was getting a bit overwhelmed by the situation. He was planning a major operation. ¡­ The Central Group Army Political Commissar, Mikel Nelson, who held the rank of brigadier, asked Yan Fangxu with deep concern, ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit too aggressive? Didn¡¯t the governor¡¯s explicit orders require us to adopt a defensive stance as long as the flames of war do not reach the homeland of the Alliance? And now you are ordering our troops to launch a full-scale offensive to the west, and you also want the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade to form an armored cluster to advance three hundred kilometers within two days?¡± As Nelson questioned, his gaze never left the Phantom Sandbox that lay before him and Yan Fangxu. This Phantom Sandbox was a high-end device, imported through the Gu Commercial Firm by the governor. After inputting parameters, multiple servo skulls computed the data and, through special imaging technology, displayed three-dimensional images of the battle map at different scales, supporting magnification and reduction. On the Phantom Sandbox, nearly the entire Western Desert Region and the western part of the North Territory was covered, from the southern gulf to the northern cliffs of the straits. The information of the Alliance¡¯s troops was also fully reflected here, turned into little figures, vehicles, tanks, each with the unit¡¯s number flag inserted on top. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the formation, there were row upon row of red flags, symbolizing the enemy forces. This information was not updated in real time; instead, it depended on the staff team summarizing various data sent back from the front line in accordance with specific technical rules and inputting them into the system. As for intelligence on the enemy, it had to be gathered using various reconnaissance methods. It was neither completely reliable nor was it possible to know the enemy¡¯s exact unit numbers, so it was necessary to come up with a code name and mark the approximate strength and composition of the enemy¡¯s forces. Currently, on this Phantom Sandbox, a dense mass of offensive arrows had already been drawn. These arrows represented Yan Fangxu¡¯s plan. Almost all division and brigade-level units had orders to advance. Among them, the most extreme were the 1st Brigade, the 3rd Brigade, and the 46th and 47th Brigades, which formed an armored cluster on the Western Desert Avenue, intending to push three hundred kilometers westward through countless red flags, ultimately reaching an oasis called ¡®Scorpion¡¯s Tail.¡¯ There, it was claimed to be a key logistics supply hub for the Blackbird Army. The Blackbird¡¯s cyborgs, mechanical dogs, drones, unmanned combat vehicles, unmanned artillery¡­ these things didn¡¯t need to eat, but resupplying ammunition was still essential. Moreover, their demand for fuel, electricity, and other energy supplies for logistics was much higher than that of human troops. Destroying the enemy¡¯s reserves in this respect could indeed greatly reduce the difficulty of combat, amounting to a glorious victory. But¡­ The difficulty was also too high. Nelson was somewhat hesitant. Yet Yan Fangxu had his own set of opinions about this. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°You¡¯re right. The governor indeed ordered us to defend, but Nelson, we need to look beyond the surface to see the essence. What is the purpose of the governor asking us to keep a defensive position? He hopes that before the Star Realm Army arrives, we must control our losses in the independent combat against Blackbird, allowing the Star Realm Army to take over and solve the problem later, not that we should keep defending forever.¡± ¡°But now, the situation obviously does not support us doing so.¡± ¡°Those metal monsters dare not engage us in a decisive battle as a group, they have even released control of the Desert Avenue, turning to small-unit infiltration and interdiction. To stop them, our warriors have also split into small units and fought bloody battles with them in the desert, one after another.¡± ¡°This is not our strength at all. In the past half a month, we¡¯ve lost over four thousand people. We can¡¯t keep bleeding like this.¡± ¡°We must land a heavy blow if we are to keep defending.¡± Chapter 477 - Chapter 477: Chapter 286, Head West Chapter 477: Chapter 286, Head West Yan Fangxu¡¯s words left his political commissar, Nelson, speechless. The casualty report was updated daily, and Nelson could see it too. Those numbers were absolutely horrifying in his eyes. The battle damage ratio produced by the Alliance looked very favorable. Against those mechanical monsters, the soldiers of the Alliance could achieve an exchange ratio of one to three, or even one to four. But¡­regrettably, the Alliance had only an army of two hundred fifty thousand, almost the entire mobilizable force of the whole Alliance. In comparison, their enemies were seemingly endless. Although the cyborgs needed to be mechanically modified from the civilians in the west of the mainland; mechanical dogs, drones, unmanned tanks, all required industrial capacity for manufacturing. Regardless of the manufacturing process, difficulty, or cycle, the cost of producing a machine was clearly established. But every soldier of the Alliance needed a mother to carry them for ten months and then grow up for another ten or twenty years. This simply couldn¡¯t be measured from the same perspective. ¡°We can request support from the Imperial Navy, the Blade Tiger can use an orbital strike to bomb the enemy¡¯s logistical hub and achieve the same objectives¡­¡± Nelson was still pallidly making some counter arguments, attempting to dismiss Yan Fangxu¡¯s plan from other aspects. But in fact, he couldn¡¯t even fully convince himself. Because deep down, he actually agreed with what Yan Fangxu was saying. Sure enough, as the conversation went on, Yan Fangxu just added one more reason, which finally made Nelson give up resisting. ¡°Just bombing alone cannot solve all the problems. The Blade Tiger¡¯s firepower has its limits in terms of coverage area, and at the logistical center centered around Scorpion Tail Oasis, our intelligence officers have reported back that all logistical supply points there are camouflaged and dispersed, making the conditions for orbital bombardment extremely poor. Bombing for an entire day might not yield any significant results. Our intelligence officers do not have an easy time surviving behind enemy lines; they can¡¯t possibly have the conditions to investigate every supply distribution point to distinguish the real from the fake. Being able to outline the approximate areas is already quite commendable.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the job of the Imperial Navy, nor the Allied Air Force. They can¡¯t do this; only we can. Only our most valiant warriors can carve out a broad road with a torrent of steel and a surge of artillery fire, marching right into the face of the enemy. By then, the mechanical monsters¡¯ logistical supplies, whether dispersed or camouflaged, will be unable to hide from us!¡± After hearing all this, what more could Nelson say? In the end, all he could do was sigh heavily and tragically choose to sign his name on Yan Fangxu¡¯s plan. Then, he went out eagerly to assemble the troops. Watching his retreating figure, Yan Fangxu smiled silently and helplessly. He was actually very clear about the morale of the entire army. From generals to officers, and then to the ordinary non-commissioned officers and soldiers, the Alliance had fought many wars, big and small, since its establishment, achieving victory every time. Victory nurtured the warriors¡¯ mindset, allowing them to fear no hardship, believing in the significance of their sacrifices, trusting that victory would eventually arrive; but it also bred a group of ¡®arrogant and fierce warriors¡¯. Over the past half-month, they had grown thoroughly tired of engaging in small-scale combats with those mechanical monsters. Although they were always able to gain the upper hand, this was not the certainty of victory they desired. The strongest weapons in the soldiers¡¯ hands, steel and discipline, couldn¡¯t be maximized in such battles. They could neither drive the powerful steel chariots, forming a torrent that would overwhelm the enemy; nor could they rely on steel-like will and discipline to fight the enemy on a large-scale battlefield, battling at the front lines within the firing range of cannons. Now, they could only split into small groups and engage in limited combat with those mechanical monsters, which was truly pitting flesh and blood against steel. Feeling stifled was quite normal. The warriors needed an opportunity for a frontal assault, to vent this repressed frustration. The morale was high, and there was indeed a strategic need, hence Yan Fangxu proposed such a grand strategy. He made a backup of the relevant documents and then boarded the Wind Falcon returning to Revival City. At the appointed time, he reported to Mr. Gu. Such a significant matter obviously required reporting. Although, when previously receiving his appointment, Mr. Gu made it clear that he was the highest-ranking person in charge of the Alliance Army on the western front and had full command authority over strategy. This symbolized Mr. Gu¡¯s trust, but Yan Fangxu couldn¡¯t really take advantage of it irresponsibly. How to fight, the specifics of tactical arrangements, these of course were not Mr. Gu¡¯s concern. However, the core question of ¡®whether to fight or not¡¯ was something he couldn¡¯t decide lightly on his own. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He must obtain explicit authorization. This presentation in Revival City lasted a full hour and a half, and he spoke with a tinge of nervousness. No matter how solid his reasons were, it was indeed a strategic approach contrary to Mr. Gu¡¯s initial plan, and he also feared that Mr. Gu would be displeased, deny approval, and reprimand him severely. But none of that happened. Even the operation codename was left unattended, as Mr. Gu simply signed the document titled ¡®Operation Flash Tail¡¯ with a flourish. Chapter 478 - Chapter 478: Chapter 286, Heading West_2 Chapter 478: Chapter 286, Heading West_2 Throughout the process, Mr. Gu just asked a few questions before nodding, telling Yan Fangxu to hurry back and prepare the battlefield. As he was leaving, Yan Fangxu also saw Mr. Gu pulling his old partner Tadeusz into a secret room, presumably to discuss logistics support and how to ensure a precise supply of the materials needed for the operation. On the return trip on the Wind Falcon, Yan Fangxu¡¯s resolve became even firmer, feeling that the upcoming operation was even more within grasp. ¡­ David Valenzuela was a lieutenant in the Central Group Army¡¯s 3rd Beast-slaying Brigade, and the commanding officer of the 9th Company in the 2nd Battalion. Three days ago, his unit received orders to take part in an operation codenamed ¡®Flash Tail.¡¯ At first, he thought it was just a routine operation, but when he and his company boarded their vehicles, he realized it was anything but. The entire brigade had mobilized! And it wasn¡¯t just their brigade. Watching the many Lion Tanks, Armored Combat Vehicles, and countless trucks towing artillery advancing on the same main road, he realized that this ¡®Flash Tail¡¯ operation was meant to be a big deal! He became excited. Finally, he no longer had to control a defense perimeter spanning several kilometers with just one company, deploy numerous patrols, respond to ground patrol support requests sent by the ¡®possible enemy spotted¡¯ from their Air Force brothers, and because of the risk of being lured away, could only send out at most one platoon at a time. Most of the time, these sorties ended in a wild goose chase, and on the rare occasions when they encountered small groups of the enemy, they would return victorious but with some personnel losses on their side. The key issue was the strain on everyone¡¯s spirits after being tormented for more than half a month. They launched countless sorties, each time suffering losses with some not coming back. Unable to kick those mechanical monsters in the behind, the company¡¯s ¡®big guns¡¯ and support from the artillery brothers in the rear couldn¡¯t be used, which left him feeling all dressed up with nowhere to go. Now, at last, they could go out for a big fight! The first day after departure was relatively calm. He heard some things from other brother units marching together and even heard distant artillery fire. Later in the evening, their convoy passed through the ruins of a checkpoint. This seemed to be a defensive point for those steel monsters, but it had already been breached by the armored forces ahead, leaving nothing but debris. It was unclear which division or brigade the sapper brothers belonged to, but they had already cleared the road, continuing to work on either side of it, apparently to haul the scrap metal back. He heard that the Alliance¡¯s research institute needed some samples, and aside from the samples, Valenzuela guessed the remaining parts could probably be recycled as raw materials, too. Overall, the first day¡¯s journey was a calm one for his company; they didn¡¯t encounter anything significant. During that day, they mostly sat in the vehicle marching, day and night. The soldiers could catch some sleep inside, but the drivers had to take turns driving and had to keep going even at night. Sometimes, driving on the main road was the most comfortable; when the main road was too congested, they had to drive on the rough ground below, which was a bit torturous¨Cthe vehicle jolted terribly, the speed had to be dropped to a very low level, and it was impossible for those sitting inside to rest. On the second day, however, the excitement began. Their convoy was targeted by artillery fire. Three shells fell one after the other near their company. Sitting in the passenger seat of the troop transport truck, Valenzuela saw the shells hit the front side, with flying sand and clay smearing all over the vehicle¡¯s windshield, while the sound of gunfire was accompanied by shock waves that nearly flipped the vehicle over. Luckily, the Alliance¡¯s troop transport trucks had been modified and were no longer like the old ones with just a canopy in the back. Now, at the very least, the sides were sealed with steel plates. The shrapnel from the exploding shell didn¡¯t hurt anyone. After being shelled, Valenzuela had the soldiers disembark to take cover, even preparing to follow the trajectory of the shells to investigate, but soon new information arrived: their own artillery unit had already shelled the opposition. Therefore, they continued to advance and, by evening, entered a battle. It wasn¡¯t too difficult; the other brother units under the 4th Infantry Battalion that Yan Fangxu¡¯s company belonged to had already gone up and fought a round. The artillery brothers of the brigade had used thousands of shells to cover their advance. What they had to do was to keep moving forward within a hundred meters of the artillery barrage line, keep pushing the line while ensuring the speed of advance, and eliminate the enemies that survived under the barrage. This is called artillery-infantry coordination, which is considered a basic operation in the training subjects of the Alliance¡¯s army, nothing difficult. The whole battle also had no difficult points. In his view and that of his warriors, it seemed more like a sweep of the battlefield. Most of the work had already been done by the artillery brothers. After returning to their vehicles, they camped in the wilderness. Today, they finally didn¡¯t have to travel all night. On the third day, they finally encountered a significant battle. At that time, their convoy had just reached a main road, making the drivers comfortable, and the warriors could finally rest well in the vehicles. Even under the cadence of the company instructor, everyone started singing military songs in the vehicle. But while they were singing, the sound of artillery fire landing came from a place still quite distant in front. The sound was distorted and sounded like muffled thunder. However, the veteran soldiers who had crawled in the battlefield knew that it was the sound of artillery exploding upon impact. Immediately, the atmosphere among the soldiers in the vehicles tensed up, and the singing stopped, as did the clapping. Then, a soldier riding a tricycle motorcycle came towards them with a sign to stop their vehicle, asking them to pull over. The approaching soldier glanced at Yan Fangxu in the co-pilot seat, quickly saluted upon realizing he was a lieutenant, and said, ¡°Lieutenant comrade, hello! Ten kilometers ahead, our marching troops have come under artillery fire! This area might become unsafe very soon. I don¡¯t know if the enemy¡¯s artillery will fire this way. Our commander has sent me to drive eastward and alert the units behind to be aware of the situation. It¡¯s best for your unit to stop quickly, get off the main road, and drive into the desert, and spreading out would be better.¡± After finishing his words, the soldier turned to leave, but Yan Fangxu stopped him. Yan Fangxu took out a white cigarette pack from his jacket pocket, gave one to the private first class, and then asked, ¡°Which unit are you from? What happened up front? Any specific intelligence you can share?¡± The private first class hesitated after receiving the cigarette and said, ¡°I¡¯m from the 3rd Battalion of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade. It seems there was an enemy ambush squad that broke through the 47th Brigade¡¯s blockade to the south and slipped near the main road. They have self-propelled artillery and caught us by surprise. Our commander is already arranging defense and counterattack. He told me to come here quickly and notify the units behind to be cautious, spread out, and hide.¡± Seeing that the lieutenant in the vehicle seemed to want to ask more, the private first class hurriedly waved his hand, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t ask anymore, sir, there are still many people I need to notify. I must hurry.¡± ¡°Go on, then.¡± The private first class returned to his tricycle motorcycle, sped off towards the east. The sign still on the vehicle and the horn kept blaring. Yan Fangxu looked away, picked up the handset radio, and barked orders. The entire company got off the main road and moved onto the adjacent bare ground. The whole company, with about a dozen vehicles, indeed spread out to avoid being bombed if it indeed happened. At the same time, he also picked up the handset radio to contact his superiors, inquiring if there was any specific intelligence. But before he could ask, his communicator rang first. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The call was from the battalion staff officer, issuing them an assignment: ¡°Our marching column has come under artillery fire. The 2nd Battalion of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade is already starting to counterattack. Command your unit to immediately move 35 kilometers to the southwest, interpose behind the enemy forces, and ensure this enemy group is blocked off, not allowing them to continue to roam!¡± ¡°Received!¡± After repeating the order, the vehicle radio was hung up. Yan Fangxu then picked up the handset radio again, switched to the company¡¯s channel, and bellowed, ¡°Brothers! We¡¯ve got work to do! We¡¯re going to cut off those iron ghosts¡¯ escape route! 35 kilometers, I want us to blitz there in two hours! Any problems?!¡± The channel erupted with a cacophony! Chapter 479 - Chapter 479: Chapter 287, Let the grenade launcher roar! Chapter 479: Chapter 287, Let the grenade launcher roar! Valen Zu¡¯an¡¯s 9th Platoon needed to cross a 35-kilometer stretch of barren desert within two hours, three at most, to reach the designated battle location. While there was a relatively ample amount of time, it was still impossible to cover the distance on foot, loaded down with heavy equipment; they had to drive. He sat in the passenger seat, holding two maps in his hands. One was large, the other small. The large one had been drawn before departure, with a large scale, roughly plotting out the route for his platoon only. It was copied from the corps staff during a meeting at the brigade headquarters. The small map, on the other hand, was just created following the large map and scaled down according to the mission briefing given by the corps chief of staff during their recent communication. He examined the maps while directing the driver beside him to adjust their course. Marching in the desert, even with vehicles, was difficult. In the West Desert Region, except for the main road that runs east-west which can be considered paved, there were no other roads¨Cwhat existed were only tracks pressed into the earth by the feet of caravans, hooves of cattle, and the wheels of carts. This made it very difficult to traverse. Although the terrain here could be described as flat and endless, in reality, when driving, all the loose stones, sandy areas, and small pits and slopes posed obstacles, severely testing the vehicles¡¯ off-road capabilities. Fortunately, the newly equipped Iron Bull-200 military edition of the Alliance represented a significant upgrade over the previous model. Not only was the rear cargo compartment now fully enclosed in metal, but also the vehicle¡¯s tires, suspension, and various other aspects had been enhanced, especially highlighting its off-road capabilities. Bouncing around was unavoidable, and they couldn¡¯t drive too fast, or who knew which pebble under the tires might lead to a puncture at this critical juncture of the mission? That would be disastrous. Even though they had spare tires, changing a tire was still a waste of time and trouble, not to mention the possibility that the spares might not be sufficient. The convoy moved across the desert at a speed of around 25 kilometers per hour, leaving some excess time. Valen Zu¡¯an felt that at this pace, they should be able to reach the destination within the scheduled time. The earlier they arrived, the better. Arriving early and having extra time allowed them to dig a few more foxholes, make them deeper, and hence, make the upcoming battle a bit easier. Being eager for battle did not mean recklessly sacrificing the lives of his brothers when the combat began. During their march, they weren¡¯t simply moving blindly. Valen Zu¡¯an had long sent out a reconnaissance squad, driving several tricycles from the platoon to scout to the west. The Alliance¡¯s army had already equipped communication devices down to the squad level. The reconnaissance team transmitted a piece of intelligence back every so often. They also encountered scouts from other brother platoons, and based on these reports, as well as the battles scouted ahead, Valen Zu¡¯an roughly pieced together the current situation. The number was unknown, but a significant Mechanical Legion was under fierce attack by a Composite Camp of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade. That must be the Brigade¡¯s 2nd Camp, which, after being bombed, was counterattacking amidst the artillery fire. It was definitely not enough just to have their forces, even though they had Lion Tanks, armored vehicles, and elite infantry, the problem of numbers remained. However, while the frontline assault forces were significantly outnumbered by the enemy, the firepower they wielded was exceedingly fierce! The main source of firepower was the Alliance artillery troops, which were already on the move. It wasn¡¯t just the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade¡¯s Composite Camp¡¯s artillery units participating in the combat. The brigade¡¯s own artillery battalion, any support artillery companies that could reach, even the neighboring 3rd Brigade¡¯s artillery¨Call capable of firing were pouring their firepower into that area. The intensity of the artillery support far exceeded the expected scale of the participating troops. Under such artillery cover, the progress made by the neighboring 2nd Camp was formidable. Valen Zu¡¯an actually felt a sense of urgency. After calculating the remaining distance and time, he knew they could definitely reach the designated location in two hours, but they still needed to get there as early as possible. Rushing, whether in haste or leisurely, they arrived at the predetermined battle location about an hour and a half after departure. The enemy had not arrived yet. They hurried to set up their positions. In theory, they had about an hour to establish fortifications. His platoon, with just over one hundred people and some engineering equipment, had everything needed including shovels and hammers. Each squad and platoon found suitable locations and began to work. With so few people and only an hour, it was impossible to dig an intricate and fully functional complex of trenches. Bomb shelters, tunnels, bunkers, command posts, rest areas¡­ All these amenities were absent. But it also wasn¡¯t possible to stand on the barren ground and exchange fire directly. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They would temporarily dig some foxholes, pile up any loose stones that could be found at the front of the holes as cover and firing points; if conditions allowed, they would also dig another hole next to the foxhole¨Ca covered hole to act as a bomb shelter. But this was not easy. The soil of the Western Desert was not sandy desert, so it wasn¡¯t all loose sand. However, the soil structure was still not solid, and digging holes without artificial supports could easily lead to cave-ins. The platoon only had some basic engineering tools at the moment. They didn¡¯t have a proper engineer platoon or battalion, which had even recently been equipped with military-grade engineering machinery, making digging such holes challenging. Valen Zu¡¯an and the platoon instructor walked around to inspect the defenses set up by each team, evaluating the progress of the engineering work. Chapter 480 - Chapter 480: Chapter 287, Let the Grenade Launcher Roar!_2 Chapter 480: Chapter 287, Let the Grenade Launcher Roar!_2 But just as they were diligently digging holes, something happened. From the northwest direction, there were figures darting about. The soldiers immediately became tense. Their holes weren¡¯t finished yet; in fact, there were still twenty minutes to go until the two-hour mark they were supposed to reach. But on the battlefield, anything unexpected can happen. The enemy won¡¯t coordinate with your actions and arrive just when you say. They might have retreated early, or possibly sent out scouts or vanguards to ensure the safety of their rear. The soldiers still had to hurry and get ready for combat, crawling into the unfinished and quite shallow foxholes; those who really had nowhere to hide could only crouch behind the iron bull trucks; using vehicles as cover on the battlefield is obviously not a great choice, but if you don¡¯t even have this option, you just have to find a spot and lie down. However, what happened next¡­ it¡¯s uncertain whether it was a false alarm or the arrival of even worse news. The arrivals were not enemies but allies. Among them were many familiar faces. It was the brother company from next door, 3rd Company of the 2nd Battalion belonging to the 3rd Brigade. About twenty people came over, many of whom were wounded, looking quite battered. From a distance, when Valen Zu¡¯an saw these guys, a very bad thought crossed his mind. He called out to his brothers to keep doing what they were doing while the company instructor had already led a team to meet them. Valen Zu¡¯an, with his binoculars in hand, took a look. The voices in the distance couldn¡¯t be heard clearly here, but it was visible that there seemed to be some conflict between the two sides. The good-tempered instructor from 9th Company appeared to be furiously scolding something and even drew his pistol and chambered a round. The soldiers on the other side were crestfallen; a few argued back for a moment, but ultimately there was no further commotion. In the end, the instructor and the soldiers of the company escorted this group back. Fortunately, no greater chaos erupted, and it didn¡¯t come to the point of disarming those people. Once they brought the people back, the instructor arranged for them to find a spot and temporarily integrated them into an extra squad to dig holes and prepare for battle. Meanwhile, he himself returned to find the company commander to report the situation. Valen Zu¡¯an asked, ¡°Deserters?¡± The instructor¡¯s face looked a bit grim, he hesitated for a moment, but then chose a different word, ¡°More accurately, they should be routed soldiers.¡± Valen Zu¡¯an was noncommittal about this. The instructor had softened somewhat. ¡®Deserters¡¯ and ¡®routed soldiers¡¯ have completely different natures. The former would have to face a military court, or on the frontline, any military officer or civil-military officer has the authority to execute them summarily. But as for the latter, it was a choice made out of desperation, with no other options. If they were routed soldiers, then that was still manageable; they could be rallied and used. But if they were deserters, Valen Zu¡¯an dared not trust these people. If they could desert once, then there could be a second time. At a critical moment in the battle, if a part of his own defense line directly deserted during combat, it could cost the entire company their lives. Observing the company commander¡¯s expression, the instructor hastily said, ¡°Really, they are routed soldiers! Look, there¡¯s no officer among those guys, the highest rank is just a sergeant¡­¡± Afterward, he relayed the intelligence they had gotten from the mouths of these routed soldiers. 3rd Company was to the northwest of their current position, and they were assigned a mission similar to 9th Company¡¯s: encircling the rear to conduct a blocking battle. But their situation and luck were both quite unfortunate. First, they ran into trouble on the road, encountering a small group of enemies and were forced to dismount and fight. This made them arrive late at the battlefield, and their planned area was too close to the enemy, so they collided with the main enemy force without having time to prepare. ¡°¡­ according to their story, they were attacked by artillery before even dismounting, with vehicles blown up, a whole truck of people killed; just after getting out, they had no cover and had to rely on the vehicles to fight the enemy, but with artillery raining down and combat drones striking from the sky, they couldn¡¯t hold out, and their firepower points in the company couldn¡¯t be deployed, suffering heavy casualties from the start. When the mechanized dogs rushed in, they couldn¡¯t stop them.¡± ¡°The unit suffered heavy losses, and the remaining people had to fight and run at the same time, we¡¯ll not talk about those who died, but the surviving, they all scattered. They now don¡¯t even know where their other comrades fled to, even unsure if anyone else survived besides themselves.¡± Valen Zu¡¯an showed considerable empathy, sympathizing with the plight of 3rd Company. A battle, being prepared or not, the outcome is drastically different. He stroked his chin and said, ¡°That does indeed sound excusable, but still, to have them join the upcoming battle, we¡¯ll need to keep a close watch on their will to fight.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on them.¡± ¡­ The routed soldiers had already arrived, so naturally, the enemy would not be far behind. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In fact, just a few minutes later, the scouts on the front line relayed information that they had spotted the enemy presence, and they even shot down two combat drones. And soon, those men returned to the ranks as well. There was no need to continue forward to scout; the enemy had arrived. Valen Zu¡¯an, binoculars in hand, could already see them himself. ¡°Fire!¡± he ordered. There was no need to wait for the enemy to come closer before firing. This was not an ambush; on this wide, desolate plain, there were no conditions for an ambush. It was best to eliminate the enemy at a long distance and prevent them from getting close. Chapter 481 - Chapter 481: Chapter 287, Let the Grenade Launcher Roar!_3 Chapter 481: Chapter 287, Let the Grenade Launcher Roar!_3 However, the guns in the hands of ordinary soldiers did not fire. At present, the enemy was still over three kilometers away, and firing ordinary rifles at this distance would be purely a waste of bullets. For the moment, the only weapons firing were the mortars owned by companies. The upgraded 80mm mortars had much more firepower than before and hadn¡¯t sacrificed much in terms of portability. Five such mortars, operated by mortar crews, launched a fierce barrage forward. Another weapon that could fire was the heavy explosive rifle. Its effective range completely exceeded three thousand meters, and at that distance, it still maintained accuracy¨Cit was the humans who couldn¡¯t ensure precision. After all, seeing something three kilometers away with the naked eye, it¡¯s good enough to see a small black dot. But if there were a bunch of small black dots, they would just use the sights on the guns and their training experience to sweep across them. As the infantry unit¡¯s heavy firepower rained down, the enemy was indeed thrown into disarray for a moment. It seemed they hadn¡¯t expected to encounter such an intense firestorm from an infantry troop. They had just annihilated and defeated the unprepared 3rd Squad; at that time, the warriors of the 3rd Squad hadn¡¯t even managed to set up their heavy weapons before they were suddenly thrust into close combat. But now, facing the firepower of a prepared human infantry position, they suffered heavy losses. Valen Zu¡¯an, lifting binoculars, saw many cyborgs, mechanical dogs, and even another type that had been less common before¨Cmachines with four mechanized legs that could move sideways like crabs and were equipped with firepower platforms¨Cwere also blown apart by a burst of heavy explosive rounds. Company Commander Valen Zu¡¯an wore a faint smile. Seizing the initiative was quite important, at least it had stirred up the morale of the troops. But soon, the enemy¡¯s counterattack arrived. Whistling through the sky, artillery shells approached. The shells were launched from beyond where eyes could see, definitely from a position they couldn¡¯t retaliate against. The enemy also had large-caliber, self-propelled heavy artillery that could hit targets tens of kilometers away, with firepower at least as devastating as the Alliance¡¯s 155mm howitzers. As these shells fell, they struck 9th Squad¡¯s position, raising dust and dirt in an instant. Upon hearing the whistling of incoming artillery, Valen Zu¡¯an shouted ¡®Artillery!¡¯ and then ducked his head, wishing he could bury himself in the foxhole dirt. The intense shaking of the ground, the almost deafening explosion, and the splattering of sand, soil, and pebbles on his helmet and uniform¡­ These were all profoundly shocking. But as soon as the bombardment ended, Valen Zu¡¯an immediately raised his head and surveyed the area. The damage was difficult to assess. One Bull vehicle had been flipped by the explosion, and the other foxholes were still with no one popping up their heads, so their condition was unknown. But he clearly saw, at the position where the heavy explosive rifle had been mounted, the bodies of the original gunner and ammunition feeder twisted unnaturally, obviously dead. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Looking further ahead, the mechanical beasts that had been previously suppressed by the firepower had taken the opportunity to charge. He gritted his teeth, yanked a nearby warrior, and dashed out, crouching low. He took control of the explosive rifle while the somewhat dazed young warrior he dragged over helped him to feed ammunition. Fortunately, the heavy explosive rifle itself was relatively sturdy, and the artillery shell hadn¡¯t landed directly in the foxhole; the gun was still usable. With some operations, he made the explosive rifle roar again! Chapter 482 - Chapter 482: Chapter 288, The Loyal Grenade Launcher Feels Worth It Chapter 482: Chapter 288, The Loyal Grenade Launcher Feels Worth It While the artillery bombardment raged, those mechanical monsters had already charged a great distance within minutes. With the firepower on the 9th company positions temporarily extinguished, their movement speed was incredibly fast. But once the heavy bomb gun in Valen Zu¡¯an¡¯s hands roared to life again, those charging mechanical beasts suffered a severe blow. The loyal heavy bomb gun, its power to be trusted! Targets directly hit stood no chance of survival. Cyborgs and mechanical dogs, light units like these, would be shattered to pieces upon taking a single hit. This isn¡¯t an adjective, it is indeed literally being pulverized by the explosion of the heavy bomb, the power absolutely excessive. Even the large combat machines called ¡®Crabs¡¯ by the Alliance, with their four legs, standing two and a half meters tall, armed with machine guns and mortars on their firing platforms, would be doomed after taking two shots. Their thin armor couldn¡¯t withstand a burst from the heavy bomb gun. Composite armor-piercing warheads would penetrate and explode within, and it only took two shots to blast two large holes into a ¡®Crab,¡¯ immediately paralyzing it. Among the enemy forces, the few unmanned Challenger tanks, they too couldn¡¯t withstand the heavy bomb. Although, the Challengers used by Blackbird himself were much stronger than the castrated export version they had sold to the Old Alliance, perhaps ordinary bomb guns couldn¡¯t break through, but heavy bombs were a different matter altogether. One of them took three heavy bomb hits, resulting in three holes and an internal explosion. The Challengers had no drivers, so there was no chance of drivers being eliminated by the explosion, halting tank operations. However, one of these three bombs either hit the power system or control system, causing an explosion that had a devastating impact on the tank. And all of these were threats caused by direct hits from heavy bombs. Even if the heavy bomb didn¡¯t hit directly, it still posed a significant threat. Exploding in the air upon sensing a target, the blast¡¯s force was at least three times that of a regular bomb gun. The blast wave and the shrapnel would wound or kill light units such as cyborgs and mechanical dogs within a three to five-meter radius. Just the roar of a heavy bomb gun, roaring to life once more, was enough to push back the charging enemies. This weapon was amongst the most expensive and powerful issued to the infantry units of the Alliance. Its cost was even much higher than regular heavy artillery and its range was relatively shorter, but within its operational range, it lived up to its price and quickly became the core tactical weapon at the company level after being distributed among the troops. At this moment, the roar of the heavy bombs became a trumpet-like presence. Warriors, who had ducked their heads during the previous shelling, now poked out and began their violent assault on the enemy. Suddenly, a large number of enemies were suppressed, unable to advance further. But the enemy numbers far surpassed theirs, they would not retreat easily. Light weapons were hard to utilize, popping up to exchange fire would be disrespectful to the heavy bomb gun, those mechanical beasts wouldn¡¯t be that foolish. But other weapons could be effective. Several Challenger tanks were rotating their turrets, they had apparently calculated the trajectory of the heavy bomb gun and locked on roughly to Commander Valen Zu¡¯an¡¯s position; the ¡®Crabs¡¯ were doing likewise, their fire platforms¡¯ mortars had enough range to reach Valen Zu¡¯an; many combat drones, swooping in, their ground-attack guns firing down from above, could bypass the foxholes and the cover laid by the engineers next to the heavy bomb gun¡¯s position, directly threatening the personnel operating the firearms¡­ Valen Zu¡¯an, who suddenly became a specific target, almost instantly found himself in extreme danger. But at this time, his mind was incredibly clear. He could not change his position, the heavy bomb gun lacked mobility, too heavy for one man to carry, it required four or five soldiers to handle. At this time, only counterattack could offer a chance of survival. And even if there was no chance, before the end, he had to eliminate as many enemies as possible. He accurately identified the greatest threat, the few Challenger tanks, and turned the gun barrel toward the enemy. Two kilometers away, the tanks were still not very large targets, but the superior performance of the heavy bomb gun ensured that as long as he aimed, he was highly likely to hit. And he didn¡¯t need to hit with a single shot, as long as he maintained burst fire, the gun¡¯s recoil was transferred to the earth by the support spokes nailed into the ground, and with his tenacious will and arm strength, he kept turning the gun barrel, ensuring that the trajectory of the heavy bombs was spread within the area he intended. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only One, and then another¡­ two Challenger tanks were consecutively destroyed by the heavy bombs. Meanwhile, the soldiers of the company were not just spectating. In the previous bombardment, the entire 9th company suffered heavy losses. But unlike the 3rd company, which had collapsed at the first onset, they had managed to dig in, avoiding total annihilation. The survivors, each employing whatever weapons they could, began to return fire. Two mortars were still firing; squads pulled out rocket launchers, starting to target the distances; a few of the company¡¯s sharpshooters, operating newly issued laser guns with scopes, specifically targeted the approaching combat drones. Chapter 483 - Chapter 483: Chapter 288, The Loyal Grenade Launcher Feels Worth It_2 Chapter 483: Chapter 288, The Loyal Grenade Launcher Feels Worth It_2 The battle had reached an incredibly intense state. These mechanical monsters had already suffered devastating losses, and they should have realized that this was not a successful offensive, perhaps retreat would have been the better choice at this moment. But they didn¡¯t do so. Or rather, they no longer had the possibility of retreating. Their main forces were still behind, undergoing the fiercest artillery bombardment of the Alliance, facing an assault by an elite Composite Camp. They were there to secure a retreat path for the main forces. In total, they numbered over two thousand, with drones and tanks, but they were blocked by a small infantry platoon, which was unacceptable. In their combat command logic, this was to be taken down at any cost. Their mission was to break through step by step. Unfortunately, the mission of the 9th Platoon was to intercept the enemy here at all costs. They had done well enough, suddenly engaged in battle and bombarded by a barrage of long-range artillery after which they still retained their combat effectiveness and even managed to eliminate a large number of the enemy¡¯s living forces during an aggressive attack, including three tanks. Valen Zu¡¯an turned the barrel of his gun towards the fourth tank, and its cannon also turned towards him. But he was confident that before the enemy could fire, he would be able to destroy it with a heavy bomb. It was at this moment that the heavy bomb in his hand suddenly extinguished. He glanced sideways and saw that the private who had been reloading his weapon at his side, a recent recruit, had taken several shots to his body and had already stopped breathing. The wounds on his leg, waist, and shoulder were not all incurred at the same time; they must have been there for a while. But during this time, perhaps the noise of the heavy-bomb gun had been too loud, for he hadn¡¯t heard a cry of pain. It was also possible that the young soldier had indeed made no sound. He had just silently endured the pain and persisted in his task until a combat drone in the sky drove a bullet into his skull, causing his death and ending his duty. With nobody to operate the external hand-cranked ammunition feeder, the string of bullets running out meant no more were loaded onto the chain. Valen Zu¡¯an¡¯s face was grim, showing no panic; in the last moment, he was still thinking of a solution. He planned to load the ammunition chain himself and then call for other warriors to help. However, all these thoughts had not yet translated into action when the tank cannon already aimed at him emitted an orange flame, and a shell came flying at him. The shell exploded next to the protective shield in front of the bomb gun, penetrating it. The destabilized shell, grazing Valen Zu¡¯an¡¯s face, also took half of his head and a shoulder with it. Blood splattered on the heavy bomb gun, his remaining eye blinked twice, but he could do nothing, falling backwards. With the heavy bomb gun extinguished, those cautiously suppressing enemies were able to charge at full speed once again. In a short time, the Challenger tank that had killed Valen Zu¡¯an, along with its accompanying infantry and mechanical dogs, had come within a few hundred meters of the 9th Platoon¡¯s position. At this range, the soldiers¡¯ rifles could unleash their full power, but at the same time, the weapons in the hands of the modified men became more deadly, with mechanical dogs breaking rank and sprinting forward, their mounted submachine guns starting to fire. Although at this range the accuracy of the submachine guns was dreadful, the increased density of fire was still troubling for the warriors of the 9th Platoon. The battle on both sides had entered its most fierce phase with the casualties in the platoon rising significantly. More critically, with the lack of the core firepower of the heavy bomb gun, there was a subtle trend that was becoming hard to withstand. But in the next moment, the bomb gun roared back to life. This time, it was the platoon¡¯s instructor who took over. In fact, it wasn¡¯t only him; many soldiers attempted to take control of the heavy bomb gun, but these attempts all failed. At least four soldiers had lost their lives in a valiant succession. However, under their cover, the typically gentle instructor managed to rush over. Dragging an injured leg, he vigorously cranked the ammunition feeder, and at this moment, another soldier rushed in. ¡°You fire!¡± the instructor yelled, his voice already hoarse. The Sergeant operating the heavy bomb gun successfully blasted the leading Challenger tank that was charging, avenging their platoon leader. But before they could fire for long, multiple drones attacked. The platoon¡¯s sharpshooters, already taxed, shot down several with red laser beams, but one still got close to the heavy bomb gun¡¯s point and rained down a burst of submachine-gun bullets from above. When the bullets ceased, the two men in the foxhole were motionless. Then came the third group to take over. But this third group hadn¡¯t fired many rounds before the mechanical monsters seemed to lose their patience. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only New whistling sounds came from the sky, signaling yet another barrage from enemy artillery positions at least a dozen kilometers away. And this time, the duration of the bombardment was particularly long, and the number of shells dropped was particularly high. After the explosions, the entire position of the 9th Platoon fell silent. The foxhole that housed the heavy bomb gun, the tactical core of the platoon, had been filled with bodies, but the bomb gun that should have been fixed in place was still there. The metal shield in front of it was severely deformed, its stand was skewed, but it itself remained intact, only now it was stained with the blood of who knows how many. Chapter 484 - Chapter 484: Chapter 288, The Loyal Bomb Gun Feels Worth It_3 Chapter 484: Chapter 288, The Loyal Bomb Gun Feels Worth It_3 After the artillery barrage ended, the mechanical soldiers resumed their advance. For a long while, no gunfire came from the human soldiers¡¯ position. But their movement was still cautious. To take down this position, the mech assault team of over two thousand had already lost more than a third of their number. Originally there were six Challenger tanks, but now only one remained. The cost of victory was so great¡­ No, victory had not yet been achieved. When the first few mechanical hounds rushed forward and got within a hundred meters of the position, the familiar sound of heavy explosives burst forth again. From the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Company¡¯s disintegrated troops, Sergeant Dimitriou manned the miraculously undamaged heavy explosive weapon, not only wiping out the advancing mechanical dogs but also blowing up the last Challenger tank. Dimitriou didn¡¯t know where he found the courage. Earlier, when the 3rd Company had been breached, they were sent scurrying in all directions, only managing to flee. After being stopped by the 9th Company, they were almost mistaken for deserters. His morale, and that of the dozen or so other defeated soldiers, was very low at that time. The panic of a narrow escape, the confusion of not knowing what lay ahead, filled their hearts. They had seen with their own eyes the enormous numbers of the Mechanical Legion paving a way to the rear. He didn¡¯t think the 9th Company could hold off these enemies, especially since the enemy not only outstripped them in numbers twentyfold but also had support from long-range artillery. How could this battle be fought? He didn¡¯t run, purely because running would mean being executed as a deserter. The subsequent development of the battle didn¡¯t exceed his expectations. The 9th Company fought tenaciously, almost exhausting every method to battle those mechanical monsters, but the gap in firepower and numbers still led them to inevitable defeat. But Dimitriou saw what happened at the explosive cannon position. When the machine-gunner died, the company commander took over; when the company commander fell, the political officer took up the position; when the political officer died, more soldiers rushed forward¡­ This kind of successive bravery deeply moved Dimitriou. He couldn¡¯t help but think of his own company. If the 3rd Company hadn¡¯t been attacked and had persisted in the fight, would the same thing have happened? His company commander, his political officer¡­ and even himself, would they make the same choices as the brothers from the 9th Company? He asked himself this question in his heart. He hadn¡¯t found the answer yet, but his body had moved ahead of his thoughts. His actions were slow, yet resolute. Crawling, he made his way to that foxhole. There was no room left to stand, as the small pit was stacked with a dozen bodies. When he regained his senses, he found himself lying on the bodies of the brothers from the 9th Company, his hand on the trigger of the explosive cannon. The ammo feeder was nowhere to be found, but the chain of ammunition in front of him stretched out more than half a meter long. His mind was blank, yet instinctively he raised the gun towards the mechanical hounds, towards the approaching Challenger, and pulled the trigger. The faithful explosive cannon still operated, the gun¡¯s barrage tore through the air, the sound thunderous! The sound of the explosive cannon seemed like a catalyst, and at that moment Dimitriou¡¯s blood also boiled with the gunfire! He couldn¡¯t help but roar, venting his emotions. Fear, pain, bewilderment¡­ all of it transformed into bullets heading towards the enemy. In the midst of gunfire, he understood at last. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He was going to die, but he felt it was worth it. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.3k To make up for yesterday¡¯s lack Another 4k tonight Chapter 485 - Chapter 485: Chapter 289, The Great Victory of Operation Flash Tail Chapter 485: Chapter 289, The Great Victory of Operation Flash Tail ¡°Who are you? Which unit are you from?¡± ¡°Gorky Dimitrov, Sergeant, from the 2nd Group 3rd Company of the 3rd Brigade.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t this be the position of the 9th Company? Where are the others from your 3rd Company?¡± ¡°These are all people from the 9th Company¡­ Those from our 3rd Company, they are dead over there.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, we came late, but we will avenge you.¡± ¡°If possible, please take me with you.¡± ¡­ Faced with the request from the comrade in front of him, Major Rol DeLiu felt somewhat troubled. He was the commanding officer of the 47th Brigade 5th Composite Battalion, and the troops he led were carrying out an encirclement mission. Compared to the previously engaged units, the intelligence he now had was relatively complete. The Mechanical Legion of the Alliance Army, which had broken through from the south, bypassed the defense line of the 47th Brigade and attacked the Alliance troops advancing along Western Desert Avenue, with a possible total number of about fifteen thousand. They were fully equipped with various types of gear, ample armored force, and a large amount of accompanying mechanized self-propelled artillery. Their attack brought significant losses to the Alliance units advancing along the avenue. But the Alliance Army swiftly responded, not only launching a counterattack but also planning to move troops and set up an encirclement to trap the enemy. If you dare to attack us, then don¡¯t expect a single one of you to escape. The troops of Wind-Extinguishing Brigade and Beast Slaughter Brigade carried out the first wave of strategy. Heavy artillery and armored units were thrown into the front lines, while the 2nd Infantry Regiment of Beast Slaughter Brigade split off many companies to outflank the Mechanical Legion to the south, intending to completely enclose them. But soon, the situation took a turn for the worse. The companies of the 2nd Regiment were supposed to establish numerous point defense positions, not too far from each other. The orders received by all units were commonly to reach the designated targets within two hours to start constructing defenses. Beyond those two hours, the Alliance Staff Department estimated they would have at least half a day to a full day to reinforce their positions. The forces under Major Deliu¡¯s command were there to participate in the encirclement. If the encirclement plan went smoothly, they would launch a fierce attack on the Mechanical Legion from the south, forming a pincer attack with the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade in the north; if not, they could also help the Beast Slaughter Brigade¡¯s 2nd Regiment to block the southern escape route of the Mechanical Legion. But this elite Mechanical Legion reacted much faster than anticipated. Those iron beings, realizing the danger, quickly dispatched vanguard units to ensure that their path of retreat to the south was secure. This was normal, but what was not normal was the number of troops they sent out as the vanguard, far exceeding the original estimates of the Staff Department. They even moved a considerable part of the heavy artillery originally supporting the frontal battlefield to attack the infantry companies that were encircling them from behind. Now, the troops of the 2nd Regiment of the Beast Slaughter Brigade were suffering. The fates of the 3rd and 9th Companies were a microcosm of this problem. They weren¡¯t the only ones with problems; several other companies¡¯ positions were subjected to fierce attacks, each with various degrees of casualties. However, the 3rd and 9th Companies were the worst hit, nearly wiped out. Major Deliu was filled with a deep sense of shame. His unit arrived just as those mechanical monstrosities launched their final assault. They had already conducted reconnaissance in advance and found out about the battle situation here; the artillery companies within the Composite Battalion deployed their artillery positions and opened fire on the enemy; the two quickest mechanized infantry companies came speeding through the wilderness, But they were still one step too late. By the time their artillery show their might, the enemy had already started their final assault; by the time the Strider Armored Vehicles were in position, the enemies, realizing they couldn¡¯t break through, retreated like the tide. And in the positions, they found only one survivor ¡ª a sergeant from the 2nd Regiment of the Beast Slaughter Brigade¡¯s 3rd Company, who had fought at the position of the 9th Company. Faced with the sergeant who wanted to join their operations, Major Deliu, after much hesitation, still chose to refuse. Officially, the refusal was that it was against the rules, and Sergeant Dimitrov should report to his own unit and convey the events that happened here to his superiors. But¡­ in truth, a more significant reason was¡­ Guilt. Apart from feeling guilty for arriving late, there was another core element: the 47th Brigade, supposed to be guarding the south and blocking the southern enemy, had allowed such a large wave of the Mechanical Legion in, clearly indicating a major mistake. Whether it was a mishap or a question of capability, ultimately, it was their failure that led the brother units in the middle to be suddenly attacked and to have to defend their positions against such a large numerical difference. The forces belonging to Major Deliu, heading north to participate in the encirclement, were merely closing the stable door after the horse had bolted. Perhaps, for the overall state of the war, their northward action was ¡®not too late¡¯; but for the 3rd and 9th Companies, it was ¡®already too late¡¯. Under these circumstances, how could he have the heart to let Dimitrov follow along? If the only remaining survivor of these two companies were to also perish in subsequent combat, he would feel guilty unto death. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The warriors of the 475th Battalion, upon seeing the condition of the 9th Company¡¯s position, felt much the same as their commanding officer. In their shame, they kindled raging fury. To wash away the dishonor, only the enemy¡¯s remains would suffice! After bidding farewell to Dimitrov, the nine hundred warriors of the 475th Battalion continued northward. Three hours later, they received orders from the command, requesting them to launch an attack on the enemy. Chapter 486 - Chapter 486: Chapter 289, The Great Victory of Operation Flash Tail_2 Chapter 486: Chapter 289, The Great Victory of Operation Flash Tail_2 Hence, Lion Tanks, Strider Combat Vehicles, and 155 Towed Artillery simultaneously poured the warriors¡¯ fury upon the heads of those mechanical monsters. They had to vent their shame in this manner. On the flat terrain of the battlefield, the armored troops deployed massively. Artillery had already stopped far behind, and 12 heavy guns began to fire in the direction of the armored troops¡¯ assault. Roughly every two minutes, a barrage of a hundred shells was unleashed, and the 475th Battalion¡¯s ammunition reserves were enough to sustain this rate of fire for twenty minutes. Following the barrage, Lion Tanks at the forefront kept firing their cannons, while the co-axial machine guns swept fire madly. Charging alongside the tanks were the infantry fighting vehicles, whose autocannons couldn¡¯t penetrate the opposing tanks¡¯ armor, but were deadly against other units. Their mounted machine guns could also elevate to engage flying drones. Not to mention, interspersed among them were several anti-aircraft vehicles, specially equipped with anti-aircraft guns and fire control systems that were more effective against drones. And the enemy was clearly not well-prepared in the south; the troops on the defensive line seemed to be the same mechanical units that had attacked the 9th Company¡¯s positions, resulting in a loss of more than a third of their forces and most of their Challenger tanks abandoned. Under the retaliation from the 475th Battalion, they were utterly powerless. After being bombed, followed by a charge from the armored troops, the entire defensive line was breached. Then the infantry that came up after cleared out any remaining enemies, and almost without resistance, the entire situation tilted completely in favor of Major Deliu. Afterwards, the troops continued forward, coming across the enemy¡¯s main artillery position. There, at least a hundred self-propelled artillery pieces were aimed northward. What other outcome could there be when the artillery position was pierced right in the rear by the armored troops? The whole unmanned self-propelled artillery position was utterly dismantled within half an hour, not a single artillery piece escaped. ¡­ At the Alliance Field Command, a dozen or so officers converged. They had just received the latest intelligence; the battle at the front had largely ended, and the Alliance Army naturally achieved the final victory. The breakthrough from the southern front, attacking the Mechanical Legion on the Western Desert Avenue, had been annihilated. All fifteen thousand mechanical units were completely destroyed here. The situation was settled. This ¡®settlement¡¯ referred not only to the current battle, but the entire ¡®Flash Tail Operation¡¯ could be considered as part of it. According to the Alliance¡¯s reconnaissance information, the last mobile force that Blackbird Heavy Industries could muster and deploy along the entire line of defense was already there. This of course did not mean that the loss of more than fifteen thousand mechanical units was a significant blow to Blackbird Heavy Industries. Nevertheless, the 400,000 units Blackbird had deployed on the front line were also scattered over a thousand kilometers of the front, spread quite thinly. When the Alliance pinpointed a section and launched the ¡®Flash Tail¡¯ operation, creating a huge salient 300 kilometers deep in just three days, Blackbird could muster only so many troops in the surrounding area in a short time. There were, of course, other units, whether elsewhere on the front lines or in the rear, but they could not fly over; here, there were no more. With these fifteen thousand enemies gone, Blackbird no longer had the capability to redeploy forces in the short term. This also meant that the nearly 300-kilometer deep salient formed by the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade, the Beast Slaughter Brigade, the 47th and 48th Brigades, was now secure, with no further threats. Under their assault, their target, namely the enemy¡¯s logistical assembly base centered on Scorpion Tail Oasis, had been completely exposed. It was estimated that in no more than three days, they would achieve their intended combat objective: the complete destruction of the enemy¡¯s logistics support base. Ammunition, batteries, fuel¡­ With these destroyed, armies composed purely of mechanical units faced greater struggles and had fewer solutions than human armies. Human troops, without vehicles, without food, could still run on two legs, taking up guns, wielding cannons, relying on their rations and water bottles to continue fighting for another two or three days. Although this would severely test their morale and the soldiers¡¯ tenacity, there were still ways to endure. ¡°` But mechanical troops are different. Without batteries, without fuel, that¡¯s just it. When they¡¯re down, they¡¯re down, completely immobilized. At the end of Operation Flash Tail, after dealing with the enemy¡¯s logistical center, there would be some actions left. They¡¯d block the enemy¡¯s retreat, sweep the supply lines that the enemy is using from even further back, and other brother units along the entire front would launch attacks, not to annihilate the enemy, but to bite and exhaust. According to estimates, in another three days, all the mechanical troops that hadn¡¯t managed to retreat would never be able to. Human troops, following up, would then be able to effortlessly capture countless immobile mechanical units along the road and destroy them. In this respect, Operation Flash Tail was exceedingly significant. And now, the first light of victory had already shone down, and logically speaking, the atmosphere in this frontline command post should be very good. But the reality was just the opposite. The dozen or so officers in the command post were all from the four brigades involved in the operation. They were either brigade commanders, brigade chiefs of staff, or political commissars¨Cthe rank and file of colonel-level officers, with the lowest being a major and most being lieutenant colonels. Normally, there would also be many operational staff members here. They would gather here and, under the supervision of the senior officers of the four brigades, work together to coordinate the joint actions of the four brigades. Before, this place was busy and meticulous, with intelligence relayed in a simple and efficient manner after communication, and then orders passed down. Now that victory had come, however, those ordinary staff members had all been sent out, leaving only the senior officers of the brigades. The highest commander of the entire operation was without a doubt Major General Yan Fangxu, the head of the Western War Zone. However, he was not present here but taking command from behind, as even though ¡®Operation Flash Tail¡¯ was important, he still had to carry the command responsibilities for over twenty divisions and brigade-level units in the entire Western War Zone; he couldn¡¯t just run to the frontline. Thus, under him, the top commander, among the four brigades, there was another frontline commander. This person in charge, who also happened to hold the highest rank in the command post, was Colonel Lucy Lee Ko Xi. There were actually two colonels here, with the other being Colonel Danny Dewillis from the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade. He took up the position after Perbov was promoted to army group commander of the Blackbird Expeditionary Force, so he was relatively junior. By contrast, Colonel Li Kexi¡¯s tenure was much longer. Having once been a mercenary wandering around Rubbish Town, he formed the ¡®Beast Slaughter Group¡¯. When the Alliance gained control of Rubbish Town, he was among the first to pitch in, in what one might call ¡®investing with expertise¡¯. Thereafter, based on the former ¡®Beast Slaughter Group,¡¯ the Alliance¡¯s 3rd Independent Regiment was formed, which, through solid battle achievements, produced many heroic figures, among which ¡®Soldier King¡¯ Rorschach was the most famous. The regiment, based on its merits, had its special ¡®Beast Slaughter¡¯ designation restored and was upgraded to the Alliance¡¯s 3rd Beast-slaying Brigade. During this process, Li Kexi himself was promoted three times in rank, from major to colonel. However, his position has always been the leader of the Beast Slaughter Brigade. In this campaign, he was appointed by General Yan Fangxu as the frontline commander, responsible for coordinating the cooperation of the four brigade-level units. The other three brigades were to respect his opinions and accept his commands. During the previous coordination efforts, Li Kexi always maintained a calm demeanor. He didn¡¯t speak much, and his decisions were decisive when disputes arose. But now, having won the battle, he could no longer suppress his emotions. After sending all the ordinary staff out, he sat in the central position and ranted for over ten minutes. Everyone silently endured the fury of this old-timer colonel. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In this battle, the Beast Slaughter Brigade suffered the heaviest casualties. And the ones he scolded the most fiercely were the three officers from the 47th Brigade. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k words, it¡¯s not dawn yet, so it¡¯s still technically night (guilty conscience). ¡°` Chapter 487 - Chapter 487: Chapter 290, Western Desert Campaign Settlement Chapter 487: Chapter 290, Western Desert Campaign Settlement Colonel Li Kexi certainly had reasons to be angry. Although the Beast Slaughter Brigade had replenished its soldiers, nearly half of its personnel were still from the Beast Slaughter Group he had once led. They fought the Green Skins in the ruins, in space, in the south against Aberrant Beasts and Cultists, and during the pacification of the Eastern Provinces they had quelled the rebels¡­ Every warrior in the Beast Slaughter Brigade was a fine young man. But many of them had died here. The exact, detailed casualty report from this battle hadn¡¯t come out yet, but from the current estimates, the total losses of the Alliance Army might exceed three thousand¡ª-most from the Beast Slaughter Brigade, with a smaller part from the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade, and the 47th Brigade suffering very few casualties. Among these losses, nearly a third occurred during an ambush on the Western Desert Avenue, when preparations were inadequate. In battle, another two-thirds were lost under the enemy¡¯s full-fledged resistance. Within these losses, the 2nd Group of the Beast Slaughter Brigade bore an especially heavy burden. The entire group was almost completely decimated. The 2nd Group had only 9 combat companies, and including various other artillery, logistics, sappers, and other support troops in the group headquarters, the total force was just under 1,600 soldiers. Now, they had practically no combat strength left. Situations like the total annihilation experienced by the 3rd and 9th companies were just two examples, but other companies also suffered heavy casualties in the fight to block the enemy¡¯s retreat to the south. Given the current situation, the whole group needed to return for rest and recuperation, then replenish personnel and equipment before they could restore combat capability. That was no different from having to rebuild the group from scratch. Colonel Li Kexi truly loved his troops like his own children and couldn¡¯t bear to see his soldiers suffer heavy casualties. But he was a military man, a qualified commander, and if victory required the sacrifice of soldiers, he would not hesitate to pay the price. He understood the principle that kindness does not command soldiers. But was the victory they had just achieved really necessary? They had indeed achieved a critical victory, clearing the last obstacle for ¡°Operation Swift Tail.¡± But¡­ essentially, it was just patching up the mistakes made by the 47th Brigade in the south. If they hadn¡¯t erred, this battle wouldn¡¯t have been necessary at all. The fifteen thousand mechanical units, tightly locked down in the south, with the 47th Brigade keeping close watch¨Chad they done so, the Alliance Army advancing along the Western Desert Avenue could have reached ¡°Scorpion Tail Oasis¡± much faster and accomplished the strategic objectives. Even if the Mechanical Legion had fiercely attempted to stop them, whether by directly attacking the 47th Brigade head-on or by circumventing to the west and standing in front of the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade and Beast Slaughter Brigade, it would have been a frontal battle. Firstly, there wouldn¡¯t have been any surprises like being bombed during a march, and secondly, the warriors of the Beast Slaughter Brigade wouldn¡¯t have had to engage in a deathmatch with a far superior enemy force, composed of infantry, armor, and drones, without artillery support and having to dig makeshift defensive positions. ¡°It¡¯s a critical victory indeed, but it¡¯s a war fought reluctantly to make amends for the grave mistake you committed!¡± ¡°The sacrifices of the warriors are honorable, and the victories won by the warriors are also honorable, but that does not wash away the disgrace on you!¡± Colonel Li Kexi continued to berate the lieutenant colonel from the 47th Brigade. The lieutenant colonel, about to drown in Li¡¯s spittle, just hung his head and didn¡¯t dare say a word. If his unit had been breached by the enemy in a blood-soaked battle, perhaps he would have had room for argument. But in fact, the enemy hadn¡¯t even encountered any battle before they bypassed his defensive line, and he failed to detect it beforehand; it was the Air Force brothers, on their regular patrol, who spotted the situation and issued a warning to the command. Firstly, he should have not let the enemy break through; secondly, he should have not been oblivious to it. And he made both mistakes. Indefensible. In the end, even Colonel Li Kexi had grown tired of berating him. He said coldly, ¡°I¡¯ve reported the relevant situation to the headquarters. You just wait for the military tribunal!¡± ¡­ Colonel Li Kexi, with the rank of colonel, temporarily taking the duty of frontline commander and in charge of four brigades, did not mean he had the authority to dismiss a lieutenant-colonel brigade commander. But his mention of ¡°going to military court¡± was not just an idle threat. He might not have the power to remove the lieutenant-colonel, but Yan Fangxu did. Soon, a command from the headquarters arrived. The lieutenant colonel leading the 47th Brigade, along with a major who was the chief of staff, were directly dismissed on the spot. The acting brigade commander and the acting chief of staff stepped up; since both of their ranks and seniority were not quite adequate, the political commissar of the 47th Brigade temporarily took over the command. The two relieved of duty were headed east in a car, led by a team of military police, gone without much fanfare. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They were to first report to General Yan¡¯s headquarters to state their case and provide an opportunity to explain themselves regarding Colonel Li Kexi¡¯s reports. But¡­ there wasn¡¯t much room for explanation, and a scolding was inevitable upon arrival. Being scolded was the easy part. After that, they would have to go to Revival City to face the Alliance Military Tribunal. The Alliance Military Tribunal operates independently outside the normal legal system of the Alliance, dedicated to adjudicating active-duty military personnel. It is overseen by Major General Tadeusz, the chief political commissar, with the help of Grand Judge Lambert. Having studied relevant military regulations and legislation, the one removed from duty probably had a clear idea of what consequences lay ahead. Chapter 488 - Chapter 488: Chapter 290, Western Desert Campaign Settlement_2 Chapter 488: Chapter 290, Western Desert Campaign Settlement_2 Life¡­ it wasn¡¯t that dire. He hadn¡¯t committed the gravest of offenses, such as treason, desertion, or disobedience to a superior¡¯s orders. Neglect of duty, dereliction of duty, that was the most serious of his charges. And in fact, what happened afterward was not far off from his own judgement. He was stripped of his military post, demoted to the rank of captain, and relegated to a civilian department. Then, six months later, he was reassigned to a new unit, serving as a battalion commander in a garrison division in the Green Valley Region, dealing daily with the Aberrant Beasts that still lingered in the southern Green Valley. His competence was certainly there, otherwise, he couldn¡¯t have been promoted; after making a serious mistake and taking a major hit, one often grows. Besides, merely serving as a battalion commander in a garrison, his abilities were definitely up to the mark. Surely those Aberrant Beasts couldn¡¯t suddenly grow brains, engage in maneuvers like flanking, reconnaissance, deception in warfare, and bypass his defensive lines, right? ¡­ Half a month later. Gu Hang in Revival City received a comprehensive report on ¡®Operation Flash Tail¡¯ from Yan Fangxu. The entire operation had already concluded. And before this battle report had arrived, he had already seen the settlement interface from the system panel. [West Desert Campaign Settlement:] [Epic Victory, Earned 12,284 points of Grace] [17,325 losses, 246,645 enemies annihilated] These figures were quite impressive. Actually, before Operation Flash Tail, the Alliance had already incurred over thirteen thousand casualties in the full-scale combat, in those fierce battles of infiltration and counter-infiltration. These were substantial losses, especially considering the fighting lasted less than a month. Although the Alliance had also destroyed over fifty thousand various mechanical units during this process, this kind of bloodletting warfare was definitely not what the Alliance desired. Exchanging human lives for the wreckage of mechanical units was, in Gu Hang¡¯s view, a decidedly losing business. Operation Flash Tail, after Yan Fangxu had prepared the plan and reported back, was approved by Gu Hang. He too was looking forward to achieving impressive results. Yan Fangxu, along with a series of commanders on the front lines, did not disappoint his expectations. Despite a few unexpected developments in the middle, the overall strategy proceeded smoothly. After annihilating the enemy¡¯s last mobile force that could be deployed, they destroyed the logistical distribution center at ¡®Scorpion Tail Oasis¡¯. The subsequent developments unfolded just as anticipated; deprived of batteries, fuel, and other vital resources, the enemy¡¯s frontline forces began to collapse. Units with scant reserves perhaps had only two to three days of combat capability left, while those with more could hold out for no more than eight to nine days before being finished. Realizing victory was utterly impossible, they began to retreat¨Cindeed, as soon as that last mobile force was annihilated, the puppet masters behind these mechanical monsters had come to this realization and made the worst-case preparations. However, retreating was easier said than done. Merely withdrawing to areas supported by their logistical supplies in the desert required a lengthy journey. Much like human troops venturing deep into the desert, it was the same for the Mechanical Legion, which had a journey of over a thousand kilometers. Moreover, how could human troops possibly stand by and watch them retreat? In the entire Western War Zone, the Alliance Army commenced a full-scale offensive. Their goal was not to annihilate the enemy but to delay, harass, and encircle¡­ And the four brigades that had created a significant bulge, under the command of Colonel Li Kexi, also began to flank the enemy from both sides, cutting off their retreat. On the entire map, it was clearly visible that after these four brigades created a large bulge in the front lines, they started side movements like petals blooming to the sides, aiming to sever the enemy¡¯s escape routes. Of course, perfection was unattainable. Mechanical units retreating to the rear fought desperately. Their numbers were still not sufficient; if they encountered such units, they would let them pass without resistance. However, if they encountered units with insufficient energy reserves, or those with inadequate troop concentrations, they would decisively intercept them. This form of combat persisted for over ten days. In the central Western Desert, on the thousands of kilometers wide north-south frontline where the Mechanical Legion fully confronted the Alliance Army, the enemy forces collapsed. On their western retreat, some units were destroyed, others escaped, and the remaining half, running out of energy during the escape or combat, turned into scrap littering the ground, collected effortlessly by the Alliance and, except for some samples, were all destroyed en masse. Even now, the destruction is still ongoing. Blackbird Heavy Industries was even driven out of the West Desert Region at one point. Nonetheless, Yan Fangxu maintained a clear awareness of the situation. He regrouped all his forces and strictly ordered them not to pursue beyond the West Desert Region. Indeed, starting from today, the entire Western War Zone had been retracting backward, planning to shrink back to the original front lines. Gu Hang felt regretful about this, but he knew that Yan Fangxu¡¯s decision was correct. Of course, if possible, he also wanted to take advantage of the momentum, march hundreds of thousands of troops westward, and flatten Blackbird. But that was not feasible. Tadeusz issued a warning: our own logistics have also reached their limits. The logistics of the Alliance, which had never been very robust to begin with, relied solely on the life line of the Western Desert Avenue. The previous offensives had consumed a large amount of ammunition, food, and medical supplies. At the same time, there were numerous wounded soldiers needing evacuation. Meanwhile, more than a hundred thousand enemy troops had escaped to the continental west before losing power, where they received reinforcements. Even in various parts of the continental west, there were likely many mechanical units still present. Blackbird Heavy Industries had not collapsed. If the pursuit continued, it was quite possible that they might push back normally. In the face of such risk, it was more sensible to choose stability over making mistakes. Gu Hang could totally understand that point. But to let go of the enemy in this wave was truly regrettable. Gu Hang always believed that one should face the most pessimistic plans with the most optimistic attitude. He estimated that given Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ degree of rebellion, their recovery would be incredibly rapid. Their production lines were probably already running at full capacity. A large number of mechanical units would come off the assembly line, not needing nine months of gestation nor military training, and quickly replenish the front lines. In this process, the fastest production speed was likely to be for making mechanical humans using humans as material. This meant a substantial loss of human life. Gu Hang felt very pained about this. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But what could the Alliance do? He had already instructed Yan Fangxu to establish a ¡°rescue lifeline¡± along Western Desert Avenue, all the way west, and commanded the intelligence line under Lambert¡¯s charge to activate the two or three hundred intelligence officers who had infiltrated the west. They would proclaim the Alliance¡¯s victory, denounce the atrocities of Blackbird Heavy Industries in using humans to manufacture mechanical humans, and announce the existence of a lifeline. Those who were willing could head eastward, and the Alliance Army would coordinate their rescue and help them escape Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ control. But¡­ this strategy might save some people, but for the entire west of the continent, with over fifteen million people, it could not act as a savior. Firstly, the actions of intelligence personnel were limited; they couldn¡¯t organize large-scale evacuation efforts; secondly, the chances of refugees successfully fleeing eastward on their own were low, as mechanical units would continuously patrol; and thirdly, the lifeline established by the Alliance was fragile, only viable during the brief window when Blackbird was heavily damaged. Once Blackbird recovered and the Mechanical Legion resumed positions on the front line, this ¡°rescue lifeline¡± would likely break. Chapter 489 - Chapter 489: Chapter 291, Visitor from Beyond the Skies Chapter 489: Chapter 291, Visitor from Beyond the Skies The success of Operation Flash Tail and the conclusion of the Western Desert campaign had awarded Gu Hang with over twelve thousand points of grace. This amount, in comparison to the number of enemy mechanical units destroyed, was actually a bit meager. However, Gu Hang easily accepted this. For one thing, the growth in the scale of the war and the increase in grace points awarded were not linear, something he had verified through previous experience; secondly, it seemed to the system that these mechanical units were not very ¡®valuable¡¯. As of now, Gu Hang had a total of over sixteen thousand points of grace at his disposal¨Cthe additional three thousand-plus points came from the monthly income just dispensed. But he didn¡¯t use these points of grace. He had to keep something in reserve. Mainly for if situations worsened later, he needed to have enough grace points to train his troops. One point of grace would train a hundred-man squad, which once seemed fairly cheap. But now, when the size of the army can easily amount to several hundreds of thousands, the grace points needed for a single training session would start in the thousands. This was already no small sum and could not be ignored. But if he was determined to flatten Blackbird Heavy Industries in the west of the continent with his strength, then such level of expenditure was necessary. Did the Alliance have the capability to push through and level Blackbird Heavy Industries in the west of the continent? Yes, they did. After the issuance of the Level Two Mobilization Orders, the Alliance¡¯s manpower pool had reached seven hundred thousand. This was the number eligible for conscription, not including the four hundred and fifty thousand already in service, with over two hundred thousand remaining. This was not a potential manpower tally; these over two hundred thousand people were already registered. Their addresses, occupations, workplaces, names, family situations¡­ the Army¡¯s recruitment office was clear about all of these details. The centralized and planned political system of the Alliance demonstrated its tremendous superiority here. If necessary, over two hundred thousand summons would be sent to these people¡¯s homes, and within a week they would all appear in the recruit camps. With the Levelling Two Mobilization Orders in place, the Alliance¡¯s military industrial production was at full throttle, with the corresponding equipment being produced overtime; Gu Hang had nearly four thousand points of monthly grace points just handed down, and the over ten thousand points of grace he had just settled, all of which he hadn¡¯t frivolously used. When necessary, he could surge in troop numbers. Not just these two hundred thousand plus people,, but if necessary, they could enact Level One Mobilization Orders, and the reserve forces could directly reach the level of five hundred thousand. Without even discussing higher-level mobilization orders, just surging these two hundred thousand troops to the frontline and giving it another month or two for the production of logistical supplies, the Alliance could launch another large-scale campaign¨Csomewhat larger than Operation Flash Tail. They could possibly push into the heart of Blackbird territory. But¡­ such an action would certainly result in considerable losses. Deep within the enemy-controlled region, the Alliance¡¯s supply lines would be very stretched; conversely, the enemy fighting on home turf would find resupplying much easier. It would no longer be possible to seize the kind of great chance they had during Operation Flash Tail to engage in large-scale annihilative battles. Indeed, if they really waited for a month to launch such a large-scale offensive, the enemy forces would likely have recovered a great deal. Fortunately, the Blade Tiger in orbit was constantly bombarding the Western Desert. Although the core area of Blackbird City was enveloped by an energy shield and could not be destroyed, its suburbs had nearly been flattened. Later, through the Starport, the Blade Tiger resupplied its ammunition on the surface and resumed the bombardment. This time they circled around the orbit above Blackbird City, dropped a few bombs, found that there was not much left to bomb in the outskirts, and then shifted targets to bomb some high-value targets that had been identified by the Alliance¡¯s intelligence officers active in the West Road. They even took the time, during and after Operation Flash Tail, to locate and bomb some of the enemy forces that were retreating and had gathered together. However, the firepower of the Blade Tiger was still somewhat insufficient, and the results of the bombing¡­ were just so-so. Objectively speaking, the help was significant. Because, one can¡¯t just look at their kill records; one has to consider, for instance, the huge damage to Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ productivity after bombing Blackbird City; It posed a great threat to Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ supplies as well, forcing their supply convoys to refrain from transporting troops and materials in large and concentrated groups, or they might get bombed; It also posed a great threat to Blackbird¡¯s frontline forces¨Cif any Blackbird troops were found assembling in the wilderness, in areas with good visibility, and detected by the Alliance¡¯s air force, the coordinates would quickly be uploaded, and they would soon be struck by the Blade Tiger. This prevented Blackbird¡¯s Mechanical Legion from daring to assemble large forces in advance; even in assembly, they could not be too dense and had to camouflage as much as possible to avoid detection, to minimize losses if they were bombed¡­ All these indeed caused considerable trouble for Blackbird. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But, that was all there was to it. It did not constitute a fatal blow, nor directly tip the scales of victory. Ultimately, the Blade Tiger was not fierce enough, and the help it provided was limited; the main combat still required the bravery of the Alliance¡¯s warriors to seize victory. Gu Hang had already prepared for the worst. If it came to it, the Alliance would go all out. For the sake of capturing ultimate victory, they would not hesitate to pay a higher price. But before that, Gu Hang still needed to make one final effort from other aspects. Chapter 490 - Chapter 490: Chapter 291, The Visitor from Beyond_2 Chapter 490: Chapter 291, The Visitor from Beyond_2 When will the Dragonhawk Third Legion arrive? Gu Hang initiated contact with his mother. Not even in the mood for pleasantries, Gu Hang asked directly, ¡°What exactly did the Fatches Family say? Today is the deadline of the ultimatum. Two days ago, I asked you to convey my attitude to them, and this is the last time I¡¯m asking this question. I must know what their answer is.¡± Gu Hang expressed his dissatisfaction forcefully. Miss Wang Qi appeared somewhat helpless: ¡°Their answer this time is a bit different from the last. Before, they kept saying that the Dragonhawk Third Legion was only stationed on three of Fatches¡¯ planets and that the Fatches Family had no power to deploy this legion of the Star Realm Armed Forces, merely saying they would try their best to coordinate, lobby, and strive to send troops. Now, at least they¡¯re not giving those excuses anymore and have firmly promised to deploy forces, with no less than a million¡­ ¡± ¡°What is this supposed to mean? What about the timing?¡± Gu Hang immediately interrupted his mother. Although it was impolite, he couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°They didn¡¯t say; my people are still discussing it with them.¡± ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Gu Hang angrily made a final demand: ¡°If the Dragonhawk Third Legion hasn¡¯t left Fatches¡¯ planets within ten hours, then I¡¯ll take it as a refusal of our goodwill by the Fatches Family. I swear, in the upcoming conflict with Blackbird Heavy Industries, I will certainly find irrefutable evidence of the Fatches Family¡¯s full involvement with the Iron Men Rebellion!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± The color drained from Wang Qi¡¯s face, and she said in a low voice, ¡°Isn¡¯t this being a bit too aggressive?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of their evasions and delays. We¡¯re not allies with them, but we still informed them immediately of the connection between Blackbird and the Iron Men Rebellion, allowing them to avoid being passive. We might even offend the heads at Pei Desi because of this. This is a gesture of goodwill from me, from the Gu Family. And this is how they repay us?¡± Wang Qi sighed and said firmly, ¡°I understand.¡± After ending the call with his mother, Gu Hang then called the head of the military department, Tadeusz, and Alliance Premier Osenia, to inform them to be ready with contingency plans. Ten hours wasn¡¯t just empty talk or boasting from Gu Hang. If he issued a warning, he naturally had the capability to make it a reality. Blackbird was a Fatches Family enterprise, and their full cooperation was difficult to clean up without Gu Hang¡¯s assistance. And if Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t cooperate and instead made trouble for them, ¡°discovering¡± some special evidence, their trouble would become quite significant. Especially since the Gu Family possessed their own political capital, and Pei Desi would be more than happy to lend a hand. Moreover, even without the assistance of the Star Realm Armed Forces, Gu Hang could annihilate Blackbird despite the casualties. It would simply mean escalating the mobilization order to level one and reinforcing with more than four hundred thousand. Gu Hang would have to pay four thousand points of favor to train these four hundred thousand into qualified soldiers. Apart from training, equipping them with sufficient weaponry would require that the Alliance¡¯s industrial power shift completely from civilian to military industry. The contingency plan he tasked Osenia and Tadeusz to prepare was exactly this. With this approach, adding the existing forces, it was estimated that Blackbird could be overcome within half a year. There would be a huge number of casualties, not just among the soldiers, but also among the civilian population of the western mainland. Transitioning to military industry on a large scale would also affect the Alliance¡¯s industrial development. But if this price had to be paid, then it would be paid. Gu Hang would make sure the Fatches Family paid tenfold, a hundredfold in return. Luckily, this situation did not come to pass. Three hours later, Miss Wang Qi relayed the latest news to him. Wang Qi had personally communicated with the leader of the Fatches Family, Ivan Fatches. Besides fully conveying Gu Hang¡¯s stance, she also made their position clear as the head of the Gu Family, with both a harsh threat and some negotiations of interest. Ultimately, the Fatches Family found themselves with no room left for delay. They promised to comply with Gu Hang¡¯s request and, within ten hours¨Cnow seven¨Csend the first batch of Star Realm Armed Forces troops aboard Gu Commercial Firm¡¯s merchant vessels docked at Fatches II¡¯s Starport. Transporting a million troops isn¡¯t easy. The first contingent to arrive was expected to be over twenty divisions, no fewer than three hundred thousand troops. They would embark on Gu Commercial Firm¡¯s ¡®Jumbelly¡¯ transport ships, flanked by armed merchant vessels, heading for Rage Owl Star. Hearing this news, Gu Hang breathed a sigh of relief. Good. It seemed the Alliance would not need to issue the level one mobilization order after all. Of course, he didn¡¯t cancel the contingency plan immediately. The Fatches Family had a history. Gu Hang needed his mother to give him concrete news. Seven hours later, whether the Star Realm troops had begun boarding or not. If Fatches had deceived him and the matter was still dragging on, then everything would be called off, and Gu Hang would no longer count on additional reinforcements. This time, Fatches had been given ample warning and did not dare to play tricks anymore. In fact, soldiers from the Star Realm Army began boarding the starport and entering the transport ships that had been waiting there, just eight hours after the final warning had been issued. Boarding would take some time, and from the Fatches Star System to the Rage Owl Star System, the journey also required time. Overall, this first batch of support troops from the Star Realm Army would arrive at Rage Owl Star in twenty-two days. This was quite a relief. Gu Hang could finally breathe a sigh of relief and shared this intelligence with Yan Fangxu, who was commanding the operations in the Western War Zone. Yan Fangxu was overjoyed. Having strong reinforcements was, of course, very good. If possible, he did not want his own troops to engage in a bloodbath. He made up his mind that, for the next twenty or so days, he would focus on stability, reducing losses as much as possible, and wait for the Star Realm Army to arrive before advancing westward. But before the Star Realm Army¡¯s arrival, Rage Owl Star was to receive a group of other visitors from beyond the heavens. The Imperial Tax Fleet. The time had come for Rage Owl Star to pay its taxes. The problem was that the Imperial Tax Rage Owl Star owed this year was still on the Western Front. ¡­ The Sun Lord¡¯s Apostle of War, Bochoya Galaraldo, was aboard a destroyer, carrying a ¡®giant belly¡¯, en route to the Rage Owl Star System. He stood at the window, having just passed through the vibrant beauty of the Star Realm Tunnel, which seemed to linger in his eyes, yet outside the window, the expanse had become an infinite starry sky. Having traversed the Star Realm Tunnel, it would only take another day or two to reach Rage Owl Star. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that this Rage Owl Star used to be a very rich resource garden planet?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± replied a no-nonsense woman standing next to him. Her name was Nell Lavis, and she was the highest authority of this Tax Fleet, a senior official of the Imperial Taxation Department overseeing the entire tax affairs of the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Her working model involved leading a gigantic Tax Fleet, escorted by the Dragonhawk Fleet, voyaging year-round throughout the thirty-seven star sectors of the whole Dragonhawk Star Domain. Circling the route to collect taxes typically took about a year and a half. She needed to calculate the tax collection intervals for each Star Sector, some being two years, others five, and even ten. Then, after spending four months traveling, she would deliver the collected Imperial Taxes from the Dragonhawk Star Domain to a distribution center designated by the Eastern Cosmic Realm Government, the next higher level of administrative authority. These taxes would then be distributed under the directives of the government of Holy Terra, in the Human Ancestral Star¡¯s capital, to various places in need. And after delivering the taxes, Lois would immediately head back to the Dragonhawk Star Domain and start over by cruising through the thirty-seven star sectors to collect taxes¡­ in an endless cycle. In response to the Apostle of War¡¯s question, Lois reminisced briefly, recalling some images, and said, ¡°Indeed, when I had just started as the chief tax administrator of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, I came here to collect taxes. It indeed was a rare quality planet, but it¡¯s a pity, a war over a hundred years ago completely destroyed Rage Owl Star.¡± She was qualified to say so. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only She had been in this line of work for one hundred and fifty years. She was two hundred years old this year, yet still had the appearance of a middle-aged woman. She had already undergone three life-extension surgeries and was about to go through her fourth. When she had just started her tax work, she had indeed seen the most flourishing stature of Rage Owl Star. She had also seen the worst state of Rage Owl Star and, in the last few decades, had personally ordered the execution of several governors on Rage Owl Star. Chapter 491 - Chapter 491: Chapter 292, Imperial Tax Chapter 491: Chapter 292, Imperial Tax ¡°A world that should have been rich and beautiful, what a pity, the war¡­¡± Galador¡¯s expression was somewhat emotional. But Lois saw it as somewhat fake in her eyes. This War Apostle had witnessed countless wars firsthand, seen planets destroyed by war by the hundreds. Would he be moved by this? Moved my ass! Indeed, Galador himself didn¡¯t keep up the pretense for long¨Che hadn¡¯t really been pretending, he was merely reflecting, ¡°If Rage Owl Star were still in its heyday, I¡¯m confident I could have secured donations exceeding two billion Tax Currency from here.¡± Speaking of which, he truly became melancholic, ¡°Now, I can only scrape together two million.¡± Lois listened on the side, without responding, indifferent. Indeed, it had little to do with her. She was a tax officer; as long as Rage Owl Star paid its taxes, that was all that mattered. Other issues like ¡®donations¡¯ to the Empire¡¯s cause or the Sun Lord¡¯s expeditions¡­ what did they have to do with her? In fact, she was rather annoyed by it all. Four months ago, Galaraldo arrived at Dragonhawk Star Domain, visited the Star Domain Head, and then came to her Tax Fleet, starting to follow her around the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain. She would collect taxes first; immediately afterwards, Galaraldo would seek out local notables for ¡®donations.¡¯ Those he sought included Star Sector leaders and Planetary Governors as administrative chiefs, as well as factions like the Empire Commerce Guild, State Church, and Mechanical Cult Guild. When desperate, he would even approach local magnates of various planets. Generally, he could manage to raise some amount of money on each planet. This amount sometimes constituted half or even one-tenth of the Imperial Tax, and occasionally even exceeded the Imperial Tax, depending on the situation of the planet. And Galador¡¯s methods weren¡¯t limited to mere persuasion. The real gold and silver he demanded could amount to hundreds of millions or tens of billions of Tax Currency. The prestige of a Sun Lord, a War Apostle, might be great, but you can¡¯t raise that kind of money just by trading on your face or your words. Essentially, it¡¯s still about power and¡­ cunning. He was officially authorized by the Empire; he could directly levy Imperial Tax within the Space Domain Government and Star Domain Government for the support of the Sun Lord¡¯s expeditions. The authority to directly commandeer Imperial Tax was immense. Consider this: under the Eastern Cosmos Domain to which Dragonhawk Star Domain belongs, there are 9 Star Domains, and under Dragonhawk Star Domain alone, there are 37 Star Sectors. ¡®Tianma¡¯ as a Star Sector has an average annual Imperial Tax quota of around 12 billion Tax Currency. 1 Tax Currency is equivalent under Empire standards to the total annual output of an adult in a standard Terra year. From this perspective, one can imagine the enormous human and material resources at Galador¡¯s disposal. But this power was also limited, not absolute. He represented the will of the Sun Lord, no question, but the power of the Cosmos Domain Heads is also significant. They even have the one-person-one-vote power to elect an indeterminate number of representatives to enter into the Supreme Council of 13 of the Empire, representing the concentrated power of the Empire at a local level. They can veto the demands of a War Apostle, and when the needs of the two parties conflict, they may argue back and forth, with issues escalating to the Supreme Council of the Empire if not resolved. Though backed by the greatest Sun Lord, airing all grievances before him would be quite unsightly, wouldn¡¯t it? This is where space for political bargaining and compromise exists. Galador isn¡¯t foolish; he has power but doesn¡¯t abuse it recklessly. For example, in the Eastern Cosmos Domain, the outcome of negotiations was that only 15% of the Imperial Tax would support the Sun Lord¡¯s expeditions. But what if that amount isn¡¯t enough? Well, then he would go from one Star Sector to another, from planet to planet, to solicit donations. And these methods weren¡¯t necessarily ¡®civilized.¡¯ The Space Domain Government and Star Domain Government turned a blind eye to this, even providing assistance to a certain extent to prevent Galador from having further designs on the Imperial Tax. The Imperial Tax belongs to the Space and Star Domain Governments; if Galador takes too much, they have less to use. But the money he raises from various Star Sectors and planets affects those places directly, which is relatively acceptable to the Space and Star Domain Governments. And Galador relies on this support to do some rather distasteful things. For instance, if a Planetary Governor on a certain planet refuses his fundraising and doesn¡¯t give extra revenue, he might back the Governor¡¯s rivals or even rebels to replace the incumbent; he would promise some Empire World magnates to leverage his relationship with the Mechanical Cult Guild to prioritize them for life-extension surgeries; he could get his hands on some interstellar trade permits from the Empire Commerce Guild to sell to planetary merchants who lack qualifying rights but desire to engage in trade; he might even threaten some non-lifelong Star Sector Heads, implying that if they want to be reelected, they need to pay up¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The methods are myriad. If it were just some underhanded tactics, some conspiracies, some political deals, well, that might be tolerable. But the problem is, many of his actions leave behind serious repercussions. The worst kind create local unrest. Some planets were already somewhat unstable, or even if they were peaceful, became turbulent after his meddling. He may have received his so-called ¡®donations,¡¯ dusted off his pants and left, and typically the current Imperial Tax wouldn¡¯t have any major issues. But what about afterwards? The planets are still there, still under the administration of their respective Star Sectors, Star Domains, and Cosmos Domains. Left with a mess, subsequent issues either need the various levels of government to clean up, or if they can¡¯t handle it, even the next collection of Imperial Taxes will be affected. Chapter 492 - Chapter 492: Chapter 292, Imperial Tax_2 Chapter 492: Chapter 292, Imperial Tax_2 Galaraldo had caused quite a stir in the Dragonhawk Star Domain in the past few months. ¡°If you want to make money, just make money, but after that, you leave a mess, and naturally, the internals of the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government will have great discontent,¡± they said. Among them, Nell Lavis was particularly unhappy. After all, Galaraldo had been acting alongside her Tax Fleet. Whatever this Apostle of War did in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, she saw it all. She often had to clean up after Galaraldo, even getting dragged into the mess, so of course she wasn¡¯t pleased. But due to the status of the Apostle of War, she dared not show her displeasure. But today, she could not hold back and wanted to say a few words: ¡°Your Excellency Apostle¡­ I also roughly understand the situation of Rage Owl Star. It once got destroyed during wartime, and after being rebuilt, its population has always been small, the situation chaotic and dangerous, and the Imperial Tax it has to pay has always just been the minimum. Even so, this planet has failed to pay the full taxes for eight consecutive years, and I¡¯ve executed four Planetary Governors,¡± she said. ¡°Their Imperial Tax due every two years amounts to only ten million Tax Currency. This time, their Star Sector Government covered 7.5 million for them, to give them time to recover and grow. Now, there¡¯s a new one who¡¯s arrived, and according to the message from Flying Wing Star, this new Governor named Gu Hang is doing quite well. The entire planet is in the process of revival, and by the next term, they should be able to pay the taxes on their own abilities,¡± she said. At this point, Lavis couldn¡¯t help but offer some advice: ¡°There¡¯s not much on this planet, so why bother scheming against them? Even if you squeeze them dry, you¡¯d only get a few million Tax Currency. Let them develop on their own¡­¡± she said. Galaraldo turned around, facing Lavis as if seeing her for the first time, sizing her up from head to toe. The gaze of the Apostle of War made Lavis somewhat uncomfortable. Suddenly, Galaraldo laughed: ¡°I never expected a Tax Officer known for making resolute decisions, not even blinking while executing Planetary Governors, to actually have a kind heart!¡± His words carried a tinge of sarcasm. Lavis remained silent, not retorting. Galaraldo continued, ¡°You make sense, but¡­ what of it? The development of a planet that has already been destroyed once is nothing compared to the grand undertaking of the solar expeditions. Why did I not go straight to the wealthiest Flying Wing Star, the most populous Korolya III, or the Fatches Star System with three worlds around a single star upon arriving in the Tianma Star Sector, but instead choose Rage Owl Star, this remote and poor place, as my first stop?¡± he said. ¡°Because I am aware of the identity of that Gu Hang. I know he¡¯s the patriarch of an Empire Commerce Guild family, and what I can gain from him isn¡¯t just limited to whatever money there is on Rage Owl Star; his Gu Family behind him has considerable wealth.¡± ¡°Aside from the money, it¡¯s also an excellent place in the Tianma Star Sector to make a breakthrough. I also know he¡¯s been up to something on Heijian Star in this Star Sector, I know he wants to establish a Star Realm Army, to be responsible for the local defense of Rage Owl Star and concurrently to offset taxes¡­ Look, this young man has lots of ideas. The more ideas he has, the more handles there are to grab hold of,¡± he said. ¡°Based on my past experience, to do well and reap benefits in a Star Sector, one must first set an example. Whether it¡¯s a positive one, using incentives to establish a beneficiary who attracts others willing to make donations, or a negative one, overturning a place to make others consider the consequences through fear and force compliance¡­ in any case, such an example must be set.¡± ¡°And this Gu Hang, isn¡¯t he perfect for it? An impoverished, broken, and remote planet, and the Governor just happens to represent a wealthy Empire Commerce Guild, along with some readily exploitable vulnerabilities¡­ If I don¡¯t make this place my first stop, it would be a disservice to my keen instincts,¡± he said. Faced with Galaraldo¡¯s lengthy discourse, Lavis fell silent as well. Of course, she still disagreed with the behavior of the Apostle of War. But what of it? As he said, it was just an insignificant little planet. With no conflict between the interests of the Star Domain and the interests of the Tax Officer, Lavis speaking up to offer advice was already a rare act of conscience. She couldn¡¯t possibly start a conflict with the Apostle of War over this. In the end, she could only sigh, thinking the kid named Gu Hang was somewhat unlucky. It would be best for him to be sensible, to shed some blood softly and send the Apostle of War on his way. Should he resist or refuse, then given Galaraldo¡¯s many methods, not only would the due blood still have to be shed, but there¡¯d also be a host of additional problems. ¡­ Gu Hang, as the Tax Officer, had prepared a grand welcome ceremony for the arrival of the Apostle of War. Of course, this ¡®grand¡¯ celebration was only by the standards of Rage Owl Star. Rage Owl Star was quite ¡°poor,¡± and under the federation system, especially under the leadership of Governor Gu Hang, they never cared much for pomp and circumstance; everything was oriented towards practicality, and any unnecessary ceremonies would be simplified as much as possible. However, when it came to receiving the War Apostle and the Tax Official of the Star Domain, they had managed to put on as much of a display as possible. They understood that this might still seem quite modest to the two worldly figures, and at best, it just conveyed the enthusiasm of Rage Owl Star. But reaching that point was sufficient, as long as it didn¡¯t give off a feeling of being overlooked. Essentially, Gu Hang had no intention of offending either of them. One was a War Apostle with a prominent position on the empire¡¯s political stage, and the other was a Chief Tax Official who oversaw tax affairs within the Star Domain and had the power to execute Planetary Governors. Both were not people anyone could afford to offend. Moreover, Gu Hang had detected a particular ¡°scent.¡± Their personal arrival was unusual. Based on common experience, an official of the Tax Chief¡¯s caliber had a very tight schedule. Typically, upon arriving at a stable Star Sector, they would directly station themselves in the Star Sector Capital and take charge from the center. Sometimes they would personally visit some major tax-generating planets to supervise the situation. As for remote areas with low Imperial Tax quotas, it was enough for a detachment of the fleet to collect the taxes. If the taxes couldn¡¯t be collected, they would just issue an execution order, and the Legal Department¡¯s agents would take care of the rest. Gu Hang thought that he would only be dealing with a detachment of the fleet. But he could never have imagined that the Chief Tax Official himself would come, and he brought a War Apostle with him. Gu Hang felt that something was amiss. Secretly on alert, he personally received the two guests during the banquet and had an exchange with both of them. At one point, he considered using his spiritual energy ability to alter minds, to probe into what the two were thinking. However, as soon as he entertained this thought, he suddenly felt a twinge of palpitation. It was his spirituality, warning him. He immediately came to his senses. At the level of these two individuals, mental defenses would not be neglected. To carry out a silent and successful intervention without detection and without leaving any traces afterward would be extremely difficult. The Chief Tax Official might possess some special artefact, and the War Apostle emanated a strong divine radiance that made Gu Hang feel particularly apprehensive. He immediately extinguished the thought and focused solely on using conversation to probe them subtly. Nell Lavis, the Tax Official, was always serious and spoke little; Gu Hang couldn¡¯t glean much from him. In contrast, the higher-ranking War Apostle was very approachable, always wearing a smile and lavishing praise on Gu Hang for his work on Rage Owl Star. During the brief conversation, Gu Hang was surprised to find that the War Apostle knew quite a lot about his accomplishments over the past two years, if not in minute detail. Instead of feeling elated by the praise, he grew more vigilant. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Such a significant figure knew so much about a minor governor on a remote planet¡­ What are you up to? All throughout the banquet, this question plagued Gu Hang¡¯s mind. And at the end, as they parted ways, Lavis, the Tax Official, meaningfully sidestepped Galaraldo and whispered in his ear: ¡°The War Apostle¡¯s requests must be fulfilled for your good and the good of your family.¡± Chapter 493 - Chapter 493: Chapter 293, you want 300 million? Chapter 493: Chapter 293, you want 300 million? Lois¡¯s final words almost made Gu Hang realize the problem he was about to encounter. It was indeed somewhat troublesome. But in fact, even though Gu Hang had already made an early judgment on Galaraldo¡¯s intentions, he found that he had still underestimated the War Apostle¡¯s appetite in the end. ¡­ Early the next morning, Ms. Lois, the Chief Tax Inspector, was going to check the Imperial Tax that Rage Owl Star was about to pay¨Cthe Legion with the code 43.25.09.03. The proper procedure was actually like this: The Tianma Star Sector submitted a request to establish a new Star Realm Army Corps, citing the growing threat of Imperial traitors and Green Skin Orcs on Rage Owl Star. It also listed the presence of Green Skin Orc scouts on Rage Owl Star and enumerated the naval battle against Green-Skinned Warships within the Rage Owl Star System. The application was approved. From that moment, Corps 43.25.09.03, also known as the Rage Bear Legion, came into existence. Of course, this Legion had no soldiers, no officers, no equipment. The Eastern War Zone of the Star Army issued a requisition to the Dragonhawk Star Domain; establishing the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s various expenses would be borne by the Star Army, and the money spent by the Star Army would be paid from the Imperial Taxes collected from the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Isn¡¯t that convenient? The Imperial Tax needed to establish the Rage Bear Legion just happened to equal 25% of the Imperial Tax quota of Rage Owl Star¨Cthe remaining 75% had already been paid by the Star Sector Government on behalf of Rage Owl Star. So according to the joint directive ¡°Guidance on the Proximity Principle Regarding Imperial Tax Allocation¡± issued by the Empire¡¯s Administrative Department and the Department of Taxation, Rage Owl Star would provide soldiers, equipment, and officers for the Rage Bear Legion on the spot. This whole operation was entirely legal and in compliance with all regulations, leaving nothing to be criticized. However, just because the procedure was flawless didn¡¯t mean that things were over. The rules for Imperial Tax were very strict, and as an Imperial tax officer, it was necessary to inspect the army and assess whether the entire Rage Bear Legion was worth the 2.5 million Tax Currency. The assessment was very simple: each person was worth 5 Tax Currency; a soldier with full individual gear and qualified training was worth 10 Tax Currency. These military personnel, thus, had their price. Add to that the total cost of all the equipment, and that was the price for the whole Rage Bear Legion. While seemingly reasonable and a matter of simple arithmetic, in practice, there were far too many aspects that could be manipulated. The difference between the price of a soldier and an ordinary civilian was double; who had the final say on whether a soldier truly qualified as a ¡®Star Realm Army¡¯? This is where a representative of the Star Army, along with the tax officer and a representative from the Military Affairs Department, was needed to evaluate whether the soldiers¡¯ training met the standards. Strict adherence to the rules was, of course, to be expected, but¡­ Why is it said that the Empire is corrupt? Since there were people in charge of evaluations and judgments, naturally, there were opportunities for foul play. Could the soldiers possibly not meet the qualifications? The standards of the Star Army were very high, and many worlds¡¯ local ¡®Planetary Defense Forces¡¯ simply didn¡¯t meet the level of the Star Army, with only a minority of elite troops from the Defense Forces qualifying. But using the Planetary Defense Force to offset the requirements for the Star Army was still considered acceptable. In some places, when providing personnel reinforcements for the Star Army, they would simply dress civilians in military attire and give them basic training and weapons. Although against the rules, what happened in practice could vary. It depended on how the Planetary Governor conducted his affairs. Even in some places, this had become a semi-open secret. It was already fortunate if enough soldiers were provided without siphoning off ghost payrolls. Whether in some ancient feudal society, a modern society, or a cosmic empire that spanned the Star Sea like the Empire, as long as it involved humans, in human societies, such problems were nothing new. Similarly, for weapons and equipment, from something as small as a rifle, synthetic steel armor, to something as big as a Lion Tank, the Imperial Military Department had standard pricing. There was no room for nonsense here. However, was the equipment new? Old? Defective? What was the qualification rate? Was the production process compliant? Was the ammunition plentiful? The answers to these questions would affect the price of the weapons and equipment. Generally speaking, the joint tax-collection teams from the Military Affairs Department, the Department of Taxation, and the Star Army representatives did not enforce strict scrutiny in these areas. The reason was simple: with Imperial Taxes amounting to tens or hundreds of millions, there were too many people and too many items to check each one individually. Sample checks thus became an inevitable method. Moreover, some discrepancies weren¡¯t necessarily due to malice on the part of the Planetary Governors or issues with their competence, but were objective realities making it impossible for everything to be perfect. An appearance of compliance was sufficient. This was not just a special case with the establishment of the Star Army on Rage Owl Star but also applied to regular tax collection. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only For human resources, a person had to be a healthy adult; but did vision problems count as healthy? Dental issues? Stuttering? Chronic illness? For material tax collection, the age of the grains, weaponry, equipment¡­ The logic was the same. If the rules were strictly adhered to, how many Planetary Governors would Lois have to execute after a round of tax collection? Turning a blind eye was necessary, and it couldn¡¯t even be considered corruption, but a necessary compromise with reality. If a Planetary Governor prepared a little extra on top of the original tax quota for redundancy; and the tax officers did not scrutinize to the death, it was sufficient for everyone to get by. Chapter 494 - Chapter 494: Chapter 293: You want 300 million?_2 Chapter 494: Chapter 293: You want 300 million?_2 Furthermore, deciding whether to turn a blind eye depended on personal benefits received in the process. Of course, in practical terms, there were also situations where the rules were strictly adhered to. This situation typically arose when there was a person targeted for a takedown. Lois, along with many staff members led by Galaraldo, refused the Wind Falcon offered by the Alliance; instead, they had their own spaceship¨Ccoincidentally, it was a Traveler. Gu Hang, as well as several top executives of the Alliance, were also asked¨Cnot invited¨Conto the Tax Fleet¡¯s Traveler to head westward. The entire journey was expected to take less than three hours. Indeed, it was more than twice as fast as the Wind Falcon. On the spaceship, the Apostle of War spoke two pieces of information to Gu Hang. The first praised Gu Hang for his outstanding work on Rage Owl Star, developing it well, and also commended him for his exceptional performance on Heijian Star, stabilizing the most important Empire Commerce Guild power within the Tianma Star Sector¨Cthe internal chaos of the Gu Family. Although the Gu Family had suffered some losses, they were now more united and stronger, with the future bound to be bright. Such a Gu Family, in alliance with Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star, had great prospects for development and thus should provide more support to the great endeavors of the Empire. The figure for this support could be three billion Tax Currency. If Rage Owl Star, Heijian Star, and the Gu Family jointly could afford this sum, as additional funding for the Empire¡¯s grand mission¨CThe Sun Expedition¨Cthen Galaraldo would be pleased, and he would consider Gu Hang a friend. The second message related to a specific current affair. He was disgusted with many of the rotten situations now emerging in the Empire, especially those tampering with the Star Realm Army. He cited several examples from recent enforcement efforts, with some Star Realm Armed Forces units not meeting the expected standard of the Star Realm Army. However, he believed that a rising star like Gu Hang, tasked with setting up a new Star Realm Army Corps, would certainly meet the requirements. Together, these two messages made Gu Hang¡¯s understanding of their meaning crystal clear. ¡°Give me three billion, and not only will I ignore whatever you want to do on Heijian Star, but I¡¯ll also provide you with some assistance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware of all the dirty tricks you Planetary Governors play to dodge taxes with the Star Realm Army. If you don¡¯t pay the three billion, forget about me making a hundred problems for you later¨Cright now, don¡¯t even think about passing your ¡®Rage Bear Legion¡¯ through inspections.¡± After hearing these two messages, Gu Hang almost wanted to laugh in anger. The arrival of the Apostle of War, coupled with the Tax Officer¡¯s reminder, had led Gu Hang to anticipate that his position as the governor of the most destitute planet in the Tianma Star Sector had marked him as a target for exploitation, He had even prepared for the possibility of losing money to avoid disaster. The premise was that the price wasn¡¯t too outrageous. But to start off with a demand for three billion?? Even robbers weren¡¯t that fast! Clearly, Rage Owl Star could not afford such a price. The entire Alliance¡¯s annual output was just over thirty million Tax Currency, and even selling the whole of Rage Owl Star would not be enough to cover this amount. His target was the wealth of the Gu Clan behind Gu Hang. The problem was, based on what Gu Hang knew about the Gu Family¡¯s situation, they couldn¡¯t afford it either. The total annual revenue of the Gu Family was around ten billion Tax Currency, but most of this was spent as costs. The procurement of goods, transportation costs, labor costs¡­ these took up the bulk. The Empire Commerce Guild certainly had to pay Imperial Tax as well, and they always imposed a flat rate of 10% of revenue without considering costs. Moreover, the Empire Commerce Guild was subject to many legal restrictions and many potentially highly profitable means they couldn¡¯t just use. Not to mention the high risks¨Closing a ship full of cargo during interstellar travel meant compensating both buyers and sellers, and as ships were expensive, the losses were huge. Putting these aside, the net profit of the Gu Commercial Firm was around 3% a year, topping out at three billion¨Cthat includes the cost of risks. Given these returns, the Gu Commercial Firm was essentially working solely for the Empire. It seems like a lot was earned, but the bulk of it went to taxes, and less than one-third of the amount after taxes remained in hand. Galaraldo¡¯s demand for three billion amounted to the entire year¡¯s profit of the Gu Commercial Firm. Crucially, this profit wasn¡¯t the Gu Family¡¯s to begin with; it belonged to the entire commercial association. The Gu Commercial Fleet was a franchise fleet, how could the Gu Clan use the profits meant for those franchise fleets to donate to the Sun Expedition? People would rebel against them in an instant. Already weakened by the internal strife, the Gu Family had lost two of their fourteen merchant fleets, and the remaining twelve were down eighteen various commercial vessels. To lose another three billion¡­ They couldn¡¯t afford it. Unless they sold ships. Gu Hang would certainly not approach his mother with such a request. Selling ships from the commercial fleet? What a joke! Gu Hang had no intention of satisfying Galaraldo¡¯s greed, which was far greater than he had imagined. Of course, he also chose not to reject him outright. First, stall for time. You, Galaraldo, are a busy man, how long can you stay in the Tianma Star Sector? Just drag it out for now. The longer the delay, even if it leads to a fallout in the end, the less time he will have to cause trouble. If it really comes to it, regarding the affairs of Gu Commercial Firm, let him talk to Wang Qi. As for the current threat of whether the Rage Bear Legion can be established¡­ Sorry, Gu Hang is not afraid in the slightest. Perhaps, other Planetary Governors have all kinds of tricks up their sleeve when dealing with the Star Realm Army¡¯s tax deduction matters. But with Gu Hang, it¡¯s all legitimate. Go ahead and investigate. It would be impressive if you could find even one unqualified soldier or a single piece of substandard weaponry after your scrutiny. In front of Galaraldo, Gu Hang chuckled, beat around the bush, and avoided a direct response. ¡­ Galaraldo understood Gu Hang¡¯s intentions. But he wasn¡¯t very angry; instead, a smile remained on his face. The youngster is still naive, unaware of how treacherous the world can be. Bring it on. He had encountered such situations many times before, some people just wouldn¡¯t come to their senses without a coffin in sight. Without a shock from an imperial senior official, they never wake up to reality. Having understood Gu Hang¡¯s intentions, Galaraldo didn¡¯t say much anymore, simply reclining in his chair and resting with his eyes closed. And soon, they arrived at their destination. The Rage Bear Legion had already assembled. The Beast Slaughter Brigade, the 11th-14th Infantry Divisions, the 26th-33rd Infantry Divisions, the 35th Composite Brigade, all were in place. It was also lucky that there hadn¡¯t been any conflicts in the Western War Zone previously, and Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ combat power had temporarily been pushed even further west. Otherwise, pulling these 13 division and brigade level units from the defensive line for an inspection would indeed have been difficult. During the previous battles, these 13 units planned for the Rage Bear Legion had all suffered some loss of personnel and equipment. Gu Hang had long since ordered the logistics department to prioritize their resupply of troops and equipment. By now, these 13 divisions and brigades were at full strength. During the descent from the sky, the smile that had been on Galaraldo¡¯s face slowly faded away. How could a war apostle, a high-ranking official who rose from the vast battles of the Sun Lord¡¯s far-reaching campaigns, one of the Sun Lord¡¯s confidants, be a simpleton? Merely from the bird¡¯s-eye view, looking down at the military formation, he caught a glimpse that told him this force was special. Though the formal inspection had not yet begun, the military demeanor and appearance of the Rage Bear Legion had already left a deep impression on him. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But at that moment, he still regarded this army as mere window dressing. The reason was simple: how could a soldier of the Star Realm Army¡¯s standard be so easily trained? It required not only selecting outstanding soldiers but also long periods of tactical training. How could this Gu Hang, who had only been in charge of the Rage Owl Star for two years, possibly train a truly strong force given the previous dismal state of the planet? After landing, he pulled over the representative from the Star Realm Armed Forces who came with the delegation and whispered something to him. The other party nodded, indicating understanding. Then, the inspection began. Chapter 495 - Chapter 495: Chapter 294, Murderous Intent Arises Chapter 495: Chapter 294, Murderous Intent Arises Galaraldo also personally participated in the inspection. The entire Rage Bear Legion looked quite imposing, but no matter what, Galaraldo did not believe that Rage Owl Star could cultivate such an army in a short period of time. He insisted on lifting the veil of this army to see if there was anything flawed hidden beneath its splendid exterior. However, when the Rage Bear Legion began to carry out collective tactical drills according to the standards, the more Galaraldo watched, the more something seemed off. This wasn¡¯t just about military bearing and appearance. Though these tactical drills weren¡¯t actual combat, a significant portion of an army¡¯s combat effectiveness came from its discipline and organizational skills. And what was demonstrated in just two short hours represented discipline and organization that was indeed not bad and indeed reached the level expected of the Star Realm Army. At this moment, Galaraldo had already dismissed many of his illusions. Galaraldo was somewhat surprised. But it was still too soon to draw conclusions now. Even if the discipline and organizational standards were met, there was another key element: individual soldier quality. That was the hardest part. Could you also excel at this? Galaraldo glanced at the edge of his vision, where Mr. Gu, with his confident appearance, gave Galaraldo some assurance. It seemed that it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to trouble Gu Hang on this matter. Indeed, that was the case. During the individual soldier quality and equipment testing phases, the representatives from the Star Realm Army and the officials from the Military Affairs Department, after their inspections, came back and slightly shook their heads to the War Apostle. They had inspected the soldiers of various arms with the strictest criteria and without any leniency, as instructed by the War Apostle. It was so thorough that even the logistics battalion, the engineering battalion, and the communications company were pulled out for inspection. These checks included physical fitness aspects such as strength, load-bearing, and running; verbal orders and responses, random knowledge checks, and tactical thinking questions in the military sphere; as well as assessments of shooting skills and specialty capabilities within each branch of the military¡­ But¡­ under the considerably high ratio of their random checks, the very worst soldiers in terms of individual soldier qualities also met the minimum criteria required by the Star Realm Army, and many even surpassed them. The Military Affairs Department officials and the Star Realm Army representative were shocked themselves, even suspecting at one point whether the inspectors they had sent out had been bribed¨Cand heavily bribed at that¨Cto produce such unbelievable results. Even a fully compliant Star Realm Army Corps could not possibly have such a high pass rate. After all, the Star Realm Army was a massive group. Some soldiers with outstanding combat achievements might forget certain regulations, and some soldiers who performed exceptionally in specific positions, such as those with excellent driving skills, might lag slightly in physical fitness. In fact, the Star Realm Army¡¯s standard inspections did not require everyone to pass. It would indeed be too much to ask for; it only needed a certain pass rate to be acceptable. But even if they used impossibly high standards, they found no issues. Both representatives were embarrassed but had no choice but to believe the results were true. Because the parts they themselves inspected turned out the same. They didn¡¯t dare to call white black; the metrics were right there in plain sight. Fudging the numbers was not just bending the unwritten rules, it was outright violation of the rules in broad daylight, which would change the nature of the offense. They were not directly subordinated to Galaraldo; instead, they were closer to Nell Lavis and didn¡¯t wish to create difficulties for Galaraldo¡¯s sake¨Cbesides, the War Apostle had only asked them to strictly enforce the Empire¡¯s regulations, and they had done so. Without finding anything wrong, what could they do? This certainly wasn¡¯t our fault. When they reported back to the warlord, they were quite composed. They had been prepared to fall back on Tax Commissioner Lavis and the Empire¡¯s regulations in case the warlord was dissatisfied. To their surprise, Galaraldo simply nodded to show he understood and had no other reaction. That was certainly for the best, so they proceeded with the normal process. The calculated value of the equipment and personnel totaled 2,819,900. That was over 300,000 more than the 2.5 million tax currency Rage Owl Star was supposed to pay. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Without a second word, Lavis issued the extra thirty-odd thousand directly to Gu Hang, in accordance with the Empire¡¯s regulations. That was over thirty thousand pieces of special paper. Each bore intricate patterns, a portrait of the Divine Emperor on the front, and an overhead view of the Human Ancestral Star on the back. Each was worth one tax currency. Their special anti-forgery symbols resulted from the endorsement of three powers within the Empire¨Cthe paper layers produced by the Mechanical Cult Guild contained special electromagnetic signals; when soaked in the Holy Water of the State Religion, they showed a unique blessed reaction; and the patterns engraved by the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association through the Spirit Network contained spiritual energy response. This meant the tax currency was almost impossible to counterfeit. Furthermore, the distribution of Imperial Tax currency was extremely strict. While various Star Sectors dealt with billions of tax currency, in reality, most of the time, tax currency was used merely as a measure of the value of goods and even human resources. Genuine tax currency was rarely circulated. The reason was simple: to get the circulating tax currency, one must pay extra taxes beyond the Empire¡¯s set tax standards. This part, no matter how much is overpaid, is issued as tax currency, which can be used for future tax deductions. All circulating tax currency, in the strictest sense, was backed 1:1 by the actual goods tax, circulated only after an excess payment. Chapter 496 - Chapter 496: 294 Chapter, The Urge to Kill_2 Chapter 496: 294 Chapter, The Urge to Kill_2 The question then arises, many planets already find it difficult to pay their taxes, what room is there for additional payments? Not to mention, even if they had the money, why would they pay extra? Tax Currency is the same when you get it in hand; you can offset it against your taxes one-to-one, with no interest gained. In the past, Lois certainly wouldn¡¯t have approved the issuance of Tax Currency so easily. But this time was different. After the order was issued, a subordinate hesitated before reporting to her, ¡°Commander-in-chief, according to our usual practice, for the kind of surplus that is obviously prepared by the Planetary Governor in order to achieve the tax target and avoid accidents, we never issue additional Tax Currency for that, especially not in the mode of offsetting with Star Realm Military Personnel as taxes, right?¡± Lois looked at the official indifferently and said, ¡°Can the situations be the same? With those so-called ¡®precedents,¡¯ we¡¯ve encountered governors who substitute inferior goods for good ones, with a rather high rate of non-compliance. We¡¯ve turned a blind eye; we¡¯ve already given them enough face, it¡¯s unreasonable to issue them extra Tax Currency.¡± After a pause, Lois continued, ¡°But this time it¡¯s different, even by the strictest standards, he has paid the full amount of taxes. Gu Hang¡¯s kid¡­ he¡¯s really honest!¡± Lois could only use that word to describe it. In her long career as a tax officer, she seldom saw governors pay Imperial Tax so honestly. No haggling, no extra trouble, saving lots of issues¡­ Lois thought that if all Planetary Governors could abide by the rules like this, it would be great; she wouldn¡¯t have had to undergo three life-extension surgeries to live to two hundred. To her, if Gu Hang followed the rules, so would she. She would pay the full amount of Tax Currency due. ¡­ The next steps were relatively simple. Unlike tax collection elsewhere, where haggling over the value of goods and dealing with various political trades was necessary, for Lois, the tax work on Rage Owl Star was quite trouble-free and efficient. The only thing left to do was the final step: after her approval as the tax officer, solving the tax issues of Rage Owl Star, the Rage Bear Legion was officially established. The representatives from the Star Realm Army and the Military Affairs Department would represent the Star Realm Army, appointing a Legion commander. This appointment had already been prepared, the candidate reported by Gu Hang: Yan Fangxu. Of course, things did not go entirely Gu Hang¡¯s way. He had first proposed that Yan Fangxu, with the rank of Major General of the Rage Owl Star Defense Forces, keep his rank when transferring to command the Legion. After all, the Planetary Defense Force is an officially recognized Imperial Army, so it would make sense for the rank to be transferable, wouldn¡¯t it? The Star Realm Army did not think it was reasonable. You think you can become a Star Realm Army Brigadier with what you¡¯ve got. Commanding a ¡®Legion¡¯ of less than 150,000 people, and being a Colonel is already something. After all, this Colonel can manage the internal affairs of the Rage Bear Legion, appoint officers, and grant ranks up to Lieutenant Colonel¨Cstill subject to reporting. However, just when everything was ready, and the awarding ceremony was about to begin, an unexpected event occurred. Galaraldo arrived. At the sight of this Apostle of War, Lois internally rolled her eyes. After verifying that Rage Owl Star¡¯s military completely met the Star Realm Army¡¯s paper standards, and there were no issues even under the most stringent checks, the Apostle of War calmed down. Lois had thought he would continue on like this. But, in the end, this deity still made his move at the last moment. Disapproval. But of course, she wouldn¡¯t show such emotions externally. She maintained her usual stern, serious demeanor and asked, ¡°Apostle of War, do you have any objections?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, I do,¡± Galaraldo said with a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t think Yan Fangxu is suitable for the position of commander of this Star Realm Army Legion.¡± As expected, he was going to cause trouble. Lois sighed internally without changing her expression, and said, ¡°This appointment comes directly from the Star Domain Military Headquarters of the Dragonhawk Legion; you have no right to interfere.¡± At this point, she finally showed a bit of sharpness, ¡°Moreover, if you tamper with this matter, that would be overstepping the line.¡± ¡°Rest assured, how could I? I won¡¯t arrange for one of my people to assume the role of commander of the Rage Bear Legion, thereby gaining control of this army through underhanded means. I have great respect for the Star Domain Government, and for the control of the Star Realm Army in this Star Domain, you can be assured of that,¡± Galaraldo replied. Upon hearing what Galaraldo had said, Lois¡¯ attitude became slightly less guarded. It dispelled her greatest concern. The Rage Bear Legion had become a ¡®property¡¯ of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and under the existing framework of rules, this army was governed by the Dragonhawk Legion Star Realm Army Headquarters. If Galaraldo had designs in this regard, it would step on the Star Domain¡¯s bottom line. Since Galaraldo had no such intentions, Lois felt much more at ease. But she was puzzled, ¡°Then who do you intend to nominate as the commander of this legion after cancelling Yan Fangxu¡¯s appointment?¡± ¡°Gu Hang,¡± said the War Apostle with a smile, ¡°I have already contacted the Dragonhawk Star Domain Military Affairs Department, and they have agreed.¡± Lois was speechless. What more was there for her to say? The Rage Bear Legion hadn¡¯t been pulled away and still belonged to the order of the Dragonhawk Star Domain Star Realm Army; a Planetary Governor holding the concurrent position of a legion commander in the Star Realm Army was unusual, but there were precedents. For some Star Realm Armies that drew their primary military personnel from a single planet, it was sometimes the case that a Planetary Governor was appointed to this position. In a sense, to such a person, the identity of a legion commander was even more important than that of a Planetary Governor. Appointing a legion commander as Planetary Governor was to enable the planet¡¯s forces to better serve the Imperial Army. For instance, the famous Cadian Assault Corps, the Krieg Death Corps¡­ From the Star Domain¡¯s standpoint, indeed there wasn¡¯t much reason to oppose such an appointment, and it was not unreasonable for the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government to agree to the request. But Lois knew it wasn¡¯t so simple. Galaraldo was full of nefarious schemes. But she could do no more. ¡­ Gu Hang¡¯s expression was extremely sour when he received the appointment letter and became a Star Realm Army Brigadier. Facing the smiling Galaraldo and the apologetic Lois standing behind him, he opened his mouth, wanting to say he refused. But Galaraldo cut him off. ¡°You can¡¯t refuse,¡± said Galaraldo, ¡°The morale and level of expertise of the Rage Bear Legion have truly moved me. Mr. Gu deserves ¡®reward¡¯ for establishing such a formidable force from ruins. I originally intended to secure you a Major General rank, but unfortunately, the Dragonhawk Star Domain Military Affairs Department was only willing to approve the rank of Brigadier. I even quarreled with them over this.¡± He seemed so amiable, as if he had Gu Hang¡¯s best interests at heart, which made Gu Hang feel nauseated. One nasty trick after another. What could go wrong with Gu Hang serving as the commander of the Rage Bear Legion? Loads of trouble! The current objective of the Rage Bear Legion was to be stationed at Rage Owl Star; that wasn¡¯t a problem. But what about in the future? If the Rage Bear Legion were to be deployed elsewhere to fight¡­ Gu Hang could appoint another commander to lead the team and not have to go himself. But that was under normal circumstances. If the Military Affairs Department specifically ordered it, however, Gu Hang would have no choice but to go. Galaraldo was warning him in this manner. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°If I have the power to change the appointment and nominate you as the legion commander, do you think I lack the ability to change the orders for the Rage Bear Legion, to send it somewhere else to fight, and make it impossible for you to leave your planet?¡± This move was despicable. Seeing the look on Gu Hang¡¯s face, Galaraldo¡¯s smile brightened, ¡°The next battle for the Rage Bear Legion will be at Korolya III. That¡¯s the most densely populated planet in the Tianma Star Sector, and its unrest truly troubles me, precisely the kind of situation that needs the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s assistance.¡± Listening to these words, Gu Hang¡¯s eyes narrowed. Galaraldo¡¯s behavior truly incited a murderous intent in Gu Hang. Chapter 497 - Chapter 497: Chapter 295, Teasing, and the Million Army! Chapter 497: Chapter 295, Teasing, and the Million Army! Galaraldo could certainly see that Gu Hang now despised him to the extreme. But he was all too accustomed to this feeling. Over the past years, for the sun expedition, collecting extra war resources, he had used so many methods that were far from honorable, and the people he had offended were far too numerous. From the elites on the planets, to the Planetary Governors or other Empire officers, up to the core members of certain major forces¡­ But so what? His backing was the Sun Lord, the Living Saint favored by The Emperor, the de facto ruler of the Empire! Who dares to touch me? Nobody could do anything to him through legitimate channels. Any lawsuits pursued up the chain would never end in his defeat. What about illegitimate means? He wasn¡¯t afraid of assassination. For such matters, he had experience, for many had wanted him dead, and not a few had tried. He appeared relaxed and careless on the surface, but he was actually very cautious in this regard. Moreover, killing him would not be so easy. The Sun Lord was the most favored and powerful Living Saint within the Empire, a being capable of confronting and even obliterating the Great Demon. And he, as the Sun Lord¡¯s apostle of war, was also graced with divine favor. Even if the blessing were only one percent of that of the Sun Lord, he was certainly not someone who could be casually assassinated. Poisons, blades, bullets¡­ none of these could claim his life. Silently killing him was near impossible. As for rebellion, military ambush¡­ even less likely. Who would dare? Take, for instance, Mr. Gu here, itching with hatred. If he were to order his one hundred and fifty thousand troops to fire upon me, then indeed I would die here. That would be an inescapable conclusion. Then Gu Hang would have to die. Not just Gu Hang, almost the entire Rage Owl Star would have to be buried with me. This wasn¡¯t just a matter of one person¡¯s life, but a question of the Sun Lord¡¯s dignity. I am here on behalf of the Sun Lord, one of the forty-six apostles of war. My death anywhere would be a matter of great consequence. Escape blame? Impossible. Even if Galaraldo truly choked to death on a sip of water, as long as it happened within the Rage Owl Star System, Gu Hang would be held responsible. He would have to die. Of course, Galaraldo never underestimated the madness of others. Therefore, he never pushed people to their breaking point. He offered Gu Hang a reasonable deal. Look, I¡¯ve granted you the rank of Star Realm Army Brigadier, allowing you to better control the Rage Bear Legion; I can turn a blind eye to whatever you¡¯re doing on Heijian Star, even instructing the Imperial Tax officials to ignore it, as long as you pay your taxes; Moreover, aren¡¯t you waging a war here? I can order the Tax Fleet to fire a few shots at Blackbird City when leaving. The firepower of three destroyers is far superior to that little naval cutter you have floating above. All you need to do is pay three billion. Although these things are far from worth three billion, when you take into account your legion might be relocated, you might be reassigned, your actions on Heijian Star might be labeled as rebellion against the Empire World; the commerce fleet of your family might be restricted¡­ All things considered, wouldn¡¯t it then be worth three billion? I¡¯m not pushing you to the edge. Galaraldo was confident in his plan. ¡­ Harboring thoughts of murder wasn¡¯t just talk, nor was it a mere burst of anger in response to being targeted; it was a strategy, a method, carefully assessed amid rationality and calmness. Assassination, creating accidental death, was of course a viable political tool. Gu Hang had not shied away from it in the past and didn¡¯t exclude its use in the future. It wasn¡¯t the righteous path, but sometimes one needed to rely on unconventional means. The assessment focused on two points: First, the feasibility of killing him. Second, the benefits and risks of killing him. If Galaraldo had to die, there could be no slip-ups; whether success or failure, it must not be connected to oneself, and he certainly could not die within the Rage Owl Star System. Otherwise, it would be a complete disaster. Even if the Empire Government, with the Sun Lord¡¯s more ¡®reasonable¡¯ nature, and Gu Hang¡¯s utmost secrecy, such a significant event would inevitably result in an investigation. And on Rage Owl Star, Gu Hang had too many secrets. Even if the death of the war apostle was not traced back to him, the discovery of any other matter would be unbearable for him. The biggest issue was the Black Box. By now, Gu Hang had been able to exchange for many, many of them; the smaller ones were manageable, but the large ones, as big as workshops in some factories, were impossible to hide. Once the Empire¡¯s investigation began, there would be no hiding them, and Gu Hang couldn¡¯t possibly slaughter every Empire investigator who came to Rage Owl Star. He had no intention of pulling Galaraldo into a mutual destruction. But it was not entirely without hope. As long as the war apostle visited Korolya III. As for the benefits and risks of killing the war apostle¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The benefits were practically nonexistent; after much thought, Gu Hang found it difficult to discern any additional gains he might receive from this act. What he did was merely for self-preservation. Money was one aspect, but the feeling this man gave Gu Hang was too terrible. He even had the feeling that even if he now consulted with his mother and decided that the Gu Family would go so far as to sell iron pots, regardless of the detrimental effect this would have on Wang Qi¡¯s control over the Chamber of Commerce Fleet, they¡¯d scrape together the three billion by forcefully selling a few ships. But in the end, the outcome would probably not be much better. Three billion sounds like a lot, but for an operation the scale of the sun expedition, what¡¯s that but a mere trifle? Chapter 498 - Chapter 498: Chapter 295, Teasing, and the Million Army!_2 Chapter 498: Chapter 295, Teasing, and the Million Army!_2 The tremendous expenditure indicated that Galaraldo, under the responsibilities of his own position, would harbor a great, insatiable ¡°greed¡±¨Ceven if it wasn¡¯t for his own benefit. And after Galaraldo felt he had Gu Hang in his grasp, would he really be content with just the three hundred million in the future? If Gu Hang appeared weak, would this guy seize any opportunity to extort him now and then using this or that pretext? By then, the dividends of Rage Owl Star¡¯s development and the hard-earned profits of the Gu Family would all fall prey to this man¡¯s predatory exploitation. This was something Gu Hang could not accept, and it was precisely the reason he had to eliminate him. Time to get down to it! But not now. He still had to wait until the man left Rage Owl Star before taking action. ¡­ Galaraldo and Lois didn¡¯t have much time to waste on Rage Owl Star. The two of them, one aimed to make money, and the other to collect taxes. Lois had to traverse the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain, covering 37 Star Sectors and a total of 557 worlds within two years. On average, the maximum time he could wait in each Star Sector was just two or three weeks. Galaraldo was even more pressed to make money, finding it difficult to stay in the same Cosmos Domain for more than a year or two. It was only because the Tianma Star Sector was relatively affluent that he was willing to stay a bit longer. As for poorer places, he wouldn¡¯t even bother visiting them. Rage Owl Star was an exception, as he saw it as a breakthrough point and a place to make money from the Gu Family behind Gu Hang. After reviewing the troops and completing the appointment of a small legion, they were ready to leave. Before Galaraldo departed, he left Gu Hang with a clear message: ¡°Mr. Gu, perhaps you don¡¯t yet understand the significance of the Empire¡¯s great cause for each individual, but I believe you will eventually comprehend and be willing to give everything to support the Sun Lord. I¡¯ll be in the Tianma Star Sector for two weeks, waiting for your news.¡± After saying these words, he ¡®kindly¡¯ did Gu Hang a favor. A division of the Tax Fleet, consisting of three destroyers, circled Rage Owl Star¡¯s orbit and on the other side, launched an orbital strike towards Blackbird City. The core district of Blackbird City, which had held up remarkably well against the Blade Tiger, saw its energy shield turn from blue to red after just one barrage from the three destroyers. This was the difference between an energy shield and a Void Shield. The latter, even if completely overloaded and turning red, could still intercept attacks within its capacity, with only those it couldn¡¯t stop falling through. An energy shield, on the other hand, was utterly useless once breached. Despite some orbital anti-air firepower within Blackbird City, it was clearly insufficient to fully stop the destroyers¡¯ assault¨Cthey couldn¡¯t even handle the Blade Tiger, let alone three destroyers. At this point, if the destroyers in the sky put in a bit more effort and launched another round or two of attacks, the shield of Blackbird City¡¯s core district would inevitably collapse. After that, even if the destroyers left, the Blade Tiger alone could destroy the heart of Blackbird City. But at that moment, the three destroyers drifted away. When Gu Hang received this news, he was furious, gritting his teeth. Having refused Galaraldo¡¯s extortion, he no longer expected the Tax Fleet to help solve the problem. But the other party¡¯s attitude was even more infuriating. He could almost hear Galaraldo taunting him with a jesting laugh, ¡°See, I could help you a lot, as long as you kneel down obediently.¡± Gu Hang bowed his head submissively: ¡°Very well, Apostle of War, thank you for the gift you left me before departing. When we both arrive at Korolya, I will return the favor.¡± ¡­ Just one day after Galaraldo¡¯s departure, the Star Realm Army Dragonhawk Command issued an order: the Rage Bear Legion and Dragonhawk Third Legion were to cooperate and quell the Ironmen rebellion on Rage Owl Star within two weeks. After two weeks, no matter the situation on Rage Owl Star, the Rage Bear Legion must at least withdraw half its forces to Korolya III to address the growing chaos of the rebellion there. In the past, Rage Owl Star had never had any interaction with the Imperial Star Realm Army, but starting today, the situation was utterly different. The Rage Bear Legion was now a part of the Star Realm Army. Although it was an independent legion, it had to follow the directives of the local command¨Cnamely, the Star Domain headquarters. These directives wouldn¡¯t involve specifics of combat, but they would pertain to troop deployments and mission assignments. Galaraldo indeed wasn¡¯t the type to push people to their deaths. This campaign to support Korolya III didn¡¯t require the entire Rage Bear Legion; it didn¡¯t demand the presence of Gu Hang, the legion commander; it thoughtfully considered the ongoing rebellion on Rage Owl Star and didn¡¯t demand immediate action, granting a two-week grace period. But no matter how you look at it, this was undoubtedly a vexing decision. Within the Tianma Star Sector, there was only one force from the Star Realm Army before this: Dragonhawk Third Legion. They were mainly stationed on three planets in the Fatches Star System, with a scale of twenty million. To deal with the issue on Korolya III, what use would the fifteen thousand men from the Rage Bear Legion be? If anything, it should be the bona fide Dragonhawk Legion that was called. Most of the Dragonhawk Legion was still lying down in the Fatches Star Sector; a smaller part had gone to Korolya III, and an even smaller segment was about to arrive at Rage Owl Star. To not even deploy the forces headed for Rage Owl Star and instead have them quell the Iron Men rebellion, while sending troops from Rage Owl Star to Korolya III, wasn¡¯t that like dropping your pants just to fart? It was clearly targeting Gu Hang. When Gu Hang synchronized this matter with Yan Fangxu, Major General Yan¨Cstill primarily recognized by his Rage Owl Star military rank internally¨Cwas utterly baffled. In two weeks, his Rage Bear Legion would be halved in size? ¡°Mr. Governor, this will put a lot of pressure on our attack, and we¡¯ll face a shortage of troops,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Gu Hang maintained a confident facade in front of his subordinates, ¡°Tadeusz will be commissioned to start the construction of 9 new division and brigade level units, totaling over 130,000 people.¡± Yan Fangxu did the calculations. Following Gu Hang¡¯s plan, they would extract seven divisions to complete the deployment commanded by Dragonhawk Command, and now they would be reinforced with nine new divisions. Overall, it seemed the alliance¡¯s troop count would definitely be on the rise. However, this meant that the manpower pool released under the second-level mobilization order had begun to be utilized. This certainly was not a good signal as it meant the overall production capacity of the alliance was going to be impacted due to the workforce joining the military. Although under the second-level mobilization order, this impact was still relatively mild, Gu Hang did not want the situation to worsen further. In his exchange with Yan Fangxu, he was open about this issue: ¡°This is the largest force the alliance can commit without affecting production. In the short term, this is also the last additional force. You must use our military carefully and coordinate well with the Dragonhawk Legion that will follow,¡± he said. Yan Fangxu was somewhat somber. He understood what this meant. The forces at his disposal had reached their limit; there would be no more numbers allocated for his use. Even future unit casualties might impact the replenishment of troops. But he knew that this certainly wasn¡¯t Mr. Gu¡¯s fault. He sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s hope that Star Realm Army is dependable enough.¡± ¡­ The Dragonhawk Third Legion arrived on time. Three days after the departure of the Tax Fleet, they reached Rage Owl Star. They were brought here by the transport ships of the Gu Family and armed merchant ships. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a free service exploiting the family fleet. Transporting the Star Realm Army was a transportation order from the Empire Commerce Guild to the Gu Commercial Firm, which was paid for¨Cthough the profit margin was very low. But as long as there was pay, it wasn¡¯t freeloading. The contingent brought on this fleet amounted to three hundred thousand people. The arrival of these troops allowed Gu Hang and Yan Fangxu to breathe a sigh of relief. According to the latest news, a second batch of troops had already departed from the Fatches Star System, with seven hundred thousand men. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only One million troops in total from the Dragonhawk Third Legion allocated for dispatch! With this, there was no longer any worry for local combat on Rage Owl Star. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k words, making up for yesterday. There is one more chapter today, but likely late at night¡­ Chapter 499 - Chapter 499: Chapter 296, Korolya III Chapter 499: Chapter 296, Korolya III Another 700,000 soldiers of the Star Realm Army were ¡°embarking¡± in the Fatches Star System, and the estimated arrival time was two weeks later. Meanwhile, the 300,000 troops of the Star Realm Army that had already arrived at Rage Owl Star Port were disembarking in succession. The starport on Rage Owl Star was still small-scale, and its capacity for personnel throughput wasn¡¯t quite adequate. Moreover, the journey from Skaaro City, part of the starport on the ground, to the frontline in the Western Desert by vehicle was a good few thousand kilometers. Even though there were paved roads built during the previous Alliance¡¯s major infrastructure constructions, and sufficient logistical supplies were available along the way, ensuring speed was not slow, it still took a relatively long time for the 300,000 troops to arrive and deploy sequentially. Two weeks had passed, and they had just taken their positions. During the wait for them to be in place, it was time for the seven divisions of the Rage Bear Legion to leave. According to the orders from Dragon Hawk Command, it was time for them to depart. The transport ships of the Gu Commercial Firm, which had brought the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps to Rage Owl Star, were still docked at the ports of the Rage Owl Star System. In fact, on their way there, they had received a new order: to transport the seven divisions of the Rage Bear Legion, a total of 77,000 people, away from Rage Owl Star to Korolya III. This was conveniently on the way. Gu Hang was also going. The orders from Star Realm Army Command were not related to him, so naturally, he could choose not to go. However, after a conversation with his mother, he realized that the opportunity he was looking for had come even faster than he had expected. After leaving Rage Owl Star, Galaraldo would make a brief stop at Flying Wing Star to meet some people, then he would proceed to Korolya No. 3 Planet under the pretense of ¡°inspecting the spread of the Chaos Plague.¡± Of course, he wasn¡¯t so benevolent; in reality, dealing with the Chaos Plague and quelling the Chaos rebellion were not the responsibilities of this apostle of war. He was going to make money. Korolya III was suffering, and looking at the current situation, in a Nest Capital on Korolya covering a population of a billion, the plague had become unstoppable. It had nearly become a fallen area, with a large number of Planetary Defense Forces battling within. Rebels and plague-infected corpses were emerging there in endless numbers. To say that the entire planet¡¯s resources couldn¡¯t suppress this would be impossible. Korolya was a huge planet with a population of 40 billion. But they dared not pull too many personnel from other Nests to aid the areas infected with the Chaos Plague. What if other Nests encountered problems too? Actually, by then, there were already reports of sporadic infections in other Nests. And with Korolya III¡¯s response capability, once an official report surfaced, in the underworld of the Nests, the number of infected might well be a hundred times the reported figures. Even the Planetary Government of Korolya III was considering launching an extermination strike on the infected city. This was only a proposal for the time being and still in the discussion phase, with many objections. A billion people¨Ccould one simply decide to give them up? What a joke! Even disregarding any humanity, just by looking at interests alone, this would be 5 billion Tax Currency! From these perspectives, one could see that the dilemma Korolya III was facing was indeed no small matter. For others, there were those who found humor in the situation, those who lamented and sympathized with the people, and those worried that the deteriorating situation there might trigger even bigger trouble¡­ But there were also those who would exploit the disaster as leverage, not only withholding aid but also taking advantage of it. Like Galaraldo, for instance. This guy came sniffing around where there was the scent of blood. Under the guise of ¡°inspecting the spread of the Chaos Plague,¡± he actually intended to have the leaders of the Star Sector and the Korolya Governor pay a hefty sum of ¡°money.¡± This money was for buying ¡°safety.¡± If they didn¡¯t pay, he would then stir up trouble for these two officials by accusing them of allowing the Chaos to spread unchecked due to their inefficacy. Chaos corruption within the Empire was considered to be a serious matter. Generally, if a Planetary Governor could handle it themselves without escalating it, then all was well; if it did escalate and caught the attention of superiors, there was a chance the Planetary Governor could be dismissed¨Cespecially after the arrival of high-ranking officials. While Galaraldo did not have the authority to dismiss a Planetary Governor, he could use the leverage to blow the issue out of proportion. Especially after Galaraldo heard that the Korolya government was considering an extermination approach to the Nest, willing to sacrifice a billion people, he saw it as a priceless opportunity and used it as his primary leverage, taking the moral high ground to berate the Korolya government for not valuing the lives of the Empire¡¯s citizens. Miss Wang Qi even repeated Galaraldo¡¯s exact words to Gu Hang: Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°That¡¯s a billion lives! I don¡¯t know how you can even utter such a suggestion!¡± Gu Hang didn¡¯t believe Galaraldo truly cared about human life, but without a doubt, it had become his most powerful weapon of criticism. Following the current trajectory, from Pei Desi, the head of the Star Sector, to the Korolya Governor, if they didn¡¯t provide a satisfactory response, they could very well be in deep trouble. The ¡°discussion meeting¡± that Galaraldo was planning to hold on Korolya III was merely a stage. He sent out widespread invitations, and prominent figures from the Tianma Star Sector all received one; they would serve as the audience for a show where Galaraldo played the leading role. If Pei Desi and the Korolya Governor complied, then it would be a serious meeting for upper-echelon inspection and work guidance; if not, it would turn into a trial where a war apostle criticized derelict and corrupt local officials. Chapter 500 - Chapter 500: Chapter 296, Korolya III_2 Chapter 500: Chapter 296, Korolya III_2 The Gu Family had certainly received the invitation as well, earnestly inviting Gu Hang and his mother Wang Qi to attend together. Given previous events, Gu Hang took it as a sign that Galaraldo was showing them a display of power. ¡°I can easily manipulate both the leader and the governor of the largest planet, and I haven¡¯t come down hard on you, the Gu Clan. Don¡¯t fail to recognize what¡¯s good for you.¡± Originally, Wang Qi had advised her son not to attend, saying that she could handle it herself. But Gu Hang decided to go. If you get yourself killed, don¡¯t blame me. ¡­ Before leaving, there were matters on Rage Owl Star that needed to be addressed. For governmental affairs, he spent a good while talking to Osenia; Lambert was put in charge of law and order as well as maintaining stability; the military aspects would be managed by Yan Fangxu and Tadeusz. After giving each of them careful instructions, Gu Hang then departed. He estimated that his trip would take at least a month. He had considerable trust in the Alliance Government system he had established. Even in his absence, those individuals could maintain stability for several months without issues. The only thing he was somewhat concerned about was the situation on the Western Front. Even though substantial forces from the Star Realm Army would come to support, that wasn¡¯t necessarily all good. He had learned that the Star Realm Army commander arriving there was an Imperial Major General. With a high military rank and being from the Star Realm Army, the commander naturally had an advantage over the Planetary Defense Force. If the Major General worked efficiently, there would be no issue, but Gu Hang feared that trouble might arise. However, he had made preparations for this matter as well. He just hoped that he wouldn¡¯t need to use them. After all, since the other party was there to help, creating any conflict was not what Gu Hang intended. If they could smoothly utilize the superior military force to flatten Blackbird Heavy Industries on the western side of the continent, that would be ideal. For this reason, he had specially contacted Yelisia one more time. Technically, after completing the first phase of the Imperial Tax on Rage Owl Star, Yelisia and her ships should have departed. The original order she had accepted was to station in orbit around Rage Owl Star for two years. Now that the two-year period had ended, it was time for her to leave. But at Gu Hang¡¯s request, and given that a new order from Tianma Fleet Command had not yet been issued, Yelisia considered for a while and ultimately agreed to his request. ¡­ Nine days later, Korolya III, Salt City. This was the largest Nest Capital on Korolya, inhabited by three billion people. It was a giant honeycomb-like structure. The lower half had nearly hollowed out the earth; the upper half was an immense multi-tiered structure, piercing into the skies. Before seeing it with his own eyes, Gu Hang had always found it difficult to believe how a city could possibly accommodate three billion people. Now he knew. It was indeed like bees, like ants. The residents crowded inside, with the vast majority of Nest Capital inhabitants possibly never having seen sunlight in their lives. They lived within the honeycomb, toiling away to earn just enough corpse starch and water for sustenance; Some of them didn¡¯t even have jobs, as local demand and productivity could not provide enough employment opportunities. Those better off joined gangs, stayed warm in numbers, and survived by engaging in dirty or illegal work or exploiting others; some became unemployed vagrants who relied on minimal government relief, worked odd jobs, and managed to not starve to death, striving to live and hoping to be chosen one day as part of the Imperial Tax, to be handed over. And it was precisely for this purpose that the Korolya government provided relief. A populace taxed at 5 Tax Currency per person. On a strict sustenance diet, where starvation is all that is avoided, 5 Tax Currency could support one person for fifty years¨Cof course, under conditions where only 0.1 Tax Currency is spent per year, most humans wouldn¡¯t live so long. Long-term malnutrition, diseases, adverse social conditions, accidents¡­ they could all easily end a life. But what did it matter? As long as the poorest were kept from starving for the moment and were then used to pay taxes, that was enough. The main industry of Korolya, the driving force behind their tax contributions, was its population. They could indeed raise people like pigs ¨C even easier than livestock. After all, pigs can¡¯t work, but humans can be exploited in factories as child laborers after a few years of age, not to mention the adults. Salt City was such a place. But this city wasn¡¯t devoid of beauty. At the very top, the upper class lived in drunken luxury. A massive glass dome filtered layer allowed the sunlight, which seeped through the damaged atmospheric layer, not only to avoid being lethal but to become warm and comfortable; the fierce storms carrying dust were filtered into easy breezes; the lit aromatic diffusers carried fragrance throughout the entire upper district. Except for the severe scarcity of water that made it difficult to grow many green plants, it was like a garden. And a grand banquet was held here. Gu Hang stood at the ¡®open-air¡¯ parliament hall, gazing at the large and mild star in the sky, which he had been watching for a long time. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Next to him, his mother was speaking with Pei Desi. In Gu Hang¡¯s recollection, Pei Desi was always impeccably dressed, meticulous, proper, reserved, and composed, with an inherent aura of dignified nobility. But today, even though his attire was still meticulous, the redness of his eyes was hard to conceal, as was the slight raspiness in his voice. Pei Desi asked, ¡°You¡¯re really going to sell the ships?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Wang Qi said with a wry smile, ¡°Otherwise, how would we satisfy the insatiable appetite of His Apostleship of War?¡± Chapter 501 - Chapter 501: Chapter 296, Korolya III_3 Chapter 501: Chapter 296, Korolya III_3 ¡°We shouldn¡¯t let him do whatever he wants; he sees us all as sheep to be slaughtered!¡± ¡°Yeah, I agree. Why not have Leader Pei Desi take the lead?¡± ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± Pei Desi heaved a deep sigh. The two chatted for a few more words, and then the star sector leader excused himself and left to talk with others. It was only then that Gu Hang came back to his senses and said, ¡°It seems that the news we put out about selling ships to raise money and cave in is credible enough, at least Pei Desi believes it.¡± Wang Qi took a sip of her drink and gently patted her son next to her, ¡°We were indeed going to sell the ships, to raise money. There¡¯s no benefit in clashing with Galaraldo, only disadvantages.¡± Gu Hang, however, didn¡¯t elaborate any further. He hadn¡¯t told his mother his plan. In fact, he hadn¡¯t told anyone. This matter had to be kept completely secret. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust others, it¡¯s just that there were too many ways to obtain certain information in this universe. He had only told Wang Qi that he didn¡¯t plan to submit as Galaraldo wished. At most, he would release some false information about submission to alleviate some of the pressure, hoping to delay things until Galaraldo had had his fill elsewhere in the Tianma Star Sector and left. After all, the man didn¡¯t have time to linger in one star sector for too long. But clearly, Wang Qi had a different idea. She sighed and said, ¡°Galaraldo will indeed leave soon, but, just because he leaves, doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s gone. He wants to continue to maintain his deterrent power, so he will not let go of any person who defies him. As long as his power remains, even if he leaves, he has countless ways to target us. Even Leader Pei Desi has to submit, what can we do? Three billion¡­ if we have to give, we give.¡± As she spoke the last sentence, she seemed to grit her teeth, clearly in pain. Gu Hang absentmindedly nodded his head, then suddenly his eyes focused, locking onto the man emerging from backstage, grinning broadly. Not just Gu Hang, everyone¡¯s attention was drawn by his entrance. Was this his charm? This was the charm of power. He stood at the very center of the stage, picked up the microphone, cleared his throat twice, his smile gradually receding, turning to solemn and serious. When the entire room fell silent, he said, ¡°We are facing a catastrophe.¡± ¡°This disaster is not just happening on Korolya, not just on Rage Owl Star, but everywhere in the Empire.¡± ¡°Glorious and great humanity, struggling to survive in the vast universe for countless years.¡± ¡°Our species, with the blood of countless heroes and with absolute fearlessness and great sacrifice, has built our Empire under the guidance of the Divine Emperor, securing a place for us in this dark and fearful universe.¡± ¡°But danger has never been far away. Abyss Demons, Chaos Traitors, aliens, Smart Mechanism automatons¡­ have always threatened our existence.¡± ¡°The great Sun Lord has launched the largest expedition since the Emperor established the Empire. The stars and the sea submit under the Sun Lord¡¯s brilliance.¡± ¡°This is a magnificent era, the territory of our Empire expands day by day, countless worlds sunk in darkness are brought back into the embrace of the Empire, bathing in the Divine Emperor¡¯s light.¡± ¡°I deeply feel the sacrifice of every Imperial citizen for this cause. It¡¯s arduous, but glorious.¡± ¡°Leader Pei Desi and Governor Akuna have set an outstanding example!¡± ¡°I believe under their leadership, Korolya will surely overcome those Chaos Traitors, letting the brilliant sunshine once again fill every corner of this world!¡± ¡­ Listening to this, Gu Hang knew that Leader Pei Desi and the Korolya Governor Ramilo Akuna had indeed submitted. Galaraldo had chosen the praising speech from the two drafts he had prepared. But for Gu Hang, none of this mattered anymore. He looked up at the sun once more. A rather inconspicuous shadow suddenly appeared. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A hint of a smile formed on his lips. Finally, it had come. It was a dragon. ¡ª 4.4k! Chapter 502 - Chapter 502: Chapter 297: The Rotten Demon Dragon Chapter 502: Chapter 297: The Rotten Demon Dragon That was a dragon. Although it seemed small from afar, it was in fact an enormous creature. Its form, rapidly descending, became incredibly huge in a very short amount of time. Soon, it wasn¡¯t just Gu Hang who noticed it. People saw the appearance of the giant beast. It resembled the dragons from mythological legends, but it was far more terrifying. Its yellow-green body was covered in swellings; its rotting skin was pulsating; swarms of flies buzzed around it; those pallid, bloodless eyes, devoid of pupils, bulged out as if they would fall out at any moment. People were dumbstruck. Someone shouted out the name of the monster: ¡°It¡¯s a Rotting Demon Dragon!¡± ¡°Divine Emperor above!¡± ¡°Why has this thing appeared?!¡± ¡°Where is Mingyan City¡¯s air-defense firepower? The Void Shield?¡± In their panic, people became incredibly frazzled because of the arrival of this demon. Even the well-informed Galaraldo was looking solemn at this moment. The Rotting Demon Dragon was an exceedingly difficult adversary, even when encountered during the expedition to the sun. This was a type of enormous Dragon-shaped Demon Engine. Unlike the Purgatory Demon Dragon that was forged from steel and hellfire, the Rotting Demon Dragon seemed to be borne from some sort of Supernatural Evil Magic biotechnology, creating terrifying putrid flesh and binding a demon¡¯s soul within it. It had all the characteristics of ¡®dragons¡¯ that people had fantasized about, characteristics that indeed had existed on some planets, and it was deeply melded with the concept of ¡®rot,¡¯ thus forming the terrifying appearance seen now. Its strength could overturn a Titan, and it had the ability to fly. A single breath of its corrupt exhale could turn steel, through Supernatural Evil Magic, into writhing, rotten flesh. This was an extremely terrifying Abyssal creature. The conditions for its emergence were supposed to be stringent. Although it had not reached the status of a Great Demon, its very existence was strongly repelled by the real world. Only when the real world had been eroded to some extent by Abyssal laws could this monster be provided with the foundation to exist in the real dimension. True, there were many Chaotic Evildoers on Korolya III, almost causing a Nest Capital to fall, but after all, the problem was still confined to one area and had not fully erupted to spread across the entire planet. If this powerful Abyssal Demon had appeared in that fallen Nest Capital, it would have been somewhat understandable. But¡­ In Mingyan City? Why? The well-informed Galaraldo also found it unbelievable! But what appeared before his eyes was certainly not fake. Futhermore, this Rotting Demon Dragon not only appeared, but it also somehow bypassed the city¡¯s air-defense detection without raising an alarm and inexplicably penetrated the immense energy barrier, appearing on the inside of the defense shield. In an instant, Galaraldo already harbored a suspicion: this was very likely a conspiracy aimed at him. Something, or someone, had let this demon dragon in. Otherwise, how could those Chaotic Evildoers find just the right time, when all the elite powers of the Tianma Star Sector and even he, the War Apostle, were present, to launch an aerial assault? This was a conspiracy! He hadn¡¯t figured out how the one wielding this conspiratorial stratagem had managed it. But now, looking for reasons was meaningless; that was something to think about afterward. The primary issue was first to survive. The Rotting Demon Dragon¡¯s pair of pale, dead eyes stared down below. Its massive maw was wide open. Galaraldo had seen this scene before, but that time, he was watching from a distance, witnessing the Imperial army being bombarded by the dragon¡¯s aerial attack. Now, the corrupt exhale was aimed at him. Without a doubt, this blast of demon dragon breath would cause the majority of people at this outdoor banquet to die. With no other choice, the War Apostle brought out his skills. From the tip of the Sky Eagle Scepter in his hand emanated a golden radiance; his eyes, too, shifted from their normal state to a pure golden color. The next moment, he outpaced the dragon¡¯s breath and unleashed three beams of golden sun rays from his eyes and scepter, directly striking the demon dragon. The Rotting Demon Dragon was surrounded by a swarm of Gathering Filth Flies. These Deep Filth Flies, while minuscule compared to the dragon, were actually over a meter in diameter each. These giant flies formed a defensive line around the dragon. As the beams penetrated them, the explosion of dark magic contaminated them, reducing their might. Eventually, although the beams still hit the Rotting Demon Dragon, they merely burned three unmistakable large holes into its massive body. This damage made the dragon howl but also fueled its anger. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The dense, corrupt breath was still, inevitably, descending from the sky. Galaraldo had confidence that he would survive such an onslaught. Although he was not a practitioner of Spiritual Energy nor did he possess the absurdly robust physique of top warriors, the blessings shared from the Sun Lord, the Divine Power of The Emperor, would protect him, rendering him immune to all evil and granting him tenacious life. But there was no doubt that the many dignitaries here would suffer heavy casualties. For instance¡­ He glanced at the crowd of people beside him, noting the solemn Gu Hang and Wang Qi, who had a look of horror on her face. Chapter 503 - Chapter 503: Chapter 297, The Rotten Dragon_2 Chapter 503: Chapter 297, The Rotten Dragon_2 He had heard that the Gu Family was already discussing selling their ship, bowing down to him, and making the three billion Tax Currency ¡°donation.¡± But if they died here today, who would pay the three billion? And it wasn¡¯t just them. Figures like the head of some Star Sector, Pei Desi, Korolya Governor Akuna, and many other nobles who had already agreed to pay more or less¡­ If they died, all the money that had been negotiated would be gone. What should he do? As he pondered, his expression suddenly became fixed, and he saw Gu Hang making a move within his field of vision! His eyes turned deep blue, and with a push of his hands upward, a deep blue shield formed over the open-air banquet hall. The corrupt breath hit right against this deep blue light screen. Galaraldo was once again taken aback. He had looked through Gu Hang¡¯s file, which mentioned that the governor of Rage Owl Star was a psychic¨Ca lawful one, registered with the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association. But at first, he didn¡¯t take this piece of information seriously. In the empire, many powerful families, if their descendants had a certain psychic talent, liked to cultivate it occasionally. After all, if the opportunity arose, who wouldn¡¯t want to wield some extraordinary power? However, most of the time, it was a blind investment, mastering some tricks, and being able to move a cup without touching it was pretty much it. Yet, the power Mr. Gu exhibited far exceeded the normal level. By his judgment, to withstand the decay dragon¡¯s breath, one would have to be a very powerful psychic, at least an A-level psychic according to the ratings of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association. Such psychics, even within the Solar Expedition Army, were rare talents. Their value even surpassed that of a starship! He had misjudged, had Gu Hang actually possessed such powerful psychic talent? What was the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association in the Tianma Star Sector doing, to have failed to gather even this information? By this time, Galaraldo could finally relax a bit. With the presence of Gu Hang, an A-level psychic, the casualties would be greatly reduced. ¡°Thank heavens!¡± This commotion wasn¡¯t only noticed by Galaraldo; everyone present saw it too. The nobles thought they were certainly going to die, but then a savior descended from heaven! Gu Hang¡¯s voice echoed throughout the banquet hall, ¡°Everyone please evacuate quickly! Leave the open area! Head to the lower levels! I can¡¯t hold on for long!¡± Awakened as if from a dream, the crowd began to retreat hastily. Wang Qi stood next to Gu Hang, filled with shock and worry. Gu Hang¡¯s voice rang out in her mind alone, telling her to leave. She clenched her teeth and turned to leave. Regardless of her worries, she knew that in an event like today¡¯s, she would be of no use, staying would only burden Gu Hang. Under the protection of her bodyguards, she began to evacuate with the other nobles, under the protection of the psychic light shield, as the Plague Dragon, frantic and frustrated, unleashed its corrupt breath again and again. The other nobles ran as if their lives depended on it. After all, no one was sure how long Gu Hang could hold on. If one ran too slowly, and Gu Hang failed to block the breath, once it hit the ground, death was certain. But running away wasn¡¯t so easy either. Outside the banquet hall, there was a cacophony of gunfire. Some Plague undead and other monsters carrying the plague appeared around the banquet hall. They had very strong resistance to bullets; unless their bodies were completely shredded by gunfire, they could not be killed. The guards had already engaged these monsters, but they failed to eliminate them immediately. Instead, the chaos allowed some of the creatures to break into the hall. The hideously disgusting appearance of these chaotic plague monsters provoked a wave of screams and cries. Just as these plague monsters were about to wreak havoc among the crowd, streak after streak of golden light flashed, accurately picking off one monster after another. Galaraldo made his move. His rather majestic voice rang out, ¡°Don¡¯t panic! Evacuate in an orderly fashion!¡± This voice seemed to carry a certain calming psychological effect and indeed prevented the situation from further deteriorating. Meanwhile, the long-absent air defense firepower of Mingyan City finally awoke from its slumber and opened fire. However, the initially insufficient number of active air defenses seemed rather sparse. The swarms of Filth Flies around took most of the firepower, with only a fraction hitting the Rotting Demon Dragon. Objectively speaking, although the air defense seemed weak at the moment, after all, the Rotting Demon Dragon was ¡°a lone dragon in the pond,¡± with no accompanying demon air forces and insufficient ground support. As layers of the Filth Flies were peeled away by the anti-aircraft guns, the number of operational air defenses would increase with time. Not to mention, Mingyan City¡¯s highest tier of combat power had also reacted by now. Many flying motorcycles shot up into the air. Battle Nuns clad in green and white powered armor surged into the sky. They circled the Demon Dragon, their bomb guns firing continuously. The most eye-catching and dashing among them was a short-haired lady wielding a huge long-handled battle saber. With the reinforcement of anti-air fire and the Battle Nuns from the Order of Merciful Lilies joining the fight, the Demon Dragon was unlikely to withstand and was doomed to fall. Many people could see this. Galaraldo thought to himself that whoever orchestrated this attack had now essentially failed. Even he had not expected an A-grade psychic cultivator like Gu Hang to be present in the banquet hall, let alone those conspirators. Even with good intelligence sources, he only knew that Gu Hang had gone through psychic training since his youth; he had learned from the Battle Nuns that Gu Hang had a certain level of psychic combat ability. However, his intelligence analysts had estimated Gu Hang¡¯s psychic strength to be only D-grade, at most C-grade. Who could have imagined that a Planetary Governor could exhibit such a level of combat power? The kid had kept a really deep cover. But this was good news. While firing golden beams and eliminating monsters that had entered the banquet hall, Galaraldo¡¯s thoughts were already turning to how he could use this incident afterward, how to find this possible conspirator who could use the Abyss Demons to set up the plot. He was thinking when suddenly a phantom fissure opened up right above his head. His reflexes were extremely fast, and he immediately rotated his staff to strike upwards. Several Plague Demons that fell from the crack were killed on impact. However, that Abyssal fissure expanded rapidly in a short amount of time. The Plague Demons poured down like rain, and the golden light beams simply couldn¡¯t eliminate so many. He was overwhelmed by countless Abyss Demons! Despite this, he felt only a heavy heart and not too much panic. Golden light enveloped him as he kept killing the approaching Demons. As long as he protected himself well, he believed his guards and other human warriors would definitely come to his rescue. And that was indeed the case. He detected Gu Hang¡¯s psychic power coming to his aid immediately. Many Abyss Demons surrounding him were swept away and crushed by the psychic energy. ¡°Heh, mere tricks,¡± he scoffed internally. But in the next moment, he suddenly felt a terrifying pulling force. Another Abyssal fissure appeared right beneath his feet! He tried his best to resist, but he was still unable to prevent himself from falling into the crack. Moments later, the Plague Demons that had surrounded his previous position were wiped clean by Gu Hang¡¯s psychic power, and the fissure in mid-air gradually shrank, with no new Demons falling through. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, the figure of the War Apostle was nowhere to be seen. Gu Hang looked tense as he used his psychic power to call for everyone to search for the War Apostle¡¯s location. Elsewhere, the Abyssal fissures closed quietly. Deprived of the power of the Abyssal fissures, the remaining Demons, including the Demon Dragon in the sky still exchanging blows with the Battle Nuns, would lose their source of power that allowed them to exist in the real world, and they would soon be driven back to the Abyss. But no matter, Gu Hang had achieved his goal. Chapter 504 - Chapter 504: Chapter 298, Tianmas Savior? Chapter 504: Chapter 298, Tianma¡¯s Savior? The attack in the banquet hall came swiftly, unexpectedly, and ended just as abruptly. The Plague Demons, along with the rotting dragons above, turned ethereal and weak within a short period of time, ultimately either annihilated or banished back to the abyssal hell. However, the survivors were still shaken to the core. With eyes closed, people could still recall the revolting sight of the Plague Demons and the fear they brought. Undoubtedly, the ordeal would leave an indelible psychological scar in the minds of many of the elite. Yet aside from that, an actual tally of the day¡¯s specifics would reveal that the casualties from this brief and unexpected demon attack were quite limited. Firstly, the duration was too short, and secondly, the most threatening rotting dragon, at the outset of the ambush, had its corrupt breath blocked by Gu Hang, ¡°Savior of Tianma,¡± with his powerful Spiritual Energy. This so-called ¡°Savior of Tianma¡± is a title that came about who knows how after the incident and rapidly became popular. Beyond leaving a deep psychological shadow on the attendees, that banquet also left the memory of Gu Hang¡¯s heroic figure. Who would have thought that there could be such a heroic figure in the Tianma Star Sector? After the incident, the stream of visitors wanting to thank Gu Hang was endless, but they were all refused entry. The official explanation was that Gu Hang had suffered severe mental trauma while combating the rotting dragon and needed time to rest, making it inconvenient to receive visitors. Of course, Gu Hang did meet with some people, such as head figures like Pei Desi, sparing some time to see them with his mother. Their arrival, however, was not just for the simple purpose of expressing thanks. The main concern was about Galaraldo. The loss of life in the banquet hall was minimal, but the most exalted War Apostle had gone missing! Right before everyone¡¯s eyes, he was completely engulfed by the Plague Demons. Even though the hero Gu Hang immediately reached out to help, eliminating the demons surrounding the War Apostle, there was no sign of the Apostle there anymore. This was a grave matter! As soon as the attack was over and the abyssal demons had been exterminated or banished, related personnel immediately launched an all-out search. Mortal soldiers mobilized everywhere under the direction of various officials. By now, the search had extended even to the middle and lower districts of Mingyan City. Many knew that such actions were futile. Galaraldo had vanished in full view, what could they find by running to the lower districts? Not to mention, Mingyan City is a vast Nest Capital of three billion people. The upper and middle districts still maintain some order, but in the lower districts, the government¡¯s control is so weak it¡¯s practically impossible to search. However, this isn¡¯t a question of ability or fact, but rather a matter of attitude. If you lose someone and then don¡¯t search for them, isn¡¯t that unacceptable? That¡¯s definitely unthinkable. Even knowing it¡¯s unlikely to find anything, you still have to invest a lot of manpower and resources in the search, praying for a miracle, and more importantly, hoping to bear less of the blame when it¡¯s time for accountability. The real work was being carried out by the Church forces, especially the Battle Nuns of Saint Lily. They didn¡¯t waste time on fruitless efforts, but instead conducted their investigation right at the epicenter where the incident had erupted and where the Plague Demons had appeared in the greatest numbers. The investigation concerned supernatural forces. The Priests of the Church, the Nuns of Saint Lily, now had several theories but had hit a bottleneck in their investigation. They urgently needed the help of a powerful Spiritual Energy user to confirm which of their theories, if any, were correct. And while there were Spiritual Energy users on Korolya III, the local Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association¡­ was simply too subpar. The strongest among them were a few C-level Spiritual Energy users, who bragged around normally, even being called grand wizards. In fact, the construction of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association throughout the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain was deficient; the Tianma Star Sector was still among the better ones. These fellows were also called out to join the investigation, but clearly, they were not much help. The C-level Spiritual Energy users were, at best, around the initial level 4 of Spiritual Energy that Gu Hang once had. There was no choice but to turn to Gu Hang. Upon consideration, Gu Hang agreed. To go and see what they had uncovered. Although Gu Hang didn¡¯t believe they would discover anything significant. After inviting Gu Hang, Pei Desi and Akuna did not leave but started making small talk with Miss Wang Qi in front of Gu Hang, seemingly in no hurry to press Gu Hang into work. Gu Hang, pale and appearing gravely injured, overheard and understood perfectly what these two significant figures of the Tianma Star Sector were thinking. Beyond any potential instigators or perpetrators, the two of them were ultimately responsible for this incident. As for the ¡°perpetrator,¡± well, that goes without saying. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only For Pei Desi and Akuna, the disappearance of a person within their jurisdiction was the gravest of offenses. It was obviously unrealistic to expect the person in charge of security at the banquet hall to take the fall. That was just some small fry who couldn¡¯t withstand the empire¡¯s fury. In fact, neither could they. They would certainly be held accountable, and the charges could be extremely severe. They were both aware of this, yet they could not just sit back and await their doom. Chapter 505 - Chapter 505: Chapter 298, Tianmas Savior?_2 Chapter 505: Chapter 298, Tianma¡¯s Savior?_2 ¡°` The best way to lessen the blame was, of course, to find the missing War Apostle. But that was quite unrealistic. According to the National Religion, the Sainte-Lys Nun Association, and the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, based on the investigations of the past two days, they had calculated many possibilities, but almost none were good news. Although they still held a sliver of hope and were searching, they also needed to think of other methods. Gu Hang was the method they had come up with. It was not easy to talk to the Battle Nuns, these ¡®daughters of The Emperor¡¯ had always followed their own rules; both the National Religion and the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association had been approached, and the reports they would issue subsequently would favor the leadership and Governor Akuna, trying to remove some of the blame from them. They still didn¡¯t feel secure, and now they had approached Gu Hang. The implication was rather straightforward. Gu Hang had already shown great Spiritual Energy, and his words undoubtedly carried more weight. After considering it, he expressed his intentions: he would help out after he joined the investigation in a couple of days, depending on the situation at the scene. The two high-ranking officials thanked him profusely in low voices and didn¡¯t stay much longer before they left. Despite getting what they wanted, their faces still could not be considered relaxed. The situation was still very bleak. While Gu Hang felt sympathy for the two men, he had no intention of truly helping them. What use was mitigating blame? If one hundred percent blame would get them killed, they already had at least two hundred percent. What use would it be if Gu Hang helped to reduce it by fifteen or twenty percent? The Empire was never reasonable in this respect. Moreover, Gu Hang himself needed someone to take the fall. After seeing off the two officials, and telling his mother that he needed to rest, he gained some space to be alone. The area around his temporarily living quarters had been set up with a Spiritual Energy barrier, ensuring that nothing he did inside would be detected by the outside world. He first checked the barrier and found no problems, then he sat cross-legged on the carpet and closed his eyes. The next moment, his consciousness descended into the Storm God Kingdom. Here, a war was underway. Countless Heroic Spirit Warriors were fighting to the death against Plague Demons. This battle had been going on for several days. At first, the number of Plague Demons appeared overwhelming, swarming in. But by now, they had been thoroughly annihilated. The cost was not small. More than three thousand spirits living within the Storm God Kingdom had been sacrificed. Their souls had been torn apart under the Abyssal Evil Magic and even Gu Hang did not have the power to summon them back. This was a significant loss. There weren¡¯t many Heroic Spirits to begin with; the original batch came from the souls of human soldiers who had sacrificed themselves in the Divine Realm during the battle against the Primordial Rage Owl God; thereafter, every soldier who had been trained through Gu Hang¡¯s ¡°Soldier Tag¡± system and who had died in battle also came here. At its peak, there were over thirty thousand Heroic Spirits in the Divine Realm. Most of them were from the casualties of the Heijian Star battle and the Western Front on Rage Owl Star, with a very few from the Green Valley Group Army who had been combating the Aberrant Beasts in the jungle. The loss of three thousand Heroic Spirits meant a ten percent reduction in their numbers. ¡°` And these heroic spirits, in essence apart from being the souls of the warriors, were also the incarnations of the power of the Storm God Kingdom. Unlike the Storm Beasts casually created by the Primordial Rage Owl, each of these heroic spirits possessed much greater strength, each sharing a part of the Storm Divine Power. Such immense sacrifice also significantly drained the Storm God Kingdom itself. But this was the price that Gu Hang had to pay, there was no other way. The Plague Demon attack that took place in the upper district of Mingyan City was orchestrated by him alone. After receiving the banquet invitation from Galaraldo, Gu Hang planned to make his move. As long as the incident didn¡¯t unfold on Rage Owl Star, he was confident it would go unnoticed by gods and ghosts alike. The means he used, of course, hinged on the Storm God Kingdom he controlled. With the essence of a Subspace Inferior God in his hands, this was the best opportunity to use it. His original plan was simply to employ the characteristics of the Divine Realm to open a subspace rift and drag Galaraldo into the Storm God Kingdom. Just pulling a soul in, just as the alliance¡¯s forces were dragged into the Storm God Kingdom during their attack on Extreme North Industrial City. If successful, Gu Hang could have killed the man without anyone the wiser. However, upon arriving at Korolya III, Gu Hang discovered an even better method. The situation on Korolya III was more severe than he had imagined, far worse than the south of Rage Owl Star when it was invaded by Demons a year prior. Despite the emergence of Great Demon incarnations within the sea platforms to the south of Green Valley at that time, essentially, that was an overzealous attempt by the Great Unclean One. In terms of scale, the Cult had exhausted great effort to open a mere Abyssal rift through the energy of a still-functional Spiritualized Gas Field on the sea platform. But on Korolya III, such Abyssal rifts were innumerable. If Gu Hang were merely a top-tier Psychic, his perception might not be so clear. But as he also controlled the source power of a Subspace Inferior God, the bonus this added was substantial. The interior of Korolya III was riddled with holes, ravaged beyond recognition. It was unclear how long the Cultists had been working in the shadows on this planet with a population of forty billion, using Dark Magic and sacrifices, infecting countless people, thinning the veil between the planet and the Subspace Abyss to its breaking point. Here, tearing open an Abyssal rift was quite easy. From within the Storm God Kingdom, the conquered Nest Capital already had countless such rifts. Moreover, the current invasion of Korolya III was likely backed by the forces under the Chaos Lord known as the ¡®Benevolent Father.¡¯ This was the crisis facing Korolya III. According to Gu Hang¡¯s assessment, the crisis facing the planet was already significant. Yet in reality, it was merely the beginning. The forthcoming disasters would likely sweep across the globe, engulfing every Nest Capital. One wrong move, and the catastrophe that forty billion people would endure might be colossal. If such a scenario unfolded and Korolya III fell, the entire Tianma Star Sector would be doomed¨Cthe souls of forty billion humans, amidst the suffering and despair of the plague, would completely open a colossal Abyssal rift, dragging the entire planet into the Subspace. From this vast, planet-sized black hole, legions of Chaos would swarm out, with Demon Fleets carrying the Chaos armies to slaughter those in the surrounding area. This was the crisis that could destroy the entire Star Sector. Of course, Gu Hang was vigilant about this, with his Rage Owl Star being just next to Korolya III, a mere Star Realm Tunnel jump away. Should the worst occur, if Korolya fell first, Rage Owl Star would be the next to go. But the crisis on Korolya could wait¨Cits present massive invasion by the ¡®Benevolent Father¡¯s¡¯ domain presented Gu Hang with an excellent opportunity to deal with Galaraldo. What he had to do was not difficult. First, he had to tear open a rift from the Divine Realm to the Father¡¯s Domain within his Storm God Kingdom¨Ca remarkably simple task. Subspace, while not the same as the real universe, still had myriad connections to it. When Gu Hang arrived at Korolya III, close to the ¡®Benevolent Father¡¯s¡¯ domain, his Storm God Kingdom also neared the Father¡¯s Domain. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Of course, he wasn¡¯t seen as an enemy by the ¡®Benevolent Father¡¯¨Clike an ant wandering near a giant, unnoticed, disregarded even if seen. After opening the rift and allowing a fair share of Plague Demons to rush in, he then had to create one or more rifts in the real world, right above the banquet hall and the surrounding area, and connect them together. That would amount to a corridor from the real world directly into the Father¡¯s Domain of the Abyss. The rotting dragon and the Plague Demons that emerged from the ground all arrived in that manner. ¡ª¡ª¨C I couldn¡¯t resist falling asleep last night, didn¡¯t finish writing¡­ Chapter 506 - Chapter 506: Chapter 299, Life is Really Tough Chapter 506: Chapter 299, Life is Really Tough Actually, Gu Hang¡¯s original plan was somewhat risky. Directly pulling Galaraldo¡¯s soul into the Storm God Kingdom, if everything went smoothly and was completed in a second, there wouldn¡¯t be any problem; but if this guy had any special preparations, any interruption during the pulling would leave traces. Though Gu Hang would definitely disguise any traces left behind, and it would take a long time for the Empire¡¯s official investigation team to arrive, any remnants of subspace energy would eventually dissipate completely. As for Korolya III¡¯s local capabilities, let¡¯s not even mention the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, hopelessly amateur; there is no direct dispatch organization from the Tribunal in the Tianma Star Sector, so no worries there; it¡¯s just that the nuns of the Holy Lillies are a bit troublesome, particularly since many of them have spent time in the Rage Owl Star, even directly joining the crackdown on the Storm Cult. These nuns have a probability of seeing through Gu Hang¡¯s disguises and realizing that it originates from the Subspace Evil God on Rage Owl Star that should have been destroyed. In this case, Gu Hang, being the only one present from Rage Owl Star, would see his level of suspicion skyrocket. However, with the help of the Plague Demons, there would be no such concerns. For Gu Hang, the best outcome would be for the Plague Demons to emerge and directly slaughter Galaraldo. An Apostle of War dying at the hands of demons emerging from an abyssal rift that had opened in a world corroded by demons would be considered an accident, perhaps with a hint of conspiracy, but no matter how much they investigated, they should not, and would not be able to trace it back to Gu Hang. Yes, he is an A-level Psychic, but even the most powerful S-level, let alone the legendary Alpha-level Psychics who can tear apart a planet, are not known to be able to manually and out of nothing open an abyssal rift¨Cthat¡¯s just not within the Psychic¡¯s range of abilities. Gu Hang was able to do it because he borrowed the essence of a Subspace Inferior God. This point, too, Gu Hang could freely allow others to investigate, for without revealing anything, they would find nothing. Moreover, in this demonic attack, he came forward and saved so many people; before Galaraldo¡¯s disappearance, it was he who had made a valiant attempt at rescue, all events that took place in full view of the public. The reason Gu Hang did this was, on one hand, not wanting to drag too many people into it¨Chaving the upper echelons of the Tianma Star Sector caught in one swoop would cause chaos throughout the whole sector; on the other hand, he was also trying to wash away any suspicion from himself. As for revealing his Psychic Level, that was bound to be exposed anyway. Once the Empire investigated everyone present at the time, Gu Hang¡¯s powerful psychic abilities could not possibly remain concealed. As long as they couldn¡¯t find out about the Subspace Inferior God, that was enough. But unfortunately, Gu Hang had already overestimated Galaraldo¡¯s capabilities, yet he didn¡¯t expect that this guy was pretty tough; even with so many Demons appearing he couldn¡¯t be killed. In the end, Gu Hang still took action, deliberately opening a subspace rift beneath the other¡¯s feet, not bothering with the soul pulling anymore, directly sending the entire person into it. And, to avoid any loopholes, Gu Hang didn¡¯t even pull the guy into the Storm God Kingdom, but maintained the connection between the Divine Realm and the Father¡¯s Domain, directly delivering the man into the Father¡¯s Domain. With that, things were truly foolproof. Even if you ask Galaraldo himself, he wouldn¡¯t know it was Gu Hang who had acted, only knowing he was attacked by Plague Demons and pulled into a subspace filled with deadly poison, pestilence, and despair, matching exactly the feel of the Demons that attacked him. And Gu Hang? Wasn¡¯t he the one who gave me a big hand and tried to save me in the end, alas in vain? Of course, Gu Hang didn¡¯t believe that the Apostle of War had any chance to tell all this himself, which was somewhat regrettable. Thinking this, Gu Hang, who had ascended in consciousness to the Divine Realm, closed his eyes and began to use his psychic sensing abilities to search for the target. When he took Galaraldo away, Gu Hang had deliberately left a mark on him. It had no other use, except to let him sense and track the specific condition of the target. It was a way to confirm for sure that the guy was indeed dead. However, what surprised him a bit was that Galaraldo was still not dead. That guy really had an extraordinary life force. How long had it been since he was thrown into the ¡®Father¡¯s Domain¡¯¨Calmost two days now? Not to die in all this time was somewhat shocking. Gu Hang asked himself, if it had been him in the same situation, setting aside the special circumstance of controlling the origin of the Subspace Inferior God, and merely relying on Psychic powers, perhaps two days would be approaching the limit as well. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Though he had never experienced it firsthand, one in the Father¡¯s Domain as a human would indeed be in agonizing torment. Not to mention the constant attacks from Plague Demons, the mere environment was enough to corrode a person into an eternally undying mass of rotten flesh, yet full of indescribable pain. This is the ¡®Father¡¯; it seems to ¡®love¡¯ all creatures¨Cincluding the parasites, viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells in the human body¡­ In Gu Hang¡¯s perception, a dazzling golden light was protecting Galaraldo. It was a blessing from The Emperor. In the real world, the power of The Emperor¡¯s blessing was roughly equivalent to that of an A-level Psychic. But in subspace, although one was in the Father¡¯s Domain, the essence was closer to the Divine Emperor¡¯s Spirit Network. With the strengthening bond, the blessing granted by the Divine Emperor also became more potent. Chapter 507 - Chapter 507: Chapter 299, Life is Really Tough _2 Chapter 507: Chapter 299, Life is Really Tough _2 This was the core reason Galaraldo could persist for such a long time. But there was a limit, he had merely received the Divine Emperor¡¯s blessing, he was not the Divine Emperor himself who had to keep him alive. Gu Hang didn¡¯t believe he could survive for long while staying in the abyssal hell filled with malice! Withdrawing his attention from him, Gu Hang checked on the status of his Storm God Kingdom. Previously, to tear open the abyssal rift, Gu Hang had used the Storm God Kingdom as a passage connecting the real world and the abyssal hell. This indeed allowed a large number of Plague Demons to directly descend upon Galaraldo¡¯s head, but the Storm God Kingdom was also invaded by the Plague Demons. Those Plague Demons were not Gu Hang¡¯s subordinates, nor would they listen to his orders. To exterminate these demons, the Heroic Spirit Warriors of the Storm God Kingdom had paid a significant price. The casualties and consumption were substantial, there was no doubt about it, but it was not without gains. Firstly, this was a tally at the end of the battle. [Storm God Kingdom Battle Tally:] [Bloody victory, earned 884 blessing points] [Loss of 3121, extermination of 4152] Among the invading Plague Demons, although there were many relatively low-level monsters such as Plague Corpses, Plague Wraiths, and Plague Giant Flies, there were also powerful beings like Plague Carriers. Not to mention, the Rot Dragon that was expelled also lingered in the Storm God Kingdom. That dragon was strong, even though it had taken many hits from the anti-aircraft guns above Mingyan City, had lost many Plague Flies that protected it, and had suffered numerous wounds due to the golden beam from Galaraldo and the Battle Nuns who subsequently rode flying motorcycles to the sky and attacked it with bomb guns and sharp blades. But it was still formidable. Merely to exterminate it, Gu Hang¡¯s Heroic Spirit Warriors had lost at least six hundred lives. However, although the average individual strength of the enemy was solid, since the overall scale of the battle wasn¡¯t too large, and considering the considerable losses on Gu Hang¡¯s side, the rating was only a ¡®bloody victory,¡¯ resulting in a not-so-high reward coefficient. In this way, the total yielded blessing points was about eight hundred or so. For Gu Hang at that time, the system¡¯s level of expenditure was very high, and his monthly fixed income of blessing points had already exceeded three thousand; hence, he didn¡¯t value the additional eight hundred blessing points very much. However, the benefits of exterminating so many demons within the Storm God Kingdom were not limited to blessing points alone. After these demons were killed, their Subspace Origin would remain here. And these things were the nourishment of the Storm God Kingdom. Even though the corpses left here turned into a pile of pus, quite disgusting to behold, in reality, with some time and purification of the contamination, the remnants could be digested, thereby enhancing the depth and breadth of the entire Divine Realm. To kill and devour other abyssal demons was akin to seizing the power of other Evil Gods. Of course, for that great Father, it was as insignificant as a drop of water in the ocean, completely undetectable. For a while, Gu Hang even thought of trying this approach again, casually opening a passage between the Storm God Kingdom and the domains of other subspace Evil Gods, especially when Gu Hang himself was on Korolya III, particularly close to the Father¡¯s Domain. Lure the demons in to kill them, after their deaths, earn blessing points and digest their Subspace Origin energy to strengthen his own Divine Realm. But he quickly discarded this suicidal thought. Indeed, killing a few thousand or tens of thousands of ordinary demons was absolutely inconsequential for the ¡®Father,¡¯ no cause for concern. But accidents happen when they are least expected. If by chance the Father¡¯s gaze happened to fall here, that would be the end of it. Being in Subspace, without the ¡®veil of reality¡¯ that the more powerful the demon, the harder it is to break through, there would be nowhere to run. Not to mention attracting the ¡®Father¡¯s¡¯ gaze, even if just a Great Demon or a Great Unclean One were to come, that would be enough to cause Gu Hang serious trouble. Even though Gu Hang¡¯s personal strength was respectable, even with the Divine Realm¡¯s enhancement and being able to desperately fight a Great Demon in a home-field environment, that was when the real trouble would begin. Immediately thereafter, a second, third, even seven or eight Great Unclean Ones might turn up, and that would indeed be normal. Such suicidal actions were better left undone. ¡­ After resting for a day, Gu Hang returned to the scene of the incident. Here, it almost remained as it was at the time, without any clean-up or organization. The security guarded the place tightly. At the scene, the Battle Nun, the Psychic Cultivator Assembly Representative, a bishop from the state religion, and a technical priest from the Mechanical Cult Guild were already waiting. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The leader, of course, was the head of the nuns at this place: Sister Chang Ge Ruite, as well as Bishop Zhao Qinghong from the state religion. However, after Gu Hang¡¯s arrival, the most enthusiastic was the Psychic Cultivator Assembly Representative. His name was Wang Yuyang, the person in charge of the Tianma Star Sector Psychic Association, usually based on Flying Wing Star, with the headquarters of the Tianma Star Sector Psychic Association located there as well. He had also been invited by Galaraldo to Korolya III to attend the banquet on behalf of the Psychic Association. Generally, on Flying Wing Star he was always referred to with great esteem as ¡®Grand Mage¡¯¨Cand indeed, his status was very high. Wang Yuyang was extremely warm and solicitous, skirting around the real issue concerning the investigation, instead continually introducing the status of the Tianma Star Sector Psychic Association. Chapter 508 - Chapter 508: Chapter 299, Truly Tough Fate_3 Chapter 508: Chapter 299, Truly Tough Fate_3 Gu Hang wasn¡¯t at all embarrassed, ¡°If you want to talk, I¡¯ll keep you company.¡± In the process of their conversation, he began to understand the reason behind Wang Yuyang¡¯s attitude. The Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association was a major organization within the Empire that managed spiritual energy practitioners and held a non-fixed seat in the Imperial Supreme Council, highlighting its significance. However, unlike the state religion and the Mechanical Cult Guild, two powerful religious organizations, the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association resembled more a scholarly organization. Its structure was relatively loose, the control of the upper echelons over the lower ranks was weak, and it neither had fixed territories like the Sanctuary World of the state religion and the Foundry World of the Mechanical Cult Guild, nor did it have its own military forces like the Battle Nun Association and the Mechanical Protective Forces. It had three main institutions under its jurisdiction: the Star Language Hall, Star Guidance Hall, and Star Law Hall. The Star Language Hall was responsible for training those who could build and maintain the Star Language Towers. The Star Guidance Hall was responsible for training navigators who guide starships through the Star Realm Tunnel. The Star Law Hall trained combat spiritual energy practitioners for the Imperial Navy and army. In the Tianma Star Sector, however¡­ there was no such detailed division, just a dispatched institution of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association and that was it. Mainly because it¡¯s too weak. But did Wang Yuyang think that way? He didn¡¯t. But with limited capabilities, what could he, a C-level spiritual energy practitioner, do? Over the years, he took on many students, but not many could break through to D-level. Most were at E-level, and it was already not bad if their combat skills allowed them to defeat armed infantry by a ratio of seven to three unarmed. They definitely didn¡¯t hold much sway in discussions. However, Gu Hang¡¯s arrival gave him a tremendous hope! In the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, the words of ten thousand low-level practitioners weren¡¯t as effective as a single high-level one. He still remembered Gu Hang. Although not his student, as the scion of the Gu Family, he had initially registered with the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association on Flying Wing Star. All this ought to be considered a feat of the Tianma Psychic Cultivators Association! Reporting upwards that they had produced an A-level spiritual energy practitioner would instantly elevate his status greatly, and direct rewards could make him prosperous. However, the only thing was¡­ Gu Hang needed to cooperate a little. After all, he hadn¡¯t truly cultivated Gu Hang, and if Gu Hang hadn¡¯t revealed his strength in a crisis, he would have been none the wiser! Gu Hang was quite moved by this as well. The Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association¡­ seemed like something he could make use of. Especially since the Tianma Star Sector¡¯s association was still weak, he even came up with an idea ¨C was it possible to relocate the headquarters of the Tianma Cultivators Association to Rage Owl Star? Even opening a branch would be fine. This could be tax-deductible, strive for funding from the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, and gain access to more orthodox ways of training spiritual energy practitioners¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Most importantly, Rage Owl Star already had unique conditions. Furthermore, Gu Hang already had plans to cultivate more spiritual energy practitioners. Introducing the Empire¡¯s official power would provide a good explanation for the large number of new spiritual energy practitioners. And while the two of them were enjoying their conversation, a soft cough came from the side. Sister Chang Ge Ruite, who was familiar with Gu Hang, walked up: ¡°Excuse me for interrupting your conversation. However, we can talk about other matters later, for today, we need to deal with the current issue¡­ Mr. Gu, we still need your help very much this time. I¡¯m sorry for the trouble.¡± Georgette¡¯s attitude towards Gu Hang was very respectful. For her, it was not the first time witnessing Mr. Gu¡¯s strength; they had worked well together during the eradication of cult members on Rage Owl Star. Gu Hang was nothing if not accommodating: ¡°Okay, Master Wang, we can talk later. Let¡¯s take care of official business first.¡± Chapter 509 - Chapter 509: Chapter 300, Battle for Command Authority Chapter 509: Chapter 300, Battle for Command Authority While Mr. Gu was on Korolya III, coordinating with a joint investigation team formed by personnel from various forces to investigate the disappearance case of the War Apostles, inside the human command center on the Western Front at Rage Owl Star, the atmosphere was incredibly tense. Yan Fangxu tightly gripped the combat plan he and his comrades at the staff office had labored over for several days and nights, his face a picture of displeasure as he looked at the person sitting at the top. This person looked quite majestic and robust, a big, beard-dense bald man. His name was Cai Minjin, a Major General of the Imperial Star Realm Army, commander of the Dragonhawk 3rd Legion 4th Corps, and the overall commander of the troops from the Fatches Star System, totaling one million soldiers, who came to Rage Owl Star to reinforce the battle. The initial three hundred thousand and the subsequent seven hundred thousand troops on their way all belonged to this fourth corps; they were all his direct subordinates. A total of 25 large brigades had been dispatched. He had arrived at Rage Owl Star with the vanguard of three hundred thousand soldiers. His decisiveness was undeniable. After the landing of seven large brigades, amounting to three hundred thousand troops, he led his men to the Western Front and met with Yan Fangxu right away. He knew that Yan Fangxu was the highest commander of the so-called ¡®Rage Bear Legion¡¯ in this area and also the commander of the planet¡¯s Planetary Defense Force. Therefore, to quickly push forward the battle and resolve the problems on this planet, it was obvious that he had to approach this man. To put it bluntly, Cai Minjin didn¡¯t at all feel that this battle was worth wasting his time on. He was originally reluctant to come. The Iron Man rebellion sounded terrifying, but he heard that after the local Planetary Defense Force on Rage Owl Star fought a battle with the so-called Iron Man rebel army, they achieved a significant victory with minimal casualties. Therefore, Cai Minjin believed that the enemy they were about to face was probably just so-so. Since the higher-ups arranged for him to come and fight, then he would fight. However, he didn¡¯t plan on wasting too much time here. As such, the moment General Cai Minjin arrived at the frontline and summoned Yan Fangxu, he set aside the so-called ¡®campaign plan¡¯ without a glance and immediately proposed his own idea: ¡°I want to achieve significant results within three weeks. We have three weeks¡¯ time, during which our corps¡¯ remaining forces should also be in place. Then, after gathering them, I expect to completely eliminate the rebels on your planet within six weeks. I want my soldiers to be able to return to Fatches II to celebrate the New Year.¡± Of course, Yan Fangxu would not mind the Star Realm Army wanting to end the battle quickly. Although he found General Cai to be somewhat arrogant, if it was just a matter of attitude, he could bear it. They came with a million-strong army to help fight the war; no matter how arrogant their demeanor, it was acceptable! However, what Cai Minjin proposed next was something Yan Fangxu could not accept. It was bad enough that Cai Minjin completely disregarded Yan Fangxu¡¯s battle plan, but the new plan he put forward was utterly objectionable. He acted as if he were the supreme commander of the allied forces. The Central Group Army of the alliance, combined with half of the Rage Bear Legion, totaling 270,000 troops, had mostly recovered their positions from before the ¡®Flash Tail Operation.¡¯ Meanwhile, Cai Minjin¡¯s Star Realm Army was essentially massed on the Central Boulevard. According to Cai Minjin¡¯s new operational concept, the alliance¡¯s forces would launch a full-scale offensive in a few days; his fourth corps would advance along the mainland, moving behind the Central Collection 1 Brigade. They would support the battlefields everywhere, ensuring that within two weeks, they would crush the enemies in front, break through the Western Desert, and penetrate westward into the mainland. In Yan Fangxu¡¯s view, this was too reckless, too hasty. Do you know how many forces Blackbird Heavy Industries has regrouped in the month after the Flash Tail Operation, and what is the distribution of these forces? Launching an all-out fierce attack without knowing anything? But that perspective was secondary. If Cai Minjin let his forces carry out such high-risk actions, Yan Fangxu would at most earnestly persuade him to reconsider. However, Cai Minjin clearly had a different intention. His seven large brigades were not planning to engage on the front lines initially but to gather behind and provide support whenever needed. Wasn¡¯t this tantamount to sending the alliance¡¯s troops into the largest, deepest traps? If they can get through, then they get through; if they can¡¯t, I will decide if I want to send reinforcement based on the situation. Using the forces of Rage Owl Star as cannon fodder? Where is the sense in that? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But¡­ in most cases, that¡¯s exactly how it is. To many, the Star Realm Army is considered ¡®cannon fodder,¡¯ which is a comparison to the Starfighter Battle Group, the Sisterhood, some elite forces, and the precious Imperial Navy Fleet. But in reality, the so-called ¡®Hammer of the Empire,¡¯ the Star Realm Army, is the Empire¡¯s primary ground force. They are numerous, ferocious in firepower, fearless in sacrifice, and rely mainly on artillery and armor as their strength, crushing the enemies of the Empire like a steadfast warhammer. Indeed, they don¡¯t possess the glamour and flamboyance of some elite units, and in many cases, they serve as a background for the elites, becoming expendable material that can be consumed to create opportunities. But this does not negate their own achievements and value. Yet compared to others, the Star Realm Army is still not at the very bottom of the Empire¡¯s military system; the Planetary Defense Force is. Chapter 510 - Chapter 510: Chapter 300, Battle for Command Authority_2 Chapter 510: Chapter 300, Battle for Command Authority_2 ¡°` Although it could not be said that the entire Planetary Defense Army was incompetent, there were indeed formidable units, but those were exceptions. Generally speaking, their combat effectiveness was far inferior to that of the Star Realm Army. Moreover, on battlefields where the Star Realm Army was needed for support, it meant that the planet was already in serious trouble and the local Planetary Defense Forces had been unable to resolve the issue. In such cases, with their higher status, stronger strength, and the identity of saviors, the Star Realm Army could easily become the more dominant party. Strictly speaking, there was no hierarchical relationship between the two forces. However, according to some military regulations of the Empire, the Star Realm Army indeed had the right to take command of the local planetary forces ¡°when necessary.¡± Although Yan Fangxu also held a position as a commander in the Star Realm Army, it was clear that the scale of the Rage Bear Legion, as well as Yan Fangxu¡¯s rank of colonel, were far behind Cai Minjin, a bona fide Imperial Major General. When the other party was determined to seize command, Yan Fangxu really had no good solution. If it wasn¡¯t for the need for the help of the Star Realm Army, then it would be easier to handle; just ignore them. But if you really wanted to take control, then you would have to see if you could manage it. But the key issue was that they were actually asking for the Star Realm Army¡¯s assistance, right? Yan Fangxu had already tried to persuade the other side twice and even revised his battle plan multiple times. If you want to accelerate, then let¡¯s accelerate, but using the Alliance Army as cannon fodder and to clear mines, that¡¯s not acceptable. Previously, Gu Hang, Yan Fangxu, had been quite optimistic, hoping that after the arrival of the Star Realm Army, they could leave the main difficult battles to them. But it now seemed that they had been too hopeful; the others just wanted to pick the ripe fruits. So, abandoning illusions, since everyone¡¯s life mattered, I didn¡¯t plan to sacrifice you to defuse bombs. Why couldn¡¯t we just fight this battle fairly and normally, and get it finished quickly? The General Cai Minjin¡¯s message was, no. ¡°Stop wasting my time with those useless papers.¡± Cai Minjin said, ¡°Starting from tomorrow, I demand that all reconnaissance troops must set out; four days later, a full-scale offensive must begin.¡± At this point, Yan Fangxu had given up on conventional methods. He said, ¡°Sorry, General Cai, your order conflicts with another one I have received, and I cannot execute it.¡± Cai Minjin¡¯s fierce eyes narrowed: ¡°What do you mean? On this planet, militarily, is there anyone whose orders carry more weight than mine? Is it your governor? A brigadier general who isn¡¯t even here, what qualifications does he have to command the troops?¡± While speaking, he saw that Yan Fangxu still had something to say and simply waved him off, interrupting: ¡°Under the Imperial Wartime Act, I now formally request that you transfer all command of the troops to my headquarters. Do you understand me?¡± As he spoke, he even pulled out a handgun. He didn¡¯t voice his threat, but his actions were quite clear. When necessary, he had the authority to execute officers two ranks below his. Yan Fangxu, a colonel, fell precisely within that category. Yan Fangxu spread his hands and, indeed, said no more. And it was at that moment that a sudden disturbance could be heard from outside. Following that, the curtain to the makeshift headquarters was flung open. Cai Minjin furrowed his brow. This place had already been taken over by his guard squad, and no one could approach without orders. His gaze returned to Yan Fangxu. Was this colonel causing trouble? Did he really think I wouldn¡¯t dare to kill? Under his fierce gaze, Yan Fangxu remained silent. You¡¯re not letting me talk, right? Moments later, the curtain was suddenly swept aside. A towering figure, clad in crimson Terminator Power Armor with its head bowed, stepped inside. Cai Minjin stood up in surprise, even forgetting to put away his gun. What did he see? A starfighter! In his thirty-year military career, he had only fought alongside a starfighter once¨Cand even calling it ¡®fighting alongside¡¯ was a stretch; during that time, he could only be considered a distant observer of their gallant figure on the battlefield. That there were starfighters on Rage Owl Star was not exactly a secret; Gu Hang hadn¡¯t deliberately concealed anything. ¡°` However, after all, Rage Owl Star currently has very little communication with the outside world; the Starport has just been built and is still a very small port; there aren¡¯t many interstellar travelers; the Star Language Tower, which is used for interstellar communication, only exists in Revival City within Gu Hang¡¯s governor office¡­ Given the isolated environment, some well-informed individuals might know a thing or two, but for those who do not pay attention to Rage Owl Star at all, like Cai Minjin, he was truly unaware that there were starfighters active on the planet! ¡°General Cai?¡± Cai Minjin subconsciously crossed his arms and performed the Sky Eagle Salute, responding, ¡°Yes¡­ Yes, I am Cai Minjin, Major General of the Dragonhawk 3rd Legion 4th Corps. May I ask who you are¡­¡± ¡°Phoenix Battle Group, Battle Group Commander, Martins Salas.¡± Martins also identified himself, then stated, ¡°I have taken over the command of this battle.¡± He succinctly notified Cai Minjin. And General Cai had nothing to say. As he had previously mentioned in the Imperial wartime code of conduct, high-ranking officers of the Star Realm Army have the power, at crucial times, to command officers of lower rank from different systems and unify the command of the Planetary Defense Forces of an entire planet, ensuring that all Imperial Army forces can have unified command in the face of powerful enemies, to avoid confusion. And in this hierarchy clearly defined, a commander of a Starfighter Battle Group sits very high in the order of things. Within the hierarchy of the Star Realm Army, at least an admiral is needed to make suggestions; to contend on equal footing, one would need to produce the rank of a full general; and to command a battle group during wartime, one would need to be a Marshal of the Star Realm Army. Of course, rules are dead, people are alive. In a real battle situation, where multiple types of forces and systems work together, who takes charge is usually a matter of discussion. One¡¯s high status alone does not translate into real command authority without actual troops to command. But the current situation was obviously not like this. Earlier, Cai Minjin could ignore Yan Fangxu because he had enough strength at his command. Three hundred thousand troops, plus the estimated seven hundred thousand arriving tomorrow at Rage Owl Star¡¯s Starport, amounting to a million in total, were his confidence. He could act unbridled, having this confidence and the support of both legal and high position. But now, that was not possible. The local forces of Rage Owl Star combined with the Rage Bear Legion also numbered hundreds of thousands, and then there was the appearance of this person wearing Terminator Armor, along with a huge physique, which was certainly not a fake starfighter¡­ Now, Cai Minjin couldn¡¯t be sure of his victory, neither in terms of position nor in terms of strength. ¡­ The appearance of Martins was, of course, Yan Fangxu¡¯s doing. Or rather Gu Hang¡¯s doing. Before leaving Rage Owl Star, he had contemplated the issue of military command, fearing that the incoming Star Realm forces would overshadow the local command. Therefore, before his departure, he had a long discussion with Martins and Yan Fangxu. And now, it really came into play. With Martins leading thirty starfighters, firmly in control of the situation, there were no more ripples in the matter. The joint command center was successfully established, and Cai Minjin honestly merged his own staff with the staff of the Alliance Army, beginning preparations for the battle. He ceased causing trouble. Although he had never heard of the ¡°Phoenix¡± before, when thirty starfighters stood before him like thirty grand and solemn statues, he didn¡¯t dare make a sound. But Yan Fangxu and Martins did not engage in any acts of personal vendetta either. In fact, they fully considered Cai Minjin¡¯s desire to finish the war quickly¨Cwhich also aligned with the needs of the Rage Owl Star Alliance¨Cand based on Yan Fangxu¡¯s previous plans, they devised new strategies. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A few days later, the fires of war reignited in the West Desert Region. Six hundred thousand troops of the human alliance marched westward, mightily. At the same time, the remaining 700,000 of Cai Minjin¡¯s 4th Corps arrived, and they orderly disembarked from the Starport, expected to move to the front line of the Western Front battlefield within two to three weeks. By then, the number of the human alliance forces would directly surpass 1.3 million. The war indeed had to be fought swiftly, for sustaining such a massive army¡¯s supply lines posed a severe challenge to the logistics system of the Alliance. Chapter 511 - Chapter 511: Chapter 301, Cant You Afford to Play?! Chapter 511: Chapter 301, Can¡¯t You Afford to Play?! ¡°We aim for a quick victory,¡± but the battles on the Alliance¡¯s Western Front still dragged on for half a year. By the time nearly a month had elapsed, the following seven hundred thousand Star Realm Army troops had already arrived at the frontline. In total, the Alliance Army¡¯s one million three hundred thousand troops could be described as advancing irresistibly in the five months that followed, yet they were briefly suppressed by the Mechanical Legion of Blackbird Heavy Industries in some engagements. This side fact highlighted how absurd Cai Minjin¡¯s original plan of achieving results in three weeks, wrapping up the fight in six weeks, and heading back to the Fatches Star System for the New Year was. If you asked Yan Fangxu about the root cause, he believed it was the combat effectiveness of the Dragonhawk Third Legion¡¯s Star Realm Army not meeting expectations. In the strictest sense, according to the most standard requirements of the empire, the combat effectiveness of the Star Realm Army should be strong. In terms of soldier quality, it should be the best of the best. The armies of the Alliance, under the miraculous training of the governor¡¯s boot camps, barely met the minimum requirements for the Star Realm Army¡¯s new recruits. However, reality begged to differ. From what Yan Fangxu saw, the Dragonhawk Third Legion was indeed a formal Star Realm Army formation, and while it wasn¡¯t a well-known legion, logic dictated that it should at least not be worse than the Alliance¡¯s forces, right? But in reality, it was a notch lower. Take for example a so-called large regimental formation; normally, it would consist of nine enhanced regiments, of which only about two would reach the level of Alliance soldiers, and the rest¡­ it¡¯s not to say they were just making up numbers, but they were certainly stronger than average soldiers. For instance, the Soldiers of the Luman Kingdom they encountered on Heijian Star were far inferior to them. Yet, compared to the level of Alliance soldiers, it still fell short. That was just the issue with the quality of soldiers¨CYan Fangxu was still unimpressed by their equipment. This Star Realm Army lacked even enough troop transport vehicles. If it weren¡¯t for the Alliance¡¯s ample logistical support, which mobilized a large number of civilian vehicles and newly constructed trains to help with transportation, this Star Realm Army would have had to rely on marching thousands of kilometers on foot to reach the Western Front battlefield. By the time they got there, the war might well be over. The Alliance¡¯s forces, even the third-tier garrison divisions, combined infantry with heavy artillery, albeit in smaller numbers. But these large regimental formations of the Star Realm Army didn¡¯t have such integrated units; infantry regiments were just infantry, artillery regiments were just artillery, and armored regiments were just armor. Yan Fangxu didn¡¯t comment much on this, perhaps it was just a difference in military philosophy. Maybe the troops of the Dragonhawk Third Legion believed in concentrating firepower and armor, which wasn¡¯t necessarily wrong. Such military formations might be able to exert greater strength in major decisive battle scenarios? But no matter whether it¡¯s concentrating firepower and armor, or the Alliance Army¡¯s multi-branch composite units that gather firepower and armor when necessary, the overall number of various fire support and technical equipment must be sufficient, right? Under one of their large regimental formations with over forty thousand troops, they were already comparable to four brigades of the Alliance. Yet within it, there was only one armored regiment with just over a hundred armored vehicles and forty tanks. Compared to the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade with its mere nine thousand troops, they boasted eighty tanks and over two hundred armored vehicles. The vehicles and tanks of a single Wind-Extinguishing Brigade matched that of two large regiments of the Dragonhawk Legion. If that¡¯s not a disparity, what is? Even among pure infantry, whether it¡¯s the infantry companies in composite brigades or the troops under the infantry divisions, all had completed motorization and had dedicated military vehicles down to the squad level; each squad had two to three rocket launchers, each platoon had one to two mortars; each company had a heavy grenade launcher as a fire support point. The Star Realm Army¡¯s infantry regiments also had these things, but they were all concentrated at the regiment level and were also fewer in number. The differences in troop quality and weaponry led to differences in combat performance during the six months of battle. Oftentimes, within the same timeframe, the progress made by a large forty-thousand-strong Star Realm Army regiment was comparable to that made by two twenty-thousand-strong Alliance brigade regiments. The Alliance was able to achieve the same results with half the number of troops as those of the Dragonhawk Legion¡¯s soldiers. In the half-year battle at Rage Owl Star, Cai Minjin didn¡¯t make any further trouble. He dutifully played his role as the second-in-command of the Alliance Army and took care of his own responsibilities. On one hand, Commander Matins had overshadowed him in terms of legitimacy and status. On the other hand, the combat effectiveness demonstrated by the Alliance forces in actual combat left him with nothing to say. However, in the final stage of the war, a conflict still arose between the two sides. It was when the enemy had almost been entirely wiped out, leaving only one final strategic target¨CBlackbird City. Matins devised an attack plan, with the Alliance Army spearheading the assault. But here, Cai Minjin unusually raised an objection. Such an incident hadn¡¯t occurred in the past half year. And both Matins and Yan Fangxu understood the thoughts of General Cai. He might have been here on a mission. Though the Fatches Family were not the masters of Dragonhawk 3rd Corps, they still had significant influence over this troop that was mainly sourced in manpower and supplies from three worlds within the Fatches Star System. It was indeed normal for Cai Minjin to have received some special instruction upon leaving. And this instruction was surely related to Blackbird Heavy Industries. The supposed administrator of Blackbird Heavy Industries, Irong Fatches, was still untraceable. In the previous battles, they had repeatedly encountered spider-type mechanical monsters bearing the face of Irong Fatches. Their combat ability was secondary; what was most crucial was that she always seemed to play a key role in the information and command nodes of the Mechanical Legion. Eliminating her would greatly disrupt the strategic coordination capabilities of the Mechanical Legion. But clearly, these were not really Irong Fatches herself. Her actual body was surely still in the center of Blackbird City. Cai Minjin¡¯s mission, presumably, was to destroy all evidence that connected Blackbird with the Fatches Family. Even though the existence of Irong Fatches and the Fatches Family¡¯s investment in Blackbird Heavy Industries made their relationship indelible, they were already striving to sever ties, and with the added aggressive attitude, destroying the evidence would make things much more comfortable. In such a situation, Cai Minjin indeed did not wish for the Alliance to lead this assault. Even if his own corps suffered considerable casualties in the final attack, he was determined to take on this mission. Matins thought for a moment and decided not to confront this rare show of backbone from the imperial major general. Half a year¡¯s peaceful wartime cooperation owed much to this general. Thus, it was appropriate to give him some face in this last battle. He made a decision to let the two forces, one from the south and one from the north, launch a pincer attack on Blackbird City. A fair competition, whoever entered the city first would be king, would that not suffice? Cai Minjin knew this was the best outcome he could possibly have secured. He went back to start preparing his troops, secretly summoning several officers to discuss the battle plans. Although the Alliance Army, bearing the name of the Planetary Defense Force, had left a big impression on him, making him dare not underestimate this force that was even stronger than the actual Star Realm Army, he was still determined to win this all-important strategic battle. Then, he heard a piece of news: Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After the military conference, Commander Matins, personally escorted by thirty fully-armed Phoenix soldiers, went north. It was clear he intended to personally join the battle, entering the combat sequences on the side of the Alliance. Inside the command center of the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps, the once lively strategic discussion abruptly ceased. In a silent room, Cai Minjin furiously threw the document in his hand and burst out cursing: ¡°Can¡¯t you play fair?!¡± Chapter 512 - Chapter 512: Chapter 302, The Mechanical Throne Chapter 512: Chapter 302, The Mechanical Throne Cai Minjin was so angry he was steaming, yet he still had to deploy his troops for an all-out attack. Although upon hearing that the attacking Alliance Army from the north had been assisted by the Phoenix Battle Group, he feared the chances of winning this ¡®race¡¯ were slim. However, that didn¡¯t mean the Star Realm Army would surrender without a fight. But some things cannot be swayed by human will. The forces he had been able to muster to attack Blackbird City amounted to two full divisions. Over seventy thousand warriors, under fierce artillery cover, engaged in a fight to the death with the enemy in front of them. However, the results were not very good. The troops suffered heavy losses under an irrationally hasty assault. Just as he was considering whether to continue ordering his troops to attack at all costs, he heard news from the Northern Front. The Alliance Army had, led by the Interstellar Warrior Squad, broken into the inner district of Blackbird City. He let out a long sigh, feeling somewhat despondent. Even though it was an anticipated outcome, it still hurt. Nevertheless, he soon calmed down. He had done his best, after all. How could he compete with the likes of the mighty Gundams? Nobody could blame him now. At the same time, he rescinded the order for the troops to attack at all costs, deciding instead to be patient and fight normally. After failing to be the first to enter Blackbird City, to continue sacrificing many lives for it would have been a loss too great. ¡­ Inside Blackbird City, in the core city area. Matins flung the mechanical torso that was clinging onto his powered sword. It was the upper half of a machine with the face of Irong Fetches. In front of him stood a massive machine. This was Blackbird City¡¯s Energy Shield Generator. At the moment, the surrounding battle was nearly over, with few remaining enemies who would soon be wiped out by the remaining members of the Interstellar Warrior Squad and the elites of the Tenth Brigade. Where they currently stood was the bottom layer of the core city zone. They had not gone straight to the upper floors to find the real body of Irong Fetches. That task was left to several infantry platoons. Of course, this wasn¡¯t to suggest that these infantry platoons would handle it on their own, as there could be unknown risks involved. Their job was just to clear the path, identify the target¡¯s location, and either surround it or cut off its escape routes. Afterward, Matins would lead a team to deal with it personally. But before that, he needed to deal with the Shield Generator. It wasn¡¯t that the existence of this machine was causing any hindrance to the Alliance¡¯s advance, that wasn¡¯t the case. The Energy Shield couldn¡¯t prevent the approach of slow-moving targets, so the army didn¡¯t encounter any problems entering the inner city area; it was just that the artillery couldn¡¯t fire directly into it. But with the Interstellar Warrior Squad leading the vanguard, the artillery had entered within the shield¡¯s range, so there was no longer any concern about artillery fire being blocked. Matins was thinking about how to dismantle this thing and move it back. Although it wasn¡¯t the biggest, most expensive type that could envelop an entire planet, being able to cover a city was still quite remarkable. The value of this item was at least four million Tax Currency upwards, so to blow it up on the spot would be a terrible waste. Weixing City of the Alliance was the industrial heart of the entire planet, and with further development to come, such a device was needed for protection. Indeed, if possible, they would love to have every key city equipped with its own city-level energy shield. It¡¯s just that the price is a bit too much to bear. Now, to be able to pick up a set and take it back would definitely be good. For this reason, one of the Alliance¡¯s chief technical officers, Engine Prophet Hu Ke, even came over on a Wind Falcon. Under the escort of a group of elite soldiers, he began his research. The main task was to safely dismantle this city-level shield generator. The device itself is very large, covering an area of two hundred square meters, with a height of six meters, heavy and bulky. Transporting the whole thing back would be too strenuous and there was the risk of knocking it about. If possible, the best way was to dismantle it and ship back the parts for reassembly. Matins exchanged a few words with Hu Ke, then watched this member of the Sect of Mechanics work, and scanning the surroundings, realized the battle had calmed and knew there was no need for him to stay longer. However, to ensure the safety and continuation of the work here, Matins still left a squad of Phoenix warriors, led by Anat, in place. He himself, however, led the main force toward the upper district. In this area, several recon units tasked with scouting above had reached a point where it was quite difficult to advance further. Outside the door where Irong Fatches¡¯s real body was located, the defense was heavily guarded. The Alliance soldiers had been ordered only to clear the way and scout; they were not required to conquer the target. Upon discovering that the enemy¡¯s defense forces were quite strong, the commanders of these units did not require their troops to recklessly engage in combat. They set up heavy firepower, blocking the entrances and exits to prevent anyone from escaping, and occasionally managed to send artillery shells inside. The most critical issues were left to the Interstellar Warrior Squad to resolve. After Matins arrived with the Phoenix warriors, they took over the conflict here. All the infantrymen then became supporting roles, following quickly as the Interstellar Warriors cleared the paths, seizing control of the corridors and checking for any remaining enemies¡­Oh, generally, there were none, as the Interstellar Warriors were not so careless in their work. Making their way through, whether it was the well-armed mechanical guards or the sneakily positioned automated cannon guards, all met the same fate of being dismantled into pieces. Matins led the team to the front of a massive steel door. He tried using some force, and somewhat to his surprise, the door wasn¡¯t locked. Although it was a bit of a struggle, he managed to push the door open. When the door swung open, he saw what lay behind it: In this vast space, there was a throne made of steel. Countless mechanical structures were exposed; numerous pipes, cables, and chains intertwined within, and blue electrical light flickered ceaselessly. Sitting atop the throne was a ¡®Queen.¡¯ Upon a closer look, it wasn¡¯t so much sitting as her lower body was fused with the machinery of the throne below. Her seemingly human upper body was also just a likeness; her eyes flashed with blue electrical light, and numerous cables extended from the back of her head to the far end of the ceiling. She seemed to be engaged in many complex calculations, with the electric lights resembling countless messages being continuously sent out. This scene shocked the Phoenix squad members who had entered. Many among them, referred to as ¡®interstellar¡¯ warriors, were actually born and raised on Rage Owl Star, never having left it. Their bodies and wills may have reached the level of interstellar warriors, but their experiences had yet to catch up. Matins was an exception. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He had seen far too many weird and wonderful things. A quick check confirmed that the human female upper body before him was indeed the likeness of Irong Fatches. ¡°Bang.¡± A gunshot rang out, and the explosive round in Matins¡¯s hand hit the base of the throne, setting off a blast. Unlike the energy shield generator below, such a heretical creation had no value for use; the best course of action was to destroy it immediately. Chapter 513 - Chapter 513: Chapter 303, Blackbird Battle Settlement, Ironman Puzzle Chapter 513: Chapter 303, Blackbird Battle Settlement, Ironman Puzzle Matins¡¯s gunshot startled his subordinates awake. Without further words, his actions had already expressed his discontent. The newcomers of Phoenix still felt a bit ashamed, they should not have been daunted just by witnessing something unexpected. Now, the only way to redeem themselves in the eyes of their displeased commander was through practical action. They spread out silently and swiftly, keeping a watchful eye for any potential enemies while dispersing throughout the area. They began placing bombs in various locations to ensure that everything within the building would be destroyed. Meanwhile, Matins casually walked forward to Irong Fetches, whose eyes were still flickering with electricity. He drew out his power sword. And at that moment, the woman with only half a body left, her eyes¡¯ electric glimmer subsided, revealing the human-like pupils underneath. ¡°Human, please hear me¡­¡± Matins, without uttering a second word, raised his power sword high and cut her in half at the waist. With a crackle of electricity, Irong Fetches¡¯s body was pulled by the tubing at the back of her head, drooping without falling. But the words she had not finished saying were still coming out. ¡°¡­say, no matter how you view the God of Many Changes, the will under the Throne of the Mechanical God has never changed¡­¡± Matins, silent, raised his sword again and severed the many tubes connected to the back of Irong Fetches¡¯s head as well. This really caused her speech to become intermittent, filled with shrieks of static. Betwixt the squeals and whirrs, she managed to leave one last sentence: ¡°¡­ever tolerant of humans¡­ always gracious¡­ there¡¯s always a place for you¡­ flesh is frail, mech¡­¡± Behind Matins, a few elite soldiers approached carrying a black coffin; they incorporated the half-mechanical, half-human carcass of Irong Fetches into it. Then, more of Ms. Wu Jiarong¡¯s direct disciples, wearing sealed iron masks, started checking every part of the machine silently and solemnly, collecting data, searching for anything of value. Matins hesitated. He had intended to stop these people¡¯s actions. As he had thought earlier, such sacrilege should not exist in this world at all. Listening to those few blasphemous words spoken by Irong Fetches had only confirmed this belief. However, in the end, Matins did not voice his objections. These people must have come on the orders of Ms. Wu Jiarong, and Wu Jiarong was a technical officer greatly trusted by the Governor, who mostly refrained from meddling in external affairs. Her sudden dispatch of a team for this task suggested great importance, and it was very possible that the Governor was aware of it. After considering the matter, Matins decided not to escalate the issue. Thinking of the Governor¡¯s capabilities, perhaps there wouldn¡¯t be any issues, right? ¡­ The Governor that Matins was pondering was currently on Korolya III. Gu Hang was aware of the events transpiring in Blackbird City. Matins was right: Wu Jiarong, who normally avoided external affairs, had acted upon Gu Hang¡¯s instructions. The reason stemmed from the moment the allied forces came near Blackbird City; while on Korolya III, Gu Hang noticed the [Event] option flashing incessantly on the system interface. Upon clicking it, he discovered an unknown event that could be unlocked for two hundred points of Grace. This was similar to the initial activation of the [Phoenix Will Die] event¨Ca mystery that became clear only after unlocking it. Considering the returns from that time and also factoring in the abundance of Grace points at his disposal¨Cover thirty thousand accumulated over six months, on top of what was previously saved¨Cthe two hundred points¡¯ expenditure seemed trivial. Even if it turned out to be a worthless event, Gu Hang could opt to ignore it and not proceed. Once the event was unlocked, it was named [Iron Mystery]. [Event Activated: Iron Mystery] [Your planet is experiencing an Iron Rebellion, but have you ever been curious about how, during humanity¡¯s conquest of the universe, all intelligent devices, which were once the greatest aids to humans, eventually became anathemas feared throughout human society?] [Search for clues related to the Irons, conduct research, and perhaps you will gradually discover some answers.] [Reward unknown.] Gu Hang admitted that there were certain risks involved with this. For such blasphemous entities, the most reasonable course of action, in accordance with Empire regulations, was to annihilate them immediately upon discovery, eradicating all traces of their existence without mercy. The reason for such stringent and absolute rules regarding these blasphemous entities was, of course, due to the painful experiences the Human Empire had suffered during past encounters with such entities, and the lessons learned therefrom. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This approach was undoubtedly the safest. However¡­ On one hand, Gu Hang was genuinely curious about the questions raised by the event; on the other hand, the ¡®unknown¡¯ reward tantalized him. Of course, if this had been a gift from some other entity, wrapped up in the most attractive packaging, he would not have accepted it so readily. But this came from his system. It¡¯s not that he absolutely trusted his system one hundred percent. Maybe it was a plot conceived by a Subspace Evil God, with some grand, shocking conspiracy at play? Chapter 514 - Chapter 514: Chapter 303, Blackbird Battle Settlement, Iron Man Puzzle_2 Chapter 514: Chapter 303, Blackbird Battle Settlement, Iron Man Puzzle_2 But Gu Hang considered himself to have one advantage, that is, he doesn¡¯t overthink meaningless things. First of all, since he had obtained the system up until now, over two and a half years, he had used it frequently, and this thing had never betrayed him. Second, and most importantly, he had already been using the system for two and a half years, and he expected to continue using it frequently in the future. So under these circumstances, what¡¯s the point in worrying about whether the system has any malicious intent? If it really were some Subspace Evil God¡¯s conspiracy, Gu Hang would have already been deeply ensnared. In such a situation, without much consideration, Gu Hang had Wu Jiarong dispatch people to investigate the scene and to bring back Irong Fetches¡¯ body for research. To tell the truth, he didn¡¯t know whether this was the way to solve this so-called ¡®Ironman Puzzle¡¯, but anyway, he might as well do it. Of course, while he trusted the system, he still needed to be careful in handling specific matters. When Wu Jiarong was researching this thing, a new research institute would be established, completely isolated from those Black Boxes; throughout the research process, all researchers would be sequestered and must adhere to a series of research rules, undergo regular health checks, and try to avoid the problem of corruption as much as possible. ¡­ Regarding the [Ironman Puzzle], Gu Hang soon put it aside without giving it much more thought. After all, it could only be considered a leisurely move; whether there were any benefits or what the rewards were, he would address those questions later. Gu Hang was more concerned about the battle itself. [Blackbird Battle Assessment: Resounding Victory, 22990 points of Grace Awarded] [Total Losses 119384, Eliminated 764023] [Star Realm Army ¨C Dragonhawk Third Legion (Allies): Losses 74847, Eliminated 416167] [Star Realm Army ¨C Rage Bear Legion: Losses 12697, Eliminated 97016] [Allied Counties ¨C Central Group Army: Losses 31840, Eliminated 250840] ¡­ A total of seventy-six thousand enemies were eliminated, while the allied forces had a total loss of one hundred and eleven thousand. These losses included not only those killed in action but also non-combat injuries and other reductions in manpower. Those who could return to the military and restore their combat effectiveness after not too long a treatment period were not included in these statistics. The actual number of fatalities was approximately sixty to seventy thousand. Overall, the casualty ratio was 1:7, which is quite a good number. However, the actual combat power of both sides was not as disparate as the data suggests. The allied troops, fully equipped and with ample logistical support, if you eliminate ambushes, surprise attacks, and the like, could achieve a confrontation ratio of approximately 1:4 in a straightforward battle; the Star Realm Army was worse, only achieving 1:2.5. However, sometimes the victorious side in a war, at certain critical junctures, can break through, encircle the enemy, and execute annihilation campaigns, after which the victory often becomes significantly greater. The reverse is also true; regardless of what the exchange rate on the front lines might be, if you lose and let the enemy score a decisive annihilation victory, such as cutting off logistics or encircling you, preventing ammunition and supplies from reaching you, then whether allied soldiers or Star Realm warriors, all would be easily wiped out in large numbers. It¡¯s just a pity that all these things only happened to those mechanical monsters; humanity was the victorious side. And this brought Gu Hang a bounty of over twenty thousand points of Grace. Up to now, counting the monthly accumulations of Grace points from the past six months, his current total had already exceeded fifty thousand points. It felt like he could do quite a lot with that. But no rush. Right now, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t even on Rage Owl Star; he couldn¡¯t go about making moves even if he wanted to. He had already been here for half a year, returning to Rage Owl Star a few times in between, while spending the rest of his time on Korolya III, cooperating with investigations. The death of Apostle of War Bojoya Galaraldo brought about an impact and aftermath that was even more severe than imagined. First, the Tianma Star Sector mobilized elites from all sides as much as possible to form an investigation team. A Mother Superior and the State Archbishop of the Korolya diocese were considered major figures. It¡¯s just that within the Tianma Star Sector, the influence of the Sect of Mechanics was very weak, with the highest-ranking individual being merely a Mechanical Priest; the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association didn¡¯t fare much better, their president being only a C-class spiritual energy wielder. Overall, however, they assembled the most outstanding individuals from all sides they possibly could. Among them was Gu Hang, the person involved and also an A-class spiritual energy wielder. The investigation by the Tianma Star Sector itself lasted about half a month, and their ultimate conclusion was that it had been a demon attack, where the Apostle of War had tragically fallen into an abyssal rift. However, the explanation given by this investigative team from the Tianma Star Sector was clearly not convincing. It wasn¡¯t a matter of whether the evidence was sufficient, or whether the investigation methods could withstand scrutiny, what mattered most was that the identity and status of the deceased were too important, and the investigative team¡¯s own status was too low. Half a month later, an investigative group from the Dragonhawk Star Domain¡¯s capital, Yunluo Star, arrived. This team was considerably larger, headed by a Judge from the Tribunal, including a whole squad of the Tribunal¡¯s elite; the State Church, Sect of Mechanics, and Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association all gathered, sending representatives from both the administrative and military affairs departments. This entire colossal investigative team also brought along a fleet and land forces. At their request, everyone who had participated in the banquet that day was not allowed to leave Korolya III and had to undergo the investigation again. Their investigation hadn¡¯t yielded any results yet when an investigative team from the Eastern Cosmos Domain arrived. Its structure was similar to the Star Domain¡¯s investigative team, but the tier was higher. Then came the recent news that an investigation group representing the Sun Lord and coming from the Solar Expedition Army was en route. However, given their great distance, it was estimated that the investigative group wouldn¡¯t arrive until a year later. The situation was getting more and more blown out of proportion. The leaders Pei Desi and Governor Akuna both felt numbed already. They had previously been considering how to lighten their responsibilities, but now they were resigned to the fact that there was nothing to hope for. They had a certain degree of influence over the Dragonhawk Star Domain¡¯s investigative team, but by the time the matter reached the Space Domain Government, their influence was almost negligible, not to mention the team that would arrive a year later, carrying the wrath of the Sun Lord. With such a grand scale of operation, even Gu Hang began to feel a bit nervous. The universe was too vast, and the empire too large, teeming with capable and extraordinary people. Who could say for sure whether there wouldn¡¯t be a few formidable individuals capable of uncovering something? However, after much consideration, he was still relatively reassured. Even if the arrivals were formidable to the point where they could pull Galaraldo back from the ¡®Fatherly¡¯ domain and interrogate him personally about what happened, Galaraldo could only say he was unlucky to have been attacked by demons. He hadn¡¯t seen Gu Hang take action; the entire incident was caused by a Plague Demon, so the blame couldn¡¯t be pinned on Gu Hang. Nevertheless, being confined to Korolya III and unable to leave was quite troublesome. In the half-year there, besides being investigated and investigating others, Gu Hang often made calls ¡®home¡¯, constantly maintaining communication with Osenia, Lambert, Tadeusz, Yan Fangxu, and others. Currently, the situation on Rage Owl Star was good. In the six months of his absence, not only had there been no chaos, but they also relied on the Star Realm Army to completely exterminate Blackbird Heavy Industries and win the unification war. This proved that the alliance system established by Gu Hang was reliable, able to operate even without him. Yet, he still had a sense of crisis. For a ruler, being away from the center of power for a long period was never a good thing. He was planning a return trip to Rage Owl Star. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only If it had been before, it would have been difficult for Gu Hang to go back. But now, there were ways. Gu Hang sought out an acquaintance: Zhang Guang¡¯en. An A-class spiritual energy wielder, Chief Mage of the Dragonhawk Star Domain¡¯s Star Law Hall, as well as a senior member of the Eastern Cosmos Domain¡¯s Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association Mage Council, he represented both the Space Domain Government and the Star Domain Government, holding not an insignificant right to speak within the current investigative team. Gu Hang had gotten along very well with him over the past few months. Chapter 515 - Chapter 515: Chapter 304, The Way to Return to Rage Owl Star Chapter 515: Chapter 304, The Way to Return to Rage Owl Star ¡°` ¡°Ha! Our genius has arrived!¡± The speaker was Zhang Guang¡¯en. He was a portly man currently in the midst of a banquet. Most of the attendees at the banquet were from the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association¨Clocal psychics from the Tianma Star Sector. Upon hearing that an A-grade psychic, namely Gu Hang, had appeared in their Star Sector, many psychics from various planets rushed over; when they heard that the widely known Zhang Guang¡¯en from the entire Cosmos Domain had arrived as well, the number of visitors increased substantially. Zhang Guang¡¯en was adept at social interaction, far more a politician than a scholarly figure or a reclusive and mentally sensitive psychic. Gu Hang, a true politician, sometimes didn¡¯t have the patience to receive the numerous visitors individually, but Zhang Guang¡¯en was willing to do so. This might have been the difference between someone like Gu Hang, who held authority in his own right, and an official like Zhang Guang¡¯en who worked under a larger system. At Zhang Guang¡¯en¡¯s enthusiastic invitation, Gu Hang joined the banquet. Amid the clinking of cups and toasts, Gu Hang chatted with the attendees, exchanging what could only be described as trivial pleasantries. He didn¡¯t like such occasions, but that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t good at them. And how could the perceptive Zhang Guang¡¯en not know that Gu Hang¡¯s visit was to seek him out for a matter? He enjoyed the feeling of being flattered, but after arriving in the Tianma Star Sector, what mattered to him most was Gu Hang. An A-grade psychic was a rare find. In the Dragonhawk Star Domain, there was only one, and in the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain, which totaled over two thousand planets, there weren¡¯t more than a hundred A-grade psychics. Every A-grade psychic was a valuable treasure. Adding one meant that the entire Star Domain had a higher say in the upper echelons of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association. There were significant interests involved. The value of one Gu Hang was many times greater than the Psychic Cultivators¡¯ Association of the entire Tianma Star Sector combined. Soon, Zhang Guang¡¯en had the others continue the banquet and interaction while he, personally, took Gu Hang to a private room with a terrace. ¡°What¡¯s up, young Gu? Is there something you want to discuss with me?¡± he asked with a smile, with no visible movement of his hands, yet tea cups, a teapot, and plates slowly flew over, pouring tea and setting themselves up on the small table on the terrace. In a matter of moments, a set of tea and snacks for conversation was arranged. Gu Hang, without being polite, took a sip and expressed his admiration, then got down to business, ¡°I¡¯m thinking of leaving Korolya III for a while to return to Rage Owl Star.¡± Zhang Guang¡¯en frowned. He took a sip of his tea, then said, ¡°This is¡­ a bit difficult to manage. According to the investigation team¡¯s requirements, no one is allowed to leave the planet. You are a member of the investigation team, so you should know the rules.¡± ¡°Hmm, so doesn¡¯t that bring me to you?¡± Gu Hang was of course good at speaking nicely, ¡°Your face carries much more weight than mine. Rules are dead; there must be some flexibility, I ask the Grand Mage for guidance.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Gu Hang¡¯s somewhat flattering words made Zhang Guang¡¯en laugh heartily. The delighted Grand Mage said, ¡°If it were someone else, then undoubtedly there would be no bending the rules, strict impartiality. But for you¡­ well, there could indeed be some ways to think about it.¡± ¡°Please, Grand Mage, think if you can help.¡± In fact, this was just a pretext. Gu Hang himself was a member of the investigation team; he was well aware of the workings of the investigation teams from the Star Sector to the Star Domain to the Cosmos Domain. In truth, by this time, the investigation work was not only lightweight but could practically be said to be idle. Half a year had passed since the incident occurred, what evidence could there be left to find? It was merely a matter of checking each person who was present at the time and the entire environment of Korolya III. As for the elimination of suspects, it was pretty much conclusive. There were plenty with the motive, since the War Apostle had offended many; however, none had the capability to commit the crime. If one insists the incident was man-made, then the perpetrator must have been a very powerful entity, possessing some unknown method, and had the ability to carry it out. And the doer must not have been present at the scene, perhaps no longer even in the Tianma Star Sector. The probability of this was very low. The consensus among the three investigation teams was that the incident was, with high probability, an accident. This conclusion was supported by the fact that in the half-year since the incident, the Abyss¡¯s invasions on Korolya III had become increasingly severe. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Theoretically, at this stage, the case could be closed. With the final conclusion coming directly from the investigation team dispatched by the Eastern Cosmic Realm Government, the persuasiveness should already be high. Next, the investigation team would wrap up, the matter would largely be concluded, and the outcome reported to the Central Empire, where the Supreme Council of Holy Terra would sign off, and the whole case would be officially settled. However, Galaraldo¡¯s unique status lay in the fact that his death would directly shock the Sun Lord himself. This was the individual who directly oversaw the Terra Council and could be considered the de facto supreme ruler of the Empire, not so easily convinced by local government conclusions. He didn¡¯t even allow the Central Government to send an investigation team, but formed one directly from his own Expeditionary Force. ¡°` Chapter 516 - Chapter 516: Chapter 304, The Way to Return to Rage Owl Star_2 Chapter 516: Chapter 304, The Way to Return to Rage Owl Star_2 ¡°` There¡¯s nothing we can do then, everyone has to wait here. There¡¯s nothing to do, and we can¡¯t leave. We still have to wait almost a year. There are quite a few people with grievances, not just one or two. This includes the investigation teams of the three levels themselves, who are also resentful. To travel all the way to your Tianma Star Sector and then have to wastefully linger here for another year, who would be happy with that? In such circumstances, it¡¯s hardly surprising that some incidents have occurred. Everyone here is someone with a reputation to uphold, showing off their own magic tricks. Leaving for a while isn¡¯t unthinkable. One riskier method involves pretending to stay here while actually having left, as long as one returns before the delegation of the Sun Lord arrives. Of course, the risk lies in being reported, which is quite troublesome; and you need someone to take this risk for you. Locals from Tianma Star Sector basically shouldn¡¯t expect this kind of treatment, especially Pei Desi and Akuna, who are key figures with leadership responsibilities. There¡¯s fear they may flee. Besides the risk, there¡¯s another nauseating point: after leaving in this manner, you can¡¯t be too high-profile while carrying out your affairs outside, otherwise the facade of staying in Korolya would fall apart. But Gu Hang clearly isn¡¯t too willing to adopt this method. Here, Zhang Guang¡¯en offered Gu Hang a second option: ¡°Aren¡¯t you the Governor of Rage Owl Star?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°A year and a half ago, there were signs of a demon invasion on Rage Owl Star, and even the emergence of a very powerful demon incarnation, but it was suppressed by you all, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°There have also been cult activities on your planet, and even the Ironmen Rebellion, which has just been quelled, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Sheesh¡­ Gu, if you take my advice, don¡¯t bother with that planet and come to Yunluo with me. We could work together to expand and strengthen the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association. Wouldn¡¯t that be nice?¡± ¡°Archmage, you jest.¡± Gu Hang was somewhat helpless. Such talk, while it was still okay back on Rage Owl Star, would invariably provoke such a remark anywhere else once they heard what Rage Owl Star had been through. ¡°Alright, I won¡¯t persuade you further,¡± Zhang Guang¡¯en said, ¡°However, since these events have happened on Rage Owl Star, it would make sense for the investigation team to go there and perhaps find some clues, don¡¯t you think?¡± Gu Hang feigned a look of sudden realization. He certainly had thought of this idea long ago, but it was best that Zhang Guang¡¯en suggested it. It would seem a bit off if he made the suggestion himself. Zhang Guang¡¯en chuckled: ¡°As a member of the investigating team, you can certainly go. However, the identity of the Star Sector investigation team is not enough; you need to join the Star Domain investigation team at least. What about that matter I mentioned to you before? Have you considered it?¡± Gu Hang spoke earnestly: ¡°I have made up my mind. I am willing to join the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association¡¯s Star Law Hall in the Dragonhawk Star Domain and serve as your deputy, contributing to the development of the Association. However, I should establish a branch of the Association on Rage Owl Star and develop the Association¡¯s power in the Tianma Star Sector. In the affairs of the Association, I will support every decision you make.¡± Zhang Guang¡¯en felt slightly disappointed that he couldn¡¯t lure Gu Hang over to the Stellar Capital, but he quickly let it go, thinking it might even be a blessing. After all, there was only one A-rank Spiritual Energy user in the Stellar Capital Yunluo Star. Having another one might cause trouble. Gu Hang, as he now seemed, was polite and not ambitious, but who knows what could happen once he made the move? Having him outside yet contributing the influence of an A-rank Spiritual Energy user, being able to uphold the Association¡¯s presence and even stepping in when necessary, achieved his goal. ¡°Alright, that settles it! I¡¯ll issue the appointment decree from the Star Law Hall right now and recommend you to join the Star Domain investigation team. Once the information is filed, you will lead a team to Rage Owl Star to investigate the source of the Abyssal erosion, to see if it¡¯s related to the disappearance of the apostle Galaraldo. The investigation period¡­ let¡¯s say three months, and you can extend it if it¡¯s not enough. However, during this time, you must frequently return to report the situation. You can¡¯t really stay on Rage Owl Star for the whole three months, understood?¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Gu Hang was actually still a bit annoyed. Even though traveling from the Korolya Star System to the Rage Owl Star System only required a single Stellar jump, the one-way journey still took a minimum of six days, and a round trip would waste twelve days on the road. After several such round trips, he feared that half of his three-month investigation period would be wasted in transit. But there was nothing he could do about it. Ultimately, it was a situation of his own making, so he had to bear with it. As for a subdivision of the investigation team accompanying him to Rage Owl Star¡­ so be it. The leader of the team was Gu Hang himself. Could he possibly find fault with himself? Even if there was someone stubborn enough to investigate their leader, Gu Hang was not afraid. With three levels of investigation teams unable to find anything on Korolya III, could they possibly discover anything on Rage Owl Star? There was only one thing that he truly feared being investigated¨Cthe Black Box. ¡°` But he decided that this time when he returned, he would collect all the Black Boxes into the Storm God Kingdom. Without Gu Hang¡¯s permission, no one could enter the Storm God Kingdom. Unless they forcibly broke in. In the entire Empire, Gu Hang didn¡¯t think that there were many who could manage that, especially not here. As for Gu Hang himself joining the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, it was a matter of little consequence. What would he need to give up? Nothing but the title and influence of an A-grade Spiritual Energy user. On the contrary, he could gain something from it. It wasn¡¯t as if he was required to do anything specific. If they really wanted him to fight, he could simply refuse. The Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association didn¡¯t possess that much binding power, especially not over someone like him. ¡­ Waiting for the investigation team to approve the procedures took some time. And Gu Hang, having some spare time while he waited, made a trip to Nest Capital-Fino City. It was an occupied area. Fino City, with a population of ten billion, had become a massive den of Demons, a veritable Abyssal hell. An Imperial Army of at least ten million people struggled within it. Among them, seven million were from the Planetary Defense Force of Korolya III. This army¡¯s level of strength and equipment¡­ perfectly matched people¡¯s stereotype of a Planetary Defense Force. Weak, poor equipment, problematic discipline and morale. Despite a population of 40 billion on Korolya III, the planet¡¯s productivity couldn¡¯t keep up with the number of people. A significant portion of the population, fundamentally, was no different from pigs raised for slaughter¨Cmerely a source of taxes. To say Korolya was wealthy was indeed true; it paid four billion in Imperial Taxes a year. To call it dirt-poor was also accurate; not only were the people poor, but to support such a vast population¨Ccompounded by severe corruption and administrative inefficiency¨Cmeant that aside from the populace, there were hardly any valuable outputs. Under such circumstances, they simply could not afford a large, elite army. The military forces on Korolya III numbered around 200 million, making up about 0.5% of the entire populace. Most of them could not be mobilized and were tasked with suppressing any revolts across various Nest Capitals to avoid uprisings. Every moment, in each of the Nest Capitals, the lowest class, who lived worse than dogs and pigs, were on the verge of rebellion. With life being untenable either way, any incitement could escalate into a riot. They¡¯d fight with an iron rod if they had to. Those troops were responsible for crushing such rebellions and could not be moved lightly. Being able to deploy seven million was no small feat. They were primarily tasked with establishing a perimeter blockade around the entire Nest Capital. Additionally, some were used as ¡®cannon fodder¡¯ and mobilized by the Star Realm Army. This Star Realm Army referred to the 3 million soldiers of the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps. The first batch consisted of only one million men, but over the half-year, reinforcements arrived four times, bringing the total to three million. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The one in charge was a Major General named Jeden Hanson from the Empire. He was the Deputy Corps Commander of the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps. Aside from the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps, there was another less conspicuous force present. It was a contingent of 77,000 from the Rage Bear Legion, originating from Rage Owl Star. The commander of this force was the Colonel of the 3rd Beast-slaying Brigade, Lucy Lee Ko Xi. Chapter 517 - Chapter 517: Chapter 305, Lets see the situation Chapter 517: Chapter 305, Let¡¯s see the situation Lucy Lee Ko Xi was one of the few whose military rank did not diminish during the transition from the Alliance Army to the Star Realm Army sequence, eventually becoming part of the Rage Bear Legion. For instance, Yan Fangxu was initially promised the position of legion commander, at least holding the rank of brigadier general, but in the end, Galaraldo¡¯s interference left him as second-in-command with only the rank of colonel. Compared to his formal rank of major general within the Alliance structure, he had fallen two levels. Li Kexi, however, fared much better. Originally a colonel in the Alliance, her rank should have dropped to lieutenant colonel during the Star Realm Army grading, just like other division and brigade commanders. However, Gu Hang, as legion commander, quickly pulled her back up to the rank of colonel within the scope of his authority¨Cas legion commander and brigadier general, he had the power to do so. It was merely a matter of nomination, submission, and waiting for approval. Gu Hang was at Korolya III, with representatives from various investigation groups and the Military Affairs Department present, so the process went quite smoothly. The reason Li Kexi¡¯s rank was pulled up a notch was to officially empower her to consolidate command of the half-strength Rage Bear Legion that had come to Korolya III. As per Galaraldo¡¯s request, the Military Affairs Department had issued orders for the Rage Bear Legion to participate in the war at Korolya III. 77,000 Rage Bear warriors, away from home for half a year, were fighting in this foreign land. She commanded seven division and brigade units, equating to two large regiments in terms of Star Realm Army numbers. The Supreme Commander of the Korolya battle zone, Major General Jeden Hanson, did not take them seriously at first. Over seventy thousand people mattered little in the grand scheme of battles like the fallen Nest Capital Fino City, where millions were involved. He regarded it as a superfluous move, an act of people manipulation by Galaraldo, the Apostle of War. Of course, he was not on good terms with Galaraldo, had no entanglements of interest, and now that the Apostle¡¯s life or death was unknown, he had no need to please a dead man¨Cjust conduct business officially and fairly. The Rage Bear Legion wasn¡¯t his direct unit, so he wouldn¡¯t grant them special treatment. While Gu Hang was their legion commander and had just displayed A-level Spiritual Energy capabilities, making him quite popular in the current special situation on Korolya III, Hanson wouldn¡¯t purposefully sacrifice the Rage Bear Legion. The 77,000 members of the Rage Bear Legion received the standard treatment of the Star Realm Army, taking on some routine military tasks. However, Major General Hanson quickly realized something was amiss. Wasn¡¯t the Rage Bear Legion supposed to have been just a Planetary Defense Force half a year ago? They had only recently transformed into the Star Realm Army. But why were they so fierce? He allocated tasks based on the amount of work a normal two-regiment large unit should assume. Yet, this group managed to complete tasks relatively easily, and under Colonel Li Kexi¡¯s command, they often provided additional aid to nearby friendly forces. Two months prior, during a large-scale Plague Demon uprising, tens of thousands of native soldiers, forming a Defense Forces, were defeated at an under-city exit. Tens of thousands of plague corpses, along with a large number of higher-grade Plague Demons, broke through to the quarantine zone. At least three hundred thousand uninfected individuals were still in that quarantine zone, undergoing identification and evacuation. Hanson did not wish to abandon them, so he assembled two regiment-sized units and contested the area again. However, the number of enemies was unexpectedly immense, seemingly endless. His troops soon found themselves in a tough fight, and the tens of thousands of native troops who later came to support dissolved like water in the desert, quickly evaporating without much effect. The area turned into a quagmire and a meat grinder within a week, with over four hundred thousand human soldiers ensnared, surpassing the number of civilians awaiting rescue in that region. Worse still, when Hanson considered abandoning the area, pulling out the troops, and destroying the entrance to prevent further losses, he was distraught to find that retreat would be incredibly difficult. His numerous troops, locked in a chaotic battle with the Plague Demons, were strung throughout the complex architecture of the entire district. It wasn¡¯t a situation from which one could easily retreat. A mismanaged retreat could turn into a rout, with the safety of four hundred thousand soldiers at stake, including two regiments of Star Realm forces¨Ca considerable force. In the worst-case scenario, the chaos could allow the Demons to strike the next district and trigger a domino collapse across the entire Fino City blockade line. This wasn¡¯t mere speculation, as a large regiment of the Dragonhawk Legion was already suffering. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At that moment, an unexpected force emerged from the skies. It was a Composite Camp from the 35th Brigade of the Rage Bear Legion. The combined assault of tanks and armored vehicles was resolute, and the timing and position they chose were particularly tricky. It was a critical moment when the enemy was about to encircle over thirty thousand Dragonhawk warriors and block the retreat path. If one mentioned tanks and armored vehicles, the Dragonhawk Legion certainly had them. Everyone used the Lion and the Wanderer models; nobody was inherently better than the others. But the difference lay in the fact that their Composite Camp had far tighter infantry-tank coordination than the Dragonhawk Legion. The armored infantry units deploying from the armored vehicles and the motorized infantry units could keep pace with the advancing armor units, securing the breach firmly. This not only prevented the enemy formation from ¡®healing¡¯ their ¡®wound¡¯ but also protected the armored units from being surrounded by overwhelming enemy forces during their assault. Chapter 518 - Chapter 518: Chapter 305: Assessing the Situation_2 Chapter 518: Chapter 305: Assessing the Situation_2 And then, the artillery support platoon would swiftly move into position. In the urban environment of Nest Capital, the power of artillery was greatly diminished. The entirety of Nest Capital, rather than being a vast complex of buildings, could more accurately be described as if the whole city itself were a massive structure. Although there were some open spaces, the presence of various obstacles generally made it impossible for artillery to provide accurate fire support over a distance of twenty kilometers. However, this did not mean that the artillery was useless. Difficult to fire from a distance, but not at close range? Facing the threat of the enemy, with the help of their armored and infantry brethren at the front, they could forcefully construct fire support points to lob fire in an almost direct-fire manner to places within their reach. Their fire coverage, from the usual twenty kilometers in open-field conditions, was reduced to just two kilometers, and even then, they were often blocked from having clear lines of sight. But heavy artillery was still heavy artillery, and it could still devastate any target within its reach! The highly skilled and smooth coordination of the Composite Camp left many officers of the Star Realm Army who witnessed this spectacle dumbfounded. The fluidity of their offensive, like mercury pouring down, not only shattered many of their preconceived notions but also truly preserved the lifeline of the entire division. They did not let their brothers in the Rage Bear Legion fight alone. Soon enough, multiple platoons came to their aid, helping the warriors of the Rage Bear Legion secure this retreat route. Then, the entire division began to retreat in an orderly fashion, as ordered, withdrawing from this hopelessly lost district. Without a doubt, this Composite Camp of the Rage Bear Legion had performed an extraordinary feat. Their arrival not only saved an entire division but also prevented the area from falling into utter ruin. Although it was not a complete reversal of the situation, turning defeat into victory, it could still be considered as saving a building from near collapse. The key point was that this was a combat group of less than a thousand soldiers. The incident caught the attention of Major General Hanson. On one hand, it resolved a major crisis, allowing him to finally get a good night¡¯s sleep. On the other hand, he was astonished at how the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s troops could suddenly appear there and exhibit such formidable fighting strength. The answer to this didn¡¯t require his personal investigation. The multitude of staff under his command provided him with the answers. The large staff team quickly delivered the report to the Major General¡¯s desk. The appearance of a Rage Bear Legion unit on the battlefield wasn¡¯t particularly surprising. They had been sent to a nearby area earlier for a routine clearance mission. They completed their mission successfully, and even finished several days ahead of schedule. While the troops were stationed locally, awaiting the takeover by the Planetary Defense Forces, Colonel Li Kexi noticed the changing situation nearby and sent a camp over to ¡°check things out.¡± And with that inspection, they ¡°resolved¡± the situation. Another matter that deserved Major General Hanson¡¯s careful consideration was this: Why were the Rage Bear Legion troops so formidable with the same equipment and not a large number of soldiers? According to reports from the staff, the first reason was that every soldier in the Rage Bear Legion met the standard requirements of the Star Realm Army. Interestingly enough, although there were certainly many among the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps¡¯s twenty-plus million troops who reached this level, the overall proportion was only about half; and among that half, another half had reached this level only after arriving at the Star Realm Army. This shouldn¡¯t have been the case, but it was the reality stemming from an unavoidable situation. The soldiers of the Star Realm Army mainly come from the troops offered by various planets along with their payment of Imperial Tax, and it was also possible for the Star Realm Army to simply transfer troops from the Planetary Defense Forces into their ranks. But the standard level of the Star Realm Army generally required at least five years of military training under experienced instructors before soldiers could meet the criteria. On many planets, the total service time for conscripts and volunteers wasn¡¯t even that long. Of course, theoretically, none of this should have been a concern for the Star Realm Army. The Military Affairs Department, the Star Realm Army Command, weren¡¯t supposed to handle these issues. If a planet didn¡¯t provide qualified soldiers, it shouldn¡¯t count towards their tax obligations. But political and economic considerations, coupled with corruption factors¡­ There was no remedy. Hanson was only a Major General, after all; he couldn¡¯t change these things. What he could do was ensure that, once soldiers came to his force, at least they could be trained into competent warriors through his efforts. But even that was difficult to achieve. During peacetime, when there were no wars, the budget of the Star Realm Army was insufficient, offering no opportunity to fully let the soldiers practice their military skills. Without enough bullets, there could be no sharpshooters. The situation for artillerymen, tank crews, and the like was the same. But if it were just a difference in the quality of soldiers, it wouldn¡¯t result in such significant concrete outcomes; after all, Dragonhawk¡¯s warriors are not weak. This brings us to the third factor mentioned by the staff officers: tactical concept. The Composite Forces model adopted by the Rage Bear Legion is not exactly a novel idea. The Star Realm Army is full of talented individuals; wouldn¡¯t they have thought of it? Of course, they have. To put it plainly, the advantage of Composite Forces lies in the flexibility of modular, small unit sizes, more officers under the same troop strength, a high concentration of technical equipment, and various troop types coordinating under a single command system. It all sounds good, but each of these advantages comes at a cost. Smaller unit sizes and flattened command structures mean more officers are needed, which costs money. Whether it¡¯s training officers or providing them with higher compensation after they¡¯re trained, the expenses are considerable. A high concentration of technical equipment translates directly to money. Various troop types coordinating requires a significant amount of training, which again means money. The Military Affairs Department and the Star Realm Army, of course, have a lot of money; but they have even more places to spend it on. All these advantages do not outweigh the benefits of maintaining more soldiers with less money under the current large-unit division system. And in a major frontal battle, large formations have their benefits. Composite Forces can only be a small-scale approach to creating elite troops within the entire system of the Star Realm Army. To be honest, Major General Hanson couldn¡¯t understand why Governor Gu Hang would be willing to use such an army to pay the Imperial Tax. It¡¯s just not worth it, too honest¡­ Isn¡¯t the standard practice to randomly pick tens of thousands of warriors trained for a year or two, equip them with suitable light gear, try to establish good relationships, and then just settle it? That way, for a million Tax Currency paid, the actual cost would be only seven hundred thousand. The way you¡¯re doing it now amounts to a cost of one million three hundred thousand to offset a tax of one million. A complete loss. Regardless, this was good news for Hanson. He suddenly discovered that he had seventy thousand elite troops at his disposal. Although there was only one brigade of true armored Composite Camps, the several infantry divisions from Rage Bear were all motorized, and the firepower of weapons like heavy-pounder guns was distributed down to the company level, with squad weaponry also packing more punch than the same number of Star Realm Army forces. In any case, they were stronger than his own forces. In a mix of emotions, he didn¡¯t hesitate to start assigning this army from Rage Owl Star to more important tasks more frequently. This was different from using them as cannon fodder. Supplies and logistics were given the highest priority; when acting as the tip of the spear, they also needed a hilt, so support and coordinating units behind them were also plentiful in numbers. In fact, during joint attacks, he would generously hand over command to Colonel Li Kexi instead of senior officers from the Dragonhawk Legion. In addition, when it came to winning battles, he was anything but stingy with rewards. From combat allowances for warriors and officers to reporting achievements of entire units to the Military Affairs Department, he was meticulous. When Gu Hang came to Fino City and met Li Kexi, Major General Hanson, who had also heard the news, hurried over for a meeting. He sincerely thanked Gu Hang and also expressed some apologies. After all, no matter how well he ensured the logistics or reported their accomplishments, the increased casualties from taking on more significant military duties were unavoidable. Gu Hang expressed his understanding in return. Although he was distressed by the casualties among his own soldiers, the combat actions of the Rage Bear warriors in this theater were indeed bringing real benefits and advantages. After all, when the Star Realm Army fights, they¡¯re not just going through the motions. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have hinted to Li Kexi that it was okay to perform normally in battle. Otherwise, even if they were just going through the motions, the command level of the Dragonhawk Legion wouldn¡¯t notice. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.2k Supplement for yesterday There will be another chapter late into the night, but it will be very late¡­ Chapter 519 - Chapter 519: Chapter 306: The Benefits of Fighting for the Empire Chapter 519: Chapter 306: The Benefits of Fighting for the Empire What are the benefits of fighting for the Empire as part of the Star Realm Army? For the Rage Owl Star Alliance Government, there are no direct benefits. But for Gu Hang, that may not be the case. He originally did not wish to personally take on the role of legion commander of the Rage Bear Legion, preferring to have Yan Fangxu do it while he stayed behind the scenes, which was a better option. However, now that he had assumed this position, he resolved to accept it and sought to make the most of the situation by looking for any potential value and opportunities that he could exploit. And there were indeed such opportunities. First was prestige, an indirect commodity, but a valuable one. He wasn¡¯t a lone wolf. As a politician and leader of a faction, silently accumulating wealth and slowly developing was not the only strategy. Certainly, aspects like technological advancement and the development of the planet¡¯s industrial capacity did not need to be publicized; they were akin to inner cultivation. But now, as Rage Owl Star gradually moved towards the Star Sea and engaged in interstellar exchanges, the importance of ¡®prestige,¡¯ an intangible asset, should not be underestimated. For instance, Gu Hang¡¯s demonstration of A-level Spiritual Energy user capabilities was an enhancement of his personal prestige. And this kind of thing, prestige, could be monetized, albeit with certain methods and abilities. He was already capitalizing on it. The forthcoming establishment of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association branch on Rage Owl Star was one such way to cash in. This branch would receive funding from the headquarters of the Tianma Cultivators Association; it could access precious materials for training Spiritual Energy users; Gu Hang would have an official excuse to train Spiritual Energy users and could issue legal licenses to them. All these were crucial. The funding amount didn¡¯t matter¨Cany money is good money¨Cand the most important thing was the issuing of legal licenses. Without a license, Spiritual Energy users trained on Rage Owl Star would be fine operating on their home planet. But as Rage Owl Star stabilized and society became relatively stable, it was bound to take to the interstellar stage. Then, given the Empire¡¯s controlling policy towards Spiritual Energy users, lacking legal identity could easily lead to issues outside of their home star. From now on, this would no longer be a concern. Moreover, apart from matters related to Spiritual Energy, Gu Hang¡¯s recent surge in fame brought another significant benefit. Through the Gu Commercial Firm, he found many investors and signed several investment contracts. The planet¡¯s industrial capacity did not require foreign investment. The Alliance¡¯s economic system focused more on planned economics, with money and market functions playing a supporting role, so attracting a large influx of foreign investors for development wasn¡¯t necessary. However, trade was indispensable. The Alliance had ample production capacity, and a significant portion of that capacity had no outlet for consumption. Even if all output went towards paying taxes, the excess Tax Currency couldn¡¯t just sit idle; there had to be trade and order fulfillment to translate the extra capability into income. And although the Alliance could be self-sustaining with its rich production capacity, it still required input from outside sources. As production expanded, the demand for raw materials would inevitably increase. Mining, logging, farming¡­ these activities would, of course, be developed on Rage Owl Star, but it was prudent to plan ahead. Establishing a trade route for resource input was also advantageous. With the backing of the Gu Commercial Firm, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t worried about lacking channels for interstellar trade. But there was a huge problem: what about the Starport? Rage Owl Star did have a starport, but it was too small. Accommodating several hundred thousand members of the mobile Star Realm Army required several days. In the context of large-scale interstellar trade, it was utterly insufficient for exchanges involving tens of millions, even billions of Tax Currency worth of goods¨C the starport simply didn¡¯t have the capacity. And currently, the largest vessel that could dock at Rage Owl Star¡¯s starport was at the Escort Ship level. The ¡®Giant Belly¡¯ Transport Ship, a popular choice for interstellar trade, couldn¡¯t dock there at all. Gu Hang had a complete set of blueprints for constructing a large starport and faced no technological bottlenecks. Below the starport in Skaaro City, which had a population of 500,000 residents, the area had transformed from a barren land into the largest city in Xiongya Province in less than a year. Almost all of these half a million people had come to construct the starport; even if they weren¡¯t directly involved in construction, they were at least transporting materials, supporting personnel and logistics, managing the ground operations, or working in medical care and law enforcement¡­ Of course, the core focus out of this plethora of associated jobs was still the construction of the starport. However, despite the large workforce dedicated to the task, the construction progress of the starport was painfully slow. When Gu Hang spoke about this with his mother, she stared at him with disbelief for quite a while. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°What do you think a starport is? You¡¯ve only started building for less than a year! Those massive starports you¡¯ve seen on other planets, didn¡¯t all of them take decades, even a century of use and expansion, to slowly become what they are now? Don¡¯t expect to get rich overnight!¡± But Gu Hang did want to get rich overnight. So what was the solution to accelerate construction? Seeking external investment. The current construction method of the Alliance involved firing orbital spacecraft in fits and starts, carrying only a small portion of parts produced on the ground, or one or two construction machines, into space at a time. Then workers, encumbered by space suits that greatly hindered their movements, had to perform space operations. Chapter 520 - Chapter 520: Chapter 306: The Benefits of Fighting for the Empire_2 Chapter 520: Chapter 306: The Benefits of Fighting for the Empire_2 ¡°` Gu Hang now has a full set of blueprints and technology, but many of the construction methods simply weren¡¯t feasible to realize. However, with external investment, things would be much easier. He could hire large engineering vessels to do the job, which would be far more reliable than engineering machines; he could directly purchase mass-produced, super-large components, transport them here, and have the engineering vessels equip them¡­ In short, if he had enough money, Gu Hang estimated that he could expand the Rage Owl Star Port to several hundred times its current size within one to two years. Saving up such a large sum of money on his own, through deception and trickery, or even with the support of the Gu Commercial Firm, was no longer sufficient. It was necessary to bring in strong investors. After Miss Wang Qi learned about her son¡¯s ambition, she actively started pulling strings and found some initially interested parties. In the past, this investment project would probably have attracted no interest. But now, Gu Hang had demonstrated a certain capability, the Rage Bear Legion had made a name for itself, and people began to slowly believe that investing in Rage Owl, a previously desolate planet, could be profitable. Of course, these investors were still very cautious, willing to invest only tens of thousands, or at most hundreds of thousands, of Tax Currency. This amount was hardly sufficient for Gu Hang¡¯s grand plans. Still, he was not one to turn away any comers. Setting an early example was essential. Even scammers know to give a taste of sweetness first, and Gu Hang intended to let those willing to invest in building the starport make money from it. As for later¡­ with the starport built in Rage Owl¡¯s orbit, and Gu Hang armed with guns and cannons, no need to say more. However, at the moment, Gu Hang¡¯s main reputation was still focused on his identity as an A-level Spiritual Energy user and the young Family Head of the Gu family. This type of reputation didn¡¯t have as much pull in attracting investors. If the Rage Bear Legion could put on a stellar performance on the battlefield of Korolya III, that would undoubtedly be a bonus. Everyone knew that both the troops and equipment of the Rage Bear Legion came from Rage Owl itself. The combat effectiveness of an army could illustrate the comprehensive strength of a planet from all aspects, making it a massive billboard. The value of reputation lay right there. ¡­ Beyond the value of reputation, if the Rage Bear Legion could achieve even better results here, they would reap other direct benefits. Politically, it would help to strengthen relations with surrounding political powers. Helping the Empire World beat the Plague Demons was undoubtedly doing the right thing. The achievements of the Rage Bear Legion would ultimately be attributed to Gu Hang. As the legion commander and a provisional general, if his merits were great enough later on, would the Star Domain Military Headquarters not consider promoting his military rank and improving his benefits? Of course, this would be very important for those who are fully integrated into the Star Realm Army system, but for Gu Hang, the cost-effectiveness was not very high. Even if his military rank were to soar and his duties increase, he could not abandon his base and merge into the Star Realm Army¡¯s circle. But just as his entry into the Imperial Psychic Association, and becoming a senior figure within the Dragonhawk Star Domain Association, brought him a series of benefits in that system, so too would rising to a higher status in the Star Realm Army through the growth and strength of the Rage Bear Legion bring direct benefits. For example, the Rage Bear Legion might be granted expansion ¡ª not from Rage Owl itself, but the Military Affairs Department directly enlarging the army, providing troops and equipment. All Star Realm Army Corps operate in this manner. At that time, Gu Hang would essentially gain an army for nothing. The expenses for maintaining the army could be claimed back from the Military Affairs Department. And to speak of even more direct benefits, there were others. Wars produce spoils. The Rage Bear Legion strictly followed the Alliance Army¡¯s customs, disallowing looting and requiring unconditional surrender of all unclaimed spoils gathered after battle. In the Alliance, these surrendered items would eventually enter the national treasury, soldiers would receive combat allowances, rank advancements due to valor, and the dead and injured would receive generous compensation¡­ But on the battlefield of Korolya, there was no such rule. The highest level for surrender was at the corps level. The Demons killed by the troops in battle had value, and the corresponding logistics would deal with the biological materials from the bodies remaining after the Demons¡¯ spirits were expelled. The logistics took a portion of the fees, and the rest went to the corps. Moreover, when certain areas were recovered, and many of the local population were dead, the property left behind by the residents also became the possession of the corps. ¡°` Li Kexi was somewhat at a loss; he had never dealt with this sort of thing before! He had previously thought it necessary to hand over the funds to the Military Affairs Department and even consulted with the Dragonhawk Legion about it, only to find out it wasn¡¯t necessary. Later, following an inquiry to Gu Hang, the legion commander decided, the money would be taken as property of the legion and lent in full to the Alliance Government. And the Alliance Government would establish a ¡°Legion Foundation,¡± dedicated to consolations, extra allowances for the Rage Bear Legion warriors, ammunition replenishment, logistics maintenance, and the like. Of course, it could also be used for other purposes, but the foundation had to pay interest, whatever the case. It was essentially a case of money changing hands from the left pocket to the right. However, extra allowances and additional consolations did greatly help with the morale of the Rage Bear Legion. The Alliance Army never had to worry about morale. On the one hand, soldiers trained systematically possessed an inherently high level of organization. They were resolute, disciplined, and spirited. On the other hand, the Alliance Army was a force with a belief system; previously mainly engaged in combat on the planet of Rage Owl Star, political officers always emphasized to the soldiers that their fight was for the future of the entire planet, for the happiness of all humanity. However, in extraterrestrial combat, this belief was somewhat challenged. Despite that, the political officers could offer another set of ideologies: First was the loyalty to Mr. Gu, which was unquestionable and recognized by all the warriors. Second was transforming the ¡°for our world¡± message into ¡°for all of humanity.¡± However, this message wasn¡¯t quite as effective. The former had already been grand enough, and many had come to accept this belief after experiencing firsthand the massive changes to themselves, their families, friends, and the entire planet. But the latter was even grander and more abstract. What was more terrifying was the lack of visible change. They had fought for half a year, but to be honest, had the situation in Fino City improved at all? It had not; in fact, it was getting worse. The soldiers were willing to accept that they were fighting for humanity, but their acceptance was low, and the situation, without any outcomes or changes, inevitably caused some distress. At such times, better allowances and improved conditions served as a material financial reward and played a role in compensation. Gu Hang also clarified in his meeting with Li Kexi that they would fight for at most another half year; he would dispatch another half of the Rage Bear Legion from Rage Owl Star for rotation, letting the warriors who had fought for a long time have a chance to return home for rest, reunite with their families, and enjoy life a bit. ¡­ All the benefits and interests obtained by the Rage Bear Legion there, whether direct or indirect, whether in terms of prestige, politics, or economics, all depended on the efforts and command of Li Kexi and his soldiers in battle. They were earned with the blood of the warriors. After half a year of fighting, all seven divisions were under strength. A total of more than thirteen thousand warriors had been killed or injured, with over eight thousand dead, and more than five thousand severely injured and confirmed to be unable to return to the unit. Gu Hang visited the battlefield hospital to console the injured. He promised to bring back the casualties and the remains of the fallen to their hometowns. They would receive grand funerals and generous consolations. Gu Hang did as he promised. The remains of more than five thousand soldiers who had been withdrawn from the combat sequence, along with the bodies that could be recovered, were transported through the Star Realm Army¡¯s logistical system to the Starport on Korolya and placed aboard the armed merchant ship of the Gu Commercial Firm, which was also carrying Gu Hang as he departed. Besides, there were others joining them on their journey. A survey team, composed of around twenty people, mainly from the Star Domain survey team, with three observers from the Space Domain Government¡¯s survey group. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only There was also a team of investors. Many tycoons, involved in the Galaraldo disappearance case and unable to leave Korolya, managed to send some investment consultants and trusted subordinates to inspect the value of Mr. Gu¡¯s planet alongside him. In addition, the largest group, consisting of 210,000 refugees set to be ¡°evacuated¡± to Rage Owl Star, were loaded onto an accompanying transport ship. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.2k Ah, dawn is breaking Chapter 521 - Chapter 521: Chapter 307, Unifying the World, Forging Ahead (End of This Volume) Chapter 521: Chapter 307, Unifying the World, Forging Ahead (End of This Volume) The 210,000 refugees crammed into the transport ships were Gu Hang¡¯s ¡®spoils of war¡¯ on the political battlefield, all destined to be relocated to live on Rage Owl Star. This was a legitimate value. Five Tax Currency per person was the pricing set by the Empire. Taken to Rage Owl Star, even if they did absolutely nothing but set up refugee camps to sustain these people, after two years, once the Imperial Tax was paid, it could offset a million in Tax Currency. But how did these people come about? Firstly, it was the Tianma Star Sector¡¯s various planets¡­ ¡®looting¡¯ Korolya. Before Galaraldo disappeared, Korolya¡¯s situation was already deteriorating. Many of the learned in the Star Sector could tell that, under the call of the Star Sector Government, the governors of each planet, some other forces within the planets, and even the wealthy were all ¡°generously digging into their pockets,¡± providing some manageable relief for Korolya III. It was mainly in the form of various supplies. Similarly, many forces that provided supplies also ¡®generously¡¯ expressed that they could accept refugees from Korolya III who had become homeless due to turmoil and had nowhere else to be placed. That was surely extortion. The majority of the forces ¡®generously¡¯ donated supplies to support Korolya III that were not even worth as much as the population they plundered from Korolya III. But the Korolya III Planetary Government had no choice but to accept. They desperately needed those supplies, or else military operations would lack provisions, and the civilians¡¯ lives would be affected. Moreover, those homeless refugees, who had emerged due to outbreaks of the Plague Demon, truly existed. It was more manageable elsewhere, but Fino City, having fallen by more than half, was facing the gravest issue. There were originally a billion people there, half of them in occupied zones. Their fate, only death, transformation into plague walkers, or infection, these were the three outcomes. But in the non-occupied zones, there were still hundreds of millions of people. They should, of course, be evacuated from areas that could become battlegrounds at any time, but¡­ That was hundreds of millions of people, and moving them to other Nest Capitals was extremely difficult. All along, Korolya III had always been in a state of having too many people and not enough resources. Trying to evacuate so many people, finding places that could take this many people, that was very hard. They could only establish refugee camps and quarantine zones in some of the slightly more upper-level areas of Fino City. All zones were managed by classification, divided into high-risk, medium-risk, low-risk, and no-risk infection zones, with strict barriers between each zone. All areas were placed under military management, with civilians not allowed to leave their homes¨Cnot even if they faced starvation. After reporting, those without typical infection symptoms within seven days could be moved to a lower-risk zone, all the way down to the no-risk zones. But in reality, no-risk zones only meant a very low risk of infection; it was not necessarily safe. The problem of scarcity of supplies always plagued the quarantine zones in Fino City¡¯s refugee camps. Additionally, regardless of the risk level of the area, there was always the danger of the Plague Demon breaking through the military defenses and directly taking over, there was also the risk of a sudden large-scale outbreak of the epidemic. Therefore, under such circumstances, the most beneficial course of action for the Korolya Planetary Government really was to sell people to other planets and powers. Not selling them meant they would find it tough to provide for and could be doomed at any moment. But they had to sell at a reasonable price, right? When all was calculated, other forces generally exchanged supplies worth about 0.2 to 0.5 Tax Currency to take away a population worth 5 Tax Currency per person. Was this not robbery? Of course, with Korolya as the Nest Capital planet that held four hundred billion inhabitants, amounting to 62.2% of the entire Tianma Star Sector¡¯s population, its government was one of the most powerful Planetary Governments. Moreover, Governor Akuna was a staunch supporter of the Tianma leader, Pei Desi, belonging to the same faction. They certainly would not accept being robbed so easily. But¡­ who could blame Akuna and Pei Desi, two core figures whose own hands were not very clean? Now, with the disappearance of Galaraldo causing much trouble, their political influence, which was once great, would be lucky to retain even two or three tenths of its former strength. There was quite a lot of political struggle and compromise involved. And the outcome that was ultimately negotiated was that each power could obtain a certain quota of ¡®migration¡¯ population for free based on their support for Korolya III; exceeding this quota would require purchasing with Tax Currency. The purchase price was determined using a tiered mechanism, ranging from 1 to 4 Tax Currency per person. There were discounts offered but at the same time, it restricted those powers from plundering Korolya III too excessively. Gu Hang was involved in the negotiation process for this matter. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Therein, he naturally stood from his own perspective, on behalf of Rage Owl Star, trying to gain as much advantage as possible. But outside of this matter, Gu Hang sometimes detached himself emotionally and reflected on the situation. During Korolya III¡¯s major disasters, when countless citizens of the Empire were afflicted, the ideal of all parties working together to face a natural disaster existed only on the surface. Behind closed doors, this had turned into a feast of dividing interests and feasting on the division of Korolya III. Various bigshots engaged in backstabbing and verbal combat, greedily feeding off the ravages of a disaster. Gu Hang could not stand on the moral high ground to criticize these events, as he was one of those partaking in the feast. But was there anything ¡®good¡¯ from start to finish in this matter? Chapter 522 - Chapter 522: Chapter 307, Unifying the World, Forging Ahead (End of This Volume)_2 Chapter 522: Chapter 307, Unifying the World, Forging Ahead (End of This Volume)_2 The various forces that were dividing up the population benefits of Korolya III were certainly acting with the intention of looting amidst chaos, The Planetary Government of Korolya III was no cleaner; the population had become their bargaining chip for obtaining benefits. They did not think about how to preserve more human lives but were instead willing to place refugees in camps with enormous risks, where they could face death at any moment, rather than allow them to live in better places. Only those people who were facing risks, who were inadequately clothed and underfed, who had lost their homes, were truly struggling the most. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t change the entire environment, but what he could do was to ensure that those who were ¡®relocated¡¯ to Rage Owl Star could start living a life befitting a ¡®human¡¯ again. All the people on the ship came from risk-free areas and had gone through the quarantine process. Gu Hang also did not want to bring aboard people with contagious diseases; otherwise, there was a good chance that everyone on the ship would die before even reaching Rage Owl Star, and they might even bring the plague there. Of the two hundred and ten thousand people, half came from the ¡®free¡¯ population provided to Korolya III by Rage Owl Star ¨C this was the free population quota that Gu Hang obtained after getting involved in political activities on the side while participating in the investigation team¡¯s work. The other one hundred and ten thousand people came from the Rage Bear Legion. They were directly involved in front-line combat, with several refugee camps within their defense areas. Li Kexi and the commanders of the local Korolya forces, in collusion, sold off this batch of people. After all, if the Korolya government could sell the people without sharing the money with the military, why couldn¡¯t the native military forces sell them on their own? The price was very cheap; the Korolya government¡¯s lowest price was 1 Tax Currency per person, but these native military forces were willing to sell for 0.6 Tax Currency. Moreover, with the authority Li Kexi had over them, and after applying both soft and hard tactics, the price was directly pushed down to 0.2 Tax Currency per person. For these one hundred and ten thousand people, Gu Hang spent just over twenty thousand Tax Currency, what¡¯s the difference from getting them for free? ¡­ After drifting in the Star Sea for seven days, the group finally arrived at Rage Owl Star. A war merchant ship belonging to the Gu Commercial Firm, a transport ship, docked at the small port on Rage Owl Star. Two hundred and ten thousand people disembarked, heading to the ground; some materials were loaded onto the ships, ready to be transported to Korolya, making the entire port start bustling with activity. But of course, Gu Hang didn¡¯t have to squeeze in there. He left the starport ahead of everyone else, taking the investigative team and the representatives of the investors, heading to the ground. Lady Ossina, the Alliance Premier, Major General Tadeusz, the Chief Political Commissar of the Entire Army, and Lambert Hodgson, the Grand Justice, the three figures who could be considered the top leaders of the Alliance Government, all came out to personally welcome their governor¡¯s return. After a brief reception banquet, the group boarded several Wind Falcons heading for Revival City. Lady Ossina, who had already received the news, would dispatch a team from the Alliance Foreign Affairs Department and the Commercial Department to interface with the representatives of the investors. They would be taken to see the industrial center of Weixing City on Rage Owl Star, then to visit the vast planting fields in the Southern Green Valley Region, and then return to Skaaro City to look at the construction situation of the starport. Surely, after viewing all this, they would provide a reasonable report to their masters about whether Rage Owl Star was worth investing in. As for the members of the investigative group, things were slightly more troublesome. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t afford to neglect them too much, so he simply took people on a trip to the Green Valley Region first. This was also quite reasonable. They had come to investigate the status of the Plague Demon; with the investigation on Korolya III completely deadlocked, they were looking to see if they could find some other clues on Rage Owl Star. The Green Valley Region, after all, was the starting point of that magical disaster a year and a half ago, so an investigation there was entirely sensible. However, after they went to the Green Valley Region, how they would investigate was their own business. The Alliance Government supported their work wholeheartedly, arranging for country villas with plenty of pure natural food, chefs, and servants. They would be able to enjoy the pastoral sceneries not easily seen in the Nest Capital or those civilized planets. There was no shortage of fine food and wine, and if they got bored, they could even go to the southern edge of the Beiqing Valley Region to hunt some Aberrant Beasts for sport¡­ no, investigative activities. Isn¡¯t this much more comfortable than squatting and waiting for the Sun Lord¡¯s investigation team to arrive in that treacherous place on Korolya No. 3? After settling in this batch of investigators, Gu Hang hurried back to Revival City. Faced with the arrival of those 210,000 refugees and the investors¡¯ team busying around, Osenia hastily put down her work to meet the governor and deliver a work report. The development of Rage Owl Star was of paramount importance, but Gu Hang did not need to hear much. In the past, they had generally maintained a communication frequency of at least once, and sometimes three times, per week. Although he was not on Rage Owl Star, he was well-informed about the development of the Alliance. Some particular key points could be discussed separately. For example, Weixing City, as the industrial center, had seen its population grow to five million, having doubled versus just over a year ago. This was mainly due to people syphoned from other regions. Weixing City¡¯s annual industrial output value had reached 11 million in tax currency, with per capita output exceeding 2, which was double the empire¡¯s standard for annual per capita output. The concept of 1 tax currency was originally set by the Central Empire Government as the ¡®standard case of total annual output value of an empire citizen¡¯. Of course, this was just Weixing City surpassing a per capita output value of 2, while other areas were far from it. Revival City, with 1.2 million people, only surpassed 1; the Beiqing Valley Region, due to vast land resources and exceptionally high per capita planting area, was able to reach 1.9 in tax currency; elsewhere, all fell short of 1. Another matter, and also a key point in Osenia¡¯s report, was the situation after the entire West Desert Region, along with the Western Desert, had been reclaimed. After the elimination of Blackbird Heavy Industries, which occupied the western continent, the Alliance no longer had any enemies on Rage Owl Star. Rage Owl Star, with oceans comprising the majority of its area, had a very good natural environment before the war, with high living standards for its inhabitants, and could be considered a combination of a Garden World and a high-grade resource planet. The entire planet¡¯s land area was only about 36%. The main part of the Alliance was located on the main continent, which was approximately 22% of the total area of the planet. There were two other continents, with areas of 9% and 5% of the planet¡¯s total area, respectively. However, while the main continent was battered, it still had lush regions like the Green Valley; other lands with poor natural environments could still support inhabitants as long as the Low Energy Storms were avoided. Even the most hostile West Desert, with its sprinkling of oases and underground water systems, could supply the necessary water for the underground planting factories, sustaining a large population and even having the capacity to export food. On the other two continents, they were almost entirely unsuitable for human life. They were originally the primary sites for the extraction of Spiritualized Gas Fields on Rage Owl Star, and now those two continents, along with the surrounding seas, were enshrouded in unceasing Low Energy Storms. According to past intelligence, there truly seemed to be no signs of life activity on those two continents. From this perspective, the Alliance could be considered to have definitively unified the entire world. Unified the whole world! Became a ruler of a planet in every sense of the word! Although this had been Gu Hang¡¯s goal since he arrived in this world two and a half years ago, and he never doubted he would achieve it, when everything became a reality, he could not help but feel somewhat emotional. Before crossing over, as just an ordinary person, how could he have ever imagined that he would see such a day? However, Gu Hang did not feel very excited. Had it not been for the series of events triggered by Galaraldo, and the journey to Korolya, Gu Hang might have been more excited. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But now, as the vast Star Sea was no longer just a background in his memory but had genuinely become the stage he was about to step onto, he realized how minuscule both he and the power of a single planet were in this context. There is no choice but to forge ahead. ¡ª¡ª¨C End of this volume New volume starts tomorrow! Chapter 523 - Chapter 523: Chapter 308, Administration Chapter 523: Chapter 308, Administration The recovered western part of the continent was divided into three provinces, namely Baojun Province, Gushu Province, and Peninsula Province. The names were actually chosen quite arbitrarily. Baojun is the area where Blackbird City is located, named after the pre-war era city ruins that used to bear this name; ¡®Gushu¡¯ is the northeastern part of the mainland, which has a very large ancient tree that surprises people, so they simply called it that; Peninsula is the southwestern part, which features a protruding peninsula. Altogether, the three provinces have a population of over thirteen million people. In fact, according to past records, it should be close to twenty million. However, for one thing, the past statistics might have been problematic, and for another, under the rule of Blackbird Heavy Industries, a large number of people were transformed into semi-mechanical beings without consciousness, or they died during past surgeries, in labor, or in the wars against the Alliance. As for now, only eleven million remain. The other two million were, during the war, conveniently relocated to the heartland of the Alliance by the returning supply convoys. These displaced populations primarily supplemented two locations¨CWeixing City and Beiqing Valley Province. These are also the two areas with the greatest demand for labor. As an industrial center, Weixing City naturally needs no further explanation. The explosive development of its industries craves labor like a black hole. Beiqing Valley is not much better off. The region has a very high per capita output, but this output comes from massive per capita cultivated areas and strenuous labor. Even though Beiqing Valley has almost achieved complete mechanization and industrialization of agricultural production, the average agricultural worker still has too many fields to tend to, leading to excessively long working hours. Of course, agricultural workers in the Green Valley Region are fully motivated to do so. Their efforts, under the Alliance¡¯s system, are rewarded. Based on their total work hours and output over the past year, almost everyone who worked normally received a promotion in their personal job grade by the end of the year, with going from E5 to E6 being a common occurrence, and even 30% of the people going directly to E7. Moving from E5 to E6 means a 50% increase in basic benefits and allowances; reaching E7 is equivalent to doubling them. Originally, the benefits and allowances at the E5 level already far surpassed the living standards they had as ¡®serfs¡¯ on plantations, where they lived almost like people. With a further increase of half or even double, the improvement in their quality of life was significant. This was the reward for their hard work, but Mr. Gu did not intend to let them maintain a working day of 14 hours, or even more, forever. The one million people arriving from the western three provinces would be able to alleviate some of the pressure. As for opening up more land, it still required a larger population. Currently, under the rule of the unified Alliance, there are over forty-four million people, with an annual total output value reaching fifty-two million Tax Currency. The per capita output has just exceeded one, but only just. The main reason for this was the uneven development of production forces across Rage Owl Star. Beiqing Valley and Weixing City are quite high, but other regions have not yet passed one. According to the standards of the Imperial Tax, handing over a tenth as tax presents not only no pressure, but is also more than sufficient. At present, the per capita consumption level under the Alliance¡¯s rule is roughly 0.6 Tax Currency/person/year, which objectively speaking, is not a particularly high standard of living, roughly adequate for subsistence, a little short of modest comfort. But the citizens¡¯ satisfaction is very high. Although not wealthy, it¡¯s much stronger than struggling at the brink of survival as before. Happiness is relative. The current scale of consumption across Rage Owl Star is about twenty-seven million Tax Currency, theoretically leaving a ¡®surplus value¡¯ of twenty-five million. And the administrative efficiency of the Alliance is very high, able to collect fifteen million of this surplus value into the Alliance finances. This is quite rare, and the contrast is telling. Korolya III has a population of forty billion, with an annual output of at least twenty-eight billion, a per capita consumption of 0.3, leaving a surplus value of sixteen billion in Tax Currency. In theory, collecting four billion in Imperial Tax every year should be relatively easy. But the Korolya government simply cannot do it. At most, they manage to collect just over twenty billion each year, and the rest has to come from handing over populations. This is where the difference in administrative efficiency lies. The Alliance excels in this regard, mainly thanks to two factors. Firstly, it¡¯s a matter of the system. Under an economy that is mainly planned on an overarching scale, the rent-seeking class between the government and producers has been greatly eliminated. Factory owners, plantation owners, entrepreneurs¡­ In essence, all of them are employees of the Alliance Government. The means of production do not belong to these managers but to the Alliance. Their work enthusiasm is supplemented by rank promotions and extra allowances. There is no ¡®collection¡¯ phase here; all output belongs to the government and is subject to government allocation. But if that was all there was to it, it wouldn¡¯t be enough. The number of administrative personnel in the Alliance is not high, but their efficiency is, thanks to persistent anti-corruption, anti-dereliction efforts, and incentive policies for administrative personnel, the whole society is currently operating in a highly efficient and clear political environment. Even so, a large amount of output has ¡°disappeared.¡± Ten million in Tax Currency has neither entered the standard consumer spending nor the Alliance¡¯s finances. There are many reasons for this, with the service industry being the main one, as its output is not counted in the Alliance¡¯s statistics. Following that, there are administrative costs, waste, spontaneous investments¡­ But no matter what, the current situation of the Alliance is more than capable of dealing with the Imperial Tax. As long as they reserve one-third of the fiscal budget each year and slow down investment growth, the entire Alliance can enter into a normal cycle within the Empire World. But Gu Hang has no intention of doing so. Under his direction, the Alliance¡¯s fiscal budget remains maxed out, even running at a deficit in many areas. Mainly, it¡¯s about reinvesting into production. Under the Alliance¡¯s system, although there is a certain level of private investment, which the government encourages, overall development still relies on large-scale, government-led investment. If they really slowed down, the Imperial Tax would take a big chunk, and military expenses another, leaving not enough for investments, and Gu Hang is unwilling to slow the pace of development. On the one hand, the industrial centers must continue to be built; on the other hand, the economic levels of other regions within the Alliance need to rise. Of course, another important factor restraining the development of the entire planet is the population. Such a vast planet, with just over forty million people, is still too few. Reliance on natural population growth is too slow. Despite many policies encouraging childbirth for the future, as for the present, immigration remains the most important avenue. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The two largest channels of immigration are Heijian Star and Korolya III. According to Gu Hang¡¯s plan, in the next two years, they aim to continuously bring in at least ten million people from the outside. This is a huge challenge for the Alliance Government. Never mind how Mr. Gu will achieve this by then, government officials must be prepared to undertake the task of accommodating so many people. How to arrange it economically, how to clarify identities politically, how to resolve cultural disputes¡­ The difficulties are numerous, and as the Alliance Premier, Osenia can only take a deep breath, then go ahead and make plans with determination. Chapter 524 - Chapter 524: Chapter 309, The Governors Speech Chapter 524: Chapter 309, The Governor¡¯s Speech ¡°To all residents of Rage Owl Star:¡± ¡°I am your Governor, Gu Hang.¡± ¡°Two and a half years ago, when I came to this world, I promised the entire planet that I would save this world.¡± ¡°I promised that I would establish a unified government, that I would unite all the people of this planet and bring security to the entire world; I promised that I would rescue everyone from hunger and panic, that I would enable everyone to enjoy a normal life.¡± ¡°Thus, the New Alliance Government replaced the Old Alliance and established the Alliance Army. The Rage Owl Star People¡¯s own army fought on all fronts, unifying the entire planet. All the people of Rage Owl Star were once again united without any barriers, fighting for a common goal, no longer divided by power, ethnicity, or tribal interests.¡± ¡°The vast majority of you have never heard that declaration. But that does not matter, for I, and the Alliance I have built, have over the past two and a half years, step by step, turned these ¡®promises¡¯ into reality, into something that is right before everyone¡¯s eyes.¡± ¡­ Listenting to the words coming from the radio, a tavern in Silver Sand City, the capital of the Peninsula Provincial Capital, was filled with cheers and jubilation. These people were all soldiers of the Alliance. After the hostilities on the Western Front ended, the main force had withdrawn to the east, but not without leaving some behind in the west. The fighting had just ceased, and local governance had been transferred to the newly established local governments, ending military control. Nevertheless, it still required the continued presence of the Army brothers to suppress the area. However, the situation in the three western provinces was somewhat better compared to the eastern provinces at the time of their initial recovery. With Blackbird Heavy Industries finished, this place was a blank slate. When the Alliance liberated vast tracts of land and cleared them of Blackbird Heavy Industries, rebuilding order was not a difficult task. As a result, the Alliance soldiers stationed in the west were generally in a stable frame of mind. They hardly encountered any serious incidents, and the troops were even able to allow soldiers to leave their posts and go to the city for a break. The city was also relatively welcoming to the arrival of the Alliance soldiers. The discipline of the Alliance soldiers was very strict. When they came out to shop, drink, and dine, they paid what they owed. The stipends in the hands of the soldiers were worth solid Alliance currency and quite reliable. Although the residents of Silver Sand City, who had just become Union Citizens, also had their ranks set, most were only at the E5 level and did not receive much stipend; they were certainly happy to earn a bit more. The military command had already notified that today there would be a speech by the Governor. Those on duty naturally listened to the radio at the military base. But for those who were on leave and having fun in the city, they had to find a place to listen. No one wanted to miss it. They found a tavern and, after calling friends together, more than half the tavern was filled with off-duty Alliance soldiers, a total of sixty or seventy at least. At their request, the tavern owner changed from playing music to the news channel. To be honest, the proprietor was not too keen on it. As the Governor began his speech, boasting about how ¡®I have turned promises into reality,¡¯ he just glanced at the soldiers cheering wildly. He didn¡¯t dare to speak loudly but muttered under his breath: ¡°Those high and mighty lords spout nonsense, and you, a bunch of cannon fodder sold out, have been brainwashed into fools, cheering for what?¡± Although he spoke very quietly, he was still overheard by a soldier standing nearby. The man turned around, glaring fiercely at him: ¡°Old man, what did you say?¡± The tavern owner was startled, stammering but afraid to speak again. Getting beaten up was one thing, but what he feared most was his place getting smashed by this troop of soldiers. Seeing the owner refusing to speak, the soldier became even more irritated: ¡°We followed the Governor¡¯s leadership and rescued you from those steel beasts. And you, you talk like this behind our backs? Huh?¡± He stood up bristling with the smell of alcohol, closing in on the owner. Frightened, the owner drew back, feeling doomed, as he knew a beating was inevitable. At that moment, another tall figure stepped in front of that soldier. It was a bald strong man with several scars on his face, but his expression was unexpectedly calm. He first advised his comrade, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t get angry, don¡¯t get angry¡­¡± ¡°This guy¡¯s mouth is asking for a beating! Dimitriou, your old unit was completely wiped out, and now you¡¯re getting talked to like this. Don¡¯t you want to teach them a lesson? If you won¡¯t, I will! I¡¯ll take responsibility for any disciplinary issues!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a disciplinary issue, it¡¯s about not tarnishing the Governor¡¯s reputation,¡± Dimitriou said. ¡°Hmph!¡± The man was clearly still angry, but after hearing these words, he miraculously held back his temper. After calming the person down, Dimitriou turned around, faced the bar owner, and said earnestly, ¡°Mr. Owner, I hope you apologize for your remarks just now.¡± The owner was about to apologize immediately, showing a very quick submission. But before he could speak, Dimitriou stopped him. ¡°No need now. I don¡¯t want your apology to be out of fear, out of terror. First, listen. After listening to the Governor¡¯s speech, then you decide whether or not to apologize. I won¡¯t force you.¡± The owner could only stand anxiously to the side, trying hard to take in the information from the broadcast. He could no longer afford to regret his loose tongue; he had to listen carefully to see if he could find a way to apologize later without getting a beating. The broadcast continued: ¡°¡­ We have resisted the resurgence of the cult, we have nipped the disaster of the Green-Skinned aliens in the bud, and our soldiers have gone into space and thwarted an attack by a Green-Skinned Space Fleet.¡± ¡°In the Green Valley Region, we carved out a large safe area in the north, essentially eliminating the threat of Aberrant Beasts in the Beiqing Valley Zone; we eradicated the cult in the Green Valley Region, and the Alliance Army chased the demons back to their homeland.¡± ¡°In the eastern three provinces, we have swept away the stubborn remnants of the old power.¡± ¡°In the North Territory, we have completely exterminated the threat of the Primordial Rage Owl Sect to the world, allowing Polar Industrial Group to join the Alliance.¡± ¡°In the west, we have just completely wiped out Blackbird Heavy Industries. We have ended the fear that 13 million people on the western edge of the continent had to face at all times. They no longer have to worry that they, or their family members, or friends, could be singled out to be sent into Blackbird City, never to be heard from again.¡± ¡­ Just hearing this much, the heart of the owner of the bar in Silver Sand City was somewhat shaken. In the past, Blackbird Heavy Industries had absolute control over this land, especially towards the end. They continually forced people to move to Blackbird City, purportedly to lead a better life. At first, everyone believed it, but as time went on, although people outside did not know what was happening inside, they stopped receiving any news from friends and relatives who had gone in. Gradually, people began to question this, but anyone who dared to publicly question it would often be taken away very quickly; The bar owner¡¯s son and daughter were taken away like that. He had always been someone who didn¡¯t believe in conspiracy theories ¨C maybe because he didn¡¯t dare to, still holding onto a sliver of hope. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But the arrival of the Alliance completely shattered his illusions. He didn¡¯t want his illusions to be shattered; he preferred to still believe that his son and daughter were alive; he preferred to believe it was just a war of the rulers biting each other. ¡ª¡ª¡ª This should have been posted with the next chapter, but I haven¡¯t finished writing it, so I¡¯ll post this part first. Another chapter is coming, I¡¯ll try to have it by 3 a.m., so you all can read it tomorrow. Don¡¯t stay up late! Chapter 525 - Chapter 525: Chapter 310, Apology Chapter 525: Chapter 310, Apology What was Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ slogan again? Oh, right. ¡°Embrace the glorious evolution.¡± The bar owner would rather believe that his son and daughter, chosen by Blackbird, really had better development opportunities than to think, as the Alliance claimed, that they were taken to have their brains cut open and turned into robots devoid of self-awareness. But he found it increasingly difficult to deceive himself. If it were only the Alliance¡¯s statement, he could dismiss it as false propaganda from a political rival. However, with some survivors returning and the spread of civilian news, these pieces of information could verify what the Alliance had said. At that moment, the words spoken by Mr. Gu were not what truly convinced him, but they were the last straw that broke the camel¡¯s back. He struggled to open his mouth. This time, it wasn¡¯t because of the soldiers in front of him, coercing him with force into making an apology. Instead, he had come to a realization from the bottom of his heart. Yet, in front of him, Dimitriou still didn¡¯t let him speak. He made a ¡°shush¡± gesture, signaling the bar owner to keep listening. The man had no choice but to hold back. ¡­ Meanwhile, Gu Hang¡¯s voice continued in the broadcast. After narrating the achievements of the Alliance Government since its establishment, the southern and northern campaigns, the unification of the globe, and the liberation of the entire world, he began to talk about the aftermath: ¡°¡­We established a job-ranking system that benefits the whole world, from basic subsistence guarantees to basic medical care; from educational assurance to employment security; from basic welfare to a salary system determined by job rank; from government-led infrastructure construction and large factory production to policies encouraging the public to start their own businesses¡­¡± ¡°The Alliance is committed to ensuring that every individual has a place within its system. Everyone can live with dignity and have the opportunity to achieve a better and higher standard of living and realize their self-worth through their own efforts. The channels for advancement are always open to everyone.¡± Hearing this, the bar owner was even more convinced. If it was all just boasting, that would be one thing, but many of these things had even been verified in his own life. Most people he knew, as long as they were physically able and capable of working, were at least ranked as E5. According to the E5 level¡¯s benefits and allowances, this was at least a secure and contented living. For those with jobs, ranking was based on their work; those without, the Alliance took responsibility for assigning and arranging work. As for himself, since he owned a bar that was doing quite well, he was even ranked as E7. Admittedly, he had lost the ownership of the bar, which had irritated him. But when it came down to it, the Alliance gave him more than he lost. His previously meager business income was just enough to break even and support his own livelihood. The Alliance¡¯s contribution had actually improved his life. Of course, the bar¡¯s business could get better in the future. But even though he lost profits, his accelerated rank promotion from running the bar could make up for it. All things considered, he wasn¡¯t at a loss. Were there any downsides? There were. For example, ¡°forced¡± labor. The Alliance indeed did not support idleness; even if temporarily out of work, you were expected to sweep the streets or dig foundations at construction sites if assigned. But even for the ¡°black hat¡± bar owners like him, it was difficult to criticize the Alliance on this point. If people want to live well, they should work. Where is there such a good thing as being ranked and then lying at home living off welfare? The Alliance, or rather the entire society of Rage Owl Star, was not yet wealthy to that extent. You don¡¯t want this job? Okay, the Alliance has never restricted anyone from seeking any employment. Assigned to sweep the streets, you¡¯re free anytime to become a factory worker or a store clerk. If you¡¯re not satisfied and want a better future, going back to school is also an option. Adult education can be deferred in payment, and if you have good grades, the tuition can be waived¡­ From this perspective, every word spoken by the Governor is true, a reality witnessed by the residents under the rule of the Alliance. But that¡¯s not enough. At least, in the mouth of Governor Gu, it¡¯s not enough. ¡°¡­These are our achievements, but we will never pause for a moment on the journey towards the happiness and welfare of all the people of the Alliance. On behalf of the Alliance Government, I solemnly promise to every citizen of the Alliance:¡± ¡°We will persevere in prioritizing economic development and the welfare of the people as the government¡¯s primary concern.¡± ¡°We will build more factories, producing more products and food.¡± ¡°We will build a stronger military to protect the fruits of our hard work;¡± ¡°We will deepen reforms of the Alliance¡¯s systems, invigorating economic development;¡± ¡°We will continue to promote anti-corruption policies and advocate for an efficient government, leaving no hiding place for the parasites!¡± ¡°We will create more valuable jobs, to accommodate more high-ranking positions, allowing more willing and intelligent Union Citizens to climb the ranks faster, and to receive better treatment.¡± ¡°This is the solemn promise I, and the Alliance Government, make to all the residents of the Alliance!¡± ¡­ The broadcast speech of Governor Gu has come to an end. As the words ¡®solemn promise¡¯ fell silent, the little tavern in Silver Sand City became noisy and boisterous. The loyal soldiers of the Alliance, their cheering and joyful voices, hadn¡¯t ceased from the start of the Governor¡¯s speech, and now they had become even louder! Now, the soldiers, whose passions had been ignited, laughed, boasted to each other, competed in drinking, and no longer paid attention to the small interlude that had just occurred. Just like the Governor said, we have an infinitely vast cause to work on, who has time to fuss over such trivial matters? And the tavern owner had become a bit dumbfounded. He looked around nervously and saw Dimitriou. He opened his mouth and said, ¡°I¡­ I want to apologize to you.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Dimitriou smiled and waved his hand, ¡°Judging by your look, I roughly understand your thoughts. You should indeed apologize, but not today. Everyone is in high spirits, no one wants to dwell or listen to you talk about the upsetting incident just now.¡± He paused, and the sergeant continued, ¡°Actually, you¡¯ve never needed to apologize to us, your apology should be to Mr. Gu. But Mr. Gu is even more magnanimous than us. Work well, make sure the tavern has more tables, a wider variety of drinks, tastier food¡­ Endeavor to make this tavern better and better, that¡¯s the best apology you can offer.¡± The tavern owner took a deep breath and said, ¡°I understand.¡± Then, he called out loudly to the noisy soldiers, ¡°Drinks are on the house today! Don¡¯t worry about the loss, I still have plenty of loss margins! Drink up everyone!¡± The soldiers laughed and cheered, whistles blowing loudly, no longer dwelling on what had happened before. Chapter 526 - Chapter 526: Chapter 311, I am a federation person! Chapter 526: Chapter 311, I am a federation person! In the Green Valley Region, a group of investigators had just returned from hunting¡­oh, investigating clues. They too had heard the Governor¡¯s speech on the broadcast. A young Judge, hesitating, opened his mouth and said, ¡°This ¡®team leader¡¯ of ours¡­ did he really come back to investigate clues? Why did he dump us here and disregard us, running off to give some global speech? It seems to me he doesn¡¯t take the investigation team¡¯s work seriously, he just wanted to come back to be the Governor!¡± His question prompted a burst of light laughter from the others in the investigation team. He was confused and didn¡¯t know what was so funny about what he had said. The others, too lazy to explain, were also strangers to one another. There were those from the national religion, the Sect of Mechanics, the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, the Legal Department¡­ Formed into a temporary team, they didn¡¯t want to engage with this clueless youth in any conversation out of turn. Only an old Judge from the Tribunal, like him, helplessly stopped the young man who was about to speak again, pulling him aside and started muttering in a low voice. ¡°Why blurt out such blunt truths? If you can see it, don¡¯t spout nonsense; otherwise, everyone will just laugh at you.¡± ¡°Why? Can¡¯t even talk now?¡± ¡°So, Mr. Gu, the team leader, is coming back to be the Governor, and what are we doing here on Rage Owl Star?¡± ¡°Investigating clues!¡± ¡°What have you investigated these past few days?¡± ¡°Er¡­¡± he recalled that each day was spent finding different delicious things to eat. The agricultural produce here, grains, meat, and the like, were all natural. Such natural foods were a rarity in the empire, especially in larger, heavily populated planets like Nest Capital. Naturally bred livestock and fresh vegetables and fruits, where could they be compared with mass-produced synthetic meats, artificial fibers, and vitamins in terms of cost-efficiency? While the high-ranking elites and wealthy tycoons certainly didn¡¯t need to worry, these investigators were not the top figures of their respective forces; they were comfortably middle-class, hardly rich. So, naturally, they hardly got to eat such natural foods. As for the so-called investigation activities¡­ he previously thought they were indeed investigative, but looking back now, it was merely hunting trips to relieve boredom. ¡°Come here, be treated to good food and drink, and you might as well enjoy yourself as if you were on a holiday. Still talking about investigating? The outbreak of the demonic disaster here was controlled as soon as it started, and it¡¯s been a year and a half; what else is there to find?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± The young man found it hard to accept. ¡°If you can¡¯t stand it, go investigate yourself; you can also report it when you get back. But let me tell you, don¡¯t make trouble for yourself. If you report it, nothing will change. This is tacitly approved by the higher-ups, even the result of some exchange of interests.¡± With that, the veteran Judge fell silent. Upon returning, a familiar face, laughing, said, ¡°Why bother with so much? A young man will learn after running into a few walls.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it about not spoiling everyone¡¯s fun?¡± ¡­ On Rage Owl Star, not only the investigation group had listened to the entirety of Governor Gu¡¯s speech. There were also over 250,000 interstellar immigrants. Of those, 210,000 had come with Governor Gu during his return aboard the Korolya III; the remaining 40,000 had been brought over from Heijian Star while the Gu Commercial Firm¡¯s ships were transporting supplies for the stationed Alliance Army. Throughout Governor Gu¡¯s speech, he talked about the Alliance, the development of Rage Owl Star, and barely mentioned these immigrants. However, the immigrants were still incredibly excited after hearing the Governor¡¯s words, filled with hopeful anticipation. They felt the power and determination of the Alliance as the governing body of this planet through the past achievements outlined by Governor Gu. And in the future painted by the Governor, they saw a better life beckoning to them. The Alliance indeed did not specifically mention what would happen to these people, but it was actually completely unnecessary. Each of them, upon arriving at Rage Owl Star, was assigned a corresponding rank. Generally, they were all at the E4 level, which failed to reach the E5 level of formal citizenship in the Alliance, meaning their rights as citizens were not complete, and their welfare benefits were also substandard. But¡­ whether it¡¯s the people from Korolya III or those from Heijian Star, there generally wasn¡¯t any dissatisfaction. E4 was enough, after all, the welfare and allowances received per capita amounted to 0.3 Tax Currency a year. Wasn¡¯t that enough? When Korolya III treated people like livestock, having per capita expenses amounting to 0.1 was already considered generous by the overlords. The consumption of food and industrial products had tripled at once, what did they have to be unsatisfied about? Moreover, a bright path lay before them. Being granted the E4 rank was a start. The Alliance had allocated them corresponding work or educational opportunities, under fairly relaxed conditions, that merely required working hard for one year. Advancing to the E5 rank and gaining full citizenship rights as well as improving their own treatment was a simple matter. Mr. Gu, the governor, spoke sentence after sentence about the Alliance, but every sentence was also about them. The vast majority of them had already shed the fear of being far from their homeland that they had had while migrating on the starship. Let the miserable slum areas of Nest Capital be damned! We are now part of the Alliance! Mandoya Lucas was one of those who had quickly transformed their sense of identity. And unlike most of her compatriots, although she came from the lower strata, she had made a name for herself through various strokes of fate. At the age of forty, she ended up in the upper district, and relying on her own studies, became a Nest Capital urban planner. It sounded good, but in reality, she was just another worker. Due to her poor background, her professional ceiling was limited, and many of her ideas and designs were not valued. She had so many plans that, if realized, could greatly improve the living conditions and quality of life for the residents of the bottom city area, but those designs were always confined to the bottom of a box. If she completely abandoned her past, perhaps she could live decently. But she just couldn¡¯t forget the lower city area of Fino City. The environment there was perilous, it was rife with bad people, gangs ran rampant, cults proliferated, honest people lived in miserable conditions, yet would become oppressors given the chance¡­ The place was almost wholly rotten. But she never thought the people there were to blame. It was the environment of despair that was the root of all evils. When the plague broke out, she was ¡®back home¡¯ conducting surveys, working on a new round of designs. Caught in the disaster, she, like many refugees, was rescued by the military from Rage Owl Star, saved her life, and then was hazily sent aboard the starship bound for Rage Owl Star. After listening to Mr. Gu¡¯s broadcast speech, she was deeply moved. This was a kind of statement she had never heard on Korolya III¨Cthe nobles there didn¡¯t even bother to pretend to care for their subjects. A glimmer of hope arose in her. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Perhaps her abilities could be put to use on another planet. With a nervous heart, she found the team leader of the textile factory job she had been assigned to, revealed her capabilities, and hoped to meet ¡®the people higher up¡¯. She thought she would face a lot of difficulties, as it was very common on Korolya III. She had even prepared many arguments to enhance her credibility. But there were none. She made her way up and met Mr. Parter, the mayor of Weixing City. Chapter 527 - Chapter 527: Chapter 312, Starport Construction Investment Chapter 527: Chapter 312, Starport Construction Investment ¡°` This broadcast speech to the entire Alliance was certainly not a whim of Gu Hang¡¯s. He had at least three layers of purpose in this matter. First and foremost, as the union had just completed the unification of the whole planet, he needed to address all citizens in his capacity as a ruler and proclaim the legitimacy of the Alliance. This would help boost the confidence of the people. Secondly, he also had to use this means to convey his political ideology to the officials of the Alliance Government. Thirdly, he had been away from his center of power for half a year and needed to make his voice heard in public in order to strengthen his own prestige. Regarding the second and third points, they couldn¡¯t be solved with just one speech. Or rather, whether it was the implementation of ideals or the maintenance of personal authority, neither could be resolved once and for all in a short period or by a single action. This required his long-term and continuous embodiment. In the following period, Gu Hang¡¯s schedule became incredibly busy. He hardly stayed in Revival City for a long time and was flying all over the Alliance. Today he would meet with a regional governor, tomorrow an important mayor, and the next day he would visit a military garrison to offer comfort to soldiers. After a round of such visits, upon returning to Revival City, Gu Hang would then meet with important members from various departments of the Central Government¡­ Indeed, during his visit with the mayor of Weixing City, Patel, he heard about a middle-aged female worker who had been assigned to an ordinary factory in Weixing City but was in fact a city planner from Korolya III. Although she was not the main architect of the whole city, her experience in urban planning for such a 10 billion people metropolis like Fino City, and even her rare personal insights, made her a sought-after talent. In just over a month, by observing around Weixing City, she identified several unreasonable aspects in the urban construction planning. By redesigning the road network and urban development, simple and localized changes significantly improved logistics efficiency and the smoothness of city resource traffic at certain nodes. The roads for transporting raw materials and outputting products finally stopped conflicting with each other, resolving the chronic problem of frequent congestion in that area. Latter, she even came up with a complete set of three-dimensional construction plans, as well as a vision for the integration of Revival City and Weixing City, based on some planning documents of the Alliance Government. All these things astonished Patel, making him feel as if he had stumbled upon a treasure, leading him to bypass normal channels for talented individuals, hoping to greatly elevate the position of the lady named Mandoya Lucas. He even made a special mention of this during his visit to the governor. Gu Hang was also very pleased. If she could handle urban planning in a metropolis of ten billion people, let alone in Weixing City, which currently has only millions of inhabitants. Although Weixing City was planned as one of the most important industrial centers of the Alliance from the very beginning, it had its limitations in terms of scale and the capabilities and vision of the planners, which meant some things were not perfect. With the addition of such a talented individual, he was indeed eager to have a good chat with Ms. Lucas. Unfortunately, he truly did not have the time. At least not for now, as he was about to lead some members of the investigative team back to Korolya III to report. After this return trip, he had other matters to attend to. He would have to wait for the next opportunity with regret. ¡­ Nothing significant happened during Gu Hang¡¯s trip to Korolya III. He no longer had ships from the Gu Commercial Firm at his disposal, but the Alliance had produced a starship capable of interstellar travel, equipped with weapons and shield systems. The weapons system was barely adequate. Against some destitute interstellar pirates, it could still fight, but if the enemy was slightly larger in scale, there would be big trouble. However, the route from Rage Owl Star to Korolya III was not considered dangerous. Aside from the Green-skin Plundering Fleet that suddenly appeared last time (which may well have been drawn by the system), there hadn¡¯t been much news of interstellar pirates. Interstellar pirates, risking their lives to acquire ships capable of cosmic travel, would of course want to make big money. The few shipping lanes around Rage Owl Star were not bustling with activity and were even as poor as ghosts, so pirates were too lazy to come there. In short, even traveling on a starship, the chance of an incident was very low. However, the starship was small, with a crew of only about five hundred people. It could not transport a large amount of materials and was not convenient for bringing back items from Korolya III. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only On this trip to Korolya III, Gu Hang took some of the investigative team members with him and exchanged a few. During the period, a little kid even ran to tattle on him, but the final result of that, of course, sank like a stone in the sea. He didn¡¯t pay it any mind. Some representatives of the investors had also returned. Gu Hang didn¡¯t know what they would specifically tell their bosses, but at least from the feedback obtained from the Alliance Foreign Affairs Department and the Department of Commerce, they were basically satisfied with the situation on Rage Owl Star. This also brought back some positive results. ¡°` Chapter 528 - Chapter 528: Chapter 312, Starport Construction Investment_2 Chapter 528: Chapter 312, Starport Construction Investment_2 Gu Hang stayed on Korolya III for two days. On the first day, he mingled with the investigation team, wrote reports, drank tea, and had chats with Grand Mage Zhang Guang¡¯en and the like. On the second day, he met with a few investors and signed several investment agreements regarding the Rage Owl Star Port. The investments were generally not large; those able to make a decision so swiftly were honestly not the big spenders. Their gestures were more like backing Gu Hang the individual. The common investment amounts were only around a hundred thousand Tax Currency, at most two hundred thousand. Altogether, the investors contributed roughly seven hundred thousand Tax Currency. This, of course, was far from enough for building a large-scale Starport, and Rage Owl Star needed much more than this seven hundred thousand Tax Currency. Despite this, Gu Hang accepted all offers without exception. Why refuse money? He included it all as shares in the Starport, to be distributed as dividends accordingly. Moreover, Gu Hang didn¡¯t use this batch of money for himself; instead, he immediately signed another agreement with the Gu Commercial Firm. Along with some previous savings from the alliance and one million Tax Currency contributed by his mother, this money became the investment from the Gu Commercial Firm into the Rage Owl Star Port. In total, this amounted to two million Tax Currency. The Gu Commercial Firm then began to leverage its connections, reserving the schedule for a construction starship from a Sect of Mechanics¡¯ Foundry World two Star Sectors away. They would arrive at Rage Owl Star in one year and begin construction. In another year, the Rage Owl Star Port would be built up to a scale capable of docking large vessels and supporting a substantial population and throughputs of material goods. All in all, including the costs of hiring labor, materials, and inflight industrial components, the total cost of Rage Owl Star Port was projected to be around five hundred million Tax Currency. Even though much of the materials and groundwork would be extracted, smelted, and produced by the alliance themselves, and although the alliance¡¯s own space construction machinery would undertake a significant portion of the work, the actual cash or equivalent material costs incurred would still be around two hundred million Tax Currency. This was a massive investment, exceeding the current financial capacity of Rage Owl Star. Miss Wang Qi had expressed her concerns to Gu Hang, but he didn¡¯t listen. It was indeed a bit extreme, but he believed it was a necessary investment. Otherwise, relying solely on the slow construction by the alliance itself, it would take five to ten years to develop the Starport to the same scale. The losses incurred in that period would not just be time spent on Starport construction but also the prime opportunity for the development of Rage Owl Star. He would rather spend two hundred million to seize this opportunity. As for how to raise this money, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t too worried. A down payment of two million had been spent, and the construction schedule for the starship was set, which itself reflected Gu Hang¡¯s determination. This resolve could directly resonate with other investors. Gu Hang was no swindler; firstly, he had a planet vouching for him, secondly, the Gu Commercial Firm stood behind him, and thirdly, he had recently become a notable figure in the Tianma Star Sector¡¯s political sphere. He believed he could attract a considerable number of investors. For many wealthy individuals, investing in the construction of a Starport on a planet with promising development potential was quite valuable. Gu Hang aimed to raise fifty million Tax Currency when the Sect of Mechanics¡¯ construction ship arrived in one year and then exceed one hundred and fifty million within two years. This would suffice to cover the costs for these two phases of the project. What if he couldn¡¯t raise enough funds? Then the Gu Commercial Firm would cover the shortfall. The Gu Commercial Firm was affluent. Although the money didn¡¯t all belong to Gu Hang, or even entirely to the Gu Family, it didn¡¯t matter; Gu Hang was the Family Head, and his mother was the actual controller. They could fully use the Gu Commercial Firm¡¯s name to invest in the Rage Owl Star Port. Whatever the shortfall, they would cover it with shares, converting it into fixed assets for the Gu Commercial Firm. Of course, this would definitely cause discontent within the firm and attract opposition. After all, the firm had always emphasized, aside from investing in starships, not partaking in other heavy assets investments unless necessary, and investing in a Starport clearly broke this tradition. But on one hand, Gu Hang believed his mother could resolve these issues; on the other hand, even if it caused some disruption, in comparison to the construction of Rage Owl Star, it was an acceptable trade-off. ¡°` If it really had a significant impact on the family business, his mother would assess it and wouldn¡¯t agree thoughtlessly. ¡­ After signing that pile of agreements on the investment and construction of the starport, Gu Hang hurriedly boarded a shuttle and returned to Rage Owl Star. Upon his return, he continued his busy life traveling around the planet for a while, finally making a complete tour of all the important regions of the world and meeting all the key figures in the alliance. Once he finally had some free time, Gu Hang began to plan how to spend the over fifty thousand favor points he had on hand. Unquestionably, the spending of favor points was the greatest tool in enhancing the strength of the alliance. Drawing for technology, of course, was a major part of it. However, before he started drawing, Gu Hang set aside a portion of favor points for other purposes. He resolved the other matters first, and whatever favor points remained, he would use for the drawing. And what were these so-called other matters? Broadly, they were in three areas: construction, talent, and military. Let¡¯s start with construction. He exchanged for 13 civilian factories and 27 military factories, costing a total of four thousand favor points, all of which he allocated to the various factories in Weixing City. The forty factory exchange items essentially covered the entire area of Weixing City. The number of factories in Weixing City, of course, wasn¡¯t just limited to these. However, the exchange items for [military factories] and [civilian factories] had a covering effect. Smaller-scale factories could cluster together and share an exchange item, all benefiting from the boost. Conversely, if the factory was too large, it might require multiple exchange items to cover it in order to truly enhance the factory¡¯s production efficiency. These four thousand favor points and forty factory exchange items, according to the description text in the [construction] interface, basically ensured that the entire Weixing City area¡¯s production capabilities were upgraded by a [moderate extent]. In the past, Gu Hang had also exchanged factory options and allocated them to some military factories. After a detailed inquiry and comparative study, he could roughly estimate that this so-called ¡®moderate extent¡¯ of enhancement was about 15%. This was quite impressive. It meant that without changes in worker skill, quantity, technology, or management structures, production capacity increased by 15%, which was certainly a very good effect. Specifically, in Weixing City, the annual output had already reached ten million tax currency. A 15% increase in production capacity represented an additional output of three million tax currency worth of industrial products each year, most of which were military or heavy industrial products. Why three million? Because the factories that Gu Hang boosted, of course, weren¡¯t ¡®generously¡¯ chosen. Some low-value ones, such as bullet production lines and textile factories, weren¡¯t really necessary. Instead, lines like the Lion Tank, armored vehicles, Wind Falcon, and steelmaking¡­ these larger scale, higher value-added. A 15% increase in their production capacity brought about a far greater increase in output value than a uniform enhancement. And remember, this was every year, not a one-off deal. Extend the timeline, and those growth rates could be enjoyed long-term. Besides that, Gu Hang also strengthened the alliance¡¯s education system. He could see in the [construction] interface that the three academies he had previously established, the Loyal Heir Academy, Comprehensive Academy, and Technical Academy, all had advanced upgrade options available. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The price for each was five hundred favor points. Gu Hang never begrudged investments in education; increasing the quality of the populace was of significant importance to the construction of the alliance. Besides, he now had an abundance of resources, and a total investment of one thousand five hundred favor points was entirely affordable. After completing these enhancements and upgrades, Gu Hang also saw a new building listed in the construction menu: [Mage Academy]. ¡°` Chapter 529 - Chapter 529: Chapter 313, The Cradle Project Chapter 529: Chapter 313, The Cradle Project ¡°` [Mage Academy: Once you have built an academy dedicated to teaching control of Spiritual Energy and specific Psychic Spells, and have set it into operation, you may redeem this option to assign to the designated academy. It slightly increases student learning efficiency and faintly increases the chance of loyal talents becoming available for activation. New troop type available for training: Psychic. Exchange value: 5000 favors. Training cost: 100 favors/person] The effects of this Mage Academy are similar to the other three, except that the bonuses for training general talents, technical talents, and loyalists are applied to the training of Psychics instead. It¡¯s just that the price has soared straight up compared to when those other academies were first established. But Gu Hang still had no doubts and clicked to exchange. The main reason was that the training of the Psychics was too enticing. It was particularly fitting for his current situation. The training of Psychics, even with the system, still requires the trainees to have a talent for Spiritual Energy. This is quite normal, just as when Gu Hang was cultivating new blood for the Phoenix Battle Group, he had to train them from the age of teens, step by step from T5 to T1. During this process, many people could only advance to T3 or T4 level and could not train further, which meant that this level represented the person¡¯s highest potential. And the proportion of people with the talent for Psychics in the population might even be lower than those with the potential to reach T1 level. However, compared to training T1 level warriors and cultivating new star warriors, training Psychics is much ¡°simpler¡±. First of all, there¡¯s no upfront investment. To train a T1 warrior, one must practice all the way up. Before then, no one knows whether a still-growing youngster has this potential, one only knows after beginning the training. Therefore, training a T1 warrior requires 100 favors, exchanging a seed costs 100 favors, but in actuality, Gu Hang has to spend a thousand or two points of favor for a round of selection to eventually find two or three suitable candidates. Of course, the extra expenses were not without value; they were thrown into the 10th Brigade to become special forces. Equipped with Exoskeleton Armor and more elite weapons, they also formed a not insignificant force. When training Psychics, there is no such worry. One glance at the training interface to see if someone is trainable, and if not, just drop it; there¡¯s no cost upfront. Moreover, training for Psychics is very suited for Gu Hang. Where does human talent for Spiritual Energy come from? Basically, it is the sensitivity of the human spirit to the source of Spiritual Energy¨Cthe Subspace. Those with higher sensitivity naturally possess talent. In the past, this was a disaster. Those with a talent for Spiritual Energy, even those so high they naturally possessed certain supernatural powers without training, could constantly hear whispers from Subspace, endure massive mental pressure, and go mad. Moreover, they themselves would be targeted by malevolent entities within Subspace as conduits to the real world. A person wielding uncontrollable power, prone to madness, and likely to attract Demons¡­ obviously, this was a source of disaster. In many places, there was a tradition of witch-hunting to proactively eliminate these dangers, resulting in customs and religious edicts. In fact, under the earlier environmental conditions of the entire Empire, Psychics were likewise subject to stringent control, with many individuals with talents for Spiritual Energy being executed directly. Not until the Divine Emperor ascended and carved out a space in Subspace to establish the Spirit Network. Wild Psychics without control are still dangerous. They possess talents but are unaware, untaught, unsupervised, and thus very likely to fall into madness under the whispers of Subspace, lose their minds, go out of control, or even become beacons for Demon invasions of the real world. But trained Psychics can direct their sensitivity to Spiritual Energy to the Spirit Network built by the Divine Emperor, allowing them to use Spiritual Energy safely. They will not be targeted by malevolent entities within Subspace, and the likelihood of plunging into madness and losing control of their power is greatly reduced. This has made Psychics a truly exploitable part of humanity. At the same time, it has established the importance of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association. They are not only responsible for cultivating Psychics, Star Speakers, navigators, but they also collect wild Psychics. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Those who can still be saved are trained into legitimate, legal Psychics; those already mad or corrupted by Demons beyond saving are dealt with. In such an environment, Gu Hang ¡°coincidentally¡± has two things that tie in nicely with it. Firstly, he obtained authorization from Zhang Guang¡¯en, a big shot at the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, to establish a branch of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association on Rage Owl Star. This was something he needed to do, and it would allow him to get a foothold into the upper echelons of the Empire¡¯s power structure through the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association. Secondly, Gu Hang ¡°just happened¡± to control a piece of the Subspace Divine Kingdom. The essence of a Psychic fundamentally lies in their sensitivity to Subspace, which, logically, cannot be taught as it¡¯s innate. But with Gu Hang, it¡¯s not the case. Unless they are so-called ¡®Untouchables¡¯, completely Subspace Insulators, Gu Hang can turn anyone with even a slight talent for Spiritual Energy (which actually most humans have) into Psychics. ¡°` Chapter 530 - Chapter 530: Chapter 313, Cradle Plan_2 Chapter 530: Chapter 313, Cradle Plan_2 Even those with the most stubborn physiques, when placed inside the Divine Realm for ten days to half a month and thoroughly bathed in Subspace¡¯s blessing from head to toe, would suddenly become sensitive to Spiritual Energy. Upon returning and coordinating with the system to undergo a training for a specific type of soldier, they were certain to become Spiritual Energy users. Of course, there was no need to go to such extremes. Gu Hang wasn¡¯t aiming to create a society of all Spiritual Energy users. The Rage Owl Star, due to the presence of the Storm God Kingdom, naturally had a thinner veil to Subspace compared to other planets, which was why resources such as the Spiritualized Gas Field existed. Even more so, Gu Hang suspected that this Cult, that Cult, along with the Iron Men Rebellion, had much to do with the planet¡¯s thinner veil of reality. In such an environment, the likelihood of Rage Owl Star People manifesting as Spiritual Energy users was inherently higher. Not to mention, now that Gu Hang had seized control of the Storm God Kingdom, it had an extensive yet benign influence over the entire planet, subtly resulting in a considerable number of individuals with innate Spiritual Energy talent. In fact, the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect was a case in point: while it was rare in other places to find high-grade Spiritual Energy users, there were a plethora of evil sorcerers among them. Of course, there were differences between the two. After all, Spiritual Energy users belonged to the category of ¡°scholars,¡± ¡°mages,¡± and were people with innate talent who became such through training. Whereas the so-called evil sorcerers received their powers directly from the Evil God, somewhat akin to Gu Hang¡¯s previous idea of ¡°stuffing a person into the Divine Realm for a baptism,¡± which greatly reduced the requirement for talent. Setting that matter aside for the moment, the benefits Gu Hang could reap from almost whimsically cultivating Spiritual Energy users were obvious. Firstly, the number and quality of Spiritual Energy users collectively determined the status of the Rage Owl Sect¡¯s Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association within the entire system of such associations¨Cit was the grade of the ¡°high-level power field entry ticket¡± Gu Hang had previously contemplated. Moreover, the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association could request funding from the Empire, with the allocated amount directly depending on the size of the association. Furthermore, having a multitude of trained Spiritual Energy users was inherently of great value. The combat effectiveness of Spiritual Energy users was formidable. At lower grades, they might not be as reliable as a laser gun, but who said that Spiritual Energy users couldn¡¯t also carry guns? Moreover, they had a higher potential for development. When they reached C grade¨Cthe level of ability Gu Hang himself held at two or three¨C, they could influence the outcome of a company-level battle. They also had strong functional capabilities in scouting, interrogation, infiltration, special operations¡­ all of which were excellent supplements to regular elite forces. Furthermore, one shouldn¡¯t fixate on mere combat. Once Star Speakers were trained, they could construct the Star Language Tower, which was a potent export product; Star Navigators were indispensable for interstellar travel. After training these individuals, it was beneficial whether Rage Owl Star employed them itself or sent them out to work for others and earn wages. Especially in terms of sending them out to earn wages¨Cthis wasn¡¯t Gu Hang being ruthless, but rather, it was standard procedure under the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association system. The Navy, different planets, the Empire Commerce Guild, the Sect of Mechanics, the national religion¡­ even the Starfighter Battle Group; as long as there were interstellar travel and communication needs, they had to go to the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association for personnel. When these people were sent out, they had to be paid, and a portion of that money would go to the association that trained them. Whether it was a regular cut or a lump-sum buyout fee for their training, fostering one was hugely profitable. And the best part was, even though Spiritual Energy users were working for others, they were still under the jurisdiction of their respective associations, which could recall them if necessary, compensating some money; if the contract ended, they could choose not to renew it. Being a top-tier organization with the potential to enter the Imperial Supreme Council, the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association didn¡¯t have the massive scale of the Sect of Mechanics or the national religion but still had its own confidence. Gu Hang had quite the motivation to cultivate Spiritual Energy users. Construction of the Mage Academy had already begun site selection. The Minister of Education had even inquired about the name of the academy. ¡°Hogwarts¡± almost slipped off Gu Hang¡¯s tongue, but in the end, he restrained himself. He decided to stick to being more straightforward. ¡°Let¡¯s call it the Storm Mage Academy, and the future Mage Corps will bear the same name.¡± ¡­ In terms of construction, Gu Hang spent a total of 11,500 points of grace. He still had over forty thousand. The second major expenditure was on talent. In the Alliance, Gu Hang had activated people like Osenia, Yan Fangxu, Perbov, Tadeusz, Wu Jiarong, and others using the ¡°Hero¡± system. He had already appreciated the benefits of activating heroes. No matter what their initial aptitude was, after becoming heroes, not only did their abilities greatly improve on the spot, but they also gained a high potential for growth. Not only could levels be raised through experience in handling affairs, enhancing abilities, but also that so-called rarity could grow¨Cthough it was much harder and seemed to require certain key opportunities. No matter how you looked at it, these early-activated ¡®heroes¡¯ had now grown to become pivotal figures in various fields within the Alliance. Therefore, he had to continue without letup. In the past, when the Alliance had only a few thousand or at most several million people, there were already several candidates who could be activated. Now, with a total population of 45 million in the Alliance, even the number of non-military government staff had reached nearly 130,000. Naturally, the number of activatable ¡°heroes¡± had increased significantly. So far, Gu Hang could now see more than five hundred people who could be activated as ¡°heroes¡± in his talent interface. This was a significant number. Gu Hang himself was internally mocking, ¡°What kind of ¡®heroes¡¯ are these? Is it wholesale or what?¡± However, from another concept, it could be understood as people with the potential to become ¡°heroes.¡± Most of them were of the most common N grade. Those who reached the higher R grade were fewer than twenty; there was only one SR grade. Gu Hang planned to activate all of them, which would cost just over six thousand in blessings. Among them, some already held important positions; others were still unknown. For the former, there was nothing to say, and Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t give them any special treatment. They would stand out in their lives and work within the Alliance system after their ¡°hero¡± attributes were activated and their abilities significantly enhanced. As for the latter, Gu Hang planned to elevate them to higher positions. There were corresponding positions within the Alliance system to arrange for talents in government and business. They wouldn¡¯t be too high, but at least they would be a position where they could utilize their abilities to a certain extent, like a deputy director of an office, an assistant to a project, a deputy manager of a factory¡­ In the military, those with command talent would be given positions around deputy company level or company leader level; single-combat types would be transferred to the 10th Brigade. In these positions, Gu Hang believed that the vast majority of them would excel. Of course, before that, they would have to undergo special training. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang made a list of these five hundred and some people and handed it over to the Alliance Government. Officials from the Ministry of Education would then review their records according to the list, mainly checking for any learning experience at Loyal Heir Academy. As for the twenty at R grade and the one at SR grade, Gu Hang also specially noted them. They would not be rushed; their treatment would be the same as everyone else¡¯s. However, in the higher echelons of the Alliance, the names of these few individuals were specially marked, and they would receive more attention. Regarding the cultivation of such a large group of people, Gu Hang coined a name, called the ¡®Cradle Project.¡¯ He hoped that from this cradle would emerge a batch of true heroes. Chapter 531 - Chapter 531: Chapter 314, Military Construction Chapter 531: Chapter 314, Military Construction The Storm Mage Corps and the Cradle Plan, these were the two central cores of Gu Hang¡¯s subsequent efforts in talent training. The former focused on cultivating extraordinary functional talents with Spiritual Energy practitioners at its core, constructing the path of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association; while the latter was an indispensable part of talent building throughout the full-spectrum development of the Alliance itself. In these two areas, Gu Hang was very willing to invest a substantial amount of grace points. So far, his total investment of grace points in architecture and talent has reached more than seventeen thousand. He still had over thirty thousand at his disposal. Next, it was time for military construction. Regarding military equipment, this did not require grace points but relied on the Alliance¡¯s own productivity; however, personnel needed the training function provided by the [Soldier Card] panel for supplementation. First, it was about replenishing the existing troops. The Blackbird Campaign, with both stages combined, resulted in a personnel loss of over seventy-five thousand for the Alliance Army; the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s battles on Korolya III had also accumulated losses of ten thousand to date. Under the banner of glorious victory, the Alliance Army also paid the price with heaps of corpses. This number of losses was actually not small at all. Before the victory of the Blackbird Campaign, the Alliance¡¯s total manpower pool without initiating a conscription order was just under five hundred thousand, almost fully utilized. The active military personnel of the Alliance had exceeded five hundred thousand. During the mid-to-late Blackbird Campaign, the Alliance initiated a second-level conscription order, shifted production capacity to military industries, and expanded the scope of conscription to withstand the pressure. Now, the conscription order was canceled after the war ended. However, after the victory, the Alliance gained control over the entire western part of the continent; with the West Desert Province and three other provinces, adding a population of eighteen million to the Alliance, the strain on available manpower significantly eased. Gu Hang had no intention of massively expanding the army for the time being; he simply established six armored composite divisions numbered 60 to 65, organized and structured to match the current Wind-Extinguishing Brigades. At the same time, all the other existing Composite Camps were also restructured to this standard. Regarding the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade, which was always used as the model of innovation for the Alliance Army, it was further strengthened and reorganized. Firstly, all the Composite Camps increased their personnel and removed all motorized infantry companies, switching entirely to 4 armored infantry companies plus 2 tank companies, and likewise included engineer, logistics, communications, reconnaissance, anti-air, and other functional troops within. Such a company¡¯s strength grew from the original eight hundred and some to twelve hundred, increasing by half and becoming nearly the size of an average battalion, with the density of technical equipment many, many times that of a conventional battalion. For the entire brigade, the main Composite Camps increased from 5 to 8; the original tank battalion also increased from 1 to 2. Artillery support companies for each battalion, along with the brigade¡¯s own artillery battalion, shifted from towed artillery to much more mobile self-propelled artillery. The brigade headquarters also included various functional troops. The brigade¡¯s total strength increased from nine thousand one hundred to twelve thousand; the number of tanks grew from eighty to two hundred four, a 2.5-fold increase, while the number of armored vehicles soared from two hundred to nine hundred. In addition to the numerically dominant infantry fighting vehicles, there were also more of the ¡®Walker¡¯ series including anti-aircraft and command vehicles. Directly under the brigade headquarters, there were three aviation formations, totaling thirty Wind Falcons. All soldiers were collectively trained from T5 level to T4 level by Gu Hang; the equipment of the front-line combat infantry would be completely switched from the G series of projectile rifles to the LR series of laser rifles or HS series of electromagnetic rifles. As a luxurious enhanced Composite Brigade, serving as a demonstration army, its construction period would be long, probably not a task that could be completed quickly. From the price alone, one could see. The Wind-Extinguishing Brigade¡¯s cost would skyrocket from the original 90 grace points plus less than six hundred thousand in tax currency to 1320 grace points plus one million eight hundred thousand in tax currency. The improvement in soldier quality and the significant increase in technical equipment density undoubtedly meant that the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade¡¯s combat strength would surge greatly. Although the number of people only increased by about three thousand, the combat strength likely increased many times over. However, Gu Hang was also not sure if the improved combat strength compared to the increased costs would mean that the cost-effectiveness had actually improved. The construction cost had tripled, which was easy to explain, as the significant increase in equipment quantity directly bolstered combat capability. It was the extra thousand-plus grace points spent on improving troop quality that he wondered if they could truly enhance the combat power tenfold. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang was somewhat skeptical of this. But on the other hand, how could he know without trying? After all, it was only one brigade. The 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade, as a demonstration unit, was meant to undergo such experimental restructuring. The remaining issue would likely be for the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade to head to a certain battlefield and put their enhanced combat strength to the test, to see if it matched the exaggerated cost increase. But now on Rage Owl Star, there were no battles requiring their intervention. For regular domestic suppression tasks, there was little difference between the cheapest garrison division and the most expensive Elite Armored Combined Brigade. Chapter 532 - Chapter 532: Chapter 314, Military Construction_2 Chapter 532: Chapter 314, Military Construction_2 ¡°` But the Alliance now also has two battlefields that need manpower. They are Korolya III and Heijian Star. Gu Hang thought for a moment, then decided he could throw the entire Wind-Extinguishing Brigade onto Heijian Star. Lately, there had been fighting there. He would discuss the specifics later, as Gu Hang¡¯s attention was still on building up his forces. To establish six new brigades, upgrade another nine composite brigades, and significantly strengthen the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade, a total increase of over sixty thousand soldiers was needed; the additional military budget for equipment would require an increase of almost six million Tax Currency. The shortage of equipment was a separate issue. Given the Alliance¡¯s current production capacity, the pressure was considerable. However, as the Alliance developed, this pressure should be rapidly relieved. At the same time, the substantial military orders would stimulate the development of the Alliance¡¯s industry. As for manpower shortages, with new units being formed and the replenishment needed for previous units¡¯ losses, Gu Hang would need to recruit nearly one hundred and forty thousand people into the military in total. The former Alliance definitely couldn¡¯t have handled such recruitment, nearing the limits of a second-level mobilization order in terms of available manpower. But now, the pressure wasn¡¯t too great. The Western Desert, the three western provinces, the population migrating to the Alliance¡­ The Alliance¡¯s total population had soared from twenty-five million to forty-five million. The newly added manpower could now be put to good use. After the mobilization order had been lifted, the expected available manpower was also more than eight hundred thousand. The current Alliance Army, including the Rage Bear Legion, had so far only used six hundred thousand people. For those who had recently joined the Alliance, enlisting was not a bad choice. As soon as they joined, a private¡¯s treatment was equivalent to an E6 level. If they stayed for a while, performed well in training, or gained some military tenure, it wasn¡¯t unlikely for them to be promoted to officer or non-commissioned officer rank. At the very least, reaching the level of veteran soldier was not a bottleneck. Veteran soldier treatment was equivalent to an E9 rank, and the transition to this level was direct upon retirement. As for injuries, sacrifices¡­ these were inevitable fates for a military career. However, the Alliance¡¯s compensation policies had always been relatively generous, mitigating many people¡¯s worries about their future. These one hundred and forty thousand people would enter the training camps established all over the world by the Alliance Military and Political Department for initial training. After that, Gu Hang would work his ¡®magic¡¯ among them. The training costs for one hundred and forty thousand people, even if all were only trained to the T5 level, with a favor granting training to one hundred people, would still consume fourteen hundred points. Adding the approximately thirteen hundred points needed for the Wind-Extinguishing Brigade, the total cost would be two thousand seven hundred points. As the military scaled up and higher standards were required for troop quality, training costs, once thought negligible, began to feel significant. Still, all things considered, this was not the main expense. The real expense lay in the cultivation of the Starfighters. So far, the number of Phoenix warriors remained around thirty people. Commander Matins was already quite satisfied with this. When he was wandering in the past, he had never dared to hope that in less than three years, their numbers could swell from seven to thirty-six. As for Gu Hang, not continuing to increase the number of Starfighters wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t want to; it was mainly because it was too expensive. Gu Hang had calculated that the average cost of training a new Phoenix recruit, taking into account the initial selection and training, as well as the exchange for seeds, was about six to seven hundred favor points per person. This was quite an expensive feat, and using Starfighters in war was unquestionably a luxurious act. Beyond the expense of favor points, the Powered Armor and other exclusive equipment for Starfighters also represented a considerable outlay. The reason for not having previously increased the number of Starfighters further was also due to a shortage of Powered Armor. Currently, the Powered Armor used by the Phoenix, aside from their original seven units, were all ordered by Gu Hang from the Gu Commercial Firm. ¡°` Fifty thousand tax currency per unit, not including any other equipment. And if we include other equipment, not to mention cheaper bomb guns and chainsaw swords, then there are thrusters, plasma guns or thermoguns, powered swords, missile racks, and even Terminator Armor, Dreadnought Mechs¡­ all of these cost a fortune. Buying them just isn¡¯t feasible. Not to mention those other pieces of equipment, just to get another twenty powered armors would drive the price up to a million tax currency. At that time, it was Gu Hang who, in order to tie these Starfighters to his own battlefield, and given the commitments made to Phoenix amidst the onslaught of the Green Skin pirates, gritted his teeth while his cousin directly paid the sum as a gift to cope with the situation. Subsequent purchases would be too costly. And the channels for buying are very difficult. Not only are Interstellar Warrior Powered Armors expensive, but their production capacity is also low. Usually, only some Sect of Mechanics¡¯ Foundry Worlds possess the technology to produce them. But the key point is that the demand isn¡¯t high. A standard Starfighter Battle Group, when fully staffed, consists of only about a thousand people. Even factoring in a surplus for reserves, the total demand wouldn¡¯t exceed fifteen hundred to two thousand suits at most. And these powered armors can only be worn by Starfighters. The Regular Powered Armor that regular people can use is not the same thing. Given such limited demand, many Foundry Worlds capable of production don¡¯t manufacture in high quantities. If you only buy a small quantity, they can¡¯t be bothered to produce it for you; you can only hope there¡¯s surplus stock. If you buy in bulk, they¡¯re willing to start up production, but then the price is unaffordable. Ultimately, when it comes to powered armor, the notion that ¡°it¡¯s better to buy than to build¡± is entirely inapplicable. The production of powered armor, as well as other Starfighter-specific equipment, must rely on in-house manufacturing. It¡¯s simply a matter of spending more Grace Points. In fact, Gu Hang had already made up his mind to extract some Starfighter-related technologies. After completing the ¡°Phoenix in Peril¡± storyline, he could specifically choose to extract Starfighter technologies during the tech draw, which greatly reduced the element of chance. Putting the tech lottery aside for now, Gu Hang also planned out a sum of Grace Points, about fifteen thousand or so, estimating it would be enough to train twenty new members of the Phoenix Newblood. They themselves would also require at least six months to two years of growth, and during this time, the Alliance¡¯s self-produced powered armors should be available. Even if they can¡¯t be made, or it¡¯s not cost-effective to do so, drawing out technologies and pulling out Black Boxes to distribute them would also be feasible. And the fifteen thousand Grace Points spent would bring additional benefits besides the twenty new members of the Phoenix Newblood. That would be a large number of elite soldiers at T2, T3, and T4 levels. T4-level soldiers would be distributed among various units. These are the first batch to be eliminated during the Starfighter training process¨Cthose with the weakest potential. In regular units, they are also top-notch soldiers and their arrival would be warmly welcomed by those units. As for T3 and T2 level soldiers, they all went to the Tenth Brigade. This special combat brigade now had a size of over four thousand, all of whom were filtered out during the process of Starfighter training. With the Alliance¡¯s self-produced Exoskeleton Armor, they could also operate bomb guns and chainsaw swords individually. Their combat power might be far less than that of the genuine Starfighters¨Cin a real confrontation, they might be easily slaughtered. But against other regular infantry units, they could inflict just as much chaos. The difference in numbers was significant. After all, there are only a few dozen Starfighters; they aren¡¯t available for every mission. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The special combat brigade of several thousand, on the other hand, was different. In fact, during the previous Blackbird Campaign, the Tenth Brigade had already demonstrated outstanding performance. They frequently led the assaults on key targets, often fulfilling their missions without tarnishing their reputation and reducing heavy casualties for regular units; they also conducted special airborne operations, infiltrations behind enemy lines, decapitation tactics against enemy data transmission and command nodes, and sabotaging enemy logistics centers¡­ At that time, the special combat brigade with only two thousand men had proved more useful than several divisions. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.1k Chapter 533 - Chapter 533: Chapter 315, Power Armor Technology Chapter 533: Chapter 315, Power Armor Technology After completing the army construction, including the Phoenix Battle Group, Gu Hang only had 18,000 grace points left. In fact, regarding the military, Gu Hang had another minor expense. That was the Black Arrow Corps. The army led by Perbov consisted of five bona fide divisions of the Alliance, stationed on Heijian Star, helping Nes Luman stabilize the domestic situation. After all, the army of the Luman Kingdom had been basically smashed in the war a year ago. That place was not peaceful, and it needed troops to be stationed there. At the same time, Gu Hang also needed an army there to ensure the stability of the victory fruits obtained by the Alliance in the last war. However, with a sizeable Luman Kingdom population of forty million, which was almost as many as the native population of Rage Owl Star, it was unrealistic to expect a force of less than fifty thousand from five divisions to completely hold the ground. The Black Arrow Corps of the Alliance essentially held a fixed position in the capital of the Luman Kingdom, Pincer City. And the defense work of the entire kingdom still depended on the Luman People themselves. Only when there were issues that they truly couldn¡¯t resolve would the Black Arrow Corps of the Alliance deploy. Also, the number of the Black Arrow Corps could not be too small. Gu Hang had already given Perbov the authorization to recruit soldiers locally in the Luman Kingdom. Corresponding weapons and equipment would be transported to the Black Arrow Corps in supply ships between the two planets¨Cmainly relying on the Gu Commercial Firm, making the trip every six months. Many of the extra individual equipment and artillery were used to establish new troops. These troops were distinct from the native troops of the Luman Kingdom. Gu Hang required that the new troops absorbed by Perbov into the Black Arrow Corps must be reported to the Alliance Military and Political Department, following the official establishment process of the Alliance army; at the same time, he demanded that in this troop, the initial ratio of officers from the Alliance should exceed 70%, and 10% of the army¡¯s total members should be from the Alliance. On this basis, the Alliance Military and Political Department would grant this troop an official Alliance designation, under the Black Arrow Corps. All recruits would be given a probation period, and those who passed could obtain Alliance military ranks and Union Citizen benefits directly. Once they acquired their Alliance identity cards, they could normally be promoted in military rank and position within the troops. The troops established on Heijian Star comprised seven divisions, totaling over forty thousand people. They were regulated like garrison divisions, which are third-line troops. This was fairly standard. The elite and heavy weaponry of the Alliance were still not enough for its own direct-line troops, and there was also a lack of transport capacity to send them to Heijian Star. They could only transport some light weapons and outdated towed artillery. At most, there were a few double-digit heavy blaster rifles. Even ammunition supply and part of the weapon production had to be placed in the hands of the Luman Kingdom locally. Fortunately, one of the G-series light weapon production lines that spilled over from Weixing City had been transferred and shipped to Heijian Star through maritime transport. Although the production capacity was still average, it could at least fill some of the gaps. The training for these forty thousand people, as well as the over four thousand people spun off from the original direct-line troops of the Black Arrow Corps, all required supplementary training. Luckily, Gu Hang didn¡¯t need to attend to it himself. After the establishment of the seven Heijian Star garrison divisions and the achievement of the required ratio of direct-line officers and total soldiers under the [Badge] system, it was directly reflected inside. Gu Hang just needed to click once, and with over four hundred grace points spent, the training for over forty thousand people could be completed. ¡­ After completing the training for the Heijian Star Group Army, the remaining eighteen thousand grace points were the grace points Gu Hang was about to use for the technology lottery. Without a second thought, he found the completed [Phoenix Will Die] from the event features, limited to Star Warrior Technology, and then injected six thousand grace points to do a six-time draw in the thousand-tier. The thousand-tier prize pool was already very barren, with only a 2.5% probability for Elite level and 20% for Advanced level. Out of six draws, he hit three, two at the Advanced level and one at the Basic level. This was already considered very lucky. The two Advanced level draws were [Thermal Melting Weapon] and [Rhino Transport Vehicle]; the Basic level was [Individual Rocket Nest]. These three pieces of technology¡­ could also be considered special supplies for Star Warriors. Thermal melting was for Star Warriors who possess strong individual combat capabilities, to deliver fatal damage at close quarters when facing some big targets. For instance, if they encounter something like Titan Mecha that can¡¯t be taken down by blaster rifles and chain swords, a thermal melting bomb could solve the problem. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It¡¯s useful for Star Warriors. After all, they truly have the capacity to penetrate these big things¡¯ outer defenses, rush face-to-face to plant bombs, and then gracefully leave. Other troops could use it too, as conventional explosives aren¡¯t as reliable as thermal melting bombs when a soldier encounters something that needs to be blown up. And the Rhino Transport Vehicle is indeed the most commonly used vehicle by various Starfighter Battle Groups. Compared with the Strider Combat Vehicle, the Rhino is bigger, heavier, has thicker armor, and more powerful firepower and load capacity. It also has special ports that can connect to the Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor, allowing these superhumans to control the vehicle directly through their willpower via the black exoskeleton. In other words, in the hands of ordinary people, it¡¯s just a heavily armored combat vehicle; but in the hands of Star Warriors, this massive machine can achieve incredibly graceful and agile performance, completely different from its use by others. Chapter 534 - Chapter 534: Chapter 315, Power Armor Technology_2 Chapter 534: Chapter 315, Power Armor Technology_2 Mortal Troops don¡¯t necessarily need to use the Rhino Troop Transports; it¡¯s just a waste. After all, the cost of a Rhino is five times that of a Walker. The same goes for individual rocket nests. Compared to regular rocket launchers, they are larger, heavier, have a greater ammunition capacity, and include a power armor interface. Ordinary soldiers can use them, but they need to be mounted on a vehicle; and they can¡¯t fire with just a thought like the Star Warriors can, which greatly increases accuracy. These pieces of equipment¡­ I can¡¯t say they don¡¯t enhance the Phoenix Battle Group at all, but the actual effect is not significant. Take thermobaric bombs, for instance. The alliance couldn¡¯t produce them before, but they could buy them, and they weren¡¯t that expensive. Rhino Troop Transporters aren¡¯t widespread among Mortal Troops due to cost and efficiency issues, but if they were only used by the Phoenix, with just about thirty people, four would suffice. With such a small demand, it¡¯s truly less cost-effective to manufacture than to buy. The rocket nest, on the other hand, has some utility, not for use by the Star Warriors, but for the alliance¡¯s military departments. By removing the corresponding control systems and installing them on armored vehicles or directly on trucks, vehicle-mounted rocket launchers can be created to enhance the firepower of the artillery troops. In essence, it¡¯s not that the equipment is inadequate, but without scalability, there¡¯s no need to produce it oneself. There are only a little over thirty Star Warriors; what kind of equipment couldn¡¯t be bought individually? It would be uneconomical to spend all that effort setting up a production line just to serve thirty-something people. Of course, as a technological reserve, it is still necessary. Essentially, the problem isn¡¯t caused by technological garbage, but by the scarcity of the Phoenix. The core reason restricting the increase in the numbers of the Phoenix is partly the number of people and partly the power armor. Next, what Gu Hang is hoping for is that the last 10,000 points of grace will pay off in the lottery at the 10,000-point level. At the 10,000-point level, there is a 60% chance of drawing elite-level technology. Together with the Star Warrior Technology restriction, tactical power armor itself is considered elite-level. Overall, the odds are pretty good. Of course, if he hits that 30% chance for epic-level technology and directly draws the manufacturing technology for something like Terminator Power Armor¡­ that would be a bit of a prank, not knowing whether it¡¯s a blessing or a curse. Gu Hang rubbed his hands together, said a little prayer, and clicked to proceed. The last 10,000 points of grace disappeared like running water, and what they ultimately brought was indeed as hoped for. [Fourth Generation ¡®Majestic¡¯ Tactical Power Armor] He struck it lucky! But soon, the smile that had just spread across Gu Hang¡¯s face gradually faded again. Drawing the power armor technology he wanted was certainly good. Now, among the Phoenix, there are already several new recruits with superhuman organs who don¡¯t yet have armor to wear, not to mention, he had spent 15,000 points of grace to train twenty new Phoenix Newbloods. These people won¡¯t have to worry about having power armor anymore. But the problem lies in the fact that what Gu Hang drew was the fourth-generation ¡®Majestic¡¯ power armor. By now, Gu Hang had already crammed once on knowledge related to the Star Warriors. He also learned quite a bit about the power armor situation. Currently, the power armor models worn by the Empire¡¯s Star Warriors are very diverse, but the chaotic models are approximately developed from some generational baseline models. The most basic Star Warrior Powered Armor is clearly of nine generations. However, it¡¯s not to say that newer generations are always better. In fact, over the past ten thousand years, not to mention power armor, even the entire Empire has not only failed to advance in many technologies but has actually regressed. The Mechanical Church¡¯s scientific research relying mainly on archaeology might not be a joke. Humanity¡¯s current level of technology, after the great disruption, is far from the human Golden Age before the establishment of the Empire; it¡¯s even somewhat inferior to the times when The Emperor was among the people. Many generations of power armor are still in production today, with only variations in production volume. For example, the most numerous model of power armor currently in the Empire is the eighth-generation ¡®Sky Eagle Type¡¯, which is what the Phoenix are all equipped with now. The eighth generation is not the most widespread because it¡¯s powerful, but because the technology is mature, mass production is easy, maintenance is simple, and performance is quite decent. These comprehensive factors make it stand out. The fourth-generation ¡®Majestic¡¯ power armor that Gu Hang just drew, on the other hand, is different. Its performance is excellent, but production and maintenance are difficult. As of now, not many fourth-generation armors remain. In some battle groups with a deeper history, this type of armor is even a ¡®relic¡¯ passed down for thousands of years, worn only by the most outstanding warriors, a symbol of honor. It is said that some battle groups and Foundry Worlds still have the capability to produce this armor, but the output is probably pitifully small. Well, now the issue is, Gu Hang can mass produce it here. Subsequently, it¡¯s likely that the entire Phoenix will be equipped with ¡®Majestic¡¯ type armor. Although it¡¯s not a sin, it¡¯s¡­ really an eyesore. But what can be done about it? Gu Hang deeply sighed. Could I just let it go unused? If there¡¯s a problem, we¡¯ll solve it later. As for the power armor, the Black Box can churn out two units every month. That¡¯s practically free. Apart from that, he glanced briefly, the power armor technology, the Alliance had the base technological capacity to pull out production lines and mass-produce it. All sorts of technologies had been skimmed off earlier, such as Ceramic Steel Technology, Compressed Energy Technology, High-energy Anti-Gravity Engine Technology¡­ Yet, due to the many technical challenges within the ¡®gigantic¡¯ power armors themselves, even having the master machine Black Box, the production lines created will still demand a lot from the people during the manufacturing process. The difficulty of mass production won¡¯t be small. It¡¯s estimated that the speed of subsequent self-production would be about three units a month. Mainly because although the engineering volume is not considered large, it requires too many high-tech workers. Many processes need at least technicians or higher-ranked people to use production machines to forge them. But as long as it¡¯s producible, that will do. Thus calculated, five units a month, by the time this batch of Phoenix Newblood has grown up, not only will they have enough to wear, but there will even be a surplus. The rest can be saved for a sudden increase in soldiers later. If it really comes to it, secretly sell them. a normal power armor goes for fifty thousand a set, this could sell for at least a hundred thousand a set¨Cif historical factors weren¡¯t considered. ¡­ Fifty thousand points of grace spent, the changes it brought to the Alliance were quite significant. Although the technologies drawn out were mostly exclusive to the Star Warriors, less stimulating the economy, it brought strong developmental momentum to both military construction and talent cultivation for the Alliance. Moreover, the Alliance itself still had great potential for development to unleash. Apart from Weixing City being the industrial center, in many areas, the Alliance was still in a state of waiting for revival. A vast workforce hadn¡¯t been fully utilized; on wastelands, people urgently needed to invest their labor to rebuild their homes. When Osenia reported to Gu Hang, she said she was confident that by the next Imperial Tax payment, in a year and a half, she could raise the per capita output of Weixing City to above 3.5; the global per capita output to above 1. This also meant, based on the current population, the Alliance could have an annual output value exceeding sixty-five million Tax Currency. Gu Hang was certainly satisfied with this outcome; his Prime Minister had promised him a 20% GDP growth goal for two years, what was there not to be pleased with? What¡¯s more, his Madame Prime Minister might have even overlooked the difficulty of fulfilling this promise. Because the population of the Alliance was bound to grow. Apart from the policies encouraging childbirth on the native soil, a large number of immigrants from other regions were also inevitable. During Gu Hang¡¯s most recent trip to Korolya III, he brought along a batch of warriors from the Rage Bear Legion, rotating out the troops who had initially been struggling on Korolya III. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Additionally, he dispatched five more garrison divisions, the 21st to 25th, along with the 59th Mechanical Brigade, and a large amount of ammunition and supplies to Korolya III. From this point on, the number of soldiers the Alliance had fighting on Korolya III would reach a scale of one hundred thousand. The given reason was to support the fight of our human brethren, to offer some humble assistance. But in reality, what Gu Hang did was no different from other powers ¡®plundering¡¯ Korolya III. I¡¯ve been helping you so diligently; it¡¯s only proper to help evacuate some more refugees, right? Chapter 535 - Chapter 535: Chapter 316, Im Going to Die Chapter 535: Chapter 316, I¡¯m Going to Die The Rage Bear Legion goes without saying, they fight according to the orders of the Military Affairs Department and the Star Domain Military Headquarters, and Gu Hang won¡¯t fuss over the details with them. But the supply of the Rage Bear Legion was delivered by Rage Owl Star, which is not provided by the Imperial Military Department. Don¡¯t think ammunition is cheap, especially the shells for heavy artillery, ammunition for bomb guns, replacement parts for technical equipment¡­ These are all expensive. Moreover, the newly brought in five garrison divisions and one armored composite brigade are not from the Rage Bear Legion but from the Rage Owl Star¡¯s Planetary Defense Army, they surely won¡¯t fight for free. The construction cost for these forty thousand troops has already reached one million Tax Currency. The alliance also transported a large amount of food and freshwater. This wave of investment by Gu Hang has already reached nearly two million Tax Currency in total cost. In this situation, Gu Hang, on Korolya III, signed an evacuation agreement for the refugees with the government on the other side. In the future, the alliance will still further dispatch troops, provide ammunition, military weapons and equipment, food, freshwater, textiles¡­ The total aid is estimated to reach the scale of seven million Tax Currency. This amount of money is substantial, but the alliance can afford it. A considerable part of it is direct military participation in the war offsetting wealth; aid in various forms of ammunition, technical equipment, is also replenishment for the alliance¡¯s troops on the frontlines, not given to the Korolya people but counted in this seven million support. The only thing really handed over to the Korolya people are some light weapons. This is normal; the alliance¡¯s military factories also need orders. The various types of heavy weapons are eagerly awaited by the alliance¡¯s own troops and they have no spare to give to the Korolya people; but some G-series rifles and such, have plenty of excess production capacity. The same is true for ammunition; war on the homeland of Rage Owl Star has largely quieted down, ammunition consumption immediately decreased, and the surplus must be ¡°sold¡± off, right? Freshwater and food follow the same logic. Rage Owl Star still has a relatively abundant freshwater resource, with extensive oceans suitable for desalination. As for food, the Green Valley Region had a bumper harvest last year, and the Rage Owl Star people couldn¡¯t even consume it all; it would just be left to age if not exported. Moreover, a substantial part of these resources will be provided to refugee camps. And the people living in the refugee camps¡­ in the future, they will all be people of the alliance! And the seven million Tax Currency ¡°aid¡± in exchange, is that the alliance will ¡°help¡± Korolya III evacuate ten million refugees. Among all forces plundering the population of Korolya III, this agreement is considered to be quite ruthless. The reason for such ruthlessness is the result of Gu Hang¡¯s efforts. This is the role of ¡°reputation,¡± starting to slowly show its effectiveness. Of course, there¡¯s also the political influence of the Gu Family. In fact, not only did he earn, but the Gu Commercial Firm did as well. A significant portion of the transportation orders, not only from Rage Owl Star but also from other major forces. Whether transferring materials or personnel, a substantial number of ships are needed. The Gu Commercial Firm got pretty fat just from these transportation orders. As for the population transferred from Korolya III, Rage Owl Star is very welcoming; the quality of the population is actually not bad. In stark contrast, the population from Heijian Star is very troublesome. Heijian Star has also migrated hundreds of thousands of people, all from the Luman Kingdom. They are truly illiterate, the vast majority come from serf backgrounds, can¡¯t read, don¡¯t hold any skills needed in an industrial society, and the cost of intermediate training is substantial. Compared to the Rage Owl Star People, although there¡¯s a considerable percentage of illiteracy, it¡¯s nowhere near as high as the illiteracy rate of the Heijian Star People. Even among the illiterate, there are disparities. There¡¯s a reason for that; Rage Owl Star is a wasteland planet, its residents may not be literate, but they must have some skills. He may know how to drive, repair cars, assemble and use firearms, tinker with some junk machinery¡­ Without these skills, one couldn¡¯t survive in the wastelands. Quite a few wastelanders, under the system established by the alliance, entered schools and learned enough characters during adult education, even just a few hundred or a thousand, to read and understand written articles, and communicate in writing, which is enough to become a qualified industrial population. The population from Korolya III has similar attributes. Many of them mingled in the underbelly of Nest Capital, living worse than livestock, but their literacy rates are stronger than those of the wastelanders, with many having experience working in factories and mines ¨C work is necessary to survive. Even in Nest Capital, there is still the most basic education, where children around five or six years old go to school for a couple of years before they can work as child laborers. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The difference in population quality means that the value that different immigrants can immediately bring to the table varies greatly. However, overall, at this stage, Rage Owl Star is welcoming all comers. Even if they come from Heijian Star and need some time to be cultivated for modernization before being sent to work as farm laborers in the Green Valley Region, that¡¯s fine too. A qualified labor force, given normal opportunities and a platform, can create far more value than it consumes, there must be surplus labor value. What¡¯s more, the efficient system of the alliance, which eliminates the middle layer, requires no taxation, yet surpasses it, is much stronger in collecting surplus value than the conventional private property system. Chapter 536 - Chapter 536: Chapter 316, Im About to Die_2 Chapter 536: Chapter 316, I¡¯m About to Die_2 ¡°` ¡­ Nearly half a year whizzed by, with the Alliance developing methodically. As the Alliance Premier, Osenia was constantly overwhelmed. But she had gotten used to it. Ever since she took up this position, she had never been free from busyness. Overtime? Except for eating and sleeping, there was no time for rest! Talking about exploitation, she, as the Alliance Premier, was the most severely exploited. Under her leadership, the Alliance Government had already achieved some of the goals set earlier. This was the third year since the Alliance¡¯s establishment and the first year of unification. It was estimated that the total annual output for the coming year could grow from over 50 million to more than 68 million. That was three million more than what she had promised the governors for a two-year increase. Of course, this was a joyful achievement, yet another goal, the per capita productivity index, was estimated to be unattainable¨C Mainly because Rage Owl Star was about to experience a population surge of ten million, and a substantial amount of the development budget was spent on settling and assimilating these people, which resulted in the neglect of construction projects in remote provinces. Certainly, the added thirteen million in annual output did owe a great deal to the immigrants. Most immigrants headed to Weixing City and Beiqing Valley. The former, as an industrial center, needed people, while the latter had ample land resources to be opened up, with enough capacity to absorb a large population without becoming congested and overburdened. Gu Hang didn¡¯t have any dissatisfaction with this situation; he was quite satisfied with Osenia¡¯s work results. As for not meeting the per capita output target, it was expected. Besides, wasn¡¯t it still short of two years? Just half a year so far. During this period, Gu Hang¡¯s time was mostly spent shuttling between Korolya III and Rage Owl Star. On the one hand, he maintained his presence on Rage Owl Star to make some overarching decisions on planet development, and on the other hand, he actively participated in interstellar politics. At the same time, he was also waiting for the investigative team from the Sun Lord to arrive. On Korolya III, due to the same reason, many people who were stranded there were many. Some were present at the scene when Galaraldo disappeared, and others belonged to the investigative teams at the star sector, star domain, and space domain levels. Everyone was waiting. But today, the Sun investigative team suddenly issued new news¨C They were not coming. This message spread to Korolya III, causing an uproar! Complaints and curses were heard everywhere. What did they mean by not coming suddenly? In previous communications, they had even set off and had been on the road for half a year. To say they wouldn¡¯t come and to suddenly turn back¨Cwhat was the meaning of that? So what were we waiting for, for more than half a year for? Waiting in vain? Amidst the grievances, some politically astute individuals immediately sensed a lot from this information and perceived certain special signals. Firstly, there were potential changes within Tianma Star Sector. The apostle of war isn¡¯t being sought after anymore? Responsibility not pursued? Of course not. The Sun investigative team still issued their demands and orders. ¡°` First, they approved the joint investigation conclusion given by the third-level investigation team, acknowledging the disappearance of Galaraldo and demanding that the Dragonhawk Star Domain maintain a team to continue searching for the missing War Apostles¨Cin life or in death. The words were stern, but compared to their previous attitude, there was no question that it had softened a great deal. The Space Domain Government had directly taken itself out of the equation; the Star Domain Government only needed to dispatch one team to maintain the investigation¨Cthat is to say, they just needed to go through the motions. After searching with such great effort for a year and finding nothing, could they really expect that a mere investigation team could find the War Apostles as time went on and clues grew fewer? It was unrealistic. As for the matter of responsibility, such a significant incident had occurred, yet no definitive culprit had been found, so the only conclusion could be an accident, a scheme of the Abyssal Demons. This also meant that it was impossible to find a ¡®person¡¯ to take the blame. Well, you couldn¡¯t expect the Demons to be responsible, could you? And you couldn¡¯t solve it, either. So, who should this responsible person be? ¡­ ¡°I am about to die.¡± When Pei Desi uttered these words, his gray hair was a bit disheveled. Despite having tried to conceal it with makeup, his bloodshot eyes inevitably revealed his despair. This was the first time Gu Hang had seen him like this. In his memory, the head of the Pei Desi was always particular about his image: his hair never out of place, his demeanor full of energy, his smile always refreshing. It seemed that, in the face of death, everyone was the same. The others present, regardless of what they thought about this matter, at least outwardly, all showed grief. This was a meeting, attended by the Tianma Star Sector circle centered around the head of the Pei Desi, six people in total. Aside from himself, there was his brother, little Pei Desi. Beyond them were two other families of the ¡®Tianma Iron Triangle¡¯, the Gu Family and the Fufana Family. Representing the Gu Family were Wang Qi and Gu Hang. Wang Qi was the actual operator of the Gu Commercial Firm, while Gu Hang was the Family Head and also represented the soon-to-rise Tianma Star Sector Psychic Association and Rage Owl Star. The two members of the Fufana Family were General Fufana, dressed in a navy uniform, and Colonel Yelisia. The former was the Family¡¯s stalwart sea anchor, while the latter was a rising star within the family and the future successor. This meeting was the head of the Star Sector, Pei Desi, settling his affairs. Little Pei Desi, beside him, had a gloomy face. His shrill voice rose, ¡°We could resist¡­¡± He hadn¡¯t finished speaking when his brother interrupted him: ¡°What nonsense are you talking?!. We Pei Desis have been loyal subjects of the empire since our ancestors! No matter what treatment we receive, we should accept it gladly!¡± He scolded sharply and then observed the expressions of the four people from the Gu and Fufana families. Being scolded like that, little Pei Desi eventually shut up. Gu Hang maintained a serious expression on his face, but upon hearing little Pei Desi¡¯s words, he almost laughed out loud. Resist? With what would they resist? If they really started some form of resistance, the first to cut supplies would be the Gu; the first to fire cannons at Flying Wing Star would be the Fufana. Pei Desi sighed and faced the four ¡®allies¡¯ again, repeating his sentence, ¡°I am about to die. The Sun Lord¡¯s investigation team may not be coming anymore and have accepted the third-level government¡¯s investigative conclusion, but they demand someone take responsibility. That person is me and Governor Akuna. Akuna tried to flee but was already intercepted by the Star Domain Justice Department, and by now, he is probably dead. I am ready to calmly accept my fate. The Star Domain and Space Domain, in a show of respect for me, will allow me some time before I end it myself, and with that, the matter will be closed.¡± Pausing, he continued, ¡°But what I¡­ can¡¯t let go of the most is my brother.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Little Pei Desi stood on the side with a stern face, silent. ¡°After the death of Akuna and myself, our¡­¡± he emphasized ¡®our¡¯, ¡°our biggest problem will be the weakened control over the Star Sector political situation and over Korolya III; no new heads or Korolya Governors have been appointed yet. The Fatches Family will surely not miss this opportunity.¡± ¡°I have no other requests, but we must not let go of these two positions. At least, they cannot fall into the hands of Fatches, or else we will all be in great trouble.¡± With that, he looked at General Fufana, ¡°General, I hope you will come out of retirement to run for the position of Star Sector Head that I leave behind.¡± Having said this, without waiting for General Fufana¡¯s reply, his gaze turned to Wang Qi and Gu Hang, ¡°The Gu Family might have someone who can take on the responsibilities of the Korolya Governor.¡± Chapter 537 - Chapter 537: Chapter 317, Not Only Interested, But Also Very Much So Chapter 537: Chapter 317, Not Only Interested, But Also Very Much So After concluding their discussion with the leader Pei Desi, several people took their leave, and Gu Hang returned with his mother. On the way, they were silent, each lost in thought. Only after they got back to their secure residence did they begin to discuss the whole matter. Wang Qi reminded Gu Hang with great concern, ¡°Korolya Governor¡­ you mustn¡¯t be confused. Right now, it¡¯s a huge trap, incomparable to when you went to Rage Owl Star on your own. If you handle it poorly, it could spell death for you, as well as for the entire Gu Clan without a place to be buried.¡± ¡°I understand, I won¡¯t be fooled,¡± Gu Hang nodded and then sighed, ¡°It¡¯s such an enticing piece of fat, it¡¯s a pity it¡¯s covered in dog shit.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s lament was heartfelt. Honestly, when Pei Desi proposed to promote someone from the Gu Family to assume the role of Korolya Governor after Akuna¡¯s death, he was indeed very tempted. How could he not be moved? By comparison, Korolya¡¯s population was a thousand times that of Rage Owl Star! If Gu Hang could control this planet, and with the Black Box, complete the political and economic transformation of the entire planet, igniting the strong productivity of its tens of Nest Capitals and a total population of forty billion, then the value of this planet would become immensely vast! But¡­ the difficulty was too high. Korolya III isn¡¯t Rage Owl Star; there are massive and intricate native forces here; objectively speaking, while there is potential, the huge population also brings with it terrifying environmental pressure. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t replicate his success on Rage Owl Star straightforwardly on Korolya III, with its entirely different ecology. Moreover, the situation here on its own was bad enough, compounded by the political struggles of the Tianma Star Sector¨Ca core vortex; further compounded by the massive invasion of the Plague Demon that hadn¡¯t just been controlled but was showing a trend of worsening¡­ That was what Gu Hang meant by ¡°fat covered in dog shit.¡± Now was absolutely not a good time to take over Korolya III. At this point, whoever took the helm would be the scapegoat, a sacrifice. ¡°Old Fufana also didn¡¯t accept Pei Desi¡¯s invitation to run for the next Star Sector head, did he?¡± Gu Hang quietly asked. ¡°Yes, General Fufana seems to have no such intention,¡± Wang Qi responded. Gu Hang slightly nodded, ¡°That¡¯s easy to understand. They are a military family, why run for Star Sector head? To unnecessarily stand out, yet lacking the support of political forces. The difficulty of getting elected is not small, and the key issue is that even after being elected, there¡¯s no tangible benefit but instead direct pressure from Fatches.¡± Wang Qi sighed, ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s difficult.¡± Gu Hang knew what his mother was lamenting about. With Akuna and Pei Desi¡¯s deaths, the investigation teams from the Sun Lord no longer came, the Star Domain and Cosmos Domain investigation teams left without a fuss, leaving behind a huge mess. The original balance of power in the Tianma Star Sector was going to be directly shattered. Objectively speaking, Pei Desi was a very competent Star Sector head. Although there was Fatches, a political opponent within the Star Sector, who also had immense influence over the Star Realm Army there, he was still able to support his own brother to become the Flying Wing Star Governor and ally with Korolya¡¯s Governor Akuna. With population and production he firmly suppressed the Fatches Family. Additionally, the alliance with the Fufana Family and the economic strength of Flying Wing Star, especially its shipbuilding industry, strongly affected the Imperial Navy Troops. In this situation, he was unquestionably very advantaged within the Star Sector, not like those Star Sector heads who are mere figureheads in many other Star Sectors. Even more valuable, he was a man who knew restraint. Despite his great advantages, and even though relations were very bad, he never pushed Fatches to a dead end, lest the super powerful family who controlled three planets with a total population of over ten billion be driven into a corner. All struggles were mostly kept under control, also objectively ensuring the stability of the entire Star Sector. Although there were some missteps¨Csuch as trapping Gu Hang¡¯s predecessor on Rage Owl Star to become the governor¨Con the whole, he was an outstanding head, largely able to maintain the stable situation of the Tianma Star Sector. If this situation continued uninterrupted, the Tianma Star Sector could foreseeably continue to enjoy decades of peace. In the foreseeable future, no one could adjust this stable situation in the Tianma Star Sector. But¡­ the disappearance of Galaraldo completely shattered the foundation of stability. The deaths of Akuna and Pei Desi represented a huge power vacuum that had suddenly emerged. In the past few years, what action would the Fatches Family, which has long been suppressed, take? How would one quell the increasingly severe Demons invasion in Korolya? Those above seemed to have hardly considered this problem, hastily and brutally killing two people, holding them ¡°responsible,¡± and thus declared an end to it all. And Gu Hang, despite being powerless over this¡­ oh, looks like I triggered all of this? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But honestly, even as the instigator, he had not anticipated that things would unfold in this direction. It could only be said that the existing political contradictions within the Star Sector, coupled with the crisis Korolya itself was facing, after a poke from Gu Hang, could no longer hold. ¡­ Later, Old Fufana came to visit Gu Hang and his mother with his granddaughter Yelisia. In conversation, as expected by Wang Qi and Gu Hang, the Fufana Family had no intention of taking over. After Pei Desi¡¯s death, they did not wish to be pushed to the forefront to confront those sinister forces lurking in the dark. Chapter 538 - Chapter 538: Chapter 317: Not Only Interested, But Also Huge_2 Chapter 538: Chapter 317: Not Only Interested, But Also Huge_2 But the situation that followed began to descend into chaos. The next day, Pei Desi ended his life with dignity, and the various investigation teams hastily departed Korolya III with Akuna and Pei Desi¡¯s corpse in tow. What followed was an all-out war between two factions within the star sector. One side was the opportunistic Fatches, who began to vie for the positions of Korolya III Governor and Tianma Star Region¡¯s Head. Unlike other places, Fatches had the capital of three civilized planets on one hand and significant influence over the Star Realm Armed Forces¡¯ Dragonhawk Third Legion on the other. If they took over Korolya, they really had the capacity to stabilize the situation here. Currently, the Star Realm Army struggling here numbered seven million, but they were fully capable of doubling that figure within a year; if that wasn¡¯t enough, the planetary defense forces from the three planets could transfer tens of millions more. This was a tremendous advantage in terms of volume. Once they gained control over Korolya, combined with the original Fatches I/II/III planets, the population they would control would exceed fifty billion, nearly eighty percent of the entire star sector¡¯s population. With this might, taking on the position of Tianma Star Region¡¯s Head would make them the undisputed rulers of the entire star sector, returning the family to its former glory. This so-called family glory referred to the history of the Fatches Family. Before the Tianma Star Sector was reclaimed by the empire, it was the Fatches Family in charge here. After the Golden Age of humanity, when major worlds fell into disarray and ruled themselves, the Fatches Family rapidly grew in this dark era. They controlled three planets within their star system, formed a tri-star political alliance, and became the rulers of it. After the dark age ended and the Imperial Navy arrived at the Fatches Star System, they offered up the three planets, submitted to the empire, and actively participated in the empire¡¯s expeditions; this allowed them to retain the governorships of the three planets, permanently keeping them within their family. They even held control over the entire Tianma Star Sector at one point. Many of the past heads of the star sector were under the control of the Fatches Family. Until the arrival of Pei Desi, this high-ranking official from the Star Domain Government, who, during his decades as Tianma Star Region¡¯s Head, aggressively diminished the Fatches Family¡¯s control over the entire star sector, almost pushing their influence back within their own star system. Now was their chance to reclaim their family¡¯s glory and become Tianma¡¯s ¡®shepherds¡¯ once again. But similarly, the other faction wouldn¡¯t sit back and give up so easily. Pei Desi was dead, but only he was dead. The political legacy he left behind was far from extinct, and even his brother remained the Flying Wing Star Governor¨Cthis also showed how rough the empire¡¯s handling of Tianma Star Sector¡¯s issues were. But this was also very much the empire¡¯s style. Before his death, Pei Desi managed to secure enough for himself. He already had extensive connections within the Star Domain Government, and quite a number of people sympathized with his death, feeling that the Sun Lord was acting recklessly¨Cthey all knew he was being scapegoated. He made good use of this to secure his brother¡¯s position, ensuring that Pei Desi wasn¡¯t implicated, and even attempted to continue tying the Gu Clan and Fufana together. If all of Pei Desi¡¯s previous requests had been fulfilled, it would¡¯ve indeed been quite stable. Fufana as the head, accompanied by the Imperial Navy, was still from his own faction; the Gu Clan would pick someone to be the Korolya Governor, also from his faction; and Pei Desi remained the Flying Wing Star Governor. In this way, the political entity that had been comprehensively suppressing the Fatches Family initially could still largely be preserved. Originally, Pei Desi might have had many ways to ensure that the Gu Clan and Fufana obediently followed his plans. But no matter how many methods he had, they were useless now. He was out of time. After the Gu Clan and Fufana rejected his plans, he couldn¡¯t even manage a second round of persuasion and lobbying before he was killed. And Pei Desi¡­ in Gu Hang¡¯s view, was completely lacking his brother¡¯s abilities. After his brother¡¯s death, he openly turned hostile, cursing the Gu Clan and Fufana as ¡®traitors¡¯ at multiple meetings and banquets, while also fully mobilizing the political legacy his brother left, starting a comprehensive political war against Fatches. This war mainly took place on two battlegrounds: one within Korolya III internally, the other being the Star Domain Government. A new governor could be appointed by the empire from above, but the Central Empire couldn¡¯t manage everything. After all, it boiled down to reports from each level of government and, generally speaking, if there were no major issues, the Central Empire would approve them. Here, the voice of the star domain level government was very significant. But equally, being a governor meant that one must have sufficient control over the entire planet. He was the top military and political leader, burdened with the heavy responsibility of collecting imperial tax, and he must be able to quell the planet¡¯s troubles to ensure the tax was properly collected. No matter what the methods employed were. Were there instances of governors being parachuted in? Of course. But unless it was a foolhardy death sentence, any parachuted governor had to be a ¡®strong dragon¡¯ arriving with powerful resources to suppress the local ¡®snakes.¡¯ Would the Star Domain Government want to send such a strong dragon? Probably not. ¡°` Although the Star Domain Government is large and powerful, its resources are still limited. The other approach is to choose someone from among the local powers, which eliminates this problem. If this model is used, the Star Domain Government will fully consider the situation within the star sector and planets to find a person they believe can stabilize the situation. This is exactly the point that Fatches and Pei Desi are competing over. On Yunluo Star, officials at all levels of the Star Domain Government who have a say will probably keep welcoming lobbyists in the following period. The other battlefield is within the planet itself, which involves selecting this ¡°local power.¡± To put it plainly, both families are looking for a spokesperson. This spokesperson needs to be strong enough to unite other local forces and also needs to stand on their side. In this, there will undoubtedly be all kinds of alliances and interest trades. And that¡¯s just what¡¯s on the surface. In the dark, assassination, lies, conspiracies, framing, and slander¡­ none can be spared. The Gu Clan and Fufana huddled together, somewhat revealing a hint of neutrality, but who can truly be neutral? The Gu Clan is still alright; at least not long ago, they had a history of trying to mend relations with Fatches; when Gu Hang cleaned out Blackbird Heavy Industries on Rage Owl Star, although he slightly coerced Fatches and made them bleed a little, in essence, he was cleaning up after them. The evidence of the Ironmen rebellion he obtained from Blackbird was also hidden and not handed over to Pei Desi. But it¡¯s different for Fufana; they had not refrained from taking part in suppressing Fatches in the past. They had a grudge. Over the years, the intertwining close relations between the Gu Clan and Fufana and their alliance with Pei Desi have become complex and difficult to cut off at once. Simply put, the Tianma Fleet is present in the star sector; Gu Commercial Firm primarily operates within the star sector, and Rage Owl Star is also within it. You simply cannot avoid being involved in this whirlpool that is gradually affecting the entire star sector. Wang Qi had become visibly busy and had repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with her son¡¯s carefree attitude, which was equivalent to a hands-off shopkeeper. But each time, Gu Hang just smiled and perfunctorily brushed off a few sentences without truly getting involved. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t take it seriously, but rather, he had other matters to attend to. What does your squabbling have to do with me? Taking advantage of this opportunity to gain some real benefits is what truly matters. He had set his sights on two things. First, of course, was the population. On Korolya III, the least valuable thing, yet the most precious in Gu Hang¡¯s eyes, was its population. Apart from the population, this world was worthless in his eyes. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Previously, there was still Governor Akuna with Pei Desi backing him. Now, all that is gone, and for Gu Hang to harvest the population, it has become much easier and more convenient. As for the second thing he was eyeing, it was the position of Governor of Heijian Star. He had no interest in being the Governor of Korolya, at least not for now; he was neither a local power nor strong enough to dominate in such a vast place as Korolya. But his interest in becoming the Governor of Heijian Star was not only existent but also significant. ¡°` Chapter 539 - Chapter 539: Chapter 318, Heijian Star Strategy Chapter 539: Chapter 318, Heijian Star Strategy Theoretically, the position of total governor of Heijian Star is now under the control of Gu Hang. The current ¡®governor¡¯ is Nes Luman, and this King is indeed under the control of Gu Hang. Not only is his mind controlled by Gu Hang, but the military, political, and economic aspects of the country are also under the alliance¡¯s control. However, this type of control does not represent the alliance¡¯s control over the entire Heijian Star. The position of Nes Luman as governor comes from the special political ecosystem of Heijian Star: the King¡¯s Council. Those elected by the King¡¯s Council will temporarily hold the position of governor of Heijian Star until the next election. After the last session of the King¡¯s Council, the Luman Kingdom, which had chosen the wrong side during the previous war and was beaten by the military of Rage Owl Star, rightfully lost its seat as governor. According to the political traditions of Heijian Star, Nes was supposed to resign after the previous tax collection was completed. But after the King¡¯s Council, he forcibly held onto the position without resigning. Specifically, he did not proceed with the official resignation and nomination of the next governor to the Star Sector Government. In the past of Heijian Star, there were those who did the same, but their ends were quite unpleasant. At its core, the governor of this planet is still the ¡®King¡¯s Council¡¯ entity. The King¡¯s Council, of course, does not possess power in itself, but the meaning it represents is very crucial. The seven most powerful countries on the planet, along with a host of smaller nations, discuss major issues within this council. The most important issue is finding a way to pool the Imperial Tax each country has to pay and submit it together to maintain the stability of the entire planet. Holding on to the governor¡¯s position and not paying? It has never been the case that one becomes the governor to dominate the planet, but that one must be able to dominate the planet to become the real governor. No matter how this ability to dominate is acquired. Clearly, the current Nes Luman, or rather, the alliance behind him, does not possess the ability to dominate Heijian Star. The other kings on that planet are also not convinced. After Nes Luman refused to hand over the governor¡¯s position, they independently elected a new governor within the King¡¯s Council. This person is from the first great kingdom of Heijian Star, Panbos. They have already begun to initiate their relationships, attempting to secure the empire¡¯s recognition. Of course, this bunch of kings is too weak in political influence; forget the Star Domain Government, even here at the Star Sector Government, they have hardly any paths to take, not to mention that the current political situation in the Star Sector is chaotic. Their past connections were mainly with the Gu Commercial Firm and the Sect of Mechanics in the Tianma Star Sector. But the former is now firmly on Nes Luman¡¯s side; when they seek them out, the people at Gu Commercial Firm generally just advise them to accept their fate. As for the latter, the influence of the Sect of Mechanics is extremely low in the Tianma Star Sector, even resembling the domain of a state religion more. The organizational structure is well-established, its influence significant, and there is even a headquarters for the Sisterhood. In any case, when it comes to political maneuvering, they are set to be severely suppressed. But they obviously did not place much hope in this aspect. While actively engaging in politics, their actions within the planet are of even greater importance. They have already declared that they refuse to submit Imperial Tax to the Luman Kingdom. The tax collection work is being handled by Panbos Kingdom and has almost received the support of the remaining 85% of the countries. The annual Imperial Tax of Heijian Star is forty million Tax Currency. This shortfall is definitely something the Luman Kingdom cannot fill on its own, and Gu Hang cannot possibly sell everything to shoulder it either; it must still be paid by the entirety of Heijian Star. So what to do? The only choice was to fight. Actually, a battle had already taken place. However, it was not Gu Hang¡¯s side that made the move. On the other side, the King of Panbos, upon being elected as the new ¡®governor,¡¯ rallied an army and issued a warning to the Luman Kingdom, also sending a warning through the Star Language Tower to the Gu Commercial Firm. Their warning to the Luman Kingdom was harsh, labeling Nes Luman as a traitor and enumerating nine grave crimes; But the warning to the Gu Clan was relatively tactful, roughly meaning, we have been doing business for many years, and our relationship has always been quite friendly. Heijian Star is very poor, and there is nothing worth taking for the Gu Commercial Firm by means other than trade; in addition, the people of Luman are very brave, and if even the little they have is taken away, they would also fight to the bitter end with all their might. This was essentially a declaration of their stance, but Gu Hang did not respond to them. The army rallied by the King¡¯s Council, seeing this, then advanced into the territory of the Luman Kingdom. However, their determination to wage war was clearly not that strong, and their logistical supply capabilities did not support them in truly assembling a very large and elite army for a massive invasion of the Luman Kingdom. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Among them, even Knight Titan, there was only one from the Panbos Kingdom. The newly established army of the Luman Kingdom was certainly no match for them; after all, the Luman People hardly had any sentinel mecha left now. But then the Black Arrow Corps moved out. Under the fierce assault of the armored units, the alliance of kings was soundly defeated. If they hadn¡¯t retreated quickly, even that Knight Titan would have been left behind. The army of Perbov gave the people of Heijian Star a bit of a shock from the alliance. Chapter 540 - Chapter 540: Chapter 318, Heijian Star Strategy_2 Chapter 540: Chapter 318, Heijian Star Strategy_2 But even at this stage, it was only a matter of repelling one attack from the enemy, far from enough to make those kings submit. They didn¡¯t have the guts to reassemble their troops and launch another large-scale attack on the Luman Kingdom, so they could only opt for an economic blockade and minor border harassments to continue their hostilities. Of course, they certainly wouldn¡¯t be paying any Imperial Taxes to the Luman Kingdom now. This was somewhat tricky for Gu Hang, but it was also within his expectations. With Nes Luman insisting on not giving up the governorship of Heijian Star, the reactions of the other nations there were predictable. This matter was bound to end in war. Gu Hang harbored aspirations to annex the entire Heijian Star, and the other kingdoms, not made of mud, would naturally resist. This situation was less an accident than a result fostered by Gu Hang himself. He had long been prepared for a war. Especially now that the conflict within Rage Owl Star had almost completely subsided, the Alliance had sufficient strength to cope with this war. And Gu Hang was confident enough to win it. Heijian Star had a population of four hundred million, and counting the new immigrants, Rage Owl Star had just fifty-five million¨Ca seemingly huge disparity in scale, but in reality, not so much. The gap in industrial capacity and mobilization ability between the two was too large. The main military forces of the kingdoms on Heijian Star, namely the kingdom armies, were at best militiamen in terms of quality, and differed greatly from the Alliance¡¯s regular forces in all aspects. Not to mention organization, discipline, and tactics, just their hardware equipment alone was lacking, with many not even equipped with the G-series rifles; much of their armament was self-produced ¡®crude guns and cannons¡¯ with range, power, and accuracy all being serious concerns. The only equipment that could be considered cutting-edge and deserving of the Alliance¡¯s military¡¯s respect were the Sentry Mechas and Knight Titans. However, the former performed only average in head-to-head battles, while the latter were too few in number. What made things even worse was that the high-tech equipment of those kingdom armies relied entirely on foreign trade, and this trade was facilitated by the Gu Commercial Firm. This made their sustained warfighting capability very weak; once a war broke out and the Gu Commercial Firm blocked trade routes, their military would soon crumble over time. However, despite Gu Hang feeling very confident in winning the war, and possibly even sustaining minimal losses, he also faced his own dilemma: The pretext for war. Certainly, he could use Luman¡¯s name to declare all the other kingdoms on Heijian Star as rebels for not paying the Imperial Tax, and then appeal to the Rage Bear Legion¨Ca Star Realm Army unit¨Cfor assistance in quelling the rebellion. The Alliance Army, under the guise of responding to the Star Realm Army¡¯s call, could then head to Heijian Star in large numbers to carry out the ¡®suppression¡¯ mission. This whole rationale was smooth and by-the-book. But it was a bit too shameless and forced. After all, a governor¡¯s ruling right was guaranteed by the Empire, but beneath that were local bureaucratic squabbles. Forms like the King¡¯s Council, which nominated the governors, received Empire¡¯s support depending on the political climate of each planet. The King¡¯s Council of Heijian Star was also registered and recognized by the Empire Government. Moreover, for thousands of years, Heijian Star had operated under such a political system. No matter under what pretense Gu Hang acted, others were not blind or foolish; how could they not see that he was engaging in annexation? If it were the past, Gu Hang would not have dared to do this. While the Star Sea was a world where the strong prey upon the weak, under the human race, under the unified government of the Empire, such actions would draw too much criticism, and it would be exceedingly easy for him to be interfered with by other political forces at some step along the way and fail under external meddling. Moreover, even if successful, there would be a lot of difficult post-war work to do, and a bad job could mean throwing up as much as had been swallowed. After all, Gu Hang still needed to operate within the system of the Empire. The main reason he could act now was that the political landscape of the entire Tianma Star Sector had become thoroughly chaotic, which allowed Gu Hang to seize the opportunity. Furthermore, due to the political turmoil, things that previously required a lot of interest trading and political compromise to accomplish had now become relatively easy to obtain. Gu Hang, in the name of the Gu Family, issued a notice to the two major powers within the Star Sector, stating his intention to quell the rebellion on Heijian Star. This was almost a clear declaration that Gu Hang intended to annex Heijian Star. And for these two major forces, there was one central issue revolving around Gu Hang that they had been vying for beforehand. That pertained to the issue of the Ironman rebellion on Rage Owl Star, involving assets controlled by the Fatches Family at Blackbird Heavy Industries. When the Fatches Family initially sent the Star Realm Army to quell the Ironman rebellion on Rage Owl Star, General Cai Minjin received the mission to storm Blackbird City first, gather related clues, and then destroy them. For them, it was a given. Indeed, the people of our Fatches Family have caused you trouble, so now I have dispatched a million Star Realm troops to solve this problem for you, we should then be even. But obviously, what really matters is the specific method used. Cai Minjin couldn¡¯t make it into Blackbird City first, and in the end, it was looted by the Alliance Army. Fatches felt guilty, they didn¡¯t know what was there, Gu Hang hadn¡¯t said, but¡­ isn¡¯t that fear? At this critical juncture, they certainly didn¡¯t want this thunder to explode. On the contrary, Pei Desi wanted Gu Hang to hand over this thunder to them, which would give them a weapon to attack the Fatches Family. Not to say how lethal, but associating the Ironman rebellion, originally deemed an individual act, with the entire Fatches Family would evidently cause them a great deal of trouble. And here, Gu Hang thus had the capital to exchange with both parties. Heijian Star was originally just a marginal small place, with a population of four hundred million, not even half as many as Korolya¡¯s Nest Capital; it had no rich special products, just an agricultural planet under feudalism, it really wasn¡¯t critical. Moreover, Gu Hang wanted it for himself, he was to take it himself, without any special help from others, he just needed their nod of approval. So, after some exchanges, Fatches eventually agreed not to trouble Gu Hang over this matter. As long as he could stabilize the situation on Heijian Star before the next Imperial Tax payment, they would consider the matter settled. After receiving a satisfactory response, Gu Hang quickly reassured them: ¡°I definitely won¡¯t give Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ information to Pei Desi as a weapon to attack Fatches.¡± ¡­ ¡°I definitely won¡¯t hand over Blackbird Heavy Industries¡¯ information to Fatches, to let them be completely without worries.¡± Then Gu Hang also gave Pei Desi a reassurance on his side. Gu Hang heard that Pei Desi was furious about this. He had already been angry about the ¡®betrayal¡¯ of the Gu Family and Fufana, and now, Gu Hang hadn¡¯t fully met his demands, hadn¡¯t handed over the goods to him, and was certainly not going to come forward to identify the Fatches Family. But after all, Gu Hang hadn¡¯t completely flipped to the other side. After repeated persuasion by staff and other cooperative forces, based on the principle that even if the support of the Gu Family couldn¡¯t be garnered, at least relations shouldn¡¯t become hostile, they finally nodded in agreement, their attitude roughly the same as Fatches. They wouldn¡¯t help, but they wouldn¡¯t cause trouble either. That was enough. Having resolved the political issues, Gu Hang could finally get down to business. The Central Group Army, half of the Rage Bear Legion on Rage Owl Star, the Phoenix Battle Group¡­ The combat forces that Gu Hang confirmed began to get ready to set out. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They were to board the transport ships summoned by the Gu Commercial Firm, embarking from the Rage Owl Star Port, which had already expanded many times over, and head to Heijian Star, taking the first step in the Alliance¡¯s conquest of the Star Sea. In this war, Gu Hang would participate personally. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k There¡¯s one more chapter, but it will be very late, probably around four o¡¯clock. Chapter 541 - Chapter 541: Chapter 319, Iron Curtain Queen Chapter 541: Chapter 319, Iron Curtain Queen In the palace of the Kingdom of Stefano, as sturdy as a fortress, on Heijian Star, it was a hive of activity. Today marked the 42nd day since the invasion of the Kingdom of Stefano. Two months ago, the armies of the Alliance descended upon this world, causing nearly all the nations on Heijian Star to tense up. Even without access to a starport, the Rage Owl Star People relied on ground rail transport ships and landing craft to continuously transport troops, equipment, and supplies to the surface. The spies stationed in the Luman Kingdom by various nations became noticeably more active. They were investigating the specifics of the army that had landed on the planet, trying to understand their objectives, their military strength, and the state of their weapons and equipment¡­ However, before they could figure anything out, the war operations of the Alliance Army had already begun. In the morning of the first day, Nes Luman delivered a global address, with the signal openly accessible, shamelessly claiming the identity of the governor of Heijian Star, denying the legitimacy of the King¡¯s Council, and presenting documents from the Star Sector Government to declare all ¡®nations¡¯ that resisted taxes as Imperial traitors, claiming that a Star Realm Army had arrived at Heijian Star to quell the rebellion. By midday, urgent intelligence came out from within the borders of the Luman Kingdom, indicating the massing of troops suspected to be heading towards the Kingdom of Stefano. By evening, the border defenses of the Kingdom of Stefano had been crushed into dust by the Alliance¡¯s Lion Tanks. This series of news arrived extremely swiftly and frequently. One report had just detailed the kingdom¡¯s soldiers making a desperate stand at the border, estimating they could hold back the enemy for ten hours and hoping for reinforcements soon when the minister of the military was already fervently debating from where to dispatch troops and how to arrange the entire defense line to block the enemy. But before they could come to a conclusion, the next message announced that the defense line had been breached. This presented them with tremendous difficulties. The plans of the entire day seemed to be in vain. Often before a discussion could conclude or a plan could take shape, the basis for its feasibility no longer existed. This scenario repeated over the course of 42 days. The military operations of the Alliance were akin to a blitzkrieg. The kingdom¡¯s defenses were like butter to a hot knife, easily pierced. After the border, one defense line after another barely formed ¡ª some still in the process of being built ¡ª were overwhelmed by the Rage Owl Star People¡¯s armed forces, with artillery and armor. As of today, the latest news indicated that the enemy¡¯s vanguard had reached a distance of 330 kilometers outside the fortress capital of the Kingdom of Stefano. In front of the capital, only two lines of defense remained. Within the court, a mood of tension, bewilderment, and even a bit of despair was spreading everywhere. Those generals and ministers, who under normal circumstances were either graceful or steadfast, were still trying hard to maintain their dignity and calmness. However, as monarch, Queen Isabel could discern that her ministers and generals were in utter disarray, incapable of producing a coherent idea. Honestly, she felt the same way. But at the same time, she also harbored deep anger. The Kingdom of Stefano, the second-largest kingdom on Heijian Star, had a population of seventy million people, ranking one above its neighbor, the Luman Kingdom, and nearly double its size in both population and land area. Stefano was the most powerful among all the neighboring countries of Luman Kingdom and a force to be reckoned with on the planet. Furthermore, Stefano had a strong military tradition. The nation had always prided itself on its military might, with a prevailing martial culture from top to bottom. The Stefanians were renowned throughout the world for their bravery and skill in battle. Even the capital of the country was a huge fortress; the court within it was also a castle with maximum defensive capabilities. Although Queen Isabel was a woman, she always took pride in her ancestors¡¯ bravery. Ascending to the throne at nineteen and now thirty-five, she had upheld the will of her ancestors during these sixteen years. From initially being seen as nothing more than a ¡®transitional monarch,¡¯ she had become a true queen. All across the kingdom, who did not submit to the rule of the Iron Curtain Queen? Who dared to overlook the queen, who at a little over twenty years old, had won the affection of the Imperial Guard, daring to stage a coup in the court and personally executing fifteen powerful nobles with her own hands? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only She ruled this country with an iron fist and was not about to watch her most important ministers, one by one, become so panic-stricken and clueless. She knew well that this was the time for her to step forward. Tapping lightly on the table, the ministers and generals seated below in the military conference fell silent and raised their heads, looking towards their queen. The once youthful face of Isabel now appeared even more hardened. She made the decision, ¡°Stop discussing those worthless things. We have already concentrated most of our forces. Over two-hundred thousand warriors are ready to hold their ground in the capital fortress. At the same time, across the country, more than half a million warriors are converging towards the capital, and they only need a month to gather. After another month, we can expect a further half a million troops. Our allies have promised that within a maximum of two months, an Alliance Army of no less than half a million men, organized by the King¡¯s Council, will come to our aid.¡± Chapter 542 - Chapter 542: Chapter 319, Iron Curtain Queen_2 Chapter 542: Chapter 319, Iron Curtain Queen_2 ¡°` ¡°We will prepare for the worst, and we shall fight a desperate battle with the enemy in our capital, our heart! We have a defensive line that spans 330 kilometers, a capital Fortress manned by 200,000 people, and the million-strong army that is soon to come from our allied forces! I will ensure that those alien invaders crash and bleed against the Fortress that Stefanians have built with their flesh and blood!¡± ¡°No matter how powerful the alien invaders are, no matter how advanced their weaponry, we will make them witness the valor of the Stefanians!¡± ¡°In the name of the Queen, I swear that I will fight alongside my subjects to defend this nation, and we will not take a single step back!¡± ¡°I believe that we will ultimately achieve a complete victory in this war!¡± Under the Iron Curtain Queen¡¯s speech, generals and ministers shouted and raised their arms in cheer! Their morale was boosted, they trusted their Queen, and they were willing to shed their last drop of blood for Her Majesty! However, just at that moment, a muffled sound penetrated the shouting of the officials, unclear but still firm enough to reach everyone¡¯s ears. The cheers and applause gradually ceased, followed by more and more frequent muffled sounds that kept coming, seemingly getting closer and closer. Many thought it sounded like gunfire. But they also found the idea too incredible; under the Iron Curtain of the Queen, who would dare to fire a gun inside the Stefano Fortress? As for that more terrifying possibility¡­ No one wanted to believe it was real. Logically, how could the Alliance Army, which was still 300 kilometers away this morning, possibly have come so close in the afternoon, past the defensive line of 100,000 soldiers, past the strong Fortress defended by 200,000, that their gunfire could be heard by these individuals? Were divine troops descending from the sky? Even if there really were such divine troops descending, they would be shot down! The Stefano Fortress had a complete orbital defense system. No matter whether it was airdrops from planes or orbital drops, it would not be so easy to break in. So, what was really happening? At this moment, the Iron Curtain Queen¡¯s face really was as stern as iron. Without her needing to give an order, the close attending military officer had already rushed out to find out what exactly had happened. However, barely a minute or two later, the military officer who had left came back. Isabel¡¯s close attending officers, all of whom were promising young elites, were born into military families with solid military training. The Iron Curtain Queen established the position of close attending officers to gather these young talents, to develop their abilities, their loyalty, and to facilitate their future deployment to various armies, replacing the Queen in controlling the military power of the Kingdom. They were supposed to maintain a poker face in all situations. But when truly facing a catastrophe, how many people who prided themselves on their composure could actually remain calm? The returning officer looked panicked, his steps frantic. He said, ¡°Your Majesty, the enemy has breached the Fortress!¡± This officer¡¯s father, a general of the Kingdom, was present. He couldn¡¯t stand the sight and stood up, scolding, ¡°What¡¯s with the panic?! It¡¯s probably just a small group of infiltrators¡­¡± Yet, the officer defiantly retorted, ¡°It is indeed a small group, but they are Interstellar Warriors!¡± Now, there was a real silence. Interstellar Warriors? The ones known as the Emperor¡¯s Death Angels? They remembered the intelligence. About two years ago, during the turmoil initiated by the Luman Kingdom against the Gu Family, the forces that had beaten up the Luman military indeed included the appearance of Interstellar Warriors. Even though many thinkers within the Kingdom concluded from their limited understanding of the Interstellar Warriors that this unexpectedly powerful force was only invited occasionally to deal with Luman Kingdom affairs. Given the rarity of the Interstellar Warriors, it was unlikely they could be recruited repeatedly by a single power. But, adhering to the spirit of expecting the worst in every plan and preparing for it as comprehensively as possible, they still included the extraordinary force of the Interstellar Warriors in their defense planning. The Kingdom¡¯s military thinkers wracked their brains with the limited intelligence they had, estimating the combat capabilities of the Interstellar Warriors, and conceived many ways to deal with these Super Soldiers. ¡°` But now, the frontline battlefield hasn¡¯t even encountered those Angels of The Emperor, yet the capital, which should have been extraordinarily safe, has been struck first? How is that possible? Even if they are Interstellar Warriors, how did they get in? In the midst of silence, that military officer couldn¡¯t help himself. He spoke up again: ¡°I saw the surveillance, those red-armored giants wiping out the stationed Knights as if there was no difference between them and the unarmed civilians they slaughter. The Royal Knights couldn¡¯t stop their advance at all! Your Majesty the Queen, generals, ministers, you must retreat now while you still can!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The general, who was the officer¡¯s father, spoke out once again. He was worried his son might anger the Iron Curtain Queen. Just moments before, Her Majesty the Queen had proclaimed before all the ministers that she would live and die with her subjects, and fight to the end against the enemy, without retreating. And now his boy was clamoring for people to run? Do you have a death wish, doesn¡¯t Her Majesty still care about her dignity? With some concern, he glanced towards the head of the table, only to see Her Majesty the Queen, pale with anger, wordlessly turning and walking away. ¡­ Anat put down the bomb gun in his hands, still smoking from the barrel, watching as the last Sentry Mecha, painted orange-red, fell before him. Although he had only been an Interstellar Warrior for two years, he was already accustomed to battle. His gaze shifted to a middle-aged woman in military attire, trembling but holding a pistol, trying hard to stay calm, and the group of people following her. Inside his helmet, he whispered in a volume that couldn¡¯t be heard outside: ¡°Group A has cleared all enemies, target captured, confirmed as the Queen of the Kingdom of Stefano, Isabel.¡± He didn¡¯t think he had said anything wrong. Even though the Queen was holding a gun and a few young officers nearby, and those so-called generals and ministers at the back were also holding self-defense weapons, in his eyes, there was indeed no danger anymore. New orders came through the built-in communication system of his helmet: ¡°Take all targets to the rendezvous point, try to ensure they do not die.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± After acknowledging the order, he looked up at the local dignitaries in front of him and said: ¡°You have been captured. Now, please follow me and do not attempt any form of resistance.¡± Behind him, five other warriors slowly stepped forward, using their gun barrels to direct the captives back the way they came. Anat himself walked directly towards the Queen. A young officer, mustering his courage, stepped in front of him, opening his mouth as if to say something, but Anat just waved his hand, the iron backhand striking his face and taking his head off. Anat¡¯s stride didn¡¯t falter as he came up to the ¡®Queen¡¯: ¡°Isabel.¡± He spoke her name flatly, without any superfluous words, but the barrel of his gun adequately conveyed his intent. The Iron Curtain Queen clenched her teeth but could only stagger along in the direction indicated by the barrel of the gun, totally powerless. They returned to the conference hall where the military meeting had begun. Six red-armored giants guarded all the entrances and exits. Anyone who dared to come in or tried to sneak out would be turned to dust and smoke under their bomb guns. Inside, including the Iron Curtain Queen herself, more than twenty people hadn¡¯t even been disarmed. Nonetheless, they couldn¡¯t even think about resisting. They didn¡¯t even dare to speak. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It was in this way, as they occasionally heard the sounds of gunfire, that they spent half an hour until they saw two more squads of Interstellar Warriors walk in. ¡°All anti-air systems have been shut down.¡± ¡°In one hour, the Special Forces of the 10th Brigade will be air-dropped here.¡± ¡°To take control of the entire Fortress region, we have to ensure that when the main corps arrives two days from now, this city will be without obstructions.¡± ¡°We guarantee to complete the mission.¡± Chapter 543 - Chapter 543: Chapter 320: A Larger Scale Raid Chapter 543: Chapter 320: A Larger Scale Raid ¡°The thirty-first.¡± Anat pulled the bloodstained chainsaw sword from the chest of the fallen Sentry Mecha before him, while his other hand, holding a bomb gun, fired nonstop, blasting Stefanians who tried to threaten him into pieces. Seconds later, the magazine was empty. It was his last one, and there were still many enemies. But he felt no panic. The chainsaw sword swung into action as his other fist clenched, becoming as heavy as a sledgehammer. Those grazed by the chainsaw sword would find their bodies torn apart, blood and flesh flying everywhere. Under the chainsaw sword capable of tearing through steel plates, the human body was frantically fragile; the Interstellar Warrior¡¯s fist was just as lethal. Even without the Gravity Gauntlets or similar devices, just the strength of an Interstellar Warrior, combined with the output of the powered armor, meant that the iron gloves could completely pulverize any part of the human body they struck. Anyone who tried to obstruct him, anyone who dared to get close, was ruthlessly eliminated. Soon, Anat was drenched in blood, which wasn¡¯t so noticeable only because it splashed over his fiery red battle armor. However, he didn¡¯t attempt to kill all the enemies with his ammo depleted; instead, he chose to break through to the rear. The enemy was numerous, but few dared to block his way. The death of the ¡®Knight¡¯ had a significant impact on the remaining soldiers¡¯ will to fight. This was precisely Anat¡¯s purpose in taking the initiative to strike. He wanted to take down the Sentry Mecha with one thrust, destroying this small group of enemies¡¯ will to resist. Once he succeeded, it was time to retreat. Even though his bomb gun was out of ammo, the retreat wasn¡¯t difficult, as the remaining enemies were only ordinary soldiers. Those with low morale had already collapsed, fleeing in disarray. Those with more courage dared only fire a few shots from a distance. Not to say whether they could hit their mark, but even if they did, the LR Series Laser Guns, standard issue weapons in the hands of the royal guards, were ineffective against the powered armor. Everybody knows what happens with a flashlight. Of course, that¡¯s a joke. The LR Series Laser Guns are much more powerful than the G Series projectile weapons. Anat cherished the armor he wore dearly. Damaged armor could take a long time to repair, and currently, the Phoenixes didn¡¯t have the luxury of providing each of their ranks a spare set. He was not keen on getting hit by those ¡®flashlights¡¯ too much, as the surface coating could be melted off, and severe metal fatigue could lead to armor damage. He dodged bullets, casually killing enemies that came close, and quickly retreated to his own line of defense. Two brothers-in-arms guarding the already blasted gate, using the ruins of buildings for cover, nodded slightly to him. He nodded back briefly and then saw an old veteran commander behind them, to whom he reported mission completion and refilled some bullets from the nearby ammo box. Glancing briefly, he saw that the bullets remaining in the ammo box were already scarce. Before long, everyone would run out of bullets. This was indeed the predicament they were currently facing. Before this, his group, after intercepting the Iron Curtain Queen Isabel and her entourage, didn¡¯t retreat with the captives but instead returned to the heart of the Kingdom of Stefano. This clearly was a perilous move. They hadn¡¯t fully taken over this city yet. Here, two hundred thousand Stefanian troops were still holding their ground. With their queen captured within the palace, the reaction the Stefanians would have was all too predictable. For whatever purpose, they would mobilize all their efforts and assemble all forces to take back their queen. This was also the goal of the Interstellar Warriors¨Cto use the queen as powerful bait, holding the enemy firmly in place. After converging with two squads that had completed the destruction of the anti-air systems, Anat and his comrades, a total of twenty Phoenixes, stood guard at the center of the kingdom, beginning a confrontation¨Cmore accurately, a one-sided slaughter¨Cagainst the countless enemies coming to rescue the queen. Isabel¡¯s so-called ¡®brave Stefanians¡¯ indeed weren¡¯t just hot air. The so-called ¡®Knights,¡¯ the kingdom¡¯s nobles who piloted the Sentry Mechas, along with a large number of royal guards, charged forward with abandon, striving to break through the pathways guarded by the Interstellar Warriors to rescue their queen. But they achieved nothing. In this not very lengthy period, the twenty Interstellar Warriors annihilated thirty Sentry Mechas and killed more than two thousand royal guards. Mecha debris and warrior blood stained every area red, with limbs and metal wreckage strewn all about. And the Interstellar Warriors were unscathed. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Even the valiant Stefanians couldn¡¯t help but feel their morale sink in the face of such desperate disparity. They had tried everything and sacrificed without reservation, yet they still saw no glimmer of hope for breaching the defense line formed by the twenty Phoenixes. Yet they kept striving. After enough sacrifices and lessons learned, the Knights and Stefanian soldiers who followed didn¡¯t blindly charge forward anymore. They kept shouting, instructing the ordinary soldiers to carry their weapons and cover a few individuals carrying high explosives, rushing towards the Interstellar Warriors. They gambled on luck and bet that the Interstellar Warriors also had limited ammo. Chapter 544 - Chapter 544: Chapter 320: A Larger Scale Raid_2 Chapter 544: Chapter 320: A Larger Scale Raid_2 Indeed, that was the case. The interstellar warriors¡¯ ability to carry heavy loads was exceptionally strong, and their tactically designed backpacks made full use of every inch of space, so they could bring as many supplies as possible. However, the size of the bombs was there to see, much larger than ordinary bullets, so the quantity that could be loaded was ultimately limited. Each Phoenix had taken at least six hundred bombs, but after the previous battle and fighting here for a long time, they were finally running low. They had already started to consciously conserve ammunition in battle, but even interstellar warriors couldn¡¯t be forced to kill an enemy with every shot. Necessary fire suppression, reconnaissance by fire, and long-range shooting mishaps were all normal circumstances. Not to mention, even if they could manage to kill an enemy with each bullet, the number of enemies was still greater than their ammunition. Facing the new enemies¡¯ defensive tactics, Anat volunteered, seizing the lull after one wave of enemy offensive to break out alone. He circumvented their line of sight and, under fire, once the enemy became aware of him, used his chainsaw sword to eliminate the command sentry mecha hiding behind. After accomplishing his objective, he indeed achieved his purpose. No matter how brave the Stefanians were, it couldn¡¯t conceal the fact that this was a feudal army at its core. After the loss of the noble officers, the remaining common soldiers were clearly bewildered and hesitated. At that moment, Phoenix¡¯s defensive line was finally able to breathe a little. They shouldn¡¯t have to be so tense until the next batch of enemies reorganized, and the consumption of ammunition could be slightly eased. As for what came after, the bullets would eventually run out. But what of it? Anat checked the panel built into his tactical helmet. There were only around ten minutes left to the scheduled time. ¡­ At this moment, above the capital fortress of Stefano, there were consecutive howling sounds. Over a hundred Windfalcon Fighters had arrived in the skies above the city. Previously, the Windfalcon dared not come. Conventional anti-air firepower was one thing¨Ca mere formality. With an elevation in flight altitude and maintaining speed, dropping bombs would generally not be a problem. After all, the local forces of Heijian Star were downright pathetic in terms of air force construction. Although they also possessed Windfalcons, a kingdom had no more than a dozen, hardly daring to fly out for a fight. However, they had spent a lot of money to build an orbital defense system. The Defender Real Ammunition Air Defense System, along with many precision anti-air missiles, could guarantee a certain interception efficiency even against starship to ground bombardment, let alone dare the air force to fly over the city¡¯s airspace. But now, the interstellar warriors¡¯ raid had already destroyed the city¡¯s defense control system. The Windfalcons could swagger over. They brazenly circled at the very top of the court fortress, the first to unload soldiers and ammunition materials went down. The rest bombarded any potential targets that could threaten the airborne operations with all their onboard missiles, even lowering their altitude for dive shooting. When the Windfalcons that finished unloading flew up to take over their duties, the remaining ones continued to unload personnel and supplies. After rotating in this fashion for four or five rounds, all the equipment had been unloaded. The entire process went smoothly. Interstellar warriors did their jobs reliably. It wasn¡¯t just about anti-air gunfire coming at them¨Cthe areas around with potential threats had been cleared, with hardly a few common soldiers seen firing rifles into the sky. After using up their missiles and machine gun rounds, the Windfalcons departed, satisfied. What they left behind were over a thousand exoskeleton-equipped special forces of the Tenth Brigade and enough ammunition for them to fight intensely for an entire day. After the Windfalcons went back, they would load up another batch of warriors and supplies and make another trip. Counting load times and travel, the next arrival would not exceed eight hours at most. On the ground, the three special forces battalion commanders of the freshly landed Tenth Brigade, three majors, gathered before Matins. They, clad in exoskeletons, saluted with awe the towering Battle Group Leader donned in the Terminator Power Armor before them with an Alliance Army salute. After returning the salute, Matins began to assign tasks without any idle chatter. Soon, each of the units took their personnel and dispersed in all directions. Matins gazed at the entire city. Hasty and chaotic, flames of war spread everywhere. He was all too familiar with this scene; for the past several centuries, this was how he had lived. Interstellar Warriors indeed always dealt with all sorts of formidable enemies resembling monsters and evil spirits, who were the most memorable. But digging a little deeper into memory, those routine rebellion suppression missions against laughably weak foes were actually the most frequent battles. Sometimes he didn¡¯t understand. Even when his Battle Group, at its peak or later during the redemption expeditions, had been split into dozens of groups of a few dozen men, operating on the scale of companies, constantly on the move in the Star Sea, responding to support requests from Planetary Governors and the Imperial Military at the far corners of space, most of the battles were about helping planets suppress rebellions. They truly did not have much time to rest, yet Planetary Governors always complained that requesting imperial reinforcements, especially Interstellar Warrior support, was something unattainable; by the time reinforcements might arrive, the conflict had already cooled down. This contradiction often perplexed Matins. He always felt that as The Emperor¡¯s Death Angels, as the Imperial Military¡¯s most formidable warriors, their enemies should be those Aliens, Demons, the great adversaries of mankind. Yet most of the time, their opponents were just humans, continually suppressing rebellions, over and over again. Of course, he knew it was because the Empire¡¯s territories were so vast that, even though the Battle Groups were running themselves ragged everywhere, they could only quiet one rebellion at a time. But what he truly did not understand was why there were rebellions everywhere? Even more so, why did rebellions they had just quelled sometimes resurface after a few years? He had a long life, but his life had always been filled with battles, hardly providing him enough time to ponder this question. But now, it seemed another person had come to contemplate this question in his stead. On the Rage Owl Star, he had not only witnessed but also participated in Governor Gu Hang¡¯s unification of the world. He was initially indifferent, for he had assisted too many worlds to achieve unification and suppress rebellions. However, he rarely saw that when so-called unification truly arrived, every single person, every group that had come under Governor Gu Hang¡¯s rule, significantly began to live a better life than before; the evil-doers also truly received their punishment. He knew the state Rage Owl Star was in when Gu Hang first arrived, so he felt even more that everything they had done appeared to have real value. At least, he saw no signs whatsoever of a large-scale rebellion arising on Rage Owl Star. This scenario was also somewhat confirmed on the Heijian Star. The Luman Kingdom, after its conquest, also quickly settled down. Though its development wasn¡¯t notably spectacular due to not being native and not having changed its political system completely, one no longer saw people dying of hunger or freezing to death. Matins knew he wasn¡¯t particularly astute politically, but with his shallow understanding, he believed the Luman people wouldn¡¯t rebel anymore. The Governor he had sworn allegiance to, seemed to have a more comprehensive thought process and an exact method to ¡®why people rebel¡¯ and ¡®how to eradicate rebellions¡¯ compared to himself, a warrior who only knew how to fight. Let¡¯s just wait and see. He had to admit that after he had sworn allegiance to Gu Hang, although the Battle Group was flourishing and showing signs of revival, there was a sense of shame in his heart that ¡®I once pledged loyalty to grand causes like The Emperor, the Empire, and humanity, but now it has become loyalty to one person, how shameful.¡¯ Sometimes, he even asked himself if it was worth sacrificing the Battle Group¡¯s honor for the sake of its continuation. And now, those inappropriate feelings of shame were gradually waning with what he was seeing and hearing. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Then let me wait and see.¡± He said softly, hoisted his gun, and advanced toward the battlefield before him. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.1k Compensating for yesterday, I won¡¯t finish today¡¯s, but I¡¯ll catch up with a full 8k update tomorrow. Chapter 545 - Chapter 545: Chapter 321, Spiritual Energy Transmission Chapter 545: Chapter 321, Spiritual Energy Transmission The special forces elites of the 10th Brigade didn¡¯t have the same terrifying battlefield dominance as the Interstellar Warriors. Despite the armor plates welded onto their exoskeletons providing protection for their vital torso areas, they weren¡¯t enough to completely ignore enemy gunfire, let alone the significant number of laser weapons in the hands of the elite Honor Guard of the Kingdom of Stefano. Their offensive tactics, relying on laser guns and electromagnetic rifles, could easily destroy ordinary soldiers, but when facing the few Sentry Mecha, they too lacked effective means. Only their most elite, trained to T2 level, holding anti-tank rifles could pose a conventional threat to those ¡®Knights.¡¯ Other special forces elites needed to either get close with chainsaw swords or plant bombs, or otherwise hope to have anti-armor rockets or mortars at hand. But the good news was that, thanks to the extra power provided by the exoskeletons, they could carry a variety of heavy individual weapons, much more powerful than ordinary infantry. Compared to the Interstellar Warriors, their biggest advantage was in their numbers. After Anat and the other twenty Interstellar Warriors drew most of the enemy¡¯s attention, using the Iron Curtain Queen as an irresistible bait for the Stefanians, Matins led another twenty men smoothly shutting down the rest of the Fortress¡¯s air defenses, and even cleared a space suitable for Windfalcon Fighters to drop soldiers and supplies on the upper part of the Fortress. This air-drop brought down a thousand special forces elites¨Ca number fifty times that of the Interstellar Warriors. Moreover, the Phoenixes hadn¡¯t retreated, they would also join the battle. After handing over the task of guarding the Fortress and watching over the high-ranking Stefano prisoners to a special forces company, forty Interstellar Warriors formed squads and led a large number of special forces elites to commence operations. The battle lasted for almost two days. Matins, as the commander-in-chief, basically accomplished the mission of leading the troops to seize the entire Fortress. The Stefanians were truly fighting bravely, but their subjective valor couldn¡¯t make up for the gap in actual strength between the two sides. Not to mention, could it be that these elite warriors of the Alliance were weak in their combat will? Impossible. And indeed, it was because of their relentless fighting will, enduring heavy casualties, accepting seemingly suicidal missions, that they died so quickly. The Stefanian Honor Guard was almost completely annihilated. Fifty Sentry Mecha and over eight thousand elite soldiers, virtually the kingdom¡¯s most elite force. The Iron Curtain Queen saw all this with her own eyes, her heart bleeding. No one knew better than her how much effort she spent over the years of her reign to build such an Honor Guard. Their existence was not merely to defend the Fortress¨Cshe had larger ambitions, and this Honor Guard was the backbone of her future plans. But now, all was lost. Was she a futile monarch? No. But when her enemies were extraterrestrial visitors, the unbeatable Interstellar Warriors and the Alliance Army, she, bound by her own limitations, found herself utterly powerless. After the most elite Honor Guard of the Kingdom of Stefano was decimated, the battle temporarily subsided. The forces of the Alliance held their position within the Fortress, with no immediate intentions of advancing outward. Despite three more waves of Windfalcons bringing thousand more special forces elites, along with a battalion and an artillery company from the 31st Airborne Division, boosting the Alliance¡¯s total military presence to around four thousand, Matins, as the commanding general, did not deploy troops beyond the Fortress. Inside this capital city, there were still two hundred thousand Stefanian soldiers. These royal forces were far from as powerful as the decimated Honor Guard, but they were still numerous and possessed over a hundred Sentry Mecha, as well as two Knight Titans. Yet this main force of two hundred thousand didn¡¯t launch another massive assault on the Fortress. It wasn¡¯t that they had some other purpose in mind, mainly¡­ they were shell-shocked. Nearly all the kingdom¡¯s high command had been captured; many Honor Guard officers had died in the previous two days of battle. Among the survivors, it was difficult to find a suitable candidate to lead the troops. They even summoned a retired general back to service. The chaos within the army needed sorting out, and the next steps required more profound planning. Moreover, they weren¡¯t completely inactive. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They also tried to muster forces to retake the Fortress. But it was clear they couldn¡¯t. The two hundred thousand forces, initially not stationed within the city, were far inferior in quality to the Honor Guard defending the Fortress. After several failed attacks, they had suffered significant losses. Although their casualty rate was nowhere near that of the almost annihilated Honor Guard, the participating units showed a marked tendency toward combat hesitance and reticence. Despite some zealous and loyal officers urging the troops to attack repeatedly, the results were very poor. This caused the conflict around the Fortress to generally calm down, with only some low-intensity fighting in localized areas. Chapter 546 - Chapter 546: Chapter 321, Spiritual Energy Transmission_2 Chapter 546: Chapter 321, Spiritual Energy Transmission_2 ¡°` Not having to fight is a good thing. Matins simply had his troops wait patiently, and eventually, they received the news he wanted. The main forces of the Alliance had once again broken through the enemy¡¯s defensive line. The main forces, originally three hundred kilometers away, had advanced to just over a hundred kilometers. And the fastest vanguard units had even reached a position less than seventy kilometers from Stefano Capital City. It was the fifth day since the interstellar warriors had started their raiding operations, and everything was going according to plan. Now it was time for them to make their next move. Matins found two people. One of them was named Henrik Larson. He was one of the first group of fresh blood for the Phoenix. Before this, there was nothing distinguishing him from the others, and he didn¡¯t have standout performances like Anat. But now, he was the sole think tank member of the Battle Group. The other person Matins sought was named Dannie Dress. She was a member of the Alliance¡¯s ¡®Storm Mage Corps.¡¯ This organization had been established less than three months ago, originating from the Storm Mage Academy that had been established six months prior, along with the Rage Owl Star Branch of the Imperial Psychic Association. The Storm Mage Academy, in half a year¡¯s time, had screened out about a hundred individuals with spiritual energy talent throughout the Rage Owl Star. Excluding those who were older and whose spiritual energy talent was indeed insufficient to pose a threat to others, which were just registered; the remaining under thirty-five years of age totaled over seventy people, who, after registering their information, were sent to the Mage Academy to study control of their spiritual power. Out of them, fifty had already ¡®graduated.¡¯ While being members of the Psychic Associations, they were also all seconded by the Alliance Government to form the Storm Mage Corps. At this moment, half of the Storm Mage Corps was here. The temporary leader of more than twenty Storm Mages was Dannie Dress. Dress came from the Northern Border Province of the Alliance and was only seventeen years old. She started displaying ¡®superpowers¡¯ the year before last, like making a pen disappear into thin air and reappear several meters away. She couldn¡¯t control this power herself; when she was intensely emotional or feeling particularly bad, her power would release, and everything around her could possibly teleport spontaneously. Her parents, though only poorly-paid miners, loved their daughter enough. They hid Dress¡¯s talent well, didn¡¯t tell anyone, and asked Dress to control herself as much as possible. However, before the Alliance took control of the North Territory, the influence of the Primordial Wrath Owl Sect was too great there. They were also quite inclined to collect these individuals with spiritual energy talent. Under their special training, those who already had spiritual energy talent and then were infused with dark magic through secret rituals would obtain even more powerful abilities. Some of the High Priests with great power in their sect had come into being this way. In the end, Dress was still captured by them. The cultists killed her parents before her eyes and took her away. What would follow was a series of long-term tortures combined with brainwashing techniques to twist her personality and memory, then infuse her with dark magic, in order to cultivate her into a saint of the sect. But fortunately, just as these methods had barely begun and hadn¡¯t yet caused irreversible severe damage to Dress, the Alliance completely destroyed the cult, and Dress was saved. What could the rescued Dress do to face the life that had actually been shattered? What else could be done but live on? She accepted the arrangement of the Alliance, received about half a year of basic education, then entered a mechanical factory in the North Territory to do logistics service. Subsequently, she was notified by the newly established Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association staff, who told her she had spiritual energy talent and had her register. At that time, her mood was very heavy, very afraid. The greatest disaster of her life originated from this; wouldn¡¯t being discovered by the Alliance Government scare her? After being rescued, she had been very careful in hiding her special abilities, especially as she grew older, she had learned to control her superpowers better. Although she didn¡¯t know how to use them actively, she could at least try to prevent them from appearing when she didn¡¯t want them to. ¡°` So, she was very puzzled¨Chow did the Alliance find out about this? With fear and some despair in her heart, she entered the Mage Academy. But the life here was totally different from what she had imagined and what she had experienced before. She moved into a bright room, could eat her fill, dress warmly, made some friends who were quite similar to herself, received a good education, and even had counselors paying attention to their inner feelings and psychological health issues¡­ What she needed to do was only to study various theories and learn how to control her special powers. Then, one day, suddenly, she felt enlightened and had thoroughly mastered the power. Although there was still a large body of theoretical knowledge she hadn¡¯t finished learning, she was already able to use her power as she wished. After that, she joined the Storm Mage Corps. It could be said to be voluntary because she didn¡¯t know where else she could go, and her classmates had also chosen to join; the pleasant life over the past few months had let her let down her guard, convinced that serving the Alliance wasn¡¯t a bad thing and could even enhance her rank. After entering the Mage Corps, she took on some tasks, such as helping in the factory with some special work, like ¡°sending¡± a certain part into a sealed container; using spatial cutting abilities, helping to cut through some tough materials¡­ Not busy, let alone painful. Her life was on the right track. In contrast to those small, unimportant tasks, her very first significant action turned out to be crossing the stars to another world, joining the Interstellar Warriors to fight side by side in a war. To be honest, she was still quite nervous. But in this battle, she, along with her colleagues who had come with her, didn¡¯t need to personally engage in frontline combat. The fighting was the warriors¡¯ responsibility, while she and her colleagues had another more important task. And now, Commander Matins, as the supreme commander, once again issued her an order, asking her and the think tank member Larson of the Battle Group to repeat the process. ¡°My men are ready. Now, I need you to join forces again to initiate a psychic teleportation, sending my team to the heart of the enemy.¡± ¡°No problem, we have all recovered and can perform a psychic teleportation again. Just like last time, we can teleport fifty people at a time.¡± ¡°Excellent, proceed, then. You have four hours to prepare.¡± ¡°That¡¯s more than enough,¡± Dress stated confidently. She began to work with Henrik Larson on how they would actually operate the task ahead. Psychic teleportation was a powerful thing, but it wasn¡¯t something that happened just by wishing for it. They needed to study the psychic and environmental conditions here and at the target location to ensure the teleportation wasn¡¯t interfered with and that the deviation wasn¡¯t too great. Researching the departure location was certainly easy, but studying the target location was quite inconvenient. If it were easily reachable, then what was the need for the complex teleportation tactics? All they could do was to use Psychic Vision and Psionic Perception to sense as much as possible. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, overall, the problem wasn¡¯t too big. Mainly because the target location wasn¡¯t far, probably about thirty kilometers away, visible with a telescope from a high vantage point. They were prepared rather quickly. At the departure location, on a large open-air platform, a deep blue psychic circle was already drawn. Dress, along with more than twenty psychics, stood around it. A series of ¡®thud, thud, thud¡¯ footsteps sounded, as forty Interstellar Warriors marched in step. Chapter 547 - Chapter 547: Chapter 322, All Resistance Crumbles From Here Chapter 547: Chapter 322, All Resistance Crumbles From Here This was the second time Dress had seen the Phoenix¡¯s Angels come marching in formation, armed with firearms and wearing blades. But the shock she felt was no different from the first time. The Phoenix warriors clad in heavy armor truly resembled red giants. Each of their tall and imposing figures conveyed their iron-willed determination to the surrounding people. Their coordinated actions combined the majesty of each individual warrior into an even more tumultuous and surging display of their murderous intent. Dress found herself involuntarily holding her breath until she was almost gasping for air, at which point she suddenly inhaled deeply. The oppressive feeling was overwhelmingly shocking. ¡°Focus a bit more.¡± A gentle voice came from beside her. Dress turned her head and saw another red-armored warrior. Although he did not take off his helmet, Dress could feel that the Interstellar Warrior and Spiritual Energy wielder, Henrik Larson, was smiling at her. She nodded slightly, ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°No need to apologize, just wait for news of our victory.¡± As the two conversed, the last footstep, like a ¡®thud,¡¯ resounded, and the Interstellar Warriors all came to a halt. Matins, walking at the forefront, said to her, ¡°We are fully prepared.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Dress nodded slightly, as Spiritual Energy began to flow out of her. Following her, all the other Spiritual Energy wielders, including Henrik Larson, did the same. The immense Spiritual Energy gathered on Dress, and through her, was channeled into the Spiritual Energy formation before her. Every azure thread of the formation began to light up. Moments later, the space above the formation started to violently tremble. ¡°We can enter now!¡± Henrik Larson sent out the message, Commander Matins was the first to step into the formation, and all the other warriors quickly followed. Larson did the same, standing by Matins¡¯s side. The surging Spiritual Energy linked each of the brothers in arms together. Moments later, the figures of all the Interstellar Warriors vanished in an instant, leaving behind more than twenty Spiritual Energy wielders collapsed on the ground, gasping for air. According to what they learned at the Mage Academy, this was a state of Spiritual Energy overexertion, which of course is not good for either body or mind. But as long as it doesn¡¯t happen too frequently, just occasionally, and if one gets enough rest afterwards to recover, it wouldn¡¯t leave any lasting problems or hidden dangers. Dress was in relatively good condition compared to everyone else. Although she was the host of this Spiritual Energy teleportation, she also had the highest level of Spiritual Energy among them all. During the ¡®grading¡¯ at the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, her Spiritual Energy strength was rated as class C, on the same level as Tianma Star Sector Psychic Association¡¯s current president, Wang Yuyang. Her face pale and breathing lightly, she gazed beyond the fortress court, looking far away. It was too far for her to see clearly, but she knew that the Interstellar Warriors had already reached the outer city area of the enemy camp, which had been repurposed as a military base. If nothing unexpected occurred, they would directly face the enemy¡¯s strongest weapon¨CKnight Titans. Dress wasn¡¯t too worried; she felt that the Interstellar Warriors couldn¡¯t possibly lose. ¡­ In the instant after the teleportation was completed, the Interstellar Warriors indeed had to confront the enemy¡¯s most powerful weapon, the Knight Titans, which was undeniably true and was actually happening. But such a confrontation was certainly not what the Knight Titans would have wanted to see. It was too sudden and too unforeseeable. The Knight Titans required pilots, and in the societal context of Heijian Star, Knight Titans were all part of the noble families; they wouldn¡¯t always stay inside the uncomfortable and cramped cockpit. When not in battle, they would naturally rest outside. Such as right now. Of course, as the most powerful weapons, as extremely costly assets of war, the Stefanians were very protective of their Knight Titans. A large number of soldiers were stationed around them, with over ten Mecha sentries on guard. The typical storage locations for the Knight Titans were permanent semi-underground fortifications that could withstand sudden artillery shelling and aerial attacks, while tightly preventing infiltration. However, what the Stefanians could never have imagined was that right under their noses, in the air that was empty just a moment before, suddenly appeared forty red-armored giants! Dumbfounded, the guards even forgot to shoot. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Of course, even if they had opened fire, it would have been pointless. Upon landing, the Interstellar Warriors had clear roles; ten men per group began charging toward the Stefano Kingdom Army¡¯s only two Knight Titans. The other twenty started systematically eliminating nearby enemies, with the primary targets being those Sentry Mechas, which, with their mounted cannons, could potentially damage the Powered Armor at the current combat range. But that was truly not difficult. There were only ten Sentry Mechas, and they were also caught by surprise. The other rank-and-file soldiers could hardly be of any help. Under such circumstances, what else was there to say about the outcome? Chapter 548 - Chapter 548: Chapter 322, All Resistance Crumbles From Here_2 Chapter 548: Chapter 322, All Resistance Crumbles From Here_2 ¡°` They were all still in shock when, in a flash, each of them was ¡®splashed¡¯ with more than twenty armor-piercing bombs. The entire army was annihilated. Immediately after, the sound of thermite bomb explosions echoed from two fortifications that housed Knight Titans. Without a doubt, Knight Titans with no pilots and energy shields deactivated, once rigged with four or five thermite bombs and detonated simultaneously, stood no chance of being repaired and were utterly destroyed. The mission of the Phoenix Battle Group had been thoroughly accomplished. The entire process had taken less than six minutes. Matins¡¯s expression bore not a hint of pride or anything of the sort. Just basic operations. ¡°Spiritual Energy transportation, right into the enemy¡¯s face, and then slaying them all with a blade¨Cwhat¡¯s so difficult about that?¡± Not at all difficult. The only thing that might be considered somewhat difficult was how to retreat safely and unharmed. After all, they were now deep in enemy territory. Surrounding them were hundreds of thousands of Stefano Kingdom¡¯s troops. Not to say that they were invincible just because they were Interstellar Warriors wearing powered armor. That was not the case. Based on Matins¡¯s past experience, if they made any mistakes or were the least bit careless in their following actions, there could still be consequences. Heavy artillery, excessive gunfire, bombs¡­ these things could all pose a threat to them. But the good news was that the enemy¡¯s setup here had been completely shattered. In the face of the sudden, monstrous losses, and with the Knight Titans destroyed, the ordinary soldiers had no will to fight amidst the chaos. They retreated without much resistance and headed along the pre-planned route toward the palace fortress¡¯s defensive lines. After covering more than twenty kilometers, passing through the outer city district, they had successfully escaped danger. Prior to this, they had a thorough plan; the routes chosen were designed to progress through narrow areas that were not conducive to the use of heavy firepower. Moreover, their enemies were obviously unprepared for an attack from the rear¨Clacking both checkpoints and the will to fight, they crumbled easily upon being struck. In the outer city district, the Interstellar Warriors moved as if strolling leisurely in a garden, facing almost no effective resistance. Additionally, they had an extra gain. During the retreat, one of the squads discovered an unusual military deployment around a building, suggesting the presence of a high-ranking figure. That building was on their evacuation route. Since it was on their way, they attempted to attack the location. The attack was, of course, successful, and as a result, they found the enemy¡¯s command center in there. A veteran general took the lead, and many officers of the Stefano Kingdom Army were trapped inside. Several Sentry Mechas guarded them closely, covering as they boarded several military vehicles in an attempt to leave. But the bomb guns blew up all those vehicles. The enemy forces were thrown into sudden chaos, while the Interstellar Warriors did not linger and effortlessly left the scene. ¡­ The actions of the Interstellar Warriors were not isolated. Two hours before their Spiritual Energy teleportation, the Alliance Army, occupying the Central Palace, had begun a multi-point, comprehensive, heavy firepower assault on the exterior at Matins¡¯s instigation. The main objective wasn¡¯t to seize any vital targets but to draw the enemy¡¯s attention and create opportunities for the Interstellar Warriors. At the same time, an entire battalion of special forces advanced outward along the route of the Interstellar Warriors¡¯ retreat to provide support for the Phoenix warriors. ¡°` Although without these preparations, the Phoenixes would certainly still be able to successfully withdraw, yet when making the plan, one must always be prepared for the unexpected. The interstellar warriors who successfully withdrew, their achievements in this surprise attack were extremely glorious. The two hundred thousand troops of the Kingdom of Stefano stationed in the outer city area were instantly paralyzed and even lost control. With the main war weaponry gone and the recently recovered semblance of a command brain excised, countless soldiers witnessed The Emperor¡¯s Angels cut through the entire district with an invincible stance. Everyone before them was like insects, easily killed. This made them lose their belief in victory. The organizational structure collapsed from the top-down, and the morale of the ordinary soldiers crumbled. The chain reaction caused by all of this made the lower and middle-ranking officers completely unable to control their subordinates¨Cquite a few among them didn¡¯t want to control them at all since they themselves were breaking down. The army seemed to still exist but also seemed as if it had disappeared. Large numbers of deserters began to emerge among the soldiers, and those who did not flee were panicked and at a loss. Moreover, many vicious incidents began to occur in the city, with soldiers starting to rob residents, committing murder, and arson. But all this came to a halt the next day. The main forces of the Alliance came. Belonging to the Alliance Central Corps, the 13th Armored Brigade and the 60th Armored Brigade converged and advanced in unison. Although there were only about twenty thousand of them, when two hundred self-propelled guns broke the main gates of Stefano and then thousands of armored vehicles, and over a hundred Lion Tanks, marched into the city in an imposing procession; when the special forces elites within the Central Palace District, the soldiers of the 31st Airborne Division, began to cut through from the palace, coordinating with the external armored forces to pinch and strike at those Stefano soldiers¡­ All resistance henceforth crumbled. The Alliance¡¯s army, without dispute, gained control of the entire city. And after a brief consultation, the political commissars of the two Armored Brigades implemented a series of post-war policies. The whole urban area was first put under military administration, but multiple distribution points for essential goods were opened, ensuring basic humanitarian relief. They even temporarily mobilized some surrendering officials from Stefano¡¯s royal city to help with this task. About two hundred thousand people became prisoners of war. The Alliance swiftly began sifting through them, most had no issues, but those who had committed crimes before the Alliance took full control of the city were picked out, publicly tried, and executed on the spot. All were handled strictly and severely. These strategies, swift and effective, pacified this feudal metropolis of two million inhabitants. ¡­ ¡°I want to see Mr. Gu,¡± said Isabel. Standing in front of her was Matins. The Battle Group Leader did not say much, just nodded slightly. And so, ¡®The Iron Curtain Queen¡¯ Isabel boarded a Windfalcon Fighter bound for Pincer City. On the plane, Isabel, no longer young, seemed to recover the feeling she had when she first ascended the throne at seventeen. Nervousness, fear, confusion¡­ these feelings were the greatest, even larger than back then. By comparison, while initially she held firmness, perseverance, forbearance, and a decisively resolute attitude when necessary, now they were woefully weak. She didn¡¯t feel she had become weaker, but the two situations were completely different. If the past was the battle for her throne, then now, she was facing a war for the very survival of her nation. And it was a war that had already been lost. During her captivity, she was not too strictly supervised; as such, in that limited freedom, she personally saw how her brave Knights and soldiers went to their deaths courageously but meaninglessly; she also witnessed how the twenty thousand-strong forces outside the city, on whom she had pinned great hopes and who, in her previous fantasies, could at least hold off the Alliance Army for over a month with the solid royal city, completely collapsed within a mere two or three days. Even though, the Kingdom of Stefano still had a million men in its remaining territories, what was the point now? She had fully realized that in this war that was deciding the kingdom¡¯s fate, they had already lost in reality. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Stefano had fallen. But she was Stefano¡¯s queen, and she still had to make one last effort for the survival of the Kingdom of Stefano. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k With a total of 8k updated, what was owed has been made up. Chapter 549 - Chapter 549: Chapter 323, Reject Protracted Battle, Quick Attack Strategy Chapter 549: Chapter 323, Reject Protracted Battle, Quick Attack Strategy Isabel, in her youth, was renowned for her beauty, and now at thirty-five, her youthful glow had faded, yet years as a queen had graced her with a different kind of allure. The sense of naivety had withdrawn, replaced by a majestic demeanor and a sovereign¡¯s authority, all of which were reflected in her. She donned her most exquisite, most ceremonious garments and put on her crown, just as she had for every grand ceremony in the kingdom, dressed to the nines. She walked leisurely through the foreign halls of Pincer City¡¯s palace, her head high and her chest out, overflowing with the aura of a queen. Seeing her in this state, many servants within the Pincer Palace couldn¡¯t help but gather and whisper among themselves. After their initial amazement at her presence, their thoughts surprisingly converged. ¡°Does this dethroned monarch really consider this place her court?¡± ¡°Ha, how ridiculous.¡± ¡°Mr. Gu will teach her a profound lesson.¡± ¡­ The servants spoke in hushed tones. They were but ordinary people, instinctively cautious not to offend, even in the face of a fallen queen¨Csomeone they could only look up to, even though her death seemed imminent. They could chat among themselves in secret, but they surely wouldn¡¯t dare to be overheard. But even if Isabel hadn¡¯t heard their whispers, she knew what those gossips were saying. It didn¡¯t matter. In a way, they hadn¡¯t exactly spoken untruths. Isabel¡¯s demeanor was indeed an invitation for Gu Hang to ¡®teach her a lesson¡¯. The prouder she acted as a queen now, the louder it would resound when she later lay prostrate before Gu Hang, her pride, dignity, and prestige all shattered. Once she loathed these things, but now she had to pick up what she despised, to use as her final weapon. She was led by a walking server to a small side hall. The wooden door opened to reveal a bright, albeit small, office ahead of her. Sunlight spilled in through the window onto a rather young and handsome man, seated behind a wooden desk, scribbling something. He looked up, glanced at the Iron Curtain Queen, and his eyes flickered ever so slightly. Indeed, her appearance had taken him aback. Such elegance was indeed rare to see. In the Alliance, such displays were not in fashion¨Call were dressed modestly from top to bottom, even in significant ceremonies, they would merely dress a bit more formally; in Korolya III, clothing was indeed more exquisite, but styled more modern, even post-modern to Gu Hang¡¯s view, which he found somewhat abstract. Isabel¡¯s garb, however, was different¨Cfeudal and regal, with a complex and ornate aesthetic considered outdated in many worlds, was unexpectedly to Gu Hang¡¯s liking. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be caught dead wearing it himself, nor would he promulgate such dress in his own government or economic systems. But he could still appreciate it when it did appear before him. Isabel sharply detected Gu Hang¡¯s gaze. She thrust her already full bosom forward a bit more firmly. But just then, Gu Hang withdrew his gaze. All he did was mildly say, ¡°Isabel, right? You¡¯ve arrived a bit earlier than scheduled, but please, take a seat for a while; I have some other matters at hand.¡± What else could Isabel say? She had her schemes, yet she dared not truly defy the governor. She had to compose herself and took a seat nearby. It turned into a long wait. Her clothes might have been beautiful, but they were far from comfortable, and she maintained a strict posture to avoid wrinkling her attire. At least not by her own doing, not now. Throughout this time, she stole glances at Mr. Gu repeatedly. She even had a keen desire to peek at the documents on his desk, clearly of great importance. But she dared not make the slightest overstepping gesture. ¡°Please relax a bit,¡± came Gu Hang¡¯s gentle voice again, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so tense, nor so stiff. You might be waiting for quite a long stretch.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± the queen responded subconsciously. Gu Hang didn¡¯t further concern himself with her. In fact, Gu Hang was well aware of Isabel¡¯s intentions. But he was utterly uninterested. He had no penchant for tearing apart someone¡¯s dignity, nor did he derive much pleasure from the feeling of conquest. His calculations were cold, driven by gains and losses, and the pursuit of his goals. It wasn¡¯t that he intentionally neglected Isabel; he indeed had matters of greater importance to attend to. His strategic considerations for Heijian Star were steadily advancing. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Striking the Kingdom of Stefano was a vital link. His forces were valiant and well-equipped, but their numbers were problematic. Alliance soldiers, no matter how fierce, should not face foes ten times their number in direct combat. If the battle turned into a lengthy war of attrition, it would be a nightmare. Against an enemy of four hundred million and a whole planet¡¯s strategic depth, thirty-five thousand troops in Gu Hang¡¯s charge couldn¡¯t hope to win. If warfare degenerated to such a state, Gu Hang would have to enact his contingency plans, abandoning the swift conquest of Heijian Star in favor of assimilating the local populace. But for now, that step wasn¡¯t necessary. He could still follow the primary plan¨Ca lightning war to overwhelm the entire planet. He needed prompt, decisive battles, and through such victories, to swiftly tear down the resistance of the entire world. Chapter 550 - Chapter 550: Chapter 323, Reject Protracted Battle, Quick Attack Strategy_2 Chapter 550: Chapter 323, Reject Protracted Battle, Quick Attack Strategy_2 The offensive against the Kingdom of Stefano was an action guided by this thought. The conventional troops adopted blitzkrieg tactics, concentrating firepower and continually puncturing the enemy¡¯s line of defense with each Armored Brigade as the spearhead of their assault. The main force followed suit, and then another breakthrough would form¡­ Whenever there was a chance, they would encircle and annihilate the enemy; if not, they would aim for a comprehensive rout, always prioritizing speed and marching towards the royal city. As the main force progressed to a certain extent, Gu Hang also played his trump card. His ¡°Storm Mage Corps¡±. <>According to the general experience of the Imperial Psychic Association, they could, on average, discover one individual with spiritual energy talent among every ten million people. But this was not the limit. Based on the judgement of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, they believed that one person with genuine spiritual energy talent would be born per million people in a normal world. However, due to various reasons such as the local government policies, customs, traditions, and many Empire Worlds having the custom of witch-hunting, this has led to the execution of many individuals with spiritual energy talent as soon as they showed any signs of it. In addition, because of these issues, many individuals with spiritual energy talent also attempt to conceal their uniqueness. When they grow older and their talent fades or becomes controllable, they blend into the populace ¨C or fail to hide it, go completely insane, and become a dangerous presence, in which case they are beyond help and must be dealt with. Even in places without such customs or traditions, identifying individuals with spiritual energy talent among ordinary people is difficult; the flow of information is a big issue. Without a developed media industry, spreading anything across a crowd of a million becomes exceedingly tough. It¡¯s not possible for the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association to find them like searching for a needle in a haystack. Especially for those with mediocre talent, who show no special traits other than occasionally experiencing unique hallucinations, they are even harder to find. And even when they are found, the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association sometimes faces competition. For instance, the Tribunal is quite fond of snatching away the talented individuals. A significant number of Tribunal members adamantly believe that spiritual energy users pose a great danger; paradoxically, they also like to capture some and train them into witch-hunters and Judges. All these reasons combined make the theoretical situation of one spiritual energy gifted individual per million turn into the actual situation of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association finding only one potential individual per ten million. In reality, half of the spiritual energy users trained by the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association are sourced from the search for individuals with spiritual energy talent, and the other half are artificially cultivated through certain extremely costly secret techniques. This approach is utterly cost-ineffective and can only be afforded by some elite individuals, mainly aimed at granting themselves or their relatives and descendants an extra bit of special power. As long as the elites are willing to pay, the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association would provide the method and then recruit them; it¡¯s an opportunity to develop their membership and foster connections, so why not? The spiritual energy talent that Gu Hang¡¯s predecessor possessed came about in this way. Going by the standard ratio, the theoretical maximum for Rage Owl Star¡¯s population of 55 million would be finding only about fifty spiritual energy users. But obviously, this problem did not apply to Gu Hang. He hadn¡¯t even resorted to forcibly reforming people in the Divine Realm yet; by just exploiting the training functions provided by the Army Badge System and conducting selections among a large pool of candidates, he identified over a hundred individuals, which was more than double the theoretical ratio. This could be attributed to two possible reasons. Firstly, the initial theoretical research of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association itself was not perfect, and this figure was a probability event of a large sample size. When applied to specific cases, every person could potentially manifest spiritual energy talent. Secondly, the unique environment of Rage Owl Star naturally thins the veil of reality, leading to a higher incidence of individuals with spiritual energy talent than normal. But all in all, this was a positive development. Gu Hang didn¡¯t choose to train all one hundred individuals who possessed spiritual energy talent. Training a single spiritual energy user cost a hundred points of Grace. Training one hundred would cost ten thousand points, which was too expensive. Although he had accrued twenty-six thousand points over half a year due to Korolya¡¯s continuous warfare and monthly Grace point rewards, Gu Hang was unwilling to spend them all at once. Excluding twenty or thirty individuals who were unsuitable due to age or physical issues, he only trained fifty; another twenty were placed in the Mage Academy to learn at their own pace, without hurry. He wanted to first see the actual effect the Spiritual Energy group could achieve, then decide whether to keep it as it was or to expand its scale in the future. Speaking of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, the combination of these two had given Gu Hang another surprise. He was now an official member of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, and his status was quite decent. Therefore, within the scope of his access, he found something of great interest among some documents: Spiritual Energy teleportation. This was a ¡°spell¡±, or rather a training method, that enabled Spiritual Energy users to master this ability, teleporting themselves or others over uncertain distances with variable precision. Moreover, it was possible to inscribe the corresponding arrays, combining the powers of multiple Spiritual Energy users for group teleportation. Usually, training a Spiritual Energy user to master this technique was very time-consuming. But among the Spiritual Energy talents found on Rage Owl Star, there were two individuals with space-related Spiritual Energy talents. They naturally met the requirements for using this ability, and Gu Hang selected Dannie Dress, the one with better talent. After completing the training, there were only three individuals who possessed C-level Spiritual Energy abilities, while all the rest were at D-level, and Dress was one of them. The former was equivalent to the Spiritual Energy intensity Gu Hang had at level 3, while the latter only had the strength he possessed at level 1. Worth additional mention was that Gu Hang also found a person with Spiritual Energy talent within the Phoenix, namely Henrik Larson. His talent was actually average, but becoming an Interstellar Warrior seemed to stimulate his talent, as if it made him one of the three who possessed C-level Spiritual Energy strength, and also enabled the Phoenix Battle Group to have the capacity to establish a ¡®think tank¡¯. Some Starfighter Battle Groups have the position of think tank, representing the Spiritual Energy force within the group. Phoenix had it before, but it wasn¡¯t valued nor strong. Setting aside the think tank of a Battle Group with only one member for now, at least Gu Hang¡¯s Storm Mage Corps was thus established. And at the moment, using the Spiritual Energy teleportation array, they had a critical effect. The anti-air system of Stefano¡¯s royal city wasn¡¯t something Wind Falcon could directly break through, and airborne drops were unreliable, but teleportation posed no problem. Wind Falcon landed with them tens of kilometers outside Stefano¡¯s capital, and they approached the city on foot, followed by a teleportation spell that sent the Interstellar Warriors and Spiritual Energy users together into the fortress castle, after which the massacre began. The entire kingdom was decapitated, greatly advancing the progress of the war. Not only did the other kingdoms of the Heijian Star not react in time, but even the Kingdom of Stefano itself was caught off guard. While the King¡¯s Council was still discussing how many reinforcements to assemble and the proportion of ¡®contributions¡¯ from each family, when Stefano¡¯s own army of over a million had not completed their mobilization and assembly, the war was essentially over. The alliance forces didn¡¯t attempt to occupy the entire territory of the Kingdom of Stefano. The area was too vast and populated, and the alliance couldn¡¯t possibly disperse their precious forces. They merely spent about half a month striking in various places, wiping out several stubborn resistance forces. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As long as they could leave the Kingdom of Stefano headless, that was enough. The alliance didn¡¯t immediately pursue establishing a reliable control here, only needing to ensure that no other ruling powers existed in this place. This was actually hard to maintain for the long term, as something always fills a power vacuum. But temporary control was sufficient for now. As for the remaining million-strong army of the Kingdom of Stefano, it had already collapsed. Chapter 551 - Chapter 551: Chapter 324, New Kings Council Chapter 551: Chapter 324, New Kings¡¯ Council In the absence of leadership, and under the condition that any attempt to band together would be met with assault, the once million-strong army of the Kingdom of Stefano fragmented into countless warlords of various sizes. The largest amassed force, which once numbered four hundred thousand, accepted an invitation from the Panbos Kingdom. They headed to a region near the border, attempting a massive retreat. But the retreat was stopped. As they tried to cross the river, the ferries and the troops waiting to cross were subjected to a fierce air raid by the Wind Falcon; the troops on the opposite bank, waiting to provide support, were attacked by paratrooping elite forces and were forced to withdraw. Then, facing a lack of supplies and the loss of all hope, the remains of Stefano¡¯s army, under the assault of multiple Armored Brigades accompanied by infantry divisions, ultimately had no choice but to surrender unconditionally. Afterward, the forces of the Alliance left behind only a small contingent, leading troops gathered from the Luman Kingdom, as well as defectors from within Stefano¡¯s camps of prisoners of war, to form the Defense Army. This was to ensure the maintenance of the capital and its surrounding areas, as well as the logistical supply lines. The rest of the troops regrouped once more, setting their sights on the neighboring Heijian Star¡¯s largest kingdom, Panbos. At this time, the Kingdom of Stefano, having been reduced to the brink of extinction in a mere 47 days since the war began, had already sparked a political tempest, its appalling military record swiftly spreading across the world. The King¡¯s Council was frightfully panicked, even emitting desperate cries that ¡°the Rage Owl Star People will rule the world.¡± Meanwhile, some kingdoms took more practical measures. In fact, within the Pincer Palace at this very moment was not just one queen¨CIsabel. Thirteen nations had either sent their monarchs or dispatched high-ranking ambassadors to the place. These were mostly minor states; among the seven most important kingdoms on Heijian Star, only Luman and Stefano were present. At the same time, the King¡¯s Council, which had previously broken off diplomatic relations with the Luman Kingdom, saw the other five major nations also sending diplomats. This was what Gu Hang had been busy with during this period. When he finished signing the last document, he finally lifted his head and looked towards the Iron Curtain Queen, speaking, ¡°Thank you for waiting,¡± ¡°Listen carefully to what I am about to say,¡± ¡°There¡¯s no room for bargaining; this is a unilateral notification. You only have the choice to accept or not.¡± Isabel took a deep breath, ¡°I understand. Please speak.¡± What the Governor was about to say concerned the fate of her nation. Although she couldn¡¯t change anything and could only passively accept the judgment of destiny, she was still extremely solemn. ¡°First of all, every kingdom will be preserved,¡± This first sentence from Gu Hang brought Isabel a great sense of relief. This was a matter of utmost survival. Her greatest fear was that the Governor was intent on annihilating the Kingdom of Stefano. Although she rationally judged that the likelihood of this happening was actually very low, if it did occur, Stefano now had no capacity to resist. Isabel¡¯s expression was fully captured by Gu Hang. He sighed softly to himself. If possible, wouldn¡¯t he wish to implement the administrative system of the Alliance directly on Heijian Star, to wholly replicate the set of policies from the Alliance Government here, ensuring that a highly centralized government with strong control over local civil administration, industry, and military could be established on Heijian Star? But that was unrealistic. The reason Gu Hang was able to build up such a system from scratch on Rage Owl Star was that he truly, from top to bottom, spent two and a half years overturning almost all of the existing ruling classes on Rage Owl Star. It might sound exaggerated, but it actually wasn¡¯t. Rage Owl Star was indeed an entire planet, but firstly, with a population of only 45 million, it wasn¡¯t as vast as one might imagine; secondly, given the largely wasteland environment of Rage Owl Star, the existing ruling class there was quite fragile, making them easy to overthrow. Heijian Star, however, was different. Here was a fully-fledged feudal society, deeply entrenched with an existing ruling class. To completely eradicate them would be too challenging for Gu Hang. If he had sufficient strength to capture and hang all the nobles, that could be a viable approach, but he did not. Although the productivity of Rage Owl Star had indeed developed much more under his years of management than on the feudal world of Heijian Star, the issues of a smaller population and shorter development time objectively existed. For a population of 55 million to swallow up the four hundred million people of Heijian Star was akin to a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t swallow it, but to expect immediate digestion was unrealistic. It was difficult enough to remove the local ruling class. For example, although the Kingdom of Stefano is already crumbling, with 200,000 people captured in the capital and 400,000 more during the border retreat, those scattered noble warlords and landlord warlords posed no real threat; but to clear them out meant sending troops to gnaw away at them for months, if not years. And there was still the threat of other kingdoms. How could Gu Hang spare the time to gnaw at them? And even if he did finish them off, the real trouble would only begin afterwards. To establish an entire set of efficient administrative systems afterwards requires a large number of loyal and reliable administrative personnel. On the Alliance¡¯s home territory, this was already somewhat difficult, necessitating the ramping up of anti-corruption measures by the Loyal Heir Academy. The situation on Heijian Star was even more so. Chapter 552 - Chapter 552: Chapter 324, New Kings Council_2 Chapter 552: Chapter 324, New Kings¡¯ Council_2 Taking various factors into account, Gu Hang finally decided to adopt a strategy of swallowing first, then digesting. In fact, when he initially conquered the Green Valley Region and the Eastern Provinces on Rage Owl Star, he had also adopted this strategy, and had been forced to temporarily leave a large number of the original ruling class in place, not to mention on an alien planet. On this basis, Gu Hang had to give the existing kings and nobles a glimmer of hope, making them feel that the Alliance wasn¡¯t aiming to completely annihilate them. Otherwise, he would surely face the most intense resistance. After making clear the preservation of the kingdoms, Gu Hang further stated, ¡°As long as the nobles of each region act in accordance with the laws of the Alliance, the Alliance will fully respect your power.¡± This was the second assurance Gu Hang offered. At the same time, he also offered favorable conditions: ¡°The Alliance, along with the Gu Family, will continue to provide various forms of aid to Heijian Star, helping to gradually establish more modern agricultural production and industrial systems on the native soil of Heijian Star.¡± If she were a decadent feudal monarch, she might not be interested in such so-called support, but Queen Isabel was not. She even felt a sense of elation. In the past, Heijian Star was not without enlightened individuals who wanted to make some changes. However, firstly, the conservative forces within the planet were too stubborn, and secondly, it was extremely difficult to import production lines from outside, and getting the necessary equipment and technology for industrial upgrading through the Gu Commercial Firm was prohibitively expensive. Now, it seemed both these problems could be solved. Mr. Gu significantly eliminated the conservative forces of the past, and the technical assistance mentioned even sounded like it was free. This made Queen Isabel somewhat incredulous. Gu Hang said, ¡°The Alliance will not view Heijian Star simply as a subject to be ruled. Instead of gaining four hundred million slaves, I would prefer that the Alliance gains four hundred million citizens. I hope that the kingdoms of Heijian Star can truly become members of the Alliance.¡± Beautiful words can be spoken by anyone, but Queen Isabel heard sincerity in the words of Mr. Gu. She believed that this was indeed what Gu Hang thought. It left her with mixed feelings. The joy was that it seemed her kingdom would not be suffering; The concern was, after all this, would the kingdom still be a kingdom? She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s the price?¡± Gu Hang replied softly with a laugh, ¡°Firstly, each kingdom will have a special agency from the Alliance stationed within it. From military to administrative to economic development, the Alliance¡¯s special agency will have the authority to directly intervene. Our representatives will wholeheartedly assist each kingdom in getting on the right track.¡± ¡°We will establish a New Kings¡¯ Council, inviting all the major kingdoms to join. This New Kings¡¯ Council will differ from the past and will shoulder much greater responsibilities. The succession of thrones in each country must be approved by the King¡¯s Council; the military forces of each country will be uniformly allocated through an allied force system set up by the New Kings¡¯ Council. The Council will also have representatives from the Alliance, and overall will be seen as part of the Alliance Government¡­¡± ¡°On this basis, the King¡¯s Council guarantees the survival of each kingdom, ensuring the rights of the royal families and nobility, but at the same time, you also need to act according to the rules laid out by the King¡¯s Council.¡± This whole setup weighed heavily on Isabel. She was aware of the Alliance¡¯s ambition, wrapped in a series of seemingly mild words. The most important point here was that by joining this New Kings¡¯ Council, the countries would, in essence, have lost their independent military power. All military strength would be taken away by the Alliance. This so-called New Kings¡¯ Council was obviously just a shell under the control of the Alliance. Council, council, what was there to discuss? It was nothing more than kings sitting there, lending an ear, and following the orders of the Alliance¡¯s representatives. Without control of their own military strength, it was the same as having a knife held to their neck by someone else, and the so-called non-interference in internal affairs was pure nonsense. If they say they won¡¯t interfere, they won¡¯t, but what can be done when they decide to intervene? Isn¡¯t it just a matter of obediently doing as they say? As for the rest, such as king succession needing Council approval; the deployment of observers in each country, who can intervene in specific affairs, all of this just becomes a matter of course. With the knife in someone else¡¯s hand, is it not for them to do as they please? She opened her mouth, instinctively wanting to haggle. But looking at the smile on Gu Hang¡¯s face, she suddenly remembered what Mr. Gu had just said. There was no room for negotiation; this was a one-sided announcement. So, what could she choose? If she said yes, Stefano¡¯s future would be assimilated into a member of the Alliance, and even the name itself might shift from that of a country to simply a geographical location. But at least, for the time being, the kingdom could be preserved, and it seemed, from what she heard, that the people here would receive fair treatment. But if she chose no, it meant death. She would be the first to die, but actually, she wasn¡¯t afraid. What about what followed? The Alliance had countless ways to unearth a Stefano royal descendant to play the role of king, and the final outcome wouldn¡¯t differ from her choosing ¡®yes.¡¯ Ultimately, she could only nod helplessly, indicating that she understood. ¡­ The Alliance¡¯s actions were swift. The New Kings¡¯ Council convened just four days later. Amid protests from diplomats from the five other major nations of Heijian Star and over forty smaller countries, the New Kings¡¯ Council declared its establishment. Four countries that participated in the New Kings¡¯ Council ultimately chose to reject joining. No matter, it was quite normal. For the time being, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t trouble them. The new governor of Heijian Star, elected by the council, was still Nes Luman, with member countries including Stefano within it. The Alliance¡¯s strong display in destroying Stefano, the second-largest country on the doomed planet in just over forty days and capturing the Iron Curtain Queen, had indeed created a shockwave. Additionally, seven smaller countries chose to join the New Kings¡¯ Council. According to requirements, their armies, totaling approximately two hundred thousand soldiers, would gather with the three hundred thousand troops of the Luman Kingdom to form a joint force under the command of Major General Perbov from the Heijian Star Group Army, the supreme commander of the Alliance. Furthermore, the New Kings¡¯ Council, with authorization from Queen Isabel, would establish a new government for the Kingdom of Stefano and demand that all uncontrolled local nobles, landlords, and warlords swear allegiance or be deemed traitors to be purged. This part of the operation was assigned to the new joint forces. And Stefano¡¯s new government would consist of local nobles who had sided with them, officials dispatched from the Luman Kingdom, and Alliance officials. They would also strive to convert the captured six hundred thousand Stefano troops, aiming to select another two hundred thousand to join the new joint forces. Isabel exerted significant effort in this regard. She was the head of state, the queen, and not a figurehead; she had truly ruled over the past decade and more. When she sided with the Alliance, she greatly aided the Alliance¡¯s operations in the Kingdom of Stefano. Of course, for this very reason, the Alliance was also wary of her. At present, she was constantly guarded by no less than four Demon Hunters, and she had to ensure that her whereabouts were entirely within the military control of the Alliance. If she were to escape and be seized by Stefano¡¯s remaining resistance organizations, it would be quite troublesome. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Especially since the Alliance¡¯s occupation forces here were not very strong at the moment. Right now, the Alliance Army¡¯s primary target was still the Panbos Kingdom. The main corps had already advanced into the territory of Panbos. And at this moment, inside this foremost powerhouse of Heijian Star, there were more than two million soldiers gathered, with over two thousand Sentry Mecha and twelve Knight Titans. This was already a military force the Alliance Army could not ignore. Chapter 553 - Chapter 553: Chapter 325, Hes Not Dead Chapter 553: Chapter 325, He¡¯s Not Dead Perbov saw Matins return. Even though he was the one in charge of all military actions on Heijian Star under the appointment of the Governor, the Interstellar Warriors were always the most exceptional group. He was very respectful towards Matins. ¡°Battle Group Leader, Your Excellency.¡± ¡°Huff¡­¡± Matins let out a sigh. He wasn¡¯t indifferent or unapproachable in front of ordinary people, he simply said calmly, ¡°Our operation did not meet expectations. After the raid on the Panbos Kingdom¡¯s palace, the leader of the Rebel Army was not there. Through interrogation, we learned that after the incident in the Kingdom of Stefano, they strengthened their defenses in this regard, and their political and military nerve centers have been dispersed and relocated.¡± Matins paused, then continued, ¡°If similar operations are still needed, we require more reliable intelligence support. We need to ascertain exactly where the enemy chieftain is.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Perbov solemnly replied, as if he were the subordinate. Matins nodded slightly and turned to leave. Perbov watched the Battle Group Leader walk away until he disappeared from view before he relaxed. He took a deep breath. There was still a sense of tension when facing an Interstellar Warrior. After all, the identity of an Interstellar Warrior was too special, and theoretically or in practice, Matins could strip him of his command at any time. Although this was unlikely¨CMatins was not the kind of person to do such things, and there was still the Governor above them¨CPerbov had indeed been somewhat anxious and irritable recently. Earlier, when the offensive against Stefano began, he was the one who led the campaign. That battle was still considered beautifully fought. But as the main force entered Panbos, some problems began to arise with the situation. The onslaught of the Alliance Army remained unstoppable, and once the armored groups mobilized, the enemy¡¯s lines would collapse at the sound. The ordinary infantry of the allied nations¡¯ armies were frail from any angle, even when compared to the Stefanians. Although their equipment might be similar, there were differences in soldiers¡¯ training, tactics, discipline, morale¡­ all of which were lacking. Those so-called ¡®Knights,¡¯ those Sentry Mechas, among the armies of the allied nations, to be honest, couldn¡¯t fight as well as Stefanians. Many even cherished their lives on the battlefield. Such thoughts are simple to understand; the low status of ordinary soldiers in the armies of the allied nations, coupled with the structure of feudal rule, made those noble grandfathers truly not care for the lives of the lower class cannon fodder. The Stefanians were much better in this regard; their Knights, apart from being officers and commanders, also led by example and fought valiantly. It was for this reason that they could establish their status as the most famous military power on Heijian Star. If even they were crushed time and again by the Alliance Army in previous wars, what could be said for these allied nations¡¯ armies that were far less competent? However, the opposition was not without its advantages. First of all, there was a significant difference in military strength. The Panbos Kingdom alone, with a population of over a hundred million, could muster an army of just two million. The total number of reinforcements from other nations had already exceeded five hundred thousand. Numbers themselves are a substantial advantage. If the million-strong army of Stefanians had indeed completed its assembly and fought a hard battle on the vast plains, that would have been problematic. Secondly, they had largely learned from the swift defeat of Stefanians and spread out their multi-tiered battle line that spanned a long and layered system with over two million troops. This made the Alliance¡¯s blitzkrieg tactics difficult to execute. While the armored groups could indeed break through at will and the enemy lines truly crumbled at a touch, they adopted a strategy of trading space for time. Once the arrowhead troops moved past, the surrounding forces would quickly attempt to infiltrate behind the arrowhead, and this is where the forces of both sides would become entangled. Even if infiltrations were easily repelled, they would immediately call in other troops from further away to attempt another infiltration¡­ After all, they had the numbers. In the constant entanglements, at the widest point, the expanse spanned nearly four hundred kilometers with an intermingled battle line. Under such circumstances, the Alliance¡¯s forces were spread thin, which was not conducive to forming a tight fist to strike forward. To be safe, Perbov even had to order the troops to temporarily retreat, regroup, tighten the front, and avoid being encircled and cut off from behind. Despite this, in this phase, the casualty ratio still favored the Alliance by a wide margin. After more than a month of fighting, the Alliance Army suffered a total loss of around five thousand, while the enemy paid with over sixty thousand casualties. A casualty ratio of approximately 1:12¨Cthat was already quite staggering. Yet even so, Perbov had difficulty accepting this situation. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Going on with this casualty ratio, the Alliance¡¯s military might be wiped out and could at most only result in an enemy loss of four million. But the problem is that after these three hundred thousand of the Alliance are gone, unless Rage Owl Star calls for a mobilization order to fight to the death, the allied nations could potentially draft another four million troops. Wars cannot be fought this way. Therefore, Perbov once again attempted to replicate the tactics used in the Kingdom of Stefano, entrusting the Storm Mage Corps and the Phoenix Battle Group to carry out Decapitation Tactics against the enemy. The Spiritual Energy users and Interstellar Warriors did not disappoint; they once again successfully breached the enemy¡¯s royal palace, causing an utter upheaval. Chapter 554 - Chapter 554: Chapter 325, Hes Not Dead_2 Chapter 554: Chapter 325, He¡¯s Not Dead_2 ¡°` However, knowing that the Stefano had suffered greatly under such tactics, and that he himself truly had no way to counter the decapitation strikes of the Interstellar Warriors, how could the King of Panbos foolishly stay in his palace, waiting to be beheaded? He had fled long ago. Not only had he fled, but the entire kingdom¡¯s military and political government had dispersed, ensuring that even if there were problems like intelligence leaks leading to an arrest, it wouldn¡¯t result in their annihilation. With the failure of the operation to decapitate the enemy¡¯s leadership, since Perbov¡¯s troops couldn¡¯t quickly break through a distance of thousands of kilometers or a three-dimensional defensive line formed by more than two million troops to storm the capital, it was impossible to replicate the glory of the Stefano campaign. Perbov had even heard that the King of Panbos had, in one go, designated fifteen heirs in good order. This was a resignation to the possibility that he might be doomed. In this light, while the Alliance Army couldn¡¯t be said to have lost, its offensive was indeed stalled. Even though he found it somewhat difficult to accept, even somewhat embarrassing, Perbov still tried his best to think of the next solution. Counting on swift victory every day seemed somewhat unrealistic. He began to change his way of thinking. If a quick victory was unattainable, then he should proceed with the normal approach of conventional warfare. He was preparing to make a shift in strategic objectives. The previous strategy could roughly be summarized as ¡®rapidly destroying the enemy¡¯s command structure, capturing key locations like the capital to create tremendous political turmoil, thereby forcing the enemy to surrender.¡¯ Next, he planned to change the strategic goal to ¡®using the mobility of the armored troops, and the excellent military quality of the Alliance Army, setting a goal of eliminating as many enemy combatants as possible through various pincer movements, methodically and systematically annihilating the enemy forces.¡¯ If he couldn¡¯t force a surrender by capturing their king, then he would achieve ultimate victory by depleting their manpower pool. He had prepared a war plan, but it needed Governor Gu Hang¡¯s support to proceed. This plan required the use of the power of the New Kingdom Parliament. He would also need a large number of conscripts from Heijian Star. For example, he had already assembled five hundred thousand troops from the rear; if necessary, he hoped to increase that number to a million. Once he had enough troops to fill the lines, Perbov wouldn¡¯t need to forcibly disperse his elite troops to guard various points on the front lines, but could actually form them into a fist and strike forward. He would use the armored troops as the arrowhead to initiate breakthroughs from two different points, forming a pincer attack. Then, before the surrounded enemy could escape, he would close the ¡®pincers,¡¯ enveloping all the enemy forces inside. With supply lines cut off, he would hold the encirclement until the trapped enemy collapsed and surrendered. In previous battles, if the enemy forces were routed but not annihilated on the spot¨Ceven temporarily losing their combat effectiveness¨Cthey often could be rapidly reorganized and redeployed into battle; however, if they were surrounded, they would have no escape. Without supplies, completely surrounded, given the morale of the allied forces, it was estimated they would run out of ammunition and food and surrender en masse within two or three days. Of course, during this process, the Alliance Army would still have to face fierce attacks from enemy reinforcements and also deal with the desperate breakouts from the surrounded enemy forces. But winning even once often meant a huge gain. Moreover, many tasks that required a large number of troops could be handed over to the subordinate armies brought up from the rear. They could also be entrusted to the Interstellar Warriors. With their involvement, the battles would greatly reduce the losses of their own side. After all, these superhuman soldiers could swiftly resolve the most threatening targets during the battle. Whether it was raiding artillery positions or targeting Sentry Mecha, or even confronting Knight Titans after the enemy deployed them, the Phoenixes could complete their tasks excellently. With a feeling of trepidation, Perbov boarded the Windfalcon Fighter headed to Pincer, the capital of the Luman Kingdom. He had to report in person. ¡­ When Gu Hang saw Perbov, he had just finished another meeting. Originally, he had another plan to follow. He had to pay attention to a person he had always been curious about and who had always been undergoing changes. ¡°` But when Perbov arrived, Gu Hang still took the time to meet with his general. After listening to Perbov¡¯s report, Gu Hang was somewhat dissatisfied. It did not quite match his expectations. He had hoped to replicate the brilliance of the Stefano campaign once more, to conduct another stunning raid or blitzkrieg, and to resolve the situation with Panbos, the leading power on Heijian Star, within two or three months, incorporating its territory and population into the New Kings¡¯ Council as well. With that, the situation on Heijian Star could be considered stable, and the main focus of work could shift from military operations to economics and politics. However, Perbov had indeed brought him bad news. Though dissatisfied, Gu Hang could understand. Not everything could always go smoothly or be quickly and easily manipulated. A war involving more than three million combatants on both sides could not be considered small. A swift victory would be a pleasant surprise, but could not be expected as normal. Gu Hang quickly adjusted his mindset and agreed to Perbov¡¯s strategic plan. But he also had his own demands. ¡°You want a million servant soldiers, but that I cannot give you. At most, seven hundred thousand, and it is not possible to provide them all in a short period. I estimate that two hundred thousand can be in place in half a month, five hundred thousand in three months, and between seven and eight hundred thousand in six months.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Perbov nodded seriously. He had somewhat anticipated this situation. As a general, he only needed to consider how to fight and what he himself needed to win the war. But the Governor is a ruler who must consider many things in the grand scheme. The New Kings¡¯ Council had just been established. Although it had the two large countries of Luman and Stefano under it, along with nine smaller countries, totalling nearly one hundred and fifty million in population, the Council was still fragile, and its control over the countries was only temporarily based on military deterrence. At such a time, it was unrealistic to expect to pull out millions of people from within each country to participate in the war. To draft people for war, one must wait until the New Kings¡¯ Council¡¯s control over the countries deepened under its role as the ruling body of the alliance. Moreover, he could think further that after the follow-up manpower was in place, he could not afford to lose battles. If he kept winning, support from the countries would keep flowing; if he lost a battle, the New Kings¡¯ Council established on military deterrence would immediately risk collapse. Gu Hang also mentioned this, ¡°Once you have the men, the battles must be won decisively. I need one victory after another, each one brilliant. Casualty numbers and ratios must be controlled, and the results must be spectacular, do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, Governor! I guarantee to complete the mission!¡± ¡°Go.¡± ¡­ Watching Perbov leave, Gu Hang sat in his office and thought for a while, then didn¡¯t dwell on it too much. Having made a decision, he decided to trust his general to carry out the task well. His thoughts returned to something he had been pondering before. About a person. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The War Apostle, Bochoya Galaraldo. This man, who had caused countless troubles in the Tianma Star Sector, was at this moment in Gu Hang¡¯s Storm God Kingdom, with his eyes tightly closed. He was not dead, but he was close to it. And now, Gu Hang was considering what to do with him. Letting him die would be the simplest solution, but Gu Hang had some new ideas in mind. Chapter 555 - Chapter 555: Chapter 326, I Really Wasnt Meant to Die! Chapter 555: Chapter 326, I Really Wasn¡¯t Meant to Die! Bochoya Galaraldo had never died and even some time before, he had been doing quite ¡®well¡¯. However, this so-called ¡®well¡¯ didn¡¯t imply that he was enjoying any quality of life, but rather that he wasn¡¯t in any immediate danger to his life. The story goes back to when Gu Hang had trapped him into Subspace. After falling into it, the golden light on his body hadn¡¯t diminished at all; on the contrary, because he entered Subspace, it became even more intense. Gu Hang judged that this was due to the Divine Emperor¡¯s blessing. Of course, this blessing wasn¡¯t directly given to Galaraldo. The Sun Lord, Suo He Kaim, the de facto ruler of the Human Empire, was graced by the Divine Emperor and possessed divine power, a true Living Saint. Moreover, he was far more powerful than any being in history known as a Living Saint. The grace he received from the Divine Emperor was particularly abundant, even enough to support the largest Solar Expedition in the Human Empire since the Great Expedition. Galaraldo, as one of the forty-six apostles of the Sun Lord, had a portion of the divine power bestowed upon him by the Sun Lord in the form of a blessing. It was because of this power that Galaraldo, aboard the Korolya III, remained so composed in the face of the Demons¡¯ assault. At the same time, once he fell into the demonic realm, with no barrier of reality to stop him, he could connect directly to the Divine Emperor¡¯s Spirit Network, and this blessed divine power became even more majestic and powerful. Had an ordinary person gone in, even an Interstellar Warrior, they would probably have decayed into rotting corpses in a very short time due to Plague Sorcery. But the divine power bestowed by The Emperor protected him, keeping him unaffected by the dark magic of Subspace. Of course, to flaunt this power recklessly within a space controlled by one of the four most powerful Evil Gods in Subspace would be like a shining target, sure to provoke a targeted attack. Galaraldo was smart enough to realize this. He consciously reined in his power, hiding it within his body, ensuring only that he was not eroded by the rot-inducing dark magic. This reduced the chances of being targeted and besieged by the demons of Subspace. Thus, he was able to fend for himself within the realm of the Benevolent Father. As long as he didn¡¯t provoke some powerful demon, he could hold out for a long time. When Galaraldo was first thrown into the realm of the Benevolent Father, Gu Hang had left a beacon on him. It had no other purpose, nor was it discovered by Galaraldo. Gu Hang observed his situation silently from time to time through this beacon. Gu Hang did admire the guy a bit. Although he was in a desperate situation, he never despaired or gave up. Once he was no longer in immediate danger, Galaraldo continuously sought ways to escape from Subspace, trying to return to the real world. But that was easier said than done. At least in the past year, he tried many methods, but he never succeeded. Gradually, Gu Hang also felt much more at ease. Although he might not die immediately, it wasn¡¯t much different from being dead. If he could last a year, could he last ten years, or fifty? However, things changed recently. The divine power bestowed upon Galaraldo suddenly started to deplete rapidly. He himself was also aware of this. Before, the mindset of the formerly steady as an old dog Galaraldo was truly agitated at this moment. While the bestowed divine power hadn¡¯t completely vanished, he made a very decisive final attempt to escape from Subspace. He almost burnt all of his divine power¨Csince it was going to be gone soon anyway¨Ctrying to tear open a fissure back to the real world. Without a doubt, he failed. After exhausting the remaining divine power, which wouldn¡¯t replenish, he fell into a coma, and the crack back to reality didn¡¯t successfully open either. If things had ended there, then Galaraldo would surely have been dead. But Gu Hang took action. As he fell into unconsciousness, Mr. Gu, who had been silently observing, opened a passage to his Storm God Kingdom and pulled Galaraldo through. It was a casual move; in fact, Gu Hang hadn¡¯t yet decided what to do with him. Back when he was first thrown into the abyssal hell, if he had died right away, there would have been nothing to say, as that had been Gu Hang¡¯s intention. But now, after a year had passed, the situation had changed greatly, and Gu Hang had some other thoughts. The most important of these was the implication hidden in the depletion of the divine power on Galaraldo. This depletion occurred around the same time as the Sun Lord¡¯s Investigation Team, which was supposed to arrive at Korolya, suddenly decided to turn back halfway through their journey. Could it be that the Sun Lord was in trouble? In fact, this idea was not new and not only held by him. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As soon as the investigation team abruptly announced their non-arrival, there was already much speculation. Publicly, not much was said, but privately, there were all sorts of rumors. Some said there had been a major incident in the Solar Expedition, others said the high lords of the empire could no longer bear the Sun Lord, and some even said the Solar Expedition was about to end¡­ Among these rumors, the one about the Sun Lord, Suo He Kaim himself, facing trouble was mentioned the least. This epic heroic figure was too well-known, and moreover not considered old by contemporary standards¨Conly in his sixties or seventies. Given the existence of life-extension surgeries, ordinary dignitaries could live past three hundred, not to mention Suo He Kaim. Chapter 556 - Chapter 556: Chapter 326, I Really Wasnt Meant to Die!_2 Chapter 556: Chapter 326, I Really Wasn¡¯t Meant to Die!_2 He is a Living Saint! Even if one were to think in this direction, they dare not speak of it aloud. But now, combining the events that had taken place around Galaraldo, Gu Hang increasingly felt that it was not an issue with the Sun Lord¡¯s distant expedition, nor was there a significant change in the imperial political scene; it was the Sun Lord himself who had encountered trouble. Suo He Kaim might already be dead. Undoubtedly, this would trigger a massive political storm throughout the universe. The Sun Expedition, loathed by many, was very likely to come to an end; the entire empire¡¯s political landscape was set to undergo a major reshuffle¡­ As for Gu Hang, whilst those political storms would undoubtedly affect him, they belonged to a grand trend that he was not capable of intervening in with his current abilities. All he could consider was finding his own opportunities amidst the turmoil, trying not to become the one who suffered but instead aiming to be one of those who benefitted. Hey, that¡¯s not right. If truth be told, Gu Hang was not entirely incapable of causing trouble in the imperial political arena. Galaraldo was an opening. And so, Gu Hang fished him out. He did not directly place him back into reality but kept him within his Storm God Kingdom. Of course, before that, Galaraldo had already fallen unconscious, having lost awareness. Gu Hang would not want him to see anything he shouldn¡¯t. After much deliberation, he had decided to release the other party. But before doing that, there were some manipulations to be performed. What did Galaraldo now feel towards Gu Hang? It was likely that to a very capable Planetary Governor, after being subjected to some of Gu Hang¡¯s usual tricks, he finally saw the light and chose to give in, beginning to raise money; then, during the attack on Mingyan City, he fought alongside Gu Hang, being the only ¡®useful¡¯ one among so many people at that time. In such a situation, if Gu Hang also self-directed and staged a play to rescue him from the Abyss, that ought to reliably earn him the gratitude of this War Apostle. But Gu Hang did not plan to stop there. Trust this person¡¯s character? Only if Gu Hang were foolish. Spiritual Energy was surging, and the ability to tamper with thoughts began to take effect in the unconscious Galaraldo¡¯s brain. In the past, Gu Hang would not have dared. The Divine Power bestowed upon Galaraldo, although it was only granted by the Sun Lord and not directly from The Emperor, was still very strong. Trying to bypass the protection of Divine Power and alter Galaraldo¡¯s thoughts and memories was nearly impossible. But now, with the Divine Power gone, Galaraldo was no different from an ordinary person, and Gu Hang could do as he wished in the other¡¯s mind. Of course, as a precaution, Gu Hang still did not make any significant moves. He did not tamper with the other¡¯s memories, nor did he carry out a major psychological surgery as he did with Nes Luman. He simply implanted a very light thought mark with simple content: Gu Hang is a good friend who must not be betrayed. Nothing more. The reason for such caution was that once Galaraldo was returned to the real world, someone scrutinized by the Tribunal upon returning from a spin in the Abyss, would be subject to strict investigation. Gu Hang dared to perform major surgery on Nes Luman rather than crude mental reprogramming because he feared scrutiny; since Galaraldo would likely face even stricter examination, Gu Hang was even hesitant to operate extensively. Although the probability of detection was low, if anything went wrong, it would be a huge issue. Playing it safe was better. However, Gu Hang didn¡¯t hold much hope in this matter. Whether Galaraldo could pass the inspection depended not only on hard facts but also on the strong political background. With the Sun Expedition undergoing a great change, and even the Sun Lord himself encountering trouble, whether Galaraldo was truly infected by the Abyss, whether there were any signs of corruption on him, whether he was still himself¡­ these factors were only ¡®prerequisites,¡¯ ¡®basic conditions.¡¯ Whether someone wanted him to die in the Tribunal was a matter of higher importance. But Gu Hang could not assist him with these issues. Whether or not he could pass the inspection smoothly, reclaim his identity and status, regain power¡­ That¡¯s up to you to fight for. Gu Hang would treat it as an indifferent move in his game. If it worked, great; if not, so be it. However, to make this move, Heijian Star would not do. Luckily, he had to make another trip to Korolya III soon. The conflict between the Fatches Family and Pei Desi seemed to be drawing to a clearer conclusion. The Fatches Family had gotten their wish of securing the Korolya III Governorship, with a core family member named Ivan Fatches set to take up the position. That they were able to get the position of Korolya Governor was not particularly surprising. After all, given the Plague Demon invasion wreaking havoc on Korolya III, only the Fatches Family, with deep ties to the Dragonhawk Third Legion, seemed capable of resolving it. Without their cooperation and the force of twenty million Star Realm Army troops, no one could change the situation on Korolya III. And the new leader of the Tianma Star Sector came from the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government-appointed candidate, who also happened to be named Ivan. Ivan Martinelli, formerly a high-ranking official belonging to the same political faction as Pei Desi within the Star Domain Government. The circumstances of Pei Desi¡¯s death, though he was scapegoated, still aroused sympathy within the Star Domain Government. He himself originated from a political faction of the Star Domain Government and had been deeply rooted in the Tianma Star Sector as a core member for many years. Pei Desi¡¯s death left people feeling helpless, but it didn¡¯t prevent them from promoting another individual from their own faction to take the position. Looking at it this way, the two families ended up in a tie. The chaotic situation was largely brought to an end, but Gu Hang didn¡¯t feel that true peace would settle in. The confrontation between the two families would only shift from the original melee to a clearly demarcated positional battle. And he had already received an invitation to first head to Korolya III to attend Ivan Fatches¡¯s inauguration ceremony, followed by a rush to Flying Wing Star to participate in Ivan Martinelli¡¯s inauguration ceremony. ¡°Two Ivans, quite interesting.¡± ¡­ Bochoya Galaraldo slowly opened his eyes. In the darkness, he could vaguely make out a faint yellow light seeping through some cracks. After an initial state of confusion, his senses gradually returned. ¡°Am I not dead?¡± His heart filled with a surge of elation. When the Divine Power began to wane, he had realized that the Sun Lord was dead. Unlike others, as a confidant of Suo He Kaim and a recipient of the Divine Power¡¯s blessing, he understood the specifics better than anyone. Such a precipitous decline in Divine Power could only mean one thing¨CSuo He Kaim¡¯s death. This had him in a state of extreme panic for some time. But obviously, trapped in the Abyss, he was helpless against the repercussions and the turmoil brought about by the death of the Sun Lord. Moreover, with the Sun Lord¡¯s death and the end of the Divine Power¡¯s blessing, he would soon die. Thus, with his last ounce of determination, he made one final attempt to burn himself out. He didn¡¯t harbor any hope for it himself. But to his astonishment, it worked! Though he had no clue how it happened, having passed out with absolutely no awareness, it didn¡¯t prevent him from being happy. Not being dead was good! As long as he wasn¡¯t dead, all hope was still alive. He took a deep breath, and the scent of decay made him cough twice involuntarily. His body, unprotected by Divine Power, had become very weak, and the environment was clearly not good. He was not unfamiliar with this; regions of reality corroded by Plague Sorcery were just like this. He guessed that after tearing open the rift back to the real world, he must have ended up in an area of Korolya that had been invaded and occupied by the Plague Demon. His heart sank even more. Now, if he encountered any Plague Demons, he had virtually no ability to resist! He tried moving, and although his body was weak, he could still function. He made a great effort to stand up. At this moment, he seemed to be in some kind of collapsed enclosed space. Looking towards the only source of light he could see, which was shining through, he found a metal plate in front of him. It took a lot of effort to push it aside, and the plate made a loud noise as it hit the ground. The sound attracted something he did not wish to see. His first instinct was to run, but quickly, dozens of Plague Walkers surrounded him from all directions. With a weakened body, no Divine Power, and unarmed¡­ Galaraldo was in dire straits. He couldn¡¯t help but think, having escaped from the hell of the Abyss, was he really going to die at the hands of some low-level Plague Walkers? Just then, dense gunfire erupted from behind the Plague Walkers. A beam from a flashlight shone in front of him. He could vaguely hear someone shouting: ¡°Governor! It looks like he¡¯s here!¡± His heart, which had just sunk to the depths, suddenly rose again! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only I¡¯m truly fated not to die! ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.3k Compensating for yesterday¡¯s emission Another chapter tonight, likely in the later part of the night¡­ Chapter 557 - Chapter 557: Chapter 327, My Brother Died in Vain? Chapter 557: Chapter 327, My Brother Died in Vain? Galaraldo felt that, although the Divine Power had left him, the Divine Emperor was still watching over him. Whenever he faced desperate situations, he always managed to survive by the skin of his teeth. This was the best proof. Inside Hell¡¯s Abyss, his final gamble allowed him to escape from there; at this moment, when he was about to be overwhelmed by dozens of plague-ridden corpses, rescue arrived just in time! The timing was even so good that he began to feel somewhat suspicious. Could it really be such a coincidence? However, he quickly dismissed these concerns. After the surrounding plague-ridden corpses were eliminated, Galaraldo saw a group of elite soldiers clad in exoskeletal armor and carrying laser guns approaching from the darkness. The dozen pairs of goggles faintly glowing red in the dark seemed icy cold yet also oddly comforting. Behind these elite soldiers, someone he knew was striding forward. It was Gu Hang. His heart quickly recalled the scenes of them fighting side by side. Back then, Gu Hang had shown powerful Spiritual Energy abilities. He found nothing wrong with Gu Hang hiding his true strength before. It was standard practice. And such a strong Spiritual Energy user could naturally sense the intense Subspace fluctuations when he escaped Hell¡¯s Abyss and come over. That was perfectly valid. After all, he himself did not know how long he had been unconscious since ripping through the veil of reality and returning. He guessed it couldn¡¯t have been a short time, enough for Gu Hang to have found him. As he thought this, he smiled and opened his arms toward the approaching Gu Hang. He could tell that Gu Hang appeared a bit astonished for a moment, seemingly unsure why he was so enthusiastic. That was normal. Without going through what he had been through, how could one understand his gratitude towards Gu Hang? He embraced Gu Hang with all his might. ¡°You are the most reliable person, my friend.¡± His words were heartfelt and sincere. He felt he had never before had someone so reliable. Even his own colleagues had their fair share of deceit. But Gu Hang¡­ Galaraldo had clearly wronged him at the beginning, yet he was willing to rescue him without bearing a grudge. He even felt ashamed of his previous actions! He resolved to do everything possible in the future to make up for it all! ¡­ ¡°What is this? What the hell is this? Ah? Why isn¡¯t he dead? My brother is dead, why isn¡¯t he dead?!¡± During a secret gathering on Flying Wing Star, upon hearing the news from Korolya III, Pei Desi remained sullen throughout. Until this moment, he finally couldn¡¯t hold back and erupted in rage! His eyes were bloodshot, his face contorted with a neurotic smile: ¡°Because of him, how much chaos has the Star Sector gone through? When he got into trouble, from the Star Sector to the Star Domain to the Cosmos Domain, everything was thrown into total disarray, and my brother and Akuna had to die because of it!¡± ¡°Now, months after the people meant to die with him are gone, you tell me he¡¯s alive?!¡± ¡°My brother died like a joke! This is a damn joke!¡± Everyone else present fell silent as the grave. They understood Pei Desi¡¯s emotions quite well; in fact, they felt similarly. Even though it wasn¡¯t their own kin who died, the former leader Pei Desi was their leader. Under his lead, they had controlled many of the powers within the Tianma Star Sector. He was a standard, their backbone. Its collapse caused an unprecedented impact. If before this, they had felt that the death of the head of the Pei Desi was inevitable, a helpless fact, now with Galaraldo clearly not dead and even rescued, it had turned utterly into a joke. Anger, resentment, absurdity¡­ While the others did not show it as clearly as Pei Desi did, their emotions were unanimous, with some even occasionally echoing the sentiment. However, at the end, a single sentence from Pei Desi silenced everyone, ¡°If he hasn¡¯t died, we¡¯ll help him along!¡± The crowd exchanged glances. Could such words even be spoken? To grumble and curse in private is one thing, But to think of assassination when he¡¯s not dead? And to want the major investigative teams to come and stir up trouble in the Tianma Star Sector again? ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± a short man with long hair interrupted Pei Desi¡¯s rant. He was one of the ¡®two Ivans¡¯ in the Tianma Star Sector, the soon-to-be leader of the Star Sector, Ivan Martinelli. Pei Desi abruptly turned his head, his gaze sharp enough to cut. The man who spoke remained calmly eye to eye with him. Pei Desi¡¯s chest heaved with effort. Martinelli sighed and said, ¡°We all understand your feelings, and indeed, we all share the same sentiments. But don¡¯t talk nonsense here.¡± After a pause, he continued, ¡°Our enemy now is Fatches, not that War Apostle. That¡¯s a plague god; we need to get rid of him quickly. We can¡¯t afford to let this situation escalate.¡± ¡°So we just let it go?¡± Martinelli countered, ¡°What else can we do?¡± ¡°The Solar Expedition has definitely run into trouble, we could¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not our business to handle!¡± Martinelli scolded, ¡°I warn you, don¡¯t act rashly! Whatever happens with the Solar Expedition, that¡¯s a battlefield in the empire¡¯s high-level power struggle, not for us to meddle in! Don¡¯t think that just because you¡¯re someone important on a planet or in a Star Sector, you¡¯re really something special. A grain of sand blown over from the imperial political stage becomes a mountain pressing down on us!¡± ¡­ ¡°As heavy as Mt. Tai indeed¡­¡± At that moment, on Korolya III, another Ivan was also feeling reflective. He had no troubles. To him, and to the Fatches Family, whether Galaraldo had been missing before or now found, they had gained significantly from it. If this hadn¡¯t happened, the Star Sector wouldn¡¯t have been in chaos, and how would there be an opportunity? Gu Hang sat in front of Ivan Fatches, sipping tea. This stuff was a delicacy, produced only by three planets of the Fatches family in the current Tianma Star Sector. Gu Hang did hold some nostalgia for its slightly bitter taste with a sweet aftertaste. Ivan Fatches observed Gu Hang¡¯s expression and then said with a hint of regret, ¡°Gu, you should have kept Mr. Galaraldo around; his participation would have added more shine to my inauguration ceremony.¡± Gu Hang set down the teacup and said with a smile, ¡°I thought the same, unfortunately, Mr. Galaraldo had some very important matters to attend to. He left in quite a hurry. However, there will be opportunities to meet in the future.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Thinking about the changes that plague god had brought to the Tianma Star Sector over the past year, Ivan Fatches shuddered and couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Never mind, never mind¡­ The War Apostle has too many things to busy himself with, best not to disturb him.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C I passed out last night¡­ But I¡¯ll definitely make up for what¡¯s owed! Chapter 558 - Chapter 558: Chapter 328, Goodbye, My Friend Chapter 558: Chapter 328, Goodbye, My Friend After deciding to fish Galaraldo out, Gu Hang had been preparing for today. Taking advantage of the inauguration ceremony of Ivan Fatches, he arrived at Korolya III. Then, during a conversation with the president of the Tianma Star Sector Psychic Association, Wang Yuyang, he subtly guided the conversation, which led his counterpart to invite him to use one of the Association¡¯s divination devices. The thing was nothing magical, just an apparatus that enhanced psionic perception. They had brought this divination instrument over from Flying Wing Star to search for traces of Galaraldo and used it many times. Zhang Guang¡¯en, the chief archmage of Dragonhawk Star Domain and also an A-rank psychic, had personally operated it without perceiving anything. Originally, no one held out much hope anymore, but since Galaraldo had not been declared dead, the search efforts had to continue, albeit perfunctorily, even knowing there was no hope. But on this day, the situation was different. While using the device, Gu Hang indeed ¡®perceived¡¯ through the expanded psionic senses that there were abnormal subspace fluctuations within Fino City. Wang Yuyang immediately tried it as well. He was only a C-rank psychic, but even he could feel this new disturbance. Yet he still did not realize how serious the situation was. Korolya III was a world under the invasion of Plague Demons, a conflict that had been raging for two years. Fino City, the hardest-hit occupied area, experiencing a subspace rift with demons pouring out¨Cwasn¡¯t that normal? But Gu Hang indicated that this fluctuation was highly abnormal. So what should be done? Wang Yuyang hadn¡¯t really felt anything special but didn¡¯t dare to say so. You are an A-rank psychic, what you say goes. He could only agree, to avoid appearing incompetent. Following that, Gu Hang took action. It was not that everyone was willing to make a big fuss over a piece of not-so-reliable information. But Gu Hang did not need anyone else¡¯s help; he had the power to do this on his own. The Rage Bear Legion always maintained an army of one hundred thousand in Fino City. Moreover, for this visit to Rage Owl Star, he had brought some elites from the Tenth Brigade. With the Rage Bear Star Realm Army leading the way and the elite soldiers from the Tenth Brigade infiltrating solo, Gu Hang personally joined the operation. And so, Galaraldo was retrieved. After being rescued and before the news went out, Galaraldo had a deep conversation with Gu Hang, which lasted for quite some time. For Gu Hang, the main goal was to confirm Galaraldo¡¯s attitude during the conversation to see if the ¡®max favorability¡¯ mental manipulation seed that had been planted earlier was effective. Throughout the conversation, the situation was very optimistic; the effect was quite good. Galaraldo was very enthusiastic in his attitude towards him. And it was not just enthusiasm, nor was it just the attitude towards a savior. Given Galaraldo¡¯s personality, being distant and ungrateful, under normal circumstances, how could he feel such deep emotion for his savior? Gratitude would still be given, but it would be just that, what more could there be? But now, Galaraldo¡¯s emotions were clearly more than that. In his words, there was closeness and trust; he saw Gu Hang as one of his own¡­ This was different. In their conversation, Gu Hang¡¯s face always wore a smile. He was quite satisfied with the progress he had made in the art of thought manipulation. Although conditions didn¡¯t allow for a major surgery or comprehensive thought manipulation, a seemingly insignificant ¡°minimally invasive implantation¡± surgery, coupled with some actions in the real world that aligned with Galaraldo¡¯s consciousness concepts, yielded pretty good results. Indeed, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t make Galaraldo see him as his master¨Cnot that it was impossible, but it was too conspicuous and likely to be discovered during the Tribunal¡¯s scrutiny. But Gu Hang could make Galaraldo regard him as his most important friend. Moreover, the backdoor left in his spirit will allowed Gu Hang to directly take over Galaraldo¡¯s thinking when necessary. Of course, that was the last resort, to be used only when he had to abandon this pawn because the traces would be too significant. Gu Hang didn¡¯t intend to use this move too eagerly. He still hoped that the ¡®good friend¡¯ who had left the Tianma Star Sector could bring him some benefits in the political arena of the Empire. If it were successful, having ¡°a man in the central government¡± would be of great help to Gu Hang as he sought to strengthen his own power locally. ¡°I hope you, my boy, don¡¯t let down my ¡®hard work¡¯. Just don¡¯t get yourself killed in some mysterious political upheaval as soon as you enter the political arena¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°My departure this time will be very dangerous,¡± Galaraldo said to Gu Hang with a somber expression. For him, this conversation felt more like he was entrusting his last words to a good friend before leaving. He hesitated for a moment but still decided to inform Gu Hang of a piece of news: ¡°Don¡¯t harbor any extra hopes¨CI can tell you now, for certain, that His Highness, the Sun Lord¡­ is already dead¡­ No, don¡¯t be surprised, don¡¯t find it unbelievable, this is a fact. Otherwise, there is no other possibility that would cause the Divine Power bestowed upon me to fade away.¡± ¡°The Solaria Domain must already be in chaos by now, and the Central Government of Holy Terra must also be replete with undercurrents at this very moment.¡± ¡°I am in danger now, so I need to leave the Tianma Star Sector immediately. Every minute counts.¡± ¡°To Solaria? No, I¡¯m not going there. I¡¯m not like my other ¡®brothers¡¯. Unlike them, who command their own troops, fleets, and territories, my advantage lies within the Empire, in connecting distant expeditions with various localities and the Central Government.¡± ¡°Over the years, I¡¯ve made many enemies, and this is a source of danger; but don¡¯t think that I only engage in dirty dealings. If I only made enemies and didn¡¯t make friends, how could I have always secured enough resources for the Sun expedition?¡± ¡°Even on Holy Terra, I have a certain influence.¡± ¡°I need a ship to leave secretly¡­ No no no, I don¡¯t need protection. If I am to die, then even naval protection would be meaningless. But as long as I live, even if I¡¯m alone, I will be able to rise again.¡± ¡°I have traveled through countless territories of the Empire, set foot on thousands of planets, yet it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve met a friend with whom I share such a mutual understanding. Believe me, nobody wants to talk to you more than I do.¡± ¡°I must say goodbye to you now, my friend. I must honestly say that we may not meet again for a short while, but I know your contact details, and I will reach out to you the moment the timing is right.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not dead, if I can continue to fight for a place, I promise, I will provide all the help I can. And what you need to do is grow, grow, and grow more. A powerful Rage Owl Star, or even a powerful you, will be the greatest assistance to me!¡± ¡°I trust you completely, just as you did your utmost to save me.¡± Galaraldo spoke with such sincerity. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang was ¡®deeply moved¡¯. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going to give you a gift now. I know you have ambitions; I knew it from the first day I met you. You want Heijian Star, or even the entire Tianma Star Sector, right? Don¡¯t be too quick to deny or admit it, it doesn¡¯t matter. Right now, I don¡¯t have the power to give you a planet, let alone a star sector. But I can still help you in some ways.¡± ¡°While the news of the Sun Lord¡¯s death has not yet spread, while the distant Sun expedition has not been officially ordered to end, while I, this war apostle, still have a little time window to do some things.¡± ¡°That so-called ¡®alliance¡¯ of yours is a pretty good idea. Just wait, and soon, the name ¡®alliance¡¯ will become a legally registered organization in the official records of the Empire, allowing multiple worlds and star systems to freely join or leave. I think this will be of great help to you in uniting the rule of Heijian Star, and it will also assist you with certain things you want to do in the future.¡± ¡°Good luck, my friend.¡± Chapter 559 - Chapter 559: Chapter 329, Heijian Star Joins the Alliance Chapter 559: Chapter 329, Heijian Star Joins the Alliance Galaraldo really left a big surprise for both Tianma Star Sector and Gu Hang. For the Tianma Star Sector, his sudden appearance made all the previous events seem absurd. A year of chaos, the death of the governor of the most populous planet in the Star Sector, the death of the Star Sector Head, all arose from his disappearance. Now that he has suddenly returned, it doesn¡¯t mean that the political environment in Tianma Star Sector can revert back to how it was over a year ago. However, it was quite apparent that no one, except for Pei Desi and his line, held such expectations. The Fatches Family was extremely delighted. Before the deaths of Akuna and Pei Desi, it was difficult for their influence to extend beyond their own star system; now, even Korolya III had fallen into their hands. An unexpected blessing. Nevertheless, they did not wish for the War Apostle to be found. Galaraldo¡¯s ability to cause ¡®trouble¡¯ was just too strong and left too fresh a memory. Given how he previously dealt with Pei Desi and Akuna, who knew what he might do next? But Ivan Fatches did not dare to really do anything about it. During this period, he had sent people and even personally sought out Gu Hang several times, just to probe into what state the War Apostle was in now and what he planned to do next. Gu Hang reassured Ivan Fatches, telling him that Mr. Apostle had no other plans and only wanted to leave Tianma Star Sector as soon as possible. Fatches, hearing this news, was of course much relieved, at one point even offering to send troops to escort the War Apostle upon his departure. Gu Hang declined this offer. This was Galaraldo¡¯s wish as well. According to his own words, under the current situation, he wouldn¡¯t trust anyone in the entire Tianma Star Sector except Gu Hang. In fact, he didn¡¯t even trust the Imperial Navy anymore; when leaving the Tianma Star Sector, he would only need Gu Hang to provide him with a ¡°Voyager¡± and a team of special operations elites for personal protection. Not trusting the Imperial Navy or any other forces within the Tianma Star Sector was, of course, quite normal. After the mishap with the solar expedition, his identity as the War Apostle was very awkward indeed. Although he himself claimed he still had many ¡®friends¡¯ and retained some value, his ¡®friends¡¯ and his value were definitely not within the Tianma Star Sector. Now that he had lost the Divine Power that graced him, reduced to a mere mortal, a commoner, he was very vulnerable. Accompanied by untrustworthy people on his journey, anyone wanting his life could easily doom him. He only trusted Gu Hang. For Gu Hang, this invitation was quite agonizing. ¡®Voyagers¡¯, up to now, were not something the Alliance could mass produce; they all depended on the black boxes for component output, then transported to the Rage Owl Star Port where there was a supposedly shipbuilding factory, but actually more of a small-scale facility that could barely manage to assemble the parts into the Voyagers. Since obtaining the technology for ¡®Voyagers¡¯, Rage Owl Star could produce about one of these ships every four months, valued at 1.8 million tax currency each. To date, the Alliance had just four Voyagers in total. To let Galaraldo go and simply give away one of them? And to send off a platoon of elite soldiers as well? However, after much consideration, Gu Hang agreed. If one desired to gain benefits, one might as well see it as an investment. And the return on this investment came swiftly. This was the ¡®Alliance¡¯ organization Galaraldo mentioned to Gu Hang before his departure. To summarize, the core of this gift was that the Alliance is now a legally registered interstellar organization with the Central Empire. Planet Governors could freely join the ¡®Alliance¡¯, becoming part of a closer economic and political coalition, and forming a unified Planetary Defense Army. This kind of arrangement, while not common throughout the Empire, does exist. Interplanetary relationships often come together due to economic factors or the same military pressure they face. Usually, these relationships are only effective through exchanges and cooperative agreements between the Governors, and the relationship between the two parties is theoretically equal. If one wants to maintain this united collaboration from a higher dimension, then it must be based on the Star Sector Government. Additionally, the Star Sector Government can also mobilize officially recognized Imperial forces, such as the Star Realm Army and the Imperial Navy. To put it simply, the first is mutual help among administrative bodies of the same grade, and the second is joint action coordinated under a supervisory government. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The former has no binding force and can be dismissed at will; the latter relies on the mutual coordination within the overall governmental system. However, in the vast territories of the Empire, situations are too complex. In some places, there is a need for an organization that is stronger than the equal agreements between regular Planet Governors and transcends the conventional administrative divisions of the Star Sector Government. This need could arise from inter-star sector connections, special economic cooperation, or certain historical factors¡­ A recent example is that of Fatches No.1, No.2, and No.3, all three planets under the control of the Fatches Family. Although there are three Governors, there is also a ¡®Family Head¡¯ recognized by the Empire, acting as a joint ruler of the three worlds. The reason they can legally do this is because the ¡®Fatches Family¡¯ as a political entity is also a lawfully recognized interstellar organization by the Empire. The Empire approved their establishment chiefly because they were one of the rulers here when the Empire¡¯s great expedition reached the Tianma Star Sector, and they had helped the Expeditionary Force recapture most of the worlds here. Chapter 560 - Chapter 560: Chapter 329, Heijian Star Joins the Alliance_2 Chapter 560: Chapter 329, Heijian Star Joins the Alliance_2 In a sense, the Fatches Family could be considered to have ¡®brought in capital to join the group¡¯; they were originally the masters of the Three Worlds of Fatches and were willing to pledge full allegiance, bringing help with them, so the Empire recognized and legalized their rule. This is what is called the ¡®historical factor¡¯. In short, there are all sorts of entirely different situations within the Empire that all require special handling, so there are corresponding loopholes left in place. However, such a situation is relatively rare; normally, the Empire would not approve the establishment of a cross-stellar cooperation organization. At least, there was no chance for Gu Hang to obtain this on his own. Mainly because he had no ¡®friends¡¯ at the higher levels of government in the Central Empire, even if he wanted to engage in some sort of beneficial exchange, he simply had no access. Additionally, the situation on Rage Owl Star¡­ to put it bluntly, didn¡¯t meet the requirements for establishing a legal interstellar organization at all. Why would they legalize your alliance? So it would be easier for you to expand and rule other planets within the Empire? What are you trying to do? Moreover, not to mention striving for it, Gu Hang didn¡¯t even know such a rule existed within the Empire beforehand. But obviously, the current situation was not normal, and Galaraldo was not a normal person. Even when the ¡®alliance¡¯ did not meet relevant policies at all, he managed to get it done. A document bearing the seal of the Prime Minister of the Central Government of the Empire, reviewed by the Eastern Cosmos Administrative Court, arrived in Gu Hang¡¯s hands one and a half months after Galaraldo had left. He did not doubt the authenticity of the document, because along with this seal also came the inquiries of the current head of the Tianma Star Sector. The newly appointed leader of the Tianma Star Sector, based far away on Flying Wing Star, Ivan Martinelli, sent his envoy to ask Gu Hang what was going on and why he hadn¡¯t heard about it in advance? Gu Hang thought for a moment, repackaged the Gu Family¡¯s internal conflict that had occurred on Heijian Star, along with Heijian Star¡¯s long-standing special trade relationship with the Gu Family, and informed the leader, clearly stating that Heijian Star itself was a form of ¡®compensation¡¯ for the Gu Family. They internally agreed to be a compensation to the Gu Clan. This legalization of the ¡®alliance¡¯ organization was a legal confirmation of this compensation. The alliance would be limited to Heijian Star and Rage Owl Star only, with no expansion ¨C he lacked the power for that. At the end of the conversation, Gu Hang also stressed that this was a gift from the War Apostle and had already been officially recognized by the Empire Government. By saying this, he wanted to tell Martinelli not to worry too much; it was just contact between two small worlds with very few populations, completely different from the structure of the Fatches Family; moreover, don¡¯t get any bad ideas, if you want to cause trouble, consider whether you can afford to provoke the War Apostle. As expected, everything settled down afterward; Martinelli did not come with further questions, tacitly accepting everything that had happened. Galaraldo really hadn¡¯t been boasting before. Indeed, he was not like most of the War Apostles under Suo He Kaim¡¯s command; he wasn¡¯t a general, a commander, or a lord. But the reason he was among the 46 Apostles, receiving the Divine Power that bonded him with the Sun Lord, was naturally because of his own capabilities and his distinctiveness. If, before this, Gu Hang really did doubt whether Galaraldo, even if he managed to get away from the Tianma Star Sector, with all the foul deeds he had done in the past, the many enemies he had made, and the loss of his biggest backing, could make a comeback? Now, it seemed there might indeed be a chance. At least, Gu Hang had already seen the first signs of reward. The legalization of the alliance, this gift came at just the right time. With it, Gu Hang¡¯s rule over Heijian Star would become legitimate and justified. Before this, he relied entirely on brute force and control over the Planetary Governor Nes Luman¡¯s mind through a massive brain surgery operation in order to extract benefits from Heijian Star. But from now on, as the ¡®leader of the alliance,¡¯ Gu Hang would have a set of solid organizational structures, allowing him legal and Empire-recognized actual ruling power over the planets that joined. In the future, if Gu Hang wished, he could rid himself of the trouble that was Nes Luman and also take control of this world. ¡°` He could now rightfully establish a United Government and the United Forces without worrying about anyone criticizing him for it. Things had become much easier to handle. This legitimacy couldn¡¯t be bought with one million eight hundred thousand Tax Currency. Gu Hang knew he had made a huge profit. He couldn¡¯t help but anticipate: ¡°What more surprises will you bring me in the future? I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡± ¡­ Communication within the Empire was still too primitive. Although it was possible to achieve interstellar communication by using the Star Language Towers and Spiritual Energy practitioners, in reality, ordinary Star Language Towers could only facilitate communication within a Star Sector; for communication at a Star Domain level or even higher, larger-scale Star Language Towers were necessary, along with the establishment of information relay stations. The Tianma Star Sector didn¡¯t have the means to communicate directly with Holy Terra. The largest Star Language Tower was on Flying Wing Star, and it could at most reach the capital of the Eastern Cosmos Domain¨CZiwei Star. But that was enough. Many things didn¡¯t need to be escalated to the level of the Central Government of the Empire. The Space Domain Government was more than capable of solving most of Gu Hang¡¯s problems. Gu Hang very formally sent out, via the conventional governmental information channels, the hand-written application for joining the alliance from Nes Luman, the Planetary Governor of Heijian Star, in duplicate along with a copy of his own ¡®alliance¡¯ legitimacy document. Actually, there were also two originals of this set of documents, one at the Central Empire and one in his possession. In between, from the Cosmos Domain to the Star Domain to the Star Sector, each level of government had a copy to verify. Approval for the alliance¡¯s new member required just reaching the level of the Space Domain Government. After receiving the application documents and giving their approval, they would send both originals back to Gu Hang and to Holy Terra for record-keeping, then make three copies, keeping one for themselves and sending one each to the Star Domain and the Star Sector. With that, the whole official process would be completed. As for whether the Space Domain Government would approve Heijian Star joining the alliance¡­ Gu Hang wasn¡¯t worried about that. The possibility of disapproval was very low. On the one hand, for the Space Domain Government, the Tianma Star Sector was too far away, and the addition of Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star¨Cwith a combined population of less than five hundred million¨Cwas too insignificant. If they wanted to form a small economic and military alliance, why would the government care? With the official documents already in place, why bother to intervene without reason? Furthermore, the ¡®alliance¡¯ system had a key difference from that of the Fatches Family. The Fatches were definitely restricted in scale, legally allowed only those Three Worlds. But Gu Hang had scrutinized the documents he had, and, regarding scale, Galaraldo had been very ¡®careless¡¯ to omit mentioning it; as for the conditions of joining, Galaraldo had thoughtfully set very simple criteria of ¡®having economic or military cooperation needs¡¯, which allowed them to join under the guise of ¡®united to safeguard the territories of the Empire¡¯. No hard conditions! As long as the local governors made an application with sufficiently robust and complicated reasons, and the Space Domain Government was unaware of the specific local circumstances, as long as the documents were well-prepared, the chances of approval were high. If rejected, just revise the materials and reapply. Isn¡¯t this what a cumbersome bureaucratic system is for? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In fact, Gu Hang didn¡¯t even encounter such a trivial issue. About two months later, Gu Hang had already received a response and obtained the new documents. The alliance now had its second member world¨CHeijian Star. Thus, the last political obstacle Gu Hang faced on Heijian Star had been eliminated. ¡°` Chapter 561 - Chapter 561: Chapter 330, Is a Mountain Gun Still a Cannon? Chapter 561: Chapter 330, Is a Mountain Gun Still a Cannon? The war on Heijian Star hadn¡¯t subsided in the least with the departure of Gu Hang. The armed forces established by the New Kings¡¯ Council had already reached five hundred thousand, deployed on the front lines. This was nearly the limit of troops currently available. It wasn¡¯t a limit for the individual countries, though. Up to now, eleven countries had joined the New Kings¡¯ Council, with a total population reaching 120 million, it wouldn¡¯t drain them to draft five hundred thousand from their standing armies and reserve forces. But this was the limit for the New Kings¡¯ Council. This new organization was founded solely under the military threat of the Rage Owl Star forces; Stefano¡¯s annihilation in forty days leading to the Iron Curtain Queen¡¯s surrender, in turn causing nine nearby countries to capitulate due to this military intimidation, thus establishing the New Kings¡¯ Council. Its foundation was exceedingly unstable. An alliance based on military strength cannot afford to show any military vulnerability. If the Alliance Army couldn¡¯t maintain a steamroller momentum, kings would start to question; if the Alliance Army suffered a major defeat, they would probably turn coats immediately. Even subdued Stefano was no exception, now leaning towards the alliance under the Iron Curtain Queen¡¯s suppression, yet remnants of defeated generals still lurked in the shadows. They didn¡¯t dare to make rash movements, staying put obediently, and might not even dare to bristle at eradication attempts, potentially complying outright. However, should the alliance encounter a significant military setback, those military leaders and kings, now tame as dogs, would likely rise up instantly. After all, serving as a dog of the alliance was out of desperation for survival when defeat was certain; given a chance, who wouldn¡¯t want to be their own feudal lord? In such a situation, one couldn¡¯t afford to draft too many troops, lest they cast doubt on the military might of the alliance, wondering why they still needed their people to fight. Moreover, the reliability of these vassal forces was also rather suspect, with each feudal nation being entangled with countless others through noble intermarriages and vested interests. It was possible for any knight, count, or general to defect at a critical moment. In fact, Perbov indeed dared not entrust vital defensive positions or important logistic lifelines to these vassal forces. If anything went wrong, it would spell complete disaster. Nevertheless, with five hundred thousand vassal troops, Perbov¡¯s hands were undeniably freer with forces. Although, facing an enemy army of three million, he couldn¡¯t exert too aggressive an offensive stance, or undertake a full-scale assault across hundreds of kilometers of the battlefront. But he finally had enough troops to allocate elite units of the alliance into fist formations, targeting specific battlefronts for concentrated strikes. He, too, was implementing the changed approach he had reported to Governor Gu Hang. He ceased to concern himself with strategically important points or towns of significant political symbolism, instead utilizing the armored units¡¯ strong breakthrough capabilities and the motorized units¡¯ excellent mobility, and when necessary against tough-to-crack positions, he could even call upon the assistance of the Interstellar Warriors¡­ Through these means, in the past four months, Perbov had waged three beautifully executed battles of annihilation. In two of them, the alliance took the offensive. With a pincer movement, they achieved breakthroughs on both sides of a battlefront approximately eighty kilometers wide, encircling the middle kingdom troops that failed to retreat in time. Next came the severing of supply lines, blocking reinforcements, preventing breakouts, and bombarding the encircled enemy with heavy artillery over an extended period. The first time, one hundred seventy thousand kingdom troops were encircled; failing to learn their lesson, the second time resulted in three hundred thirty-one thousand troops being decisively trapped. For these two campaigns, Perbov deliberately chose non-urban areas. The surrounded enemies numbered in the hundreds of thousands and could not possibly scrounge sufficient food locally. Not to mention, a modern army, lacking ammunition and fuel, would suffer a sharp decline in combat effectiveness, which has little to do with fighting spirit; after all, even the bravest soldiers can¡¯t conjure bullets from sheer willpower. Moreover, these feudal armies simply lacked such discipline. The ultimate outcome of these two battles of annihilation was a resounding victory for the Alliance Army. The destroyed units weren¡¯t all killed; most became prisoners and were sent to rear prisoner-of-war camps to engage in heavy labor such as road repair and trench digging after being disarmed. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After suffering heavy losses, the kingdom military was unwilling to concede defeat. They organized a massive counteroffensive, indeed investing heavily in the effort. The kingdom military had more than just numbers. In the realm of ultimate weapons, they had a real threat to the Alliance Army¨Ctwelve assembled Knight Titans. For the kingdoms on Heijian Star, the most precious of possessions were surely the Knight Titans. Their strength was beyond question, with a cost of seven hundred thousand Tax Currency each speaking for itself. Over time, the presence of the Knight Titans gradually became a symbol of a nation¡¯s power and a noble¡¯s status. Indeed, the so-called ¡®Seven Great Nations of Heijian Star¡¯ referred to the seven states that could afford and more importantly, sustain Knight Titans. Chapter 562 - Chapter 562: Chapter 330, Is a Mountain Gun Still a Cannon?_2 Chapter 562: Chapter 330, Is a Mountain Gun Still a Cannon?_2 ¡°` This is truly a national treasure, not to be employed lightly. Losing even one would be a catastrophe and a massive loss for the entire nation. Currently, a total of twelve Knight Titans have been amassed within the assembled forces of the kingdom. These kingdom generals and nobles are aware of events that occurred in the Kingdom of Stefano and understand that as powerful as the Knight Titans are, if caught unprepared by interstellar warriors using their uncanny teleportation abilities, the Titans could be destroyed in mere minutes. Therefore, they simultaneously guarded the intelligence regarding the whereabouts of the Knight Titans with utmost vigilance, continuously repositioning them while also outfitting them with extensive security detail. Furthermore, they ensured that the Knight Titans were never left isolated. Also, pilots were not to rest unless it was absolutely necessary¨Ceven under harsh conditions, the noble-born pilots needed to remain in their cockpit at all times. Thankfully, by the time the Knight Titan level was reached, life support pod technology had already been applied. Even without particularly advanced features, as long as it could facilitate eating and assist in excretion, the Knights could stay inside for extended periods. Of course, they still needed to sleep. During these times, there had to be an active Knight Titan ready to protect them. Based on such precautions, the kingdom¡¯s generals were extremely cautious when deploying the Knight Titans. For these reasons, even though they possessed twelve Knight Titans, their actual appearance on the battlefield was rare. In easy and simple battles, even if the Knight Titans appeared, it made little difference¨Cjust gilding the lily. However, in particularly dangerous battles, they hesitated to deploy the Titans, as losing just one could spark a huge political crisis. It must be emphasized again that the kingdom¡¯s army is a military force united by a group of feudal states. Although the kings are the leaders, in essence, they are just the supreme nobles, feudal lords. The Knight Titans are in the hands of various major nobles. This means they couldn¡¯t follow orders like a modern military would, where upon receiving a command, they must obey, ready to charge even if the mission was known to be suicidal, embracing a do-or-die resolve to fulfill their military duty. Such occurrences are rare in a feudal army. Putting it bluntly, for some nobles who view their Knight Titan as their family¡¯s treasured asset, it¡¯s acceptable to lose a battle, but not the Titan. As long as the Titan remains, even if they surrendered to the Alliance afterward, their status could still be preserved to some extent. However, this time, the kingdom¡¯s army made a significant commitment. After a day-long closed-door meeting of multiple kings and nobles, they decided that the situation couldn¡¯t continue like this. Otherwise, if they allowed the Rage Owl Star People to incessantly exploit their maneuverability, firepower, and armor advantage, their forces would be gradually devoured, leading to the potential loss of their entire three million troops on Heijian Star. Once there was mutual agreement, the large-scale offensive that front-line generals had long awaited but had never materialized, finally commenced. Twelve Knight Titans, all deployed at once! Nine of those belonged to the Panbos Kingdom, representing their full strength. After all, the war was happening on their territory, so naturally, they were the most committed; the remaining three came from three other powerful states, with each providing one Titan. In the entire history of Heijian Star, having twelve Knight Titans participating in a battle simultaneously was something from a bygone era. When twelve Knight Titans advanced en masse, flanked by over a thousand Sentry Mechas, and supported by an army of hundreds of thousands, the Alliance¡¯s front inevitably crumbled. What was the greatest strength of the Alliance Army? Apart from armored forces, it was their artillery. The munitions transported to Heijian Star by the Gu Commercial Firm on Rage Owl Star ships, in addition to the weaponry and ammunition used by the Alliance¡¯s thirty or so royal armies, primarily consisted of artillery and shells. These weapons were then handed over to their vassal forces. With artillery density far exceeding their adversaries¡¯, they were able to hold their ground along the extended front line against an enemy far superior in numbers. But in the location concentrated with twelve Knight Titans and over a thousand Sentry Mechas, no matter what, it was an unstoppable force. ¡°` Even the elite troops of the Alliance couldn¡¯t withstand it. The Knight Titans fired missiles and bombarded with howitzers from a distance, while conventional firepower barely shook them; under their fire cover, Sentry Mechas charged forward through a hail of bullets, and machine guns also posed a terrifying threat to the positions of the Alliance warriors. The regular artillery of the kingdom¡¯s army was far inferior to the Alliance¡¯s, but with a large enough number of mountain guns assembled and the protection of armored forces at the front, they could advance to relatively close positions to fire, a threat that could not be underestimated. Mountain guns are still guns! Not only was the Alliance¡¯s position breached at a single point, but the entire defensive line spanning hundreds of kilometers began to shake significantly. The frontline infantry units of the Alliance¡¯s direct lineage suffered extremely heavy casualties, nearly reaching the point where they had to be reformed, and even some artillery positions were quickly overrun by the attacking enemy forces, leading to their complete destruction before they could retreat¡­ For seven consecutive days, the kingdom¡¯s army had reached a climax in their offensive, pushing the Alliance¡¯s defensive line back by a full eighty kilometers. This was an accomplishment they had never been able to achieve since the beginning of the war. Beyond changes in the front line, they had also caused significant casualties. Just from captured regimental flags alone, there were six; confirmed kills of officers above the rank of colonel numbered more than twenty. Although more specific details of the victory were hard to tally, this was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Alliance Army. All of this happened in just a short span of seven days! The splendid victory even prompted the King of Panbos to personally send a letter to congratulate the Knights on their triumph. In the same vein, this victory also led the Heijian Star People to start thinking that the Alliance wasn¡¯t so great after all, it was just that we hadn¡¯t given it our all from the start. However, everything changed on the eighth day. Could the kingdom¡¯s army¡¯s victory, the advance of eighty kilometers of the front line, truly be considered a ¡®victory¡¯? In Perbov¡¯s view, perhaps not. While the enemy was in full force, on one hand, he commanded a portion of his troops to resist at the front, reducing the enemies¡¯ numbers, depleting their supplies, and slowing their pace. The units that undertook these missions indeed suffered tremendous casualties, which deeply pained Perbov. After all, when he had been fighting a blocking battle outside Pincer City with a brigade, nearly facing annihilation, there hadn¡¯t been as many deaths as now. But by now, he had steeled his heart. The sacrifices being made at this moment were for a greater victory. As the frontline troops fought for time, the Alliance¡¯s Armored Brigade began maneuvering on both flanks. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Then, on the eighth day of the kingdom¡¯s large-scale offensive, they moved to both sides of this eighty-kilometer-deep and forty-kilometer-wide salient. Several Armored Brigades simultaneously charged out, breaking through the enemy attacking the Alliance positions with the support of artillery and air force. Afterward, they moved at a speed that the enemy couldn¡¯t react to, quickly outflanking both sides of the protrusion. Within a day, four Armored Brigades deployed from both sides had breached the forty-kilometer supply lines of the salient, achieving a victorious rendezvous. This meant that the salient punched out by the enemy had instead become a pocket enclosing them! Chapter 563 - Chapter 563: Chapter 331, The Great Battle Chapter 563: Chapter 331, The Great Battle Seriously speaking, being surrounded does not equate to victory. When the news that their rear was cut off reached the kingdom army deep within enemy lines, they did not panic. Although logistical supplies could not be delivered for the time being, within this encirclement that stretched sixty kilometers wide and eighty kilometers deep, with over five hundred thousand people present, a prolonged cutoff in supply could easily lead to a total, uncontrollable collapse. But they did not believe such a situation would occur. There¡¯s a cluster of twelve Knight Titans here, surrounding us from behind? It¡¯s not yet certain who¡¯s surrounding whom! They did not continue the forward offensive posture but instead diverted some forces to head rearward. Six Knight Titans and over five hundred Sentry Mechas formed the combat core, ready to recapture the lost rear positions. If possible, it would be even better to conduct one or two effective encirclement and annihilation battles. However, at this moment, their nightmare arrived. The Alliance Army seemed to know their plans completely, already prepared to defend staunchly. And this time, the Alliance had resolutely no intention of retreating. In fact, they did not opt for trench warfare based on trenches, fortfications, and the like, to hold and wear down the kingdom army. The tank units took the initiative to strike, Windfalcon Fighters in the skies daringly lowered their altitude, beginning to provide ground fire support. Especially when detecting some enemy artillery positions in the rear, they would launch a few missiles. If they did not completely destroy the target, they would risk being hit by rocket artillery or anti-aircraft gunfire to use laser cannons to wipe out any remaining enemy artillery. On the main battlefield, the total force the Alliance committed to the decisive battle was ten Armored Brigades. Their numbers were the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade, 13th Armored Brigade, and the 35th to the 38th and 59th to the 62nd Armored Brigades. These ten brigades, totaling just over eighty thousand troops, assembled nearly nine hundred Lion Tanks and over two thousand various types of combat armored vehicles! Without a doubt, Perbov went all out, regarding this battle as the most critical grand decisive battle on Heijian Star. Both sides, totaling six hundred thousand men, unfolded a fierce battle along a sixty kilometer wide front, structured around brigades and regiments! For the kingdom army, the grand decisive battle came a bit unexpectedly, exceeding their initial psychological expectations. Originally, at the start of the full-scale offensive, they were prepared psychologically for a major battle. However, a series of triumphs like a rampaging victory over multiple days made them complacent. Some fools thought the Alliance Army was just so-so, and others, not foolish, tended to believe that the Alliance was not ready for a decisive battle and chose to avoid the brunt. But they really did not expect that the Alliance was not unprepared for the decisive battle, but decided to have the decisive battle when the encirclement was formed and the roles of offense and defense changed. The situation now was also quite clear. Either they completely crush the ten Armored Brigades gathered by the Alliance, positioned behind them and poking at their rears in one go, Or, under the conditions of having lost all supply inside the encirclement, their entire army would be wiped out. And at this critical moment, they flinched. Mainly because initially, they only sent six Knight Titans to the rear to deal with the encirclement.p> According to the intent of the kingdom army¡¯s commanders, it wasn¡¯t that they did not dare to fight decisively, but rather that the force they had gathered before the battle began was not yet sufficient. First, they needed to pull back these six Titans and the main forces a bit, waiting for all twelve Knight Titans to gather before turning around to fight the decisive battle, which would increase their chances of success. From certain perspectives, the kingdom army¡¯s supreme commander¡¯s thought process wasn¡¯t wrong. However, he made one critical mistake: he severely underestimated the resolve of the Alliance¡¯s armored forces in this battle. In such a decisive grand battle, courage and morale are extremely important. Whoever shows a hint of cowardice might find even a slight setback leading to a comprehensive collapse. And this was what happened on the frontal battlefield. Upon receiving the message to retreat and regroup with the other six Titans, the six Knight Titans on the front line naturally chose not to continue their advance to meet the enemy and started to fall back. But then, the Alliance¡¯s armored forces had already penetrated quite deeply into their ranks. The ordinary infantry left behind to cover the retreat simply could not withstand such a massive offensive pressure. In the rear, under the volley of self-propelled artillery, their defenses were already on the verge of collapse; when the armored vehicles really began charging their lines, they formed virtually no effective resistance before disintegrating completely. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Subsequently, some of the kingdom¡¯s core units came under attack. Dozens of Sentry Mechas were bitten into by the Alliance¡¯s Strider Combat Vehicles. Under the barrage of several hundred automatic cannons, those Sentry Mechas and surrounding kingdom infantry had to turn around to fight. They were caught off-guard, and with a significant number disparity, they were suppressed fiercely. Moreover, if the battle dragged on even a bit longer, dense barrages of 155mm howitzer shells would often come over from the Alliance forces in the rear. The artillery battalions under the Alliance¡¯s Armored Brigades, along with artillery support platoons within each Composite Camp, had fully upgraded their towed artillery to self-propelled artillery. The process of moving and setting up to fire, and then moving again, had become much faster than before, allowing them to smoothly support armored units, providing fire cover while they rapidly breached enemy positions. Chapter 564 - Chapter 564: Chapter 331, The Great Battle_2 Chapter 564: Chapter 331, The Great Battle_2 At the moment, this firepower proved immensely effective. Under heavy artillery bombardment, the unprotected Sentry Mecha in retreat were destroyed at an alarming rate. Especially when the range of engagement closed in, the infantry of the Alliance Army also posed a significant threat to them. As for the company- and platoon-level mortars, there¡¯s not much to say. Their accuracy isn¡¯t great; hitting the much more agile Sentry Mecha compared to tanks isn¡¯t easy. They could only be used to target the cannon fodder infantry of the kingdom¡¯s army. But that was enough. An even more terrifying asset in the hands of the infantry was the heavy grenade launcher. A platoon was equipped with one; taking a few hits, even a dozen, wasn¡¯t a big deal. But if they were barraged by a volley, even tanks might not withstand it, let alone the Sentry Mecha with significantly thinner armor compared to heavy armored vehicles like tanks. The machine guns and grenade launchers on the infantry fighting vehicles, the heavy grenade launchers in the infantry platoons, the long-range 155mm heavy artillery¡­ Dozens of Sentry Mecha and several thousand kingdom¡¯s troops couldn¡¯t withstand such fierce firepower for long and were quickly routed. Not many surrendered or escaped; the majority were annihilated on the spot. After such events occurred multiple times, the six retreating Titans sensed something was amiss. Bleeding too heavily, they had lost an army of over thirty thousand in less than half a day. If the loss of ordinary infantry wasn¡¯t a concern for them, after all, they were just low-value cannon fodder, the destruction of over a hundred Sentry Mecha could not be ignored. The Sentry Mecha were expensive, important combat machines! And what was even more fearsome was that they were merely engaged in a standard tactical withdrawal, pulling back their fist to throw a stronger punch later on. But the way things were looking, their tactical retreat was edging towards a complete collapse. These six Knight Titans amassed together in the core area had no big issues, but other parts were at the risk of being completely overrun by the Alliance¡¯s vanguard. They couldn¡¯t help but feel conflicted. Although these six Titans were the most important, losing the rest of their forces would not bode well for the upcoming decisive battle. After all, having only Titans, lacking infantry, and lacking the protection of Sentry Mecha meant the Knight Titans couldn¡¯t exert their full strength and could easily be targeted at their weak points and destroyed. They discussed whether they needed to return and reinforce while gathering their forces more closely together. However, while they were still considering the so-called upcoming ¡°decisive battle,¡± for the Alliance Army, the decisive battle had already begun and had reached its climax at this stage! As they hesitated, they were caught up with. First to appear within their sight was the 61st Armored Brigade of the Alliance Central Corps. The reason they could recognize this unit was that the brigade, as well as the battalions and companies under its command, emblazoned their unit numbers on red battle flags, which flew high on armored vehicles, easily identifiable at a glance. More than sixty Lion Tanks gathered together, each maintaining a distance of around twenty to thirty meters. Tanks raised their guns high, and while on the move, they would occasionally recoil, either lobbing high-explosive shells at the kingdom¡¯s infantry or piercing a Sentry Mecha with armor-piercing rounds. Over one hundred and fifty armored fighting vehicles accompanied them, interspersed around, providing additional fire support. The brave and elite infantry didn¡¯t shrink back; instead, they marched between the tanks and even ahead of the armored units. They seemed to have no fear of death; under the support of tank and fighting vehicle gunfire from behind, and with the accompaniment of artillery fire from self-propelled guns further back, they coordinated their attack. Often after a barrage of heavy fire, before the kingdom¡¯s troops could recover from the deafening blasts, the Alliance infantry had already appeared mere dozens of meters in front of them, their cold gun muzzles practically shoved in their mouths. Under those circumstances, the six Knight Titans finally reached a consensus. They could retreat no longer; they had to turn and fight. In fact, there was no other option for them to retreat. At this distance, the Alliance¡¯s self-propelled guns had already started to shell them with artillery, but it was only deflected by the energy shield. The six Knight Titans, determined for battle, found themselves essentially dragged into a major confrontation without much psychological preparation. Yet despite the facts, at that moment, they still hadn¡¯t fully grasped the situation. After all, what appeared before them was only a single brigade. Their initial attitude may have been to destroy this brigade, or at least beat it back temporarily, then they could continue to retreat and regroup with the other six Knight Titans as per the command of their overall leader. Therefore, their counterattacks appeared somewhat feeble and ineffective. First, they launched a series of missiles. These missiles did indeed destroy many of the 61st Brigade¡¯s self-propelled howitzers, greatly reducing the Alliance Army¡¯s firepower density in a short amount of time. Following that, they began bombarding the Alliance¡¯s tanks with automatic-loading grenade launchers mounted on their arms. The precise artillery fire was capable of destroying a Lion Tank with a single shot, and with automatic loading and multiple barrels, their rate of fire was quite fast. After these Titans initiated their counterattack, the 61st Armored Brigade began to suffer heavy casualties. However, it must be said that the timing of these Titans launching their counterattacks was just a bit too late. The surrounding kingdom¡¯s military forces had already begun to disintegrate. And what delivered the final blow to their morale was the appearance of two military unit designations, advancing simultaneously from the left and the right on the front lines. Those were the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade and the 13th Armored Brigade. Combined, these two brigade-level units possessed three hundred Lion Tanks. When they advanced en masse, their tracks kicked up a storm of yellow sand, elevating the atmosphere of the battlefield to its zenith. The voices of the Knight Titans echoed throughout the ranks. They valiantly fired artillery, eliminated tanks, and tried to stabilize the morale of their forces. However, the effect was less than ideal. Eventually, tanks, armored vehicles, and even infantry units charged up to proximity, deploying their firepower at distances around a kilometer, to engage in a direct exchange of fire with them. The energy shields on the six Titans flickered constantly. Despite suffering heavy casualties, the Alliance pressured these Titans into a state where they had to fight to their fullest capacity. A distance of a kilometer was already quite close for the Titans. They were no cowards, and after a brief tactical discussion, two of them began advancing rapidly. Apart from their long-range firepower, the Titans were equipped with Gravity Fists and giant chainsaw swords, which were even more formidable weapons. When they charged into the tank formations, one sword stroke, one kick, one punch¨Cthat¡¯s all it took to scrap a tank. True, the energy shields were ineffective at close range, but accompanying their charge were the Sentry Mecha, the kingdom¡¯s most elite soldiers, and the covering fire from the other four Titans in the rear. Normally, the Alliance troops couldn¡¯t actively approach within the range of the energy shields. They began to wreak havoc. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Then, all of a sudden, the most intense explosion erupted on the battlefield. The epicenter of the explosion occurred on one of the Knight Titans engaged in close combat. A squad of elites dressed in Red Powered Armor emerged from the center of the explosion. Those were naturally the Phoenixes. With the covering fire from regular units, they approached the Knight Titan, swiftly eliminated the surrounding Sentry Mecha, and planted thermite bombs before making a full retreat! Chapter 565 - Chapter 565: Chapter 332: The Titan is completely finished Chapter 565: Chapter 332: The Titan is completely finished The Phoenix Battle Group had been a part of this battle right from the beginning. As such a reliable force, Perbov of course wouldn¡¯t overlook them. On the contrary, they were his ace in the hole. He was aware that the Alliance Army held a complete advantage in all aspects against the enemy, except for the Knight Titans. If you let these Knight Titans loose, one Knight Titan tearing apart a hundred Lion Tanks was not a problem. Conversely, the Alliance¡¯s conventional forces found it extraordinarily difficult to pose a threat to these terrifying war machines. If it came down to a direct confrontation, then they could only send enough armor units to serve as ¡®sandbags¡¯ to take the hits, to act as meat shields. Then, they would use the tanks¡¯ armor-piercing cannons and heavy artillery from the rear to wear down the Knight Titans¡¯ energy shields until breaking through and ultimately destroying them. The casualties in this process were simply incalculable. From the beginning, Perbov didn¡¯t quite hope that the battle would evolve into that state. It was just too passive. Having the Interstellar Warriors in hand and not using them would be foolish. But even after consulting with Commander Matins, he didn¡¯t immediately place the Phoenixes in an obvious position. On one hand, it¡¯s best to use good steel on the cutting edge; common fights don¡¯t need their involvement. On the other hand, it¡¯s essential to keep a trick up the sleeve to prevent the enemy from noticing and preparing for them right from the start. Of course, those Knight Titans were on guard. Once the silhouettes of Interstellar Warriors appeared among the enemies, who could ignore them? But maintaining attention incurs a ¡®cost¡¯. When the battle became so fierce that they could hardly spare attention elsewhere, how could they keep focus on the Interstellar Warriors who hadn¡¯t yet appeared on the battlefield? Thus, the first sacrifice appeared. Like specters, the Phoenixes darted out from behind a Lion Tank. Already less than a hundred meters from the target, they could reach it in a matter of seconds in a full sprint. Some were responsible for fire suppression, eliminating the obstructive Sentry Mecha, while others breached quickly. Dodging a reactionary kick from the Knight Titan, they leapt high, landed on the Titan, placed thermite charges, and rapidly withdrew. The power of a thermite bomb was sufficient, and most crucially, the thermite, being placed in close proximity, was entirely unaffected by the energy shield, making the destruction of a Knight Titan without question. After the first one, the second one followed immediately. The two Titan Knights who dared to plow through the ranks met their desired fate. The time between their destruction was just a mere eight minutes apart. The remaining four were genuinely alarmed. Before them was a surging cluster of tanks; behind them, a great number of self-propelled guns. Amidst the hail of fire, the remaining four Titans didn¡¯t appear to be in any immediate danger, yet the accompanying troops beneath them were gradually showing signs of not holding up. If the forces on both sides were on the same level, then that would be a different story; however, during the preceding withdrawal, some units, while retreating, had lost their way, while others, in the face of the Alliance Army¡¯s fervent pursuit, were pinned down ¨C either they were annihilated, dispersed, or still engaged in fierce gunfire. At this moment, the regular units beside them were already few in number; under the onslaught, they were even more on the verge of collapsing. Once the regular units crumbled, these four Titans would be like lambs to the slaughter. Without the cooperation and protection of regular units, the towering Titans were vulnerable to overlooked enemies sneaking up to their feet, bypassing the energy shields, and then being destroyed. Ordinarily this would not have been easy, after all, the Titan Knights were not without close-range self-defense capabilities. Against conventional means, a Titan Knight¡¯s punches and kicks, along with melee weapons, were fatally threatening. However, weren¡¯t the figures of Interstellar Warriors now appearing before their eyes? Having witnessed the destruction of two Knight Titans, how could they not understand the danger? The risk was too great, they felt it inappropriate to continue fighting, and began contemplating a retreat. Before retreating, they aimed at the Phoenix¡¯s red silhouettes and fiercely bombarded them with heavy artillery. Indeed, even for the Interstellar Warriors, the firepower of the Titan Knights posed a threat. Within their sight, three Phoenixes fell to the ground after being bombarded by heavy artillery from the Titans and did not get up. They had no time to confirm the casualty status of the targets, just retreating while continuing to bombard them. When the Titan Knights wanted to withdraw, indeed, nothing could stop them in the short term. However, the Alliance forces, relentlessly pursuing them, did not let up the attack. And worse, this would trigger a series of chain reactions. The kingdom¡¯s regular forces began to experience a more severe morale collapse. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Before, with six Titans serving as the core of the entire front line, even under the impact of a steel deluge, seeing tanks being destroyed one by one, there was still some courage left to fight. But now, with two Titans in pieces and the remaining four about to flee, what could they do? The regular units collapsed. And there was nothing the four Titans could do about it. They had tried to call on the troops to hold their resistance, but to little avail. Only a very few stayed by their side, accompanying them as they withdrew together. Chapter 566 - Chapter 566: Chapter 332, Titan is Completely Done_2 Chapter 566: Chapter 332, Titan is Completely Done_2 However, the increasingly torrential heavy artillery and fierce attacks caused these units to rapidly diminish in number. When their numbers dwindled to a certain level, the final general assault began. They saw, not far from themselves, space twisted and dozens of red-armored warriors barely taller than their knees appeared out of nowhere. Accompanied by a small number of regular units, they could no longer stop these interstellar warriors who had suddenly used Spiritual Energy to teleport closer. The Titans almost immediately unleashed their firepower, and some brave souls swung massive Gravity Fists or giant chainsaw swords at those interstellar warriors. However, this could not change their ultimate fate. Out of the four Titans, three were damaged, and the remaining one surrendered. And the Alliance Army, with the momentum of a great victory, swept through the retreating forces toward the main body of the kingdom¡¯s army! In contrast, the kingdom¡¯s army felt as though they had been drenched with a bucket of ice water amid their fervor! A few days ago, they were unstoppable; although they learned that their rear had been outflanked, they were not at all panicked. However, the entire situation hadn¡¯t been unfolding for long before they were jolted by the news that all six Knight Titans had been destroyed in a single battle! The entire army was shaken! They couldn¡¯t even regulate this news because the sounds of the Alliance¡¯s gunfire were getting closer, audible to everyone; standing on a slightly higher hill, one could see the clouds of yellow dust kicked up by the Alliance¡¯s armored groups moving through the wilderness, with the red banners barely visible within, fluttering in the wind. In front of the Alliance¡¯s vanguard, the kingdom¡¯s army was being chased and beaten like stray dogs. What¡¯s more terrifying was that they would soon become one of those stray dogs themselves. The entire encirclement was only sixty kilometers wide and eighty kilometers deep. If they achieved a significant victory today, they might not make it by tomorrow, and by the day after at the latest, gun barrels would be pressed right up to their throats. In such a situation, no one could utter tough words. What to do? This question lingered over the entire kingdom¡¯s army, both high and low. The kingdom¡¯s army¡¯s supreme commander had made a decision, the only option left: muster all forces and fight a decisive battle to the death against the Alliance Army. Otherwise, what else could they do? Their previous eight days of triumph were now converted into equal amounts of fear and unease. The previous offensives had been too smooth; there hadn¡¯t been enough time to construct defenses in this area, nor were the various supplies in reserve sufficient. The option to hold out for reinforcements was nonexistent. Moreover, even if they could hold the line, who could come as reinforcements? All twelve of the Knight Titans were already here! Only through a battle to the death, only through victory, could they break out of the encirclement. The commander-in-chief of the kingdom¡¯s allied forces was already fervently encouraging all the officers, especially the six Knight Titan pilots. He painted a future where, should they win this war, the backbone of the Alliance Army would be broken. In the near term, they wouldn¡¯t be able to organize an armored group with thousands of tanks, and such a devastating defeat would severely shake the Alliance¡¯s control over Heijian Star. In the territories already occupied by the Alliance, there would be a strong upsurge of resolute resistance¡­ In short, the future was bright! If only they could win this ultimate battle, they would all be heroes of the entire world! However, take it with a grain of salt. At most, these words served only to prevent morale from looking too dismal on the surface. In private, those officers, those aristocratic Knight Titan drivers, what they really thought, to be honest, the old marshal of royal Panbos bloodline had no idea. Even he himself, amidst the turmoil, had muttered a few words to a relative of royal lineage among the Titan pilots. According to him, one should of course fight bravely during battle; but if, by any chance, one faced an insurmountable and imposing tide, then don¡¯t act foolishly, for surrendering wasn¡¯t entirely unacceptable. As long as they were alive, surrendering with their Mechas might give them a chance to preserve as much hope as possible for the royal bloodline. This was preparing for the worst-case scenario. If even the highest commanders and the core force of the Knight Titans held such an attitude, how could the decisive battle be won? On the third day of the formation of the Alliance¡¯s encirclement, the climax of the second phase of the battle arrived. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And the result of this battle was that one of the six Knight Titans fled¨Cone couldn¡¯t be stopped¨Cand three were destroyed, while two surrendered. The kingdom¡¯s army undoubtedly suffered an overwhelming defeat. And this defeat was much larger than the Alliance¡¯s previous two offensive campaigns. Previously, Perbov had carefully selected and tactically arranged a beautiful pincer attack and repeated the tactic, fully utilizing the Alliance Army¡¯s armored and firepower advantages to conquer half a million of the kingdom¡¯s army, the majority of which were mere foot soldiers, and at most included a significant number of Sentry Mechas, a painful loss for the kingdom¡¯s army but not a crippling blow. But the results of this battle, which could be called decisive over the past half month, went far beyond just ¡®painful.¡¯ Chapter 567 - Chapter 567: Chapter 332, Titan is completely done_3 Chapter 567: Chapter 332, Titan is completely done_3 This was a catastrophic loss. Eleven Knight Titans, more than nine hundred Sentry Mechas, five hundred thousand troops either scattered, annihilated, or captured¡­ The kingdom¡¯s army had gathered, the troops executing this all-out assault, could now be described as utterly destroyed! For the King¡¯s Council at the rear, it was as if the sky had fallen. Had they ever anticipated a defeat? Of course, they had. In war, one always considers the possibility of losing and the problems of remedying the situation afterward. But none of their preconceived scenarios of loss were as tragic as this. At worst, they figured they might bite off more than they could chew against the Alliance¡¯s defense line, to no avail; The most dire outcome would have been a disgraced retreat under a counterattack by the Alliance¡¯s armored forces and the Interstellar Warriors. There could have been losses of some Knight Titans, there might have been significant damage. But now? It was far beyond significant damage, this was a total collapse. In the recent four months of the war, they had lost a whole million troops and almost all their Knight Titans. What¡¯s worse, they had lost their confidence in overcoming the Alliance. They knew that this war would be difficult to wage. But now, their mindset had changed. Most of them now believed that this war could not be won. ¡­ Crouched in a prisoner of war camp, Eureka Pambos still vividly remembered the state of the battle from just a few days ago. He was the youngest son of the current King of Panbos, heralded as a ¡®genius¡¯ Knight, and the youngest Knight Titan pilot in the kingdom for nearly a century. In the royal succession prescribed by the King of Panbos, he was sixth in line. But now, he could only squat here, just like all the others¨Cincluding the most ordinary soldiers he wouldn¡¯t have bothered to glance at before¨Cgnawing on a hard-to-swallow block of synthetic starch with cold water, yet firmly forcing himself to swallow it lest he truly starve to death. He felt the lump of the substance sticking in his throat. He was no stranger to hardship, nor was he a pampered prince. From a young age, he knew that he would not inherit the throne under normal circumstances, so he aspired to join the military and gained his father¡¯s approval. He endured hardship and toiled through the strictest training within the armed forces, leading to his current achievements. But hunger was something he had indeed never experienced in his life. He had always enjoyed ample nutrition for his training from an early age. No matter how exhausting the training, a lavish meal always followed. However, within the Alliance¡¯s POW camp, he experienced hunger. It wasn¡¯t that the Alliance was deliberately mistreating prisoners, but that they had suddenly taken in too many prisoners, and there were problems with the food supply. And to this, the Alliance¡¯s response was even somewhat surprising to him. ¡®Political Officers¡¯ from the Alliance would actually come to the POW camp and engage in ideological work with the prisoners, assuring them that the current difficulties were temporary and that the problems would soon be resolved. They asked everyone not to panic and even executed a few of the camp¡¯s management officers who were unfairly distributing food and skimming off the prisoners¡¯ rations¨Cusually, these were officers from the Luman Kingdom¡¯s or Kingdom of Stefano¡¯s auxiliary forces. These actions elevated the Alliance¡¯s political officers significantly in the eyes of the captives. The prisoners listened as the political officers described life on the distant Rage Owl Star, talked about the Alliance¡¯s policies, and discussed some of the changes that had occurred in the Luman Kingdom in the past year¡­ Prince Eureka discovered that the once restless and panicked prisoners, despite the food shortages, were miraculously settling down. In the past, he would never have believed such a thing possible. But now, after seeing it happen right before his eyes, he became contemplative. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After the defeat and his capture, he always wondered why the seemingly powerful kingdom¡¯s army still ended up losing. Up to now, although he hadn¡¯t fully understood why, he had at least realized a part of it. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.4k The section about Heijian Star is about to be finished. Chapter 568 - Chapter 568: Chapter 333, Father King, The Era Has Changed Chapter 568: Chapter 333, Father King, The Era Has Changed Eureka was still pondering over the role of the political commissar in the Alliance Army when a call woke him from his reverie. ¡°Eureka Pambos?¡± Eureka raised his head a bit uncomfortably, as it was rare in his life to be called by his name like that. Of course, he still knew it was him being called. Standing not far from him was a woman wearing a long black coat, bearing a strange insignia, and a short dagger at her waist. Despite her small stature, her sharp eyes sent a chill down his spine. Eureka stood up without speaking, his intention clear. The lady, who didn¡¯t seem to be a military person but appeared to be someone special in the military, continued, ¡°Come with me.¡± So, Eureka followed her to a temporary room within the prisoner-of-war camp, where he met a man who always seemed to be smiling. The man stood up to greet them as soon as they pushed the door open. He first nodded to the lady in the long black coat, and with a smile said, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Lady Derong.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Demon Hunter Milia De Rong nodded slightly and then left. She had much work to do next, needed to select several suitable individuals to be sent back who could assist the Alliance Government in its comprehensive rule over Rage Owl Star, leaving her no time to dwell here. Bringing Prince Eureka over was simply because she had been familiarizing herself with the conditions of this POW camp for two days and was relatively well-acquainted with it. Another reason was she didn¡¯t want to stay in that room. The man there, who had been a colleague of her older sister at the Loyal Heir Academy, named Nicola Salihoovich, always appeared smiling, but she found it uncomfortable to be with him, as if something was watching her all the time. According to her sister, the current Chief of Academic Affairs at Loyal Heir Academy Haier Si Morgan, Salihoovich wasn¡¯t always like this. One day, he suddenly had an epiphany, as if he had received some kind of inspiration, gaining the ability to see through people¡¯s hearts, and if one conversed with him a bit longer, they were easily persuaded by him. Milia felt that it was more like ¡®tempting.¡¯ Of course, Haier Si Morgan also mentioned that she herself seemed to have changed at the same time. The difference was that her ¡®epiphany¡¯ lay in boosting morale, teaching students to be more loyal, and having a more remarkable understanding of ideological and political theory. After both had received some kind of enlightenment and felt they had grown a lot, Salihoovich was transferred out of Loyal Heir Academy and took a position at the Alliance Government¡¯s Foreign Affairs Department. Milia De Rong never expected that this man, whom she only knew from chatting with her sister, would one day work with her on Heijian Star. Although according to Haier Si Morgan, Salihoovich was essentially a good person, but¡­ although she was not acquainted with Salihoovich and had not personally experienced his special skills, she had no desire to experience them either. Let that native prince experience it. ¡­ At that moment, Prince Eureka felt refreshed. The communication with the foreign diplomat was the most comfortable time he had since he had been captured after the war ended. The diplomat¡¯s words always struck home, making him involuntarily follow the other¡¯s suggestions. In the end, he nodded to Salihoovich and said, ¡°Mr. Diplomat, I will do everything in my power to help you, hoping to eliminate the war.¡± Salihoovich stood up and said to Eureka with great solemnity and respect, ¡°You are the Empire¡¯s most loyal subject, and I salute you.¡± ¡­ A month later, Salihoovich and Prince Eureka, now dressed in fitting attire, sat together on the Wind Falcon bound for the heartland of Panbos Kingdom. He was a diplomat, and of course, he was on a diplomatic mission. Seated, he gazed admiringly at Prince Eureka, who was sitting upright in front of him, with his back to him. His upcoming task largely required this person¡¯s assistance. Therefore, in this past month, besides constantly communicating with local historians and political scholars to learn about the political history and traditional culture of Heijian Star and understand the current political landscape of this planet, the rest of his time was mostly spent on this prince. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He drew upon his old skills of teaching at Loyal Heir Academy, along with the help of an army political commissar, and consistently worked on the prince¡¯s ideological stance. The results were significant. Even though he had persuaded Prince Eureka to accept his proposal a month ago, it was still unstable. Having been ¡®enlightened,¡¯ Salihoovich¡¯s abilities had greatly improved. However, it wasn¡¯t as supernatural as rumors suggested, nor did he possess any supernatural powers. He had always been skilled at understanding people, communicating, and sharing heartfelt moments. Now, he just had a better grasp of these skills. He could catch people¡¯s states of mind from details that others might miss, such as slight movements, micro-expressions, and changes in tone; he also honed his verbal skills more precisely, including how to use the right expressions and tones when speaking. Combining these two methods was the source of his seemingly heart-penetrating and heart-bewitching abilities. Chapter 569 - Chapter 569: Chapter 333, Father King, The Era Has Changed_2 Chapter 569: Chapter 333, Father King, The Era Has Changed_2 It was nothing significant, but thanks to the Governor¡¯s favor, he was transferred to the Alliance Foreign Affairs Department. The work there seemed even more suited to his expertise than teaching at Loyal Heir Academy. So, he came without any hesitation. To contribute to the Governor was his greatest honor. In reality, the diplomatic mission that followed was not simple at all. Since the end of the great decisive battle, a month had passed without either side reaching any ceasefire agreement, and the war continued unabated. Although the Alliance Army emerged victorious in the great battle, it still suffered significant losses. Indeed, they had pursued several victorious engagements following that battle, but as the enemy fell back in full retreat, while territory was gained, the impact on the enemy¡¯s living forces was not as great. The kingdom¡¯s military certainly lacked the capacity to win the war, but if the Alliance were to rely purely on military means for victory, it would take a considerable amount of time. There was no need for that. So, the remainder fell to him. Of course, there was also the possibility that Panbos¡¯s old King, the current leader of the kingdom¡¯s parliament and the foremost country of Heijian Star, would go crazy and have him, the arriving diplomat, seized and executed upon landing. Then so be it, he would die. But he felt the risk of that was not significant. His guess was correct. After he used the release of the important prisoner of war, Prince Eureka, as both a conversation starter and a welcome gift, he was treated with considerable respect. But that was all it was¨Crespect. During the first meeting with the old King, after briefly exchanging conditional terms for a ceasefire, Salihoovich lost interest in seriously negotiating further. With his ability to judge character, he felt that the old King of Panbos truly regarded ¡®maintaining independence¡¯ as the ultimate negotiation baseline, willing only to surrender certain populations, wealth, and cede some territory, but not sovereignty. The country had to remain independent; he would not accept the Alliance¡¯s special envoy to meddle in national politics¡­ Clearly, the Alliance found this unacceptable. From the very beginning, there was no room for further negotiation between the two. Yet Salihoovich continued to maintain the progress of the negotiations. The old King had his bottom line, but¡­ what about others? The remaining forces on Heijian Star resisting the Alliance were not limited to Panbos Kingdom; even within Panbos Kingdom itself, could the old King¡¯s word be truly absolute? What were the attitudes of those generals and nobles with actual power? Under the pretext of peace talks, Salihoovich made frequent contact with the high-level figures of Panbos Kingdom. Actually, this was not proper. Strictly speaking, Salihoovich should only have been able to legitimately contact the Panbos Kingdom¡¯s liaison personnel and Prime Minister. But¡­ he had persuaded the Prime Minister. And many of his contacts with key figures were conducted in secret. By himself, of course, he would not have been able to secretly meet ministers and generals in another country. But wasn¡¯t that where someone provided the necessary help? ¡­ Two months had passed since the end of the great decisive battle; Salihoovich, as the envoy of the Alliance, had been in the ruling region of Panbos Kingdom for one month already. Peace negotiations and exchanges over ceasefire conditions were ongoing, with both sides ¡®fully¡¯ sharing their views. Salihoovich had already had four official meetings with Panbos¡¯s old King, each time ending in disagreement; and countless negotiations with various ministers, as both sides probed each other¡¯s bottom line. At least, that was how it appeared. Meanwhile, the war continued. The scale was small, but everyone knew that the Panbos Kingdom, or rather all remaining kingdom forces, were already dead in the water, just not yet buried. Under Perbov¡¯s command, the Alliance Army advanced step by step, resolutely capturing one strategic location after another. The kingdom¡¯s military, lacking both strength and morale, could not resist and crumbled upon contact. As Salihoovich put it in the diplomatic arena to Panbos and other countries¡¯ envoys: ¡°What you cannot obtain on the battlefield, do not expect to obtain at the negotiation table. The Alliance¡¯s demands are all reasonable. The only difference is, if we reach an agreement now, you may end this all with dignity and perhaps have hopes to continue; or you can keep waiting, waiting for our warriors to send each and every one of you to the judge and the gallows. Then, we can take everything we want, and what you¡¯ll have left by that time is uncertain to anyone.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Without a doubt, the previous major defeat not only broke the back of the kingdom¡¯s military but also spine of those rulers behind the scenes. And now, the steady stream of news of cities being conquered and troops being encircled was like a series of relentless cuts to their paralyzed, defenseless bodies on the ground. For most, their psychological defenses had collapsed after the decisive battle; among the few who hadn¡¯t, during the constant stream of bad news, they too collapsed. Against such a backdrop, the fifth official negotiation between Salihoovich and the old King of Panbos began. They went through the usual negotiating of terms as they always had. Chapter 570 - Chapter 570: Chapter 333, Father King, The Times Have Changed_3 Chapter 570: Chapter 333, Father King, The Times Have Changed_3 The chief steward representing the old King, much like the previous few times, once again lowered the conditions. In essence, he was willing to cede more land, offer more wealth, and more populations. Even, the request from the Alliance to dispatch envoys to the court could be reluctantly agreed to but only with supervisory authority and no interference in internal affairs. All in all, the situation had indeed improved. According to the Panbos subjects and monarchs, even if this negotiation failed, it would just be like the previous times, just waiting for the next negotiation would be fine. They still had hopes for the situation on the battlefield. Winning the war was impossible, but the Panbos Kingdom¡¯s army still totaled a million; they could defend step by step, retreat layer by layer, fight with tenacious spirits, and display robust determination. Indeed, you, the Alliance, can take everything on the battlefield, but to get whatever you want, you need to pay with the blood of soldiers. Is it worth it? Better to accept our conditions. This was roughly their mindset. However, Salihoovich had seen through them long ago. Even after the first negotiation, he had no hope that the old King would accept the conditions of the Alliance. The reason he had been humoring the Panbos Kingdom¡¯s subjects and monarchs for the past month was to prepare for a major event. And today, all the necessary preparations had been made. The time had come. This time, his attitude changed dramatically. He no longer maintained that always-smiling face, nor was he the man in previous negotiations that even the people of Panbos had to admit was very gentlemanly and mild. His expression became stern and serious, and even somewhat fierce. ¡°Altai Panbos, I express my deep regret on behalf of the Alliance Governor. All the generous conditions of the Alliance are established on the benevolence of the Governor. Yet, over this past month, you have repeatedly ignored the big picture and rejected the Governor¡¯s kindness with unrealistic terms,¡± he said. ¡°I reiterate to you the Alliance¡¯s conditions once again. According to the Imperial Code, as subsidized by orders signed by the Heijian Star Governor and recognized by the Imperial Executive Yuan, ¡®the Alliance¡¯, as a legitimate interstellar organization of the Empire, has indeed acquired full sovereignty over all the land and all the people of Heijian Star. As subjects of the Empire, you have only to accept all of the Alliance¡¯s conditions, with no room for negotiation.¡± ¡°This is the final ultimatum I issue on behalf of the Alliance Governor,¡± he declared. Salihoovich¡¯s unexpected assertiveness caught everyone off guard. The old King coughed lightly, ¡°Could you give us a little more time to discuss¡­¡± ¡°No,¡± Salihoovich refused decisively. ¡°The timeline for the final ultimatum is thirty seconds. Your Majesty, I address you this way for the last time; please give me your answer immediately, there will be no next negotiation.¡± Even though the Panbos had been forced to show respect to Salihoovich because of the Alliance¡¯s dominance, Altai was still the sovereign who had wielded real power over the mightiest kingdom on the Heijian Star for decades. His regal authority ran deep, and being threatened so aggressively was somewhat unbecoming for him. Moreover, the specific conditions proposed by Salihoovich had crossed his inner bottom line. He would rather see his kingdom and his people perish than accept the terms of the Alliance. In his view, there was no difference between the two. He took a deep breath, and his kingly majesty returned to his face: ¡°Mr. Ambassador, we cannot accept the proposal of the Alliance.¡± Salihoovich had anticipated this. He shook his head slightly, sighed, and said, ¡°I understand. I will bring your decision back to our Governor.¡± At that moment, heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from the entrance of the great hall behind him. The old King recognized them, the sounds of Sentry Mecha and Knight Titan moving. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A young figure walked into the hall. Prince Eureka took off his helmet and said to his father above: ¡°Father King, the times have changed.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.4k Chapter 571 - Chapter 571: Chapter 334, Please Abdicate Your Throne Chapter 571: Chapter 334, Please Abdicate Your Throne The old King¡¯s face was full of disbelief. He truly did not understand what was happening before him. His incomprehension stemmed from two factors. For one, he did not comprehend why his most valiant son would rebel. For another, he did not grasp why the rebellion would succeed. This ¡®insurrection¡¯ was, undoubtedly, successful. Old King Altai had no mental preparation for this; he knew nothing. And his son, Prince Eureka, had personally led troops into the great hall, with the roar of the kingdom¡¯s last remaining Knight Titan audible from outside. Without question, these military forces were following Prince Eureka¡¯s command. This already signified that whatever Prince Eureka intended to do in this great hall today, he would succeed. Looking at the expressions of the other people in the hall, apart from a few who looked very panicked, not Understanding why things had come to this point, at least half of them wore faces of solemnity and tension, without too much surprise. Clearly, what Eureka did was not just a simple betrayal, but a coup that had garnered widespread support. In other words, even without soldiers marching in, he would still be the loser. In a very short period, King Altai came to this realization and let go mentally. Since nothing he did would change the situation anymore, what else was there to say? At this moment, he just had one question that he wanted to be answered: ¡°Eureka¡­ From the day you were born, the entire palace celebrated, adding one more outstanding descendant to the royal family. Although you won¡¯t inherit the throne of this nation, won¡¯t become its ruler, you are still a master of this land, and you must shoulder the responsibilities that are yours.¡± ¡°I watched proudly as you grew day by day into the embodiment of valor.¡± ¡°We have always ruled this nation with wisdom and strength. I wholeheartedly hoped that your older brother would embody wisdom, while you would become this nation¡¯s most outstanding strength. Together, you would lead Panbos to prosperity.¡± ¡°Until the alliance came, they destroyed the order we had established in this world and wanted to destroy our nation. Eureka¡­ What on earth were you thinking? I don¡¯t believe you acted out of fear, because of terror; my son would not do so. What drove you to choose to betray your father, betray your homeland?¡± Toward the end, King Altai leaned forward slightly, his emotion increasingly intense, and his kingly presence surged. Standing in the center of the great hall, Salihoovich sighed softly. They say no one knows a son better than his father, but it seems that¡¯s not always the case. In the course of Prince Eureka¡¯s life and growth, he had faced many challenges, but he had never experienced real failure. And this failure right now was too profound for him. It was like a little skiff, only used to a gentle breeze and light rain, suddenly having to endure the most ferocious storm upon the high seas. After his defeat and capture, Prince Eureka¡¯s mentality had somewhat collapsed. The core reason he could be persuaded was that the prince had been frightened. It was fear that drove him to ultimately side with the alliance. This was a fundamental premise, a collapse of his past convictions. But¡­ that doesn¡¯t matter. Over a long period of interaction with Prince Eureka, Salihoovich had already helped the young prince to construct a new set of beliefs. Salihoovich looked at Prince Eureka, whose expression was very determined, clearly not intimidated by his father the King. Eureka took a deep breath and said, ¡°Father, you are mistaken, I have never betrayed my homeland.¡± ¡°For a person, the foremost identity is that of a human being, a citizen of the Empire, a subject of the Divine Emperor; only secondary is the so-called Heijian Star person, a Panbos person.¡± As he spoke, surprisingly, many around nodded in agreement. This wasn¡¯t entirely due to Salihoovich¡¯s brainwashing. Don¡¯t forget, Heijian Star has always been an Empire World. Although the state religion wasn¡¯t directly regulated here, there were still many churches established. People were routinely taught that the Empire came first, the Divine Emperor above all. Only, in the long span of the past, this hadn¡¯t been given much heed. If the Empire was first, then it was first, if the Divine Emperor was above all, then so be it¨Cthey were all too far away, and anyway, didn¡¯t affect the power and status of the many kingdoms of Heijian Star itself. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, now, they suddenly realized that all of this was not so distant after all. ¡°The alliance had been recognized by the Empire as the ruler of Heijian Star, this is clear cut in the documents issued by the Holy Terra Central Government. Why should we exhaust everything to fight against the alliance? Why fight a war against our own kin, against our overlord, a war that we could never win? Isn¡¯t this an egregious mistake, if not what else could it be?!¡± ¡°Father, tell me, what is the actual meaning behind our fight?¡± ¡°You always said it was for the nation, but our ¡®nation¡¯ itself is a false proposition. Being human beings, we should fight for the Empire under the call of the Divine Emperor, but it is the alliance that represents the Empire, not us.¡± ¡°For the people of Panbos? But no matter the people on Rage Owl Star, or the Luman Kingdom that had practically been governed by the alliance a year or two earlier, the lives of the people there are far better than those of our Panbos citizens.¡± Chapter 572 - Chapter 572: Chapter 334, Please Abdicate Your Throne_2 Chapter 572: Chapter 334, Please Abdicate Your Throne_2 ¡°All I can think about is the power of our family,¡± ¡°But I must ask again, is it really worth it to gamble the lives of countless civilians and warriors of the entire kingdom for one¡¯s own selfish desires, even to the point of becoming a traitor to the empire?¡± ¡°This is betrayal of the empire, and we cannot possibly win! Even for the sake of our family, we should fully accept all demands of the Alliance Government, which represents the will of the empire. I also firmly believe that the alliance will give us a fair settlement.¡± ¡°I am a warrior of the kingdom, but I am even more a warrior of the empire! Father, I cannot bear to watch you make mistake after mistake, leading our entire nation and all its people into an abyss from which there is no salvation.¡± At this point, Prince Eureka knelt on one knee, his voice filled with sorrow: ¡°Please abdicate, Father King!¡± Following his plea, half of the officials, generals, and lords in the room also knelt down: ¡°Please abdicate, Your Majesty!¡± King Altai, who had been leaning forward, slowly sat back in his seat with a long sigh, seemingly unable to speak. ¡­ ¡°¡­A formal ceasefire agreement has been signed, Altai Panbos shall abdicate, and the kingdom of Panbos shall be inherited by Eureka Panbos. Altai is to face trial by the Alliance Military Tribunal, where he is charged with multiple war crimes,¡± ¡°Following the signing of the ceasefire treaty, the remaining nearly two million troops under Panbos control will surrender to our forces in phases and unconditionally, accepting full oversight.¡± ¡°Officials and special envoys of the Alliance Government will enter smoothly into the new government of the kingdom of Panbos to assist in the reform of the government, and supervise the implementation of policies.¡± ¡°After the surrender of the kingdom of Panbos, we have gained control over more than 60% of the planet¡¯s population and 72% of the usable land area. The remaining nations will no longer possess the power to oppose us.¡± ¡°Governor-General, I am sure that we have now achieved complete victory!¡± Gu Hang set aside the document he had finished reading. The situation was, after all, progressing in the direction planned by the General Staff of the Alliance. With the war coming to a halt, it could largely be considered over. Of course, there would inevitably be some suppression operations, cleanup operations, and even though most of the remaining nations would probably follow in the footsteps of Panbos and surrender ¨C after all, they no longer had the Knight Titans ¨C it was unpredictable whether some smaller nations might continue to resist fiercely, leveraging various factors. But after all, those were only minor issues. The entire Heijian Star could now be considered an official part of the Alliance. And Gu Hang paid no small price for it. Especially considering that so-called major decisive battle. Although the Alliance Army, under the command of Perbov, seemed invincible, annihilating various enemies and achieving the ultimate victory, the cost to the Alliance was also significant. The Alliance side lost over two hundred thousand personnel in total. Of course, most of these losses came from the vassal forces. But the core troops of the Alliance didn¡¯t fare much better. The Alliance lost over two thousand armored vehicles, including 477 Lion Tanks; more than forty Windfalcon Fighters were shot down; nearly eighty thousand men forever left the military ranks, with the dead exceeding forty thousand. This was almost the largest single battle loss since the establishment of the Alliance. Of course, the victory had its gains. Or rather, the gains were far greater than the losses. Firstly, Gu Hang received over twenty thousand points in rewards from the series of battles that the Alliance Army fought in the kingdom of Panbos after entering it. And indeed, it was through this decisive battle that the Alliance had thoroughly cemented its mission to conquer the entire planet. Additionally, there were the ¡®Alliance¡¯ legalization documents issued by the Central Government of the empire. Gu Hang could now say that he was the master of Heijian Star, both in name and in actuality. The reason for such an eager expansion was that he saw Heijian Star as having immense potential for development. The natural conditions here were actually much better than those of Rage Owl Star. Rage Owl Star might have been a nice place during its heyday, but now it¡¯s a wasteland, and when compared to an agricultural planet like Heijian Star that hasn¡¯t been overly exploited, the gap is quite significant. With a population of four hundred million, it was also ten times that of Rage Owl Star. Although the quality of the population differed greatly, the quality of the population on Rage Owl Star wasn¡¯t top-notch from day one either. Wasn¡¯t it through over three years of tireless adult education that they had managed to raise it a bit? Even if the population quality on Heijian Star might be even worse off, Gu Hang believed that all issues could be resolved. Later, he would transfer Osenia from Rage Owl Star over. That lady was the Prime Minister of the Alliance Government, not just the Prime Minister of Rage Owl Star. Since the Alliance had now become an interstellar organization with direct control over two stars, it was only right for Osenia to start overseeing Heijian Star as well. Gu Hang hoped to further promote political reforms on Heijian Star. The old model of the Luman Kingdom was no longer suitable. To put it plainly, Gu Hang¡¯s rule over Heijian Star wasn¡¯t very legitimate before, so he had adopted an approach more akin to a suzerain governing a colony. But Gu Hang believed such a system wasn¡¯t sustainable. If you don¡¯t treat others as equals, they find it hard to consider the Alliance their ¡®homeland¡¯ and to feel a sense of belonging to the Alliance. The biggest problem the Alliance faced now was that the core population was still too small. Especially after seeing places like Korolya III boasting populations of hundreds of billions, Gu Hang felt this all the more acutely. Therefore, the upcoming reforms on Heijian Star had to strive for ¡®localization.¡¯ He needed to establish a political structure on Heijian Star that recognized his authority and was highly centralized, allowing him to mobilize the power of Heijian Star as effortlessly as he did with Rage Owl Star. At the same time, some of the economic and production development models that had been proven genuinely effective on Rage Owl Star also had to be replicated quickly. In due course, he would select several appropriate locations on Heijian Star to establish industrial centers, similar to Weixing City. Currently, Heijian Star was still a backward planet with agriculture as its primary production. Yet agriculture should never require such a large population. Despite large expanses of land remaining uncultivated, the serfs on Heijian Star had to be constrained to working laboriously on just a few acres per person, with the majority of their labor¡¯s earnings being exploited away by the lord-nobles. To Gu Hang, this represented a tremendous waste of productive forces. Large-scale farms, mechanized mass production, liberating the agricultural populace, and building industrial industries¡­ All these actions had to be implemented on Heijian Star. And during this process, the class of ¡®nobles¡¯ and ¡®landlords¡¯ had to be eliminated. Of course, at present, this so-called ¡®elimination¡¯ should not be too harsh, not amounting to physical eradication. After all, they had surrendered. But the Alliance had some existing experience to draw upon. When they initially reclaimed the Beiqing Valley Region, they kept the original estate owners; when they took back the Eastern Provinces, they kept the local rulers. The experience of the Alliance was to incorporate the original rulers into the Alliance¡¯s governmental management structures in similar roles but strip them of property rights, ownership rights. Those who owned lands would convert their land into job ranks and enjoy the benefits policies of the Alliance, but ultimately, the land would become owned by the Alliance officials, who would continue to manage the land and its people as Alliance officers. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, after such a transition, those former landlords, now officials, couldn¡¯t act unrestrained anymore, they had to follow the rules of the Alliance. And if they violated the rules¡­ From now on, the Alliance had to begin establishing an integrity system. Alliance Chief Justice Lambert would soon arrive at Heijian Star as well. To be blunt, the high echelon of the Alliance wasn¡¯t so naive as to think those noble lords would make qualified officials. But first, they needed to fulfill their promises to them, giving them opportunities to change; second, they had to get through the initial stage when no one else was available; and finally¡­ they could fatten them up before slaughtering them. Chapter 573 - Chapter 573: Chapter 335, Tax Season Again Chapter 573: Chapter 335, Tax Season Again Gu Hang and the senior officials of the Alliance Government designed a set of political system and economic development plans for Heijian Star. However, many of these initiatives were not able to take immediate effect; instead, they required long-term implementation and patience. For example, completely eradicating the ¡®nobility¡¯ and ¡®landlord¡¯ classes; Such as education to improve the quality of the population; Such as replicating the Alliance¡¯s system and implementing it fully on Heijian Star¡­ Many of these long-term policies hadn¡¯t even begun to be enacted in this half-year, let alone show results. The Alliance also maintained sufficient strategic resolve for this. There was no need to rush many things; they could be done slowly. On the other hand, some things that could be implemented immediately and with relatively little resistance, were put into action. Such as the mechanization of agriculture to liberate the agricultural population and the establishment of three industrial centers¡­ All these actions effectively solved many issues and brought numerous benefits. Especially those three industrial centers directly managed by the Alliance Government. In terms of construction standards, all were built to accommodate a population of tens of millions, with an industrial diffusion chain capable of reaching fifty million people. Although it was impossible to accommodate thirty million industrial workers all at once, within half a year, due to equipment transported from Rage Owl Star and technical guidance, these three industrial centers had begun to operate. In half a year, these centers couldn¡¯t expand very much, and the half-year construction and production period wasn¡¯t enough for them to contribute much wealth in this tax cycle. But undoubtedly, with more time, their potential would gradually unfold. Moreover, since these industrial centers were newly built and attracted large populations through government directives or economic incentives, without any lingering influence from local powers, they could start from scratch and directly employ the Alliance¡¯s existing management experience. In a way, they stepped out of the primitive lock of feudal society to create a new world. Once these three industrial centers were well-established, the related experiences could then continue to be replicated elsewhere. To put it simply, the Alliance wasn¡¯t greatly fearful of the entrenched ¡®nobility¡¯ and ¡®landlord¡¯ feudal remnants on Heijian Star. As productivity developed and the people¡¯s lives were rapidly released from the soil, those nobles and landlords would immediately feel the devastating impact of productivity development on their entrenched rights. Furthermore, the Alliance Government would deliberately promote such developments through multiple layers of administration and legislation. For example, when a large population was relocated to the industrial centers, what would the landlords lacking sufficient labor do? They could only sell or lease their land to the official Alliance, establishing government-owned collective farms, followed by the start of mechanized agricultural production. This would lead to a considerable reduction in agricultural production costs, followed by a significant drop in food prices. Many estate owners who maintained traditional feudal systems would find the falling grain prices unbearable, realizing that maintaining more peasants for production was very unprofitable, so they would only be able to sell or rent their land to the Alliance. This is normal economic logic. To accelerate these developments, the Alliance further employed legislation and enforcement to establish and liberate the independence of farmers, and those who dared to restrict the personhood of farmers or failed to provide them with the standard treatment of their designated grade would all suffer a heavy blow. What ensured that all this proceeded according to the will of the Alliance was a sufficiently loyal and powerful military force. The Alliance¡¯s Integrity Commission led by Lambert was enforced by Demon Hunters; and where the Demon Hunters couldn¡¯t handle it, the military could. In just half a year, Heijian Star had already formed an ¡®irresistible trend.¡¯ Anyone with a slightly longer vision knew that Heijian Star had not only experienced a celestial change, but now the land and people¡¯s hearts had also transformed. Thanks to the efforts of the Alliance¡¯s propaganda department officials, the previously clueless farmers could now recite a phrase or two, such as ¡®We are all people of the Alliance,¡¯ ¡®Hardworking hands can bring wealth,¡¯ and ¡®Every citizen of the Empire is born equal.¡¯ These were all changes that occurred in just about half a year. However, in this half-year, the Alliance Government had another major task ¡ª the Imperial Tax. The Imperial Tax was a tight spell cast on every world in the Empire, never willing to be relaxed. And this year, it was especially tough for the Alliance. The Imperial Tax for Rage Owl Star was not a worry; it had been well prepared in advance. Two years had passed, and the tax amount for Rage Owl Star was only ten million Tax Currency. Although this time the Star Sector Government would not help shoulder three-quarters of it, and the full tax had to be paid, with Rage Owl Star¡¯s current productivity, these taxes were nothing. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now, Rage Owl Star¡¯s population had continuously grown in the last two years, reaching around sixty-five million. Most came from immigrants absorbed from Korolya III. They were mostly placed in Weixing City Industrial Center and in the mechanized agricultural production industry of the Beiqing Valley Region. A few were added to other provinces. According to the latest data, the annual industrial and agricultural output of Rage Owl Star had reached the scale of over a hundred million Tax Currency. The Planetary Government¡¯s fiscal surplus had also reached around thirty million per year. In two years, there was about a forty million surplus (not so much in the first year), so paying ten million in taxes was certainly no problem. And moreover, there was no need to pay the full amount. In the Alliance, there exists the Star Realm Army known as the Rage Bear Legion. The expenses supplied by the Alliance to support the Rage Bear Legion could be used as a tax credit. Chapter 574 - Chapter 574: Chapter 335: Tax Season Again - Part 2 Chapter 574: Chapter 335: Tax Season Again ¨C Part 2 This was no small sum. Firstly, before this, Gu Hang had already applied for an expansion of the Rage Bear Legion. This wasn¡¯t indeed something Gu Hang did just to offset taxes, the performance of the Alliance troops on Korolya III was evident to all; it was the people of the Fatches Family and the commander of the Dragonhawk Third Legion who hoped that the Rage Bear Legion could expand its organization and better support the warfare on Korolya III. Instead, Gu Hang drastically reduced the requested expansion size. Expanding too much meant sending troops from the Alliance home region, which was unsustainable. He merely incorporated into the Rage Bear Legion the six divisions and brigades originally from the Alliance¡¯s Central Group Army sent to Korolya. Although five of them were the lowest standard garrison divisions, there was also an elite force like the 59th Armored Brigade. The total value of these six divisions and brigades was over a million Tax Currency. Moreover, a portion of the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s force had previously fought on Heijian Star. When the Alliance came to conduct the Heijian Star campaign, it was to ¡°quell a rebellion¡± and they had requested support from the Star Realm Army, receiving a response from the Rage Bear Legion. All these actions had legal procedures. Adding the combats on Heijian Star and on Korolya III, after two years of warfare, the Rage Bear Legion had a total of 180,000 men, nearly forty thousand were lost¨Cand the Alliance replenished them all. Additionally, taking into account the losses and replenishment of tanks, armored vehicles, other technical equipment, ammunition, and logistical support¡­ When all these costs were totaled, it amounted to four million Tax Currency. Just the expenditure on the Rage Bear Legion alone offset five million. Actually, the Alliance only needed to pay five million. Compared to a fiscal surplus of forty million, it was trivial rain. However, although the situation on Rage Owl Star was flourishing, Heijian Star was a big problem. Heijian Star had to pay eighty million Tax Currency every two years. To manage tax collection on a planet well, preparations must start well before the tax deadline; otherwise, it would be too late. In fact, tax collection on Heijian Star was an ongoing process nearly every moment, and the two-year mark was merely when the Empire¡¯s Tax Fleet arrived to take over the quota. During the past two years, there was constant warfare on Heijian Star. A vast amount of resources were consumed, and the Alliance government had only recently managed to fully recover the planet, and a unified and effective government had yet to be established. How could they collect taxes? The Alliance was left with only half a year. Countries where the war ended quickly or where there had been no war at all had stable tax amounts, solving about thirty-five million; the many spoils of war produced by the military, the thorough eradication of some resistant nobles, and the looting of national treasuries from defeated countries like Panbos, could bring in over twenty million Tax Currency. Then, there was the head tax. Throughout his governance of the Alliance, Gu Hang had emphasized one principle countless times to senior government officials, that the head tax is undesirable. It not only impacted the credibility and stability of the government, but it was also very unprofitable. The value of a person was five Tax Currency, but in Gu Hang¡¯s view, a person¡¯s lifetime worth far exceeded that number. If a world couldn¡¯t earn back those five Tax Currency, then the planet¡¯s Governor was utterly incompetent. However, the situation on Heijian Star could be viewed somewhat more leniently. Some of the head taxes weren¡¯t meant for Gu Hang to collect the population and hand it over, but rather, there existed a number of ¡°hardcore elements¡± on the planet as well as unsolved prisoner of war issues from before. It was simpler to just hand them over once and for all. Heijian Star also had a history of failing to pay sufficient taxes, thus resorting to using people to supplement it. With all these factors combined, Heijian Star itself could resolve approximately sixty million Tax Currency. There was still a shortfall of twenty million. That gap had to be filled by Rage Owl Star. From this perspective, the Alliance¡¯s conquest of Heijian Star had been a net loss so far. The military spent money to fight, money was spent on investments and construction, and they had to fill the tax shortfall for Heijian Star¡­ Prime Minister Osenia had already assured Gu Hang that by the next tax session, two years later, Heijian Star would achieve self-sufficiency. This was also her assurance to Gu Hang, the ruler of the Alliance, as the head of the government. Six months hurried by. The Tax Commissioner of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, Nell Lavis, had started another orbiting tour of tax collection around the Tianma Star Sector. Generally speaking, given the taxation significance within the entire star sector, Lavis usually only visited Korolya and Flying Wing Star personally. Each of these two planets was responsible for paying about four billion tax currency. As long as these two planets were monitored, the taxation work in the entire Tianma Star Sector was practically done. At most, she might glance over the three worlds in the Fatches Star System, and the rest were merely trivial matters. The recently famed Governor Gu in the star sector also paid only five million tax currency annually. Pitifully small. Usually, worlds like this were not ones Lavis personally paid attention to. Last time she visited the Tianma Star Sector, and toured Rage Owl Star merely because the Apostle of War demanded it. But this time, even though the Apostle of War was not present, Lavis still came on her own initiative. Tax officers came, of course, to collect taxes, But that was not the only purpose. In fact, her main purpose here was to meet Gu Hang. Rage Owl Star, ten million tax currency every two years; Heijian Star, eighty million tax currency every two years. Together, they added up to less than a billion, which was negligible for the Tax Fleet. Moreover, she didn¡¯t believe Gu Hang would fail to pay the taxes. ¡°You think too highly of me,¡± Gu Hang said upon hearing the praise, repeatedly expressing his humility. ¡°Heijian Star has just joined the Alliance, it¡¯s in need of development, and with a population of over four hundred million, this round of paying eighty million in taxes is a huge pressure for me.¡± Lavis chuckled, ¡°The pressure is just for this year, and ultimately isn¡¯t it all paid? I heard, you took control of the situation on Heijian Star in just six months? Seeing your work results now, achieving so much in such a short time is quite commendable. By the next tax season, you¡¯ll surely have no pressure at all.¡± Gu Hang laughed heartily, looking very cheerful. Although he intended to be modest, denying such evident facts seemed pointless. In the six months since Heijian Star fell into Alliance hands, its development had been quite successful, which was undeniable. Half a year ago, when the conflict on Heijian Star had just subsided, two high-ranking members of the Alliance government¨COsenia and Lambert¨Carrived on Heijian Star. Gu Hang himself had also been staying on Heijian Star during this time. The Alliance had launched a series of political and economic reform plans and had started implementing them. Although the effects would take even longer to manifest, at least with some reserves from Heijian Star and some supplementary support from Rage Owl Star, paying taxes was definitely not a problem. Moreover, Rage Owl Star was still developing rapidly, and Heijian Star was also undergoing a complete positive transformation. Even this year, which could be considered the most challenging for tax payment, had been overcome, and the future would only get easier. This was exactly why Lavis, having witnessed the changes on Heijian Star, sincerely praised Gu Hang. Over the years, as she served as a tax officer, traveling through hundreds of worlds in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, she saw that the vast majority of worlds were stagnant pools¨Cno change when she visited before, and no change when she came again. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, two years ago, when she visited Rage Owl Star, she witnessed significant changes there; to this day, the changes on Rage Owl Star had grown even greater, and Gu Hang had also led the Alliance into interstellar realms, bringing these significant changes to Heijian Star. Lavis held great admiration for this young governor. In casual conversation, she couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°I really wish you could become the governor of Korolya III, then my job wouldn¡¯t be so difficult.¡± Hearing this, Gu Hang felt a sudden jolt in his heart. Was the dagger now revealed? Chapter 575 - Chapter 575: Chapter 336: The Empire’s Sustainability Pill Chapter 575: Chapter 336: The Empire¡¯s Sustainability Pill About the matter of Korolya III, Gu Hang didn¡¯t even dare to continue the conversation. Lois seemed to be observing Gu Hang¡¯s expression; she smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, I was just speaking off the cuff, venting a bit¡­¡± After that, she started to complain about her work situation as if she were chatting with an old friend. In essence, her complaints were mainly about the difficulties in tax collection and the Star Domain Government¡¯s concerns about Korolya¡¯s future situation. The former really surprised Gu Hang. ¡°When Imperial tax officers collect taxes, can it be unsuccessful? If the taxes can¡¯t be paid, wouldn¡¯t executing the Planetary Governor solve the issue?¡± ¡°Is that all you think about the Imperial Taxation Department?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Gu Hang realized he might have carelessly spoken his true thoughts, and now he felt a bit awkward. But he didn¡¯t think it was his fault; wasn¡¯t this the impression everyone had of tax officers? ¡°If only it were that simple,¡± Lois sighed, ¡°For Planetary Governors who cannot pay the Imperial Tax on time and in full, I can execute them. But take note, it¡¯s only ¡®can,¡¯ and in particularly severe documents, it¡¯s at most ¡®suggested,¡¯ never ¡®mandatory.''¡± ¡°The situation is always complicated. Take your Rage Owl Star as an example; several of the former Governors were executed by my decree, with the Legal Department¡¯s agents doing the deed. Why did I take such actions against the former Rage Owl Star? Because I knew, whether I gave them the chance or not, they could never collect the full amount of the Imperial Tax; not just this time, but the next as well. So, by executing them and getting a new one, I could at least forcibly uphold the dignity of Imperial Tax and prompt the next Governor to do their job properly.¡± Gu Hang understood. In fact, it was simply because the tax quota for Rage Owl Star was too low, just five million a year. Since it couldn¡¯t be met anyway, execution was the consequence, upholding the dignity of the Imperial Tax. Using the death of Rage Owl Star¡¯s Governor as a warning to all the Governors in the empire to do their jobs well, which might be more important than the small amount of tax from Rage Owl Star. But the situation in Korolya was obviously different. ¡°Every time I come to Korolya III, I have to collect eight billion Tax Currency. Flying Wing Star will also provide eight billion Tax Currency. These two planets are not only the most important tax bases in the Tianma Star Sector but also in several surrounding Star Sectors. Those next to us, like Foxear Starfield, Dragonrock Starfield, Flying Vessel Starfield, and so on, all together almost have fifty planets, and they can only pay a total of a little over a hundred billion Tax Currency every year. From this comparison, you can see how crucial these two pearls of your Tianma Star Sector really are.¡± ¡°Korolya is the most important human resource production site in the entire Star Domain; Flying Wing Star is one of the important shipyards.¡± ¡°Both of these places are extremely important assets for the Star Domain. The current situation in Korolya has caused great dissatisfaction within the Star Domain Government.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t act rashly. Ivan Fatches said that the taxes cannot be paid on time and in full this time. He said, if we really want it, we can have it; after all, there are plenty of people on Korolya III. Designate a Nest Capital, with its ten billion people, we can take them all, and let our Tax Fleet go down and haul people ourselves.¡± ¡°What kind of attitude is that?¡± ¡°But¡­ I really have no choice.¡± ¡°Can I actually execute him? Things are never that simple.¡± ¡°To dismiss a Planetary Governor, following the full procedure is a hassle. It¡¯s not quite appropriate for just the Star Domain Government and the Space Domain Government to agree; the documents have to be sent directly to the Central Empire. Back and forth, who knows how long it would take. To deal with a Planetary Governor who fails to pay taxes, we usually opt for a fast-track procedure, where someone like me, the Chief Tax Officer, submits with a signature, the Chief Legal Officer signs to confirm, and the agents take care of the rest. That¡¯s the convenient procedure. But as for the full legal procedure, it actually needs to be completed afterwards. However, if it¡¯s a case where the Legal Department¡¯s agents can¡¯t handle it, what use is there to judge that governor as a traitor? You can¡¯t kill him. In the end, you either compromise or declare him an Imperial traitor. Generally speaking, it ends in compromise.¡± ¡°To declare as an Imperial traitor¡­ it sounds easy, but how do you suppress the rebellion? Mobilize the Star Realm Army, the Navy, the Interstellar Warrior Battle Group to deal with it? Let me ask you, if your alliance were to rebel now¡­¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang quickly waved his hands: ¡°No, no, please don¡¯t use that as an example. I am extremely loyal!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a hypothetical,¡± Lois said with a smile. ¡°If your alliance were declared Imperial traitors, what would be done next? Given the current chaotic state of Tianma Star Sector, where would I mobilize forces to suppress the rebellion? At most, the Navy could blockade the two planets, but for ground suppression, the entire Star Sector couldn¡¯t spare the manpower to handle it.¡± ¡°This is still when the two planets combined have less than five hundred million people. To proclaim Ivan Fatches a traitor, and if the Legal Department fails to deal with that Governor, if the assassination doesn¡¯t succeed, and he doesn¡¯t willingly die like Akuna or Pei Desi, does that mean we will have to declare the entire Fatches Family traitors too? With four worlds, adding up to five hundred billion people, how do you suppress such a behemoth?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not realistic.¡± ¡°Ivan Fatches isn¡¯t completely avoiding taxes. He is applying for ¡®war zone treatment.¡¯ If Korolya III were to be included in a war zone, the taxes owed would not lessen, but they could be entirely allocated to suppressing the rebellion on Korolya III itself. Furthermore, the Star Domain would have to support with supplies and troops to aid in their suppression.¡± Chapter 576 - Chapter 576: Chapter 336: The Empires Sustainability Pill_2 Chapter 576: Chapter 336: The Empire¡¯s Sustainability Pill_2 Gu Hang pondered for a moment, it seemed¡­reasonable? The situation of Korolya III was already quite dire, fitting the criteria to apply as a warzone, so why not let them apply? If things calmed down and they could consistently pay taxes in the future, it would be better than forcing them to pay now and end up in a total collapse, resulting in not being able to pay a single penny. Seeing Gu Hang¡¯s expression, Lois smiled, ¡°You¡¯re thinking this might be a possibility? Actually, it isn¡¯t¡­ As I mentioned earlier, Korolya III is the most important source of human resources throughout the Star Sector. If we only consider Korolya itself, or the Tianma Star Sector, this plan might work. But, the Star Sector faces threats at the Star Sector level. The Plague Cult problem in Korolya, no matter how troublesome, is currently confined to just one planet.¡± ¡°Look at the Iron-Tooth Clan¡¯s Green Skins, occupying a full four Star Sectors. The Green-skin Plundering Fleet constantly engages in battles with the Fleet of the Star Sector; swathes of Green-Skin Army frequently invade planets, and the Star Realm Army is also engaged in brutal combat with the Green Skins on many worlds, hoping to take back some Empire Worlds¡­¡± ¡°Under the leadership of the one known as the ¡®Iron-Tooth Great Chieftain¡¯, the Iron-Tooth Clan is the largest and most festering wound on the level of the entire Star Sector. While we¡¯ve been talking, it¡¯s possible that on some warzone planet, countless Imperial soldiers and civilians have already perished under Green Skin artillery and blades.¡± ¡°Now, the Empire¡¯s approach to the regions occupied by the Iron-Tooth clan is to steadily march forward, sweeping through one planet after another. Once an area is secured, a vast number of humans are deployed for colonization to consolidate the gains. To maintain that long battle line stretching over a dozen planets needs a massive influx of humans, whether for the Imperial Navy, the Star Realm Army, or interstellar colonization. Korolya is the largest source of this human pool. Without the hundreds of millions of people transported from Korolya every two years, the Star Sector¡¯s strategy against the Iron-Tooth Clan cannot continue.¡± ¡°Giving Korolya a few years to recuperate and resolve internal issues would mean letting the vast wounds of the Iron-Tooth warzone bleed uncontrollably. So which is more important?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the reality of the situation. Politically speaking, even inside your own Tianma Star Sector, there are those who don¡¯t want Korolya III to become a warzone. The current head of Tianma Star Sector, Ivan Martinelli, and the people behind the so-called ¡®Parliamentary Faction¡¯, have repeatedly told the Space Domain Government that Korolya is an internal affair of the Star Sector, believing the Fatches Family can handle it. They are trying hard to prevent warzone status, sabotaging the Fatches Family every step of the way, waiting for them to cause an uncontrollable chaos, and then overthrow Ivan Fatches.¡± After listening to all that Lois had said, Gu Hang had only one thought: just how extensive was the Empire¡¯s power to remain strong despite powerful external enemies, incessant internal strife, and leaks springing everywhere? Why does it seem like everywhere is riddled with a mess? Isn¡¯t there a single place that can be considered peaceful? So much for sustainability, huh? Having reached this point, Lois also appeared somewhat fatigued. Finally, she stopped beating around the bush and seriously said to Gu Hang, ¡°I have high hopes for you, Gu Hang. Your achievements on Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star show that you¡¯re a very capable person. Galaraldo, that guy who saved his own skin, has been touting everywhere that you¡¯re an excellent governor, who consolidated resources and created a legal ¡®alliance¡¯ mechanism for you. He¡¯s doing quite well in the Space Domain Government now, and with his willingness to help you, you could receive a lot of support from higher levels; moreover, you have the support of Gu Commercial Firm behind you¡­¡± Lois listed Gu Hang¡¯s advantages and then concluded, ¡°If you¡¯re willing, I can help you. As long as you can reach an agreement politically with your current Star Sector head, Martinelli, and Pei Desi and their group, follow their advice and let the Parliamentary Faction support you, I can also mobilize the power of the Star Domain Government to support you, including integrating Korolya III into your ¡®alliance¡¯.¡± ¡°Your current situation is still insignificant¨Ccontrolling two planets with a combined population of less than five hundred million doesn¡¯t count for much in Imperial politics. If you can successfully manage a few years, take control of Korolya, and stabilize those forty billion people, you¡¯ll have truly made a name for yourself in the entire political scene.¡± To tell the truth, Lois patiently explained so much from start to finish, all with one clear purpose in mind: to give Gu Hang a ¡°boost.¡± Of course, this so-called ¡°boost¡± wasn¡¯t free. On one hand, her praise of ¡°you did well¡± is based on reality, but it¡¯s still too small on the scale of the entire Star Sector. Managing a village well doesn¡¯t mean you can manage a province well. On the other hand, the support of the Gu Family isn¡¯t that decisive either; the Gu Clan might be wealthy within the Star Sector, but this wealth is still insignificant on the scale of the entire Star Domain. These two factors are somewhat useful, but they¡¯re not critical. What truly mattered was the step Gu Hang had previously taken as a casual move: sending Galaraldo back. That individual who regarded Gu Hang as his ¡®best friend¡¯, ¡®a partner who would never betray¡¯, seemed to be making quite the splash, at least having some influence at the Space Domain level. Lois, and the people she represented, have already shown that they are unable but willing when it comes to Star Domain affairs. Bringing Gu Hang into the fold is likely an attempt to leverage the influence of that War Apostle, to see if they could get some benefits from an even higher government level, that is, the Eastern Cosmos Domain, and address the many real issues facing the Dragonhawk Star Domain. And indeed, Gu Hang was moved by everything that Lois had said. Korolya III, forty billion people! How immense was such a force? If he could replicate the alliance system on Korolya and truly harness the strength of those forty billion people¨Cdeveloping at a rapid pace like Rage Owl Star¨CGu Hang would immediately become one of the top political leaders. Just as Lois had said, a Nest Capital World with several hundreds of billions of people like Korolya was extremely rare and unusual across the entire Star Domain. The Tianma Star Sector, ranking among the top sectors within the Star Domain, relied on Korolya and Flying Wing Star for support. The population of many ordinary star sectors combined didn¡¯t even match that of a single planet like Korolya III. Securing those forty billion people meant, among other things, that Gu Hang¡¯s monthly point income from benefactions would explode. But, despite being tempted, Gu Hang¡¯s head wasn¡¯t entirely turned. The Rage Bear Legion had over a hundred thousand people engaged in ongoing combat there; Gu Hang was acutely aware that the current situation on Korolya III was akin to a cesspit. It was hoped that with Fatches taking over as governor, gaining the support of the three Fatches planets along with the all-out support of the Dragonhawk Third Legion, the Cult problem on Korolya III could be solved. Yet, reality proved to be contrary to wishes. The situation in Fino City, located in the occupied territory, hadn¡¯t improved in the slightest; multiple major Nest Capitals reported disturbing occurrences of Plague Sorcery, with infections showing a trend of further expansion. The Dragonhawk Legion had nearly emptied its nest, with the Star Realm Army fighting on Korolya reaching a force of twenty million. Additionally, the Fatches Family had put in an extra five million of their own troops and were widely conscripting local Planetary Defense Forces on Korolya. This created an excessive demand for munitions, which Korolya III itself definitely couldn¡¯t satisfy. Even the three Fatches planets combined weren¡¯t enough. Rage Owl Star had strong production capabilities, but its small size meant that it couldn¡¯t keep up with the explosion of arms orders. The Gu Commercial Firm sprang into action, taking on a large volume of trade orders and reaching out to other star sectors and even some Foundry Worlds to purchase munitions. According to Governor Ivan Fatches, he intended to expand the existing one hundred million Planetary Defense Forces on Korolya to a massive ten billion. Gu Hang thought he was purely bluffing. With the economic state and administrative capabilities of your Korolya III, not to mention the current challenges you face, maintaining a hundred million defense forces is already straining, let alone a billion soldiers? Impossible. And indeed, that was the case. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Until now, the local Defense Forces of Korolya had only expanded to a little over one hundred and twenty million, far from the boastful claims of Ivan Fatches. Even with the Fatches Family and the billion-strong population of the three worlds they controlled as the most solid rear guard, Ivan Fatches was still unable to stem the worsening situation on Korolya. Gu Hang didn¡¯t think he could do any better. The disparity in size was too great. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.2k Chapter 577 - Chapter 577: Chapter 337, Expand the Army Chapter 577: Chapter 337, Expand the Army In Gu Hang¡¯s eyes, Korolya III was now a world filled with despair. Asking him to become the Governor of Korolya? That was tantamount to him jumping into this cesspit unarmed, to cleanse it completely. The difficulty was too great. For him, Korolya had only one function at this stage: to draw in population. In the past year, the Alliance had scooped up more than eight million people from there and relocated them to Rage Owl Star. This was achieved through support bills, swapped with arms production and military aid. The Alliance had paid a lot for this, but of course, compared to the gains in population, it was definitely a huge profit. The population sucked in from Korolya had already boosted Rage Owl Star¡¯s total numbers to over 65 million. As long as he could keep pulling in population, Gu Hang had no intention of touching anything else for the time being. Even Heijian Star, with a population of four hundred million, was nearly indigestible; let alone Korolya with its forty billion inhabitants. Gu Hang simply lacked the capability to transform that enormously populated planet into the form he desired. Moreover, were the substantial interests of Korolya III that easy to seize? It had cost Fatches a lot of effort to secure the gubernatorial position. If Gu Hang were to take it, it would be tantamount to declaring war outright. Lois said there was also the need to gain the support of the political faction known as the ¡®Parliamentary Faction¡¯, represented by Martin Nelli and Pei Desi, but the key was¨Chow could that be achieved? This so-called ¡®Parliamentary Faction¡¯ refers to a political faction within the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Its core mainly lies in the Star Domain Government, and its ideology is to strive for the leadership of various Star Sectors, to buttress the center of the party supporting the Star Domain Government. The former leader Pei Desi was a product of this plan. After Pei Desi¡¯s death, the Parliamentary Faction quickly selected another Ivan Martin Nelli to continue holding the helm of the vital Tianma Star Sector. But just securing the leadership position was only the first step. Why did Pei Desi have the final say in the Tianma Star Sector in the past? Because the Governors of Korolya and Flying Wing Star were his people. In plain terms, whether a Star Sector¡¯s leader can be influential depends entirely on the support of the governors behind him. A leader without support is nothing but a figurehead. The reason Martin Nelli¡¯s words didn¡¯t carry weight was because the three planets under Fatches didn¡¯t listen to him, and neither did Korolya. Therefore, the core goal of the Parliamentary Faction was always to overthrow Ivan Fatches and retake Korolya. Could Gu Hang be a dog for the Parliamentary Faction? Obviously not. If he truly exhausted a Herculean effort to stabilize the situation in Korolya, it would be for his own ¡®Alliance¡¯, not to become the Parliamentary Faction¡¯s enforcer. There was a fundamental conflict here. Gu Hang wanted to make Korolya entirely his own, which meant he would have to stand in opposition to both sides currently embroiled in heated conflict over Korolya. It was simply unmanageable. After these thoughts circulated in his mind several times, Gu Hang pretty much gave up on this idea. Of course, Gu Hang didn¡¯t outright reject it either. He asked with a smile, ¡°So if Korolya really joined the Alliance, could it be militarized into a battle zone?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already told you, that¡¯s unrealistic.¡± ¡°I am well aware of Korolya¡¯s situation as my troops have been struggling there. It¡¯s truly become a mess, and with an Imperial Tax of eight billion Tax Currency to be paid every two years, Korolya can¡¯t hold out.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that exactly the need for a hero to descend and save the world? You¡¯ve already saved Rage Owl Star and are still saving Heijian Star, why not add Korolya to the list.¡± ¡°I¡¯m far from reaching the level of a hero,¡± Gu Hang refused the flattery, ¡°The situation in Korolya is completely different from that of Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star. Unless the Star Domain Government fully supports me, militarizes Korolya into a battle zone, and gives me their full support to act freely for a few years, then there¡¯s no way to solve the issues there.¡± When it came to the extent of support, Lois fell silent. If that much support could be given, why would they need him? Give that support to Ivan Fatches, who has his own family dynasty as a backbone, wouldn¡¯t he be able to solve the issues? Gu Hang saw through Lois¡¯s thoughts. He believed Ivan Fatches lacked the ability. But he just smiled and didn¡¯t argue over the matter anymore. After a moment of thought, Gu Hang decided to speak some honest truths from his heart: ¡°Ms. Lois, in my opinion, within the scope of the Star Domain there are many bleeding wounds, large and small, that¡¯s true. But problems need to be solved one by one, from the smallest to the largest, from the key to the periphery. Korolya is just such a place; relatively small, yet critical enough. It¡¯s better to muster the resolve to address this wound first, rather than dragging it out for the sake of the so-called bigger picture, allowing the wound to fester. Dragging it out, as the problems in Korolya continue to worsen, would deal the greatest harm to the overall situation.¡± ¡°The Star Domain Government knows this too,¡± Lois said simply, not elaborating further. Thereby, Gu Hang also understood. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They were just humoring him, not really taking his suggestions seriously. He tacitly did not say anything more. Lois roughly understood Gu Hang¡¯s thoughts as well, realizing he had little interest in taking over Korolya III, and couldn¡¯t help feeling somewhat listless. However, there was no particular disappointment. This matter, after all, was only a whim she had after seeing the changes in Heijian Star and Rage Owl Star, not a resolution from the Star Domain Government. Chapter 578 - Chapter 578: Chapter 337, Expand the Army_2 Chapter 578: Chapter 337, Expand the Army_2 If Gu Hang agreed, she might put in some effort and push for it, but if he didn¡¯t, then so be it. Realistically thinking, if the Fatches Family couldn¡¯t solve the issue, how could Gu Hang, with his shallow foundations, definitely resolve it? Lois didn¡¯t continue to dwell on this and instead reminded him about another matter, ¡°Although you are not very keen on becoming the Governor of Korolya, you still have to take on some responsibility there. After all, you have another identity, as the commander of a Star Realm Army Corps. Your Rage Bear Legion must expand its forces by at least three to five times in the coming years¡­¡± Seeing Gu Hang looking like he wanted to speak, Lois waved her hand to interrupt, ¡°Don¡¯t be in a rush to refuse, in fact, there¡¯s no room for rejection. This is an initiative started within the Star Realm Army system, and the Military Affairs Department has approved the corresponding need. No one is making trouble for you, it¡¯s purely because your troops performed very well on Korolya III, and the commanders of the Dragonhawk Legion hope to increase the size of your legion; the Governor of Korolya has also applied for an increase in the size of your troops.¡± Gu Hang scratched his head, considering what he heard, there really seemed to be no room to refuse. He said, ¡°The augmentation of troops, equipment, and logistical supplies¡­¡± Lois immediately replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything will follow the normal Star Realm Army procedures.¡± Gu Hang truly felt reassured. He smiled and asked, ¡°How much longer will you be staying in the Tianma Star Sector?¡± ¡°Probably another six or seven days.¡± ¡°Then you should make it, I hope to invite you to my engagement ceremony.¡± ¡°Engagement ceremony?¡± Lois said with some surprise, ¡°I have heard rumors before, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be true. Congratulations to you and Major General Yelisia.¡± ¡°Thank you, thank you,¡± Gu Hang responded with a smile. ¡­ For Gu Hang, expanding the Rage Bear Legion was not out of the question, after all, it was his troop and entirely under his control. But freeloading was not an option. Even if it wasn¡¯t freeloading, Gu Hang was reluctant to transfer more Alliance Army troops to the Rage Bear Legion, even with payment. The core issue was that for a significant time to come, the Alliance¡¯s primary work would be assimilating the immigrant populations of Heijian Star and Rage Owl Star, hoping to boost production and construction through the explosive increase in population. Gu Hang didn¡¯t have enough manpower to pour tens of thousands into the construction of the Rage Bear Legion. However, if it were a standard Star Realm Army construction procedure, there wouldn¡¯t be an issue. After the agreement about the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s expansion, Lois left. She was a very busy person, and taking the time to meet with Gu Hang was already a great honor and treatment. However, after she left, she still had some of her team stay behind. On one hand, the tax transfer work between the two planets continued, and on the other, there was the matter of the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s expansion. The two leaders had already discussed and agreed upon the general intent, but to formally accomplish things, it was still up to the subordinates to negotiate the details and push forward the actual implementation, right? Among those she brought was someone from the Military Affairs Department. The tasks of the Military Affairs Department included the formation and logistics of the Star Realm Army and the Imperial Navy. Although it did not have battlefield command authority or the responsibility to mobilize troops or issue military tasks, logistics and the creation of new armies were extremely important responsibilities. The person negotiating with the Military Affairs Department wasn¡¯t Gu Hang himself, but rather the logistics department of the Rage Bear Legion¡­ oh, actually, the Rage Bear Legion didn¡¯t have any logistics department, it was just the Logistics Bureau of the Alliance Military and Political Department with a new signboard. As discussed by the two leaders, the Rage Bear Legion was to expand its forces to over 500,000 members. Currently, the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s full strength was only 180,000. Between them, there was a gap of over 300,000 people. According to the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s founding mechanism, the newly expanded 300,000 were ultimately allocated according to the Alliance¡¯s military organization, adding 30 new division brigades. The newly expanded troops, numbered from 73 to 102, included 8 Armored Composite Brigades and 22 infantry divisions, totaling a force of 320,000 people and a cost of 9 million Tax Currency. Adding the original troops of the Rage Bear Legion, the total strength came to 510,000, with a total cost of 13 million Tax Currency. The cost of establishing the army was secondary, maintaining and using the army was also a significant expense. To maintain a moderate level of combat, one would have to spend roughly the same amount as the cost of establishing the army each year; and if the combat intensity was higher, the cost would be even higher. After all, on some high-intensity battlefields, a division could be wiped out in a day. But since the Rage Bear Legion had become part of the Star Realm Army, all the expenses of fighting with these 500,000 people were borne by the Empire. The Alliance would provide all logistical support, including equipment and personnel, but the Empire had to pay for these, requiring the Star Realm Army or the Military Affairs Department to place orders with the Alliance. Moreover, Gu Hang did not want the additional 300,000 troops to come from Heijian Star or Rage Owl Star, so the Military Affairs Department would have to find a way to transfer labor from other places. The Tax Fleet carried many more people than just taxes, and more crucially, Korolya III was originally the place that submitted the largest population. However, Korolya couldn¡¯t come up with three hundred thousand qualified soldiers¨Cif they had that many soldiers, they would have been sent to war already. After several rounds of negotiations and wrangling, the Alliance¡¯s military logistics department¨Coh, it was the logistics department of the Rage Bear Legion¨Cfinally generously stated that three hundred and ten thousand regular manpower would suffice, and for the rest, ¡°You make up the difference in payment; we¡¯ll figure something out ourselves.¡± This difference amounted to one and a half million Tax Currency. In reality, the training of these soldiers and political commissars is estimated to cost Gu Hang four thousand points of grace. In plain terms, Gu Hang was essentially exchanging four thousand points of grace for one and a half million Tax Currency. This deal was actually one he wasn¡¯t too keen on making, but he had no choice. Even if the Military Affairs Department provided Star Realm Army soldiers according to the supposed standard of 10 Tax Currency per person, Gu Hang would still have to train them. Although, by all accounts, 10 Tax Currency per person should correspond to the standard Star Realm Army soldier, theoretically having already reached the level of a T5 grade soldier, which wouldn¡¯t require training. However, everyone knew the reality of the situation. If you actually received those soldiers, it would be quite good if a third of them could reach the T5 grade, and the rest were basically for show. Since they all needed to be completely retrained anyway, it was better to just start with ordinary people, as long as they were physically healthy. The [Soldier Tag] Training System would naturally elevate the quality of the soldiers to the appropriate level. And save one and a half million Tax Currency. Of course, this wasn¡¯t according to regulation. But regulations are determined by people. Bureaucrats in the Military Affairs Department have only ever been scolded daily for providing soldiers of insufficient quality, and this was the first time they encountered someone who wanted lower quality soldiers. Wasn¡¯t this giving them a chance to manipulate the situation to their advantage? Finding such an opportunity had been quite difficult before, but now this was too easy to exploit. Of course, the bulk of the benefit had to go to the Alliance, but getting a share of the profit was quite good too. ¡­ Subordinates were discussing the specific details of the military expansion, and naturally, Gu Hang didn¡¯t need to get overly involved; he only needed to review the final report to ensure that everything was more or less within expectations. In fact, not long after, he was also going to leave his territory and make a trip to Flying Wing Star. His engagement ceremony was to be held at the Starport on Flying Wing Star. On the other side was Yelisia. This marriage, of course, was a bona fide political alliance. Miss Wang Qi had been in touch with the Fufana Family for a long time, and the matrimonial match was firmly settled. The idea originated from Wang Qi herself, who felt that: Firstly, Gu Hang was of age and it was time for him to marry; Secondly, the Fufana Family was a very suitable match for a political marriage; one family being a member of the Empire Commerce Guild, the other having deep influence within the Imperial Navy¨Cjoining in marriage would surely be effective; Thirdly, politically speaking, after the death of Pei Desi, the Fufana had withdrawn from the vortex of the struggle between the ¡®Parliamentary Faction¡¯ and the Fatches Family, and like the Gu Clan, they were now a neutral third party. Being the third party sounds comfortable¨Cno need for conflict with others¨Cbut in reality, it¡¯s not an easy position. A misstep could offend both sides and leave you caught in the middle. A neutral party without strength is not taken seriously; a neutral party with strength becomes the subject of envy and wariness. But all in all, having strength is always better than having none. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only By forming a union on the level of neutral third parties, the Gu Clan and the Fufana would effectively bolster each other. Of course, by now, Miss Wang Qi had fully acknowledged her son¡¯s position and wouldn¡¯t act on her own. Before pushing for this issue, she fully sought Gu Hang¡¯s opinion. Gu Hang agreed. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.2k Chapter 579 - Chapter 579: 338 Chapter 579: 338 ¡°` Gu Hang had not seen Yelisia for a long time. Since two years ago, when Yelisia led a naval vessel and completed her near-Earth support mission stationed in orbit around Rage Owl Star, they had only met once, and that was when Pei Desi was at death¡¯s door. Besides that, they had little other communication. What was the relationship between them before? They were, at most, well-coordinated partners, and even calling them friends felt like a stretch, to say nothing of harboring romantic feelings. Clearly, their engagement had nothing to do with feelings, it was purely a political marriage, a union of interests. Gu Hang didn¡¯t have many scruples about such an arrangement, and he wasn¡¯t particularly averse to political marriages. The two were not complete strangers; in Gu Hang¡¯s memory, they had interacted at a young age on Flying Wing Star; later on Rage Owl Star, they spent two years together. Though they hardly met face to face during those two years, they had plenty of contact. The alliance¡¯s establishment on Rage Owl Star wouldn¡¯t have been possible without Yelisia¡¯s protection of the planet¡¯s orbit. If a political marriage was to take place, having Yelisia as a partner was undoubtedly preferable to some unfamiliar person. Moreover, Yelisia was quite beautiful, which suited his aesthetic preferences. Of course, getting married and having a wife was secondary. Being the ruler of two planets, he was not lacking in women, no matter how beautiful they might be. The main benefit was the alliance of the two households, which indeed had significant advantages. Then, he would proceed with it. Additionally, Gu Hang had another consideration. Naval development was a critically weak area for the alliance at present, yet it was also the most challenging to improve. At this point, all technologies related to the navy and interstellar travel were advanced items in the system¡¯s [Technology Tree] panel. So far, Gu Hang had only managed to acquire the [Star Harbor Technology Blueprint] and [Traveler]. Other technologies, like compact energy technologies and anti-gravity engines, although essential for interstellar travel, did not count as core technologies. Obtaining these technologies would require a substantial cost, necessitating draws from higher-level prize pools. Furthermore, even if they were acquired, the related construction work would be hugely expensive and time-consuming. The saying ¡°ten years for a land army, a hundred years for a navy¡± was not an exaggeration. The alliance needed to establish its navy, especially a powerful one that could truly be effective. There were many gaps to fill and a lengthy period to transcend. Naturally, this was a step the alliance had to take toward the Star Sea, no matter how difficult the path. They still had to tread it. But if a shortcut appeared before completing the journey, why not take it? Yelisia Fufana was that shortcut. She herself had finally reaped the fruits of victory after the recent successful defense against the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ raiding fleet in the Rage Owl Star System, being promoted to the rank of proper Imperial Navy Rear Admiral. While the Fufana Family may not have been said to control the Tianma Fleet, they certainly had many proteges and old associates within it; at the higher levels of the Imperial Navy headquarters, they also had their network of connections. Having married Yelisia, Gu Hang could also call upon these connections. That was not to say he could claim the Tianma Fleet as his own; even the Fufana Family would not dare to make such a claim. However, at least when the alliance¡¯s naval forces were virtually non-existent, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being targeted by the navy; and when necessary, as long as he was willing to pay a sufficient price, he had a channel through which he could utilize the Imperial Navy¡¯s services. This was where the value lay. ¡­ Before setting off to attend his own engagement ceremony, Gu Hang had some matters to attend to. He had accumulated a lot of grace points, which he needed to find an opportunity to spend. This substantial sum of grace points had a relatively complex composition. War rewards were one aspect; just in the Panbos Kingdom alone, despite significant troop losses, it was undeniable that it was a victory, and Gu Hang earned over twenty thousand points in rewards there. Adding up the previous offensive against the Kingdom of Stefano and some counterinsurgency actions, as well as wars of annihilation against a few smaller nations with deluded rulers, the total exceeded another ten thousand points. Moreover, the ongoing battles by the Rage Bear Legion on Korolya earned Gu Hang several thousand grace points from time to time. All in all, he had accumulated forty thousand points from war rewards alone. The bulk of the remainder stemmed from the accumulation of monthly grace points over the past year. With a large influx of population moving to Rage Owl Star, leveraging the existing population for rapid developments in productivity, the monthly grace points provided to Gu Hang had already broken the four thousand mark. Heijian Star, on the other hand, was initially considered a vassal state. It provided fewer grace points, just a few hundred. He supposed the small number was due to a significant reduction imposed on vassal states. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, two events led to changes. The first was the recognition and legitimation of the alliance as a political entity by the empire. This legally recognized and officially acknowledged Gu Hang¡¯s ownership of the affiliated Heijian Star. Secondly, Gu Hang¡¯s military actions effectively brought global control. Third, while wrapped in the guise of the New Kings¡¯ Council, the actual political system being enforced, rapidly taking root over the last six months, significantly strengthened the alliance¡¯s control over the entire Heijian Star. ¡°` Chapter 580 - Chapter 580: Chapter 338, A Hundred Thousand Favors_2 Chapter 580: Chapter 338, A Hundred Thousand Favors_2 ¡°` These several changes directly reflected in the system conditions were that beneath Gu Hang¡¯s ¡°vassal¡± panel, within a short time, many other nations had been added aside from the Luman Kingdom; soon after, the vassal ranks of these nations rapidly advanced. A few days ago, the option to annex finally appeared. Gu Hang had already clicked it. As of now, Heijian Star could be regarded by the system as a ¡®home¡¯ territory just like Rage Owl Star. However, the ¡®Grace Points¡¯ enhancement provided by this home territory was currently not substantial. Even with a population of four hundred million, the monthly ¡®Grace Points¡¯ provided were barely two thousand, less than half of what was provided by Rage Owl Star. But Gu Hang was not particularly surprised by this. Gu Hang knew that the monthly supply of ¡®Grace Points¡¯ was closely related to a series of data including population size, total production power, average living standards of the population, government control, and so on. Moreover, the growth of ¡®Grace Points¡¯ did not increase linearly with these factors; it was more like a tiered system, moving up a notch upon reaching certain data points. To raise the ¡®Grace Points¡¯ provided by Heijian Star to a more satisfactory level, it was necessary to calmly focus on constructing and developing the planet in a positive direction. This was also precisely the objective of the Alliance. The ¡®Grace Points¡¯ accumulated from Rage Owl Star had nearly reached fifty thousand this year; as Heijian Star had just become a ¡®home¡¯ territory, the points provided as a ¡°vassal¡± were not significant, adding up to less than ten thousand over the past year. Adding the war rewards to this total, the ¡®Grace Points¡¯ Gu Hang had received over the past year had already exceeded one hundred thousand. Of course, he did not have that many on hand now. After all, Gu Hang could not have possibly spent a year without utilizing any ¡®Grace Points¡¯. The main expenditures were focused on personnel. Gu Hang had been consistently activating talents through the ¡°Hero¡± interface, and even included some native people from Heijian Star¨Cif he found them reliably trustworthy, he would transform them into talents. This ¡°Hero¡± interface was indeed reliable, as the activated talents conformed to their original abilities and aptitudes, and also possessed good growth potential, being of greater value than those trained en masse by the Army Badge System. Besides, whether it was the activated talents or those stepping into important positions on both planets, their loyalty still needed assurance. The Loyal Heir Academy continued to play a significant role in this matter. Before assuming their positions, these individuals would have to pass through the Wind-Extinguishing Zhongsi Academy. It was easy to manage the people from Rage Owl Star, but for those from Heijian Star, they had to travel to Revival City for advanced studies. Periodically, Gu Hang would spend some ¡®Grace Points¡¯ at the academy¡¯s advanced classes to convert these individuals into ¡®Political Officers¡¯ directly. Furthermore, the Alliance was gradually experimenting with cross-border official appointments. For instance, promoting officials from Rage Owl Star to work on Heijian Star or vice versa, with the former case being more common. The Alliance¡¯s few passenger vessels were almost constantly traveling back and forth between the two planets, primarily transporting various government officials and official documents. This was normal, after all, since the passenger vessels had a limited cargo capacity, and could only be used for such tasks. Apart from personnel, another area was military reinforcement. Whether on Heijian Star or Korolya, the Alliance was engaged in battle. Inevitable losses in troop numbers ensued. Currently, the largest source of troops for the Alliance Army was still Rage Owl Star. The training camps consistently maintained a size of several hundred thousand people, requiring Gu Hang to expend thousands of ¡®Grace Points¡¯ to complete their training. When the front lines suffered reductions in personnel, new troops, along with a series of goods such as weapons, equipment, and ammunition, were sent to the front, replenishing the respective frontline units. This situation was definitely not going to continue for long. With the expansion of the Rage Bear Legion factored in, the overall strength of the Alliance Land Forces was going to exceed a million. It should not rely solely on Rage Owl Star for reinforcements. Now that Heijian Star had become home territory, there was no need to maintain a specific ratio for troop numbers. In fact, Tadeusz had already been ordered to establish several new recruit training centers on Heijian Star, to continuously recruit new soldiers and replenish the Alliance Army. ¡°` Meanwhile, there will also be a special training center for new recruits established on Korolya, dedicated to replenishing the losses of the Rage Bear Legion. However, the reason this training center is called special is that the Rage Bear Legion doesn¡¯t have the authority to directly conscript soldiers from Korolya. Even if they did, the system wouldn¡¯t recognize it, and Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t be able to train them. They could only pass through the logistic replenishment channel of the Star Realm Army. Essentially, the personnel are allocated as Imperial Tax to the Rage Bear Legion for use, thus entering the training camp for new recruits. In this way, these individuals could be counted as reserves for the Rage Bear Legion, allowing Gu Hang, the commander of the Rage Bear Legion, to directly conduct training. By imperial decree, these soldiers are also exclusively for replenishing the ranks of the Rage Bear Legion and cannot be diverted for other uses. Overall, the training expenses for ordinary soldiers are still not high. One grace point can train a hundred T5 level soldiers. Maintaining a training camp of over two hundred thousand in multiple new recruit training bases on three planets, to ensure the ability to replenish the front lines at any time, would cost less than a few thousand grace points, which isn¡¯t much pressure. What really counts as a big expense is the construction of the Phoenix Battle Group. In the great battle of Heijian Star, the interstellar warriors of Phoenix played a major role in the destruction of all twelve Knight Titans. The losses on the Alliance side, in addition to thousands of armored vehicles, nearly five hundred tanks, and more than forty Wind Falcons, Phoenix also lost a total of six warriors. From this perspective, it¡¯s clear that Knight Titans are indeed formidable¨Cafter all, they cost seven hundred thousand each. In comparison, the production cost of an Interstellar Warrior¡¯s powered armor is only fifty thousand a set; the Terminator suit that Matins wore costs just eight hundred thousand. Of course, cost doesn¡¯t equate to everything, as the most valuable aspect of an Interstellar Warrior is the warrior themselves inside the armor, not the suit itself. But regardless, cost does explain a lot of issues. The losses of the Interstellar Warriors are still quite painful for Matins. But after all, it¡¯s different from before, now that the number of Battle Groups has been continuously increasing, his mindset is relatively more stable. In the past six months, Gu Hang has newly trained twelve Interstellar Warriors and over a thousand elite special forces from the Tenth Brigade. Among these twelve, seven are natives of Rage Owl Star, and among the remaining five, two are immigrants from Korolya and three are from Heijian Star. Gu Hang intentionally does many things in this way. On the concept of ¡®Alliance¡¯ recognition and the integration of species, Gu Hang tries his best in all possible areas. Although it is somewhat difficult to create a sense of ¡®Alliance¡¯ recognition in addition to the existing ¡®Imperial¡¯, ¡®Human¡¯, ¡®Planetary¡¯, and ¡®Ethnic¡¯ identifications, and it¡¯s not something that can be achieved in a short time, it still needs to be done, and any opportunity to emphasize this must be seized. In every exchange policy involving various personnel¨Cofficials, armed forces, and the selection of Interstellar Warriors¨CGu Hang follows this approach. Rage Owl Star is his main foundation, true, but it¡¯s too small. It¡¯s not feasible to always rely on its population of forty-five million to navigate the Star Sea in the future. Expanding the base is essential, and Heijian Star is the first step. For these personnel-related grace points, the total consumption for Gu Hang is just over twenty thousand. Besides personnel, he¡¯s also spent some points on the [Construction] interface in the past six months. Mostly on factory construction. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He piled up over twenty civilian/military factories in the three industrial centers on Heijian Star; he also piled up ten on Rage Owl Star. This is an additional consumption of over three thousand grace points. But all in all, it¡¯s not much. He still has over seventy thousand points left. He plans to keep around twenty thousand for emergencies, and with the remaining fifty thousand, he intends to spend them all on technology draws. Chapter 581 - Chapter 581: Chapter 339, Fine Gold, Knight and Titan Chapter 581: Chapter 339, Fine Gold, Knight and Titan ¡°` A thousand-tier draw, though not drained dry, left hardly anything good. The meager probability of drawing basic-level items just wasn¡¯t cost-effective. This time, Gu Hang spent all fifty thousand points of grace on the ten thousand-tier draw. Currently, the odds of getting something from the ten thousand-tier were still 100%, with a 30% chance for epic, 60% for elite, and 10% for advanced. Overall, the cost-effectiveness was far higher than drawing ten times from the thousand-tier. And in Gu Hang¡¯s five consecutive draws, he got one epic-level technology, three elites, and one advanced. The luck was neither good nor bad, which could be considered normal. After the draw, the chance distribution for the ten thousand-tier changed to 20%/40%/40% for epic/elite/advanced respectively. There was still significant potential for discovery! As for the five technologies just drawn, they were: [Ranger-Type Knight Mech (Advanced)], [Feedback-Type Power Armor (Elite)], [Warp Engine (Elite)], [Warhound-Type Titan (Elite)], [Orichalcum Material (Epic)]. Among them, the Warp Engine technology filled in the last piece of the puzzle Gu Hang needed to build a starship. The three essential preconditions for building a starship, being the Jump Recognition System, which allows a starship to capture the signals from Star Realm Tunnels; the Warp Engine, which provides power and allows for traveling in the Star Realm through warp mode; and the Starfield Force Field, which safeguards the ship from subspace disturbances while traversing the Star Realm Tunnels, were now complete. Gu Hang had previously drawn both the Starfield Force Field and the Jump Recognition System. Now, with the Warp Engine in hand, he had enough. Its most immediate significance was that the Starport on Rage Owl Star, which could previously only perform minor ship maintenance and simple assembly work, finally had a role to play¨Cit could now formally construct the [Voyager] spacecraft. Only at this level could it be considered a legitimate shipyard. Although it could only build small ships for now, it was a good start. Don¡¯t underestimate the Voyager; it still costs 1.8 million Tax Currency per unit. If you could produce a hundred of them and form a Wolfpack Fleet, they would have their utility. Of course, the biggest use is still for interstellar passenger transport, and it can¡¯t go too far, otherwise, supply becomes an issue. If it¡¯s merely for the construction of [Voyagers] that all these prerequisite technologies were needed, it wouldn¡¯t be worth it. But these three prerequisites are essential for all vessels venturing out into the deep sea of stars. In the future, whether building large-scale merchant ships, transport vessels, or warships, all three will be indispensable. Entering the deep Star Sea, these are the necessary technologies, and having them early has its advantages. After all, skilled shipbuilding workers also need to be cultivated through practice, not just from having technical blueprints. Starting with the production of Voyagers is pretty good. And that [Feedback-Type Power Armor] technology is also quite interesting. It is a technology developed to compete with the Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor, named ¡®Servant God-Type.¡¯ Compared with Interstellar Warrior¡¯s Powered Armor, the Servant God is almost entirely made up of disadvantages. The armor is far less thick, its flexibility is poorer, its output power is much weaker, it consumes more energy, and it requires more complicated maintenance. There¡¯s also a key point: it¡¯s incredibly expensive. The current ¡®Majestic¡¯ model that the Alliance has is already twice as expensive as the most common ¡®Sky Eagle¡¯ model. Yet, the ¡®Servant God¡¯-Type Feedback Power Armor costs even more, reaching 130,000 per unit. More expensive and with much poorer performance, there¡¯s one singular advantage: ordinary people can use it. But this so-called ordinary is not so common; it still requires quite rigorous training. Of course, training a person to use the Feedback-Type Power Armor is much cheaper than training an Interstellar Warrior. After obtaining this technology, Gu Hang pondered about how to use it? It would definitely have to be employed as a top-tier combat asset, otherwise, the cost wouldn¡¯t be sustainable; Interstellar Warriors wouldn¡¯t need it, but it could be issued to the elite special forces of the Tenth Brigade. A few soldiers trained up to T2 level could be equipped with this Feedback-Type Power Armor to dramatically boost their combat effectiveness. But¡­ Gu Hang immediately had another thought. By equipping them with Feedback-Type Power Armor, could they perform similarly to Interstellar Warriors? Probably not. Interstellar Warriors are strong because of the individual, not the outer armor layer. If there were a direct comparison of combat strength, even the elite special forces wearing a set of exoskeletons, wielding chain-saw swords and bomb guns, would still be utterly dominated by a Phoenix; if they wore Feedback-Type Power Armor, they might not be completely overwhelmed, but they¡¯d still be severely beaten, and ten of them might not be able to beat one. After all, gaps remain large even if the Powered Armor¡¯s performance isn¡¯t considered. Even without a performance gap, ordinary people cannot compare with Interstellar Warriors who have developed a dozen superhuman organs. Their reaction speeds, instant information processing capabilities, and shooting accuracy are just not on the same level. Even in shooting, the field with the smallest gap in abilities, the difference is still significant. An Interstellar Warrior can, in the instant the opponent pulls the trigger, determine the point of impact and dodge in advance, or block with their thicker armor. These are things ordinary people cannot do. In most cases, an Interstellar Warrior simply won¡¯t give the opponent an opportunity to shoot in the first place. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The gap between them remains huge. The only advantage is that T2-level soldiers are much easier to train than Interstellar Warriors. However, within the Empire, this is true. But for Gu Hang, it doesn¡¯t stand. For Gu Hang, training an Interstellar Warrior just means an extra screening process, and spending two hundred points of grace to train them to T1 level and exchange for one Gene Seed. ¡°` Chapter 582 - Chapter 582: Chapter 339, Fine Gold, Knight and Titan_2 Chapter 582: Chapter 339, Fine Gold, Knight and Titan_2 Of course, due to Gu Hang¡¯s selection process for cultivating Interstellar Warriors, there will inevitably be about a hundred times more rejects, among which are not a few T2-grade soldiers; these are the byproducts that are bound to appear. By utilizing Feedback-Type Power Armor and equipping these ¡®rejects¡¯ to turn them into an impoverished version of Interstellar Warriors, their main role is to serve as a supplement to the elite cutting-edge forces; this is certainly one of the uses for Feedback-Type Power Armor. It¡¯s just¡­ not very cost-effective. Another usage is to issue it to frontline officers to enhance their survivability. A brigade commander or battalion commander commanding at the front line is actually quite vulnerable. But this enhancement effect¡­ is also relatively average. In conclusion, although Feedback-Type Power Armor technology is indeed elite-level, for the current Alliance, it is relatively feeble¨Cthe places where it can be effective exist, but it¡¯s not critical. Gu Hang is unlikely to promote the mass production of this technology, tying up a lot of the Alliance¡¯s production capacity. However, for technologies extracted from the Black Box, two units can be produced in a month. If it¡¯s free, then of course, you take it. Afterward, Gu Hang shifted his focus to two other technologies: Ranger-class Knight Mecha and Warhound-class Titan. The former, we are well acquainted with; the Alliance currently has six¨Cafter Heijian Star surrendered, other than a few that were destroyed in wars, only six remain. Although theoretically, ownership is still in the hands of those noble families who surrendered, they have no say if the Alliance wants to mobilize them. People always refer to Knight Mecha as ¡®Knight Titan,¡¯ but that¡¯s not accurate; the proper name is simply ¡®Mecha.¡¯ Ranger-class is eight meters tall, and Neili¡¯s technology setup allows for various components to be mounted, creating several derivative types. For example, there are lance-type models that emphasize heavier firepower and watch-type models that emphasize mobility, among others. However, they all fall under the category of Ranger-class. As for the Warhound-class Titan, it¡¯s a bona fide Titan¨Cthough it¡¯s the smallest kind of Titan. The biggest difference between a Titan and Knight Mecha is that the latter has a dedicated cockpit, where the knight pilots the mecha in battle, grandiosely termed the ¡®Mechanical Throne;¡¯ whereas the Titan does not have a dedicated cockpit and cannot be operated by a single person. The fifteen-meter-tall Warhound Titan, resembling a five-story building, is manned by about a dozen people working together to operate this machine in battle. Compared to the advanced Ranger Knight Mecha, the Warhound-class Titan is literally twice the size, reaching a height of fifteen meters. With these two technologies, the strength of the Alliance Land Forces will climb another level. No matter how fierce the Lion Tank is, it can only be considered a consumable. Costing four thousand each, on a high-intensity battlefield, they are essentially just large armored cannon fodder. But Knight Mecha and Warhound Titan would be considered elite main forces, no matter what. On Heijian Star, a bunch of feudal forces equipped with shoddy gear, coupled with some Sentry Mecha, simply couldn¡¯t bring out the fierce power of Knight Mecha. Even so, in that major battle fought by the Alliance, on average, to take down a single Ranger-class Knight, it cost over forty tanks, hundreds of armored vehicles, five Wind Falcons, one Interstellar Warrior, and several infantry. But if Knight Titan is deployed by the Alliance, with more elite armored troops in front, elite infantry establishing defensive positions on the sides, and sharp artillery coordinating to exploit firepower advantage, the power that Knight and Titan can leverage will be greatly magnified. It would be difficult for an Interstellar Warrior to even get close. When the Phoenix broke through the kingdom army¡¯s defenses, it pierced them like paper, but the formations of the Alliance are not so easily breached. Even a slight delay would allow the firepower of the Knight and Titan to annihilate any Interstellar Warrior. Moreover, these two pieces of equipment, especially Knight Mecha, aside from providing considerable military aid, carry significant political symbolism for the Alliance ruling Heijian Star, since they will be self-produced by the Alliance. Heijian Star is a place with strong knight traditions. Now, since the Alliance has the capability to produce Sentry Mecha on its own (already extracted earlier), and with the addition of self-produced Knight Mecha, isn¡¯t this a miracle reborn? In an instant, Gu Hang thought of many ways to handle this. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only To establish a Knight Academy, on one hand, it would serve as a military academy, on the other, it would train Knight pilots, and additionally, it would strengthen the Alliance¡¯s legitimate status. In the future, to become a Knight, you won¡¯t need to bankrupt your family¡¯s generations of savings; simply apply to the Knight Academy, enlist, and you could become a glorious Knight, piloting a Sentry Mecha; the most outstanding individuals can pilot Ranger Knights; with specialized courses, those unable to pilot single-person Ranger Knight Mechas could also have a chance to become part of the larger and fiercer true Titan¡¯s driving team, operating Warhound-class Titans in groups of a dozen or so. There are many benefits to doing this. The noble families of Heijian Star still have their merits. Generation after generation, they take pride in being Knights, and the Alliance¡¯s new developments are consistent with their tradition, which helps to strengthen governance; and due to these traditions, they have been trained from a young age in how to pilot Knights, making them the most suitable source of pilots. On this basis, Gu Hang even planned to establish a new organizational structure under the Alliance Land Forces. Chapter 583 - Chapter 583: Chapter 339, Fine Gold, Knight and Titan_3 Chapter 583: Chapter 339, Fine Gold, Knight and Titan_3 He already had the name in mind, ¡°Alliance National Knights.¡± Initially, he considered calling them the ¡°Black Arrow Knights,¡± but after some thought, he decided against it. That name was too region-specific and conflicted with the overarching concept of establishing a sense of alliance identity previously set by Gu Hang. The establishment of the Alliance National Knights wasn¡¯t actually about forming a complete military organization. Its main purpose was to provide identity certification and strengthen the sense of honor¨Cthe knights on Heijian Star were particularly receptive to this approach. On the other hand, it involved the professional management of the selection of pilots, as well as the maintenance and specialized logistical support of various aspects of expensive top-tier equipment such as Mecha and Titan. Furthermore, the creation of the Knights allowed the Alliance to deploy these top weapons flexibly and in a concentrated manner into wars. After all, these high-level equipment were not suitable to be directly incorporated into the Land Forces¡¯ structure; otherwise, they would be troublesome to mobilize. Of course, one important aspect of the training for the pilots of the Mecha and Titan was learning how to coordinate with regular troops during combat. This part was somewhat lacking in Heijian Star¡¯s original training system and couldn¡¯t keep up with the current regular troop model of the Alliance. The National Knights¡¯ Regiment had to explore and strive in this area. Scratching his head, Gu Hang even considered whether to build the Alliance¡¯s first Ranger Knight production line directly on Heijian Star? Wouldn¡¯t the news immediately boost everyone¡¯s spirits? According to the Black Box¡¯s production capabilities, a Ranger-grade Knight would take about two months to produce, while a Warhound Titan would take five months. For the production line, the estimate was that it would initially set up one within six months. After discussing the related matters with Wu Jiarong, Gu Hang estimated that if the Alliance were to normally put these two types of equipment into production on Heijian Star, with the Panbos Industrial Center as the main base for Ranger Knights and the Luman Industrial Center as the main base for Warhound Titans, then after two years of building and setting up multiple production lines, they could reach a production rate of six Ranger Knights per year and one Warhound Titan per year. The years of accumulation on Heijian Star had amounted to only about thirty Titans before the war. With the arrival of the Alliance, things that could only be imported through foreign trade and could bankrupt a nation could now be produced domestically; within five years, they could achieve what took countless years to accumulate. This would powerfully demonstrate that the Alliance¡¯s arrival meant unequivocally positive changes for Heijian Star! Gu Hang was quite satisfied with this number. Later, he turned his attention to the last and only epic technology. Refined Gold Material. When he saw this, Gu Hang was quite surprised. Refined Gold was almost at the highest tier among the materials used on a large scale within the Empire. Setting aside the higher and rarer materials¨Cnot to mention just the mass-producible ones¨CRefined Gold¡¯s main application was in constructing true Titans, not the so-called Titans like regular Mecha; it was also indispensable in some critical components of a Starship and necessary in the construction of Terminator Armor. In short, with the advancement of technology, the production of those high-strength technology products would inevitably bring about higher demands for basic materials. The large-scale use of Refined Gold was born for this purpose. However, the Refined Gold currently used in the Empire was mostly a natural product. Either it was a tiny amount of associated Refined Gold mineral collected during large-scale mineral mining, or it was discovered in very small quantities in the extremely precious Refined Gold veins on some rare planets. This material was undeniably a strategic resource within the Empire. There had been precedents where the Empire launched wars over a Refined Gold mine. So now, what exactly did the Refined Gold Technology that Gu Hang had in his hands mean? Refined Gold mining technology? Why would that be called epic technology? Its extraction difficulty aside, its scarcity was more crucial. As long as Refined Gold could be located, its astronomical value was enough to make the costs and difficulty of extraction negligible. Could it be¡­ Refined Gold synthesis technology to deserve the title of epic technology? Gu Hang took a closer look and realized it indeed was. After understanding the significance, he had only one thought in his mind: he was going to make a fortune. Moreover, this wealth wasn¡¯t like some of the technologies he had developed before that were difficult to explain and utilize. This wealth was something Gu Hang could legitimately use. He could simply place the synthesis of refined gold inside a mining area and claim to have discovered a refined gold mine. That would provide a legitimate output channel, and Gu Hang could sell it. As for the fear of being discovered, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t worried at all. Without going into the mine for a concrete investigation and conducting a geological study, who would know if what he said was true or false? Not to mention who would bother questioning the authenticity of a refined gold mine instead of competing for a share of the refined gold, even if someone wanted to conduct such research, trying to do so on Gu Hang¡¯s turf would be incredibly difficult. Once the refining and synthesis production line for this material was set up, it could not only provide the basic material support for the Alliance Sector¡¯s development of various high-tech technologies in the future, but it could also immediately generate output and earn tax currency income for the Alliance. In the Tianma Star Sector, there was a major client¨CFlying Wing Star Shipyard. It was a place capable of producing and building cruisers, with a direct demand for refined gold. The only pity was that the synthetic technology for refined gold, even after the production line had been set up and production capacity expanded, couldn¡¯t increase too quickly. The estimated output after a year might only be equivalent to a tiny refined gold mine. But that was enough. A tiny refined gold mine, focusing solely on foreign trade, could bring in an income of twenty million tax currency a year. Moreover, the Alliance wouldn¡¯t necessarily sell it all. They would surely keep some for future use, in case higher-grade technology required this kind of material. After completing the technological lottery draw and handing over the relevant matters to Wu Jiarong through remote communication, Gu Hang boarded the spaceship and set off on his journey to Flying Wing Star. He was going to attend his engagement ceremony; his fiancee was waiting for him there. Free section below: Uh, when checking the comments, I realized I missed two settings¡­ they were two lottery bugs¡­ The minor one: a chainsaw sword was pulled in Chapter 211, and then pulled again in Chapter 267¡­ The major one: MK.7 Eagle Power Armor was pulled in Chapter 211, but in Chapter 315 it was stated that the Alliance didn¡¯t have power armor technology. I have made the corrections. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only For readers who don¡¯t want to flip back and check the previous content, here is a summary of the corrections: The chainsaw sword pulled in Chapter 267 has been changed to [Gravity Weapons] (the Gravity Scepter in Priest Rizzo¡¯s hand, and the Gravity Fist equipped on Knight Titan). The MK.7 power armor pulled in Chapter 211 has been changed to [Jump Recognition System], getting a head start on a prerequisite technology for starship building. There shouldn¡¯t be any impact on the plot, mainly it was just a slip in thinking while writing the settings, my mistake¡­ This chapter is 5.2k words, a thousand more than usual, by way of compensation! Chapter 584 - Chapter 584: Chapter 340, Fufana Chapter 584: Chapter 340, Fufana On Flying Wing Star, a flourishing grand hotel had already stopped serving outside customers. The Gu Clan and the Fufana Family had fully booked the place for the upcoming engagement ceremony. Many people from afar, specifically here for the ceremony, had already settled in the hotel. Among them were many of the younger members of the Fufana Family. A group of young people, dressed in Imperial Navy uniforms or Naval Academy uniforms, gathered together to chat: ¡°They say she¡¯s the representative of the Fufana¡¯s younger generation, yet isn¡¯t she getting married?¡± ¡°From now on, it¡¯s up to us brothers!¡± ¡°I think Rota is quite capable, you have to shoulder our hopes.¡± ¡°Far from it, far from it¡­¡± ¡°At least you won¡¯t be ¡®marrying¡¯ someone else, right? Hahaha¡­¡± The young people were arrogant and chest-thumping as they discussed the recent stories of their family. It¡¯s hard to say how much malice was there, but the underlying envy surely found an outlet through this affair. This was normal. Within this group, not to mention those who were still grappling with their studies at the Naval Academy, among those who had started their careers, the highest rank was that of a major. Being a major at this age was quite impressive in the Imperial Navy. He was still young, and with his family¡¯s support, a few more years of experience and some military exploits could make the rank of general a possibility in the future. But these things also depend on who you compare yourself with. Having a woman in the family who is about the same age but already a general makes it hard not to be envious. They didn¡¯t dwell on anything else but complained about the family being too biased, giving Yelisia too much preferential treatment. After graduating from the Naval Academy, why did they all have to start from the bottom while Yelisia could get a position as acting captain? Why create a stage just for her, organize an exercise, and based solely on her performance in the naval drills, let her skip ranks and become the captain of a great cruiser like Quintet, obtaining a brigadier general¡¯s rank? Now, it¡¯s about leveraging the family¡¯s high-level connections, vigorously promoting her, and directly lifting Yelisia up as a heaven-sent military star, an unparalleled genius fleet commander¡­ Give it a rest! With such an opportunity, even a pig could fly given the chance. Given to me, I could certainly do better than Yelisia! How many among the Fufana Family¡¯s young successors would think this way? I don¡¯t know, but at least the ones gathered here must have some such thoughts to varying degrees. However, such envious words were not easy to speak out loud. Yelisia did indeed represent the younger generation, her status there made them simply not on the same level. To voice such words would only bring ridicule upon themselves. But now that Yelisia was getting married, some words could come out, albeit with a different spin. During the idle chatter, someone abruptly tugged at his companion and made a meaningful look with his eyes. The rest followed the gaze, and a young woman dressed in an Imperial Navy major general¡¯s ceremonial uniform was passing by not far away. The talking ceased immediately. Even using Yelisia¡¯s marriage as an excuse, some things could be said in private, but there was no need¨Cand certainly no courage¨Cto say them to her face. And yet, Yelisia walked straight towards them. Her head held high, a slender, fair neck extended from the tight collar of her uniform, her gaze arrogantly and disdainfully looking down on the crowd, and on her shoulder, the star of a general shone brightly. Made uncomfortable by her gaze, and with a touch of guilt, someone started sheepishly: ¡°Sis¡­¡± Yelisia waved her hand as soon as the address came out. ¡°Major, you should address me as General.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The highest-ranking young major among them instinctively stood at attention and saluted, saying, ¡°Good day, General!¡± Yelisia¡¯s gaze then moved to the others. Those she looked at could only stand at attention and salute. To onlookers, there was nothing out of place about this scene. A group of junior naval officers standing in formation and waiting for a general¡¯s address, what was wrong with that? Looking at these cousins and junior officers before her, Yelisia originally wanted to say something sarcastic, like mocking them for not having outstanding academic performance at the naval college and not standing out in the military; even with the family¡¯s support, they were all ¡®good-for-nothing mud that wouldn¡¯t stick to the wall.¡¯ She had the right to say so. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They all came from the same family; was there any difference in their starting points? The family¡¯s power had been a great help; for example, it was extremely difficult for commoners and regular people to get into the Naval Academy, but the Fufana offspring could enter whenever they wished, and all were in the top classes. But within the family, weren¡¯t they all treated the same? And me, Yelisia, in the Naval Academy, all my results were top-notch, many first in the class, and I had maintained this for many years, always excelling throughout my academic career. That¡¯s why she had the confidence to earn the title of distinguished graduate, to fight for the rank of school officer upon graduation and become an acting captain. Her cousins, on the other hand, dangled at the back in terms of academic performance. Why compare themselves to her? And regarding that military exercise that catapulted Yelisia from acting captain to brigadier general, it wasn¡¯t specially prepared for her. It was just an opportunity that she seized; the family set the stage, and because she had the singing talent, she became the star. It was only after she had proven her abilities that the family¡¯s efforts paid off. Chapter 585 - Chapter 585: Chapter 340, Fufana_2 Chapter 585: Chapter 340, Fufana_2 That exercise, it wasn¡¯t just her from the Fufana Family who participated. So how come you younger brothers didn¡¯t have any tricks up your sleeves? Yelisia never denied that the Fufana Family gave her everything. Without the family, even hoping to enter the Naval Academy would be a luxury; even if she did get in, even if she excelled academically, without the family, even as valedictorian, she wouldn¡¯t be able to become a captain immediately. At most, she would mix in as a staff officer, starting from a certain position on some starship and then accumulating seniority. But others could say that, only these family members, just like her, this bunch of younger generations, had no right to say so. You had the same conditions, yet you couldn¡¯t achieve one-tenth of what I did, so what right do you have to be sarcastic here? However, in the end, Yelisia still didn¡¯t say a word. As she was about to speak out, looking at these younger ones standing before her, appearing somewhat uneasy, she suddenly found it all very meaningless. Bullying these people, whose level was far below her own, was pointless; The hopeless younger generation within the family was also pointless; The gossip they spoke about ¡®getting married¡¯ was even more meaningless to her. All those thoughts she wanted to spit out dissipated with a sigh. She waved her hand and called out for them to disperse. The young people, as if pardoned, quickly saluted and then scattered. And Yelisia, she no longer cared what these youngsters might fabricate about her ¡®throwing her weight around¡¯ behind her back. Feeling somewhat listless, she wandered from the hotel lobby to a temporary office. She knocked on the door, and after getting permission, she entered. In the office, there sat an old man. The cornerstone of the family, known to outsiders as Old Fufana, he was a war hero who had retired from the Imperial Navy with the rank of admiral. He had retired many years ago, but his influence still remained, both in the Tianma Fleet and across the entire Imperial Navy in the Star Domain. Yelisia had great admiration for her great-grandfather. Although, now Old Fufana looked just like any other ordinary, kindly old man. She sat down in front of her great-grandfather. Old Fufana lifted his head and said, ¡°Feeling upset?¡± Yelisia hesitated for a moment, but then nodded her head. There was nothing good to hide. ¡°Because of the engagement?¡± ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Yelisia said, ¡°I understand that families like ours need to establish and expand our influence through alliances by marriage. I just thought that I no longer needed to be chosen for an arranged marriage to demonstrate my worth.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Old Fufana said, ¡°Of course you don¡¯t need to. You are the brightest jewel of the Fufana, you don¡¯t need to prove your worth, your very existence is of value. The family does its utmost to help you become a general and will assist you in reaching higher positions in the future. We hope you will lead the entire family to greater heights. If you don¡¯t want this marriage, you certainly have a choice. I can tell Miss Wang Qi to end it all right now.¡± With the conversation having reached this point, it was Yelisia who hesitated: ¡°¡­No, there¡¯s really no need for that. I was just¡­¡± At this, she anxiously began to tousle her own hair. Old Fufana sighed and said, ¡°You see, little Yelisia, this is our destiny. We shoulder responsibility, and even if no one truly forces us, we still invariably take it all upon ourselves.¡± ¡°Little Yelisia, remember this: the Fufana Family has never been adept at grabbing power for its own sake; we have always dedicated our family for the empire, establishing our esteemed reputation by placing ourselves amidst the stars and seas. Our foundation lies in our ability, our merits.¡± ¡°But for a long time now, I have been disappointed to see the younger generations lacking the grace of their forebears. The family was supposed to be your support, but now it seems it has become a shackle for many. They have been raised too ¡®well¡¯ within the family, to the extent that they simply cannot withstand the storms of the outside world.¡± ¡°Your emergence gives me great comfort, little Yelisia. You have inherited the grace of our forebears. You are the best Fufana of the younger generation, and Gu Hang, that boy, seems to be the best among the Gu Clan. It¡¯s not about you marrying into the Gu family or him becoming a Fufana. Wang Qi and I simply mean that in the future, we need a ¡®union¡¯, a deeper union.¡± ¡°The situation in the Tianma Star Sector is going to become more and more chaotic, and the war in the Dragonhawk Star Domain against the Iron-toothed Green-Skinned Aliens will also intensify. Everything in the future is going to undergo colossal change. But my child, I might not live to see that day. And the Gu Clan and us, we have natural conditions for an alliance,¡± ¡°Bringing together the best of both sides, we need to withstand the storm together.¡± These words from her great-grandfather left Yelisia momentarily stunned. Old Fufana did not say much more, he just pushed a document on the table towards her. Yelisia asked, ¡°What is this?¡± Old Fufana said with a smile, ¡°Marriage will never be a shackle for you. Take a look at this first.¡± She picked up the document, glanced over it, and then looked at Old Fufana in surprise. ¡°Great-grandfather¡­ this¡­ you¡­ do you suggest I accept it?¡± ¡°I do not make any recommendations. Honestly, I do not know if it¡¯s good or bad, whatever choice you make, it¡¯s entirely up to you.¡± Yelisia was caught up in considerable turmoil. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush your response now. Perhaps, you should also discuss it with your fiance.¡± ¡°Fiance¡­¡± Upon hearing this term, Yelisia still felt quite awkward. ¡­ ¡°I do not make any recommendations. Honestly, I also do not know if this is good or bad, whatever choice you make, it¡¯s entirely up to you,¡± That¡¯s what Gu Hang said to Yelisia. He had just arrived at Flying Wing Star today and checked into a hotel. There were no customs preventing the betrothed from meeting before any engagement ceremonies, so after Gu Hang had settled in here, the first person he saw was his mother, Wang Qi, and the second person was his future wife, Yelisia Fu Fana. When the two first met, the atmosphere between them was somewhat awkward, even strained. But Gu Hang was not bad in this respect; using the topic of fighting side by side before, he guided the atmosphere between them back to normal. Afterward, Yelisia brought up a matter: She now had an ¡®opportunity,¡¯ or rather a ¡®challenge¡¯. The Naval Command of the Dragonhawk Star Domain wanted to redeploy half of the Tianma Fleet, leaving the defense zones of Tianma and several surrounding Star Sectors, to the Star Sectors occupied by the Iron-toothed Green-Skinned Aliens, to participate in the Green Skins war. This was no small matter. In the past, the Tianma Fleet had been ordered several times to participate in the Green Skins war, and almost every time, by the time the Tianma Fleet was called in, it meant the intensity of the war had already escalated to a significant level. That meant the risk was very high. The Iron-teeth Greenskins were not like the primitive Green Skins; their raiding fleets were numbered in the dozens, with many large warships as well. If Yelisia were to lead a team to the fallen Star Sectors, they would not only be supporting ground forces¨Ca relatively safe task¨Cbut they might also face a head-on decisive battle with the Green Skin Fleet. Naval battles were such that if you lost, there was no way out, and ship destruction meant certain death. This was a real war with real deaths, not something to joke about. Yelisia could choose not to go; she was a strategically important general raised by the Fufana Family, the hope for the next generation, and could not be sent off carelessly. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Yet, at the same time, this was an opportunity to earn honors. She shared her dilemma regarding this matter with Gu Hang. And Gu Hang, he spoke the same words as Old Fufana, leaving the choice entirely in Yelisia¡¯s hands. Then, he added, ¡°Although I¡¯m not certain, I think that if you want to go, I support you completely. Because that is you, that is the Yelisia I know and admire.¡± Yelisia¡¯s smiled radiantly. Chapter 586 - Chapter 586: Chapter 341, The Parting Flute and Xiao Chapter 586: Chapter 341, The Parting Flute and Xiao Gu Hang¡¯s previous statement, though a sign of great respect for Yelisia by leaving the choice to her, felt somewhat perfunctory due to their differing statuses. But the following one truly struck a chord with what Yelisia yearned for in her heart. Was she someone contented with the status quo? Was she someone satisfied with just being a representative of her family, becoming Gu Hang¡¯s wife, a symbol of the union between two families? No, she wasn¡¯t. Although Fufana hadn¡¯t explicitly stated it, his previous comment about ¡®placing oneself amidst the starry ocean to establish Fufana¡¯s prestige¡¯ had clearly laid out the old man¡¯s perspective. And then, Gu Hang precisely articulated her thoughts¨Cit was indeed her heart¡¯s desire. The man she trusted most in her past life, and theoretically, the man she should trust the most in her future, had both said the same. What more was there to hesitate about? Yelisia smiled at Gu Hang and asked, ¡°So, I¡¯m to leave right after our engagement, without knowing how long it¡¯ll be until the war ends. Will you wait for me all this time?¡± ¡°Of course, my lady, I will await the news of your victorious return.¡± ¡°After the war is over, we will get married.¡± Gu Hang felt there was something odd about this statement, but he didn¡¯t dwell on whether it was auspicious or not. He tentatively stretched out his hand and embraced Yelisia. The female general¡¯s body stiffened, unaccustomed and almost instinctively wanting to pull away. But she didn¡¯t. Following that, neither of them spoke. Feeling each other¡¯s body warmth, they both relaxed significantly. In fact, they both understood a truth: they had little emotional foundation to speak of, and precisely for that reason, they should make the most of the little time they had to foster such emotions. It was a thought born of rationality. But soon enough, all that rationality turned into sentiment. ¡­ The engagement ceremony uniting the Gu Clan and Fufana, even on the flourishing planet of Flying Wing Star, was a rare grand occasion. The grand, luxurious setup was secondary; more important were the attendees and the political implications of the event. There were two groups of people to mention. The foremost group included many of a neutral stance. In addition to representatives from the Empire Commerce Guild and the Imperial Navy, there were also members of the national religion, the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, and various other major merchants and capitalists¡­ These people attended this engagement ceremony. They all shared two characteristics: First, each had their own political or tangible strength but was not too powerful within the Star Sector. Second, they all wished to avoid getting involved in the ongoing struggle between the Fatches Family and the Star Sector Government dominating the Tianma Star Sector. Now, the union between the Gu Clan and Fufana suddenly stood as a banner, rallying these neutral forces together. Thus, the neutral parties, originally not weak but quite scattered, formed an alliance that was not very tight-knit but at least shared a common goal, uniting around the Gu Clan and Fufana. This, in turn, brought about the second wave of attendees. The Fatches Family sent representatives, and especially Korolya Governor Ivan Fatches, a rising star of the Fatches Family, flew in personally from Korolya. Meanwhile, Star Sector head Ivan Martinelli, as well as Flying Wing Star Governor Pei Desi, were also in attendance. These core figures from both opposing sides were all present. For outsiders, this demonstrated great respect to both families and to the engaged couple, Gu Hang and Yelisia. Even those with dire conflicts could temporarily set aside their differences and share a room for the engagement ceremony. In reality, however, they felt somewhat compelled. The previously overlooked neutral forces, now gathered together by the engagement ceremony, could no longer be ignored. They could not afford such a significant group leaning toward the other side, which would directly upset the balance of opposition. The neutral groups had a clear demand: You may continue your power struggle, as we cannot interfere anyway. But even so, there must be rules, fight within the limits, and do not go overboard. The chaotic and limit-free political strife that Tianma Star Sector had experienced over the past two years must end. The situation in Korolya, not showing any improvement and progressively worsening, had to be reversed. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Without a doubt, Ms. Nell Raouise, the Chief Tax Officer attending Gu Hang and Yelisia¡¯s engagement ceremony as the representative of the Star Domain Government, also stood with the neutral parties, posing the same demands to both sides of the political conflict. This forced both reluctant parties to sit at the same table and seriously discuss the matter. This was essentially an arrangement made by Wang Qi and Fufana, who deeply cared for the larger picture of the Star Sector, leveraging the engagement of two young people. And as the main characters of the engagement ceremony, the two of them had little interest in participating in the underlying matters. Not that they lacked the capacity to influence. Both had significant standing within their respective groups. It could even be said that the next generation of Fufana was to be managed by Yelisia, and the same went for the Gu Commercial Firm. They didn¡¯t need to wait for later; their words already carried immense weight now, especially for Gu Hang. Chapter 587 - Chapter 587: Chapter 341, The Farewell Flute and Xiao_2 Chapter 587: Chapter 341, The Farewell Flute and Xiao_2 But since there was an old hand at home, they didn¡¯t bother to get involved in areas that called for the old hand¡¯s experience and wisdom. Instead of engaging in deceit and intrigue, they preferred to cherish the final moments, to cultivate their relationship. Then, while those ¡°elders¡± were still negotiating and compromising without reaching a result, the two had to say goodbye. Six days after the engagement ceremony, Yelisia received her formal reassignment orders from the Imperial Navy. The mission consisted of five cruisers, including Quintet, Opera Cruiser, Cello, Final Mark, and Interlude Cruiser, accompanied by fourteen destroyers and thirty escort ships, excluding the smaller vessels not worth mentioning. The dispatched forces of Tianma Fleet made up more than half of its capacity; most of the ships had set sail, leaving only two cruisers behind. The expedition fleet was commanded by Tilermungs, the Vice Admiral of Tianma Fleet; his flagship was the ¡°Opera Cruiser.¡± Yelisia held the rank of Rear Admiral and served as the captain of ¡°Quintet¡± and also as the fleet¡¯s Deputy Commander, assisting Tilermungs. On Flying Wing Star, a grand deployment ceremony was held for the navy. The sailors of the many starships of Tianma Fleet mainly came from the Imperial Tax¨Cin plainer terms, from Korolya. However, most of the naval officers were locals from Flying Wing Star, graduates of the Flying Wing Naval Academy. Before departure, these local officers said their farewells to their wives, children, and parents amidst flying streamers and stirring music played on repeat, walking toward the starry sea under a bright sun, with their families¡¯ hopes and concerns in their hearts. After saying goodbye to her parents and family, Yelisia then stood before Gu Hang. Just like other young officers parting with their partners, they embraced and whispered sweet nothings to each other. A moment later, the urging ¡°beep beep beep¡± of the space elevator sounded, prompting them to part ways. Yelisia stepped back with her hands behind her, sunlight outlining her figure as she faced Gu Hang, smiling. ¡°I¡¯m off.¡± ¡°Return victorious.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The female general donned her military cap, waved with a smile, turned, and left, heading towards the battlefield that awaited her. ¡­ With Yelisia¡¯s departure, Gu Hang found he indeed missed her a little. He didn¡¯t suppress this emotion; he let it grow. This wasn¡¯t a bad thing. As for Yelisia¡¯s safety, no one could guarantee it. Separated by several star sectors, Gu Hang was powerless. All he could do was to dispatch a team into Quintet to ensure Yelisia¡¯s safety. This team consisted of five Phoenix members and one hundred of the Tenth Special Warfare Elites in exoskeletons. But in reality, their ability to make a difference was not that significant. In the warfare of the Star Sea, the losing side rarely had a way out, and Interstellar Warriors were not gods; no matter how strong, they couldn¡¯t save anyone when a starship exploded. The only situation where they could really make a difference was during boarding combat. As it happened, the Green Skin Orcs were one of the factions in the entire Star Sea that loved to engage in hit-and-run battles the most. With these hundred or so elites, at least in the event of hit-and-run battles, paired with the defense forces on board the Quintet, they should be able to play a significant role. ¡­ After Yelisia had left, Gu Hang himself didn¡¯t stay on the Flying Wing type for long; the next day he bid farewell to his mother and returned to Rage Owl Star. On the way, he made a brief stop at Korolya, where he, in his capacity as legion commander, visited his soldiers, particularly those who had just left the new recruit camps on Korolya and joined the Rage Bear Legion. In an army consisting of 320,000 people, although the numbers were complete and headquarters were assigned, it had not yet been fully established. The paperwork was already in place, and the tax currency totaling over 14 million had been provided to the league by the Military Affairs Department, transformed into orders for all the military supplies needed to arm these 320,000 people. But at present, these supplies were still in the order phase; after all, weapons and equipment couldn¡¯t just materialize out of thin air, they needed to be produced. The league was already working at full capacity on Rage Owl Star and on Heijian Star. According to negotiations between the league and representatives from the Military Affairs Department, within the next year, the league was to equip these 320,000 people completely. An official from the Military Affairs Department would stay here, and a representative from the Dragonhawk Third Legion, as allies, would also attend to supervise the matter. This meant that over the next year, beyond the league¡¯s own requirements, they had to produce an additional 600 or more tanks, over 3000 armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery, and tens of thousands of other military vehicles. As for other individual equipment, let¡¯s not even count company-level equipment. There was indeed pressure on production capacity. Reliance on Rage Owl Star alone to meet such a large production demand was somewhat challenging. After all, the wars on Heijian Star over the past two years had also resulted in a significant loss of weapons and equipment, and those tanks and armored vehicles had still not been replenished to date. Unless completely ceasing supply to other league forces and not expanding its own forces, it would be difficult to satisfy the demand of the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s new troops within a year. However, if Heijian Star could be included, then things would look better. On Heijian Star, centered around what used to be the capital of the Kingdom of Stefano, the Stefano Industrial Center had already launched a production line for Lion Tanks. With the increase in industrial population there and more production lines being laid out, as productivity gradually increased, it should also be able to take on some of the production burden from Rage Owl Star. After inspecting the military forces, Gu Hang also met with Colonel Li Kexi, a commander who had been striving on Heijian Star for a long time, and discussed the recent situation, as well as Li Kexi¡¯s views on the future. The situation, actually, wasn¡¯t much to talk about. The intensity of the battle in Korolya had never been too high, even though that Governor Fatches kept urging them to attack with all their might to resolve the issue as soon as possible, General Hansen, the chief commander here, did not heed those calls. In his words, Li Kexi still had quite an approval of General Hansen. They had discussed this issue before, with General Hansen assuring his subordinates that he would absolutely not engage in a ¡®political war¡¯. Whether or not to fight, and how to fight, would all be purely from a military standpoint. After all, he was the chief commander of the Star Realm Army; the Planetary Governor had no jurisdiction over him. This brings us to mention the views of Li Kexi and many Imperial officers on the front lines regarding the future. They were rather pessimistic. Fino City was like a giant black hole, continuously ¡®sucking¡¯ everything in its vicinity; the population kept taking losses, but due to some political reasons, the relocation of the established refugee camps wasn¡¯t quick enough. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As for the demand from politicians to push the military into Fino City and fully take back the entire Nest Capital, that was out of the question. ¡°With our current strength, we might have to send all of the more than twenty million troops from the entire Dragonhawk Legion in there to possibly accomplish this task.¡± ¡°But if that were to happen, what about the other cities?¡± ¡°Governor¡­ Legion Commander, please understand one thing: the problem with Korolya is far greater than imagined. The current military strength can only just barely prevent the situation from worsening. To resolve it, unless another thirty million from the Star Realm Army arrives, and decision-makers are willing to sacrifice twenty million from the Star Realm Army, it could truly be resolved. Otherwise, if what Ivan Fatches that blowhard said were to come true, adding a billion native troops, that too would solve the problem.¡± ¡°And it must be done quickly. Fifty million from the Star Realm Army, be prepared to lose twenty million, or a billion native Defense Forces¨Cthat¡¯s the current price for solving the problem. If we delay any further and the situation deteriorates, then what the price will be, nobody knows.¡± Chapter 588 - Chapter 588: Chapter 342, 4 years Chapter 588: Chapter 342, 4 years Four years had flown by, and this marked the fifth year that Lucy Lee Ko Xi fought in Korolya. Gazing at the ruined Fino City in the distance, he couldn¡¯t help but remember the meeting they had with Mr. Gu during his passage through Korolya, after the engagement ceremony on his way back to Rage Owl Star four years ago, as well as the conversation they had. At that time, he had been fighting on Korolya for less than a year. He remembered expressing his views on the war to Mr. Gu. He was a soldier, and before that, he couldn¡¯t even be considered one. Initially just a small merchant active in Rubbish Town, dealing in some daily necessities and ores, it wasn¡¯t until his wife and child died at the hands of the Green Skin aliens that he took up arms, swearing to kill all the Green Skins. Forming the Beast Slaughter Group was something that came later; back then, he was simply driven by hatred and determination. At that stage, he never imagined that by joining the alliance and improving his skills to better slay Green Skins, he would truly eradicate them all in a short time. The heavens-sent fire that seemed capable of destroying everything was something he still vividly remembered to this day. It was from then on that he turned his heart to steel, adopting the mindset of a soldier and serving the alliance. He had gone through the entire campaign for the unification of Rage Owl Star and was immediately sent to Korolya to combat the demonic threats. From initially being an acting commander, he now almost commanded the entire Rage Bear Legion¡¯s army of a million, and he had been formally promoted to the rank of Imperial Brigadier General a few years prior. But no matter how his identity had changed over the years, he always saw himself as a soldier and could only view things from a military perspective. The so-called military needs to resolve Korolya¡¯s problems that he proposed to Mr. Gu had come from this perspective. He also remembered that after hearing his suggestions, Mr. Gu let out a wry smile, sighed, and then said to him, ¡°It seems you will be staying in Korolya for many years.¡± A prophetic statement. Thinking like a soldier, Li Kexi found many things incomprehensible. For instance, he couldn¡¯t grasp why Mr. Gu knew at once that the solution he proposed was impossible to implement? Wasn¡¯t it a very simple task? Fifty million Star Realm Armed Forces, or a billion native troops ¨C these numbers might seem astronomical at first glance, but when put in the context of the Human Empire spanning across the galaxy, and Korolya with its population of forty billion, they appeared rather trivial. Within the Dragonhawk Star Domain alone, there are nine Army Groups named after the Star Domain itself, just like the Dragonhawk Legion. In addition, there are numerous other Star Realm Armed Forces units, similar to the Rage Bear Legion, with only the 3rd Army Group currently stationed in the Tianma Star Sector. In Li Kexi¡¯s view, it was always possible to squeeze out another Army Group from somewhere else. As for that one billion troops, it sounded alarmingly high but for Korolya¡¯s population of forty billion, it simply meant achieving a mobilization rate of 2.5%. He didn¡¯t ask Mr. Gu this question at the time, but over the years, he gradually figured out some reasons himself. For example, although the Empire had many troops, it had even more enemies, leaving no troops available to spare; mobilizing millions, or tens of millions of people at a high rate was relatively easy, but it was much harder with a population of forty billion. It wasn¡¯t just a difference in scale; it also reflected a demand on the governmental mobilization ability, not to mention that Korolya¡¯s finances couldn¡¯t support an army of ten billion at war. However, after understanding all these reasons, Li Kexi had more questions rather than fewer. The real difficulties certainly existed objectively, but¡­ it was a matter of life and death! Was it the time to talk about this difficulty or that difficulty when death was on the doorstep? Would they only stop talking about difficulties once the population of forty billion fell, and a lament composed of countless bodies, lives, and souls echoed in subspace, turning the entire Korolya into a super den of evil, radiating outwards to swallow the entire Star Sector and even the neighboring Star Sectors, evolving into a threat on the scale of the Iron-teeth Greenskins? He admitted he was full of grievances. He wasn¡¯t a Korolya person, but after fighting here for so long and witnessing countless Korolyans suffer, anyone would be moved. Even if only from a soldier¡¯s standpoint, he needed to know what the soldiers under his command and he himself were fighting for. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But no matter how great his grievances, they couldn¡¯t change the situation. The forces he had hoped would come to resolve the problem had not arrived in the past four years. And he could only watch his troops send countless bullets and shells to face those monsters; watch his brave soldiers fight and fall, only to be replaced by another batch¡­ Although the Rage Bear Legion had expanded, most of its forces now actually came from Korolya itself. Every two years, the Military Affairs Department would allocate a portion of the Imperial Tax received from Korolya, including a population part, to the Rage Bear Legion. One reason was to replenish the losses incurred by the Rage Bear Legion in previous battles, and the other was to further expand their forces. The Rage Bear Legion, which had expanded to five hundred thousand troops four years ago, now boasted a million-strong force, seemingly growing ever larger as they fought. Chapter 589 - Chapter 589: Chapter 342, Four Years_2 Chapter 589: Chapter 342, Four Years_2 Under this number, only 20% of the troops in the Rage Bear Legion were from the Alliance, maintaining roughly the same total number as before the military expansion, while the rest of the newly increased forces were primarily from Korolya itself. At the same time, as per Gu Hang¡¯s request, the newly formed units in the Rage Bear Legion had at least 10% of their personnel from the Alliance. As for weapons, equipment, and logistical supplies, the Alliance accepted orders directly from the Imperial Military Department for direct provision. Even after several rounds of expansion, the personnel composition of the Rage Bear Legion was predominantly Korolya people, but they still proved to be the best-performing division-level force on Korolya. Under the command of General Hans, the Rage Bear Legion always undertook very important tasks. Li Kexi asked himself honestly if they had fought hard enough. At the same time, he had considerable respect for the warriors of the Dragonhawk Legion ¨C 3rd Army Group, who fought alongside them; the Star Realm Army and some Planetary Defense Forces were indeed not the same concept. But still, they kept retreating. Four years ago, they could still maintain control over the top layer of Nest Capital in Fino City and occasionally launch military operations on the ground to snatch some resources, evacuate some civilians who were not infected, or strike at enemy clusters that were reported in the intelligence. Two years ago, they had almost completely withdrawn from the ground sections of Nest Capital, and even the top layers began to experience severe erosion. A year ago, the Star Realm Army already felt overwhelmed. Fino City had now become a dead zone, with virtually no military forces or living people serving the military anymore. Normal civilians, if not already evacuated in the past few years, were the ones who couldn¡¯t be saved anyway. Moreover, a year ago, there were more and more reports of plague infections and Plague Cult incidents in other nesting areas. Even in the planetary capital, Mingyan City, the Bottom Nest District was showing signs of getting out of control. The severely undermanned Korolya Defense Forces, which had barely expanded to two hundred million, simply could not manage so many super-large-scale Nest Capitals. In some severe areas, the Star Realm Army had to divide their forces to deal with them. This severely weakened the control of the Star Realm Army over the situation in Fino City. Therefore, a year ago, General Hans made a decision to completely withdraw all forces from Fino City and no longer waste resources there. All troops left the Nest Capital within a month, taking with them all the healthy people they could. Following that, a cruiser of the Imperial Navy, along with several destroyers, began to coordinate strikes against Fino City. This strike was carried out in a manner of extermination. There could no longer be any more hesitations; they planned to completely destroy the entire Fino City, to eradicate this biggest den of evil and source of infection. This way, whether it be the Star Realm Army freed up or the local Defense Forces, they could deploy the freed up forces into other Nest Capitals to resolve problems that were still resolvable. Anyway, Fino City was beyond saving. However, what happened later proved that this decision was made too late. Heavenly fire descended, and that orbital strike was even grander than what Li Kexi had seen on Rage Owl Star when bombarding the Green Skin Orcs. After all, in addition to a cruiser, several destroyers also participated in the bombardment. They weren¡¯t just conducting a single round of strikes but planned to carry out multiple, super-saturated orbital bombings. If destruction was the goal, then it had to be ensured that it was carried out completely and thoroughly. However, after the bombardment began, the first few rounds were quite effective; the upper district of Fino City was basically destroyed. Then, above the half-ruined Fino City, a layer of purple-green luminescent membrane emerged, blocking the strikes from orbit. Although it wasn¡¯t quite the same as conventional shields, in the end, they confirmed that what appeared over the skies of Fino City was a Void Shield. A special kind of Void Shield powered by Subspace Dark Magic. This was far too astonishing; even at this point, people realized that during these few uncontrolled years, beneath the festering wounds that even the Star Realm Army couldn¡¯t deal with, those Plague Cultists had already developed to such an extent! While General Hans urgently called a meeting, preparing to discuss how to deal with the Void Shield enshrouding Fino City, allowing the orbital strike to continue, the situation took a further turn. From the holes in the destroyed upper district of Fino City, dozens of dark green missiles streaked through Korolya¡¯s dusky atmosphere and shot straight into the sky. Immediately sensing something ominous, General Hans urgently contacted the Imperial Navy in orbit. Indeed, they had been struck. The Plague Cult in Fino City now not only possessed Void Shields, protecting their already owned city from orbital bombardment, but even further developed countermeasures. This type of anti-orbital firepower was, without a doubt, a direct threat to the Imperial Navy¡¯s fleet. The Imperial Navy had not anticipated this at the beginning; the ¡°Concerto¡± cruiser didn¡¯t even activate its Void Shield and took a solid hit. It was understandable that they didn¡¯t raise their shields. They weren¡¯t engaging in a naval battle against another fleet, and in their original expectations, they never thought they would be hit. Whether it was a Void Shield or an energy shield, activating them requires a significant amount of energy, and that¡¯s expensive. But it was this oversight that caused considerable losses. The cruiser was strong enough to sustain a hit, suffering only damage, which wasn¡¯t a big problem¨Cit could just go back for repairs. However, a destroyer that also hadn¡¯t activated its energy shield was very unlucky and took six hits, one of which penetrated the power cabin, causing an internal explosion. Therefore, the Korolya people, in the right location, could look up at the sky and see a huge firework explode above. The loss of a destroyer was by no means a small matter. Any one of Tianma Fleet¡¯s combat destroyers cost no less than 1.3 billion. Using the exchange rate of ten Tax Currency for one soldier, this was the life of 130 million soldiers. Moreover, on that fully staffed destroyer, there were more than 40,000 naval soldiers. All of them were gone in the explosion. The chaotic Navy fleet immediately activated their Void Shields and energy shields, and then bombarded the planet¡¯s surface even more fiercely. This exchange of fire between the orbit and the surface lasted for three days. Li Kexi and his comrades surrounding Fino City watched a very splendid ¡®fireworks show¡¯ for three days. And this ground-orbit bombardment war eventually ended with the Imperial Navy giving up. In the last communication deciding the matter, the commander of the Imperial Navy, with a quite embarrassing attitude, made it clear to Hans that they would not continue the fight. On one hand, they were running out of ammunition. On the other hand, and more importantly, they saw no hope of victory. Although throughout these three days, the Imperial Navy always held the initiative¨Cthey could bombard whenever they wanted and if not, just fly to the other side of the planet¡¯s orbit to avoid the enemy¡¯s fire, waiting for their energy shields to recover before coming back. Precisely because of this initiative, the Imperial Navy didn¡¯t suffer any further losses. But obviously, they had no real way of dealing with Fino City. With their ships continuously driven away from orbit by the Plague Cult¡¯s anti-orbital fire, the orbital firepower never reached its initial saturation level over the three days and thus could not completely break Fino City¡¯s Void Shield. General Hans was quite dissatisfied, questioning the Navy why they didn¡¯t dare to persist despite the casualties, to completely destroy the Void Shield? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Navy seniors refused to be outdone, arguing that losing one ship was already a major loss, and they certainly did not want to risk losing another. In their words, it was: ¡°The value of any single ship is worth more than all the lives on the ground combined. Rather than have us risk our necks, you should launch a ground assault. As long as you destroy their anti-orbital firepower, I will continue the bombardment of the planet¡¯s surface.¡± This statement infuriated General Hans, but what the other side said, although it might not be the truth, was probably not far off. Neither side could convince the other to bear the sacrifice, so a fierce war of words ensued, with both sides hurling verbal assault at each other, but the obvious result was that neither would be persuaded to endure the sacrifice. This matter was thus dragged on, right up to now, for a whole year. Chapter 590 - Chapter 590: Chapter 343, Creeping City Chapter 590: Chapter 343, Creeping City The commander of the Tianma Fleet providing orbital support in Korolya made a judgment that wasn¡¯t really problematic. The Navy couldn¡¯t possibly exchange fire with the surface¡¯s anti-orbital firepower under these circumstances. It was unrealistic. With an entire planet¡¯s surface that ¡°never falls¡± as defense, without resolving the anti-orbital firepower and the Void Shield, this battle couldn¡¯t be fought. The Void Shield was actually a secondary concern; even if it were broken, they could simply hide the anti-orbit cannons in the Bottom Nest District, distributing them so they could still exchange fire. Is the Starship tough, or is the planet¡¯s surface tough? This was obvious. They demanded the Land Forces deal with the anti-orbital firepower or else they refused to continue fighting, which wasn¡¯t an unreasonable demand. But¡­ Having fought in Fino City for so long, the brothers in the Land Forces clearly understood just how terrifying things inside the city were. Although they weren¡¯t trying to independently seize Fino City, but merely to enter the Nest Capital to find and destroy the anti-orbit points and preferably shut down the Void Shield, General Hans simply couldn¡¯t estimate how many people under his command would have to die to achieve this goal. It was said that the Star Realm Army wasn¡¯t afraid of sacrifice, but the key issue was if they all died, what about the matters that followed? Moreover, who could truly not fear death? They hadn¡¯t been able to enter the Bottom Nest District of Fino City for two years. If they forced their way, the Bottom Nest District would swallow up everyone daring to enter. And even as elite as the Star Realm Army was, it couldn¡¯t withstand a war with casualty rates so high they were fundamentally incalculable. At first, these Star Realm Army units gathered around Fino City, extremely anxious, afraid that a Plague Army of tens of millions might rush out, and then things would become uncontrollable. But that scenario never happened. It had been a year since they retreated from the Nest Capital and the orbital strike failed, and since the Navy had refused to continue fighting, and the situation around Fino City was surprisingly calm. Although this calm was quite nerve-wracking, those Plague cultists had proven their fierceness. Not dealing with the Bottom Nest District¡¯s issues over the past few years allowed the enemy to develop the Void Shield and anti-orbit cannons. Now, with the entire city in their hands and silently working for a year, who knew what other major activities they could have prepared? But despite being anxious, what could be done? The Star Realm Army couldn¡¯t just station so many people indefinitely in this place where no war was happening. As the issues with the other Nest Capitals worsened, and since there had been no movement in Fino City for a long time, gradually, units were redeployed elsewhere to suppress the Cult and the Rebel Army. But even with disturbances elsewhere, they didn¡¯t dare to relax too much in Fino City. Even now, at the times of least activity, there were at least five million from the Star Realm Army and ten million from the Planetary Defense Force ¡°basking in the sun¡± and keeping watch. Many people, like Lucy Lee Ko Xi, could indeed see that Fino City was a huge ticking time bomb. Nobody knew when it would explode, but without a doubt, there would be a time when it did. However, when the day of the explosion finally arrived, everything still felt so sudden and overwhelming. And that moment was right now. Li Kexi was still gazing distantly at the massive Nest Capital, lost in thought about the past, when he suddenly felt the entire city seem to move slightly. He snapped out of his reverie instantly. At first, he suspected that he might be seeing things. That would¡¯ve been quite normal. The air in Korolya was filled with yellow dust. Non-toxic, or to say its toxicity was negligible, but no one wanted to inhale a noseful, a lungful of dust. The troops were issued corresponding breathing masks to filter out these harmful particles, while some of the local Defense Forces without such equipment had no choice but to wrap scarves around their faces several times to make do. And this dust, lingering in the air, made the sunlight projected from the sky dim and obscured all day long, making it difficult to see clearly. Seeing illusions after staring at something for too long in such abnormal atmospheric refraction was quite a normal occurrence, wasn¡¯t it? But what happened next mercilessly shattered Li Kexi¡¯s last bit of wishful thinking. He saw the entire Nest Capital come to life! Those steel structures that were motionless in his sight began to warp and writhe right before his eyes. Considering that he could see such twisting from so far away, one could imagine how terrifying the distortion would be up close. A great unease rose in his heart. What was going to happen next? He didn¡¯t know, he didn¡¯t know at all. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He rushed back to headquarters, urging his subordinates to quickly bring back intelligence. Even though they had completely withdrawn from the city, they hadn¡¯t completely relaxed their surveillance over Fino City. The main base was set up dozens of kilometers away from the city, but at closer range there were outposts; inside the city, there were even a few surveillance points. When pressured, they would temporarily withdraw; when the pressure eased, they would go back and establish a few more observation points. In any case, they couldn¡¯t be completely ignorant about this den of evil. The situation was very grim. All the surveillance points were out of contact. And the troops from the advance encampments were experiencing air raids by the enemy emerging from the Nest Capital. A massive swarm of Plague Flies enveloped the advance encampments. The military¡¯s air defense firepower was already doing its utmost to cover the brothers in the advance encampments, with some artillery units even loading airburst shells to strike around one kilometer ahead of the advance camp¡¯s position. As the Plague Fly Swarm generally didn¡¯t fly very high, airburst shells detonating at heights of around ten or twenty meters could inflict substantial damage on these flying creatures, the size of a human¡¯s torso¨Cespecially since they liked to move in dense formations. Chapter 591 - Chapter 591: Chapter 343, Creeping City_2 Chapter 591: Chapter 343, Creeping City_2 Under the cover of various types of firepower, the soldiers in the advancing camp finally retreated. Though they suffered significant losses, they still managed to bring back valuable intelligence. Just as Li Kexi had seen from a distance, the entire city had come to life. The architectural skin, once made of steel and concrete, began to writhe like a living organism and started to be enveloped by a layer resembling flesh and organic tissue. This was very bad news, but for the moment, no one knew what these changes would lead to. Li Kexi was called by General Hans to attend a military meeting while, at the same time, the Star Realm Army continued to dispatch reconnaissance units to closely observe the transformation of the Nest Capital. In the following days, various pieces of intelligence kept coming in. Buildings turned into irregular, pus-filled flesh; a multitude of twisted limbs, Plague Demons, undead, and Plague Fly Swarms wriggled and fluttered about in the cavities. The entire Nest Capital had ¡®come alive¡¯! They didn¡¯t lack the will to change the situation, but even when there had been no change, they could hardly penetrate Fino City, let alone now. The plague creatures were furiously violent, becoming more aggressive and even more powerful. Moving the artillery into range to fire at the awakening Nest Capital proved ineffective. The enemy barely bothered to activate their Void Shield at first¨Cafter all, what does the bombardment from heavy howitzer shells amount to against an entire Nest Capital? It wasn¡¯t until later, after much bombardment, that they lazily turned on the shield as a token of respect, completely crushing any hopes harbored by the Star Realm forces. Then something even more terrifying happened: the living Nest Capital started to move. It largely maintained the appearance of a city or Nest Capital, with many buildings connected by original pipes, roads, foundations, and subterranean structures, forming a huge mass of flesh resembling a city-monster. ¡®Living¡¯ things are able to move¨Cit seems like the natural order of things, right? But when all of this truly unfolded before them, they still felt their scalps tingle. When an enormous Nest Capital capable of housing a billion people began to advance toward the Star Realm forces with the momentum of a mountain bearing down on them, only the thought of ¡®fear¡¯ remained in their hearts. The Nest Capital slithered forward on the ground, and the observed speed wasn¡¯t fast¨Cjust a little over two kilometers an hour, even slower than a walking pace. But what was terrifying was that it never stopped, day or night! In just one day, ¡®Fino City¡¯ had inched forward almost thirty kilometers! Even the elite Star Realm Army started to show signs of unrest, not to mention the ordinary Planetary Defense Force. The main force was stationed dozens of kilometers away from the Nest Capital, which seemed quite far, but just one day later, it was almost within reach. And in that moment, the leaders of the Star Realm Army had yet to come to any conclusion in their meeting. Some insisted on holding the line, arguing there was no reason to retreat due to the difficulty of the battle. If they retreated, what else on this planet could possibly stand against such a crawling city? But more people felt they couldn¡¯t hold it off¨Cwhat were they to use? The flesh and blood of millions of people? That wouldn¡¯t be enough for the crawling Nest Capital to swallow in one bite! And after the chaos of the first day passed without achieving a consensus, the commanders of the Star Realm Army didn¡¯t have to continue their discussions. The rank-and-file soldiers had already made the decision for them. The first to collapse were the Planetary Defense Forces from Korolya itself. When the crawling city was less than twenty kilometers away, slowly but relentlessly pressing forward, they instinctively began to run backwards. At first, before fleeing, they managed to gather their belongings, but before they could finish, an hour passed and the monstrous shadow had approached significantly closer. Who would dare continue packing? Time to run for it! This was almost a mutiny, the kind not even the military police could control, Furthermore, were the military police not afraid themselves? They were just as scared. After the collapse of the Planetary Defense Force, the Star Realm Army fell apart as well. Involuntarily, out of sheer necessity. The Star Realm Army could fight a desperate battle against a vicious enemy under a sky filled with artillery fire, and on a microscopic level, many soldiers harbored thoughts of fighting to the death, even if it meant undertaking a suicide mission, it was not out of the question. But the current situation was too extraordinary. One dares to die because there¡¯s hope, clinging to the sacrifice of one for the victory of the greater good. But now? Nobody knew how to achieve victory, let alone entertain the thought of taking the enemy down with them before dying. Take who down? This was simply not something human strength could contend with! In such an overwhelming situation, what was the point in holding military meetings? General Hans had thrown quite a temper tantrum, but in the end, he could only sigh and order a full retreat of the troops. But¡­ retreat, how easy could that be? Humans could move faster than ¡®Fino City¡¯, but they couldn¡¯t march continuously for 24 hours without sleep. Humans needed to sleep, to rest, to eat. At the level of an army, the troops needed to be organized, there had to be logistical support¡­ Chased by the creeping Nest Capital that moved thirty kilometers a day, leave alone the possibility of being caught up, just running like this would scatter the entire army¡¯s structure. Under such compelling circumstances, General Hans made two decisions. The troops began to scatter and flee to both sides, avoiding the march route of ¡®Fino City¡¯. It couldn¡¯t possibly chase after individuals, could it? Even if it did chase, it could only pursue in one direction. Secondly, a few platoons were organized into daredevil teams, attempting to counterattack the city. Those who dared to go against the current were undoubtedly brave. Then, they saw two platoons, just as they were approaching, the ¡®skin¡¯ of the creeping Nest Capital cracked open, and dark green heavy artillery covered the sky above them. The troops were vigilant and brave enough; facing the artillery fire, they accelerated their vehicles in a charge and tried to retaliate against those protruding gun muzzles with some vehicle-mounted weapons. Subsequently, the not inconsiderable losses of the troops burst into the city at once. The creeping Nest Capital maintained the general shape of the city, but every inch of ¡®ground¡¯ was like a meat carpet that dragged the Nest Capital along, gnawing out a huge scar that was several hundred meters deep on the Earth¡¯s surface, continuously creeping forward. They stepped onto what was once a road but was now just a writhing flesh carpet, and continued to charge into the ¡®city¡¯. Then, a plethora of monsters surged out of the oozing flesh buildings of Neili, and soon they could no longer keep advancing, fighting a bitter battle with the hoards of Plague Demons in the midst of the Nest Capital. ¡°We¡¯re about to¡­ los, los, los¡­ lose everything¡­ we will activ¡­ bombs¡­ For the Empire!¡± The communication signal, which should have been maintained with the command center at all times, became extremely unstable upon their entry into the Nest Capital. The statement above was the last message transmitted back from one platoon. Then, the commanders, observing from a distance with military binoculars, saw a shallow area of the Nest Capital explode. Several flesh buildings burst open with massive gaps, and the flames violently surged for a moment. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Since they were already on a doomed mission, each platoon carried powerful bombs¨Cthermite bombs, nuclear incendiary bombs, they used them all. The destructive power was significant, but not enough to destroy a city. Not to mention, this was no ordinary city. The flames were quickly extinguished, the damaged parts resembled massive pus-filled sores, not repaired but also not affecting much. And the creeping Nest Capital only slightly slowed its pace, pausing for about twenty minutes, before continuing its march once again. Chapter 592 - Chapter 592: Chapter 344: Plague Marks Chapter 592: Chapter 344: Plague Marks ¡°` Standing in the command bridge, Gu Hang gazed at the Korolya III outside the window, speechless for a long time. It was a withered yellow planet. Less than one tenth of the planet¡¯s surface was covered by water bodies, and from orbit, they looked a sickly yellow-green, far from anything salubrious¨Cand indeed that was the case; the water on Korolya III was undrinkable, filled with industrial wastewater and poisonous substances that seeped out of the overly exploited crust. Even after multiple filtrations and purifications, it was still not recommended for use, failing to meet safety standards. What¡¯s more, on this broken land of Korolya, the purification process could not be completely guaranteed. But no one cared; nearly all the Korolya people used this water. What else if not this water? Could the water needed for a population of forty billion be imported through interstellar trade? Aside from the small proportion of water bodies, the rest of the planet was parched yellow. There was no vegetation, just desert as far as the eye could see. The ground was yellow, the atmospheric clouds were yellow, even the air in some places was yellow. Within this vast expanse of desolation, there were a few dozen large, grey-black ¡®spots¡¯, which when combined, covered a substantial area visible from orbit. These spots were the regions of Nest Capital. Each Nest Capital on Korolya was home to a population ranging from a few hundred million to several billion. And now, one of these Nest Capitals was particularly conspicuous. It was not particularly large, being quite average, but behind it trailed a long tail that stretched for over a thousand kilometers. Gu Hang knew it was moving, although it was not immediately apparent; its forward speed of about two kilometers per hour was virtually imperceptible from orbit, and Gu Hang could not possibly stay here and stare at it for a long time. But he knew it was moving. This was Fino City, and over the past month of its creeping progression, it had created a trench several hundred meters deep and tens of kilometers wide, known as the ¡®Trace of Plague¡¯. The Star Realm Army was powerless against it, and the Tianma Fleet, with its main force absent, was also unable to do anything. Yet this crawling Nest Capital continued with an attitude that seemed slow but was in fact resolute, advancing towards its target. A week earlier, it had reached its destination: another Nest Capital. This Nest Capital was relatively small, but it still housed over three hundred million people. After realizing that Fino City¡¯s target was this Nest Capital, people all over the planet had already been doing their utmost to come up with solutions. On one hand, the Nest Capital was frantically evacuating its inhabitants, but the process was not going smoothly. Unrest had broken out in the Bottom Nest District of this Nest Capital, and the Plague Cult had a certain level of infiltration there. Brainwashed cult followers, chanting slogans about ¡®becoming one with the fatherly figure¡¯, did their best to destroy and obstruct evacuation efforts. Apart from the interference from cult followers, evacuating three hundred million people was in itself, a massive and impossible task. The internal transportation of the Nest Capital was fairly developed, but ¡®intercity transportation¡¯, which was originally designed for the flow of materials, commercial trade, and a small number of high-ranking personnel, had never considered having to deal with the movement of several hundred million people all at once. Traffic jams within the Nest Capital were almost unavoidable. On the other hand, in addition to the efforts of the Nest Capital itself, the Star Realm Army and the Planetary Defense Force had finally assembled and launched an Army Group-grade operation against Fino City. A million-strong force bravely stood in front of Fino City. Heavy artillery bombarded every living building, armoured vehicles, tanks, and courageous soldiers stepped onto the carpet of flesh and blood, using flamethrowers and bombs to inflict as much damage as possible on the city. But their actions ultimately failed. The number of Plague Demons inside Fino City was far greater than that of the brave human warriors. They were fiercely counterattacked by the Plague Demons and the grotesquely mutated cult followers. They couldn¡¯t even make it close to the core of the city, being blocked at the outer perimeter. Moreover, this was no longer human territory; the fleshed environment harboured immense malice towards humans. Structures built for cover could be animated and turn back to swallow the soldiers hiding behind; a cleared area of flesh carpet, the trenches and foxholes dug out, where soldiers still fought valiantly, would after a short while begin oozing pus from underneath, corroding the soldiers¡¯ uniforms, armor, and then their skin; entering a building for combat, the structure itself might collapse the next moment¡­ In contrast, their enemies could utilize the entire animated city to swiftly and stealthily appear anywhere¡­ Fino City had become a hell of flesh and blood for humans. And battling those Plague Demons within this hell was simply an impossible task. The million-strong force collapsed after suffering over two hundred thousand casualties. Even if they hadn¡¯t collapsed, they genuinely lacked the capability to fight any longer. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only There were significant additional losses during the retreat. And after so high a cost, they had only managed to delay Fino City¡¯s advance by about five days before it set off once again. When Fino City made contact with the other Nest Capital, at least a hundred million people had not managed to evacuate in time. Then, those on the outside bore witness to a ¡®fusion of cities¡¯. ¡°` Chapter 593 - Chapter 593: Chapter 344, The Scar of Plague_2 Chapter 593: Chapter 344, The Scar of Plague_2 Physical integration. Fino City moved like a colossal beast of flesh, wrapping its tentacles, every part of itself, around every building and structure of Nest Capital. Where it enveloped, biological signs of life began to synchronize. Within just three days, Fino City had devoured the entire Nest Capital along with the hundred million people who had not managed to escape. Then, it paused, stopping for what appeared to be a week. It was ¡®digesting¡¯. Today, Gu Hang learned from intelligence gathered on the planet¡¯s surface that ¡®Fino City¡¯ had likely finished its digestion and officially resumed movement. Its next target was Korolya¡¯s largest Nest Capital, also the central city with a population of three billion: Mingyan City. The two locations were 2,700 kilometers apart. According to the speed of Fino City, it would reach its destination in three months. Even more terrifying was the thought that it might plan to visit each of the dozens of Nest Capitals on Korolya at a speed of two kilometers per hour, approximately thirty kilometers a day. It would consume the entire planet. As Gu Hang watched all this, he felt a profound sense of powerlessness. He had arrived in Korolya¡¯s orbit today, invited by Nell Lavis. This Star Domain¡¯s Chief Tax Officer now had an emergency commission granted by the Star Domain Government to resolve the Korolya III issue. Gu Hang had already learned about the situation on Korolya through star communication. But reading the report was entirely different from standing on the bridge of a starship in planetary orbit and witnessing the massive sore on this huge planet with his own eyes. ¡°What¡¯s the solution?¡± Gu Hang muttered to himself. Even he was at a loss. The Alliance had been growing remarkably fast over the past four years. Heijian Star¡¯s three industrial hubs had absorbed a huge population, industrialization was rapid; agriculture had essentially been mechanized, further boosting output while significantly reducing the dependent population. The population on Rage Owl Star grew to 110 million through immigration and pro-birth policies, and productivity kept on rising rapidly along with the increase in population. The annual output of the two planets had exceeded six hundred million; while quality of life was continually improving, financial surpluses could still reach nearly 150 million a year with annual taxes at only 45 million. Everything was on the right track. The Alliance no longer needed to pay a human tax; they could even reinvest the abundant output. The future seemed so bright. Given another four years, or perhaps a bit longer, Gu Hang could create two prosperous, powerful planets with his strong technology. But before that, the neighboring Korolya presented him with a massive debacle. Gu Hang had considered that if Korolya continued to deteriorate, it would eventually spiral out of control. But this happened too quickly. No matter how fast and well the Alliance developed, it was still too small to fill the massive hole left by Korolya. Of course, this was not his responsibility in the first place. This is the duty of the Empire. Actually, it¡¯s not that the Empire really has no way to deal with such things. Some land forces¡¯ equipment, such as the ¡®Grand General Cannon,¡¯ can pose a terrifying threat to Void Shields, overloading even city-level shields after a few shots, and then with one more shot, nearly destroy a city; there are also some powerful bombs that can be carried in to blow up the city. Not to mention, there is an even more fearsome weapon nearby: starships. If the Empire were to issue an Extinction Order on a planet, there are actually many ways to do so. The most straightforward is for starship cannons to meticulously, comprehensively, and devastatingly strike the planet¡¯s surface, blasting every inch of it clean, also known as ¡®glassing.¡¯ Of course, there are other ways to carry out an Extinction Order. ¡®Glassing¡¯ with ship cannons is actually quite costly, as it uses a lot of ammunition, is expensive, and takes a considerable amount of time, so it¡¯s not common. But when an Extinction Order needs to be carried out and no other weapons are readily available, they¡¯ll have to make do with what they have. However, ordering a fleet to bomb requires ensuring that there is no threat to orbit from the ground; otherwise, instead of executing an Extinction Order, it turns into a shoot-out with the planet¡¯s anti-orbital firepower. Even with other Extinction Order weapons, like Neutron Purge, Skyburn Torpedoes, or Planet-burst Annihilator¡­ these weapons don¡¯t require as high a level of orbital security, but it¡¯s still best to ensure a certain safety before launch. Neutron Purge is used to exterminate all organic life forms on a planet¡¯s surface. Its advantage is that after the neutron storm subsides, the planet can be recolonized and used again, but the disadvantage is that it¡¯s expensive and some individuals may find deep hiding places to escape extinction. Planet-burst Annihilator can directly penetrate the crust and detonate the core, shattering the planet. Of course, this doesn¡¯t mean blowing the planet to smithereens¨Cthe matter itself will still exist as gravity will maintain the state of a planet, but this is just astronomical in nature. In reality, the entire planet is shattered and recombined by gravity, turning it into a molten state, making it impossible for anything to survive. The effect of this weapon is the best, but it is also the most expensive and rarest. Compared with the former two, Skyburn Torpedoes mainly ignite the atmosphere, burning all gases while scorched the planet¡¯s surface; the planet, when seen from a cosmic perspective, will look like a burning amber for several days. However, like the previous weapons, there is also the possibility of individuals deeply hidden escaping extinction; and after burning, the planet is also wasted, but the advantage is that it¡¯s much cheaper. But even the cheapest Skyburn Torpedoes almost cost as much as a cruiser. The price of Extinction Order weapons themselves is so high, and their breakthrough effectiveness isn¡¯t great¨Cif the enemy has strong anti-orbital firepower, they are easily intercepted. If intercepted once, an Extinction weapon is written off, and that¡¯s not sustainable. In short, on an entire Imperial level, if an Extinction Order can be executed, let alone the destruction of a city¨Ceven if the Nest Capital is moving. However, when it comes to the Tianma Star Sector, and especially to Korolya III, there is just no way. Enacting an Extinction Order on Korolya is nonsense. So many people live on this planet, along with other industries valued at hundreds of billions, even trillions of Tax Currency. Without reaching a completely irretrievable state, such a decision would not be made. And to obliterate ¡®Fino City,¡¯ weapons like the Colossal Cannon or the Light Spear Array on the starships would suffice. But the problem lies in the inability to resolve the ground-based Void Shield and anti-orbital forces. Using starships to bombard the ground is foolish; your fleet may be formidable, but the opponent is truly a planet. The firepower that starships can be equipped with is limited, as is the armor and the supportable energy shield. For stronger firepower, thicker armor, or more abundant energy, the starship must be larger, but a larger size means the cost skyrockets exponentially. However, on the surface of a planet, these problems don¡¯t exist. Firepower? Fit as many cannons as you can; there¡¯s no lack of space; don¡¯t worry about armor, no ship¡¯s armor is thicker than the ground itself; energy shields or Void Shield generators don¡¯t have to consider size¨Con the surface or underground, there¡¯s ample space to accommodate¡­ This is akin to a stationary, yet unassailable, starship! If the Land Forces can¡¯t take out the anti-orbital firepower, the Tianma Fleet can¡¯t wipe out Fino City. But obviously, the current land forces on Korolya can¡¯t do it. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Unless the main forces of the Tianma Fleet were urgently recalled from the battlefield against the Green Skin Orcs. Even if they abandon all concerns and immediately withdraw from the battlefield, but¡­ will it be in time? To cross multiple star sectors and return to Korolya might also take three to four months. By then, Mingyan City would be gone. If the creeping Nest Capital is greatly strengthened again, the strength of the Void Shield and the Anti-Orbit Sinister Energy Cannon will likely be further increased. By the time the main forces of the Tianma Fleet arrive, the problem may still not be solvable. If it reaches that point, considering an Extinction Order might be a bit too late. Chapter 594 - Chapter 594: Chapter 345, Turns Out My House Caught Fire Chapter 594: Chapter 345, Turns Out My House Caught Fire ¡°Mr. Gu, the meeting is about to start,¡± a servant reminded from behind. Gu Hang nodded slightly, turned around, and left for the starship¡¯s battle conference room. As a special envoy of the Star Domain, Lois¡¯s first task in resolving the Korolya issue was to gather the heads of all influential factions within the Star Sector. Then watch them quarrel. At present, the Tianma Star Sector had gradually formed a triangular political pattern, which was much more stable than the tumultuous two years following Pei Desi¡¯s death. Although the two Ivans, the Parliamentary Faction and Fatches, never ceased their strife, the emergence of a third neutral faction led by Fufana and the Gu Clan played mediator. Fighting was permissible, but should anyone go too far, the third party would intervene. In such a scenario, although it didn¡¯t stop the two sides from sabotaging each other, the situation had somewhat improved. However, the problem with Korolya was a core conflict; the neutral faction could at best only maintain the status quo. And now, a major incident had occurred. Fatches and the Parliamentary Faction had resumed their fierce, non-solution-focused conflict. At one moment, Fatches would demand an immediate movement towards declaring Korolya a Battle Zone, halt the payment of Imperial Tax, and call for increased commitment from the Star Realm Army inside the Star Domain, insisting at least another Army Group be transferred here. They also needed substantial military aid to arm Korolya¡¯s local Defense Forces. They claimed that if their needs had been met earlier by amassing fifty million Star Realm soldiers and one billion Planetary Defense Force troops, the issue would have been resolved long ago, without dragging on to this extent. On the other side, the Star Sector¡¯s leadership would curse Ivan Fatches, calling him incompetent and foolish, claiming that Korolya¡¯s corruption and inefficiency were the real culprits behind the worsening situation. In recent years, through population exports and accepted aid, Korolya had already acquired plenty of resources. Coupled with its production capabilities and large populous base, it had every capacity to arm itself. However, the abysmal performance of the Korolya government turned everything to ashes, leading to the current deplorable state. Fatches promptly retorted with similar scathing remarks, accusing the Star Sector Government of being utterly useless and only capable of hindrance, claiming that Flying Wing Star, as the capital planet, had provided less support than Fatches single-handedly. The Parliamentary Faction immediately retorted by insinuating that the Fatchess Tri-Star hadn¡¯t taken the crisis seriously at all, only focusing on their own power struggles while completely disregarding the lives of Korolya¡¯s people¡­ They blamed each other, attacked each other, but none could offer a solution. Lois, sitting to the side with an ashen face, couldn¡¯t help but speak up. Originally, she wanted to put an end to this meaningless squabble and refocus on resolving the real issues. But in the end, she, too, was dragged into the argument. ¡®Resolving the real issues,¡¯ sounds nice. But how? It was precisely because there was no solution that they could only resort to hurling accusations. Gu Hang attended this meeting, watching and listening intently, but in reality, his mind had gone blank. The meeting had gone on for a whole day yesterday without producing any results. Serious discussions were indistinguishable from blame-shifting arguments in essence. Without viable solutions, no outcome would emerge. And what Gu Hang was doing now was searching for a real solution. His blank mind allowed his spirit to enter his Divine Realm. He was observing the changes in the Subspace from an entirely different perspective. The root of the problem stemmed from the so-called ¡®Benevolent Father,¡¯ the Evil God. To resolve the issue, one had to start with the Subspace. Subspace did not correlate directly with the real world. In fact, in Subspace, notions like ¡®position,¡¯ ¡®time,¡¯ and ¡®distance¡¯ were extremely weak. Yet within Korolya, cult followers¡¯ chants and the countless souls tormented by the plague had mapped a portion of the Eternal Kingdom of the Benevolent Father onto Korolya itself. In Gu Hang¡¯s vision, he could see the yellow-green and rotting Subspace clinging tightly to the entire world of Korolya. Legions of demons raged in the Subspace, salivating at the brink of reality, only to be pushed back time and again. Swirling winds of yellow-green plague battered and corroded reality¡¯s veil, trying to break through. The veil of reality, though still present, was riddled with holes. The weakest point, the location of Fino City, was practically overlapped. Gu Hang¡¯s gaze swept through this portion of Subspace. He was cautious, consolidating his storm vision extended from his Divine Realm. He could not be discovered, as that would mean exposing the Storm God Kingdom to these Plague Demons¡¯ sight¨Can extremely dangerous situation. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Even this brief observation allowed Gu Hang to catch a significant piece of information. Or rather, he saw a familiar ¡®face.¡¯ It was the Great Unclean One¨CGe Wajia. The name originally came from Rage Owl Star, where the leader of the ¡®Nature Salvation Society,¡¯ now deemed a Cult, resided. According to Hu Ke, who had traveled through the long years from the pre-war era of Rage Owl Star to the present via hibernation pods, Ge Wajia was a former student of his. Somehow, the man survived into the post-war period, established such an organization, and was corrupted by the Evil God at an unknown time, sparking unrest. Worse yet, Ge Wajia himself had nearly caused significant trouble when a Great Unclean One used his body and soul to cast its avatar onto him. Chapter 595 - Chapter 595: Chapter 345, Turns Out My House Caught Fire_2 Chapter 595: Chapter 345, Turns Out My House Caught Fire_2 And the creature that had beguiled and corrupted Ge Wajia, this unclean entity, was the very one that Gu Hang saw before him now. Humans couldn¡¯t grasp the real names of such powerful demons, so the official records of the Alliance simply used the name of Ge Wajia to designate this abomination. ¡°You really are restless¡­¡± Gu Hang thought to himself, ¡°Failing at Rage Owl Star, you immediately tried another trick here at Korolya.¡± As he said this, he also became aware of a problem. Probably Korolya was the primary target for Ge Wajia all along. The Plague Cult had sprung up so fiercely that these heretics must have been developing covertly in the various Nest Capitals of Korolya for quite some time. The outbreak six years ago was simply a sudden detonation of past accumulations. Ge Wajia¡¯s actions at Rage Owl Star were inconsequential at best. This place here was its true delight. Gu Hang could even discern in his spiritual vision, this colossus in subspace wearing a ¡®sincere¡¯ smile, which made Gu Hang feel nauseated, his hand itching to strike it down with a sword. Huh? Strike it with a sword? An item that Gu Hang had almost forgotten suddenly came to his mind. It was a sword. On Rage Owl Star, after the human warriors expelled Ge Wajia¡¯s incarnation, the filthy entity left behind a giant, rusty demon sword. Once brought back, the sword underwent systematic purification and became an award for the event that expelled the Great Demon, transforming into a lesser holy artifact that could be wielded. Its properties were quite impressive, but there was a chance of being influenced by whispers of the abyss. Being cautious, Gu Hang had not activated that weapon but had sealed it away. But Gu Hang hadn¡¯t forgotten the explanation the system gave as a reward after the event was completed. [Lesser Holy Artifact: Purifying God Plague Great Sword (False)] [Contains a small fraction of the unclean entity¡¯s chaotic essence, which could be wielded by humans after purification.] The chaotic essence of the unclean entity¡­ Could this thing perhaps be of some use at this moment? An idea started to form, vague and indistinct, in Gu Hang¡¯s mind. But a mere thought wasn¡¯t enough. Gu Hang inspected more closely, focusing on where the curtain between subspace and reality merged. That was the moving Fino City. He couldn¡¯t see Fino City in the real world, but he could see Fino City dragged into subspace. Within subspace, Fino City was a playground for demons. Cultists completely corrupted by subspace were holding one terrifying orgy after another, offering one innocent soul after another as fuel to the Evil God in exchange for power. This power, mixed with the essence of subspace, created many things that caused endless headaches for humankind today. For example, the Plague Demonic Cannon, also known as Fino City¡¯s anti-orbital firepower. This thing was entirely a construct of subspace, made up of warped sinister energy resembling the concept of a cannon, with no relation to technological products; a powerful Demon Engine played the role of a Void Shield, which formed for the same reason. These things, of course, were not the creations of the heretics or plague monsters of the Bottom Nest District; they more resembled the grace and power bestowed by the Evil God, a tangible thing, completely unrelated to technology, industry, or skill. Only in places where the reality curtain was excessively torn¨Clike Fino City¨Ccould these devices function. Once outside the boundaries of Fino City, they would be squeezed and expelled by the reality curtain, turning into nothingness. If only the connection between Fino City and subspace could be temporarily blocked, the Void Shield and anti-orbital firepower would fail; If these failed, the Tianma Fleet and Lois¡¯s Tax Fleet would then be able to unleash a barrage of fire, using the Colossal Cannon and light spear to destroy Fino City; If Fino City were destroyed, all the tormented souls would be liberated, all demons and plague monsters serving as stable anchors for subspace would be annihilated, and then the reality curtain would seal the breach once again. This would form a closed loop. Combine this with his own Storm God Kingdom, and with the Purifying God Plague Great Sword¡­ Gu Hang¡¯s heart gradually conceived a plan. This plan carried great risks, but after pondering over it again and again and considering the forces at his disposal, it appeared to have a fairly high chance of success. Moreover, even if it failed, he should be able to make a full retreat. That made it worth taking the risk. But this gave rise to a new problem: Why the rush to risk life and limb over Korolya¡¯s affairs? Actually, there was a most crucial reason: Korolya couldn¡¯t truly be doomed. Otherwise, a world with a population of forty billion being completely dragged into subspace would result in a huge tear in the fabric of real space. By then, the Father¡¯s power manifesting outside wouldn¡¯t be a matter of many Anti-Orbit Cannons, Wicked Void Shields, or even a single crawling Nest¨Cit would be far simpler. By then, starships constructed through dark magic chaos would appear in the physical universe. They would bring terrible divine plagues through the Star Realm Tunnels and begin attacking other planets. Any planet attacked would instantly fall into an extremely horrific disaster. The Chaos Fleet itself would pose a terrifying orbital threat, and at the same time, they would be anchors to subspace, easily tearing open the reality fabric wherever they went. Then, with the Chaos Fleet above, countless Abyss cracks would open on the ground. Mortals would be corrupted into chaos followers, and demons would directly descend upon the world. And unfortunately, Rage Owl Star was the world closest to Korolya, just one Star Realm Tunnel jump away. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t imagine what would happen if this scene unfolded on Rage Owl Star. From the perspective of defending his own world, if Gu Hang had the means, it was certainly necessary to do everything possible to save Korolya. But still¡­ If it were just about self-rescue, it wouldn¡¯t be enough. On the other hand, since this was something that had to be done anyway, why not strive to gain enough additional benefits? With this thought, Gu Hang opened his eyes. The people in the room were just getting into an argument about the position of the Korolya Governor itself. Ivan Fatches was saying if they thought he wasn¡¯t good enough, then they could replace him, letting another Ivan, the ¡®great¡¯, extraordinarily capable Star Sector Governor, take on the role of Korolya Governor and see if he could do any better. A month ago, when Fino City hadn¡¯t come back to life yet, if Ivan Fatches had said this, the Parliamentary Faction would have immediately agreed¨Cwasn¡¯t this what they had been dreaming of? But now, the head of the Parliamentary Faction, Ivan Martinez, snapped back, saying that after turning Korolya into this mess and now wanting to throw in the towel was absolutely ¡®an act of disloyalty¡¯. He demanded that the Fatches Family take responsibility for this and must devote even more efforts to solve Korolya¡¯s problems. Lois, the special envoy of the Star Domain, was sitting on the side, rubbing her head in frustration, not saying a word. Four years ago, she wanted to replace Ivan Fatches, but now she had stopped bringing it up. If he were replaced, who could solve the problem? Now, everyone knew that Korolya was a mess, and both sides saw it as a hot potato that none had a solution for. The Fatches Family was even ready to give up and throw it away, but the Parliamentary Faction wouldn¡¯t let them. And at that moment, Gu Hang raised his hand and said softly, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let me take the position of Planetary Governor of Korolya.¡± His voice was not loud, but it rang out like a loud bell in the room, silencing everyone¡¯s voices, and all eyes converged on him. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Wang Qi, sitting beside him, was shocked. I was just sitting on the bench on the side, eating melon seeds and enjoying the drama, only to discover that it¡¯s actually my own house on fire? She clutched the corner of Gu Hang¡¯s clothes tightly. Though she didn¡¯t speak, her knitted brows and facial expressions clearly conveyed a message to Gu Hang: ¡°Just enjoy the show! Why are you getting involved?!¡± Chapter 596 - Chapter 596: Chapter 346, We Will Not Fail Our Mission! Chapter 596: Chapter 346, We Will Not Fail Our Mission! Gu Hang gently patted his mother¡¯s hand, signaling her to be at ease, then turned his gaze toward the other attendees of the meeting. No one spoke. Those who had recovered from the initial shock of his declaration instinctively began to weigh the pros and cons of the situation. What was the Gu Clan¡¯s youngest up to? No one could fathom his thoughts. Ivan Fatches pressed his lips tightly together. He dared not speak. Earlier, when he talked about letting go of the Korolya Governorship, it was with seven parts sincerity and three parts vexation. He knew that either way the Parliamentary Faction wouldn¡¯t let him get away, and this huge mess was clearly meant for him to bear, so his words were somewhat empty. He indeed wished to let go, not wanting to carry this dark burden. The Fatches Family, backed by three worlds, was also struggling to cope, and the pit that was Korolya seemed bottomless. If Korolya fell while in his hands, the entire Fatches Family would be in deep trouble. Previously, he regarded Korolya as a juicy piece of fat that had finally fallen into his lap; now, he realized he¡¯d leapt into a giant manure pit, impossible to climb out of. But when someone really stepped forward to take over, he began to hesitate. His instincts led him to one thought: Did the Gu Clan¡¯s youngster have a solution for Korolya¡¯s problems? At that moment, he suddenly heard Martin Nelli, the sector head, speak up, ¡°Mr. Gu, do not delude yourself. The responsibilities of Fatches must be borne by Fatches himself! Do you understand what you¡¯re doing?¡± This Star Sector head seemed to have some misunderstandings. He probably thought that Gu Hang had accepted some form of benefit from the Fatches Family, which is why he was taking the fall for them. But Ivan Fatches himself knew that wasn¡¯t the case. He was even more puzzled. ¡°Mr. Gu, do you have a solution?¡± he asked cautiously, ¡°Would you elaborate, please?¡± To this question, Gu Hang seemed to turn a deaf ear, only smiling and turning his gaze toward the person who truly had the authority to decide. Envoy Lois appeared hesitant. She met Gu Hang¡¯s gaze, with a hint of inquiry in her eyes. She, too, wanted to know if Gu Hang had any solutions. But Gu Hang chose not to discuss the matter any further. He regained control of the rhythm of the conversation: ¡°Since the disaster of Korolya became apparent, we have witnessed far too many unsightly performances. The incompetence of the former governor Akuna led to continuous chaos in Korolya, placing forty billion Imperial citizens in hardship and suffering. The incompetent Planetary Government has been unable to fulfill the development of the planet and the burden of Imperial Tax, and has also allowed the Plague Cult to fester and spread.¡± ¡°The ongoing strife between the current governor and the Star Sector Government has long disgusted countless individuals. You never thought to solve the real problems, instead, you used the disasters facing the Imperial citizens as tools to attack your opponents and pursue personal gains. The past four years, which were the golden opportunity to address these problems, were utterly wasted by your vile actions, exacerbating the situation to its current state.¡± ¡°You have failed the trust of the Empire, failed the trust of forty billion people, you all should apologize!¡± With these words, Gu Hang launched an indiscriminate attack that included both Fatches and the Parliamentary Faction. Both parties looked uncomfortable, as no one enjoys being scolded. But many others revealed expressions of relief. The die-hard supporters of the two factions were, after all, in the minority. The neutrals had long been fed up with it all, and even a significant number who had chosen sides out of entanglement of interests had similar attitudes. Seeing the unfavorable momentum, someone from the struggling factions wanted to interrupt Gu Hang and retort, but was stopped by Lois. ¡°Let Mr. Gu continue,¡± she said. Gu Hang¡¯s words hit home for Lois. To the Star Domain Government, the state of affairs in the Tianma Star Sector was exactly as Gu Hang described. However, Lois hadn¡¯t put it so bluntly in her previous arguments. After all, as she saw it, no matter how distasteful the two factions were, the problems in Korolya still needed to be solved by them. Insulting and lashing out would not solve the issues. However irritated or disgusted she felt inside, she had to coddle both parties. But that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t enjoy someone lambasting them here, blasting them all over. At that moment, Lois¡¯s look toward Gu Hang was filled with expectation. Come on, give a few more scathing remarks! At the very least, it would be a fierce reprimand of the two factions! But Gu Hang abruptly changed course, unleashing even fiercer artillery fire: ¡°Therefore, I propose here, since Ivan Fatches is considering resignation, then please, Envoy Lois, approve it.¡± The words, seemingly less harsh than his previous scolding, were, in fact, a real move to force Fatches to resign. If it were before, Lois would not have agreed. Without Fatches, there was no alternative. But now the circumstances were slightly different. Gu Hang had said earlier that he was willing to take on the governorship. This alleviated Lois¡¯s worries. Anyway, insisting on Ivan Fatches continuing the task wasn¡¯t solving anything; his removal wouldn¡¯t matter anymore. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only More crucially, Gu Hang had already heightened the atmosphere to this point. Lois turned her gaze toward Ivan Fatches. The latter still wanted to struggle, but in the end, he caved in. Better to discard this hot potato sooner. This strategy was predetermined by the Fatches Family. He agreed to resign, then said with a sour tone and under his breath, ¡°I really want to see what great solutions Mr. Gu has in mind!¡± Chapter 597 - Chapter 597: Chapter 346, Will Not Fail the Mission!_2 Chapter 597: Chapter 346, Will Not Fail the Mission!_2 ¡°` Gu Hang laughed, ¡°What good method do I have? Of course, I have a method.¡± ¡°Korolya should be completely militarized. The Korolya Governor should unyieldingly become the commander of the battle zone, establishing a unified front and command centered on Korolya. The Imperial Navy and the Imperial Star Realm Army should temporarily fight together under unified command to eradicate the Cult disaster in Korolya.¡± ¡°In the next three months, I will gather my troops, arm Mingyan City to the fullest, ally with the Star Realm Army and the Imperial Navy, and summon the Phoenix Battle Group that signed a loyalty and cooperation agreement with the alliance, to fight a determined battle to defend Mingyan City.¡± ¡°I will surely achieve victory, The Emperor will bless me!¡± ¡°After victory, Korolya will maintain its militarized state for six years, which equates to three tax seasons. A part of the Tianma Fleet and the Third Group Army of the Dragonhawk Legion should continue to fight around Korolya, following the commands of the battle zone commander. The Star Sector Government and the Star Domain Government should provide the necessary material support.¡± ¡°And I, will establish a complete and efficient administrative system, to eradicate the inefficiency and corruption that the Korolya government has continued for countless years, better mobilize the entire planet¡¯s potential, and completely solve the Plague Cult problem within six years. By then, the Star Sector Government and the Star Domain Government will see a whole, with ample potential for development, a brand-new Korolya.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s words were quite impassioned. Moreover, they might not entirely be empty or false promises. In Rage Owl Star, in Heijian Star, he had set an example. In fact, within the star sector, many people had already become quite interested in the newly formed ¡®alliance¡¯, starting to study what the alliance¡¯s system was really about. Of course, studying it didn¡¯t necessarily mean it could be replicated. The alliance¡¯s highly centralized and strongly planned economy wasn¡¯t anything novel. However, practically no other planets could replicate it. The alliance was able to do this because they had almost entirely smashed the original systems on two planets and then rebuilt from the ruins and blank slate. Where else would such conditions exist? Not to mention that the rulers on other planets were the greatest beneficiaries of the existing systems. Overthrow their own regime? Impossible. However, handing Korolya over to the alliance in such a chaotic war environment and afterwards, with the need to recover from the destruction of war, might actually allow Gu Hang to really achieve something significant. Though that would be difficult, of course. But all of this is predicated on resolving the huge crisis ¡®Fino City¡¯ presents. Without addressing that, with its daily progress of thirty kilometers, it would swallow Mingyan City in just over three months, and then it would be on to the next target¡­ the entire planet couldn¡¯t withstand such consumption. And what solution did Gu Hang mention in his speech? A decisive battle outside Mingyan City. What was the method of victory? The support of the Interstellar Warriors, the unification of the planet¡¯s forces, promises of direct troop deployment from the alliance¡­ The last two points, actually, weren¡¯t taken seriously by many. If people believed that the planet¡¯s own strength was enough to solve the crisis, they wouldn¡¯t all be so pessimistic and desperate. As for the alliance¡¯s troops, the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s performance did indeed prove that alliance forces were quite capable, but it was only at the level of the Star Realm Army¨Cat best, slightly better. But the key point is that this so-called alliance, with a combined population of just five hundred million across two planets, how much could they really provide? It¡¯s a question of scale! But what really caused some commotion was the first point Gu Hang mentioned¨Cabout the Interstellar Warriors. The Phoenix landing on Rage Owl Star initially caught some people¡¯s attention. But at that time, people¡¯s attention was mostly on the political impact brought by this Battle Group. Their identity was rather special; they were a Battle Group that was charged with guilt during the Cercis Flower Rebellion, sentenced as a traitorous legion, but in the end, the Battle Group did not resist, voluntarily disarmed, and surrendered. The Tribunal, after reviewing their past records, communications, and considering they were misled and coerced, gave them one last chance¨Credemption through an expedition. And the Phoenix willingly accepted. ¡°` ¡°` That was an event from a century ago, no one expected the Phoenix to return. But they really did return, and they came to the Tianma Star Sector. This made the great rebellion, which in the eyes of the Tianma Star Sector a hundred years ago was merely an occasion to watch from a distance, become a reality. In a hundred years, many things can change, but not for the interstellar warriors. In the Cercis Flower Rebellion, a massive civil war involving more than a dozen interstellar warrior battle groups, the Phoenix Battle Group was the only ¡°traitor¡± that ultimately survived. Moreover, during the civil war, many of the six loyalist battle groups suffered heavy losses under the Phoenix¡¯s assault, which probably left behind some resentment. What¡¯s worse, initially the Tribunal insisted on executing all the Phoenixes, as traitors should not be forgiven. However, the Phoenix¡¯s parent group ¨C the Phoenix Legion played a significant role, with many sub-groups from the Phoenix series pleading on their behalf, coupled with the fact that the Phoenix was indeed misled and had surrendered, eventually led to this outcome. But the Tribunal still harbored hatred, as did the battle groups that had made enemies during the civil war. The people of the Tianma Star Sector, with regards to the arrival of the Phoenix, mostly feared that this trouble-ridden battle group would bring their troubles to Tianma. As for the combat strength of the Phoenix itself? With only seven veterans alive, what does that amount to? But no one anticipated that in just eight years, the Phoenix would already show signs of revival. Although people did not know the extent to which the Phoenix had revived by now, their performance in the battle on Heijian Star had already formed into intelligence, landing on many people¡¯s desks, being repeatedly reviewed. People didn¡¯t understand how Gu Hang, this youngster from the Gu Family, managed to command a group of interstellar warriors to obey him and fight to death on his behalf, nor did they know how the scale of Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star supported the revival of an interstellar warrior battle group. But for now, if the state of Phoenix¡¯s revival was good, then promoting Gu Hang to his position was indeed the most likely solution to the problem. At this stage, apart from a minority of people engrossed in political intrigues, the rest had to accept the resolution of the Korolya issue as the top priority in face of reality. ¡°I support Mr. Gu as the acting Governor of Korolya.¡± ¡°I support the transfer of Korolya to the alliance¡¯s jurisdiction.¡± ¡°I move for reconsideration.¡± ¡­ Listening to these voices, the leader Ivan Martinelli fell silent. Envoy Lois stood up. ¡°I understand. As the special envoy from the Star Domain Government, fully responsible for the Korolya campaign in the Tianma Star Sector, I approve the resignation request of Governor Ivan Fatches of Korolya III and appoint Gu Hang as the acting Planetary Governor of Korolya III.¡± ¡°I authorize the establishment of the Korolya Battle Zone, appointing Gu Hang as the commander of the battle zone, in charge of overall military affairs in the Korolya Star System. Tianma Fleet¡¯s remaining forces, the Third Group Army of the Dragonhawk Legion, should fully comply with the unified command of the battle zone commander.¡± ¡°The Korolya Battle Zone will continue for six years, and the Star Domain Government will strive to provide material and troop support. The first batch of military aid will arrive in two months.¡± As he said this, Nell Lois¡¯s gaze deeply focused on Gu Hang: ¡°The first strategic goal of the Korolya Battle Zone is to ensure that Mingyan City must not fall; the second goal is to destroy the Plague Cult¡¯s hub, Fino City; the third goal is, within six years, to solve the problem of the Plague Cult infestation on Korolya III, and to restore the payment of the Imperial Tax.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Governor Gu, I hope you will not disappoint me. The four billion people on Korolya, the Tianma Star Sector Government, the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government, everyone is watching your performance.¡± Gu Hang solemnly performed the Sky Eagle salute: ¡°I swear to the Emperor, I will not fail in my mission!¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C I struggled a bit writing this, I will try to make up for the chapter I owe from yesterday. ¡°` Chapter 598 - Chapter 598: Chapter 347, I am the Korolya Governor. Chapter 598: Chapter 347, I am the Korolya Governor. ¡°` ¡°You¡¯re too impulsive,¡± After the meeting, Wang Qi was criticizing Gu Hang. But Gu Hang was still smiling, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten what I¡¯ve dreamed of, Korolya III. No matter how much this place is a cesspool, how terrible the situation is, having forty-billion people in hand is everything. While everyone else is thinking about how important the position of Korolya Governor is, to me, it¡¯s these forty-billion people who are the real opportunity to rise to great heights, the harvest I wanted most.¡± Wang Qi certainly knew the value of Korolya, but what of it? She emphasized, ¡°This is a trap! Even Fatches couldn¡¯t fill it!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, there are significant problems here now, and if they¡¯re not handled well, everything could collapse. But on the other hand, if it weren¡¯t for this situation, where would our opportunity come from? Moreover¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Facing her son¡¯s puzzlement, Gu Hang continued, ¡°Treating Korolya as a pit to be filled is of course impossible. But¡­¡± ¡°Maybe Korolya itself doesn¡¯t need filling at all?¡± ¡°Korolya III is a world with tremendous potential, where I see the most precious resource: people. People are more important than anything. First have the people, then you have everything. With such tremendous potential and abundant resources, Korolya actually doesn¡¯t need anyone¡¯s help. No matter the difficulty, it can cope. The premise is that no one holds it back.¡± ¡°But precisely, for a long time, there have been many things holding back the progress of Korolya. The Imperial Tax taking Korolya¡¯s remaining wealth¨Ceven the wealth isn¡¯t enough to satisfy the Empire¡¯s appetite, as it requires population tributes; Korolya¡¯s own bloated, yet incompetent and corrupt bureaucratic system, which doesn¡¯t capitalize on its potential but is a major reason for its misfortune.¡± ¡°Just change these, and Korolya on its own power is sufficient to change the situation.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m here to change these.¡± Wang Qi sighed, ¡°I won¡¯t even say whether you can do it or not, you can¡¯t even get past the first hurdle.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the biggest difficulty,¡± Gu Hang knew his mother was referring to the problem of Fino City, ¡°but I already have an idea for a solution.¡± ¡°Your Salt City decisive battle plan?¡± Gu Hang ¡®hehe¡¯ smiled, ¡°Yes, and no. As things stand now, the odds of winning such a decisive battle are too slim. But I have some other thoughts; if successful, the subsequent so-called decisive battle is just a showcase match.¡± ¡°What do you plan to do?¡± ¡°Even you, I cannot tell.¡± Wang Qi looked deeply at her son¡¯s face, helplessly saying, ¡°Well, what can I say at this point? Whatever help you need, just tell me, the Gu family¡­ the Gu family can only give our full support to our Family Head.¡± ¡°Mhm, I indeed have many things that require the help of the Gu Commercial Firm¡¯s fleet. From Heijian Star, Rage Owl Star, there are massive amounts of materials and personnel that need to be transported. However, don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be for nothing. Now, as Battle Zone Commander, commandeering Empire Commerce Guild fleets to carry out military actions, the Military Affairs Department will foot the bill.¡± Wang Qi nodded slightly. She wasn¡¯t worried about this at all. No matter how the battle turns out in the end, for now, the Gu Commercial Firm stands to make a killing from military orders. ¡­ After finishing the conversation with his mother, Gu Hang took a landing shuttle heading for the planet surface, towards Mingyan City. He needed to show his determination in this manner. One couldn¡¯t be like Ivan Fatches A governor, upon hearing the news of the crawling Nest Capital, used the pretext of a meeting to swiftly board a starship, hiding in the planet¡¯s orbit, too scared to go down¡­ Aside from his family background, a man of no merit, Gu Hang truly looked down on this Ivan. On the shuttle, Gu Hang gazed at the increasingly enlarging view of Korolya III in front of him, filling his entire field of view, his mind teeming with countless thoughts. In the meeting, he was fervent and impassioned in front of everyone; With his mother, he appeared confident and sure of victory. But, in truth, he himself knew, it wasn¡¯t going to be that easy. The final words of Lois giving him his orders actually implied a lot. Firstly, they confirmed his position: Korolya Governor and Korolya Battle Zone Commander. The latter was actually more significant¨Cat least for the war at hand. Military zone status meant, first and foremost, that Korolya wouldn¡¯t have to pay taxes. And as the commander, Gu Hang also meant that after the battle zone status of Korolya, he could decisively deploy all the Empire¡¯s forces stationed in the Korolya Battle Zone. Military forces, as well as all manpower and resources, were at his discretion. This power was quite substantial; with land, sea, and Planetary Defense Force, Gu Hang became the supreme commander of all three military branches, not to mention having control over administration and finance as well. To cope with this disaster, the Star Domain Government and the Star Sector Government would continuously transport various types of materials according to the battle zone¡¯s requirements. Gu Hang could even request further reinforcement of Star Realm Army forces. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Of course, this last part was only within Gu Hang¡¯s right to ask, not necessarily to receive. After all, the Empire itself was short on resources. But at least for what was already present in the Korolya Battle Zone, Gu Hang could have complete control. Of course, there was a caveat to all this. Gu Hang and Lois were at best acquaintances, hardly even friends, let alone insiders. Four years ago, when she invited Gu Hang to replace Ivan Fatches, she had her own motives, and today was also the same. Her final support for Gu Hang was to solve problems, and the core goal was to quickly restore the Imperial Tax from Korolya. Chapter 599 - Chapter 599: Chapter 347, I Am the Korolya Governor_2 Chapter 599: Chapter 347, I Am the Korolya Governor_2 Meanwhile, whether Gu Hang was capable of achieving all this still left doubts in people¡¯s hearts. Therefore, that phased goal had become inevitable. Not losing Mingyan City was the bare minimum. Now, since no one else could solve the problem, they let Gu Hang try, throwing the mess at him to see if he could save it. If Mingyan City were to be swallowed up by the Nest Capital, that would mean failure, and Gu Hang would likely be dismissed immediately. In fact, although Lois didn¡¯t explicitly state it, Gu Hang could guess that the relevant reports had probably already reached higher levels. The Star Domain Government and possibly even the higher level Space Domain Government were probably making preparations for both outcomes. If Gu Hang failed to solve the issue, the Star Domain Government would abandon the wishful thinking that Korolya could be settled with the current forces at hand. Afterward, whether it meant giving up the frontline battle or seeking assistance from the Space Domain Government preparing for a Revelation-level battle, mobilizing hundreds of millions from the Star Realm Army, more fleets, and even forces like the Tribunal, State Church Fleet, and specialized forces such as the Interstellar Warrior Battle Group¨Cthey would resolve the Korolya issue. But by that time, it would have nothing to do with Gu Hang. The loser should step aside. Expecting the empire to intervene and then to profit from the leftovers¡­ Gu Hang felt he didn¡¯t have the political clout to manage that. And if the situation became even worse, such as if the Space Domain and Star Domain governments assessed that they couldn¡¯t mobilize sufficient forces to quell the rebellion, then a small chance remained that they would directly issue the Extinction Order. The destruction of Korolya was far preferable to it becoming a Great Demon¡¯s lair, continuously exporting its influence to the outside. For Gu Hang, his window of opportunity was just a few months. Gazing at the surface of Korolya III, his mind continuously recalled various data about the planet, while switching to Spiritual Vision to check the subspace conditions. His brain was always in motion, constantly refining the plan he had come up with at the beginning. Previously, he had contacted the Alliance Government on Rage Owl Star through the Star Language Tower on the starship. Subsequently, three key figures would bring their teams to Korolya at top speed. These three individuals were Alliance Chief Justice Lambert Hodgson, who would bring a group of Demon Hunters and Anti-Corruption Bureau officials. With a population of three billion in Mingyan City and forty billion on Korolya, Gu Hang needed to utilize the potential of this world, which was impossible without dealing with the existing administrative system. He couldn¡¯t replace all Korolya people with officials from the Alliance. First, the Alliance didn¡¯t have that many officials to spare, and second, the administrative personnel dropped in from above were not familiar with Korolya and would struggle to be effective immediately. However, Gu Hang was particularly distrustful of Korolya¡¯s existing administrative system, both their capabilities and attitudes. That was where Lambert and his Anti-Corruption Department came in. It was impossible to turn around Korolya¡¯s climate immediately and create a highly efficient and corruption-free administrative system, but at least to ensure these people would accurately execute Gu Hang¡¯s will. Major General Tadeusz, the head of the Alliance Military and Political Department, would bring a large number of military commissioners. At that time, the Star Realm Army wouldn¡¯t need his supervision, but Korolya¡¯s enormous native Defense Forces required restructuring to truly improve their combat effectiveness. Phoenix Battalion Leader Matins would bring the freshly numbered Phoenix Battalion, which now barely exceeded a hundred members. The size of these Interstellar Warriors was already equivalent to a typical Battle Group¡¯s company. Many Battle Groups, unless facing a high-intensity battle, wouldn¡¯t gather all their forces in one place. Some would stay to guard their headquarters while the rest followed the empire¡¯s assignments or responded to support requests at their discretion, dispatching some of their troops according to the situation. And this ¡°some troops¡± generally meant a company-sized unit. A hundred-member company was already a significant independent unit for Interstellar Warriors in action. The Phoenix had revived to this extent, and it was actually enough. It was only lacking in some ¡°foundations,¡± such as the absence of Dreadnought Mechs, heavy-duty vehicles exclusive to Interstellar Warriors, and the like. But those could be supplemented by the Alliance¡¯s Land Forces. These were the ¡°key individuals¡± that Gu Hang would need moving forward. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just them. Following that, the Alliance would send a large number of administrative personnel, transport a tremendous amount of material, and even armed forces, to participate directly in the conflict. However, given the massive demand for transportation, they had to wait until the Alliance had prepared all these items and personnel and the Gu Commercial Firm¡¯s fleet was also ready. At the latest, within three months, everything that was supposed to arrive must be in place¨Cthat was the requirement Gu Hang had made to the Alliance Government. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Oseina, the Alliance Government had already begun to operate at full capacity. ¡­ After landing, Gu Hang moved into the Governor¡¯s residence on Korolya, welcoming its third occupant in recent years. In Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star, Gu Hang also had governor¡¯s residences. The Governor¡¯s residence on Rage Owl Star was nothing to speak of; it was two floors taken from the top of the Old Alliance Parliament building, with the government offices still below, small and dilapidated, only recently having had the chance to be renovated. As for the governor¡¯s residence on Heijian Star, the Alliance Government had initially planned to repurpose a certain nation¡¯s palace for the esteemed governor, but Gu Hang had declined. Those palaces should either remain as historical monuments or serve as government buildings. As for his residence, a simple, plain white house built in the suburban area of Pincer City sufficed. Adjacent to it was the Central Government of the Alliance on Heijian Star¨Cspacious enough and conveniently located, which was all that mattered. Leading by example, precisely because Gu Hang himself advocated frugality, practicality, and efficiency, the general atmosphere within the Alliance was similar¨Cat least publicly, in official settings. However, the situation on Korolya was starkly different. The Governor¡¯s residence situated in the upper district of Mingyan City epitomized opulence. It primarily featured gold as its main color, complemented by red and purple, lending an aura of grandeur and elegance. Countless exquisite, handcrafted reliefs filled the inside and outside of the building, remarkably intricate. Fine lacquer-coated sculptures and ornaments along with skillful paintings as decorations, made the architecture exceptionally rich in detail. Indoor fountains and pools were also ubiquitous. Maintained at constant temperature and humidity, the environment, although not as stringent as some tech research labs, was kept at the optimal level for human habitation. The governor¡¯s residence covered a vast area, even larger than the largest palace on Heijian Star, and this was only the governor¡¯s dwelling, not even the seat of the Korolya Planetary Government. Within this residence, there were also tens of thousands of ¡®staff members.¡¯ They were servants, attendants, and various kinds of ¡®cultural workers.¡¯ Among them, there were many art troupes of all sizes. Symphonic orchestras, opera troupes, song and dance ensembles, clown troupes, drama troupes¡­ These artists almost exclusively served the governor. Accompanying these troupes, there were also numerous support staff and attendants. Even in these most perilous times, these individuals still ¡®steadfastly¡¯ held their positions. Gu Hang had never dealt with such extravagances, and for a while, he didn¡¯t even know how many resources were needed to maintain such a palace and its countless attendants? Gu Hang never denied the value of art, but he rejected the value of the art he currently witnessed. Gu Hang shook his head but didn¡¯t immediately take any action. Disbanding these art troupes straight away wouldn¡¯t recover the resources already spent. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Since the money had already been spent and couldn¡¯t be refunded, they had to be utilized to their fullest extent. At Gu Hang¡¯s request, these troupes began to stage various ¡®dramas.¡¯ Robust military anthems, plays reflecting the people¡¯s resistance against cults, and dramas extolling the frontier warriors¡­ The demands had been made; the specifics were left to the artists. Meanwhile, how to fully promote these works and performances to all social strata within the scope of Mingyan City would be the task of the Alliance Propaganda Department officials soon to arrive on Korolya. Subsequently, Gu Hang, stationed at the Governor¡¯s residence, extended invitations to the important figures from all sectors of Mingyan City. Chapter 600 - Chapter 600: Chapter 348, You Must Believe in Our Loyalty Chapter 600: Chapter 348, You Must Believe in Our Loyalty This was not Izla Hood¡¯s first visit to the governor¡¯s palace, nor was it his first time witnessing a new master upon the governor¡¯s throne. Yet, as he came to meet with the governor this time, he was still very nervous. It was his last chance to save his political future. Originally, he didn¡¯t even have this opportunity. His background was rather humble, but by some stroke of luck, he was noticed by someone important. With genuine capability, he began by working for a notable figure in the Lower Nest District and delivered a commendable performance that brought him into the government system. Later, he had the opportunity to further his education at an upper-district academy in Mingyan City, and when he returned, he was a mid-level official. In theory, that was about as high as someone of modest origin could hope to climb in life. But fortunately, during his work, he happened to meet Governor Akuna on an occasion. His work report won the female governor¡¯s approval, and just after turning forty, he rapidly ascended the ranks. In merely a decade, before reaching sixty, he had taken up the post of Mayor of Mingyan City. Within Korolya, that was quite a distinguished position. Mingyan City was the largest of Korolya¡¯s Nest Capitals and also its capital city. As the mayor of Mingyan City, one more step up would allow him to enter into the cabinet of the Planetary Government and even compete for the most important position of Grand Secretary by the governor¡¯s side. Throughout his entire political career, he always remembered what his first benefactor and later Governor Akuna had told him. Even though they had phrased it differently, the gist was the same: he came from humble beginnings, had no influential background as he climbed the ladder, and relied entirely on his superiors¡¯ favor. And what did the superiors value in him? It was that he had no complex network of relationships, his work abilities were extremely outstanding, and he was an upright man who never reached for things he shouldn¡¯t take. He could hold on to his status, adhere to his responsibilities, yet not be rigid; he knew when to be firm, when to use tact, and when to close his eyes. That was good. On Korolya, there were too many people at the top entangled in various interest groups, and when they acted, made decisions, they often didn¡¯t think about ¡®right or wrong¡¯ but rather considered ¡®pros and cons¡¯ related to their interest groups. However, these ¡®pros and cons¡¯ often contradicted the interests of the planet and the city. Under such circumstances, the role of Hood became evident. Everyone was grabbing, lying down, behaving like parasites¨Csomeone had to do the work. And that was his value. If one day, he too began to grab and act like a parasite, then there would be one too many such people on Korolya, and they wouldn¡¯t miss him. He heeded the teachings and conducted himself in this manner throughout his life. This allowed him to establish considerable prestige in Mingyan City, especially among the lower and middle classes of the population. But likewise, he had also offended quite a few people. In the past, he wasn¡¯t afraid. Governor Akuna knew what kind of person he was, needed him, and trusted him. However, in what was left of his life, he never imagined that Governor Akuna, the ruler of the entire planet, could actually die one day. The changes that death brought were too great. The newly appointed governor didn¡¯t know what he had done in the past. Moreover, from the few interactions he had with Ivan Fatches, he could tell that the governor¡¯s concern wasn¡¯t so much with governing the entire planet; instead, his focus seemed to be outside the planet. His political enemies, on the other hand, were stirring. Over the past few years, they never ceased their attacks on him. Worse still, Governor Fatches appeared to trust these enemies more. This was normal; he was a typical bureaucrat, his power stemmed from the system of the Korolya Planetary Government, and the support of those in power. Now, the support was gone, and his enemies¨Cholding substantial actual resources¨Cbecame the objects Governor Fatches needed to win over more. Although he was never removed from office, many of his powers were gradually taken away by subordinate agencies. Compared to the real power he held as mayor, under the tacit approval of Governor Fatches, he had nearly become reduced to a rubber-stamping machine. Being marginalized was already a reality. And soon, dismissal would become a matter of course, and he smelled danger. After that, he feared, would be the loss of his entire family¡¯s lives. Once he lost the protection of his position, his political enemies would not let him off. And it was at this moment that the governor changed again. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He realized this was his last opportunity. If he couldn¡¯t regain trust in front of Mr. Gu, the governor who had taken charge during the crisis, then everything would truly be over. He had prepared thoroughly for this meeting. Of course, he knew that the greatest crisis at the moment was the Cult insurgents, the Living Cities that were slowly encroaching. Mingyan City had to be fully mobilized, optimally allocating resources and rallying the workforce, all for the sake of survival. And he, who had been the mayor of Mingyan City for a dozen years and had risen from the ranks, knew how to improve administrative efficiency, how to mobilize manpower, which forces could be persuaded to cooperate, how to persuade them, which individuals were parasites and dead weight intent on fleeing, and how to eliminate them¡­ Chapter 601 - Chapter 601: Chapter 348, You Must Believe in Our Loyalty_2 Chapter 601: Chapter 348, You Must Believe in Our Loyalty_2 A series of important strategies, he had organized them in his case, ready to report to the new governor. He had already thrown caution to the wind, no matter whether he might offend others. In his life, his only method was to work seriously; flattering, making up lies, he didn¡¯t want to, but he simply couldn¡¯t do it as well as others. Rather than that, he preferred to stick to his own style, hoping that the new governor would value these things. If not¡­ it was all going to be over anyway. However, what he had originally envisioned, was having a one-on-one meeting with the new governor. Yet, the reality was different. Mr. Gu had gathered everyone together, then let everyone take the stage one by one, to say who they were, what job they did, and what contributions they could make to Mr. Gu¡¯s demand of ¡°winning the battle of Mingyan City.¡± Izra Hood could understand that Mr. Gu didn¡¯t have the time to delay, as ¡°Fino City¡± was estimated to arrive at Mingyan City in four months; he couldn¡¯t possibly spend those four months playing political struggles with the local bureaucrats of Mingyan City. He was using this public method to demand these people make political pledges openly. However¡­ he was stuck. He had no political pledges to make. Unlike those who took the stage before him, claiming how much manpower or resources they could provide, or the contributions they could make. He was just a bureaucrat, and what¡¯s more, a marginalized one. All he could offer was himself, his passion, and his work ability. What he had prepared was also along these lines. Not to mention, within the material he prepared, how to divide and co-opt, to suppress interest groups, some of which definitely couldn¡¯t be trusted and must be removed¨Chow could he say these things in a public setting? What to do? He hadn¡¯t come up with any ideas, and it was already his turn. His mind went blank as he stood on stage. Looking down at his ¡®colleagues¡¯ and at Mr. Gu who was smiling, Hu De took a deep breath. To hell with it! It had come to this point, What was the use of worrying about this or that? If they couldn¡¯t win the defense of Mingyan City, everyone would die! If he couldn¡¯t win this one breath, he would be killed by these interest groups sooner or later! They had long been irreconcilable enemies, with no way out. For the sake of Mingyan City, for his own sake, he had to do what needed to be done! He began. The content of his speech was no different from what he had prepared. He could see clearly the expressions of those below. Those dignitaries, the big shots, when they first heard him talking about mobilizing manpower and establishing wartime mechanisms, looked at him with disdain. He seemed to hear a voice: ¡°Without us, your plans are all castles in the air, none can be realized.¡± His heart was full of anger. He reached the critical part of his speech. How to ensure the wartime mechanism¡¯s plans could be executed? Then, he started naming names. Potential collaborators, those to coerce, those harboring ulterior motives, those who needed to be suppressed. Most seriously, some who were already preparing to flee¡­ who these people were, and what they would do, he laid it all out clearly. Even, he added some improvisation on the spot. Just now, hadn¡¯t many people on stage passionately made a series of pledges to Mr. Gu? Izra Hood mercilessly exposed many of them. Some fellows had no intention of fulfilling their promises. Their caravans were ready, and they had their people inside the Imperial Guard of Mingyan City, or they had been bribed. They would soon be riding in vehicles, taking a portion of their wealth, departing Mingyan City for other Nest Capitals. Although they couldn¡¯t take everything with them, even the departure of these individuals, the loss of this portion of influence, would mean many things couldn¡¯t be carried out. Upon hearing this, the people below could no longer sit still. What nonsense are you spouting? ¡°Slander! This is absolute slander!¡± ¡°He¡¯s spouting nonsense! He¡¯s trying to suppress his rivals!¡± ¡°Mr. Gu, please believe in our loyalty!¡± The people below were clearly agitated, their roaring voices even momentarily too loud for Hu De¡¯s speech to continue. Cold sweat appeared on Hu De¡¯s forehead, and facing those eyes that seemed ready to tear him apart¨Cespecially knowing those eyes belonged to such influential figures¨Che was naturally afraid. But at the same time, he felt a surge of pleasure within him. Years of being sidelined and constantly criticized, decades of being hamstrung by the need to rely on his superiors, and a lifetime witnessing all manner of ugliness¡­ all found a significant release at that moment. Even if he accomplished nothing in the end, seeing these nobles exposed in such an undignified state felt like revenge. Then, in the next instant, all the noise abruptly ceased around him. A mysterious power enveloped the whole venue; aside from breathing, no other sound was heard. It was only the voice of the new, still young-looking Mr. Gu that resonated within the hall. ¡°Continue speaking.¡± Hu De looked at Mr. Gu and saw a hint of a smile, exactly as he had at their first meeting. He steadied himself and continued his narrative. After he finished, Gu Hang softly clapped his hands: ¡°Mayor Izla Hu De, I think your plan is very good, the best I¡¯ve heard today. After the banquet, please stay behind, we need to discuss this in more depth. To win this war defending Mingyan City and end the greatest disaster looming over Korolya for years, I need talents like you.¡± ¡°And to everyone else, please don¡¯t panic. I trust in everyone¡¯s loyalty to the Empire, to the Mr. Gu. However, I still don¡¯t know you all that well. As long as you follow through with what you¡¯ve said today, you will have proven your loyalty to me. As for Mayor Hu De, I hope you can implement the strategy you spoke of today to perfect our preparations for the war and oversee if the attendees fulfill their promises.¡± Upon hearing this, Izla Hu De finally felt relieved! ¡­ The morning after the banquet, after having breakfast with the new Mr. Gu at the governor¡¯s mansion, Hu De, weary yet exhilarated, got into his car to head home. In the car, he still pondered the topics discussed in depth with Mr. Gu after the banquet had ended. Alone with Mr. Gu, his words were bolder and sharper. With Mr. Gu¡¯s encouragement, he voiced ideas he had previously feared to express or that had been futile to try to implement. And these ideas were all supported by Mr. Gu. With only limited contact, he was now almost certain that this young Mr. Gu had indeed come with the goal of saving Korolya. He too was willing to lend his strength to this cause. At that moment, he suddenly heard the sound of shattering glass. A searing wind flew passed his face, and he felt an intense burning on his nose. ¡°There¡¯s a sniper!¡± His bodyguard shouted as he pushed down Hu De¡¯s head. Only then did the belatedly aware Hu De realize he was the target of an assassination. A laser had just pierced the car window, grazing the tip of his nose. He was just an inch away from having his head burned off by the laser gun. However, hiding in the car was not safe either. His car was bulletproof, but it was still a penetrable target for the high-powered laser gun in the assassin¡¯s hands. Several beams struck, and his bodyguard¡¯s chest was pierced with a large hole; his own left leg became numb after a burning sensation. He came back to his senses. Am I going to die? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only How could they be so heartless? But then he heard rapid gunfire. No more lasers came towards his car. Enduring the severe pain and fear, he lifted his head and glanced outside the car window. He saw a squad of warriors clad in Exoskeleton Combat Suits moving outside his car window. Chapter 602 - Chapter 602: Chapter 349, Killed, Bring the Head Back Chapter 602: Chapter 349, Killed, Bring the Head Back Upon hearing the potentially subversive speech delivered by Hu De at the banquet and after showing his own stance, having left Hu De to talk throughout the night about granting the mayor of Mingyan City more power to oversee the city¡¯s preparations for war, Gu Hang thought that it was very likely this Mr. Mayor would be in danger. The privileged wouldn¡¯t let him off. Therefore, as Hu De left, Gu Hang dispatched his own guard to follow him. It was initially just a precautionary measure, but it indeed proved useful. Clearly, if the guards from the Tenth Brigade had not arrived in time, the ambushers would have nearly succeeded. They had deployed a sniper, lying in wait on Hu De ¡®s route home, and there was a second measure in place. Should the sniper fail, a large gang of recruited thugs would burst forth to ensure Hu De¡¯s death. But unfortunately for them, these tactics failed in the face of the Governor¡¯s guards. Though there were only eight of the Governor¡¯s guards, they still managed to force the sniper to retreat through remote fire suppression. To avoid being lured away, they did not pursue but stayed put, massacring the local gang until they fled in disarray, crying for their mothers after dropping dozens of bodies within minutes. The sniper was quite a master; from a great distance, he almost succeeded with a single shot at taking Hu De¡¯s life, which was indeed an unexpected event. However, according to the latest situation, Hu De only suffered a broken leg, and the injuries were overall non-fatal. This greatly relieved Gu Hang. But what followed was a towering rage. I see, just to be cautious, and you dared to make a move, huh? Soon, officials from the Legal Department and security in Mingyan City appeared at the Governor¡¯s residence. Busy closely examining the subspace conditions, Gu Hang had no time to personally deal with them. Coming to Korolya, he wasn¡¯t alone. Besides the few hundred in his Governor¡¯s guard, he also had a team of secretaries, roughly one hundred strong. These secretaries conveyed the Governor¡¯s fury. Among them, a Spiritual Energy user directly intervened in the investigation and found the gang leader that very day. In between, there were issues like the bureau¡¯s personnel having protective umbrellas, the gang leader refusing to confess the masterminds behind him, and scapegoats being thrown out to appease the Governor¡¯s rage. But in these matters, the Governor took a firm stance. I don¡¯t have time to mess around with you, playing games of decryption, searching for evidence. I only need a list. Good timing, the first batch of people Gu Hang shook from the Alliance had arrived. Gu Hang confidently left this matter to Lambert Hodgson to handle. Gu Hang¡¯s instructions were straightforward: contact a few trustworthy local officials and add officials from the security department to produce this list. If the officials from the Legal or Security Departments do not cooperate, then put them on the list as well. Cut the Gordian knot. What about the wronged? Among the officials in Korolya, killing every one or every other one might result in some being wronged, but failing to do so would definitely let many slip through the net. ¡­ ¡°Boss, someone has already broken into the house.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Manus nodded, still with some trepidation in his heart. He was the Director of the Planetary Government¡¯s Logistics Equipment Management Department. The assassination attempt on Izla Hood was arranged and instigated by him. He admitted that this act was a bit reckless, but he had already been infuriated when publicly named in front of countless people and the new Governor as prepared to flee Mingyan City during the meeting. Being accused of something you haven¡¯t done won¡¯t make you very angry; but when you¡¯ve really done it and someone publicly calls you out, that¡¯s utterly infuriating. There are many pests within the Korolya government, but it¡¯s rare to find pests like him. The lowly ones tend to laugh at even baser creatures more viciously. In the face of impending doom, most people still hold one concept: they can¡¯t flee and must fight with all their might. Otherwise, with two Nest Capitals already destroyed, if Mingyan City goes down too, the cities animated by Plague Sorcery would no longer be able to resist. In the end, when the entire planet is destroyed, where else can one find refuge? After all, at that stage, the few who are ultimately able to escape the planet will always be in the minority. And now, a traitor has emerged among us! Now, Manus found himself in this awkward position. How could he not hate Hood who brought all this upon him? So, he took action. At the same time, he also considered that this would provoke the new Governor¡¯s wrath. But this Governor had just descended into this world, currently facing a great crisis, and didn¡¯t seem to have a powerful backing like Fatches; it¡¯s said that the new Governor¡¯s two worlds combined had just over five hundred million people, roughly equivalent to the smallest Nest Capital in Korolya. The new Governor had too many matters to attend to; how would he have the time to focus on Manus? Investigating upwards from the gang, the first to be found would be the scapegoats he threw out. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only By this point, it would be considered having given an explanation. What he wanted was not entirely to get by. He never believed that Mr. Gu could solve the problems, intending to secure more time and means to escape Korolya after planning his escape. It was just about running away sooner. It¡¯s a pity that the large amount of weapons and equipment he intended to take with him, whether they were the new equipment produced by Mingyan City¡¯s armory or the military aid sent by the Empire, were all under his management. Chapter 603 - Chapter 603: Chapter 349, Killed, Bring the Head Back_2 Chapter 603: Chapter 349, Killed, Bring the Head Back_2 He had originally planned to haul away several train cars, but now the plan was disrupted, and he had no choice but to take less. What a pity. The goods that could be taken had already been arranged and would soon be dispatched with the train. As for himself, accompanied by a convoy of bodyguards, he had already left the city through the checkpoint at the Nest Capital pass that had been previously notified. However, just at that moment, a whistling sound came from behind. He turned his head and saw several vehicles bearing the Planetary Justice Department insignia rapidly catching up. He immediately felt a sense of dread. ¡°Speed up! Speed up!¡± ¡°Take out the vehicles behind us!¡± Under his command, his bodyguards began to attack fiercely towards the rear. As an official from the equipment management department, he certainly had the means to procure a group of loyal bodyguards from the military. Even the five vehicles he used for his escape had all been converted from military armor vehicles. On the vehicles, there were even automatic gun turrets, which rose to the top of the vehicles, rotating to aim at the pursuers. However, the turrets still failed to fire. Go to wuxiaworld.site Suddenly, a violent explosion occurred at the left rear wheel of the vehicle, flipping the entire car over by the side of the road. And at that moment, the doors of the vehicles with the Justice Department insignia flung open, and several people jumped out of the speeding cars. Ordinary people would have been severely injured jumping out of a car like this, but not these individuals clad in exoskeletons. They merely paused for a moment and then, using the momentum, continued running forward, drawing various weapons and firing at the armored vehicles. The leader among them was straightforwardly wearing a suit of powered armor. She was relatively petite, like a lady, clearly not an Interstellar Warrior; the silver and black paint job also confirmed she was not one of the Sisters of the Holy Mercy Lily with their white and green garb. A bomb gun holstered on the side of her thigh remained undrawn, while instead, she pulled out a combat sword, pointing it towards another armored vehicle in front of her. Her eyes flashed with a deep blue light, and in a moment, a strange power surged at the tip of her sword. The next instant, one of the wheels on that armored vehicle also suddenly exploded, flipping it over. During this process, her sprint never slowed. In a short burst, she was even faster than the vehicles. Methodically, she flipped over all of the targeted vehicles. The exoskeleton warriors beside her took over the aftermath. The vehicles had only flipped over, not exploded, so there were still many survivors inside. These individuals were all pulled out, and anyone who dared resist was promptly shot dead. In reality, there weren¡¯t many who were that foolish. The ordeal was over, so why bother. And the most important target was brought before the lady in the silver and black powered armor. She removed the helmet of the powered armor to reveal her beautiful face. This was the Alliance Demon Hunter ¨C Milia Derong. The feedback-type powered armor produced by the Alliance had been distributed in not a few sets over the years. These powered armors had varied destinations: some went to military officers, others to the Alliance Police Department, Security Department, Integrity Commission, and some went to the Demon Hunters. Derong put on a set herself. Now a captain of the Demon Hunters, her first mission upon following Lambert Chief Justice to this planet was to pursue the traitor Manus. Her most important weapon, apart from the powered armor she wore, was her awakened Spiritual Energy. When she had just been trained as a Demon Hunter, she had mastered the basics of using Spiritual Energy; later, she had furthered her studies at the Storm Mage Academy for half a year, where she formally mastered Spiritual Energy. The technique used to flip over those armored vehicles was her Spiritual Energy. After carefully observing the man kneeling on the ground, she softly said, ¡°It¡¯s confirmed that this is the traitor Manus of the empire. Put him down, take his head, and bring it back. Lambert Chief Justice doesn¡¯t have time for some public trial; he prefers to have enough heads laid out in his office before having a talk with the rest. It should be quite effective.¡± Manus was already feeling very uneasy, and hearing this, he trembled even more. He hastily began to speak, ¡°Madam! Madam! Please listen to me! I¡¯m still useful, I know a lot of things¡­¡± ¡°No need, your life is a bit more useful.¡± ¡°No no no! The defending army of Mingyan City is planning a rebellion! I¡¯m on good terms with their commander, I can¡­¡± ¡°Tch, like we needed you to tell us? Someone¡¯s already on their way.¡± At this point, Milia¡¯s expression soured, appearing annoyed at not being able to partake in that major operation. As they were talking, another Demon Hunter had walked behind Manus, with the gun barrel pressed against his back. ¡°Please don¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± With the sound of a gunshot, Manus, with a bullet through his heart, fell forward to the ground, fresh blood pouring from his shattered chest, staining his face, which still wore an expression of shock and disbelief. ¡­ In Mingyan City, the middle district, the headquarters of the Nest Capital Defense Army. General Tadeusz entered General Qiongson¡¯s office under the protection of a team of governor¡¯s bodyguards. The man was white-haired but still had a strong visage, sitting behind his desk with an air of unspoken authority. He looked up and saw Tadeusz, who wore the rank of general but was dressed in a uniform utterly different from his own, and demanded, ¡°You had better have an explanation for me; it¡¯s not time for my meeting with you yet.¡± Without a smile, Tadeusz presented a piece of parchment to Qiongson, bearing a few words, and most crucially, the governor¡¯s signature and a lacquer seal. ¡°General Qiongson, effective immediately, you are relieved of all command over the Mingyan City Defense Army. From now on, I will fully oversee the defense and military construction of Mingyan City.¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Qiongson slammed the table and stood up, ¡°I am a planetary general! Do you think you can dismiss me with just a document? Delusional!¡± ¡°This is an order from the governor. Your rank of general and your command position are appointments within the Planetary Defense Force system. The governor has full authority to terminate your duties and strip you of your rank.¡± ¡°How many divisions does the governor have in Mingyan City?¡± Qiongson, with an implied threat, said, ¡°I have been stationed here for twenty years. Every officer here has either been promoted by me or fought alongside me. They respect me, they love me, and if I am not in this position, I¡¯m afraid the army will not remain calm. Surely the governor doesn¡¯t want the Mingyan City Defense Army to fall into disorder in times of crisis?¡± Tadeusz¡¯s expression did not change upon hearing this. He laid the governor¡¯s dismissal document in front of General Qiongson and pulled out a small booklet. ¡°Mingyan City Defense Army 31st Division commander Mateus, 37th Division commander Laurent, 49th Division commander Andre, 71st Division commander Potoski¡­¡± With each name he read, Qiongson¡¯s face lost a shade of color. These were almost his most trusted, closest commanding generals in the army. After rapidly naming nearly twenty names, Tadeusz stopped and delivered the final verdict: ¡°They will also be dismissed.¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± Qiongson glared at Tadeusz, ¡°They are all surrounded by layers of protection within their own troops, how could it be!¡­¡± Just then, a telephone in his office suddenly rang. There were several phones on the desk, and the one that rang was the least used but also the most important. When it rang, it meant something extremely urgent had happened. Tadeusz gestured for Qiongson to answer the phone. Qiongson picked up the phone: ¡°I¡¯m Qiongson, speak quickly¡­¡± His face grew more and more sullen as the call went on. Eventually, the handset fell from his hand. He looked at Tadeusz in disbelief: ¡°How¡­ how could it be? In a matter of hours? You¡¯ve killed all nineteen division commanders after breaking into the military? ¡°Traitors to the empire deserve such a fate. Moreover, the military court has already passed judgment on your traitorous actions¡­¡± ¡°Wait! Since when does Korolya have a military court?¡± ¡°Korolya doesn¡¯t, but the Alliance does, and Korolya is now a member of the Alliance.¡± ¡°But there was no trial process!¡± ¡°I am the Alliance¡¯s Chief Political Commissar, and the trial process¡¯s highest decision is in my hands.¡± ¡°What is the verdict of the trial?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Tadeusz pulled out a handgun and pointed it at General Qiongson¡¯s forehead. ¡°Wait! Wait! I have served the planet, I have shed blood for Mingyan City, you can¡¯t treat me like this, I want to see the governor! I ¡­¡± ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°¡­Death.¡± Tadeusz softly recited the sentence of his verdict. General Qiongson, with a bullet hole in his forehead, fell backward. Chapter 604 - Chapter 604: Chapter 350, Tens of Millions of Troops Chapter 604: Chapter 350, Tens of Millions of Troops ¡°Greetings, this is the first time we meet, so allow me to introduce myself. I am Lambert Hodgson, the Chief Justice of the Alliance. The Alliance¡¯s legislative, law enforcement, and judicial operations are all my responsibility. Of course, all laws of the Alliance are established in accordance with the Planetary Governor¡¯s will, and I am here merely to refine the laws. The enforcement and judicial duties naturally must also be conducted in accordance with the law.¡± ¡°You all have been preliminarily screened and found unrelated to the rebellion that has yet to erupt. This is good, and on behalf of His Excellency the Planetary Governor, I hope you can continue to maintain this status.¡± ¡°As for the promises you made at the Planetary Governor¡¯s banquet, I have a list here, all recorded. I believe that you, loyal citizens of the Empire, will take your political promises seriously.¡± ¡°This is your responsibility, as well as mine.¡± A meeting was convened within the Governor¡¯s residence. The speaker, Lambert, had an amiable attitude and tone, merely recounting his job responsibilities and emphasizing the importance of dedication to their work. However, the sight of several rows of heads lined up behind him cast a chilling air over the scene. The many Salt City elites seated in the conference room were all as silent as cicadas in winter, barely daring to nod in agreement. In the past few days, there had been a bloody purge in Salt City. On normal days, many people would die daily in Salt City. Gang fights, overwork in factories, malnutrition, diseases¡­ However, those who died were the lowly, the worthless in society. To those elite, it would at most be a set of numbers¨Cthey would not even bother to look at those figures. But now was different. The heads hanging on the wall behind Lambert were almost all familiar faces, all once influential figures in Salt City, now all beheaded and displayed here. Go to wuxiaworld.site Nobody wanted to end up hanging there too, so of course, they did not dare make any sudden moves. And as for the rebellion? Forget about it. The head of General Qiongson, the Capital Commander in charge of the five million defending army of Salt City, was hanging right here. The biggest power player, who had hoped to force the Planetary Governor to yield with his troops, was finished. What play could the rest put on? It was said that Commissar General Tadeusz who had just arrived, along with his commissariat team, had gone deep into the military to announce the standards of the Alliance Army¡¯s treatment. This was far superior to that of the Planetary Defense Force (PDF) stationed on Korolya, almost on par with the Star Realm Army. More critically, the Salt City¡¯s official warehouses and some privy depots of the elite had been opened, with a substantial amount of supplies being distributed. The promises to the rank and file were not just pie in the sky, but were genuinely delivered without any markdowns. Many people who had ¡®volunteered¡¯ a lot in this process were bleeding inside. It was pure silver given to those poor soldiers, such a sin! They were all cannon fodder destined to die; was this really necessary? But no one dared to say this aloud anymore. They could only grumble to themselves¨Ccan the treasury sustain such high treatment? Even if they slaughtered everyone like fattened pigs for the New Year, what about the days after the celebration? But there was no choice. Going forward, they still had to contribute their strength. They could only hope that once the calamity passed, everything would return to normal. ¡­ Beside Lambert¡¯s own Demon Hunter Squad, the Integrity Commission soldiers, and the Phoenix Battle Group also took part in disposing of and collecting those heads. No need for the Phoenix warriors to move otherwise, but when it came to General Qiongson¡¯s staunch confidants within the military, who were not just battalion commanders but also regiment leaders, it was crucial to eliminate any chance of them causing trouble¨Cthus ensuring a one-hit kill. Such tasks could only be entrusted to the Interstellar Warriors, who would guarantee a hundred percent success. Their operations had especially effective results. Carrying the Planetary Governor¡¯s orders and the government¡¯s mandate, and with the most obvious presence of the Emperor¡¯s own Angels personally arriving, the military truly did not act rashly. And those officers, even if they saw the dire situation and were unwilling to be captured without a fight, could not escape the Interstellar Warrior¡¯s execution when it mattered most. After all, some minor disturbances were inevitable, but they were quickly subdued. After carrying out these measures, the Interstellar Warriors also swiftly withdrew, handing the military over to the military commissars of the Alliance. They had other, more important tasks to attend to. ¡­ The lavishly decorated Governor¡¯s residence of Salt City now became a grand administrative office. Lambert¡¯s team set up their headquarters here. And like the Mayor Izla Hood with a broken leg, she too gritted her teeth and insisted on working through her injuries, moving the city government in, fully cooperating with Lambert. Or rather, both of them were cooperating with Tadeusz. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now was a time of war, and military construction was of utmost importance. It was Tadeusz who was shouldering the most arduous tasks. Under regular conditions, Salt City would have a garrison of ten million native troops. Since the problems in Fino City, there had been a high demand for troops, not just in Salt City but in all the Nest Capitals across the globe, with continuous deployment of forces participating in the situation at Fino City. The strength of the garrison in Salt City had dropped to a low of two to three million people at one point over the last few years. This was a dangerously low number. Any less, and they would not have sufficient force to suppress any issues in the Lower Nest District or Bottom Nest District. But as the situation in Fino City collapsed, and when it became clear that Salt City was the next target, a considerable number of troops started to be redeployed here from various locations. Currently, there were about five million troops in the city. Chapter 605 - Chapter 605: Chapter 350, Tens of Millions of Troops_2 Chapter 605: Chapter 350, Tens of Millions of Troops_2 ¡°` Following the governor¡¯s request, the number of defending forces in Fino City must be further expanded. The total force is to reach a scale of twenty million. Among them, a force enjoying the so-called ¡®Star Realm Army¡¯ benefits is the most core unit, with a planned total of ten million people, which is half of the total force. This force will be granted the ¡®Salvation Army¡¯ designation. From this, one can see how arduous Tadeusz¡¯s task is. In the coming months, he must not only take control of and reform the existing five million native forces but also recruit another fifteen million. The entire government of Mingyan City will go all out to provide Tadeusz with all the necessary support to ensure he can complete the governor¡¯s mission. The main cooperation is in terms of human resources, which plainly put, is recruitment. Do not think that just because Mingyan City has a population of three billion, recruitment is an easy matter, as if one could simply grab a mere five thousandths of the population. It¡¯s not that simple. The Mingyan City government¡¯s control over the most populous Bottom Nest District and Lower Nest District is inadequate, and this area is already experiencing a plague, with cult activities, rebels, disobedient gangs, and opposition organizations. The government¡¯s organizational power and control over the population are surprisingly weak. There is no such thing as a list going out and people obediently showing up. Similarly, assembling such a vast military force also poses massive logistics issues that need to be resolved. With all sorts of objective problems present, the entire government department, under the efforts of Mayor Hu De and the supervision of Lambert, is strenuously working towards this goal. Go to wuxiaworld.site Lambert anticipated the low administrative efficiency on Korolya, but facing it head-on, he found it to be even more difficult than he had imagined. Subjectively, it is the people of the Korolya Planetary Government who are too incompetent in their work. The administrative staff is hundreds or even thousands of times larger than that of the Alliance Government, yet their efficiency is shockingly low; objectively, the difficulty has risen exponentially with a several-fold increase in the population managed. This has resulted in an already challenging objective difficulty paired with substandard subjective capabilities. Lambert was quite angered but also had to recognize that this was the reality. No matter how dissatisfied he was, what he needed to ensure now was just that these people were diligently working. After clearing out the corrupt individuals and traitors, there was nothing to do about the remaining, less capable people until later. However low the efficiency might be, no matter how much the rusted gears in the system screeched, no matter how much procedural and result-oriented chaos there was, once the Nest Capital, with its population of three billion, started operating, the power it unleashed was still incredibly terrifying. Lambert originally thought that achieving the goal would be extremely difficult, yet now it seemed quite hopeful. ¡­ Mingyan City was internally striving to expand its military. Meanwhile, on this planet, the true main force was deployed in Fino City¨Cor rather, ¡®running alongside¡¯ Fino City. The Dragonhawk Legion¡¯s forces, currently at eighteen million strong, are led by General Hans, with nearly fifty million Planetary Defense Forces; The Rage Bear Legion led by Li Kexi is also among them. The remaining nearly one hundred million Planetary Defense Forces are stationed in other Nest Capitals, defending against and suppressing the spread of the Plague Cult in their respective regions. Currently, the main human forces are relying primarily on long-range artillery for combat efforts. The human self-propelled artillery units fire day and night following ¡®Fino City,¡¯ launching no fewer than thirty thousand shells daily at the living city. Even if they can¡¯t break the Void Shield, they keep up the bombardment¨Cto whatever extent it might be in vain or not. Every now and then, the malevolent heavy artillery inside ¡®Fino City¡¯ also fires back at the human artillery formations. Comparatively, the losses suffered are much more significant than those from the human bombardment of the living city. Moreover, the Plague Demon¡¯s forces also launch periodic raids, causing notable damage. Such battles are utterly meaningless; Fino City has not reduced its speed at all. There¡¯s no need to continue this sacrifice; after all, ammunition is quite valuable. Upon his request, General Hans is now consolidating and organizing the entire force, with tens of millions set to assemble west of Mingyan City. ¡°` Altogether, that¡¯s nearly sixty million people, which of course couldn¡¯t possibly gather in one place. No single battlefield could accommodate such a vast number of troops. The troops, organized by division, constructed dozens of dense defense lines to the west of Mingyan City, in the direction of ¡®Fino City¡¯, each at least a hundred kilometers wide. When General Hans was about to explain, Gu Hang gave him a clear directive: ¡°When necessary, we must be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice, not sparing nineteen million from the Star Realm Army, nor sixty million from the Planetary Defense Force. We must launch a full-scale attack on Fino City.¡± General Hans strongly objected. It wasn¡¯t that he was afraid to die; he just thought it was senseless. An army is not more effective simply because it¡¯s larger. The battlefield space in Fino City is only so big; on one front, deploying hundreds of thousands to attack is already the limit, as the width of the battlefield is finite. Piling up more people is pointless. Of course, having sufficient troops means that you could throw in hundreds of thousands, and when they collapse, immediately send in another batch, maintaining a relentless offensive posture. However, such warfare requires exceptionally strong soldier quality and organization. General Hans explicitly stated that the only one capable of this was the Star Realm Army. As for that enormous Planetary Defense Force, could they undertake the same desperate task as the million Star Realm Army soldiers who previously attempted an offensive and were nearly wiped out inside Fino City? That would be impossible. The army didn¡¯t have enough strength, morale, or organization for this task. If orders were forced upon them, even with execution squads blocking their retreat, it¡¯s likely the troops would still mutiny: fighting the executioners might, after all, offer some chance of survival. The role that the Planetary Defense Force could play was only to assist when there were sturdier troops able to hold the line in front; relying on them to act valiantly and take the lead was unrealistic. In response, Gu Hang expressed understanding. But he still insisted that General Hans must carry out the orders as given. The orders came with the authority of the battle zone commander. General Hans had no choice but to comply. Although the majority of his troops came from the Fatches Tri-Star and even a considerable proportion of his officers had deep ties to the Fatches Family, many people were urging him to keep his distance from the new governor who had usurped the Fatches¡¯ power and to not cooperate with him. Yet, he still carried out the orders of the battle zone commander. He remembered his identity in the Star Realm Army, as the Third Group Army of the Dragon Hawk Legion was not a private army of the Fatches family. Of course, discontent was still present ¡ª it was not necessarily his own, but that of the Fatches officers under him. These people would show up at his doorstep daily, weeping, forcing him to send up an impeachment letter to his superiors every other day. And at Envoy Lois¡¯ ship meetings, the Fatches family members would make a big fuss about these same issues every single day. Envoy Lois was under great pressure too. Gu Hang, the battle zone commander, had been appointed by her in her capacity as an envoy. If things went south, it wouldn¡¯t mean the end of her political career, but it would still be significantly affected. However, Madam Lois, who had lived for over three hundred years, had sufficient resilience to endure the pressure. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only She single-handedly repelled all the pressure on one hand, and on the other, she did not say anything to Gu Hang. Even though she too had her doubts, she still chose to place her full trust in Gu Hang. In employing someone, do not suspect them; at least until Mingyan City falls, her trust would be absolute. If Mingyan City is lost, then immediately the trust level will drop to zero, and all the backup plans that should be initiated will be set into motion. She desperately hoped it wouldn¡¯t come to that. Chapter 606 - Chapter 606: Chapter 351, Prey Chapter 606: Chapter 351, ¡®Prey As the soldiers on Korolya prepared for the final desperate effort required by the Governor; as the officials and citizens within Mingyan City worked tirelessly for the Governor¡¯s war plans; and as the special envoy of the Lois Star Domain bore the pressure on behalf of the Governor, what was the Governor himself doing? The Governor himself was on a field trip. Accompanying him on the field trip were six people. First was Phoenix Battalion Leader Matins, who naturally needs no introduction. Second was Eureka Pambos. He hailed from Heijian Star, originally a prince of the largest kingdom, Panbos, and the pilot of the Knight Titan of Heijian Star. Later, with the support of an Alliance diplomat, he forced his father, the King, to abdicate and became the King of Panbos¨Cof course, in the era of the Alliance, the title of King was almost purely honorary, as almost all administrative authority lay with the Alliance Government. He himself, as King, also joined the Alliance National Knights, still shining as the pilot of Knight Titan. This was a significant political signal, signifying the Alliance¡¯s acceptance of the old forces of Heijian Star. ¡°If even your king can continue to wield important power within the Alliance, what do you have to worry about?¡± Originally, his position in the Knight Order had more symbolic than actual meaning¨Cdid the Alliance really lack a pilot? However, as time passed, Mr. Gu began to grant him more authority. The reason for this was simply that Mr. Gu had discovered on the [heroes] interface that King Eureka truly acknowledged the Alliance and his loyalty was guaranteed. Then, having sent him to the Loyal Heir Academy on Rage Owl Star and spending grace points to activate his hero attributes and train him into a political commissar to ensure loyalty, Gu Hang simply allowed this actually outstanding pilot to lead the Alliance¡¯s knights using his royal status. He was not afraid of any incidents. Nothing could go wrong. Third and fourth were Leonardo Neves and Aero Lacroix. Both from the Tenth Brigade of the Alliance, the latter was a super soldier with distinguished service. He had also donned Feedback-Type Power Armor and, apart from interstellar warriors, was among the strongest in the Alliance. His personal level had reached LV5, with extraordinary potential. In truth, some of the Phoenix new recruits couldn¡¯t even beat him. Go to wuxiaworld.site However, Lacroix had no talent or capability for commanding troops, nor did he wish to do so. Neves was the commander of the Tenth Brigade, an Alliance Brigadier General. At a time when the military leadership of regular division-brigade level units was only at the rank of lieutenant colonel, at most colonel, his brigadier general rank clearly showed the importance of the Tenth Brigade. Fifth was Dannie Dress, who was the leader of the Alliance Storm Mage Corps. All five were members of the Alliance. And the sixth had a more special identity. She was the Superior of the Sainte-Lys Nun Association, Mrs. Georgette. Sainte-Lys was a Battle Nun Association. Before the war, they had over four hundred battle nuns. Their main duty was to garrison and defend the propagation of the Church¡¯s teachings on Korolya III, incidentally to proselytize on their own. Additionally, they participated in warfare in other star systems, responding to the call of the Empire and the Church. Sainte-Lys originated from the Holy Flame Rose Convent and was a third-order association under the Holy Flame Rose. Compared to the most famous and large-scale convents of the Church, such as their former order, Sainte-Lys was small, but for Korolya, they were a highly important defense force. Indeed, before this, Mrs. Georgette and the other battle nuns of Sainte-Lys had mostly been fighting on the frontlines, especially in Fino City. Over the past few years of conflict, Sainte-Lys had lost over a hundred nuns. They had always fought on the frontlines, rushing wherever danger lurked. They had indeed provided significant assistance. But they still couldn¡¯t stop the spread of the epidemic. Not until Fino City was abandoned, could they only retreat along with the rest, and now they had reconvened in Mingyan City. The number of remaining nuns now totaled over three hundred. Strictly speaking, even though Gu Hang had become the Korolya Governor, he had no authority to directly govern Sainte-Lys. After all, they belonged to the Church, and while also part of the Empire, were entirely distinct systems. However, a warzone commander was another matter. And even setting aside this power dynamic, Sainte-Lys itself was willing to contribute to the war against the Plague Demon. After discussions with Zhao Qinghong, the bishop of the Church in Korolya Sector, and the leader of the Sisterhood, the Grand Superior Medici, they were willing to dispatch a hundred-person team to partake in Gu Hang¡¯s campaign. Leading this team was Sister Chang Ge Ruite, who had previously collaborated with Gu Hang and greatly helped during the formation of the Alliance. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At this moment, their field trip destination was located to the west of Mingyan City, on the edge of the military defensive line that was under construction¨Con a cliff. The six waited in silence for Mr. Gu, who had his eyes closed yet assumed a gazing posture, to descend from mid-air. Mrs. Georgette was the most impatient. Unable to hold back, she asked, ¡°Mr. Governor, is this the place? Is this where we were looking for?¡± Gu Hang slowly opened his eyes, turned around, and said, ¡°Although the conditions aren¡¯t perfect, we can¡¯t always seek perfection in everything. Let¡¯s choose this place.¡± Chapter 607 - Chapter 607: Chapter 351, Prey_2 Chapter 607: Chapter 351, ¡®Prey¡¯_2 He paused, then continued, ¡°Next, I will assemble a division to establish a secret camp on this side of the cliff. After returning, you all should bring your troops here separately. We need to make some preparations in advance.¡± General Nevys asked, ¡°What about you, Governor?¡± ¡°I will wait here for all of you,¡± Gu Hang said in a low voice, chuckling, ¡°Transporting over a thousand people, along with Ranger Knights and the hulking Warhound Titans, to the heart of Fino City is not an easy task. We have to pass through numerous obstacles and deceive a Great Demon; there is much to do.¡± Upon hearing the term ¡®Great Demon,¡¯ everyone grew solemn. Gu Hang spoke earnestly to the six people, ¡°The Empire¡¯s forces are on full alert, and the Empire¡¯s citizens are doing their utmost to contribute to the battlefield. But the most critical part of this war still lies with us. We bear the heavy responsibility of stopping that den of demons in its tracks, even crippling its Void Shield, severing its link with hell. Although every person involved in this battle is an elite, even a hero in their own right, we still don¡¯t know how many will be able to return alive. You must prepare your troops mentally.¡± Georgette and Matins were among the first to stand out, ¡°For the Empire!¡± The rest hurriedly followed suit. Gu Hang responded with equal seriousness, ¡°For the Empire!¡± ¡­ One hundred and three Terra standard days later, the crawling Nest Capital ¡®Fino City¡¯ was now within striking distance. The distance between it and Mingyan City was now just over six hundred kilometers. But in reality, it had already encountered the western defense line of Mingyan City. More than sixty million troops, making up over eighty Army Groups, covered a battlefield over two hundred kilometers wide, stretching out a strategic depth of more than six hundred kilometers. Bunkers, trenches, and watchtowers were densely packed between them, forming layers of defense lines. Go to wuxiaworld.site General Hans was indeed competent. Organizing an army of sixty million exceeded most people¡¯s imaginations. Even with a massive staff and a large number of field officers possessing strong executive abilities, organizing such a behemoth over such a vast area was still an incredibly daunting task. General Hans could no longer manage units at the division level; at most, he could only oversee up to the Army Group level. Each of the more than eighty Army Groups had their own defensive zones and were ready to be mobilized at a moment¡¯s notice. Even so, the human army still wove a vast net across this prepared battlefield of over one hundred thousand square kilometers, waiting for the ¡®prey¡¯ to arrive. And now, the ¡®prey¡¯ had come. But who exactly was the prey? Fino City, as it crawled, seemed to consider the humans who had set the net as the ¡®prey.¡¯ The city, after swallowing another Nest Capital, had further expanded in size. The front facing the human forces was eighty kilometers wide. Once Fino City came within range, the artillery barrage began. The Empire¡¯s artillery launched their fiercest firepower, slamming it onto the crawling Nest Capital. A Void Shield composed of Subspace Dark Magic suddenly materialized, enveloping the entire city within it. The shells stirred up waves upon the Void Shield, with a rather significant effect. In previous battles, the firepower produced by accompanying self-propelled guns was far less than the density of fire prepared over several months. Now, under the arrangement of the generals and officers of each Army Group and division, the artillery was positioned most rationally. The current artillery arrangement was most suitable for intensive bombardment. The impact of the countless shells falling was even close to matching the previous artillery barrage from the Tianma Fleet. If Fino City had no response and simply let the countless human guns bombard it like this for a day or two, the Void Shield would indeed be broken. Ants can overcome an elephant if there are enough of them, not to mention bona fide Land Forces heavy artillery. But things were obviously not going to be that easy. The Nest Capital, enhanced by Subspace Dark Magic, how could it possibly remain unresponsive? Plague Fly Swarms blotted out the sky, howling forth from the city¡¯s high towers. Wherever they flew, sunlight was obscured, and the sky darkened. Countless anti-aircraft fire began to shoot upwards, without any need to worry about hitting their targets. With the swarm so dense, hitting them was inevitable. Innumerable sparks exploded in midair, scattering countless charred, broken bodies of giant flies onto the ground below. But despite this, it was still impossible to stop such a massive number of Plague Fly Swarms from launching their attacks. They were both living creatures, the lowest grade of Plague Demons, and ¡®projectiles¡¯ at the same time. Group after group of Plague Giant Flies dived from the sky. When they descended to a certain height, even the firearms in the hands of human soldiers could kill them. Yet these mindless Demons persisted in diving downwards, aiming straight for various predetermined targets: artillery positions, anti-air defenses. Seven corrupt Demon Dragons appeared under the cover of the Plague Fly Swarm. Their dense, corrupt breath enveloped vast swaths of ground fortifications in a plague toxin. Human soldiers directly engulfed in the breath screamed in agony as they died; even steel would temporarily animate into flesh under the terrifying power of these Plague Demons, only reverting to its original steel state after the breath dispersed, albeit already twisted and misshapen. It was for this reason that soldiers on the front line were all issued protective masks and hazmat suits in these years. Otherwise, not only would everyone in the direct path of the breath perish, but even soldiers farther away might breathe in the virulent plague and contract the disease on the spot, losing their ability to fight and swiftly dying in the following days. The sky above the battlefield was almost entirely occupied by Demons. On the human side, there were actually thousands of combat aircraft. However, this number might seem not small, but compared to the enemy, it was far too few. On the current battlefield, there was simply no way to rely on these few aircraft to wrest control of the sky. But if we cannot compete, should we just give up? Despite the huge numerical disadvantage, the first few hundred combat aircraft of various types took off from the ground. Their main objective was to work together with the ground¡¯s anti-aircraft fire and reduce the number of the Plague Fly Swarm in a certain area as much as possible, protecting our valuable anti-aircraft positions and artillery positions. Plague Giant Flies couldn¡¯t fly too high and weren¡¯t very fast either¨Cthese weaknesses allowed the human aircraft to seize numerous opportunities. After firing, they could climb to a higher altitude to disengage and refill their ammo before returning to the fight. However, there were also those unlucky enough to be destroyed in the air¨Cthe corrupt Demon Dragons had none of those weaknesses! They could even use Dark Magic to treat the Plague Giant Flies around them as ¡®projectiles¡¯, accelerating them and ¡®throwing¡¯ them high into the air; or, they would stealthily approach beneath the aircraft amid the cloud-like cover of the Plague Fly Swarms, then suddenly surge upwards, reaching the side of the aircraft at high speed, tearing it apart with sharp fangs and claws¡­ But the sacrifice of the human aircraft had value, as long as creatures of the grade of the corrupt Demon Dragons were still few, with only seven appearing in total. When their gaze turned towards the sky, the pressure on the ground would lighten a bit. However, no matter how ferocious the anti-aircraft firepower was or how full of heroic spirit the human pilots were, the sky that could not be reclaimed remained irrecoverable. The ground assault of the Demons also began. Countless Demons surged out of the Nest Capital like a tide. Unconcerned with ¡®roads¡¯, on any living wall, they might create a breach and then hordes of Plague Zombies would rush out chaotically. In the hands of these corrupted enemies were firearms. Some resembled corrupted versions of human military weapons; others were simply firearms conjured on the spot from Subspace Dark Magic, firing venomous dark magic bullets. The brutal ground combat began just like this. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The essence of human troops had to engage with the enemy in close combat under conditions where air superiority had been lost, long-range heavy firepower was continuously harassed by enemy air attacks, thus support was not timely. And the huge cannons of the Nest Capital began to assert their power, savagely bombarding human positions again and again. By the sixth hour after the battle officially began, the human army¡¯s first line of defense had completely crumbled. And during this process, the advance of Fino City did not slow down in the slightest, the human military had not managed to penetrate deep into the body of Fino City, failing to threaten its fleshly core, naturally unable to slow its advance. Thus, Fino City steadily pressed forward a distance of twelve kilometers. Chapter 608 - Chapter 608: Chapter 352, Going Against the Current Chapter 608: Chapter 352, Going Against the Current And yet, Fino City was still advancing. Over six hours, it had pushed forward by twelve kilometers. The Plague Demon Army that surged from its ¡®body¡¯, with the support of aerial superiority and the fire support of Fino City, the War Fortress come to life, had already pierced through over fifty kilometers of the human army¡¯s front lines. The human army on the second line of defense had already engaged these Plague Demon forces in battle. At this moment, back at the main command post, General Hans had just received the latest intelligence. ¡°¡­Our first line of defense has been breached.¡± ¡°The 55th, 60th, 61st, 71st, 72nd, and 83rd Armies of the homeland have all collapsed completely.¡± ¡°The 3rd and 5th Armies of the Dragonhawk Legion have also retreated.¡± This was shocking news. Everyone in the command post, from General Hans to numerous staff officers, remained silent, allowing the staff officer who was delivering the report to continue, his voice trembling, with the frontline situation. ¡°The frontline battle is too intense for accurate data. Currently, twelve divisions are completely out of contact and presumed to have completely lost their structure; the remaining troops that have retreated have all suffered losses. It is estimated that in the past six hours, we have lost a total of over four hundred thousand men¡­¡± Six hours, four hundred thousand men. Everyone present was a seasoned veteran, who had fought countless wars, big and small. But a war like this, they had truly never fought. Go to wuxiaworld.site The entire campaign would mobilize sixty million people and, within six hours, several army groups, millions of people forming the first line of defense, directly collapsed, losing twelve divisions, four hundred thousand men¡­ It was too exaggerated. A division, on average, lasted only a few minutes on the frontline before retreating, and every half an hour a division was completely wiped out. Of course, it couldn¡¯t actually be calculated so evenly. Over hundreds of kilometers in width and fifty kilometers in depth, the troops were spread out, and the battles almost happened simultaneously. Normally, a division holding the front could last several hours of fighting. Yet even so, these figures sent back from the frontline were still chilling. Moreover, the development of the battle exceeded their original plans by far. Initially, General Hans intended to bring the battle into Fino City. As Nest Capital approached, the troops would rush into it under the cover of firepower, using incendiary weapons and bombs to cause as much damage as possible to the living body of Nest Capital. Although doing this would subject them to fierce counterattacks by the Plague Demon Army, the initial trial attack involving a million men had failed but still managed to achieve some results. More importantly, the forces they prepared for this offensive were not on the million scale but the tens of millions. As long as the frontline troops could gain a foothold inside Nest Capital, follow-up support would immediately come from the second defensive line to join the fight and pull out the first wave of troops, which were expected to suffer heavy casualties. By rotating like this, continuing to push deeper and increase troop commitment, perhaps they could ultimately destroy this living city at the cost of the blood of countless human soldiers. But unexpectedly, the first wave of troops didn¡¯t just fail to breach Fino City, the Plague Demon Army, under the cover of aerial superiority, didn¡¯t even let the human troops touch the edge of Nest Capital; instead, they broke out and directly overwhelmed the human army¡¯s first line of defense. The collapse was too fast, and the severity of the casualties too high, entirely beyond their expectations. More crucially, if they were trembling with fear in the command post, what about the front line troops? Snapping back to reality, Hans was the first to focus on this issue, ¡°What¡¯s the situation with the troops on the second line of defense?¡± ¡°Very bad.¡± The intelligence officer immediately responded, ¡°The front was defeated too quickly. The routed army was retreating without any chance to reorganize, and the enemy pressed on. Multiple homeland army groups on the second defensive line have reported incidents of organized desertion. Although it can still be controlled for now, as the battle fully ignites on the second defensive line, the situation will likely become even less optimistic, even¡­¡± ¡°Even what?¡± ¡°Even the second line of defense might not hold as long as the first did.¡± That intelligence officer still gritted his teeth and voiced his judgment. An atmosphere of panic and despair entirely enveloped the command post. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They could all foresee the consequence: if the worst-case scenario occurred and the human army¡¯s second line of defense also quickly collapsed, then countless Plague Demons, sweeping up the vast numbers of fleeing soldiers, could possibly trigger a chain reaction, toppling all the subsequent arrangements. Regardless of the tens of millions of people, once organization was lost, no amount of personnel would help; the entire situation would collapse like a giant set of dominoes. Any reinforcements would only make the collapse appear even more massive. And just at that moment, an intelligence officer burst into the command post. Everyone was startled by the loud opening of the door, fearful of even worse news coming. The newly arrived intelligence officer was a bit baffled, but with important information at hand, he hurriedly spoke up, ¡°Commander! There¡¯s news from the third defensive line. Major General Li Kexi reports that the Rage Bear Legion he leads is launching a counterattack with the objective of stabilizing the front line ahead of his position and arranging for the retreating troops to reorganize in the rear. He hopes that command will make a decision soon to deploy elite troops for the counterattack and not spare the aerial support any longer. We must stabilize the situation, or the consequences will be dire.¡± Chapter 609 - Chapter 609: Chapter 352, Swimming Upstream_2 Chapter 609: Chapter 352, Swimming Upstream_2 General Hans was momentarily stunned. In the face of a full retreat, there was actually a legion moving against the current? He hadn¡¯t ruled out the idea of moving the rear troops forward, but one question always lingered in his mind: would it be of any use? They could still hold their own for now, and if the enemy¡¯s offensive slowed down, especially it moved further away from the support of the Nest Capital¡¯s Sinister Energy Cannon, their assault would inevitably weaken with increasing distance from the active Nest Capital. He had already prepared himself to abandon the first few defense lines and regroup further back. But if he really moved the troops from the remaining defense lines forward, and if they could hold off the enemy, all would be well. If they couldn¡¯t, a massive collapse could come even sooner. How should one choose? ¡­ No matter how conflicted General Hans was behind the scenes, Li Kexi nevertheless took action. The Rage Bear Legion currently had a complete roster of one million two hundred thousand troops, with a total of 49 divisional and brigade-level units, the equivalent of an army group, solely responsible for a segment of the third defense line. Without a clear command for a full-scale assault from the high command, Li Kexi couldn¡¯t possibly commit his entire force. He still had his own defense zone to manage. However, according to the intelligence returned by the scouting units and information from allied forces at the front, Li Kexi astutely judged that the situation ahead was unsustainable. Watching the allies take a beating without moving, if the second defense line collapsed, all the pressure would come to him, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it either. Consequently, he extended two ¡°tentacles¡± outward to probe. Go to wuxiaworld.site The 77th Kologa Armored Composite Brigade, the 92nd Kologa Heavy Infantry Division, and the 21st Garrison Division comprised one tentacle. The other was similarly equipped. The Armored Brigade, as the spearhead, surged forward with a force of forty thousand. The heavily structured infantry division followed behind to provide support while the Garrison Division patrolled nearby, ready to fill in any infantry gaps in the armored division. In this formation, it took them just over an hour to reach the second defense line. Even on the way, they encountered and annihilated some of the enemy units that had overrun their positions. And when they reached the second defense line, the intensity of the battle suddenly increased. The entire area was completely engulfed by raging flames of war. It covered several hundred square kilometers, but with a large number of troops stationed there, practically everywhere were trenches and semi-underground bunkers dug up in recent months. Here, the human troops engaged the Plague Demons in a fight to the death. Many positions had already been overrun, while others were still resisting. Both sides contended for every inch of land, every trench, and every firepower point, fighting repeatedly for control. But on the whole, the human side was on the brink of collapse. Initially, the 56th Local Defense Corps, with over twenty large-size divisions, was stationed in this area. But with a large number of units retreating from the front line and needing to be managed, and a sudden attack during reassignment, contact with several divisions could no longer be established. Many positions were split, and at the same time, the troops¡¯ will to fight was not strong. The frightening appearance of the enemy and the loss of the skies further damaged their morale. Under these compounded factors, the entire Army Group was close to falling apart. The front-line troops had already begun to retreat, and the reserves that moved up could not hold out for long. In some places where a breakthrough occurred, a large number of enemies poured in, causing significant chaos in the rear of the Army Group. ¡°` Yunrao quietly infused the subspace around the area with dark magic, sneakily inputting electronic garbage code into the human legion¡¯s communication channels. This caused the communication channels between human forces to be disconnected for one third of the time, and for another third, the situation was even worse, with channels filled with the Demons¡¯ whispers and sinister laughter, causing anyone who heard it to feel extremely uncomfortable, breaking out in cold sweat, vomiting, and that was just the mild effects; some even went mad because of it. Only in the final third of cases, if luck was on their side, could they communicate normally. The human forces could only rely on this completely unreliable method for communication. The problem of poor communication greatly affected the cohesion of the entire force. Within the advancing Rage Bear Legion¡¯s armored forces, there were specialized communication vehicles and communication companies who, relying on the stability of their equipment and their ability to resist interference, were faring much better. The vanguard force successfully made contact with the 56th Army¡¯s headquarters. Upon hearing of their arrival, the commanding officer was overjoyed and immediately shared intelligence, pointing out where the largest gap currently was. The commander of the 77th Armored Brigade only considered briefly, communicated slightly with the forces behind, and then led his troops straight toward the target area. The Lion Tanks, with their turrets held high, continued to fire as they moved, blanketing the visible enemy groups with high-explosive shells; armored personnel carriers accompanied them, firing rapid-shot machine guns in coordination, annihilating large numbers of enemy forces; self-propelled artillery units set up an urgent artillery array, covering fire in the direction of troop advancement, and the garrison division following behind simultaneously deployed their own artillery in coordination, while also securing their positions, to avoid the enemy, who had already broken through the friendly lines, from directly threatening the artillery array from other directions. As for the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s large formation division, they were a bit further back. Artillery had also set up their attack formation; massive troops, organized into companies and battalions, took over many of the friendly positions, ensuring a clear rear for the frontline troops. The firepower of a single unit from the Rage Bear 77th Brigade was comparable to several large formation divisions of the local corps. After they joined the battle, the situation changed significantly. At least, the gap was plugged. The turning point occurred when an advancing tank company discovered an area heavily guarded by the enemy. After calling for several rounds of artillery support from behind, eleven Lion Tanks from the company charged in a cluster. The roars of the steel behemoths¡¯ engines and the heavy pounding of the tank cannons not only stunned the enemies who had just withstood the bombardment and hadn¡¯t recovered yet but also awakened the combat will of several local companies that had previously fled in defeat. These infantrymen, at the request of the tank company commander, plucked up their courage and conducted a joint attack. After sacrificing two tanks and destroying one flesh monster larger than the Lion Tank with five or six armor-piercing rounds, the enemy¡¯s most important resistance force was shattered. The infantry rushed forward and wiped out the remaining enemies, discovering what this force of plague monsters had been protecting¨Ca crawling flesh machine with antennas, from which a piercing and shrill noise was emanating. The captain commanding the tank company roughly guessed what it was¨Clikely a hub where the enemy released electronic garbage code. Regardless, it was a demonic creation, so without a second word, they fired several shots and destroyed it. Sure enough, his guess was correct. As the antenna-laden flesh machine was destroyed, communication conditions in the surrounding large area improved significantly. The troops that could now be reorganized and mobilized no longer collapsed so easily. As the Armored Brigade pushed forward along the frontline gap, the entire battle line¡¯s situation thus stabilized. This attracted a swarm of Plague Flies. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The destructive power of these creatures¡¯ suicide bombing dives was not to be underestimated. However, the Armored Brigade within the alliance was equipped with a large number of anti-air armored vehicles, anti-aircraft guns, and anti-air high-explosive shells, which took a significant toll on these not-so-fast and dive-bombing monsters. Even the infantry¡¯s handheld guns could bring about substantial results. Albeit a significant number of the giant flies succeeded in their suicide bombing, the losses were within an acceptable range. Then, as the Aviation Forces of the Corps from the rear joined the battle with a large number of Wind Falcons, the aerial threats were further mitigated. For a time, the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s dispatched vanguard forces, against the odds, launched into an advance! ¡°` Chapter 610 - Chapter 610: Chapter 353, Its Not the Time Yet Chapter 610: Chapter 353, It¡¯s Not the Time Yet The forward units of Rage Bear Legion had blocked the two breaches in the defensive line, which significantly impacted the battle. From a strategic standpoint, once the gaps were plugged, the surrounding troops were no longer subject to being attacked from multiple directions. Also, as the forces from the first line of defense withdrew, they now had a route to retreat. Even more crucial was the aspect of troop morale. Since the outset of the battle, the human army had been continuously losing ground. Positions held by companies were wiped out entirely, while battalion and division-level positions could often only withstand a few hours of assault. The enemy was advancing as if into an uninhabited land, not just resisting; those who retreated a little slower were entirely surrounded and then lost contact. Due to this, even Army Group sectors experienced a terrifying waver. It was a choice between annihilation and flight. With constant defeats, how could morale not be affected? But now, the counterattack by Rage Bear Legion, importantly, was effective; it was like lifting a torch in the darkness. Although on the overall battlefield, this could at best be considered a localized victory, even the so-called victory was only temporary. Yet, it did convey to others that the enemy was not invincible. Units that had suffered heavy losses could now retreat and regroup; the same went for the troops from the collapsed first line of defense. Following this, the 56th Army¡¯s reserves began to move up, taking over the positions that Rage Bear Legion¡¯s troops had recaptured. By this stage, it was the Plague Demon Army that was a bit embarrassed. Before this, the plague monsters that had flooded in through the breaches were pushed back by the offensive of Rage Bear Legion¡¯s armored forces. However, many were trapped before they could retreat, and within a few hours, they were nearly exterminated. At this point, calling it a localized victory was no exaggeration. Of course, the armored units of Rage Bear Legion had also suffered significant losses, unexpectedly, with the greatest losses not occurring during the offensive but in holding the recaptured positions. The main enemy forces in front had not ceased their fierce attack. To not lose the fruits of victory, they had to firmly block the breaches. At this time, one disadvantage of the Armored Composite Brigade became apparent: a shortage of front-line combat units, especially in the number of infantry. In defense, the armored units¡¯ role could at most be a fire support platform. Go to wuxiaworld.site You can¡¯t use valuable armored vehicles as cover. There are plenty of trenches and bomb craters on the battlefield that can be used for cover. Thankfully, the 92nd Infantry Division, which accompanied the offensive, arrived to help, mitigating the lack of combat infantry. Later on, local Defense Forces from the 56th Army also sent multiple battalion-sized units, further bolstering their numbers. They held the line. The battle situation thus tended towards stabilization¨Cat least it appeared so for the moment. Of course, stable does not mean the fighting was not intense. In fact, the battle was still extremely fierce, and the casualties were massive. The relentless attacks by the Plague Demon Army, with no regard for their own losses, turned the front lines into a veritable meat grinder. Every second, countless soldiers cried out and died, and with them, an even greater number of monsters. In continuous fighting, even a unit like Rage Bear Legion that met Star Realm Army¡¯s standard training requirements and was well-equipped was hard-pressed to withstand such ferocious combat. The 92nd Division lost over five thousand soldiers in just a few hours. A casualty rate of just over 12% might not seem like much, but in reality, it greatly affected the division¡¯s combat effectiveness. The division had a full strength of forty thousand, but a significant portion of that number included logistics, communications, artillery, air defense, engineers, division headquarters¡­ and other non-frontline personnel. The troops lost in combat were almost exclusively from the front-line units. In fact, the 92nd Division¡¯s combat effectiveness had been reduced by more than a third. It wasn¡¯t until a fully staffed reserve Homeland Infantry Division arrived that the situation improved significantly. But the reserves were ultimately limited. Without further support, the cruel grinder of battle couldn¡¯t be sustained indefinitely. Fortunately, the Central Command of the human legions finally made the correct decision. A large number of troops in the rear were ordered to move forward to support. ¡­ The victory by Rage Bear Legion was the only piece of good news the Central Command had heard since the start of the war. No matter what, the deployment and assault by Rage Bear Legion had helped the 56th Army hold the line and even pushed it back slightly. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only On the entire second line of defense, this was the only solid ground now. The previously overwhelmed Central Command finally issued orders. The troops from the third line of defense began to press forward, fully supporting the front; simultaneously, following the example of Rage Bear Legion, General Hans moved the main elite units under his command, which were the armored forces of Dragonhawk Legion. In all honesty, though the Dragonhawk Legion was a bona fide part of the Star Realm Army, its combat capabilities were not nearly as proficient as those of Rage Bear. Actually, the difference was quite substantial. Chapter 611 - Chapter 611: Chapter 353, Its Not Time Yet_2 Chapter 611: Chapter 353, It¡¯s Not Time Yet_2 The difference in personnel was significant; only about forty percent of the Dragonhawk Legion soldiers met the Star Realm Army standard. And in terms of equipment, the gap was even more pronounced. The infantry divisions might be roughly equal, but the disparity among the armored divisions was huge. An armored division with a large organization, numbering over thirty thousand people, might have only two-thirds the heavy equipment of a single Rage Bear Legion¡¯s combined brigade. Yet, there were as many as forty such large armored divisions in the Dragonhawk Legion. Moreover, within their ranks were a few Lion King Tanks. By name, these seemed like upgraded versions of the Lion Tanks, but in reality, they were completely different. In the Star Realm Army classification, Lion Tanks were only considered as standard tanks, while Lion King Tanks were bona fide heavy tanks. Their size was three times larger than that of the Lion Tanks. They possessed extremely thick armor and even had a small, movable Shield Generator that could protect one side. Its main gun was a super-heavy artillery piece, supplemented by two secondary guns equivalent to the Lion Tanks, as well as two heavy explosive machine guns. Nearly twenty crew members were needed inside to operate this tank effectively. The difference was that one Lion King could destroy dozens of Lions¨Cthe main reason being that its internal gunners and multiple auxiliary targeting servoskulls could operate with very high accuracy. Its main gun, no matter where it hit a Lion Tank, could inflict devastating damage¨Cthe secondary guns could too, they just needed to be more precise. Conversely, Lion Tanks could hardly inflict effective damage on the Lion King. Even if they managed to bypass the energy shield and surround the Lion King, the weakest parts of its armor ¨C the rearmost or the side track guards ¨C still offered protection far exceeding the frontal armor of an ordinary Lion Tank. Such heavy monsters could even destroy Knight Titans in a head-on conflict! However, these behemoths were few in number within the entire Dragonhawk Legion, averaging less than one per armored division. But when General Hans decided to commit, he did so decisively, no longer holding back. Eighteen of his Lion King heavy tanks, his final ace in the hole, were brought out, half of them dispatched to the most perilous battlefield. At the same time, the armored divisions of the Dragonhawk Legion also began to mobilize. Tactically, they followed the example of the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s Armored Composite Brigade. The combat effectiveness of these Dragonhawk armored divisions was far from that of the Rage Bear Legion, but with their number and the support of heavy tanks, they managed to breach the enemy¡¯s lines and stabilize the overall defense. The originally teetering second defense line thus became stable. Even the meat grinder situation slowed down considerably afterward. At first, the human side was surprised, but soon, the human military staffers, regaining their wits, figured out the reason: Go to wuxiaworld.site The enemy¡¯s losses were also significant. Those Plague creatures could also be rendered ineffective. Though the lowest level of Plague creatures, such as the Plague Giant Flies or Plague Zombies, were brainless and possessed no concept of morale, fighting with reckless abandon, it was clear that their commanders, the leaders of the enemy, were not so mindless and would not waste their troops meaninglessly. If they could maintain a destructive assault on the human forces, break through human battle zones directly, then the sacrifice would certainly be worthwhile. However, once the human defensive line stabilized, there was no need for such losses. The most crucial factor was that, during the previous offensive phase, the losses of these Plague creatures were actually far greater than those of the human side. Previously, as the human military was in constant retreat, it was difficult to count the enemy¡¯s losses. But once the second defense line stabilized and the situation became a stalemate, some estimates could be made. Even though they weren¡¯t accurate, they served as a reference. The human casualty exchange ratio with those Plague creatures was roughly 1 to 8. This was a high rate, the cost of the enemy¡¯s relentless attacks along every sector of the hundreds of kilometers long front line. Humans were initially stunned by the assault, but now they had recovered. Up until now, the battle had been raging for a whole day, and even without counting the Plague Fly Swarms, just the ground forces had nearly a million human casualties, while the enemy¡¯s losses were estimated to be over eight million. The Demons could no longer sustain the assault. Additionally, there was another objective factor: when the frontline reached the human¡¯s second defensive line, it was already more than eighty kilometers from Fino City. At this distance, Fino City could not offer much support. Within Fino City, the most powerful Sinister Energy Cannon dared not target the ground combat, instead aiming at the sky. The Human Fleet also flickered in and out of orbit, occasionally unleashing a barrage of fire onto Fino City, delivering a strike from orbit, declaring their presence in this manner. Although it was difficult to rely solely on a not-so-powerful Fleet firepower to destroy Fino City¡¯s Void Shield, the presence of the Fleet still brought significant meaning to the battle. If it weren¡¯t for the Fleet¡¯s diversion, those Orbital Cannons on Fino City would level their barrels against the human army¡¯s positions, with each shot piercing through effortlessly, leaving no room for negotiation. Moreover, the Fleet¡¯s orbital strikes could also support the direction of the Plague Demon Army¡¯s offensive. It¡¯s just that the level of support was not sufficient. When faced with threats from Fino City¡¯s Anti-Orbit Cannons, the Fleet could not act too recklessly; losing a single ship would be unbearably painful. Under such mutual constraints, as the battlefield moved away from Fino City, the number of conventional Sinister Energy Cannons capable of reaching as far as eighty kilometers away significantly reduced. And those Plague Demon Armies, lacking the heavy firepower support from the rear, could not press forward anymore. To continue fighting, on the human¡¯s stabilized frontlines, under the heavy artillery fire from behind, their losses might not just be as low as eight to one, it could probably double up, if not more. Even the Plague Demon Army could not withstand such losses. Fino City originally had a population of one billion, and before the city was completely overrun, six hundred million managed to evacuate; most of the population of Nest Capital, which Fino City devoured, also fled before being consumed, with just over a hundred million swallowed. The Plague Demon Army could not possibly transform all these seven hundred million people into military forces¨Cat least half would be lost in the transformation process. Considering the combined losses and the lack of fire support, the Plague Demon Army slowed down their offensive. As a result, the human army could catch their breath. The nearly twenty Army Groups originally in the first and second defense lines all retreated to the rear, resting under the walls of Mingyan City; fifteen Army Groups originally in the rear were now on the front, with dozens more Army Groups waiting as reserves behind them. Except for the Rage Bear Legion. General Hans did not wish to use such a combat-capable force as a conventional line filler and kept them ready to be redeployed at any moment. With such arrangements, the defense lines were finally completely solidified. However, General Hans still felt unease in his heart. He initiated communication with Gu Hang. ¡°Mr. Gu, although you haven¡¯t told me, I know you¡¯re preparing something very special,¡± General Hans spoke gravely, a guess he had formed from observing Gu Hang¡¯s various actions, ¡°Now, the balanced situation at the frontline can¡¯t be maintained forever. In fact, by tomorrow, once Fino City advances thirty kilometers forward, bringing our frontline back within their firing range, our pressure will become immense, and we may have to retreat from the second defense line.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Whatever plans you have, you need to act quickly!¡± However, in response to General Hans¡¯ words, Gu Hang only replied, ¡°Now is not the time.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k Taking advantage of the weekend, I¡¯ll try to write another chapter, but it¡¯s likely to be very late. Everyone can read it when they wake up in the morning! Chapter 612 - Chapter 612: Chapter 354, Meritorious Unit Chapter 612: Chapter 354, Meritorious Unit ¡°Is it still not time?¡± General Hans was somewhat angry. ¡°Then just when do we have to wait? A million casualties in a day, twenty Army Groups need to be rotated out from the front line, my lord Governor, my lord Commander of the War Zone, do you even understand what that signifies?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been in the military for forty years, and I¡¯ve never fought such a brutal battle! Even in the Golden Pass Star Sector, when we were fighting desperately against those Green Skins, the scale was larger, but we never lost so many warriors on such a narrow front in a single night and day!¡± ¡°Continuing on like this, how long do you think our forces can hold out?¡± ¡°Wait until the Army Corps collapses, wait until Mingyan City is also swallowed up, all your myriad and ingenious plans will be meaningless!¡± General Hans unloaded on Gu Hang with a fierce tirade. And Gu Hang, in response, offered only a modicum of consolation, ¡°I understand the heavy sacrifices made by the corps. They are my subjects, my army; am I not saddened, not pained by their sacrifices?¡± ¡°But these are all for a greater victory.¡± ¡°Do I not even have the right to know about this so-called greater victory?¡± ¡°Whether you know or not, has no significance,¡± Gu Hang said, instead making further demands, ¡°I need your troops to do one more thing.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The next stage of our war mission, is to attack Fino City.¡± Go to wuxiaworld.site General Hans almost laughed in exasperation, ¡°Do you even realize what you are saying?¡± ¡°Of course, I do.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be done!¡± General Hans decisively refused, ¡°That is an impossible objective.¡± ¡°General Hans, I must remind you,¡± Gu Hang¡¯s tone grew stern, ¡°I am not here to discuss combat plans with you, but to issue the most explicit military order.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s tone became even more severe, forbidding, ¡°You and your troops must complete the mission of attacking Fino City within the next eight days, without delay! Do you understand?¡± Hans took a deep breath. He was holding in his breath, feeling an urge that wouldn¡¯t be satisfied until it was released. But in the end, he held it in anyway. He was a soldier; obedience to orders was his sworn duty. And Gu Hang was now his clear superior. He had no choice but to carry out Gu Hang¡¯s orders without question. No matter how much he disagreed, how little he understood. Clenching his teeth, he replied, ¡°Yes, Commander.¡± ¡­ After the communication ended, Gu Hang stood on the edge of a sheer cliff, gazing down at the battlefield below. The distance was vast, stretching hundreds of kilometers wide and deep, with no end in sight. Yet, despite this, what caught his eye was an immensely majestic scene. All the brutality and cruelty of war, the deaths and severed limbs, the sacrifices and wails, were invisible and inaudible here. All that could be seen was sheer splendor and magnificence. Explosions were the most beautiful fireworks, and the battle line visible in the distance meandered and twisted, changing moment by moment. But none of this stirred any feelings of valiance in Gu Hang. He knew that what Hans had said was true. Countless human warriors were making tremendous sacrifices on the battlefield below. But if one wasn¡¯t ready, one simply wasn¡¯t ready. At such times, Gu Hang had to be resolute. The unprepared were not his concern. For the past four months, the elite troops slated for deployment had been ready and waiting. At the same time, he had long calculated the specific methods of spiritual energy transmission with his own Mage Corps. Gu Hang himself had also immersed himself periodically in his Storm God Kingdom, working out how to use the Divine Realm to smuggle through subspace and reach the heart of Fino City. But he had not forgotten their ultimate goal for this risky venture: to destroy the Anti-Orbit Cannon and Void Shield at the center of Fino City. To achieve this goal, it was necessary to reach the target location as soon as possible, which required precise teleportation; at the same time, he hoped that the enemy¡¯s defense forces around the target would be as few as possible, which required external pressure so that those demons would draw away the target area¡¯s defensive forces to engage the enemy. Of course, having General Hans¡¯ troops launch a fierce attack on Fino City to draw the enemy¡¯s attention was only a secondary goal. More importantly, when Fino City came under direct attack, especially as more human warriors entered the activated city, the link between Fino City, a node overlapping subspace and reality, and subspace would correspondingly weaken. And this would directly affect the extent to which some powerful demons, from the depths of the Abyssal Hell, could exert influence on the real world. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only What Gu Hang was most concerned about was the Great Demon, the Ge Wajia Demon Lord. Clearly, the plague disaster on Korolya Planet was a major move by Ge Wajia. It had been waiting a long time, already gorged and yet unsatisfied. Its greedy eyes were already set on the hundreds of billions of people in the entire world, unwilling to give up. In fact, it was indeed very close to success. Once it devoured Mingyan City, the entire planet would be powerless to resist it. If it sensed any risk of its schemes failing, there was no doubt that it would do everything in its power to prevent it. At first, in Rage Owl Star, Ge Wajia couldn¡¯t directly traverse the veil of reality, but in Fino City, it was different. The subspace corruption was too severe here; the veil of reality was already fragile. If it were willing to pay a sufficient price, it could come through. Chapter 613 - Chapter 613: Chapter 354, Meritorious Unit_2 Chapter 613: Chapter 354, Meritorious Unit_2 ¡°` Currently, we are at this critical point. Gu Hang needs the human military to set foot in Fino City. It¡¯s not necessary for them to accomplish the task of capturing Fino City, just having enough people step onto it will strengthen the reality veil; as long as the body of Fino City is set ablaze, creating enough pressure on this living city, it will help reduce the erosion of subspace. This will directly slow down the likelihood of Ge Wajia, the Great Unclean One, personally intervening in the battle. Even if it doesn¡¯t completely prevent it, the more substantial the cost and the longer the time Ge Wajia takes to pass through the reality veil, the more it will directly impact the success rate of the special forces¡¯ mission. This is a key operation to save the lives of forty billion people on the entire planet, so even though knowing that ordering General Hans to carry out the attack will result in enormous casualties, there is no room for anyone to be soft-hearted at this moment. Of course, besides the sacrifices that ground troops will have to make, Gu Hang also hasn¡¯t forgotten the difficulty of their task. It¡¯s not as if simply being willing to make the sacrifice guarantees that the troops can break through. Gu Hang also needs to secure some extra help for the ground forces. His options, in reality, are not many. He made contact with Envoy Nell Lavis. ¡°I need more support from the space fleet¡­¡± ¡­ Go to wuxiaworld.site This was bound to be a sleepless night, whether for the warriors on the frontline holding out against the Plague Demon Army, the second-line troops responsible for transporting logistical supplies, or the combat strategists working through the night on stimulants; no one could sleep this night. The ground troops and the strategists at Central Command had made an all-out offensive combat plan, breaking down the tasks among the subordinate Army Groups. The Army Groups¡¯ staff were also at work, and the corresponding tasks were further delegated to division-level units, and so on¡­ On the first day of Mr. Gu¡¯s order and the second day since the battle began, the entire defense line remained stationary, continuing with a defensive stance. On this day, the human military didn¡¯t face too severe a test¨C at least, not as severe as the first day of battle. Casualties along the whole defense line were roughly over two hundred thousand. This was still a horrifying number, but it was much better compared to the first day, with casualties of four hundred thousand within six hours, one million for the entire day, and the complete rout of more than a dozen Army Groups. By the third day, the entire defense line was even retreating. However, unlike the first day, this retreat was relatively orderly, a deliberate relinquishment of the position. Furthermore, the troops stationed on the defense line were rotated out for a fresh batch. The main reason for this was that Fino City had advanced nearly sixty kilometers in these two days. Without retreating, the human military¡¯s defense line would once again fall within the firing range of many Sinister Energy Cannons deployed within the living city. This was also to avoid the Plague Demon Army, which would start another round of relentless attacks bolstered by more substantial fire support, putting too much pressure on the defense line. This was trading space for time. General Hans also explained his strategy to Mr. Gu: To break into Fino City, apart from actively attacking to penetrate it, there was another way, which was to wait for Fino City to come to them. After all, that living city was moving. It advanced sixty kilometers two days earlier, while the human military¡¯s defense line retreated fifty kilometers. In the following days, the same pattern continued. Fino City advanced thirty kilometers each day, and the human military¡¯s defense line retreated twenty kilometers daily. The reason for this, rather than fiercely holding a single position, was because as Fino City drew nearer, the pressure on the human military would become greater. Furthermore, after several battles, the forward positions were severely damaged, while the rear positions, newly dug out, were relatively intact, which helped reduce casualties. At the same time, some time was needed for the various units, especially those native defense forces, to adapt better to such brutal battlefield conditions. Of course, this could also result in the total collapse of the native troops¡¯ morale. But there was no choice, it had to be done. It was impossible to rely solely on the Dragonhawk Legion¡¯s forces for this battle. The native troops numbered over fifty million, and the extent to which they could be effective would have a decisive impact. All that was left was to hope that they would adapt to the battlefield, not completely fall apart. So far, the situation had not progressed in the worst possible direction. At the rate of nearly ten kilometers a day towards Fino City, by the dawn of the seventh day, the front line of the human army was less than thirty kilometers away from Fino City. By then, a large number of Sinister Energy Cannons had entered range, significantly increasing the pressure on the front line. But aside from enduring Sinister Energy Cannon fire, airstrikes, and being severely beaten, the enemy¡¯s ground assault was not too frenzied. Up until now, the human army¡¯s total casualties had reached nearly four million. In general, the human army maintained an exchange rate of at least one to seven against the Plague Demon Army in combat, which meant the Plague Demon Army also suffered losses in the realm of thirty million. Although the majority were plague zombies, wielding the most rudimentary weapons, the consumables required to transform these creatures were significant, not to mention the loss of many powerful flesh monsters in combat, as well as the death of numerous plague wizards, eternal devotees, responsible for creating, controlling, strengthening, and commanding the rank-and-file, during the battle. This made the enemy somewhat hesitant to continue fighting. It was during this time that General Hans¡¯s devastating counterattack began. All the Lion King Tanks were committed to battle at once; several armored divisions formed a fist, with many Armored Brigades from the Rage Bear Legion also participating, initiating an armored cluster thrust in the very center of the battle line. A large number of elite infantry followed closely behind, ready to provide support. And it was at this moment that heavenly fire descended. Almost simultaneously, the starships of the Tianma Fleet arrived directly above the battlefield. Among them were even some Escort Ships and Destroyers left by Envoy Lois¡¯s Tax Fleet. Most of the Tax Fleet had already left the Tianma Star Sector, having the important task of collecting Imperial Tax elsewhere. But the few escort ships and destroyers that remained supplemented the firepower of the Tianma Fleet. This time, their targets were not limited to suppressing Fino City. The starships, undaunted by the exchange of fire with Anti-Orbit Cannons, began to apply more pressure on Fino City, forcing them to divert more of their Sinister Energy Cannons towards the sky for counterattacks and orbital interception. This, in turn, significantly reduced the Sinister Energy fire that the human armored clusters on the ground had to endure. At the same time, a massive amount of orbital strikes bombarded along the armored clusters¡¯ advancement line, conducting intensive bombing. In particular, several shots from L-class heavy cannons caused earth-shattering effects. The results of the bombardment, the number of enemies annihilated were secondary. The main thing was that the direction of the armored cluster¡¯s assault was so bombarded that the enemy was scattered and disoriented. For a while, the ground forces¡¯ assault was incredibly smooth! The distance was less than thirty kilometers in total, and by evening, the Void Shield of Fino City was within sight. The spearhead forces could even see the artillery fire from starships in the sky, intercepted by Sinister Energy Cannons, or those unintercepted ones causing large ripples as they smashed directly into the Void Shield. ¡°Charge, charge, charge! Long live the 35th Brigade!¡± The forefront unit was a Composite Camp from the 35th Brigade of the Rage Bear Legion. The 35th Brigade could be considered a meritorious unit of the Alliance, established early, they had earned their stripes during the unification war on Rage Owl Star, contributing to the reclamation of the North Territory. Then many of them followed Gu Hang into what was once the domain of the Primal Fury Owl, occupied by the Evil God, where they battled Storm Beasts and ultimately slew the deity. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Thereafter, they participated in the war against Blackbird Heavy Industries, which had violated the ban on Smart Mechanisms. Also, they were part of the first batch of founding forces to be integrated into Rage Bear Legion from the start, arriving early in Korolya to fight and achieving many victories. The unit¡¯s honor wall was filled with numerous awards from the Central Government, Star Realm Army Command, and the Military Affairs Department. And now, this unit of distinction had once again risen to prominence. In the massive battle for Korolya, they took the lead, becoming the first unit to break through the Void Shield and charge into Fino City! ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k It¡¯s terribly cold in the early morning, going to sleep¡­ Chapter 614 - Chapter 614: Chapter 355, I Promise You Chapter 614: Chapter 355, I Promise You In the process of the advance, the 35th Brigade experienced losses. Although the orbital strikes had created a path for them, their duration was not particularly long nor the firepower sufficiently intense. The main reason was that Fino City¡¯s Anti-Orbit Cannons had increased their output, shifting their focus away from the attacking ground troops and directing more firepower at the combating starships. This caused significant trouble for the Tianma Fleet; several ships had their Void Shields and energy shields blown apart, forcing them to retreat urgently. Even worse, two Escort Ships had their shields shattered so suddenly that they could not evacuate from the range of the Anti-Orbit Cannons in time and got hit by several more rounds. Although they didn¡¯t explode, the armor was penetrated, resulting in substantial damage to the hulls, and they were heavily damaged. This was exactly the sort of situation the proud naval officers disliked. When Gu Hang made the request, the Tianma Fleet was reluctant to comply. Although Gu Hang was the commander of the war zone, the navy officers¡¯ temperament, unlike the ¡®stubborn¡¯ Land Forces, meant that they would lament, protest, and even escalate issues when faced with what they deemed ¡®unreasonable¡¯ missions. A grand naval decisive battle, perhaps, but to deploy the precious Fleet against ground fortresses armed with Anti-Orbit Cannons was downright foolish¨Clike a naval force from the 2000s bombarding coastal defense cannons. However, for the sake of a greater goal, they were ultimately coerced into doing the job. Now, with losses incurred, the two ships that had gone to the shipyards for repair might need two to three years to fix, and the total cost might exceed two billion. This loss made the already displeased mood of the Tianma Fleet Commander even worse. He communicated with the ground forces and Mr. Gu, reporting the issue that continuing the fight in this manner would result in ever-increasing losses. But Mr. Gu insisted they proceed according to the plan. After expressing his strong dissatisfaction, the Navy Rear Admiral could only indignantly state that they would follow the plan at most and could not possibly take on any more; if the Fleet suffered more losses, he would decide on his own whether to retreat. If it came to a review by the Military Affairs Department, then so be it. Gu Hang paid him little attention. Go to wuxiaworld.site Issues of attitude aside, completing the task at hand was paramount. The Tianma Fleet¡¯s Deputy Commander, who had been left in charge, ultimately dared not fully abandon the battle. Although he refused to take on any more responsibility, he still continued to fire at Fino City¡¯s Void Shield as the battle plan had outlined, maintaining the suppression. As for the enemies outside the city? Since the battle plan only called for one round of orbital bombardment, why fire a second round? Besides, the armoured units on the ground had already begun their advance through the blasted zone; what was the point of continuing bombardment? And as for providing covering fire for the enemies near the advancing route¡­the operation plan specified that this task was to be carried out by two Destroyers and six Escort Ships, yet the number of ships that had withdrawn from the battle sequence due to shattered shields had already exceeded this. Therefore, the inability to assist was normal, and surely not a naval issue. In light of the Navy¡¯s somewhat weak support, the Land Forces¡¯ offensive naturally could not proceed smoothly forever. If the orbital bombardment was only for one round, not every inch of the ground could be covered; even if it were, there would be survivors at the edge of the explosions, inside defensive structures, or simply those lucky enough to remain alive. After the bombardment, the Plague Demon Army, which had not been covered by the orbital firepower, also hurried to support from all directions. All these factors greatly hindered the route of the human armoured forces. But despite these challenges, the armoured group¡¯s progress was still rapid. The hastily assembled forces that attempted to block their way rarely received support from Fino City¡¯s Sinister Energy Cannons and were relatively scattered and rushed. Under the iron tide, these obstructing monsters were mercilessly crushed. After paying a certain price, the 35th Brigade became the first army to breach Fino City¡¯s Void Shield. And as their boots, wheels, and tracks stamped across a mass of writhing flesh, the most arduous part of the battle commenced. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Their forces carried with them ample specialized weapons. Incendiary rounds, flamethrowers¡­ As the troops moved forward, they burned the surface every step of the way, incinerating the living flesh, forcing it back, revealing the grey concrete underneath, with exposed steel rebar in some places. They used artillery, tank cannons, machine guns, and even threw bombs into the fleshy buildings beside them, smashing and collapsing them. The goal was to eliminate any potential enemies inside these flesh structures as well as to destroy the flesh itself. However, after the 35th Brigade¡¯s large-scale entry into Fino City, the rate at which the living city advanced slowed significantly. Yet, it was then that immense numbers of the Plague Demon Army surged from all directions, willing to sacrifice their flesh and blood in a siege against the human forces, determined to slow their advance; swarms of giant flies circled above the battlefield, braving the anti-aircraft fire from vehicles and infantry to perform dive-bombing suicide attacks. Chapter 615 - Chapter 615: Chapter 355, I Assure You_2 Chapter 615: Chapter 355, I Assure You_2 Even a corrupt magic dragon had flown to the battlefield. With a great breath, it sprayed a Lion Tank for several seconds, causing flesh buds to grow on the armor during those seconds. The tank was paralyzed, half flesh, half steel, unable to move¨Cand the soldiers inside perished as a result. The casualties borne by the 35th Brigade began to escalate at an alarming rate. Yet, there was nothing that could halt their advance. ¡­ ¡°Brigade Commander! The 3rd Battalion of the 3rd Company on our flank has been breached, and the Artillery Battalion has been ambushed by a group of demons!¡± ¡°The Tank Battalion reports a loss of 60% of their combat vehicles!¡± ¡°The Anti-Air Battalion has been attacked by that magic dragon again, and our anti-air interception capability has dropped by 70%. The vehicle of the Commissar who was overseeing the Anti-Air Battalion has been destroyed, and we¡¯ve lost contact with him.¡± ¡°The 4th Battalion has lost all contact, we can¡¯t reach any of their companies. It¡¯s possible they¡¯ve encountered jamming entities, but a complete annihilation cannot be ruled out.¡± All Colonel Jikov, the commander of the 35th Brigade, heard was bad news. By conventional wisdom, the entire brigade was at the end of its rope by now. But there was not a hint of hesitation in his eyes. He grabbed the communicator, switched to the all-unit channel, and began to speak, ¡°Comrades of the 35th Brigade, this is your Brigade Commander Jikov. Now is the time to prove our loyalty!¡± ¡°I order all units to advance at all costs! The brigade headquarters move forward at full speed, from the command post to the Guard Battalion, support the frontline with all your might!¡± Go to wuxiaworld.site ¡°We must do everything in our power, at any cost, to ensure that the breach we¡¯ve opened is wide enough!¡± ¡°For the Empire! For humanity! For the Alliance!¡± ¡°Advance, advance, advance!¡± The Chief of Staff beside him widened his eyes as he looked at Jikov; after he put down the communicator, he said bitterly, ¡°Our 35th Brigade will be finished, we¡¯ll all die here.¡± But Jikov just smiled, ¡°Then let us die with honor, and die great!¡± ¡°Drive!¡± These two words were addressed to the driver. The command vehicle, with the throttle fully opened, along with the entire command post and the Guard Battalion, began to press forward. Following the commander¡¯s orders, the two Guard Companies joined the front line in their Infantry Fighting Vehicles, while the Guardsmen on foot filled in the excessive losses of the front-line infantry. The 35th Brigade¡¯s strength was rapidly diminishing, and even as their objective combat power declined, the speed of their attrition quickened due to maintaining the offense. However, no matter what, they were indeed still fighting forward. ¡­ In the depths of the writhing Nest Capital ¡®Fino City,¡¯ within a huge flesh nest, Thomlison was looking up at a wriggling wall. Projected upon it was the ongoing offensive of the 35th Brigade. His body no longer bore the frailty of humanity. Blessed, he stood three meters tall, swollen and powerful. His body, sheathed in robes, twitched from time to time. Only his eyes remained firm and piercing. Watching the projected images, his body heaved restlessly. He, Thomlison, was the current leader of the Sublimation Sect, an apostle of the Great Demon, a spreader of the Korolya Plague, a recipient of the blessing. He had long forgotten the many years ago when, as a human warrior handed over as Imperial Tax, he was conscribed into the Star Realm Army after surviving countless battles. But today, watching those impassioned warriors, advancing despite the grievous casualties, the dusty years of glory emerged once more in his mind. But these resurfacing memories did not evoke nostalgia; instead, they fueled his rage even more. And even if he set aside the anger in his heart, just considering the war situation, he knew he couldn¡¯t let this unit keep charging forward like this. The breach inside Fino City was being torn wider and wider. The deeper this human force charged, the easier it would be for more human armies to enter Fino City. They were destroying the body of Fino City, forcing the living Nest Capital to divert more of its strength to repair itself. This would lead to a weakening of Subspace power. At the moment, Fino City had come to a complete halt. Indeed, according to the current situation, that human force should have been annihilated by now. But in fact, this should have happened an hour ago. ¡°Eradicate them,¡± Thomlison spoke, ¡°Let the magic dragons go down; send the Father¡¯s beloved hounds; release the blessed ones! You must destroy them for me! After destroying them, you must drive all the enemies out of our city along this road!¡± ¡°As you command, messenger.¡± Within this fleshly nest, another voice echoed. Not long after, Thomlison saw a change in the battlefield scene. Several different units appeared on the battlefield. The so-called ¡®Father¡¯s Loving Dogs¡¯ referred to the ¡®Rotting Flesh Beasts,¡¯ monstrous creatures of sickly and extreme ugliness, with their lower halves resembling long, wriggling maggots; their upper halves rose high, with a giant mouth opening in the belly, and limbs beside the maw that aided in movement and in seizing prey to feed; their upper limbs were in the form of powerful arms. The so-called ¡®Blessed Ones¡¯ were known to humans as Chaos Spawn. These entities stood two to three meters in height, roughly humanoid in shape but completely twisted beyond recognition. They were the result of humans undergoing a mutation after receiving, yet failing to endure, the blessings of gods. Five or six behemoths, accompanied by dozens of Chaos Spawn, appeared at the front lines, immediately causing a direct shift in the tide of battle. The Chaos Spawn couldn¡¯t withstand tank shells, but bullets were largely ineffective against them; once they charged and got close, they could flip over armored vehicles with their physical strength. The Rotting Flesh Beasts could even take direct hits from tank shells, with chunks of their bodies being blown off, spraying flesh and blood yet not fatal. Their writhing flesh would quickly regrow. The corrosive pus spewed from their giant maws could melt tanks. Brigade 35, resolute as their fighting spirit was, finally couldn¡¯t advance any further under such resistance. And the demon dragon in the sky, at that moment, dived directly! Sustaining some damage from anti-aircraft fire, it nonetheless destroyed two anti-aircraft vehicles with its breath. After landing, its position was not far from Colonel Jikov¡¯s command vehicle. It had already set its sights on it. Confronted by the approaching demon dragon, Jikov¡¯s command vehicle was fearless, its only mounted weapon¨Ca heavy bomb gun¨Ccontinuously firing at the demon dragon. Even with heavy bombs and without the Plague Fly Swarm from Yunrao for cover, the dragon¡¯s rotting body was blasted, flesh flying everywhere. Yet it still rapidly charged beside the command vehicle, flipping it over with one sweep, then with ferocious claws, it struck seven or eight times, smashing the entire command vehicle to pieces. After venting its rage, the demon dragon roared towards the sky with insolent pride! But just as the roar had not yet ended, a heavy cannonball struck its head, blowing it off. Thomlison saw it all clearly; this was certainly not a simple human artillery or tank shell. The projected image panned out, and he saw a steel beast with a smoking barrel in the distance. It was a Lion King Tank. Following the opening created by Brigade 35, the armored contingent of the human army finally had its main forces arrive! Its two secondary cannons were also firing, and the main cannon that had just delivered a fatal blow was once again charging. The next shell blasted another Rotting Flesh Beast to ruin. Thomlison¡¯s voice was deep as he ordered, ¡°We must hold back these humans, send more troops forward!¡± ¡­ ¡°Send more troops forward! We must not let Brigade 35¡¯s sacrifice be in vain!¡± Li Kexi shouted loudly. He had been appointed the frontline commander for this armored advance, and was currently issuing orders to his staff. His face was intensely flushed, pained by the sacrifice of Brigade 35. But pain did not prevent him from seizing this opportunity with all his might. After issuing the orders, he ran some calculations and dialed an encrypted communication frequency. ¡°Mr. Gu, fifteen divisions have entered Fino City, reaching the target you expected. Following that, I¡¯m confident that within an hour, another fifteen divisions can join, including some infantry divisions, amounting to over three hundred thousand troops!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Good, you all have worked hard,¡± Mr. Gu¡¯s voice arrived shortly after, ¡°You must maintain the offensive.¡± ¡°I understand!¡± Li Kexi replied, and then hesitantly asked, ¡°We have made huge sacrifices, victory must be ours in the end, right?¡± ¡°I assure you.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C I really need to update earlier tomorrow, I can¡¯t stay up until four anymore¡­ Chapter 616 - Chapter 616: Chapter 356, Subspace Smuggling Plan Chapter 616: Chapter 356, Subspace Smuggling Plan ¡°You all can see, without any need for me to say it, countless imperial warriors are fighting bravely on the battlefield below. Our armored units, after making tremendous sacrifices, have already charged into Fino City, this den of evil. They will continue to assault it until their last breath.¡± ¡°This is an offensive filled with despair. Many commanders among them understand that their attack doesn¡¯t carry much significance, that they cannot possibly succeed; yet it is also an offensive brimming with passion and boundless loyalty. Precisely because they know this, their greatness and loyalty are even more pronounced when they offer up their lives amidst blood and fire.¡± ¡°And all that they do, they do for us!¡± ¡°Every one of you is the elite of the elite, the shining brilliance of humanity. It is precisely for this reason that you must never forget the millions of imperial foundations who have sacrificed themselves in this war. Carry them in your heart, take their will with you, and execute our mission.¡± ¡°I have already promised the front-line commanders that the ultimate victory will be ours. Now, I need you to promise me, will victory truly be ours?¡± Gu Hang was giving his final address to the troops who were about to participate in the action.¡± In front of him stood about six hundred, no more than seven hundred people. The largest contingent was a group of three hundred elite soldiers from the Tenth Brigade. Half of them were equipped with standard Exoskeleton Armor, handpicked from within the brigade. The other half, a special formation of 150 people from the Tenth Brigade¨CFang Camp. What set them apart from other units of the Tenth Brigade was that all of them were equipped with the ¡®Servant God-Type¡¯ Feedback-Type Power Armor. Unlike the Demon Hunters¡¯ silver-gray coating, the ¡®Fang¡¯ members¡¯ paint job was mainly bright yellow with some orange accents. The next three contingents each numbered one hundred people. One hundred Spiritual Energy wielders from the Storm Mage Corps, all equipped with Exoskeletons to assist their movements, their leader, Mrs. Deres, had a Feedback-Type Power Armor painted sky blue. One hundred Interstellar Warriors from the Phoenix Battle Group also were present. There were also one hundred Battle Nuns from the Holy Benevolence Lily. Go to wuxiaworld.site Beyond these six hundred people, there were also twelve ¡®Ranger Type¡¯ Knight Mechas and four Warhound-class Titans. The drivers, together, added up to sixty people. Adding Gu Hang himself, the total number of participants was six hundred sixty-one.¡± These people were listening to Mr. Gu¡¯s pre-battle mobilization speech. Among them, even the veterans were moved by his words. The four century-old veterans from Phoenix were fine; without a word, they fully understood what they had to do. As for the Battle Nuns from Holy Benevolence Lily, many of them had decades of combat experience. On any other battlefield, they might not have been so stirred. But now they were in Korolya, on their own home soil. Seeing so many people, including Korolya people and those who had come from other planets to support them, making huge sacrifices to save this world, they had long been filled with the will to fight; at this moment, that will was further ignited.¡± If this applied to them, it was even more so for the new recruits. Some of the more emotionally expressive warriors even began to shout: ¡°Victory belongs to us!¡± ¡°For The Emperor!¡± ¡°For humanity!¡± ¡°For Korolya!¡± ¡°For humanity!¡± The shouts were not uniform; they had never rehearsed such a thing beforehand, but there was no doubt that they expressed their emotions and attitudes.¡± Gu Hang showed a smile. ¡°Then let¡¯s move out!¡± ¡­ Gu Hang issued the order to move out. At this moment, nearly a day had passed since that conversation with Li Kexi. According to Li Kexi, he could transport the equivalent of thirty divisions into Fino City within an hour. He did it. And what he did was even more than that. Not just thirty armored divisions, they had torn a sufficiently large hole into Fino City and struck multiple gaps from other directions. And after the front-line forces had advanced deep enough, a large number of infantry units also followed suit. At least twenty infantry masters entered Fino City. They were already moving with the armored units, so as soon as the opportunity arose, they desperately surged in. Moreover, their assault was not just limited to the ground. The initial area they attacked was only the surface of Nest Capital. They dared not dig down, but they were bold enough to strike upwards. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The living Nest Capital had undergone significant changes, and the distributed maps of Nest Capital were not much useful; the armored units found it hard to find a way up. But for the infantry corps, finding the way up was not so difficult. Currently, over a million human troops had been deployed into the Nest Capital of Fino City. And they discovered that pushing the front lines into Fino City had another advantage¨Cthe Sinister Energy Cannon fire they endured became less. Likewise, they were also less likely to suffer aerial attacks.¡± Those heavy cannons were clearly not easy to reposition and fire within the city; although Nest Capital had significantly changed, many areas were still defined, and the circling dragons, as well as the Plague Fly Swarm, couldn¡¯t strike from the air anytime and anywhere. Of course, disadvantages also existed. Inside the flesh body of Fino City, small but very maliciously placed Sinister Energy Cannons occasionally emerged from a mass of flesh beside them, unleashing sudden attacks on human forces. Chapter 617 - Chapter 617: Chapter 356, Subspace Smuggling Plan_2 Chapter 617: Chapter 356, Subspace Smuggling Plan_2 At the same time, as they penetrated deeper, the enemy¡¯s movements became increasingly elusive. Wherever the flesh and blood structures or the ground had not been cleansed and were imbued with activity, a cavity door might open at any moment, and Plague Demons would emerge, causing significant casualties to the human forces. Equally troubling was the indication that routes blasted by the Orbital Cannons and then stormed by armored troops were starting to get resealed. There seemed to be signs that the Plague Demon Army planned to break through the human forces¡¯ rearguard, trapping them within the city before beginning an encirclement and elimination campaign. As it stood, unless they abandoned the assault and promptly withdrew their forces, the human military had no other means to counter the situation. The main demon army outside the city had not been annihilated, merely a direct passage had been blasted through them. This passage was flanked by battle lines stretching tens of kilometers in depth on both sides. The troops responsible for maintaining the human military¡¯s rear simply could not withstand the pincer attack coming from the enemy. Even within Fino City, the human forces could no longer sustain the vigorous offensive they had launched the previous day. They shifted to hunkering down on the spot, and it was already commendable if they could maintain the positions they had secured. The situation had reached a critical point. However, at the same time, Gu Hang believed the moment to strike the final blow had ripened. In fact, having 300 to 500 thousand human troops within Fino City was already enough to meet his requirements. The current situation was even more than twice as favorable as the one he had originally hoped for. This granted him and his subordinates with Spiritual Energy a significant margin for error. The Storm Mages, prepared in advance, swiftly formed an array around everyone just as they had practiced over the previous months. At the very heart of the array stood Dress. Go to wuxiaworld.site Her spatial Spiritual Energy talent would play a central role in the entirety of the endeavor. This was a primer for opening a spatial gateway. And if it were simply a matter of conventional teleportation, why the necessity for the prelude of millions of brave soldiers¡¯ blood? Gu Hang, floating above Dress, was in fact the mastermind behind this transit, an incursion involving the teleportation of hundreds over a mere distance of slightly more than 200 kilometers. The entire teleportation array was under his control. And he, discreetly opened a subspace rift. This rift, of course, connected to his Storm God Kingdom. The next moment, a deep blue radiance enveloped all the people above the array. Over six hundred people, along with numerous heavy machines, disappeared from their original location in an instant. ¡­ Many among them were experiencing teleportation for the first time and thus found everything to be normal. Their nervousness was simply due to the unfamiliarity and the previous warning about certain safety risks of teleportation, added to the arduous task that lay ahead. But, at the same time, there were quite a few among them who had been through teleportation before. Like Mrs. Georgette. She sensed that the Spiritual Energy teleportation this time was somehow different from the experiences she had been through on other battlefields in the past. Previously, point-to-point teleportation in the real world was almost instantaneous¨Ca sensation of dizziness followed by a blinding white light that obscured everything. After that, it would be over, and they should have arrived at their destination. If lucky, there were no enemies nearby, and the teleported team could have time to organize their gear, deploy their formation, and ascertain their precise location¨Cteleportation had its variances. If unlucky, they might land right amidst the enemy, which was still relatively fortunate as they could simply fight chaotically with a debuff of dizziness and disorientation. After all, they were teleported for that very purpose, and it¡¯s not like the ambushed enemy would be in any better shape. The worst-case scenario was being teleported into a stone. Half of the body inside, and half outside¨Cthat would be fatal¨Cliterally. The spatial power of the teleportation would ¡®push aside¡¯ the entities in that area, whether it was air or other substances, to place the teleportee there. Pushing aside air was akin to a gust of wind, but forcefully pushing aside something else under high pressure often caused fatal injuries to the person who was halfway or fully immersed. Even if they survived the damage, it was quite common to be stuck and unable to get out. However, this risk was low as the teleporters would eliminate it as much as possible¨Cjust like they would try to make the teleportation more accurate. As for accidents¡­ accidents were a part of Spiritual Energy teleportation. What could one do? But the difference this time was that the feeling of dizziness was much more intense. It was even worse than when teleportation malfunctions occurred over distances of thousands of kilometers. Moreover, the intense light before their eyes was not white, but blue. And crucially, she did not feel that she had reached her destination but was ¡®stuck¡¯ in some environment. The blue light, not even blocked by closed eyes, prevented her from seeing her surroundings. She only felt her body floating. She seemed to have heard the sound of lightning as well. Her dizzy, nauseous state was rapidly easing, but her heart was becoming more and more panicked¨Ccould there have been a teleportation accident? ¡­ Of course, this was no teleportation accident, but rather Gu Hang¡¯s doing. At this moment, everyone was within his Storm God Kingdom. This place was already in subspace, and also the springboard he intended to use. The plague demon sword that had been purified was now firmly grasped in his hand. With the demon sword in hand, he swung forcefully, tearing open a rift in the space before him, and the space filled with evil, the rotten smell was just beyond this spatial crack. Although extremely unpleasant, this force did not show any hostility, nor did it backfire. At this stage, Gu Hang¡¯s heart finally settled. Although, according to previous calculations and estimates, the outcome should be just like this without a doubt, he still felt a lingering trepidation as there had been no conditions for experimenting. And now, his conjectures had turned into reality. The subspace surrounding and eroding Korolya belonged to Ge Wajia, the great unclean one. And the power source of the demon sword in his hand was as well, an incarnation of Ge Wajia. And by using this holy instrument to touch this piece of subspace, there would be no counterattack. Next, Gu Hang enveloped everyone with his own power, and continued the teleportation, crossing through the split created by the demon sword, arriving at the subspace area closest to Fino City. Though it was still subspace, the environment here was drastically different from the Storm God Kingdom. A thick green aura wafted through the place, and within each inch of ¡®air¡¯, it seemed there were countless tiny organisms. They were content, they were unruly, they had received a promise from some great existence, ensuring they would exist forever and could do whatever they desired. And these drifting tiny organisms had no intelligence¨Cthe only thing they wanted to do was to proliferate, proliferate, and proliferate some more. And the human body intruding this subspace was apparently the best carrier for their reproduction. Their instincts drove them to eagerly try to enter the human body through any available means¨Cbreathing passages, skin, exposed mucous membranes, and the like. But they were kept at bay by a force that was of the same origin as them, but much more powerful. They could only wilt away where they were. That force belonged to the master of this space. Gu Hang, who was not rejected, was still very cautious. He quickly followed a pre-calculated route, wrapping everyone with the power of Spiritual Energy, and arrived at the core area of ¡®Fino City¡¯. From subspace, they had come to Fino City. This might sound unbelievable, but in fact, it was quite simple. The reason Fino City had ¡®revived¡¯ was precisely that the entire city had been completely covered by subspace rules, or to say, the whole city had been dragged into subspace and became a part of it. The whole of Fino City possessed a dual overlap state of the real world and subspace. The closer to the edges of Fino City, the weaker this overlapping state would be, and reality¡¯s veil could still play a certain role; but the closer to the core, the more solid the overlap of the two. At the very heart, they were simply one and the same. And the target of Gu Hang and his group was precisely at the core of Fino City. Here was the cause of the city¡¯s revitalization; at the same time, the Wicked Void Shield and dark energy Anti-Orbit Cannon that protected the revitalized city in the real-world, drew their powers from this very place. To destroy these, they had to come here. And now, they had arrived. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Ge Wajia made no reaction to this, and the subspace here showed no rejection to their arrival. Utilizing the demon sword, sharing the same origin as Ge Wajia himself, to ¡®deceive¡¯ the subspace for the smuggling plan, it could be said to be half-successful already! ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.2k An hour earlier than yesterday! Chapter 618 - Chapter 618: Chapter 357, Meat Mountain Chapter 618: Chapter 357, Meat Mountain Normally, arriving at Fino City in this manner would be impossible. This place is saturated with Ge Wajia¡¯s power, and due to its presence in Subspace, it would manifest here in its complete form. Defeating a Great Demon within its own domain is an almost impossible task. The Ge Wajia here is even more ferocious than the ¡®God¡¯-titled Primal Fury Owl that Gu Hang had encountered, the strongest individual he had ever faced. Over the past four years, Gu Hang¡¯s experience had gradually filled up, and he was fortunate to have a generous number of favor points, so he had already increased his Psychic Level to eight. However, according to the data shared by the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, his strength as a Level 8 Psychic still ranked within the Grade A Psychic level in the Association¡¯s classification. He would likely need to reach Level 9 to match the strength of a Grade S Psychic. This was even considering he had various talent bonuses and event modifiers. If it were for heroes Gu Hang had activated, like Dress, they would probably need to reach Level 10 to have the strength of a Grade S Psychic. Of course, if Gu Hang were to tear open the gate to Subspace and imbue himself with the power of the Storm God Kingdom, then his Psychic strength could instantly reach Grade S, or even surpass it. But even so, Gu Hang didn¡¯t feel that this level of power would be sufficient to defeat a Great Unclean One within Subspace. Unless he had a variety of advantages like when he fought the Primal Fury Owl, such as Ge Wajia being stuck between the veil of reality and Subspace or if Gu Hang could have an army under his command to gang up on the Great Demon. Clearly, none of these options were possible. Thus, the only chance of victory was to keep Ge Wajia out of the mix. At least until they achieved their objective. Go to wuxiaworld.site Using the demonic sword left behind by Ge Wajia¡¯s avatar after it was destroyed, they successfully overcame the first wave of difficulties. Ge Wajia had no reaction. That was to be expected. This Subspace belonged to Ge Wajia; his power and presence were everywhere. What was so special about the demonic sword? The Mage Corps led by Gu Hang thus successfully completed the teleportation and arrived in the core area of Fino City, a place where the veil of reality no longer existed, and Fino City was fully overlaid with Subspace at its core. Even the Demons entrenched here had no reaction to the uninvited guests brought by Gu Hang. Until, the bullets of human warriors descended upon their heads. ¡­ ¡°Where did they come from!?¡± Thomlison felt utterly bewildered and shocked. He immediately thought of Psychic teleportation as the method used. Only this power could allow an army to appear out of nowhere, ignoring physical distances. Yet, Psychic teleportation could break through physical distances but not Subspace distances¨Cor rather, it was not supposed to be so easy or happen without anyone noticing. In truth, to prevent such a situation, the core area of Fino City had preparations against Psychic teleportation. Completely blocking it was difficult, but with jamming devices in place, unless the teleporting Psychic was extraordinarily strong, they could easily be diverted to the outside; and given the presence of Subspace, even if an enemy managed a precise teleport, they could at most appear on the outskirts of the core area. If someone really did manage that, they would run headlong into their tightest defenses. Moreover, an alarm system Thomlison had installed would alert him the moment an enemy initiated a Psychic traversal. But none of these preparations had any effect. The enemy simply appeared directly in front of him. And the strength of the incoming foes was somewhat outrageous. The images projected onto the flesh-wall before him were severely disrupted by Psychic interference. Still, he could see several renowned figures flickering in the unstable image. Interstellar Warriors, Battle Nuns, Mecha Knights, and even Titans¡­ What in the world? Why were there so many things in Korolya? Apart from the Battle Nun whose lair was in Korolya, where did the rest come from? Even in his current, utterly formless state, he was severely startled. ¡°Order all the perimeter defense troops to immediately¡­¡± Thomlison¡¯s muffled voice had just begun when a loud explosion was heard. The projection in front of him went completely dark; the flesh-wall was blown to smithereens, exposing a large hole. Thomlison¡¯s reaction was swift. His filthy, grotesque, enormous body suddenly caved inwards, forming a cavity. A thick fog erupted from within, precisely enveloping the two Phoenixes who had burst through the shattered opening. The evil power rapidly corroded the taosteel armor on the Phoenixes. The two Phoenixes experienced extreme pain. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Despite this, they persevered in raising their bomb guns and firing at the horrifying, massive lump of rotten flesh entrenched in the core nest before them. In an instant, at least a dozen bombs hit Thomlison, flesh flying everywhere. However, these injuries meant nothing to Thomlison, who was akin to a mountain of flesh. The two Phoenixes could no longer hold on; they died a brutal death under the virulent poison, their powered armor corroded and pitted. Even taosteel could not withstand such vile Dark Magic. Chapter 619 - Chapter 619: Chapter 357, Meat Mountain_2 Chapter 619: Chapter 357, Meat Mountain_2 ¡°` Thomlison felt slightly relieved. He didn¡¯t count on a cloud of poisonous fog to completely seal off the humans¡¯ assault, but as long as it could buy some time, that would be enough. Just a little bit longer and the elites guarding outside the core nest would have time to fall back to defense earlier. ¡­ The sacrifice of the two Phoenixes pained Gu Hang quite a bit. Despite knowing that this operation wouldn¡¯t be easy and that sacrifices were inevitable, it still hurt all the same. After all, training one was no easy feat. Moreover, the sacrifice of these two provided intelligence on what lay ahead. Georgette, Matins, and Rizzo discussed among themselves and decided to make another joint assault. Matins was protected by more solid Terminator Power Armor; Rizzo and Georgette, on the other hand, were under the Divine Emperor¡¯s protection. Moreover, the Spiritual Energy wielders in the back could also provide them with additional protection. With these multiple methods, the risk should be greatly reduced. However, just then, Gu Hang¡¯s voice rang out, ¡°Let me do it.¡± The three were stunned and immediately wanted to dissuade him. Go to wuxiaworld.site But they were all stopped by Gu Hang¡¯s extended hand. He was the highest commander, and he had the final say in everything here. Gu Hang didn¡¯t truly have any quirks about risking his own life. But the most critical aspect of this operation was speed. He wanted to deploy full force without any delay. The later the end time, the greater the sacrifice, and even the possibility of Ge Wajia arriving would increase. He headed straight for the cave entrance. Upon entering the range of the poison fog, his protective Spiritual Energy was immediately activated. The vicious Dark Magic clashed fiercely with his Spiritual Energy. At the same time, he also detected a huge tentacle shooting towards him. Gu Hang remained calm, his eyes glowing blue, and Spiritual Energy surged from within him. As a whirlwind swept through, the poisonous fog was quickly dispersed. At the same time, the huge tentacle was locked in place by an invisible telekinesis, stopping in its tracks at least twenty meters away from Gu Hang. Matins and the others at the cave entrance noticed the dispersal of the poisonous fog and immediately charged inside. They came in weapons raised, ready to unleash a ferocious attack upon the enemy straight away. However, what they saw left them dumbfounded. First, the opponent they had to face was a surprise: the strange, mountainous flesh enemy, from which emanated a stench so foul that even through the life support helmets, it was barely tolerable and extremely discomforting. Next, its current state was astonishing¨Cit was trembling, convulsing. Many arcs of electricity still flashed intermittently across the mountain of flesh. And Governor Gu, floating in front of the flesh mountain, raised his right hand high, gathering the arc into a massive spear of lightning. Then, this spear of lightning, like divine retribution, was hurled by Gu Hang, striking the flesh mountain in front of him. The creature reacted as if it had been hit by a ship¡¯s cannon, a vast hole appearing in its body. Rotten flesh writhed, attempting to heal the wound, but the continuous arcs of electricity hindered regeneration. The struck ¡®flesh mountain¡¯ was unable to perform any action, merely convulsing there, taking hits for free, not at all reflecting the quick response it had when the wall of flesh was first blasted out of the cave entrance. Lightning paralyzed its body; Spiritual Energy gripped its soul. Of course, that left it no choice but to passively take the beating. This was already the second lightning spear Gu Hang had launched. And the third was already forming in his hands. By that time, the warriors who had rushed in had finally come to their senses and began to assist their Governor in the attack. It¡¯s no wonder they had been stunned at first; the power of the lightning spear in Gu Hang¡¯s hands was incredibly fierce and frightening. At the end of the day, whether they assisted or not didn¡¯t seem to make much of a difference. The little wounds they could inflict with their grenade guns paled in comparison to the Governor¡¯s lightning spears. Of course, they could get closer and try with powered swords, holy gold halberds, or Gravity Scepters. But¡­ there was no need. Mr. Gu was launching a lightning spear in just a few breaths, each one like a massive cannon. They simply didn¡¯t need to intervene. Better to follow the plan and set up a defensive line on the side. Commanders did as such, swiftly moving the warriors inside and establishing a defense. Yet, while busying themselves, they couldn¡¯t help but be drawn by the thunderous booms and inadvertently glance toward the center. The flesh mountain had been leveled after Mr. Gu¡¯s nineteen strikes. Such a display of might inspired awe in all present. Even among the veterans of the Interstellar Warriors, and the experienced Battle Nuns, it was the same feeling. Was this the power of an A-tier Spiritual Energy user? The A-tier Spiritual Energy users they had seen before weren¡¯t this formidable! Perhaps those A-tier users could perform similar-strength attacks, but they definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to launch nineteen in a row without even seeming to breathe hard. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Mr. Gu was¡­ a bit excessively fierce. At this moment, the Governor was floating in the very center of the nest, the blue light in his eyes not fading in the slightest but shining even more brightly. His voice appeared in everyone¡¯s ears: ¡°I have located the Demon Engine that maintains the Wicked Void Shield, as well as the positions of nine L-layer Wicked Energy Railguns.¡± ¡°` Chapter 620 - Chapter 620: Chapter 357, Meat Mountain_3 Chapter 620: Chapter 357, Meat Mountain_3 ¡°Commander Matins, I grant you full command. Please lead Team A to destroy the Demon Engine. Afterward, you may divide your forces, split into groups, or act together to destroy as many Sinister Energy Cannons as possible. But remember, you must return here within three hours.¡± ¡°The rest of you, stay and fortify this location, under the command of General Nevys, ensuring nothing goes wrong. Dress and the Storm Mage Corps, please start establishing the transportation channel immediately. We will leave this place in three hours.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Commander Matins stood up, swiftly mustered Team A, and set out. The so-called Team A was a team that had been put together before the action, consisting of about two-thirds of the entire group¡¯s personnel, excluding the spiritual energy users. The remaining personnel also went about their assigned duties, doing as the governor-general had ordered. With time pressing, no one could afford the slightest relaxation at this moment. Among them, the busiest person was none other than Gu Hang. He assigned tasks and duties to all his subordinates, getting everyone busy. As for himself, he had to deal with a task of utmost importance: Blocking Ge Wajia with all his might. Of course, Ge Wajia probably hadn¡¯t noticed the commotion here yet. This was precisely why Gu Hang had chosen to strike this place first. He had long realized that the ¡®meat mountain¡¯ he had just leveled was actually a spokesperson for Ge Wajia, a messenger of Ge Wajia, the core maintaining the overlay of Fino City with the Subspace, an extension of Ge Wajia¡¯s power into the real world. But killing it didn¡¯t mean everything was over. Go to wuxiaworld.site Fino City was already beyond salvation; the issue couldn¡¯t be resolved just by killing a cult leader or a Great Demon¡¯s messenger. The core area of Fino City had been completely dragged into the Subspace. The crux of the problem lay in the Subspace, in Ge Wajia, not in whoever outside was maintaining the erosion of Subspace. What good would killing this monster do? If Ge Wajia noticed, it could select another person at any time to perform a similar role. In fact, if necessary, its very entity could descend. The problem would remain unresolved. However, the key point was that whether Ge Wajia decided to find a new ¡®spokesperson¡¯ after discovering the issue, or to descend itself, all this would take time. The temporary disruption of the core, as well as Gu Hang¡¯s use of his spiritual energy and the Demon Sword to block this place, severed the interaction between the two worlds. Since the Demon Sword¡¯s essence was Ge Wajia¡¯s power itself, it would make it difficult for that filthy entity to detect the problem immediately. His current task was to make this unobtrusive isolation last as long as possible. Yet such isolation couldn¡¯t last forever. Given time, Ge Wajia would ultimately discover it. And what Gu Hang needed was precisely this time difference. ¡ª¡ª¨C The following is free: Regarding updates, I¡¯d like to say a few words to everyone. I also wish to write more, but honestly, writing is slow¡­ four thousand words take me about two hours. Moreover, the further I get into the story, with more characters and events, the more difficult it gets to manage. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Sometimes before I start typing, I need to use pen and paper to sketch some thoughts, as it¡¯s my personal habit for thinking. One session can easily take up half an hour, covering one or two pages¡­ Plus, since I¡¯m not a full-time writer, my time is really limited. I can only work hard to maintain a daily update of four thousand words, ensuring a full attendance each month. As for why I¡¯m doing single updates rather than splitting them into two chapters, it¡¯s mainly because writing flows better this way, and it also reads more smoothly in one go. Forcing it into two chapters would disrupt the rhythm. I¡¯ll try hard to get six thousand done tomorrow! Chapter 621 - Chapter 621: Chapter 358, Iron Heart Chapter 621: Chapter 358, Iron Heart Gu Hang¡¯s actions at this moment were all for the purpose of creating a larger window of opportunity for Team A¡¯s mission. The core of their mission was still to destroy the Void Shield and the Sinister Energy Cannon. Even if these two things were destroyed, if the problem of Fino City wasn¡¯t resolved, new Sinister Energy Cannons and Void Shields would soon be ¡°born¡± by Fino City. But this would take time. Without the protection of the Void Shield and the counterattack of the Sinister Energy Cannon, the Imperial Navy with its hands untied would be able to bring destruction to Fino City before new Void Shields and Sinister Energy Cannons could emerge. This was Gu Hang¡¯s entire plan. Logically, if he personally led the team to destroy the Void Shield and the Sinister Energy Cannon, it would be the fastest. But regrettably, that wasn¡¯t possible. If he left now, Ge Wajia would likely immediately discover the anomaly of Fino City. After all, using the demon sword to seal the two realms and prevent the transmission of information was something only he could do. He was already extremely busy. The demons and cultists in this space, with the events happening at the center of Fino City¡¯s Nest, should all know what they need to know by now. They continuously tried to pass this information to the subspace. Go to wuxiaworld.site Normally, this would be very simple, just a thought, and Ge Wajia, the lord of this subspace integrated with Fino City¨Cthe Great Unclean One, would sense the thoughts of these lesser demons and thus be aware of the situation. What Gu Hang was doing, however, was using the demon sword to intercept all of these thoughts. It was a colossal task, but fortunately, the exit for the information was only at ¡®Flesh Mountain¡¯ Thomlison, whom Gu Hang had slashed. By blocking here, all information had to pass through him. Merely blocking wasn¡¯t enough. Otherwise, if Ge Wajia couldn¡¯t receive a single piece of information for half a day and essentially experienced a ¡®disconnect,¡¯ it would certainly become suspicious right away. Therefore, Gu Hang also had to fabricate some ¡°thoughts¡± to maintain the appearance of normalcy and deceive Ge Wajia. This part of the work was also very complex and exhausting. The ¡°thoughts¡± he wove were extracted and transformed from the intercepted ones he already had. Some parts were illogical, strange, or even incongruent with the actual situation. With such a large quantity to deal with, Gu Hang was no deity; he couldn¡¯t perform flawlessly. But the Great Unclean One was not a deity either¨Coh, it might be considered as one, but clearly it was far from being omniscient and omnipotent. The Great Demon couldn¡¯t possibly listen attentively to and discern every piece of information at every moment. Plus, whether it was demons or cultists eroded by the whispers of subspace, they all had foggy minds, living in confusion and madness, so it was normal to have strange and illogical content. Gu Hang strived hard to maintain the balance of this place. Eventually, Ge Wajia would find out; he was just delaying the inevitable time as much as he could. This was not easy, and on top of that, there was something constantly disturbing him. That was Thomlison. It was the ¡®Flesh Mountain¡¯ that he had flattened with his thunder spear not long ago. Of course, the fellow was still dead. Thomlison was a powerful sorcerer at his core, and his patron was Ge Wajia, the Great Demon, possessing a soul that was twisted yet very tenacious. The aberration of his flesh was a mere surface-level effect, caused by subspace erosion. Under Gu Hang¡¯s thunder, his physical body was completely destroyed, and his soul was torn into countless fragments. This was certainly death in all senses of the term. But because Gu Hang had taken his place, holding the demon sword and blocking here, Thomlison¡¯s shattered soul fragments could not dissipate and surrounded Gu Hang. Under normal circumstances, Gu Hang could easily dispose of these fragments, but at the moment, most of his energy was focused on intercepting and fabricating information, and he couldn¡¯t spare the effort. Fortunately, this influence was not critical. It was just that occasionally, some hallucinations would appear before his eyes. These hallucinations were mostly from the most impressionable experiences in Thomlison¡¯s past life. One scene was of Thomlison¡¯s youth, where he watched his father being beaten to death in the street. That year, there was a problem with the Imperial Tax to be handed over by Fino City; the human tax was sufficient but the material tax fell short. Thus, the factories stopped distributing food wages, claiming that they would defer the wages until after the tax was paid. Thomlison¡¯s family, including his father, mother, and his nine-year-old self, along with his five-year-old sister ¨C all working as child laborers ¨C were left without wages. The deferral lasted a month. Living in the Lower Nest District of Fino City, just above the starvation line, if work ceased, people would stop eating. The suspension of a month¡¯s wages could lead to death by starvation. Left with no other option, he accompanied his father in an attempt to steal, got caught, and while his father held back the pursuers to let him escape, his father was beaten to death. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Hidden in a corner, he deeply etched that scene into his memory. Soon after, his mother also died¨Cshe let her children have the food and starved to death herself. The second scene was a naked corpse. That was his younger sister, whom he had raised single-handedly since childhood, who at the age of seventeen, went against his advice and left with a man from the middle district of the city. A month later, her naked body was dumped on the street; once the guards identified the body, they informed him to collect her remains. The third scene was his farewell to his family. Chapter 622 - Chapter 622: Chapter 358, Heart of Stone_2 Chapter 622: Chapter 358, Heart of Stone_2 That year, Thomlison was twenty-seven years old when Imperial Tax was levied upon him. His life had just started to improve, having formed a family with his wife, with a three-year-old son and a newborn daughter. He was working hard, with a chance for promotion in sight. But the Imperial Tax was supreme, and he had no choice but to comply. He could only console himself: having paid the Imperial Tax, his family could be partially exempt from subsequent taxes; they would also receive a subsidy. The fourth scene depicted him lying in a battlefield hospital. By then, he had become an officer. Drafted by the Imperial Tax, he boarded a starship and was sent to the Golden Pass Star Sector to join a logistics team of slave workers in the Star Realm Army. After 29 years of war, he first earned his stripes on the battlefield, then repeatedly distinguished himself and rose to the rank of officer. At the same time, he had spent half of his life transitioning from a young man to an old one on battlefields against the Green Skin Orcs. Compared to the comrades around him who perished and were replaced over and over again, having survived for twenty-nine years, he was considered lucky. But today, his luck had run out; he lost a leg and an arm on the battlefield. But his life was tough enough to be saved back at the battlefield hospital. His achievements and medals afforded him a choice¨Ceither to settle down in the rearmost areas on New Colony Star for the rest of his life or to return to his hometown. He chose the latter. Traveling on a supply transport ship, he was among the rare few who could return to their hometowns as part of the Imperial Tax. He had many hard-won medals, the most distinguished among them being a Warrior¡¯s Medal, which still held much value. Upon his return home, at his request, he was assigned a government position in his hometown of Fino City. The first thing he did upon his return was to look for his family. This was the fifth scene, still a naked corpse, but just an old photograph. It was his daughter, found dead in the streets at the age of seventeen, purportedly attacked by thugs, her death bearing an uncanny resemblance to her aunt¡¯s. The photo was case information preserved by the police at the time. His eldest son, twenty-two years into Thomlison¡¯s departure from Korolya, had been drafted for the Imperial Tax and was gone. Just three years later, a death notification was sent back home. His wife, worn down by years of toil and the loss of loved ones, succumbed to melancholy two years prior. Go to wuxiaworld.site All of this broke him. He had never held any fondness for the so-called empire; his youthful family had been shattered by the Imperial Tax; his own family, too, had been destroyed by it. After joining the military, for a time he believed in the propaganda of the political commissars, the Military Priests, thinking The Emperor supreme, a protector of humanity; believing he was fighting for the empire, for all of humankind, for a higher purpose, a greater good, sacrificing his life without regret or resentment. But upon returning to his hometown, the disillusionment was so profound he couldn¡¯t move past it. And so came the sixth scene: he shattered his Warrior¡¯s Medal with relentless force. It was from this moment that he began to hear the tender call of the heavenly Father. The lies of the false emperor, the rotten and filthy system of the empire, made him sick to his stomach. He wholly devoted himself to the divine Father, secretly preaching as a low-level official, and established the Eternal Life Sect. He sincerely believed that Korolya needed change, that things could not go on like this, that the common people would never have peace. He also sincerely believed that eradicating the false emperor¡¯s faith, dissolving the empire¡¯s governing system, and leading everyone into the warm, immortal embrace of the Father was a beautiful endeavor. He tirelessly advanced this cause for fifty years. Now, at last, his efforts were about to bear fruit. But then he encountered Gu Hang, the terminator. ¡­ Thomlison¡¯s life did seem quite tragic. But in this situation, Gu Hang was heart of stone. No matter how many illusions flickered before him, his attitude did not change in the slightest. First of all, Thomlison¡¯s experience, while horrible, wasn¡¯t unique or representative of Korolya. Not because it wasn¡¯t tragic enough, but rather because he was quite lucky, comparatively. Both parents dead, a sister brutally killed¨Ctragic, yes, but many on Korolya have experienced this and worse. Moreover, most of them never reach the stage of marriage, having children, promotions, and pay raises that he did. The population drafted as Imperial Tax, 99.99% never make it back alive. Not only did he survive 29 years of war, making it to officer rank, but he also lived to retire and return home¡­ his luck could be considered staggeringly good. His wife lived past fifty, well beyond Korolya¡¯s average life expectancy of thirty-six; his daughter¡¯s death was unquestionable; his son drafted as Imperial Tax¨CKorolya had about seven to eight hundred million people taken every two years, so that was no surprise. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only If even he could claim tragedy, then no one on Korolya was free from it. But then again, if someone who was considered very lucky ended up like this, what about those whose luck was just average? No wonder the Eternal Life Sect grew in strength; no wonder every Nest Capital on Korolya, with its Bottom Nest Districts, experienced periodic mass riots and rapid spread of plagues. If Gu Hang had been born into such an environment, his mind would certainly be filled with thoughts of rebellion. Individual tragedies are moving, but for a ruler like Gu Hang, he could see that what they reflected was a systemic issue. Chapter 623 - Chapter 623: Chapter 358, Heart of Stone_3 Chapter 623: Chapter 358, Heart of Stone_3 He would solve the predicament on Korolya, which might be an even more arduous task than the current war, but he was confident. He had a whole set of solutions, but everything had to wait until the demon invasion disaster on Korolya was largely stabilized before implementation. First, ensure that the entire planet does not become a demon pit and that billions of people aren¡¯t turned into zombies, walking corpses. Only then could they consider next steps. As for Thomlison¡¯s soul fragments, the many illusions that sprung up before Gu Hang¡¯s eyes, he regarded them as nothing more than the nonsensical babbling of a madman crushed by reality. Gu Hang would not let these images hinder his mission to save Korolya. He had no time to deal with these illusions, nor did he need to. He simply watched indifferently, his mind not focused on them at all, wholeheartedly blocking the transmission of information and weaving false information to deceive Ge Wajia. But¡­ it seemed Ge Wajia had begun to suspect something. ¡­ ¡°We¡¯ve lost seven warriors and have completed the task of attracting the defending army,¡± Lacroix¡¯s voice transmitted to Matins¡¯s ears through an encrypted and reliable communication. Soon after, Mrs. Georgette also sent her message. ¡°My sisters and I are now in position.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Matins replied to each, then took a deep breath and ordered, ¡°Charge!¡± Behind him, three Warhound-class Titans, spaced a certain distance apart from each other, broke their silence and began to run full speed ahead. The fifteen-meter tall ¡®Warhounds¡¯ nearly touched the top of the flesh and blood nest with their heads. Go to wuxiaworld.site Nine Knight mechas followed closely behind. Around these colossal figures, hundreds of elite warriors from Phoenix, St. Cithaer Lily, and Fang Camp, were scattered among them. In front of them was a wall of flesh. The bombs, already installed on it, blew open the wall. Amid the flying flesh, three Titans charged through. The minor remnants of the wall could not stop the Titans¡¯ impact, leaving three large holes. And behind this wall, there was a large number of demons. Their attention was almost completely occupied by the targets they were fiercely engaged with in front of them. The sudden attack from behind caught them off guard. Many demons turned around only to be aghast¨Cthe demons were afraid too. Mindless Plague Stitched Corpses and rotting behemoths were just stunned for a moment: Why was the back wall broken? What were these three iron bumps bigger than themselves that had broken in? And those with a bit more intelligence, such as the carriers of plague, Plague Wizards, were terrified. They knew they were in mortal peril. But what could they do? Just wait to die. The Titans began to fire. Their shoulder-mounted Hellfire Missile nests launched a half volley of missiles in an instant. Eighteen Hellfire Missiles covered a large area in front of them. The high-yield Hellfire Missiles had extremely destructive power; their effect was so exaggerated that all targets within the central blast area would be destroyed by the shockwave and the high temperature and pressure. Furthermore, with the explosion, thermite powder scattered and burned violently, burning huge holes in any substance it touched, even if it was just a bit. For human-sized beings, they would be burned away; even for the rotting behemoths and Plague Giant Toads, if tainted too much, their bodies would melt everywhere. With their powerful vitality, they might not be burned to death instantly, but the thermite dust, with no open flames yet capable of emitting very high temperatures, acted like miniature thermite bombs and would eventually burn them entirely. In this area, eighteen Hellfire Missiles created a hellish scene. And the three Warhounds were not so easily appeased. Aside from the rear missile nests, each side of the Warhound¡¯s waist¨Cor rather the sides of the head¨Calso had main guns: one was a thermite cannon, and the other, a Kinetic Cannon. The three Titans maintained their advance while keeping up the rhythm of their firing. Whether it was a large-caliber Kinetic Cannon or the thermite cannon, they took aim and the large monsters around the edge of the previous Hellfire Missile bombardment area began to suffer one by one. They were simply dying in different ways. Those hit by the Kinetic Cannon became shrapnel, while those hit by the thermite cannon melted into a flow of glowing red remains that eventually cooled to black and gray. The sudden attack from behind, seizing the initiative, and the full firepower of three Titans quickly disintegrated these demons¡¯ ability to resist. Then, through the large holes made by the Titans¡¯ entry, nine Knight mechas and more elite infantry units rushed in. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The eight-meter tall Knight mechas, while not as powerfully armed as the Titans, were still formidable; even the bombs guns in the hands of Phoenix and Fang warriors could inflict devastating damage on some of the regular-sized beasts. They chased down the demons in front of them, pursuing and striking relentlessly. On the other side, the group of several dozen led by Lacroix, who had drawn the enemy¡¯s attention, also launched an attack. The remaining demons, who had lost their combat formation and will to fight, began to collapse. Human troops herded the demons toward their ultimate target location¨Cthat was, the Demon Engine that supported the existence of the Void Shield. Chapter 624 - Chapter 624: Chapter 358: Heart of Stone_4 Chapter 624: Chapter 358: Heart of Stone_4 Everything was going so smoothly that Matins even felt there was no need to arrange for Mrs. Georgette to lead an additional squad as a backup. The frontal attack was about to break through, and the Demon Engine was within reach. Once it fell within their firing range, a barrage of firepower from the three Titans with their heavy cannons would be enough to cripple it, and two more rounds would render it beyond repair. The Void Shield Generator couldn¡¯t conjure a shield to protect itself, and under normal circumstances, there was no need to. In fact, they had now arrived. It was a closed space, surrounded by walls of flesh. But inside, a continual stream of monsters kept spilling out as if squeezed from the flesh itself. The demons they had previously routed were also regrouping in this place. These chaotic creatures were certainly not the type to maintain order. A demon army would always experience similar situations, scattering while being attacked, with some fleeing and others mindlessly rushing into combat. To organize them required the presence of an individual with sufficient strength. Now, it seemed such an individual was present. Matins saw a monster about two and a half meters tall, oozing pus, shouting something. The surrounding demons clearly feared it and dared not disobey its orders. The monsters that emerged from the flesh walls behind it were without question all following its commands. It was a leader. Having made this judgment, Matins sprung into action. Go to wuxiaworld.site He raised his left arm, and the heavy explosive round minigun unleashed a metal storm at the head monster. At the same time, his command reached several Knight Mechas. Their cannon fire, along with Matins¡¯s gunfire, covered the area. The three Warhound Titans continued to advance as planned, with one casually firing a meltagun shot at that spot. This was a deluge of overwhelming firepower, nothing should be able¡­ Huh? Amidst the carnage, a yellow-green figure dashed out at high speed. It was that very monster. And now, in its hand, it held a rust-covered greatsword. Matins immediately sensed trouble. He realized what it was¨Ca Chaotic Vanguard! A powerful demon evolved through the immense grace of the Evil God. It was said that one more level of growth would transform it into a Great Demon¨Ca Plague Great Demon, the embodiment of filth. This grade of monster had one prominent feature: distortion of laws. In places dominated by Subspace forces, powerful demons like this had a special ability. Under its will, physics, science, and even sanity and thought, would be twisted. It would ignore the force of technology, the damage of physics. Bullets, artillery fire, while not entirely useless, would see their damage significantly reduced. Only two things could truly deal a fatal blow to it. The first was Spiritual Energy. But the Governor wasn¡¯t here. The second was willpower. And the embodiment of that was melee combat. With swords and heavy punches charged with the warrior¡¯s fiery will, defeating it could kill it. Otherwise, it would become a terrifying killing machine, unstoppable by anyone. The Warhound Titan closest to it didn¡¯t understand this. The secondary cannon on its arm fired fiercely at the little monster daring to charge at it, instantly tearing the air with a metal storm. However, the Chaotic Vanguard¡¯s stride only paused briefly. The large-caliber autocannon, which should have blown a creature of its size to smithereens, felt like tickling, not to mention most of the ammunition was deflected by some strange force, missing the target entirely. Meanwhile, the Plague Vanguard had already reached the feet of the Titan. The Warhound Titan¡¯s energy shield flickered slightly before letting the Vanguard through. The controllers of the Warhound Titan were feeling the ominous signs. The massive war machine bent down, sweeping with a heavy punch, but the Plague Vanguard dodged it. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Next, its greatsword chopped fiercely onto the Titan¡¯s ankle. With Matins¡¯s sight, he clearly and distinctly saw the steel at the Titan¡¯s ankle, which should have been incredibly tough, quickly develop rust as if it had endured countless years of decay, becoming brittle and weak, and then the greatsword cleaved through it. The towering Titan tilted and crashed to the ground with a thunderous sound. ¡ª¡ª¨C 6.2k, added update! Chapter 625 - Chapter 625: Chapter 359, Chaotic Vanguard Chapter 625: Chapter 359, Chaotic Vanguard The rapid assault of this plague vanguard was too sudden. Blasted by thermite cannons and numerous large-caliber weapons, even a Lion King Tank would crumble. A demonic creature with a fleshy body two and a half meters tall would be reduced to ash, wouldn¡¯t it? No one could have predicted that amid the smoke and dust, this demon would emerge alive. It bore some injuries, especially where the thermite cannon grazed it, causing its body to flame red, yet there was no normal melting effect. And as it ran, the flames seemed to die out. The complete ineffectiveness of the large caliber machine guns, or their failure to achieve the expected results, was equally unexpected. The entire human troops were in an assault state, with the core of the assault being the Warhound Titans. Not only were they the most critical fire support and offensive core, but they also used energy shields and their own thick armor to attract and block most of the damage for the whole unit. And the Titan targeted by the Chaotic Vanguard was the one furthest ahead, even a bit isolated. But it was only slight, and of no major concern, as the conventional units being severely battered had no ability to threaten the Titan. Yet, out charged this thing. As soon as they realized something was wrong, the few infantry units behind the Titan started running with all their might; when they sensed that their grenade rifles were unable to pose any real threat to this Chaotic Vanguard, they even abandoned their weapons and drew their close-combat blades, sprinting at full speed. But even so, the two fastest among them could only just reach the scene as the Chaotic Vanguard cleaved through the Titan¡¯s ankle, temporarily robbing it of its mobility. These were two elite soldiers from Fang Camp, both equipped with Feedback-Type Power Armor. The pair coordinated perfectly, with chainsword in hand, one on the left and one on the right, they struck at the pus-oozing monster. However, at this moment, this terrible creature once again demonstrated its fearsome combat ability. Go to wuxiaworld.site Having just delivered a full-strength blow, the plague vanguard, who should have been in recovery, moved faster than both armored Fang Camp soldiers. Although the Fang Camp¡¯s chainswords struck first, in the blink of an eye, the Chaotic Vanguard¡¯s rusty greatsword struck faster. And it completed a double strike in an extremely short time. In an instant, the rusty greatsword pierced one person¡¯s heart, the solid chest armor of their ¡®Servant God¡¯ Powered Armor was punctured as if it were made of paper. In the next moment, its sword pivoted to pierce the throat of another, precisely finding the gap where the helmet met the chest armor. Two elite Fang Camp warriors clad in Feedback-Type Power Armor fell one after the other in an instant. Having done all this, the Chaotic Vanguard even had the leisure to leap high, avoiding a heavy punch from the Titan. After all, it had only cut through the ankle, destroying its mobility, not the machine itself. Matins, who was running towards the battlefield, felt his heart shake at the sight. Such an enemy, even he wasn¡¯t sure he could defeat. Its swift movements, its freakishly precise swordsmanship, made Matins sigh in admiration. Reserve Great Demons are indeed powerful. But even with that realization, Matins didn¡¯t stop for a moment; instead, he sped up even more. At the same time, he saw Priest Rizzo, the veteran of the Battle Group, carrying the Gravity Scepter, also rushing forward swiftly. The two old comrades were in sync. Now, only the two of them stepping in stood a chance. Not to defeat, but at least to stop or entangle this Chaotic Vanguard to create an opportunity for the other units. Faster than them were three new soldiers of the Phoenix. Naturally, they had seen how their two compatriots had died and were aware of how formidable the enemy they were about to face was. After all, although they could defeat Fang Camp soldiers fairly easily, they could never do it like that creature. But they charged without hesitation. If they didn¡¯t, the Chaotic Vanguard and its rusty greatsword would easily dismantle the Titan. They had to intercept. Phoenix was simply not on the same level as Fang Camp. Even though Fang Camp had Feedback-Type Power Armor, there was a gap between the performance of ¡®Servant God¡¯ and ¡®Majestic¡¯; there was also a difference between Fang Camp and Phoenix. Although most of the Phoenix Warriors in the battle were considered new recruits by the standards of Interstellar Warriors, they were T1 grade elites who had come out of Gu Hang¡¯s [Soldier Tag] system, the highest grade achievable through regular training. They had also undergone Gene Seed implant surgery, with their superhuman organs fully developed and physically surpassing normal human limits long ago. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only With these combined factors, the three Phoenix Warriors, at the very least, could clearly see the movements of the Chaotic Vanguard. Though being able to see clearly didn¡¯t necessarily mean they could keep up, it was still a breakthrough step. They weren¡¯t wholly defenseless. However, they were still somewhat naive. After the Chaotic Vanguard destroyed another missile nest of the Titan, the three of them arrived and surrounded it, launching a joint attack. Chapter 626 - Chapter 626: Chapter 359, Chaotic Vanguard_2 Chapter 626: Chapter 359, Chaotic Vanguard_2 Then, in a split second, one died. The new recruit clearly saw the sword that slashed towards him, extremely fast and precise. He struggled to keep up, trying to block sword with sword. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming force, stronger than the Battle Group Leader¡¯s, a force he had only experienced during training. He staggered backward from the slash, but saw that his opponent was unshaken and immediately followed up with another sword strike. He lifted his chainsaw sword, clenched his teeth, and summoned all his strength, prepared to fight desperately, hoping his two fellow warriors would catch up and relieve some of the pressure. But in the next moment, the enemy suddenly changed tactics, causing his strike to miss entirely. As his strike missed, the Phoenix Warrior had only one thought in his heart: ¡°Damn it.¡± It was also the last thought in his life. He had put all his effort into using his bulkiest shoulder guard, which often served as a shield in tactical maneuvers, to block the sword. But the blade was even faster than he imagined, slipping through the gap where the shoulder guard met his upper arm, piercing his shoulder, severing his scapula, and cutting through his neck vertebra. His body quickly went limp, and apart from blinking, he could do nothing else as his consciousness rapidly dissipated. The last scene he witnessed was his two brothers-in-arms, roaring as they fought the Chaotic Vanguard head-on. And these two, their resistance lasted just a bit longer than the brother who was taken down in seconds by the previous moves. They arrived together, at least able to cover for each other. But the key point was that the movements of the Chaotic Vanguard had become somewhat sluggish, and it occasionally experienced ¡®lag¡¯. That was Henrik Larson, the only think tank member of the Phoenix Battle Group currently on the field. Go to wuxiaworld.site He had unleashed his awakened Spiritual Energy power onto the body of the Chaotic Vanguard. It was not enough to harm it, but Larson was well aware of his own abilities. He was far from the great power The Emperor could wield. In terms of Spiritual Energy intensity alone, he was on par with the commander of the Storm Mage Corps, Dress¨Ca B-grade Spiritual Energy user was his limit. But like willpower, Spiritual Energy could be fully utilized to great effect. He was very pragmatic, not seeking to deal damage but to obstruct. And it was indeed his Spiritual Energy power that inflicted the first actual damage on the Chaotic Vanguard¨Cand quite a serious one at that. The two Phoenix warriors encircling it finally fell one by one as the Chaotic Vanguard, despite the Spiritual Energy interference, dealt with them. But, at that moment, a sudden surge of Spiritual Energy power stopped it for an instant. A Titan¡¯s heavy punch came crashing down. It had broken free from the Spiritual Energy control, but could not dodge the fist, taking a solid punch squarely. Then, getting up from the ground, it leapt up and climbed onto the Titan, severing its fist as well. At the same time, Matins and Rizzo finally arrived. Another strong burst of Spiritual Energy control ensued, but the prepared Chaotic Vanguard was not frozen in place this time; it was merely slowed down. Its rust-streaked greatsword clashed solidly against Matins in the Terminator Power Armor, wielding a power sword. Neither gained the upper hand. Looking at the monster that was only slightly shorter than the Terminator, Matins could hardly imagine why it contained such immense strength within its body. He could barely match its strength, but the loss of agility in the Terminator Power Armor was a disadvantage. But he was not a greenhorn of the Phoenix; his exceptional swordsmanship and vast combat experience taught him how to cope with the current situation. Moreover, Priest Rizzo was assisting by his side. And with Larson stealthily using his Spiritual Energy to tamper with the monster now and then from a distance, the battle between the two parties was at a stalemate for the moment. Meanwhile, inspired by the rallying call of the Chaotic Vanguard, the Demons regrouped, some opening fire, some charging. But on the human side, the main force wasn¡¯t compromised. Although one Titan was half-disabled, the other two were still active, pouring out intense firepower. Nine Knight Mechas also held their ground on the front line. But because of the presence of the Chaotic Vanguard, the power that weakened the laws of the physical universe was expanding. The Demons charging ahead were not quite like it, almost immune to gunfire and shelling, but they, too, received significant damage reduction. Although most of the monsters fell on the charge, many valiant carriers of plague, the Forsaken, and Chaos Spawn made it to close quarters. The Phoenix, Battle Nuns, and the Fangs engaged these beasts in hand-to-hand combat. Overall, humanity held the advantage. And the nine Mecha Knights of the alliance started to ¡°shine.¡± Each was armed with a massive chainsaw sword to match their size, and with firm and reliable ground control, they could freely exhibit knightly swordsmanship. Large-creature intruders, such as the rotting flesh beasts, were chopped into pieces after a few cuts by two or three Mecha Knights; for regular-sized enemies, a sweep of the huge chainsaw swords often obliterated a swath of the enemy. Many Demons were destroyed beneath the blades of mankind. The three types of elite warriors in Powered Armor were equally adept with their chainsaw swords and combat blades, their killing efficiency not slower than bullets. However, although they were still efficiently slaughtering the enemies of The Emperor, their formation could no longer advance. The Chaotic Vanguard was merely held back, tying up the two strongest forces on their side, and the entire team was blocked at the front by the huge demon army it had inspired. In the brutal close-quarters combat, no matter how strong the human warriors were, casualties were inevitable. If this battle turned into one of attrition here, the elite but numerically inferior human forces would undoubtedly face defeat. But Matins had never intended it to be so. He was waiting for something else. And that something happened soon. Not far away, at the location of the Demon Engine they seemed unlikely to break through, a violent explosion took place. The explosion originated from within, and an internal blast even ripped apart the flesh wall on the outside. The multitude of monsters trying to squeeze out of the flesh wall also vanished in smoke. Then, a group of about thirty Battle Nuns clad in green and white charged in from the enemy¡¯s rear. Against common Demons, these fierce women were cutting them down one stroke at a time. Among them, the most dazzling was their leader, Georgette. This Battle Group Leader, wielding a holy golden halberd, moved swiftly, cutting down every creature daring to block her way. At the same time, a pair of faint, unobtrusive but genuinely visible golden wings spread out behind her. Although she could not yet fly, her speed in the melee was incredibly fast. Several Mecha Knights and a Titan opened fierce fire, welcoming the arrival of the battle sisters. Without the continuous replenishment of their numbers, the ranks of the Demon army thinned and were eventually breached. Upon Georgette¡¯s arrival, she joined the siege against the Chaotic Vanguard without a word, wielding her holy golden halberd. With this strong reinforcement, Matins and Rizzo both felt much relief. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In contrast, the Chaotic Vanguard now seemed clumsy and ineffectual. Not only was it disrupted by Larson¡¯s distant Spiritual Energy but also, with Georgette¡¯s arrival and the illumination of the holy golden light, the evil power that supported its strength was suppressed, leading to a decline in its power and agility. And the one to deliver the final, finishing blow was Prince Eureka. This Mecha Knight pilot, after ending the battle in front of him, came to support. He leaped high into the air, and with the force of his descent, aimed the massive chainsaw sword at the powerful Demon, which Matins had chopped one leg off with a powered sword but was still resisting stubbornly. Under this sword strike, the Demon, unable to dodge, was torn to pieces by the six-meter-long giant sword. Chapter 627 - Chapter 627: Chapter 360: Mission Accomplished Chapter 627: Chapter 360: Mission Accomplished ¡°Report, General! The Void Shield over Fino City has dissipated!¡± Hearing this, Major General Du Shiliang, who was both the captain of the ¡°Concerto¡± and acting commander of the Tianma Fleet, immediately ordered, ¡°Stop the attack at once.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®what¡¯? We have our people inside!¡± ¡°Yes, General.¡± The order to cease fire was given, and the person turned to ask, ¡°When do we attack then?¡± ¡°According to Commander Gu¡­ we¡¯ll attack again tomorrow,¡± replied Major General Du Shiliang. ¡°Yes!¡± After sending the adjutant away, he stood on the bridge, gazing at the planet in front of him. He couldn¡¯t help but feel emotional: everything was finally about to come to a conclusion. He still remembered having an argument with Commander Gu. But that had nothing to do with personal grudges; they merely had different views on work, on the mission. He didn¡¯t want the Tianma Fleet to continue bombarding Korolya¡¯s ground forces. In his view, that was meaningless. Go to wuxiaworld.site Unable to defy Gu Hang, who was now the war zone commander, he had no choice but to follow orders. He would carry them out to the letter, and anyone expecting more from him was deluding themselves. However, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t care about the situation. If he seemed indifferent, it was mainly because he didn¡¯t believe they could win the war by fighting this way. He didn¡¯t believe Gu Hang¡¯s claim that he could resolve the issue of the Void Shield over Fino City so quickly. He was only preparing for the orbital strike as ordered by Gu Hang. When the time came, he would fire the ammunition that needed to be fired and nothing beyond that would be his concern. But what he didn¡¯t expect was that Gu Hang actually did it. An A-class Spiritual Energy user, as well as the elite troops led by Gu Hang from his so-called ¡®Alliance,¡¯ possessed such formidable strength? How had they infiltrated the city? How had they shut down the Void Shield? Du Shiliang didn¡¯t have the answers. But it didn¡¯t matter. If the Void Shield was indeed gone, that meant victory in the war was within reach. Naturally, he wouldn¡¯t launch an orbital strike now. According to Commander Gu¡¯s instructions, they would strike at the earliest tomorrow. He understood that there should be time allotted for the retreat of the elite troops who had infiltrated. Not just the elite troops, but a large number of regular forces within the activated Nest Capital also needed time to withdraw. Firing now would be murder. As for whether the Void Shield was temporarily shut down or truly destroyed¡­ truth be told, Du Shiliang didn¡¯t know. But he decided not to seek immediate credit and just follow orders. Commander Gu was a capable man; his orders weren¡¯t given blindly. Subsequently, Du Shiliang experienced more changes in the battle situation. The anti-orbit gunfire from the ground had decreased substantially. Those Sinister Energy Cannons, especially the largest ones that posed a serious threat to the fleet, gradually fell silent over the next period of time. Soon, one by one, they were rendered inoperative. This further signified that the situation within Fino City was improving. Du Shiliang¡¯s heart swelled with confidence. ¡­ Gu Hang¡¯s heart was heavy with pressure. Ge Wajia must have noticed. At first, it might have been mere suspicion, only dispatching a single Chaotic Vanguard. When that being engaged in battle with Matins and the others, Gu Hang had sensed it. It was the appearance of the Chaotic Vanguard that made Gu Hang realize Ge Wajia must have become aware. The Chaotic Vanguard was a reserve Great Demon. Although advancing to the next level was quite difficult, its status under Ge Wajia¡¯s command had to be high, and its numbers were definitely limited. The fact that it had been deployed meant, quite unequivocally, that something significant was afoot. And now, this Great Demon had been destroyed by Matins, Rizzo, and Georgette through combined assault. Gu Hang blocked the transmission of the creature¡¯s thoughts, as well as the news of its death, and even fabricated false information, attempting to keep Ge Wajia at ease. However, even he knew that deceiving Ge Wajia again would be difficult. Due to the unique nature of the Chaotic Vanguard, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t fabricate a flawless lie, and more crucially, Ge Wajia¡¯s level of attention to its nearest and dearest offspring compared to ordinary demons was definitely not on the same level. Under such close scrutiny, the lies woven by Gu Hang were easily punctured. Gu Hang had already sensed the dangerous aura drifting in Subspace. He checked on the actions of Matins and the others. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After destroying the Demon Engine that supported the Wicked Void Shield, they had abandoned the immobilized Warhound Titan. They divided their forces in two, heading to destroy the Anti-Orbit Evil Energy Cannons. In the time that had passed, of the nine L-grade Sinister Energy Cannons, three had already been destroyed. Along the way, they also took out a few smaller ones. With the core where Subspace overlapped with the real world¨Cguarded by Thomlison¨Cblocked by Gu Hang, and another important Demon Engine destroyed, the remaining enemy forces were somewhat in disarray. They broke upon contact and crumbled when charged. In fact, they still had a considerable number left, but firstly, they could no longer receive nearly endless reinforcements, and secondly, once the command system failed, the demons became headless flies, their morale collapsed, and their already low level of organization and discipline became a moot point. That¡¯s, in part, why the team of Matins and others had an easier time destroying other Anti-Orbit Cannons after taking out the Demon Engine. Chapter 628 - Chapter 628: Chapter 360, Great Success_2 Chapter 628: Chapter 360, Great Success_2 The three hours they had been allotted were nearly up. After a moment of thought, Gu Hang sent out a message using Spiritual Energy. ¡°Abandon your current targets and head back at full speed.¡± The two squads, in the heat of battle, were mowing down the enemy with little resistance; the vital Anti-Orbit Cannons had been destroyed one after the other. But there was no need to worry about the discipline of the troops. Though somewhat confused, since it was Mr. Gu¡¯s order, nobody would disobey. Everyone began to retreat. It wasn¡¯t until the two teams reunited and returned to the central core area that Gu Hang felt his heart finally ease a considerable amount. During this process, Ge Wajia hadn¡¯t shown up yet. However, in the subspace, the terrifying turbulence couldn¡¯t be ignored anymore and Ge Wajia still hadn¡¯t appeared. Taking the opportunity to flee before it arrived was really the best choice. Leaving a third of the manpower and nearly all the Spiritual Energy users here was precisely to ensure they could escape at any moment. The demons trying to retake this position were held back by the troops; the Spiritual Energy users maintained the teleportation formation, ready but not activated, in case they needed to start it and escape instantly. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on NovG0.s0 That was Gu Hang¡¯s requirement. The assault plan had been bold in conception, but extremely cautious in execution. Cautiousness meant safety. The few hundred men present were the elite of the forces Gu Hang had built up over the years. The Knights and Mecha, along with their self-produced Black Boxes, totaled just over twenty; there were six War Dogs. Most had been brought here. Not to mention the training of the Interstellar Warriors, not only consuming blessing points and productivity but also needing time for the growth of the new soldiers¡¯ superhuman organs. Bringing over six hundred, close to seven hundred people, and now only over four hundred returned, the losses were indeed significant. But Gu Hang had no time for sorrow. Troops were raised for a thousand days, and a sharpened blade was meant to be used at a critical moment. And now was that critical moment. No matter how great the losses, achieving the objective was what mattered most. And now came the last step¨Csafe evacuation. The rearguard was set in place, and they would be the last ones to go back; the others, according to the pre-arranged and rehearsed plan, stepped onto the teleportation formation one by one and were transported away. The last rearguard squad, after tossing all the explosives and temporarily destroying the passageways to repel the enemies at hand, also stepped into the teleportation formation. Leaving didn¡¯t require the same caution as sneaking in had. There was neither time nor courage to use the subspace under Ge Wajia¡¯s control for illicit transit any longer. However, the current location, the core area of Fino City, overlapped with subspace, causing high interference with Spiritual Energy teleportation. To rip open space and perform long-distance teleportation to leave Fino City was too risky due to the high chance of getting lost in subspace interference. Getting lost equated to total annihilation. But Gu Hang had a solution. The Storm God Kingdom was an excellent stepping stone, part of subspace and controllable by themselves, providing active support, with the highest safety for Spiritual Energy teleportation to leap there. After the leap, Gu Hang would tear open a gateway from the Storm God Kingdom to the real world. The required beacons had already been prepared inside Mingyan City, ensuring a seamless return from the Storm God Kingdom to the real world. In fact, the entire journey went exactly as Gu Hang had hoped. The terrifying turbulence in the subspace made everyone anxious, but in the end, Ge Wajia was a step too late. Looking at the sky over Mingyan City, Gu Hang felt immensely relieved. Now that they were here, he didn¡¯t have to worry about that fatso showing up. A demon of that magnitude could only appear in places where the subspace erosion was particularly severe¨Clike the core area of Fino City. The marginal areas of Fino City couldn¡¯t sustain its existence, let alone now that they were inside Mingyan City. The veil of reality in Korolya hadn¡¯t become so fragile yet, so there was no need to worry about that great filth coming here to cause him trouble. Once Gu Hang felt at ease, he let Matins and the team go down to rest, while he himself ascended to the highest point of Mingyan City. The view was not bad, but Fino City, hundreds of kilometers away, was still out of sight. Yet he stood there, gazing in that direction. Meanwhile, he connected with the frontline combat forces¡¯ communications. After a few words, Gu Hang had a rough understanding of the current frontline situation. Although he and his elite forces had withdrawn, there were still millions of regular troops inside Fino City. Having suffered heavy casualties, piercing into the city had significantly contributed to disrupting the cohesion between subspace and the real world. Without them, Gu Hang¡¯s earlier operation leading troops into the heart of Fino City would have been much more difficult. Now that their mission in Fino City was accomplished, there was no need for these regular troops to continue to hold out. An hour ago, a gradual withdrawal of forces from the frontline had already begun. They would have a whole day to evacuate from Fino City. After one day, the Orbital Bombardment from the Tianma Fleet would be launched with full force, aiming at the destruction of an entire Nest Capital. Though the time was short and the task heavy, it wasn¡¯t without good news. The difficulty of withdrawal, compared to a frontal assault and occupying a part of the city, was simply not on the same level. It wasn¡¯t just the difference between attack and defense, or retreat, but primarily due to the inexplicable reactions that emerged from the enemy forces two to three hours ago. Their command system seemed to have malfunctions, and many of their units became disoriented. The assaults on the human-occupied positions slowed, significantly reducing their pressure and allowing them at least to catch a breath. The troops whose defensive pressure had drastically decreased began to withdraw step by step, abandoning the forward positions one by one. The rear positions had to be held for a while, waiting for those in front to retreat before they could start moving back. The entire evacuation operation and plan were relatively orderly. Retreat is not collapse. The greatest difference between the two lies in the organization of the troops. Though the Plague Demon Army had suddenly become chaotic, they were still aggressive. Blindly running and losing organization would certainly lead to significant casualties in the pursuing process, and the speed of withdrawal might not even be that fast. Given the current circumstances, the majority of the elite forces should be able to withdraw safely. And after 24 hours, most of the forces should be able to evacuate. And if there really are forces that haven¡¯t withdrawn by then¡­ There would be no other choice. Objectively speaking, given a scale of about a million people and the enemy entanglement, one day might not be enough to withdraw all the troops in good order. But there was no alternative. By then, any forces that hadn¡¯t withdrawn would likely go down with Fino City. Gu Hang really didn¡¯t want to witness that scene, feeling somewhat like he had betrayed his frontline soldiers. But he had to be cold-hearted and make the necessary decisions when needed. After the Demon Engine in the core beneath Fino City was destroyed, Gu Hang ensured that it would be impossible to build another Demon Engine capable of raising a Void Shield within a day¡¯s time in the inner parts of Fino City. And if given two days, that probably still wouldn¡¯t happen. But with three days, he wasn¡¯t sure. Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t dare to set the time of the orbital bombardment to a particularly critical point. What if, in order to evacuate a few more regular troops and the time was extended to two days, a Void Shield actually came up? Then the deaths of so many before would have been in vain. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The related bombardment orders had been transmitted to the Tianma Fleet; the final deadline for evacuation had also been communicated to Li Kexi, the front-line command. The rest was to wait and watch the grand fireworks show of Fino City. All in all, Gu Hang was in pretty good spirits, as everything was largely within his plan. But just as he was smiling and had time to ask someone to make a cup of hot tea, just as he took the first sip, he suddenly felt a great shock in his heart: He felt a powerful presence had struck a severe blow to his Storm God Kingdom! Chapter 629 - Chapter 629: Chapter 361, Invading the Divine Realm Chapter 629: Chapter 361, Invading the Divine Realm The Storm God Kingdom shook violently, and even Gu Hang in the real world could sense it. In the past, such disturbances had occurred before. In the subspace, waves surged, with terrifying forces churning at every moment. Occasionally, undercurrents and waves would impact the Storm God Kingdom, which was quite normal. But the current turmoil wasn¡¯t just a simple matter of subspace waves. Gu Hang already had a very bad hunch in his heart, and he desperately hoped it wasn¡¯t true. However, when he closed his eyes and sank his spirit into his Divine Realm, he saw that worst hunch materialize¨Cmonsters with antlers on their heads, enormous and bloated bodies, covered in countless pustules, with three eyes and long tongues stretching out from their gaping mouths, holding a great demonic sword, were hacking fiercely at the borders of his Divine Realm. Although concepts like ¡®space¡¯ and ¡®distance¡¯ exist in the subspace, they are very weak. Gu Hang could travel through the subspace with a hundred spiritual energy users, and so could Ge Wajia. But Gu Hang didn¡¯t expect that this guy could actually track their movements! Whether he was infiltrating or leaving, he had been careful enough to erase his own traces. How could Ge Wajia still follow? Did he have a dog¡¯s nose? Gu Hang found that although he had tried to imagine this giant filth¡¯s power as formidable as possible in advance, he still somewhat underestimated the opponent in the end. Now the problem was troublesome. There was a clear boundary between the Storm God Kingdom and the regular subspace regions. The Storm God Kingdom was like an inverted mountain with a thick base, floating in the subspace. The solid gray-blue rock surface came abruptly to an end at the edge of the mountain body. An invisible force encompassed the entire area; this was the Storm God Kingdom. Just one step beyond the edge lay a soul sea, colorful, bright, yet twisted. Ge Wajia was there. His greatsword struck the border of the Divine Realm once again. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on wuxiaworld.site.so This was only the second strike, but the boundary could no longer hold. With the third strike, Ge Wajia broke through the border of the Storm God Kingdom. A huge hole shattered open, and the great filthy being, carrying the plague divine power, along with the surging subspace waves, burst through the gap. This great filthy being was evidently quite enraged. How could he not be angry? The affairs he caused on Korolya, he had been planning for many, many years. Despite the now overwhelming momentum that seemed about to destroy Korolya, the initial investments were not small. The Cult had been cautious and suppressed many times in its early development. Not only was Thomlison beguiled by Ge Wajia, but there were also certainly more than just one Thomlison. Behind one immortal faith that managed to emerge, there were countless similar cult organizations that were annihilated before they could make any waves. Such a long preparation, now finally coming to fruition, and just when everything seemed to be succeeding, such an interruption occurred¨Chow could Ge Wajia not be furious? After much effort and no small sacrifice, he implored the truly great being he worshipped and tracked down the marauder who had destroyed many years of his hard work. And then, he discovered that this fellow was actually the Governor of Rage Owl Star. Although the arrangement on Rage Owl Star was a hit-or-miss affair, losing an incarnation there was still a very irritating matter. Not to mention, the power of that incarnation was somehow used by this little marauder, turning it into a tool to deceive Ge Wajia himself. If not for that, how could this fellow possibly have breezed through the domain he guarded? New hatreds compounded with old, Ge Wajia was incensed. He rampaged within the Storm God Kingdom. With every step he took, his heavy footsteps left behind a footprint filled with pus. The pus boiled at those locations, corroding the rocky surface. He also swung his Plague Greatsword from time to time, hacking wildly at whatever was around him. These seemingly arbitrary actions were actually infusing the plague divine power into this rarely stable region of the subspace. Ge Wajia could feel that this was a territory belonging to a certain Subspace Inferior God. But what of it? The so-called Subspace Inferior God, that is a very broad category. The powerful ones, of course, he wouldn¡¯t dare provoke, and even some of the more unclean supreme deities above him would feel apprehensive. But the one before him, did not fit into this category. At least he was not afraid. He was determined to catch that little pest here, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t be able to quell the hatred in his heart. As he advanced, he saw a tower. He headed straight for it. He felt that the core of this area, was right there. Even closer, he could feel that the little pest he was searching for, was also there. With a wave of his hand, a vicious spell chanted from his lips, and a green wind formed around him, sweeping towards the tower. But at the same time, a storm mixed with thunder and lightning also swept in, confronting his plague wind head on. Meanwhile, artillery fire rained down from the sky, striking him. He saw many small blue creatures appear before his eyes. Those little things, organized like real-world human armies that he loathed, were attacking him with annoying, tickling assaults. The irritated Ge Wajia let out a thunderous roar, scattering many of the small creatures. Seeing the pitiful way those little guys died, his mood improved somewhat, and he began to laugh loudly. With his laughter, many more small creatures, under the blow of the green wind, disappeared as if melting away like snow. But his laughter was soon cut off by a bolt of lightning that struck down. It was that pest! He angrily quickened his pace, charging towards the Central Spire. However, the lightning became more and more dense, and more of the little blue creatures obstructed him. Moments later, from within the storm, emerged a giant war bear whose size matched his own, imbued with the power of lightning, roaring and pouncing towards him. He dealt the foolish bear a sword blow. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But it didn¡¯t burst as he expected, instead the creature scratched three bloody marks on him. The furious Ge Wajia tried to strike again, but his movements were hindered by the relentless storm. He was entangled. And Gu Hang at the top of the tower, had a grave expression. He waved his arms continuously, mixing his own spiritual energy with the divine power of the Storm God Kingdom, controlling the divine bear that the core of the Divine Realm had transformed into, summoning the storm, and engaging in a fight to the death with this filthy creature. Chapter 630 - Chapter 630: Chapter 362, Unforgettable Forever Chapter 630: Chapter 362, Unforgettable Forever ¡°Report, General! The scheduled strike time has arrived, please give your instructions!¡± According to the prearranged plan, it has been one day since the Void Shield of Fino City was breached. The Tianma Fleet should now carry out an annihilation-level orbital bombardment of Fino City. In fact, all the warships were ready for the bombardment, just waiting for Du Shiliang, the Acting Fleet Commander, to give the order. However, the order had not come. Du Shiliang was somewhat hesitant. He paced back and forth, and after his adjutant urged him again, he asked, ¡°Is there still no message from Commander Gu?¡± ¡°No,¡± the adjutant responded. ¡°We¡¯ve made contact with the ground. General Hans says they are ready for the strike, and 90% of the frontline troops in Fino City have been evacuated. We can reach the command in Mingyan City, but ever since Commander Gu went up to the watchtower at the top of Mingyan City, he hasn¡¯t moved an inch. According to Dress from the Storm Mage Corps, it seems Commander Gu is engaged in a confrontation with a powerful demon¡­¡± As the adjutant spoke the latter half of the sentence, his face showed some bewilderment. In truth, he did not understand what Dress had told him; he was merely repeating to Du Shiliang what he¡¯d been told. But Du Shiliang, relatively more experienced and knowledgeable, had a rough idea of Gu Hang¡¯s predicament¨Cthough he certainly didn¡¯t understand anything about a ¡®Divine Realm,¡¯ ¡®Subspace,¡¯ or ¡®Grand Impurities¡¯ or such; he could probably grasp that entering Fino City, destroying the Void Shield, and then attracting the attention of some powerful demon on the way out, seemed quite normal. Du Shiliang sighed. Commander Gu was truly bearing too much. His attitude toward Gu Hang had done a complete one-eighty. Why should he oppose the man who could bring victory? He was fixated on making contact with Commander Gu in the hopes of having the commander issue the order, so the fleet could execute it, adding a sense of ceremony to the whole process as a way to show the Tianma Fleet¡¯s reverence for the brave souls who had previously assaulted Fino City. Now it seemed impossible. Source: Webnovel.com, updated on wuxiaworld.site.so It was a pity, but they couldn¡¯t let one mishap hold them back. ¡°Fire!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The order was relayed from the bridge of the Concerto to the entire fleet. Currently, among the Tianma Fleet, there were two cruisers, six destroyers, and over twenty escort ships capable of engaging in combat. In total, almost thirty warships gathered in the orbit of Korolya. From the surface, yellow-green Sinister Energy Cannons continued to bombard them. The Anti-Orbit Sinister Energy Cannons in Fino City had not been completely cleared out. These Sinister Energy Cannons, hitting against the ships¡¯ Void Shields and energy shields, stirred up waves of disruption. But Du Shiliang no longer cared. In this short span of time, those Sinister Energy Cannons couldn¡¯t do much to the fleet. On the other hand, Fino City on the planetary surface, now unprotected by a Void Shield, was like a naked little lamb, just waiting to be manhandled at their leisure. Thirty ships fired all at once! Of course, those escort ships were basically there to make up the numbers; their most powerful weapons were Grade S cannons, not particularly powerful. But starting with the destroyers, Grade M cannons appeared, including the ¡®Heat Hammer¡¯ Macro Cannon and the ¡®Meltdown¡¯ Lightspear, which were formidable. With such heavy artillery at this grade, they were already capable of dealing a significant blow to the Nest Capital. Not to mention, on the two cruisers, there were a total of three Grade L heavy cannons. Two ¡®Wrath of Loyalty¡¯ Macro Cannons and one ¡®Doomsday¡¯ Lightspear Array¨Cthese were absolute heavy hitters, devastating in their destructive effects on the Nest Capital. These two cruisers armed with Grade L giant cannons were the main striking force; the rest were just a bonus. After a volley of fire, half of the Anti-Orbit Sinister Energy Cannons launching from Fino City fell silent. Needless to say, they were destroyed in the bombardment. The navy personnel on dozens of ships were exhilarated! Over the past few years, they had executed countless orbital strikes against Fino City. Ammunition was lavishly spent, they even suffered the cost of multiple ships being damaged or destroyed, and yet the results had been meager. But today¡¯s bombardment was refreshingly straightforward, truly letting them vent their pent-up frustration. So satisfying! ¡­ Standing on a highland outside Fino City, Major General Li Kexi, General Hans, and a group of commanders from the Star Realm Army and the Native Defense Forces gathered here. Below, the war continued. Those forces that were able to retreat had already moved to the rear. The support troops were engaging the enemy forces in pursuit right here. However, the generals¡¯ gaze was not fixed on the battles on the ground. Down there, although the scale of participation was on the order of millions, countless demons, cultists, and plague-ridden corpses were assaulting the defensive positions of the support troops like mad. Numerous human warriors held their ground, fighting desperately. The battle was fierce, with massive casualties, the scene grand and bloodstirring. But¡­ The commanders simply couldn¡¯t muster any interest in it. Because they all knew that no matter how grand the blocking battle below was, it had no significance for the overall campaign. What mattered was the outcome of Fino City. And that outcome was already predetermined. They watched as fire from the sky enveloped Fino City. Whether it was the smaller fires, or the colossal ones; whether it was the tail-flamed orbital missiles, or the meteor-like solid kinetic cannon shots, or even the extraordinarily thick beams of energy weapons¡­ Each burst of light inflicted a severe blow on the nest capital, which writhed like a living being. The city was collapsing, and with it, the countless filthy and pitiful creatures that dwelled within were being extinguished. One flesh tower after another toppled, one robust building after another crumbled, the wails of the demons, the cultists, the infected, even at a distance of dozens of kilometers away, could be heard so clearly that they shook one¡¯s soul. The Land Forces¡¯ generals silently witnessed the apocalyptic scene before them. ¡®Doom¡¯ was not an adjective but a bona fide statement. Wasn¡¯t this the doom of Fino City? ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Suddenly, someone spoke, uttering such a sentiment. Li Kexi looked in that direction and noticed it was a native general from Korolya. His eyes brimmed with hot tears. Li Kexi couldn¡¯t fully empathize, but at least he could understand. These locals from Korolya were facing the pressure of their world being destroyed and were fighting this war. They had sacrificed far too many lives in this war. And now, finally seeing the dawn of victory, how could they not be moved? Even Li Kexi and Hans, who were not natives of Korolya, had been fighting here for many years, and countless direct soldiers under their command had spilled their blood on this alien world. No one wants to fight a war they cannot win. After such immense sacrifices, seeing victory on the horizon, the emotional release and the uplift of their spirits were indescribable. These emotions, combined with the spectacle of the collapse of an entire living nest capital in front of them, deeply touched their hearts. No matter where these people would go in the future, whatever experiences they would have, this scene before their eyes and their current state of mind would never be forgotten. This would be the deepest memory etched in their hearts. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, amidst the tears, Li Kexi also had a persistent worry. The governor had been sitting motionless in the observation tower of Mingyan City, unresponsive, for an entire day. How was he doing? ¡ª¡ª¨C One more chapter, but later in the night Chapter 631 - Chapter 631: Chapter 363, Something is Wrong Chapter 631: Chapter 363, Something is Wrong At this moment, Gu Hang was on the verge of losing consciousness. Within the Storm God Kingdom, he had been locked in a fierce battle with Ge Wajia, the unclean one, for two full days. Fighting until now, he was nearly burnt out. At LV8, which equated to A+ grade in Spiritual Energy strength, amplified by the Subspace, he consistently reached S grade. The thunder he summoned wielded earth-shattering power; Being in the Storm God Kingdom, Gu Hang could freely harness the power of this entire piece of Subspace. In the essence of a Subspace Inferior God, he condensed into a Storm Giant Bear, recreating the entire power of the ¡®Primal Fury Owl¡¯, and it was even mightier than before. After all, how much faith did the Primal Fury Owl have back then, and how many people trusted Mr. Gu now? Meanwhile, there were tens of thousands of valorous spirits safeguarding his side. These spirits, coming from warriors who had fallen on various battlefields of the Alliance. Some of their souls returned to the Golden Throne, but most came to the Storm God Kingdom. The strength of each individual was as insignificant as dust when confronting the unclean one, but tens of thousands of dust particles were still quite annoying when smeared across one¡¯s face. This was the entirety of the power Gu Hang could muster, and within the Storm God Kingdom, it was indeed his home turf. With advantages on all sides, Gu Hang, at the beginning, did manage to suppress the Plague Great Demon. However, suppression was merely suppression; defeating and even annihilating the Great Demon was not so easy. Over the span of these two days, the unclean one seemed to be passively taking a beating, only able to pound the ground, blow chaotic winds, and howl out its anger, while its body was incessantly riddled with all manners of strikes. But in reality, all the injuries it sustained were very limited. Even those injuries that appeared horrifying were quickly repaired. Conversely, every attack from Ge Wajia, even those seemingly meaningless ground pounds, was essentially inflicting damage on the Storm God Kingdom and caused Gu Hang¡¯s heart to lurch. Source: , updated on wuxiaworld.site.cO Continuing this way, it wasn¡¯t an issue for Ge Wajia to hold out for two days, or even ten more days and a half-month. But for Gu Hang, to endure beyond two days was almost at his limit. By tomorrow, he would definitely be unable to sustain such a mode of battle. Of course, he did have the option to fight more economically. In these two days, he had been desperately calling upon all his strength, recklessly consuming spirits, and bearing huge losses just to maintain suppression on Ge Wajia. But if he had chosen a defensive combat method, he wouldn¡¯t be nearly as exhausted as he was now. The reason he didn¡¯t do so was quite simple¨Che couldn¡¯t win that way. In Subspace, where could he expect reinforcements? The only power he could employ was his own. If he only defended, there would inevitably come a day when he couldn¡¯t hold out any longer, and Ge Wajia would tear down the entire Divine Realm. Although he himself could escape, the Storm God Kingdom, standing tall in Subspace, often provided Gu Hang with immense help. He didn¡¯t want to relinquish this stronghold in Subspace. Ge Wajia was an opponent he couldn¡¯t defeat by any means, but even under such adverse conditions, Gu Hang still thought of a way to win. Although the risk was somewhat high, he went through with his plan. If he failed to sustain the day-long task of suppressing Ge Wajia, it would all be in vain. But he achieved it. Now it was his turn to win. Gu Hang summoned his remaining energy, fixed his gaze on the formidable monster, and flashed a faint smile. Then, with a wave of his hand, a rift suddenly tore between the Subspace and the real world. Ge Wajia paused for a moment, not understanding what this annoying pest was trying to do. But the next moment, it felt an immense repulsion. It was squeezed out of the Storm God Kingdom! And consequently, the body of the unclean one appeared amidst the already devastated Fino City. ¡­ The emergence of the unclean one brought significant changes to the battlefield. The human army, on the cusp of victory, suddenly began to face immense pressure again. The orbital bombardment of Fino City had persisted for a full day. Fire rained ceaselessly from the orbit. The cost of orbital bombardment was very high, particularly with heavy artillery like M grade or L grade, where a single shot cost thousands, even tens of thousands, of Tax Currency. In these two days, the ammunition expended on firepower and light spears by the Tianma Fleet, when added up, might well have reached the tens of millions, even breaking a billion. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only According to Du Shiliang¡¯s estimates, this was almost 80% of their ammunition reserves depleted. Only such a level of assault could ensure that a Nest Capital of Fino City¡¯s scale was utterly obliterated. Meanwhile, the human ground forces, engaged with the Demons that had ventured out of the city in pursuit, experienced a rapid decline in strength shortly after the destruction of Fino City. Fino City was the core of overlap between Subspace and the real world. Once it was destroyed, particularly as the souls of hundreds of millions, maybe even over a billion, were liberated, the overlapped state of Subspace and the real world could no longer be sustained and came to a decisive end. Although the signs of erosion would remain for a long time, at least there would be no more evil forces from the realm of the plague continuing to invade Korolya. Chapter 632 - Chapter 632: Chapter 363, Somethings Not Right_2 Chapter 632: Chapter 363, Something¡¯s Not Right_2 These demons, existing by relying on subspace power, naturally began to lose strength and became utterly weak once that foundation was lost. However, when the Ge Wajia Demon Lord appeared, these demons suddenly seemed to have been injected with a shot of adrenaline, howling as they regained their full strength! That was a Great Demon! The Land Forces generals, who thought they had the victory in hand and were already discussing post-victory arrangements, were caught off guard by this sudden turn of events. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to be over once Fino City was destroyed? Why then, did such an overwhelmingly powerful being appear, causing almost madness with just a glance from dozens of kilometers away, descending into reality? Yet, the Ge Wajia Demon Lord, the cause of such excitement among the lesser demons and utter dismay among the human commanders, was feeling extremely uncomfortable at this moment. His arrival in the real world had left him bewildered. ¡°My long-awaited descent,¡± he thought, ¡°came this easily?¡± Was that little thief actually a good person? But after his ¡°descent,¡± he immediately felt that it was completely different from the kind he had wanted! Fino City had been completely destroyed, a whole day of unimpeded orbital bombardment had turned the activated Nest Capital to ashes, the power of subspace had faded away, and the curtain of reality once again shrouded this place. The Ge Wajia Plague Great Demon had no foundation to exist in the real world; the curtain of reality was forcefully pushing him out. Source: , updated on wuxiaworld.site.s0 Under normal circumstances, he should have been quickly squeezed back into subspace by this curtain of reality. But stubbornly, he couldn¡¯t return now. His route back was through the Storm God Kingdom. And Gu Hang was blocking the rift between the Storm God Kingdom and the real world, exerting all his power to push the entity outwards. Now, Ge Wajia was like a meat patty squeezed between two continuously contracting walls. And, on top of that, the millions of demons outside were draining a vast amount of power from him. Originally, the demons should have been powered indefinitely by subspace, but now he alone was their source. Even as mighty as he was, he could not ignore this level of depletion. But worse still, when he was forced to personally power those demons, every time a demon was destroyed in battle, the corresponding damage would be reflected on his own body. Ge Wajia already realized something was awry, feeling as though he had fallen into a big pit. However, by then, even if he realized it, there was nothing he could do. Under the compression of the curtain of reality and the Storm God Kingdom, he could hardly mobilize his power and could only rely on his own strength to maintain the integrity of his body, or else he would be crushed. ¡­ Gu Hang also felt tremendous pressure, even greater than when he had fought against Ge Wajia. To ensure that Ge Wajia remained trapped between the cracks of the real world and the Storm God Kingdom, he had to ¡°help¡± Ge Wajia resist the expulsion from the curtain of reality. It was difficult, but he was still trying. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t need to persist for too long. In those extremely difficult moments, he still managed to send a message. Soon, Du Shiliang, who had finished the fight in the sky and was ready to head home, received the message. After hesitating for one second, Du Shiliang decided to listen to the Fleet Commander. Although depleting all the reserve ammunition in the Fleet was quite dangerous, in the Tianma Star Sector, there should be no other interstellar forces capable of threatening them. Doing it once shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem. Thus, as Fleet Commander, his order was conveyed to each starship. Soon, the starships that were still striking, launched another round of attack on Fino City, which had been bombed into ruins. This time, Ge Wajia bore the brunt of the bombardment. Just how strong was the unclean one? Even a shot from a ¡°thermal hammer¡± starship cannon, striking his body, had its power diminished due to the distortion of laws, and then only blew a large hole in him. This hole, within a few breaths¡¯ time, rapidly healed itself. However, what Ge Wajia had to face was not just a simple ¡®heat hammer.¡¯ Even though, compared to the massive Nest Capital, Ge Wajia¡¯s body, no matter how large, was quite insignificant. The skyfalling starship cannons, coming so abruptly and lacking ground guidance, couldn¡¯t aim accurately at such a small target for bombing. But all that was needed was to bomb the area, let alone a direct hit, even a miss, the residual effects of the heavy artillery would still cause damage. Not to mention, there was also a grade L catastrophic weapon. In the third round of strikes, a ¡°Doom¡± Light Spear Array hit Ge Wajia solidly. The Plague Great Demon, already riddled with holes, couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. Even the power that had been twisted by laws and weakened, delivered the final fatal blow to it. The powerless and furious Great Demon was eliminated. In his last moment, he was full of anger. He really couldn¡¯t accept being tricked by such an insignificant thief! Even facing death, he still had not a trace of fear or dread. As a Great Demon, how could he be afraid? He was not going to truly die. Neither the body nor the soul was the key to his existence. It was the Subspace essence. And Subspace essence is eternal and indestructible. Even if his body was killed and his soul annihilated, he would just be expelled back into Subspace. Although, after suffering such a severe blow, he would need a long time to recover, one day he was sure to return. Just like the time he was expelled by a Starfighter Battle Group Leader with his own life. Wait for it, you insignificant thief, wait for me¡­ Huh? Something¡¯s not right. Ge Wajia, returning to his Subspace essence, found that the environment he was in seemed to have some problems. Shouldn¡¯t he be in the warm garden of the loving father, regaining consciousness in one of his many steaming cauldrons? He might be utterly ashamed under the disappointed gaze of the loving father, but he would surely express his loyalty to the loving father and swear that next time he would definitely spread the glory of the loving father to more souls in the real universe. But why, upon regaining consciousness, did he see thunderstorms everywhere? Turning his head, he saw a giant. This giant, was exactly like the insignificant thief that had tricked him. ¡­ Within the Storm God Kingdom, Gu Hang, with a splitting headache and although pale-faced, still revealed a satisfied smile. He looked at Ge Wajia, the size of a palm, wrapped in a bubble, wriggling its limbs inside, which looked quite comical, and couldn¡¯t help but stretch out his hand to poke the little guy. The raging furious Ge Wajia lunged at his finger with bared fangs and claws, but Gu Hang was quick and didn¡¯t let the little fellow bite him. This was the Subspace essence stripped of all power, and also what Gu Hang was willing to risk such great danger to obtain. With a wave of his hand, the bubble carrying Ge Wajia¡¯s essence flew into the Central Spire of the Storm God Kingdom. Thunder rained down from the sky, relentlessly pounding. He was attempting to assimilate and devour this piece of Subspace essence, with the portion left behind by the Primal Fury Owl. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In Subspace, power means nothing. The power here is limitless and inexhaustible. But the key is, who is qualified and capable of wielding enough of it? Gu Hang himself could only muster the power level of an A-grade Spiritual Energy user; boosted by the Divine Realm, it could reach S-grade. The Divine Realm itself could only muster the power of an Inferior Deity at best, which was even less than a Great Demon. Now, having devoured the Subspace essence of this Great Demon, the Storm God Kingdom was set to receive a massive enhancement. Both the Divine Realm itself and Gu Hang, as master of the Divine Realm, would reap countless benefits from this. Chapter 633 - Chapter 633: Chapter 364, Golden Light Enters the Dream Chapter 633: Chapter 364, Golden Light Enters the Dream The power of subspace is infinite, and subspace is ¡°generous¡±. If someone needs the power of subspace, it will give generously without stinginess. But the premise of everything is that this ¡°person¡± must be their own ¡°person¡±, that is, they must possess the essence of subspace. And the essence of subspace can be understood as a kind of ¡°authority¡±. The amount of subspace power one is qualified to mobilize depends on the size of their authority. As for the source of this ¡°authority¡±, it varies a great deal. Spiritual Energy practitioners do not inherently possess the essence of subspace; fundamentally, they are uncontrollable channels¨Cbreaches through which subspace power leaks into the real world, a disaster for the real world. It wasn¡¯t until The Emperor established the Spirit Network that such power could be controlled. However, native products of subspace are entirely different. They possess the essence of subspace and can mobilize powers belonging to themselves, but it is due to this essence of subspace that they suffer from the rejection of the physical universe and under normal circumstances, they cannot pass through the veil of reality. Demons, of course, are also native products of subspace, but generally speaking, subspace creatures referred to as demons are specifically known for being born from the will of some grand beings. Even the likes of the Great Demon are essentially so. The Storm God Kingdom that Gu Hang possesses is a bit different. It does not rely on any grand being, having grown from subspace itself. Its essence comes from the soul-sea in subspace, with similar and unified disturbances which later, due to various reasons, became distorted and changed into the form it is now, giving birth to beings like the Primal Fury Owl, an Inferior Deity. Now, this piece of subspace essence has been grasped by Gu Hang. In this process, the trust of the alliance citizens in Gu Hang has also caused some ripples in the soul-sea of subspace, which ultimately reflected within the Storm God Kingdom, allowing it some growth over these years. But the overall growth has not been substantial. The faith of the five hundred million people under the alliance can only generate limited waves; moreover, while the population under the alliance trusts their governor, in religious matters, they largely maintain their faith in The Emperor, and these two things are not inherently contradictory. It just means the growth brought to the Storm God Kingdom is not as exaggerated. Gu Hang has no intention of changing this situation. Why change it? Source: , updated on n0vGo.so It¡¯s nice and cool under a big tree; I am a loyal subject of the empire! Things are pretty good as they are now. However, since enjoying the benefits within the imperial system, one must also bear the corresponding costs. But Ge Wajia, this Great Demon, isn¡¯t it delivered right to my doorstep? Devouring it would be the equivalent of devouring the part of the subspace essence that Ge Wajia possesses, also obtaining more ¡°authority¡±. The size of the Storm God Kingdom could perhaps expand to two to three times its original size on this occasion. That would be the source of the harvest. But soon, an event directly shattered Gu Hang¡¯s illusions. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured directly over his head. Out of the blue, he felt a gaze full of ¡°benevolence¡± looking toward his divine realm from a distant place. That gaze was impossibly far, as if at the other end of the boundless subspace; but the feeling of being watched was so clear that it was impossible to ignore. Gu Hang shivered involuntarily. It was not that he was scared, but as soon as the gazing eye arrived, his soul perceived a threat, and his divine realm trembled. It felt as if he were witnessing a mountain crumble before his eyes, pressing down on him straight and hard, with no roads to flee, no place to hide. Gu Hang knew what this was. It was the gaze of the compassionate father. One of the four beings in the endless expanse of subspace that absolutely could not be ignored. Only at this moment did Gu Hang realize he had caused trouble. What grade is a Great Demon? Even in the eyes of the compassionate father, a Great Demon must definitely count for something. Just ¡°vanished¡± out of the blue, even imprisoned within the Storm God Kingdom¨Cit seems somewhat understandable that he would take a look here with some concern. But this glance was somewhat lethal for Gu Hang. Merely being looked at was one thing¨Cfrightening but not the end. However, being glared at could not be ignored. Who could ignore the message behind it? I, Gu Hang, have been targeted by one of the four mighty gods in subspace, the compassionate father. Even if he himself doesn¡¯t come¨CI¡¯m but a tiny speck, surely not worthy of the compassionate father¡¯s personal intervention¡­ right? But even if he doesn¡¯t personally intervene, this problem is quite difficult to overcome. Wouldn¡¯t it be normal to send two or three Great Demons? Gu Hang was already exhausted, having exhausted all his strength against a single Ge Wajia, and it took some clever tactics to accomplish that. If several of them suddenly arrived, how could he resist? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It simply wouldn¡¯t be possible to hold off. Thinking of this, Gu Hang¡¯s expression became severely grim. But if you ask if he regretted it, there was no regret. How could he possibly let go of Ge Wajia? Compared to the somewhat curious gaze of the compassionate father, Ge Wajia was an even more immediate challenge. If he let the Great Demon¡¯s subspace essence slip away, in a few years, it would reassemble its soul and body, returning to its peak. Perhaps that so-called peak wasn¡¯t enough to cause a stir in the real world, but it would definitely display the power of a Great Demon in subspace. Chapter 634 - Chapter 634: Chapter 364: Golden Light Enters the Dream_2 Chapter 634: Chapter 364: Golden Light Enters the Dream_2 By then, filled with towering hatred and having already memorized the unclean members of his Storm God Kingdom, they would surely seek revenge. Moreover, having prepared for it, their next visit would definitely not be a lone arrival, What could Gu Hang use to block them? There was no way to block it. To strike while the enemy is sick and take their life was surely to do so at the moment when Ge Wajia was trapped in the crevice between the reality curtain and the Storm God Kingdom, when his body and soul were buried by the artillery fire, having lost all power and only his subspace essence remained, to thoroughly crush him into dust¨Cthat was the most reliable choice. Unfortunately, he had a father backing him up. There was nothing to be done then. It wasn¡¯t that Gu Hang hadn¡¯t considered this possibility beforehand. It was just that on the one hand, he was clinging to a stroke of luck, and on the other hand, he had no other choice. It was nothing more than releasing him and then waiting for Ge Wajia to recover and annihilate his Storm God Kingdom; Or, be noticed by the fatherly figure now and wait for the fatherly figure to come knocking and annihilate the Storm God Kingdom. Regardless, as soon as such a situation was triggered, the Storm God Kingdom was doomed to be undefendable. With a cold face, Gu Hang had already spun many thoughts in his mind. One after another, contingency plans formed in his head. Source: , updated on novG0.so There were thoughts of resistance and thoughts of cutting losses and seeking survival when the momentum was against him. If the Storm God Kingdom really couldn¡¯t be saved, then it would be let go. The subspace essence of the Storm God Kingdom was controlled by Gu Hang, indeed, but it wasn¡¯t Gu Hang himself. Destroying it here meant losing a very useful method and trump card, which was quite a pity, but it wouldn¡¯t affect his endeavors in the real world. Could the fatherly figure run to the real world and slaughter him? It wouldn¡¯t be that easy. It just meant that he would be one method short in the future, unable to use the Storm God Kingdom. It was very unfortunate, crippling even, but it wasn¡¯t completely unacceptable. As Gu Hang thought this, suddenly, there was an unexpected change. His vision blurred as if he saw a violent flash of gold. A cold sun seemed to rise in subspace, and bone-chilling winds blew. Following this, Gu Hang seemed to hear an angry roar that shook the entire subspace. It appeared to come from the fatherly figure. But he wasn¡¯t curious, he didn¡¯t hesitate, and he decisively retracted all his senses. It seemed that something formidable was happening, so it was best to hide far away to avoid getting splashed with blood. But this so-called big event didn¡¯t last too long. Soon, when Gu Hang mustered the courage and cautiously extended his senses via the Storm God Kingdom, he discovered that everything was calm outside. Even, eerily calm. The malicious gaze? Gone. The raging subspace tide? Subsided. The fatherly figure? Uh¡­ The fatherly figure was still there, still occupying an important position in the vast, unobservable subspace, but there was no longer any tendency to look in his direction. Gu Hang felt as if a layer of fog had formed around his Storm God Kingdom, cutting off many gazes. What was going on? Gu Hang had a rough guess in his mind. In subspace, the only one who could be mentioned in the same breath as the four most formidable beings was one other. To humanity, there are four Evil Gods in subspace; to other races, there are five. But¡­ what have I done to deserve this? ¡­ Researching those things within the Storm God Kingdom was meaningless; anyway, he couldn¡¯t understand them, so he didn¡¯t think much about it. After securing the origin of Ge Wajia at the top of the Central Spire of the Divine Realm, constantly subjected to the purifying thunder and unable to escape, Gu Hang¡¯s consciousness had left subspace. His spirit had long been on the brink of its limit, but he still persevered and walked out of the observation tower in Mingyan City. The secretarial team waiting outside, along with many high-ranking officials, couldn¡¯t help but breathe a sigh of relief when they finally saw the governor emerge. Fear! After winning a battle, it was the happiest of times, yet the person who led everyone to victory had been silent here for more than two days. How could this not cause uneasiness in everyone¡¯s hearts? Gu Hang, enduring the feeling of weakness, calmly greeted the people, and then appeared again in the governor¡¯s residence of Mingyan City, meeting with many officials from the Nest Capital government and the Planetary Government. Then, inside the governor¡¯s residence, he communicated with Major General Du Shiliang of the Tianma Fleet, General Hans of the Star Realm Army, and Nell Lavis, a special envoy from the Star Domain Government, separately. This communication didn¡¯t cover anything important; it was a simple briefing on his current situation and an exchange of news, which marked its end. The purpose of the call was not anything else; Gu Hang needed to make his presence felt, to tell his many partners that he had safely returned. And this message was indeed more uplifting than anything else. ¡­ The news of victory had thrilled many people. Including Nell Lavis. This Star Domain Government special envoy and Head of Taxation, who had undergone multiple life extension surgeries and was over three hundred years old, looked at the surface of Korolya Planet with a smile. Her chest rose and fell with excitement. Ever since she took on the role of special envoy and came to Korolya, she had been under great pressure. At present, the situation facing the Star Domain Government was somewhat shaky. The most significant disaster within the Star Domain¨Cthe Iron-teeth Greenskins¨Chad been going mad for four years now. Assault after assault originated from the four Star Sectors they had already conquered, constantly expanding outward. The Golden Pass Star Sector, which had been a bulwark against the Greenskins, was now all in disarray. Many fortress worlds were caught in the crossfire. Countless soldiers from hundreds of worlds within the Star Domain fought against the Greenskins. Within the Dragonhawk Legion, eleven Army Groups with many subordinate legions fought fiercely with Greenskins on those key battlefronts. Several naval fleets were playing cat and mouse with the raiding fleets of the Greenskins, engaging in naval battles in the Golden Pass Star Sector, Huanghe Star Sector, and Bloodberry Star Sector. Everyone knew that it¡¯s best to strike a decisive blow against the Greenskins rather than engage in a war of attrition. But how could the Dragonhawk Star Domain not wish for that? It just wasn¡¯t achievable! The high cost of war was starting to overwhelm the Star Domain Government. Now was the time when solidarity and contribution of strength were most needed throughout the entire Star Domain. But just at this moment, trouble flared up in the backyard. Korolya III, this Nest Capital World, was a vital source of manpower. With an output of 700-800 million people every two years, it provided a large number of soldiers, slaves, and colonial residents. The entire Tianma Star Sector might only have nine worlds, which is considered few among the major Star Sectors generally having 15-16 worlds, but it is the core Star Sector of the Eastern Star Domain. The annual predetermined tax quota reached one hundred billion Tax Currency; the total population of over six hundred billion people in the six Star Sectors bordering Tianma, whether in terms of population or tax revenue, were not as much as Tianma¡¯s. This place was pivotal. As for Lois personally, she was already tired of her position as Head of Taxation. And the next step she wanted to take was to become the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Star Domain, which was a position second only to the Star Domain Head. Her qualifications were more than enough; her achievements were likewise sufficient. What she lacked was merely an opportunity. Temporarily handing over the work of Head of Taxation to her deputy and traveling across the Star Domain to collect taxes, Lois taking on the responsibility of the Star Domain special envoy in charge of the plague disaster in the Tianma Star Sector was that opportunity. If she managed well, she would rise with the wind, and the position of Minister of Internal Affairs would soon be within reach. The current incumbent had already caused dissatisfaction, she had also received hints from the Star Domain Head and had connections in the Space Domain Government. But if she did not manage well, Head of Taxation might be the highest point of her political career. At a loss, choosing to push Gu Hang forward indeed seemed like a desperate move. But now it seemed¡­ ¡°My judgment is really good,¡± she couldn¡¯t help but smile proudly. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Moreover, she had a hunch that Gu Hang would bring her even more surprises in the future. ¡­ Gu Hang, who was on Lois¡¯ mind, was dreaming at the moment. A tall man with long hair wearing a simple robe and a laurel wreath smiled at him. The gold that filled his sight was not glaring, but rather very gentle. Chapter 635 - Chapter 635: 365 Chapter 635: 365 Gu Hang woke up feeling clear-headed and refreshed. A good night¡¯s sleep, coupled with what seemed like an added boost from a special power, had eased the previous sense of fatigue. But subjectively, his mental state was a bit¡­ muddled. The robust man shrouded in gentle golden light, wearing a laurel crown in the dream, was obvious without saying. But the key question was¡­ why? I¡¯m just a minor governor from a remote cosmos domain, what virtue or ability do I have? I haven¡¯t done anything extraordinary! Just saved a few billion people, defeated a Great Demon, and even attracted the attention of one of the Four Gods, the Benevolent Father¡­ You want to send dreams, to enter dreams? Isn¡¯t that a bit much, big shot? Gu Hang really couldn¡¯t determine if this was a good or bad thing. He even couldn¡¯t be sure if this was real or fake. Among those four great gods in the subspace, the blue one known as the ¡®Cunning Minister,¡¯ who loves to use various schemes and illusions, may well be pretending to be someone else. No one can say for sure. Source: , updated on NovG0.C0 But he quickly stopped pondering this matter. No matter if it¡¯s good or bad, real or fake, anyway, he received a big help from this. The Benevolent Father¡¯s scrutiny was blocked, and his Divine Realm was also moved or hidden by some mighty power. Otherwise, a disaster would have been imminent. Even if the Benevolent Father didn¡¯t cause him trouble personally, just sending a few Great Demons his way would be more than he could bear. Just this help alone was like saving his life. Not to mention, after hiding it, he could peacefully assimilate the subspace essence of the Great Unclean One, Ge Wajia, that he had captured. What else was there to say? No matter if the dream visitor was the true Emperor or some malevolent being in disguise, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t refuse the other¡¯s gifts. As for what the future holds, that¡¯s a worry for another day. After all, in the dream, the other did not say anything. Recalling the dream, Gu Hang remembered that the Emperor only smiled at him and left three sentences. ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡± ¡°I hope you can bear greater responsibilities in the future.¡± ¡°The toy you have reminds me of something.¡± In Gu Hang¡¯s feeling, the dream was very long, and it was precisely because of resting so well in that dream that on reflection, he could only remember these three sentences. But the amount of information in these three sentences couldn¡¯t be overlooked. The first sentence sounded like a compliment, but Gu Hang could more clearly understand that it meant he had caught the attention of this deity. The second sentence sounded like encouragement, but could it also imply that he might soon be arranged by this deity in the future? It is precisely because of these two sentences that Gu Hang was filled with apprehension, unsure whether this attention and future arrangements were good or bad. But since he had already decided not to think about this issue, he didn¡¯t delve deeper into these two sentences. What he was interested in was the third sentence. ¡®The toy on you¡¯¨Cwhat does it refer to? Gu Hang didn¡¯t think he had anything on him that could be considered ¡®quite interesting¡¯ by such an entity. Except for the system that came with him through the crossing. That the so-called system was visible wasn¡¯t too unbelievable. The Emperor¨Cassuming for now it indeed was the real Emperor¨Cwhy would he find that thing ¡®somewhat nostalgic¡¯? Could it be that he has seen it before? Or even knows exactly what it is? Gu Hang sat blankly on the bed for a long while before he snapped back to reality. Too few clues, no point in wild guesses. Gu Hang touched his face, feeling invigorated. It was time to focus on his own affairs. Gu Hang opened his ¡®little toy.¡¯ The monthly grant points income had come to over seven thousand. This was the fixed income that Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star in the alliance could provide him for now. Korolya hadn¡¯t been included in it yet. Just like when Gu Hang first landed on Rage Owl Star, although in name he was the ruler of Korolya now, he clearly hadn¡¯t achieved real governance. The municipal government of Mingyan City was just starting to listen to him, and due to the war, Gu Hang could barely recognize all the senior officials. He was relying on his identity as the commander of the war zone and Planetary Governor to mobilize manpower and resources. However, Gu Hang was quite confident about establishing his rule over Korolya. After the victory of this war, Gu Hang has gained vast prestige in Korolya, in the Tianma Star Sector, and even throughout the entire Star Domain. Plus, he was far from being the newcomer who had just arrived at Rage Owl Star, penniless apart from his system. Leveraging existing strength and immense prestige, the process of establishing rule afterward won¡¯t be too difficult. It shouldn¡¯t be too long before Korolya is recognized by the system and starts providing a fixed grant points income to Gu Hang. And how many grant points can a few billion people provide each month? That¡¯s something to look forward to. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Since we¡¯re talking about grant points, we can¡¯t overlook how many grant points Gu Hang currently has in hand. He glanced at the number, which was one million and thirty thousand. And before he woke up, the number was only a hundred thousand. The extra one million two hundred thousand, without a doubt, were the spoils of this victorious war. In fact, the gains from conventional warfare weren¡¯t much. The main battlefield was fought by the native troops, the Dragonhawk Legion Star Realm Army, currently not counted as part of his forces. Only the Rage Bear Legion, although not an army of the alliance, was considered Gu Hang¡¯s troop. Chapter 636 - Chapter 636: Chapter 365, A Million Kindness_2 Chapter 636: Chapter 365, A Million Kindness_2 ¡°` Though their combat strength was fierce, and they played a significant role in key moments of some battles, their numbers were still scant after all. The Dragonhawk Legion, which constituted a large portion in terms of numbers, naturally goes without saying, they numbered twenty million and were all classified as ¡®allies¡¯. Due to their strong comprehensive abilities, they often bore the brunt of many major battles, and the victories they achieved could naturally not be counted towards reward points. The situation with the local forces was somewhat more complicated. In total, they had fifty million people. Of these, thirty million were counted as part of the allied forces. This was because Gu Hang had not established his rule. However, among them, twenty million were counted as part of Gu Hang¡¯s own troops. Because these twenty million people had all been trained under his ¡®Soldier Badge¡¯ system. Out of these, ten million were the ¡®Salvation Army¡¯ that Tadeusz had established after arriving at Mingyan City¨Cnewly recruited, issued equipment, and trained by the ¡®Soldier Badge¡¯ functionality. They certainly counted. The other ten million were trained on the front lines during the war after Gu Hang directly spent reward points in the trenches to specify a batch of troops to train. They counted as well. Training these twenty million troops cost Gu Hang two hundred thousand reward points. wuxiaworld.site Gu Hang had always felt that the cost of training ordinary soldiers to T5 grade was trifling, but when the number rose to tens of millions, it became a heavy burden. It was also good foresight on Gu Hang¡¯s part that in the past four years, he had anticipated a major outbreak in the Korolya campaign and prudently saved some ammunition in advance. In the past four years, Gu Hang had obtained a total of about three hundred and fifty thousand reward points, most of which came from his monthly reward income. Four years ago, his monthly income had already reached over four thousand, and after four years of development, it had now reached seven thousand. Add to that the ongoing Korolya conflict and the slowly accumulated earnings, that amounted to three hundred and fifty thousand. Gu Hang had not made any major expenditures with these reward points. Regular retirements, replenishment of troop strength due to casualties and wounds, the exchange of some buildings, personnel training at Loyal Heir Academy, the enlightenment of talents on the ¡®Hero¡¯ interface¡­ All in all, around fifty thousand points of reward had been spent. The bulk of it had been saved up. And it was good that it had been saved, otherwise if it hadn¡¯t been for these two hundred thousand reward points, the battle on Korolya wouldn¡¯t have held up. The local forces of Korolya were still not very effective. Without these twenty million troops trained to T5 grade, the frontline battlefield might well have collapsed. If the Plague Demon Army, emerging from Fino City, had managed to break the human army¡¯s formation on the frontline, then there would be no need to discuss anything that followed. In summary, relying solely on these people and the earnings from the settlement of the regular ground warfare results, it would definitely not amount to more than one million reward points. After all, the Imperial Navy, which eliminated the most enemies and played the most crucial role, was also part of the ¡®allied¡¯ forces. Just the ground warfare part didn¡¯t merit so many reward points. But it couldn¡¯t withstand the fact that he personally led the team, infiltrated the core area of Fino City, destroyed the Void Shield, demolished a third of the Orbital Cannons, and subsequently trapped and killed a Great Demon! Although only seven hundred people participated in the operation, of which a hundred nuns were part of the ¡®allied¡¯ forces, and ultimately it was an Imperial Navy fleet that bombed the Great Demon to death¡­ these actions would ¡®share¡¯ some of the reward points income. Even so, everyone had to admit that the main force of this raid was still the elite core force of Gu Hang¡¯s command, the Alliance, that had created the opportunity. The system certainly recognized it. As a result, a considerable portion of the victories achieved by the Navy would be credited to the Alliance, eventually resulting in this million reward points income. Looking at the one million three hundred thousand reward points lying in his account, Gu Hang smiled sincerely. He had never received so many reward points before. Such a substantial amount would greatly help Gu Hang¡¯s many plans going forward! Looking ahead, Gu Hang had at least three major tasks to accomplish in his plans: The first was war. ¡°` Although the climax of the war has passed, it isn¡¯t completely over. Fino City may have been destroyed, but the Plague Demon Army that poured out from within Fino City, as well as its remnants, still exist. A great number of demons have become weak and will continue to weaken over time. However, their weakness does not mean they can be ignored. Moreover, apart from the demons, there are still a significant number of undead and Plague Wizards within the demon army. Their total number is estimated to be several million. In addition, the Plague Cult is still active in the Bottom Nest Districts of the various Nest Capitals. Furthermore, what Gu Hang has to do is not merely to clear out the Cult. He completely disdains the way the Korolya Planetary Government used to rule the world. He will certainly not allow the Lower Nest District and Bottom Nest District, which actually have the largest population, to remain in such chaos. Raising people like pigs and allowing chaos to breed is by no means Gu Hang¡¯s style. He intends to clean up the Lower Nest Districts and Bottom Nest Districts of dozens of Nest Capitals on Korolya. Cults, gangs, independent Rebel Armies, and even some interest groups from the upper districts, All these must be eradicated with military force. Of course, this means that the battles on Korolya are not yet over. Although what¡¯s left is just the mopping-up work, it¡¯s more complicated, more meticulous, and requires more manpower. Gu Hang has included all these within the scope of the war. The second matter is politics. Military clearing is the first step, to completely take control of Korolya and to fully unleash the immense power contained within its population of hundreds of billions; this is why Gu Hang delves into politics. He wants to establish an efficient, reliable administrative system. Military cleaning alone won¡¯t suffice. Even if everything is cleaned up, if the politics are not well managed, the house will get dirty again sooner or later. Of course, he understands that managing hundreds of billions of people is not the same as managing the previous population of five hundred million within the alliance. But he is not greedy; the so-called ¡®efficiency¡¯ is only relative. At the very least, it has to be more efficient than the original government of Korolya. In relative terms, Gu Hang cares even more about ¡®reliability¡¯. The training of loyal administrative personnel is of utmost importance. Relying solely on the Loyal Heir Academy on Rage Owl Star might not be enough. Gu Hang might need to establish several Loyal Heir Academies on Korolya, investing a great deal of effort and gift points to accomplish this. The third matter is development. This is Gu Hang¡¯s ultimate goal. Removing obstacles with military force and constructing a high-efficiency, reliable political system are all in service of this purpose. In these matters, an ample supply of gift points will provide Gu Hang with sufficient support. Training more, more reliable, armies; training more, more reliable, administrative personnel; extracting more technology and finding industrial development paths suitable for Korolya¡­ Gu Hang still has plenty to keep him busy. But just thinking of the hundreds of billions in the manpower pool makes him giddy with joy. He doesn¡¯t ask for much; if he could just develop Korolya to the per capita production levels of Heijian Star, that in itself would be a tremendous wealth. However, before he truly starts tackling the major problems, Gu Hang must ascend to the heavens once more to meet Nell Lavis. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This Star Domain Envoy, who pushed him up to the position of Korolya Governor, was about to leave. Before she departs, Gu Hang must see her one last time. The many conditions that had been previously agreed upon must be confirmed. The most crucial issue is regarding Korolya¡¯s militarization for six years, involving more than twenty billion in Tax Currency. And there are also some minor matters attached, such as the subsequent stationing and assignment of the Third Group Army of the Dragonhawk Legion. Chapter 637 - Chapter 637: Chapter 366, you may clap now Chapter 637: Chapter 366, you may clap now Upon boarding Lois¡¯s ship, what awaited Gu Hang was a banquet. Dressed in a neat white uniform skirt, Nell Lavis, with her graying hair curled, appeared quite stately yet efficient. Upon seeing Gu Hang enter from the doorway, she smiled and raised her glass to him, and called out to everyone else at the banquet, ¡°Ladies and gentlemen! Ladies and gentlemen! Look! Our protagonist for today has arrived!¡± ¡°The hero who saved Korolya, who saved the Tianma Star Sector, is here!¡± ¡°I propose that we all, together, raise a toast to our hero!¡± Having said that, she was the first to lead by example, downing her drink in one go. As Lois was the highest-ranking individual present, with her taking the lead, the rest, no matter what they were thinking, had to put on a smile and join in the toast at that moment. After putting down their glasses, people began to applaud as they saw Gu Hang walk into the banquet, being pulled on stage by Lois. Gu Hang made his way through the applause from the assembly of Tianma Star Sector¡¯s VIPs and proceeded to the front of the stage. Standing on the stage, surveying the clapping crowd below, and sensing the hidden motives behind their applause and smiles, Gu Hang quickly organized his thoughts about what he was going to say. He raised his hand and gestured downward. Only when the applause subsided did he begin to speak, ¡°The last time I met with everyone here was over four months ago. I still remember the atmosphere of that meeting, it was heavy and desperate, and I believe no one could have imagined that four months later, we would gather in the same place to raise our glasses in celebration of our victory.¡± wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co ¡°It¡¯s all because of you!¡± someone shouted from below. Whistles and applause rose in turn, and Gu Hang waited with a smile on his face. When the applause quieted down, he continued, ¡°Indeed, I will not be modest, it is indeed because of me. Four months ago, I spoke some unpleasant truths here, attacking the policies of the previous two governors in Korolya as well as the ongoing struggle between the Fatches Family and the Star Sector Government.¡± ¡°I assertively became the new Governor of Korolya and assumed the position of Commander of Korolya Battle Zone immediately after its declaration of complete militarization. I promised that I would spare no effort to fight the battle to defend Mingyan City and that I would certainly emerge victorious.¡± ¡°Four months have passed, and the victory I promised is now before all of you.¡± As his words reached this point, the crowd was ready to cheer again. It was not that the VIPs present were particularly fond of making noise, but¡­ the incredible feat Gu Hang had accomplished, that turning of the tide, already had formed an overwhelming momentum. If you didn¡¯t clap or cheer, did that mean you had objections? Let alone the neutrals, even those who had previously aligned with the Gu Clan and the Fufana Family, forming the third neutral force within the Tianma Star Sector, and representatives from the Parliamentary Faction of the Star Sector Government as well as those from the Fatches Family who had lost the governorship of Korolya, had to clap and cheer regardless of their actual feelings. They had no choice. However, this time, Gu Hang didn¡¯t let the cheers arise. He gestured downward with his arms and quickly moved on, speaking rapidly to the latter part of his speech, ¡°But this does not mean the war is over.¡± He set the tone first. ¡°The Plague Cult still festers within Korolya, and if not properly addressed, the disaster brought on by Fino City could recur.¡± ¡°External enemies have never been the most terrifying; the most dreadful enemy always arises from within.¡± ¡°As to how Korolya¡¯s issues have evolved to this point, I think everyone has their own answer. But for me, the task I need to tackle is to completely eliminate all cult influences during the six years of continued militarization in Korolya; to thoroughly clean out every Lower Nest District and Bottom Nest District in every Nest Capital World.¡± ¡°I have said that I will establish a complete and efficient administrative system, eradicate the persistent inefficiency and corruption of the Korolya government over the countless past years, and better harness the entire planet¡¯s potential. This statement, four months later to this day, I still put forth here for all of you to witness. Six years from now, the Star Sector Government, the Star Domain Government will see a whole, full of potential, brand-new Korolya.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all I have to say, and now, ladies and gentlemen, you may clap.¡± Gu Hang stepped back with a smile, moving away from the microphone. The audience below still clapped collectively, out of courtesy. But this time, it was much more reserved, and the applause was more polite. Actually, those so-called ¡®eradication of Cults,¡¯ ¡®elimination of corruption,¡¯ ¡®Korolya full of development potential¡¯ were very abstract concepts. Which governor wouldn¡¯t boast as such upon taking office? Everyone¡¯s ears were almost calloused from hearing such things. Just stating goals and talking big, who can¡¯t do that? But the key lay in the fact that Gu Hang¡¯s words contained a concrete strategy. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It was called ¡®thoroughly cleaning out the Bottom Nest District.¡¯ This was not something one could casually claim. In a Nest Capital World like Korolya, who didn¡¯t know that various terrible chronic diseases lay in the uncontrolled Bottom Nest Districts? And yet, how difficult would it be to clean them out thoroughly? Out of Korolya¡¯s forty billion people, almost thirty billion lived in the Bottom Nest Districts and Lower Nest Districts. With the previous state of the Planetary Government, it was simply impossible to establish effective administrative management. Chapter 638 - Chapter 638: Chapter 366, Everyone Can Applaud Now_2 Chapter 638: Chapter 366, Everyone Can Applaud Now_2 All sorts of complicated gangs, interest groups, and rebel armies¡­ various organizations occupy those places, effectively replacing the authority of the Planetary Government. Their relationship with the Planetary Government varies; some are in opposition, others have a superior-subordinate dynamic, or are either managers or the managed¡­ but whatever the role, there is a certain understanding between them and the government: ¡°I respect you, and in consideration of your face, I¡¯ll find a way to pay the taxes. Don¡¯t meddle in anything else.¡± Of course, the Planetary Government is ultimately the strongest, uppermost, and most legitimate force on the planet. As for that so-called ¡®understanding,¡¯ it solely depends on whether the Planetary Government wishes to maintain it. But the reason this understanding exists in the first place is because the Planetary Government cannot fully manage the lower echelons. Thus, there is space for these interest groups to appear and grow. The Planetary Government needs them to administer the areas of power vacuum. Without these interest groups, would the Planetary Government itself go down to collect taxes? In the Bottom Nest District, where things are a complete mess, collecting taxes is a joke; it¡¯s feared that the tax collection convoy would disappear without a trace as soon as it goes down there. Of course, there are some interest groups that mess around or are unreliable in paying taxes, such as the ¡®Rebel Army¡¯ (often self-styled as the Rebel Army), the most disobedient group. The radical rebel armies directly oppose taxes altogether, and even the more established ones hold their own territory and population ransom to negotiate with the Planetary Government, seeking to pay fewer taxes or none at all. Sometimes, the Planetary Government turns a blind eye, but if things go too far, or if the Planetary Government is pushed to desperation, the Planetary Defense Army will be mobilized to launch a ¡®pacification¡¯ campaign to deal with the respective interest groups. But pacification requires an army and time. What if, after a long battle, no taxes could be collected? After the interest groups are defeated, who will collect the taxes? Who are those who should pay taxes, where are they, how much can they pay¡­ All this information is unknown, making tax collection extremely difficult. Alternatively, the government could be ruthless, arresting everyone in a pacified area, killing all the resistors, and taking the survivors as a form of human taxation, but this approach is not sustainable. If you handle it this way now, what about next time? You can¡¯t afford to cut the grass and remove the roots. Such actions can only be punitive, a warning. Normally, negotiations are held mid-battle, or after the group is defeated, a new interest group is supported to take over, which is a lower-cost and easier solution to implement. In Korolya, the ecosystems of each Nest Capital have been operating like this for hundreds to thousands of years. Korolya had a population of around forty billion many, many years ago, and has always maintained a relatively high birth rate. However, due to Imperial Tax and high mortality rates, the population of Korolya has hardly grown despite the high birth rate, always remaining at its current size. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co Even this so-called ¡®forty billion¡¯ people is but a fictitious number. The Korolya Planetary Government has carried out several world population censuses over the long years, and the data is quite unreliable, with many figures estimated in the end. Anyway, as long as the Imperial Tax is levied for a population of forty billion, let¡¯s assume there are forty billion people on Korolya. That¡¯s the general situation of this planet. Now, Mr. Gu declares that he wants to thoroughly clean up the entire Bottom Nest District? Everyone seriously doubts it. If a system is still running, then don¡¯t touch it. Otherwise, you won¡¯t know how deep the mire is beneath it; one move could cause everything to collapse. They simply can¡¯t imagine what kind of changes should be made to the system that has been proven to maintain the operation of Korolya over such a lengthy period, to make it better? Establish a complete government extending to the grassroots level? Do you realize how many administrative personnel that requires? And how to manage these officials? How can the government afford the astronomical costs of so many employees? How many troops are needed to maintain stability during upheaval? Can you afford them? There are ten thousand problems here. If someone had suggested doing this before, they would likely have immediately faced a storm of questions. Even though the Planetary Governor nominally has complete authority over their own planet, it¡¯s just lip service. In places like Rage Owl Star or Heijian Star, where things are a mess, you can do whatever you wish, and no one will care; it¡¯s not crucial. But with Korolya, such a crucial location for finance, taxation, and labor export, any disorder would doom everyone. The Star Sector Government would want to interfere, the Star Domain Government would want to get involved, and all stakeholders tied to the population business in Korolya would come out to offer their unsolicited advice. It¡¯s only because Gu Hang comes here with a great victory in a world-saving campaign, speaking from here, that he can barely keep these words pressed in people¡¯s hearts, preventing them from voicing them openly to him. But in reality, the absence of open dissent does not mean it does not exist. His foes, with mocking smiles on their faces, are clapping hands, but deep down, some may be waiting to see your blunder, and others may even be contemplating what to do next to sabotage your efforts. And some of the intimates were evidently worried. ¡­ After the reception had ended, Mr. Gu¡¯s elderly mother sought him out. ¡°You said you¡¯re going to clean up every Lower Nest District and Bottom Nest District on Korolya Planet? You were just speaking metaphorically, right? You¡¯re not seriously considering it, are you?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m serious,¡± Gu Hang replied, ¡°When have I ever been all talk?¡± She furrowed her brows fiercely, ¡°How are you going to do it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too complicated to explain to you all at once.¡± ¡°Just tell me where the money is coming from.¡± Miss Wang Qi asked a critical question, one that, from her perspective as a businesswoman, struck at the heart of the issue. ¡°From Korolya,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°With such a vast population resource, why should we worry about not being able to afford it?¡± ¡°Are you going to sell people? After selling them all, in the future¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Gu Hang interrupted his mother, ¡°Of course not selling people. In fact, I plan to possibly reduce the proportion of the head tax when Korolya pays its taxes in the future. The ideal situation would be to not pay any head tax at all.¡± ¡°Then what do you mean by population resources¡­¡± Gu Hang rolled his eyes, ¡°Mother, have you been brainwashed by Korolya¡¯s past situation, that when you hear ¡®human resources¡¯, all you can think of is the price of ¡®people¡¯ themselves? People are the most valuable means of production, the core and the foundation of the labor force.¡± ¡°Oh my God!¡± Miss Wang Qi almost screamed, ¡°Four billion people! Do you realize what you are saying? You want to provide four billion jobs to make them valuable as a labor force?! It¡¯s utterly preposterous!¡± ¡°Why not? Isn¡¯t that the best outcome for Korolya?¡± ¡°And the best outcome for the Gu Commercial Firm would be to become the President of the Empire Commerce Guild!¡± Miss Wang Qi rolled her eyes dramatically, ¡°The key is how to achieve it?! It¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Then just watch my ability,¡± Miss Wang Qi wanted to ask in more detail, but at that moment, a servant came up to them. ¡°Please forgive the intrusion, but¡­ Envoy Lois wishes to have a private chat with Mr. Gu alone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfectly fine,¡± said Miss Wang Qi. She tugged at her son and then whispered in his ear, ¡°Don¡¯t mention your crazy plan in front of Lois, you¡­¡± ¡°Alright, Mother, I know what I¡¯m doing, don¡¯t worry,¡± With that, he turned and followed the servant to a small room at the side of the banquet hall. Lois, dressed in white, was already waiting there. However, her expression didn¡¯t look too good, not at all like someone who had just won a great victory. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As Gu Hang approached, she blurted out: ¡°You¡¯re planning to militarize Korolya for six years to clean up all Nest Capitals?¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C I came home very tired yesterday, thinking I¡¯d lie down for a bit, rest my eyes for a moment and then get up to write. But when I woke up, it was already time to go to work¡­ Today, after coming back, I was going to post a single chapter explaining the situation, but then I thought I might as well finish writing earlier. Chapter 639 - Chapter 639: Chapter 367, remember, remember Chapter 639: Chapter 367, remember, remember ¡°Do you want to transform Korolya Battle Zone into a six-year regimen to clean up all of Nest Capital?¡± Lois¡¯s expression was not very good. Gu Hang, smiling, sat across from Lois and said, ¡°It¡¯s to create a more dynamic, more prosperous Korolya for the Empire.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mess things up,¡± Lois¡¯s expression did not improve, and she warned, ¡°I agreed to give you six years to transform the battle zone so that you could clean up the Cult and ensure that Korolya could continue to provide labor to the Star Domain as it has done in the past.¡± ¡°These six years are not for you to fool around!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t turn Korolya into a mess and then find yourself unable to pay the taxes after six years!¡± Gu Hang knew he needed to put Lois at ease. Lois couldn¡¯t remove his position as Governor, just as she couldn¡¯t dismiss Fatches, but could only pressure the latter to resign on his own and then, through a fast-track process, transfer the governorship to Gu Hang. But that didn¡¯t mean Lois, the Star Domain envoy who might soon become the Minister of the Interior for the Star Domain, had no way to deal with him. Besides, Lois was the ¡®benefactor¡¯ who had pushed Gu Hang to the position of Korolya Governor; she was one of his own, and he could not afford to push her to the opposing side. After organizing his thoughts, Gu Hang said, ¡°Your Excellency Minister, do you still remember the encounter we had four years ago, when you came to Tianma Star Sector to collect taxes? At that time, you invited me to become the Korolya Governor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware that at that time you valued the influence of the Interstellar Warrior and the fact that Galaraldo acknowledged my relationship. But besides those, do you remember why you wanted me to take this position as Governor?¡± Lois was quite old but still had a sharp mind. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co She only had to think for a moment, and she accessed that memory from the archives of her mind. She remembered her thoughts at the time, and in addition to what Gu Hang had mentioned, there was another reason: she truly considered Gu Hang to be a promising candidate. Through him, forming alliances and integrating Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star, especially his accomplishment of turning a Wasteland World into a thriving place within just a few years, Lois believed he had a rare capability. Having him rule Korolya gave the chance to lift this rotten place out of the mud. With this in mind, Lois¡¯s emotions calmed down slightly, and her expression was not as stern as when Gu Hang had first entered the room. She sighed and said, ¡°I believe in you, and I support you. But you should also consider the difficulties I face.¡± Gu Hang made a show of all ears. Lois continued, ¡°For transforming Korolya into a battle zone for six years, I have paid a great price. Forty billion Tax Currency a year, two hundred and forty billion over six years¨Cit¡¯s a huge number. For Korolya, I had to persuade many people and offend many others to get this done.¡± Gu Hang nodded, indicating he understood. ¡°In the next six years, if everything in Korolya is calm and peaceful, do you know how much pressure I would endure? How many people would attack my decision, saying that transforming Korolya into a battle zone for such a long time is a colossal waste of the Empire¡¯s finances. You won¡¯t be comfortable either, not just within your Star Sector, but throughout the Star Realm, countless people are eyeing Korolya as a piece of meat. By that time, whether or not the transformation can last for six years is unknown, and it¡¯s not something I can promise you now and let you truly rest easy.¡± Gu Hang laughed and said, ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t you be more supportive of my cleaning up all the Bottom Nest District and Lower Nest District? Korolya can¡¯t stay calm.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m more worried about you screwing things up!¡± Lois said, slapping the armrest of her chair, ¡°If it were only smooth sailing, the worst we¡¯d face is pressure, and the worst outcome would be Korolya starting to pay taxes a bit sooner. But if during this period, the Star Domain Government finds that the situation in Korolya is losing control and might jeopardize future tax payments, then my political career is over, and your life is too! Do you understand?¡± As she spoke, her tone was earnest and concerned, ¡°Just sit tight in your position as the Korolya Governor, you¡¯ve already solved the biggest difficulty, eliminating the cult shouldn¡¯t be hard, six years is enough time, you could even save up a large fortune. After six years, when you can smoothly pay the taxes, you will be one of the most powerful figures in the Tianma Star Sector.¡± ¡°By then, your alliance controls three worlds, with your mother managing the Gu Commercial Firm and being able to mobilize resources from the Empire Commerce Guild; your fiancee is a naval major-general, bound to be the commander of the Tianma Fleet in the future. I will help you, Galaraldo will help you¡­ your future is limitless, so why bother stirring up trouble?¡± Lois believed she was completely considering things from Gu Hang¡¯s perspective. Even Gu Hang could not deny her standpoint. But¡­ Gu Hang sighed in his heart. How could my ambition be satisfied with just this? However, it was difficult to express this aspect to Lois. She would neither understand nor agree. After a moment of thought, Gu Hang sincerely thanked Lois, and then spoke earnestly, ¡°I fully appreciate your keen expectations for me and understand the importance of Korolya to the Empire, with its billions of people making extremely significant contributions to the Star Domain¡¯s endeavors. But¡­ but, General Lois, please consider, what is it that the Star Domain Government, the Empire, lacks and really needs to get from Korolya? Is it truly the population?¡± ¡°Where did these billions of people ultimately go? They were either sent to countless places within the vast Star Realm of the Empire, becoming slave labor, cannon fodder, or the lower-class residents of newly colonized planets. They are simply moving from Nest Capital on Korolya to another place to live or die, the value they create has not changed at all.¡± ¡°I hope to make some changes.¡± ¡°The same four billion Tax Currency a year, what if it is two destroyers a year? Or one cruiser every four years; or countless industrial goods, armaments; or what if Korolya could independently support a Star Realm Army ten times larger than the Dragonhawk Third Legion?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t these all more valuable than Korolya¡¯s simple contribution of several hundred million people a year?¡± Lois sighed. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only She certainly understood that Gu Hang was right. If you could actually create a new cruiser, then what would you need those billions of dry bodies for? But the key is whether it¡¯s achievable! However, if it¡¯s Gu Hang¡¯s words¡­ there might indeed be a possibility. ¡°I can¡¯t convince you, who would¡¯ve thought you are now the Korolya Governor?¡± Lois sighed, ¡°But don¡¯t act too recklessly. The Star Domain Government will be watching, and if things in Korolya get out of control, I won¡¯t be able to protect you, remember that well.¡± Chapter 640 - Chapter 640: Chapter 368, Not Enough Troops Chapter 640: Chapter 368, Not Enough Troops After meeting with Lois, Gu Hang still managed to get what he wanted. Although the Star Domain envoy didn¡¯t want Gu Hang to ¡°mess around¡± in a general sense, under Gu Hang¡¯s insistence, she didn¡¯t directly oppose him. And in terms of the actual measures taken, they essentially satisfied all of Gu Hang¡¯s requests. The six-year tax exemption for the militarized zone was reconfirmed unless Gu Hang failed to manage well during these six years, causing continuous turmoil in Korolya and showing signs that taxes could not be paid even after six years; otherwise, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. And since it was militarization, Gu Hang¡¯s position as the commander of the military zone was also retained. However, Tianma Fleet was stripped away from the military zone. Gu Hang never had any unrealistic expectations about keeping it, so it was not surprising that it was gone. But the Third Group Army of the Dragonhawk Legion would stay in Korolya under the command of Gu Hang, who would still be the military zone commander for six more years. This turned the Fatches Family upside down. They were, of course, furious. In the last round of struggle, they had secured the position of Korolya Governor, hoping they could finally take charge of the Tianma interests and become the master. They did indeed manage to stand on an equal footing with the Star Sector Government over the past few years, basking in glory. To secure their position in Korolya, they had invested heavily. And now, it was all for naught. That would have been fine, but now, they had even lost the 3rd Army Group! wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.c0 The Dragonhawk 3rd Corps had always been Fatches¡¯s forbidden fruit. For many years, they had borne all costs for the Legion, from personnel to equipment to logistics. Problems in Korolya were nothing new. Though there had been repeated requests to deploy the Star Realm Army¨Cnamely the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps¨Cfrom the Korolya Governor to the Star Sector Government, and the Star Domain Government had approved it time and again, Fatches had created numerous obstacles, and the deployment of troops had been stingy, initially only on the scale of one million. This was far less generous than when they had sent people to Rage Owl Star to clean up for Blackbird Heavy Industries. Only after they took over the position of Korolya Governor did they spare no effort to commit the Star Realm Army to secure their status. And now, they had lost the position again. All the previous investments in resources and political assets had gone down the drain, but they were willing to take their losses and would find another way. However, they had never intended to give up control over the Dragonhawk Legion. It wasn¡¯t easy to speak up before the defense of Mingyan City concluded, but now, with Fino City destroyed, the Fatches family was openly trying to maneuver to get the Dragonhawk Legion recalled. They found a basketful of reasons¨CFatches Tri-Star defenses were weak, the Legion¡¯s longing for home, claiming that supply would be more convenient after returning to Fatches Tri-Star¡­ But Gu Hang blocked all these reasons. His counterquestion was simple: Is this the Star Realm Army, or is it your Fatches¡¯s private militia? Although Fatches had always treated this force as their private militia, that was obviously not something they could publicize openly. Furthermore, Gu Hang had received support from various parties. The Star Sector Government was certainly willing to suppress Fatches, and the Star Domain Government, represented by Lois, also intended to punish Fatches¨Cthe performance of the Fatches family during their tenure as Korolya Governor was nothing short of disastrous. Of course, the Fatches Family wouldn¡¯t just let things go so easily. In explaining the situation, they mentioned some realities¨Cthe vast majority of officers and soldiers in the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps came from the Fatches Tri-Star. They were homesick and their morale had lowered due to not being able to return home for a long time, and the Fatches Family had sufficient ability to influence the internal situation of the Corps. Over time, this would undoubtedly lead to issues within the Corps. The most direct manifestation of this was that although they were currently following Gu Hang¡¯s orders, and General Hans, the Corps commander, had also shown compliance with the orders from the Star Realm Army headquarters and the Military Affairs Department by suppressing the emotions within the troops and continuing to execute Mr. Gu¡¯s commands, they still had not appeared in the system¡¯s [Soldier Tag]. This also meant that the system did not recognize them as Gu Hang¡¯s troops. However, this did not affect Gu Hang¡¯s decision to make use of them for the time being. After the destruction of Fino City, there was no need to keep so many forces on the battlefield outside Mingyan City. The local forces that had undergone training with Gu Hang¡¯s [Soldier Tag] System numbered twenty million. After the battle, deducting the casualties, missing personnel, and the injured soldiers who were discharged, there were still seventeen million left. Tadeusz had recruited another three million people from within Mingyan City to supplement this force and completely integrated them as the ¡®Salvation Army,¡¯ which was then reassigned back to Mingyan City. General Tadeusz temporarily assumed the position of commander-in-chief of the Salvation Army, and his first task was to execute the Governor¡¯s order to completely clear the Lower Nest District and Bottom Nest District of Mingyan City and establish military governance. The more than thirty million local Defense Forces generally returned to their respective Nest Capitals. The numerous Nest Capitals on Korolya were in constant turmoil and urgently needed the military to maintain order. The remaining more than eighteen million from the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps stayed near the ruins of Fino City. There were still several million weakened demons, leaderless cultists, and pestilent walking corpses in the area. Gu Hang¡¯s task for General Hans was to have them swiftly eliminate all remaining enemies in the area. Hans spent three months to fulfill this mission. Once it was confirmed that most of the enemies had been eliminated, he left several hundred thousand troops to monitor and continue clearing the region. The majority of the remaining troops then entered Mingyan City and joined the campaign to purge the Bottom Nest District. The military operation itself did not present many difficulties. Gangs, Rebel Army, cults, interest groups¡­ Could any of these possibly muster an effective resistance against the military¡¯s iron fist? But to say it was smooth sailing would not be quite accurate. The military pressure was still quite substantial. This pressure did not stem from the strength of the enemy or the intensity of their resistance, but rather from the fact that maintaining public order was extremely troublesome. According to ancient statistics, Mingyan City had a population of four billion. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Most of them lived in the Lower Nest District and Bottom Nest District. The Lower Nest District was still manageable as it had a certain administrative management system. However, the Bottom Nest District, though not entirely in chaos and disorder, was at the very least not under government control. Gangs and the Rebel Army would scatter as soon as they were attacked, but after the battle ended and military governance was established, that¡¯s when the real trouble started. An endless stream of violent crimes, attacks on patrol teams, night raids, secret preaching and assemblies¡­ Even with the forty million troops of the Star Realm Army and Salvation Army in Mingyan City, they still felt it was not enough. Chapter 641 - Chapter 641: Chapter 369, Fundamental Solutions Chapter 641: Chapter 369, Fundamental Solutions Gu Hang was handling the documents at hand while listening to the incessant complaints of General Hans from the speakerphone. ¡°Commander Gu, are you even listening to what I¡¯m saying?¡± ¡°Of course I am listening,¡± Gu Hang replied, indicating he was still there. ¡°But I feel like you¡¯re not taking my concerns seriously. I need troops, more troops! We need to at least double the size of the Salvation Army, or we cannot continue to guarantee control over the Bottom Nest District! My troops are too dispersed, I cannot keep an eye on so many people, and we suffer losses when we are attacked¡­¡± Hans had started again. Ever since a month ago when he entered Mingyan City with his troops and fell into an endless battle for public security, he had made many calls to Gu Hang, requesting reinforcements. Gu Hang completely understood. The Star Realm Army combined with the Salvation Army amounted to forty million people, which seemed plentiful. But in comparison, Mingyan City had a population of four billion. The chaotic conditions of the Bottom Nest District practically required a large number of troops in nearly every block to maintain martial law. A strict martial law strategy had caused the troops to be severely dispersed. Often a battalion stationed in a district with over a hundred thousand people would have no major problems if facing a direct enemy assault, as the enemy couldn¡¯t amass enough firepower to resist the military. The problem was the soldiers on guard, patrolling, or on duty, who could easily fall victim to an ambush around the corner. Military vehicles could encounter roadside bombs within a few steps out. Those gangs as well as the Rebel Army didn¡¯t want to give up control over their own territories. No surprise Hans was complaining non-stop. In the past month, they had lost thousands of men. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co This number was certainly not on the same level as during the decisive battle when an entire division was wiped out in a few hours, but the loss of personnel was significant nonetheless. The Salvation Army fared slightly better, but there were already many grievances among Hans¡¯s elite troops. After the big battle, they had wanted to go home, but instead, they were sent to fight in a security war. The casualties weren¡¯t so much the issue, but the key was the constant anxiety whenever they went out, which took a huge toll on their spirits. Quite a few were saying that they would rather launch a proper fight than continue this way. Hans hoped for reinforcements not because he couldn¡¯t control the situation, but because he wanted to give his troops a chance to properly rotate and rest. Gu Hang was well aware of all of these issues. Yet, he continued to reject Hans¡¯s request over and over again. Martial law was just a temporary measure. If the solution to the security war was to rely on the military in the long term, then there was no point in proceeding. No amount of troops would be sufficient and the root cause of the problems would remain unsolved. Could martial law be maintained for a few months, a few years, even a lifetime? Gu Hang had long thought of the real means to resolve the issue. It was time to send General Hans, full of complaints, on his way and for Gu Hang to meet with the person who could truly address the issue. There was a large group of people. Among them were Alliance officials from Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star, as well as those who had performed well in Mingyan City in recent months and had appeared on Lambert¡¯s list¨Cthe blue list. Among them were people from the Alliance Foreign Affairs Department, responsible for external communication, exchanges, peace offers, and negotiations, led by Nicola Salihoovich. He was to travel through the Lower Nest District and Bottom Nest District to negotiate with powers worth saving, in hopes of peacefully dissolving them or incorporating them into Korolya¡¯s new government. Among those worth saving, the Rebel Army were in greater numbers. The Rebel Forces in Nest Capital typically referred to themselves as the ¡°Rebel Army.¡± Some were radical, not recognizing the rule of The Emperor or the Korolya government; the more rebellious ones even denied their faith in The Emperor. Others were more conservative, merely fighting to negotiate better real benefits for the people and territories under their power. The reasons for the Rebel Armies¡¯ appearance, regardless of whether these were dirty or noble, essentially boiled down to one point: life had become unbearable, and they had rebelled! But Gu Hang saw this as an opportunity for reconciliation. Now, after being beaten, many of them couldn¡¯t even act openly anymore. It was time for Salihoovich to act¨Cif he could negotiate and incorporate them into the Planetary Government system, then they would be directly absorbed, and martial law could gradually be lifted to see how things went. Problems like gangs, regional monopoly alliances, Cults¡­ these might be more complex than the Rebel Army. Their demands were more complicated, their appetites bigger. Especially the Cults, which virtually lacked any foundation for negotiation. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But no matter the target, the many hands drawn from the Foreign Affairs Department and the Commerce Department, led by Salihoovich, had the task of creating different plans according to the characteristics and demands of different forces. Those who could be integrated would be integrated; those who couldn¡¯t would be decisively destroyed. Salihoovich¡¯s work was important, but not the most crucial. Whether incorporating after successful negotiations or rebuilding after destructive strikes following failed negotiations, both required a second wave of people. The Alliance Premier, Lady Ossina, had already arrived in Korolya. A month prior, with Gu Hang as the Governor, Korolya had officially joined the ¡®Alliance,¡¯ the planetary organization. Naturally, the Alliance Premier had to visit this suddenly emerged territory with a population eighty times larger than the original Alliance. Chapter 642 - Chapter 642: Chapter 369, Fundamental Solution_2 Chapter 642: Chapter 369, Fundamental Solution_2 ¡°` But what could she possibly do alone? Even though she had transferred quite a few people from the government system of the Twin Stars within the Alliance, that was hardly enough even for Korolya, let alone Mingyan City with a population of four billion¨Cit was like trying to extinguish a car fire with a cup of water. No matter how reliable and developed the Alliance¡¯s civil servant system might be, it couldn¡¯t handle a sudden expansion in management scale by dozens of times. In the end, managing Korolya would still depend on the local Korolya people. For this reason, after the war ended, Gu Hang established five Loyal Heir Academies and five Comprehensive Academies in Mingyan City. The expense of the academies was not significant; just find a local building, and instructors could be summoned from Rage Owl Star. The grant expenditure was only about a thousand points each, which was insignificant for Gu Hang, who controlled millions of grant points. However, training the personnel was a big issue. Mingyan City¡¯s original administrative bureaucrats and public servants numbered about two million. It seemed like a huge number, but it was actually far from sufficient. In Gu Hang¡¯s plan, the number of public servants needed to expand to at least 0.3% of the total population¨Cthat meant 12 million public servants. Even in a habitat like Nest Capital, where the population density is extremely high, and the corresponding number of public servants required could be greatly reduced, it would still need to reach at least seven to eight million people to ensure control of the entire Nest Capital as Gu Hang wished. No matter what, the current two million administrative personnel were definitely not enough, not to mention that among these two million there was a lot of dross. That was where Osenia¡¯s work came in; she needed to recruit numerous administrative personnel and implement the Alliance¡¯s administrative system. wuxiaworld.site Of course, it certainly couldn¡¯t be done in a few months. Recruiting and training millions of reliable administrative personnel could not be accomplished overnight. Even the current ranking system executed by the Alliance on the Twin Stars couldn¡¯t be copied over all at once¨Cit was too expensive. However, some emergency measures could be put into place first. The primary issue was not the capability of the administrative personnel but their loyalty. For this, Gu Hang spent a total of four hundred thousand grant points. Forty thousand administrative personnel were trained in the five Loyal Heir Academies, costing ten points per person, in a span of one week, over the course of several months. This was considered an emergency measure. In the future, the millions of public servants needed by Mingyan City couldn¡¯t possibly all undergo ¡°soldier token¡± training and be endowed with the level of loyalty akin to a political commissar. Moreover, even training someone to be a political commissar could ensure loyalty but not job competency. But for emergencies, it was sufficient. Osenia¡¯s current task was this: to form forty thousand task forces centered around these forty thousand administrative personnel. These trained individuals would play a central role in the task forces, which would also include over twenty people each to assist them, under their supervision. These people would then be dispatched to all areas that had been negotiated over, incorporated, or cleansed to begin their work. Their main duties included registering the population of each district, promoting the Alliance¡¯s policies, distributing basic supplies, organizing labor production, and organizing trade and commerce¡­ These were their primary responsibilities. Of course, the most important of these was organizing labor production. No matter how well Gu Hang¡¯s Alliance had developed over the years, it definitely couldn¡¯t support Korolya. There were simply too many people on this planet, and in the end, they would have to rely on themselves for subsistence. This so-called labor production and trade and commerce mainly depended on what these districts were originally doing. But to be honest, in areas like Bottom Nest District and Lower Nest District, there were few decent industries to begin with. ¡°` ¡°` But it doesn¡¯t matter, if it exists, it will be nationalized and continue operating. Workers¡¯ treatment and enterprise benefits are guaranteed, with the generated profits distributed to the workers according to the alliance¡¯s rank policies, and the remaining portion remitted. As for the places that lack such facilities, that¡¯s where Osenia¡¯s leadership comes into play, namely, industrial transfer. In recent months, fleets of starships from Rage Owl Star have arrived. Many sectors identified in preliminary research as suitable for development on Korolya, and which were experiencing production capacity overflow on Rage Owl Star, have thus had large segments of their industrial lines dismantled and relocated here. As a result, Rage Owl Star has been bustling with activity lately. Many production lines, previously sealed in Wu Jiarong¡¯s research institutes and pulled out from mother-machine Black Boxes, but unable to be launched due to raw material issues, workforce shortages, or structural industrial problems, were shipped en masse on the Gu Commercial Firm¡¯s transport ships to Korolya. The most typical among these were the low-end military industries: rifles, bullets, towed field guns, artillery shells, bullet-resistant inserts¡­ These technically less sophisticated industries were perfect for the managed blocks within Mingyan City. Another particularly important industry was the synthetic starch production line, along with the corresponding organic waste recycling facilities. What exactly is organic fertilizer? Let¡¯s not delve into that, as it¡¯s somewhat unpleasant. Despite industrial farming reforms in Green Valley Region on Rage Owl Star and the great harvests on Heijian Star in recent years leading to ample food reserves, one must economize the transported foodstuffs as relying solely on external supplies is unrealistic; on the other hand, the alliance can¡¯t simply inject all of the food into Korolya either, as strategic reserves are necessary. Under the conditions present in Mingyan City¡¯s Bottom Nest District, to feed so many people, reliance on mass-produced synthetic starch is inescapable. But coming back to the topic, regardless of the raw materials used, the synthetic starch produced in the end is indistinguishable. If there really are several blocks without any industrial development, the alliance would also send over some industries that could be considered mid-end. Iron Bulls, Hunter vehicles; engineering machinery manufacturing; Strider Armored Vehicle production lines; collection, processing, and smelting of metal scrap¡­ These industries required a considerable number of workers, often attracting enough to establish a large heavy industry factory capable of employing workers from several blocks. Such actions are not solely to support the construction of Mingyan City. For heavy industry, relocating to a location with denser population and lower costs also has its advantages, enabling significant cost reduction and a faster pace of production expansion. In cases where local research groups, having performed their on-site audits, found a region unsuitable for development with no support for industrial lines from the alliance, there was still another way. Finding work across blocks is one option; relying on a large factory with one employed person per household, secured with a job rank, was just enough to prevent starvation. Moreover, not everyone had to work in the factories. The remaining people could take up various service-oriented ancillary trades such as working in canteens, clothing, catering, transport teams, construction workers, and so on. If all else fails, the entire block¡¯s surplus population would be relocated. Of course, this also required screening. Those without issues could be directly sent to Rage Owl Star or Heijian Star, where there is still a significant demand for workers. In Gu Hang¡¯s view, although Nest Capital was specially built to accommodate high-density populations, the density had become excessively high. Korolya¡¯s environment was long incapable of supporting it. The large-scale migration of Korolya¡¯s population to other planets of the alliance would be a long-term policy for the future. However, not just anyone can migrate to the twin stars. For instance, some blocks suffer from severe cult activities. After a thorough cleanup, the remaining populace, genuinely less tarnished by the cult but who have indeed followed it in the past, would be concentrated and sent to immigration bases¨CMingyan City already has such a massive facility designed for temporary accommodation of human taxes for the Imperial Tax. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only These people would then be used to pay the tax on the next visit of the Imperial Tax Fleet¨Calthough Korolya doesn¡¯t currently pay taxes, it can choose to do so, after which it can exchange the taxes paid for Tax Currency. ¡­ These are the fundamental solutions Gu Hang has put forward to end the security war: economic development. With full stomachs and a future to look forward to, will the people, well-fed and sturdy, take up arms against the Star Realm Army or the Salvation Army¡¯s guns and cannons with their own flesh and blood? ¡°` Chapter 643 - Chapter 643: Chapter 370, Infighting Chapter 643: Chapter 370, Infighting Malca caressed the brand on the back of his left hand, as if he could still recall the searing pain from when the hot iron was pressed against his skin years ago. He was a member of the Branding Hand Gang, and as the name implies, this gang¡¯s main characteristic was branding its members¡¯ hands with a scorching iron to signify their affiliation. The gang wasn¡¯t large, with influence spanning only two or three blocks; but it wasn¡¯t small either, as more than three hundred thousand people within their territory depended on them. Only, their recent days hadn¡¯t been easy. Or rather, since military governance began, no one¡¯s days had been easy. At the start of military control, the Branding Hand Gang initially thought it wouldn¡¯t be much different from the strict management incidents that occasionally happened in the past. However, their expectations were quickly shattered. The duration of military governance had exceeded their imagination by far; moreover, the intensity of the crackdown was unbearable for them. After a period of lying low, the Branding Hand Gang could no longer hold back. They started to fire from the shadows, causing riots. These tactics greatly troubled an infantry division of the Star Realm Army stationed within their turf. In about a month, the gang¡¯s attacks and riots resulted in hundreds of casualties among the Star Realm Army; and although their own losses were much greater, to them it was still worth it, it still felt like victory. Then, they got intoxicated by this ¡®victory¡¯ and attempted to ambush a patrolling infantry squad. This operation seemed foolproof in their eyes. Less than thirty Star Realm Army warriors, on street patrol. They had already scoped out the squad as the best target: once the fight started, it would take at least fifteen minutes for backup from other areas to arrive. wuxiaworld.site So, next to the patrol vehicles, roadside bombs exploded in succession, stopping the military vehicles, and then from all directions of the street, from hiding places in houses, three to four hundred shooters from the Branding Hand Gang surged out, completely surrounding the Star Realm Army squad. Bullets flew in from every direction, and the situation quickly deteriorated. Originally, they intended to finish the fight within ten minutes, allowing a bit of time to retreat. But in reality, the battle was practically over by the sixth minute. Only, the outcome was the complete opposite. They inflicted casualties on seven Star Realm Army soldiers, while the gang¡¯s shooters left behind more than a hundred and seventy bodies. The heavy casualties caused the shooters to break within minutes, leading to an uncontrolled, complete rout. No backup was needed; after being ambushed and hit by roadside bombs, less than thirty Star Realm Army warriors with light weapons versus three to four hundred gunmen resulted in seven casualties on their side and a hundred and seventy dead on the enemy¡¯s. Such a military outcome left the entire Branding Hand Gang in utter shock. Am I fighting Superman? How could the disparity be so great! Before they could even catch their breath from the shock, they were hit with a severe sweep, and even their lair was wiped out. From then on, they thoroughly extinguished any thoughts of confronting the military forces, hiding like rats, taking their shots in the dark, and retreating immediately if they missed, unwavering in their decision not to engage any squad of the Star Realm Army that consisted of more than five soldiers. Though they claimed such a thing, being pushed to the edge, their options had become ridiculously limited, and the suppression left them extremely frustrated. Things got even worse after a so-called ¡®Alliance¡¯ new government work group moved into the district. A massive amount of food was distributed, and the new government¡¯s policies were disseminated. Abandoned factories were reopened, and these people also organized transportation and construction teams; as long as you joined, you got a job, and the whole family had a fixed job grade. Those with formal jobs could reach the so-called E4 rank, secure in their sustenance and able to support a family; family members could reach E2 rank, ensured at least a subsidy. Additionally, once your rank was set, you could compete for work and climb the ranks. Even those without jobs could declare what they wanted to do; groups of girls, women, children willing to take orders on the streets, fixing clothes, that was considered having a job, allowing them to move up a rank; organizing everyone to do this was also regarded as having a job. And if all else failed, enlisting as a soldier was also an option. The Alliance¡¯s recruitment center was always seeking soldiers, offering better conditions than before. In short, everyone now had food to eat. Initially, due to a long-standing distrust of the government, the public was particularly skeptical about the policy promotion. But once tangible food was in hand and one could choose weekly wage payments, the doubts couldn¡¯t be said to have been entirely eliminated, but they had certainly become much lighter. While they weren¡¯t living in luxury, at least they could fill their stomachs, and they could avoid the cold. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now, the Branding Hand Gang couldn¡¯t even think about coaxing the public into risky endeavors; instead, many peripheral members within their own ranks chose to leave the gang. Even, traitors had extended into the core members who had been branded. If the previous military governance was merely tightening their necks, causing them pain and discomfort, unable to act, then now, it was like being stabbed directly in the heart. They had truly reached a point of desperation, but what could they do if they couldn¡¯t fight back? Malca, as a core member of the gang, was sent out by the boss. Chapter 644 - Chapter 644: Chapter 370, Internal Strife_2 Chapter 644: Chapter 370, Internal Strife_2 After untold hardships, having passed through numerous military control zones, he went to see a highly influential person. This person had always supported the development of their gang and reaped benefits from their activities, who could be regarded as the power behind them. However, the mansion he had visited only once before now presented a scene of decay, with even the smell of blood lingering. It was said that the Integrity Commission of the new government had conducted a sweep there. Then Malca could only slink back, defeated. On the road there and back, Malca saw many things that happened within the military control zones. He had once visited most of these places, but now, seeing them again, they were completely different from his memories. These changes, reflected in his heart, quietly shifted his own thoughts. Back with the gang, he was summoned by the boss for questioning. ¡°What did Mr. Olon say?¡± the boss asked impatiently. ¡°Mr. Olon is finished,¡± Malca said. He clearly recounted to the boss everything he had seen and heard. After listening, the boss¡¯s face showed panic and resentment. ¡°Damn it! He was useless! Bragging all day about how awesome he was, how influential, what a formidable figure he was, but in the end, when the Alliance came, wasn¡¯t he slaughtered like a dead dog?¡± After a tirade and venting his emotions, the boss turned to another person and asked, ¡°What about the contacts you were supposed to make with our ¡®good neighbors¡¯? How did that go?¡± wuxiaworld.site The so-called good neighbors referred to several forces around the neighborhood where they operated. There were rebel groups and other gangs. Their relationships with each other had been a mix of good and bad in the past, but the boss believed that in these times of life and death, they should unite to weather the crisis. Thus, he had sent people to make contact with these ¡®good neighbors¡¯ to align and leverage their connections. However, he received bad news once again. ¡°No one is willing to partner with us¡­ Pingkang Army said they are negotiating with the government, Haifeng Gang seems to have disappeared completely, as if they¡¯ve been wiped out, and the Ping¡¯an Army has fully capitulated, accepting the Alliance Government¡¯s terms ¨C I barely made it back alive from there¡­¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± The boss stood up and paced back and forth anxiously. He muttered a lot to himself. ¡°We can¡¯t just let this go¡­¡± ¡°I need to think if there¡¯s any other way¡­¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let those bastards just go work for the government¡­¡± ¡°Attack, intimidate!¡± ¡°Any transport convoy that passes, blow it up!¡± ¡­ From the boss¡¯s mouth spewed a stream of vile plans. Malca sighed. He spoke up: ¡°Boss, let¡¯s surrender.¡± ¡°What?¡± The boss¡¯s gaze suddenly swung toward Malca, staring at him intently. He had always ruled his gang with brutality, never allowing a voice other than his own within the gang. Usually, under such a gaze, Malca wouldn¡¯t dare to speak. But today, he dared to say, ¡°Let¡¯s surrender, there¡¯s no chance of winning. On the way here, I saw too many military control zones, not just here in Mingyan City; everywhere is undergoing reform. I think, the new government is really determined to completely transform Nest Capital. Honestly, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a bad thing, if everyone could live a peaceful life¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to die!¡± The boss pulled out his signature weapon. It was a specially modified hand cannon, with a split barrel that could fire three large caliber shotgun shells at once. Malca had seen its power firsthand; one shot could shatter a person¡¯s entire upper body. But Malca¡¯s face showed little fear. He just sighed. ¡®Bang¡¯ The gunshot rang out. Malca wasn¡¯t hurt, but a hole had been blasted into the back of the head of the Branding Hand Gang boss. ¡°` Behind him was someone holding a gun, with wisps of blue smoke still rising from the barrel. The boss was killed in a brutal manner, which gave the other brothers in the room a jolt. Some were lost, some at a loss, and some instinctively pulled out their guns. Malca shouted, ¡°Put your guns down!¡± ¡°You killed the boss!¡± someone yelled. ¡°He was leading us all to a dead end!¡± Malca¡¯s eyes glared over, ¡°Do you want to be buried with him?¡± The person was at a loss for words. Who would want to die? ¡°You¡¯ve all seen what the streets are like. Ask yourselves, why would anyone follow us if they could live peacefully? Other gangs, the Rebel Army, it¡¯s either death or surrender. The dead are forgotten, the living join the civilians in better days.¡± ¡°They say being in a gang is carefree, but how many of us have truly lived carefree? What drove us to join gangs in the first place? Was it not because life was unbearable? Now that we can live, don¡¯t you want to?¡± ¡°He, as the boss, could enjoy the best food and drink and was insatiably greedy. He refused to accept the government¡¯s terms. What about us? Why should we follow him to our deaths?¡± ¡°If he was only greedy, if he was just not thinking straight, that would be one thing, but did you not hear what he just said? Aren¡¯t the people in the streets our own families and friends?¡± ¡°Stop harboring pipe dreams. The era of gangs is over. Continuing like this, there is no way out.¡± ¡°I plan to go to the government¡¯s work team now, to talk about the future of the Branding Hand Gang. At best, we use the connections and favors we¡¯ve built over the years in the streets to help people, and maybe even end up as officials; if not, we find other work. All of us are able-bodied; life won¡¯t be too hard.¡± ¡°What if they insist on wiping us out?¡± ¡°Then we are done for.¡± Malca said emotionlessly, ¡°Do you still not see the situation? If they want us dead, we are as good as dead already. It¡¯s just a matter of a few days sooner or later!¡± The questioner fell silent. ¡°Do you have anything else to say? If not, I¡¯m off.¡± In the silence, someone threw out one more line, ¡°Killed the boss just to take his place, huh? You¡¯re talking like you¡¯re the boss already, but no one¡¯s acknowledged you yet.¡± Malca retorted, ¡°In a few days, the gang will be gone. Whoever wants to be the boss can have it.¡± ¡­ The events within the Branding Hand Gang were just a microcosm. In General Hans¡¯ eyes, all the changes were even clearer. Lately, he hadn¡¯t made any more complaint calls to Gu Hang. What was there left to complain about? Now that the mighty Governor had brought in a bunch of reliable administrative personnel from who knows where, and they began working at the grassroots level by districts, the intensity of the peacekeeping battles that his troops faced had plummeted. The riots and attacks hadn¡¯t completely stopped, but at least they were mostly reduced. In some well-managed areas, the stationed troops were practically on vacation. And he, at last, could free up forces from some of the higher-security areas to be redeployed to lower-security ones. Some ¡®abandoned¡¯ districts still required a stronger military response. Eradicating Cults or obstinate gangs, forcibly breaking up crowds with military force, and transporting everyone to temporary resettlement areas. Although the present Mingyan City was still far from being a pleasant place, Hans, as an outsider, could see clearly that everything here was rapidly improving. Could it be, after centuries of chaos, Korolya might genuinely undergo a revolutionary change under the hands of that young Governor? Emotionally, he was reluctant to believe it. Those past impressions were too deeply ingrained in his mind. But rationally, he had to admit that everything could change. While he was contemplating this, he suddenly received another call from Gu Hang. ¡°General Hans, I am very pleased with your troops¡¯ work in Mingyan City. You have two more months to deal with the situation inside Mingyan City. After two months, you will be moved to a new Nest Capital.¡± General Hans immediately put his contemplations aside. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Damn it, they really don¡¯t treat people like humans, do they? Hadn¡¯t even rested a bit, and now off to a new place? ¡ª¡ª¨C Happy New Year, everyone! ¡°` Chapter 645 - Chapter 645: Chapter 371, The Right Path Chapter 645: Chapter 371, The Right Path Upon receiving orders to split his forces and head to two different Nest Capitals, thousands of kilometers apart, to carry out military administration tasks, General Hans cursed under his breath. But his cursing didn¡¯t last long. Because ¡®care¡¯ from Mr. Gu arrived before the military deployment commenced. The Dragonhawk 3rd Corps, numbering over twenty million people, was primarily stationed in Korolya. In the recent years, their personnel and equipment replenishments were supplied by the Fatches Family¨Cof course, this ¡®supply¡¯ actually involved submitting cost reports to the Military Affairs Department. The department wouldn¡¯t provide cash payments and instead counted it towards tax credits. For most planets, maintaining a Star Realm Army was a cost-effective affair. Tax obligations existed regardless; it made more sense to invest in an army which could be used as a tax write-off and remained under local control. What could be wrong with that? The premise, however, hinged on the ability to keep the military in check. One slip-up, like the current situation, could leave the entire Dragonhawk 3rd Corps stranded on Korolya with no return in sight. And if Gu Hang wanted to retain these troops, he naturally had work to do. In the last major conflict, the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps had lost nearly three million soldiers. Gu Hang replenished all these personnel in one go¨Cwith three million new recruits recently conscripted from Korolya itself. When General Hans first heard the news, especially the source of the new recruits, he was furious. But when he saw the quality of these soldiers, he shut his mouth. The quality of the recruits was absolutely up to standard, even far superior to those provided by the Fatches Tri-Star. wuxiaworld.site The new soldiers that Fatches provided for his corps were from their Planetary Defense Force, usually with over two years of service and professional military training. Yet, even so, it was considered good if 20% met the Star Realm Army¡¯s standards. The remaining 80% needed further training. As a result, the overall quality of the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps was such that only about 60% met the Star Realm standard, with the remaining 40% falling short. However, the three million troops supplied by Mr. Gu were all up to standard, as confirmed by inspections conducted by Hans¡¯ own people. He was initially incredulous at this result. How could anyone believe this? He couldn¡¯t help but suspect that Mr. Gu had somehow bought off his trusted officers. Then, after conducting his own random inspections, he had to admit that it was all true. How on earth did Mr. Gu find so many qualified soldiers on Korolya? Hans found it hard to comprehend. Moreover, Mr. Gu had supplied more than just troops. Within these three million, an entire Army Group was formed, consisting of 25 fully-manned large infantry divisions, each with 44,000 soldiers, adopting the large division structure of the alliance. This structure emerged only during the Korolya conflict, after Li Kexi reported up the chain of command, consulted with Yan Fangxu, and then submitted the proposal to Tadeusz for a joint research on organization. Smaller divisions were indeed insufficient on the battlefield of Korolya. Armored Composite Brigades were fine, being elite armored forces and powerful assault units. However, infantry divisions, when facing a particularly intense and wide battlefield position, were undermanned with the previous Alliance standard of about 14,000 soldiers. Thus, they had no choice but to adapt to the reality and create the ¡®large infantry division¡¯¨Ca different organization from the regular ¡®infantry division.¡¯ However, the Alliance¡¯s large infantry divisions differed slightly from those of the Dragonhawk Legion. Although similar in the number of personnel, the divisions of the Alliance possessed more firepower and a greater number of weapons and vehicles than those of the Dragonhawk. They had more artillery, were equipped with more infantry weapons¨Cincendiary bombs, heavy grenade launchers, plasma guns, infantry mortars¡­all allocated down to company level. Plus, they had ample troop carrying vehicles, enabling any infantry division to become completely motorized without the need for logistical support, operating solely at the division level. This meant that the cost of creating an Alliance-style large infantry division amounted to 886,000 Tax Currency. For 25 divisions, that was over twenty million Tax Currency. Looking at this new Army Group, Hans could only pinch his nose and reluctantly admit it was excellent. Although this Army Group was a pure infantry artillery unit lacking armored capabilities, it was still more formidable than other infantry Army Groups within his own corps. The remaining two million were distributed throughout undermanned units within his corps. At this point, what more could Hans be dissatisfied with? Three million high-standard soldiers, a fully manned and equipped Army Group without cutting any corners¨Cthe level of assistance was something he had never even experienced before. He even hesitated to make a phone call to Mr. Gu, subtly hinting at whether such an approach could be¡­improper? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Brother, when you supply and reinforce the Star Realm Army, do you really make no profit at all? Cutting corners with personnel, matching three million with another three million who don¡¯t meet training standards; skimping on equipment, inflating the numbers on paper. This way, those three million wouldn¡¯t simply cost fifty million Tax Currency, wouldn¡¯t you have to claim a hundred million from the Military Affairs Department? Although the department wouldn¡¯t really pay out, the debt would allow your alliance to avoid taxes for four years. Why be so earnest? Chapter 646 - Chapter 646: Chapter 371, Right Path_2 Chapter 646: Chapter 371, Right Path_2 ¡°` Regarding this, Gu Hang¡¯s response was: ¡°General Hans, I must severely criticize you. How can you have such disloyal thoughts?¡± ¡°I regard your legions as my own troops.¡± ¡°You are fighting on my planet, so of course, I will support you without any reservation.¡± After hearing this, Hans felt deeply ashamed to the extent that by the time he led his team to leave Mingyan City for the other two Nest Capitals, he didn¡¯t dare to complain anymore. ¡­ The situation in Mingyan City, of course, couldn¡¯t be considered completely stable yet. In the past couple of days, there had been reports of more than a dozen serious incidents, including looting, damaging construction sites, and attacking civilians who had surrendered¡­ Gaining the trust of the public and dismantling criminal forces still required time. It wasn¡¯t the case that policies could simply be announced and enforced and everything would immediately be resolved. Despite the administration system and organizing labor production seeming to progress vigorously and generally running smoothly, in reality, this was all built on the foundation of previously effective military control. Military control was still being maintained now, and serious incidents would occasionally occur; once military control ceased and the police and security forces had not yet established a foothold, the nascent administrative system and economic system would likely struggle immensely. Gu Hang had no intention of ending military control. wuxiaworld.site Twenty million savior troops were still stationed in Mingyan City, carrying out their control tasks; at the same time, the scale of the savior army would be further expanded, on one hand, to absorb the employed population, and on the other hand, expansion of the army was a requirement from Gu Hang himself. However, now that the situation was improving, there was no need to keep that many troops. The Star Realm Army withdrew, taking with it a portion of the administrative personnel and started heading toward the surrounding two Nest Capitals. Those two Nest Capitals were estimated to each have a population of about one billion people, roughly 1,500 kilometers away from Mingyan City. Each of them had several million Native Defense Forces internally, responsible for suppressing locals. The Planetary Government had issued commands for all Nest Capitals to carry out clearance operations in the Bottom Nest District and Lower Nest District, and these commands had been communicated, but the outcome was far from clear. The remaining thirty-eight Nest Capitals, although officers from the Alliance had been stationed there, had an average of only a work team of several dozen people in each capital. Taking over the power of the government was difficult. Those local power brokers were not pushovers. In fact, the task Gu Hang gave them was not to take over the cities. If it wasn¡¯t achievable, then they should take it slow, there was no rush. Even, at this stage, Korolya¡¯s original administrative system had started operating again at Gu Hang¡¯s instigation, which was tantamount to reaching a considerable degree of compromise with the power brokers of the other Nest Capitals. First, get the Nest Capitals up and running, allowing the Alliance Government, which still bore the name of the Planetary Government temporarily, to issue some decrees to these capitals, that would be sufficient. As for the winds of reform, there was no rush to spread them globally. Gu Hang wanted to set a good example in Mingyan City first, and incidentally also train enough administrative personnel. But one thing must be controlled immediately now. Military power. Gu Hang did not trust those power brokers to rebel openly, at least not until his blade truly fell upon them. The power brokers were different from the rebels and gangs in the Bottom Nest District and Lower Nest District. Their wealth and power could not exist outside of the official system. But no one could say for sure. What Gu Hang wanted was to ensure that even if these people were driven to desperation, they would pose no threat. Military power was the top priority. And for this matter, Gu Xing had already made preparations. The Planetary Defense Force of Korolya had peaked at 150 million personnel, and even after a great battle and the reorganization of tens of millions of people into the savior army, there were still 130 million personnel. These troops, spread across all the major Nest Capitals, were the main force in stationing and suppressing the locals. However, these forces were also deeply tied to the power brokers within their respective Nest Capitals, at least more closely than Gu Hang, the foreign governor. ¡°` ¡°` To address this issue, Gu Hang had already laid the groundwork at the end of that great battle earlier. When various Planetary Defense Forces were called back, they were deployed to locations different from their original bases. Moreover, a massive rotation of forces among the different Nest Capitals also took place. At that time, it didn¡¯t cause any particularly strong reactions. Firstly, the imminent danger of annihilation had preoccupied the elites, who were more concerned about survival than resistance. Secondly, as the commander-in-chief of the combat zone, Gu Hang made such decisions, and the local elites had no power to resist. Thirdly, to prevent collusion between the military and the elites, it was a tradition in Korolya to periodically rotate troops to different locations, an exercise that happened every few years. The rotations organized by Gu Hang were not unusual. After the rotation, even if the local elites wanted to reconnect with the military, it would take time. The primary goal of these working groups Gu Hang dispatched to each of the Nest Capitals was to take control of the military before the local elites could reestablish connections. They had certain innate advantages. Parts of the Rage Bear Legion and the Salvation Army would be allocated to accompany them to other Nest Capitals, serving as a show of force to stabilize the situation. Additionally, during the last major war, Gu Hang had intentionally planted his own people within the Native Defense Army, who had won over a number of insiders. These individuals would assist the work groups in seizing control of the troops. Overall, while achieving this would not be easy, it was still highly feasible. Because these work groups had two of the most important ¡°weapons¡± at their disposal: General Hans¡¯ Dragonhawk Legion would not stay in any one Nest Capital for too long and would no longer implement strict military governance like that in Mingyan City. His role was to lead the troops across the planet on a ¡°tour¡± to support the Alliance officials stationed in each Nest Capital, helping them secure control over the troops. Furthermore, logistics support, personnel appointments, and officer promotions within the Planetary Defense Forces of each Nest Capital were all still controlled by the new government. With these conditions and a careful, diligent approach, plus the moral high ground on their side, securing control over the military should not pose a significant problem. As for when the reforms occurring in Mingyan City would be pushed out to all the Nest Capitals¡­ that would have to wait until the early successes of the reform in Mingyan City became apparent. Once that was established and Gu Hang¡¯s Salvation Army had expanded to a greater strength, capable of enforcing military governance throughout all Nest Capitals on the planet, it would be time to initiate global reform. By then, any opposition on the planet would be as good as a paper tiger. The upper echelons would see the example set by Mingyan City, and those who cooperated with the new government could integrate into it, attaining high-ranking positions. They could keep their status, and although their treatment might decline, they would still hold significant power. They just needed to shift their mindsets and accept the rules of the Alliance, working in the manner prescribed by it. Those who did not cooperate and instead worked against them covertly, would face the harshest iron fist. ¡­ Since then, Gu Hang had become somewhat more relaxed. Government work was still plentiful and burdensome. Nonetheless, it was clear that he could not govern the now immensely populous Alliance single-handedly. His work was more about the big picture, designing the systemic framework. The specific tasks would be executed by the government. Multilevel governmental structures, manned by millions, even tens of millions of civil servants, were responsible for carrying out his will. Osenia had already submitted a timeline to Gu Hang. The first milestone for a successful reform in Mingyan City was to make it self-sufficient, independent of aid from Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star within a year, and capable of exporting resources. Of course, this dependency refers to aid dependency, not normal trade. The demand for food in Korolya was enormous, and even with recycling technologies and the use of synthetic starch on a large scale, it was not enough. Synthetic starch still required raw materials. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Normal imports were one aspect, but it was mainly that beyond imports, Mingyan City needed to solve some of its own food requirements¨Csuch as utilizing soilless farming technology¨Cand potentially produce industrial goods that would match the value of the necessary consumption for a population of four billion. As long as that was achieved, the reform would be considered a success. The next steps would be to continuously improve productivity, raise the standard of living for the population, and provide resources to aid other Nest Capitals in their reforms. Directly exporting the resources needed for reforms from Mingyan City clearly meant that the entire Korolya would be set on the right track as designed by Gu Hang. ¡°` Chapter 647 - Chapter 647: Chapter 372, State Religion Also Needs Alliance Control Chapter 647: Chapter 372, State Religion Also Needs Alliance Control The reforms in Korolya continued to progress. Although there were numerous difficulties, Gu Hang had never been particularly worried from the start. With the military, the treasury, and the pen in hand, there wasn¡¯t much that couldn¡¯t be managed. The military had always been Gu Hang¡¯s top priority, and naturally, this went without saying. Not to mention his own loyal troops, General Hans¡¯s Dragonhawk Legion also seemed obedient for the time being; obtaining control over the Native Defense Army, which was more than a hundred million strong, shouldn¡¯t pose much of a problem. At this point, the ¡°military¡± could be considered stable. There was even less need to worry about the ¡°treasury.¡± Korolya was as poor as a ghost, but with economic aid from the alliance, industrial reforms, and tax reductions from the Human Empire, all these powers lay in Gu Hang¡¯s hands, and with military backing, the treasury was also secure. With these in place, the progression of the reforms would be difficult, but the likelihood of failure wasn¡¯t high. The last item, the ¡°pen,¡± also could not be neglected. It represents public opinion, the right to speak, ideology¡­it could be called anything, but in essence, it¡¯s about people¡¯s hearts. In fact, it is very important, in some ways even more so than the previous two. Just having guns and money isn¡¯t enough if the people¡¯s hearts aren¡¯t won over. Society would operate in a high-consumption mode, which couldn¡¯t become the norm. Fortunately, the alliance¡¯s governance system had always been quite good at capturing the hearts of the people. The development of productivity and the improvement of living standards would directly win over the most basic public support; the alliance¡¯s propaganda and mobilization departments were also doing their work. Most importantly, they were tying these positive changes to the alliance and Mr. Gu, naturally winning over the people¡¯s hearts. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.cO But that alone wasn¡¯t enough. Especially not in a place like Korolya. A point Gu Hang had not had the time to care about in the past was becoming increasingly important. That was the state religion. The state religion was a force within the empire that was easy to overlook but should never be neglected. They had a dark history, and under the strict laws of the empire, their power had been greatly diminished; they couldn¡¯t even muster an armed force but had to resort to forming the rather odd Battle Nun Association. Not to mention that one-third of the Battle Nun Association was under the command of the Tribunal, another third directly obeyed the empire, and though the remaining third heeded the state religion, half of them were quite independent. Still, they should not be underestimated. The most important aspect was their influence over the hearts of the people. The entire Human Empire universally worshipped The Emperor. From lowly peddlers to fearless heroes, from the impoverished masses to the upper echelons, from spiritual energy scholars to Tribunal minions, who didn¡¯t utter ¡°The Emperor bless¡±? Even the deluded folks of the Mechanical Cult Guild, who wouldn¡¯t dare alter their brains but wished to replace every other part of their body with mechanical components, acknowledged that the ¡°God of All Machines¡± they chanted about was an avatar of The Emperor. The influence of The Emperor was ubiquitous. And Korolya happened to be within the core area of the state religion of the recent star sectors, not for any particular reason other than its population. The state religion needed to expand its influence here, so they established a diocese with a grand cathedral hundreds of years ago and even stationed the Battle Nun Association of St. Mercy Lily here permanently. Though St. Mercy Lily was small, it was still a legitimate sisterhood. In Korolya, the state religion¡¯s priests truly went to the lowest levels of society. Some of the ascetic brethren, donning the simplest and shabbiest of robes, went into the lower districts to heal the sick, distribute food, act as mediators to resolve disputes¡­ Of course, these were all secondary; what was most important was preaching and soothing the hearts of the people. In Gu Hang¡¯s observation, many of the members of the state religion, especially those in the upper ranks, were quite indulgent, which fit his stereotype of a decadent religious force. But objectively speaking, their actions throughout the long years in Korolya had indeed helped stabilize society and had also gained widespread acceptance among the people. However, Gu Hang had always been disinterested in religion and even felt a subtle aversion to it. Furthermore, within the highly centralized political ecology of the alliance, there had been no place for the power of the state religion from the very design of the system. In Korolya, it could no longer be like this. If the issue of religion was not handled properly, the alliance¡¯s reform policies in Korolya would not exactly be impossible to implement, but they would certainly be half as effective at twice the effort. After several rounds of internal discussions, Gu Hang and his officials had roughly formulated a plan. But before meeting with Korolya Bishop Zhao Qinghong, Gu Hang actually met with another person first. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Introduced by the old acquaintance Superior Georgette, Gu Hang personally visited the leader of St. Mercy Lily, Superior Mrs. Medici. This was their second meeting. Mrs. Medici looked very old; according to her own words, she was one hundred twenty-eight years old this year and had never undergone any life-extending procedures. This was quite rare, almost reaching the theoretical limit of the average human lifespan. Gu Hang believed that this might truly be The Emperor¡¯s blessing. After all, he had seen how Georgette, when in battle, would extend ethereal golden wings behind her, cutting down enemies as easily as slicing vegetables, not inferior at all to Battle Group Leader Matins from next door. Chapter 648 - Chapter 648: Chapter 372, State Religion Also Needs Alliance Control_2 Chapter 648: Chapter 372, State Religion Also Needs Alliance Control_2 Medici was once a member of the Blood Rose Sorority, and a distinguished war hero as well. Later on, due to ideological differences, she no longer identified with the overly intense and cruel philosophy of the Blood Rose. She and some like-minded individuals established a suborder under the Blood Rose, then separated to become what is now known as the Merciful Lily. Anyway, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t tell at all that this kind-hearted old lady before him had any connection with the Blood Rose, the feared executioner of the Tribunal from the rumors. ¡°Sister Superior Medici, seeing that you are in good health makes me very happy,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Gu,¡± the old lady replied with a smile, ¡°But let¡¯s dispense with the pleasantries. Tell me, what brings you here? If it¡¯s about the state religion, there¡¯s no need. You should address matters concerning the state religion to Bishop Zhao. As for us, the Merciful Lily only does what we¡¯re supposed to do; we don¡¯t intervene in other matters.¡± Hearing this, Gu Hang felt greatly relieved in his heart. Although it seemed Medici had noticed that he, the governor, cared about the influence of the state religion, and thus had made it clear to state the unpleasant matters upfront, in reality, what Gu Hang wanted was this exact attitude. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then nothing could be better. I¡¯ve always esteemed the philosophy of the Merciful Lily¨Cto do what needs to be done, to do the right thing. The warriors of the Sisterhood, fearless in sacrifice, have helped me greatly on Rage Owl Star and have made outstanding contributions on the battlefields of Korolya. I also know that when there is no warfare, the non-combatant sisters of the Merciful Lily descend into the depths to preach. In the future, I still hope that the Merciful Lily can play a corresponding role, as it will be of great help to the recovery of Korolya.¡± ¡°We will,¡± Medici promised. But in reality, she was somewhat uncertain about the governor¡¯s intentions. Had he paid a personal visit just to say this? Without the governor mentioning it, they would have done the same. They had already been doing so for thirty years. And Gu Hang continued to speak. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co ¡°I will provide all the necessary assistance to the Sisterhood. Your development in Korolya, and indeed across the entire Alliance, will receive strong support from the Alliance Government. We will provide all the necessary conditions to aid the missionaries of the Sisterhood; the Sisterhood can further expand its scale, and you can recruit whomever you wish; you can start sister classes within our schools,¡± he said. ¡°If your Sisterhood needs custom powered armor, I can find a way to provide it for you. You¡¯ve already seen my soldiers¨Cthe ¡®Servant God¡¯ series of powered armor performs better than the ¡®Universal¡¯ series typically used by Merciful Lily, more suitable for the sisters to operate. If the Sisterhood lacks funds, the corresponding support, the Alliance can even provide it by way of donation¡­¡± ¡°Wait¡­ wait a moment, Mr. Gu,¡± Medici hastily interrupted. Although Mr. Gu talked about a series of help, why did it all sound so alarming to her? At her age, she had long stopped believing that there was such a thing as a free lunch in this world. Accepting these things would surely come with a price to pay. ¡°I¡¯m old, Mr. Gu,¡± Medici said, ¡°I find it very hard to think through the intricacies that lie behind many issues now. Let¡¯s be direct. Frankly speaking, everything you¡¯re offering is exactly what the Sisterhood most needs and cares about. What exactly do you want the Merciful Lily to do?¡± Gu Hang said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s simple. Just continue doing what the Sisterhood has been doing. Aiding the sick and weak, punishing the wicked, spreading the gospel. Isn¡¯t that the purpose of the Merciful Lily?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°That¡¯s all,¡± Gu Hang¡¯s smile grew even brighter, ¡°Just ¡®do these¡¯ and nothing more; there¡¯s no need for the Sisterhood to involve itself in matters it shouldn¡¯t, don¡¯t you think?¡± Medici understood. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are you planning to move against Bishop Zhao?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Gu Hang replied, ¡°I am a governor utterly loyal to the Empire, how could I be an enemy of the state religion? I¡¯ve always respected the role of the state religion in planetary construction. However, the state religion should operate under the framework of the Alliance to better collaborate, don¡¯t you agree?¡± Medici sighed, ¡°If it¡¯s too much, it won¡¯t do.¡± Gu Hang knew the deal was done. Her words ¡®won¡¯t do¡¯ were clearly an acquiescent attitude. It won¡¯t do too much, wouldn¡¯t that be fine? Gu Hang stood up with a smile, ¡°Rest assured. I sincerely wish the Sisterhood a prosperous future because this cruel universe greatly needs the light of the Merciful Lily.¡± ¡­ There¡¯s a saying, ¡°One who takes advantage is indebted,¡± and so was the Merciful Lily. Having been promised various supports, and even future donations by Gu Hang, they were likely to tacitly approve whatever the Alliance planned to do next. But there was more. After accepting the various aids from the Alliance, how could the Merciful Lily stay out of many matters? One hundred sets of the Alliance¡¯s stock ¡®Servant God¡¯ powered armors were soon delivered, and they had been adorned with the Merciful Lily¡¯s white and green colors well in advance before being shipped out. Furthermore, the promised Sister classes and the promised missionary guardians have all been put in place. ¡°What could possibly prevent that from happening?¡± Wearing my ¡°Servant God¡±, would they not work for me? The nuns sent down for missionary work were quickly pulled together by the Alliance officials and sent to various production teams, engineering groups, and factories to work. Preaching and spiritual consolation were obviously part of their duties, and incidentally, why not address work-related injuries and boost the morale of the workers? That¡¯s only right, isn¡¯t it? With the nuns working, the Battle Nuns, as sisters wielding military power, couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch, could they? When several dozen Battle Nuns were stationed in one neighborhood, then couldn¡¯t a significant part of the Alliance¡¯s military administration troops be withdrawn? As Gu Hang had said, he didn¡¯t need the Holy Lily of Mercy to do anything extra. As long as they did their jobs well, that in itself was a great help. And the Holy Lily of Mercy was the most important force controlled by Korolya¡¯s state religion. It wasn¡¯t just about military power¨Cthe Sisterhood had always had a significant role in consoling the hearts of the people in Korolya, especially in Mingyan City. And once they were not causing problems, Gu Hang had less to worry about when taking action against the state religion. A series of decrees were then promulgated. Of course, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t aiming to abolish the state religion, but under the Alliance system, the state religion should act under the management of the Alliance. They no longer had economic privileges and were forbidden from intervening in production; They could not force, semi-force, or induce donations; Secret missionary work and private gatherings were prohibited; Corrupt elements should be eradicated; The funds and resources distributed by the superior state religion were not interfered with by the Alliance, but their use had to be reported to the Alliance¡­ This series of measures almost stepped on the tail of the state religion, and Zhao Qinghong was so anxious that he came looking for Gu Hang in a hurry. He had no cards left to play. Even if he wanted to resist, how could he? Without military or financial control, even if he wanted to stir the hearts of the people, the efforts of the Holy Lily of Mercy in maintaining peace for the Alliance greatly diminished his influence. Gu Hang¡¯s attitude towards Zhao Qinghong remained cordial, but the aforementioned regulations were set in stone, and Gu Hang had no intention of compromising. However, he also relaxed some aspects, for instance, in the area of missionary work, Gu Hang was willing to provide strong support for the state religion. The belief in The Emperor could significantly suppress the corrosion of cults. At the same time, the Alliance was also willing to provide a special fund for religious development. Gu Hang essentially had one demand: Money could be given, support could be provided, but they had to do their jobs honestly and contribute to the development of Korolya. As for abnormal economic privilege and meddling in politics through sectarian gatherings, that was not allowed. Zhao Qinghong compromised. Even the last stipulation, that ¡°the funding from the higher-ups of the state religion also needed to be under the supervision of the Alliance Government¡±, he accepted. In many worlds where the state religion was weak, such demands from the local governments were common and not considered excessive. If you don¡¯t want to cause trouble, what kind of funding would be difficult to disclose to the government? ¡ª¡ª¨C I see there are patrons now! Thank you! Thanks to the generous support of [Pioneering Axe]! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Wait¡­ didn¡¯t I say that patrons get a bonus of 10 chapters? Cough cough¡­ right now, I truly have not a single draft saved, as you can tell from the update times¡­ My promise won¡¯t change! I will fulfill it! But please allow me to owe it for now¡­ 10 chapters = 20,000 words, I¡¯ll do my best to pay back all I owe within the month! Chapter 649 - Chapter 649: Chapter 373, Alpha-class Psychic Chapter 649: Chapter 373, Alpha-class Psychic Gu Hang had never underestimated the state religion; even though they lacked nominal military force, their greatest weapon was influence. And that in itself was terrifying. If the Pontiff of the State Religion, or a particularly influential Cardinal Archbishop, truly got tough and declared someone or someplace heretical, or made a proclamation about a region occupied by aliens, the Chaos Cult, the onset of a crusade was very likely. The bishops might not have regular armed forces other than the Sisterhood, but they could invoke the name of a ¡®crusade¡¯ to rally all the governors and imperial military forces across several star sectors. And when they wanted to do so, they often succeeded. There were many such instances in the history of the empire. This was not a matter of authority, commands, or coercion, but rather the persuasive power brought about by influence. It was precisely because of this influence and persuasion that governments at all levels from the Central to the local were actually quite wary of them. Not bad at all, considering that after the political turmoil that affected the whole empire, they had already been heavily restrained, and yet they still retained such substantial influence. Who wouldn¡¯t be afraid of that? In regions where the state religion was strong, not to mention government officials indoctrinated with faith, even normal officials would impose restrictions on it. Of course, this could lead to contradictions and even conflicts, depending on personal tactics and local circumstances. The fact that there had been no troubles in Korolya gave Gu Hang much relief. The core reason was that the last war had just ended not long ago; Gu Hang had acquired immense prestige and military power, and he still held the title of war zone commander. Besides, Zhao Qinghong, the bishop, was not a particularly strong figure. Although he had a good grassroots base and was dissatisfied with the cancellation of privileges, he weighed the compensation that Gu Hang offered, such as the promise to support evangelism, and the Alliance Government would even provide special funding; he also considered the potential results of making a fuss, especially without the support of the Sisterhood¡­ Forget it, let¡¯s leave it at that. wuxiaworld.site As for complaining to a higher level of the state religion organization, Zhao Qinghong actually did. But it was no use; he knew it himself. His complaint was essentially a plea, lamenting his own difficulties. The Cardinal Archbishop above consoled him for a while, and that was that. The higher state religion organization had no intention of standing up for this matter. The core point here was that Gu Hang had not touched the core interests that the state religion valued most: influence. The state religion could still continue to evangelize without restriction, and the Alliance Government even provided some conveniences. As long as the number of registered believers didn¡¯t decrease, that was enough. Indeed, due to a more effective and transparent management system, the number of registered believers might even surge. So what was there to make a big fuss about? As for the religion not meddling in politics or having economic privileges¨Cwhat did that have to do with the higher state religion organization? The state religion organization had neither plans to control the Tianma Star Sector through influence, nor would it fight for the economic privileges of its subordinate sects; the money didn¡¯t go to them, and clearing out the corrupt was met with applause. ¡­ After settling matters with the state religion, all of Korolya¡¯s affairs were on the right track, and the rest was left to time to ferment. Gu Hang needed to wait for Mingyan City to step by step progress to the point where it could form an internal cycle in accordance with the planned steps. As for himself, he was finally able to relax. However, this so-called ¡®leisure¡¯ was only relative. At his level, how could he possibly have truly leisure time? Not needing to focus all his time and energy on state affairs, he naturally had other matters to attend to. First, he visited the Storm God Kingdom; Ge Wajia, the Great Unclean One¡¯s subspace essence, was still atop the high tower in the Divine Realm, suffering the storms¡¯ lashing and torment. Months had passed, and Ge Wajia¡¯s subspace essence had been almost completely eradicated. So much so, that Gu Hang could no longer see the ¡®small¡¯ Unclean One brandishing its claws; only a thin yellow-green mist remained. In its place, the Storm God Kingdom was rife with thunder. Within the dense thunderclouds, a more substantial new life was being nurtured. In just a few months, the scale of the Storm God Kingdom had almost doubled. The dissolution and consumption of Ge Wajia¡¯s subspace essence had increased the power of the Storm God Kingdom. With greater ¡®subspace authority,¡¯ the forces the Storm God Kingdom could summon increased significantly. Gu Hang estimated that with the current strength of the Storm God Kingdom, if he faced another Great Demon like Ge Wajia daring to invade alone, he shouldn¡¯t need to rely on favorable timings or push the enemy out to the fringes of reality nor rely on real-world assault to destroy the enemy¡¯s body and soul. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now, relying solely on the power of the Storm God Kingdom, he should be able to defeat the enemy. Even if the Great Demon came with its thousands of demonic forces, the Storm God Kingdom now had the capacity to fight head-on. This was not only the result of the Storm God Kingdom gaining much greater power but also due to Gu Hang himself becoming stronger. After defeating Ge Wajia, he had amassed enough experience to level up. Although reaching LV9 required a terrifying two hundred thousand points of grace, with his many personal experiences, Gu Hang clearly understood that in this universe, military strength was very important, and so was having powerful top-tier fighters. Chapter 650 - Chapter 650: Chapter 373, Alpha-class Psychic_2 Chapter 650: Chapter 373, Alpha-class Psychic_2 He decisively spent those graced points. After levelling up to LV9, even without the additions from subspace, his Spiritual Energy strength had already reached S grade under normal conditions. This was the uppermost level one could normally achieve within the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, nearly powerful enough for one person to constitute an army. The thunder he summoned would be more terrifying than a barrage from ten thousand cannons, capable of repeatedly bombarding an entire battlefield into rubble; his Telekinesis could twist charging armored groups into twisted shapes; with the assistance of a full Mage Corps, he could amplify his power and affect areas over a hundred thousand kilometers away in the void of space, tearing apart the Void Shields of cruisers¡­ Gu Hang also had a trump card, once he tore open the veil of reality and let the power of the Storm God Kingdom seep into reality, his Spiritual Energy power would ascend another step, directly obtaining the strength of S+ grade. Placed into subspace, lingering within the Storm God Kingdom, Gu Hang had already possessed strength equivalent to that of a Great Demon. However, this was as high as he could go. Gu Hang had previously thought that after reaching 9, it would be normal to have a 10. It wouldn¡¯t make sense for 9 to be the peak, right? Gu Hang had various events and characteristics boosting his abilities, allowing him to possess S grade Spiritual Energy strength at the level of LV9. As for his subordinates who had been normally activated as ¡°heroes¡±, in terms of Spiritual Energy, even if they reached LV9, they¡¯d probably be at A+ grade at most, or at best, a weak S grade. But setting aside those myth-like records, just within the existing members of the Imperial Psychic Association, there were so-called S+ grade Psychics. This was a level of power Gu Hang couldn¡¯t reach even with his special traits ¨C he could only achieve such strength by cheating using subspace. Not to mention, within the ratings of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, there was a level even higher than S grade, known as Alpha-class Psychics. Psychics of this level, to put it extravagantly, could destroy a star with a mere thought¨Cof course, this is under the premise that the ¡®star¡¯ has no protection. Anyway, Gu Hang¡¯s current Spiritual Energy strength, although barely top-tier, was obviously still a distance away from the ceiling. Yet, with the system, he had maxed out. This situation reminded Gu Hang of a dream he had previously, where the person in the dream said it was a ¡°pretty interesting little toy.¡± Little toy, not fit for the big stage, is that what it means? Because it¡¯s just a ¡°little toy¡±, so there¡¯s a ceiling? wuxiaworld.site This explanation seemed rather logical, but Gu Hang was not satisfied. He had recently reviewed quite a lot of shared data from the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, even troubling Chairman Wang Yuyang of the Sector Psychic Association to make a special trip from Flying Wing Star to bring him data. Combining this information with his own situation, especially his careful perception of the feeling when using Spiritual Energy and analyzing himself in depth, he had roughly formed a conjecture. When Psychics use Spiritual Energy, they are essentially not using their own power. They are ¡®holes¡¯ in the real world, a conduit, with Spiritual Energy using the Psychic¡¯s soul as an anchor to come into this world. Theoretically, a high-grade Psychic would manifest Spiritual Energy strength even without any training, except that this strength would be uncontrollable, causing terrible destruction, or even become the beacon for subspace abominations to come into the real world, or even tear open a subspace rift. A controlled Psychic, on the other hand, can use this power as per their innate talent. In this sense, the amount of power a Psychic can wield is predestined, depending on whether their ¡®hole¡¯ is large or small. Later training improves control over Spiritual Energy. Yet most people will never hit that upper limit, with controllable Spiritual Energy being utilized; the uncontrollable Spiritual Energy is deliberately suppressed to avoid loss of control, which is the core of a Psychic¡¯s training. Up until now, the primary function of the system had been to provide Gu Hang with ¡®spirit¡¯ and ¡®talent¡¯, enabling him to better utilize and command Spiritual Energy. Without the system, his lifelong abilities in the realm of Spiritual Energy would have probably just been at C grade at best, then suppressing the Spiritual Energy he couldn¡¯t control, never achieving manifestation. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But now, the system had raised his ability to control Spiritual Energy to an unsurpassable level, allowing him to fully grasp the ultimate power of a Psychic. The system¡¯s interface of [Heroes], that was all it could enhance; it could not expand Gu Hang¡¯s ¡®hole¡¯. Furthermore, reaching the level of an Alpha-class Psychic, according to the research definitions of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, had surpassed the upper limit of Spiritual Energy strength that a human individual could control. Any being with this level of Psychic talent lacked the conventional meaning of ¡®control¡¯; the hole could not be mended, and the surging waves of Spiritual Energy from subspace would consume those of this talent grade. As they aged, a Psychic of this level would become unable to block the rampaging Spiritual Energy, warping into an existence that could endanger an entire planet, or cause an even wider calamity. The Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association¡¯s approach to Alpha-class Psychics was to capture and research them in specially made Anti-Psychic Prisons if they are discovered early, until the prisons could no longer contain them, at which point they¡¯d be executed; if they were hard to capture, then direct execution was the method of choice. Even if a very few Alpha-class Psychics could manage to control their power, according to the research of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, this control was temporary and unsustainable, as the human brain would get fried, ultimately resulting in an inevitable distortion of the soul. Chapter 651 - Chapter 651: Chapter 373, Alpha-class Psychic_3 Chapter 651: Chapter 373, Alpha-class Psychic_3 ¡°` Unless¡­ there are exceptions. Those very rare individuals must be studied separately; but generally speaking, it is believed that such cases are related to The Emperor, the greatest existence in history, far surpassing an Alpha-class Psychic in strength. Like the legendary Archangels and Sages, these two Interstellar Warriors known for their demi-godlike spiritual energy prowess. Now the situation is clear, under normal circumstances, Gu Hang¡¯s spiritual energy has indeed plateaued. He cannot ascend any further. However, he thought of another path. If it is believed that Grade S represents the highest level of spiritual energy that humanity can wield, and anything higher is beyond what one can grasp as a human, then I won¡¯t become¡­ Oh, of course, I can¡¯t stop being human. But Gu Hang does have a unique advantage, which is his grasp of the subspace essence of the Subspace Inferior God. To break the limits of humanity and wield Alpha-level spiritual energy, even to a greater extent, relying on ¡°loopholes¡± alone won¡¯t cut it. One must possess the essence of subspace and become ¡°one of their own¡± in subspace. If he is now in subspace, possessing the power to defeat the Great Demon head-on, then he has already achieved the strength of an Alpha-class Psychic. What he needs to do next is to assimilate the subspace essence as closely as possible, even embrace this essence, so that he gradually acquires this level of strength in the real world. But Gu Hang still has reservations. Over-embracing the essence of the Storm God Kingdom¡¯s subspace¨Cwouldn¡¯t that mean¡­ no longer being human? Currently, he is still a psychic, and even if a grand Judge from the Tribunal were to stand before him, he¡¯d still be a legitimate Imperial psychic. But if combined with the storm essence, then it wouldn¡¯t work. About this, Gu Hang also harbors doubts. Fortunately, this isn¡¯t a decision that needs to be made right away. wuxiaworld.site His current LV9, similar to a Grade S+ level spiritual energy, is already sufficient. If there is a big issue, Gu Hang can exploit a loophole and temporarily obtain Alpha-level power, so there¡¯s nothing unsatisfactory. As for the future path to touch the ceiling, there¡¯s still plenty of time to explore. ¡­ Gu Hang has many points of grace at his disposal. After the victory of that great battle, he directly received 1.3 million points, and at the time, he even felt like he could never spend all these points. Later on, he found out that this was an illusion. The loyalty training for forty thousand administrative officers cost four hundred thousand points; his own leveling up cost two hundred thousand points. Almost half were gone. But having spent so much, these forty thousand people can only be considered a stopgap solution at best; administrative officers were still lacking. Furthermore, he had to reserve a large amount of grace points for military training. He intended to enforce military control in all the Nest Capitals of Korolya, clear out the Bottom Nest Districts and Lower Nest Districts, and need long-term fortification. The current 150 million Planetary Defense Force troops were far from enough, and Gu Hang didn¡¯t even see the value in ordinary Planetary Defense Forces. He aimed to eventually reform Korolya¡¯s entire military under the ¡°Salvation Army¡± system. Talking about expanding the military, even the training for these 100 million existing troops would cost a million grace points, how could he afford that? If he truly wanted to expand to his ideal size of around 300 to 400 million troops, that would be even more unfeasible. Looking at it this way, there truly weren¡¯t enough grace points to go around. And the significant increase in monthly grace point income Gu Hang was expecting from Korolya after system recognition, also fell through. Korolya was indeed recognized by the system, which Gu Hang could now see on his panel. However, the inclusion of forty billion people into the Union did not result in a growth of monthly income, but rather a decrease! Previously, Gu Hang had reached a scale of seven thousand monthly income. But the moment Korolya was acknowledged by the system, it plummeted to four thousand, back to the level from four years ago. Good grief, so Korolya was a burden, huh? Gu Hang complained inwardly. This situation was somewhat beyond his estimates. Originally, he did not expect Korolya to provide a particularly high grace point income immediately, not even with its forty billion people. Gu Hang¡¯s worst-case scenario was merely a lower income, but he had not anticipated a deficit. Yet in his heart, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t the least bit panicked. At the time, he knew it was only temporary. Suddenly adding hundreds of billions of people with low living standards, low productivity, and poor control was expected to cause such an issue. As the various real problems on Korolya were resolved, this situation would quickly improve. And indeed, it did. In the months since Korolya¡¯s system recognition, over a hundred million people have been relocated to the Union Twin Stars. This even caught the attention of Lois, who was returning to the Star Domain Government to assume her position as the Minister of Internal Affairs shortly. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Massive population changes in a short period invariably lead to issues. She would question how Korolya could afford the taxes six years later if it continued exporting its population at this rate? Gu Hang also had doubts. With the rapid growth in the population of the Union Twin Stars achieved through migration, how would taxation be handled? They couldn¡¯t consider Korolya with its forty billion people and then count the Twin Stars with the increased population¨Cwouldn¡¯t that be taxing me twice? After this communication, Ms. Lois in principle agreed that future Union taxes would be calculated as an entirety, amounting to an annual tax of 40.5 billion Tax Currency. ¡°` Chapter 652 - Chapter 652: Chapter 373, Alpha-class Psychic_4 Chapter 652: Chapter 373, Alpha-class Psychic_4 Korolya Battle Zone transformation, a reduction of 4 billion. In the recent six years, only the tax currency for Heijian Star and Rage Owl Star needs to be paid annually. However, there will be follow-ups. The Empire recalculates the designated tax quota for each world every ten years, and the next recalculation period is a year away. At that time, the administrative officials of the Star Sector Government will conduct a detailed investigation of the situation on the three planets of the Alliance, and in the end, a tax amount will be calculated and reported to the Star Domain. According to past situations, the population of Korolya is too difficult to ascertain accurately, and I¡¯m afraid it will still be calculated as forty billion; the twin stars are easier, when the time comes, it is estimated that the count will be based on the actual number of people. Whether the population migrates or not, the Empire doesn¡¯t care; there¡¯s no precedent for that. If Gu Hang can manage Korolya well within the year, conduct a decent population census, and withstand the on-site verification of the Star Sector Government and review by the Star Domain Government, then wouldn¡¯t the matter be resolved? A clear population census means that internal population migration within the Alliance won¡¯t affect tax calculations¨Cunless the overall development coefficient of the Alliance is adjusted. Like Flying Wing Star, which also has to pay 4 billion tax currency annually, just like Korolya, but it only has a population of 8 billion. This highly developed Garden World has a development coefficient of level 5, meaning a single person corresponds to 0.5 tax currency. It¡¯s simply astounding. But for now, it seems the Alliance should not be subject to an increase. It¡¯s uncertain after the next decade. Gu Hang still feels somewhat helpless about this result. Adjusting Korolya¡¯s governance within a year to the point where a thorough population census can be conducted, even if he is relatively optimistic, he¡¯s still somewhat unsure. If things don¡¯t go well, he might still suffer. Nevertheless, even so, one should not give up eating for fear of choking. The population migration must be persisted with unceasingly, even at a loss. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co In fact, it has already had an effect. Those who are relocated to Heijian Star and Rage Owl Star indeed have no debuffs and can be put to work immediately. On Rage Owl Star, Beiqing Valley Region still has plenty of land that can be cultivated; South Green Valley Region can also start with land clearing. The ever-prepared Green Valley Army Group has been ordered to advance southward and eradicate the mutated monsters within. Numerous jungles have been chopped down¨Cnot all, but in a planned way¨Cand the land has been cultivated. According to estimates, just to develop all the farmland in the Green Valley Region, at least two hundred million laborers are needed. Not to mention that Weixing City, the industrial heartland, continues to expand its production capacity, with a substantial demand for industrial workers. According to calculations by the Alliance Government, it is extremely difficult for Rage Owl Star to return to its glory of over a hundred years ago; natural conditions also no longer support it. However, it has no problem accommodating thirty billion people. This is still the premise of not developing in the style of a Nest Capital World. In fact, Rage Owl Star can develop one or two industrial-type Nest Capitals, which would double the accommodable population. Heijian Star, with superior natural conditions but a large ocean area and a smaller land area, can also accommodate more than thirty billion people. If the mass migration is carried out with this goal in mind, Korolya¡¯s population would decrease by 15%-20% at once, and the survival pressure would also be greatly reduced. With a significant influx of population, Heijian Star and Rage Owl Star will undergo rapid development. At the same time, reforms in Korolya, especially in Mingyan City, have begun to show results. By now, Gu Hang¡¯s monthly grant points income has returned to around seven thousand. So far, eight months have passed since the end of the Mingyan City defense battle, and just from the monthly income, Gu Hang has received more than thirty thousand. Plus the earnings from some small-scale battles to suppress rebellions, Gu Hang now has a total of 750,000 grace points on hand. Most, of course, should be saved for subsequent preparations. He still needs to expand the army and train administrative officers. However, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to take a portion out for some technological draws. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Going for a ten-times draw in the ten thousand bracket, let¡¯s try my hand at it. ¡ª¡ª¨C 6k chapter 4k as regular updates, 2k to pay off debt. Still owe 18k Chapter 653 - Chapter 653: Chapter 374, Alliance Shipyard Chapter 653: Chapter 374, Alliance Shipyard Gu Hang now draws technology in the ten-thousand-yuan tier, which guarantees a hundred percent output of items. And most likely, they¡¯re high-quality goods. After all, even epic technology has a 20% chance of being drawn. In his series of continuous draws, he indeed managed to obtain an epic-level technology. [Spirit Engine] This is an engine technology that can directly utilize compressed energy crystal blocks. Entities like the Warhound-class Titan simply aren¡¯t worthy of being equipped with a Spirit Engine. Such engines are generally used in large Titans and starships. But for some medium-to-large starships, such as destroyers and cruisers, utilizing large individual engines is not sufficient. They require corresponding design blueprints to create engine assemblies. With this technology, given the various other technologies he already possesses, Gu Hang now essentially has the capability to build large starships. But the reality is¡­ the Alliance currently only has a small shipyard, which is still only capable of constructing smaller vessels. This is a bit awkward. However, among the elite-level technologies he obtained in this wave, there were also some excellent items that solved Gu Hang¡¯s problem. [Shipyard Blueprint]. This blueprint is a complete set of technologies, similar to the Star Harbor Technology Blueprint. Following the blueprint and using the accompanying Black Box, a variety of parts can be crafted to construct a shipyard of advanced standards. wuxiaworld.site Also included in the elite technologies drawn this time was the construction technology for [patrol ships]. These are proper military vessels. Although they are one grade below escort ships, they can still play a significant role in naval combat, adopting a wolf pack tactic, and can be used for route protection and combating piracy. The Star Realm Tunnel is anything but peaceful. In addition, among the elite tier, there was a technology that made Gu Hang quite happy: [Lion King Tank]. Needless to say, its combat capability is obvious. Once it¡¯s possible to construct them, if an armored brigade could equip a couple of these tanks per regiment, their combat power would soar. Also worth mentioning is a piece of advanced technology: [Transport Ship-Flying Pig Model]. In terms of technical grade, it¡¯s on par with the smaller vessels, but it¡¯s much larger than those, even much larger than regular military vessels such as patrol ships. Although it does not have combat capabilities and can¡¯t be effectively retrofitted for battle, if it¡¯s arm it would be considered an armed merchant ship, yet its combat strength would also be lamentably weak. But for cargo and passenger transport, it¡¯s quite good. It can carry over 80,000 passengers in one trip, along with a substantial amount of cargo, providing for months of travel through the Star Realm. Inside, it can even include a small-scale recycling system and a synthetic starch system for emergency reserves. The Gu Commercial Firm also has a significant demand for this product. Once constructed, there will be no worry about selling it. Moreover, Gu Hang doesn¡¯t plan to sell it, as this vehicle is economically practical and reliable. Producing a hundred of them, they could make three round trips from Korolya to Rage Owl Star in a month, or one round trip to Heijian Star, transporting two to three million people each time, which would greatly facilitate the relocation efforts. As for the rest that came out¨Cfour advanced and one basic technology¨Ctheir significance was not great, with some capabilities already obtained by the Alliance through trade and through their self-developed technology improvements, so they¡¯re not worth mentioning. But after drawing from the ten-thousand-yuan tier, the prize pool didn¡¯t look as appealing as at the start. The probability of drawing epic technology dropped to 10%, and elite level was at 30%. Clicking his tongue, Gu Hang¡¯s hand shook, and another twenty draws went down. This time, his luck was still decent. An epic-level technology came out first, with the probability down to even 5%, and miraculously, the last draw brought another. These two technologies were [Destroyer-Design Blueprint] and [Sky-Burning Torpedo Technology]. Destroyers, now those are considered sizable ships! The Tianma Fleet can be counted as the second-largest naval fleet in the Dragon Hawk Sector, with seven cruisers as its main force, but also has about thirty destroyers. The cost to build even the cheapest model is at least one billion, while more expensive models can cost tens of billions. The differences lie in areas like propulsion, firepower, divination, and protection¨Cquite a complex array of factors. But in general, destroyers can be viewed as a watershed in naval fleet standards. In smaller naval conflicts, destroyers are trump cards and attention-grabbing powerhouses; even in large-scale naval battles, destroyers can¡¯t be ignored. A genuine large vessel, if targeted by the fierce firepower of a destroyer, might not withstand the assault; if the Void Shield overloads, even one surprise hit could spell disaster. When the Alliance Shipyard is able to construct destroyers, that will be its entrance into the big league. However, before achieving this step, there is still a lot to be done by the Alliance. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The design blueprints and accompanying Black Box provide the capacity for ship construction; The Spirit Engine, along with the appropriate jump engine, jump protection stance, jump identification technology, orichalcum technology¡­ these all meet the prerequisites for shipbuilding. Yet, constructing a destroyer in the truest sense still presents difficulties. The technological level of the shipyard can overcome part of this challenge after obtaining the [Shipyard Blueprint]; technical workers can be trained; but a destroyer needs weapons and defenses¨Cwithout them, it is just a shell. While the hull of a starship is also quite valuable since it is the base, after all, Gu Hang¡¯s intention is not to sell it once built. Chapter 654 - Chapter 654: Chapter 374, Alliance Shipyard_2 Chapter 654: Chapter 374, Alliance Shipyard_2 Moreover, building the ship¡¯s hull and then sending it to others for processing would significantly reduce the profit. However, this problem was also resolved soon after. Among these twenty consecutive draws, Gu Hang also got six elite technologies, which included two M-classification weapons: [M-classification ¡®Heat Hammer¡¯ Colossal Cannon] and [M-classification ¡®Sky Splitter¡¯ Missile]. The firepower of M-classification could certainly serve as the main gun of a destroyer. With these two items, the Alliance could even develop two types of destroyers: a missile destroyer that focuses on missiles, and a gunship that focuses on the Colossal Cannon. Both could play different tactical roles in naval battles. As for the many S-classification secondary guns, whether it is the Kinetic Cannon or the Energy Cannon, or even the Scalpel Missile, the Alliance had corresponding technological reserves. Also, among these twenty draws was an advanced technology named [Energy Shield Generator]. Although it was not a Void Shield, an energy shield for a destroyer was decent enough. Void Shields were good, but equipping them would cause costs to soar. Besides the fact that the cost of Void Shields themselves was much higher, they also required more energy supply, which meant that more Spirit Infusion Engine Modules were necessary. And increasing the number of engine modules wasn¡¯t a simple addition; the design difficulty would skyrocket along with the costs. Looking at it this way, with this series of technologies acquired, plus the past technological reserves, the Alliance Shipyard had a lot to look forward to. As for the second technology, [Skyburn Torpedo], it was an even more terrifying thing. This was a planet-slayer weapon; the manufactured products were as big as several hundred-story buildings tied together. At least a cruiser or larger starship would be required to launch it, or it could be placed on the ground and manually detonated. Its main function was to ignite a world¡¯s entire atmosphere post-explosion, forming a terror wave sweeping the global surface. Lighter materials from the air to water and surface would all burn up eventually due to a chain reaction, turning the whole world into a giant fireball within one or two weeks. Depending on the size of the planet, the burning could last from a few months to several to years. It couldn¡¯t certainly destroy a planet, but it could destroy all life on it. Only life forms that were extremely resilient and that hid in very deep and almost hermetically sealed places, avoiding the celestial fire, might have a chance to survive for months or years¨Cthat was just a chance. The horrific burning would cause severe geological activity, and the subsurface structure would likely collapse easily. But even if one were to survive that, whether the underground environment could support the survivors for months to years was another question. And even if they truly survived, when the planet¡¯s surface was burned to nothing, what would be the prospects of life, and how would they sustain their lineage? wuxiaworld.site This kind of extinction-level weapon might not guarantee the eradication of every living individual on the surface, but it was enough to wipe out species. For the very few survivors, life on a planet worth nothing after the burn was also meaningless. However, in conventional wars, it was rather useless. It was extremely expensive, its manufacturing cost coming close to that of a cruiser. Its penetration ability was very weak, very easy to intercept; a single Defender or Reflector hit could render it useless, and using it to attack enemy ships was pure fantasy. As an Extinction Order weapon, it was viable, but if one intended to occupy the planet, it was clear that this thing could not be used¨Conce used, the planet would also become useless. If it was an extinction-level war, the harsh launch conditions would also require complete orbital control of the planet by the launch party. Otherwise, if the enemy¡¯s anti-orbital firepower exploded it in the atmosphere, it would be moot. The most common scenario for its use was having full control of the orbit while the surface battles were unwinnable, and if there was no intention to keep the planet, then launching one would suffice to exterminate everything. A few months ago, Korolya almost took this route. If Gu Hang hadn¡¯t solved the problem and assessed it to be unsolvable, he would have submitted an application, found a big shot who could take the responsibility, settled the matter, and arranged for a Skyburn Torpedo to be sent. While the Cult had not yet deployed Anti-Orbit Cannons to cover the entire planet, they could have deployed the Skyburn Torpedo on the opposite side of the planet from Fino City and that would have been Korolya receiving the Extinction Order. Gu Hang thought it over, this technology was very sensitive, more than anything he had obtained in the past. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Things like Knight Mecha and Warhound Titan were already quite problematic. Rifles, tanks, armored vehicles, and warplanes, the Sect of Mechanics didn¡¯t care much about the diffusion of these technologies. From another perspective, this might also be a tacit agreement between the Empire and the Sect of Mechanics. However, when it came to Knight Mecha and Titans, two of the Sect of Mechanics¡¯ most iconic products, the restriction was much more stringent. Although there had not been any wars reported over this matter, as far as one could see, except for the Sect of Mechanics¡¯ Foundry Worlds and a few places with especially tight relations with the Sect, other places had not been seen making them. Not to mention manufacturing, there were hardly any non-Sect of Mechanics forces heard of that could operate such war machines¨Cexcept for Knight Mecha, as many feudal worlds often bought them or directly became Knight Worlds under the Sect of Mechanics¡¯ command. Chapter 655 - Chapter 655: Chapter 374, Alliance Shipyard_3 Chapter 655: Chapter 374, Alliance Shipyard_3 Titans appeared on the battlefield, either due to the operations of the Sect of Mechanics¡¯ Protection Army or the Imperial Army¡¯s operations involving the Sect of Mechanics¨Cin many Star Realm Army Corps, within the Navy, and even under the command of Planetary Governors, members of the Sect of Mechanics could be found. For someone like Gu Hang, the situation was rather conspicuous. Compared to the Warhound Titan or Ranger Knight, the Skyburn Torpedo might still be an even more eye-catching item. If Gu Hang was careful, he could keep his distance from the Sect of Mechanics. After all, within the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain, there was only one Foundry World, which was located far away in the Yunluo Sector, without closely linked communications to the Tianma Sector here. Gu Hang could refrain from openly disclosing the sources of the Titan and Knight Mecha, but he could hint at receiving support from a particular faction within the Mechanical Cult Guild, who exactly, he wouldn¡¯t specify. When it was finally necessary to reveal it, he would push Wu Jiarong to the forefront. Why can¡¯t I have a genius who can develop Titans on her own? Wu Jiarong¡¯s abilities had now reached the level of a Dominant Bishop. For her, as long as she met the standards, Gu Hang would promote her, not waiting for her to upgrade herself. Even so, Gu Hang was considering that once Wu Jiarong¡¯s abilities improved further, and his overall power was strong enough to withstand greater pressure, he would take the initiative and establish a new faction within the Mechanical Cult Guild with Wu Jiarong as the leader. But that was a matter for the future; at present, the main focus was to survive and deceive. To deceive as long as possible¨Cthat was the plan. Displaying the Skyburn Torpedo, however, was seriously contrary to this goal. There was no need to use it now, couldn¡¯t dare sell it, production was difficult, and truly unnecessary. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site With the Black Box roughly taking four years to produce a finished product, let the Black Box continue its production. As long as he had it in his possession and could use it when necessary, that was enough. His thoughts returned to the advanced technology lottery. Aside from these items, four elite technologies were also unveiled. [Orbital Defense System ¨C Design Blueprint], [Transport Ship ¨C Whale Class], [¡®Qilin¡¯ Fighter], [Escort Ship ¨C Design Blueprint]. All were quite reliable things. The [Orbital Defense System] goes without saying; this technology would allow Gu Hang¡¯s technicians to fully grasp how to set up reliable anti-aircraft defenses using various types of artillery. Accompanied by detection and targeting systems, it would better destroy any offensive targeting the planet. Wealthy worlds¨Clike Flying Wing Star, for instance¨Cwould have Orbital Defense Systems covering the entire globe. Of course, this cost was very high, but at the very least, it was necessary to cover strategic points, such as the industrial heart of Weixing City. The Nest Capitals of Korolya already had some capability for orbital anti-air defense, so they could afford to wait; Heijian Star actually had some as well; Rage Owl Star really started from scratch and needed to be prioritized. The [Transport Ship ¨C Whale Class] was a transport ship one level higher than the ¡®Dolphin¡¯ Class. The [Escort Ship ¨C Design Blueprint], likewise, needs no further explanation. With the acquisition of these two technologies, the production lines of the Alliance Shipyard were further completed. When all these technologies could be applied, the entire production line of the Alliance Shipyard would be very complete. Civilian ships ranging from the ¡®Voyager¡¯ to the ¡®Dolphin¡¯ to the ¡®Whale¡¯; military ships from the [Patrol Ship] to the [Escort Ship] to the [Destroyer]. Not only was shipbuilding complete, but the entire series of production lines surrounding ship construction were also complete. From ship design to shipbuilding; from onboard firepower to shield generators; from starports to shipyards¡­ Thinking of this, Gu Hang felt full of ambition. Why was Flying Wing Star wealthy? Despite having a development index of 5 and a population that paid 0.5 Tax Currency in Imperial Tax per capita, why was it still so affluent? Apart from the planet itself being developed, a huge part was the shipbuilding industry. Bearing a four-year construction cycle, they could produce 1 cruiser and 8 destroyers, not including other small combat ships and civilian vessels¨Cwhich was a substantial wealth, wasn¡¯t it? On his own, he not only supported the Tianma Fleet but also managed a large number of exports and sales, and even used ships to pay the Imperial Tax directly. In the war against the Green Skins where naval battles were an integral part, it was the fierce productive capacity of Flying Wing Star that was relied upon. Why do you think when there is trouble in the Tianma Sector, a Star Domain envoy arrives immediately? If she managed to resolve the calamity in the Tianma Sector, she would ascend directly to Minister of Internal Affairs, becoming the second most powerful person in the Star Domain. That was because Korolya and Flying Wing Star in the Tianma Sector were just too important to lose. And in the future, Gu Hang was expecting Rage Owl Star to achieve a similar status. As for the last piece of technology, the [¡®Qilin¡¯ Fighter] was essentially a version of the ¡®Wind Falcon¡¯ with boosted firepower. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Mainly, the firepower was much stronger. Moreover, within the technology set of the Qilin Fighter, there were actually two sets. One was used for normal air combat within the atmosphere, and the other, through some modifications and accessories, could produce a shipboard version. The reason the Wind Falcon wasn¡¯t designed this way was mainly because the Falcon¡¯s firepower was like scratching an itch against a starship, making a shipboard version insignificant; but the Qilin¡¯s firepower could already threaten warships. The shipboard version of the Qilin needed to be modified in conjunction with the starship itself. These fighters could be rapidly deployed to the enemy ship¡¯s face by special launching devices, similar to boarding pods. They would then engage in continuous firepower attacks on the enemy. If one were bolder, they could slowly pass through the Void Shield or energy shield, entering the shield system¡¯s interior. They could cover the boarding pods, directly strike the ship, and if necessary, cram a few hundred people inside for a secondary airborne deployment¡­ Chapter 656 - Chapter 656: Chapter 374, Alliance Shipyard_4 Chapter 656: Chapter 374, Alliance Shipyard_4 This was yet another replenishment of the starship¡¯s combat weapons, and the Land Forces could benefit as well. Beyond that, there wasn¡¯t much to say about the rest of the advanced-grade and basic-grade technologies. Same as before, if they weren¡¯t already possessed, they were unimportant, and the better ones were just some upgrades to existing technologies. ¡­ After drawing thirty 100,000-yuan-grade technologies in a row, Gu Hang still had 450,000 grace points left. After some thought, he restrained himself from the idea of continuing the lottery. Although gambling was addictive, Gu Hang needed to be more realistic. The hundreds of thousands of grace points he had were precious wealth left over from the last war. Seeing that such large-scale battles would no longer take place, relying on the monthly grace points and the rewards from security wars would only accumulate a few tens of thousands, maybe a hundred thousand a year. This meant that the few hundred thousand grace points Gu Hang had were irreproducible. Spending them freely now would result in an ugly cry when he needed grace points later. For matters on Korolya, whether it¡¯s needing a large army, a large number of administrative staff, or something unforeseen happening, all required Gu Hang to have a certain reserve of grace points. Without grace points, Gu Hang felt especially insecure. Another reason was that drawing more technologies would not make much difference. From this lot of dozens of technologies, whether those Gu Hang found important or less important, the Alliance needed time to digest them. wuxiaworld.site Drawing too many would lead to indigestion. In reality, things were already quite difficult as they were. Gu Hang had ambitions for a full-chain shipyard, but in practice, even with complete technologies, it would still take time to finish the many constructions, and train qualified workers and technical experts. However, when Gu Hang was inspecting the building interface, he noticed there were new things. The Comprehensive Academy, Technical Academy, Loyal Heir Academy, civilian/military factories¨Cthese four categories of buildings now had higher-grade versions. The changes to Loyal Heir Academy and factories were not particularly significant; using the advanced versions just improved educational levels and quality, and the additional value in production efficiency of the factories simply meant an increase in numerical value. For the Comprehensive Academy and Technical Academy, beyond the numerical improvements, the biggest change was the addition of two training options. Under the Comprehensive Academy, a new training option named [Qualified Professionals] appeared, roughly designed to quickly bring students up to the standard of qualified graduates based on their majors. This level was still a grade below talents and far from the threshold for hero activation, but it was nonetheless a method to rapidly produce professional talents in large quantities. Inside the Alliance¡¯s Comprehensive Academy, there were administrative, management, economics, commerce, literature¡­and many other types of majors. The corresponding talent shortfall had always been substantial. Under the Technical Academy, a new training program named [Junior Commissioner] was introduced. This was the lowest-grade title in the Sect of Mechanics, but actually, out of the students graduating normally from the three-year program at the Technical Academy, only about 20% could reach this level and pass the Junior Commissioner exam organized by the Alliance. Now that direct training was possible, it was equivalent to mass-producing outstanding graduates, which was a good thing. The price for these two training options was 10 grace points per person, the same as for a political officer. It might seem cheap, but in reality, for the Alliance¡¯s incredibly large talent gap, the few hundred thousand grace points Gu Hang had were like a drop in the bucket. However, just like when he trained forty thousand loyal officials in a single breath during the construction of Mingyan City, it wasn¡¯t enough for a full-scale approach, but by targeting certain areas and providing special reinforcement, it could greatly accelerate development. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It seems it was time to return to Rage Owl Star. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª 6k chapter 4k for the normal update, 2k for repaying the debt. Still owe 16k Chapter 657 - Chapter 657: 375 Chapter 657: 375 Since the Korolya incident erupted eight months had passed, and Gu Hang had never returned to Rage Owl Star, let alone visited Heijian Star. As for the situations on these two worlds, he mostly learned about them through reports from government officials. Although Korolya had tremendous potential and was a target for focused development, his fundamental concerns still lay with Rage Owl Star. And he also needed to take back the several dozen Black Boxes that had come out of this round of technological lottery. The importance of the shipyard was also high in his mind, and he needed to go back and personally keep an eye on it. Now that Korolya¡¯s situation had generally stabilized and the reforms had entered the right track, and with so many issues accumulated, it was time for him to make a return trip. In Korolya he had bid on ten academies, most of which were placed in Mingyan City, and the remaining three were separately situated in three other Nest Capitals that had begun preliminary stages of reform. After completing this last task, he embarked on the starship back to Rage Owl Star. ¡­ Wu Jiarong was numb. Despite knowing that if the Governor specially sought her out to visit the Secret Research Institute, it must be to show her something big. After the Governor¡¯s landing and a few days of handling official affairs at the Governor¡¯s mansion in Revival City, meeting with officials from various regions, and then preparing to inspect the Weixing City Industrial Center and explicitly informing her of his visit to the institute, she had already mentally braced herself. However, after she accompanied the Governor along with the head of the industrial center, Patel, for an inspection that lasted a day, the Governor came to her Secret Research Institute late at night. wuxiaworld.site A spare underground space had already been cleared out, but after looking around, the Governor remarked, ¡°Not enough.¡± What the hell is not enough? How many Black Boxes do you have? Even if there were a hundred, this space could accommodate them! Of course, she dared not voice these thoughts, only muttering to herself internally before painfully saying to the Governor, ¡°This is currently the largest warehouse we can put into use. Larger ones are still being excavated, and if it really won¡¯t do, we could only employ the few smaller warehouses next door and try to connect them¡­¡± Gu Hang stroked his chin and went with Wu Jiarong to look at the other so-called unopened small warehouses. He was somewhat disappointed. They were not enough. However, he also knew that Wu Jiarong couldn¡¯t be blamed for not giving her all. Here, situated in the outskirts of Weixing City, appeared to be a research institute on the surface, but the most crucial area was underground, where all the technological rewards of Black Boxes that Gu Hang had redeemed from the very beginning to now were placed. All these Black Boxes were in use, producing finished products and industrial lines, all working according to the Union¡¯s demands. This also meant that the utilization rate of the entire space had to be particularly high. The Black Boxes couldn¡¯t simply be stacked up; although they could operate fully autonomously internally, both the input and output required external design guidance and an excellent assembly line design. Now, the Black Boxes that Gu Hang planned to bring out weren¡¯t indeed as many as a hundred, but there still were about fifty or so¨Cout of the total thirty draws he previously made, removing less than five empty ones, the rest of the technology were mostly finished products and mother machine Black Boxes. But regardless, although the number wasn¡¯t that exaggerated, some individual Black Boxes were particularly large. Like the technology for building several starships. The finished product and mother machine, of course, didn¡¯t mean that inserting materials would instantly produce a complete ship. That was impossible. The main thing was to produce some modular key components according to design requirements¨Cif one really wanted full production, that was also possible, but for instance, producing armor steel plates with Black Boxes would be rather foolish, completely unnecessary. Later on, the Black Boxes should output key modular components, or the mother machines should produce production lines for these modular components. These would be completed on the ground and then transported into space; within the space, in the starport¡¯s shipyard, according to the technical requirements, ship hulls would be built, and then these key components would be assembled into the ships in the shipyard. But no matter how, even if it¡¯s just modular production of core components, as long as they are used on starships, they can¡¯t be small. And even though the underground space of the institute had already been made as large as possible, when producing components for spacefaring people, it was already getting close to reaching the ceiling, not to mention the much larger starship components. It was quite normal for Wu Jiarong not to have considered this beforehand. Moreover, as more and more Black Boxes were placed inside the institute, with growing scales, this problem would become even more severe. And not to mention the issue of space for placement, such a large space requiring so much raw material daily and outputting so many products, secrecy work would also become increasingly difficult. It was time to consider other solutions. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The first thought in Gu Hang¡¯s mind was to build a dedicated space city or a Star Fortress in space to house these unspeakable secrets. There were many advantages in space. There was no need to worry about accidental entry, defenses could be extremely stringent, space was definitely ample, and even transportation would become more convenient than on the ground as the number of Union starships increased over time. But he quickly dismissed this idea himself. It was too conspicuous. Conventional secrecy was manageable, and a Star Fortress could be designed to be difficult to infiltrate; but secrecy would simultaneously become incredibly difficult, especially when there were proper procedures demanding entry for inspection, and then things would become quite tricky. Chapter 658 - Chapter 658: Chapter 375, Black Box Factory_2 Chapter 658: Chapter 375, Black Box Factory_2 Another point is that placing it in space is not safe. This ¡®unsafe¡¯ refers to the fact that if it really suffers a space attack, the Alliance, especially under the circumstances that its naval force is not strong enough, would find it difficult to provide support. Having vetoed the idea of placing the new ¡®Black Box Factory¡¯ in space, Gu Hang also thought of an even more ideal location. Although there was a slight risk, it was indeed the best choice. Moreover, he had actually been preparing for this for a while. Gu Hang patted Wu Jiarong on the shoulder, who was looking distressed, ¡°No need to think further, relocate all the staff to the surface. As for what¡¯s down here, I can handle it myself.¡± Wu Jiarong was somewhat astonished. But with her long experience, she had learned not to ask about things she shouldn¡¯t. Ultimately, she obediently nodded and then, following Mr. Gu¡¯s orders, began to move all personnel from the underground space, and all the Black Boxes were also temporarily shut down. Most of the people active within the research institute had undergone brain surgery and were servants; their reaction to the orders was very bland. The very few researchers who had been absorbed into the research institute had gone through the strictest loyalty assessments and training. They would not reveal secrets and fully understood the importance of following orders. After everyone had left the underground space, Gu Hang could begin his work. His thoughts ascended to the subspace, to the Storm God Kingdom within it. wuxiaworld.site Here, countless Valor Spirits saluted Gu Hang suspended in the air. After returning the salute, he headed to his destination. That was a ¡®factory¡¯ established within the Storm God Kingdom. It covered a vast area, but currently, it was nothing more than an empty shell. A large number of Valor Spirits were working inside it, continuing to expand the factory. And this was the new location Gu Hang had prepared for his Black Box Factory. His Spiritual Energy power burst forth rapidly from within his heart, creating a subspace rift right there in the factory, which also connected to the real world, the underground of the Alliance¡¯s Secret Research Institute. Immediately afterward, everything in the underground space was swallowed up by this subspace rift. Gu Hang revealed a smile. This should do it. The Black Box Factory that was ¡®swallowed¡¯ into the Storm God Kingdom remained completely unchanged. It wasn¡¯t just the Black Boxes that were ingested, but also the ancillary facilities that Wu Jiarong had built around them over several years. Semi-automated equipment for input and output of materials was also intact; with the investment of human labor, it could be immediately put back into operation. And in terms of manpower, there was no longer a need to use servants. The Valor Spirits within the Storm God Kingdom would be even more useful than the servants. They were former Alliance Warriors who had sacrificially fallen in battle, their loyalty was beyond question; their existence also completely relied on the power of Gu Hang. Of course, the raw materials needed by the Black Box Factory had to be transported from the real world; the products manufactured also needed to be sent out. But this wasn¡¯t too much of a concern, Gu Hang had already thought of a plan. The power of the Storm God Kingdom, located in the underground space of the real-world Secret Research Institute, wasn¡¯t waning. Instead, along with the power of Gu Hang, it fused with this land even further. Gu Hang turned this area of the real world into an overlay of subspace and reality. Just like the situation with Korolya above Fino City, but for Gu Hang to achieve this on Rage Owl Star was much easier than what Ge Wajia had to deal with. The Storm God Kingdom was originally born from this land, and on Rage Owl Star, the veil of reality was naturally thinner, all of which provided an objective basis for more conveniently bridging subspace and the real world. And more importantly, as an ¡®Evil God,¡¯ Gu Hang himself was in the real world. He was not only able to control the nature of subspace and wield the power of the Storm God Kingdom as he pleased, but as a human, he could also consistently exist in reality. Using himself as an anchor, connecting the two places becomes effortless. However, at this stage, it was not yet completely finished. The overlay of subspace and the real world was not a stable state. Left unchecked for a long time, it could either disappear or uncontrollably expand rapidly, neither of which met Gu Hang¡¯s requirements. He needed to use his own power to stabilize this place. For this, Gu Hang was busy for a whole half day. ¡­ Half a day later, Wu Jiarong got Gu Hang¡¯s permission and returned to the underground Black Box Factory she had built with her own hands. She came full of expectation, convinced that whatever Mr. Gu did would be extraordinary. But when she first entered, at a glance, it seemed as if nothing had changed. The layout was nearly identical to when she had left. She was slightly disappointed, having thought that Mr. Gu had something¡­ Hm? Something wasn¡¯t right. The space was off; it couldn¡¯t possibly be this vast! The underground space of the Secret Research Institute had initially only housed a few Black Boxes; as the demand grew, it expanded, developing multiple underground warehouses. However, even the largest one built later wasn¡¯t as immense as this. Almost all the Black Boxes had been gathered together. Upon looking closer, it still wasn¡¯t right¨C the number was off too. The Black Boxes not only hadn¡¯t decreased but had increased by a large number! Wu Jiarong couldn¡¯t help but look toward Mr. Gu. Gu Hang said with a smile, ¡°We don¡¯t have to worry about space issues anymore, the space here is almost infinite.¡± Wu Jiarong didn¡¯t ask how Mr. Gu managed to do it, she was simply in awe. She had realized this was not mere ¡®technology,¡¯ but a kind of mighty power. Then, she saw many ¡®people¡¯ made of blue light, appearing here. They were uniform and highly disciplined. The leader seemed to be wearing an Alliance Army uniform, sporting a colonel¡¯s rank on his chest. ¡°Mr. Gu! The Valor Spirit Legion¨C Production Team is all in place, awaiting instructions!¡± Gu Hang returned the salute, then said, ¡°Colonel Derek, this is Ms. Wu Jiarong, the head of the Alliance Secret Research Institute. From now on, she will be leading the Production Team. You¡¯ll need to work with her closely to ensure the smooth operation of the Alliance Secret Factory.¡± Wu Jiarong hesitated, but encouraged by Mr. Gu¡¯s look, she stepped forward and shook hands with Colonel Derek. In a blink, a thought sparked in her mind¨Cshe seemed to have heard of Derek before. Wasn¡¯t he the first commander of the 31st Airborne Division of the Alliance Army? Didn¡¯t he sacrifice his life in the battle for the Extreme North Industrial City during the unification war of the Rage Owl Star? How had he become a Valor Spirit? And the others, those Valor Spirits¡­ Wu Jiarong¡¯s gaze turned to Gu Hang again, her expression one of sheer shock. Human warriors who die on the battlefield, returning to the golden throne¡­ that had always been the mantra of the state religion. And even within the Mechanical Cult Guild, there was a somewhat similar saying, ¡°All things find their end in the God of All Mechanics.¡± The Valor Spirits who returned to the golden throne, standing by Mr. Gu¡¯s side? This¡­ Completely dazed, Wu Jiarong walked forward and cautiously shook hands with Colonel Derek. A real sensation came from the handshake. Gu Hang said with a smile nearby, ¡°I believe you two will cooperate quite well in the future.¡± ¡­ After showing Wu Jiarong the newly renovated underground space, Gu Hang let Colonel Derek continue with his task. The entire factory had started to operate under the command of the Valor Spirits. The subsequent pattern was relatively simple. In the real world, a highly confidential material transport team would bring in raw materials and take away the finished products, distributing them to various locations in need. Servitors would take charge of delivering those raw materials to specified locations in the underground space and transporting the finished goods to the surface for the transport team. These ¡®specified locations¡¯ were already in a subspace superposition state. But from this point on, servitors would no longer witness the Black Box factory in action. Subsequently, the Valor Spirits would handle these materials, placing them on semi-automated assembly lines into the Black Boxes, and then removing the Black Box products from the line to the designated spots, waiting for the servitors to carry them away. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang had resolved the issue of insufficient space in the Black Box factory and even took the secrecy to the max. Unauthorized personnel simply could not enter the working area of the Black Boxes. This was not just a matter of security clearance but also the proactive recognition of subspace forces. Anyone without permission, the moment they stepped in, would suffer divine retribution. Furthermore, due to the time-space distortion of the Storm God Kingdom, places in such a superposition state were not just in one location. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.2k, making up for yesterday Chapter 659 - Chapter 659: Chapter 376, Navy of the Century Chapter 659: Chapter 376, Navy of the Century The space on the outskirts of Weixing City that originally belonged to the Secret Research Institute was processed by Gu Hang into an overlapping state with the Storm God Kingdom, which was just the beginning. The more than fifty Black Boxes that Gu Hang managed to obtain through thirty consecutive draws had all been put into place. As the production capacity and raw material demand of the Black Box factory grew larger, its visibility became increasingly noticeable when concentrated in a single location. Since the space-time itself was distorted, there was no need to locate everything in just one place anyway. In the following period, Gu Hang and Wu Jiarong visited many locations across Rage Owl Star. Officially, it was another site in Weixing City owned by the Alliance, in Xiongya Province, in Extreme North Industrial City, and in Skaaro Starport City, each with a new secret research institute under Wu Jiarong¡¯s jurisdiction. But in reality, these so-called research institutes were essentially just ¡®passages¡¯. All these locations were connected to a spot in Subspace, the same spot that was the actual Black Box factory. This meant that any materials transported to any secret research institute could be delivered inside the Black Box factory in the Storm God Kingdom. The products manufactured there could also be moved to any institute at will. This would further alleviate confidentiality issues, avoiding anomalies in material consumption and product output that were characteristic when everything was centralized in one location, and distributing them would make it more clandestine. At the same time, it would also alleviate the difficulties of transportation. Wu Jiarong had nothing but praise for the Governor¡¯s design. Then, she was given a new task by the Governor: to oversee the construction of the Alliance Shipyard. This conversation took place within the Alliance Starport. wuxiaworld.site Gu Hang and Wu Jiarong took the orbital subway and arrived at the Starport. He strolled around the Starport for a bit, conducting an inspection. The Starport on Rage Owl Star had been under construction for five years, drawing in external investment that accelerated its growth rapidly. By now, its scale was no less than MingYan City Starport. Of course, there were also starports on Korolya, not just one. Among the forty Nest Capitals, fifteen had their own starports of various sizes. Without a starport, large-scale interstellar cargo exchanges were impossible. But just think about it, setting aside other factors, just considering the starport in MingYan City on Korolya, corresponding to a population of four billion; even after a large amount of immigration, Rage Owl Star only had one hundred and fifty million people, yet both starports were roughly the same size, which showed the effort put into constructing the starport on Rage Owl Star. ¨CIt also indirectly indicated that the construction of the starports on Korolya was quite poor. Moreover, the difference between the starports of the two locations extended beyond just their scale. The construction of the starport on Rage Owl Star was based on a Starport Blueprint that Gu Hang had obtained earlier. The construction was assisted by external construction vessels. In terms of overall design rationality and the efficiency of handling goods and passengers, it was incomparable to MingYan City Starport of the same scale. Gu Hang was relatively satisfied with this, but he also gave his own instructions. First, the scale of the Starport on Rage Owl Star must be further expanded and equipped with Orbital Defense equipment to transition into a Star Fortress. The entire planet should have a dual defense system stretching from the Starport to the planet¡¯s surface. When in the future the naval build-up of the Alliance catches up, it should have a three-layer defense system: navy vessels ¨C Star Fortress ¨C planetary surface. Only with such measures could Rage Owl Star¡¯s defense be considered foolproof. Meanwhile, the Starport, which was expanding in scale, was also part of Gu Hang¡¯s plan for Rage Owl Star¡¯s production capacity to keep growing rapidly and sustainably over the long term. Rage Owl Star was going to be a vital engine for the Alliance¡¯s forward development, where not only its security needs to be ensured but also the cargo throughput, which was the lifeblood. The massive shipyard that will be built in the future will also require a starport of a larger scale to accommodate it. Eventually, this place may form a space city. As for the current Alliance Shipyard, it has already achieved a certain scale. Over the past few years, it has at least become capable of producing human travel spacecraft. Flights operated independently by the Alliance have already established routes between Heijian Star, Rage Owl Star, and Korolya. Although, due to the scale limitations of human travel, it was still not possible to conduct large-scale transport and was only suitable for official personnel and document transportation. But at the very least, a connection had been established between them. At Gu Hang¡¯s initial request, the foundation of the Alliance Shipyard was meant to be large and robust. Now that there was a real need for expansion, the space reserved for extension from the past played a significant role and saved a lot of trouble. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only For a long time to come, Wu Jiarong would be continuously traveling between the planetary surface and the Starport. The Alliance Shipyard will be designed and constructed according to the new [Shipyard Blueprint] plans. Some key components might even be produced by related Black Boxes within the shipyard. As the shipyard expands and each dock is completed, it will mean that a model of ship can be put into production. The civilian vessels such as the ¡°Dolphin¡± and ¡°Whale¡± were relatively simple and had fixed models with little variation; they just needed to be built according to the design blueprints. However, for patrol ships, escort ships, and destroyers, the Alliance currently only possessed the initial blueprints. Wu Jiarong would need to study these materials, in conjunction with the Black Boxes, to accomplish a further step of specific model design. Chapter 660 - Chapter 660: Chapter 376, Century Navy_2 Chapter 660: Chapter 376, Century Navy_2 Currently, four models are planned. The ¡°Blackfish¡± class rapid patrol vessel is equipped with shield generators, S-grade laser cannons and kinetic cannons. Compared to standard patrol vessels, it uses a Spirit Infusion Engine Module, which typical patrol vessels are reluctant to install, enhancing agility and speed. This is to facilitate the use of wolf pack tactics by the patrol vessels. Although small, its defensive capability is limited by the patrol vessel¡¯s grade and isn¡¯t very substantial; it will explode if hit by cannons. However, the ¡°Blackfish¡± class can rely on its speed and agility, making it easier to dodge locks, reduce the likelihood of being hit, and more easily disperse formation to surround and attack ships much larger than itself. In short, its design philosophy is for the small to overcome the large through agility. The ¡°Silver Helm¡± class escort ship has stronger shield intensity and thicker armor, with the capability to withstand hits from M-grade firepower; it is equipped with rapid-fire kinetic cannons and laser cannons, with a focus on enhancing its interception capabilities. It¡¯s meant to stay in front of main fleet ships, acting as a shield. Its main goal is to intercept as much enemy firepower, landing pods, and space fighters as possible. Belonging to the same class of escort ships, the ¡°Silver Sword¡± class high-speed torpedo vessel, has simplified energy shields and armor compared to the Silver Helm; its interception ability isn¡¯t great either. But, like the latter, it specializes in speed and agility, has an enhanced engine, and apart from the conventional S-grade weaponry, it comes equipped with S-grade ¡°Scalpel¡± missiles and manages to fit an M-grade ¡°Rift Axe¡± torpedo missile system onto an escort ship. Torpedo missiles can bypass energy shields or Void Shields at their terminal deceleration phase, potentially causing direct damage to the ship¡¯s hull. The ship-launched torpedo missiles are powerful and are not part of conventional artillery. However, the issue is that they are easily intercepted at low speed and can be wasted, but if even one hits, and if the shield doesn¡¯t work and interception fails, the enemy ship will suffer greatly, especially since the ¡°Rift Axe¡± itself is an M-grade weapon. It¡¯s not just ships of the same grade; even cruisers two grades higher would be seriously damaged if they took a direct hit from a ¡°Rift Axe.¡± This too follows the principle of the small overcoming the large. The ¡°Silver Sword¡± class is relatively small and inexpensive, so betting on scoring a hit could result in a significant payoff. The ¡°Berserker Shark¡± class combat destroyer is a conventional gunship without any unnecessary frills, centered around the ¡°Hammer¡± Colossal Cannon, emphasizing a balance between defense and firepower. The estimated cost of a ¡°Blackfish¡± class rapid patrol vessel is 32 million tax currency apiece. The cost for the ¡°Silver Helm¡± class reaches 300 million 20 million tax currency. The price of the ¡°Silver Sword¡± class torpedo escort ship is a bit cheaper, at 240 million for one. The construction cost for a ¡°Berserker Shark¡± class combat destroyer is 1.7 billion tax currency per ship. After the designs for these four types of ships were completed, Gu Hang contacted his mother and, through Miss Wang Qi, reached out to his future father-in-law, the retired naval General Fufana, to evaluate these four classes of ships. After listening carefully to Wu Jiarong¡¯s introduction, the old general remained silent for quite some time, as if struck by something. wuxiaworld.site After a while, the old general finally spoke, ¡°Young man, don¡¯t set your sights too high.¡± ¡°?¡± Gu Hang was a bit puzzled after being criticized by his future father-in-law. What¡¯s so overly ambitious about this? The old general had spent his lifetime on the battlefield, commanding countless ships and fighting many sea battles of varying scales. Could it be because the Alliance¡¯s few ships prompted such a remark? That can¡¯t be it, right? And I¡¯m not being overly ambitious. These ships were designed from blueprints that Wu Jiarong obtained through a technology raffle. The Alliance¡¯s shipyard has already started building docks for these models. Once the docks are completed, all these ships can be properly produced. How is that being overly ambitious? Furthermore, the so-called ¡°construction costs¡± Gu Hang mentioned were actually on the high side and not the actual production costs. After all, many components were produced by the Black Box or manufactured on production lines pulled from the Black Box; the actual costs aren¡¯t that high. Estimates suggest that the real cost for the Alliance to produce these items varies from one-tenth to half of the ship¡¯s quoted price. The difference mainly depends on the proportion of Black Box production in shipbuilding. The higher the proportion, the lower the cost. This ¡°construction cost¡± is merely an estimated price that Wu Jiarong calculated based on the Imperial Navy¡¯s ordering prices from various shipyards. But then, General Fufana went on to tell Gu Hang about the situation and prices of the ships that the Tianma Fleet ordered from the Flying Wing Star Shipyard. ¡°` Involving specific parameters and design specifications, naturally, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to discuss in detail. However, after hearing it all, Gu Hang roughly understood why General Fufana had spoken as he did. Take the ¡°Rampaging Shark-class¡± battle destroyers, for instance. The models produced by Flying Wing Star Shipyard ranged from the cheapest at 1.2 billion apiece to the most expensive at 2.2 billion, yet none of them technically matched the ¡°Rampaging Shark.¡± Gu Hang thought that the ¡°Rampaging Shark¡±¡®s design was unremarkable¨Cits ship robust and its cannons powerful¨Cbut with this level of protection and firepower, it was already considered ferocious among destroyers. And you¡¯re saying just 1.7 billion? The ¡°Silver Helm¡± and ¡°Silver Sword¡± followed the same logic. An escort ship from Flying Wing Star Shipyard was generally priced around 300 million, but even the standard escort ships, when compared to ¡°Silver Sword,¡± had nearly identical parameters, similar protection levels, and normal firepower. Yet your ¡°Silver Sword¡± somehow squeezed in an extra ¡°Rift Axe¡± and had high-speed characteristics, all while being 60 million cheaper¡­ Then who would go to Flying Wing Star to buy ships? General Fufana did not believe the prices and performance parameters Gu Hang had mentioned. He thought Gu Hang was talking nonsense. The old man¡¯s earnest words echoed in Gu Hang¡¯s ears: ¡°It¡¯s good that Rage Owl Star has begun building spacecrafts; it proves that your work is bearing fruit. I also believe that Rage Owl Star has the potential to grow, to build good ships, big ships. But everything must develop according to objective conditions. You need to progress step by step, cultivate steadily, and not dabble in flashy and disorderly things; doing so might cause you to take a hard fall. And that so-called ship designer of yours is either deceiving you or lacks capability and is talking nonsense. Execute her; don¡¯t trust her.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm, I¡¯ll take the lesson. I¡¯ll get rid of that designer right away, how dare she deceive me!¡± During the call, Gu Hang nodded repeatedly, indicating he completely understood his father-in-law¡¯s kind intentions. After ending the communication, Gu Hang let out a long sigh of relief. Wu Jiarong, who had been listening in, was already pale. As soon as the communication was disconnected, she immediately said, ¡°Governor! I didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough; no need to say more.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s face was alight with an excited smile, ¡°Now, immediately adjust the ¡®construction cost¡¯ of all ships by 30% upwards!¡± ¡°?¡± Gu Hang said earnestly, ¡°You¡¯re too honest for your own good!¡± ¡°Uh, okay.¡± ¡°And how much longer before our shipyard can get up and running?¡± Wu Jiarong steadied herself and said, ¡°According to our plan, the first phase of the project will be completed in one year, at which point the Silver Helm-class, Silver Sword-class, and Black Fish-class ships can begin production. The second phase will take four years to complete, and by then, all four types of ships we currently have can be produced. The third phase will take six years, and only then can we achieve the goal you¡¯ve set: a two-year shipbuilding cycle, producing one destroyer, three escort ships, and ten patrol ships¡­ Our first destroyer will not be in service until at least eight years from now.¡± Gu Hang let out a long sigh. ¡°They say a decade for land forces and a century for naval forces.¡± It¡¯s the same with the Star Sea. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At this rate, even with unlimited resources, the alliance wouldn¡¯t truly have its own naval fleet until eight years later, and it would still be a small fleet with just one destroyer. Of course, during that time, there should be more than just three escort ships and ten patrol ships; and after the third phase is completed, the alliance¡¯s shipyard won¡¯t stop construction, entering into a complete shipbuilding cycle, and the speed at which ships are produced will become increasingly faster. If Gu Hang really had a hundred years, he might indeed have a very powerful fleet by then. But a hundred years¡­ ¡°` Chapter 661 - Chapter 661: Chapter 377, Win-Win Chapter 661: Chapter 377, Win-Win The ultra-high profits and value of the shipbuilding industry filled Gu Hang with great ambition. According to the construction period mentioned by Wu Jiarong, in six years, the total value of the ships launched by the Alliance Shipyard every two years would exceed three billion tax currency. Although it was still far from reaching the scale of Flying Wing Star, which launched ships worth over twenty billion every four years, one must consider that they had been developing for hundreds of years, while the Alliance had been established for only how long? If this pace of development continued, the Alliance Shipyard would only get bigger, and in about a decade, it might reach the level of Flying Wing Star and complete its centuries of development. However, despite the speed being extremely fast, so fast that even old sailors like Fufana would think it a pipe dream, Gu Hang still felt an urgency that time was not on his side. He would still need a long time before he could have ships that traversed the Star Sea. But the good news was that Gu Hang was still young and had plenty of time to wait. If we were to talk about lifespan, not to mention the life-extending surgery he could definitely afford, just his spiritual energy power and his grasp on the essence of subspace would lead him to estimate that his life would not be short. Without life-extending surgery, living a few hundred years wouldn¡¯t be a big problem. While he wouldn¡¯t be immortal, it was still quite remarkable. Not to mention, if he really reached the limit of his lifespan, Gu Hang had one last trick up his sleeve. Humans have limits, so why remain human? By embracing the essence of subspace, Gu Hang could achieve immortality immediately. Of course, that step was still far off. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site Gu Hang was merely using this thought to remind himself not to rush, for time was on his side. Thinking in this way, his state of mind gradually became more tranquil. ¡­ For the next few months, Gu Hang was basically shuttling between Rage Owl Star, Heijian Star and Korolya. He would listen to political reports from these planets, inspect some areas in person, and give some directives. At this level, frankly speaking, Gu Hang could no longer manage an alliance of such scale on his own. Relying on the government and his officials was a necessity. Gu Hang¡¯s work had to focus even more on ¡®managing people¡¯. Essentially, it was about ensuring his will was being implemented by the officials. If it was, then reward them; if not, critique and demote; malefactors who intentionally opposed him and the corrupt were sent to court. Gu Hang had one particularly significant advantage over most rulers in this world: he understood the human heart. He truly understood, after all, he had the talent for thought reading spiritual energy. Of course, he couldn¡¯t possibly use his mental abilities to probe the minds of every subordinate. In fact, he rarely did so. On one hand, doing so wasn¡¯t quite right; he didn¡¯t want to become a sorcerer tyrant who exploited and manipulated minds to rule his lands, as in doing so, he would not hear the voices of others. The wisdom of one person is far less than that of a group¨Cprovided that the group is moving in the right direction. On the other hand, it wasn¡¯t feasible. He could probe the thoughts of an individual, but he could not possibly take the time to clearly understand and then control the minds of each of his officials. If he really did it that way, he wouldn¡¯t have time for anything else in his life. However, not actively probing or changing thoughts didn¡¯t mean that spiritual energy was ineffective. In fact, even if Gu Hang did nothing, when someone stood before him and conversed with him, any significant change in thought would produce clear mental waves that were fully exposed before his eyes. The smiles and tension of those officials during their reports, whether they hid confidence, self-doubt, guilt, or secret intentions¡­ Gu Hang could see them all very clearly. Truthfully, Gu Hang did not particularly care about the trivial thoughts of his officials. He didn¡¯t have any mental obsession with cleanliness, and he understood better than anyone that all people, even those he trusted the most like Osenia, Lambert, and Yan Fangxu, had their own thoughts. They might not fully understand Gu Hang¡¯s thinking, might have personal desires¡­ That was all too normal. Or rather, that was the true nature of humanity. Even Gu Hang himself, at certain moments, why wouldn¡¯t he have the desire to slack off or take a rest for a while? As long as the overall direction was positive, that was enough. A bit of personal desire, bias, confusion, laxity, and resentment¡­ Moderate amounts were acceptable, and Gu Hang would simply laugh them off. Of course, for the exceptionally ridiculous cases, all he needed to do was to let the Anti-Corruption Bureau investigate, and Gu Hang didn¡¯t mind using such methods to root out the corrupt and the negligent. Half a year passed by in this manner. At this moment, Gu Hang, who was on Rage Owl Star, witnessed the commissioning of the Alliance¡¯s first genuine new ship at the Alliance Shipyard. It was a ¡®Flying Dolphin.¡¯ Although it was just a transport ship, and although most of its core components came from the Black Box, and although the dock that built the Flying Dolphin had its foundation laid out beforehand¡­ Regardless, this was the Alliance¡¯s first genuine ship¨Cthose small crafts by Travellingman didn¡¯t count. Its value was clearly stipulated in the Imperial Tax: twenty million tax currency. Currently, the Alliance Shipyard could build one Flying Dolphin every six months. And now, the one hundred and fifty million people of Rage Owl Star paid only fifteen million in Imperial Tax annually. The revenue from just one Flying Dolphin built every six months was more than enough to cover the tax. Even more so considering that Gu Hang¡¯s next Imperial Tax didn¡¯t even need to be paid. Not to mention the tax-exempt Korolya, the current fixed Imperial Tax for the Alliance was still fifty million tax currency per year, payable biennially for a total of only one hundred million. However, on the Korolya battlefield, Gu Hang had already paid a great deal. First was the replenishment and expansion of the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s forces and the consumption of various types of supplies, ammunition, and provisions. Over the past two years, the Alliance has spent a total of thirty million. Originally, the majority of the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s personnel were replenished from Korolya, but now that Korolya belonged to Gu Hang and was tax-exempt, this part also had to be paid for by the Military Affairs Department. But the Military Affairs Department actually hadn¡¯t paid a penny; it was all done on credit, which could be used to offset taxes in the next tax season. This was supported by documents from the Imperial Military Department. Meanwhile, the Dragonhawk Legion received a replenishment of more than three million Korolya personnel, of which over a million were incorporated as a fully-staffed Army Group. Furthermore, post-war, the armaments, ammunition consumption, and logistical supplies for the Third Group Army of the Dragonhawk Legion were all supplied by the Alliance, cutting off any ties with Fatches¨Cregardless of whether Fatches or the Dragonhawk Legion were willing participants, the command came from the Empire. In the last few months, the Alliance spent more than eighty million for this. Just these two legions together amount to one hundred and ten million in tax currency. When tax season arrives, the Empire still owes me over ten million. And in the future, even if the fighting isn¡¯t as intense, the annual maintenance costs for the Dragonhawk and Rage Bear Legions will be about eighty million tax currency. There¡¯s no need to worry about Imperial Tax at all. At least, there¡¯s no need to worry for these few tax-exempt years in Korolya. As for the Blimp right now, Gu Hang ¡®sold¡¯ it to the Gu Commercial Firm at a bargain price. This was to appease the Gu Commercial Firm. For a long time, the Gu Commercial Firm had done a lot of unpaid work for Gu Hang. Initially, during the Korolya war, the Military Affairs Department was paying to help transport materials and evacuate personnel, which were considered orders that the Empire gave to the Gu Commercial Firm. But after the war ended, as the Alliance itself still lacked the capability for large-scale transportation in the Star Realm, the Gu Commercial Firm dedicated an entire merchant fleet, practically forgoing all other orders, to exclusively transport for the Alliance at extremely low prices. Merchants would be dissatisfied with this. Gu Hang is the Family Head, and his mother is the actual helmswoman¨Cthis is true. But the Gu Commercial Firm isn¡¯t their private property; it is a legitimate member of the Empire Commerce Guild, subject to performance pressures. Furthermore, the nature of its franchise membership remains strong to this day. The merchant fleet serving the Alliance, with its various transportation orders at low prices, is bearable, considering these are short hauls; but being unable to accept other high-profit orders is causing quite a bit of discontent. Miss Wang Qi might be willing to support her son without earning money, but she can¡¯t expect the same from everyone below her. The Blimp is a good means of payment. For a merchant ship fleet, the most important wealth is the vessels. This Blimp, sold at a bargain price of ten million to the Gu Commercial Firm, is enough to suppress a lot of dissatisfaction. With one more ship, there will be one more captain, many more positions open, and some people can get promoted and receive raises. With a bit more profit, the whole merchant fleet can earn somewhat more. The main point is the significant savings. For Gu Hang as well, it¡¯s not a loss. Firstly, even with a selling price of ten million, it might seem like a half-price sale, but the Alliance Shipyard still makes a considerable profit. Of course, cost can¡¯t be calculated this way, since Black Box production doesn¡¯t cost Gu Hang anything, but it¡¯s still wealth. But most importantly, the Blimp, upon delivery to the fleet working for the Alliance, is in the end still working for the Alliance, right? Shifting from the left hand to the right, the fleet is appeased, shipbuilding profits are earned, and the fleet¡¯s transport capacity increases¡­ Multiple wins! ¡­ After meeting with the person in charge of the merchant fleet, his cousin Wang Jiarong, for a meal, Gu Hang received a message. There were visitors. It was a group from the Star Domain Government, which included representatives from the Star Domain Government, the Military Affairs Department, and the Star Realm Army. The latter two even had two sets of representatives, from both the Dragonhawk Star Domain and the Eastern Cosmos Domain. The arrival of the Star Domain personnel was expected, as the current Minister of Internal Affairs, Lois, could be considered to have a good relationship with Gu Hang. But why was a team from the Space Domain Government also present? What were they here for? Gu Hang didn¡¯t personally receive them; their status wasn¡¯t high enough, so the Diplomatic Department handled it. But soon enough, an official from the Diplomatic Department came to report, requesting the Governor¡¯s appearance. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This group had come to bestow an honor upon Gu Hang. ¡ª¡ª¨C Extra release! 3k words! Still owe 13k Chapter 662 - Chapter 662: Chapter 378, Star Language Phone Chapter 662: Chapter 378, Star Language Phone The so-called award ceremony was to commend Gu Hang for his outstanding performance as the commander in the Korolya battle. The atmosphere of the award ceremony was very formal, but it wasn¡¯t made too complex or grandiose. Gu Hang, dressed in his military uniform, received the documents from the representative of the Star Realm Army and pinned the medal to his chest himself, and with that, the ceremony was concluded. It was a bit irregular for one to award oneself a medal, but that¡¯s how it was done on this occasion. The representatives from the Star Domain and Cosmos Domain did not include any high-ranking officials. The Star Realm Army representative was just a civilian colonel, which made the awarding even stranger. So Gu Hang decided to do it himself. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the guests, they rested for a few days on Rage Owl Star under the hospitality of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before embarking on their return journey. And Gu Hang thus became a Major General in the Star Realm Army and was awarded the Empire¡¯s Glorious Medal. As the second tier of the Empire¡¯s five grades of medals, though only one level higher than the Warrior¡¯s Medal, it¡¯s actually a great honor. In fact, as long as it¡¯s an ¡®Empire Medal¡¯, regardless of the level, it¡¯s of very high value. This is not the same as some of the wild chicken medals handed out by some planets and other interstellar organizations. There are only five medals that are legitimately recognized across all domains of the empire. Even the lowest level, the Warrior¡¯s Medal, if awarded to an Interstellar Warrior, would be worn on the shoulder and chest armor as a mark of honor. However, if we are talking about actual value, there is none. Although there are instances where great contributions are awarded with medals and then rewarded with a star system or someone attains a very high political status, these are not benefits that come with the medal itself, but rather the intrinsic value of the achievements. The medal is purely a symbol of honor. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t help but make a snide remark, ¡°The Alliance¡¯s medals even come with money! Medals like the Rejuvenation Medal, Wind-Extinguishing Medal, and third-class combat merit award all come with a lifetime stipend, unless one commits an offense later and is stripped of the medal; then it¡¯s another matter.¡± wuxiaworld.site Nevertheless, Gu Hang was still delighted to keep his Glorious Medal. Wearing it on his chest when going out would still look quite prestigious. Moreover, Gu Hang¡¯s military rank had also been promoted. The movement caused by the apostle of war Galaraldo had resulted in Gu Hang becoming the commander of the Rage Bear Legion with the rank of Brigadier General. At that time, his rank was somewhat nominal. A Brigadier General in the Star Realm Army, who wasn¡¯t in command of an Army Group? An Army Group¡¯s size is at least a million people. When the Rage Bear Legion was first established, it had only about a hundred thousand people, which was the size of two or three Masters, and not even enough for the rank of Brigadier General. Now the Rage Bear Legion is a proper force of over a million people, and the rank of Brigadier General as legion commander is well-deserved. But Gu Hang¡¯s status was more than that. Although the Korolya Battle Zone was a temporary setup, as the commander, at the height of his power, Gu Hang nominally commanded nearly half of the Tianma Fleet, an entire Army Group of the Dragonhawk Legion, in addition to the local Planetary Defense Force, and yet he was still only a Brigadier General. That was a bit too low¨Cunder him, Hans, who was to obey him, was already a Major General. Therefore, Gu Hang¡¯s rank was promoted to Major General¨Ca rank within the Star Realm Army hierarchy. Gu Hang continued to complain, ¡°The battle is damn over, and now they think my rank isn¡¯t suitable?¡± The reaction speed of the Empire¡­ But regardless, a post-facto promotion is still a promotion. In the future, when Gu Hang goes out, or when someone comes to Rage Owl Star, having the rank of Major General in the Star Realm Army along with the Empire¡¯s Glorious Medal, these two things together will indeed make an impressive display. However, Gu Hang was still pondering another situation: Did the Empire take the initiative to arrange all this for him? He was somewhat skeptical. Given the value of these things and understanding the ecology of the Empire¡¯s political scene, the idea of rewarding achievement is just talk. Without taking initiative, without striving, and without backing, it¡¯s questionable whether the credit was truly his own. While Gu Hang¡¯s achievements were undeniable, expecting the Empire to proactively reward him, and generously at that, seemed unlikely. But speaking of backing, Gu Hang did think of two people. One was Nell Lavis. But he quickly dismissed this option. Lavis held significant power, but the position was not high enough. Although able to secure some tangible benefits for Gu Hang, obtaining the rank of Major General and the Empire Medal probably wouldn¡¯t have been within Lavis¡¯s capabilities. The position of Minister of Internal Affairs of the Star Domain didn¡¯t quite fit with the awards Gu Hang had received. However, he seemed to have another backer. Galaraldo. After some thought, Gu Hang used the Star Language Tower on Rage Owl Star to make a very complicated interstellar call, directed toward Wuji Star in the Eastern Cosmos Domain¡¯s capital. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only His Star Language Tower could, at most, reach Flying Wing Star¨Calready spanning two Star Systems and traversing two Star Realm Tunnels. To contact Yunluo Star, where the Star Domain Government resides, one would need to transfer from the Star Language Tower system on Flying Wing Star. And to get in touch with Wuji Star, the capital planet of the Eastern Cosmos Domain, it would require another transfer from Yunluo Star. Just using the Star Language Tower to search for a Spiritual Energy channel, then applying for permission, getting approval, transferring and searching again, applying and getting approval¡­ the entire process was cumbersome. Especially when searching for a Spiritual Energy channel, the more transfers and the further the distance, the more complex the Spiritual Energy environments become, making the search more difficult, and posing a larger challenge for the work of the Star Speaker. Chapter 663 - Chapter 663: Chapter 378, Star Language Phone Call_2 Chapter 663: Chapter 378, Star Language Phone Call_2 The original Star Speaker from Rage Owl Star couldn¡¯t do it. Even if you matched him with dozens of psychics from the Storm Mage Corps and maximized the spiritual energy, he still couldn¡¯t make multiple jumps to the Cosmic Domain Capital. For long-distance Star Language communication, in addition to the strength of spiritual energy, a stronger ability to search for signals is equally important. The current Star Speaker at Rage Owl Star was good for nothing. Even if you threw this guy into the union¡¯s Storm Mage Academy for further education, it would be no use, he had no potential left. This guy, was sent by Gu Hang¡¯s mother. In fact, the Star Language Tower was also a gift from his mother, with the Star Speaker dispatched together. Initially, they thought he was a high-tech talent, but later they found out this guy was just so-so, lacking both talent and ambition, only thinking of scraping by until death. But that¡¯s not really a problem, Gu Hang was very tolerant. Whatever you can do is as far as you can go, just do your normal work. Gu Hang would not make any further demands regarding capability issues. However, for Star Language communication, Gu Hang did have practical needs. As the alliance¡¯s operations expanded more and more, the need for external communication would definitely increase. And, communication with fixed stars was already the simplest. More difficult was communication with fleets on long voyages. Now trying to make a call to Wuji Star was so troublesome, let alone getting in touch with a war fleet that was already in a remote star sector, constantly moving, and might sometimes have to enter a silent state ¡ª for example, the Tianma Fleet to which Gu Hang¡¯s fiancee Yelisia belonged, wasn¡¯t that even more unreachable? Indeed, that was the case. This area still needed to be strengthened. wuxiaworld.site On one hand there was the need for improving the quality of Star Speakers, on the other hand, the technical level of the Star Language Towers. Both complemented each other. A badass Star Speaker could connect straight to Holy Terra with crappy equipment; a crappy Star Speaker matched with a good enough Star Language Tower could at least contact a place outside of the Cosmos Domain. While thinking about which direction the alliance needed to further strengthen development, Gu Hang¡¯s psionic perception followed the signal of the Star Language Tower, connected to the relay station at Flying Wing Star, then connected to Yunluo Star, and continued searching for Wuji Star. There was no helping it. If his subordinates were not up to par, then Gu Hang had to step in himself. He was not like the perpetual duty Star Speaker on Rage Owl Star. He was a bona fide Grade S Psychic, with a spiritual energy that was not of the same level. Although he had a disadvantage of not having undergone professional Star Speaker training, it was not too late to learn on the go ¡ª he had more than enough capital to attempt it. Then, the process of making this phone call wasted a whole day of his time. Connecting to Wuji Star was okay, taking only two hours, but after the call, Gu Hang received news that Galaraldo was no longer on Wuji Star. This did not match the last update Gu Hang had received. Galaraldo should have taken a fast ship and headed to the capital of the empire, the homeworld of humanity: Holy Terra. He had left Wuji Star about a year and a half ago. Based on the speed of the ship he took, Galaraldo should have already arrived at Holy Terra by now. So, Gu Hang called Holy Terra. That was quite far, causing Gu Hang to spend an entire day on the call. After going through this ordeal, Gu Hang¡¯s proficiency in operating Star Language communication increased significantly. The next time he called Wuji Star, it should only take an hour to handle; getting through to Holy Terra would also take at most seven or eight hours. Of course, even then it¡¯s still not really acceptable. How could Gu Hang have so much time to spend on making phone calls? In the future, unless there were better Star Speaker, a better Star Language Tower, making it unnecessary for Gu Hang to personally act as the operator, he certainly wouldn¡¯t make any super long-distance interstellar calls for anything but extremely important matters. In fact, he was already regretting this call. He felt like there really wasn¡¯t anything particularly necessary to say to Galaraldo. It was only that he had already invested so much time halfway through, the sunken cost was too high, so he gritted his teeth and persisted, seeing it as a form of self-improvement. However, once the call got through, Gu Hang felt that the information he obtained from it was indeed very valuable. ¡°I was still wondering how much longer it would take for your call to come through,¡± said the frivolous voice of Galaraldo from the other side, carrying a fondness not heard for a long time. ¡°The honorees only got to Rage Owl Star. After I met them, I immediately wanted to communicate with you, but¡­ this remote place, please understand, it¡¯s really difficult to make contact with Holy Terra.¡± ¡°I understand, I understand. But you moved quickly¡­¡± ¡°Hello? Hello?¡± ¡°Oh, can you hear me now¡­ this damn call quality!¡± Galaraldo cursed after complaining, then his tone lightened up again, ¡°I called over a few Star Speakers specially to reinforce our communication channel, should be no problem now!¡± ¡°From the way you speak, it seems you are also highly respected at Holy Terra?¡± ¡°Of course, who am I? I am Bochoya Galaraldo!¡± ¡°Apostle of War¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me Apostle of War anymore, I¡¯m not that now.¡± When Galaraldo said this, his mood dropped for a moment, but was quickly replaced by a new, vibrant emotion, ¡°Now, please refer to me as Deputy Minister of the Imperial Military Department!¡± Then, Galaraldo added, ¡°Unless something unexpected happens, within half a year, I¡¯ll be promoted to Assistant Minister of the Military Affairs Department.¡± ¡°!¡± Gu Hang¡¯s exclamation was genuine. The surprise Galaraldo brought to Gu Hang was even more significant than he had imagined. The ¡®Military Department¡¯ mentioned by the former Apostle of War had the prefix of the Empire and was not followed by any other suffix. This meant that he was referring to the Central Military Department of the Empire. And what is the grade of Deputy Minister? The head of the Central Government of the Empire is the Prime Minister, and the Minister of the Military Affairs Department is one of the most important government positions under the Prime Minister, at times¨Cas in the current era¨Cthe Minister could be one of the thirteen members of the Human Supreme Council. Within the Military Affairs Department, below the Minister are the Deputy Minister and the Assistant Ministers, followed by the Deputy Ministers. In the Military Department, counting the Minister, there might be just six to seven people above Galaraldo; if he really gets promoted to Assistant Minister within half a year as he said, he almost counts as a top-five figure in the department, and in extreme cases, he could even be considered the third-in-command. So, does that mean Gu Hang¡¯s ¡®good friend¡¯, Galaraldo, has become a proper high official of the Empire? Not someone who operates brutally by solely relying on the authority of the Sun Lord without any actual official capacity, those so-called ¡®Apostles of War¡¯, but a legitimate high official of the Empire. How did this guy manage to do it? Gu Hang felt deeply surprised. Amid his pride, Galaraldo roughly shared his recent experiences with Gu Hang. ¡°Wait, your place¡­¡± Galaraldo understood immediately: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, of course, I¡¯ll be cautious to ensure our conversation is not tapped.¡± He continued, ¡°Let me think, where was I¡­¡± ¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Initially, after Galaraldo was rescued from subspace by Gu Hang, he realized something had happened to the Sun Lord as soon as he heard the Sun Lord¡¯s delegation that came to save him hurried back halfway. He fled from the Tianma Star Sector at the first chance he got. No matter how important the Tianma Star Sector seemed, it was still a remote area of the Empire. He had to act quickly while he still had time. No matter how the Sun Lord died, Galaraldo, being a confidant, was very clear that no one could continue to sustain the Solar Expedition after the Sun Lord; the vast Solar Expedition Army, which nearly gathered the elite of the entire Empire, would also disintegrate. He had to find a way out for himself, or someone like him, without military power, who made money for the Sun Lord, who offended countless high officials in the Empire, would surely be quickly purged in the first wave. Chapter 664 - Chapter 664: Chapter 379, High-Ranking Central Government Official Chapter 664: Chapter 379, High-Ranking Central Government Official Galaraldo had a very clear understanding of his own situation at the outset. If he did nothing, he was as good as dead. He was a War Apostle of the Sun Lord, the closest confidant of that great figure who had almost single-handedly wielded the Empire¡¯s supreme power for decades. When necessary, the Sun Lord even liked to exercise supreme authority directly through his War Apostles. This was a very normal choice; in his view, the governmental system of the Empire was too cumbersome and inefficient. With his unmatched prestige, he would directly deploy War Apostles, either as the chief administrative officer of a vast Star Domain, as a tax officer to gather war materials (this was the role of Galaraldo), or directly appoint a War Apostle as the person in charge of a certain war zone, consolidating forces like the Star Realm Army, the Navy, and even the Interstellar Warriors, the state religion¡¯s nuns, the Tribunal, and the Sect of Mechanics¡­ This greatly increased efficiency, integrating the Empire¡¯s complex and cumbersome forces, but undoubtedly destroyed the Empire¡¯s established system. While the Sun Lord was alive, this wasn¡¯t a major issue, and the War Apostles could still summon wind and rain. But after the death of the Sun Lord, there would inevitably be a comprehensive backlash from the entire Empire¡¯s established system, which would drive the War Apostles into a corner. Without their greatest patron, would the Empire tolerate these War Apostles, who could only wield immense power with the prestige of the Sun Lord, to continue holding high positions and usurping the authority of the Empire Government? Clearly not. So the question arises, what would the remaining War Apostles do? Would they willingly accept their execution? Clearly, that was also not a possibility. Just as Galaraldo had tried everything to fight for a way out, the other forty or so War Apostles also each had their own methods and means. wuxiaworld.site By now, four or five years had passed, and the death of the Sun Lord still had not been made public. The number of people who knew this news for certain was very few; those who guessed, those who felt it, there were many, but nobody had evidence, nor dared to be so certain; those who believed that the Solar Expedition was still proceeding vigorously were the overwhelming majority. However, underneath the surface, everything had already begun to move in secret. There were already War Apostles who had been purged, along with the series of forces they represented, which crumbled as a result. And some War Apostles, especially those ensconced in the ¡®Solaria¡¯ Cosmos Domain conquered by the Solar Expedition and acting as generals, as chief administrators, quickly developed into separatist forces. They also had a lot of dirty laundry to deal with each other. Of the forty or so War Apostles, were their relationships all close comrades-in-arms? Obviously not. Over the course of the lengthy Solar Expedition, these colleagues had become friends, but also, due to differences in ideology, personality, and other reasons, many conflicts had formed. While Sun Lord Suo He Kaim was alive, all conflicts were suppressed beneath the surface; without him, these conflicts began to erupt en masse. Some War Apostles wanted to elect a new leader, hoping that the position of ¡®Sun Lord¡¯ would continue to exist and continue to lead the ongoing Solar Expedition; some wanted to stop fighting and obey the Empire¡¯s orders; some just wanted to independently rule over their territories like local tyrants¡­ But regardless of how much power they inherited, whether they were generals or politicians, whether they were loyal or harbored other intentions, in any case, the Solaria Domain had already become a complete mess. Galaraldo foresaw these situations and future trends. And he himself was different from those former colleagues. He neither controlled an army nor was he a powerful regional governor. Within the War Apostles, he served as a tax officer, and his biggest reliance was on the authority and prestige of the Sun Lord. He could neither rule over a region nor had the chips to negotiate with the Empire. On the contrary, by dealing with taxation and war donations, he had offended numerous people within the Empire. Although, the vast majority of them were local officials and lords, without his patron, these officials and real-power lords could very easily take his life. However, he also had advantages that his former colleagues did not. Unlike the other War Apostles who spent years in the Solaria Domain, expanding the Empire¡¯s borders, Galaraldo¡¯s ¡®workplace¡¯ was within the entire Empire, especially as he spent a longer time in Holy Terra, after all, he needed to deal with various government departments, particularly the Military Affairs Department and the Department of Taxation. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He had many connections. Though in the midst of chaos, networking might seem inconsequential compared to genuine power in hand, but Galaraldo also swiftly analyzed another aspect¨Cif the Solar Expedition Army, no matter how fierce, no matter how much it had concentrated the best of the Empire, lost Suo He Kaim himself, they would be nothing but loose sand, incapable of coming together. His colleagues, even though they now possessed powerful legacies, still paled in comparison to the truly infinite power of the Empire. He did not know how long the turmoil in Solaria would last, how severe it would be, or even if it might explode into civil war. But he believed that in the end, it would still be the Human Empire, which had stood for over ten thousand years, that would claim victory. So, the path he chose became very clear. Chapter 665 - Chapter 665: Chapter 379, Senior Central Government Official_2 Chapter 665: Chapter 379, Senior Central Government Official_2 After arriving at Wuji Star, he took advantage of the time when the Sun Lord¡¯s reputation was still intact and the speculation about his death hadn¡¯t yet spread widely. With a bit of bluffing, he pulled in some connections and successfully reached out to Holy Terra. In the process, he incidentally helped Gu Hang sort out the ¡®Alliance¡¯s¡¯ legal procedures. Afterwards, having sorted his connections clearly and put some chips on the table, as well as securing some political assurances, he left Wuji Star and the Eastern Cosmos Domain for Holy Terra. What were the chips he offered? There were two things: The first was the political legacy that Suo He Kaim had left behind in Holy Terra and throughout the entire Central Empire. In his lifetime, the Sun Lord could be considered the supreme ruler of the entire Empire. Apart from the most conspicuous forty-six War Apostles, he certainly had other confidantes, scattered throughout various central departments of Holy Terra and governments in the Cosmos Domains and Star Domains of the entire Empire. Because of his unique duties, Galaraldo knew these people better than anyone else. This list and his understanding of these individuals, with whom he had even cooperated on many occasions¡­ The considerable time Galaraldo spent on Wuji Star was strategizing to win these people over. He meticulously brought those among them he was familiar with and valued under his command, establishing a tighter connection. Of course, he couldn¡¯t subdue everyone, and even the supporters he could rally were at most just the tip of the iceberg among the Sun Lord¡¯s supporters. Otherwise, if he could make all these people obey him, he, at the very least, could aim for a seat on the Supreme Council. Those he couldn¡¯t subdue still shouldn¡¯t be wasted; he would sell the complete list to the Central Government. Indeed, he sold the list and his understanding of these individuals for a good price. The second was his colleagues on Solaria. wuxiaworld.site He understood the other War Apostles very well: precisely what each of them thought, who could be persuaded, who was compelled by circumstances, and who was a true ambitious schemer. Moreover, his relationships with many of them were quite good; after all, during the Sun Expedition, as the one profiting from the campaign, he was naturally welcomed by his peers. Understanding and even good relations meant his presence offered Holy Terra a means to divide and address the chaotic situation on Solaria after the death of the Sun Lord. Frankly speaking, he had already convinced one of the War Apostles, a marshal, to return with his troops to the Empire ¡ª of course, that was also the marshal¡¯s original intention. These two assets highlighted Galaraldo¡¯s extraordinary role. Once he clearly showed a willingness to cooperate and leveraged his connections, hugging the right thighs, not only was his life secured, but he also rose rapidly. At this stage, he even managed to secure for Gu Hang the rank of Imperial Lieutenant General along with the Glorious Medal of Honor as a perk. ¡°Originally, I wanted to secure for you the rank of General and the Holy Medal, but unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t manage it. Securing the rank of Lieutenant General and the Glorious Medal was the best I could do. The affairs of Dragonhawk Star Domain are simply too far from Holy Terra, and many officials here have never even heard of Rage Owl Star, Korolya, or the Tianma Star Sector,¡± ¡°But don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve been working hard here in Holy Terra to promote your achievements. A Battle Group redeemed under the governance of Mr. Gu; savior of forty billion people; a distinguished and pragmatic politician; a wise ruler¡­ I¡¯ve approached some newspapers and radio stations, spent quite a bit of money to publicize your reputation; they are also adapting some of your acts, like crushing the Cult and saving the world, into new operas to be premiered soon.¡± ¡°To be honest, making these happen has not been easy. The people of Terra have heard hero tales from all over the universe, and every hero wants to make a name for themselves here after their deeds. To secure a spot for you in the media and scheduling for the theater, I¡¯ve had to push aside several so-called heroes¡¯ stories.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve also asked the most talented playwrights to adapt your deeds with some reasonable dramatization. Please understand, to touch hearts in a place like Terra, we need some twists and turns, incredible stories, and of course, a pinch of romantic elements to act as seasoning and sensory stimulation.¡± ¡°Once your fame rises, I can then use these to secure higher military ranks and medals for you, and then we can aim for real benefits. What is it that you want? The head of the Dragonhawk Star Domain? Or maybe the Chairman of the Eastern Cosmos Domain? Or perhaps advancing further in the Star Realm Army to become a marshal? Or making progress within the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association? Choose your path, and I will help you strive ahead on that road. I look forward to reuniting with you in Holy Terra in a few decades, and then, we shall advance together!¡± ¡­ After ending the communication with Galaraldo, Gu Hang sat stupefied in his own chair. This guy was indeed very capable. Not everyone could find a way out on the road of desperation. Galaraldo¡¯s response was quick, his decision-making firm, and his action powerful. Retracing the outcome to the process, his ability to not just save his own life but also find his opportunity for advancement in such a situation was certainly a display of capability. And the fact this guy was so friendly towards him was within expectations. Originally, he had meddled with Galaraldo¡¯s soul. Leveraging the ¡®favor of saving his life¡¯ and the suggestions implanted in his soul, he made Galaraldo see him as his closest friend. But Gu Hang was also aware that doing so was very risky. Galaraldo¡¯s identity meant he would continuously, time and again, undergo relevant spiritual energy checks to ensure his psyche had not been contaminated. For this reason, when manipulating Galaraldo¡¯s thoughts, Gu Hang had been very, very cautious, and his actions very, very slight. He dared not alter any of his memories, personality, or cognition. All he could do was plant a seed and let it take root and sprout on its own. The seed dissipated after a short while, leaving behind thoughts that could be considered to have grown from Galaraldo¡¯s soul itself. Even so, upon hearing that Galaraldo had gone to Holy Terra, Gu Hang was still a bit worried. He feared that in the heart of the Central Empire, talented individuals emerged in droves, and now that Galaraldo was in a high position, he would be subjected to continuous autonomous or obligatory checks. It would be quite normal if someone discovered something slightly amiss in Galaraldo¡¯s soul. The reason Gu Hang made this call was partly to probe and see. However, as things stood, Galaraldo was still stable. The psychics of Holy Terra had not detected anything unusual. Galaraldo still considered him a brother in all but blood. It¡¯s just¡­ a bit too enthusiastic. Publicizing my deeds in newspapers, on the radio, and even scripting dramas to play out love and hate, they have to ¡®creatively¡¯ adapt it to enhance the impact, adding twists and intrigue¡­ Gu Hang covered his face, deeply concerned about his reputation. He hadn¡¯t created some bizarre spectacle, had he? Gu Hang sighed deeply. Forget it, Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only after all, far away on Holy Terra, even making a phone call was such a hassle, he could not intervene in anything. He just hoped that Galaraldo would be reliable. He quickly reminded himself to stop thinking about such things and to shift his focus to the present. Representatives from the Star Domain and Cosmos Domain had not yet left, but Rage Owl Star was about to welcome a second wave of guests. They were not exactly coming from afar; they were a work group from the Star Sector Government departing from Flying Wing Star, tasked with determining the tax assessments for Rage Owl Star, and indeed the entire alliance, for the next ten years. Chapter 666 - Chapter 666: Chapter 380, It is necessary to maintain respect for Gu Hang Chapter 666: Chapter 380, It is necessary to maintain respect for Gu Hang Regarding how much tax each world should pay, the Empire had established standards: total population x 0.1 x development coefficient. For planets like Rage Owl Star, Heijian Star, and Korolya, which all have the lowest development coefficient of level 1, they pay ten percent of their total population; for a place like Flying Wing Star, with a development coefficient of level 5, it has to pay 50% tax on its total population. This seems simple and clear, but in reality, determining the tax amount for each planet is a very complex matter. First, it is not possible to change this in real-time. The Empire¡¯s Tax Fleet can only visit the Tianma Star Sector once every two years; some places that are more remote and of lower value might only have a visit every five or ten years. There have even been planets that haven¡¯t paid taxes in a hundred years and thought they had been forgotten by the Empire, but then suddenly the Tax Fleet would arrive, demanding a hundred years¡¯ worth of taxes¡­ Generally speaking, for a planet, it is impossible to calculate the population and the degree of development every year to determine the tax amount. Second, even if confirmed every few years, the accuracy of the population statistics and the reasonableness of the development level assessment are questionable. Even though the Empire has clear and detailed indices for measuring development level, when it comes to each individual world, there are myriad possibilities that require specific case-by-case analysis. Applying these indices robotically is not just inappropriate; it¡¯s downright unworkable. In such cases, the statistical counting of the population and the calculation of the development level rely heavily on the ability of the officials and implementers¨Cor to some extent, they can even use their own discretion. And this power has been delegated to the Star Sector Governments. After they finish calculating the data, they will report it to the Star Domain. If the Planetary Government disagrees, they also can appeal upwards¨Cwhether the Star Domain Government cares or not is another matter, but the option is there. The Star Sector Governments do not directly collect taxes, nor do they have direct jurisdiction over the various planets in the star sector, and to mobilize forces within the star sector, they have to report to higher authorities. They don¡¯t even have a clearly defined Military Affairs Department, Legal Department, and such structures, though they do have some related functions. However, determining tax amounts remains a significant power and responsibility. The Tianma Star Sector re-evaluates every ten years. One year later, following the arrival of the Tax Fleet from the Star Domain Government, the taxation is completed according to the last determined tax amount; after that, the next cycle will be based on the new tax amount. Although there is still one year until the tax amount is fixed, the associated work must start now, or there will not be enough time. Owing to the special nature of the Alliance¡¯s system and its recognition by the Star Domain Government, the three planets under the Alliance are calculated together for their tax amount. Once calculated, reduce it by forty billion, and that will be the tax to pay over the next six years. After six years, add the forty billion back. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co Gu Hang was initially somewhat worried. His relationship with the Star Sector Government was not too good. After Pei Desi¡¯s death, the so-called ¡°favor¡± of promotion was gone; during the time when he, the Gu Family, and Fufana led the opposition against the disgusting political fight between the then Star Sector Government and the Fatches Family, and after completely separating from the Star Sector Government¡¯s faction to establish a neutral third faction, the relationship had become even colder; not to mention, later on, when the Star Sector Government wanted to pin the worsening situation of Korolya indefinitely as a crime of the Fatches Family, intending to nail them for good, but Gu Hang¡¯s takeover of Korolya, though it involved taking this heavily populated planet from the Fatches, also indirectly saved them. If Korolya had remained in the Fatches Family¡¯s hands and the situation deteriorated to the point where the Star Domain Government had to withdraw the main forces from the frontline of the Iron Teeth War to defend, or even be forced to issue an Extinction Order for Korolya, then Fatches would be done for, certainly facing severe accountability. And it was precisely because of this that the Fatches Family, which was really at a loss at that time, was eager to wash their hands of Korolya; otherwise, Gu Hang would not have been able to take over so quickly. Of course, in this matter, Fatches would not thank Gu Hang, as the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps had been taken away as well. The Star Sector Government also wouldn¡¯t harbor any goodwill towards Gu Hang, and in fact, became even more estranged. Given such circumstances, would the Star Sector Government try to trip him up in determining this round of tax amounts? At least they had the motive. The Star Domain Government was also likely to tacitly agree. For Korolya to be exempt from taxes for six years was worth more than twenty billion. The Star Domain Government certainly wouldn¡¯t renege, but if the Star Sector Government quietly raised the tax amount, what did that have to do with me? You¡¯ve already been exempted from more than twenty billion in taxes, what¡¯s the problem with paying a little more? But to Gu Hang, this was quite annoying. In reality, though, the anticipated difficulties did not occur. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Certainly, Gu Hang would not meet with those workgroups himself, but from the reports he received from government officials across the Alliance¡¯s three stars, he could see that these workgroups from the Star Sector Government were quite honest. They neither troubled the local governments nor exhibited any particular distrust that warranted their own investigations. They basically just looked at the data reported by the Alliance Government and then approved it. This of course could be considered an act of extending goodwill, which even surprised Gu Hang a little. What exactly did the so-called ¡°Parliamentary Faction¡± currently in power of the Star Sector Government want to do? And soon, an even greater act of goodwill was placed before Gu Hang: Korolya I. Chapter 667 - Chapter 667: 380, must maintain respect for Gu Hang_2 Chapter 667: 380, must maintain respect for Gu Hang_2 This is one of the nine planets in the Tianma Star Sector, and it shares a star system with Korolya III. In terms of volume and area, it is the largest in the Tianma Star Sector; in terms of population, it is the smallest. This is a mineral planet with a population of about ten million, almost all of whom are miners, along with industries servicing mineral extraction; the planet¡¯s orbit features a cargo starport. Although its development coefficient is only 1, it still bears a resource tax, with a fixed amount of one hundred million. In fact, the planet¡¯s annual output is around three hundred million, nearly all from mining, with one hundred million paid in taxes, costs of one hundred fifty million, and the remaining fifty million can roughly be considered profit. This planet, with its small population and singular output, and being in the same star system as a large planet like Korolya III, traditionally has its Planetary Governor concurrently held by the Governor of Korolya, and that extra fifty million in revenue is essentially a subsidy for Korolya. When he took over as the Korolya Governor, the ownership of Korolya I wasn¡¯t explicitly stated; it is now under the interim management of the Star Sector Government. Gu Hang had long wanted to take it back. He was quite eager for this place. As the Alliance¡¯s large-scale industrial production grew more and more fierce, especially after Korolya¡¯s industrial capacity caught up, the consumption of raw materials would increase to a particularly terrifying level. For a mining planet like Korolya I, to those previous worthless Governors, indeed there was only fifty million in profit, but in the hands of Gu Hang, it would be different. He couldn¡¯t understand how such a large mining planet could yield so little profit in a year? Even if it had been mined for many years and the output had decreased, it still shouldn¡¯t be this low. However, before this, Gu Hang felt that this matter was not particularly easy to handle; those people wouldn¡¯t easily hand over Korolya I to him. There might be some complications involved, and further struggles might be necessary to take it into his hands. Unexpectedly, the parliamentary faction of the Star Sector Government just gave it to him just like that. Although they didn¡¯t trouble him with the tax assessment and handed over Korolya I to him, these were things that should naturally belong to Gu Hang. But given the nature of those from the Parliamentary Faction, it obviously wouldn¡¯t be that simple. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co In the world, nothing is ever ¡®rightfully¡¯ yours; the generosity of those people made Gu Hang deeply ponder. He hardly expended any effort and guessed a reason: It was nothing but the Fatches. To be honest, Gu Hang had little respect for the intentions of the Parliamentary Faction. Initially, they preferred to let Korolya¡¯s situation deteriorate rather than working together and undermining the Fatches, which Gu Hang found quite contemptible. Back then, Gu Hang truly couldn¡¯t be bothered to get involved with them, helping neither side. But now the situation had changed, and it was time to shift his thinking and consider the problem from the perspective of a pure profit-seeking animal. The Fatches¡­ now that was a juicy piece of meat. Korolya was their major victory over these years, as they finally extended their influence beyond their three planets; But it was also their most painful defeat: not only was their reaching claw chopped off, but they also lost their greatest asset, the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps. They are now, arguably, at their weakest. Such a piece of meat, who wouldn¡¯t want to take a bite? However, what Gu Hang wanted was not just to suppress them on a small scale, nor even to target the Fatches Family. He wanted those three planets. The Fatchess Tri-Star, located in the same star system, was the cradle of the Fatches Family, with a total population of ten billion evenly distributed across the three planets. The development grade of these three planets is 2. Even Gu Hang thought his appetite might be a bit too big. And this could not be made public. Who would let him have them? However, after making careful calculations, he found it was not impossible; it all depended on how to operate it. Gu Hang gathered some people for a secret meeting and discussed many specific measures and methods in detail. The attendees included officers from the Alliance Foreign Affairs Department as well as candidates from the Demon Hunter Organization under the jurisdiction of the legal system. Besides internal anti-corruption efforts, the Demon Hunters also deal extensively with foreign intelligence. Now, the ¡®Demon Hunter¡¯ organization was not solely comprised of individuals trained by Gu Hang through military badges. It had evolved into an important espionage and intelligence agency for the Alliance. To act against the Fatches, the work of the diplomatic corps and the special service organs was indispensable. Gu Hang hoped to know whether these two departments of the Alliance were prepared for such an undertaking. And the response he received left him quite satisfied. ¡­ Flying Wing Star, Governor¡¯s Residence. After ending the call with Gu Hang, Ivan Martinelli felt utterly exhausted. He hesitated, but still could not resist asking the young Pei Desi beside him, ¡°Did you feel that Gu Hang was deliberately provoking you just now?¡± Pei Desi was still somewhat indignant, ¡°Of course! He said I was nowhere near as good as my brother! Weren¡¯t those words just meant to trouble me on purpose?!¡± ¡°And have you thought about why he would deliberately provoke you?¡± ¡°What other purpose could there be?¡± Pei Desi gritted his teeth, ¡°He has no intention of cooperating! You shouldn¡¯t have been so polite to him, even somewhat obsequious! In my opinion, he¡¯s even worse than the Fatches!¡± Martin Nelli sighed deeply. He now felt that the words Gu Hang had spoken earlier were not meant to provoke anyone, but perhaps the truth had been inadvertently spoken. But he could only hold it in and be careful not to be careless. Meanwhile, Pei Desi grew even more presumptuous, ¡°Let¡¯s deal with this Gu Hang first!¡± Martin Nelli, inwardly frustrated, grew stern, ¡°Deal with Gu Hang? With what do you propose to deal with him?¡± Without waiting for Pei Desi to speak, the Star Sector leader continued: ¡°His victory in the war has earned him immense fame throughout the entire star sector; the Gu Clan along with the neutral faction led by Fufana, combining naval power and the influence of the Empire Commerce Guild in the sector, have the final say once you leave the planetary surface;¡± ¡°He is now the favored protege of General Lois, and the Star Domain Military Affairs Department has even seen the potential of his Rage Bear Legion. There are plans to expand the Rage Bear Legion by twenty times, a scheme that includes countless budgets and interests!¡± ¡°The former War Apostle who has been looking favorably upon him is now the deputy director of the Central Military Department of the Empire, having secured him the rank of imperial major general and the Glorious Medal. In the whole star sector, only old Fufana has ever received such a grade of accolade!¡± ¡°On the political level, from the star sector to the star domain and up to the Central Government of the Empire, his connections span everywhere. With such a background, what do we have to topple him with?¡± Pei Desi was still not convinced, ¡°He¡¯s just a greenhorn¡­¡± ¡°What? Someone dares to call him a greenhorn even now? I don¡¯t care what you truly think, but remember, Pei Desi, you must show him respect in every setting.¡± ¡°He is the lawful master of three¨Cnow four¨Cworlds, his allegiance is triply recognized from the star domain to the Cosmos Domain to the Central Empire; he rules over more than forty billion people, Heijian Star has food production; industrial output on Rage Owl Star is skyrocketing; Korolya possesses an endless population¡­¡± ¡°Behind him must be the support of the Sect of Mechanics, numerous mysterious technologies of unknown origin, helping him rapidly develop his worlds. His army is the most combat-ready and numerous in the star sector; innumerable mid- and high-level navy officers, captains of the Tianma Fleet, are proteges and officials from the family of his fiancee.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°He has become a person not to be offended in the Tianma Star Sector, as well as our sole choice for an ally now.¡± Pei Desi¡¯s face turned ashen, and he remained silent. And Martinelli, having said so much in one breath, felt as though a stone weighed heavily upon his chest, stifling him. The two men looked at each other in silence. Eventually, he let out a long sigh, ¡°Don¡¯t be in a hurry, Pei Desi, don¡¯t be in a hurry¡­ Once we get our hands on the Fatchess Tri-Star, then we¡¯ll have the capital to fight Gu Hang again¡­¡± Chapter 668 - Chapter 668: Chapter 381, Reverse His Mothers! Chapter 668: Chapter 381, Reverse His Mother¡¯s! ¡°Iron Curtain Queen, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± Isabel waved her hand and said, ¡°There¡¯s no queen anymore, just call me Isabel.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare be so disrespectful; even if we are both in a foreign land now, in Nuo Yan City, you are still the queen.¡± ¡°Just working for the governor,¡± Isabel said. ¡°Thanks to the support from all sides, Nuo Yan City has become one of the first Nest Capitals to initially complete reforms after Mingyan City, and you¡¯ve been a great help in this process. Without you, King Eureka, and the Titans you led personally, the knights deterring those with disloyal hearts, I would have faced more troubles.¡± The person in front of Isabel was her fellow countryman, also from Heijian Star, the current king of Panbos Kingdom and also the leader of the Alliance National Knights. By comparison, Isabel, once a ruler of another realm on Heijian Star, had a status no less significant, now a manager on Korolya of a Nest Capital. Before this, they were not well-acquainted. After all, Eureka was just a prince back then, while Isabel was already the queen of the Kingdom of Stefano; they merely knew there was such a person, without any special contact. But now, as both found themselves in a foreign land and with similar backgrounds as former rulers now serving the Alliance, they felt a sort of comradeship. As it happened, Eureka¡¯s mission had brought him to Nuo Yan City, which was under Isabel¡¯s management. After completing his official duties, he came up with the idea to visit his ¡®fellow countryman,¡¯ leading to the present meeting. Eureka said, ¡°Since you don¡¯t want me to call you ¡®queen,¡¯ then stop calling me ¡®king.¡¯ Here we are just two fighters for the Alliance. The only difference between us is the way we fight. I pilot knight Mecha, and you are on the front lines as a manager.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right,¡± Isabel agreed, then after thinking added a word of caution, ¡°But even though the governor has given us full freedom, we still need to have some self-awareness.¡± ¡°No matter how righteous we feel in our hearts, our identities inevitably mean we cannot act rashly, so we need to be even more cautious within the Alliance¡¯s system. We should not have had this meeting; some within the Alliance may take issue with it, and it might even give people back on our home planet, those who cannot see the reality and future clearly, some undue thoughts,¡± she cautioned. Eureka rubbed his face, looking somewhat weary. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.Co He said, ¡°I know I¡¯ve been mocked as a traitor in the past, for betraying my homeland; I¡¯ve also encountered those who said I harbored ulterior motives, unable to forget my home country¡­ I completely understand, this is what our identities entail. We are both former rulers and now authorities within the Alliance. But is this our sin? I never understood that, I¡­¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Isabel raised her hand, stopping Eureka from going on. ¡°I don¡¯t want to continue this topic, let¡¯s talk about something else.¡± Eureka exhaled deeply, ¡°Alright, I spoke too much. We really shouldn¡¯t dwell too much on this topic. Let¡¯s talk about something else, something cheerful. I heard that from places like Mingyan City, Nuo Yan City, a lot of people have migrated to our homeland, to Rage Owl Star?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, it is indeed a persistent effort made by all the Nest Capitals. Since we gained control of Korolya two years ago, it¡¯s estimated that over 1.5 billion people have migrated between the two stars. Rage Owl Star took on more, about one billion; Heijian Star, somewhat less, only half a billion,¡± she confirmed. Eureka was astounded and took a moment to recover before saying, ¡°I expected a lot, but not this much¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that make Rage Owl Star entirely occupied by Korolya people? Even Heijian Star would be at least half filled with Korolya people¡­¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she affirmed. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the Alliance¡­ worry? Such a huge change in the demographic structure¡­ Won¡¯t the people from those stars themselves have objections?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course, there are objections, but not as strong as you might think. There were too few people on Rage Owl Star; there are so many new factories requiring a large workforce, and what objections could the indigenous people have? Their quality of life isn¡¯t affected at all, but instead, due to the population growth, they¡¯re seeing a broader market, more low-end labor, and a more vibrant society¡­¡± she delineated. ¡°Rage Owl Star, after gaining sufficient population, even started looking towards what was once no man¡¯s land¨Ctwo other continents filled with Low Energy Storms. It might not be feasible to establish factories there, or densely populated residential areas, or agricultural production, but the Low Energy itself has been deemed valuable. The Low Energy Storms that shrouded the deserted continents of Rage Owl Star have been subsiding year by year, and after the cessation of those storms, the Spiritualized Gas Fields are likely to reappear. Those two continents need more people to settle and develop them,¡± she explained. ¡°On Heijian Star, it¡¯s much the same; the newly arrived Korolya people have been entering the lands of the past lords, now farm owners and landlords, adding labor, increasing arable land. Those former nobles are quite pleased; they now have cheaper and more sufficient manpower, even though they¡¯ve transitioned from past landlords into managers distributing profits based on rank. The ¡®political achievements¡¯ they need to upgrade are measured by output size and managed population. More labor means more land can be cultivated, which of course makes them happy,¡± she expounded. Chapter 669 - Chapter 669: Chapter 381, Reverse His Mothers!_2 Chapter 669: Chapter 381, Reverse His Mother¡¯s!_2 ¡°` ¡°As for the common serfs¡­ they are agricultural workers now. But no matter what they¡¯re called, or at what time, their opinions have never been the most important.¡± ¡°Moreover, among the Korolya people who migrated to Heijian Star, the most common destinations were either the factories in the four major industrial centers or the many newly built farms, going to the borders of the various kingdoms to reclaim land; did you know that on the coastline of your Panbos Kingdom, a freshwater factory center has been established? Surrounding this new industrial center, several industrial cities have sprung up. Seawater desalination and the construction of water resource pipelines to the newly built starport a few years ago have been undertaken as a means of freshwater export, relieving Korolya¡¯s water resources pressure; taking advantage of the resources from seawater desalination, many vertical farms have been built, utilizing soilless cultivation technology for large-scale food production¡­¡± Talking about these things, Mrs. Iron Curtain became quite talkative. Especially when it came to the changes in Heijian Star, she spoke as if reciting treasures from her own home. Eureka listened attentively, and at the end, he said, ¡°You still care a lot about Heijian Star.¡± Isabel paused, and this time she did not avoid the subject: ¡°Yes, of course, after all, it¡¯s my home planet. Since I ascended to the position of queen, I have had no family, and now the only ties I have left are my two daughters, who are currently studying at the Comprehensive Academy on Rage Owl Star. The only other thing that I have left to care about is my mother planet, my homeland.¡± ¡°Do you think the changes in your mother planet and homeland are good?¡± ¡°Of course, under the Alliance¡¯s rule, it is becoming stronger and more prosperous, there¡¯s no doubt about that.¡± Isabel¡¯s words were decisive. Eureka let out a sigh of relief. He opened his mouth as if to say something more, but at that moment, the communicator he wore suddenly rang. He put on the earpiece, listened for a few moments, and his expression quickly turned serious. He said to Isabel, ¡°Iron Curtain Queen, thank you for taking time out of your day to talk with me. However, I must leave now, there¡¯s an urgent mission requiring assembly.¡± Isabel stood up, ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± wuxiaworld.site ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about what it is?¡± ¡°Curious, but I know that what should not be asked, what should not be said, should not be known. If I need to know, I will soon find out, won¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± said Eureka, ¡°You indeed will receive news of this matter very soon, so it¡¯s no big deal for me to tell you a bit earlier: the Fatches Family has rebelled.¡± Now, Isabel was truly shocked. ¡°Rebellion? Do you mean the kind of rebellion I¡¯m thinking of?¡± ¡°Yes, they have betrayed the Empire.¡± ¡°This is really¡­ bad news, for anyone.¡± ¡°I must go now, goodbye, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± After saying goodbye to Eureka, Isabel sat at her desk, digested the news of the Fatches Family¡¯s rebellion, and then picked up pen and paper to start writing a report titled: Report on Communication with Alliance National Knights Commander Eureka. ¡­ Gu Hang glanced at the report, but its contents did not concern him much. Such trivial matters were not worth his attention. Whether it was Isabel¡¯s little schemes or Eureka¡¯s feelings, he did not think much of them. Isn¡¯t it normal to feel a little melancholic? As long as he focused on his work, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t care less about those thoughts. Of course, just because he didn¡¯t take it seriously didn¡¯t mean no one else in the Alliance did. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, under the legal institutions, would pay attention to this matter. The note Gu Hang wrote on the report was also to alert the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Afterward, he turned his attention to matters of real significance. The Fatches rebellion. It was an event he had helped facilitate, but the current situation was somewhat beyond his expectations. In the original plans, although there was mention of the possibility of a Fatches rebellion, it was considered unlikely. Yet, that scenario had occurred. A little over a year ago, a work group from the Star Sector Government, while measuring development levels and conducting population statistics for the Alliance, made significant concessions. Open falsification was out of the question, as the Imperial Tax needed to be secured, and the Imperial Taxation Department would have officials review and even conduct field inspections. Discovering any discrepancies could cause major problems for the Star Sector Government. But even when adhering to regulations, there were many loopholes to exploit. Development levels for Korolya, Rage Owl Star, and Heijian Star were kept at level 1. This was not really reasonable, but it was within the rules. The shipyard on Rage Owl Star was obviously a place with huge potential, but at the time the Star Sector Government did their accounting, the shipyard was still expanding. Although a part of it was about to be completed, and even cargo ships like the Eureka could already be built, the expansion was not yet finished. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Rage Owl Star, which could have been rated at development level 2 or even 3, took advantage of a timing difference and remained at level 1. The same logic applied to Heijian Star. Under Gu Hang¡¯s management for five years, it transformed from a purely agricultural planet to one with an even more advanced agricultural output due to industrial intervention; the establishment of several industrial centers also meant it had a substantial industrial output. It could have been rated at level 2. But the level was relaxed slightly, maintaining it at development level 1. As for population, just before the mass migration in Korolya, a timing difference was exploited: Rage Owl Star was registered with only two hundred million people ¡ª although a billion followed in the next year; Heijian Star was registered with six hundred million, which also expanded to a billion the following year. ¡°` Chapter 670 - Chapter 670: Chapter 381, Reverse His Mothers!_3 Chapter 670: Chapter 381, Reverse His Mother¡¯s!_3 As for Korolya, having a development level maintained at grade 1 is reasonable, but in terms of population, the Star Sector Government has almost completely recognized the statistics from the Alliance. Currently, the officially registered population of Korolya has dropped to 36.4 billion. The fall of an entire Nest Capital in Fino City, along with the population losses brought about by years of war, plagues, and Cult activities, is tremendous, conservatively estimated at a loss of two billion people. The other two billion loss was during the period when the Fatches Family controlled Korolya, due to a large scale of human trafficking and resource exchange, leading to the decrease of the population. From this perspective, during the few years the Fatches Family was in power, they managed to sell off a population worth a hundred billion Tax Currency. With a hundred billion thrown in, Korolya should have improved, right? But it didn¡¯t. Firstly, the Fatches didn¡¯t sell off as much as a hundred billion; there were plenty of people profiting from the disaster at that time, even Gu Hang was among them, who didn¡¯t pay 5 Tax Currency per person when trafficking humans, at most it was 1 Tax Currency, or even lower. Moreover, the Fatches Family had done a lot of underhanded dealings, whether in the sale of the population or investment in Korolya, the accounts had problems. And this had become the evidence of the Fatches Family¡¯s crimes over the past year. A year ago, the Star Sector Government made huge concessions to Gu Hang on the issue of designated taxes and the ownership of Korolya I, in exchange for Gu Hang¡¯s help. Gu Hang provided evidence from Blackbird Heavy Industries that core members of the Fatches Family were involved with the Smart Mechanisms rebellion, and there was evidence that the Fatches Family was aware of this; Gu Hang tallied the accounts from the years Korolya was under control of the Fatches, and obtained the recognition of the Star Sector Government, which believed that the Fatches Family obtained huge illegal benefits during their reign over Korolya III, were seriously corrupt, and directly caused the severe deterioration of the Korolya issue, eventually leading to the near-extinction crisis of Korolya. If it wasn¡¯t so, there would be no need for the Alliance to take over and enforce a six-year militarized zone. According to statistical data, the Fatches Family caused the Empire to lose more than a hundred billion Tax Currency on Korolya ¡ª don¡¯t worry about how they calculated it, the Star Sector Government has determined it so, and it was confirmed by the Korolya Planetary Government. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.Co No matter how the Fatches Family ¡°defended¡± themselves, this report was already submitted. Gu Hang played his part in this, having made a special call to Lois; at the same time, as someone parachuted into the Tianma Star Sector, a former official of the Star Domain Government, and even a member of a significant political faction within the Star Domain, the ¡®Parliamentary Faction¡¯, Martin Nelli also mobilized his connections. This report of a loss of a hundred billion was thus recognized and the Star Domain Government issued a punishment decree to the Fatches Family, fining them a hundred billion Tax Currency, to be paid within ten years. There were some smaller acts as well, such as the Star Sector Government being particularly harsh on Fatches in tax assessments. Originally, all three planets had a development level of 2, but now they were all assessed as having a development level of 3. The Fatches¡¯ three planets, with a total population of ten billion, originally had an annual tax amount of two billion, which has now increased to three billion; they need to pay a hundred billion in fines over ten years. This means, in ten years, Fatches will have to pay out a hundred and thirty billion Tax Currency to the Empire. This was practically a death sentence. According to estimates, all the population on the Fatchess Tri-Star, without eating or drinking, could save up two hundred billion in ten years. But how could they possibly not eat or drink? This was definitely a heavy blow; it was to push the Fatches Family to their demise ¡ª that was the intention of the Star Sector Government. Even so, staging a rebellion was the most unreasonable course of action. Firstly, they still had room for political maneuvers. There are ways to not pay, and stubbornly staging a rebellion was the most absurd. They could have delayed the payment, mobilized their political power, continued to plead with higher authorities, and issue threats. The Star Domain and Space Domain Governments are very likely to not want to get involved, nor are they that greedy; they might consider reducing the fine. If they really pushed you into rebellion, dealing with three rebelling planets would be quite a hassle. The sustainability of the Empire is indeed at risk, not just something Gu Hang made up, but to some extent, it is a fact. Rebellions erupt one after another, threats from Aliens, threats from cults, issues inherent to the Empire itself¡­ The Empire, despite its size and strength, faces too many problems. If the Fatches really rebelled, then forget the fine, tax revenue would be uncollectable, and how much would it cost to quell the rebellion? It would be better to placate them, reduce the fine, and make something out of it. Secondly, for Fatches, even if the fine isn¡¯t reduced by a single cent, a hundred and thirty billion in ten years, although painful, even perhaps fundamentally damaging, is not something they completely can¡¯t come up with. Tightening their belts, they have controlled the Fatchess Tri-Star for so many years, they couldn¡¯t possibly have no savings; in the next few years, if they loot more aggressively, they really could come up with the sum of over a hundred billion. Yet, they chose the most extreme method: ¡°To hell with it, I¡¯m rebelling!¡± But Gu Hang could understand the reason behind it. They didn¡¯t really plan to become independent; rather, they seemed more inclined to stimulate negotiations through fighting, waiting for a chance to be coaxed back into the fold. Additionally, the Alliance¡¯s diplomatic and intelligence efforts over the past year also played a quite crucial role. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Star Sector Government and the Star Domain Government may not want the Fatches to really rebel, but¡­ Gu Hang thought. ¡ª¡ª¨C This chapter is 5k long. I was planning to say it owed 1k, but adding a thousand words doesn¡¯t seem right¡­ Forget it, still owe 13k! Chapter 671 - Chapter 671: Chapter 382, He Really Believed It! Chapter 671: Chapter 382, He Really Believed It! Fatches No.1, Era Royal Court. This is the ruling center of the Fatches Family. The Fatches Star System has three governors, but in fact, the other two are merely symbolic positions. The true ruler is the Family Head of the Fatches Family, Governor of Fatches No.1. The current Family Head, named Minnick Fatches, is an elderly man. However, in reality, he had been ruling the Fatches Family for only seven years. Seven years ago, his father didn¡¯t have the chance to undergo the third life-extension surgery and passed away at the age of one hundred ninety; and he, at the age of eighty, took over the family. His takeover was legitimate and the process went smoothly, with little turmoil within the family and not many dissidents. But, as with any new ruler, there would almost certainly be questions: can you truly lead us to a more prosperous path? And all rulers need achievements to dissipate such doubts. Minnick was no exception. And the achievement he set his sights on was Korolya. The Fatches Family¡¯s demands on Korolya were promoted by him. If, under his leadership, the Star System could break free from its cage and expand outward, then his contributions would be immeasurable. After firmly setting his sights on Korolya, and after his most outstanding son became the Korolya Governor, he indeed seized a huge amount of prestige¨Conly to lose it all even more swiftly afterward. When the Imperial penalty arrived recently, bringing a huge fine upon him, his reputation was trampled in the mire. Dissatisfaction within the family nearly boiled over! Thirteen billion! wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site This number was utterly unacceptable. Many within the family simply couldn¡¯t fathom how they were going to come up with such a huge sum of money over the next ten years¨Cit might be possible, but it would cost them their lives. Under this boiling dissatisfaction, after Minnick had exhausted almost all of his political efforts but ultimately failed to resolve the fine, he took an even more insane action, spurred by certain secret assurances and encouragement from some people within the family. He rejected all Imperial Tax demands, expelled the tax officers dispatched by the Imperial Tax Fleet, and sealed off the entire Star System. The Fatches did not have their own fleet; the few small ships they had were not only unable to confront the Imperial Navy Fleet but couldn¡¯t even fight against the main force of the Tax Fleet, which was composed of transport ships and escort vessels, leaving them with virtually no proactive naval power. But that didn¡¯t mean they lacked the ability to defend and blockade. Above the Fatches Tri-Star, there were starports and the Star Fortress System surrounding each starport; in the orbital ring, there were satellite fortresses circling in orbit, coupled with the ground¡¯s anti-orbital firepower, the three planets would become incredibly tough spots to crack. If the Tianma Fleet came, it would be alright; but just a small portion of the Tianma Fleet, not so much. A head-on assault could easily cost a dozen ships, and the outcome might still be uncertain. Once the Fatches expelled the tax officers and blockaded the Star System, it was an undeniable act of rebellion. Everyone in the Fatches Family, including Minnick the Family Head, was acutely aware of this. However, after the Star Sector Government issued an enraged declaration of the Fatches Family¡¯s rebellion, they still offered a counterargument. ¡°Activate all the external relationships we can reach, and make our statement public:¡± Minnick, with a stern face, spoke to the scribe who was writing furiously at the foot of his court: ¡°The Fatches Family has always been the Empire¡¯s most loyal servant, and the Fatchess Tri-Star will forever be the Empire¡¯s eternal territory. We have not in the past, are not now, nor will we ever in the future betray the Empire.¡± ¡°On the contrary, the Star Sector Government led by Ivan Martinelli, along with their accomplice Flying Wing Star, and the Coalition¡¯s governors, are the real traitors to the Empire. They forge evidence, twist data, delude the senior government for personal gain, persecute the Empire¡¯s good officials, shoulder unbearable punishments, they are the true traitors!¡± ¡°We have blockaded the Fatches Star System, not to refuse the sacred and inviolable Imperial Tax. But since a year ago, when the Star Sector Government fabricated data to upgrade the Fatches Tri-Star to the third level of development, the additional excessive taxes have become an unbearable burden on the people of Fatches, not to mention the unreasonable fines.¡± ¡°The ten billion Imperial citizens of the Fatches Tri-Star are outraged! And I, representing these ten billion citizens, call out to all who have the right and ought to know of the injustices suffered by the people of Fatches:¡± ¡°We are not traitors to the Empire, and the loyal people of Fatches demand the restoration of Fatches¡¯ honor!¡± ¡°We demand severe punishment for those treacherous officials who have betrayed the Empire;¡± ¡°We demand the cancellation of illegal, unreasonable, and unfair treatment;¡± ¡°Only on this basis will we undertake our rightful obligations!¡± ¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Having expressed the words he had thought through in one breath, both verbally and in writing, Minnick finally heaved a sigh of relief. He knew it was unrealistic to think that a mere declaration could absolve them from the charge of ¡®rebellion.¡¯ The Imperial Tax was always a red line, and the Empire had clear regulations regarding it. But the declaration was necessary nonetheless. Mainly for future reference, to facilitate quibbling. Even though the Imperial Tax was a red line, many times whether that line was actually that red often depended on many factors. Chapter 672 - Chapter 672: Chapter 382, He Really Believed It!_2 Chapter 672: Chapter 382, He Really Believed It!_2 Minnick had never contemplated seeking independence, but displaying a firm stance with a tough attitude was a necessary measure. By doing so, Minnick had two main objectives, one of which had already been achieved. After expelling the tax officers and blockading the star system, the bubbling internal opposition within the family was suppressed almost instantly. Of course, those opposing voices hadn¡¯t been extinguished; however, after Minnick took such a dramatic action, they had to shut their mouths for the time being. With a great enemy at the gates, even the most foolish knew it was not the time for internal strife. Minnick was working hard to shift this disaster from his own mistake to persecution from external foes. He successfully shifted the nearly uncontrollable internal strife to the outside. Now was the time for common resentment against the enemy. The second objective was to erase the unacceptable figure of 130 billion, or at the very least, reduce it to an acceptable level. The ideal situation, of course, would be to avoid war and for the Star Sector and Star Domain Governments to compromise. As long as they consider the difficulty and cost of annihilating Fatches to be greater than the benefit. How much power would have to be spent to wipe out Fatches? It might seem like there¡¯s a gain of one hundred billion, but once Fatches has been annihilated, to whom will the Empire turn for this one hundred billion in fines? To gather it themselves? The amount that could be scavenged from the devastated Fatches Tri-Star after the war is uncertain. Moreover, doesn¡¯t ¡°scavenging¡± entail costs? How many military forces must the Empire station to scrape together over one hundred billion in a place that had a total GDP of only two hundred billion over ten years, even before the war? wuxiaworld.site It¡¯s impossible to conjure. Considering this, solving the problem without going to war is possible. For this reason, Fatches¡¯ people and their personal connections active outside had been mobilized, constantly lobbying. If war truly became unavoidable, then Fatches must hold firm during the upcoming battles, continuously signalling a willingness to negotiate and to submit, until finally being granted amnesty. In this process, everything could be discussed. The Imperial Tax being raised to three billion a year? Negotiable. As for the fines, they could also be paid; a hundred billion was out of the question, but a figure of two to three hundred billion was acceptable. The specifics would depend on how much strength Fatches displayed in battle and what that strength was worth. These contemplations churned through Minnick¡¯s mind. His secretaries had already gone down; they were to take the statement Minnick had just made to the diplomatic department as quickly as possible. They would polish it and add some evidence and data to corroborate the authenticity of the content in the statement. Then they would send the statement to every possible destination as quickly as they could. After the secretaries had left, the next person Minnick was to meet with was a crucial figure. His name was Salihoovich, a diplomat from the Alliance. A year ago, he had been stationed at the Alliance Embassy in Fatches One, responsible for communication between the two sides. This mechanism had in fact been established several years prior, and Salihoovich took over a year ago, seemingly as a routine rotation. Minnick composed himself and spoke sternly to Salihoovich, ¡°The Alliance has broken the agreement with us! You represented your governor by promising that no matter what happened, the Alliance would not become an enemy of Fatches!¡± Salihoovich spoke very respectfully, ¡°You¡¯re right, but we haven¡¯t broken our promise.¡± ¡°Then what does it mean when you follow the Star Sector Government in declaring the revolt of Fatches? Who provided the information on the rebellion of Blackbird Heavy Industries and Smart Mechanisms? Does the data on the losses suffered by Korolya have nothing to do with the Alliance Government? How can you shamelessly say to my face that you¡¯ve kept your promises!¡± ¡°I need to correct you,¡± Salihoovich said. ¡°Our promise of ¡®not being enemies¡¯ referred to declaring war on Fatches. As for what you¡¯ve mentioned, under the demands of the Star Sector Government, we really had no way to refuse.¡± ¡°Smooth talker! Your actions disappoint me. Go tell Gu Hang he must provide clearer support! If we fall, letting Martin Nelli and Pei Desi¡¯s group take control of the Fatches Star System, the next unlucky ones will be the Alliance!¡± ¡°Our governor fully understands this, which is exactly why we support your tough stance against the Star Sector Government. However, what exactly do you mean by ¡®clear support¡¯?¡± Minnick demanded with boldness, ¡°Troops, weapons, materials! Return the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps to me!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Salihoovich¡¯s demeanor was very earnest, ¡°I understand your request, and of course, the Alliance can return the Third Group Army of the Dragon Hawk Legion to its station in Fatches, but¡­ if I may speak frankly, are you certain what they will do after returning to the Fatches Tri-Star? Will they be your aid or become a noose around your neck? They are Star Realm Army.¡± Minnick was momentarily at a loss for words. He truly couldn¡¯t be certain. Although the personnel of the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps were mostly from Fatches, after all, they were the Star Realm Army. What would they do once the order to suppress the rebellion was given? If that Legion had always been stationed in the Fatches Tri-Star, he felt somewhat assured. By purging a portion of the officers and intensifying propaganda within the Legion, emphasizing that they were not traitors but the Star Sector Government was, perhaps it might have an effect. Chapter 673 - Chapter 673: Chapter 382, He Really Believed It!_3 Chapter 673: Chapter 382, He Really Believed It!_3 But now, nearly eight years had passed since the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps left the Fatches Star System, and its sudden return spelled major trouble; he felt utterly unprepared. Salihoovich¡¯s words continued, ¡°The Alliance¡¯s troops will not set foot on Fatches¡¯ territory. I believe, you wouldn¡¯t allow such a situation to occur either. As for munitions, supplies, the Alliance is willing to secretly provide them to you, but with the Star Sea¡¯s blockade, it is difficult for vessels to pass¡­¡± ¡°Excuses,¡± Minnick said coldly, ¡°the Gu Commercial Firm is yours, and the Tianma Fleet belongs to the fiancee¡¯s family of your Planetary Governor. If you want to transport goods, just turn a blind eye, and no one will be the wiser.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°No more buts, I¡¯m sick of your excuses. Supplies! Supplies! Supplies! From food to daily necessities; from regular industrial products to munitions! We¡¯re about to urgently conscript an army of over twenty million, and the Alliance must shoulder part of the demand! The Alliance and Fatches have a secret alliance relationship; that¡¯s what you promised!¡± With a troubled face, but under the fierce wrath of Family Head Minnick, Salihoovich had no choice but to reluctantly reply, ¡°It¡¯s difficult, I need Mr. Gu to issue the order personally. However, I assure you that I will do my utmost to facilitate this.¡± ¡°Then go get it done quickly!¡± Bowing, Salihoovich left. Walking in the palace, he wore a frown. But in reality, his heart was bursting with joy. ¡°He believed it, he actually believed it!!!¡± ¡­ Inside Tianma Palace on Flying Wing Star, wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co Martin Nelli, Pei Desi, and a circle of high officials from the Star Sector Government gathered. At this moment, panic was unmistakably etched on their faces. Fatches had rebelled¡­ they had actually rebelled! ¡°How dare they? How dare they?!¡± Pei Desi still looked incredulously disbelieving. In his view, such an option had never existed. As a Planetary Governor, as an Imperial bureaucrat, he had never dared to imagine that someone would actually dare to rebel! It was an option that should never exist, a suicidal move, an unimaginably desperate choice. Was it a death wish? He knew that they had pushed Fatches too hard. But before this, he and Martin Nelli and the others had not only felt no concern; they were quite pleased with themselves. Their expectation was that Fatches would struggle futilely and fail and then come groveling to negotiate terms. They might even concede a few points, perhaps drastically lower the fines, and could even annul the accusations against them for violating the Smart Mechanisms ban¨Cas long as Fatches bowed down before them. But now, Fatches had actually started a rebellion, expelled the tax officers, and blockaded the Star System! After their initial reaction of shock, their second reaction was joy¨Cwasn¡¯t this a legitimate reason to obliterate Fatches? Thus, the inevitable third reaction followed: bewilderment. Of course, obliterating Fatches, easier said than done, but who would obliterate them? The Star Sector Government? No troops, no leaders. Flying Wing Star? They only had the Planetary Defense Force, could they defeat Fatches¡¯ forces? And how would they get there? The Star Domain Government? Martin Nelli made a phone call and got an earful. ¡°¡­You deal with the mess you¡¯ve created! Every single penny of the Star Domain Government is precious and will not be spent cleaning up after you! No matter what, the Imperial Tax must not decrease! The six billion Fatches has to pay this term, as well as the six billion for every future term, must be stable! Fatches¡¯ actions are a clear rebellion and must be subdued, and the traitors must be punished!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°No buts! If you can¡¯t handle it, then you deal with it yourself!¡± With that cold statement, the communication came to an end. What to do? Martin Nelli¡¯s face turned ashen. ¡°¡­Quick, call Gu Hang!¡± Chapter 674 - Chapter 674: Chapter 383, No Choice Chapter 674: Chapter 383, No Choice ¡°¡­I understand all you¡¯ve said, Mr. Chairman,¡± ¡°But what I don¡¯t understand is, how does any of this concern me?¡± ¡°I am the Alliance Governor, and I only have jurisdiction over four worlds. The Fatches Tri-Star is not within my jurisdiction. What does their rebellion have to do with the Alliance? I cannot overstep my authority.¡± ¡°Indeed, two Star Realm Army corps are under my command, but whether it¡¯s Dragonhawk 3rd Corps or Rage Bear Legion, they currently belong to the Korolya Battle Zone. I am the Battle Zone commander, yes, but my zone only extends to Korolya. How do I have the authority to deploy troops from my zone to another star system for combat?¡± ¡°Starfighter Battle Group? You would have to ask the Phoenix Battalion Leader about that, what good is asking me?¡± ¡°Out of contact? I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Chairman, but I haven¡¯t been able to get in touch with Commander Matins recently either. The Alliance has no right to govern an Interstellar Warrior Battle Group. Our relationship is solely one of good cooperation. Whether they respond to the call to action is completely beyond my control.¡± ¡°I know your concerns, please believe that I share the same feelings. The Fatches Family¡¯s treacherous behavior is outrageous; I could never have imagined someone having the audacity to commit such an act of disloyalty. They¡¯ve crossed the line. Their rebellion is an undeniable fact, a sin that must be cleansed! The Alliance has issued a serious condemnation of this, and I have publicly called on Minnick to surrender unconditionally and accept the due judgment!¡± ¡°Even, I am personally willing to donate one million Tax Currency to the Star Sector as a manifestation of my outrage!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done all I can, Mr. Chairman, and I hope you can resolve this incident and wash away the disgrace as soon as possible!¡± Upon hearing what Gu Hang had to say, Martin Nelli looked grave. He was considering his choice of words, wondering how to draw Gu Hang to his side of the battle line. However, little Pei Desi, standing by his side, could no longer hold back. ¡°Gu Hang, Mr. Gu, Commander Gu, just tell us, what exactly do you want in order to quell the rebellion?¡± wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site ¡°I¡¯ve been very clear, can¡¯t you understand? It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to, it¡¯s that I can¡¯t, neither the law nor the regulations allow it.¡± ¡°Stop making these hypocritical statements here!¡± Pei Desi said eagerly, ¡°Just tell us, what do you want? We¡¯ll split Fatches Tri-Star ¨C you take one, we take¡­¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Gu Hang interjected sharply, ¡°What kind of arrogantly presumptuous words are these? How can imperial territory, in your mouth, seem like private property to be so freely distributed? Recorder, make sure every single word little Pei Desi has said is documented precisely and without a single letter missing.¡± Pei Desi was clearly stunned, then flew into a rage, his mouth opening to curse, but before he could speak, Martin Nelli pulled him back. ¡°I apologize, Mr. Gu, please wait a moment,¡± After saying that, Martin Nelli temporarily muted the communication, then turned his head to glower at Pei Desi, ¡°Do you realize how much trouble your words could cause us?¡± Pei Desi disdainfully said, ¡°What trouble could it cause?¡± Martin Nelli was truly exasperated. The situation was already difficult enough, and on top of that, he had to deal with a ¡®teammate¡¯ like him. Everyone talked about how the Pei Desi brothers of the Tianma Star Sector complemented each other, but after his own experience, Martin Nelli realized that it took at least three times the effort of Pei Desi to offset his little brother¡¯s negative impact! He really regretted getting involved in the muddied waters of the Tianma Star Sector. But what else could he do, having come this far? He took a deep breath and said, ¡°You, go out.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Get out! From now on, when I discuss serious matters, you are not to interrupt with a single word!¡± Martin Nelli refused to tolerate him any longer. ¡°What right do you have to speak to me like that!?¡± ¡°The right given by your stupidity!¡± ¡°The plan to suppress Fatches was your idea, and now that it¡¯s having problems, what do you mean by taking it out on me?¡± ¡°Yes, indeed it was, so now I¡¯m trying to remedy it. Please, if you can¡¯t help, can you at least not make things worse?¡± ¡°¡­Alright, alright, I¡¯ll keep quiet. I¡¯ll just listen in, is that good enough?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Martin Nelli ultimately chose not to escalate the conflict further and allowed little Pei Desi to stay on, albeit only to listen. After reconnecting the communication, he first apologized, then continued his negotiations with Gu Hang. Gu Hang scoffed, asking if Pei Desi had been sent away, which caused the Flying Wing Star Governor sitting beside him to clench his fists. But at least, the man remembered his recent promise to Martin Nelli, and he remained silent without speaking. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Martin Nelli was quite adept at political negotiation, but he was struggling against a Gu Hang who was impervious to influence. In their exchange, no matter what Martin Nelli said, offering convenience or political support to relieve Gu Hang of concerns, Gu Hang kept reiterating two points: not covered by his battle zone or the Alliance. Martin Nelli, of course, understood what that meant. Little Pei Desi wasn¡¯t wrong at all; Gu Hang¡¯s desire for the Fatches Tri-Star was laid bare on the table. The solution was either to bring Fatches Tri-Star under the Korolya Battle Zone or to have it included within the Alliance. Ultimately, the two options would result in no different an outcome. Even if the former was about merely zonal inclusion, once Gu Hang achieved military control over Fatches Tri-Star through force, their entry into the Alliance would be only a matter of time. Chapter 675 - Chapter 675: Chapter 383, No Choice_2 Chapter 675: Chapter 383, No Choice_2 However, despite knowing this, he couldn¡¯t easily promise those two conditions. If he gave away Fatchess Tri-Star to Gu Hang, what then had he been striving for these past two years? Not a single benefit, and instead just a whole lot of trouble. But besides that, he didn¡¯t have many bargaining chips left in his hand. Maybe give away Flying Wing Star? After hanging up the communication, Martin Nelli downed the wine in his hands in one go, then sat with a face full of worry. ¡°Can I speak now?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Martin Nelli hesitated for a moment but felt that he still needed to soften the relationship with Pei Desi, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for earlier; I was just a bit anxious. I hope you won¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Pei Desi¡¯s expression was still not pleased, but he managed to restrain his temper. He spoke earnestly, ¡°I think we can give it to him.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If he wants Fatches, we should just give it all to him.¡± Martin Nelli stared at Pei Desi, instinctively feeling that the guy was talking nonsense again. wuxiaworld.site But Pei Desi was serious and added another sentence, ¡°We have no choice, right?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t give him all three; if we do, what¡¯s the point?¡± ¡°I heard it clearly, he insists on having all three, not one less.¡± ¡°So if that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t I just negotiate with the Fatches people? The result would be the same anyway¡­¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s impossible.¡± Martin Nelli fell silent, he indeed knew. Pei Desi continued, ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no chance. Giving him Fatchess Tri-Star won¡¯t be easy for him to take. The Fatches Family has managed their stronghold for countless generations, a population of tens of billions, a formidable industrial base, allowing them to mobilize hundreds of millions of troops at the limit; they¡¯ve constructed around the three planets a defense system that includes anti-orbital strike systems, Star Fortress fortifications, and planetary active defense mechanisms¡­¡± Martin Nelli was thoughtful. And the next words from Pei Desi made him feel like he might have been too harsh in his assessment of him: ¡°For Gu Hang to take over Fatches won¡¯t be easy; it will inevitably lead to blood flowing like rivers. Our opportunity lies in letting them clash, creating a scene strewn with corpses, until they are both severely wounded!¡± ¡­ ¡°Blood flowing like rivers? Bodies strewn everywhere? Who do you intend to mutually destroy?¡± Gu Hang looked incredulously at his military adviser, Major General Yan Fangxu. Yan Fangxu was also a bit stunned. Just now, he had reported the war plan made by the Alliance General Staff Department to the Governor. This strategy, overall, was based on the Tianma Fleet still stationed within the star sector, participating in this war. Yet even so, they still couldn¡¯t control the orbit of any planet, but if they concentrated all forces around a planet, they could achieve suppression. To destroy a planet¡¯s entire orbital capabilities, they might need to sacrifice a cruiser, several destroyers, something the Tianma Fleet would definitely not agree to. However, the Tianma Fleet could completely blockade a single planet. Although the Fatches people still had some troop transports, they clearly couldn¡¯t break through the navy¡¯s blockade and thus couldn¡¯t support between planets. Based on this, Yan Fangxu would focus on breaking through a single planet. The primary target would be Fatches No.1, the main planet. With naval suppression of the Star Fortress and ground anti-orbital firepower, the Alliance¡¯s elite forces would force a landing operation around the weakest orbital defense at the northern polar circle of Fatches No.1. The first-phase goal was to destroy the nearby orbital defense structures, establish a secure landing field and hold it, attracting as many enemies as possible. The second-phase goal was to duplicate the process, open a second landing field behind enemy lines, stand firm, and aim to fight a pincer movement, an encirclement battle of annihilation, to eliminate as much of Fatches¡¯s living forces as possible. If the first and second phases were both successful, the best outcome would be that they had eliminated enough enemies and temporarily destroyed Fatches¡¯s living forces on the northern continent. Under the condition that the enemy couldn¡¯t regroup, the entire army would head south swiftly and directly capture the planetary capital of Fatches No.1, hoping to secure a complete surrender of the planet. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Of course, the strategy submitted by Yan Fangxu wasn¡¯t simply about methods and goals, but also included many detailed aspects like the forces to be deployed at each stage, materials, tactical plans, and so on. Every step in this plan was filled with difficulties, but each held the hope of being accomplished. Yan Fangxu¡¯s overall goal was to take down Fatches quickly and securely, rather than getting stuck in a prolonged tug-of-war, a standoff. Otherwise, while the enemy could rely on a home planet with four billion people as a backdrop, the Alliance¡¯s supplies, reinforcements, and everything else had to be shipped over, passing through two Star Realm Tunnels to the Fatches Star System, at a much higher cost than for the opposition. Regardless of the plan, regardless of what strategies were made, Yan Fangxu and the officers of the staff under his command all agreed on one conclusion: this would be a bloody battle. Despite facing only the Planetary Defense Army and not some dangerous demons, the sheer number of enemies presented a large problem, and the cruelty that landing operations brought to the attackers was another big issue. This battle, no matter how it was fought, was sure to incur losses, and they would be incredibly huge. Chapter 676 - Chapter 676: Chapter 383, No Choice_3 Chapter 676: Chapter 383, No Choice_3 For this very reason, Yan Fangxu couldn¡¯t help but use phrases like ¡°rivers of blood¡± and ¡°fields of corpses¡± when reporting to the Governor. However, this clearly provoked Mr. Gu¡¯s dissatisfaction. ¡°Obviously, if the battle needs to escalate to that level, it would mean that we have already failed,¡± he said. ¡°Sacrificing tens of millions of brave soldiers, spending innumerable amounts of money, gaining three worlds that require post-war reconstruction¡­ I can¡¯t even bear to imagine that scene, Old Yan, can you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Yan Fangxu didn¡¯t know how to answer that question. ¡°We need a smarter way, and I¡¯ve already made preparations.¡± ¡°So¡­ Governor, should this plan be abandoned?¡± ¡°Not necessarily, in case it really comes to that, we must have a contingency plan. However, from now on, you and your staff need to come up with a strategy to take over the three planets of Fatches.¡± ¡°Take over?¡± Yan Fangxu carefully confirmed the word he had heard. ¡°Yes, take over.¡± With that, Gu Hang stood up and looked into the distance. ¡°As your plan states, Fatches comprises three well-defended civilized worlds. But what is the best way to conquer a stronghold? Of course, it¡¯s to break it from the inside. Coincidentally, we¡¯ve been preparing for this for a year, and the Fatches people are not as united as they claim to be. This is our opportunity.¡± wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co ¡°Now, we¡¯re just waiting to see if our beloved Star Sector leader can come to his senses, and I have no doubt about that.¡± Gu Hang said this with great confidence because he had already seen through Martin Nelli¡¯s current predicament. In the present situation, Martin Nelli has four main requirements for settling the Fatches rebellion, in order of importance. Don¡¯t let the Star Domain intervene = Ensure the Imperial Tax of the Fatches Star System > Destroy the Fatches Family, severely punish the rebellion > Fines. The first two are equally important; that¡¯s the substance. The Star Domain Government is not incapable of resolving the issue, but doing so would require diverting Fleets from the front lines of the Iron Teeth War and calling back the Star Realm Army. This would cost a great deal of money and create defense gaps on the front line, potentially leading to Green Skins capturing several worlds, resulting in even greater losses. The Imperial Tax is the same; the three Fatches stars together generate six billion in Tax Currency annually, and that¡¯s something that cannot be lost. These two substantive issues must be preserved; failing to do so means Martin Nelli can expect to share the Fatches¡¯ fate¨Cperhaps even meeting their end a bit sooner. Destroying the Fatches Family and severely punishing the rebellion is a matter of face. The dignity of the Empire needs to be upheld, and those who dare trample its baseline must be eradicated. Pure subsistence is not enough; the chaos is Martin Nelli¡¯s doing. If just the chaos is quelled and the Fatches remain at large, or even continue to control the planets, then the Star Domain Government would be losing face. In this scenario, Martin Nelli wouldn¡¯t necessarily die, but his career would certainly be finished. Fines are an additional benefit. If the substance and face issues are resolved, Martin Nelli might maintain his position, and if fines cannot be secured, then so be it. On this basis, Martin Nelli has absolutely no foundation for negotiation with the Fatches Family. The Fatches Family would not negotiate with Martin Nelli either. They¡¯re also aware of the priority of issues above. What they want to achieve is to preserve the substance for the Empire and let Martin Nelli bear the loss of face. At that time, the declaration issued by Minnick would not be worthless, but the truth, and Martin Nelli could play the role of the rebel who forced the Empire¡¯s loyalists to compensate for the Empire¡¯s loss of dignity. On this basis, Gu Hang had no doubt that in the end, Martin Nelli would surely compromise and dutifully use his own connections, relationships, and methods to seek the Alliance¡¯s control over the Fatches Tri-Star. The Star Sector leader had no other choices left. ¡­ Although he was certain, everything happened even faster than Gu Hang had anticipated. Just eight days later, Gu Hang, stationed at the Governor¡¯s office on Korolya III, met with Martin Nelli. This Star Sector leader had personally come to Korolya to meet Gu Hang and announced the latest orders from the higher government. The Korolya Battle Zone was henceforth expanded to become the ¡°Tianma Battle Zone.¡± Commander Gu Hang could now mobilize the military forces within the Star Sector, including the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps¨Calthough, in reality, this did not significantly increase in size and was essentially a mobilization of the forces already under Gu Hang¡¯s command. What was added was the reserve portion of the Tianma Fleet, which was now under the command of the Battle Sector commander once again. But in fact, Gu Hang had never expected any additional military assistance. The Tianma Star Sector had nothing extra to offer. What Gu Hang considered most important, he had now obtained. With the inclusion of the three Fatches stars in the battle sector, Gu Hang now had full authority to deal with them. This was clearly reflected in the document Martin Nelli brought, signed by both the Star Domain Government and Star Sector Government. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After stating these points and handing over the assignment document bearing the signatures of the Star Domain Government and Star Sector Government to Gu Hang, Martin Nelli left, with no intention of further communication with Gu Hang. Gu Hang did not detain him. For Gu Hang, he had already gained what he desired. The Alliance¡¯s war machine, from this moment, began to operate openly. The first to be mobilized was the Gu Commercial Firm. Chapter 677 - Chapter 677: Chapter 383, No Choice_4 Chapter 677: Chapter 383, No Choice_4 They had received a massive number of war orders¨Cthe money for which was to be paid by the Imperial Military Department. Multiple merchant fleets were called over. These merchant ships and transport vessels were going to be responsible for transporting the Alliance Army and strategic materials. The Tianma Fleet had also been deployed, heading for the Fatches Star Sector. After the navy passed through the Star Realm Tunnel from Flying Wing Star to the Fatches Star System, they would blockade Fatches Tri-Star. They would not rashly attack planets with complete defense systems, but they would surround the three planets from a distance, completely isolating them. The little boats of the Fatches Family could only honestly nestle in the starport, unable to come out again. And half a month later, the Alliance¡¯s preparations for war had been completed. The Dragonhawk 3rd Corps, as the main force, had almost all boarded their ships. After eight years away, they were about to return to their homeland. Many of them had complex feelings. Eight years! Although they had been told from the moment they became part of the Star Realm Army that their future was the vast sea of stars, almost all of them, especially the new recruits who had only been enlisted for a few years, had actually never left their home planet. When they came to fight on Korolya, they thought it was just going to be a short war. But who would have thought, it turned out to be eight years. Not to mention those who died, many of those who were alive had gone from youth to middle age, getting married and having children. Getting married and having children seemed a bit strange for warriors called to the Star Realm Army, but it was a reality that happened to them. This stemmed from a strategy by Gu Hang. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co After consulting with Hans, he allowed the soldiers of the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps under Star Realm Army jurisdiction to take some rotated rest during the military governance of Korolya. During these rest periods, soldiers getting to know local women, developing a relationship, or engaging in monetary transactions were all allowed. When the Star Realm Army was deployed abroad, they always had to leave some ways for soldiers to relieve stress, especially since most Star Realm Army soldiers were lifetime military men. Discipline is discipline, but human nature cannot be erased. Alcohol, cigarettes, sex¡­ were inevitable. The first two could fall under the category of normal military supply materials, as for the latter, that was up to the soldiers themselves, provided it was legal. The army has discipline. However, that was the regular situation. What Gu Hang did was simply to go a step further on this basis, giving the displaced warriors of the Fatches Star Realm Army a more stable environment¨Ca family. Having a wedding that was not luxurious but full of ceremony; having their own children; spending time with their family during rest periods¡­ Although the Dragonhawk Legion wasn¡¯t part of the sequence of the Alliance Army, under the direction of Gu Hang, their spouses and children could still enjoy the treatment of the Alliance Army dependents. That meant extra allowances, that meant they could be quickly integrated into the Alliance¡¯s system and be given a relatively high rank compared to the average person. This also made the soldiers an ideal partner for the local women of Korolya. Now, the soldiers of the Dragonhawk Legion were indeed from Fatches, but their families, wives, and children were all in Korolya, which accounted for 30% of the entire army; 15% of the soldiers newly recruited into the legion were outright Korolya people. They were Star Realm Army warriors, in the name of the empire, to subjugate rebellion, even if that rebellion was their homeland. With several factors combined, how could these people from Fatches not have complex feelings? They couldn¡¯t help but complain, damn Fatches Family, why rebel? They really deserved to die. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡ª¡ª¨C This chapter 6k Making up for yesterday, and also adding more. There¡¯s more today, but in the late night¡­ Still owe 11k Chapter 678 - Chapter 678: Chapter 384, it was Gu Hang who bewitched me into rebelling! Chapter 678: Chapter 384, it was Gu Hang who bewitched me into rebelling! In Korolya, he married and had children locally, mixed in local Korolya soldiers into the legion, and took control of the legion in the capacity of a commander of the warzone¡­ All these efforts were made by Gu Hang in order to assimilate the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps. Moreover, in the past few years, Gu Hang has been doing two more things: First, he started replacing officers in the corps who were clearly inclined towards the Fatches Family. Previously, he had done so in a more gentle manner, and he faced significant resistance. After all, General Hans was only a military subordinate to Gu Hang and had no political personnel authority. However, once the news of the Fatches Family¡¯s rebellion came out, Gu Hang suddenly had far fewer scruples. He began to forcefully purge within the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps under the guise of removing ¡®the claws and teeth of imperial traitors,¡¯ reducing the resistance substantially. Even Hans couldn¡¯t stop him then; otherwise, he himself might end up wearing the hat of a traitor and being purged by Gu Hang. The second thing was, as soldiers from Korolya who had undergone training in Gu Hang¡¯s Army Badge System joined the corps, he also started to implement the commissar system from the Alliance. Originally, the Dragonhawk Corps did not have political commissars. Functions similar to that role were played by two other entities: the military judges and military priests. The former, with their supervisory teams and military police, were in charge of combat discipline; the latter were responsible for the soldiers¡¯ ideological matters. But aside from Gu Hang¡¯s intention to further infiltrate and seize control of the army using political commissars, even from an objective standpoint, he disapproved of the system. Gu Hang felt that the Alliance¡¯s commissar system was far more reliable than military judges. As for the military priests, he had no plans to remove the existing ones, but he also had no plans to continue adding them to the army. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.cO Maintaining the status quo would suffice. Now, he believed that the current Dragonhawk 3rd Corps could turn against their former lord without issue. Of course, even so, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t fully trust this corps, after all, it wasn¡¯t his own force and was not included in the [Soldier Tag] System. Even the three million Korolya people he had trained disappeared from the system after they were incorporated into the Dragonhawk Corps. But for this very reason, he wouldn¡¯t feel too distressed about sending them into the most grueling sieges. This army was also the first to board the starships, and they would be the main force in the upcoming Fatches campaign. The Alliance, too, had dispatched a force of over ten million soldiers. The Alliance Land Forces currently comprise three major organizational structures: the Alliance Army, Salvation Army, and Korolya Defense Forces. The former represents the military forces from Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star, currently about ten million strong; the latter is the defending army of Korolya, which totals over two hundred million to date; the Salvation Army is an intermediate state with over forty million soldiers. The entire Alliance Army has undergone training in the [Soldier Tag] System, costing tens of thousands of favor points in total; The Salvation Army numbers forty million and have all undergone [Soldier Tag] training. Mainly, these soldiers are those who Gu Hang directly incorporated during the previous Korolya campaign. The difference between them and the Alliance Army mainly lies in their equipment; comparatively inferior, with weaker armored forces. As for the Korolya Defense Forces, they are the largest force, currently exceeding two hundred million. Military reform will follow, where the Salvation Army and Korolya Defense Forces will be disbanded and fully incorporated into the Alliance Army, so everyone will have a unified organization. However, the main challenge comes from the Korolya Defense Forces, which make up the vast majority and are of much poorer quality. Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t be investing any more Grace Points in their training for a short time. Completing the full training would require two million Grace Points, which Gu Hang simply couldn¡¯t afford. He had already hurriedly dispatched qualified officers and political commissars to the Planetary Defense Force, conducting training according to Star Realm Army standards. Those soldiers who didn¡¯t make the cut were eliminated, new suitable recruits were enlisted, and high standards were set for both training and logistical support, aiming to raise the overall troop proficiency by conventional methods as much as possible. Once training was completed, a new Alliance Army division would be established. In the future, Gu Hang planned to continue in the same vein. The Alliance Army would also have two tiers: the regular army would be on par with the Empire¡¯s Star Realm Army, while the Defense Forces would correspond to the Planetary Defense Force. At the same time, all past infantry division and garrison division structures within the Alliance Army were reorganized into formal large infantry divisions of 44,000 troops and were assigned a permanent Army Group, unlike the temporary ones formed in response to wartime needs in the past. Each Army Group would have an approximate strength of 1.1 million, including 20 large infantry divisions, 6 Armored Composite Brigades, and their own air squadrons. The Alliance Troops committed to the Fatches campaign consisted of the Land Forces and the Salvation Army, each contributing five million men. The grand total of just over thirty million soldiers was the solid force Gu Hang had prepared for the Fatches campaign. Aboard a fleet detached from the Gu Commercial Firm, they, their equipment, and a large amount of military supplies were loaded from various locations and assembled in the Korolya Star System, before they set off majestically toward the Fatches Star System. ¡­ ¡°Is this what you call ¡®sincerity¡¯? You clearly stated that you were also dissatisfied with the Star Sector Government, that you would support Fatches, that not a single one of your soldiers would step foot on Fatches soil; you would provide Fatches with weapons and supplies, arming Fatches¡¯s forces¡­¡± ¡°And now? Thirty million Alliance Army troops are eyeing my world with covetous intent! Is this the promise of your Governor Gu Hang? Habitual liars! Filthy traitors!¡± Minnick¡¯s insults were quite unsavory, but to Salihoovich, his anger appeared to be quite common and trivial. Ever since two months ago, when Commander-in-Chief Gu Hang included the Fatches Star System under his jurisdiction, and the Star Domain Government and Star Sector Government jointly signed the order placing Gu Hang in full charge of quelling the rebellion in Fatches, Minnick had summoned the Alliance envoy¨CSalihoovich¨Cno less than six times, with each meeting ending the same way. To tell the truth, the first time was the most perilous. Back then, the flames in the eyes of this Family Head of Fatches made Salihoovich keenly aware that the other party did indeed intend to take his life as a statement. Despite this, Salihoovich uncharacteristically refused to grovel for his life at that time. He knew that yielding once would only complicate matters later on. On the contrary, after he resolutely represented the Alliance¡¯s stance, no matter how outraged Minnick was, he did not take any action against him. What was the use of killing a senior diplomat? It would only further provoke the Alliance and, more importantly, cut off the channels of communication between the two sides. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only During the past six encounters, Salihoovich had accurately conveyed the demands of Governor Gu Hang, and this time was no exception: ¡°Yes, this is our sincerity. Governor Minnick, your actions are intolerable to the Empire. As long as you surrender unconditionally, and everyone on the Empire¡¯s list, including yourself, is accounted for, and heads to the Stellar Capital Yunluo Star for trial, then of course the Alliance will honor its promise and not allow a single soldier to set foot on Fatches soil. In this respect, the Alliance has not broken its promise.¡± Minnick was so angry he almost laughed, ¡°Is that how you honor a promise? Is that the Alliance¡¯s attitude towards commitments? Twisting words, spouting nonsense, habitual lying¡­ Aren¡¯t you afraid of becoming a laughingstock to the entire universe?¡± ¡°The entire universe will only ridicule traitors, not the heroes who quell rebellions.¡± ¡°I will expose you! I will report to the Star Domain Government that it was Gu Hang who incited me to rebel!¡± Chapter 679 - Chapter 679: Chapter 385, The Time is Ripe Chapter 679: Chapter 385, The Time is Ripe ¡°It was Gu Hang who beguiled me into rebellion!¡± The words that Minnick cried out were, to some extent, indeed the truth. Salihoovich was the executor. Over a year ago, after he arrived at the Fatches Star System and took over from the previous diplomatic envoy, he began this task. In various semi-public and secret talks, he met many high-ranking members of the Fatches Family, claiming to them that the Alliance similarly loathed the current Star Sector Government, and had great sympathy for the plight of the Fatches Family. There were few who questioned his honesty, most felt he was simply adding a touch of diplomatic rhetoric to his words. The Alliance indeed was at odds with the Star Sector Government. Ever since Pei Desi¡¯s death, the ¡°Tianma Iron Triangle¡± had ceased to exist. And when the Gu Clan and Fufana banded together, forming a third-party neutral faction, that relationship turned outright frosty. At that time, the Fatches Family celebrated; the weakening of their enemy and the emergence of a neutral faction were certainly favourable developments. The millennium-old Fatches, who looked down on the ¡®nouveau riche¡¯ Alliance, nevertheless believed that the Alliance resembled them in some aspects¨Cboth were multi-planet political entities at odds with the Star Sector Government. Such political entities would inevitably have poor relations with the Star Sector Government, something the Fatches would not doubt. Upon this foundation, Salihoovich further fantasized with these officials about the possibility of the Alliance and the Fatches collaborating, whether to sideline the Star Sector Government or to employ some more drastic, forceful measures to oust the current head of the Star Sector. These suggestions were usually made in private, as jokes. They weren¡¯t concrete policies, just collective musings¨Cwhat was the harm in that? However, didn¡¯t these activities gradually introduce the notion into the minds of the Fatches Family¡¯s upper echelon members? wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site Of course, having just an idea wasn¡¯t significant. During these conversations, Salihoovich identified individuals genuinely open to deeper discussion. Privately, they explored the feasibility of cooperation, hoping these high-ranking members could persuade the Fatches Family to adopt more aggressive measures against the Star Sector Government. Putting it bluntly, Salihoovich was inciting the Hawk Faction within the Fatches, stoking more intense emotions. He even went further, spurring the hawks to take action. And in fact, it wasn¡¯t just him acting. After all, Salihoovich was a diplomat whose actions, taken this far, were already at their limit, and many of them were being monitored. But beyond him, the Alliance had another group working within the Fatches. They were agents of the Alliance Intelligence Bureau. Their operations were more covert and unrestrained than Salihoovich¡¯s¨Cbribing, blackmailing, and for certain individuals who could significantly impact the plan, executing assassinations and making them look like accidents. But truth be told, their earlier operations were far from smooth, fraught with difficulties. However, once the huge fines demanded by the Alliance were publicized, their work suddenly became much smoother. Within the Fatches Family, whether the radical or conservative factions, hawks or doves, all were stirred up over the enormous sum. There was immense dissatisfaction with Minnick, the Family Head who had taken over the family seven years ago and who had led to the catastrophic failure at Korolya, as well as the enormous fine. In such an atmosphere, the Alliance Intelligence Bureau managed to secure quite a few people. Then, under the direct instigation of Salihoovich, a large number of the Fatches Family¡¯s mid to high-ranking members began to entertain the idea of starting a war explicitly. On one hand, they were heavily oppressed, so a firm stance indeed seemed like a solution; on the other hand, they truly believed when the Alliance said it would stand with them. They thought this was a strategy, trusting that the Alliance would indeed stand with them, so they kept making proposals and lobbying upwards. Minnick heard about this and he believed it too. Thus, under diplomatic efforts and the secret hard work of intelligence agents, coupled with the Fatches Family possibly having such inclinations initially, the rebellion of the Fatches was eventually provoked. Then, the Alliance turned its back on them. The Fatches were dumbfounded. Their greatest expected ally had now become a death warrant! This was a disaster! Salihoovich, as the ambassador of the Alliance, came under immense pressure. But from this, two effects immediately followed. The most apparent was the rage from being betrayed by an ¡®ally¡¯. But beneath that anger lay a tremendous panic. Once the rebellion started, the conservative faction within the Fatches Family grew extremely dissatisfied. There were also the compromisers and capitulators, who were in constant anxiety over their fear of the Empire. Although Minnick¡¯s actions seemed to shift the conflicts outward, in reality, the dissatisfaction had not been completely eliminated; it was merely hidden because of fear and inability. All these became opportunities that the foreign intelligence service could exploit. With the relied upon allied support turning into an army to suppress the revolt, how could the Fatches withstand it? The capability of the Alliance had been fully demonstrated in the Battle of Korolya; the Tianma Fleet was on their side; even the Dragonhawk Third Legion, the former pride of the Fatches, had become the vanguard in attacking them. Could the Fatches Defense Army withstand such opponents? Indeed, a landing operation was not easy, especially since all three stars had robust orbital defenses. But no matter how much damage they could inflict on the enemy, it seemed that defeat was inevitable in the end. By then, the more people you let the Alliance lose, the worse off you¡¯d be. If it were some alien invasion or a Cult rebel army, those were situations where compromise was impossible, and no lenient surrender terms would be offered just because you surrendered. In a war where extinction of the race was on the line, no matter how arduous, you would have to keep fighting, if only to survive. But to fight the Alliance and the Empire to the death, what the hell was that for? In the early stages, the intelligence collected by Salihoovich and the foreign intelligence service played a role. They quickly distinguished who were the waverers and who among them could be persuaded or even turned. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Up to now, there were quite a few who had secretive contact with the foreign intelligence service and Salihoovich. Moreover, as the Tianma Fleet mounted its blockade and the Alliance Army closed in mightily, many who were not originally on the list came forward. Unable to find an agent, or even having never been in contact with one, not knowing how deeply the Fatches had been infiltrated, they had no other choice but to take the risk and meet Salihoovich in secret. They often claimed to be loyal subjects of the Empire, never intending to rebel, that the Fatches were loyal too, and it was just Family Head Minnick who was not very loyal. By this point, Salihoovich felt that the timing should be ripe. Chapter 680 - Chapter 680: Chapter 386, The Fatches Coup Chapter 680: Chapter 386, The Fatches Coup Salihoovich held his head high and said to Minnick, who was sitting at the very top of the court throne: ¡°Mr. Minnick, the Alliance¡¯s friendship with Fatches has been consistent from start to finish. Since the incident with Blackbird Heavy Industries, our two sides have formed a bond of friendship.¡± ¡°We indeed promised political and economic support to Fatches, and we also pledged not to pose a direct military threat to the Fatchess Tri-Star.¡± ¡°However, despite our deep sympathy for Fatches¡¯s plight, we have never said that we would support Fatches in launching a rebellion against the Empire! You can recall every document that has been signed between us!¡± He spoke with finality. He might have mentioned supporting Fatches in taking a tough stance, but rarely, if ever, about rebelling, and certainly not leaving any documentation of it. This was a handle that would not exist. Minnick¡¯s face turned completely dark. He knew that Salihoovich was right. He had previously wanted to explicitly sign a document with similar wording, or to quietly add similar text to certain documents, but all such attempts had been repelled and had never been realized. Both Salihoovich and the Alliance itself had been very cautious about this. Salihoovich spread his hands and began his spiel, ¡°We never agreed to your unreasonable demands, even though your family has shown a heart of disloyalty, the Alliance still continued to provide resources and transport materials to you, all the while persuading, urging you to stay calm, to show restraint.¡± ¡°But you have always ignored the Alliance¡¯s warnings.¡± This was indeed nonsense, and even Minnick was so angered that he couldn¡¯t come up with a retort right away¨Cthere were just too many points of contention. Setting aside everything else, weren¡¯t you fanning the flames by sending materials and encouraging on one hand, and advising restraint on the other? wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co During the persuasion, saying how disgusting the Star Sector Government was, unbearable for anyone, but could you bear it just a bit longer? It seemed that Salihoovich too knew that what he said was a bit too preposterous, but he continued to speak unabashedly: ¡°All the promises and support of the Alliance are based on the foundation that we are all subjects of the Empire, all fighting for the Empire. But when you betrayed this principle, all the agreements lost their precondition. In other words, it was you who broke the alliance first!¡± ¡°I did not betray the Empire! We were only resisting the Star Sector¡­ ¡± ¡°No, the Empire says you are traitors.¡± Salihoovich paused for a moment, then continued with cold words: ¡°I reiterate to you, on behalf of the Empire, on behalf of Governor Gu Hang, the demands: the Fatches Family must surrender unconditionally, and hand over the three Empire Worlds for Governor Gu Hang to dispose of; you, and all the individuals listed, must submit to the Tribunal¡¯s trial.¡± ¡°Only in this way, can we avoid war, can we avoid annihilation.¡± ¡°Dream on!¡± Minnick, his aged body suddenly bursting with strength, stood up and threw a wine goblet at Salihoovich with great force. It missed, smashing at the diplomat¡¯s feet. Minnick continued to roar, ¡°Then let Gu Hang come, let your Alliance¡¯s pack of whelps come! I will show you the blood of the Fatches people! You filthy traitors, you betrayers full of lies, will suffer the most terrible wrath of Fatches in orbit, on the surface of Fatches! Your blood will flow here, your corpses will fill every front, and you will be beaten to a bloody pulp, paying the price for everything you have done!¡± ¡°Now, get out! While I still have the last bit of sanity, and am not as filthy as you Alliance people, not killing an emissary, leave my sight!¡± Salihoovich sighed, a strange, inscrutable expression on his face. ¡°What a pity¡­¡± He bowed slightly to Minnick, then touched his belt. Immediately after, a brilliant blue light filled Minnick¡¯s view. Of course, he realized something was wrong, but the dazzling light of Spiritual Energy caused him intense pain in his eyes, leading him to cry out in agony, though he did not even hear his own scream. For his cry was drowned out by the louder sound of detonating firearms. These gunshots came in a very dense, yet brief burst. Then, he heard a very heavy footstep. Minnick couldn¡¯t help but look up; his tearful, still aching eyes reflected the image of a tall, vivid red figure clad in armor. ¡°No, this can¡¯t be¡­¡± He knew what it was¨Can Interstellar Warrior from the Phoenix. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But how could it be here? He had received intelligence; he knew Gu Hang had under his command a mysterious number of Interstellar Warriors at his service. He had even obtained case studies of the war that occurred on Heijian Star, aware that after receiving the support of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, Gu Hang had established a so-called ¡®Storm Mage Corps,¡¯ capable of Psychic teleportation. Combining the powers of these two, they could deploy top-notch elite troops like the Interstellar Warriors to any desired location. It was a terrifying decapitation capability. Therefore, he would of course be extra careful in safeguarding himself. Inside his palace, there were also Psychic practitioners; he had spent a fortune to recruit them and stealthily cultivated a team of Psychic operators. Chapter 681 - Chapter 681: Chapter 386, Fatches Coup détat_2 Chapter 681: Chapter 386, Fatches Coup d¡¯etat_2 They would provide reliable Psychic Energy protection for Minnick and the numerous elites of the Fatches Family at the center of power. The assassins would be caught the moment they invaded; As for space teleportation, it was an even more critical target for prevention. Not only was there a Psychic Energy team working on this, but two years ago, the Fatches also bought a specialized anti-teleportation device, which made their countermeasures against Psychic Energy teleportation even stronger. If the teleportation was initiated from outer space, no matter how many, how powerful the Psychic Energy users participating in the teleportation were, they would be severely disrupted. At best, they would be deflected and tossed into space; at worst, they would become ¡°lost,¡± disappearing into Subspace, which was a dire fate indeed. Even if the teleportation target was not the Era Royal Court but any place on the planet¡¯s surface, the transmission would still face interference; and even if the interference failed, at the very least, it would be detected that someone had teleported toward the planet¡¯s surface. Within the Fatches Family, there were even contingency plans in place. As soon as any Psychic Energy teleportation to the planet¡¯s surface was detected, the Fatches would immediately dissolve their Central Government, their ¡®brain,¡¯ and disperse on the spot, scattering to various parts of the entire planet, fearing decapitation. In fact, they didn¡¯t need to wait for the moment of Psychic Energy teleportation to occur; they had already done so from the moment they expelled the Imperial Tax officer. It¡¯s just that there was no immediate threat at the time, so it wasn¡¯t considered urgent. But why were Interstellar Warriors still teleported before him? There was clearly no information about surface teleportation received, so how did these Interstellar Warriors arrive on Fatches No.1? Minnick didn¡¯t know. The giant in red armor standing before him clearly didn¡¯t have the interest to provide an answer. He even lacked the intent to let him live. wuxiaworld.site The dark muzzle was aimed at his head. ¡°Wait¡­¡± ¡°Bang.¡± His chest turned completely to mush. Salihoovich glanced around. Twenty-three Interstellar Warriors emerged from the teleportation array. The moment they appeared, they killed everyone in the court besides Salihoovich. From the guards to Minnick himself, a ruler of the Fatches Family. Initially, Salihoovich had considered whether to spare Minnick¡¯s life. After all, if a living leader of the Fatches Family could be brought to trial, it would symbolically mean more than presenting a death notice and bringing back a head. However, Salihoovich thought again, deciding it would be better to ensure that the old Minnick would forever stay silent rather than risk him saying something inappropriate during a trial. Killing Minnick was only the first step, and there was still a long way to go before concluding the events at the court center. But Salihoovich¡¯s job was temporarily over. Next, he had to stay in the court, waiting for someone¡¯s arrival. Before that, the commander of this Phoenix contingent, Captain Diego Calduzzo, was the main character. He was one of the century-old veterans of the Phoenix Battle Group, one of the four survivors out of the seven Phoenix who came to Rage Owl Star, now the captain of Phoenix First Company, commanding a hundred Interstellar Warriors. His company, along with half a Storm Mage Corps led by Dress, had arrived at Fatches No. 1 months ago. The Alliance knew that the Fatches Family would certainly prepare for the Psychic Energy teleportation techniques previously revealed by the Alliance. To avoid alerting the Fatches, the Interstellar Warriors and Psychic Energy users snuck in aboard the transport ships supplying the Fatches with materials. Actually, if not for the risks involved in a forced assault, they would prefer not even to use teleportation now. There was a small number of combat troops and fixed automatic turrets in the palace. These might not stop an assault by the Interstellar Warriors, but they could easily waste some time, and it would be problematic if Minnick managed to escape. The number of Phoenix Warriors performing this teleportation was actually fifty, but only 22 arrived. This was because the teleportation operation took place very close to the Era Royal Court, and also, on Salihoovich¡¯s belt, there was a locator personally crafted by Governor Gu Hang. It was precisely because of the combination of these two factors that the teleportation succeeded. Yet, under the interference, they still lost 28 people. But the good news was that at least no one was scattered too far, nor was anyone lost in Subspace. The remaining 28 were all within other areas of this palace, and now the sound of gunfire could already be heard. They had indeed anticipated such a scenario before the operation. Kalduce instructed Salihoovich to stay put here, leaving behind ten warriors to protect him and, incidentally, defend this core area of the palace. A large number of palace guards, along with a few combat mechs, had already reacted and started to surge towards this location. The ten Phoenix warriors were tasked with holding this position. As for himself, he led another twelve men on the offensive. The Era Royal Court was not just the residence of the current head of the Fatches Family and his direct relatives, it was also the center of governance. Even though some of the Fatches clan¡¯s elite had been evacuated elsewhere to prevent a total wipeout, to storm the front hall and the offices of Fatches officials, to capture or kill even one more, to wreak just a bit more havoc¨Cthis was all for the best. At the same time, it also served to gather the scattered Phoenix warriors. In the city where the Era Royal Court was located, Fatches No.1¡¯s capital city, the fifty interstellar warriors were not the only ones active within the palace. Another fifty Phoenix warriors were divided into two groups, carrying out two different missions. This concerned two high-ranking officials within the Fatches Family. One of them was the Capital Defense Deputy Commander, a Major General in the Planetary Defense Force, named Bobby Fatches. Thirty interstellar warriors had been shipped into the Capital Guard Army barracks three days before through his authority, concealed within ammunition crates. Today, the Phoenix warriors burst from their hiding, protecting Bobby as they found the Commander of the Capital Guards alongside another Deputy Commander. When found, these two had just issued orders for the Capital Guard Army to head to the palace district, to eliminate the invaders and rescue the Family Head. The Phoenix warriors executed both generals. Afterward, Bobby Fatches took over the capital¡¯s military district and demanded that all troops stay in place, declaring martial law and forbidding any rash actions. Meanwhile, he urgently contacted the officers who had already received orders to return to defense, asking them to return to their barracks. The officer was instantly confused. The Major General realized something was amiss, but he didn¡¯t know what to do. But he soon found out. A trusted unit loyal to Bobby Fatches pointed their guns at them, ordering them to follow the commander¡¯s instructions. Weighing the possibility of an exchange of fire with brother units on the capital¡¯s streets, the officer ultimately did not make any rash decisions. Unable to find anyone higher in rank to issue any orders, he had no choice but to comply. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Meanwhile, another twenty Phoenix warriors were protecting a man named Petes Fatches, heading toward the Era Royal Court. He could be considered the eighth leading figure within the Fatches Family, serving as the Minister of Commerce for the Fatches Regime. The Fatches Family had an established set of rules specifying that should the Family Head be endangered due to death, disappearance, incapacity, impeachment¡­ in short, if they were unable to fulfill their duties, the next in line would be the deputy head; if the deputy was not viable, then it would be the Clan Elders¡¯ Council Chief, and so on down to the Marshal of the Planetary Defense Force¡­ they listed eighteen positions in total that could be inherited through succession. Moreover, the Fatches had a clan rule that, to avoid a total takedown, no more than two-thirds of the aforementioned personnel were allowed to be assembled at the same place at the same time, or to travel in the same means of transportation. And this Minister of Commerce, Petes, was the old number eight. Chapter 682 - Chapter 682: Chapter 387: The People of Fatches Are Loyal Chapter 682: Chapter 387: The People of Fatches Are Loyal The coup that took place on Fatches No.1 had long been plotted by the Alliance. The delivery of supplies to the Fatches planet served dual purposes, on the one hand, to strengthen the covenant between both parties, instilling in the Fatches people more confidence to take a tough stance against the Star Sector Government. On the other hand, it was to secretly insert certain individuals among them. Intelligence agents, Demon Hunters, Interstellar Warriors of Phoenix, and the Psykers from the Storm Mage Corps all entered this way. And now, a hundred Interstellar Warriors had turned the capital planet of Fatches No.1 upside down. Yet no one came to intervene, or perhaps those who wanted to couldn¡¯t. The fifty Phoenix warriors within the Era Royal Court were almost done clearing the palace¡¯s defense forces. The clueless automechanical soldiers were nearly wiped out, the automatic turrets had their control center destroyed, and the other human guards, originally numbering at least a thousand and considered elite on the Fatches planet, either died or were trembling so much that they lost all will to fight. The Phoenixes not only took control of the central palace of the Era Royal Court but also breached the government organizations situated in the forecourt, turning many officials who were at work into captives. Once the Phoenixes had control here, they began to hold their ground. But there wasn¡¯t much to hold onto. The worst-case scenario did not happen; the Capital Guard Army remained silent. Three tactical squads of Phoenixes helped Bobby Fachess take control of the Capital Guard Army. Although several people both above and at his rank were executed, he still had his loyalists, and he had been preparing for this day for quite some time. However, due to the need for secrecy and the impossibility of making a show of it, it was hard for him to make many moves or win over many people in advance. However, even if he couldn¡¯t get the Capital Guard Army to follow his command, just having them paralyzed in hesitation, confrontation, and chaos was enough. When millions in the Capital Guard Army did nothing, that spared the Phoenixes a load of trouble. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co Meanwhile, Petes, the number eight man of the Fatches Regime, was rushing over here escorted by twenty Phoenix warriors. The most ideal scenario would have been to eliminate the seven individuals ahead of Petes Fatches in rank, so that he, as the old number eight, could naturally ascend to the highest position of power through the legal principles set by the Fatches Family¨Calthough even then it wouldn¡¯t be possible to end everything immediately, it would have made things considerably easier. Unfortunately, it was not to be done. Within the Era Royal Court, they slaughtered the number one Family Head, the number two Young Family Head, the number three Chief Elder, and captured the two high-ranking officials, numbers five and seven. But the number four figure, the Marshal of the Fatches Tristar Defense Army, was an insurmountable hurdle. Currently, this person was inspecting the military¡¯s defense arrangements at the starport on Fatches No.1. The Alliance also had an undercover agent there, tasked with assassinating him. But up to now, no successful news had come through; this presumably meant the assassination had failed. But that was no cause for concern, for it was an auxiliary move that was not highly likely to succeed from the start. Overall, the events unfolding on the Fatches capital were proceeding quite smoothly. The number eight figure, Petes, had smoothly entered the center of the Fatches Regime. He approached with a trace of trepidation and unease. Salihoovich was the first to greet him, and after a brief exchange in private, Petes¡¯s emotions had significantly cooled. He composed himself and, with a slight quiver, took out a folded piece of paper from the upper pocket of his garment. Then, under the somewhat despairing gazes of the many Fachess officials, he activated a device. It was not any strategic weapon, but something even more terrifying than that. What Petes was about to do would tear apart the entire Fachess Regime. By now, no one could stop it. It was a button that could initiate a global broadcast, and when he pressed it, the words he was about to say would be transmitted to the capital¡¯s broadcast tower, which would then forcibly seize the broadcast and television signals of the entire world, allowing the entire planet to hear his next words. ¡°I am Petes Fachess, Minister of Commerce of the Fatches Tristar United Government. Hereby, on behalf of the United Government, I make this declaration to all citizens of the Tri-Star:¡± ¡°Since March, the ten billion people of the Fachess Tri-Star have been living in fear. The Family Head Minnick¡¯s arrogant expulsion of the Imperial Tax officials is a grave crime, and no matter how he tries to justify it, his actions have led to the undeniable fact that the Fachess Tri-Star has been judged ¡®traitors to the Empire¡¯.¡± ¡°As things stand now, the Tianma Fleet, bearing the Empire¡¯s wrath, has blockaded our star system; Commanding Officer Gu Hang, a hero of the Empire who has been awarded the Medal of Honor, eradicated countless demons, and saved the Tianma Star Sector, has now brought tens of millions of the Imperial Army into orbit above our planet. The most infuriated among them is the Dragonhawk Legion, which has always guarded the Fachess Tri-Star.¡± ¡°It is foreseeable that if we continue to be stubborn and follow the Family Head Minnick¡¯s insane decisions, the entire Fachess Tri-Star will be decimated under the Empire¡¯s wrath. All peace and prosperity will turn to ashes amidst the fire of war. The Dragonhawk Legion, which once protected us, will unleash their most disappointed fury upon every Fachess citizen.¡± ¡°And how innocent are the people of Fachess?¡± ¡°What Minnick has done was not the will of the United Government, nor was it the will of the entire populace of Fachess Tri-Star. We have always been subjects of the Empire, paying our taxes on time, supporting the Star Realm Legion, and revering The Emperor.¡± ¡°The people of Fachess have fulfilled all the duties that Imperial citizens should, and we rightfully deserve the Empire¡¯s protection, the peaceful lives we have created with our own hands, and not to bear the unjust stigma of being traitors or to endure a wrath we do not deserve because of Minnick¡¯s arrogant acts.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Having been justly tried for betraying the Empire, from the Family Head Minnick down, government officials who have betrayed the Empire and the people of Fachess no longer possess the capability to lead the government. Therefore, I hereby announce, in accordance with the highest law of power succession of the United Government, that I myself am assuming the highest power of the United Government.¡± ¡°In the name of the United Government, I command all Facess Planetary Defense Forces, as of this day, to hold their positions, maintain public order, and upon the arrival of the Imperial Army, obey all commands of the Imperial officers and, if necessary, assist the Imperial Army in eliminating the traitors.¡± ¡°I order, all local officials under the Fachess United Government shall prepare to cooperate with the Imperial Army.¡± ¡°I plead with every Fachess citizen to uphold the duties of an Imperial citizen, stay at home, cooperate with all actions of the Imperial Army, to prove the loyalty of the Fachess people, and I believe Commanding Officer Gu Hang will give the Fachess people a fair outcome.¡± ¡°The people of Fachess are loyal! For the Emperor!¡± Chapter 683 - Chapter 683: Chapter 388, Go to War Chapter 683: Chapter 388, Go to War Petes¡¯ public declaration to all the citizens of Fatches caused a huge uproar. Objectively speaking, he couldn¡¯t possibly take over the power of the United Government. Although he was a member of the family cabinet, his succession rank wasn¡¯t high enough, nor was his reputation and status, to achieve an effect of unquestioned compliance. He couldn¡¯t command the United Government, let alone really make the entire Fatches Defense Army genuinely lay down their weapons. No matter what he said in the declaration, whether people actually listened to him was a completely different matter. However, this declaration still caused enormous chaos within the Fatches Regime. On Fatches No.1, tens of millions of Planetary Defense Forces fell into a bizarre silence. Indeed, the Defense Army Grand Marshal at the Starport took the Orbital Elevator back to the surface immediately, and declared within the entire military system that Petes was a traitor, but even that couldn¡¯t completely end the chaos. The reason was simple: Petes had said something that resonated with the hearts of the people of Fatches. We pay our taxes year after year, we worship the statues of The Emperor, we send our most valiant offspring to fight for the Empire in the Star Realm Army, we could proudly call ourselves Imperial citizens from any aspect, having done all that was expected of us. Why should we be the ones to suffer? Minnick exploited this sentiment in the past, inciting rebellion, directing the so-called ¡®Why should we¡¯ towards fines, towards the targeted malice of the Star Sector Government. He was indeed successful, and the people of Fatches were truly angry. Being moved up a development grade unexpectedly meant that every person saw an increase in their Imperial Tax by more than 10% of their total income, and that was just the start. Then there was the entire income that would take five years of saving without eating or drinking. Who could withstand that? However, when the other side of the balance scale clearly displayed the title of ¡®Imperial Traitor¡¯ and soon after, the Imperial Army really appeared outside the planetary orbit, how long could that anger last? The education they had received since childhood, the stories they had heard, which told of the consequences faced by countless traitors, now reflected in the minds of every citizen of Fatches. wuxiaworld.site Novts`o.co Anger is one thing, but to actually fight the Empire in a war? This was a question that required deep reflection, especially when they would have to put everything they owned on the table. ¡­ But Gu Hang didn¡¯t give the people of Fatches time to think this problem through clearly. The coup that took place in the planetary capital had achieved the effect Gu Hang had hoped for. The information from the ground reached the skies in the first instance, known to Gu Hang, the Commander-in-Chief of the quelling forces. At this moment, he was on the ¡°Concerto¡± cruiser, the flagship of the Tianma Fleet. As the Commander-in-Chief, Gu Hang had also set up his command headquarters here. He did not entirely rely on a coup to solve all the problems. The current situation was enough. The Imperial Army began to move under his orders. The Tianma Fleet was, of course, the first to act. Two cruisers, twenty-seven destroyers, and over fifty other ships in total began a fierce attack on the planetary defense systems of Fatches No.1. The firepower from the ground, from various Star Fortresses and Armed Space Stations orbiting, from the Starport¡­ All this firepower added up was not significantly weaker than that of the Tianma Fleet. Having comparable firepower was only one aspect; the planet¡¯s defense facilities, which don¡¯t require propulsion, were much stronger than a starship in terms of resistance to attack. The scale of a Starport was much larger than a ship; the Anti-Orbit Cannons on the surface were outright fortified with strong fortresses and an even sturdier earth for cover; not to mention, they were enveloped in energy shields or Void Shields. Even though the Armed Space Stations were relatively fragile, and some without energy shields could be shattered with just two or three hits, they were inexpensive and plentiful. This is the power of a planet with a complete Orbital Defense when facing a naval strike. If you consider Fatches No.1 as a whole, the bombardment with the Tianma Fleet didn¡¯t fall too far behind. In theory, this should be the case. However, after the battle began, the situation became slightly different. The fortified Starport was indeed quite resolute in combat, but those orbiting Armed Space Stations and the ground Anti-Orbital Firepower had some that did not fire. The Fleet Commander Du Shiliang was genuinely a bit nervous at first. Before the official commencement of hostilities, he was quite worried that his Fleet would have to endure too great a loss when clearing out the planet¡¯s Anti-Orbital Firepower. But now, it seemed that things were much better than expected. Among those space stations hesitant to fire, there were even communication requests sent to the navy¡¯s ships, roughly indicating that they had heard the orders from the United Government, assuring their loyalty to the Empire, hence their restraint from firing, and inviting the Imperial Army to take control of these space stations. At first, Du Shiliang was cautious, only dispatching a very small number of Navy Marine Corps aboard landing ships. As they approached, they indeed did not suffer attacks from the Armed Space Stations; instead, the stations actively opened the channels to receive the ships. Often, a squad of Marine Corps soldiers could seize control of an Armed Space Station manned by hundreds. The occurrence of these incidents significantly reduced the intensity of the naval battle faced by the Tianma Fleet. Although several smaller vessels, such as Escort Ships or patrol grade warships, suffered damage after intensive attacks, forcing them to withdraw from the combat sequence, on the whole, the Tianma Fleet suffered much less than anticipated. This was also the advantage of a naval fleet in combat against a planet¨Cinitiative is with me. Strike when desired, retreat when needed, those ground-based Orbital Cannons, Orbital Fortresses, can¡¯t move anyway, unable to pursue. A conservative approach to combat, retreating once the energy shield is overloaded, and re-engaging after the overload subsides, secure and a bit lucky to not be instantly destroyed, then the probability of direct combat losses is very low. The Tianma Fleet thus orbited Fatches No.1, grinding away for approximately four hours. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At this moment, it was already evening on the planet¡¯s surface. Every person on Fatches, by just lifting their heads, could behold those magnificent colors in the sky. They were more vast and resplendent than a meteor shower to behold. But no one was happy. They all knew what those were: each streak of light represented death and destruction. They could only pray that these spectacles would not actually descend upon their world. Chapter 684 - Chapter 684: Chapter 389, Capturing the Planet Chapter 684: Chapter 389, Capturing the Planet Four hours of space combat had yielded some victories for the Tianma Navy. Although the fortress starport of Fatches still stood tall, and its shield had yet to be broken, many armed space stations had either been destroyed or taken over by the Navy Marine Corps. By this time, Gu Hang had also received new intelligence. On the ground, the warriors of Phoenix had achieved new successes: they had seized all of the anti-orbital firepower around the planetary capital and its surrounding area. The seizure itself wasn¡¯t very difficult, but the challenge lay in the short amount of time available, the need for rapid action, and the necessity to split forces everywhere. In fact, Gu Hang had given them eight hours. However, under the command of the veteran of a hundred years, Kalduce, Phoenix had accomplished the task in half the time without a single casualty. When the news reached Gu Hang, he immediately had the naval staff of the Tianma Fleet assess the possibility of moving on to the next phase of the operation. And these staff officers quickly came up with a result: with the anti-orbital and anti-air systems on the landing sites completely cleared, they now preliminarily met the conditions for a landing operation. With a grand gesture, Gu Hang announced the start of the action. The cruiser that Gu Hang was aboard, along with three destroyers and seven escort ships, began moving forward rapidly. Their movement quickly drew fierce fire from the enemy. Particularly the enemy¡¯s central firepower, the fortress starport, launched several ¡®Wrath of Zhongsui¡¯ cannons. Due to the close distance, the hit rate shot up, directly causing the energy shield of an escort ship to overload, forcing it to immediately retreat from the battlefield in alarm. But at the same time, as the distance closed, the starships¡¯ firepower was also unleashed more fiercely. The Light Spear Array aboard the Concerto made the Void Shield of the Fatches Starport tremble incessantly. And during this process, hundreds of missiles were fired simultaneously, decelerating significantly before reaching the Void Shield ¨C this naturally gave the enemy the chance to intercept the missiles, but it also allowed more than thirty missiles to penetrate the shield, and ultimately twenty hit the fortress interior. Twenty missiles of S and M class specifications were not enough to destroy the heavily armored starport fortress outright, but a few lucky shots hit the firepower platforms and crowded personnel areas, causing significant damage. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site This forced the Fatches commander inside the fortress to focus all attention on the approaching ships, unable to spare a thought for anything else for a moment. In the vastness of space, numerous behemoths furiously bombarded each other. However, taking advantage of the moment when the enemy¡¯s core defensive firepower was tied up, another cruiser, ¡®Violin¡¯, advanced with several destroyers in tow. Only this time, their targets were multiple anti-orbit cannon positions on the ground, initiating an air raid. Meanwhile, hidden within these warships¡¯ formation were seven or eight fast transport ships. These transport ships certainly couldn¡¯t play any role in the space naval battle. Their current responsibility was to transport the landing troops. From these transports, and from the military ships led by ¡®Violin¡¯, landing craft were released. With many armed space stations destroyed or taken over, the starport fortress tied down, the anti-orbital firepower on the ground suppressed, and the anti-orbital firepower in the capital area completely cleared, the orbital landing became quite smooth. The vanguard of the landing forces was a corps from the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps. Three hundred landing craft surged across the planet¡¯s orbit and broke through the atmosphere, heading for the surface. Their target was directed straight to the planetary capital. During their descent, the few sparse firepowers managed to destroy about a dozen landing craft. This represented the loss of thousands of lives, but it did not hinder the overall success of the landing. In the suburbs outside the capital, ten Phoenix warriors and a few thousand troops loyal to the Empire from the Capital Guard Army had already cleared a temporary landing site. Landing craft began to touch down, each one carrying hundreds of Star Realm Army warriors; some even had heavy equipment like tanks and artillery. A total of 140,000 Star Realm Army warriors gathered at the landing site. The leader of this force was Major General Cai Minjin of the Star Realm Army. The main force of the assault was his own Dragonhawk Legion 314th Army Group. He himself, risking danger, was directly involved in this landing operation and was among the first to land. While the forces were still gathering, Cai Minjin climbed to a high ground and looked distantly at the capital city before him, full of hesitation. ¡°General,¡± someone called from below, ¡°General, you should come down, for safety¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± With a sigh, Cai Minjin descended from the high ground and then asked, ¡°Is the car I had you prepare first thing ready to come out of the landing craft?¡± ¡°It¡¯s ready.¡± The adjutant replied, ¡°But¡­ please think twice! The troops still need your leadership.¡± Cai Minjin cursed and then said, ¡°Think twice about what? Do I need to think twice about returning to my own city?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Drive the car over. Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Moments later, three military vehicles set off toward the capital city. Along the way, Cai Minjin looked at the familiar yet foreign street scenes, finding it hard to describe his feelings. He had joined the Dragonhawk Legion for only about a dozen years. Before that, he was a general in the Fatches Defense Army and the commander of the Capital Guard Army. That year, he was ordered to reorganize the entire Capital Guard Army and integrate it into the Star Realm Army. His status changed from a Defense Army general to a Star Realm Army major general. Chapter 685 - Chapter 685: Chapter 389, Conquering the Planet_2 Chapter 685: Chapter 389, Conquering the Planet_2 It¡¯s hard to say whether it was a promotion or a demotion; whether it was being entrusted with a heavy responsibility to go to the Star Realm Army and help the Fatches Regime take control of the troops, or being treated as Imperial Tax and exiled beyond the core of power. He only knew that at that time, his feelings were very complicated. Since then, he had shed his previously significant political identity and become a pure military officer. Gone were the days of engaging in political machinations, but his life had since become more monotonous. What he least wanted was the day when the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps would be deployed from their home planet to war on alien worlds. But that day came more suddenly and unexpectedly than he could have imagined. His first mission away from his home planet to fight abroad was to head to Rage Owl Star to clear up the trouble with Blackbird Heavy Industries. Initially, he did not think it would be a long-term mission. Upon arriving at Rage Owl Star, he boasted grandly, hoping to take command of the local military forces of Rage Owl Star, launch a full-scale offensive, quickly end the war, and then¡­ Then he was proven wrong. There, he saw for the first time what the Alliance Army was capable of. But that was just an episode in his life; no matter the process, at least his mission was completed, the losses to his troops were not too great, and the time spent was not too lengthy. Just when he thought he could finally return to his homeland, a transfer order came through, taking him straight from Rage Owl Star to Korolya. At that time, he still thought it would be a short-term mission, similar to what had happened at Rage Owl Star; just going to an Empire World to suppress a rebellion, to sweep away a Cult. But unexpectedly, that stay turned into eight years, and the governor of Korolya changed three times. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co However, the eight years on Korolya had long extinguished his interest in politics. The brutal war escalated continuously before him, and for those few years his thoughts were consumed with how to win, how to complete the mission, and how to ensure the young men under his command suffered fewer casualties. What left a particularly deep impression on him was the defense of Mingyan City. A division was sent to the front line, fought for a few hours, and was gone. Tens of thousands of people, just gone like that. What he could do was send in one division after another, and then watch as they were decimated, destroyed within a few hours. Watching the battle reports, looking at the fronts, witnessing those horrific scenes with his own eyes, Cai Minjin¡¯s way of thinking was forever changed. All those power struggles, all those schemes, were utterly meaningless amidst this baptism of blood and fire. At least for him, they held no significance. Two years have passed since the war ended, and while garrisoning Nest Capital and fighting the peacekeeping battles, it felt almost like vacation compared to the brutal battlefields of before. Occasionally, he would still think of his hometown, recall the life he led when he was the commander of the Defense Army. Nostalgia? Contempt? Perhaps a bit of both. If possible, he wouldn¡¯t mind going home for a visit, especially since his wife and children were still on Fatches No.1. Although, he also had a daughter-in-law from Korolya, who was married to someone of local nobility¡­ And now, he truly did return to his homeland, but he had not expected it to be in this manner. He was coming home in the manner of an imperial counter-insurgent, returning to the place he had protected for half his life. Indeed, the world is so unpredictable. Looking out the car window, he saw streets that should have been bustling but were now eerily empty and deserted, and his mind was flooded with chaotic thoughts. But as the military vehicle entered the military district, all his thoughts were gathered back in. Through the rain that began to drizzle from the sky at some point, officers of the Capital Guard Army waited. Leading them was Bobby Fatches, the traitor¡­ oh, that is to say, the loyalist, or the defector. Cai Minjin wasn¡¯t sure how to define it anymore. He got out of the car and shook hands with Bobby. ¡°Welcome back, old commander,¡± Bobby appeared quite humble, for Cai Minjin truly was his former superior. Cai Minjin waved his hand, indicating not to say more. A group of people entered the office building of the military district. Inside the great hall, many people were already seated. All of them were at least field-grade officers, the chiefs in charge of their respective units. Hearing the doors of the great hall opening, they turned and looked simultaneously at Cai Minjin as he walked in with firm steps, their expressions complex. Without stopping, Cai Minjin walked up to the podium and stood before everyone. ¡°Have all the commanding officers at the regiment level or above arrived?¡± Cai Minjin asked. Bobby, who had just sat in the front row, stood up to respond, ¡°Those who are willing to come have all arrived. There are still some¡­¡± Cai Minjin cut him off, ¡°I¡¯m giving one hour. Inform those who haven¡¯t come, tell them I¡¯ve arrived, and that my Star Realm Legion is outside the city, so they should think carefully for themselves. In one hour, anyone not present will be considered a traitor, and I will personally lead the attack to wipe them out.¡± Watching the strange expressions of the many officers below him, Cai Minjin added, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, those not present are the traitors.¡± Bobby gave a few orders, and someone ran out. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In the following tens of minutes, people continued to arrive. On the dot, Cai Minjin had the doors to the hall closed. He announced to all those present, ¡°Now, all the loyal officers of the Capital Guard Army are here.¡± No one spoke, and he didn¡¯t mind as he started assigning tasks. The absent regiment-level commanders totaled eleven. The troops under their command amounted to roughly twenty to thirty thousand, a definite minority compared to the million-strong Capital Guard Army, and they were dispersed around the capital city and outlying areas. Chapter 686 - Chapter 686: Chapter 389, Capturing the Planet_3 Chapter 686: Chapter 389, Capturing the Planet_3 Every officer present was required to lead a battalion personally to eliminate the troops that hadn¡¯t shown up. The veterans of the Star Realm Army, who were mustering outside the city under Cai Minjin¡¯s command, would also go, but they would not directly engage; instead, they would act as supervisory teams. A blood-stained declaration of ambition. The atmosphere was oppressive when the tasks were assigned. Some people were sorrowful, some hesitant, and some clenched their teeth in anger¡­ In such an atmosphere, there were still those who couldn¡¯t hold back. ¡°Old Commander, I don¡¯t understand why we have to do this. They are our fellow countrymen, our comrades¡­ We are warriors of the Fatches Family, who have served generations after generations, shouldn¡¯t we bravely resist when foreign enemies invade? With you here, leading us, can¡¯t we still¡­¡± ¡®Bang.¡¯ A gunshot rang out. Cai Minjin didn¡¯t give him a chance to finish speaking. The old general¡¯s pistol was very accurate. From a distance of over twenty meters, through many people, the bullet still precisely blew off the head of the man who was speaking. This gunshot instantly heightened the tension in the great hall. Though when the opportunity arose, they were not allowed to bring guns, there were still those who had brought them secretly and now instinctively placed their hands on their holsters. Cai Minjin noticed, but he didn¡¯t care. wuxiaworld.site He sighed and slowly lowered his gun: ¡°I still remember him, Wang Zhongze, a soldier I once led. I remember personally awarding him medals; I went to his wedding and held his daughter¡­¡± ¡°It truly pains my heart, and I certainly didn¡¯t wish for him to be the one to step forward.¡± ¡°But I am a general of the Imperial Army, and I am a Fatches man. I cannot watch someone say such things in front of me, inciting you to do what should not be done.¡± ¡°Not to mention anything else, just this matter. Do you think that with me leading you, we can resist the Imperial Army? Do you still think that the Dragonhawk Legion is the same Dragonhawk Legion that used to be stationed on planet Fatches? Twenty percent of the legion is comprised of Korolya people now, and another twenty percent have married and had children on Korolya. Minnick¡¯s rebellion has made them the most outraged! They just want to tear apart the traitors on planet Fatches. What are you expecting?¡± ¡°Furthermore, even if the Dragonhawk Legion were on this side, would everything be settled?¡± ¡°I have seen Commander Gu¡¯s capability with my own eyes, and I have also witnessed how formidable those elite warriors under his command are. Interstellar Warriors, Knight Mecha, and even Titan, these things that you have never seen before, are plentiful in the United Government!¡± ¡°Not to mention, the soldiers of the United Government are even more elite than the Star Realm Army. You all know the selection criteria of the Star Realm Army, always picking the most outstanding warriors among us. But even so, the quality of our troops is still a notch below those of the United Government!¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be difficult for him to wipe out all the Planetary Defense Forces on planet Fatches.¡± ¡°I was the first to volunteer to come down here, even braving artillery fire. Do you think it was for what? It¡¯s to save you, my old subordinates!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about loyalty. You need to understand what true loyalty is!¡± ¡°People like Wang Zhongze are not only traitors to the Empire but also traitors to the Fatches people. If you continue to blindly follow the Fatches Family, the only outcome will be being swept into the trash heap along with them. Not only will you die without progeny, but you will also become criminals in history, spat upon for thousands of years. Fatches people will despise you, the Empire will despise you, The Emperor will despise you!¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯ve said all that I need to say. It¡¯s up to you! I¡¯m standing right here alone, with hardly any of my trusted guards. If you want to turn against me, draw your guns and shoot! See if you¡¯re capable of killing an old thing like me right here!¡± Inside the great hall, no one spoke anymore. Those few who had reached for their holsters also let go. After waiting two minutes, seeing that no one made a move, Cai Minjin cursed, ¡°No one wants to shoot me down, is that it? Then what are you waiting for? Go do what you need to do!¡± ¡­ The purge that took place within the Capital Guard Army on planet Fatches No. 1 was not particularly bloody. The few regiments that refused to accept Cai Minjin¡¯s command were attacked by their peers. They didn¡¯t hold out for long, and the soldiers¡¯ will to fight was very weak; they were also not so willing to accept orders from their officers and surrendered quickly. Most of the resisting officers chose suicide in the end, or were captured and executed. Cai Minjin didn¡¯t continue to stir up trouble in the capital area. Even though the entire Capital Guard Army couldn¡¯t yet be considered completely subdued, at best they were just barely willing to follow orders with very low morale, and their thoughts were far from unified. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But he didn¡¯t have time anymore. Under his orders, about half a million troops were drawn from the Capital Guard Army, combined with the four Dragonhawk Legion brigades that he had brought down, and they headed straight for ¡®Starport City¡¯. The place was about four hundred kilometers away from the capital area, and its location was right beneath the Fortress Starport that was fiercely exchanging fire with the Tianma Fleet in the sky. It had developed from the ground structures of the Starport, a city built around and to complement the functions of the Starport. The Marshal of the Fatches Family¡¯s Defense Army was there. After Petes announced the United Government declaration, the Marshal also urgently issued a statement condemning Petes¡¯ argument and also urgently declared himself the highest successor of the United Government¡¯s power, claiming he would lead the Fatches people to resist the invaders. Chapter 687 - Chapter 687: Chapter 389, Capturing Planet_4 Chapter 687: Chapter 389, Capturing Planet_4 ¡°` However, regardless of how many are willing to buy in, the internal chaos within the United Government has brought him immense trouble. The Defense Army forces he had managed to muster in a short period had gathered in Starport City. He had originally planned to retake the capital region, but the rate at which other Defense Army units responded to the call and assembled was painfully slow. And most crucially, the speed at which all sorts of military supplies and logistics were arriving was also not fast enough. In the short term, he simply had no strength to launch a counterattack. As if that weren¡¯t enough, while he was sweating bullets coordinating troops from all quarters, a force of several hundred thousand troops had unexpectedly pushed out from the capital region. The Defense Army in the capital hadn¡¯t just failed to resist; they had outright defected! This was something he had not anticipated! Before he could even properly establish his defensive lines, his troops had already been struck. And the attack was so fierce that the troops loyal to him couldn¡¯t withstand it at all! Cai Minjin knew that he couldn¡¯t leave the first battle to the recently subdued capital Defense Army. Should they face a tough battle and suffer setbacks, the already low morale would collapse completely, and the troops might doubt whether their choice to follow him had been correct. Thus, for the first battle, he still relied on his old assets. Among the troops he brought to the surface, besides three large infantry divisions, there was also an armored division. Needless to say, within the armored division, there were Lion Tanks, but most critically, it also included a Lion King Tank. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.c0 At the same time, three Lion King Tanks from the capital Defense Army¨Call acquired externally by the Fatches government forces¨Chad also been pulled out by him and manned with his own tank crews. Four Lion Kings, leading a cluster of Lion Tanks, launched a fierce assault on Starport City. Under the formidable armored force, the troops on the outskirts of Starport City, who were completely unprepared for defense, crumbled upon the first strike; within Starport City itself, they barely managed to organize a street fighting defense, and relying on the fairly decent defensive fire power of the city¡¯s bastions, they were able to somewhat block the advance of Cai Minjin¡¯s troops. Even so, due to some over-eagerness, one of the Lion King Tanks was destroyed during the street battle. However, at the critical moment, it was the Interstellar Warriors who stood out. Cai Minjin had no authority to command the Phoenix¡¯s Interstellar Warriors, but Kalduce, the centenarian soldier, had an exceptional sense for warfare. He needed no one¡¯s direction and could easily identify the crucial aspects of the current battle situation. He personally led his company, under the cover of an assault by part of the Star Realm Army¡¯s armored units, deep into enemy territory, capturing multiple bastions and destroying two enemy command posts as well as a temporary ammunition depot. Suffering critical damage and witnessing the arrival of The Emperor¡¯s Death Angels, who were indeed as invincible as legends suggested, the defending army of Starport City collapsed. If they had been half-convinced before, wondering if they had truly become traitors to the empire or if they had been deceived by the Fatches Family¡¯s political propaganda, the arrival of the Interstellar Warriors destroyed all such beliefs. How many soldiers loyal to the empire could accept being enemies with The Emperor¡¯s Angels? Their morale completely shattered, and mass surrenders began occurring. Starport City thus fell to the loyalist forces of the Star Realm Army; the entire process didn¡¯t take more than five hours. Although sporadic resistance remained in certain areas, it no longer affected the overall situation. The Defense Army marshal had attempted to flee at the last moment, but with the Phoenix¡¯s forces there, there was no escaping. Kalduce, the company commander, personally captured this ¡®highest successor¡¯ and the ¡®supreme commander,¡¯ who had only assumed office a few hours before, and executed him publicly. ¡ª¡ª¨C Thank you to [Trailblazing Axe] for the second chief patron! Much gratitude! Having a chief patron is, of course, delightful! But¡­ the previous chief patron¡¯s debt hasn¡¯t been settled yet, and here comes another¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only I can only say¡­ it¡¯s a pleasurable pain. This chapter is 6.2k words; still owe 9k. Add today¡¯s [Trailblazing Axe], the second chief patron, another 20k, so now I owe 29k. My goodness! The debt increases¡­ It might not be cleared within January, and I have to travel for business for two weeks before the year ends¡­ I¡¯ll strive to settle it by February! ¡°` Chapter 688 - Chapter 688: Chapter 390: Might as Well Call it Gu Hang Star Zone Chapter 688: Chapter 390: Might as Well Call it Gu Hang Star Zone After the ground portion of the Starport was overrun, this became another critical juncture in the war. In space, the resistance of the Fortress Starport henceforth became meaningless. Unlike starships, a Space Starport is not a facility that can operate completely independently; it relies heavily on the ground for supplies, even a portion of its energy comes directly from the ground. After the ground was taken, not only was the supply line cut off, but Cai Minjin¡¯s forces could use the space elevator to quickly and massively transport land forces to the Starport¡¯s interior via the orbiting spacecraft captured on the ground, attacking directly from within. With no defense, no reinforcements, and no supplies, what was there left to defend in this Starport? Not to mention, about less than thirty hours ago, the marshal who had been inside the Fortress Starport boosting everyone¡¯s morale, promising countless rewards, was killed on the surface before he had the chance to fulfill any of his promises¡­ This battle couldn¡¯t be fought! Following the collapse of the surface, a series of small-scale rebellions and internal purges quickly erupted within the Starport. Ultimately, the surrender faction unquestionably gained the upper hand. After they gained preliminary control of the Starport¡¯s command, they ceased fire and sent a communication request to the bombarding Imperial flagship. The temporary commander humbly surrendered unconditionally to Commander Gu and, under Gu Hang¡¯s orders, switched off the Void Shield. The command to deactivate the shield sent tremors of unease through the personnel of the Starport defense. Gu Hang offered them no guarantees; at this moment, if Commander Gu wished, a volley of concentrated fire from the Tianma Fleet could turn the Fortress Starport, which had remained impregnable during the recent space battle, into a pile of space rubble. Surrendering was like giving up one¡¯s life; why else would it be called unconditional surrender? Thankfully, Gu Hang did not do so. In Gu Hang¡¯s view, all this would soon be his property, so why destroy it? wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co An Alliance military unit boarded landing craft and entered the Fortress Starport, assuming control of all critical facilities and disarming all personnel, incidentally suppressing any unrest. Following the surrender of the Starport, the remaining armed Space Stations no longer had any reason to resist. Within the following minutes, they either surrendered or were destroyed. As of this point, all of Fatches No.1¡¯s external Orbital Defense facilities had been completely neutralized. Even though there were still a significant number of Anti-Orbit Fortress Cannons on the ground, a considerable part of them never fired from the start; and now, even fewer were willing to continue firing, unable to withstand the Space Fleet. Moreover, the Tianma Fleet didn¡¯t even need to continue exchanging fire with these ground-based fortresses. It was enough to ensure no resistance around the landing zones established in the capital region. The Dragonhawk Legion and the Alliance Land Forces kept pouring onto the surface, with a total of over six million personnel already deployed. They divided into several clusters, sweeping through the entire continental region. In most areas, control was established with just a declaration; only in a few did some conflicts erupt, but they were quickly suppressed by the far superior forces of the Star Realm Army and the Alliance Land Forces. One week after the start of the war, the entire planet had completely changed hands. Some members of the Alliance Army were left as the occupying force, and a portion of the Alliance administrators also moved to the planet, overseeing the United Government. Their main task was to restore social order and production. Generally speaking, the war, which lasted only a week, did not cause particularly great damage to the society of Fatches No.1. Not at all, that would be impossible; this was a war. But the short duration, mild intensity, majority local populace among the combatants, and a deliberate avoidance of civilians and key economic areas during the fighting¡­ all these factors minimized the damage inflicted by the war. It was not difficult to restore social order or to resume production. Additionally, the Alliance forces went to the United Government¡¯s major warehouses, specifically targeting the Imperial Taxation Department¡¯s storage, and found a large quantity of ready-to-use supplies. It was difficult to account for these items in detail, even temporarily, but a rough estimate would indicate their value at about four billion Tax Currency, with a wide variety of categories. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Food, textiles, and various essential commodities were the most prevalent; followed by heavy industrial goods like steel, alloys, general machinery components, and some vehicles; electronics, paper products, chemical materials and products were also stocked in the supplemental category. In the military industry, there were armaments, mainly various types of ammunition, shells, missiles, light weapons, armored transport vehicles, and the like. Moreover, they seized some ¡®Tax Currency¡¯¨Cthe physical manifestation of which was a series of documents bearing the Imperial Taxation Department¡¯s stamp, with special anti-counterfeiting features, two matching sets required for excess tax payment vouchers. Their sole practical use was to be submitted as tax payment when Imperial tax officers arrived, but due to their intrinsic demand as hard currency, these vouchers were also used for transactions by planets and major interstellar organizations alike. The total value of this Tax Currency was also about ten billion. Undoubtedly, the United Government stockpiled these industrial goods and amassed much Tax Currency not for their use, but to prepare for paying Imperial Tax. Chapter 689 - Chapter 689: Chapter 390: Might as Well Call it Gu Hang Star Zone_2 Chapter 689: Chapter 390: Might as Well Call it Gu Hang Star Zone_2 The Fatches family had no illusions about the impossibility of standing against the empire indefinitely; they had long been prepared to cave, and their myriad assets had already been prepared¨Cthey would ultimately have to pay the imperial tax. Even so, it¡¯s possible that these were the very things they¡¯d gathered to cover this imperial tax, but due to fines and the Star Sector Government¡¯s coercion into rebellion, everything was left here. And now, it all fell into the hands of Gu Hang. No doubt, on the other two planets of the Fatches, there¡¯d be similar treasures. This was quite a pleasing turn of events, saving him the trouble of collection. The jurisdiction of the warzone extended to the Fatches Tri-Star, but the Tri-Star itself was not militarised. If Gu Hang was to effectively control these three planets, he would have to shoulder their taxes. This period, Fatches failed to pay and met their doom; the empire wouldn¡¯t care for excuses, the tax amount had to be sufficient. According to the adjusted developmental tier, the Fatches Tri-Star collectively owed six billion, a sum fronted by the Star Domain Government. However, the Star Domain Government was unwilling to foot the entire bill. Before this operation, during the various preliminary negotiations, this detail had also been settled. The most recent tax season had already been missed¨Cno point in mentioning that; for the next one in two years, Gu Hang needed to pay 66.6% of this period¡¯s tax. Two years later, for the Fatches Tri-Star, Gu Hang would have to pay ten billion in tax currency. It was exactly because of this ten billion tax in two years that Gu Hang couldn¡¯t resort to brute force with his troops. If he shattered everything, what would he do about the ten billion in two years? He¡¯d have to use his own reserves. Although he could cover it¨CKorolya didn¡¯t have to pay taxes¨Cwhy should he? He had been somewhat worried, wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co The Fatches Tri-Star, three civilized worlds with a population of around thirty billion each, complete with various industries and high development, could very well shoulder this tax burden themselves, even managing a surplus, as part of the Alliance¡¯s income. But there was no place he could find the funds to cover this shortfall. Unexpectedly, the Fatches United Government had prepared it all for him. Gu Hang, quite content, led the main part of the Expeditionary Force away from Fatches No.1 and proceeded to Fatches No.2 Planet. ¡­ Of course, No.2 and No.3 couldn¡¯t have held out any longer. In reality, they made no stand at all. After the events on Fatches No.1 became known and in the face of the immense approach of the imperial fleet, they hastily surrendered. If No.1, with its stronger defenses and the seat of the United Government, fell in a week, what hope would they have had? Moreover, in legal terms, Petes, the self-proclaimed interim president of the United Government, was now truly legitimate¨Che was the eighth in line, with the first seven gone. Although it might be somewhat self-deceiving, this was the nature of surrender: finding some justifiable reasons. The most significant reason was that they were faced with the Imperial Army, the Dragonhawk Legion¨Cit wasn¡¯t surrender, but restoring order, and there was even the order of the sitting president of the United Government. Could it be any more legitimate? With no naval battles, the troops smoothly took over the starport and then directly arrived on the surface through the starport, assuming command of the local Defense Army on both planets. This entire rebellion-quashing war was, for all intents and purposes, now largely concluded. The thirty million Land Forces and the Tianma Fleet weren¡¯t going to be withdrawn just yet. They had to remain under the guise of an occupying force on the Fatches Tri-Star for a bit longer; personnel from the Alliance Military and Political Department, along with government officials, had already been massively deployed to the Tri-Star. The military needed to be reduced and command seized; the government had to be controlled, and the handling of the existing United Government considered¡­ There was a whole basket of political tasks remaining, but as far as the war was concerned, it was effectively over. Some subordinate officers flattered Mr. Gu, saying that with his intervention, the ¡®great¡¯ rebellion of Fatches, which had thrown the Star Sector Government into a panic, was quelled before it could last seven days. One week, three planets, averaging less than two and a half days to conquer a world! The commander deserved being hailed as the imperial hero, surely earning himself a place in Star Realm¡¯s future! Flattery never wears thin, even for Gu Hang¨Ca bit of sweet talk was pleasing to hear. However, he still had to be modest verbally, ¡°Compared to the speed of capturing three planets in two days during the remote expeditions, there¡¯s still room for improvement.¡± ¡­ ¡°His efficiency is almost matching the Sun expedition! How is this possible?¡± In the Tianma Palace on Flying Wing Star, Pei Desi once again lost his composure. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He found that whenever something was connected to Gu Hang, his defenses easily crumbled. Martin Nelli, sitting opposite of him, pointed to the battle report and said, ¡°Why not? The battle report is right here¨Cwe have those from the Star Realm Army, the navy, and the ¡®Order Restoration Declarations¡¯ from the three planets¡¯ Planetary Governments. Could this be fake? Minnick and his son, as well as a list of individuals announced by the Star Domain Government, have their heads removed to be sent to Yunluo Star.¡± Pei Desi certainly knew that it couldn¡¯t be fabricated. But still, he found the whole thing absurdly fantastical. In his view, the Fatches family was an incredibly stubborn and formidable foe. They were local powerhouses with a long tradition, strong capabilities, and united resolve¡­ Even his brother, the very capable leader Pei Desi, had spent years forming alliances and only managed to tightly contain them. Chapter 690 - Chapter 690: Chapter 390: Might as Well Call it Gu Hang Star Zone_3 Chapter 690: Chapter 390: Might as Well Call it Gu Hang Star Zone_3 In Gu Hang¡¯s hands, the family either turned to dust or kneeled in submission within seven days. How come? He had considered the possibility of Gu Hang¡¯s success, but even in his wildest dreams, success would only come after a bloody battle, a horrific toll with corpses everywhere and rivers of blood, before they could eliminate the Fatches, that stinking, stubborn snake in the grass. So it was this simple? He thought he had adjusted his attitude, begrudgingly convincing himself that the young Gu Hang did have some capabilities; but now, it seemed those capabilities were excessively overwhelming. As he looked at the information on the battle report and the United Government¡¯s declaration of surrender, Pei Desi gritted his teeth and said, ¡°The Fatches Family, they¡¯re just trash! They didn¡¯t show any backbone and just went down like that! If I had known they were so weak, why would we have given up so much to Gu Hang? I could have managed the same feat with my Flying Wing Army! As soon as the main force arrived, they would have surrendered in droves, I¡­ ¡± ¡°Enough, no more, ¡± Martin Nelli really didn¡¯t want to hear more stupidity, ¡°You think you and your Flying Wing Army could manage that? What dream are you having?¡± ¡°You think it¡¯s simple, but in the entire Tianma Star Sector, only Gu Hang could pull it off.¡± ¡°Did you plant spies within the Fatches Family to ensure you could turn a group of high-ranking officials and military generals as soon as the war started?¡± ¡°Did you have interstellar warriors helping you, capable of striking down Minnick in the Era Royal Court with just a handful of soldiers, seizing control over the Central Government¡¯s administrative system?¡± ¡°Is your Flying Wing Army on par with the Star Realm Army and Alliance Land Forces, capable of executing an unstoppable blitzkrieg?¡± ¡°Not to mention, do you have the prowess to unite the forces of the Empire Commerce Guild and the navy? Would the Gu Commercial Firm send their transports directly to the front lines to deploy soldiers for their Family Head Gu Hang? And those arrogant navy lords, would they obey Gu Hang¡¯s orders and position their warships face-to-face with the Fortress Starport in a gritty firefight? Can you do that?¡± ¡°You only saw how the Fatches surrendered at the sight of Gu Hang, but cannot see all the groundwork he laid behind that easy capitulation, can you?¡± wuxiaworld.site ¡°I¡¯ll repeat what I said: in the entire Tianma Star Sector, only he could have accomplished this. If anyone else had tried, forget an easy victory; even with a massive toll in blood, they would have left empty-handed.¡± Having said so much in one breath, Martin Nelli sighed deeply. Looking at Pei Desi¡¯s ashen face and silence, Martin felt a pang of pity and decided to give one final piece of advice: ¡°I¡¯ve known your brother for many years; we¡¯re good friends, and I really don¡¯t want to see you end up in a bad way. But I can¡¯t help you anymore. From now on, you¡¯ll have to face him on your own. You should take care of yourself. Don¡¯t oppose him, and try to be honest.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Pei Desi panicked. ¡°What do you mean by that? You¡¯re saying I have to face him on my own¡­ What about you?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Although it¡¯s not official yet, but I¡¯m going back to Yunluo Star. There¡¯s a position for me in the Legal Department. The new Star Sector head will be either Gu Hang himself or someone close to Lois. In any case, prepare yourself.¡± ¡°What? He¡¯s also going to be the Star Sector Head? He holds sway over seven of the nine worlds; if he becomes the head as well, what¡¯s left of the Tianma Star Sector?! It might as well be called Gu Hang Star Zone!¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.3k Adding a night-time update, still owe 25k, Chapter 691 - Chapter 691: Chapter 391, Mr. Gu Chapter 691: Chapter 391, Mr. Gu ¡°Then what else is Tianma Star Sector? Might as well call it Gu Hang Star Zone.¡± One and a half months later, Martin Nelli returned to Yunluo Star, bringing Pei Desi¡¯s words before Xu Dechen. This man, the Head of the Department of Legal Affairs of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and easily the third most powerful figure in the entire Star Domain, sighed. He said to Martin Nelli, ¡°What do you expect to do?¡± ¡°Head, can we stop him from becoming the leader of Tianma? We also need to prevent Lois¡¯s people from obtaining this position. The status of Tianma Star Sector is very important. If Gu Hang, who is also a person from Lois, gets it, it will be very disadvantageous to us in the future.¡± ¡°But how?¡± Xu Dechen counter-questioned, ¡°Power can be top-down or bottom-up. Your appointment to become the head of Tianma Star Sector is top-down power, it comes from the appointment by the imperial system, relying on the authority of the Empire to acquire ruling power. But Gu Hang is different.¡± Martin Nelli pondered: ¡°What you say is indeed true¡­ Gu Hang¡¯s position as the Star Sector head is from the bottom up; he controls the majority of the planets and the population¡¯s actual ruling power within the Star Sector. So for him, rather than an appointment, isn¡¯t it more like a post-facto recognition?¡± ¡°Exactly. Now, in Tianma Star Sector, what he says goes. If he doesn¡¯t nod, what can the Star Sector head do? We might as well just give him the position of Star Sector head.¡± ¡°But you also said power can be top-down. We can arrange a new Star Sector head to fight against him within Tianma Star Sector; we can use the power of the Star Domain Government to limit him; his alliance, without clear imperial decrees to back it, we can find ways to dismantle it slowly¡­¡± Without directly addressing this, Xu Dechen instead brought up another matter: ¡°Do you know Bochoya Galaraldo has been promoted to the Central Imperial Military Affairs Department Executive Minister?¡± Martin Nelli¡¯s expression even showed a tinge of shock: ¡°What? This¡­ Isn¡¯t this too fast? How long has he just held the position of deputy? And now he¡¯s promoted again?¡± Without responding to this question, Xu Dechen continued to add a few more points: ¡°The chairman and vice-chairman of Solaria originally have been relieved of their duties, and a deputy minister of the Military Affairs Department has been assigned as the chairman of Solaria; our Wang Suan, the chairman of the Eastern Cosmos Domain, who is 270 years old and will retire in two years, has been transferred to the position of deputy minister in the Military Affairs Department. When Galaraldo was in Wuji Star, he was convinced by Zuo Zhaofeng, with his full support, he went from general manager of the Military Affairs Department directly to the chairman of the Space Domain Government.¡± Martin Nelli continued to be shocked. wuxiaworld.site When it comes to political changes within the Central Empire, one might feel they are distant and unreal. But the Eastern Cosmos Domain is different. It is the higher-level government directly governing the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government, and political changes in the Eastern Cosmic Realm Government will directly affect the Dragonhawk Star Domain. With Xu Dechen speaking to this extent, of course, he understood. This series of personnel changes had a very clear meaning, which was to pave the way for Galaraldo and his affiliates to continue rising. The deputy minister who went to Solaria as chairman is probably ready to use Galaraldo¡¯s power to try to calm down that Space Domain, or at least gather some forces loyal to the Empire, which would be a great accomplishment. From one of the three deputy ministers of the Military Affairs Department to the chairman of a Space Domain, moving from a high-ranking central official to a significant local official, it is considered a lateral move, but more importantly, becoming the chairman of Solaria comes with missions and merits. After this round, coming back to the Central Government, who knows what heights he could reach. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And for Wang Suan, an old man who was about to retire and saw no further steps in his political career, getting a chance to go to Holy Terra and mix in the Central Empire right before retirement would be a great way to conclude his career. It satisfied the old man¡¯s wishes and also effectively raised his and his family¡¯s political status within the Empire. Of course, he too needed to reciprocate the favor, and naturally, his relatives, students, and former subordinates would become supportive allies. The key is that, with Wang Suan serving as the deputy minister without specific responsibilities, his vacated power would naturally be taken over by Galaraldo, the Executive Minister. After a year or two, when the deputy minister resigns, that vacant position would naturally become Galaraldo¡¯s. Every step Galaraldo took was an insurmountable hurdle for many politicians. Once he went to Holy Terra, in an estimated three to five years, he could ascend from a deputy minister to a vice-minister at an unbelievable rate! But what influenced the political situation of the Dragonhawk Star Domain the most was Zuo Zhaofeng. In this round of transfers, he was actually the only one who had been openly promoted¨Cand with quite a leap. Previously the Head of the Military Affairs Department within the Space Domain Government, he ranked about third or fourth highest, and he suddenly rose to the top of the Eastern Cosmos Domain. He wouldn¡¯t have trouble securing his position. The foundation left by the old Chairman Wang would help him; Galaraldo in Holy Terra would also support him; he would take control smoothly, and this was his return for the help he once provided to Galaraldo. In the future, they would also be closely allied in politics. Chapter 692 - Chapter 692: Chapter 391, Mr. Gu_2 Chapter 692: Chapter 391, Mr. Gu_2 All this being implemented within the Dragonhawk Star Domain meant that no one could ignore it: Gu Hang was a good friend of Galaraldo. His ¡°alliance¡± was secured by Galaraldo himself. Thinking of pressuring Gu Hang¡¯s alliance through the Star Domain Government? Or even dismembering the alliance? Dream on. By then, the newly installed Chairman Zuo would physically dismember you first¨Cliterally. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± After figuring out the crux of the entire matter, Ivan Martinelli let out a long sigh, ¡°That¡¯s the only way.¡± ¡°Do well in the Department of Legal Affairs, there will always be opportunities in the future. Is Gu Hang necessarily an adversary to us? We have no irreconcilable enmities. It¡¯s true that there¡¯s a competitive relationship between me and Head Lois, but we don¡¯t have to be enemies. Besides, if Lois can win over Gu Hang, can¡¯t we?¡± ¡°That little Pei Desi¡­¡± ¡°His position as the Flying Wing Star Governor is merely contingent on his brother¡¯s influence. The death of Pei Desi saddens everyone, but without his brother, he couldn¡¯t hold onto his position at Flying Wing Star to begin with.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Martinelli felt a little incredulous. ¡°Isn¡¯t it to not become enemies with Gu Hang, at least? Isn¡¯t Flying Wing Star, which can¡¯t be held anyway, a very nice gift?¡± ¡­ The much-coveted Gu Hang was feeling conflicted at the moment. After the war ended, Gu Hang saw the final settlement list of the campaign. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site The bestowed points weren¡¯t much, just over ten thousand, which was roughly equivalent to his monthly fixed income. But this was also more or less within his expectations. The scale of the war wasn¡¯t small, but its intensity, duration, and casualty numbers weren¡¯t that significant. Moreover, the two main forces in the battle, the Tianma Fleet and the Dragonhawk Legion, hadn¡¯t been officially recognized by the system to date, and were considered ¡®allied¡¯ forces, so the achievements they had made didn¡¯t yield any profit. If he were to do it again, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t aim for bestowed points; he wouldn¡¯t waste his core forces¡¯ military power, nor the social stability of the Fatchess Tri-Star, which was destined to be his spoils of war. Both of these were resources he would rather exchange bestowed points for. Gu Hang wasn¡¯t only a commander; he was also a ruler. He understood that military serves politics, and he practiced this understanding as well. For this reason, his work became even busier after the military actions had largely concluded. Although someone had flattered him by saying his efficiency was ¡®comparable to the Sun Lord¡¯s,¡¯ Gu Hang, on one hand, respected and admired the Sun Lord¡¯s great achievements, who had expanded the Empire¡¯s territory by an entire Cosmos Domain over the past decades, and his immense prestige was undeniable. However, the Sun Lord¡¯s reckless way of expanding without managing, of killing without burying, was not something Gu Hang was willing to adopt. All the places he had taken were managed as his base, his stronghold. During the war, he tried as much as possible to avoid using destructive means; After the war, it was also necessary to establish his ruling power and consider the development of the occupied territories. On Fatchess Tri-Star, Gu Hang had selected three ¡®Planetary Governors.¡¯ This was necessary, as each planet needed a governor, a responsible person registered within the Empire. At Heijian Star, Rage Owl Star, Korolya I and III, Gu Hang held the governorship himself, but on Fatchess Tri-Star, it was not feasible for Gu Hang to obtain this authority. But this was no big deal. He chose Petes Fatchess, Bobby Fatchess, and Oseina Qinko as the governors of Fatchess I, II, and III, respectively. The recommendations had already been submitted and unanimously approved by the administrative and legal departments of the Star Domain Government, and then the Star Domain Head Tan Jiuyi also signed his name. With that, the matter was pretty much settled. Although the authority of the Star Domain Government only enabled them to become temporary ¡®acting governors,¡¯ the firm appointment would still have to go up to the Space Domain Government for approval. Generally, the Space Domain Government is not prone to object, and what¡¯s more, after Gu Hang had communicated once more with his ¡®good friend,¡¯ he became aware of a series of changes in the Wuji Star political circle. Now, with ¡®one of their own¡¯ at the Space Domain Government, there was even less to worry about. On the contrary, Gu Hang had been concerned that he might encounter obstacles at the Star Sector, at the Star Domain Government. Although it would be easy to resolve, it was still annoying to be frustrated a couple of times. But there were none. The outgoing Tianma Star Region¡¯s Head, Martin Nelli, signed off promptly; there was no need to worry about Head Lois from the administrative department, but even Xu Dechen from the Department of Legal Affairs was surprisingly forthcoming, which Gu Hang found unexpected. He knew that what was referred to on the Yunluo Star political scene as the ¡®Parliamentary Faction¡¯ was a political force led by the Head of the Department of Legal Affairs, Xu Dechen, with Martin Nelli, Pei Desi, and little Pei Desi all belonging to this faction. Gu Hang didn¡¯t have a good relationship with them, but he wasn¡¯t disadvantaged by them. He could sense that this was a step in releasing good faith by the other party. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang gladly accepted it. Previously, there were opposing interests, but now the other party compromised, no longer hampering Gu Hang¡¯s actual interests and even provided some assistance; thus, there was no need for Gu Hang to oppose them. One does not slap a smiling face. And then, a significant gift was sent his way. The transfer of Ivan Martin Nelli to the Star Domain Justice Department, leaving the head position of the Tianma Star Sector vacant, fell into the hands of Gu Hang. Chapter 693 - Chapter 693: Chapter 391, Mr. Gu_3 Chapter 693: Chapter 391, Mr. Gu_3 During the call with Lois, the lady was quite surprised. She said that before she even had the chance to propose, it was Xu Dechen who made the first move. She obviously wouldn¡¯t refuse, and together they convinced the leader Tan Jiuyi. Although there¡¯s still the step of reporting this, there won¡¯t be any more twists and turns; the official appointment will come through very soon. After expressing his thanks, Gu Hang immediately received a call request from Xu Dechen. It was the first exchange between the two, and Xu Dechen was very enthusiastic and polite. He was there to claim credit, which Gu Hang of course understood. After chatting amiably for a while, Xu Dechen made it clear that he would greenlight the applications of the three new governors to join the Alliance. After discussing these happy matters, Xu Dechen didn¡¯t forget to subtly stab Lois in the back. ¡°General Lois originally had another preferred candidate for the Tianma leader, thinking they would work well with you. I thought that instead of finding someone to cooperate, it might be smoother for you to take on the role yourself,¡± he said. ¡°Well, thank you very much for that,¡± Gu Hang replied. Gu Hang chatted with him for a few more sentences, said his friendly goodbyes, and then hung up the call. As for what he said about Lois, Gu Hang didn¡¯t take it to heart. It could be true, or it could be made up; Lois isn¡¯t his real mother, bound to cater to his every whim. But Gu Hang actually didn¡¯t care. It was irrelevant to him. wuxiaworld.site Turning his head, he began to worry again. These pieces of good news didn¡¯t actually help with the problems he was currently facing. The three Planetary Governors he had appointed were essentially puppets¨COsenia not so much, her status as Alliance Premier was far more important than that of a Planetary Governor; it was merely an interim position. The applications of the three governors to join the Alliance were undoubtedly going to be approved, and the three planets would soon become members of the Alliance. However, the internal politics of the Tri-Star couldn¡¯t be solved by relying on this alone. Gu Hang discovered that the methods he had consistently used, which never failed on Rage Owl Star, Heijian Star, and Korolya, did not work on Fatchess Tri-Star. He wasn¡¯t as effective at winning the hearts of the people, and it was difficult to implement the Alliance¡¯s system of reform on Fatchess Tri-Star. In the past, situations Gu Hang encountered involved impoverished people, low productivity. Whereas the Alliance¡¯s system of assigning ranks, providing definitive citizen benefits, clear upward mobility, and nationalizing all production materials and earnings¡­ this combination of policies was quite effective. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only On one hand, the populace generally saw a significant increase in their treatment compared to the past, and they could see hope; on the other hand, low productivity improved drastically through centralized and planned development. As for a series of other political maneuvers, they were all fancy tricks built on this foundation. Sincerely improving people¡¯s lives and giving them hope, increasing productivity¨Cthese were the substantive aspects; everything else was illusionary, tools used by Gu Hang to maintain the system. As long as he ensured the former, no matter what the Alliance Government did, it was all good. But the situation on Fatchess Tri-Star was entirely different. The development level here was already decent; the people were not poor. Applying the Alliance¡¯s rank system forcibly would set ranks for the populace that were lower than their previous standard of living, inevitably rousing dissatisfaction among Fatchess Tri-Star residents; higher ranks, and the residents of Rage Owl Star, Heijian Star, and Korolya might become discontented over ¡°not suffering from scarcity but from a lack of fairness,¡± and additionally, the cost that the Alliance would bear would be very high. Chapter 694 - Chapter 694: Chapter 392, Economic Reform and Development Plan Chapter 694: Chapter 392, Economic Reform and Development Plan The Alliance system has always been overlooked by outsiders, yet it is actually one of Gu Hang¡¯s ace moves. It is especially suitable for rapid development from poverty. The welfare treatment meets the needs of the lower class to improve their living standards and offers opportunities for promotion. The centralized system can quickly develop certain key areas on a large scale and in a planned way as per the ruler¡¯s needs. And there¡¯s a core point: the fruits of this rapid development do not have to be shared with the public. Although the public can also get promoted within the ranking system, climbing one level per year or even only moving up a level every few years after reaching D level, the cost of the corresponding increase in benefits and allowances is significantly different from the high-speed development gains of the whole society¡¯s productivity. The results of the development in-between are swallowed by the collective production¡¯s owners, that is, the Alliance Government. This system has many advantages, but also disadvantages. For example, it doesn¡¯t matter if the Alliance Government reaps the benefits since, aside from paying the Imperial Tax and military construction, most of the wealth will be reinvested in social and developmental construction. Infrastructure construction, additional factories, and expansion of production capacity¡­ This infrastructure upgrade, city expansion, more and larger living spaces, more job opportunities, and more chances for promotion, in turn, improve the quality of life for the masses. However, if systemic rigidity sets in, or the gains are consumed by bureaucrats, or due to poor decisions and systematic corruption leading to terrible waste, the situation becomes dire. If the public doesn¡¯t benefit and the government lacks funds for development, it spells disaster. This issue is something Gu Hang has always been vigilant about. The inspection departments of the administrative branch supervise, while the Anti-Corruption Bureau under the Alliance Legal Affairs Center, the Demon Hunter Organization, and the Alliance Internal Affairs Department have three-tiered supervision permissions and even oversee each other. At present, the Alliance¡¯s system is running quite well and basically meets Gu Hang¡¯s expectations. This is evident in Rage Owl Star, Heijian Star, and on Korolya. There¡¯s no need to elaborate on the first two; on Korolya, the Alliance-form reform has been going quite well. Over the past year or so, while Gu Hang¡¯s attention may have been on dealing with the Fatches Family, the reforms in Korolya have never been relaxed and are advancing at a rapid pace. In any reform zone, relying on tens of thousands of loyal officials trained with favor points from the Loyal Heir Academy as the core backbone, numerous newly graduated officers from the academy, and officers transferred from Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star, with the assistance of the original Korolya Planetary Government officials, the Alliance reform can be quickly implemented. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site As soon as materials are in place and ranks are determined, many problems are directly solved, there¡¯s no need for combat in securing order, and troops can be withdrawn. In the reform of Korolya, the Alliance was not in a hurry, taking it one Nest Capital, one district after another. Administrative officers would lead with resources, providing job opportunities, undertaking political reforms, and developing industries¨Call tried and tested methods. In places yet to be reformed, propaganda can take the lead. By truthfully describing the good life and treatment enjoyed by people in other areas, many places eagerly await such changes. When the policies do roll out, there¡¯s very little resistance. Once the support of the lower-class and all relevant propaganda is in place, and the Alliance has absolute military force, those who might hinder the reforms, power groups, and entrenched interest collectives are nothing but chickens and dogs easily snuffed out. But smooth sailing in Korolya doesn¡¯t mean the same in Fatchess. The situations in both places are entirely different, and a straightforward transplantation of systems won¡¯t do for the relatively developed Fatchess. Yet, if the Alliance system cannot be established in the Fatchess Tri-Star, it would be dire, directly affecting the Alliance¡¯s control over these three stars and preventing their full integration into the Alliance. Governing them like most worlds under the Central Empire isn¡¯t unmanageable, but it¡¯s troublesome. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Alliance Government has obtained production reports spanning decades from the former United Government. In the last twenty years, there has been virtually no economic growth in the Fatchess Tri-Star, maintaining an annual agro-industrial output value of around 260 billion. From this standpoint, the development level of the Fatchess Tri-Star is not quite at 3, but more like 2.6. No wonder the Fatches Family had such a big reaction to the downgrading of their three planets to level 3. Although at first glance, it doesn¡¯t seem as terrifying as a hundred billion in fines, the repercussions of this decision are long-term. For the Central Empire, in theory, judging the development level of a planet should adopt a dynamic equilibrium approach: high development merits more tax; and in case of difficulties, they should collect less. Lowering the development level seems reasonable. However, while this mechanism exists, it¡¯s practically ineffectual. Elevating the development level can swiftly go through the approval process once reviewed by the Star Sector Government, largely depending on what the Star Sector says; but if you want to lower it, it¡¯s exceedingly difficult. Once set by the Star Sector, it must be reported all the way up to the Central Empire, with any layer potentially rejecting it. Chapter 695 - Chapter 695: Chapter 392, Economic Reform and Development Plan_2 Chapter 695: Chapter 392, Economic Reform and Development Plan_2 Lowering the rating by one level means innumerable benefits; the taxes are reduced significantly, and no level of government wants to be responsible for that. It¡¯s basically impossible to get approval unless the situation is truly exceptional. The 0.4 developmental degrees that the Fatches Tri-Star has lost must be carried forever¨Cunless there¡¯s actual development. The Fatches Family originally received around 2.8 billion in taxes annually from Tri-Star. After paying the Imperial Tax of 2 billion, the remaining 800 million or so made for a comfortable life. But if it rose to 3 billion, that would be unsustainable. If Gu Hang didn¡¯t replicate the Alliance system here and continued to use the old United Government¡¯s system, it would be futile. After doing the math, did Gu Hang end up having to invest an additional two billion each year into the Fatches Tri-Star? That was unacceptable. Investing to stimulate local development, Gu Hang had no regrets. That was for a bigger return in the future. But this money was purely overpaid taxes, which he definitely would not accept. Raising taxes and malicious harvesting could be done, but they would undoubtedly have a significant negative impact on local social production. Only by implementing the Alliance system could the existing shackles be broken, allowing for more efficient collection of surplus value. At the same time, only under the Alliance system could the full potential of the advanced technologies Gu Hang possessed be realized. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.c0 For this reason, he had been traveling and investigating with his political officers, studying local data of Fatches for over a month. By now, the officials from the Alliance Government, led by Osenia, who came to take over the Fatches Tri-Star, had a preliminary strategy in place. The person reporting this strategy was none other than Osenia herself. The first step was to reform finance, abolishing the currency issued by the Fatches Regime, which only circulated within the Fatches Tri-Star, and replace it with the currency issued by the Alliance. For the next two years, the existing currency of Fatches could still be used, but subsequent issues would primarily be in the Alliance currency, a dual-track system; the people of Fatches could also exchange their old currency for new currency at a set rate within these two years. Building on this, the second step was to invest in the construction of state-owned factories. On one hand, to build new factories offering more employment opportunities; on the other hand, to nationalize the industries owned under the concept of the ¡°Fatches Family.¡± The old Fatches government did not directly control enterprises. However, the direct and collateral relatives of the Fatches Family owned many industries and wealth. Gu Hang would certainly not be courteous about these. With these two foundations in place, it would involve direct reform of the people¡¯s livelihood. The workers, technical experts, clerks, and government employees working in state-owned factories would be assigned ranks, with allowances issued according to those ranks. The original benefits associated with those ranks would be partially cancelled and converted to currency based on the local prices of Fatches planets, included in the allowances. Most of the cancelled benefits were in-kind, including the supply of food, daily necessities, entertainment; but medical benefits, educational benefits, housing security, would be retained. The hospitals and educational institutions that were nationalized would be freely accessible to all with ranks. They would enjoy different levels of medical and educational benefits based on their various ranks. People with different ranks would also have different baseline housing conditions, which the government would guarantee. The people working in these newly invested Alliance Factories and government employees who pledged loyalty to the Alliance Government would initially have relatively high position settings to ensure their living standards were not lower than before; but to avoid assuming too much financial pressure, their numbers were limited. Highly skilled technicians in the factories, important management positions, and key government employees would have clear ranks. Regular workers and employees would maintain their previous salary levels, be paid according to their wages, but would not have ranks, and accordingly, would no longer have housing, medical, or educational benefits. Next, the costs of education, healthcare, and housing were increased, making job ranks more coveted. Subsequently, a pathway was opened for normal private enterprises to be nationalized. The existing managers would remain in their positions, transforming into managers of state-owned factories with Alliance ranks, with the specific rank determined by the original enterprise¡¯s scale and revenue; once nationalized, the corresponding workers and employees would also receive ranks. All state-owned enterprises would be supported by the Alliance Government. The support was mainly technical and in product procurement. The products of state-owned enterprises were assured of sales, as long as they met the requirements under the relevant quality supervision departments. All their products would be handed over to the state for Imperial Tax payments, welfare distribution, market sales, interstellar trade exports¡­ For non-state-owned enterprises, government procurement was not entirely unavailable, but it was likely to be affected under the preference for state ownership. However, in terms of market sales, they would not be affected¨Cif they couldn¡¯t beat state-owned factories in price and quality, that was their own problem. Osenia¡¯s whole strategy was essentially a dual-track system, adding a state-owned sector to Fatches¡¯s existing economic foundation. By tying welfare to it, they ensured that ¡®established¡¯ personnel of state-owned factories and government employees enjoyed treatment that was no worse than before, or even better, in a high-welfare, high-stability environment. At the same time, it limited the upward mobility of the populace and enterprises outside the system. This was driving private enterprise into the system. But the core difference lay in the accessibility of the Alliance system to the populace and enterprises. It was open to all, especially to the populace; it was almost a case of rejecting no one. Those with capabilities were welcomed with open arms to join state-owned enterprises, the government system, and industries like health and education; those without much ability but willing to work could now receive wages not worse than in private enterprises; the Alliance clearly planned to expand the system¡¯s staffing and ultimately bring everyone into the rank system. However, for enterprise owners, the conditions were much more stringent. They went from being bosses who kept all the surplus value from their employees and grew rich or went bankrupt depending on their skills, to a situation where, despite high ranking, their income would be a lot less compared to when it had been all theirs. Moreover, although they were retained, only by doing well could they keep their positions and advance in rank; do poorly, with low production, inefficiency, and poor sales, and they might be demoted or transferred to another enterprise as lower-ranking personnel; for corruption or major faults, they could even end up in prison or face execution. But not convert to state-owned? Then await being squeezed out by state-owned enterprises and ending up with nothing¨Cnot even a rank. Only the truly exceptional, facing issues such as taxes, the need for market marketing, lack of government procurement, and the necessity to offer high wages to retain talent that could offset the state sector¡¯s welfare benefits, leading to increased costs, could ensure great efficiency, then you¡¯re impressive, deserving to make money. The ultimate goal was to hope that under these reforms, Fatchess Tri-Star would transition smoothly into a normal, ideal United Government system environment: mainly a state-owned economy, with the private sector as a supplement. Of course, these reforms were a significant undertaking. But the implementation was phased. Not all policies would be launched at once, but reforms would be implemented gradually. Starting with important sectors such as energy, mining, metallurgy, military industry, and heavy industry, the nationalization would be pushed first, with others to follow slowly. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°¡­We estimate that after the relevant policies are introduced, our public expenditure will increase significantly. After the reforms begin, Fatchess Tri-Star¡¯s total tax revenue will continue to decrease, but after adding the net profit from state-owned enterprises¡¯ revenue minus expenses, we expect to provide no less than 2.5 billion in revenue in the first year and to increase by 5% annually. After five years, Fatches can be self-sufficient, no longer needing subsidies from the Alliance Government, completing the Imperial Tax, and starting to generate surplus,¡± Osenia recounted their estimates and summaries seriously, offering the five-year economic reform and development plan she had prepared according to Gu Hang¡¯s requirements. Gu Hang listened attentively. This was essentially about spending money to ensure public well-being and maintaining existing productivity while tolerating some losses to gently push for the Alliance system, ultimately achieving the desired effect. ¡ª¡ª¨C Starting tomorrow, I¡¯ll be on a business trip for a week¡­ Chapter 696 - Chapter 696: Chapter 393, Hongjian Star Joins Chapter 696: Chapter 393, Hongjian Star Joins Regarding the reforms of Fatchess Tri-Star, even if the plan devised by Osenia were to proceed smoothly, the Alliance would still have to endure continuous losses until they could break even after five years. In the meantime, the Alliance is estimated to subsidize between 10 to 15 billion. However, this is different from maintaining the old system with a net loss of two billion per year. The extra money spent by the Alliance could be considered an investment into the construction and reform of Fatchess Tri-Star, which would yield returns in the future. Such an investment is something Gu Hang is relatively willing to undertake. As for whether the Alliance can endure the loss of 15 billion over five years¡­ if there¡¯s any doubt about that, it¡¯s an underestimation of the Alliance¡¯s capabilities. Even without the complete reform on Korolya and with Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star still needing to provide substantial material support to Fatchess, these two foundational Alliance stars still have the capacity to cover the deficit of Fatchess Tri-Star. And this is without considering the profits from the Alliance Shipyard. Moreover, now that the Alliance has unified its taxation system, the expenses dedicated to the Star Realm Army can certainly be tax-deductible. Dragonhawk Legion¡¯s involvement in this suppression of the rebellion war surely means that the Military Affairs Department should fund it. Maintaining Dragonhawk Legion, regular personnel turnover and recruitment, ammunition consumption and equipment wear and tear, as well as garrison and training costs¡­ when calculated, shouldn¡¯t the Alliance¡¯s annual investment equate to about one billion in tax currency? The Military Affairs Department can simply pay and then deduct it from taxes. However, maintaining an army is still a costly affair for the Alliance. The Rage Bear Legion is expensive, though few in number; the Korolya Salvation Army may be cheap, but with a population of 300 million, it can¡¯t exactly be considered cheap either. Korolya can still bear the Salvation Army¡¯s three hundred million strong force. Going forward, as reforms in Korolya continue and productivity improves, the financial pressure on the Alliance will be significantly reduced. At present, Korolya¡¯s annual production value can reach nearly twenty billion¨Ccompared to Fatchess Tri-Star, although it has an additional three hundred million people, its production value is still not as high. The Alliance is still losing money on Korolya. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co However, one-third of Korolya¡¯s Nest Capital has already advanced the reform strategy. Over the past year, the Alliance¡¯s tax revenue from areas without reform was 11 billion; the concentrated production reforms in the reformed areas also generated a profit of 8 billion. This is still achieved under circumstances where Korolya has suffered a population loss of over forty billion and continues to transfer populations to Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star. It has already reached the yearly twenty billion tax revenue Korolya produced before the war. The tax amount of Korolya is forty billion; the shortfall of the remaining twenty billion in past years was compensated through population taxes. Gu Hang¡¯s expectation for Korolya is that in the remaining four years of the tax exemption period, the population will be reduced to under thirty billion through transfers, and the various production values and profits will reach thirty billion. If this can be achieved, then Korolya could be considered self-sufficient, no longer requiring subsidies or population taxes to meet the Imperial Tax. As for the nearly sixty billion population that will continue to be relocated in the next five years, they will settle on Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star. With these two stars and the production value of the shipyard combined, Gu Hang hopes that after five years, they will achieve a production value of over twenty billion, and the Alliance can reap a profit exceeding six billion. By then, with the Imperial Tax from both places totaling about seventy billion, the Alliance would still have a surplus of over sixty billion after collecting seven billion. Upon reaching this point, the Alliance could be considered an extremely powerful political entity within the Star Domain. Self-sufficient with surplus profits each year, capable of producing most of the standard equipment required by the Star Realm Army, maintaining a Starfighter Battle Group and a Battle Nun Association, and capable of producing its own warships. Although, under the structure of the Planetary Defense Force and the Star Realm Army, possession of a naval fleet isn¡¯t allowed, nor is engaging in large-scale interstellar trade¨Can activity for which an Empire Commerce Guild merchant¡¯s license is required. However, such regulations have never been absolute, as many planets have their own fleets. Not for naval or interstellar trade, but for logistical transport needs, escort missions, deploying flexible defenses in planetary orbit, and for internal system anti-pirate operations¨Cwhich all are perfectly reasonable requirements, so isn¡¯t it reasonable to have some ships? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The biggest obstacle for most planets not having their own starships is not imperial regulations, but rather the fact that they can¡¯t afford it; even if they can afford it, they can¡¯t afford to maintain it. But Gu Hang doesn¡¯t have this worry. He can form an escort fleet since the Alliance¡¯s jurisdiction already spans multiple star systems, which is a practical necessity. What if interstellar pirates come roaming? As for the cost, he can produce his own, further supplemented by his own shipyard; the costs of formation are controllable and low. Even if we step back, Gu Hang can have the Alliance Fleet registered under Gu Commercial Firm, ostensibly as the firm¡¯s merchant fleet, but in reality, as the Alliance¡¯s naval fleet. With both land and naval forces, at that point, the Alliance can truly be described with the words ¡®rich and powerful.¡¯ Not to mention, over these five years, Gu Hang, due to his position as the Star Sector head, could get his hands on Flying Wing Star. As mentioned in a previous conversation with Xu Dechen, Pei Desi has already been abandoned by the Parliamentary Faction. Without his older brother and support from behind, he simply can¡¯t control Flying Wing Star. Chapter 697 - Chapter 697: Chapter 393, Hongjian Star Joins_2 Chapter 697: Chapter 393, Hongjian Star Joins_2 Though Flying Wing Star only has a population of eight billion, the shipyard capable of constructing cruisers belonging to the planet is truly tantalizing. It¡¯s a tremendous wealth. In the hands of Pei Desi, it¡¯s truly a waste; Gu Hang doesn¡¯t think that guy will be able to hold onto it in the future. With that bumpkin¡¯s level of ability, there are plenty of ways to bring him down. Moreover, this matter needs to be expedited; Gu Hang isn¡¯t keen on waiting too long. Get it sooner, and reap the benefits earlier. As for how to acquire it, Gu Hang already had some ideas. And these ideas had already started to be implemented in their initial stages. What kind of reaction Pei Desi would have to this wasn¡¯t among Gu Hang¡¯s concerns. No matter how the guy thinks or acts, it won¡¯t change the outcome. ¡­ While Gu Hang was scheming for Flying Wing Star, another world within the Tianma Star Sector stirred even earlier. That was Hongjian Star, now one of only two worlds in the Tianma Star Sector that had yet to join the Alliance. Hongjian Star, an agricultural Empire World with a total population of about two billion, was controlled by many large and small farm owners or agricultural corporations who owned the land. These farmers and agricultural groups formed an Industry Association that represented the highest power structure of the planet. The association internally elected its leaders, who would also become the acting Planetary Governor, and were authorized to establish a Planetary Government. The government of Hongjian Star was a loose institution, handling public safety issues and providing some necessary public services. They didn¡¯t form a military, didn¡¯t collect taxes, and the essential resources needed for the government¡¯s operations were financed by the agriculture association. wuxiaworld.site At the same time, the level of military development on Hongjian Star was very poor; the two billion population had only a few million in the Land Forces, with even scarce heavy equipment, mainly comprised of light infantry. The Imperial Tax of Hongjian Star was arranged through the many people of the agricultural association. These large agricultural enterprises seized every trade opportunity, paying the annual two billion in Imperial Tax with grain on one hand, and on the other, trading grain for various industrial goods required by the planet, especially agricultural machinery. The development level of Hongjian Star wasn¡¯t high, and there was hardly any industry to speak of. But the residents generally lived rather well. They had a high amount of grain ownership, and though most of it was taken by the agricultural companies and farm owners, the remaining portion was more than enough for the numerous farm workers to live without worry of food and drink. Gu Hang had indeed considered how to take over Hongjian Star, but found it to be rather troublesome. The people from these agricultural companies, each a rich landowner, lacked any particular ambition, content to till their own patches of land. There were no particular occurrences on the planet that allowed for an opportunity to intercede. Although their military was exceedingly feeble, Gu Hang could easily take them over with a simple wave of the hand. But as an Empire World, without sufficient reason, there was simply no way to engage in conflict. Moreover, the main production of Hongjian Star was grain, and it was very single-minded at that. Gu Hang didn¡¯t see the necessity in taking it into his own hands. As long as there was ongoing trade, allowing Hongjian Star to buy all of the agricultural output beyond what was paid as Imperial Tax while dumping industrial products, that would suffice. Although Gu Hang had a bit of a ¡®coloring the map¡¯ compulsion and, at this stage, really wanted to plant the Alliance flag on every planet in the entire Star Sector, Given the realities, Hongjian Star truly belonged to the kind that didn¡¯t really matter whether it was incorporated or not. That¡¯s what Mr. Gu thought, but he didn¡¯t anticipate how much impact his rising fame in the Star Sector, rapid expansion of the Alliance system, and his acquisition of the position of Star Sector head would have on the wealthy landowners of Hongjian Star. Mr. Gu had no interest in bothering them; he just wanted to do business. But he hadn¡¯t communicated this to them, and the landlords had no idea what Mr. Gu was thinking. Even if he did, they still wouldn¡¯t necessarily be at ease. An envoy from the Hongjian Star Agriculture Association arrived at Flying Wing Star with an anxious heart, met with Mr. Gu, and laid out their appeals: We want to join the Alliance! This, in turn, amused Gu Hang. Without lifting a finger, you all want to actively join? Well, isn¡¯t that something? These local tycoons were not joining unconditionally. Before sending their envoys, they had done some research on the Alliance system. They had one major psychological barrier to joining the Alliance¨Cthe Alliance would ¡°confiscate¡± almost all means of production and monopolize all outputs. Whether it was the bosses or the workers and farmers below, everyone would be assigned a rank and receive benefits accordingly. They certainly couldn¡¯t accept this; it would be even more unbearable for them than death. However, they were truly afraid of dying. Although their assessments had led them to believe Gu Hang was unlikely to take direct military action against Hongjian Star, they knew that with Gu Hang¡¯s current capabilities, he didn¡¯t need to resort to military means to deal with them. A mere trade cut-off, or even just harsh price negotiations, would be fatal for a planet with such a singular production output. Thus, amidst their troubled frowns, these landowners of Hongjian Star proposed a solution. They saw that within the Alliance system, there were also some private enterprises. This was more common on Rage Owl Star, where the Alliance Government, in order to avoid systemic rigidity, had opened up opportunities for the public to start businesses. When the public saw a business opportunity, they could retain their ranks and benefits while going into business, and they could even receive some support from the Alliance Government. However, on this basis, they had to sign contracts with the government and make performance commitments. Then, they could hire soldiers and workers¨Cemployees who would also enjoy the rank benefits and allowances, as if the government were paying their salaries. This was akin to starting a new state-owned enterprise. If the business outcome was poor, rank would fall, perhaps precipitously, and there might not be a previous position available upon return; if it performed well, the rank would rise quickly, and a portion of the profits made by the venture would be rewarded to the entrepreneur¨Cin essence, an income beyond taxes. Furthermore, the government would provide substantial support for successful entrepreneurs wanting to scale up. However, under the Alliance system, the cases of successful entrepreneurship were mostly concentrated in small-scale, non-priority industries. The smallest scale would be a couple running a breakfast stall; slightly bigger might be someone who sees a business opportunity and opens a shop or supermarket, employing a few people; or more ambitiously, starting a transport company or perhaps feeling that the current market fashion is subpar and establishing a clothing factory¡­ And these landowners of Hongjian Star saw their opportunity within this policy. They wanted to join the Alliance to avoid being squeezed out or targeted but did not want to lose their current property, so they came up with this wild idea. They would all adhere to the Alliance rules, obtaining ranks according to the scale of the industry they managed; their farmers and workers would also have ranks, receiving Alliance-standard welfare and allowances. At the same time, they would all obtain the status of entrepreneurs, enjoying the excess profits from their agricultural companies or farms. Similarly, they promised to accept the jurisdiction of the Alliance system: success would see ranks rise and businesses receive support to scale up and increase profits; poor performance or bad luck, such as being hit by natural disasters leading to decreased production, would mean shouldering the risk themselves, with demotion and business downsizing, or in severe cases, shutdowns and transfer of management to others. In other words, what used to be market competition naturally leading to these outcomes, now had an additional layer of Alliance oversight and regulation. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª 4k I said I was on a business trip for a week, not that I would stop updating for a week¡­ even though updates might be a bit unstable, but I¡¯m still aiming for perfect attendance¨Cit¡¯s all about the money! And about the business trip¡­ I started feeling a sore throat the night before last, but initially didn¡¯t think much of it. Yesterday, after a tiring journey by plane and exposure to rain and wind, and with a big temperature difference between the two places¨CI was wearing a lot, but after landing it was over twenty degrees and I was sweating, so I hurriedly took my coat off, and then felt chilly with the wind. By evening, I couldn¡¯t handle it anymore, feeling dizzy, nauseated, and with aggravated throat pain. I intended to update last night, but didn¡¯t finish. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This morning, to top it off, I¡¯m hit with a low-grade fever. The good news is that I don¡¯t have to work anymore and am lying low in the hotel; the bad news is that after taking medication and sleeping all day, I have no strength, and the fever comes and goes despite the antipyretics¡­ I barely managed to finish this chapter. In the future, I¡¯ll try to write as much as I can to maintain perfect attendance. As for the missed updates, I¡¯m currently unable to make them up¡­ Off to sleep again¡­ Chapter 698 - Chapter 698: Chapter 394, The Choice of Flying Wing Star Chapter 698: Chapter 394, The Choice of Flying Wing Star Although seemingly similar, after joining the Alliance, Hongjian Star could still manage its own agricultural conglomerates and farms and could decide the inheritance of these properties according to their own will. But in reality, the landowners on Hongjian Star paid a hefty price. Nominally, their achievements, their respective companies, now all fall under the supervision of the Alliance. Even their originally self-organized, loosely structured government that at best played a mere auxiliary role, would be replaced by the Alliance Government following its dissolution. The past model of planet management, which mainly relied on the autonomy of farm owners, would henceforth be gone forever. The rudimentary farm militia, which hardly counted as a force, would be completely disbanded, replaced by direct garrisons of the Alliance Army. In essence, they had put a noose around their own necks and handed the other end over to the Alliance. From now on, if the Alliance wished, it could easily strangle any farm owner or agricultural conglomerate at any time. They would have no capacity to resist. Of course, they had anticipated this situation. After all, they were the ones who had proposed these terms to the Alliance. Inside Hongjian Star, there was no lack of opposition. However, these objections had already been resolved internally in advance. The thought process behind their decision was actually quite smooth. First of all, it was very simple for the mighty Alliance to obliterate Hongjian Star. With powerful military might, the legitimacy that the Star Sector leaders held, along with the influence the Gu Family head possessed over interstellar trade¡­ The methods of obliteration were varied, ranging from forceful to peaceful, from civilized to barbaric. In any case, one would still need to kneel down to preserve one¡¯s life; why not negotiate favorable terms in advance while everything on Hongjian Star still held value and was a bargaining chip worth something. This was the condition they could negotiate after considering their options. Were they ever completely carefree in the past? Not really. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site The situation on Hongjian Star was generally stable for many years, but occasionally, there would be farm owners going bankrupt and agricultural conglomerates downsizing. Under market competition, they had their own mechanism for clearing out those who poorly managed, making them leave their undeserved positions. Now, instead of the invisible hand of market competition, it was the visible hands of the Alliance Government exercising control. They paid a price, but they would also reap rewards. The Alliance made a promise that, despite taking over the power of Hongjian Star, they didn¡¯t have much interest in majorly altering the status quo. Maintaining the appearance of an agricultural planet here was not a problem. The Alliance had no plans to make massive investments on Hongjian Star, but merely by increasing exports of agricultural machinery, implementing agricultural technology reforms, and expanding and optimizing the Starport on Hongjian Star¡­ these measures were already enough to bring substantial benefits to the landowners there. They came reluctantly and left with concerns; however, over the following years, they would feel the warmth of the Alliance and rejoice at having made the right decision. Gu Hang also issued instructions that for planets which voluntarily submit and fully accept the Alliance¡¯s restructuring, the Alliance should grant them preferential treatment. It¡¯s not about economic aid ¡ª of course, mutual exchange and progress are necessary. More importantly, they needed political support. For these shrewd farm owners, the Alliance would ensure their status, positions, and wealth would not decline as much as possible. It was essential to create a vivid example; if in the future there were other planets that wanted to join the Alliance voluntarily, having such a positive precedent would alleviate many doubts and make the Alliance¡¯s path much smoother. ¡­ Compared to the preferential treatment for Hongjian Star, Gu Hang was not as gentle with Flying Wing Star. Gu Hang had met with the ¡®Governor¡¯ of Hongjian Star at the Tianma Palace on Flying Wing Star, where he accepted their membership. And the reason for selecting this location was naturally because it was the office location of the Tianma leaders. With a population of eight billion and a development level of five, how did Flying Wing Star manage to pay the annual 4 billion Imperial Tax? Mostly through the shipbuilding industry, and among the remaining part, a considerable portion relied on various tax incentives and reductions, being exempt or paid in other forms. This ¡®other form of payment¡¯ implicated many intricacies. Within it were several major items, such as paying on behalf of the Star Sector Government for office personnel, expenses for office resources. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The personnel of the Star Sector Government naturally needed income and salaries, which were to come from the Imperial Finance; they also required official premises, vehicles equipped for the Star Sector Government, ships capable of interstellar jumps, cranium skulls for processing data necessary for official duties¡­ This was a significant sum of money. Even the entire Tianma Palace was built for the Star Sector Government, taking over a decade to create a garden-style palace intended for governmental office use, totaling more than one billion Tax Currency, funded by the Empire; While not overly numerous, the operational staff of the Star Sector Government sometimes saw senior clerks earning dozens or even hundreds of Tax Currency annually, far exceeding the average person¡¯s income level. Besides, there was the Tianma Naval Academy, which also consumed Imperial finances, training naval talent for the Empire, and funnelling them into the Tianma Fleet. Chapter 699 - Chapter 699: Chapter 394, The Choice of Flying Wing Star_2 Chapter 699: Chapter 394, The Choice of Flying Wing Star_2 All these costs were borne by Flying Wing Star, which then obtained certifications from the Star Sector Government, the Military Affairs Department, and the Imperial Navy, and used them to settle accounts with the Empire to offset taxes. In the past decade, the amounts paid by Flying Wing Star annually for the Star Sector Government and Naval Academy varied, sometimes being five or six hundred million, and at times over a billion. This enormous tax offset, coupled with the contributions from the shipyard¡¯s ship payments, constituted the structure of Flying Wing Star¡¯s payment of Imperial Tax. Sometimes, during periods when the Flying Wing Star Shipyard happened to be in a cycle of producing large ships, the cost of the ships plus the tax offset meant that not only could the Empire not collect any additional money from Flying Wing Star, instead, it often had to give back quite a sum. However, how could there not be any tricks involved in these matters? In the past, the leader of the Star Sector Government was Pei Desi; the Governor of Flying Wing Star was officially Pei Desi, but could Pei Desi properly manage Flying Wing Star? One would think not. During that time, he was only helping his brother by holding the title of Governor, living each day happily, while the important tasks on the planet were actually handled by Pei Desi himself. While managing the planet and the Star Sector Government, Pei Desi effectively played two teams with a group of people. This group was simultaneously carrying out the work of both the Planetary Government and the Star Sector Government. Wasn¡¯t that simply the same group of people being funded by the Empire¡¯s finances to serve as the staff for the Planetary Government? This saved the Planetary Government a considerable amount of administrative costs. Many personnel expenses and the cost of purchasing materials were not audited when either Pei Desi was in charge. But could they really withstand a thorough investigation? They might endure a cursory check, but could they really hold up under a conscientious investigation by Gu Hang, the eager successor? Furthermore, not just the expenditures of the Star Sector Government and Naval Academy, but even the output of the shipyard¨Cwere they really priced fairly, in accordance with Imperial regulations? wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site That was equally uncertain. Starships, unlike other standardized war equipment like tanks, are different. Starship designs can vary in hull design, power design, protective design, and the specifications of weaponry¡­ all possible configurations. Of course, ¡®design¡¯ is a more polite term. To put it more harshly, that is the level of manufacturing capability of each shipyard. The capabilities of each shipyard differ, so too do the ships they produce, which can only roughly meet the specifications of a certain class. In light of this, officials from the Imperial Navy and the Imperial Military Department would come to evaluate the design of the ships and confirm the specific prices of the ships produced by each shipyard. However, such pricing would only happen once. Subsequently, when the Imperial Tax officials arrive, they would simply inspect and accept the ships. The processes of design and inspection were not to be tampered with, and Pei Desi was not yet powerful enough to manipulate such elements. Those who had the power wouldn¡¯t bother with such trifles. But between the design and the final acceptance, there were countless steps. It wasn¡¯t easy to cut corners during the construction phase, but what about the money saved after workers gained proficiency and processes were optimized? Not to mention some of the more abnormal practices, such as deliberately leaving leeway in the design that could be saved upon now. From administrative operations with dual roles, to consuming Imperial finances for training naval cadets, and then to allocating qualified sailors as taxation; From the construction of starships, to changes in technology, right through to the acceptance of ships; When the integration level of the Star Sector Government and the Planetary Government reached such an extent, the room for operational maneuvers just became too vast. After receiving the formal appointment from the Star Sector leader, Gu Hang went straight to Tianma Palace on Flying Wing Star. He brought his own guard team and, after landing, assigned hands from the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association to head directly to Tianma Palace. The first person he met was the head of Tianma Palace¡¯s security team. This group of elite warriors, all equipped with Feedback-Type Powered Armor, were funded by the Imperial finance and followed the command of the Star Sector leader¡¯s private guard, belonging to the benefits or rights granted to the Star Sector leader by the Empire. The equipment was purchased, and the personnel were specially selected elites from the Star Realm Army. For the warriors of the Star Realm Army, this was of course a coveted destination. They could stay away from war, enjoy higher allowances and benefits, and be stationed on a garden planet like Flying Wing Star¨Cwasn¡¯t this the perfect haven for soldiers who survived countless battles? However, for the Empire, whether it was a good thing to have such an elite thousand-man force living in comfort here was less clear. In the past, the Tianma Palace Guard obeyed both the Star Sector Government and the Planetary Government, which wasn¡¯t a matter of choice for them because it used to be one and the same. Even after Martin Nelli¡¯s arrival, since they were from the same camp, the distinction wasn¡¯t so sharp. But now, this issue had suddenly and firmly presented itself before them. And they did not need to think too hard to know what the right choice was. In terms of interest, following Pei Desi, who was clearly on a sinking ship, would be insane; in terms of duty, they were the direct guard of the Star Sector¡¯s head, and as for who that head was, they did not concern themselves with, nor should they. Whoever occupied that position, they would simply obey. Soon after, they received the new leader¡¯s first order: to clear all irrelevant persons not associated with the Star Sector Government from the Tianma Palace, the office of the Star Sector Government. In reality, there wouldn¡¯t be too many people. Although Tianma Palace functionally still served as the headquarters of the Planetary Government, the officials of the Planetary Government usually had an additional layer of Star Sector Government clerkship. But Pei Desi did not have this layer. Inside Tianma Palace, waiting to greet Gu Hang, harboring untold grievances and contemplating whether it would be better to accept reality and bow down or to remain defiantly unyielding until the end, Pei Desi didn¡¯t even get to see Gu Hang¡¯s face before the same Tianma Palace guards who used to protect him chased him out. Then, Pei Desi discovered that he, as the Planetary Governor, no longer had the power to interfere with planetary affairs. Those who should have obeyed his commands were now exceedingly rare; most of the important positions and senior officials were employees of the Star Sector Government paid by the Imperial Finance. Previously, when the Star Sector head nodded for them to do the Planetary Government¡¯s tasks, they would simply do it. But now? Now they weren¡¯t allowed to. So they had to dutifully stop. Most of them were also reluctant to leave their positions in the Star Sector Government. Aside from the fact that the pay was better, they were all too aware that the Planetary Government had no personnel budget to speak of¨Cthere was no need for it before, but now? Now there was no one even making such a budget. Of course, without management, the planet would become chaotic. Gu Hang did not wish for Flying Wing Star, a wealthy place, to fall into disorder; he had already seen it as his own property. He would still let the officials of the Star Sector Government continue working, but not in such a direct manner. As the Star Sector head, he issued his first policy: He rebuked Pei Desi, the Governor of Flying Wing Star, for his chaotic governance and the Planetary Government being in name only. The Star Sector Government would temporarily take over management and ordered Pei Desi to reorganize the Planetary Government within one month to ensure proper administration. Otherwise, as the Star Sector head, Gu Hang would officially initiate impeachment proceedings against Pei Desi with the higher-level government. Pei Desi was dumbfounded. Where on earth am I supposed to create a Planetary Government in one month? And I can¡¯t use people from the Star Sector Government? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Isn¡¯t this a death sentence? But obviously, Gu Hang was not trying to take his life. If that were the case, there wouldn¡¯t be one month¡¯s time granted. For Pei Desi, this was a full month to think things through and make the right decision. And Pei Desi found that there weren¡¯t many options left for him to choose from. Chapter 700 - Chapter 700: Chapter 395, Feiyi Shipyard Chapter 700: Chapter 395, Feiyi Shipyard Pei Desi certainly had some means of resistance at his disposal. Across the planet, whether it be some local governments, some planetary-controlled enterprises, or even the private properties he and his older brother had purchased, in theory, he could still mobilize them. He was still the Planetary Governor and had the nominal right to do anything. However, although he was incompetent, he wasn¡¯t truly foolish. He could easily assess that, should he stir up trouble, he could indeed cause some problems for Gu Hang, but that would be just about it. Even such problems wouldn¡¯t reach Gu Hang personally. His professional subordinates would take care of them effortlessly. And what would be the price he¡¯d have to pay? His own life. By this point, Pei Desi had no more illusions in his head. He clearly understood that at this moment, he had absolutely no security. Gu Hang could kill him at any time. Declare him guilty, unfit to be Governor, then ¡®unfortunately¡¯ announce that he died of a sudden illness, or ¡®committed suicide out of fear of crimes,¡¯ followed by nominating a new Governor¡­ Such incidents had happened far too often. Sometimes, even the Star Domain Government would orchestrate this instead of running through the tedious process of dismissing a governor. To kill him in this way would, of course, have political costs, but those costs would definitely be within what Gu Hang could afford. The Star Domain Government might reprimand Gu Hang and even penalize him, but it wouldn¡¯t be too severe. In a different situation, Pei Desi felt he would definitely make a move. So now he was scared to death. wuxiaworld.site As the head of the Star Sector, Gu Hang issued a reprimand order, giving him one month¡¯s time. Now he saw it clearly; this month was not given for him to rebuild the government, but to let him thoroughly reflect on his situation. He quickly conveyed his thoughts of submission to Gu Hang through some channels. Just like the past, he could accept being a figurehead Governor, not interfering in anything. Let the Star Sector Government handle all the planetary affairs¨C he promised to be just like before, nothing but a mascot. However, the message he sent was like dropping a stone into the sea, without any response. He just watched as the Star Sector Government swiftly took over the Planetary Government¡¯s powers, including management of various cities and regions, sealing off the personal industries he and his brother had left, and particularly taking control of the two starports on Flying Wing Star, as well as the shipyard. Throughout, there were countless opportunities for Pei Desi to make a move or cause a scene, but like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, he did nothing. More than once, he pondered how he could survive this calamity. Why was there no response when he had already stated his position? One of his staff members made an analysis for him afterward. ¡°Mr. Gu likely wants more than just for you to be a mascot, a rubber stamp. Now in the entire Tianma Star Sector, every world has joined the Alliance, and the Star Sector is almost equivalent to the Alliance itself. With things at this stage, do you still not know what Gu Hang wants? Do you still think you could just be a mascot?¡± ¡°Are you saying that I should take the initiative to offer Flying Wing Star¡¯s allegiance to the Alliance?¡± The staff shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s still not enough.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it you who said that Gu Hang wants Flying Wing Star to join the Alliance?¡± ¡°Yes, but it can¡¯t be you. The essence of his wanting Flying Wing Star to join the Alliance is to better control the entire world. You yourself are an obstacle to this. You would never truly obey him, nor would he trust you.¡± By now Pei Desi was quite irritable, and with a hint of craziness born of fear, he said, ¡°Then what exactly does he want? Does he just want me dead?! If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll fight him to the death! Even if I truly die, I¡¯ll still bite off a piece of him!¡± ¡°Resign from your position as Flying Wing Star Governor,¡± said the staff. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Resign as Governor of Flying Wing Star and leave this place,¡± the staff member continued to advise. ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Pei Desi, furious, suddenly pushed the staff member, his eyes bloodshot, accusatorily demanded, ¡°Have you gone over to Gu Hang¡¯s side? Are you here to set me up, huh?!¡± The pushed staff member got up, dusted himself off, and said composedly, ¡°The first part of your statement is correct; in the future, I will indeed serve the Alliance Government; but the second part is incorrect. I¡¯m not here to set a trap for you; this is the last advice I offer as your staff. Now you can let go and take a substantial amount of wealth, hundreds of thousands of Tax Currency, which Gu Hang would likely allow you to take with you. With this money, and the connections your brother has in Yunluo to protect you, you can still live a rich man¡¯s life. Several hundred thousand Tax Currency might not have seemed much to you in the past, but in terms of living a life, even a quite luxurious one, it¡¯s enough to last a lifetime.¡± ¡°If you miss this last month¡¯s opportunity, then the last thing I can do for you is, a month later, to collect your corpse.¡± ¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Pei Desi left?¡± Gu Hang asked casually. ¡°Yes,¡± Zhang Lingdian responded cautiously. Gu Hang patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Relax a little, Osenia says you¡¯ve always performed very well. Why can¡¯t you ease up in front of me?¡± Zhang Lingdian managed a smile, ¡°It¡¯s a big responsibility; I dare not neglect it.¡± ¡°Good that you¡¯re aware of your responsibilities. Relax. Let¡¯s start with something unimportant; tell me about Pei Desi.¡± Chapter 701 - Chapter 701: Chapter 395, Feiyi Shipyard_2 Chapter 701: Chapter 395, Feiyi Shipyard_2 ¡°Yes, Pei Desi¡¯s ship left the port yesterday. We seized most of his assets, but left him with some liquid assets to ensure his peaceful departure and avoid further troubles. The assets he took with him amount to about four hundred thousand Tax Currency, which shouldn¡¯t cause us any more issues in the future,¡± ¡°Well, that guy is lucky to have a good brother, serving as a governor who only indulged in pleasures for over a decade without having to work, and now he can be a wealthy retiree for most of his life. But I hope he¡¯ll grow wiser in the future, or he won¡¯t be able to preserve his fortune,¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The pressing matter they were about to discuss was none other than the greatest asset on Flying Wing Star¨Cthe Feiyi Shipyard. Speaking of Zhang Lingdian, he was one of the hundred talented students from Flying Wing Star who were sent by Gu Hang¡¯s mother when she had initially reached an understanding with him. Despite the reconciliation, Gu Hang still didn¡¯t completely trust his mother. At first, he didn¡¯t take these hundred people seriously, leaving them all to Osenia to handle and assigning them to low-level clerical jobs. However, at that time, the Alliance was in dire need of people. The fact that individuals like Patel, former leaders of refugees, could manage an industrial center, was telling. Among the talented students from Flying Wing Star, although many were pampered and couldn¡¯t endure hardships and thus were declining in low-level jobs, those who were dedicated and willing to work hard always managed to stand out. Zhang Lingdian was such a person. He didn¡¯t receive any preferential treatment and even faced pressure in the Alliance¡¯s bureaucratic system, particularly because he was an outsider and initially seen as a ¡®spy¡¯ sent by Gu Hang¡¯s mother. Nonetheless, over a long period, he achieved remarkable results in every position he held. These achievements were impossible to ignore. The Alliance had clear standards for rank recognition and merit assessment of government officials. When someone performed well, diligently, with a good ranking and consistent results, how could the Alliance resist promoting him, especially when there was a severe lack of clerical staff? Or rather, the Alliance¡¯s system had been trying hard to keep him down, as many with lesser accomplishments were being promoted much faster. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.Co Latterly, as the relationship between Gu Hang and his mother improved even further, to the point of integration, and it was also confirmed that there was nothing particularly exceptional about them. It turned out that Gu Hang¡¯s mother, dissatisfied with the rag-tag bunch under her son¡¯s command, handpicked some poor graduates from various colleges on Flying Wing Star, signed fifteen-year contracts with them, and sent them over en masse. There are many universities on Flying Wing Star¨Can important industry for earning foreign currency for the star. Not just locals from Flying Wing Star, but many elites from Tianma Star Sector and even other star sectors would send their students here for education. With over thirty thousand universities that offered technical and liberal arts education, they have nurtured countless talents. But not every graduate had a promising future. For students like Zhang Lingdian, who came from a disadvantaged background and had relied on scholarships and educational loans to progress, the pressure after graduation was even greater as they had to start repaying their loans. For the graduates of Flying Wing Star, the Gu Commercial Firm was an excellent destination, and the limited number of recruitment spots available each year were fought over fiercely. Even a fifteen-year contract to a little-known place was sought after. That¡¯s how Zhang Lingdian came to be here. Once his background was clear, those who performed well among these hundred individuals quickly made it onto the talent list of the Alliance Organization Department. They started to rise rapidly, and Zhang Lingdian was the one who ascended the fastest, even entering the Premier¡¯s office and becoming one of Osenia¡¯s important aides. Now, Gu Hang has promoted him to a position of greater responsibility. The reason Gu Hang chose him was still due to his full trust in the [System]¡¯s judgment. Zhang Lingdian was one of the talents who had been enlightened early on in the [Hero] panel, with considerable aptitude and a quick advancement rate. With assurance of loyalty, Gu Hang decided to use him more boldly. Under the Alliance system, the ¡®Planetary Governor¡¯ post is not significant. Although, according to the imperial registry, this is the highest official on a planet and could even be considered the owner of the planet. In reality, under the Alliance system, this is at most an honorary title, if even that. The real power is held by the Planetary Government of the Alliance Government. Moreover, the leaders of the Alliance¡¯s planets are not at all the same as the Imperial Planetary Governors. They are purely administrative heads under the jurisdiction of the Alliance Government, in charge of administrative power. The Alliance Government also exercises strict control over the various planetary governments, except for the leaders who are responsible to higher authorities, entities like the Organization Department, Commerce Department, Development Department, Industry Department, and other such departments, are not only managed by the planetary leaders but also subject to the vertical jurisdiction of the Alliance¡¯s ministerial commissions. Planetary leaders have no authority over military matters; Aspects like legislation, judiciary, law enforcement, as well as functions such as audit, anti-corruption, and internal affairs, are the jobs of the Alliance Legal Tribunal, and Lambert, the Chief Justice, operates independently from the government in theory, which the Planetary leaders can¡¯t interfere with. Under the centralizing system of the Alliance, there¡¯s no possibility for the Planetary leaders to act independently. However, despite this, the position remains very important. Economic development, administrative management, both depend on them. Gu Hang had great expectations for Zhang Lingdian, otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have bestowed such an important responsibility upon this young man. And indeed, Zhang Lingdian did not let Gu Hang down. His first task was completed quite satisfactorily. The Flying Wing Star Shipyard, as the most significant wealth on the entire planet, is now under Zhang Lingdian¡¯s control. The production capability of the entire shipyard has also been clearly ascertained. With about a four-year large construction cycle, the Flying Wing Star Shipyard can produce 1 Musician-class cruiser, 8 destroyers, 20 escort ships, along with various patrol ships and civilian merchant vessels. The total output value of this cycle can reach 300 billion Tax Currency, averaging 75 billion Tax Currency a year. Of course, that¡¯s the output value. In reality, there are some components that need to be purchased, a massive amount of raw materials, even the processing of the raw materials, all of which are completed elsewhere. These procurement costs must also be accounted for. But despite this, the profit each year is around 25 billion. The Feiyi Shipyard is the absolute pillar industry supporting the whole of Flying Wing Star, not only bearing the brunt of a high tax revenue of level 5 development but also ensuring that the 8 billion inhabitants of the planet can live a fairly decent standard of life. The value of this shipyard cannot be compared with the one on Rage Owl Star. For the Rage Owl shipyard to develop to this level, even with advanced technology, it would take a very long time. Moreover, now that it¡¯s in hand, there¡¯s no reason for Gu Hang¡¯s advanced technology not to be used on the Feiyi Shipyard. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The construction special effects of the shipyard can be redeemed and applied to improve production efficiency; the shipyard¡¯s blueprints can be used to reform some unreasonable designs; some components that originally couldn¡¯t be produced in-house can now be processed on their own, without the need to buy from distant places through trade, or even compete to purchase¡­ All these can enhance the efficiency of the Feiyi Shipyard and significantly reduce costs. Under Gu Hang¡¯s control, the Feiyi Shipyard can achieve effects much more potent than before. Of course, even with the acquisition of the Feiyi Shipyard, it doesn¡¯t mean Gu Hang will give up on developing the Rage Owl shipyard. Progressing on multiple fronts isn¡¯t a bad thing. Chapter 702 - Chapter 702: Chapter 396: The Visit from the Mechanical God Cult Chapter 702: Chapter 396: The Visit from the Mechanical God Cult The Federation¡¯s approach to handling Flying Wing Star was, to some extent, actually similar to that of the Fatchess Tri-Star. Smooth currency reform, nationalization reform of key industries, welfare policies covering state-owned enterprises and government personnel, and eventually extending the hierarchy to all citizens and industries transformed the completely unprotected private enterprises into Federation-system characteristic private entrepreneurship¡­ Although Flying Wing Star seemed much more developed than Fatchess Tri-Star, when the Federation actually took over both areas, they found the gap was not as big as imagined. The development level of Fatchess Tri-Star was 2, barely lifted to 3, and it was already struggling; Flying Wing Star, carrying a development level of 5, lived just as comfortably. The biggest difference between the two places lay in that shipyard. This was a profit of about 2.5 billion a year that Fatchess couldn¡¯t compensate; Add to that the money reduced for the Star Sector Government and various academies, especially the Naval Academy, the money made was enough to wipe out the Imperial Tax, even leaving a surplus. Apart from these aspects, only in terms of natural environmental conditions was Flying Wing Star somewhat better than Fatchess Tri-Star; overall productivity and the level of social civilization were not much different. In this situation, the Federation could completely strip away the shipyard, administration, and education, these three big chunks, and the remaining parts could simply adopt the policy of Fatchess Tri-Star with a few minor adjustments. As for the shipyard, the situation was relatively straightforward, just ensuring that the shipyard and all kinds of supporting factories continuously operated, maintained capacity, and that the workers¡¯ treatment was guaranteed under a hierarchical system, and then there wouldn¡¯t be much problem with the takeover. Indeed, this was the case. The difficulty of taking over the shipyard was not even as great as the subsequent process reforms. For some old craftsmen in the shipyard, Flying Wing Star had been manufacturing all sizes of starships for hundreds of years. You bunch of so-called technical experts, coming from Rage Owl Star and the so-called Federation, are just country bumpkins, coming to teach us how to build ships? wuxiaworld.site Isn¡¯t that a joke! However, under the push of power, the initial changes that came out were still barely passed¨Cof course, this was also because some more enlightened ¡®old craftsmen¡¯ did indeed find some value in these improvements, and decided to give them a try. Then, this trial proved to be more eloquent than argumentation. Higher quality, lower cost, higher production efficiency¡­ these things were all tangible, undeniable and immediately visible. The mechanics from Rage Owl Star Shipyard were immediately embraced. At the same time, there was also a subtle inquiry. Within Tianma Star Sector, the Sect of Mechanics didn¡¯t have much power; their Foundry World wasn¡¯t here, and they hadn¡¯t established churches and clear institutions of the Mechanical Sect in Tianma Star Sector. However, within the whole Empire, the influence of the Sect of Mechanics was omnipresent, even penetrating daily life. Common titles like entry-level commissioners and technical commissioners were widespread in many factories and even within the army. Some of them graduated from various Technical Academies with their certificates; others passed examinations later on. They might not have a strong religious background, but whether it was those Technical Academies or some technical associations that granted their credentials, that qualification was applied for from a Foundry World. Official Technical Academy curricula include Theology of the Mechanical God content; technical association exams also include theological knowledge evaluations and theology discourse, becoming increasingly difficult at higher levels. And what is a Foundry World? A world completely controlled by the Sect of Mechanics earns the name Foundry World. Foundry Worlds don¡¯t even pay Imperial Tax, the official statement being that Foundry Worlds, like the home worlds of Interstellar Warriors, serve the Empire in another way, so they don¡¯t need to pay Imperial Tax. This assertion is also correct; the Foundry Worlds are the ones creating most of the weapons, construction work, and naval ships for the Imperial Army; within the Star Realm Army, there are countless technical commissioners and Mechanical Priests from the Mechanical Sect who manage military equipment and even engage in combat directly; the Protection Army and the Titan Legion belonging to the Mechanical Sect are simply an undeniable main force of the Empire. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But to dig deeper, understanding it simply as the Sect of Mechanics not paying taxes because of their responsibilities would be somewhat shallow. Some say¨Cand it¡¯s just a saying¨Cthat the Empire¡¯s emblem, the Double-headed Eagle, one head represents Holy Terra, the other head represents Mars Foundry World. Whether this is true or not, it at least highlights a very important point: they don¡¯t pay taxes not because of their contributions, but because of their special status; they contribute to the Empire not out of any obligation, but rather because the Mechanical Church could practically be considered one of the Empire¡¯s most important original shareholders. Only someone like Gu Hang, who redeveloped from a Death World like Rage Owl Star without much influence from the Sect of Mechanics¨Chowever, even in such a case, his most trusted technical expert, Ms. Wu Jiarong, was from the Sect of Mechanics; both Rage Owl Star and the newly established Technical Academy on Heijian Star issued ¡®bootleg¡¯ technical certificates that outside didn¡¯t recognize. And moreover, this was not a sustainable situation. In fact, Ms. Wu Jiarong already had plans, preparing to make a trip to the nearest Foundry World¨CJindi Star¨Cto get this matter resolved. Chapter 703 - Chapter 703: Chapter 396: The Visit from the Mechanical God Cult_2 Chapter 703: Chapter 396: The Visit from the Mechanical God Cult_2 Jindi Star belongs to the Mingyang Sect the Sect of Mechanics. Among the numerous branches within the intricate hierarchy of the Sect of Mechanics, the reputation of the Mingyang Sect is not outstanding, but it is not a particularly small sect either. They exert the highest influence within the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain. Within the Tianma Star Sector, all the technical professional certificates bear a small, golden-yellow sun and flame emblem, which is the symbol of the Mingyang Sect. In theory, the Flying Wing Star Shipyard should have no relation to the Sect of Mechanics, but how could such a technology-intensive industry be free from influence? Even within the shipyard, there is a Dominant Bishop. Although they do not preach and only serve as technical experts and advisors, their appearance, always donning a Red Robe and carrying the Sect of Mechanics¡¯ insignia along with scriptures, and their heavily modified body make them seem inhuman yet ¡®sacred.¡¯ At least by the standards of the Sect of Mechanics, they are considered very sacred. Below them, there are not as many Engine Prophets, but Mechanical Priests are a dime a dozen. In the past, the Alliance¡¯s ¡®small-time actions¡¯, even when they rolled out the Warhound-class Titan on the battlefields of Korolya, were not deemed too severe. Although the Foundry World does not sell Titans often, they do sell a few; as for the production technology of the Titans, it is regarded as an ¡®open secret¡¯¨Cthey don¡¯t explicitly forbid the leakage of technology, but in practice, hardly anyone outside the Sect of Mechanics seems to have the capability to produce Titans. The scale of the Titans produced by the Alliance was still not large, and the Warhound made few appearances, but even so, it had already attracted the attention of interested parties. However, these attentions had not yet had any direct impact on Gu Hang. But the kind of attention that came without any action would not last long. They were watching because they were planning to make a move. Now, with the starship construction capabilities demonstrated on Rage Owl Star, where Gu Hang had directly started a shipyard, this drew even more attention. Starship manufacturing, unlike Titan construction, is not monopolized by the Foundry World. However, just in terms of technical content and industrial scale, starship manufacturing is a more advanced and complex industry than the construction of Warhound Titans. wuxiaworld.site The ability to build starships is no small matter. What¡¯s more, the starship manufacturing technology on Rage Owl Star seems to have many unique features, which could even provide some guidance to established shipyards like Flying Wing Star. This could not be ignored. After the Alliance took over the shipyard, they caught five sneaky individuals within two days, poking around and inspecting the Alliance¡¯s shipyard retrofit when unobserved. To be honest, at the moment, the Alliance does not have strong control over the Flying Wing Star Shipyard. Even so, if they could catch those few, the number of those not caught could well be a hundred or a thousand times greater. After some time passed, Gu Hang received a visit from an expected guest. The Dominant Bishop of the Mechanical God Cult¡¯s Mingyang Sect and the foundry advisor of the Flying Wing Star Shipyard, Wang Zhaoran. What was expected to come eventually did. Even, Wang Zhaoran¡¯s arrival was much milder than what Gu Hang had initially anticipated. Without any questioning or further aggressive behavior, while carrying out his duties at the shipyard, Wang Zhaoran courteously submitted a meeting request to Gu Hang, the head of the star sector. The reason for the meeting was also spelled out clearly¨Cit was about the new technology at the Flying Wing Star Shipyard. The overt nature of his intentions made it difficult for Gu Hang to find grounds for refusal. It¡¯s not that he couldn¡¯t refuse, but on what basis? The visitor was the foundry advisor, the Dominant Bishop of the Sect of Mechanics. Seeing new technology and inquiring about its origins was completely justified, wasn¡¯t it? On the contrary, if Gu Hang chose to refuse, it would seem like he had something to hide. Even though he did feel somewhat guilty. However, for such an anticipated event, Gu Hang had his contingency plans prepared. After the meeting time was set, Gu Hang also called in his most important technical expert, Ms. Wu Jiarong. Taking over the Flying Wing Star Shipyard was a big deal for the alliance, and there was no room for error in technical matters. Ms. Wu Jiarong, along with the technical team she had personally trained, had come here to handle the shipyard affairs. Having her face Wang Zhaoran was just perfect. At the start of the meeting, Gu Hang was also present. But soon, he found another excuse to leave, allowing Wu Jiarong and Wang Zhaoran, both with technical backgrounds, to chat on their own. Of course, Gu Hang had the full capability to monitor the content of the conversation. He also had complete trust in Ms. Wu¨Cshe wouldn¡¯t speak carelessly. This was also something Gu Hang had thought through before, about how to handle the source of technologies like the Black Box that he couldn¡¯t explain: push it all onto Wu Jiarong. No matter what, just say it was Wu Jiarong who researched them. She just knows these things and has brought these technological capabilities to Rage Owl Star, aiding in the development of the alliance. As for how Wu Jiarong herself learned these technologies, that came from the enlightenment of the Deity of all Machines, revelations received during prayers, on top of some knowledge she already possessed, which she integrated and comprehended thoroughly. This sounded far-fetched, but it wasn¡¯t entirely implausible. And indeed, Wu Jiarong followed these prepared statements and managed to satisfy Wang Zhaoran. The two of them didn¡¯t actually talk about the issue for long. Later on, most of their conversation involved technical exchanges. In this respect, Wu Jiarong wouldn¡¯t have any problems. For so many years, she had immersed herself in a sea of countless Black Boxes, gained extensive research insights, and her level of knowledge had surged. Now, while saying she had the knowledge and technical level of a Dominant Bishop might be a stretch, since she had not fully integrated many technologies, just theories, just academic discussions, she wouldn¡¯t have any problems. After so many years of research, some of the technical ideas and concepts she proposed were highly innovative and enlightening to Wang Zhaoran. Even in the voice of the mechanical-feeling Dominant Bishop, there was clear excitement. After a long chat, Wang Zhaoran was somewhat reluctant when the meeting finally came to an end. He took the opportunity to invite Wu Jiarong to the shipyard for an in-depth discussion the following day. Wu Jiarong readily accepted. Then, he expressed his wish to visit Rage Owl Star, especially to see Wu Jiarong¡¯s research center. Wu Jiarong agreed without hesitation. What was there to refuse? In the past, she might have felt uneasy, but now, all the Black Boxes were hidden within the Storm God Kingdom. As long as Gu Hang didn¡¯t wish it, who could traverse the subspace into his territory and uncover his secrets? If one wanted to see, then just see openly and honestly. Even if the Dominant Bishop were to propose some kind of exchange program in the future, Gu Hang was ready to agree outright. No fear. After sending Wang Zhaoran away, Wu Jiarong said to Gu Hang, ¡°He definitely still has doubts.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Let him doubt. Whatever we do, we can¡¯t eliminate those doubts anyway, can we?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s be open about it. These matters are troublesome, even dangerous. But having reached this point, can we stop using them just because of the risks? That¡¯s even less possible.¡± Wu Jiarong nodded and said to Gu Hang, ¡°Now, Governor, you are not what you used to be. If it were in the past, just because of a suspicion, the Sect of Mechanics might have sent a retrieval fleet to Rage Owl Star to turn our territory upside down. But now, your position makes even the independent Sect of Mechanics tread cautiously. Without clear evidence, they won¡¯t overtly act too excessively. As for underhanded tactics, we are not afraid.¡± After a thought, she added, ¡°I look forward to the alliance becoming even stronger in the future. Then, even if we openly use the Black Box, people will not dare to interfere.¡± Chapter 704 - Chapter 704: Chapter 397, Education is the Top Priority Chapter 704: Chapter 397, Education is the Top Priority Gu Hang entrusted the affairs of the Sect of Mechanics to Wu Jiarong to handle on her own. Just as they expected, Wang Zhaoran did indeed propose later on that they each send some personnel to learn from each other. This included technical staff from both shipyards collaborating, as well as his students going to Wu Jiarong¡¯s research center to study and work, while Wu Jiarong could also send people over. Studying and working were not pretenses. Since Wang Zhaoran had made it to the grade of Dominant Bishop, his technical abilities were undoubtedly up to par, and with many years specializing in Starship manufacturing, he certainly had his own set of unique techniques. Sending people to him, even if they couldn¡¯t learn the most fundamental skills, even a little bit of knowledge was valuable. Meanwhile, as they were sending people over, it was natural to expect to learn something from his exchange students, and at the very least, acquire a few laborers with exceptional technical abilities. Of course, they had to be cautious of any leaks of core secrets. The people Wu Jiarong sent were indeed her students and did come from her institute, but they had nothing to do with Black Box industries, knew nothing, and didn¡¯t even have any speculation. And the people sent over by the other side, she likewise placed them in positions that appeared to have substantial content to work on but were completely cut off from any access to the Black Box factory¡¯s production process, not to mention coming into contact with it. As for Wu Jiarong herself, she then engaged in significantly more exchanges with Wang Zhaoran for some time afterward. Wu Jiarong was originally responsible for integrating the Flying Wing Star Shipyard into the alliance. Although Wang Zhaoran, this Foundry consultant, seemed to have little power under the title ¡®consultant¡¯, he actually controlled the main aspects of the shipyard¡¯s technology and production. Their collaboration at work was inevitable. Not to mention, they had quite a lot in common to talk about. As for opening up the shipyard to the alliance, Wang Zhaoran had no resistance whatsoever. It was none of his concern, as he was not the owner of the shipyard; he was merely a Foundry consultant. Regardless of who took over the Flying Wing Star Shipyard, they could not do without him and his disciples. Even if the alliance held some technologies that intrigued him, or could even be called astonishing, it was the same. During her interactions with Wang Zhaoran, Wu Jiarong received a special invitation. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co This Dominant Bishop of the Mingyang Sect was astonished upon learning that Wu Jiarong¡¯s current personal title was actually only that of a technical officer, believing it to be a mistake on the part of the Sect of Mechanics. He sincerely invited Wu Jiarong to Jindi Star, the nearest Foundry World, to spend some time traveling and delivering several lectures. In his words, he believed that with Wu Jiarong¡¯s level of knowledge, she would certainly cause a sensation on Jindi Star, and could without a doubt earn the real title of Dominant Bishop. Wu Jiarong was somewhat tempted. Not tempted to seek the title of Dominant Bishop, for that would be meaningless. She could not and would not wish to leave the alliance. She knew that all the opportunities she had were thanks to the alliance, thanks to Governor Gu. And she was also well aware that if she wanted to reach higher and go farther in the future, she could definitely not leave the alliance. Without the alliance, where would she find so many Black Boxes of different forms and categories to immerse herself in? Even the Principal Sages did not have such chances. What excited her was that a trip to Jindi Star could solve some of the problems she had contemplated before. Once she obtained the identity of a Dominant Bishop, she would have officially entered the ranks within the Sect of Mechanics. The Prophet was still only considered mid-level, at best a little above mid-level. But reaching the grade of Dominant Bishop, even within the Foundry World, would place her firmly among the upper echelon. Going further up to the grade of Principal Sage, that was almost akin to controlling the power of an entire Foundry World. In a core Foundry World like Jindi Star owned by the Mingyang Sect, a joint Foundry council consisting of a dozen or so Principal Sages managed the entire world. The Founding General was, in fact, also merely a Principal Sage in terms of official title. If Wu Jiarong obtained the identity of a Dominant Bishop, she could then truly proceed to establish a small sub-sect as previously discussed with Gu Hang. This sub-sect might not be recognized at first, not widely accepted, and seen only as a minor faction under the Mingyang Sect, but it would be able to independently execute certain matters, propagate certain knowledge. And as this sub-sect grew and strengthened, many of the things that are now hidden, that they dare not disclose openly, would finally have a pretext for emergence. But these thoughts were not something she could discuss in depth with Wang Zhaoran. Wu Jiarong did not give an immediate response, saying she needed to think it over. In reality, she sought out Gu Hang to ask Governor Gu for his opinion on the matter. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang agreed. This was already part of the anticipated plan. Moreover, Gu Hang was not worried about Wu Jiarong leaving for a while to go to Jindi Star, that she would spread her wings and soar away. Aside from his trust in Wu Jiarong, knowing that the ¡®Female Archbishop¡¯ would not sacrifice the important for the trivial, he was also assured that Wu Jiarong would not utter a single word that should not be said. ¡­ Even if Wu Jiarong was to go to Jindi Star, it wasn¡¯t something that could be arranged in a brief moment. Chapter 705 - Chapter 705: Chapter 397, Education is the Top Priority_2 Chapter 705: Chapter 397, Education is the Top Priority_2 ¡°` She would have to finish with the matters of the Flying Wing Star Shipyard before anything else. It¡¯s a massive project. Fortunately, most of the difficulties had already been dealt with, and what remained was for the production management officers dispatched by the Alliance to clear up the entire production process. Once the first ship was completed under the Alliance¡¯s takeover, and they became familiar with the process, the issues that followed would become increasingly simpler. Overall, Gu Hang was quite satisfied with the progress, so he shifted his attention slightly away and turned to look at the numerous universities on Flying Wing Star. The education system on Flying Wing Star was also very developed. Here, it was not only the educational center of Tianma Star Sector but also a prime educational destination for many surrounding Star Sectors. For many, it was an honor to gain admission into the universities of Flying Wing Star. But in general, education is something that requires investment. While these tens of thousands of universities on Flying Wing Star created tremendous value, if one only considered investment and returns, subtracting the costs, these universities combined barely made a profit of about a hundred million. However, Gu Hang¡¯s perspective was never limited to the immediate future. In his view, the developed education system of Flying Wing Star was the best solution to the current severe shortage of administrative and technical bureaucrats. The current Alliance, after many years of development, could no longer be considered a makeshift organization. However, it was certainly inadequate compared to the scope of power it now controlled. This problem had erupted after the Alliance took over Korolya, and it had only grown more severe. wuxiaworld.site The administrative officers under Gu Hang¡¯s current government came from rather mixed origins. The most core group was, of course, the people from Rage Owl Star. A vast majority of those in high positions within the Alliance Government were Rage Owl Star People. These individuals who had risen with Gu Hang now occupied high positions, wielded significant authority, and enjoyed superior benefits. They were the most central people under Gu Hang¡¯s rule. But they were also the fewest in number. As more planets fell under the control of the Alliance, the ruling classes of these planets, whether they had been eliminated or not, at least retained a substantial part of their administrative bureaucracy. It had to be preserved; otherwise, who would do the work? Among these groups, the Heijian Star People had fared rather well. Although the Alliance had fought a battle against the local forces in controlling Heijian Star, the conflict was not particularly bloody, nor did it last very long, leaving no deep-seated enmities. Many kingdoms, after their surrender, like the Iron Curtain Queen Isabel and the King of Panbos Kingdom, Eureka, even managed to find their own places within the Alliance. And on Korolya, many former officers of the Planetary Government, as long as they didn¡¯t make trouble and worked faithfully for the Alliance, also were appointed to official posts. On Fatchess Tri-Star and Flying Wing Star, not just the administrative officers, but even the government structures were largely preserved¡­ But Gu Hang did not want this situation to continue indefinitely. The risks hidden within were not insignificant. He used the Loyal Heir Academy and the political commissar training under the Military Badge function to solve some particularly thorny issues, but that was also not a complete solution, as he did not have enough Favor Points to spare. The mitigation strategy he could think of was to utilize officials from other regions. It was observable that those former rulers of Heijian Star shone not in their traditional strongholds, but rather when they were largely transferred to Korolya; Heijian Star¡¯s initial governance heavily relied on people from Rage Owl Star, but with Korolya in hand, a significant number of Korolya¡¯s officers were redeployed to Heijian Star to work. Fatchess Tri-Star and Flying Wing Star having been controlled not too long ago, it was clear that similar maneuvers were bound to follow. But this was also a stopgap measure and brought its own set of risks. The fundamental problem still lied in the fact that there were too few qualified officials whom Gu Hang could genuinely trust and who truly embraced the ideals of the Alliance. ¡°` This thing cannot be faked; it must rely on self-cultivation. Loyal Heir Academy is one path, but Gu Hang planned to build more. Even without making use of the system¡¯s training function, simply using Loyal Heir Academy as an educational institution to cultivate students, its role would still be immense; it would just take longer to cultivate them. For now, the emergency period had been weathered thanks to the tens of thousands of officials nurtured by the hundreds of thousands of grace points previously bestowed by Gu Hang. Thus, the urgency wasn¡¯t as great. However, what Loyal Heir Academy could solve were only issues of ideology and loyalty; it could not solve the problem of officials¡¯ competence. Mediocre talent, even after training, would only become loyal mediocrity. The advanced educational system on Flying Wing Star was regarded by Gu Hang as a good solution. After a thorough inspection, Gu Hang already had several clear methods for establishing a training system for administrative civil servants. First was retraining existing officials. The Alliance Government would fund this, allowing officials of all levels and types from various planets to have the opportunity to study and further their education. They would be arranged to relearn in various majors at universities on Flying Wing Star according to their type of work and job content. They would enter the special training programs offered by various academies for study. Secondly, the Alliance Government would recruit some young people and sign long-term contracts with them. The Alliance would provide educational opportunities and student loans, and these youths would need to study hard in school; after graduation, they would go to the designated places as stipulated by the contracts, serve for a certain number of years, and repay their loans. Through this entrusted training model, young people with talent and potential from the lower classes could find better opportunities, and corresponding government units could acquire a steady supply of fresh talent. Of course, these students would also have certain academic requirements. They would need to keep their grades up to standard, or even excellent, in order to fulfill their contracts and secure jobs. Otherwise, if their grades were a mess and their original units didn¡¯t want them after graduation, they would have to find a job on their own to repay their loans. However, this was a better path than the original one, regardless. Whether it¡¯s in-service training for current civil servants or targeted training programs, these are initiatives launched from the government level, aiming at training a large number of government officials. It was estimated that the number of students in both categories would exceed one million annually and would continue until the Alliance Government had preliminarily resolved the shortage of civil servants, at which point they would gradually cut down on the numbers. For this, the Alliance¡¯s annual education budget would need to reach tens of millions of tax currency. This was no small amount of money. How much was Rage Owl Star¡¯s Imperial Tax per year? It wasn¡¯t even a fraction of the current education budget. But the situation could also be seen positively. This would indeed be a massive expenditure, but in actuality, the expenditure should only appear on paper. The many universities on Flying Wing Star would naturally all be nationalized for management in the future. Accordingly, the expenses would be recorded on the government¡¯s expenditure sheet, consuming the budget, but they would also appear on the academy¡¯s income statements and be turned over. Of course, one round of circulation still carries significant meaning. The essence of the economy lies in circulation and exchange. With such a rotation, government officials received training, broadened their horizons; the academic institutions increased their student base, increased their revenue, and could accommodate more educators; the series of economic activities surrounding the academies would become more prosperous. Besides these two types of direct training, the Alliance also had restructuring requirements for the many universities on Flying Wing Star. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Mainly, on top of the existing variety of professional courses, a course on ideological education was mandatory to add. Whether for each academic year or for graduation, this course¡¯s grades would be included in the assessment criteria for all programs. The course content and materials would be provided by the Alliance¡¯s Loyal Heir Academy, aiming to cultivate a widespread sense of identification with the Alliance¡¯s philosophy right from the cradle of Alliance talents, at the start. No matter which industry these students would end up in, this subtly inculcated sense of identification would play a role. Additionally, in terms of employment, governments from around the Alliance would come to the universities on Flying Wing Star to conduct direct recruitment, just like many businesses would. This recruitment, while requiring professional competencies, would inevitably have additional special requirements for the grades in the ideological education course. Through this three-pronged approach, Gu Hang hoped to gradually complete the replenishment and revitalization of the Alliance Government¡¯s personnel within the coming years. Chapter 706 - Chapter 706: Chapter 398, Youthful Students of Our Time Chapter 706: Chapter 398, Youthful Students of Our Time Under the auspices of the developed educational system of Flying Wing Star, Gu Hang formulated a series of plans to address the talent shortage issue within the alliance. In the future, he envisioned an ideal state where the officials from various regions of the alliance would possess a considerable educational background and overall capabilities that were far superior to the present. During their educational journey, they would acknowledge the whole set of ideals currently upheld by the alliance: loyalty to the empire, allegiance to the governor, support for the alliance structure, the promotion of integration among multiple stars, contributing to building a beautiful society, and leading all alliance members towards prosperity and strength. However, relying solely on the ideological education courses within regular schools might not be sufficient. The many Loyal Heir Academies established would play their role in the next phase. These Loyal Heir Academies, each built using a thousand points of grace, focused on ideological education, and had already started operating on all the planets currently under the control of the alliance, varying in number. Whether they were administrative personnel, public servants, industry executives, or military officers, if they aspired to high positions, Loyal Heir Academy was an indispensable path for them. It was not a requirement for everyone to enroll, for no matter how many Gu Hang built, it simply wasn¡¯t enough for everyone to study there. Only those who performed well and were about to take on important positions were admitted. When it came to promotions and job upgrades, the experience and academic performance at Loyal Heir Academy would be an important part of the scoring ratio. Under equal conditions, a large proportion would be given priority if they had experience studying at the Loyal Heir Academy; even if some had slightly lesser achievements or educational backgrounds, if they were endorsed by the Loyal Heir Academy, they would be given priority. The training at Loyal Heir Academy would select some of the top graduates from various academies for full-time education, lasting one year. Graduates with such experience, without a doubt, had a very bright future ahead of them. If nothing went wrong, these young people would soar high regardless of their positions or business lines in the future. The full-time students at each Loyal Heir Academy accounted for only about 20% of the enrollment. The remaining 80% were made up of in-service personnel undergoing further training for periods of about two to three months. This in-service personnel included administrative officials, public servants, employees of state-owned companies, senior managers of entrepreneurial companies, engineers, officers¡­almost encompassing every profession currently under the alliance system. Currently, the number of Loyal Heir Academies established by Gu Hang has surpassed thirty, each constructed to accommodate around twenty thousand students. Annually, they could produce two hundred thousand full-time outstanding graduates and one million six hundred thousand in-service trainees. With such a talent output, the purity of the various teams of the alliance could be safeguarded to a certain degree. Subsequently, the number of Loyal Heir Academies would further increase. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co With the integration of the higher education system into the alliance structure, combined with the Loyal Heir Academy system, the Education Department of the alliance is striving to establish the entire system that meets Governor Gu Hang¡¯s requirements in the shortest time possible. ¡­ ¡°Cheers!¡± Dozens of glasses clinked together once again. Shang Yanwen, usually calm and modest, was now flushed with emotion and excitement under the influence of alcohol. This was their last gathering. Shang Yanwen rarely attended the gatherings of his classmates. In his view, they were a waste of time. He neither had the time to participate in meaningless gatherings nor the extra money. Shang Yanwen hailed from Korolya¡¯s Nuo Yan City and had been an average student from an ordinary family background. When the great plague broke out in Korolya, he was still young and became ill. If not for Governor Gu Hang leading the armies of Korolya and the empire, winning the war against the epidemic, liberating Nuo Yan City, and enacting a series of policies to treat the sick and provide his family with work and improved job ranks, he would never have survived to grow up. In the past, boys nearing adulthood like him would certainly try to make ends meet in the streets. The better ones found work in factories, the worse engaged in street brawl, and trickery, or even robbery and theft¨Cwhatever it took to fend for themselves and their families. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But with Korolya joining the alliance and the system reforms under the leadership of Miss Isabel coming to Nuo Yan City, his fate was changed once again. He was able to avoid the destiny of child labor, entering school to study. Despite the fact that most of his classmates ended up acquiring just some basic knowledge at school to improve their health and eventually find a job once they were old enough, their working environment was much better than before. His neighborhood, under the reforms of the alliance, had state-owned factories, transport teams, and the opportunity for self-employment in small trade, or if necessary, to seek opportunities in other neighborhoods. And as long as one had a formal job and obtained a rank, there was no need to worry about starvation. All this was brought by the alliance. When he had just recovered from his illness and his mother expressed endless gratitude to the alliance officials and soldiers, he understood this point. After entering school and acquiring more knowledge, understanding political education, and witnessing everything first-hand, he gained a deeper insight into it all. Chapter 707 - Chapter 707: Chapter 398, Just Like Students of Our Youthful Days_2 Chapter 707: Chapter 398, Just Like Students of Our Youthful Days_2 He did not miss the opportunity to change his fate; during his school years, he studied feverishly and his grades unsurprisingly topped the list. Later, he entered a higher-grade institution and continued to graduate as the best-performing student. At that time, coinciding with the Alliance¡¯s reclamation of Flying Wing Star, the policy for appointed study was issued, and it was his academic performance, his ideological enlightenment, and his outstanding performance during internships that earned him a chance to study at the ¡®Flying Wing Star Liwen Law University, An Jiang Branch.¡¯ The An Jiang branch of Liwen Law, while considered a third-tier school on Flying Wing Star and ranked only around 7,000 to 8,000 among the universities there, saw him still leading the pack in the first two years, and he was promoted to the main campus. The main campus of Liwen Law University is indeed the top-tier school within the top 100 rankings on Flying Wing Star. His talent was without question, and his own efforts were particularly pivotal. But he never forgot that his accomplishments were entirely due to Governor Gu Hang and the opportunities provided by the Alliance. Without the changes brought about by the Alliance, he would have either died or remained cluelessly turning screws in a factory¨Chow would he have had the chance to attend one of the highest academies on Flying Wing Star, wander in the vast ocean of knowledge, and secure a bright future for himself? For this reason, he never dared to slack off. He was acutely aware that every opportunity was hard-won; he was already far luckier than most people, and he had received so much from the Alliance. He needed to seize every precious moment and use it to improve himself. What he had received, he hoped to one day give back to the society that had nurtured him. Thus, no matter how many temptations surrounded him, he was always wholeheartedly devoted to his studies. But today was truly exceptional. The dozen or so people present were not just Shang Yanwen; the other young people also shared similar backgrounds. They were the first batch of government-appointed students sent by the Alliance to study on Flying Wing Star and had just completed their four-year education and passed the exams. Starting tomorrow, they would go their separate ways, returning to their respective homes on different planets, back to their appointed posts, to contribute their share to the development of the Alliance, their hometowns, and to their own futures. Today was their last gathering before parting ways. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co No matter how focused Shang Yanwen was on his studies, indifferent to worldly affairs, he had to attend this gathering. What intoxicated him was not just the alcohol, not just the sentimentality of parting with his classmates, but also the passionate words of a group of young men with shared aspirations. ¡°Fellow students! Fellow students!¡± one of them jumped onto a table. Shang Yanwen recognized him; he was also from Korolya, a ¡°fellow villager,¡± though not from the same Nest Capital. In Shang¡¯s memory, this guy had always been mild-mannered, but now his collar was torn open, his movements were willful, and his expression was spirited: ¡°Listen to me, fellow students!¡± ¡°We come from different worlds, different Nest Capitals. We have different backgrounds and different origins. But we all came here for one goal! We all came here for the entire Alliance, for our hometowns, for the myriad changes brought by Governor Gu Hang, to change our fates and gather here.¡± ¡°I wholeheartedly embrace the Alliance¡¯s ideals, I deeply believe that our world, our Alliance, will become better and better under Mr. Gu¡¯s leadership!¡± ¡°This is an era of vigorous youth; we are true to our prime years. We all graduated with excellent grades, and I am proud of every one of us!¡± The young people cheered and shouted for joy. The man on the table gestured with his hands, crying out, ¡°But! But! Fellow students! We must be sober! We must realize that all of this is just the beginning! The end of our studies only means that we have acquired the knowledge we needed. What comes next is of utmost importance!¡± ¡°What should we do?!¡± ¡°We must take everything we¡¯ve learned here back to our hometowns!¡± ¡°We must apply the knowledge we bring back to our future work! With our intelligence, with our sweat and blood, we will merge into the Alliance!¡± ¡°The founders of the Alliance emerged from Rage Owl Star, saved countless people, and changed countless fates. They created the past, and we, we will inherit these wills and create an even better future!¡± ¡°In the future, more people, with brighter brains, will take over our cause, making the Alliance everlasting! Today, we are taking over a world brimming with life and bursting with youthful energy, and I hope that the world we hand over to the next generation will be even more prosperous, more dynamic than it is now!¡± ¡°Classmates! Do you share my confidence?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Shang Yanwen also raised his glass and shouted along! What should have been a melancholic farewell party for classmates had now been pushed to an exuberant climax. There was no sorrow, only the surging passion of the youth. In their anticipation for the future, everything became exciting and beautiful. With the last sip from their glasses, they made a pact to meet again in ten, twenty years. When they looked back, they hoped each person could stand tall and proudly share with their classmates how much they had lived up to their ideals over the years. Amidst laughter and smiles, the party eventually drew to a close. Arm in arm, they headed back to the dormitory, but then their steps halted. ¡°Eh? Little Shang, Little Shang¡­ Lu Shaoyu is up ahead, definitely waiting for you.¡± While talking to a classmate about what to do after returning and how a recent letter had described the situation back home, Shang Yanwen suddenly heard someone calling him. He looked up and saw a black-haired girl in a white dress standing ahead of their group. He stopped too. His brothers patted his shoulder and, with mischievous smiles, left, leaving just the two of them behind. Soon, the noise faded into the distance, and the night breeze grew quiet. ¡°Yanwen¡­¡± Lu Shaoyu began, her eyes carrying a hint of plea, ¡°I¡¯ve asked my father, his company has just completed privatization, and now there are many vacancies¡­ you¡­¡± ¡°Shaoyu, there is no need to speak further, we have already discussed this issue.¡± Despite the alcohol in his head and a sense of guilt in his heart, Shang Yanwen was resolute, ¡°I have to return to my hometown. More than Flying Wing Star, my hometown needs my capabilities.¡± ¡°But!¡± Lu Shaoyu rushed in front of him, looking up into his eyes, her own brimming with tears, ¡°Do you ever think about me? Once you go to Korolya, how long will it be before we can see each other again¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I understand, which is why I never dared to accept your kindness. You belong here, you deserve everything you should have, enjoying the bird songs and flower fragrances of Flying Wing Star, enjoying the progressive urban civilization. You should be drinking coffee on a sunny afternoon, doing a job you love. But I¡­ I¡¯m different, I come from the never-ending darkness of Nest Capital¡¯s lowest level in Nuo Yan City, I can never escape from there. How could I allow myself to enjoy life if I cannot make it possible for everyone in my hometown to laugh and enjoy their afternoons? How could I?¡± In his speech, driven by alcohol and emotion, Shang Yanwen couldn¡¯t help but pull the girl before him into his embrace. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But this tenderness was only momentary. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I can only fail you, I can only fail myself. But I would rather do that than fail my hometown, fail the Alliance.¡± He decisively let go of her arms and quickly walked past the girl. Lu Shaoyu turned around, face already streaming with tears: ¡°I¡¯ll go with you!¡± Shang Yanwen did not look back, just waved his hand behind him. Chapter 708 - Chapter 708: Chapter 399, An Ordinary Journey Chapter 708: Chapter 399, An Ordinary Journey Shang Yanwen ultimately embarked on the journey back to Korolya alone. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t let Lu Shaoyu come along. Just as he had said upon parting, they were not people from the same world. He had resolved to dedicate his life to a great cause. There was no need for Lu Shaoyu to do the same; her life would be more splendid and leisurely. She shouldn¡¯t accompany him to that dark, backward place. He knew Lu Shaoyu¡¯s intentions, but perhaps love was just a momentary impulse, how far could it endure? Changing his hometown was his duty, he knew the road ahead was long and fraught with difficulties; he didn¡¯t even know how many years he would sacrifice for it. He shouldn¡¯t drag a fine young woman along. His challenging path was even reflected in his journey home. It took him two days just to get to the ground segment of the Flying Wing Star Starport using public transport; then, waiting in line to board the Starport and for a ship took another three days. The Alliance had now established its own interstellar transport system within the Alliance framework, with the ¡°Traveler II¡± and the ¡°Flying Pig¡± ships being the main workhorses. The former carried two thousand passengers at a time, while the latter could carry about eighty thousand. The Rage Owl Star Shipyard and the Flying Wing Star Shipyard both received massive orders from the Alliance¡¯s Public Transportation Department to produce these two types of ships for constructing public flight routes within the star sector. In the past, if people from different star sectors wanted to travel¨Cto say nothing of regular folks, including many wealthy individuals, tycoons, and high officials¨Coften didn¡¯t have the opportunity. Inter-government business relied on star sector government ships; for commercial affairs, it depended on whether companies had the connections to contact a capable interstellar firm like the Gu Commercial Firm, and even then, they had to be fortunate enough to find a ship heading to the desired destination for a hitched ride. However, a year and a half ago, the Alliance¡¯s circum-star sector interstellar flights had officially commenced. Although tickets were still very expensive, beyond what ordinary people could afford, the fact that this route now existed marked a significant step forward. If one really needed to travel to another planet for some reason, at least there was now a way to get there. wuxiaworld.site Not to mention, if travel was for official business or commerce, the government or company would pay for the trip. Shang Yanwen certainly didn¡¯t have the money to afford the trip between Korolya and Flying Wing Star on a ship. In fact, he hadn¡¯t returned home for the past three or four years of study. This time he was returning home with a government authorization, which gave him a free ticket for the journey. Lately, there had been an increase in people heading back to Korolya. He had waited three days before boarding flight B-1733, which was a Flying Pig transport ship. The conditions on board weren¡¯t great. A compartment of about six square meters contained two rows of four-tier bunks, separated by an aisle, and each bunk could sleep one person. Such compartments were numerous and stacked layer upon layer within the ship¡¯s hold. Shang Yanwen was relatively accustomed to this. Although his living conditions during university were quite good, most of his life spent in Korolya was not much better than this. After placing his luggage in one of the four public lockers beneath the bed, he laid down on the second layer from the top. The space was cramped, just barely large enough for Shang Yanwen to sit upright without hitting his head. He took out the books he had brought with him and began to read. He had prepared several books to get through the lengthy journey from Flying Wing Star to Korolya. The total trip would take six days at the speed of the Flying Pig, and he planned to spend the time reading. Unfortunately, there were strict regulations on carrying various items on interstellar flights, and books were on the restricted list. One couldn¡¯t bring many, and before making the jump through the Star Realm Tunnel, all books had to be stored in a designated place for special preservation, which was quite troublesome. But Shang Yanwen still brought the maximum number of books allowed by regulations, so as not to waste any time. The ship left the Starport and drifted in the void for two days. Shang Yanwen estimated in his mind that they should be approaching the Star Realm Tunnel node soon. A ¡°node¡± might seem like a single point on the grand scale of the universe, but it was actually a large area. As the starship moved closer to this area, the signal received by the Jump Recognition System would strengthen until the signal intensity surpassed a critical point, indicating that the starship¡¯s location met the standard for a jump. With the activation of the Warp Engine, the entire starship would jump into the Star Realm Tunnel, disappearing from the physical universe in an instant to outside observers. These were facts Shang Yanwen had learned from books, including that the ship should now be near the jump point¨Ca deduction he made using his knowledge. Locked up in a box-like compartment, he couldn¡¯t see or hear anything, so he could only guess. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, the Warp Engine of the starship never activated. He was puzzled, wondering if he had guessed wrong. But he soon learned that wasn¡¯t the case. An alarm sounded within the ship: ¡°We regret to inform all passengers that our journey may be delayed. Pirate activity has been detected recently in the vicinity of our route, and the Alliance Navy started pursuing a group of pirates two hours ago. A battle is occurring near the jump point of the Korolya Star System. We may have to wait here for two hours due to this situation. We apologize for the inconvenience this delay may cause to your travel plans¡­¡± Chapter 709 - Chapter 709: Chapter 399: An Ordinary Journey_2 Chapter 709: Chapter 399: An Ordinary Journey_2 Oh, it¡¯s pirates. Shang Yanwen had seen some news reports about this before, mentioning the issue. In one editorial, Shang Yanwen also saw a viewpoint that he quite agreed with, the arrival of pirates was an inevitable situation. In the past, pirates were a rare sight in the Tianma Star Sector. On one hand, the powerful Tianma Fleet was stationed right in the sector, and any pirate group foolish enough to commit crimes here was truly courting death. On the other hand, the Tianma Star Sector didn¡¯t have much to plunder. The Imperial Tax Fleet was not to be trifled with, and although the Imperial Merchant Fleet did have the Gu Commercial Firm, its shipping routes were difficult to pin down, and its vessels did not travel frequently. Plus, the Tianma Star Sector itself wasn¡¯t a particularly important transportation hub, so the long-term return on pirating activities in this sector wasn¡¯t too high. However, in the last year or two, the situation had changed. The main forces of the Tianma Fleet were absent, and the remaining ships, although they could still dominate ordinary pirates with their military might, the vastness of space allowed pirates to hide among asteroid belts or even leave the Tianma Star Sector to take refuge elsewhere, remaining undetected if they didn¡¯t reveal themselves. Moreover, due to the connectivity of the nine stars within the Alliance, a large number of fixed-flight schedules began to be carried out very frequently. And as most of them were single vessels traveling directly through the Star Sea, any that were marked by pirate ships were doomed. The pirates thus had fairly substantial expected profits. Of course, the pirates still had no means of confronting the reserve forces of the Tianma Fleet, and upon encountering an escort ship, those ragged pirate ships would be overwhelmed. However, the high potential profits had emboldened the pirates to take risks. In the past year, there had been multiple incidents of pirate plundering, with three Alliance ships being looted, resulting in significant losses. And the Alliance, undoubtedly, took severe countermeasures. The current acting commander of the Tianma Fleet, Du Shiliang, had publicly issued a statement apologizing to the public and assured that the Tianma Fleet would strive to combat pirates and ensure the safe and unimpeded travel of interstellar flights. wuxiaworld.site At the same time, the Alliance¡¯s Department of Public Transportation also urgently established a special task group and announced the formation of the Alliance Navy. Of course, the official announcement did not use the term ¡°navy¡±; this was what the citizens of the Alliance themselves thought. The official statement referred to the formation of the Alliance Escort Fleet. The shipyards of Flying Wing Star and Rage Owl Star respectively received orders for the construction of Alliance warships. Reportedly, some travel vessels retrofitted with armed escorts and even several ¡°Blackfish-class¡± rapid patrol vessels had already been put into use. Three months ago, the Alliance had completed a significant strike against a pirate group known as ¡°Red Eye¡±. Several of the Alliance¡¯s rapid response patrol vessels had clung to the tails of those pirates, engaging in a drawn-out battle for several days. They pursued relentlessly but without recklessly charging forward and eventually, a detachment of the Tianma Fleet consisting of a destroyer and several escort ships arrived. They destroyed some of the enemy and captured three pirate ships of patrol vessel grade through boarding tactics. It was a great victory, and for the three months that followed, there had been no news of pirate activities, but unexpectedly, there were still some now. Shang Yanwen felt a bit tense inside, but overall, he remained fairly calm. He trusted the capabilities of the Alliance Government. Since they had not suspended regular flights or scheduled escorts for every flight, the problem shouldn¡¯t be too serious. Indeed, two hours later, a new announcement was issued, stating that the pirate issue had been resolved, the ship was about to enter the Star Realm Tunnel, and all passengers were instructed not to move around inside the cabins. The duration of the journey through the Star Realm Tunnel would be thirteen hours. To Shang Yanwen, these thirteen hours didn¡¯t feel particularly special. The ship shook for a few minutes, which should mean they had entered the Star Realm Tunnel. Reportedly, one should be able to see a vast and bizarre tapestry of brilliant images from outside the ship at this time. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t see anything from his cabin. It was also said that despite the activation of the Starfield Force Field, some unknown dangers could still occur when traveling through the Star Realm Tunnel, but at least he had not encountered any. These thirteen hours felt no different to him than any other thirteen hours, until, after about ten more minutes of shaking, along with the announcement he heard, he knew that they had left the Star Realm Tunnel and returned to the real universe. Then, after traveling for just over three more days, the starship stopped moving. The announcement said they had arrived at Korolya Starport. Everyone packed up their belongings, left the cabin, and proceeded to queue orderly in the corridor outside, following the staff¡¯s guidance, heading toward the nearest exit to disembark from the ship. Flight B-1733 was a Flying Porpoise, this time carrying nearly ninety thousand passengers. For so many people to leave the ship with their belongings was a cumbersome task. However, the design of the ship and the starport was specially equipped to handle this. Shang Yanwen waited in line and still, it was an hour and a half later when he left the ship. Walking on the skybridge, he could see through the glass that on the starport side close to B-1733, there were twenty exits of different sizes, scattered in all directions, connected to the starport through the skybridges. People and goods were being exchanged through these movable skybridges in space. Only here could one catch a fleeting glimpse through the glass windows of the skybridge at parts of the ship they were on, as well as the even larger body of the starport. The Flying Porpoise was considered a small transport ship, yet with a belly that could hold ninety thousand people, along with a large amount of goods and living supplies, it was naturally also a huge object. It stood like a small town in space. But even so, compared with the starport, it was much too small. The scale of Korolya¡¯s starport wasn¡¯t as large as that of Flying Wing Star, but it still ranked second in the entire Tianma Star Sector. After entering the starport, he took an on-site monorail to a space elevator hub where he queued up again, waiting to depart from the starport. Once off the starport and on the ground, he was in Korolya¡¯s capital, Nest Capital, also known as Mingyan City. After another vehicle transfer at the north station of Mingyan City, he waited half a day for a train to Nuo Yan City. Nuo Yan City wasn¡¯t too far from Mingyan City¨Ccertainly so compared to Nest Capital on the other side of the planet. Even so, aboard the train speeding through the wilderness at over five hundred kilometers an hour, it still took him seven hours to reach Nuo Yan City. After disembarking at Nuo Yan City station, he transferred to another vehicle and after swaying for six hours within Nest Capital, he finally reached his destination for this journey: Green Bee Street District in Nuo Yan City¡¯s Lower Nest District. The entire route was truly exhausting for even someone as composed as Shang Yanwen. Interstellar travel was indeed troublesome; the vast distances, even with humanity¡¯s various technological aids, were still too cumbersome for an ordinary person. He couldn¡¯t even remember how many times he had transferred or how much time had passed in between. But no matter what, he was back. Stepping off the vehicle, he looked around and saw some familiar scenes, but there were many things he had never seen before. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The streets had changed a lot. The dirty, cramped alleys had been cleared out; the strange smells of metal smelting, various gas emissions, and all sorts of domestic garbage still lingered slightly, but they were much milder than his memory. The surrounding buildings, some remained the same, but the majority had changed beyond recognition. There were many people moving about on the streets, many vehicles driving, unlike the past when people wouldn¡¯t roam around aimlessly without a reason. Although the clothes everyone wore were not luxurious, they were at least neat; faces bore smiles and an air of confidence¡­ Was this still his hometown? Chapter 710 - Chapter 710: Chapter 400, Korolya Pays Taxes Chapter 710: Chapter 400, Korolya Pays Taxes The changes in the Green Bee Street District made Shang Yanwen feel a sense of unreality. He hadn¡¯t returned for four years, how could it feel as if he had entered a completely different world? Not to mention four years, even in the past forty years, the Green Bee Street District had never seen such significant change. In the old days, in the Lower Nest District of Nest Capital, the faces of people changed one by one, but besides the people, those buildings, those streets, the ceiling crammed with pipes¡­ they seemed to be frozen in time, never changing. Before he went to study at Flying Wing Star University, Shang Yanwen experienced firsthand the reforms brought by Mayor Isabel, which provided their neighborhood with enough food, jobs, and a future for its residents; while studying at Flying Wing Star, he also saw from various newspapers that the Alliance¡¯s reforms continued to deepen, and that the major Nest Capitals on Korolya changed a lot. However, can the impact of seeing the transformations of one¡¯s hometown with one¡¯s own eyes be the same as reading about them through texts and pictures in newspapers? The hometown had changed drastically, no longer the image he remembered, but Shang Yanwen wasn¡¯t upset at all, only happy and exhilarated. Such changes were what he hoped would come faster and more abundantly! What he regretted was not being able to witness the changes of the past four years with his own eyes; what excited him was that, from now on, he would not miss them anymore. Reinvigorated, he first went home to see his parents and siblings. The surprise of his family members goes without saying, but he was the one who felt even more sentimental. Originally, his family had seven members, and apart from an elder brother who passed away at a young age, the remaining four children, including himself, were all raised under the careful watch of their parents through hard times. And now, everyone was doing quite well. His father and mother both worked at a cooperative store that had opened in the district five years ago, his father as a cargo handler, and his mother as a sales guide in the store. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co In earlier years, both parents started at grade E5, but now they had both risen to E8. The welfare, supplemented by food and necessities, along with subsidies, was now sufficient to support a family. Besides him, the other four family members had moved into a newly constructed collective apartment, receiving a sixty-square-meter apartment. The apartment had three rooms, a washroom, and a small dining room with an open kitchen. His parents lived in the master bedroom, while the two smaller secondary bedrooms were sufficient for his brother and sister to live separately. The overall environment was still somewhat small and cramped, and the decoration was nothing to remark upon, just some simple furniture and cabinets. But at least every family member had a place to sleep, their own space. They could cook for themselves, had a table to gather and eat together, and owned a set of kitchenware and tableware. This was already much better than the ¡®home¡¯ he remembered growing up in. His sister had worked in a textile factory, and with her literacy, some mathematical knowledge, and accounting skills, she worked as a clerk in the factory. She married a young man two years ago, has already moved out to live with her husband. Her husband was from another area and worked as an office clerk in the district, currently in charge of building a new cooperative store. The couple already had a child and had received a sixty-square-meter apartment as well. Their little niece, just over a year old, was healthy, and it seemed that the young couple¡¯s future was looking bright. His sister and brother were still in school. Although his sister¡¯s performance was not as outstanding as his had been when he consistently ranked first and shot up the grades, she was still a good student at the district middle school. She had the opportunity to compete for a spot at the community college. Although the scholarship was challenging, being accepted with grade E4 or E5 could guarantee living costs, subsidies could cover part of the burden, and school fees could be managed with educational loans, which would be paid back after starting work. Generally, if you reach at least a grade E8, you can pay off the tuition loans in two or three years of work. And an E8 job grade is not difficult for graduates of the community college. Moreover, with her results, she could also try for a local university on Korolya after high school, despite the considerable tuition pressure. Now that Shang Yanwen was back, he could help support her a bit. His younger brother was a bit problematic, however, as the boy¡¯s mind was not on his studies. Unlike his brother or even his sister, who could focus on their studies and even enjoy the knowledge, he would feel sleepy as soon as he opened a book, but as soon as he put it down, he was full of energy. Despite some worries¨Clike his younger brother¡¯s education and future prospects¨CShang Yanwen was reassured to see that his family¡¯s situation had improved over the years he was away. He talked a lot with his parents at home and even busied themselves preparing a meal together. By dinner time, his sister, who had been informed, also rushed back, bringing her husband and daughter, and they enjoyed a lively family reunion dinner. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He spent the night in his brother¡¯s room, making do with a single bed that was somewhat cramped but not too problematic. Before sleeping, he chatted a lot with his brother, named Shang Yanwu, a name that obviously indicated they were brothers. Shang Yanwu felt inspired by his brother. What Shang Yanwen said about his life at Flying Wing Star University was quite good, but the stars and vast seas he described truly made Shang Yanwu yearn for them. But he also felt somewhat disheartened, as he did not think he was cut out for studying. Unlike his brother or even his second sister, who could immerse themselves in their studies and even take joy in learning, he would fall asleep as soon as he started reading and become full of energy the moment he put down his books. Chapter 711 - Chapter 711: Chapter 400, Korolya Pays Taxes_2 Chapter 711: Chapter 400, Korolya Pays Taxes_2 Late into the night, the conversation had already ended when Shang Yanwu suddenly raised a question in the dark: ¡°Brother, what do you think about me joining the military?¡± ¡°Join the military?¡± ¡°Yes, preferably the Navy!¡± ¡°That would be quite good,¡± Shang Yanwen said, ¡°but as you are now, you can¡¯t become anything. The selection for the Alliance Army is getting stricter and stricter, and I¡¯m afraid you might not even make it into the Planetary Defense Army¡­ You need to work hard, preferably getting into the Naval Academy.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s too hard!¡± Shang Yanwu fell into despondency again, ¡°The Naval Academy, even on Flying Wing Star, is the best, isn¡¯t it? I can¡¯t get in no matter what¡­ Isn¡¯t there any way to become a Navy sailor? That¡¯s got to be much easier than getting into the Naval Academy, right?¡± Shang Yanwen felt his brother was right. Even with his own outstanding grades back then, which were unbeatable, actually applying for the Flying Wing Naval Academy was still rather difficult. Not to mention his brother¡¯s current situation. However, aiming for the Naval Academy is the path to becoming a naval officer. If one simply wants to be a navy soldier, a navy sailor, or even a member of the Navy Marine Corps, then the level of difficulty is nowhere near that of becoming a navy officer. It¡¯s very difficult to get into the Tianma Fleet, as their size is rather fixed. The governor¡¯s fiancee is a general in the Tianma Fleet, fighting on the front lines, but the naval forces on the front lines don¡¯t draw reinforcements from the rear Tianma Star Sector. Moreover, there¡¯s a particular aspect of naval combat: generally speaking, the losses are not significant, but when they are, it could be a total annihilation of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands on a single ship. Replacements are only made when a new ship is built and ready for crewing. However, if it¡¯s not possible to join the Tianma Fleet, there should still be opportunities in the Alliance Navy. Based on the information currently held by Shang Yanwen, the Alliance Navy is facing an increasingly serious pirate challenge, and the production capacity of the two major shipyards of the Alliance is quite ample. Besides the portion paid as Imperial Tax, there is still quite a bit of surplus capacity. wuxiaworld.site That capacity is unlikely to go to waste. It can be foreseen that the fleets of the Alliance Navy will definitely continue to expand. His own younger brother truly has a chance to join. As for the dangers of joining the military, Shang Yanwen is aware of them, too. If possible, he would also wish his little brother could always stay with their parents, even if it means being an ordinary worker with a regular job. Under the current system of the Alliance, as long as one works, their livelihood for the future is certainly secured. However, since his brother has aspirations, Shang Yanwen feels that joining the Navy isn¡¯t a bad idea. Dangerous it may be, but for a young man to dream of the stars and the sea is definitely not a bad thing. There¡¯s still plenty of time; his little brother is just twelve years old, with at least five or six years to go. He will keep an eye out for him. But for now, he still cautioned, ¡°Even if you just want to be a sailor, you need to start learning more diligently now. If you can¡¯t even attend middle school, everything will be in vain.¡± ¡­ The next day, Shang Yanwen said goodbye to his parents and reported for duty at the government office in Green Bee Street District. His sponsoring unit was Nuo Yan City. He had already reported to Nuo Yan City, and they had arranged for him to work in the local office of his hometown. As soon as he entered, he was warmly welcomed. The head of the Green Bee Street District government was a Korolya person, but not from Nuo Yan City. He came from Mingyan City, where he had previously tackled a community reform project and was recently transferred to handle a larger street district. This man, named Moody, was a somewhat balding middle-aged man. ¡°Comrade Shang, you¡¯ve come at just the right time! We are in dire need of top talents like you!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t bother you with pleasantries. We are in our busiest time, and I apologize for not having the time to give you a proper welcome. You will need to shoulder your responsibilities immediately.¡± ¡°I came here for this very reason, please instruct me, leader.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Under Moody¡¯s explanation, Shang Yanwen quickly understood what the first major task was upon returning to his hometown: Imperial Tax. The mere mention of these three words instinctively made Shang Yanwen tense. Imperial Tax, in his past memories, was profoundly significant. Each time the Imperial Tax was levied, with a period of two years, it was a time of suffering for the people in the Lower Nest District of Korolya. Various supplies would begin to tighten before the Imperial Tax was due. Food would become scarce, everyday necessities would be in short supply, and every family might be saddled with the obligation to contribute a person. His grandfather, his eldest uncle, his uncles, all were taken as part of the population tax and never returned. His own family had been lucky. But he thought if Mr. Gu hadn¡¯t led the Alliance to save Korolya, in six years¡¯ time, their family might have had to contribute another person for the tax¨Cit could have been his father, himself, or his sister. But after the Alliance took over, the Korolya Battle Zone was exempt from taxes for six years. Now, counting the years, six years had passed, and Korolya was about to return to the normal state of paying Imperial Tax. However, under the rule of the Alliance, the payment of Imperial Tax should not be the insurmountable hurdle it used to be, right? Indeed, that was the case. Now, the Imperial Tax no longer concerned ordinary citizens; it had completely evolved into an obligation of the government and businesses¨Cexcept in places that had not yet completed reforms. But even within the forty Nest Capitals of Korolya, there should not be many such places left. In the reformed areas, the populace was assigned ranks and job positions and enjoyed welfare and subsidies. Of course, with Shang Yanwen¡¯s current knowledge, he understood that these benefits and subsidies were not as much as the wealth created by the people. But he was still clearly aware that the opportunity to create wealth was given by the Alliance Government. Besides, the common people who created wealth only had the duty to labor, abide by the law, enjoy benefits, and subsidies, but not the obligation to pay taxes. The additional value they created that was taken by the Alliance Government meant that the government should ensure a peaceful and stable life for its people, guarantee upward mobility for those who work hard, and ensure they would not suffer or go bankrupt due to unjust taxes. In the Green Bee Street District, an area that had already begun reforms, this concept was thoroughly implemented. The district government officials had to meticulously account for all production in the area, connecting various businesses, factories, soilless plantations, and other production organizations. They had to complete a series of tasks such as inventory, storage, and transportation of all production outputs. Indeed, it was a huge project. Shang Yanwen soon threw himself into the busyness. All this was within the district government, which had some experience and lessons learned. Although it was the first time paying Imperial Tax, the Alliance system itself had been running for the past four years. The production and material circulation within businesses were firmly the government¡¯s responsibility, and the procedures for these tasks were already established. It¡¯s just that during the tax season, this part of the work became much more burdensome. And Shang Yanwen indeed played his role in this process. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After overcoming an initial period of unfamiliarity, his processing speed for all kinds of documents and affairs became extremely fast. Moreover, with the management knowledge he had learned, he could identify inefficient and time-consuming parts in their workflow and propose practical amendments through his participation. Although these were only changes in the details of the work process, not involving any significant changes, they did indeed make the operation of the entire organization smoother and more efficient. This also earned Moody¡¯s praise. ¡°Top students really are different!¡± Shang Yanwen was modest in response, ¡°I still have a lot to learn and many areas in which I can contribute to the Alliance.¡± Chapter 712 - Chapter 712: 401 Chapter 712: 401 While Shang Yanwen was busy with the Imperial Tax, he did not forget that there was something he wanted to do. It was during his time on Flying Wing Star that, combining what he had learned and his past experiences, he designed a number of industries that could be developed for his hometown, as well as the specific strategies for their development. And now that he had returned, he saw that his hometown had undergone so many changes that many of his previous ideas, far from being ¡®designs,¡¯ were closer to ¡®wild guesses¡¯ and totally inconsistent with the current situation in the Green Bee Street District. But he was not discouraged, nor was he in a hurry. While he was busy with the Imperial Tax, he became even more familiar with the District, which had changed so dramatically, and he investigated many actual situations. He continually overturned his own plans, using the current state of the District as a blueprint and combining it with reality, he made a fresh start. Meanwhile, he did not neglect his own work. When accounting for tax affairs, he found that his biggest worry had not come to pass. The Green Bee Street District had a population of 420,000, and in the past year, the total production value of various materials in the district was 390,000 Tax Currency. A large part of that was consumed by the local population. The value produced, through money and exchange, had become housing, food, furniture appliances, textiles, medical expenses¡­ and had tangibly improved the living standards of the people in the district. The medical level was not high enough, there was not enough furniture and appliances, the variety of food was not rich enough, the textiles were not fashionable enough, and even the houses constructed in full swing were actually not enough in number, with many people who should have been assigned housing still queuing up. But, without a doubt, it was much better than before. And there was no need to worry about the part for the Imperial Tax. The District government actually started to prepare for the Imperial Tax from the beginning of the year, reserving 40,000 Tax Currency. Its composition was mainly some raw materials that had undergone initial processing, textiles, and Alliance Government cash. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site When the District government paid taxes to the higher level government, it could use Alliance Government cash. Correspondingly, the Alliance Government would use this Alliance currency to pay some key industrial zones, such as military factories and heavy industry plants; their output was the main force of the physical tax payment. After all, when the Alliance Government was paying the Imperial Tax, the Imperial tax officials did not recognize any Alliance currency. In the eyes of the Empire, currency was just a worthless piece of paper; they only recognized proof of tax payment, which meant Tax Currency, or actual goods. The Empire recognized a great many physical goods, but not every item. If you casually produced a kitchen knife or a table, the Empire would not even look at you. Not to mention, some service industries such as commerce within the planets, construction, transportation, medical industry, etc. They certainly created value within the planet, but they had nothing to pay to the Empire as taxes. So, in fact, when the Planetary Government paid taxes, it mainly relied on heavy industry, military industry, textile industry, and agriculture¨Cthese industries produced the ¡®hard currency¡¯ recognized by the Empire for tax items. But the workers in these production zones also need to live. Their living needs, such as transportation, medical care, service industry, food¡­ come from the supply from other places. This is how the overall division of labor is formed: regions that can produce products listed in the Imperial Tax categories use currency issued by the Alliance to purchase services from other regions, while they themselves produce most of the goods needed for the Imperial Tax. Non-producing regions prove their contribution through affiliated industries using Alliance currency. This division of labor exists widely at various levels: between districts, between Nest Capitals, and even between planets. The main pillar industries of the Green Bee Street District are construction, transportation, waste recycling, and raw material initial processing. Except for the processed material products that can serve as actual goods to pay the Imperial Tax, the rest are not quite up to the mark. Yet they still created value. The real Imperial Tax was not something they needed to worry about; the large industrial production areas would provide it, and the higher authorities would plan and coordinate; the district helped in transportation, also sent out construction teams to build houses for other industrial zones, earning Alliance currency. This was essentially the labor value they had given, and it was recognized by the Alliance Government. This is the essence of why the Green Bee Street District, with a local population of 410,000, had a total production value of 390,000 Tax Currency, consumed 350,000, and used 40,000 for tax purposes. The per capita consumption of Green Bee Street District was 0.85 Tax Currency, not a very high standard of living but definitely a survivable one. Shang Yanwen had once seen an old report where, in the hundred years before the Plague War, the per capita consumption in Korolya was actually only about 0.3 Tax Currency. It was a level that barely kept people from starving; the per capita output of Korolya was about 0.5 Tax Currency, only half of the Empire¡¯s minimum per capita standard. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This was also essentially why the Korolya people had to pay 0.05 Tax Currency per capita as the Imperial Tax and then face a 1% chance of being conscripted as a tax payer. As for the difference of 0.15 Tax Currency per capita¡­ that would be a question for the former bureaucratic echelons of Korolya, the rulers. Now, with the per capita consumption level reaching 0.85, more than double, it¡¯s no wonder life has become bearable. Moreover, this is the consumption level after setting aside 0.1 for the Imperial Tax, which means that Green Bee Street District will not need to pay personal taxes in the future. Of course, these are just the results of Shang Yanwen¡¯s observation of his own Green Bee Street District. Chapter 713 - Chapter 713: Chapter 401, Now I Have Plenty of Money_2 Chapter 713: Chapter 401, Now I Have Plenty of Money_2 But as far as we can see now, this seems to be the level all across Nuo Yan City. Even in the Middle and Upper Nest Districts of Nest Capital, the situation is much better than that in the Lower Nest District; the state of affairs may be a bit worse in the Bottom Nest District, but it should largely be similar overall. From the perspective of Nuo Yan City, if each Nest Capital across Korolya were at this level, then it could be said that the whole of Korolya was on the right track. Korolya would no longer need to pay the human tax and could meet the Imperial Tax with its own production, no longer being a burden to the Alliance. Given the current pace of development, in two more years, there could be a surplus; a few years later, with an increasing surplus, the standard of living for the Korolya people will keep improving, and they will become a major engine for the Alliance¡¯s development¨Cafter all, the population size speaks for itself. Realizing all these things truly exhilarated Shang Yanwen. He was excited to be personally involved in this great transformation of the era. In his spare time at work, the development plan he had formulated would add another engine to the advancement of the Green Bee Street District. After the busy period with Imperial Tax concluded, he found his immediate superior, the head of the district government, Moody, and presented his ideas. What he wanted to do was to set up a recycling aquaculture system. In the Green Bee Street District, there used to be a kind of small flying creature similar to a bat, with sturdy membranous wings and strong teeth. Its main requirements for survival were threefold: human garbage, industrial waste water, and a type of luminescent spore-producing fungus that grew in heavily polluted environments. The locals called these critters ¡®Fluorescent Bats,¡¯ and in the past, they were considered harmful creatures in the Lower Nest District and Bottom Nest District of Nuo Yan City. They brought disease, pollution, and radiation into human populations, causing illness and sometimes death. The district had put in effort to control them, and now there were fewer, but they still existed. But Shang Yanwen saw the value in these strange little creatures. A classmate of his, who was in a school of engineering on Flying Wing Star, had a research topic on bio-materials. Shang Yanwen thought the teeth and skin of these creatures from his hometown, which fed on highly polluted fungi and organic waste and drank waste water, were excellent raw materials. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co Previously, he had managed to obtain some of these ¡®specialties¡¯ from the Lower Nest District of Nuo Yan City for the research group to analyze, and indeed, they found them to have some value. If they could be mass-produced, then the collected wings and teeth of the creatures could serve as a fine bio-material, useful for making leather for machinery, inner linings for armor, and corrosion-resistant bio-materials to emit light and heat in some situations. He had compiled the relevant technical materials and brought back a copy. What he aimed to do was to designate a specific area to breed these pollution fungi, which would in turn cultivate these mutated creatures under heavy pollution, and then slaughter them en masse to collect the bio-materials for sale to some processing plants. This was the initial project. Moving forward, it would be ideal if the relevant processing industries could be undertaken by the Green Bee Street District itself, establishing corresponding factories, and even developing a more comprehensive industrial chain on this basis. If the whole setup could indeed be successful, there was no doubt that Green Bee Street District would gain a new industry. This signified higher productivity, more employment opportunities, and residents of Green Bee Street District would be able to rank up more easily. With more money, the public¡¯s standard of living could take a further leap forward, and they would be able to pay more taxes directly, contributing even more to the Alliance. After listening to Shang Yanwen¡¯s plan, Moody slapped his thigh and said, ¡°You are indeed a top graduate! You¡¯ve already been a great help with the tax matter before, not to mention that now you¡¯ve come up with a surprise!¡± ¡°Do you think this is feasible?¡± asked Shang Yanwen, who wasn¡¯t as confident as when he had been speaking so confidently just moments earlier. Essentially, he was still a newcomer just starting out, with little experience in governance. He was afraid that what he had painstakingly developed was just pie in the sky. Although he had done his utmost to prevent this, and had conducted many investigations with numerous carefully considered, specific implementation steps in the plan, he was still somewhat uneasy. He was afraid of letting his hometown down. But Moody seemed much more reassured: ¡°Stop worrying, we need that spirit! As long as the whole thing looks good, let¡¯s do it! What¡¯s the worst that could happen if we fail? The higher-ups aren¡¯t going to punish us for one failed attempt, the Alliance always encourages innovation!¡± ¡°However, we do indeed need to be cautious. If we invest too much, there will be an impact.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start small with the aquaculture and work our way up slowly!¡± ¡°As long as it can be done, we¡¯ll have solved a big problem! To tell you the truth, there are still a lot of labor forces in the district that haven¡¯t been absorbed. This is a core indicator for our regional government, and I¡¯ve been worried to the point of going gray. Your method sounds good, we definitely have to give it a try!¡± ¡°Even if we can only accommodate a few dozen or a few hundred people to start with, that¡¯s very good. Don¡¯t underestimate a few hundred job positions. With a few hundred stable output positions, we can support a new mall, more construction workers, more street vendors, and stalls¡­ the affiliated industries can develop along with it.¡± ¡°Not to mention, there will be further opportunities to grow and strengthen later on!¡± Encouraged, Shang Yanwen said, ¡°Then let¡¯s do it! I will apply for interstellar communication immediately and contact my classmates. Their research group will be interested in our area!¡± ¡­ The deeds of Shang Yanwen were condensed into a brief report, along with the achievements of several other commissioned young civil servants and new managers of state-owned enterprises, and were placed in front of Gu Hang. At this moment, Gu Hang was on a starship, en route to Korolya. During the voyage, he finished reading these documents and gave his evaluation: ¡°Our young people have indeed done a good job.¡± He was quite pleased. The industry initiated by Shang Yanwen was thriving; a few months later, it achieved notable production value, had a stimulating effect on the local district, and even had the potential to be promoted throughout the Nest Capital, from Bottom Nest District to Lower Nest District. Although, even if this industry were to develop further in the future, its production value is a small matter in the grand scheme of things. Its application scope is somewhat narrow; ground teeth and processed bat wings, turned into a basic material, can only play a certain role in the construction of industrial product components, nowhere near the scale of the metal smelting industry. The alliance had applications for this material in the past, but it mainly relied on imports. However, the innovation reflected by the alliance system behind this matter, and the emerging talents of this new generation of administrative personnel, were all things that made Gu Hang even happier. A single cycle breeding and processing industry might not count for much, but several linked together, even forming industrial chains, could have high value. Moreover, as long as the alliance system can prove its capacity for innovation and the new generation of officials is reliable, whether it¡¯s about establishing new industries or maintaining old ones, it¡¯s permissible to say that the future holds promise. Setting this matter aside, Gu Hang started to look at another electronic tablet in his hand. This contained something even more important. The tax situation facing the alliance. Currently, the Imperial Tax treats the alliance as a whole, collecting taxes in one go. For the Tax Fleet of the empire, this is also considered a convenient approach. Now, the total annual tax amount for the alliance is 10.95 billion Tax Currency. Flying Wing Star 4 billion, Fatchess Tri-Star 3 billion, Korolya I and III combined at 3.5 billion, Rage Owl Star 100 million, Heijian Star 150 million, and Hongjian Star 200 million. When the tax was set, Rage Owl Star had a population of 10 billion and Heijian Star had 15 billion, with the excess population having migrated from Korolya. As a result, the population of Korolya dropped from over 370 billion to around 350 billion, thereby setting the tax at 3.5 billion Tax Currency. After deducting an exemption of 4 billion, the tax is paid every two years. In the past four years, in both tax seasons, the alliance had to pay 13.9 billion in Imperial Tax. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This was a huge figure that Gu Hang, who hadn¡¯t yet been prosperous a few years back, wouldn¡¯t even have dared to think about, but for the current alliance, it wasn¡¯t difficult. Especially in this latest tax season, Flying Wing Star had completed a Musician-class cruiser, along with four destroyers, totaling over 10 billion. After setting aside the Imperial Tax annually, the alliance¡¯s financial surplus could still be about 5 billion or so. In one of Gu Hang¡¯s recent conversations with his mother, he had quite boldly stated: ¡°I¡¯ve got plenty of money now.¡± Chapter 714 - Chapter 714: Chapter 402, Is This What You Call the Planetary Defense Army? Chapter 714: Chapter 402, Is This What You Call the Planetary Defense Army? A fiscal surplus exceeding five billion a year, this is certainly a number that Tianma Star Sector once could not imagine. Relative to other surrounding Star Sectors, Tianma Star Sector was indeed wealthy, but precisely because of this, it was burdened with a significant amount of Imperial Tax. Like Korolya, which had to rely on a population tax to cover half of its four billion Imperial Tax last year; Fatchess Tri-Star would be at death¡¯s door just by raising its development level to 3; Flying Wing Star was not bad, but its highly developed shipbuilding industry had to hand over practically all the ships it produced just to bear the tax burden of a development level of 5¡­ However, after the Alliance Government took full control of all the planets in the Tianma Star Sector up to the present, four years have passed, and not only can it satisfy the Imperial Tax, but it can also have a surplus of five billion. The key aspect is that the living standards of the people in the entire Star Sector did not decline, but instead, there was an improvement. There may not be much change in the living standards of people on planets like Fatchess Tri-Star, Flying Wing Star, and Hongjian Star; but in Korolya, on Rage Owl Star, and on Heijian Star, the changes were significant. The reason for achieving this, on the one hand, was that the Imperial Tax, once set four years ago, would not change for ten years, and during this time, the planets under the Alliance¡¯s rule were rapidly developing. Of course, just relying on the fruits of development was not enough. The primary reason lies in the Alliance¡¯s system, which drastically reduced the existence of capitalists, bureaucrats, and other rent-seeking classes. They still existed within the Alliance¡¯s system and played a role, but the super profits they could take were greatly reduced, transitioning to a method of gaining rewards based on rank. They could improve ranks more easily than ordinary workers, but compared to their former identity as exploiters, it was much less. Most of the value created by workers was consumed by the workers themselves, which is the fundamental reason for the significant improvement in the living standards of the people under the Alliance¡¯s rule; the Alliance Government took a direct part of the remaining proceeds; the rent-seeking classes still had a bit of income, after all, the Alliance had not yet abolished all private economies, but on the whole, it was definitely a significant reduction. With both development and the elimination of the middle layer, the Alliance¡¯s management of society¡¯s middle and grassroots levels, and production became more direct, which under a dual effect, led to a fiscal surplus of five billion. And these fiscal surpluses, of course, the Alliance would not hoard like misers. They are to be used in the budget allocation, for reinvestment in production, which accounts for a large portion of the budget. The second largest part is used for military expenses, including military expansion and maintenance. The third largest, used for the expansion of government expenditure. Normal government expenditures are not included here but are accounted for as costs. This refers to the expenses needed to establish more government agencies. Besides the costs of establishing more agencies, the corresponding maintenance costs naturally increase, but these expenses are included in the maintenance costs. wuxiaworld.site These three are economic development, military construction, and political construction. The five billion will all be spent, nothing good is left to save. Spending more money now is for the sake of having more income in the future. And in two years¡¯ time, when Korolya starts paying taxes for the first time and loses its 4 billion tax exemption, Gu Hang hopes that at that time, the Alliance will still have a fiscal surplus of five billion. This means that in the next two years, the Alliance¡¯s income surplus needs to increase by another 40 billion. On the condition of ensuring the growth of the people¡¯s consumption, the Alliance must increase from the current output value of 1123 billion to at least around 1300 billion, requiring a 20% economic growth rate over two years. It¡¯s not very difficult. The ones with the greatest potential are Rage Owl Star and Korolya. Gu Hang hoped that in two years, Rage Owl Star would have a population of forty billion¨Cmainly through migration from Korolya. With this scale, it would be able to better exert the power of Rage Owl Star¡¯s transformation into an industrial planet, as well as better utilize the value of the Rage Owl Star Shipyard. As for Korolya itself, it is expected that after a total of six years of population migration up to two years in the future, in addition to boosting Rage Owl Star¡¯s population to 40 billion, it would also be able to boost Heijian Star¡¯s population to 30 billion¨Cwhich would be the limit for Heijian Star. It is estimated that by then, including the new additions, Korolya will still have a population of around 31 billion. With 9 billion fewer people, the pressure on Nest Capital will be greatly reduced; and as the reform deepens, the development potential brought by the population will also be realized. Gu Hang is counting on these two planets as the strongest economic engines to really bring about two years of 20% growth. That is also Gu Hang¡¯s demand of the Alliance Government. Lady Ossina, who had been promoted to A4 rank, was so worried that she was pulling her hair out. She had thought that as the Alliance¡¯s situation improved, she would be able to catch her breath and have a bit more time to rest. However, the two-year plan targets set by the Governor left her no choice but to continue worrying. It¡¯s not that the targets can¡¯t be reached¨Cthe Governor is not setting arbitrary targets. But the fact that it hinges on the prerequisite of hard effort compelled her to keep striving. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only She had to take charge of her Premier¡¯s office staff, rally the governments of various planets, and rally the high officials of the Alliance¡¯s ministries and committees, to fight hard. ¡­ After finishing reviewing the tax-related documents and reports and signing her name, Gu Hang turned his attention to military construction. Actually, his trip to Korolya was for this very purpose. A big chunk of the Alliance¡¯s fiscal surplus was allocated to military construction. Chapter 715 - Chapter 715: Chapter 402, You Call This the Planetary Defense Army?_2 Chapter 715: Chapter 402, You Call This the Planetary Defense Army?_2 The Alliance Army won¡¯t be making any particularly significant moves at the moment, or rather, the major activities began four years ago and have only recently come to fruition. Initially, the composition of the Alliance Army was quite straightforward. Later, when Korolya, Fatches, and Flying Wing Star gradually fell into Gu Hang¡¯s hands, things became more complicated. The Planetary Defense Force of Korolya was already split into the Salvation Army and the Defense Army; Fatches and Flying Wing Star also had their own Planetary Defense Armies. On top of that, there was the sequence of the Alliance Army, as well as the combat troop sequences of the Rage Bear Legion and the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps. Such a complicated military force structure is certainly not conducive to command. The Rage Bear Legion and Dragonhawk 3rd Corps are not easy to mobilize; these two forces belong to the Star Realm Armed Forces sequence and theoretically have little to do with the Alliance or Star Sector Government. Logistics fall under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Military Department, and command of operations and the appointment and removal of officers are managed by the Star Realm Army Command. However, just as the Fatches Family once had strong influence over the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps, now, this Star Realm Armed Forces unit of twenty million is actually supported by Gu Hang¡¯s Alliance. Although the costs are formally covered by the Military Affairs Department, the soldiers and officers are all from the Tianma Star Sector, previously under Alliance jurisdiction, making the Alliance¡¯s influence absolutely indispensable. Not to mention the Rage Bear Legion, which is simply a direct conversion from the Alliance Army, from the command system down to the soldiers. In the past, Gu Hang used to wonder how he could assimilate the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps into his own. Now, he¡¯s found that he doesn¡¯t need to do anything. When he became the ruler of the Tianma Star Sector, in both name and reality, the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps stationed there became his. Especially since Gu Hang adopted some strategies. Normally, the Star Realm Army doesn¡¯t entertain the concept of demobilization, as most of their personnel come from Imperial Tax and having been conscripted as such, there is no reason to send them back. Moreover, the longer the service, the stronger the veterans become, certainly much more so than new recruits. But that¡¯s assuming they aren¡¯t so old that they can¡¯t even lift a weapon. People do age, and while they may be in their prime in their thirties and forties, once they reach fifty, the normal human body functions begin to decline significantly, the body can¡¯t keep up with the accumulation of experience. By the age of sixty or seventy, it¡¯s unreasonable to expect them to traverse mountains and rivers carrying heavy loads. At that point, unless promoted to officer rank, continuing to fight on the front lines is simply not suitable. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co The Star Realm Army, constantly engaged in battle at the front, can have veterans who have survived for decades, let alone those assigned to rear-guard duties. Typically, the Star Realm Army is quite generous to veterans who have been fighting on the front lines for a long time, accrued a distinguished service record, and survived. If a veteran has continued to live, they are either promoted to officer ranks or, if unsuitable for officer duty, are settled in place upon reaching retirement age. A substantial sum of money and a comfortable, well-paid position on a local or rear-guard planet are standard procedures. Those left behind in the rear are a bit less fortunate. However, Gu Hang does not intend to handle things this way. In fact, the Star Realm Army does have a standard retirement process. Personnel of a certain age¨Cnot necessarily old¨Ccan be arranged for retirement, but if veterans retire as early as thirty or thirty-five, how will the military¡¯s combat power decline be addressed, and how will new personnel be replaced? The former is almost irreplaceable, and the latter would also require additional Imperial resources to draft new Imperial Tax recruits. It¡¯s a loss, and neither the Military Affairs Department nor the specific Star Realm Forces would do such a thing, rendering the standard retirement process virtually inoperative. After numerous discussions with the Dragonhawk Legion, General Hans agreed to a large-scale retirement process for the old soldiers but also stipulated some conditions: Within the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps, veterans, particularly those over 30 and especially over 35 years of age, would be retired in batches, and the Alliance would handle their resettlement; The Alliance would be responsible for replacing the missing personnel, adhering to the standards of the Star Realm Army; Gu Hang agreed to all these conditions. Those over 30/35 years of age who retire are not dead; there are plenty of opportunities for them to be resettled locally after switching careers. Departments like the police force, anti-corruption, and intelligence services are all willing to take them; if there are excesses that can¡¯t be absorbed, there are many industries and industrial regions that need manpower. Even, those who were locally adjusted to some Planetary Defense Army units essentially turned the old Star Realm soldiers into the backbone of their own Defense Forces, which is undeniably beneficial. Members of the Star Realm Army, particularly those from the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps who have mostly remained in reserve duties and are not exceptionally distinguished, nor too old, don¡¯t need to be placed in especially comfortable and lucrative positions like retired heroes. As for Gu Hang¡¯s gains, they lay in his ability to complete a ¡®Blood Exchange¡¯ of the Dragonhawk Legion. The supplemental troops had to meet the standards of the Star Realm Army. Where would these people come from? Gu Hang would transfer them from the Alliance Army, which had completed the Army Badge training. The Dragonhawk 3rd Corps had been stationed in Korolya for over eight years, and even the younger soldiers in the unit had, after these eight years, normally aged to over 30/35 years old. Once the ¡®Blood Exchange¡¯ reached a certain extent, the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps would no longer be the same as before. Of course, in essence, it was still the Star Realm Army. This was also true for the Rage Bear Legion. The Military Affairs Department and the Star Realm Army Command had the authority to transfer these two units to take on other tasks. But it wasn¡¯t so easy to transfer them, not like before. Now, Gu Hang¡¯s voice was hard to ignore. Moreover, if there were conflicts near the Star Sector, have them transferred to fight was not necessarily a bad thing. So far, the Alliance had expanded to its limits through normal means. Without the support of Star Sector leaders or unexpected events, Gu Hang found it difficult to reach beyond the territories of the Star Sectors. That is why Gu Hang indeed had thoughts of using the Star Realm Army to wage war abroad and further expand the Alliance. However, this idea was not yet mature, with many issues to resolve. Additionally, the Alliance¡¯s main task was still to digest internally, to solidify the current territories as core lands, with no energy left to focus outward. But at the very least, Gu Hang had to keep this option open, ready to take advantage when an opportunity arose. Once the Star Realm Army moved out, the Alliance would follow and look for chances. Even during these peaceful years, supporting the Star Realm Army was not a loss for the Alliance. It could offset taxes. The Dragonhawk 3rd Corps maintained a size of twenty million, while the Rage Bear Legion had expanded to about ten million over these years. The equipment standards remained high. Maintaining these thirty million troops alone cost over a billion Tax Currency a year. That is, they could offset a billion in Imperial Tax for the Alliance annually. Besides the thirty million soldiers of the Star Realm Army, the Alliance abolished the Salvation Army structure in Korolya and the whole Defense Forces system within the Alliance, replacing the Planetary Defense Army entirely with the Alliance Army structure. The overall size of the Alliance Army was around four hundred million, with three hundred million stationed in Korolya. Gu Hang could not and did not need to train these four hundred million using the Army Badge System to be qualified soldiers. In fact, only one hundred million completed system training; the remaining three hundred million were trained using conventional methods. But with 25% core members leading and supported by logistics that met Star Realm Army standards, reaching the combat strength of a standard Star Realm Army in four years of training was not a big problem. Currently, the proportion of Alliance Army soldiers who met the standards of the Star Realm Army could reach 85%, which was already better than many regular Star Realm Armed Forces units. Not to mention, Gu Hang had established many elite divisions within them. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only These elite divisions, internally called ¡®Skeleton Divisions¡¯, often had stronger equipment, such as rifles fully replaced with laser or Gauss rifles; equipped with more heavy explosive machine guns and various types of bombs; equipped with plasma weapons and thermite weapons; armored units with higher density of armored vehicles, equipped with Lion King Tanks; reconnaissance units even extravagantly equipped with Sentry Mecha. Even more, there were higher-tier divisions with special numbers, which even had a large proportion of Exoskeleton Armor issued to the soldiers; some vanguard companies were even outfitted with a large number of ¡®Servant God¡¯ Feedback-Type Power Armor. Let alone those special numbered elite units, even the Skeleton Divisions could make General Hans of the Dragonhawk Legion feel sour. Damn it, even the Defense Army¡¯s equipment outclassed our legitimate Star Realm Army¡¯s! Where¡¯s the justice in that? Chapter 716 - Chapter 716: 403 Chapter 716: 403 The Alliance Army, with four hundred million troops, had a total construction cost exceeding twenty billion and required nearly 2.1 billion in military expenditure each year for maintenance. This expenditure was considerably larger than that required to maintain thirty million Star Realm Army troops, even on a per capita basis. It meant that although the Alliance Army ranked lower in the empire¡¯s order and was essentially a Planetary Defense Army, its actual combat effectiveness was likely much stronger than that of standard Star Realm forces like the Dragonhawk Legion. Normally, the Alliance wouldn¡¯t have been able to afford such an army. Besides personnel training, the production and maintenance costs of military equipment were prohibitively expensive. But in reality, the Alliance hadn¡¯t spent that much money. Most of the equipment, especially the expensive items, were offered to the Alliance Army at least at half the reported price. This was to make the military expenses seem reasonable. Otherwise, if the costs were really twenty billion for construction and two billion annually for maintenance, outsiders would start wondering how the Alliance could sustain such expenditure. In fact, under normal circumstances, the Alliance truly couldn¡¯t afford this expense. The reported prices could be manipulated to appear lower, but actual production costs couldn¡¯t be falsified since the troops genuinely needed that much equipment and ammunition. However, the Alliance had a unique advantage in this aspect. The Black Box¡¯s direct output of some equipment was nearly free, costing only material expenses. The advantage was not obvious when producing relatively cheap items like firearms and armored vehicles; however, when it came to producing the Lion King Tanks, which cost about three hundred thousand each, getting one from the Black Box was like picking it up for free. Direct production from the Black Box was only a small part; the main benefit was the production lines it could directly create, which were highly efficient and practically cost nothing. When the cost of equipment excluded research and development and production line expenses, considering only the labor and material costs needed for manufacturing, the cost became very acceptable. Moreover, the larger the scale of production, the lower the production cost. The Alliance would certainly keep building, and any surplus Land Forces equipment would be treated as payment for Imperial Tax. With over a hundred billion in Imperial Tax revenue each year, the production capacity would not be a concern. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.c0 Leaving aside the reality for a moment, officially, the Alliance spent only seven billion on the construction of the Land Forces, spread over the past six years, with annual maintenance costs of just six billion, which had been rising year by year. However, another major portion of military expenses¨Cthe construction of the naval forces¨Cwas not so easy to manage. For products that the Black Box couldn¡¯t produce, only blueprints were provided. It could output only key components to establish production lines. Even though this significantly reduced manufacturing costs, due to the high unit price and fewer ships, naval accounting was difficult. And there wasn¡¯t much need for detailed accounting, as the price difference wasn¡¯t particularly large. In the past four years, the Alliance had invested approximately seven billion Tax Currency into naval construction. The current Alliance Navy possessed three Crazy Shark-class Destroyers, five Escort Ships, of which three were ¡®Silver Helmet¡¯ and two were ¡®Silver Sword.¡¯ These were the main force of the Alliance Navy, along with twenty-one ¡®Blackfish-class¡¯ patrol ships, whose smaller role was not worth mentioning. Du Shiliang of the Tianma Fleet had witnessed the Alliance Navy¡¯s debut, and his expression was somewhat complex. On one hand, the current combat capability of the Alliance Navy couldn¡¯t compare with the Tianma Fleet, not even with its residual forces left behind. The entire Alliance Navy¡¯s value was roughly equivalent to the cost of a single Musician-class Cruiser. On the other hand, the Alliance Navy had become a force in the Star Sea that couldn¡¯t be ignored, having built all this in just four years. By comparison, how many years had it taken for the Tianma Fleet, which was funded by Imperial Tax, to reach its current strength from its inception? Three hundred years! The Tianma Fleet started from scratch three hundred years ago, accumulating ships, engaging in warfare, losing ships, and continuing to build more. The Alliance Navy, not part of the Imperial Navy, was nominally an internal escort team of the Alliance Star Sector. Neither the Military Affairs Department nor the Imperial Navy Command had jurisdiction over them. Without the need to unconditionally obey imperial commands and go to dangerous battlefields to fight, they would only escort within their Star Sector, with a very low chance of losing ships. Cumulating resources this way, coupled with the further growth of the Alliance¡¯s production capacity, especially that of the Rage Owl Star Shipyard, wouldn¡¯t they be able to accumulate a third of the Tianma Fleet in twenty or thirty years? From this perspective, it was quite frightening. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But in fact, Gu Hang¡¯s vision might be even more ambitious than what Du Shiliang imagined. It would be too few to accumulate a third of a Tianma Fleet in twenty or thirty years. If given that much time, the growth of the Alliance¡¯s productivity could reach an exaggerated level. The speed at which Starships were produced would increase, and the general increase in production capacity would lift the restrictions on using Starships to pay Imperial Taxes on Flying Wing Star, allowing those ships to stay and join the Alliance Navy. The speed at which the Alliance Navy was built would accelerate over time. Forget a third of a Tianma Fleet, if the Alliance were to develop peacefully, Gu Hang was confident that in twenty years, they could accumulate naval power not inferior to the entire Tianma Fleet. Chapter 717 - Chapter 717: Chapter 403: The Iron Teeth War_2 Chapter 717: Chapter 403: The Iron Teeth War_2 ¡­ Gu Hang¡¯s warship arrived at Korolya. He inspected the recent restructuring effects of the Alliance Army and watched an elite legion parade before him. Then, he made a circuitous visit to some officials in several Nest Capitals and stayed a few days at the governor¡¯s mansion, thus completing his itinerary in Korolya. Currently, Gu Hang spent half of the year in the governor¡¯s mansions at Flying Wing Star or Rage Owl Star, and the other half flying around various planets in the Alliance, checking things out. A Crazy Shark-class, two Silver Helmet-class, and seven or eight patrol ships were specially designated as his personal transports, ferrying him around the star sectors. On the destroyer named ¡®Meditation Number,¡¯ a cabin had been specially modified for him, his headquarter office, and the Alliance staff group, to assist with his work. The star-language signals on Meditation Number were also enhanced to facilitate his execution of official duties and communication with Alliance officials, ministries, and planets. Thinking about it, the life of such a supreme leader of the Alliance was indeed monotonous and dull. However, there had recently been an event that required his attention. The main force of the Tianma Fleet was returning. And that also meant that Yelisia was coming back. ¡­ Yelisia had been away from Tianma Star Sector for over six years. wuxiaworld.site An engagement had been made, yet the wedding had not taken place in six years. But this was an unavoidable matter. In the beginning, no one expected the war against the Iron-Tooth Clan to last so long. The Iron-Tooth Clan had been entrenched in the northeast of the Dragonhawk Star Domain for over seventy years. Not only had they not been dealt with, but they had also grown stronger over those seven decades. What started as a minor hassle on a single planet in the Iron Pass Star Sector had escalated into the entire star sector being dragged into war; then the first Iron-Tooth War broke out, and humanity, despite having space superiority, was disastrously defeated in the ground war. A massive number of landing pods were launched from the planetary surface onto human warships in orbit, leading to the destruction of at least fifty naval vessels of various classes. The Green Skins were fearless, launching manned rockets directly from the ground to orbit, handling both explosion damage and boarding in one go, something human troops couldn¡¯t manage; after capturing the naval ships, they would then pilot them straight to the planetary surface, not caring if the ships were damaged or destroyed upon impact. After the failure of the first Iron-Tooth War, the star domains urgently mobilized more forces to fight back. However, before the second Iron-Tooth War could begin, the entire Iron Pass Star Sector had fallen. The Green Skins were no longer just ground combatants, as numerous rickety, weak, but plentiful Green Skin junk ships began to roam the Iron Pass Star Sector and spread outwards. The second Iron-Tooth War erupted, a campaign primarily fought by naval forces. The human military, underestimating the enemy¡¯s strength, was once again defeated. This time, the consequence was the fall of the surrounding sectors: Silver Pass Sector, Kuoluo Sector, and Jiang Meiyu Sector. The warlord who had unified all Green Skin tribes launched a massive waaagh, attacking vigorously around the Iron Pass Star Sector. Humanity hastily engaged in battle, and then the third Iron-Tooth War broke out in the Golden Pass Star Sector. In this battle, human forces finally achieved victory. The death of a Green Skin Overlord pirate threw the vast Green Skin Fleet into chaos and led to its widespread annihilation; humans seized the opportunity to deploy the Extinction Order onto a planetary surface, killing most of the Green Skins there and causing the death of the commanding Green Skin overlord who had personally led the expedition. The Beastman Empire across four star sectors plunged into civil war. With the loss of the warlord¡¯s leadership, many first-level Green Skin overlords began to fight amongst themselves. This could also be considered a traditional skill of the Green Skin Orcs. Under the unified leadership of a warlord, the Green Skins would unleash formidable combat power; but once their leader fell, internal strife would immediately begin, continuing until they vied for a new chieftain. In theory, this was the best opportunity to completely eradicate all Green Skins. However, in reality, after three consecutive Iron-Tooth battles, the first two were defeats, and the third at best could only be considered a Pyrrhic victory. After the battles, there simply wasn¡¯t enough strength left in the Star Domain to pursue a decisive strike. The Green Skins were indeed in chaos, but the sheer number of them still posed a threat, and the infighting was between planets and even among overlords who occupied multiple planets. Recovering lost territories and exterminating the Green Skins still required sufficient force. And the Dragonhawk Star Domain no longer had the necessary strength. The aid they requested from nearby Star Sectors and the higher-level Space Domain Government was nowhere in sight. In such circumstances, they could only attempt to recapture the Golden Pass Star Sector, clearing out the Green Skins within it and calling it a day, lacking the capability to carry out comprehensive extermination operations in the four Star Sectors that had completely fallen into Green Skin hands. The third Iron-Tooth war had taken place twenty-six years ago. In the twenty-six years since, the Dragonhawk Star Domain had established a defensive line around the six directly accessible Star Sectors surrounding the four occupied Star Sectors, effectively sealing them off. This defensive line came to be known as the ¡®Iron-Tooth Defense Line¡¯. The human forces would often organize troops to attack the occupied areas, attempting to take back some planets, destroy Green Skin Fleets, and raze their shipyards. At the same time, the Iron-Tooth Clan¡¯s raiding fleets would often penetrate into the six Star Sectors that composed the Iron-Tooth Defense Line, attacking the human side. The Green Skins would also fight amongst themselves, and the whole situation reached a dynamic equilibrium. It wasn¡¯t until six years ago that the Star Domain Government believed they had recovered sufficiently. Noticing the Green Skins had not yet unified and that the entire Star Domain had revitalized after twenty years of rest, the Star Domain Government planned to organize another war, intending to hit the Iron-Tooth Clan hard. A problem that hadn¡¯t been solved in seventy years could not be expected to be resolved all at once, but at least, some results needed to be produced. Initiating this war led by the human side, the first step was to sever the Green Skins¡¯ reach towards the Golden Pass, Copper Barrier, and the defensive Star Sectors, fully liberating those worlds embroiled in the Green Skin wars; following this, the next move would be to strike at the Silver Pass Sector, at least capturing and eliminating three to four Green Skin worlds and establishing a beachhead to prepare for subsequent actions. Following this plan, the main force of the Tianma Fleet was dispatched. At the same time, several main Army Groups from the Dragonhawk Legion and Dragonhawk Fleet were also put into action. When the war first started, it was reportedly going smoothly. In just a little over a year, the Green Skins in the three Iron-Tooth Defense Line Star Sectors were dealt with by the human army. Then, the Fleet and Land Forces advanced into the Silver Pass Sector to begin the second phase of the campaign. However, here they reached a stalemate with slow progress. A task initially estimated to take three years dragged on for six. But recently, at last, some good news had arrived. Silver Pass 2, Silver Pass 3, Water Fog Star, and White Fog Star¨Cthe four predetermined targets within the Silver Pass Sector¨Chad finally all been captured. As a result, the human forces established a beachhead within the Silver Pass Sector. Although the course of the war was quite strenuous, with the elimination of Green Skins within the ¡®Iron-Tooth Defense Line¡¯ and the capture of four worlds in the occupied territories, the achievements could be considered satisfactory. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only What followed was waiting to accumulate another wave of power to slowly erode the occupied territories from within. Even so, the Star Domain Government had drafted a timetable to completely eradicate the Green Skins, boldly stating they would resolve the Green Skin issue within the Star Domain definitively in the next fifteen years! Under such premises, with the preliminary objectives of the war achieved, the Tianma Fleet also had an opportunity to return and recuperate. ¡ª¡ª¨C Below is a Star Map of the Tianma Star Secto Chapter 718 - Chapter 718: Chapter 404, The Tall Pirate Crew Chapter 718: Chapter 404, The Tall Pirate Crew The United Forces of the Dragonhawk Star Domain achieved their war goals, but it didn¡¯t mean the war was over. Wars can be started at will, yet they cannot be ended so casually. Would the Green Skins just accept their loss and give up? In the Water Fog Star and Silver Pass 2 Star Systems, the war continued. The Green Skins had launched fierce attacks for two years, trying to recapture these two planets and then target Silver Pass 3 and White Fog Star behind them. The human military gritted their teeth and held out for two years, finally driving the Green Skins back. To this day, there are still sporadic small-scale wars going on. The large-scale battles have ended, otherwise, the Tianma Fleet wouldn¡¯t have been able to return. According to the plan, the Tianma Fleet would return and rest for at least five years. The crew needed rest, and at the same time, the ships also needed repairs. The departing Tianma Fleet, led by five cruisers, comprised over a hundred warships. After six years of war, one cruiser was destroyed, and the losses of other types of ships exceeded twenty. The rest could only undergo field repairs and were overall quite worn out. It was estimated that after returning, it might take more than five years to repair all the ships. By then, the shipyards on Flying Wing Star would likely have to cut production, and many docks would have to be emptied, exclusively for ship repairs. Just the cost of repairs would probably break two hundred billion. The related orders had already been sent. Of course, the bill for the ship repairs would be footed by the Military Affairs Department and the Imperial Navy, with the amount being set off against taxes, twenty billion a year. In terms of revenue, that wasn¡¯t too bad. At least a few docks were emptied out so other ships could be built. Gu Hang and Yelisia had communicated several times during this period and planned to marry upon his return. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site As for whether the war would continue thereafter and the two would have to face separation again within a few years, it sadly seemed unavoidable. Even for people of Gu Hang and Yelisia¡¯s status, they often had no control over their fate ¡ª perhaps even less control. But at least they could enjoy a few years of peace, Gu Hang had to tell himself that much. Calculating the time, Yelisia should have already set off. Returning, she would have to pass through twelve Star Realm Tunnels. Generally speaking, the one-way journey from one star system to another takes about five to eight days at the speed of an average fleet. Among those, the time spent traversing the Star Realm Tunnels isn¡¯t long, typically just a day. The main part of the journey is the vast emptiness between the starport and the jump point, which requires the ships to travel for a long time. However, this issue can be substantially overcome during long-distance travel. If the starship keeps accelerating without stopping, flying from one jump point to the next without slowing down, and initiating the jump upon arrival before accelerating again to the next jump point, the fleet¡¯s speed will keep increasing. Since the physical speed of space travel does not affect the time it takes to jump, these twelve Star Realm Tunnel transits would indeed take about ten days and cannot be reduced, but the time for interstellar travel in space can be compressed to around twenty-five days. The entire voyage would be just over a month. That is to say, in just over a month, Gu Hang would be able to see his fiancee. It all felt so unfamiliar. Originally, in order to solve the issue of political marriage, Gu Hang worked hard to close the gap between them before Yelisia left. Now, after a six-year separation, it¡¯s hard to say how much of that painstakingly fostered affection remained. But no matter, this marriage had to proceed regardless of the state of their emotional foundation. ¡­ While the welcoming ceremony was being arranged on Flying Wing Star, a military operation currently being executed by the alliance also reached a conclusion. After the internal trade routes of the Tianma Star Sector became busy, they attracted pirates. Pirates are a nuisance; they appear and vanish unpredictably within the Star Sea. They might not cause any major incidents, but their constant harassment, hijacking a small ship one day, and playing cat and mouse with the navy the next, is extremely annoying. Aside from those formidable Pirate Alliances not easily eradicated, typical Pirate Groups are nothing but trash in front of imperial authorities; as long as their lair can be located, snuffing them out is simple. But the issue is, one has to find the lair. Where the pirates¡¯ base is, where their ships come from, where they recruit their hands¡­ for the officials, these are all mysteries. And once this information is in their grasp, it¡¯s usually the moment when the pirate organization is doomed to be wiped out. The Pirate Group that haunts the Tianma Star Sector is named the ¡®Red Eye Pirate Group¡¯; it has been causing chaos for over a year now. The damage they¡¯ve caused is neither significant nor insignificant. It¡¯s not significant because it doesn¡¯t seriously harm the alliance. And it¡¯s not insignificant because losing even a small passenger ship like the ones used by travelers can cost several million in Tax Currency. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Not to mention an incident where a ship departing from Korolya, carrying over eight hundred young students delegated by the local government of Korolya heading to Flying Wing Star to study and change their fates, resulted in all of them being captured. This was undoubtedly an open provocation to the alliance. Gu Hang could not tolerate such an incident in his own Star Sector. The pirates conveyed their ransom demands through secret channels to Gu Hang, asking for an outrageous sum. But they underestimated both Gu Hang¡¯s resolve and the power of the alliance; regardless of how much the pirates wanted, even if it was a mere dime, Gu Hang had never planned to pay. He knew that to give in would set a precedent; tasting success, the pirates would become even more unbridled. If word got out that the alliance was weak and easy to bully, and big money could be made in the Tianma Star Sector, then it was likely that not just one ¡®Red Eye Pirate Group¡¯ would come knocking for a windfall, but perhaps a myriad of colorful-eyed brigands as well. Chapter 719 - Chapter 719: Chapter 404, The Tall Pirate Crew_2 Chapter 719: Chapter 404, The Tall Pirate Crew_2 He had to issue a hard-line response to let all potential pirates know that to challenge the Alliance was to court death. Gu Hang did not hesitate to refuse the ransom demands, even though it meant hundreds of people would die. At the same time, he also gave orders to the newly established Alliance Navy and Du Shiliang of the Tianma Fleet, demanding that they resolve the issue as soon as possible and prevent such incidents from happening again. This was not easy, mainly because the pirates were hard to find. The only measures they could take were somewhat clumsy. Reduce flight frequency, assemble a group of ships, and then travel together, all the while escorted by the Alliance Navy. The method was effective, but the key issue was that it was extremely disagreeable. The efficiency of interstellar shipping was greatly reduced, and the escort duty also consumed naval costs¨Cfuel money, ship depreciation, all were additional losses. There might be a thief for a thousand days, but can there be a defense against the theft for a thousand days? The goal of the Alliance Navy and the Imperial Navy was still to eradicate the pirate group as quickly as possible. In several battles that repelled pirate harassment, the Alliance¡¯s rapid vessels played a major role. Thanks to the Alliance¡¯s technological accumulation in advanced engines, they had generously equipped almost all types of ships with excellent motors while designing them. The Spirit Engine, a type of engine typically used for regular navigation, wouldn¡¯t be fitted in large numbers on normal ships. For example, even patrol ships might not be equipped with it. It¡¯s quite expensive, and most importantly, it consumes high-grade energy crystals, which are costly. For lower-grade ships, using it seems wasteful. But the Alliance was not afraid of wastefulness. wuxiaworld.site Rage Owl Star had a large output of energy. Currently, Rage Owl Star had extensive experience in the collection and utilization of energy from Low Energy Storms. Energy compression technology was also derived from the Black Box output, and after many years of expanded production, it now had a pretty decent yield. Especially after an abundant population was established, the other two uninhabited continents on Rage Owl Star have already been entered into the development process. The Planetary Government has built sizable energy collection factories on those two continents. Moreover, the Alliance¡¯s Technological Center, in collaboration with the Storm Mage Corps and the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, were already researching how to completely quell the Low Energy Storm worldwide. Once this project is overcome, it¡¯s expected that Spiritualized Gas Fields could reappear on Rage Owl Star. By then, just from energy production, Rage Owl Star could potentially reach a development level similar to Grade 4 or 5. Plus, with industrial production and shipbuilding stronger than the pre-war era, the entire planet¡¯s development potential would exceed any other world in the Tianma Star Sector! Even at present, by only roughly collecting the energy from the Low Energy Storms, which couldn¡¯t compare to the efficiency of the Spiritualized Gas Fields, they still managed to reach about twenty percent efficiency, which was quite a decent output. Benefiting from the convenient high-grade energy, and because the Spirit Engine produced by the Black Box could greatly reduce costs, Alliance ships were able to be massively equipped with such engines. Especially the ¡®Silver Sword¡¯ and ¡®Black Fish¡¯¨Cthese two types of rapid vessels¨Conce they bit into a pirate ship, there was no escaping. Pirate ships, generally speaking, due to their combat characteristics, would not choose head-on confrontation, aiming for asymmetrical strikes instead. Being able to defeat transport ships and armed merchant ships was sufficient, and the rest of their points were allocated into speed. However, under the ships of the Alliance Navy, they still couldn¡¯t escape. After being hit by several annihilating blows, the Red Eye Pirate Group was significantly weakened; their frequency of appearances greatly decreased, and they never succeeded again. For an average Star Sector, solving the pirate problem to this extent would be considered the end; even most places with active pirates can¡¯t achieve this much. But the Alliance would clearly not let it go at that. Without completely annihilating the Red Eye Pirate Group, the Alliance Navy would not cease their pursuit. Through the severe torture of captives, psychic searches of the mind, plus the Star Language Hall of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association monitoring all Star Language communications within the entire Star Sector, catching snippets of information about the pirates, they finally clarified the trail of this group of pirates. They had established a hidden base on a satellite near a gas giant in the Hongjian Star System. There, they stored supplies needed by pirate ships, and thousands of slaves worked on ship repairs, locally sourced manufacturing of parts, and even managed a small underground plantation. That satellite of the giant planet, of course, was not subjected to any habitability transformation, and humans normally could not survive there; the slaves could only exist inside the base, and stepping outside required the appropriate spacesuits. ¡°¡±¡± Over a thousand Alliance captives were being held there. After obtaining this intelligence, the Tianma Fleet dispatched some forces to join the Alliance Navy and carry out a surprise attack on the location. Nine pirate ships were destroyed, and their base was demolished; thousands of slaves and Alliance hostages were somewhat injured, but most were rescued. However, beneath the news of victory, there were losses. One of the Alliance Navy¡¯s ¡®Blackfish¡¯ Rapid Patrol Vessels was lost. It wasn¡¯t lost in a naval battle; with overwhelming power, the Alliance Navy, no matter how poor, shouldn¡¯t have lost ships. But after all the pirate vessels had been annihilated and the rebel forces at the base on the island were neutralized, as the Navy Marine Corps landed on the satellite¡¯s surface to liberate the slaves and hostages, they were fiercely attacked by a bizarre enemy squad. The loss of personnel was very heavy in the ground combat. What¡¯s more, this strange enemy squad turned around and seized a landing craft, taking it to the skies. Caught off guard, this landing craft demonstrated extremely agile piloting skills, slipped through the somewhat hesitant gunfire net, and crashed into a Blackfish patrol vessel. Subsequently, the pirate squad hijacked the ¡®Blackfish¡¯ and escaped pursuit. When Gu Hang first saw this battle process, he was somewhat shocked. The entire operation proceeded without unexpected events, and the performance of the Alliance Navy met expectations, and could even be considered excellent for a newly formed force. But this debut was thoroughly messed up by that so-called pirate squad. The ability displayed by that squad was just too fierce. Before the action, the Alliance Military had considered the possibility of ground combat, since they needed to resolve the personnel without bombing everyone. Therefore, at the start of the operation, in addition to the Navy Marine Corps established with the Navy, they also requested to borrow some elite troops from the 10th Special Operations Brigade of the Alliance Army. A hundred special operations elites participated in the battle, including three teams wearing ¡®Servant God¡¯ Feedback-Type Powered Armor. Could such a force really be breached by a so-called pirate squad? What the hell kind of pirate squad is this? Interstellar warrior pirates?! Interstellar warriors? Wait a minute. Gu Hang immediately focused on the following line in the battle report, which mentioned the survivors¡¯ description of these enemies. They were very tall, much taller than the average person, with an estimated average height of around 2.2 meters; they were wearing heavy powered armor, which was clearly different from the Feedback-Type Powered Armor; their armor seemed somewhat tattered, with pure red paint, but the parts that should have clear markings, such as the breastplate and shoulder armor, were all scratched and painted over. In the back, there was a blurry photo. The emblem on the shoulder that was painted over was not very clear, but Gu Hang guessed, after some deliberation, that beneath it there might be a phoenix in flight. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After pondering for a moment, he dialed a special number on Rage Owl Star. ¡°Commander Matins? It¡¯s me; the Alliance might need you and your warriors to provide some assistance. It could also be related to Phoenix itself.¡± After a pause, he added: ¡°Anyway, take a look at the report first.¡± ¡°¡±¡± Chapter 720 - Chapter 720: Chapter 405, The Defector Interstellar Warrior Chapter 720: Chapter 405, The Defector Interstellar Warrior On Rage Owl Star, within the Warband Monastery. Matins sat quietly and finished reading the battle report. Throughout this period, the Star-language communication had never been disconnected. On the other end, Gu Hang also waited patiently ¡ª or he might have taken the opportunity to attend to other matters while maintaining the communication. Realizing the time that had passed, Matins said, ¡°Sorry, Governor, to have kept you waiting.¡± ¡°No problem. What do you plan to do next?¡± ¡°I will depart immediately with my team to take care of this issue personally. Thank you for your concern.¡± Matins was always very polite towards Gu Hang. ¡°Good, I¡¯ll leave it to you. I¡¯ll have the navy cooperate with you, whether it¡¯s the Alliance Fleet or the Tianma Fleet.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After the communication ended, Matins turned back around. From a secure safe behind him, he took out a thick notebook and placed it on the table. He flipped through the pages, which recorded one name after another. Those were the names of all the members of the Phoenix Battle Group since its inception to the present. He turned to a page where his own name was listed. And just two lines above it was the name ¡®Sydney Bravens¡¯. He remembered that Bravens had joined Phoenix with him. They trained together, encouraged each other, underwent implant surgery together, and fought side by side. wuxiaworld.site In the seventy-ninth year of Phoenix¡¯s penitent expedition, during a rebellion suppression mission, Phoenix deployed fifty warriors. Initially, the battle went rather smoothly, but later on, the front lines suddenly collapsed. The Planetary Defense Forces, acting as allies, were routed, and he and his comrades were trapped in a siege, forced to hold out in a fortress. Fifty Phoenix warriors fought innumerable enemy soldiers equipped with heavy firepower. They eliminated a vast number of enemies, instilling such fear in the rebels that they dared not attack any further and had to circumvent their defenses. Eventually, out of ammunition and supplies, the Phoenix warriors could not hold out any longer. Without any hope of reinforcement, they were forced to attempt a breakout. They charged through minefields, faced bullets and artillery fire, and endured air strikes before finally breaking out of the encirclement. During this process, however, their ranks were scattered under repeated crises. When they regrouped behind the lines, there were only just over twenty of them left. Among the lost personnel, some died in the defense of the fortress, others went missing during the breakout and never returned. His friend, Sydney Bravens, was among the latter. Furious, he had the Planetary Defense Army commander who had ordered the retreat without notifying the Phoenix beforehand executed by firing squad. He decisively took over command and ultimately won the war. But there were no rewards, only pain and censure from the empire. There were no rewards because they were on a penitent expedition, and honor was not something they could claim. The censure was because, as convicts, they had dared to execute a commander on the battlefield and take control. However, Matins had no regrets, and neither did the Battle Group punish him. That incompetent and foolish commander directly caused the deaths of over twenty of their brothers, all in an ordinary rebellion suppression mission. This was something unforgivable. Especially since among those killed was his good friend. And at this moment, Matins recalled the images of those days, the times he had spent with Sydney Bravens. The memory of his silhouette kept reappearing before his eyes, becoming more and more tangible. He stared at the picture that was blurry and fleeting for a long, long time. ¡­ Extinct Soil Star is a desert world located in the Cultivating Horse Star Sector and connected to Hongjian Star on the star map. It¡¯s somewhat akin to an enlarged version of the Western Desert on Rage Owl Star; the entire planet is covered in desert, with a smaller ocean area and extremely harsh conditions. Still, about two hundred million people manage to live here. Most of them roam following the availability of water and grass. The rainfall on Extinct Soil Star is scarce and shows distinct seasonality and regionality. The inhabitants have developed the ability to chase the rainy seasons, creating nomadic groups that wander across the entire planet. Additional minor populations inhabit valleys and oases, relying on underground water sources to establish stable residential areas and even cities. The main exports of this planet are grains, meat products, furs, and leather goods. A yearly tax of twenty million can be scraped together; occasionally, in years of poor harvests or internal disturbances on the planet, a bit of head tax is taken to compensate. The life of the planet¡¯s governor, therefore, isn¡¯t particularly great¨Che¡¯s like a mender. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And so, if life isn¡¯t going well, one always has to look for other solutions. After a visit from Interstellar Pirates who raided Extinct Soil Star, Governor Ahzimuba came up with an idea. Not only did he refrain from reporting the raid to the empire, he even offered the Pirate Group more supplies and entered into a long-term collaboration with them, a group called ¡®Red Eye¡¯. Extinct Soil Star provided the Pirate Group with some supplies, even goods, which they sold in the pirate black market. The returns from these sales were higher than the regular Imperial Tax and regular trade. The resources obtained were used to purchase other items difficult to sell on the black market, which were then traded within the empire¡¯s legitimate trade system for different goods. Additionally, they provided cover for the Pirate Group¡¯s identities, so whenever some official naval forces hunted them down, they could hide on Extinct Soil Star and disguise themselves as locals. Chapter 721 - Chapter 721: Chapter 405, The Defector Interstellar Warrior_2 Chapter 721: Chapter 405, The Defector Interstellar Warrior_2 Over time, the Pirate Group went so far as to directly recruit manpower on Extinct Soil Star. However, before this, Governor Ahzimuba and the individuals from the Red Eye Pirate Group at least understood the principle of not poaching near their den. Moreover, the interstellar trade in the neighboring Cultivating Horse Star Sector was not very developed, whereas the interstellar trade in the adjacent Tianma Star Sector was much better, but it was constantly guarded by the Tianma Fleet. It was precisely for this reason that the Red Eye Pirate Group had never operated in these two Star Sectors. They treated Extinct Soil Star as a secret base, a fallback point, a supply station, and an import location for goods. The actual raiding activities would take place far away. It was only recently that this strategy began to change. The neighbor¡¯s life had improved, trade was booming, and that was truly enticing. The key point was that there were many unprotected civilian merchant ships wandering around. The main force of the Tianma Fleet had also left due to the Iron Tooth War, wasn¡¯t this the perfect opportunity to make a fortune? Of course, if that was all, they would still hesitate. But at this time, during an operation in a far-off Star Sector, they encountered eight warriors. Their main ships were taken, but instead of killing them, these eight warriors joined their ranks and undoubtedly seized control. The leader of the Red Eye Pirate Group became a tall man known as ¡®Nides¡¯. Anyone who had heard of the legends of the Interstellar Warriors would have no doubt been able to identify them by their stature and their Powered Armor. And looking at the way they conducted themselves, at the insignias that had been painted over on their armor, there was even more that could be guessed. But no one dared to speak out. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.c0 Anyway, having a new boss wasn¡¯t such a bad thing. After all, the new boss was seriously fierce. Subsequently, under the command of the new boss, they abandoned their past strategies and began to make moves on the Tianma Star Sector. Initially, they had a few successful loots that indeed made them wealthy, which buoyed the morale of the Pirate Group. But then it became more difficult, and losses ensued. But this was normal; when you¡¯re a pirate, who doesn¡¯t get rich without taking some hits? However, it was about time to call it quits. That¡¯s what Ahzimuba thought too. Now in the Pirate Group, there were already quite a few people from Extinct Soil Star, many of whom were his trusted followers. How easy is it to mess with Tianma Star Sector¡¯s Gu Hang? The more Ahzimuba heard about this man through official channels, the more terrified he became. It was best to stop now. They had made their fortune, some brothers had died, and it was time to pull back, go back, sell the looted ships, people, and materials, and with the survivors, each would get a big share. Extinct Soil Star could also breathe easier; the next Imperial Tax would no longer require a head tax. In recent months, he had suggested this point to Nides three or four times. But each time, he was rejected. When he tried to contact Nides again, he found that he couldn¡¯t get through at all. The Star Language Tower on Extinct Soil Star was not advanced, and the Spiritual Energy practitioner that maintained the Star Language Tower was also a local who achieved mastery through self-taught skills, so his strength was not very impressive. But it was only a matter of contacting the neighboring Star System, which should not have been difficult. Several attempts to make contact were unsuccessful, and Ahzimuba was already feeling an ill omen. But he still had a bit of wishful thinking. Perhaps the Red Eye Pirate Group had just fled? Even if they had been destroyed by that so-called alliance, it¡¯s not certain they all perished on the ship, and the alliance might not even know the relationship between Extinct Soil Star and this group of pirates. He could only think this way. What else could he do? The alliance was right next door; one Star Realm traversal from Hongjian Star was all it took to reach him. Compared to Mr. Gu, whether in terms of force or political influence, he and his planet were as insignificant as a small village, without any power to resist. What¡¯s more, there was no question that he had significantly violated the Imperial Law. Supporting piracy, harboring pirates, colluding with Mutinous Interstellar Warriors¡­ any one of these charges was enough for him to die several times over, and it would also drag down his entire household register. The key point was, he wasn¡¯t a pirate, and his planet couldn¡¯t move. Pirates could run, but he couldn¡¯t escape. He lived in fear and anxiety for some time, but what was destined to come would always arrive. His subordinate in charge of the Observation Star Station told him that a ship bearing the alliance¡¯s insignia had arrived in the orbit of Extinct Soil Star. He thought it was the neighbors coming to exact punishment. On one hand, he hastily called his boss, the head of the Cultivating Horse Star Sector, omitted some information but shared the situation, while on the other hand, he also prepared to welcome them. But who would have known that the person who came down was not from the Alliance, but a Nides. However, the entire pirate fleet that went to the Tianma Star Sector with the Nides, as well as the numerous people from Extinct Soil Star, never made it back. ¡°Nides leader¡­ where are my people?¡± Ahzimuba asked, his voice trembling slightly. ¡°They can¡¯t come back.¡± ¡°Then what did you bring back?¡± ¡°We only brought back our own lives.¡± Ahzimuba was choked up. After stammering for a moment, he asked again, ¡°What about the Alliance? Does the Alliance know¡­¡± The Nides interrupted him, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the Alliance has grasped, but I don¡¯t plan to stay here much longer. Get ready the fuel, food supplies, and prepare some slaves; we will be leaving soon.¡± Ahzimuba became anxious, ¡°If you leave, what about us?¡± ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡± ¡°No! You must stay, with us¡­¡± Ahzimuba wanted to say ¡®fight alongside us,¡¯ but somehow, he couldn¡¯t say it. Fight alongside us to do what? Fight against the Alliance? What could eight deserters possibly contribute? In small-scale fights, these eight deserters were unparalleled; but in large-scale battles, under the rage of the Alliance, it didn¡¯t matter if there were eight or eighty of them¨Cthey¡¯d be useless. It was said that the Alliance also received the assistance of a Starfighter Battle Group; that¡¯s a legitimate battle group! But Ahzimuba still couldn¡¯t let these deserters leave. If they didn¡¯t leave, he could still think of a way to hand these fellows over, whether to pretend he was bewitched or coerced, or to think of a way to redeem himself with meritorious deeds. However small the chance, he had to find some way out. If they ran away, then he would truly be finished. By now, who knows how many people from Extinct Soil Star had fallen into the hands of the Alliance? No matter how much he hoped for the best, he knew it couldn¡¯t be hidden. However, he couldn¡¯t just tell the Nides that directly. He had to think of something. Ahzimuba said, ¡°I understand; I will try my best to meet your demands.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play tricks; I¡¯m only giving you three hours,¡± the Nides leader warned. ¡°I will definitely meet all your needs within three hours,¡± Ahzimuba assured him. After the Nides leader left, Ahzimuba used the excuse of secretly preparing supplies and slaves to leave the planetary capital. If he stayed, he feared being torn to pieces. This was one of the few places on Extinct Soil Star that could pass for a city, nestled in a lush river valley. Traveling by vehicle into the vast desert, Ahzimuba remotely directed his subordinates. He made a show of preparing the supplies but was dawdling. Once the three hours had passed, of course, the supplies were not ready. Ahzimuba had people apologize, saying he was making all-out preparations but because it needed to be done secretly and not to arouse suspicion, coupled with the large quantity of items requested, it was difficult to prepare everything all at once¡­ In short, he used every excuse in the book, claiming it would be ready soon. To put it plainly, he was just trying to buy time. And at this moment, all he was doing was praying that the Alliance would arrive soon. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, the Nides didn¡¯t give him any more chances. They didn¡¯t believe any of his stories, and as soon as the three hours were up, they started killing people. Ahzimuba¡¯s confidants were killed, followed quickly by the collapse of the personal guard team watching over the deserters. The Planetary Defense Army that guarded the capital had no clear understanding but also acted according to Ahzimuba¡¯s orders. The orders they received were that pirates were attacking. The Planetary Defense Force¡¯s warriors had to destroy the landing craft that the pirates used to come from the sky, implement martial law throughout the city, and stop the movement of all suspicious individuals. Even though there were only eight deserters and the Planetary Defense Force stationed in the capital had at least fifty thousand troops, Ahzimuba felt utterly uncertain. He traveled aimlessly through the desert in a vehicle, maintaining contact with the city through the vehicle, and remotely controlling his troops who were loyal to him to obstruct the Nides¡¯s actions. Chapter 722 - Chapter 722: Chapter 406, Phoenix Has No Secrets Chapter 722: Chapter 406, Phoenix Has No Secrets Planetary Defense Force, can they stop interstellar warriors? Obviously not. Even though they are traitors, Nides¨COr rather, Sydney Blaywins and his seven battle brothers, are veterans with at least two hundred years of combat experience. Their combat experience is extremely rich. Blaywins and his comrades, a total of eight men. One man did not come down from the patrol cruiser in the sky, leaving seven, with two following by Blaywins¡¯ side, the other four guarding their landing ship. Upon realizing that something was wrong, they made a decisive decision to start killing people and forced the people of Extinct Soil Star to transport the prepared resources and slave labor to their landing ship. Transport as much as they could. As for those members of the Planetary Defense Force who dared to launch an attack against them, they did not hold back when killing them. The Planetary Defense Force on Extinct Soil Star fully met the general impression of a Planetary Defense Force¨Cthey were truly weak. Perhaps even within the Defense Force, they were among those with poorer equipment, training, and morale. They neither broke through the traitors¡¯ defense, nor did they manage to take out the coerced transport laborers or destroy the landing ships used by the traitors to touch down on the planet¡¯s surface. The seven traitors, after spending about twenty minutes to kill over a thousand soldiers from Extinct Soil Star, left the surviving troops completely disheartened and afraid to engage further. Orders urged on by Ahzimuba kept coming in, the high-ranking officers gritting their teeth issuing mortal orders to the lower echelons, insisting they attack or face execution if they survived by not doing so. Under such circumstances, they finally managed to regroup and launched a few attacks. But one can imagine how poor the quality of such offensives was. wuxiaworld.site Extinct Soil Star soldiers, reluctantly driven forward, after firing a few shots and witnessing their comrades being precisely sniped off one after another, would quickly retreat back. In such a situation, the traitors even launched a few offensives. They first located a Defense Army command post, destroyed it, and killed the commander. Although it was not the highest commander¨Cthe supreme commander was far in the rear¨Cit still caused chaos among the frontline troops of the Planetary Defense Force. Then, in the confusion, they also destroyed the artillery positions of the Planetary Defense Force, eliminating the heavy firepower threat to the transport team. By the way, in this process, they also took down five aircraft with man-portable missiles. After dissolving the Planetary Defense Force¡¯s capability to resist, the coerced slave laborers finally managed to load all the resources, and themselves, onto the landing ship. The landing ship started its engines, with four Interstellar Warriors still guarding outside. They would jump onto the ship only once it had completed its launch sequence, and even when it was already about a meter off the ground. It seemed that no one could stop them now. The ship soared into the high skies. Ahzimuba, in the distant desert, heard the report from his subordinates, both desperate and furious, he collapsed in rage, cursing the traitors with bitter words, calling them Imperial traitors who would not die well, then cursing the officers under his command as a bunch of useless garbage, later accusing the Alliance of constantly closing in and making life impossible¨Cthough the Alliance had not had the chance to do anything from the start. However, at that moment, he heard another report from his officer. ¡°Those pirates¡­ they¡¯ve come back!¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°They have flown back!¡± The officer¡¯s voice contained not the slightest hint of joy, but was filled with fear. Having thought that after so many deaths, they had finally dispatched the angel of death, Ahzimuba, even though he was cursing, let him curse as it seemed no one would die. But now the killers had returned, and that could very possibly mean more deaths. During the recent battle, they had already lost more than a thousand lives, with the only result being the death of fewer than a hundred kidnapped slave laborers, and those few ¡®pirates¡¯ weren¡¯t even scratched, or at the very least, were untroubled. Why had they come back? Ahzimuba also pondered this question. Could it be to kill me? He had just been ranting about the pirates¡¯ escape, but now that they had returned, Ahzimuba was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly told his driver to go farther away, taking him to the nearest safe house. But then, a few minutes later, new intelligence arrived. It was a message from the Observatory, indicating that a navy fleet had entered the Extinct Soil Star System. Some of these ships bore the insignia of the Tianma Fleet of the Empire; but the majority of them were clad in the blue of the Alliance. Due to the backwardness of the observing means, the fleet had not only completed the Star Realm traversal by the time they were observed, but they had also arrived at a location not far from Extinct Soil Star. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In at most four hours, they could reach the planet¡¯s orbit. This fleet must have crossed the Star Realm Tunnel between Hongjian Star and Extinct Soil Star at least two days ago, and only now were they observed¡­ It also proved that the fleet from Hongjian Star had been closely following right behind the heels of ¡®Nides¡¯ and his crew. Nides and his team had arrived at Extinct Soil Star, and from the time they dispatched the landing ship until now, less than five hours had passed, yet the fleet from the Tianma Star Sector had arrived. No wonder ¡®Nides¡¯ wanted him to prepare all the resources so urgently; any slight delay would have spelled their doom, right? Combining this intelligence, Ahzimuba guessed the purpose of the traitors¡¯ return: They knew they couldn¡¯t outrun the Alliance Navy¡¯s encirclement in the Star Sea, so they weren¡¯t planning to run. Evidently, they didn¡¯t seem to be in the mood to make a desperate last stand; instead, they planned to hide within Extinct Soil Star, playing a game of cat and mouse with the Alliance in the vast desert. Chapter 723 - Chapter 723: Chapter 406, Phoenix Has No Secrets_2 Chapter 723: Chapter 406, Phoenix Has No Secrets_2 What should I do next? Ahzimuba¡¯s eyes whirled, his mind raced through idea after idea¨Che needed to find the right reason, explanation, excuse, to get himself out of this situation. But what to say? He crafted one explanation after another while also instructing his driver to head for the capital. The pirates¡¯ returning spacecraft didn¡¯t land in the city but headed elsewhere; if he returned, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being shot on sight. The Alliance Navy arrived faster than the Observatory had predicted; they were expected in four hours, but in less than three, the massive ships were already descending into orbit around Extinct Soil Star. The orbit was so close that the ships¡¯ silhouettes could be seen with the naked eye in clear weather from the surface. Soon after, a message fell from the sky. ¡°This is a joint operation by the Tianma Fleet and the Alliance Escort Fleet, carrying out a mission to pursue pirates. We have conclusive evidence that a highly criminal Pirate Group has landed on the surface of Extinct Soil Star and suspect illegal relations between Extinct Soil Star and this Pirate Group.¡± ¡°We request a meeting with the Governor of Extinct Soil Star, Ahzimuba, and hope for the cooperation of the Extinct Soil Star government with the investigation.¡± The words were polite¨C¡®request,¡¯ ¡®hope,¡¯ as if they truly needed Ahzimuba¡¯s approval. But in reality, the Alliance didn¡¯t wait for a response from Extinct Soil Star; dozens of landing spacecraft descended from the sky and headed straight for the capital city of Extinct Soil Star. Ahzimuba, still considering his response, didn¡¯t dare let out a peep. Forget responses; he promptly sent a message of ¡®agreement¡¯ and ¡®willingness to cooperate¡¯ to patch things up. Then he hurried to the suburban landing field. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.Co More than thirty landing ships came down; too many for the suburban field to accommodate. But they weren¡¯t fussy, simply selecting several flat sandy areas nearby and setting down. Immediately after, hundreds to thousands of soldiers disembarked from each ship. They bore the unified insignia of the Star Realm Army, as well as a Battle Group emblem. The former was a golden skull with wings, the latter a colossal bear embroiled in thunderstorms. This Battle Group wasn¡¯t as well-known as some of the more famous ones echoing throughout the universe, but after the end of the Korolya campaign and the spread of war reports, at least those around the Tianma Star Sector knew that this ¡®Rage Bear¡¯ named legion was even more elite than the Dragonhawk Legion. Along with them came the roaring self-propelled artillery, tanks, armored vehicles, Windfalcon Fighters, and Qilin Fighters¡­ The sight made Ahzimuba¡¯s heart pound with fear: Was this a force to capture pirates? Descending from the ships, there was also a smaller but more elite group of individuals. Unlike the others, they bore no Star Realm insignia, only that of the Alliance¨Ca five-pointed star nested between spread wings, encircled by a ring of steel stars. Each element had its meaning: the open wings were part of the Empire¡¯s Sky Eagle; the star represented the Alliance; the surrounding sturdy steel star ring symbolized a solid, indestructible union. Each of them wore at least an Exoskeleton Armor; some donned Powered Armor. Leading them off one of the ships were fifty towering Interstellar Warriors clad in Powered Armor! At first glance, Ahzimuba thought it was Nides and his cohorts returning, nearly mistaking them due to his blurry vision. But upon closer inspection, he knew they were different. In demeanor, these men held themselves more proudly, heads held high, lacking the weatheredness of Nides and his group; In equipment, they were all brand new, with shining red paint gleaming brightly, unlike Nides¡¯s crew, who wore battle-scarred and somewhat battered Powered Armor. In insignia, their chests bore the clear mark of the Empire¡¯s winged skull; on their shoulders, a red and white image of the proud Phoenix, heads held aloft. All these represented that they were true Imperial Angels, Interstellar Warriors who were widely respected within the Empire. But it was only upon seeing them that Ahzimuba truly confirmed that Nides¡¯s previous cohorts were likely traitorous Interstellar Warriors. Moreover, he harbored an even deeper suspicion. ¡°` The paint schemes of these Imperial Angels before me are¡­ a bit too similar to those of Nides¡¯s group from before, aren¡¯t they? Dominantly bright red, with white borders at the edges of different parts like the chest plate, shoulder guards, belt, and knees¨CNides¡¯s group seemed to sport the same look. Once the imperial emblem and battle group insignia were removed, the two were nearly identical. Ahzimuba kept this suspicion in mind and quickly approached the leader, a figure in a Terminator Power Armor that stood taller than the average interstellar warrior. ¡°I am Ahzimuba, the Governor of Extinct Soil Star,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°Matins, Phoenix Battalion Leader. Where did those pirates go? I need their exact location,¡± the leader demanded. ¡°This¡­ We don¡¯t know either. They took off and then were driven back, disappearing into the horizon, possibly hiding in the desert¡­¡± ¡°Good, I got it. From now on, the Rage Bear Legion and Alliance Land Forces will temporarily take over all defense duties of Extinct Soil Star until all threats are eliminated. During this period, you must comply unconditionally with all our requests,¡± the leader declared. ¡°This¡­¡± Ahzimuba found it hard to accept. This was his planet! Not Alliance turf! Seeing his hesitation, Matins continued, ¡°We now have evidence that suggests illicit cooperation between Extinct Soil Star and the Red Eye Pirate Group. Governor Ahzimuba, your suspicions have not been cleared.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Ahzimuba instinctively retorted, but he immediately realized that if Battalion Leader Matins made such a claim, there must be evidence, and no amount of sophistry would help. He quickly softened his stance, ¡°Commander Matins, there must be some misunderstanding. My family¡¯s loyalty to the Empire has spanned eleven generations. We would never conspire with the Empire¡¯s enemies! I will fully cooperate with your operations; I, too, wish to promptly exterminate those who once plundered Extinct Soil Star. But¡­ after that, you should leave, right?¡± ¡°That depends on the investigation results,¡± Matins replied. ¡°Commander Matins, please forgive my bluntness, but¡­ I¡¯ve met Nides, the leader of those pirates. Perhaps there¡¯s a secret within the Phoenix Battalion?¡± His words carried a veiled threat. It was a risky move, but he had to grasp at every opportunity, or if a crime was pinned on him, it would be too late. Clearly, his words piqued Matins¡¯s interest. The Battle Group Leader, whose gaze had been wandering around, for the first time looked down and met Ahzimuba¡¯s eyes. It seemed promising; his words indeed had an effect¡­ Just as this thought occurred to him, his vision blurred suddenly, and he found it hard to breathe¨Che was being hoisted by the neck by Matins, held up like a little chick. Matins stared into his eyes and stated, ¡°The Phoenix has no secrets.¡± Ahzimuba wanted to speak, but found he couldn¡¯t. The pressure on his neck was increasing, and soon everything went black as he lost consciousness. The loyal retainers of Governor Ahzimuba reacted as soon as their governor was hoisted up. They instinctively drew their weapons, aiming at Matins, but no one dared to fire. How could they open fire? There were just a hundred or so armed personnel who had come to welcome these visitors from beyond the stars. But there were already tens of thousands debarking from the landing ships, with equipment a hundred times better, not to mention the interstellar warriors present. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only All they could do was watch as their governor¡¯s body was discarded to the side like a piece of torn fabric. Matins paid no attention to these locals. He signaled to an officer on his side and ordered: ¡°Take full control of the city, isolate all Extinct Soil Star natives who participated in the battle or witnessed the ¡®pirates.''¡± Pausing, he added, ¡°Don¡¯t overlook any possible witnesses, and don¡¯t let anyone leave the quarantine camps. This is for necessary screening; the Demon Hunters will be responsible for the interrogation and identification process.¡± ¡°` Chapter 724 - Chapter 724: Chapter 407, Ashen Dead Squad Chapter 724: Chapter 407, Ashen Dead Squad ¡°` ¡°This place isn¡¯t bad.¡± Nides, or as he was called Sydney Bravens, looked at the sand cave his battle-brothers had found and expressed his satisfaction. ¡°Let¡¯s settle here.¡± ¡°But we still need to be cautious, we must set up sentries, and rest in shifts.¡± ¡°I did want to meet Matins, but not by being ambushed by him. We¡¯ve come a long way, over thirty years now. The decisions back then were made together by all of us, and I¡¯ve never let down any one of you. Till now, we¡¯ve only lost one warrior, and I hope that this time, none of us will die.¡± The other seven men surrounding him didn¡¯t respond immediately. Everyone seemed to have fallen into a kind of silence. One of them broke the silence: ¡°I¡¯m starting to doubt whether we really should continue like this. Perhaps, it wasn¡¯t too bad living as we have for the past thirty-plus years, at least¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t even finish his own sentence. It was a while before another person replied, ¡°If all we want is to survive and don¡¯t care for anything else, why not go to Zhong Jihua, that traitor? He would surely accept us. How is it like going to Matins, where we have to try every way to lure them out and still worry about whether he¡¯ll slaughter all of us?¡± Someone else said, ¡°Indeed, I¡¯d rather die than go to Zhong Jihua.¡± ¡°Enough with the facade of loyal servants of the Empire. If we were truly that loyal, we should have died 37 years ago or at least nine years ago, alongside Fan Haozhe.¡± wuxiaworld.site ¡­ The brothers who had been through life and death together were on the verge of starting a quarrel. In fact, such debates had not been uncommon in the past. Their situation was unique, lost and confused for over thirty years. Even as Interstellar Warriors, they could feel helpless and even inconsistent. This was a very dangerous sign; don¡¯t assume venting some frustrations might lead to improvement. On the contrary, if the circumstances can¡¯t change, then the wanton venting would only weaken the bonds between them, make their seemingly strong relationships crack and someday in the unforeseeable future, completely erupt. This was a problem Blaywins, as the team leader, always tried to avoid. Whenever such a situation showed signs of arising, he would speak up strongly, nipping any potential disputes in the bud. No matter what his battle-brothers thought in their hearts, whether they regretted past decisions or had new thoughts about the future, he expected them to keep their thoughts to themselves, without showing it outwardly. Of course, he understood that this was only treating the symptoms, not the cause. But as for a permanent solution¡­ they had thought about going to Zhong Jihua. However, most of the brothers felt it would be better to be dead. They had betrayed, yes, in that battle back then, they had the chance to rejoin the ranks but believed that the penitential crusade had no end, that no one would live to see it through. It was a journey of despair, tinged with resentment towards the Empire. Why, after all? The glory accumulated over thousands of years by the Battle Group and the sacrifices made during decades of penitential crusades weren¡¯t enough to atone for a single mistake? Clearly, the Empire didn¡¯t think so. They were not willing to die and be obliterated just yet. So, during the rebellion thirty years ago, they had a chance to join forces with Matins and others, but in the end, they chose to leave quietly, to live in anonymity, wandering everywhere. Sometimes they would disguise themselves as regular Interstellar Warriors, get some subsidies, and save people along the way; but more often, they would erase their insignia and move amidst various grey groups. Sometimes as raiders, pirates, other times as mercenaries¡­ They would meticulously assess the danger of the battles. Having lost the mission to fight to the death for any cause, they were even less likely to lose their lives for honorless actions, merely to survive. Yet, they had no intention of harming their Mother Group, nor did they truly want to become enemies of the Emperor. Also, due to some unspoken reason among themselves, they always kept an eye on the Phoenix Mother Group. Sometimes they would even move close to the Battle Group¡¯s combat zone and observe from a distance. There were even a few instances when they intervened at critical moments to save some warriors and then left without making contact. About twenty-five years ago, after a successful raid for supplies, they once again heard news of the Mother Group, who were engaged in a war against the Chaotic Evildoers. The ¡®do-nothing¡¯ renegades, with a ¡®let¡¯s just see¡¯ attitude, rushed over. In that battle, the Battle Group suffered significant losses. Out of the Battle Group, which originally had only a little over two hundred people, half were stuck in a quagmire. That was something they couldn¡¯t save. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only With only eight men, they were incapable of altering the battle that over a hundred warriors could not escape from. They could only sadly watch from afar. In fact, this was mostly what they had seen while with the Mother Group in the past. The scenarios where they had a chance to save their brothers and then quietly withdraw were definitely rare. However, this time a drastically different event occurred. Those hundred plus men, faced with a dead end, made a shocking move: their leader, the Phoenix Squadron Leader, went out to negotiate with those Cult traitors. Chapter 725 - Chapter 725: Chapter 407, Ashen Dead Squad_2 Chapter 725: Chapter 407, Ashen Dead Squad_2 The company commander, Blaywins, was also familiar with him, whose name was Zhong Jihua. As for the specific content of their communication, those who were observing from a distance, like Blaywins, of course did not know. But they could see the outcome. The group of battle brothers led by Zhong Jihua no longer fought, even relinquishing their defensive lines, allowing the Cult traitors to pass through their defense zone. Meanwhile, they held their ground in their camp, not firing a single shot, offering no further resistance, nor making any more contact with the outside world. Subsequently, scattered sounds of combat could still be heard within their camp. That, of course, was not due to any external invasion, but rather an internal purge occurring among the Interstellar Warriors. Clearly, not everyone was willing to accept Zhong Jihua¡¯s actions. Within the community of Interstellar Warriors, the majority were those willing to die for honor, for their beliefs, for the Empire. In the end, after the cleansing was complete, the Phoenixes who walked out of that camp numbered only around sixty to seventy people. Following that, Zhong Jihua led the remaining survivors deep into the territory occupied by the Cult traitors, disappearing there. Ultimately, the issue of the Cult rebellion on that planet was resolved, but on the Empire¡¯s side, neither the planet¡¯s defending army nor the Phoenix Battle Group had any idea that Zhong Jihua¡¯s group had betrayed the Empire. From beginning to end, they all believed that Zhong Jihua¡¯s company had perished in the war. And by the time the Cult rebellion had been quelled, Zhong Jihua¡¯s people had never reappeared. The Phoenix lost a company, and in the Star Sea, a new Battle Squad called the ¡®Ashen Dead¡¯ emerged. They worshiped the tyrant, mutations appeared on their bodies, with most members growing a single horn, and their powered armor was painted in dark red with gray stripes. Although the Ashen Dead were few in number and recently established, in these past twenty or so years, they had made quite a name for themselves. They pirated Imperial ships, slaughtering entire crews, and afterward, in the found derelicts, blood smeared every hallway, every room, every wall; in the bridges, assemblies, and ship chapels, there were blood-red eight-pointed stars, along with small mountains of skulls. This was a typical sign of a sacrificial ritual to terror; They had also assisted Cultists in massacring worlds of the Human Empire, with at least four such incidents of worlds being destroyed or Nest Capitals slaughtered, involving their presence in twenty-five years; wuxiaworld.site They even joined with several other squads and attacked an Imperial Fleet that was transporting Gene Seed tithes of the Starfighter Battle Group, seizing a batch of Gene Seeds for the purpose of corrupting and strengthening their own numbers. They even merged with another squad, gaining dominance over it¡­ Blaywins and others had once run into their ¡®old comrade¡¯ Zhong Jihua at a Pirate Alliance base. Zhong Jihua had ¡®graciously¡¯ invited them to join, but they had painfully declined. The only loss of a battle brother among them occurred while they were breaking out and making their escape. They indeed had defected, even shamefully turning into deserters, not dying alongside their Battle Group. However, they might bear the name ¡®traitors,¡¯ but they certainly did not want to be associated with the likes of Zhong Jihua. Turning to chaos, worshiping the tyrant of terror, purging their own battle brothers¡­ those were acts Blaywins and his people simply could not commit, and they also felt dishonored to affiliate with them. But sometimes they wondered, when their mother unit perished in the penitent crusade, perhaps only they and the Ashen Dead would remain in this universe. No. Zhong Jihua¡¯s group had changed their names, beliefs, paints, and symbols; how could they still be called Phoenixes? The Phoenix is a symbol of the indomitable, a phoenix reborn from fire. The new name they had chosen, bearing the words ¡®Ashen¡¯ and ¡®Dead,¡¯ clearly signified a complete abandonment of the Battle Group¡¯s traditions. The Phoenix had finally fallen. However, as they aimlessly wandered through the cosmos, uncertain of where to go, or even what meaning the future held for their lives, they heard that their mother group had actually ended their atonement expedition! But with only seven battle brothers left, what was the point? Now the mother group¡¯s numbers were even smaller than those of the defectors! However, by the time they received news about the Phoenix, they were already deeply integrated with a multi-star political entity known as ¡®the Alliance.¡¯ The mother group now seemed to be fighting for a star sector leader named ¡®Gu Hang.¡¯ They didn¡¯t know what had happened in the interim, but according to the latest intelligence, the situation of the battle group appeared to be unexpectedly good. Far from being on its last legs, the entire battle group had recovered quite robustly. Especially since the news of the Korolya battle spread, under the leadership of Mr. Gu, they had eliminated a Great Demon, ending the invasion war it had personally orchestrated! Despite that in that war, it was this person named Gu Hang who had seized the greatest degree of fame. Those who knew of the conflict extolled the wisdom and valor of this commander and governor, praising his powerful spiritual energy. Yet beneath the reputation of Gu Hang, those who paid attention could still see the contributions of the Phoenix. This group of Interstellar Warriors, who should have perished, greatly aided Gu Hang and displayed a combat force of roughly a hundred or so during the fight. Those who didn¡¯t understand the Phoenix or didn¡¯t pay attention might not think there was anything to this. But to people like Blaywins, who had been following the mother group for decades, this was nothing short of a miracle. They knew that the battle group had lost their entire armory and gene seed banks in the final battle of the atonement expedition. Under such circumstances, how was it possible to grow from a size of seven individuals to over a hundred in less than ten years? Not to mention the success rate of the gene seed implantation surgery, it was simply impossible to have so many seeds! Could it be that Holy Terra or the Mars Cultivation Association had allocated some of the gene seed tax previously turned over by the Phoenix to support the battle group? That would indeed be a curious thing! Interstellar Warriors of battle groups are also subject to taxation, but they pay no Imperial Tax and don¡¯t provide material tax contributions. They can even ask the empire or some Foundry Worlds for equipment. However, they must submit one-tenth of all gene seeds produced during a certain cycle. Officially, this is to allow the empire to inspect and monitor the purity of the battle group¡¯s gene seeds, ensuring they are not contaminated; it also serves as a kind of ¡®savings¡¯ for the battle group so that in the future, if the group suffers losses, the empire can provide the genes seeds previously given to help the group recover. But in reality¡­ the former might be a legitimate reason, however, the latter is almost akin to a farce. If a group is not facing the risk of annihilation, then why would they need gene seeds? If they are facing extinction, why would I use gene seeds to support an old group with a deep history that might not be obedient when I could create a new, compliant battle group instead? The idea that the empire would regurgitate consumed gene seeds is a fool¡¯s dream. Perhaps, with certain battle groups of special status, this might happen, but the Phoenix clearly wasn¡¯t one of them. Yet, did this unlikely event actually occur with the Phoenix? No matter how incredulous the matter seemed, after all considerations, this was the only possibility. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Could Matins have pulled gene seeds out of thin air? It was also because there were signs of revival within the mother group that these eight ¡®lost souls¡¯ began to entertain the idea of seeking out their mother group. They said it was to warn the mother group of the existence of the ¡®Ashen Dead.¡¯ As for whether they harbored any unrealistic expectations, that was something only they themselves would know. Chapter 726 - Chapter 726: Chapter 408, Who Will Judge? Mr. Gu! Chapter 726: Chapter 408, Who Will Judge? Mr. Gu! There was one thing Blaywins and his comrades hadn¡¯t grasped. If Matins knew they had been wandering around for all these years, even becoming pirates, what would he think? As for trusting the Alliance, that was even more out of the question for them. Thus, there had been a series of activities lately. Of course, Blaywins didn¡¯t initially intend to escalate the situation into its current state. The best outcome would have been to sneak into Rage Owl Star quietly and visit Matins unnoticed. But obviously, they didn¡¯t have that opportunity. Nowadays, Rage Owl Star is equipped with sophisticated observatories, guarded by specialized Spiritual Energy practitioners, and fortified with numerous armed space stations and firepower platforms centered around Fortress Starport. On the planet¡¯s surface, there¡¯s anti-orbital firepower capable of covering the entire world, and outside, the Alliance Fleet is patrolling¡­ With their current conditions, there really was no way to sneak in. So they could only move around the periphery, and as they moved, the situation morphed into its present state. It wasn¡¯t totally impossible, though. ¡­ Matins arrived much faster than expected. And his movements were much more sharp. Blaywins didn¡¯t want to be ambushed, didn¡¯t want to start fighting before they could even exchange a word. Seeing casualties on either side was a result he didn¡¯t wish to witness. However, Matins clearly didn¡¯t plan to be courteous. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site Blaywins and his group had left no clues. Ideally, they wouldn¡¯t be discovered and would instead initiate contact with Matins on their own terms. But this plan quickly fell through. Matins¡¯s skills were certainly no worse than theirs. Moreover, he had a large number of troops at his disposal. Not to mention the reliable soldiers of the Rage Bear Legion, there were also those from Extinct Soil Star. After the death of their governor, under the coercion of the Alliance Army¡¯s vanguard and driven by the true Angels of The Emperor, these locals were more familiar with the terrain. Matins soon found the abandoned landing ship, and by deducing the time it was abandoned and the surrounding terrain, he quickly narrowed down some potential locations based on his knowledge of Blaywins. There were actually quite a few possibilities, but that was not an issue; Matins had enough manpower to search and block off each area. Until someone spotted the sentry Blaywins had set up. The witness didn¡¯t engage in combat; the orders they had received were just to scout. They only had to report back upon sighting anything. The turncoats didn¡¯t initiate an attack either, because it was pointless. What use was killing the witness? Any noise, death, or even just a disappearance would without a doubt reveal their hiding place. They had to run, and run quickly! The entire squad began to move swiftly. However, they soon realized that they were enveloped in an encirclement. The team¡¯s first decision was to break out and escape the siege, at all costs. But this was far from easy. Even by their standards, the Rage Bear Legion could be considered a formidable force within the Star Realm Armed Forces. Breaking out of their encirclement was more difficult than the operations they had previously conducted against the Planetary Defense Army of Extinct Soil Star. In the conflicts in the Hongjian Star System, the reason they had been able to succeed was mainly that they caught the Alliance Troops off guard. At the time, the Navy Marine Corps had no idea what kind of enemies they were facing and still had the mindset of fighting conventional pirates. Even though there were some elite mortals in Feedback-Type Power Armor, they lacked defensive positions and anti-armor weapons, making them easy to break through. With no way to open the ¡°cans,¡± it had been easy for Blaywins and his group to slip away. But now, the Alliance Troops were quite clear about what they might be facing. Those Rage Bear Legionnaires now definitely carried thermite weapons, plasma weapons, and heavy explosive rifles, and were broadly equipped with armored vehicles, with the most formidable being the Lion Tanks. All of these weapons were threats to Interstellar Warriors. Any one of them could be lethal upon impact. And the damage they could inflict was relatively limited. It wasn¡¯t much of an issue against ordinary infantry, but Lion Tanks weren¡¯t like the ordinary tanks produced on some worlds. Lacking weapons to counter such heavy Star Realm military armor, a Lion¡¯s armor couldn¡¯t be pierced by explosive guns or cut by chainsword blades, but the tanks could easily take out an Interstellar Warrior with a single shot. Such adversaries, for the past thirty years, they had typically chosen to avoid. Right now, if they really clashed head-on, breaking out wasn¡¯t entirely impossible, but they might well have to sacrifice some warriors¡¯ lives. They were just eight people¨Cwho would be mad enough to fight to the death against such well-armed Imperial Regular Army forces? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As they observed the Star Realm forces not contracting their encirclement but rather reinforcing the blockade further, they roughly understood the foe¡¯s intentions. They were just waiting for Matins to arrive. Truth be told, they were very uneasy. The initiative they once had was gone; now they were just lambs waiting for the slaughter. It wasn¡¯t too bad now; they still had the choice to break out on their own, even if it meant half of them might die¨Ca chance nonetheless. But once Matins arrived with a host of fresh Phoenixes, they wouldn¡¯t even have the opportunity to flee. Chapter 727 - Chapter 727: Chapter 408, Who Will Judge? Governor Gu!_2 Chapter 727: Chapter 408, Who Will Judge? Governor Gu!_2 However, after weighing their options, they gave up on that first reaction. Forget it, just stay put and wait for Matins. Even if they chose to break out now, with half of them dead, how could they escape Matins¡¯ pursuit in this desert? Amidst uneasy waiting, Matins arrived. Of course, he did not come alone. Accompanying him were fifty new Phoenix Warriors. Moreover, aside from the Phoenixes, there were also a number of elite warriors. Although these people looked like normal humans in stature, not having the visual pressure of generally towering figures over two meters tall, they were certainly not to be dismissed lightly. Each one wore Feedback-Type Powered Armor, bearing the Alliance¡¯s insignia. There were over a hundred such individuals. When this group, led by Matins in Terminator Power Armor, began to tighten the encirclement and advance towards their hiding place, every traitor knew clearly that there was no need to fight. Their subsequent orders depended entirely on the judgment¡¯s outcome. Despite this, they still did not relax completely. At the entrance of the sand cave where they were hiding, they set up a small defensive position. As Matins approached with his men, a gun fired, launching a bomb onto the open ground before Matins and his group¡¯s route of advance, full of warning intent. Matins did not halt even a moment. His roaring voice, through the helmet¡¯s breath mask, pierced through the defenses. ¡°Blaywins! I know you¡¯re in there! Come out and see me!¡± wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.co The eight defectors were taken aback. It wasn¡¯t that the shout was so terrifying, it was just¡­ man, there are so many outsiders right next to you, your yelling is letting everyone know, isn¡¯t it? Blaywins himself was a bit caught off guard. Aren¡¯t I the Phoenix¡¯s disgrace? Why are you shouting so loudly? Are you afraid others won¡¯t know? Before they could recover from their shock, Matins spoke again, ¡°You¡¯ve betrayed the Empire, betrayed the Battle Group, betrayed all the brothers who sacrificed in the campaign of atonement! You traitors! Deserters! How dare you even show your faces before me! Get out here and face your deaths!¡± ¡­ A defector said to Blaywins beside him, ¡°Why don¡¯t you hurry up and go out? If he keeps shouting like this, the Battle Group¡¯s face will be completely lost.¡± Having said that, he himself felt somewhat embarrassed, as if it were Matins who had defected. Even Blaywins had not anticipated this. Until just now, his imagined scenario involved only Matins arriving at the cave entrance with the Phoenix¡¯s Interstellar Warriors, and then just talking in hushed, private circles within the Battle Group. Whether the talk ended in life or death, at least the matter would be resolved internally. How could he have expected that while he, the defector, was still thinking about not airing dirty laundry, Matins would be howling for all the world to hear? Helpless, he had to walk out. He did not carry a weapon, because there was no difference. Under Matins¡¯s gaze, he stepped forward, making a friendly gesture: ¡°I want to talk to you¡­¡± But what met him was Matins¡¯s fist! The Powered Armor deliberately stomped the ground loudly, and Matins quickly stepped in front of him, smashing a punch into his face. The output force of the Terminator Power Armor was so immense, it sent him reeling, head spinning. By the time he came back to his senses, he was already lying on the ground, with Matins¡¯s foot pressing on his chest. He reached behind Blaywins¡¯s head with both hands, pressing on the nape and side buckles, and with an upward pull, he removed Blaywins¡¯s helmet, revealing the face underneath. It was a face weathered by time. Matins removed the mask of his Terminator armor, and the two finally looked each other in the eye. In his eyes, there was a mixture of emotions, which was quickly replaced by rage: ¡°Blaywins, it¡¯s really you¡­¡± Matins lowered his head, their faces drew closer, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you die at Karlo Cast?¡± Blaywins, however, laughed: ¡°Die? For what reason?¡± ¡°You, and those cowering traitors in the cave, your very existence is a disgrace to the Battle Group!¡± ¡°Yes, we are a disgrace. But are we truly the ones who should feel ashamed? The Redemption Expedition! The Redemption Expedition! It was meant for us to all die! Why? After all these countless years, hasn¡¯t the Phoenix contributed enough?! Why should we all be tarred with the same brush just because of the Cercis rebellion?¡± ¡°Moreover, was Cercis wrong? Were we wrong? Is it not Iron Armor that is the true error?¡± ¡°Why are we the ones in error? Because we lost? Is losing synonymous with wrongdoing?¡± Blaywins roared these words, making Matins even angrier. He threw another punch. Blaywins¡¯ head burst open and blood flowed immediately. But Matins had held back. Otherwise, even the skull of an Interstellar Warrior, far more durable than normal, would be smashed like a rotten melon under the heavy fist of the Terminator. After silencing Blaywins with a punch, Matins said, ¡°There¡¯s no point in making excuses, Blaywins. I didn¡¯t come here to dredge up the past with you. I came to cleanse the Battle Group of disgrace, to bring judgment upon you damned traitors!¡± ¡°Say whatever you want, the victor is always right, and now you¡¯ve won.¡± Blaywins, with a blood-covered face, spoke these words, but moments later, his expression turned hesitant, even somewhat pleading: ¡°Do what you want with me, judge me, and I will accept any verdict. Let all the blame fall upon me, but please¡­ spare the others. They were misled by me at the beginning; now they can rejoin the Battle Group, they are all elite warriors¡­¡± ¡°When did you learn to daydream?¡± said Matins, ¡°The Phoenix will forever remain the most loyal heroes. We accepted the Imperial decree, we have been through the Redemption Expedition, we endured every test given by The Emperor, and paid countless prices for it. Today we have cleansed everything, but you cowards, who turned deserter during the Redemption Expedition, who abandoned honor, who betrayed kindred, dare to fantasize about continuing to be counted among our ranks? Ridiculous!¡± ¡°Heh¡­¡± Blaywins scoffed, but there was nothing else he could say on the matter. However, he hadn¡¯t forgotten the most important reason for this meeting. ¡°But I still have to warn you, we are not the only ones who did not die.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Blaywins lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear: ¡°Zhong Jihua and his group, they¡¯re also still alive. They have embraced chaos, merged with other traitors. Now, they call themselves ¡®The Ashen Dead¡¯¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Matins was shaken. ¡°The Ashen Dead¡­ Are they Zhong Jihua¡¯s people?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It took Matins a while to digest this information. He said to Blaywins with a touch of irony, ¡°So it seems even among you traitors there¡¯s a hierarchy, huh?¡± Blaywins turned his head and spat out a mouthful of bloody spit: ¡°Say whatever you want.¡± Matins grabbed the edge of his breastplate, lifted him up, then turned his head and shouted towards the cave entrance: ¡°The rest of you, come out! Drop your weapons, take off your armor, surrender unconditionally. I will take you all back to the Battle Group¡¯s monastery.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°There, you will be interrogated, you will have to truthfully confess every crime you committed after your shameful betrayal of the Empire and the Battle Group. Then, you will receive a fair verdict, pay the due price for your over thirty years of missed Redemption Expeditions, for your desertion, for all the sins you¡¯ve committed since leaving the Battle Group.¡± Blaywins spoke with difficulty, ¡°Stop with the pretense. You are the Battle Group Leader now. Just say what you intend to do. After all, who else has the authority to judge all this?¡± ¡°Mr. Gu.¡± ¡°¡­Ah?¡± Blaywins was confused. Chapter 728 - Chapter 728: Chapter 409, Atonement Expedition, Independent Kingdom Chapter 728: Chapter 409, Atonement Expedition, Independent Kingdom When Matins was escorting Blaywins and the other eight to Rage Owl Star, Gu Hang had already received intelligence sent back from the Phoenix. In this intelligence report, Matins did not withhold any information from Gu Hang. The origins of Blaywins and his group, as well as a series of intelligence about the ¡°Ashen Dead¡± Battle Group, were included in detail in the report. After reading it, Gu Hang pretty much had a plan in mind for how to deal with Blaywins and the other eight. Without a doubt, Matins hoped to save these people¡¯s lives. It may look as if the intelligence from the front line had recorded every single conversation between Matins and Blaywins, throwing words like ¡°Empire traitors,¡± ¡°disgrace to the Battle Group,¡± and ¡°cowards¡± at Blaywins and his companions¡¯ heads. Moreover, in Matins¡¯s own report, he explicitly recorded their crimes, claiming that all rights to their trial were in the hands of the supporters, rulers, and saviors of the Battle Group, which is to say, in Gu Hang¡¯s hands. But if Matins really wanted to wash away the disgrace, why didn¡¯t he just slaughter those eight turncoats on the spot? Even if he were concerned about so-called procedural correctness or wanted to give them a ceremonial trial, he shouldn¡¯t have said that their fate was for Gu Hang to judge. It would have been more appropriate to report to the Empire, whether to the Imperial Inquisition or the Star Warrior Management Agency¨Cof course, that might cause the Phoenix¡¯s hard-won reputation to fall, and potentially bring about scrutiny, which would be more trouble than it¡¯s worth. But anyway, what does Gu Hang have to do with the Phoenix Battle Group, nominally? He¡¯s merely a benefactor. Indeed, Gu Hang is the actual controller of the Phoenix Battle Group, but when Matins set off, Gu Hang had already made it clear; he would leave the handling of these potential traitors of the Phoenix entirely to Matins. In the end, Matins still brought them back alive. It isn¡¯t about what he says he¡¯ll do; it¡¯s about what he actually does that matters. As for whether these few people live or die, Gu Hang truly didn¡¯t care. Just eight Interstellar Warriors. Even if they¡¯re all century-old veterans, even if they¡¯re elite, so what? wuxiaworld.site Gu Hang can now mass-produce Interstellar Warriors. Including the Gene Seed and personnel selection, it costs only about a thousand grace points; MK4 Majestic Power Armor can be mass-produced by the alliance, and even the cost can be controlled under one hundred thousand Tax Currency. To Gu Hang, Interstellar Warriors were no longer a scarce commodity. Eight century-old veterans were indeed quite formidable, useful as a core force, but after all, Gu Hang¡¯s training system could turn a single Interstellar Warrior into an old soldier for just an extra two hundred points; even if Blaywins and his men all reached the grade of sergeant major, Gu Hang would just spend four hundred more points to get a new one. This was precisely why Gu Hang let Matins handle it. Picking up eight old soldiers and saving a few thousand grace points was indeed good; but if Matins was bent on eradicating these people, Gu Hang had no objection. However, looking at the current situation, since Matins seemed to want these people to live, or at least was ambivalent, Gu Hang thought it was acceptable to take them in. As for the risk, he saw none. According to Blaywins¡¯s confession, their past actions were very cautious. It was only recently, when they came to the Tianma Star Sector and tried to lure out Matins, that they repainted their Powered Armor red. If they had carried out their normal operations before, they wouldn¡¯t even have had the red paint on, using all sorts of other colors instead; who knows who they were. They could just claim that they had killed these ¡®pirates¡¯ back on Extinct Soil Star. After all, those who truly knew the truth were in the minority, namely the elite of the 10th Regiment. The reliability of these individuals was quite high, and Gu Hang wasn¡¯t worried about them leaking any information. Of course, they shouldn¡¯t get off too easily, either. After all, they were guilty. They may escape death, but they won¡¯t escape punishment. Gu Hang offered Matins a suggestion, or rather an instruction: under the Battle Group, establish a new squad, to be named ¡°Penitence Squad.¡± After Blaywins and the other eight had re-sworn their allegiance to The Emperor, their past actions would be kept secret by the Battle Group and the alliance. But the Penitence Squad they would be part of was to partake in the most difficult aspects of every battle of the Phoenix Battle Group in the future. The alliance would not engage in penitential expeditions that provided no reinforcements, lacked supplies, and were plainly sent on death missions. Their treatment would be the same as that of normal Phoenix Warriors. They would not miss out on the necessary equipment supplies and support power they were entitled to, nor would they be sent on any guaranteed fatal missions. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, they also had to undertake the tough tasks of assault and not shirk their duties. Under normal provisioned conditions, they had to perform excellently. ¡­ That was the resolution for Blaywins and the other eight individuals. Compared to dealing with these eight, Gu Hang was more interested in the past of the Phoenix and the information about the ¡®Ashen Dead¡¯ mentioned by Blaywins and his group. He had previously researched the ¡®Cercis Flower Uprising¡¯ that led to the Phoenix being sentenced to the penitential expedition. Chapter 729 - Chapter 729: Chapter 409, Atonement Expedition, Independent Kingdom_2 Chapter 729: Chapter 409, Atonement Expedition, Independent Kingdom_2 It was a highly classified piece of information, and initially Gu Hang could only garner a few bits and pieces, as well as some assertions regarding the Phoenix from Matins and Priest Rizzo. But these were rather one-sided and scanty. Later on, when Gu Hang¡¯s ¡®good brother¡¯, Bochoya Galaraldo, made it big, it became much easier for Gu Hang to investigate these messages. Galaraldo gave him an internal secret report. The Bauhinia Uprising occurred within a star sector named ¡®Cercis Flower¡¯, which is located in the Spiderweb Domain, inside the Princess Star Domain. The Spiderweb Domain is next to the Eastern Cosmos Domain, situated to the north on the star map. Within the Cercis Flower Star Sector, there is a battle group named after the star sector, called the Bauhinia Battle Group. It¡¯s a sub-group of the Phoenix Legion, sharing the same lineage as the Phoenix. In the Spiderweb Domain, there¡¯s also a battle group called ¡®Iron Armor.¡¯ Compared to Cercis Flower and Phoenix, the Iron Armor Battle Group had much more renown; they were directly in charge of the Princess Star Domain, along with several other star sectors, forming a defense network. Their primary adversaries were the Void Insect Species. The Void Insect Species are terrifying alien creatures whose individuals lack self-will and are entirely commanded by higher-level node creatures. Their bio-fleets roamed the Star Sea, with each vessel serving as a giant space organism. They were true destroyers; upon visiting a planet, they would swiftly devour all life on it, destroying the local ecosystem and laying down large swathes of ¡®flesh blankets.¡¯ These flesh blankets would drain the nutrients from the entire planet and efficiently absorb stellar energy while hatching more of the Void Insect beasts, even producing many parts and sending them into space to form new bio-starships. A Hive Fleet traveled via conventional means to the Princess Star Domain, causing massive destruction. It wasn¡¯t until Iron Armor, along with several allied battle groups, arrived that the situation in the Princess Star Domain was controlled and the influence of the Void Insect Species was suppressed within a few star sectors. Though the disaster was contained, the characteristics of the Void Insect Species meant endless vast numbers and an extremely rapid replenishment of forces. Moreover, the planets devoured by the Void Insect Species became their flesh blankets, and even if humans reclaimed them, they could hardly make further use of them. Given this, considering the exorbitant cost necessary to reclaim these planets, the Human Empire commanded Iron Armor and several other battle groups to establish a defense belt around the multiple star sectors infested by the bug race. The goal of the Human Empire was to control the situation in that area and prevent the empire from investing more resources, as at that time, the Solar Expedition was in full swing, with a significant concentration of manpower and material resources in the southern parts of the empire; there simply weren¡¯t enough resources to address this significant disaster. For this, the empire granted Iron Armor Battle Group a substantial degree of autonomy. They were able to collect taxes themselves and manage all the empire¡¯s forces within the Princess Star Domain, as long as they paid the Imperial Tax¨Ceverything else was up to Iron Armor to manage. Even the various battle groups active within the Princess Star Domain let Iron Armor take the lead, facilitating unified and coordinated actions. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site.c0 And so, the Iron Armor Battle Group became the de facto ruler of the Princess Star Domain. Iron Armor Battle Group did indeed do a commendable job; they halted the Void Insect Species¡¯ continuous expansion and fully paid the Imperial Tax. If matters only went this far, then without a doubt, the Iron Armor Battle Group would be a great loyal and meritorious vassal of the empire. However, it didn¡¯t take long for some scandals to emerge. The Iron Armor Battle Group had not paid nearly as much in taxes as it claimed, and the ¡®full¡¯ tax payment of the Princess Star Domain was in fact a doctored account. They exaggerated the losses brought by the Void Insect Species by more than tenfold and retained 80% of the taxes that should have been paid in the star domain by lowering the development index and hiding population checks, among other methods. On top of that, they inflated the scale of battles with the bug race, continuously demanding money, personnel, and supplies from the empire, threatening that they couldn¡¯t hold back the insects otherwise. Then they would actually withdraw from part of their defensive lines, allowing the Void Insect Species to break out and wreak havoc in external star sectors, forcing the empire to really provide funds. There were also problems with the tax they paid on Gene Seeds; they submitted a number appropriate for a battle group with about eight hundred or nine hundred warriors, but in reality, they ¡®overproduced¡¯ many. According to the report, on the eve of the Bauhinia Uprising, the Iron Armor Battle Group had at least the scale of six thousand Interstellar Warriors. The empire had restrictions on the size of battle groups; they were not to exceed one thousand warriors. Six thousand Interstellar Warriors meant the scale of six battle groups. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only What¡¯s more, they trained a large number of Mortal Auxiliary Armies loyal only to themselves. This was classic behavior of nurturing one¡¯s own power to threaten authority. And the one who revealed all this was the Bauhinia Battle Group. The Bauhinia Battle Group was also within the Princess Star Domain, but they already had some longstanding grievances with the Iron Armor Battle Group, and now they were expected to follow Iron Armor¡¯s command, which was somewhat unacceptable. If it were just this, for the greater good and for the empire¡¯s command, they might have reluctantly acquiesced. The problem was that Iron Armor Battle Group was not generous; they often withheld resources from Bauhinia and constantly sent them to fight the tough battles. Chapter 730 - Chapter 730: Chapter 409, Atonement Expedition, Independent Kingdom_3 Chapter 730: Chapter 409, Atonement Expedition, Independent Kingdom_3 The grudge just keeps getting bigger. It had been some time since Cercis Flower was within the Princess Star Domain, and the Iron Armor Battle Group had been up to no good for a while, so some evidence had been collected against them, and it was eventually given straight to Holy Terra, leading to an armed conflict with the Iron Armor Battle Group. Cercis Flower couldn¡¯t resist the far larger scale of the Iron Armor Battle Group, to say nothing of the fact that three other Battle Groups were standing with Iron Armor. So, they began to shake people up. It was at this stage that Phoenix, who had good relations with them, was swayed to join their side. But at this point, things were actually not too bad; if you turned a blind eye, the situation could perhaps be passed off as not amounting to civil war. However, Holy Terra¡¯s subsequent actions exacerbated the situation. The Empire Government certainly did not like what the Iron Armor Battle Group was doing. It was one thing to be a little disruptive, looking at the fact that you could indeed stand on your own; but causing serious trouble, like siphoning off 80% of a Star Sector¡¯s taxes; overpopulation by a thousand or eighteen hundred could be tolerated under a wartime scenario, but when you exceed six thousand, and add the solidarity of three other Battle Groups, resulting in nearly ten thousand interstellar warriors and a nearly independent kingdom in the making, that was truly improper. Thus, the Empire designated the behavior of the Iron Armor Battle Group as rebellion, set a deadline for the restoration of Imperial Tax, and demanded that Iron Armor disband into six separate groups and accept deployment elsewhere by the Empire. Cercis Flower, Phoenix, and another group that was swayed ¨C the ¡®Starbreaker Blade¡¯ Battle Group ¨C were assigned as supervisors. Iron Armor refused to comply, declaring the whole situation a targeted act, an absurdity, with a traitor in Terra. They opened their defenses, allowing some of the Void Insect Species to break out, while simultaneously implementing a complete blockade of the Princess Star Domain and several neighboring Star Domains, preventing any Empire ships from passing through the Princess Star Domain. Moreover, they launched a campaign of extermination against Cercis Flower, Phoenix, and the Starbreaker Blade within the Star Domain. This really escalated the situation. An incident affecting multiple Star Domains greatly impacted taxes, trade, and navigation in that part of the Empire. With the Void Insect Species rampaging, Iron Armor followed under the guise of pursuing and opposing the insect creatures, taking over ¡ª even plundering ¡ª many planets, and even conscripting supplies from many of the Empire¡¯s tax fleets. Within the Princess Star Domain, Cercis Flower, Phoenix, and the Starbreaker Blade stood no chance against Iron Armor. Not only were they outnumbered, but Iron Armor had nurtured a vast and extremely elite Mortal Auxiliary Army over the years. The three Battle Groups, having lost the support of the Empire, could only mobilize some Planetary Defense Armies under their control, with a quality far inferior; they simply couldn¡¯t compete. wuxiaworld.site wuxiaworld.site With the situation having deteriorated to this point, it seemed almost impossible to resolve. Was there truly going to be a civil war within the Empire during the preparations for the Solar Expedition? It wasn¡¯t about not being able to fight; it was about having to deploy nearly ten more loyal Battle Groups, along with countless Star Realm Armies and Imperial Navy Fleets, before this situation could be settled. After that, they¡¯d still need to deal with the rampaging Void Insect Species and leave enough forces to block the Void creature tunnels that kept emerging within the Princess Star Domain. Upon assessment, the expense was simply too great. It was then that a Terra official took on a mission in the face of danger, sent to negotiate with the Iron Armor Battle Group. Relying on adept diplomatic skills, he persuaded the Iron Armor Battle Group to stand down. The Empire no longer pursued disbanding them; the Imperial Tax in the Princess Star Domain was raised a bit higher, but not excessively; the territories they were meant to guard were still entrusted to them; the Empire continued to provide reinforcement supplies; and the Empire withdrew its decision of branding the Iron Armor Battle Group as rebels¡­ The Iron Armor Battle Group accepted these terms. If Iron Armor was not the traitor, then who was? Someone had to take responsibility. Under the insistence of the Iron Armor Battle Group, Cercis Flower was blamed, and what was clearly a rebellion by Iron Armor officially went down in the records as the ¡®Great Cercis Flower Rebellion¡¯. They falsely accused the ¡®loyal¡¯ Iron Armor, initiated the attack themselves, resulting in a breach of the bugs¡¯ defenses, and caused a crisis spanning several Star Sectors, even dragging the Spiderweb Cosmos Domain into jeopardy. Cercis Flower was thus completely eradicated under the ¡®suppression¡¯ campaign of the Iron Armor Battle Group. Phoenix and the Starbreaker Blade were let off, but were sentenced to punitive expeditions. The Starbreaker Blade was wiped out during the sixty-year long punitive expedition; Phoenix survived a century-long expedition, but only seven of them were left until they encountered Gu Hang. This was the entire process of the ¡®Great Cercis Flower Rebellion¡¯. Now, the Iron Armor Battle Group remains one of the major powers in the Spiderweb Domain, strong and powerful, with their own independent small kingdom, still hailed as the heroic Battle Group fighting the Void Insect Species. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And the Battle Groups that opposed them, Phoenix being the only exception due to special circumstances, were all but wiped out. Gu Hang had occasionally thought about this matter. Originally, the Alliance had little to do with the Iron Armor Battle Group. Though the Eastern Cosmos Domain and the Spiderweb Domain were neighboring domains, they weren¡¯t close on a Star Domain level. Dragonhawk and Princess were separated by at least three other Star Domains before they could make contact. Unless the Alliance expanded to an absurd degree, they probably wouldn¡¯t come into contact with the Princess Star Domain anytime soon; However, another issue couldn¡¯t be ignored: if the problem with the Void Insect Species inside the Princess Star Domain became explosive, whether Iron Armor couldn¡¯t hold back, or if they were up to something troublesome again on a grand scale, then the Dragonhawk Star Domain might actually be affected. Chapter 731 - Chapter 731 Chapter 409, Atonement Expedition, Independent Kingdom_4 Chapter 731: Chapter 409, Atonement Expedition, Independent Kingdom_4 Chapter 731: Chapter 409, Atonement Expedition, Independent Kingdom_4 But the probability of that should not be considered high. The incident that happened a century ago was already significant, having erupted over three Star Sectors, and it eventually took considerable effort to exterminate it. Yet, its direction did not come this way toward the Dragonhawk Star Domain. However, while that¡¯s the normal situation, if the Phoenix were to be resurrected, what would the Iron Armor Battle Group do then? Gu Hang¡¯s understanding of this Battle Group all came from the reports of the Cercis Flower rebellion. Based on what had happened in those years, Gu Hang felt that this Battle Group¡¯s methods were quite unscrupulous. Moreover, they had a vengeful nature and were ruthless toward their enemies. If the Cercis Flower were to rise again, then Gu Hang had no doubts that the Iron Armor Battle Group, even separated by three Star Sectors, would find a way to utterly destroy the Cercis Flower. The Phoenix, on the other hand, was slightly better off. After all, back then, the Phoenix had come to assist in the fight and didn¡¯t harbor as much enmity towards the Iron Armor. But that was only slightly better than the situation with Cercis Flower, and Gu Hang still couldn¡¯t be certain how Iron Armor would react in the end. This could be a threat that needed attention. The Ashen Dead Squad was in the same vein, and perhaps even more pressing. After all, the Iron Armor Battle Group was still part of the Imperial hierarchy. No matter how reckless they were, they couldn¡¯t completely discard the rules. But the Ashen Dead were a squad that had defected to Chaos; without any rules to bind them, they harbored full malice. According to some information revealed when Blaywins was later interrogated on the ship, the Ashen Dead harbored an ¡®obsession¡¯ with all the past bloodlines of the Phoenix. After breaking out of Zhong Jihua¡¯s encirclement, Blaywins and his group were continually tracked and intercepted by the Ashen Dead over the following years, but they always managed to escape. Zhong Jihua really hoped they would ¡®join¡¯ them because they shared the same blood, and it would be best if all turned into tainted blood. If any Phoenix remained loyal and even thrived, Zhong Jihua would be extremely displeased. This was, of course, Blaywins¡¯s conjecture, and there might have been a bit of exaggeration on his part. But Gu Hang believed it was highly likely that the Ashen Dead would consider the Phoenix an enemy, and consequently the Alliance as well. The Phoenix¡¯s recent strike on Extinct Soil Star wasn¡¯t just about a minor issue with pirates, nor was it only about eight Phoenix members. It also placed some future concerns before Gu Hang. These were issues that needed to be guarded against. How to guard against them? It was nothing more than making oneself even stronger. Confronting the Iron Armor might still be far off. They were the overlords of a Star Sector, and a century ago, they had already exceeded an estimated six thousand Interstellar Warriors; a hundred years had passed, and although they had sustained losses in the ongoing resistance to the invasions of the Void Insect Species, their gradual development would likely mean they were no fewer than before. In fact, the Empire now didn¡¯t know how many members Iron Armor had, and was very wary of them. They were not just a few thousand, but potentially tens of thousands of Interstellar Warriors. More importantly, they had consolidated the power of a whole Star Sector, and their strength level was comparable to the Star Realm Army¡¯s Mortal Auxiliary Army, which was undoubtedly counted in the billions. The volume of the naval Fleet, based on the Dragonhawk Star Domain, would at least be three to four times the full strength of the Tianma Fleet. The current capacity of the Alliance was incomparable. But at least, that was a goal. To be honest, Gu Hang did admire the Iron Armor Battle Group¡¯s rule over the Princess Star Domain. However, Gu Hang would not adopt similar methods to theirs to execute his plans. As for the Ashen Dead, they might be easier to handle in terms of strength. The scale of this squad might be similar to that of the current Phoenix, around two to three hundred people. Besides, Phoenix had the support of the Alliance behind them. But the tricky part was that the renegade Battle Group¡¯s movements were more unpredictable, and without a base or stronghold, they couldn¡¯t be tracked. Even Matins really wanted to find the Ashen Dead to eliminate these true disgraces of the Phoenix, but the conditions weren¡¯t there. To deal with them, one could only passively defend. Direct confrontation wasn¡¯t the issue, but the problem was that Gu Hang didn¡¯t know when their threat would come, from where, or in what manner they would strike, making it difficult to guard against. In light of this situation, Gu Hang decided to invest a little more effort in the near future on strengthening the Phoenix Battle Group. The best way to counter Chaos Starfield Warriors, of course, was with loyal Interstellar Warriors. Since they wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to confront the vast size of the Alliance head-on, they would likely resort to unconventional tactics and special operations, so the Alliance needed to have the corresponding strength to counter them. ¡­ After pondering for a while about two possible future threats, Gu Hang casually dealt with the affairs concerning Extinct Soil Star. When Matins and others like Blaywins left Extinct Soil Star, the alliance left about twenty thousand members of the Rage Bear Legion from the Star Realm Army to control the capital of Extinct Soil Star. But in fact, Gu Hang had no intention of directly ruling Extinct Soil Star under the alliance. The influence of the alliance was not a major issue within the Tianma Star Sector; after all, Gu Hang himself was the head of the Tianma Star Sector. However, expanding beyond the Tianma Star Sector would be a politically sensitive event, likely leading to some consequences Gu Hang was not eager to see. He had contingency plans for such occasions, but perhaps they still lacked an opportunity to act. The key was, if there were particularly significant benefits, Gu Hang would take the risk. But clearly, the situation on Extinct Soil Star and the profits it could bring did not equate to the risks. That planet hadn¡¯t been explored for minerals, but it likely didn¡¯t have much, or anything particularly valuable, otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be in its current state; developing industry there also lacked some essential conditions. It was neither close to any market nor had a particularly large population, nor was it rich in resources. Merely relying on nomadic and agricultural practices to barely support two hundred million people, Gu Hang felt there was no need to make a big fuss over it. The conditions on Extinct Soil Star might even be worse than those on Rage Owl Star initially. Although Rage Owl Star had a small population and was a post-war wasteland at the beginning, at least it had areas like the Green Valley Region, where the natural environment was decent, and resources like the Low Energy Storm were treasured. Moreover, when Gu Hang invested resources in building Rage Owl Star, he had no choice, since his beginnings were there. Now that he had a choice, Gu Hang did not think that taking over Extinct Soil Star and then spending a lot on its development was a good choice. However, not bringing it under the direct rule of the alliance didn¡¯t mean there were no other methods. The governor was dead, and the charges were ready. wuxiaworld.site Take away the charge of betraying the interstellar warriors, and the rest was enough for Gu Hang to hang him. Subsequently, he would support a new governor for Extinct Soil Star who would not join the alliance but could sign some cooperation agreements with planets under the alliance separately. The food and biomaterials produced by the nomadic groups there had value, and the alliance could also export some inexpensive industrial products, such as daily necessities, furniture, and home appliancesaEUR¡±things that the Imperial Tax despisedaEUR¡±in exchange. It would be good to serve as a small grain-producing base. Then, they could slightly leak some technology to better conduct the breeding and light processing industries, which would also stimulate the development of Extinct Soil Star. Overall, it was a mutually beneficial arrangementaEUR¡±the alliance stood to benefit a little more, but it would not be like sucking blood. At the same time, the alliance¡¯s control over Extinct Soil Star would be greatly strengthened. Though not a member of the alliance, it would be practically equivalent to being one. In the future, if the situation changed and Gu Hang needed Extinct Soil Star, he could at any time request its application to join the alliance. Once approved, it would be done. aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡± I wish everyone a happy New Year in advance! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Happy New Year, everyone! This chapter is 7.2k words, an additional update! I know I still owe the Lord¡¯s additional updates, as well as 25k for those, and plus the three days I missed last month due to business trips and sickness, that¡¯s another 12k to repay, making it a total of 37k. Today counts as an extra 3k update, so I¡¯m still 34k short. The New Year period is actually very busy, but I¡¯ll try my best to write! Chapter 732 - Chapter 732 Chapter 410, Dont Be Too Honest Chapter 732: Chapter 410, Don¡¯t Be Too Honest Chapter 732: Chapter 410, Don¡¯t Be Too Honest The trip to Extinct Soil Star posed a challenge for Gu Hang, presenting a long-term risk (Iron Armor Battle Group) and an imminent threat that could erupt at any time (Ashen Dead). Leaving the distant issue aside, the reason the Ashen Dead are considered an immediate threat is that, since Blaywins and his group could find us, so could Zhong Jihua and his. Gu Hang was a bit annoyed. However, since he had already decided to handle crises through development, that remained the focus. And what is the biggest booster for development within the alliance? That would, of course, be the Grace Points in Gu Hang¡¯s hands. The last time he spent a large number of Grace Points was four years ago. At that time, he mainly boosted the alliance¡¯s shipbuilding industry, which directly created the current industrial situation. Now, after four years, although there hadn¡¯t been any large-scale wars within the alliance during this period, Gu Hang¡¯s control had stabilized over the entire Tianma Star Sector, with a total population reaching 61 billion. wuxiaworld.site Over these four years, the average lifespan under the alliance¡¯s rule had improved, the birth rate hadn¡¯t changed much, but what was key was the significant drop in the death rate. All these reasons led to quite a high level of population growth. The alliance¡¯s population increased by about one billion during this period. Such high population growth scared some worlds. More people means more money when the world population is next assessed for tax allocation. But the alliance wasn¡¯t afraid. Having a large population is a good thing. Fatchess Tri-Star, Hongjian Star, and even larger population capacity spaces. Korolya is expected to continue relocating people outward. Beyond population, the alliance¡¯s productive forces had been improving these years. The education system on Flying Wing Star opened up to the entire Star Sector, higher population quality, all of which drove the rise in the alliance¡¯s productive forces. Together with the improvement in living standards¡­ All these factors, population size, population quality, average living standard and happiness, level of productive forces¡­ all are strongly and positively correlated with the monthly income of Grace Points that Gu Hang receives. This also made Gu Hang¡¯s monthly income skyrocket. Four years ago, before securing Flying Wing Star, Fatchess Tri-Star, and Hongjian Star, Gu Hang¡¯s income from Grace Points was 7,000 aEUR¡± and that was after pulling up Korolya¡¯s situation by a lot to return to the levels when he only controlled Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star. But now, this number has grown to 32,000. An increase of 4.5 times. Of course, this number gradually rose, not skyrocketing all at once, and also, the rate of increase has slowed down a lot recently. But all in all, the cumulative monthly income Gu Hang obtained in these four years also exceeded one million. However, although he hadn¡¯t made any big spending all at once, Gu Hang had also spent about 600,000 of it in bits and pieces over these four years. The main uses were essentially in ¡®people¡¯ and ¡®construction.¡¯ He activated more heroes, spent a large number of Grace Points on political commissar training at the Loyal Heir Academy, a fair amount on military training, occasionally exchanged Gene Seeds, and through basic training templates of the military badges, screened personnel to supplement new blood for the Interstellar Warriors¡­ He exchanged many academy templates, factory templates, and even church buildings, bestowing them upon corresponding real-world structures to take effect. It was precisely these investments that led to high growth. Whether it was the growth of the alliance¡¯s income or the increase in Grace Points income. And now, it was time to use the remaining more than 400,000 Grace Points in batches. First off, he planned 200,000 Points for use on Interstellar Warriors. With the continuous increase in the past, the number of Phoenix Interstellar Warriors had already reached a scale of over two hundred people. And with this expenditure of 200,000 Points, the number of Phoenixes shot up directly to 500. Apart from the Gene Seeds that Gu Hang directly exchanged, the first batch of Phoenix newcomers from early years had already passed five years, their first Gene Seed has matured and been harvested. Initially, Matins was thinking about whether to save some of these Gene Seeds to prepare for the Gene Seed taxation to be paid by Phoenix later on. This idea, when brought to Gu Hang, left him speechless. The Imperial Army¡¯s collection of Gene Seed taxes is calculated based on how many new seeds a Battle Group has produced in the last ten years. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It¡¯s an accountable number: how many new recruits have grown to the five-year mark in the past ten years, how many veteran warriors have fallen, this is the total number of Gene Seeds over ten years, and they just need one-tenth of them. In regular circumstances, it¡¯s not too difficult for the Empire to grasp this information. Generally speaking, the loyalty of the Interstellar Warriors is somewhat assured, they report a number themselves, and the Empire generally accepts it if it¡¯s not far off; for inspections, it¡¯s actually a bit difficult, though counting the dead is practicable since Interstellar Warriors usually don¡¯t fight alone and other Imperial Army forces may control some of the situations; monitoring the development of new blood is truly challenging. But it doesn¡¯t matter, the Empire won¡¯t be so stringent. The Sect of Mechanics and the Star Warrior Management Agency will check a Battle Group¡¯s total manpower, calculate an average number, follow routine experience to estimate how many seeds you can pay for ten yearsaEUR¡±a Battle Group with a thousand people usually gives five to ten seeds in ten years, unless there is a major eventaEUR¡±just about the right number will do. Chapter 733 - Chapter 733 Chapter 410, Dont Be Too Honest_2 Chapter 733: Chapter 410, Don¡¯t Be Too Honest_2 Chapter 733: Chapter 410, Don¡¯t Be Too Honest_2 ¡°` Only if the numbers deviate greatly will the Empire intervene. Now the question arises, how would the Empire know how many people are currently in the Phoenix? The last time information was reported, the Phoenix only had seven members. Logically, even years later, the Phoenix wouldn¡¯t have grown much. Under Gu Hang¡¯s command, the common experience of the Mechanical God Cult and the Star Warrior Management Agency was of no use. The Empire had scant information on the Phoenix. As long as one kept their mouth shut, it would be hard for the Empire to know exactly how many people were in the Battle Group, how much tax was owed, and wasn¡¯t it up to oneself to decide? Now, with the ten-year period almost up, one could simply say they had a hundred people, exchange a Gene Seed as a token, and that would be it. And you, Matins, really want to pay based on the actual situation? That would be way too much to give, with four or five hundred new members in five years, requiring the exchange of forty to fifty Gene Seeds¡­ .co Isn¡¯t that just making trouble for oneself? You are indeed very disciplined, true loyal subjects of the great Empire, still thinking of paying the full Gene Seed tax honestly at this point? No wonder you can¡¯t beat the Iron Armor. But Gu Hang didn¡¯t say this outright to Matins. He responded by indicating that all the new Gene Seeds produced by the Battle Group¡¯s new blood should be used for developing new warriors, and that he would continue the usual practice of selecting young, T1-grade prospects through the Soldier Badge Training System for implant surgery. The success rate of the Phoenix Gene Seed implant surgery was remarkably high, nearly 98% over the years with only 9 failures out of 500 operations. The main reasons for this high success rate were twofold: First, the Phoenix Seed wasn¡¯t too selective. Second, and most crucially, every candidate was trained to T1 grade at the appropriate age. Their physical condition, experience, skills, and mental willpower all met the standards, and as long as the individual¡¯s condition and compatibility with the Phoenix Seed weren¡¯t exceptionally poor, failure was unlikely. Using the Gene Seeds produced by the new blood and those exchanged by Gu Hang, the number of people in the Phoenix had risen to five hundred, which could be considered a revival. From now on, Gu Hang would not even have to exchange more Gene Seeds for the Phoenix. The unique structure of the Battle Group¡¯s personnel, made entirely of new blood, meant that the amount of new Gene Seeds produced over five years was even greater than many full-strength Battle Groups. Coupled with the high success rate of implant surgeries, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t have to spend extra on Gene Seeds anymore, as their numbers would quickly increase through internal growth. By this stage, the Phoenix couldn¡¯t be considered powerful, but at least it resembled a normal Battle Group. Many Starfighter Battle Groups, long embroiled in war and not faring well, might only have this many members. As for the missing elements like the Battle Group Fleet, Fleet servants, Mortal Auxiliary Army, and armed and aerial vehicles, Gu Hang could not provide all of those at once. But undoubtedly, their next actions would not be as an independent Battle Group but would always include cooperation with the alliance army. Requirements for war could be supplied and supplemented by the alliance army. Though armored vehicles driven by mortals were not as effective as some exclusive ones that allowed special neural connections for the Interstellar Warriors, they at least temporarily solved the problem of not having any at all. Even if Gu Hang now wanted to equip the Interstellar Warriors with exclusive armored vehicles, it would be quite tough. While Rhino Troop Transporters could be manufactured, vehicles like the Raider Tanks were simply not producible, not to mention mechas like the Dreadnought or the Apocalypse. To acquire them would rely solely on external procurement. But external procurement¡­ that was too cost-ineffective. If the alliance itself produced them, the actual cost would be materials, labor hours, food, and living supplies for the workers¡­ although the price listed in the alliance¡¯s accounts would still be calculated using the Empire¡¯s standard pricing, the budget would appear as so much, but in reality, it wouldn¡¯t cost nearly that much. In the case of external procurement, however, it would genuinely consume the alliance¡¯s Tax Currency, without skimping a single cent, and with a good chance of a significant premium on such high-tech items. They would have to make do for the time being. ¡­ Having invested 200,000 into the Phoenix, Gu Hang was no longer too worried about the problem of the Ashen Dead once their number reached five hundred. ¡°` That Chaos Combat Group, at best, had a little over two hundred Interstellar Warriors. With around 2.5 times that number prepared, even if the ashy remains of the dead immediately rushed to their faces causing mayhem, Gu Hang would have enough strength to cope with it. If they took a bit longer to arrive, say a few more years, then they would have to face a standard, fully staffed Battle Group of a thousand soldiers. By then, Gu Hang truly wanted to see what expression would appear on Zhong Jihua¡¯s face. Are you coveting the bloodline of the Phoenix? A thousand bloodlines are laid out right here, come and take them if you can. Of course, those 200,000 points of grace that landed on Phoenix brought nearly twenty thousand T4-T2 grade elite soldiers. Although these people were by-products, they weren¡¯t without value. As usual, some were packed into the 10th Brigade; the rest were thrown into some specially numbered units, like the 1st Exhale Wind Brigade, the 2nd Beast-slaying Brigade, or into a few Skeleton Divisions. The 10th Brigade had already grown to over ten thousand men, all elite, fully equipped with special gear, enough said; the other divisions and brigades siphoned off top soldiers and commanders, and even managed to assemble teams entirely of T4 grade, then fully equipped with Exoskeleton Armor and LR series, GHS series rifles, plus a higher ratio of armor and firepower. Such a force, when pitted against ordinary Star Realm Army, could likely defeat an enemy twenty times their number. But the key is that such forces aren¡¯t there to exchange blows with the enemy on the battlefield, but to be deployed to critical battles where they can play a decisive role with their cutting-edge capabilities. In short, this also greatly strengthened the alliance¡¯s military construction capabilities. As for the remaining two hundred thousand points of grace, Gu Hang thought about it and took out one hundred thousand to use for the technological lottery. At the ten thousand grace points bracket, we¡¯re far from being drained. However, after the earlier round of withdrawals, the odds of drawing something now are certainly lower than at the start. Nonetheless, throwing down one hundred thousand points of grace was bound to make some waves. Things like some advanced-grade engineering machinery and the likeaEUR¡±upgraded types of technologyaEUR¡±and some less important tech, we¡¯ll just pass over and not dwell on them too much. Among these ten consecutive draws, one significant acquisition was the elite technology ¡°Dynamic Weapons¡±. The power sword in Matins¡¯ hand belonged to this category of weapon. This kind of thing, to put it a bit flamboyantly, can be called invincible. In this universe, apart from a few materials that cannot be mass-produced, there¡¯s hardly anything in conventional armor that can withstand the assault of dynamic weapons. And it¡¯s not just power swords; ¡°Mjolnirs¡±, ¡°Force Staffs¡±, and especially ¡°Power Gauntlets¡± more commonly equipped on Terminator Armor¡­ these all fall within the category of dynamic weapons. Dynamic weapons aren¡¯t exclusively for Interstellar Warriors to use either. Just like how the elite warriors of the 10th Brigade of the alliance also make use of chainswords, dynamic weapons can be adapted and modified for Mortals to use; they just have to be made smaller and lighter. And to further enhance the weapons¡¯ power, these dynamic weapons can also be crafted into fine-work versions. Although the cost of production would greatly increase and mass production becomes difficult, it doesn¡¯t really matter. They are meant to be equipped by the leading combat forces; the objective is to make them more useful when facing off against some powerful individuals. With that, Gu Hang had concentratedly spent a total of three hundred thousand points of grace. With the remaining one hundred thousand, he wanted to keep them as reserves for any unexpected needs. aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡± 4k Holy moly! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Grateful for the chief patron reward from [Just One and Six Left]! What¡¯s left is not just one and six, it¡¯s twenty thousand words! Just repaid a little yesterday, now the debt has skyrocketed to 54k! Couldn¡¯t finish paying off in February¡­ Will continue to work hard in March! Chapter 734 - Chapter 734 Chapter 411, Sudden Change at the Golden Pass Chapter 734: Chapter 411, Sudden Change at the Golden Pass Chapter 734: Chapter 411, Sudden Change at the Golden Pass Eagle Horse Star Sector, Eagle Horse II Star System, the main force of the Tianma Fleet was navigating to this location. Yelisia looked at the planets outside the bridge with a hint of impatience in her eyes. Leaving the Tianma Star Sector to participate in the war against the Iron-Tooth Clan had been over six years, a much longer period than she had anticipated. The years of constant warfare had also left their marks on her. Like many of the elite within the Empire, she had undergone a youth surgery. This procedure significantly slowed down the aging process, maintaining a youthful state until the end-of-life phase, when aging would rapidly accelerate, followed by death. Combined with life extension surgery, the elite of the Empire could still attain a long, high-quality life. A combination of the youth and life extension surgeries could extend a normal lifespan from seventy or eighty years to around one hundred and fifty years, and twice that could go beyond two hundred years. Some people, given their physical condition, could even handle three or four procedures. However, the more surgeries were performed, the greater the difficulty and the lower the success rate. Currently, the highest record for a mortal who underwent life extension surgery was six times, living up to four hundred fifty years. Compared to the true immortals and the Interstellar Warriors who had never aged to death as long as they didn¡¯t die in battle, there was still a significant gap, but it was still a remarkable achievement. Even though it was only applicable to a very small part of the population. Even so, the surgery could only maintain her body in a youthful state; it couldn¡¯t provide her with limitless energy. wuxiaworld.site Several years of war and the persistent immense pressure had left her skin dull and unable to conceal her fatigue. Now, she just wanted to return home as soon as possible, to relax her mind and properly rest for a while. But that was not to be. On their way to the Eagle Horse Star Sector, the fleet began to decelerate. Upon inquiry, she was told that the leaders of the Eagle Horse Star Sector and numerous local dignitaries had cordially invited the meritorious Tianma Fleet to stop by the Star Sector Capital, also known as Eagle Horse II, to attend a banquet. Yelisia was somewhat displeased. During interstellar travel, if the fleet could keep flying without stopping, the velocity would increase more and more. The time spent traveling at high speeds in the middle wouldn¡¯t be particularly long; even the time spent warping through the Star Realm Tunnels wouldn¡¯t be much. It was in the process of the fleet¡¯s acceleration and deceleration that time was lost. This stopover would delay their return to the Tianma Star Sector by one or two weeks. That was what Yelisia found most annoying. But she also knew it was unavoidable. The locations of their battles had first been in the Golden Pass Star Sector, then moved into the Silver Pass Sector. Behind these two Star Sectors, the closest place that had not been engulfed in the flames of war was Eagle Horse. This place could be considered the main base of the military operation. A large quantity of supplies were allocated from various parts of the Star Domain through the Imperial Tax or other means, and the distribution started from the Eagle Horse Star Sector. The local Star Sector Government was tasked with the responsibility of distributing these supplies to the front lines. It was essential to maintain good relations with them. On one hand, they had provided considerable help during the past six years of war, even prioritizing the provision of certain materials needed by the fleet. Now, it was time to express gratitude. On the other hand, the war was not completely over; only the first phase of the objectives had been achieved. They would have to fight again, and the Tianma Fleet would surely need to return, making it crucial to sustain good relations. Under these two reasons, when they took the initiative to invite with the intention of rewarding the loyal warriors of the Empire, it was truly difficult to refuse. Even if it meant delaying the journey, there was no helping it. Although it was a decision made by General Tilermungs, the Fleet Commander, in reality, had Yelisia been in the same position, she would have had to make the same decision. While Yelisia was feeling restless and displeased, and although she was eager to get home, she was still able to muster the patience to do what she ought to do. When the time was almost right, she changed into a fresh set of clothes. Her navy rear admiral uniform was neatly dressed, all her medals were in place, and she took a shuttle to the planet¡¯s starport to attend the banquet. At the banquet, she put on a mask of a smile, interacting with the local officials in a manner that was proper, elegant yet enthusiastic. She reveled in the local officials¡¯ praise while humbly responding that it was her duty and couldn¡¯t have been achieved without the support of the officials. No matter how much of it was insincere, at least the atmosphere of the banquet appeared harmonious, fitting the description of a pleasant gathering for both host and guests. The banquet swiftly approached its climax. General Tilermungs, in his capacity as the Fleet Commander, was invited to the podium to give a speech. The general also blended in well with the current environment. A few humorous anecdotes came to him effortlessly, and the guests below responded with cooperative laughter. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only People listened to him recount the fleet¡¯s merits and the story of the previous victory. At the same time, they heard him looking forward to the future, proclaiming that the Tianma Fleet was not only the Star Sea defense force of Tianma Star Sector but also an entity that would maintain the safety of the surrounding Sectors, especially the Eagle Horse Star Sector. Just as the atmosphere was at its best, a naval aide, regardless of the fact that the esteemed general was still speaking, hurriedly went on stage and whispered something into General Tilermungs¡¯ ear. This was, of course, very impolite. Even if there was something important, couldn¡¯t it wait until he finished speaking and stepped down from the podium? Chapter 735 - Chapter 735 Chapter 411, Golden Pass Drastic Change_2 Chapter 735: Chapter 411, Golden Pass Drastic Change_2 Chapter 735: Chapter 411, Golden Pass Drastic Change_2 But on second thought, she would rather not waste another twenty minutes, which indirectly proved just how important this matter was. Yelisia could see that General Tilermungs¡¯s complexion went through a very dramatic change on stage. From initial uplifted spirits, his face turned ashen as if touched by death within a moment¡¯s time. What on earth had happened? Yelisia¡¯s confusion did not last long. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her own aide-de-camp rushing over. The aide came up to her and whispered in her ear, ¡°General, a major incident has occurred! Among the Iron-teeth Greenskins, a new Great Chieftain is suspected to have emerged. From the depths of the occupied territories, fleets of Green Skins have suddenly swarmed out in far greater numbers than our previous estimates. Water Fog Star and Silver Pass II have already fallen, the Northern Fleet, after being routed, has regrouped at Silver Pass III and is currently encircled. Star Domain Naval Command has ordered us to return immediately, to fortify Golden Pass Star Sector, and to lend support to the Yunluo Fleet. The Yunluo Fleet has already taken action before us to rescue the Northern Fleet.¡± Yelisia¡¯s face also darkened. The main achievements of the allied forces of the Dragonhawk Star Domain in this battle were actually two-fold: one, to stabilize the conflict-laden Golden Pass; and two, to conquer four star systems in the occupied Silver Pass Sector, which were Water Fog Star, White Fog Star, Silver Pass II, and Silver Pass III. Six years, for such achievements, and now in the blink of an eye, two of the four star systems were lost. However, what was most worrisome was not the loss of these achievements, but the emergence of a ¡®Great Chieftain¡¯ within the Iron-Tooth Clan, bringing unity to the leadership of the clan for the first time in decades. Having lived through years of war with the Orcs, Yelisia fully understood that this race, with or without a strong leader, displayed completely different behaviors in warfare. But this also depended on the level of the so-called ¡®Great Chieftain.¡¯ The last but one Great Chieftain had sparked a massive waaagh, causing the fall of three or four Star Sectors, establishing the power of the present-day Iron-teeth Empire, directing their force toward the heartland of the Dragonhawk Star Domain until he was unexpectedly killed in battle, finally halting the expansion of the Iron-Tooth Clan; The last Great Chieftain was rather mediocre, he could barely keep the fragmented Iron-Tooth Clan together, far lesser in prestige, but even so, he ended humanity¡¯s ability to recapture the four occupied star systems and caused the six surrounding star systems to fall into years of continuous warfare. A few years ago, the Dragonhawk Star Domain decided to launch a campaign to retake the occupied territories because that Iron-Tooth Great Chieftain was challenged and killed in the brutal internal struggles of the Green Skin Orcs, and his challenger, equally lacking in authority, soon died too. Consequently, the once barely unified Iron-Tooth Clan plunged once more into internal strife. Wasn¡¯t this a rare opportunity? But unexpectedly, the Green Skin Orcs had quickly determined a new Great Chieftain. wuxiaworld.site.co Moreover, Yelisia suspected that the war actions of the Dragonhawk Star Domain might have acted as a catalyst for this. As for the current situation, one could only hope that this new Iron-Tooth Great Chieftain was like his predecessor, who had ascended to power barely and could not truly command sincere submission from all military leaders of the Iron-Tooth Clan. Regardless, the plan for Yelisia and others to return and regroup was now out of the question. Even though the entire Fleet¡¯s condition was not good, many ships having sustained damage in the previous wars and needing repair, there was no choice now but to drag their wounded selves, turn around, and head back to the frontlines. A banquet that had begun in good spirits thus came to an abrupt end. The Tianma Fleet hurriedly headed in the direction of its past engagements. On the way, Yelisia took the time to use the Star Language Tower aboard the ship to make contact with Gu Hang. She informed Gu Hang of the latest situation at the front and reminded him to take this matter seriously. Gu Hang asked, ¡°Could it possibly reach the Tianma Star Sector?¡± Yelisia smiled, ¡°That is unlikely.¡± Gu Hang understood her meaning; after all, there were still two Star Sectors in between. From the occupied Silver Pass to Tianma, there was Golden Pass Star Sector and Eagle Horse Star Sector. However, while one could hope for the best, preparations must be made for the worst. ¡°I understand, I will make some preparations.¡± ¡°Yes. Even though the chances of the conflict reaching Tianma Star Sector are slim, if the war in the Star Domain escalates, they may consult with various leaders and governors about what to do, and there may be allocations and borrowings necessary, you really should make some preparations in advance.¡± Gu Hang instinctively frowned. Allocations, borrowings¡­ none of that sounded like good news. Yet, if the war really deteriorated to that extent, it seemed inevitable. ¡°` Otherwise, what can we do? Watch as the situations in the two neighboring star sectors deteriorate? Impossible. A tooth will be cold without the lip. The Green Skin Orcs have almost no possibility of negotiation; if the situation really turns rotten, there¡¯s no reason they would spare the Tianma Star Sector and not attack. However, compared to dispersing the barely accumulated wealth of the alliance to the Star Domain Government, or even transferring the troops, Gu Hang was still unwilling to accept that. If it really came to that step and the situation became unavoidable, then he would rather lead the alliance to join the battle directly. At least having command and independence in action would be in his own hands. Gu Hang instinctively distrusted all other commanders from outside. When he had nothing to do and was reading some of the Empire¡¯s battle examples, documentation, reports, he always felt that the Empire¡¯s generals or even the judges, when fighting, did not spare manpower as long as they could achieve their goals, no matter the number of deaths; it seemed an acceptable price to them. Objectively speaking, it might indeed be so. The Empire World counted in millions; the population of the empire was immeasurable, lacking everything but people. Your Green Skin Orc dies one less, my fifty good brothers are endless. However, Gu Hang himself truly disliked that approach. Human resources have always been the most valued by him. A living person, in their lifetime, can create wealth far greater than being sent to the battlefield to die easily. He certainly understood that many times, sacrifices, even large-scale sacrifices, are inevitable. But precisely because of this, one must respect such sacrifices. Compassion does not rule soldiers; when it¡¯s time to be ruthless and disregard casualties, then it must be done; but when it¡¯s not that necessary, he¡¯s not happy even with one more death. That¡¯s why Gu Hang did not like his subordinates to be commanded by other imperial forces. They didn¡¯t have his mindset and wouldn¡¯t be concerned about his soldiers. ¡°I understand. Maybe, we might meet on the battlefield against the Iron-Tooth Clan,¡± Yelisia smiled and then said seriously, ¡°But I really hope that doesn¡¯t happen. You¡¯d better wish for me to win the battles and return triumphantly¡­¡± Following her words, Gu Hang said, ¡°Return triumphantly and become my wife?¡± ¡°¡­Pah.¡± Yelisia slightly turned her face away, then turned back, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be the best?¡± ¡°Indeed. But¡­ you still have to be careful and take care of yourself.¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡­ Having had a conversation with her fiancA(c), although they didn¡¯t talk about much, Yelisia¡¯s mood had improved a lot. She felt she had the strength to face the coming storms. But at that moment, she was not yet aware of the severity of the problem. The orders they received were to deploy defenses in the Golden Pass Star Sector, to support the Yunluo Fleet and the Northern Fleet. The latter was blocked at Silver Pass III; the former was trying to rescue them, which required a supporting force. At the same time, it was also in preparation for the worst-case scenario. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only If the situation at the front changed, and the achievements made in the Silver Pass Star Sector had to be completely relinquished, then the defensive line established by their Tianma Fleet would drag the Green Skin Orcs fleet into the Golden Pass Star Sector. The situation of both sides would likely revert to what it was before the war started six years ago. This was almost the worst plan. However, when they actually entered the Golden Pass Star Sector, they found the situation was even worse than that. ¡°` Chapter 736 - Chapter 736 Chapter 412, Heaven and Earth Collapse Chapter 736: Chapter 412, Heaven and Earth Collapse Chapter 736: Chapter 412, Heaven and Earth Collapse After several hyperlane jumps, upon entering the Golden Pass Star Sector, the Tianma Fleet was actively seeking the latest frontline news. But no messages came back. The Yunluo Fleet, the Northern Fleet, both were unreachable. In the movements and battles of the Space Fleet, since ships spend most of their time in high-speed motion or even traversing the Star Realm Tunnel, coupled with the varying specifications of Star Language Towers and the proficiency of Star Speakers aboard each vessel, it was quite common to be out of contact. However, when two entire fleets, without a single ship able to communicate, remain out of contact for several days, that begins to feel terrifying, frightening. Moreover, shortly after they entered deep into the Golden Pass Star Sector, they unexpectedly encountered Iron Tooth Orc vessels! Green Skins should not appear in the Golden Pass Star Sector. From the fallen regions to the core location of the Golden Pass Star Sector, the most central points are White Fog Star and Silver Pass III. To enter the Golden Pass Star Sector from the fallen regions, these two star systems are mandatory passageways. These places haven¡¯t been lost yet, so how could the Green Skins have made it through? They still harbored a bit of wishful thinking, suspecting that it was merely a small raiding party of the Green Skins. That was possible. A star system, such a vast place, generally has only one, two, or at most three or four developed colonial planets. Even with the construction of star fortresses, space stations, and even megastructures, the area they can cover is still limited. But in the universe, it¡¯s the empty void that is most abundant. Gazing at the night sky, those sparkling stars indeed attract the eye, so much so that they make one overlook the vast expanses of darkness in the background. The only way to fully secure a star sector, not to let even a mosquito through, is to seal off the jump points in the star system¡¯s Star Realm Tunnel. The scale of the universe is so immense, with distances of hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of light-years. Without the Star Realm Tunnel, without the spatial leaps, the time it would take to reach different star systems is excessively long, so much so that it¡¯s nearly considered impossible. .cO However, sealing off jump points is quite difficult in reality. A jump point, although referred to as a ¡®point¡¯, is relative to the cosmic scale. In fact, it¡¯s a very large area. The small ones are comparable to the size of several stars combined, and the large ones can be as big as hundreds or thousands of stars. As long as you¡¯re within that area, you can make a jump. How difficult is it then to enact a blockade? Some particularly important star systems, such as the Solar System where the Holy Terra, the capital of the Human Empire, is located, would indeed establish multiple star fortresses at all jump points to ensure that the entire range of the jump point is encompassed within the defenses of the star fortresses, guaranteeing that no one could sneak through. But most star systems simply cannot construct such immense, remote space fortresses away from the planets. Not to mention the difficulty and cost of construction, the ongoing maintenance is an even greater expense. Having a space station near the jump point, where people are permanently stationed and serve as an observation platform to monitor the jump point, is already quite good. Many star systems don¡¯t even have the conditions for this. In such situations, it¡¯s normal for small groups of enemies to slip past the defenses in the vast and boundless void and jump from one Star Realm Tunnel to other places. In the past, didn¡¯t Yelisia also work with Gu Hang at Rage Owl Star to annihilate a small Green Skin Fleet? It¡¯s possible that those Green Skins sneaked over in such a manner, not expecting to be able to conquer planets but mainly aiming for raiding, slaughtering, and harassing the trade routes. The Tianma Fleet destroyed several small fleets they encountered. The largest was just the size of a destroyer, and most were just ordinary patrol vessel level. The Green Skin¡¯s junk ships were still junk. Generally speaking, under the same classification, they couldn¡¯t beat the ships of humans. And, because of their inherent nature, the Green Skin junk ships generally had thin armor but heavy firepower, making them painful to bombard only for a few shots, but on the flip side, hitting them with a single salvo often shattered both their shields and ships. While clearing out these small bands of orcish pirate vessels that had invaded the Golden Pass Star Sector, the Tianma Fleet continued their unrelenting efforts to obtain the latest situation on the frontline. On one hand, they continued calling out to the Northern Fleet and the Yunluo Fleet, and on the other hand, they actively dispatched patrol vessel squadrons towards the frontline battlefield, trying to figure out for themselves what exactly had happened. Finally, the new message arrived. A squadron of Rapid Patrol Vessels, after venturing out two star systems ahead, finally received a message from the Yunluo Fleet. They didn¡¯t see them; they were simply in the same star system, and the Star Language system was finally able to break through the interference and make contact. This was devastating news: the Yunluo Fleet had been decimated and was retreating to regroup. The Northern Fleet was either completely annihilated or soon would beaEUR¡±it was finished either way. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only According to this new branch of the Yunluo Fleet, they had lost a battle at Silver Pass III. Their initial mission had been to rescue the Northern Fleet, but just as they had jumped into Silver Pass III, they were ambushed by a Green Skin Fleet that had been lying in wait. The number of the enemy¡¯s vessels was roughly equal to theirs, and under normal circumstances, with the capabilities of human ships, they should have been able to win. However, for some unknown reason, the human fleet¡¯s observation systems did not alert them to the ambush. No warnings from the augury, no alerts from the Thinker Array, and no signs from the squadrons that had jumped into Silver Pass III ahead of them indicating that everything was normal, which led to the occurrence of this ambush battle. Chapter 737 - Chapter 737 Chapter 412, Heaven and Earth Shatter_2 Chapter 737: Chapter 412, Heaven and Earth Shatter_2 Chapter 737: Chapter 412, Heaven and Earth Shatter_2 Green Skin ships are terrible; they¡¯re terrible structurally, slow, and with weak hull strength¡­ They can be terrible in many ways, but their firepower is absolutely not one of them. The Yunluo Fleet, having just completed a jump, directly ate two volleys of uninterrupted fire. Had it not been for the fleet¡¯s quick response, with shields promptly deployed, the outcome would have been annihilation, not just defeat. The Northern Fleet was beyond saving, and the Yunluo Fleet itself took a serious beating. They managed to destroy a portion of the Green Skin Fleet, but also sustained losses. Just as they were contemplating whether to continue the rescue mission, they detected another Green Skin Fleet, rivaling their own in size, rushing towards them. There was nothing more to say; it was time to run. In a constant game of cat and mouse, most of the Yunluo Fleet managed to escape, though scattered, needing regrouping. As for the Northern Fleet¡­ they were essentially beyond rescue. Even if they hadn¡¯t been exterminated yet, it was probably only a matter of time. The Northern Fleet was done for; next, they would be facing the swarming GreenskinsaEUR¡±this was a pessimistic thought; The Northern Fleet might hold out for a while longer, keeping the orc¡¯s main force tied down at Silver Pass III for as long as possibleaEUR¡±this was an optimistic thought. The Yunluo Fleet also issued a request, hoping that the Tianma Fleet could continue the support mission, with the only change being that the rescue target had shifted from the Northern Fleet to the scattered Yunluo Fleet. What to do then? The Tianma Fleet had no choice but to comply. The Yunluo Fleet still needed rescue. In the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain, speaking just of naval strength, there were actually only three legitimate fleets, ranked by strength as follows: Yunluo Fleet, Northern Fleet, Tianma Fleet. Even with this ranking, the difference in strength between the three fleets was not significant; the strongest, the Yunluo Fleet, had only three more cruisers than the Tianma Fleet. The rest were just small detachments from local powers, with the Alliance Navy being considered quite strong and negligible in comparison. With the Northern Fleet likely out of the picture, this essentially meant the naval strength of the Dragonhawk Star Domain had diminished by a third. It was imperative to save the Yunluo Fleet, otherwise, only the Tianma Fleet would be left, and it would be hard-pressed to stand alone in the future. They had come to the Golden Pass Star Sector precisely for the purpose of support, which was expected. However, the situation truly changed thrice in one day. Just as the main force of the Tianma Fleet let a small Green Skin detachment slip by and was preparing to rendezvous with the Yunluo Fleet at several positions they provided for their regrouping, news came once more: The Greenskins pursuing the Yunluo Fleet were faster than expected. Forced to change course, the Yunluo Fleet couldn¡¯t stick to the planned locations, and had to keep fleeing southwest, almost spilling out of Golden Pass into the southwest, toward the Curse Bone Star District. At this point, the position of the Tianma Fleet suddenly became awkward. If you¡¯re running, what should I do? After picking up a few of the Yunluo Fleet¡¯s smaller ships, and receiving this abrupt news, the Tianma Fleet had encountered a small-scale Green Skin pursuit fleet, beaten them, and didn¡¯t dare pursue to expand their victory, only to retreat dejectedly. During their retreat, naval leaders were on tenterhooks. Geographically speaking, their position was even more perilous than the Yunluo¡¯s. However, there was good news. The main forces of the Iron Tooth Orcs were not fixated on them, but continued their relentless chase after the Yunluo Fleet, spreading the war further west and south. As for the Tianma Fleet¡¯s direction of retreat, it was toward the southeastern part of the Golden Pass Star Sector, heading for the Eagle Horse Star Sector, a different route. Yet, even so, they were caught up just as they entered the Eagle Horse Star Sector. That was at Steel Wing Star. Steel Wing Star can be considered the most important location in the Eagle Horse Star Sector in this war, a major thoroughfare with connections in all directions. To the south lies the interior of the Eagle Horse Star Sector, and just a bit further southeast, you enter the Fatches Star System within the Tianma Star Sector. That¡¯s the core area of ¡®Seven Horse Territory.¡¯ If you head northeast, it borders with the Mist Horse Star District. The Mist Horse Star District¡¯s days ahead are likely to be difficult, as it borders with the Copper Barrier Star District, another area adjacent to the fallen territory. However, the present situation in the Copper Barrier Star District is not the focus of the conflict and is comparatively betteraEUR¡±if the latest intel update is correct. West-northwest from Steel Wing Star, one enters the Golden Pass Star Sector. In an era long before, Steel Wing Star could almost be considered a strategic stronghold, the focus of several surrounding Star Sectors with complete defensive fortificationsaEUR¡±it could even have been called a fortress world. However, as peace mostly reigned in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and the Eastern Cosmos Domain became unified, Steel Wing Star lost many of its enemies and gradually its need to exist as a fortress world, thus transforming into a trade hub station. But a few decades ago, after the rise of the Iron-Tooth Clan, the chaotic circumstances in the vicinity caused a sharp drop in trade volume, leading to a decline. It wasn¡¯t until six years ago when war broke out again that the importance of Steel Wing Star was recognized once more; it became the rear base camp for the attack on the Golden Pass Star Sector and the pivotal station for the mobilization of resources and personnel. After retreating to Steel Wing Star, Yelisia stated in a military conference: ¡°We can¡¯t retreat any further.¡± Upon hearing Yelisia¡¯s words, no one spoke. Everyone was a bit flustered, looking rather lost. Tilermungs didn¡¯t speak either. Yelisia was sitting in the conference room of Quintet, looking at the virtual images of her colleagues, and sighed, saying, ¡°If we retreat any further, we will have nowhere to retreat to. Are we going to retreat all the way back to the Tianma Star Sector? Without our defense, Eagle Horse will definitely fall completely, and no space force can contend with the Iron-teeth Greenskins. When that time comes, those Green Skins will still chase us into the Tianma Star Sector, and we will not be able to avoid this war.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to stay at Steel Wing Star. There is no other planet more suitable for defense than Steel Wing Star from here on out.¡± ¡°By staying here, we can also request that the Eagle Horse Star Sector mobilize all available forces. The Tianma Star Sector will also give us full support. On the contrary, if we retreat to Tianma, then we only have the human and material resources of the Tianma Star Sector at our disposal.¡± Under Yelisia¡¯s analysis, the minds of the others roughly settled down. Considering her words, they had to admit she was right. Defending Steel Wing Star, at least there was a way to retreat. Even if they really couldn¡¯t beat the Green Skin Fleet in a space battle, by hiding under the protection of the firepower platforms, armed space stations, and Star Fortresses of Steel Wing Star, self-preservation was certainly ensured. Also, because of the defensive facilities and forces on the surface of Steel Wing Star, it would not be easy for the Green Skins to take down the planet through a ground assault. All things considered, this really was the most suitable place for defense. But the ultimate question was¡­ would Mr. wuxiaworld.site Gu from the Alliance agree to send people and exert effort to help defend, instead of retreating to Tianma Star Sector? Yelisia saw the virtual images of her colleagues looking towards her, and she also sighed with a bitter smile: ¡°I will talk to him.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s decide on that,¡± Tilermungs made the final decision. ¡­ ¡°No problem, I support your decision.¡± After listening to Yelisia¡¯s explanation, Gu Hang agreed almost without thinking, Yelisia breathed a huge sigh of relief. Truth be told, such matters would be quite difficult for an average imperial official to accept. Everyone knows the principle of mutual dependence, but why does it have to be my turn to provide warmth to others when I¡¯m not the one in the cold? Why can¡¯t you warm me when I am cold? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But fortunately, Gu Hang was not such a person. As she was thinking this, Gu Hang went a step further and said, ¡°The Alliance will not only support the battle at Steel Wing Star, but I will personally lead the troops there. The Alliance Navy, Alliance Land Forces, Phoenix Battle Group, Third Group Army of the Dragonhawk Legion, and the Rage Bear Legion will all take part in this war!¡± aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡± Wow! Thank you to big brother [Pioneer Axe] for the alliance leader reward once again!!! We¡¯re now at 74k¡­. Chapter 738 - Chapter 738 Chapter 413, Overall Warfare Chapter 738: Chapter 413, Overall Warfare Chapter 738: Chapter 413, Overall Warfare Gu Hang accepted the invitation to join the war and was willing to personally lead the Alliance¡¯s troops to participate in the war at the Eagle Horse Star Sector. The factor concerning Yelisia certainly played a part, but it was not decisive. The main reason was that the enemy had already reached their doorstep, and this was a battle that had to be fought. In the past, Gu Hang had reservations about the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government¡¯s war strategy against the Iron-Tooth Clan. He felt that if the situation here hadn¡¯t been resolved in decades, and had been dragged out to this day, it would eventually blow up. However, it blew up a bit too suddenly, catching everyone off guard. After all, not long ago, the Star Domain Government had just declared victory in the war, boasting significant gains. But now, everything seemed on the verge of collapse. In comparison, the current strength of the Alliance was somewhat insufficient to deal with a disaster that could threaten the entire Star Domain. To cover the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain, he didn¡¯t have the ability for the time being. Regarding the current situation in the Star Domain, Gu Hang had to admit that he was deeply concerned. But this didn¡¯t prevent him from making the right decision. Even though he had already decided to join the war, it wasn¡¯t time to dispatch troops immediately. The situation in the Eagle Horse Star Sector was difficult, but no matter how difficult, if Gu Hang rushed there in haste, there would be no good outcome. Instead of easing the situation, he might end up sacrificing himself, leading to an even greater catastrophe. Gu Hang recognized that fighting the Green Skin Orcs should not fan the flames; that would only cause the fire to burn more fiercely. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have enough power to quell the Iron Tooth Orcs in one fell swoop. But precisely because of this, the Alliance had to gather strength as much as possible. Only by clenching their fists tightly could they amass the power necessary to change the course of events. The Alliance¡¯s war machine had been set into motion since Gu Hang received the report about Yelisia¡¯s situation. The Tianma Fleet¡¯s branch divisions within the Star Sector received orders from General Tilermungs, demanding that Du Shiliang lead all ships to the Eagle Horse Star Sector immediately. But Gu Hang intercepted them. Gu Hang requested that Du Shiliang and the two cruisers, as well as several other ships he was currently commanding, act in concert with the Alliance¡¯s forces. With the Northern Fleet annihilated, the Yunluo Fleet in disarray, and the main force of the Tianma Fleet shivering in fear, what impact on the battle could Du Shiliang have with just two cruisers? Obviously none. It was better to go with the Alliance¡¯s forces than to rush there on his own. If something happened on the way, that would be truly regrettable. Du Shiliang hesitated over this. Over the past few years, his cooperation with the Alliance had been fairly comfortable. He had grown accustomed to following Gu Hang¡¯s ¡®suggestions.¡¯ But this time, while he thought Gu Hang¡¯s suggestion made sense, it clearly contradicted the orders from his superiors. In the decisive moment, it was Gu Hang who managed to engage General Fufana to work on Du Shiliang¡¯s mindset; on the other hand, after learning about Gu Hang¡¯s intentions, Yelisia also placed full trust in him. Yelisia¡¯s choice to trust Gu Hang was not because he was using various excuses to conserve strength and avoid battle. She believed he genuinely had a plan. Therefore, she personally approached General Tilermungs to persuade him, leading to the retraction of his previous orders. Additionally, the Alliance Navy was actively preparing for war. Aside from the existing fleets finishing their assembly and acting in unison with Du Shiliang, the two major shipyards on Rage Owl Star and Flying Wing Star were rapidly taking stock of their current shipbuilding dock operations. Firstly, all staff holidays were canceled, and they went to work overtime in the factory, with a corresponding increase in worker benefits and ¡®overtime allowances;¡¯ at the same time, political and ideological efforts were intensified, with the Alliance¡¯s propaganda department fully engaged in creating an atmosphere of an impending war, proclaiming the navy¡¯s importance and declaring this a key moment that would determine everyone¡¯s fate. All Alliance citizens were called upon to grit their teeth and weather the crisis. For this, the Alliance still wasn¡¯t satisfied. More factory technicians were drawn into the shipyards. Everything that could be solved with more manpower and resources was being addressed as much as possible. Across multiple planets, all industries related to shipbuilding followed similar strategies. Constructing naval ships wasn¡¯t an overnight task. The cruiser construction period at the Flying Wing Star Shipyard was four years per ship, with two docks. The previous ship delivery cycle had just passed, and the new cruiser project had only just begun construction. Even with various measures to accelerate construction, it would still take at least three and a half years, at the minimum, three years, to deliver the next two ships. However, smaller ships, such as destroyers and escort ships, were nearing the end of their construction cycles. These became the focus of accelerated efforts. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Within the shipyard, resources were allocated accordingly. Priority was given to putting all effort into those ships that were about to be completed. The goal was to increase the number of available ships in the shortest possible time. According to estimates, within a month, three additional destroyers and five additional escort ships would be available, not to mention the smaller patrol ships. Furthermore, another strategy being vigorously promoted by Gu Hang in conjunction with his mother was underway. Chapter 739 - Chapter 739 Chapter 413, Total War_2 Chapter 739: Chapter 413, Total War_2 Chapter 739: Chapter 413, Total War_2 The Alliance had no ships, and the Tianma Fleet had no ships left, and that was as much potential as could be mined. However, within the Tianma Star Sector, there was one family that did have a lot of ships: the Gu Commercial Firm. Most of the ships owned by the Gu Commercial Firm were civilian ships, namely transport ships and merchant ships. Those Flying Pig-Class, Whale-Class, and even the massive Belly-Class ships didn¡¯t really have any combat capabilities. But earlier on, the firm did have quite a number of armed merchant ships. The combat power of these armed merchant ships was definitely far from that of the regular navy ships of the same grade, but their quantity was not insignificant, which was an advantage. The navy department of the Alliance, in cooperation with the two major shipyards, quickly assessed the situation and came up with a proposal to further strengthen the armed merchant ships to meet the upcoming confrontation with the Green Skin Orcs. Really, there wasn¡¯t much to it: the basic characteristics of the armed merchant ships, such as structure, energy, and power, couldn¡¯t be altered too much. But if there was room, it was possible to install larger shields or cram in more cannons. Strengthening protection and firepower was the most basic increase in combat effectiveness. Although the cost was actually not low, and it seemed wasteful under normal circumstances, in a time of war, it obviously wasn¡¯t the time to consider cost-effectiveness. Under the extremely limited time frame, the Alliance had to muster as much power as possible. According to the latest estimates, counting the armed merchant ships that had been conscripted, as well as the subsidiary fleets of the Tianma Fleet, plus the Alliance Navy¡¯s own forces, and including the ships that would soon be completed swiftly¡­ all added up, in a month and a half, the Alliance would launch a space force with two hundred ships of various grades. Although the quality was somewhat lacking, with only two Musician-Class cruisers and about thirty destroyers as the backbone, having a grand total of two hundred ships was still something. If used properly, their effect would not be too bad. ¡­ On the land forces side, the Alliance couldn¡¯t possibly deploy all its troops. People had to be left on each planet. The Dragonhawk 3rd Corps and the Rage Bear Legion, totaling thirty million troops, definitely had to be mobilized; a large amount of combat power was called up from various planets, especially Korolya. The Alliance Land Forces would bring out eighty million troops for combat, which included a large number of the top-ranked teams within the Alliance Army to participate in the war. Besides the military troops¡¯ preparations, Gu Hang had also brought out a sum of grace points. There wasn¡¯t much point in hastily adding more troops. After all, if more troops needed to be sent, it wasn¡¯t a problem of manpower itself, but that the delivery capability was limited. However, in comparison, Gu Hang could improve the combat effectiveness of the troops being deployed. He didn¡¯t have enough grace points to significantly raise the level of the warriors to T4. A T4 grade soldier could only train ten people with 1 point of grace. On the vast scale of battle that was foreseeable, this small number of hands would have a relatively limited effect. But Gu Hang had another trick up his sleeve. Under his soldier card training function, there was a rarely used ability: bestowing the ¡®Beast Slayer¡¯ trait to soldiers who had completed T5 grade training. This was a trait that had special attack effects against the Green Skin Orcs; soldiers who possessed this trait would have a better understanding of the weaknesses of the Green Skin Orcs and master various techniques needed to confront this enemy. Although their overall strength levels were still at T5, with this specific trait, they would receive a significant boost when fighting the Green Skin Orcs, and if they couldn¡¯t reach T4 level, at least they could be considered at a T4.5 level. And the key was, it was much cheaper. 100 people/point, the same price as training T5 level soldiers, ten times cheaper than T4 level soldiers. Gu Hang had one hundred thousand grace points at hand, plus the brand new and still warm fourteen thousand that he had just received this month, a total of one hundred and forty thousand. He spent one hundred thousand of them, and directly created ten million soldiers with this trait from among those about to be dispatched. Compared to the naval forces of the Alliance, which were just starting out, the Alliance¡¯s land forces were a more reliable force. After all, the Alliance started out with the land forces. But as powerful as the Land Forces were, the deployment of the hundreds of millions of troops soon to enter combat was a major issue. Crossing the ocean in a bathtub was impossible, let alone the Star Sea. Fortunately, the Alliance had managed to cobble together more than two hundred warships. These ships were packed with members of the Alliance Army, and it wasn¡¯t about how many soldiers a warship could carry; the key issue was that the Green Skins really, really liked to engage in boarding combat during naval battles. Even putting aside the fighting capability of the conventional Navy Marine Corps, their sheer numbers were cause for concern. If enemies managed to breach the defenses during a battle and a few landing pods or landing ships got through, letting those Green Skins cause havoc aboard, even if it was only a few hundred or a few thousand of them, it would be an exceedingly troublesome affair. Having the Land Forces inside provided a much greater sense of security. And who says humans can¡¯t board enemy ships? However, if sea battles could be settled with sturdy ships and powerful guns, then it was best to do just that. For human troops, boarding was always a very last resort. Except for the Starfighter Battle Group. Aboard the main ships of the Navy, five hundred Phoenix warriors stood ready and waiting, potentially a key force in a critical moment. ¡­ These were roughly the military preparations. During this period, Gu Hang held one military meeting after another to discuss the major issues and directions of various matters. He couldn¡¯t possibly handle the specific details himself. The movement of hundreds of interstellar warships and hundreds of millions of troops wasn¡¯t something he could process with one brain. At times like this, he could only fully trust in the Alliance system he had helped build to withstand the test of this suddenly erupting full-scale war. But Gu Hang never forgot one thing: war was about politics, and even more so about economics. If they went to the Eagle Horse Star Sector and failed to win, or even suffered a crushing defeat and complete annihilation, followed by those Green Skin Orcs cutting a bloody swath all the way into the Tianma Star Sector, then there would be nothing more to say. At that point, all would be lost, and Gu Hang would have to figure out how to grab a bucket and run, then see if he could make a comeback from someplace else, and he would also need to find a way to cleanse himself of the stain. However, as long as it wasn¡¯t that scenario, if the war stalled to a stalemate to some extent, regardless of whether it was an advantage, disadvantage, or balanced situation, the rear would still need to provide a continuous flow of all the necessary materials for war. War was not just a matter for soldiers, but also for civilian administrators, workers, farmers, and in fact, for all 61 billion citizens of the Alliance. The meaning of total war, of general war, lay here: to wage war by mobilizing all the power of a political body! This was not a matter of a single battle. The military was only part of a total war, and though important, the maintenance of a wartime economy and continuous supply from the home front were even more crucial. wuxiaworld.site.co Could the Alliance afford to lose a hundred million troops, and then immediately field another hundred million? Could they afford to lose two hundred ships, ones that took years to build, and then instantly crank out dozens, perhaps a hundred more? If that were possible, then victory in the war would always be within reach. Not to mention, the margin for error would be greatly increased, and the range of military strategies that the troops could employ would be significantly expanded. That was essentially the demand Gu Hang made to Alliance Premier Osenia and the entire Alliance Government. As for his earlier demand to the Alliance Government for an annual GDP growth rate of more than 10%, that had been indefinitely shelved. They would revisit that when the war was over. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only For this reason, every bit of administrative power that the Alliance had established over the nine planets of the Tianma Star Sector was now mobilized in full service to the war effort. Gu Hang had signed the relevant documents, declaring that the Alliance had entered into a wartime system. A third-grade mobilization order had already been issued, and a second-grade mobilization order was on the way. A large number of civilian factories were converting to military production, and many people, if they couldn¡¯t join the military, were at least being pulled into industries related to the war. The atmosphere of war had descended upon everyone. Chapter 740 - Chapter 740 Chapter 414, Jump Point Naval Battle Chapter 740: Chapter 414, Jump Point Naval Battle Chapter 740: Chapter 414, Jump Point Naval Battle The Alliance¡¯s forces, no matter how much they needed to gather and prepare in advance, could not afford to delay for too long. If too much time passed and the Eagle Horse Star Sector fell into disrepair, the Alliance would have to fight to the death against those Green Skins on its own turf. It would be better to strike at Steel Wing Star instead. The departure date was set for forty-five standard Terra days after Gu Hang agreed to join the battle with Yelisia. This timeline made General Tilermungs and Admiral Yuan Chengchuan break out in sweat. The former goes without saying, but the latter, as the commander-in-chief of the united Defense Force of the Eagle Horse Star Sector, had just been awarded the military rank of Marshal of the Star Sector. This Marshal rank was an honorary title, or you could say, akin to a Planetary Defense Army Marshal, different from a Star Realm Army Marshal. Planetary military ranks, although recognized by the Empire, were only valid within the Planetary Defense Force and were unrecognized outside of the planet. Originally, Yuan Chengchuan was merely the military commander aboard Eagle Horse II at the Star Sector Capital. However, in these particular times, Ren Wanxia, the head of the Eagle Horse Star Sector, created the title of ¡®Marshal of the Star Sector¡¯ in order to consolidate the military power of the Star Sector to resist the invasion of the Green Skin Orcs, granting him the marshal rank for all planets within the Star Sector, to facilitate the integration of the entire Star Sector¡¯s Defense Forces. At present, on Steel Wing Star, General Tilermungs was the commander of the naval forces and generally regarded as the leader of the entire war zone; Yuan Chengchuan was his adjunct, primarily responsible for the overall command of the ground troops composed of the Planetary Defense Forces. Both men were under tremendous pressure, especially with the news from the Golden Pass Star SectoraEUR¡± one bad report after another, with no good news and a bunch of calls for help and reinforcement. But how could they help? They were simply incapable of providing assistance. At this moment, the entire Golden Pass Star Sector had fallen into the fires of war. It goes without saying that the space regions were a lost cause. With the Yunluo Fleet¡¯s retreat to the Curse Bone Star District, Tianma Fleet withdrawing to the Eagle Horse, and the fate of the Northern Fleet hanging by a thread, likely more misfortune than fortune, the Golden Pass Star Sector could essentially be considered abandoned. Of course, losing the space segments did not mean the war was over. The Orc fleets indeed deployed a significant number of troops for ground invasions on thirteen worlds of the Golden Pass Star Sector, but the Planetary Defense Forces on these planets were still resisting. Additionally, as the Golden Pass Star Sector had been on the front lines against the Green Skins for decades, its economic development surely had been hampered by the war. However, the persistent population transfer, military deployment, and conscription by the Star Domain Government meant that the Planetary Defense Forces¡¯ combat effectiveness on each world of the Golden Pass Star Sector was fiercer than most places. The Green Skins would find it no easy feat to conquer every single world so quickly. In fact, their chances of success might not even be that high. While the number of Iron Tooth Orc Tribes was terrifyingly vast, they also needed a huge number of troops to conduct simultaneous operations on thirteen worlds. The forces allocated to each planet might not be that substantial. Moreover, there might still be human military resistance on the surface of the four planets in the Silver Pass Sector. After all, the Dragonhawk Legion¡¯s first, second, sixth, and eighth Army Groups, totaling over two hundred million soldiers, were present on those four worlds. These were legitimate Star Realm forces, not so easily wiped out. Of course, orbital control is crucial in ground warfare. If one side completely loses the ability to control orbits, the threat from above becomes terrifying. Naval guns¡¯ strikes are unstoppable and devastatingly precise when aimed at ground targets. However, there are not entirely without countermeasures. wuxiaworld.site.co Digging extensive defense works, particularly underground fortifications, can effectively guard against heavy artillery bombardment. If people take cover and are struck directly by naval guns, their fate is sealed, and even twenty meters underground might not suffice. But if they¡¯re not at the center of the detonation, the effectiveness of shelters and bunkers can be tremendous, and on the edge of the blast, what would be certain death above ground might result in no harm whatsoever. Furthermore, by deploying forces separately and avoiding overly congested defensive lines¡­ ¡­ the damage caused by orbital bombardments can be significantly reduced. However, adopting such a defensive posture essentially rules out any offensive operations. To attack, you need to gather forces; once you gather, it¡¯s easy to be spotted; being spotted means one blast from above, and it¡¯s all over. But with defense alone, the pressure becomes much less. Admittedly, with the cover of orbital fire, the enemy¡¯s offensives are often overwhelmingly successful, but if the defenders grit their teeth and hold firm, they can still drag out the conflict. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Although they may not avoid a defeat in the end, prolonging the battle for a few months, a year or two, even five or six years, is not uncommon. The most critical point is, this is not a civil war. When fighting against a hostile species like the Green Skins, no matter how low the morale of the soldiers, no matter how desolate they feel, there may be desertions or a reluctance to fight, but there will never be surrender. Orcs don¡¯t accept surrenders, they only wish to fight and kill. Surrendering means death, the only difference being whether it¡¯s a mass slaughter or being tortured to death within a month as a slave; better to fight with all one¡¯s might and take a bite out of the enemy when death comes. Chapter 741 - Chapter 741 Chapter 414, Jump Point Naval Battle_2 Chapter 741: Chapter 414, Jump Point Naval Battle_2 Chapter 741: Chapter 414, Jump Point Naval Battle_2 Moreover, what people found most strange was that when those Green Skin Orcs launched their ground assaults, they barely used orbital firepower. All calls for help mentioned this detail: although the orcs came in great numbers and their offensive was fierce, catching them off guard and leading to heavy losses, they indeed suffered very few orbital bombardments. Even on the planets of the Golden Pass Star Sector, most of the orbital defense firepower remained intact; some starports hadn¡¯t even been overrun. Why was that? It certainly wasn¡¯t likely that the Green Skin Orcs were showing mercy. Green Skin Orcs don¡¯t know the meaning of ¡°mercy.¡± So where did the enormous fleet of orcs go? The answer to this was also quite evident. Either the Northern Fleet hadn¡¯t been completely wiped out, and even though they had lost contact, perhaps they were still somewhere tying up a large number of the orc ships; or another part of the orc fleet was chasing the Yunluo Fleet, heading deeper into the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Of course, there was also the possibility that a considerable part of the fleet was on its way to the Eagle Horse Star Sector. In such a case, could they hold out on Steel Wing Star for forty-five days? Moreover, the forty-five days mentioned by Gu Hang was only the time it took for the main forces of the Alliance to depart. Even if they were to assemble from the nearest Fatches Star System and set off, it would take five jumps through the Star Realm Tunnels to reach Steel Wing Star, at least half a month¡¯s journey. Waiting for the arrival of the main forces of the Alliance could well mean a wait of up to sixty days. However, after having an in-person exchange with Gu Hang, Gu Hang¡¯s quite calm demeanor made him accept the reality: this was indeed the most extreme limit for the Alliance to mobilize all its forces and issue a mobilization order before departing. They couldn¡¯t expect the Alliance to come over immediately; such a deployment of ships would pose problems, and bringing just one hundred million ground troops wouldn¡¯t suffice without a series of heavy equipment, in addition to untold amounts of ammunition, bullets, food, and other supplies all needed. After all, the troops were being sent to fight a war, not to be sent to their deaths. And Gu Hang was indeed very sincere. The first advance fleet had already departed. This fleet consisted of twenty transport ships, accompanied by a part of the armed merchant escort fleet. They primarily transported various types of weapons, ammunition, food, and the like, enhancing the reserves on Steel Wing Star in terms of materials and preparing for the arrival of the main force. Among these ships, the most important thing for the Tianma Fleet was the technical crew that came with the ships, as well as some vital ship components. The Tianma Fleet was in desperate need of these. After all, they had been through six years of war. Although there had been some basic maintenance in the Golden Pass Star Sector during that time, the damage to ships and parts from such prolonged combat was inevitable. The arrival of a group of professional technicians would allow for the replacement of severely worn parts, and the entire fleet¡¯s condition would see a significant improvement. Looking at these technicians, Tilermungs even recognized some familiar faces. These were some of the old technicians from the Flying Wing Star Shipyard. This made him realize that Gu Hang was indeed very sincere, as well as strategic and rational in doing the right thing. But even so, it didn¡¯t alleviate his deep concern. According to intelligence reconnaissance, his earlier guess had largely come true: the Green Skin Fleet did not provide cover for their ground troops during the attack but continued to amass forces, spreading the flames of war throughout the Dragonhawk Star Domain. A Green Skin Fleet had already reached the Temir Star System of the Golden Pass Star Sector. Within this star system, there were three Imperial planets. The Green Skin Fleet conducted a bombing spree, destroying some of the orbital defense systems, deployed batches of Green Skin legions, and then moved on. Their next target was the Eagle Horse Star Sector. The Temir Star System¡¯s Star Realm Tunnel directly connected to Steel Wing Star. This meant that Tilermungs¡¯ long-awaited opponent had finally arrived. Upon learning that a Green Skin Fleet was traveling from the Temir Star System in the Golden Pass Star Sector to Steel Wing Star, he initiated the strategy he had already envisioned: the main force of the Tianma Fleet rushed to the system¡¯s jump point to await the approaching enemy. The two sides collided at the jump point, as was expected. The Tianma Fleet intended to ambush them here, and the Green Skin Orcs could actually predict this. Although these beings appear reckless, warlike, impulsive, and seemingly simple-minded with a penchant for relentless action, they are in fact quite cunning and cruel enemies endowed with significant battle wisdom. Ambushing them without difficulty was a tough task. That¡¯s why it was a battle that was anticipated, and it was brief yet fierce. Highly experienced, Tilermungs had roughly predicted where the Green Skin¡¯s junk ships would appear, down to the minute and second, before they even materialized. The prep fire was already amassing, waiting to unleash a barrage of intense firepower on the Green Skin ships the moment they came into view. The first wave of Green Skin Ships to jump in was large in number. They had expected the Human Fleet to intercept them here, immediately deploying dark green energy shields and preparing to fire as they emerged. However, the heavy artillery of the humans gave these rampaging Green Skins a hard hit on the head. Under focus fire, a large number of Green Skin Ships were destroyed as their energy shields couldn¡¯t ramp up to full power quickly enough. Then, amidst the exchange of fire, the Green Skin Fleet, having just completed the jump, even if they had been preparing their firepower as quickly as possible, was still slightly lacking in their counter-attack. The key was that their ships were still moving at the speed they had before the jump, a velocity difference that Tilermungs exploited. The Green Skin Fleet burst out as soon as they appeared, but the Tianma Fleet grazed past them at an oblique angle and started circling around the Green Skins. This caused much of the Green Skins¡¯ firepower to miss, giving the Human Fleet some advantage. After a dozen rounds of exchange, at least fifteen Green Skin Ships of various classes had been reduced to space junk while, by comparison, the Human Fleet emerged virtually unscathed, only losing an Escort Ship. There was no doubt this was a victory. Then, the Human Fleet immediately retreated. Before the battle, Tilermungs hadn¡¯t entirely dismissed the fantasy: if this wave of the Green Skin Fleet was not too numerous or powerful, and if they responded poorly, the humans might be able to secure significant victories at the outset, perhaps even attempting to completely annihilate the invading enemy right there. If they could achieve a decisive victory, even if the Iron-Tooth Clan still had many ships, at least it would significantly reduce the pressure and push back the arrival of the Green Skin tide. But alas, fantasies are just that, fantasies. The number of Green Skin Ships coming through the jump point swelled and quickly exceeded three hundred, with clearly more to come. Although the quality of the individual ships in the Tianma Fleet was much superior to the Green Skin junk ships, their numbers barely reached a hundred. The gap in strength between the two sides was still evident. If it came to a real fight, leveraging the initial advantage, they might achieve good results in the early stages of the battle, but it was clear they couldn¡¯t achieve a rapid annihilation. As time dragged on and the Green Skin Ships made their adjustments, that advantage would gradually fade, and the struggle would come down to brute force. By then, the Tianma Fleet¡¯s chances of victory would, at best, be around thirty percent. .Co While the enemy in sight was no doubt part of the main Green Skin Fleet, and winning would certainly be a major victory¡­ To risk the entire Tianma Fleet on a thirty percent chance¡­ Forget it. Tilermungs wasn¡¯t that reckless. After gaining the advantage of fifteen ships, it was time to make a quick exit and retreat to Steel Wing Star. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only There, a complete orbital system awaited, with the ground equipped with numerous Anti-Orbit Cannons, making it a more suitable place for a decisive battle. aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡± Today, I went back to my hometown for the New Year¡¯s celebrations and then back to my own house. By the time I got home, it was already very late¡­ I¡¯ll try to make up for it with more updates tomorrow! Owing so many updates, if I don¡¯t start making them up soon, I¡¯m afraid I might end up repaying them all the way into June¡­ Chapter 742 - Chapter 742 Chapter 415 Steel Wing Star Battle Meeting Chapter 742: Chapter 415: Steel Wing Star Battle Meeting Chapter 742: Chapter 415: Steel Wing Star Battle Meeting Gu Hang had always been closely monitoring the situation on Steel Wing Star. The choices made by Tilermungs in the battle at the jump point were, of course, correct, and he fully supported them. What he feared most was that a general in one of the regional armies would have their own ideas and then create a major upheaval. wuxiaworld.site.co To stake the outcome of an entire campaign on a tactic with only a thirty percent chance of success was absolutely unacceptable. Playing it safe was better than anything else. Subsequently, the humiliated Green Skin Orcs were not willing to give up. They pursued the fleeing Tianma Fleet all the way to Steel Wing Star. By that time, the main force of the Tianma Fleet had already been positioned. The Green Skins, not caring for tactics, launched a fierce and furious attack. And truth be told, such an aggressive stance did indeed bring great pressure. Steel Wing Star had not experienced war for many years, and much of the war equipment had only been recently reactivated, causing some initial chaos. But ultimately, after getting through the initial period of adjustment, they still demonstrated the advantages of a complete planetary defense system, stubbornly repelling the Green Skin Fleet¡¯s attack and even inflicting significant casualties. During that month-long battle, the Green Skin Fleet continuously lost thirty to forty warships, but their gains were limited to destroying some armed space stations and fire platforms. The most important Star Fortress and Starport remained standing. The main force of the Tianma Fleet was preserved, with only three ships lost. If they could keep trading at such a ratio, it was a deal they could take a hundred times over. No matter how numerous the Green Skin Fleet was, they could not sustain this rate of attrition. They soon slowed their offensive. However, during this process, the Iron-Tooth Clan played another card: a massive number of Green Skin Orcs, using landing pods, descended to the planet¡¯s surface. Forcing a landing on a well-defended planet like Steel Wing Star came at a considerable cost. More than half of the landing pods were intercepted and destroyed during descent. Yet, the planet was so large that compared to the entire world, even a space city-like Starport was a minor detail. The Green Skin Fleet could always stage a feint in one area to draw attention, then send other ships to less fortified areas to deploy ground troops. Even if only half made it through, millions of fearless Orcs landed on the ground. This was exactly what Tilermungs feared most. If the Iron Tooth Orcs only had an abundance of ships, that would still be manageable. They could rely on the planet¡¯s defensive system, coupled with the Tianma Fleet, which was far from defenseless. Who would be afraid then? It was the vast scale of the ground attack that was worrisome. When the regular Star Realm Armed Forces battled the Iron Tooth Orcs on the ground, even they struggled significantly, let alone now, when Steel Wing Star¡¯s main ground forces were the Planetary Defense Army. Though numerous, counting over a billion, and of high quality within the Eagle Horse Star Sector, Tilermungs still could not fully trust their capabilities. The outcome of the ground battle was critical to the space battle. Once a large area of the planetary surface fell, the strategically deployed Anti-Orbit Cannons would be gone. Without the protection of the Anti-Orbit Cannons, the Starport and Star Fortress would be endangered. If these two essential structures were destroyed, Steel Wing Star¡¯s orbital defense system would collapse completely. Then the Tianma Fleet would have to flee again. And there was no guarantee they could escape. At this point, they were, in a sense, trapped at Steel Wing Star. To prevent the worst-case scenario from occurring, Tilermungs reallocated several ships away from the struggle against the Green Skin Fleet to support the ground battle instead. But the Green Skins had countermeasures as well. Their ships would move into position during key ground battles and open fire on the surface. Although much of the firepower would be intercepted, it could still provide some support. Thus, the battle for Steel Wing Star began. The fighting was still extremely brutal. Now, Admiral Yuan Chengchuan was very grateful for the twenty ships of supplies previously sent by the alliance. Although the Eagle Horse Star Sector itself had been prepared with a significant stockpile of supplies gathered on Steel Wing Star before the preparation for war, once the battle truly began, it became apparent that there was never enough military supplies. Especially since, the supplies sent by the alliance were quality goods. There¡¯s no need to talk about the food and standard ammo, but the crucial items like the heavy explosive rifles, plasma guns, and high-performance thermite bombs were all quite reliable. Having one could fortify a sturdy fire position; a burst of gunfire or a couple of shots from a plasma gun could destroy a rampaging Orc War Truck or eliminate a killing machine. This could often save a position or spare dozens of lives. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Steel Wing Star¡¯s land mass accounted for 43% of the globe, mainly consisting of a single large continent situated in the eastern hemisphere. The scale of the ground combat quickly expanded to nearly the entire northern hemisphere. But human forces couldn¡¯t completely neglect the southern hemisphere. The Green Skins descended from drop pods, and from each ¡®meteorite¡¯ made of rock and metal, often thousands, if not millions, of Green Skins would emerge. As long as one landed, the impact site and the surrounding area would have to sound the alarm. Chapter 743 - Chapter 743 Chapter 415, Steel Wing Star Battle_2 Chapter 743: Chapter 415, Steel Wing Star Battle_2 Chapter 743: Chapter 415, Steel Wing Star Battle_2 Under such circumstances, human troops must be deployed for defense in all terrestrial regions of the entire planet. Even those desolate wildernesses that seem to hold no value mustn¡¯t be neglected. If a batch of Green Skins were to land in the wilderness and plant those Green Skin spores, and if they were to proliferate, the Green Skins wouldn¡¯t even need to bear the heavy casualties of transporting troops from the Golden Pass Star Sector; they wouldn¡¯t need to bother with airdrops anymore. They would quickly build their unique ecological system in the wilderness, starting with basic fungal plants, through all sorts of Skugg Beasts, to fart spirits, and even Green Skin youngsters¡­ They would keep emerging from the ground and soon become a calamity. If at present we are facing an enemy invasion, then if that step is reached, human troops will have to contend with a ¡®planetary cancer¡¯. It is best not to let this situation occur, or at the very least, to delay it as much as possible. In fact, the Green Skin Orcs really did make such an attempt. They dropped some airdrop pods onto the southern continent experimentally. This highlights the importance of maintaining vigilance across the entire planet. It is impossible to completely obliterate the Green Skin Orcs. On those hundreds of ships, there are plenty of Orc youngsters and fart spirits. Sometimes, halfway through a battle, a few Green Skin Ships would return to the Golden Pass Star Sector to bring back more troops. The most important objective for Yuan Chengchuan was to not lose anti-orbital capabilities; The second objective was to prevent the enemy from establishing a stable ecological cycle. If this trend was detected, even if it meant paying a not insignificant cost, or even calling for support from the busy Tianma Fleet, it was imperative to eradicate them resolutely. The third objective was to eliminate as much of the enemy¡¯s living force as possible. With this guiding principle, Steel Wing Star eventually stabilized after the initial chaos at the start of the war. The Green Skin Orcs were also quite committed to this ¡®interesting¡¯ war. They continued to exert force on the planet¡¯s surface, constantly pressuring the human orbital defense systems in space. The war began to reach a stalemate. And this was precisely the outcome Gu Hang had hoped to see. If Steel Wing Star could become a giant magnet that firmly captivated the enemy¡¯s attention and could also hold its ground, that would be for the best. At the moment, it seems that if the Green Skins don¡¯t send in large-scale reinforcements, it¡¯s not just about holding Steel Wing Star for two months; holding it for half a year, a year, is very hopeful indeed. .cO But soon, the Green Skins took some measures Gu Hang did not wish to see. While their main force was blocking Steel Wing Star, they split off a portion of their force. Arranged in groups of ten or twenty small junk ships, they moved towards the interior of the Eagle Horse Star Sector. This was unstoppable. If the enemy diverted a large force, then the Tianma Fleet was not dead; they could easily follow and concentrate their forces to eliminate the divided enemies. However, if it was merely a small-scale diversion like this, with the main force still converging on Steel Wing Star, then if the Tianma Fleet initiated a decisive battle now and left the cover of Steel Wing Star¡¯s orbital system, the chances of victory would still be low. They still had to hunker down and disregard those small-scale diversions. However, the significance of such small-scale diversions was not that great. A dozen small Green Skin junk ships might not even have the combat capability of an average human Escort Ship. Plus, with their thin hulls, they were unlikely to independently destroy a planet¡¯s Orbital Defense system. However, many worlds in the Eagle Horse Star Sector had Orbital Defense systems that were also average at best; there was little that could be done against these junk ships. These junk ships roamed around freely, bombing a planet here and dropping a bunch of airdrop pods, then moving to another Star System. Soon, the entire Eagle Horse Star Sector was engulfed in war. Within the Star Sector, twelve worlds, nearly every one of them, suffered Green Skin invasions to a varying degree of severity. Even the neighboring Mist Horse Star District to the north suffered. The Green Skin ships that slipped from Steel Wing Star into the Mist Horse Star Sector¡¯s Emerald Spring II Star System, as well as the Green Skins that invaded Emerald Spring I from the already war-torn Copper Barrier Star District, rapidly worsened the situation in the Mist Horse Star Sector. And this behavior of the Green Skins significantly disrupted the support level for the war effort among the various human worlds. Many planets, with their productive capacities destroyed and facing invasions, were forced to deal with immediate problems, reducing their contribution to the broader war effort. At the same time, the Iron-Tooth Clan¡¯s approach of scattering warfires everywhere also plunged multiple Star Sector borders into panic. These were certainly detrimental effects, but from another angle, as panic was exacerbated, a plan that Gu Hang was advancing became easier to push forward. With the entire alliance initiating a wartime regimen and racing against the clock to assemble forces in preparation for war, the alliance was also making extensive political efforts. The location of the Tianma Star Sector lies in the southeastern corner of the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain. This place also has another name, known as ¡®Seven Horse Territory¡¯. The reason for such a name is that this corner is surrounded by six other star sectors centered around Tianma: Eagle Horse, Mist Horse, Purple Horse, Border Horse, Cultivating Horse, and Iron Horse. Put together, they are known as the Seven Horse Territory. And Gu Hang was promoting the establishment of the ¡®Seven Horse Pact¡¯, a military defense alliance. In the face of the threat from the Green Skin Orcs, he hoped to establish a wartime mechanism that could integrate the powers of the other six star sectors. The pact should stipulate that each star sector would establish a unified military command system and a unified resource allocation mechanism under the Seven Horse Pact. Of course, the leader of the Seven Horse Pact would naturally be the Tianma Star Sector, that is, the alliance itself. The alliance would guarantee the military security of every covenant world. Gu Hang¡¯s envoy, having boarded accelerated voyagers, went to various places, carrying his letters, to discuss with the leaders and planetary governors of the major star sectors. The negotiation process for the Seven Horse Pact was not very smooth. Mr. Gu, aren¡¯t you just taking advantage of the war to expand that so-called alliance of yours? What¡¯s the real difference between signing this Seven Horse Pact and joining the alliance? Although, after signing the pact, the alliance will not continue to expand its system outward. However, the military would have to listen to the command of the Seven Horse Pact, the Planetary Defense Army would no longer be their own, and additionally, there is a financial expense to fully support the ¡®Pact Army¡¯. Providing personnel, providing resources¡­ Each of the planets naturally had significant doubts about this. The Imperial Tax is already a huge burden for each planet, and now you want us to pay a ¡®protection fee¡¯ to your alliance? Why should we? Because you cannot withstand the Green Skins¡¯ attacks by yourselves. Another important factor was the overall situation in the entire star domain. Not to mention the situation in the eastern part of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, it was the central and even the western parts where the Green Skin onslaught was truly raging. The pivotal battle at the Steel Wing Star would not account for the real main force of the Iron-Tooth Clan. In fact, the main force led by the Orc chieftain named ¡®Titus¡¯ followed the remnants of the Yunluo Fleet, bringing the battlefire deep into the core area of the Dragonhawk Star Domain. From the Golden Pass Star Sector to the Curse Bone Star District, and onto the Snow Eagle Star Sector and Rapid Eagle Star Sector, they were all fully swept by the Green Skin tide. The Yunluo Sector, where the capital of the Star Domain resides, and the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector wherein lies the only Foundry World aEUR¡± Jindi Star aEUR¡± of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, are likely the next targets of the Green Skin Orcs. In fact, the difficulty of interstellar communication with the capital of the star domain from the Seven Horse Territory has become exceedingly challenging due to the Green Skin tide. The Imperial Tax collection that was supposed to start has been forced to a haltaEUR¡±the Tax Fleet can¡¯t get through, the path is blocked by the Green Skins. In such a situation, Mr. Gu, the Planetary Governor, declared that he had been authorized by the Star Domain Government to take extraordinary measures in extraordinary times, even possessing the power to allocate this period¡¯s Imperial Tax. Many people were skeptical about this, unsure if it was true or false. But in times of uncertainty, there were those who made a bold decision. Ren Wanxia, the leader of the Eagle Horse Star Sector, announced first that he and all the planetary governors within his star sector would sign the ¡®Seven Horse Pact¡¯. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This set a good leading example. aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡± I slept all day yesterday, felt a bit better after taking antipyretics at night, and barely finished this chapter. I¡¯ll see if I have the energy to write another chapter tonight. Going back to sleep now. Below is a star map of the war zone. Chapter 744 - Chapter 744 Chapter 416, are you still going to collect the Imperial Tax Chapter 744: Chapter 416, are you still going to collect the Imperial Tax? Chapter 744: Chapter 416, are you still going to collect the Imperial Tax? Was Gu Hang using the war to expand the alliance¡¯s influence? Objectively speaking, yes; Subjectively, he did indeed have this idea. However, he felt no guilt about it. On this matter, he believed he was doing the ¡®right thing¡¯. Given the dire situation in the Cosmos Domain, and even the Yunluo Sector itself being hard to defend, the Seven Horse Territory could not count on external reinforcements for at least a short term. If the situation in the Star Domain deteriorated to a certain extent, the threat posed by the Iron-Tooth Clan would undoubtedly be greatly elevated by the Central Empire. By then, it might not just be the forces from the Eastern Cosmos Domain that would arrive, but the Central Empire might directly organize an expeditionary force to quell the disaster in the Dragonhawk Star Domain. However, that would require a long wait. Based on Gu Hang¡¯s understanding of the Empire¡¯s response speed, he was very pessimistic about the Empire being able to quickly assemble sufficient forces to suppress the threat as soon as it erupted. He believed that given the Empire¡¯s vast size and endless military strength, the Iron-Tooth Clan appeared to be a catastrophic disaster within the Star Sector and Star Domain, but for the Central Empire, the matter was not too grave. If the Central Empire so desired, they could quell the issue with a single slap. But similar disasters were always occurring in the thousands of Star Domains within the Empire¡¯s borders. By the time the Central Empire realized and assembled forces, the entire Star Domain might already have been devastated. Let alone the Central Government, Gu Hang was even uncertain about when the Eastern Cosmos Domain¡¯s reinforcements might arrive. By the time the support forces from the Cosmos Domain or the Central Government arrived, and if the Seven Horse Territory had already been ravaged, what significance would it have for Gu Hang? He did not seek to resolve the Iron-Tooth Clan issue by himselfaEUR¡±that would depend on the subsequent development of the war. However, defending his homeland and the achievements of his years of struggle meant that he had to integrate the forces of several nearby Star Sectors. Those with people contribute people, those with strength contribute strength; only in this way was it more likely to fend off the Green Skins. If the alliance¡¯s influence expanded in the process, that was just incidental. As for what Gu Hang told the leaders and governors of other Star Sectors, that he had been authorized by the Star Domain Government and had the power to allocate resources from surrounding Star Sectors to fight this war, he wasn¡¯t lying. He just hadn¡¯t told the whole truth. This matter originated from a communication Gu Hang had with Yunluo Star. Ever since the tide of Green Skin Orcs swept through the Star Domain, it had become very difficult to contact the Stellar Capital Yunluo Star from the eastern part of the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Ordinary Star Speakers just feel that the ¡®phone¡¯ couldn¡¯t get through, but Gu Hang¡¯s perception was clearer. When communicating using Star Language, he could distinctly sense that the subspace transmitting the information was churning unnaturally. wuxiaworld.site.Co Before his eyes was a frenzied green color, a very violent Spiritual Energy force stirring throughout the subspace. Was this the so-called waaagh? The term waaagh in Green Skin Orcs refers to many things, originally derived from their battle cry. They could waaagh in joy, waaagh in anger, and waaagh in sorrow¡­ oh, Green Skins might not feel sorrow. The Iron-Tooth Clan had launched a grand waaagh, and this waaagh energy spread throughout many Star Sectors along their campaign. As a result, subspace became more tumultuous and unpredictable, with a massive amount of Subspace Energy transforming into the green tide, making Star Language communication extremely difficult. With Gu Hang¡¯s capability, he had even previously managed to contact Holy Terra directly using an average Star Language Tower. Contacting Yunluo Star should have been easy. But now, it was difficult. The surging green tide energy in subspace had great malice towards other forms of energy. Breaking through the barriers and making contact elsewhere was indeed very difficult. For this reason, when Gu Hang finally got through with the Star Language communication and contacted Yunluo Star, the other side was also very surprised and immediately alerted many people. Several bigwigs from the Star Domain Government immediately pulled Gu Hang¡¯s communication into their own offices, and so began an unconventional meeting. Star Domain Head Tan Jiuyi, Minister of Internal Affairs Lois, Minister of Justice Xu Dechen, and General Michelle Oliqi, Supreme Commander of the Dragonhawk Legion, were all present. They were also eager to know the current situation in the Eastern Star Domain, which had been out of contact for two months. In fact, before making contact with Gu Hang, they had even braced for the worst, assuming the Eastern Star Domain had completely collapsed. Tan Jiuyi made it clear to Gu Hang, ¡°Your call is the only good news I¡¯ve heard recently.¡± Then, they exchanged information. The situation in the Eastern Star Domain was as such, with the focus on the battle at Steel Wing Star, where the fight was still ongoing, and Gu Hang would soon lead a team to fight in the Eagle Horse Star Sector. Meanwhile, the situation in the Central and Western Star Domain was even worse than in the East. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Dozens of Star Sectors were engulfed in war. Most of the Star Sectors had been rapidly invaded by the Iron-Tooth Clan. The Green Skin Orcs, like sowing seeds, scattered one Green Skin force after another onto various planets, engaging in combat with the local human armies and attempting to establish their own Green Skin ecosystems. But these could only be considered ¡®minor problems¡¯. The bigger issue was the Green Skin main force led by Great Chieftain Titus of the Iron Teeth. Chapter 745 - Chapter 745 Chapter 416, Are You Still Going to Collect the Imperial Tax_2 Chapter 745: Chapter 416, Are You Still Going to Collect the Imperial Tax?_2 Chapter 745: Chapter 416, Are You Still Going to Collect the Imperial Tax?_2 As it stands, they have about six hundred or more warships, with the largest being Titus¡¯ own flagship, which in terms of specifications, has already surpassed the flagship of the Yunluo Fleet, the ¡°Dragonhawk¡± Battleship Cruiser. Adding the over four hundred warships from the eastern part of the Star Domain, the Star Domain Government can¡¯t figure out how these Green Skins managed to accumulate so many ships within the four Star Sectors they initially occupied. If they were all junk ships, worthless ships, that would be one thing, but the key is that they have that extremely powerful flagship! Could it be that the Iron-Tooth Clan had been lying low over these past decades, biding their time for a big move? This doesn¡¯t seem to fit the character of the Green Skin Orcs at all! Previously, they didn¡¯t even have a unified chief to lead them; in a state of constant warfare against each other, there wouldn¡¯t have been enough warships to spare from the losses of their civil conflicts. How did they save up so many? The Star Domain Government still hasn¡¯t figured out the reason up to now. But this does not hinder their efforts to deal with the current crisis for the time being. The greatest effort made by the Star Domain Government was reaching a consensus with the Founding General of Jindi Star, a high-level leader of the Mingyang Sect. The two parties already had a fairly close cooperation; Jindi Star and Yunluo Sector were simply connected by a Star Realm Tunnel. They also hit it off when it came to the common goal of opposing the Green Skin Orcs. At the personal request of Tan Jiuyi, the Protection Army and Fleet of the Mingyang Sect set off. They engaged in a brief battle with the vanguard of the Green Skin Fleet. The Mingyang Sect really went all out, even sending out their lifeline of Jindi Star, a ¡°Mechanical Ark,¡± directly into battle. They defeated the vanguard of the Green Skin Fleet, lifting the embattled state of the Yunluo Fleet that was being pursued relentlessly. At last, the Yunluo Fleet was finally able to turn their ships around and gather their forces. Multiple scattered ship clusters were reassembled. After accounting, the size of the Yunluo Fleet had been reduced to around 30% of its original strength. Fortunately, the flagship ¡°Dragonhawk¡± Battleship Cruiser was still there, along with four other cruisers, and two light cruisers as well. Including the ¡°Mechanical Ark¡± from the Mingyang Sect, humanity¡¯s naval forces were finally rallying back together. But the pressure was still immense. The main forces under Titus had received the news. He personally led the main Green Skin Fleet and had already moved from the Curse Bone Star District to the Snow Eagle Star Sector. From the Snow Eagle Star Sector, there are two pathways, each leading to the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector where Jindi Star is located, and the Stellar Capital Yunluo Star Sector. Now, it¡¯s still unknown which terrible choice this wild beast will make. But either option is destined to lead to a fierce battle. The combined Protection Fleet of the Mingyang Sect and the Yunluo Fleet, totaling four hundred ships, are still probably not a match for the might of the main Green Skin Fleet. Tan Jiuyi posed a question to Gu Hang: Whether the Tianma Fleet and the combined naval forces of the alliance could possibly arrive at the Yunluo Sector soon to assist in the battle? He even ¡®considerately¡¯ thought out their route of advance for them. Coming directly from the route taken by the Iron-Tooth Clan was definitely unrealistic, but in the southernmost ring of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, the edge of the Iron-Tooth Clan¡¯s offensive had not reached. They could travel from the Cultivating Horse Star Sector to the Heigu Ridge. The Heigu Ridge Star Sector had traces of Green Skins, and several planets had been invaded, but the Green Skin Fleet¡¯s forces should be weak. As long as they fought their way through Heigu Ridge to the area of White Eagle and Fire Eagle, they could then directly reach the southern part of the Yunluo Star Sector and safely enter. Hearing this suggestion, Gu Hang suddenly increased the signal strength of the Interstellar Communication, revealing his face to these Star Domain officials. He maintained a polite smile on his face, not explicitly agreeing or disagreeing, and his gaze fixed intently on each person. It wasn¡¯t until Tan Jiuyi himself coughed lightly twice and awkwardly skipped over the topic that Gu Hang¡¯s stare ended. Such an outrageous proposal, who knew what the Star Domain Head was thinking. Did the pressure cause him to lose his mind? Lois quickly stepped in to smooth things over. ¡°General Tilermungs has done well, and holding Steel Wing Star would also be good. Gu Hang, you also must fully cooperate with the Tianma Fleet and support the defense actions of the Eagle Horse Star Sector. If you can attract as many enemies as possible in the Eastern Star Domain, that would be a significant achievement,¡± Lois said. Gu Hang was still smiling: ¡°Of course, I will do so. In fact, I have already pledged to personally lead my forces, along with the more than two hundred ships I¡¯ve gathered, as well as the billions of Land Forces warriors of the alliance, to Steel Wing Star to join the battle.¡± As he said this, he purposely skipped over the so-called ¡°cooperation.¡± Then, some of his demands further revealed his goals: ¡°However, defending the Eastern Star Domain and attracting the attention of the Iron-Tooth Clan as much as possible is not just the alliance¡¯s task but concerns the whole Star Domain. Right now, due to the invasion of the Green Skin Aliens, most of the Star Domain is engulfed in war, the Eastern and Western parts are cut off, making communication extremely difficult.¡± ¡°For this reason, I hope to gain more autonomy in the Eastern Star Domain,¡± he continued. ¡°For the many worlds and Star Sectors in the Eastern Star Domain, I want to establish a unified front against the Green Skins, sign a treaty, become integral with each other, and help one another. All Planetary Defense Forces, Planetary Governments, Star Sector Governments, and the ships owned by traders of all grades should operate under a unified command to fight against the Iron-Tooth Clan.¡± ¡°The Imperial Tax from the Eastern Star Domain has been cut off and cannot reach the Stellar Capital Yunluo Star, so I want to temporarily take over the role of the Star Territory Taxation Department in the Seven Horse Territory and all other occupied areas within the Star Domain to collect the Imperial Tax. All collected taxes will be entirely used for the war, and the accounts will be fully prepared, with no misappropriation,¡± he explained. After Gu Hang finished speaking, these high-ranking officials of the Star Domain Government fell silent. When Gu Hang first spoke about autonomy, they could still continue listening, but the latter two ¡°I want to¡±s were too excessive. A unified treaty¡­ Ambitious Gu Hang, was he finally planning to expand his alliance beyond the Tianma Star Sector? This was a sentiment that had always existed within the Star Domain Government. When the Space Domain Government inexplicably approved a multi-star political alliance, ¡®the alliance¡¯, many officials within the Star Domain Government were murmuring. After all, it wasn¡¯t without precedent, but it was somewhat extraordinary. As the alliance grew in size, eventually occupying the entire Tianma Star Sector, it was no longer murmurs but genuine vigilance. Many Star Domain officials made a detailed study of the history of the alliance¡¯s rise to power, believing that this tightly structured union should not expand any further; otherwise, it would affect the authority of the entire Star Domain, creating an intractable potential threat. However, over the years, the alliance had been very compliant. Now, taking advantage of the war, were they finally showing their fangs, ready to loot amidst the fire? Your so-called ¡°integral with each other, helping one another,¡± isn¡¯t that just a replica of your alliance? Gu Hang¡¯s intentions are well known to all! In normal times, this could not be agreed to. wuxiaworld.site Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But in these extraordinary times, Gu Hang¡¯s words made sense. The Star Domain Government here, with the help of the Sect of Mechanics, didn¡¯t even know if they could hold back the tide of Green Skins, let alone the loosely affiliated Star Sectors in the Eastern Star Domain. With communications cut off between the two sides, and only Gu Hang, a top Spiritual Energy practitioner, occasionally able to break through the barriers for Interstellar Communication, how could they fight without the Star Sectors of the Eastern Star Domain uniting under a strong leader? And if this so-called ¡°Seven Horse Treaty¡± could still be considered a special measure under special circumstances, the subsequent issue involving Imperial Tax was even more difficult to accept. What standing do you have to dare to speak of collecting Imperial Tax on behalf of the government? Chapter 746 - Chapter 746 Chapter 417, All Forces Attack! Chapter 746: Chapter 417, All Forces Attack! Chapter 746: Chapter 417, All Forces Attack! Compared to the Seven Horse Treaty, the collection of Imperial Tax is a far more sensitive matter! .c0 Indeed, the very authority of governments at all levels of the Empire finds its roots in the Imperial Tax. Why do they say that the Planetary Governor is a ¡®king of the soil,¡¯ the absolute ruler of the planet? It¡¯s because as long as the Imperial Tax is sufficiently paid, the Planetary Governor theoretically has unlimited power within the planet to do as they please. Naturally, in reality, due to differences in planetary strength and importance, Planetary Governors are always subject to various forms of supervision and appointments, but that¡¯s another story. Among the various levels of government, the Star Sector Government actually holds the least power. Their authority primarily centers on setting the Imperial Tax, assessing population numbers, and development levels of planets. They don¡¯t collect taxes themselves, and their operational revenue is theoretically supposed to come from higher-level allocations, but in reality it is shouldered by the local planets through tax offsets. This also means that if the head of a Star Sector possesses inadequate skills or fails to garner the support of most Planetary Governors, their authority can diminish exponentially. However, the Star Domain Government is an entirely different beast, being a formidable local government. The reason is that the Star Domain Government has established a complete Imperial administrative system. Beneath the Star Domain Government, the Department of Political Affairs, Department of Taxation, Legal Department, and Military Affairs Department are all present across the Star Domain. Typically, a unified command center for the Star Realm Army and naval forces is also established in the Star Domain. Although those four major government institutions still take orders from their higher counterparts, such as the corresponding institutions of the Space Domain Government, and the Star Realm Army and navy theoretically do not fall under local government jurisdiction but have their own chain of command, this complete structure, combined with the responsibility for tax collection throughout the entire Star Domain, endows them with power. Often, the Star Domain Government can retain 30% of the taxes they collect, with the remainder needed to be forwarded to the Space Domain Government; of which, another 20% will be retained by the Space Domain Government. This also means that the Space Domain Government, possessing a complete set of government institutions as well and retaining taxes with the direct power of personnel over its subordinate institutions, the Star Domain Governments, forms an even larger powerhouse. Of course, all these cannot compare to the Central Empire that takes 50% of the tax revenue. Now, Gu Hang is looking for more than just the military command of the Seven Horse Territory, he is even further requesting the right to collect Imperial Tax. Although currently, with the isolation between the east and west in the Star Domain, the Yunluo authorities couldn¡¯t collect taxes from the east anyway, this is a precedent that absolutely cannot be set! Once set, what will be done in the future? If this Iron-Tooth Clan war ended quickly, then it¡¯s still manageable, and the Star Domain Government could find a way to terminate the temporary strategies of the ¡®Seven Horse Treaty¡¯ and ¡®collection of Imperial Tax.¡¯ But if the war dragged on for ten or even twenty years, then, the whole Eastern Star Domain might only recognize the alliance, not the Dragonhawk. The first to jump out in opposition, unexpectedly but also not unexpectedly, was Nell Lavis, the Chief Administrator who ¡®promoted¡¯ Gu Hang and has been a supporter of Gu Hang all along. Her voice trembled slightly as she coldly said, ¡°Gu Hang, you are dreaming! How could the Star Domain Government possibly agree to your collection of Imperial Tax? You are challenging the entire Empire¡¯s legal system and order!¡± Gu Hang¡¯s smile remained on his face, but the sharpness in his eyes was like a blade pointing straight at Lois¡¯s heart. ¡°Chief Administrator Lois, I don¡¯t understand what you mean by ¡®challenging the Empire¡¯s laws and order.¡¯ However, please consider our current situation. The Green Skin Orcs of the Iron-Tooth Clan have been ravaging the entire Star Domain. If I don¡¯t collect these taxes, who will? Should we leave it for those Green Skin Aliens to collect? Would you rather those bullets that should be shot at Aliens, after being seized by the Green Skins, be turned to hit the Empire¡¯s soldiers? My proposal is to concentrate resources to the utmost to win this war.¡± Lois started to speak, but at this moment Xu Dechen, the head of the Legal Department, suddenly spoke up: ¡°I support Gu Hang¡¯s proposal. In these extraordinary times, we need extraordinary means. The alliance¡¯s influence and capability in the Eastern Star Domain is currently the only choice. Everything he¡¯s said makes sense, and I also believe in Mr. Gu¡¯s loyalty.¡± Xu Dechen¡¯s support left Lois incredibly incredulous. Her gaze almost immediately shot toward Xu Dechen. What is this Chief of the Legal Department trying to do? In the past, the ¡®Parliamentary Faction¡¯ Xu Dechen represented was not on good terms with Gu Hang. On the contrary, she was Gu Hang¡¯s supporter. If she is opposing him, then why is Xu Dechen showing such support? After a moment¡¯s thought, she immediately said, ¡°Currently, the Eastern Star Domain and Yunluo Star have not completely lost contact. Gu Hang, the alliance should operate under the unified leadership of the Star Domain Government to support this war. This isn¡¯t the time to¡­¡± ¡°Enough, Chief Administrator Lois, you know full well the reasons Mr. Gu has cited,¡± Xu Dechen interrupted, ¡°If we could act under the unified leadership of the Star Domain Government, that would naturally be the best. Aren¡¯t we talking about a ¡®what if¡¯ scenario here? We have to prepare for the worst. In the event we lose contact between the two sides of the Star Domain, isn¡¯t allowing Mr. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu to act independently the best option?¡± ¡°Above all, our prime objective is to win the war. Survival is our first concern, everything else can be deferred, isn¡¯t that the principle?¡± Lois fell silent. Tan Jiuyi let out a sigh. He did not concern himself with the words exchanged between his two subordinates, but instead spoke seriously to Gu Hang, ¡°I cannot accept your terms. Regardless of my wishes, I don¡¯t have the authority to agree to such a significant request.¡± Chapter 747 - Chapter 747 Chapter 417, All Forces Attack!_2 Chapter 747: Chapter 417, All Forces Attack!_2 Chapter 747: Chapter 417, All Forces Attack!_2 Hearing this veiled refusal, Gu Hang¡¯s expression remained unchanged. He said softly, ¡°I regret this, but, Mr. Tan, as well as General Lois and General Xu, please realize one thing: this is not a request but an announcement. If it comes to the point where we cannot achieve victory without doing this, I will still do it. I cannot stand by impassively when everything I have is on the verge of being destroyed. wuxiaworld.site.cO Not a single governor in the Eastern Star Domain, nor any imperial official or even the imperial citizens, will sit back and wait for death.¡± After a pause, Gu Hang continued, ¡°I also believe that, after the war is over, the Empire will judge my actions fairly and decide their true nature.¡± ¡°Gu Hang! You are being too presumptuous!¡± Lois responded furiously. Tan Jiuyi gestured for Lois to refrain from speaking further, and then said, ¡°Do whatever you want to do; the Star Domain Government will not hinder your actions, but it will not acknowledge or agree with them either. That is all, personally, I still hope you can hold up half the sky in the Eastern Star Domain.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mr. Chairman.¡± The call ended there. Gu Hang¡¯s message had already vanished from the Star Language channel. Meanwhile, the various high-ranking officials of the Dragonhawk Star Domain were still in the channel. They were silent for quite a while, even Lois, who had been the most emotional before, was now silent. They all needed time to digest a fact: The actual person in charge of the Eastern Star Domain, for the time being, was Gu Hang. Clearly, when it came to affairs in the Eastern Star Domain, the Star Domain Government no longer had a say; they couldn¡¯t stop Gu Hang from doing anything. Even thinking about settling scores after the autumn, that would have to wait until autumn comes. And, could they really settle the score with Gu Hang after the autumn? That was far from certain. Chances are, he might become a war hero again. But Lois was still in a rather foul mood. In the past, she saw Gu Hang as one of her own, someone she had supported, a trusted confidant who provided strong support in the local government. But now, it seemed that Gu Hang had his own thoughts. A confidant? Forget about it. She had the feeling that Gu Hang was out of control. She found this hard to accept. She couldn¡¯t help but say to Xu Dechen, ¡°Do you realize what you just said? You¡¯re fuelling Gu Hang¡¯s ambition!¡± Lois was referring to the moment when Gu Hang first started expressing his outrageous ideas, she opposed them, yet Xu Dechen had said some supportive words. However, Xu Dechen remained unfazed, ¡°General Lois, do you remember who was the one who strongly supported Gu Hang¡¯s rise to power at the beginning? It was you. If you now think the Alliance is a problem, then perhaps the root of this problem should start with you.¡± For a moment, Lois was at a loss for words. Even in her mind, a rather unsettling thought arose: Was Xu Dechen setting a trap for her? Gu Hang carried her mark indelibly, and was Xu Dechen trying to push him in the direction of rampant ambition and then drag her down as well? Tan Jiuyi remained silent all the while. What he hoped most, of course, was that Gu Hang would lead his forces to the Western Front and let go of the East. But he knew that was impossible. So, as a next best, Gu Hang drawing the Green Skins¡¯ attention in the East as much as possible wasn¡¯t a bad thing either. Under this goal, the bigger a commotion he made, the better. As for the Seven Horse Treaty, the collection of Imperial Tax, or even if Gu Hang really used the Seven Horse Treaty to annex multiple star sectors into his so-called alliance, those were not his responsibility. The person Lois had promoted was Gu Hang, the alliance was established with the impetus of Galaraldo, and there were also signatures from Zuo Zhaofeng and Wang Suan, the two current and former Cosmos Domain presidents aEUR¡± none of it could be blamed on me, Tan Jiuyi, right? ¡­ As for the thoughts of the Star Domain bureaucrats, Lois, Xu Dechen, and Tan Jiuyi, Gu Hang could more or less grasp them. But to be honest, he didn¡¯t care. Just as he had said before, no matter what those star domain bureaucrats thought, the things he needed to do, would always be carried out. Those people, their minds were too complex, thinking too much. For Gu Hang, winning the war came before everything else. If he won, he had many ways to make all his actions, right or wrong, eventually seem right; if he lost, even if he adhered to all the rules, in the end, all the blame would fall on him. Now that he had received the Star Domain Government¡¯s ¡®permission¡¯, Gu Hang began even more brazenly to peddle his Seven Horse Covenant. Negotiations with the other five horses continued, and as for the Eagle Horse Star Sector, which had already agreed and even signed, Gu Hang provided clear feedback. The time agreed with the Tilermungs was also nearly upon them. The Alliance Army, having completed its war preparations as planned, finally reached the moment of departure. Over two hundred warships, an equal number of transport ships, 110 million from the Star Realm Army, the Alliance Army, along with an astronomically high number of war supplies, the Alliance¡¯s forces set out. For the Alliance, assembling such a military force undoubtedly meant going all-in with their entire stake. Under Gu Hang¡¯s leadership, the Alliance¡¯s ability to regenerate was quite formidable. Even if this army was completely wiped out, without a single survivor, the Alliance could amass a force no less than the current oneaEUR¡±possibly a slightly smaller navy and fewer transport ships, but still sufficient and roughly of the same caliberaEUR¡±if given about four years. But the issue was, if this all-in gamble failed, whether the Iron Tooth Orcs would give Gu Hang four years to rebuild, which was a big question. As for the future, that was to be discussed later. At least, Gu Hang¡¯s current priority was to fight the battle at hand well. Total war, although the support from the rear was most crucial, did not mean that the military aspect was unimportant. If the commander was incompetent, then no matter how strong the support from the rear, it could not make up for the troops being senselessly squandered day after day. The first action of the embarking Alliance Legion was to fight an annihilative battle at the jump point in the Fatches Star System. Today, the Alliance¡¯s Storm Mage Corps had grown to over five hundred in size, even having three or four B-grade Spiritual Energy users. At the outset of the war, the Alliance set up its most advanced stargazing equipment within the Fetches II. Two days prior, they had detected a Green Skin Fleet moving through the Star Realm Tunnel from Eagle Horse III to Fatches. The number was unknown, but since the battle at Steel Wing Star was still ongoing, the number couldn¡¯t be too great. Thus, the Alliance Navy took the initiative to strike first. The intruding Green-skin Plundering Fleet of six ships was immediately met with an attack by at least a hundred human warships. The outcome was predetermined. Some Green Skin Ships tried to flee, but the ¡®Blackfish-class¡¯ patrol ships of the Alliance Navy were experts at the chase. They formed groups of three or four and clung to the fleeing Green Skin Ships, reducing their shield strength until the ¡®Silver Sword¡¯ arrived. Then, the specialized fast torpedo escort ships, the ¡®Silver Sword¡¯, equipped with M-size ¡®Sky Cleaver¡¯ missiles, often ended the battle with a single strike. A zero-loss naval battle victory served as a good omen for the start. Although the six downed Green Skin vessels were the lowest grade of junk ships, a victory was still a victory. There were still a few days left before the scheduled departure time, but since the forces were already at the jump point, the vanguard of the Alliance Navy, after consulting with the central command, simply crossed the jump point into Eagle Horse III. Were there any Green Skin Fleets roaming in Eagle Horse III? Unknown, but in any case, they dared not show themselves anymore. Even the most battle-loving Green Skins wouldn¡¯t rush to certain death when completely outmatched. Immediately following, the navy quickly deployed to the orbit of Eagle Horse III. ¡®Scalpel¡¯, ¡®Sky Cleaver¡¯ missiles; ¡®Heat Hammer¡¯ cannon; ¡®Meltdown¡¯ light spear, began unleashing violently on the surface, over the Green Skins¡¯ strongholds. The Native Defense Forces on the surface of planet Eagle Horse III were greatly invigorated! They had endured orbital bombardment from the Green Skins and suffered terribly from the onslaught of millions of Green Skin troops. Now that the Alliance had arrived, it was time to breathe a sigh of relief and fight back! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Taking advantage of the support from orbital bombardment, they launched a counterattack and achieved certain victories. On the other hand, the Green Skins had to start shrinking back. aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡± 4.2k! Didn¡¯t expect another chapter today, did you! Though I¡¯m still runny-nosed and coughing, the lack of fever is good news! Chapter 748 - Chapter 748 Chapter 418, Consider Joining the Alliance Chapter 748: Chapter 418, Consider Joining the Alliance? Chapter 748: Chapter 418, Consider Joining the Alliance? Merely relying on the orbital bombardment in addition to the counterattack of the Planetary Defense Forces, the situation on Eagle Horse III was greatly alleviated. The vanguard of the Alliance Navy left behind one destroyer, several armed merchant ships in orbit around Eagle Horse III to continue providing assistance, while also waiting for the arrival of the subsequent main forces. The rest pushed on, entering Eagle Horse VI, and then proceeded to the Star Sector Capital ¨C Eagle Horse II. Wherever the Alliance Navy went, the Green Skin Fleet dispersed! They had no choice. The vanguard of the Alliance Navy had several dozen ships, even though there were no cruisers, there were several destroyers. With this number and quality laid out there, those branches of the Green-skin Plundering Fleet could certainly not resist. In fact, on Eagle Horse II, one Green-skin Plundering Fleet was bitten hard, losing four ships before managing to escape. It can be said that once the Alliance Army entered the Eagle Horse Star Sector, the space, which had been utterly chaotic and almost completely left to the whims of the Green-skin Plundering Fleet, suddenly became quiet. Humanity regained space, regained orbit, and the ground combat became much easier. And at this time, the main force of the Alliance Army also entered Eagle Horse III. They only made a brief stop here, where Gu Hang met the Planetary Governor of Eagle Horse III. The latter had already signed the Seven Horse Treaty more than half a month ago, and the Alliance was here to fulfill the treaty. The Governor of Eagle Horse III, holding the paper document of the Seven Horse Treaty, took a photo with Gu Hang. Gu Hang left satisfied with the main forces of the Alliance. Before leaving, he deployed eight divisions to Eagle Horse III. One Skeleton Division, six infantry divisions, and one Armored Brigade, adding up to around 330,000 troops, all belonging to the ranks of the Alliance Army. With them, the issues on Eagle Horse III should be resolved. And indeed they were. The participation of the Alliance Land Forces immediately turned the ground situation on Eagle Horse III, which had already improved due to the orbital bombardment, into a complete advantage. Eagle Horse III was a world with approximately 800 million inhabitants, an agricultural plus mining planet, and the Green Skins had cumulatively committed about one million troops to this world. The quality of the Planetary Defense Forces of Eagle Horse III was mediocre at best, and the scale was only about several million. Moreover, half of them had been drawn away by Yuan Chengchuan to Steel Wing Star, so they struggled greatly against the million-scale invasion of the Green Skins. The idea of arming the entire population was hardly effective; they lacked the weaponry. You can¡¯t expect civilians to fight the Green Skins with pitchforks and mining picks, right? That would be a pure slaughter. In reality, the Green Skins already had a vague intention of taking root on the planet. After they defeated a Defense Army unit on the planet¡¯s tropical continent, they established an ecosystem and started planting mushrooms everywhere. If left unchecked for a few years, there would be no need to send reinforcements from the Star Sea, as their own numbers would multiply on their own. However, all of this was destroyed and undone by the arrival of the Alliance Army. The first wave of orbital bombardment targeted the main forces of the orcs; the second wave took care of their ecosystem. Afterward, once the Alliance Land Forces landed, according to the agreements of the Seven Horse Treaty, the colonel in command of the eight divisions became the supreme commander of the planetary battlefield. .co The nearly two million Planetary Defense Forces of Eagle Horse III also came under their unified command. At the beginning, the Planetary Defense Forces were a bit reluctant. Being military men, there is always some pride, and even the Planetary Defense Force felt this way. No matter what, they had been fighting bloody battles with the Green Skins for the past month, with severe losses. Even though they couldn¡¯t win, they had made sacrifices. The Alliance came to help us, and we¡¯re happy, but where does it say that we should hand over our authority all at once? If it were the Star Realm Army, that might be acceptable, but we¡¯re all Defense Armies. Are you better just because you have more money? However, the Governor of Eagle Horse III knew his stuff and under his strong orders, the Defense Army was fairly obedient. Moreover, as the battles commenced, even the little bit of reluctance among the Defense Army¡¯s leaders and officers quickly evaporated. No matter how reluctant, could they withstand the effectiveness of the other side? Once assuming total command authority, the Alliance Land Forces had no intention of using the local troops as cannon fodder, a concern that had worried the local military. Although they required the participation of a million troops to fill the battle lines, that was pretty much their only role. For the real assault, the Alliance Land Forces rolled up their sleeves and got to work themselves. The well-equipped Skeleton Division, using their own subordinate armored units as the spearhead, found an area to forcefully push into the tropical rainforest of Eagle Horse III. Lion King led the Lions, mercilessly knocking down and crushing the jungle trees. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Elite tanks equipped with anti-gravity engines did not care about the condition of the roads. Robust power and extremely capable tracks are standard issue; on muddy paths, when necessary, the activated anti-gravity devices substantially reduced the weight of the vehicle, even allowing it to hover a few centimeters above ground for a short time, capable of going through any rough terrain. The Green Skin strongholds were uprooted one after another, and the Alliance soldiers following them quickly eliminated any threat. The Native Defense Forces behind them would just transport supplies, use flamethrowers to burn the mushrooms and clear the battlefield, and help clear the trees to make way as needed. It was precisely because they accompanied the Alliance forces in doing this ¡®menial work¡¯ that they witnessed firsthand how the Alliance waged war. Chapter 749 - Chapter 749 Chapter 418, Consider Joining the Alliance_2 Chapter 749: Chapter 418, Consider Joining the Alliance?_2 Chapter 749: Chapter 418, Consider Joining the Alliance?_2 Those Green Skin Orcs, who were considered quite troublesome in their eyes, collapsed under the onslaught of the Alliance¡¯s iron tide, unable to make use of the rainforest as cover. If the Green Skins ever engaged in combat with the Alliance Army, they first had to endure a round of fierce artillery fire always accompanying the main forces, followed by the merciless crushing of the armored units. Even if they somehow managed to get close to the Alliance tanks, the Alliance infantry was no pushover. They generally had excellent shooting skills, superior tactical abilities, and high morale, not at all afraid of frontally confronting the Green Skins. The heavy machine guns within their squads, the heavy explosive guns and infantry cannons, and rocket launchers in their companiesaEUR¡±all of these as infantry firepoweraEUR¡±would also give those Green Skins a lot of pain. When the two sides were in close quarters, they often could seize the opportunity, concentrating fire from a dozen guns to eliminate Green Skin Orcs one by one, never dispersing their fire, and working together perfectly. Even in the unlikely event of hand-to-hand combat, the Alliance soldiers would fearlessly fix bayonets and group up to hunt down the rushing Green Skin Orcs. Despite the tough skin and immense strength of these orcs, who could still inflict significant casualties on Alliance soldiers at close range with their robust vitality and powerful ¡°clack clack¡± guns, the Native Defense Forces had never seen Alliance soldiers show fear. Even retreats were due to orders from higher-ups, executing strategic missions, not because they were easily defeated. If the disparities in equipment were an unacceptable gap for the Eagle Horse III¡¯s Defense Army, the absolute gap in combat skill, tactical ability, and fighting will left them speechless. The swiftly subdued Eagle Horse III Defense Army became even more obedient. They cooperated actively with the Alliance Army¡¯s operations and gradually shook off the feeling of impending doom that they couldn¡¯t win, which had gripped them for the past month. They began to believe that with the help of the Alliance Army, victory would ultimately be theirs. wuxiaworld.site The rising morale of the Planetary Defense Force was also beneficial for the Alliance Land Forces. After all, the Alliance Land Forces had only deployed a little over three hundred thousand troops to Eagle Horse III, facing a million Green Skins, and they couldn¡¯t possibly take them down alone. The Green Skins might use junk, but they themselves were not junk. The two million Land Forces of Eagle Horse III were still a force to be seriously utilized. With tighter cooperation between them, the Iron Tooth Orcs¡¯ territory on the tropical continent of Eagle Horse III became increasingly constricted. The orcs were not the kind to sit idly by and await death. They launched a fierce and cunning counterattack. A Defense Army unit, under the command of the Alliance Army, was engaging a group of orcs that had lost all heavy firepower and armored forces, with an eightfold advantage in manpower. This should have been a relatively simple task. Although if faced head-on, even with a fourfold advantage, the Defense Army might be overwhelmed by the orc forces, the Green Skins without their heavy artillery, ¡°killer cans,¡± war trucks, and giant Skugg BeastsaEUR¡±armed only with rifles and machetesaEUR¡±were still no match for the Defense Army with heavy artillery support. Although eradicating them would still result in some casualties, it was essentially an overwhelmingly favorable battle. Should the unexpected one-in-ten chance occur, an Alliance Land Forces infantry battalion was nearby, ready to provide support quickly. However, the unexpected did happen. An army of Green Skins arrived from outside and encircled them. All they could do was to call for help. The Alliance infantry battalion immediately went to provide support; however, the number of enemies far exceeded initial estimates, and they too were besieged. The calls for help continued, attracting an Alliance Army division along with about a hundred thousand Defense Army troops. Then, they were also surrounded. Only at this point did the human side realize that not only were there a large number of enemies, but they also possessed advanced units like ¡°killer cans,¡± ¡°death cans,¡± and heavy-armored orcs. With the combat strength and numbers of this Green Skin force, they could have annihilated the human forces within the encirclement long ago, even denying them any chance to call for help. Their reason for not doing so was deliberate; it was a fishing expedition, or more accurately, encirclement to strike at reinforcements. This wave lured in forty thousand Alliance Land Forces and another hundred thousand Defense Army troops, which was enough for the Iron-toothed Boss in command to prepare to net a satisfying catch. He even brought out a long-hidden Skugg Behemoth Cluster. A Skugg Behemoth was an excellent war machine. They were like gigantic unicorns, with the smallest among them being the size of a Lion King Tank. They were covered with a layer of thick scales on their enormous bodies. Their skin was extremely tough, and their bones were as strong as steel. The Green Skin craftsmen would also hang all sorts of armor on them. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only While well-protected, their brute strength, tusks, and large feet could smash strong defensive structures. They often carried a huge cannon on their backs, and many battle cabins hung on either side of their bodies, from which the Green Skin youngsters would shoot or throw explosives from within. Thus, a Skugg Behemoth could simultaneously serve as a battle tank, troop carrier, and siege weapon. However, despite heavy investment, the Green Skins found themselves in a bind when it came time to close the net. Even though this division of the Alliance Land Forces was surrounded, they were still surprisingly tough to chew through. Chapter 750 - Chapter 750 Chapter 418, Consider Joining the Alliance_3 Chapter 750: Chapter 418, Consider Joining the Alliance?_3 Chapter 750: Chapter 418, Consider Joining the Alliance?_3 Heavy artillery was the core of the infantry division, which gave the Green Skins a lot of trouble. A sizable number of high-level units were destroyed by heavy artillery in combat. The terrifying Skugg Beasts, too, couldn¡¯t withstand too many heavy artillery strikes. wuxiaworld.site The Green Skins thought of many ways to deal with the besieged heavy artillery of the Alliance Army. Orc Air Squadron air raids, special ops airdrops and infiltration, heavy artillery duels, armored beast rushes¡­ They were effective, of course. But first, they couldn¡¯t completely wipe them out, and second, their own losses were also significant. The infantry division of the Alliance also placed great emphasis on anti-air defense, with anti-aircraft guns equipped on vehicles featuring powerful servo skull locking systems, and they also carried anti-aircraft missiles; there were individual soldiers equipped with anti-aircraft missiles as well; the Alliance Army¡¯s own flying squadrons wouldn¡¯t just watch their comrades get encircled, as Wind Falcons and Kirins took off in succession, engaging in dogfights with the Orc air force. The Green Skins¡¯ aerial forces suffered no small losses, and the special ops teams that infiltrated were met with fierce resistance from the Alliance Army¡¯s artillery array guards and were wiped out wave after wave. The armored beast rush was indeed effective. The mobilization of Skugg Beasts often managed to take a position, but the retreating humans, even with severe losses, quickly rebuilt new positions further back. The beasts had to bite off one piece at a time while also risking being targeted by concentrated heavy fire. And the heavy artillery duel was also useful, as the Green Skins managed to muster up quite a few cannons for a while. But, such dueling takes a long time, and the problem is destined not to be solved immediately. That Iron-toothed Boss awkwardly discovered that if he wanted to completely devour this group of besieged human troops, the Green Skins would also have to lose about twenty or thirty thousand of their own, the loss of various high-level units would not be small, and it would take at least six or seven days. To reduce losses, adopting siege tactics was also an option, trapping the enemy until they ran out of ammunition and provisions. That way, not too many Green Skin boys would need to be sacrificed. But it would take at least two or three months. Before he could decide exactly what to do, the humans¡¯ response came first. The Skeleton Division of the Alliance Army, along with an Armored Brigade, arrived in position directly. Along with them, two hundred thousand of the Defense Army also assembled and came over. What was originally just a predatory battle by the Green Skin Orcs, an annihilating fight by surrounding and aiming for reinforcements, quickly escalated into a main force battle. That Green Skin boss was also ferocious. Seeing that things had reached this state, he too was continuously calling for reinforcements. In a brutal month-long battle, both sides kept calling in troops, fueling the fire of war, making the battle fiercer and fiercer. In the end, the total number of troops participating in this battle on both sides reached over one million. The final result was a victory for the human side. When one Skugg Beast after another perished under the humans¡¯ heavy artillery, fell in clashes with the Lion King; when one armored unit of the Green Skins after another was destroyed by various anti-armor weapons; when one Green Skin boy after another was brought down by various weapons¡­ That Green Skin boss also fell during a charge he personally led, taken down by a plasma gun shot, followed by a thermite bomb that obliterated him. The Orc army collapsed thereafter. About three hundred thousand Green Skins were wiped out in this one battle. Although the Planetary Defense Force lost over three hundred thousand, and the Alliance Army paid the price of over seventy thousand lives, various armored units and artillery units also suffered heavy losses. But the victory in this main force battle laid the foundation for the overall victory in the ground combat on Eagle Horse III. Without their commander, the Green Skin Army became like a scattered herd of sheep. More importantly, they had almost completely lost their elite forces, leaving the five or six hundred thousand surviving Green Skins severely lacking in high-level units, with their overall combat effectiveness severely diminished. For now, they could no longer pose any threat to Eagle Horse III. Apart from the war zones, Eagle Horse III was strenuously resuming production and restoring social order. Within the war zone itself, these Green Skins would also be completely eradicated within at most half a year. The Governor of Eagle Horse III was very pleased. He personally visited the front line to console the Alliance Army and also paid a visit to his own Defense Army. He lavished praise on the Colonel from the Skeleton Division. He was even prepared with medals and a promotion in rank. How could a colonel¡¯s rank do justice to his contribution? At least a full general¡¯s rank was in order! But the Colonel of the Alliance refused and left behind a word: ¡°Perhaps, before long, all ranks will be united.¡± After hearing this, the Governor of Eagle Horse III didn¡¯t know whether he should be happy or not. ¡­ The warfare on Eagle Horse III was a microcosm of the situation in the entire Star Sector. When the edge of the Alliance¡¯s military entered the Eagle Horse Star Sector, many worlds here played out similar scenarios. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The pattern was much the same: as the Alliance Fleet entered the relevant Star System, driving away or eliminating Green Skin ships, they then provided orbital support to the respective planets, and then, depending on the state of the stars, deployed some troops. Eagle Horse III was considered minor, and frankly speaking, the Green Skin threat wasn¡¯t that big, just about a million Orcs, taken care of by just eight divisions. The bigger problem was on Eagle Horse II, which has three human worlds, one of which, the primary star, had a population of 4 billion, making it the most populous world in the Eagle Horse Star Sector. The entire Eagle Horse Star Sector, with twelve worlds combined, had a population of only about 15 billion. The second and third planets of Eagle Horse II each had only a few tens of millions of people, purely mining planets. Chapter 751 - Chapter 751 Chapter 418, Consider Joining the Alliance_4 Chapter 751: Chapter 418, Consider Joining the Alliance?_4 Chapter 751: Chapter 418, Consider Joining the Alliance?_4 Eagle Horse II¡¯s main star was heavily attacked by the Green Skins, with tens of millions descending upon this world. The Defense Army on Eagle Horse II¡¯s main star was severely beaten, and within a month, several key cities were captured, and the Defense Army was in constant retreat. Meanwhile, the Alliance Army had committed an entire Army Group. Over twenty million Allied Army Soldiers, undoubtedly, withstood the onslaught of the Green Skin Orcs, and in conjunction with almost an equal number of Defense Army forces, began to reclaim lost territory and destroy the Green Skins¡¯ ecological circles. The situation in the Eagle Horse Star Sector stabilized rapidly after the entrance of the Alliance Army. This matter, in fact, was quite shocking. The group photo of Gu Hang with the various Planetary Governors, and the victorious campaign of the Alliance Army in the Eagle Horse Star Sector that swept through like a broken bamboo, were transmitted along with the star messages to multiple surrounding Star Sectors. This made the work of the Alliance diplomats much smoother. Some Star Sectors that had not been beaten up might still be considering or observing. However, another Star Sector that had been invadedaEUR¡±the Mist Horse Star DistrictaEUR¡±quickly changed its attitude. They were willing to accept the Seven Horse Covenant as long as the Alliance Army could get there quickly. Mist Horse had thirteen worlds, one more than Eagle Horse, but the total population was actually smaller, around 13.4 billion, primarily agricultural worlds, mining worlds, and desolate worlds. Even the capital planet Mist Horse I was just an ordinary civilized world, with a population of only three billion. The invasion that Mist Horse Star District encountered was not as fierce as that of Eagle Horse Star Sector. In fact, a significant part of the invading Green Skin Orcs had jumped from Steel Wing Star to Emerald Spring II before entering the Mist Horse Star District. The conflict facing the Mist Horse Star District, which was in the direction of the Copper Barrier Star District, was not the main offensive direction of the Orcs. But, Mist Horse Star District didn¡¯t have a barrier like Steel Wing Star to hold them off and attract the main force of the Orcs. The entire Star District was penetrated by the Green Skin Orcs, and most of it had already been engulfed in war. Within the Star District, there were no naval forces, and the land forces consisted only of the native Planetary Defense Forces, which were limited in strength. More crucially, the lack of space transport capability meant that each planet was an isolated island, and the Land Forces could not support each other. Some planets were not severely invaded and could control the situation from collapsing within themselves. They had the capacity to support other planets in dire situations, but due to the limitations on transport, they couldn¡¯t. After seeing the Alliance effortlessly resolve the threat in the Eagle Horse Star Sector that was even more severe than their own, the Governors of Mist Horse could no longer hold back. Their Star Sector leader had not yet agreed, still negotiating with the Alliance diplomats, but many Planetary Governors within the Mist Horse Star District couldn¡¯t wait any longer. They secretly contacted the Alliance one step ahead, expressing their willingness to sign. The thoughts of these individuals were simple: as Planetary Governors, they should save their own lives first. Besides, once they signed, who cared about the damn Star Sector Government? According to the Seven Horse Covenant, it¡¯s not just military protection and trade alliances, even the Imperial Tax would be collected by the Alliance eventually. After signing, the Star Sector Government would be irrelevant. The Alliance, with a stroke of the pen, took them all in. However, the Alliance diplomats also made it clear to the Governors of Mist Horse that now that they had signed, the promised military protection would definitely arriveaEUR¡±the Alliance would never break its word. Still, the most important thing in the current overall war situation was the battle of Steel Wing Star. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The main force of the Alliance would first resolve the issues there. The Governors should think of some ways to hold on for a while in their own planets. It wouldn¡¯t be too long, at most a month or two. ¡°The Seven Horse Covenant is a pledge of mutual assistance and vigilance, not an agreement to lie down and wait for the Alliance to solve all problems. However, Governor, if you really want to do that, I have here a formal covenant to join the Alliance which you might consider.¡± aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡± 6k Still owe 2k, total debt 72k Chapter 752 - Chapter 752 Chapter 419, Turning the Tide of the Battle Chapter 752: Chapter 419, Turning the Tide of the Battle Chapter 752: Chapter 419, Turning the Tide of the Battle To even join the Seven Horses Pact was to be pushed into a corner, so the governors certainly weren¡¯t going to consider joining the Alliance now. The Seven Horses Pact was still a military agreement plus a trade agreement. As for the Imperial Tax, it had to be collected by someone, and the governors could ignore it, leaving the Empire to take it up with the Alliance. But if they were to join the Alliance¡­ They had all heard about the affairs of the Tianma Star Sector. Under the Alliance, although the position of Planetary Governor still existedaEUR¡±as after all, it was a position under imperial jurisdiction which the Alliance couldn¡¯t abolishaEUR¡±Planetary Governors within the Alliance were either personally appointed by Alliance leader Gu Hang, or chosen from among high-ranking leaders of the Alliance. Sometimes, the original rulers were selected, but in essence, it was a symbolic role. Within the Alliance, the role of Planetary Governor had evolved into an honorary, ceremonial position, which did not involve any management of the planets. .co Even the governors themselves were not necessarily staying long-term on the planets they nominally ruled. Take the two governors with the last name Fatches; they were joyfully enjoying their days on the beautiful Flying Wing Star. It was the same with the governors from the Mist Horse Star District as with those from the Eagle Horse Star Sector; none had thought of giving up their own worlds yet. The Alliance wasn¡¯t pressuring them. No rush, take it easy. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future for them to freely choose. ¡­ Several worlds in the Mist Horse Star District had joined the Seven Horses Pact, but as the Alliance¡¯s diplomats frankly stated, the main forces of the Alliance couldn¡¯t come over for the time being. In fact, even handling the issues of the Eagle Horse Star Sector was done in passing. The main forces of the Alliance were actually on their way to Steel Wing Star. They passed through Eagle Horse III, Eagle Horse VI, and Eagle Horse II, as well as Bruck II. Since they were passing through, naturally, they took care of any problems along the way. For places not along the path, they could only send a small branch of the Fleet, being extra careful, especially since there were troops being transported. Losing even one ship could mean a massive loss. For worlds that were both out of the way and on the periphery, like Eagle Horse IV and Eagle Horse V, along with Fire Feather Star, it was impossible to reach them for the time being. However, the problems on these worlds were not particularly severe; the Green Skins were few, and the Defense Army could still hold on. The main concern was the worsening situation on the battlefield of Steel Wing Star. Tilermungs was becoming dissatisfied with Gu Hang¡¯s leisurely progress, wasting time on the journey, and had sent multiple urgent messages. This so-called deterioration of the situation wasn¡¯t really about any drastic changes on the battlefield. The main issue was that Yuan Chengchuan was starting to falter on the ground. His main forces consisted of the Planetary Defense Force of Steel Wing Star, as well as other Planetary Defense Forces gathered from various parts of the Eagle Horse Star Sector during the war preparations, totaling around fifty million in number. The Green Skin Orcs, with relentless determination, kept deploying troops to the surface. The crew numbers of Green Skin warships, compared to those of humans, were much higher. Actually, so many weren¡¯t usually needed. After all, to operate the ships and the cannons, and to keep all the work inside the ship running smoothly, only so many people were necessary. However, the Green Skins often liked to pack their vessels with three to four times the number of humans typical for a Navy Marine Corps, with the excess used for something like ¡®boarding battles.¡¯ As for Green Skin transport ships, they were more similar to human transport ships. Small transports like the Flying Pig-Class could carry a hundred thousand people at a time; transports comparable to Whale-Class carried two to three million; and large transports like the Giant Belly, nearly thirty kilometers long, could easily transport fifteen million. This was just standard transport capacity. If things were more cramped, pushed to the limit, and the journey was shorter with less need for life support supplies, these figures could triple or quadruple. No one knew just how many Green Skins were crammed into the main invasion Fleet in the Eagle Horse Star Sector. In the ground offensive on Steel Wing Star, the first massive landing alone saw them deploying twenty million. Tens of thousands of drop pods were released continually, and even though more than half ultimately failed to land, millions still touched down, dragging the entire northern continent of Steel Wing Star into the flames of war. After that, aside from sporadic small-scale drops of a few, or a dozen, rock drop pods, there were two more landings of a similar scale to the first. Currently, the loud waaagh of the Iron Tooth Orcs on Steel Wing Star, the total estimated number had already exceeded thirty-five million. In the beginning, Yuan Chengchuan¡¯s Defense Army was able to hold on with their numeric advantage and the extensive defensive facilities spread across the planet. But as the numbers between the two sides significantly narrowed and the Defense Army¡¯s lack of quality, along with the maintenance issues of the many old fortresses on Steel Wing Star, were exposed. His original strategy fell through one by one and could no longer be realized. The idea of systematically eliminating the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ living forces was no longer feasible after the second massive landing. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And after losing control over vast areas, the goal of preventing the Green Skins from establishing an ecosystem also became largely subject to chance. If the Tianma Fleet in space had time to bombard, they would; the ground forces couldn¡¯t coordinate at all. After the third massive landing, even Yuan Chengchuan¡¯s strategic baseline, which was to secure those precious Anti-Orbit Cannon Fortresses, became extremely difficult to achieve. Often, after an Orbital Cannon Fortress was invaded by the Green Skins, the surrounding human forces would do everything possible to send troops for defense. After a bloody battle with heavy casualties, the fortress would still end up being captured. Chapter 753 - Chapter 753 Chapter 419 Turning the Tide of Battle_2 Chapter 753: Chapter 419: Turning the Tide of Battle_2 Chapter 753: Chapter 419: Turning the Tide of Battle_2 Before the retreat, the human army wouldn¡¯t initially destroy the orbital cannons, thinking that if they had the chance later, they could retake them and use them again. However, over time, they realized that the Green Skin Orcs had inexplicably mastered the ability to modify human orbital cannons. Then, the few cannons that had been captured by the orcs turned into firepower used to attack the Tianma Fleet from the sky. That was truly a painful experience. So far, the number of such incidents hasn¡¯t been high; the Tianma Fleet was able to withstand it. The few captured orbital cannons were destroyed in the counter-attacks by the Tianma Fleet, which settled the matter. But this could not happen too often. If the majority of the orbital cannons were occupied and utilized by the Green Skins, Steel Wing Star might no longer be a defensive stronghold, and the Tianma Fleet would instead be caught in the middle, getting hit from both sides. Therefore, if the human army on the ground was truly forced into a corner and couldn¡¯t hold the Orbital Cannon Fortress, they would often choose to destroy the orbital cannons before retreating. It was a reluctant decision, but it had to be made despite the pain. But even destroying them was a bad situation; it just wasn¡¯t as bad as if they were captured and turned against them. In any case, if this situation continued, the Tianma Fleet truly wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on anymore. No wonder Tilermungs was so anxious and frustrated. He had also heard of the Alliance Army¡¯s triumphant advance upon entering the Eagle Horse Star Sector. The combat prowess displayed by the Alliance Army caught him by surprise. Initially, when he first left for battle outside the Tianma Star Sector, he had no idea that the Alliance was so capable. The years spent campaigning had changed quite a lot. This was, of course, a good thing. The stronger the Alliance, the better. But¡­ come on, Gu Hang, stop messing around. If you¡¯re coming, come quickly! We¡¯re about to be overwhelmed here! After Gu Hang led the main force and arrived, he quickly deployed the Fleet near Steel Wing Star. During this process, the two fleets succeeded in establishing contact, and at one point intended to encircle the Green Skin Fleet in the orbit of Steel Wing Star. If they could trap the Green Skin ships in orbit and fight with the support of the Orbital Defense system, they were even confident that they could turn the Green Skin Ships into space debris in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t happen. The Military Governor of the Green Skin Fleet wasn¡¯t stupid; no matter how headstrong, he wouldn¡¯t let his forces be placed in such a precarious position against a formidable enemy. wuxiaworld.site.co When Gu Hang¡¯s Fleet went through the Star Realm Tunnel and entered the Star System, the Green Skin Fleet naturally observed it. In fact, with all the movements of the Alliance Fleet along the wayaEUR¡±having severely beaten many of their task forcesaEUR¡±the Green Skins could have been tracking the Alliance Fleet¡¯s location all this time. However, during that process, the Military Governor of the Green Skin Fleet and commander of their main force, the Lone Fang Ghoul, decided to try to take Steel Wing Star before the Alliance¡¯s main forces could arrive. It was under such a resolution that they successfully deployed thirty-five million Green Skins to the surface of Steel Wing Star, but at the same time, thirty million died during the deployment process. It was a rash and irrational decision, but it was very characteristic of the Green Skins. Clearly, the humans managed to hold their ground. At this stage, no matter how irrational, he had to let go. His ships withdrew from the orbit of Steel Wing Star. He even attempted, after leaving the orbit of Steel Wing Star, to seek a decisive battle with Gu Hang¡¯s Fleet main force, which was on its way. To eliminate Gu Hang first, then turn back to continue the siege on Steel Wing Star. But soon this choice fell apart. Gu Hang had no interest in fighting him. True, he had two hundred warships, while the Green Skins likely had three hundred fifty. But the bulk of Gu Hang¡¯s two hundred warships were armed merchant ships, making the odds of winning a head-on clash with the Green Skins low. Even if Gu Hang¡¯s Fleet joined forces with the Tianma Fleet and engaged the Green Skin main force in battle, the odds of victory were no better than fifty-fifty. Even with a fifty percent chance of winning, Gu Hang was still not keen on fighting. The probability was too low. He was not willing to gamble all he had on a fifty percent chance of victory. If there was a safer method, it definitely had to be used. Gu Hang avoided the main fleet of the Green Skins, and the Tianma Fleet also pursued, and the two sides exchanged a few shots across the vast emptiness of space, a very long distance apart. After cat-and-mouse games lasting for two days, the end result was each side losing two small ships, and the Human Fleet returned within the orbit defense system of Steel Wing Star. Then, the nightmare for the Green Skin¡¯s ground forces began. It started with intensive and ferocious orbital bombardment. With the Green Skin Fleet temporarily not pressing the Human Fleet, they took half a day to conduct a fierce artillery bombardment on the Green Skins¡¯ ground troops. The Green Skins¡¯ anti-orbital firepower was pitifully inadequate, as they were originally the attackers. In the midst of the fierce bombardment, all of the Green Skins¡¯ offensive operations came to a halt. Additionally, the ecological system that the Green Skins had managed to establish also suffered a devastating blow. A large number of Green Skin Orcs perished in this wave of bombardment. It also helped that their previous attacks had been quite scattered, over thirty million in number, spread across the entire northern hemisphere of the planet. After the bombardment, those that survived learned to disperse as much as possible and fled in all directions. Furthermore, during the orbital bombardment, the ground forces were also not in a good position to encircle and suppress them, which meant that not as many Green Skins were killed as one might have thought. However, without a doubt, any offensive momentum they had was completely shattered during the half-day bombardment. A large amount of heavy equipment that was difficult to move and spread out was also destroyed in the bombardment. This was a severe blow indeed. The orbital bombardment by the Human Fleet only ended when the fleet led by the Duguai Ghost hurriedly returned and resumed the oppressive attack on the Human ships. But in the meantime, tens of millions of Star Realm Army troops had already been deployed to the surface. The Rage Bear Legion and the Dragonhawk Legion had all descended, along with about twenty million of the Alliance Army. Facing the disoriented and heavily damaged Green Skin army, nearly fifty million elite Human Land Forces would be an opponent the Green Skins could not possibly resist. Moreover, the situation in the space warfare had also changed. The Green Skin Fleet could no longer keep the Human navy under fire. After the confluence of the two Human fleets, the naval battle in the void of space would have equal chances of victory for both sides, not to mention that the battlefield was now around the orbit of Steel Wing Star. Even though a third of the ground-based orbital cannons were out of commission, the remaining two-thirds, combined with the Star Fortress, Starport, and Armed Space Stations, still offered substantial support to the Human ships. The Green Skin Fleet, attempting proactive attacks to suppress the Human ships, soon found themselves battered and bruised. After several attacks were repelled and having accumulated losses of over twenty ships, Even if they were just small ships, it still hurt. The key issue was that despite these many losses, there was a lack of substantial results. At most, four or five ordinary Human warships were damaged to the point of being unfit for battle. The key was that they could just duck into a Starport, and it was possible they could be repaired and sent back out; even if not, the usable parts could be salvaged and placed on other ships as a means of quickly restoring combat capability during wartime. When a Green Skins¡¯ ship blew up, it was truly done for. Although they did indeed prevent the Human ships from continuing to provide fire support to the ground, the cost was too steep. But what if they did not interfere? What about the ground combat? At least twenty million Green Skins who were still alive could not be evacuated. Along with the loss of troops from the earlier airdrop, he had thrown in upwards of seventy million soldiers. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Even for the Green Skin Orcs, that was a number that couldn¡¯t be ignored. If Chieftain Titus found out that he had paid such a high price for no results, that would be quite bad. Duguai Ghost was caught in a strategic dilemma. But Gu Hang ¡®considerately¡¯ didn¡¯t let him struggle for too long. The Human Fleet seized an opportunity and launched a counterattack. Chapter 754 - Chapter 754 Chapter 420 Terrifying Spiritual Energy, Tearing Through the Ships Shield Chapter 754: Chapter 420: Terrifying Spiritual Energy, Tearing Through the Ship¡¯s Shield Chapter 754: Chapter 420: Terrifying Spiritual Energy, Tearing Through the Ship¡¯s Shield When Gu Hang proposed to take the initiative to attack the Green Skin Fleet, Tilermungs opposed it. The Commander of Tianma believed that since they had decided to be cautious, they should be thoroughly cautious. A proactive attack was high-risk and right now they were the only remaining Imperial Navy force in the Eastern Dragonhawk Star Domain, and they could not afford any mistakes. Gu Hang agreed that what he said made sense, and decided to strike anyway. ¡°Don¡¯t be cautious just for the sake of being cautious,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°The ultimate goal of being cautious is to solve problems. Right now, the opportunity is good. The Green Skin Fleet, already suffering heavy losses, finds itself in a dilemma. We can seize this chance to deal them a heavy blow, which would greatly ease the situation. Besides, with the Orbital Defense system of Steel Wing Star at our backs, we can immediately retreat if something goes awry.¡± Tilermungs thought for a moment and was persuaded by Gu Hang. The Fleet took the initiative to attack under their joint command. However, the response of the Green Skins quickly made Tilermungs regret it. The Green Skin Fleet, which was initially caught in a hesitancy to attack, started to retreat upon seeing the Human Fleet¡¯s almost full-scale onslaught. Their first reaction was to withdraw. Of course, they didn¡¯t want to engage in battle under the cover of human orbital firepower, and even though they lost two ships to temporarily break away, they were quite resolute in their escape. This first made Tilermungs breathe a sigh of relief, thinking that Gu Hang¡¯s strategy was indeed quite good. Taking advantage of the breach they had made, they could expand their victory. Driving away the Green Skin Ships, they could inflict as much damage as possible. If they could do that, it would be a great victory! Just as he was thinking this, he saw the rear of the Green Skin Fleet suddenly charge forward! Subsequently, the front of the Green Skin Fleet, using the chaos as cover, made a roundabout maneuver to turn their ships and also surged ahead! And at that moment, the Human Fleet had already left the coverage of Steel Wing Star¡¯s Orbital Defense! Clearly, the Green Skins did not fear a full-blown battle with human ships as long as the humans dared to chase, they would dare to fight back desperately. Of course, their chances of winning were not high. They would have to endure casualties from being pursued, as well as during the transition of their formation, which would drastically reduce their already 50% chance of victory to about 30%. A rational human commander wouldn¡¯t do this, but the Green Skins would. The Green Skins were not stupid, but quite smart and cunning. However, they lacked one thing: rationality. If they cannot be completely annihilated, then don¡¯t drive the Green Skins into a corner, or else before they die they will ferociously bite back; It¡¯s safe to set traps for the Green Skins. Even if they¡¯re a bit rough, it doesn¡¯t matter. They¡¯re likely to see it coming but still jump in for the sake of a fight, or purely out of confidence that they can win, regardless of the casualties. And these traits mean that the Green Skins¡¯ actions to fight desperately despite the low odds of winning are quite normal. .co Now it was his turn to feel uncomfortable. He estimated his own chance of victory at 70%, but even so, he really didn¡¯t want to gamble. He just didn¡¯t want a decisive fleet battle. What if they encountered that 30% chance and lost? Even if they won, what if the Fleet suffered heavy losses in the mad counterattack of the Green Skins? Tilermungs was deeply worried and even considering changing strategies to retreat. They were still not far from the protective coverage of the Orbital Defense, and they could completely retreat to plan carefully from there. Even if they got bitten during the retreat and suffered some damage, he was willing to accept that. If the Green Skins dared to pursue too aggressively, they could fight back again. However, just as he was about to issue the order, the command from Gu Hang arrived one step ahead: ¡°Engage!¡± ¡°Quintet, Concerto, Violin, Opera¡­¡± Gu Hang named several cruisers in succession, including Tilermungs¡¯s flagship ¡®Opera¡¯. ¡°Advance forward! Target, enemy flagship, open fire with full force! Destroy it!¡± Tilermungs was a bit perplexed. What are you doing, kid? Addicted to commanding? I am the Fleet Commander! And to target their flagship with concentrated fire? That¡¯s not a standard tactic! The so-called flagship is their designation for the many ships of the Green Skin Fleet. The less important ones that look very similar might be hard to identify, but the flagship is definitely easy to recognize: it¡¯s the biggest and most formidable one among the Green Skin Ships, likely the flagship of the Green Skin Fleet. You want to focus fire and take down their flagship? The idea is beautiful, but it¡¯s quite unreliable in naval warfare. The enemy isn¡¯t a stationary target; you can¡¯t just decide to focus fire. The Green Skin escort ships will concentrate on intercepting fire, and they will block firing lines; the flagship, once realizing it¡¯s being focused, might retreat, or might increase their energy shield¡¯s power significantly, making it not so easily breached. Most importantly, when you send out your own main ships, the enemy will bombard yours too. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A rash attack can easily result in the enemy¡¯s main ship not being destroyed while your own main ship incurs losses instead. This is something that has been written about in the case studies at the Naval Academy, don¡¯t mess around if you don¡¯t understand, Gu Hang! Tilermungs now realized a big problem: the command of their side was somewhat chaotic. He instinctively wanted to object and stop Gu Hang¡¯s order, but he was also concerned about exacerbating the confusion. He did not immediately order his flagship to act according to the command, but he discovered that Concerto, Violin, and Quintet had all followed the order and moved up. Chapter 757 - Chapter 757 Chapter 421, Supreme Command Chapter 757: Chapter 421, Supreme Command? Chapter 757: Chapter 421, Supreme Command? ¡°When Gu Hang first proposed to take the initiative to attack, I actually disagreed,¡± Tilermungs¡¯s voice arose next to Yelisia¡¯s ear. The naval battle that had erupted on the outskirts of Steel Wing Star was drawing to a close. At this moment, the United Fleet of humanity was fiercely attacking the fleeing Green Skin Ships, trying to expand its victory as much as possible in the pursuit. After the destruction of Green Skins¡¯ number one ship, number two followed close behind. The obliteration of the only two heavy cruisers caused a significant decline in the combat strength of the Green Skin Fleet. This was just the comparison of hard power. As the flagship of the Green Skin Ships, their pirate Military Governor was on that number one ship. His death instantly left the huge Green Skin Fleet without a backbone. Following the demise of the number two ship, along with several other ships not quite cruiser grade, but equally strong, being torn apart by Gu Hang in a similar way and having their Void Shields pierced, and then being destroyed by directed fire, the formation of the Green Skins¡¯ Fleet collapsed. They began to scatter and flee. By this point, the Human Fleet had already secured a resounding victory beyond doubt. The remaining task was to pursue the advantage and expand the results of the battle. It was only then that Tilermungs finally found the time to pull someone aside for a chat. Yelisia said with a light smile, ¡°I also didn¡¯t expect him to be able to go this far.¡± ¡°Then why did you still heed his command and charge forward without hesitation?¡± ¡°Because I trust him,¡± Yelisia said candidly, ¡°Even though I didn¡¯t know how he would do it or to what extent he could manage, I believe he¡¯s not a foolish man. He makes decisions for a reason. The fact has proven that following his orders has brought us a brilliant victory.¡± ¡°Yes, a brilliant victory.¡± At this thought, Tilermungs didn¡¯t feel as elated as he should have been. The victory itself was certainly exciting, but¡­ obviously, this victory was related to him, yet it was not his doing. The problem he had foreseen earlieraEUR¡±the disunity and chaos in the command of the Human FleetaEUR¡±seemed in need of resolution. If Gu Hang had made his abilities clear before the battle, then when the entire fleet launched, how could he have appeared irresolute to the point of embarrassment? He was sure he could have led the fleet to this victory as well. However, he didn¡¯t say these thoughts to Yelisia. Seeing her, it was obvious she would support Gu Hang. Tilermungs didn¡¯t feel like he was stirring internal conflict. Unified command was important, and as the Tianma Fleet Commander, a proper Imperial Navy General, he was rightfully the holder of the highest command of the navy. ¡­ The Concerto was also involved in the battle of hunting down the scattered Green Skin Fleet, but not much had to do with Gu Hang anymore. Ripping open the energy shields of four Green Skin Ships, including the first and second, and also supporting the tens of thousands from the Valor Spirit Legion in their combat inside various Green Skin Ships, had taken a considerable toll on Gu Hang. After all, he had only torn a small hole in the veil of reality, borrowing a portion of the power from the Storm God Kingdom, not becoming one with the essence of Subspace within the Divine Realm. The difference between the two was quite substantial. .co Gu Hang¡¯s remaining Spiritual Energy was merely one-tenth of what it had been at its peak. In a situation where the overall outcome was decided and only standard pursuit operations remained, he naturally no longer needed to intervene in ship command. It was better to leave that to the naval generals; he needed to close his eyes and restore his spirit, to rest for a while. In the process, he also contemplated the issue of the disordered command within this United Fleet. Tilermungs was not suitable to be the supreme commander. Gu Hang didn¡¯t think that even if he had explained to Tilermungs the extent of his Spiritual Energy powers in advance, General Tilermungs would be able to make correct and decisive judgments. He was more likely to remain skeptical about what Gu Hang had said until he witnessed it himself, opting to prioritize caution in his actions, thereby missing opportunities. Caution was certainly important; when Tilermungs was defending Steel Wing Star before Gu Hang arrived, the more cautious he was, the happier Gu Hang became. ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble; just hold Steel Wing Star steadily until I come.¡± That was very good. However, Tilermungs¡¯s phase of the mission was complete, and after that, pure caution was not the answer to everything. The issue of lacking an established supreme command also needed to be resolved. But all these matters could be put off for later; the current issues had to be handled first. ¡­ The ¡®matter at hand,¡¯ of course, referred to hunting down the remnants of the Green Skin Fleet and expanding the results of the battle as much as possible. This pursuit lasted a full three days or more. In the end, nearly two hundred Green Skin Ships still managed to escape. The Human Fleet actually had the opportunity to continue the pursuit. Wasn¡¯t it just escaping through the Star Realm Tunnel? Human ships could pass through it as well. However, the majority of the escaping Green Skin Ships fled through the tunnel from Steel Wing Star to the Temir Star System, which was part of the Golden Pass Star Sector already. No one knew the current situation in Golden Pass. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Blindly pursuing them there would be too risky. So, that was that. Actually, this battle was never going to be an annihilation battle to begin with. It was quite an accomplishment for the Human Navy to defeat the enemy; they didn¡¯t have the capability to encircle and wage an annihilation battle. As the scattered Green Skin Ships fled in all directions, it was impossible for the humans to divide their forces into so many small teams to continue the pursuit. Chapter 758 - Chapter 758 Chapter 421, Supreme Command_2 Chapter 758: Chapter 421, Supreme Command?_2 Chapter 758: Chapter 421, Supreme Command?_2 As the saying goes, ¡°If you¡¯re not sure you can annihilate the Green Skins, don¡¯t force them into a corner.¡± If you split up your Fleet to pursue them regardless of how the Green Skins divide their squads, there¡¯s a chance they¡¯ll turn around and knock you out if they see their pursuers aren¡¯t as formidable. Securing the current victory is already quite an achievement. Plus, though half of the Green Skin ships escaped, the loss of combat power is far greater than that proportion. In the pursuit, since it¡¯s already clear that it¡¯s impossible to eliminate all the Green Skin ships, the focus naturally shifts to targeting the most valuable ones. The Green Skins¡¯ two heavy cruisers were done for in the previous Fleet showdown. Of the remaining five ships comparable to Human light cruisers, only one managed to escape. The rest were all destroyed! The substantial loss of the main warships means that although there are still two hundred Green Skin ships in number, they essentially have no fighting capacity. If another Fleet battle were fought, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t even need to lift a finger; the Human Fleet could easily wipe them out. The battle at Steel Wing Star marked the full-scale invasion of the Eagle Horse Star Sector by the Green Skins. At that time, the total number of Green Skin Ships entering the Eagle Horse Star Sector was around four hundred, with the number of Green Skin legions onboard totaling between 150 to 300 million. Now, only two hundred ships have made it back. Conservatively estimated, the Green Skins¡¯ troop losses would reach around 60 million. Adding the Green Skin Fleet sent to the surface of Steel Wing StaraEUR¡±effectively abandoned at 35 millionaEUR¡±and those still resisting in various parts of the Eagle Horse Star Sector, but ultimately doomed to be wiped out, around 20 million more, it can be concluded that the Iron-Tooth Clan has lost at least a hundred million troops in the Eagle Horse Star Sector. This is an unquestionable major victory! Ever since Chieftain Titus emerged with the Iron-Tooth Clan, using decades of accumulated wealth to swarm out from four fallen Star Sectors, the Iron Tooth Orcs had been defeating the Human forces from space to ground. Starting from the Golden Pass Star Sector all the way to Yunluo, their invincible military front could only be pushed back, one retreat after another. And now, for the first time, the spearhead of the Iron-Tooth Clan has been stopped. Although it was just a branch Fleet, the significance of this division, consisting of four hundred Green Skin Ships, should not be underestimated. The loss of two hundred ships, including most of the main warships, and over a hundred million in troop numbers is a blow that cannot be ignored, even for the overarching might of the Iron-Tooth Clan. It is foreseeable that unless something major changes, the Green Skin invasion disaster in Seven Horse Territory can now be considered mitigated. However, although the disaster has been averted, the threat remains. It¡¯s uncertain when the enemy might mount another massive resurgence. And after this defeat, if the Green Skins were to invade on a large scale again, the forces they bring would undoubtedly be greater than before. By then, will the Alliance still be able to withstand? That depends on how much the Alliance can bolster its strength in the time to come. In Gu Hang¡¯s view, the essential aspect of the victory at the Steel Wing Star battle was that it bought the Alliance a significant amount of time for development. While he can¡¯t be sure how long this time will last, having time is always good. Every minute, every second, the Alliance is getting stronger. ¡­ After the pursuit battle, the main force of the Human Fleet returned to Steel Wing Star. The battle on the ground is still ongoing. Many Orcs died in the orbital bombardment, but obviously, not all of them. In fact, the majority of the Green Skin Orcs survived. They are barely hanging on. Many of their clusters were scattered and shattered in the previous large-scale orbital bombardment. The loss of a significant amount of heavy equipment means that, although many Green Skins are still alive, they are incapable of mounting any large-scale offensive. However, barely hanging on doesn¡¯t mean the remaining Orcs will be easy to deal with. On the contrary, according to estimates by the Alliance Army General Staff, if Steel Wing Star is to be completely cleared of the Green Skin Orc threat, it will be a war that lasts five to ten years. The Orcs, lacking offensive capabilities, switched to a scattered, completely defensive stance. They dug tunnels and mixed spore creatures with local vegetation, forming numerous strongholds. When these strongholds were discovered, they would be attacked. The human army quickly mobilized heavy artillery to besiege and bombard them, then armored units charged in with infantry to eliminate the living Orcs and eradicate the Green Skin plants. If a stronghold was particularly well-defended or large in scale, the human forces wouldn¡¯t tangle with them for long, opting instead to call for orbital bombardment and then sending in ground forces afterwards. But the problem was that there were too many of these strongholds. Tens of millions of Orcs were scattered across millions of square kilometers of land in the northern continent of the planet, with some small strongholds comprising only a few dozen or a hundred Greenskins. It wasn¡¯t difficult to exterminate them, but finding them all, without exception, that was tough. Orbital bombardment faced a similar issue; it wasn¡¯t feasible to bombard every single stronghold as the smaller ones might not even be worth the cost of shells or missiles, lacking the value to be bombarded. Fleet firepower couldn¡¯t be wasted this way; even disregarding cost, stockpile and production capacity were insufficient for such extravagance. In the end, these strongholds had to be hunted down one by one by the land forces, each one methodically tackled. Even Gu Hang couldn¡¯t keep tens of millions from the Alliance Army stationed on Steel Wing Star for a prolonged ¡®bandit suppression¡¯. Many other planets needed the alliance¡¯s military for rescue. In fact, he planned to withdraw all of the Alliance Army in half a year, leaving only the thirty million from the Dragonhawk Legion and the Rage Bear Legion behind. He believed that after half a year, even if the Greenskins weren¡¯t completely eradicated, any remaining would certainly number less than ten million and be unable to form a cohesive force. The two Star Realm Army Corps would slowly strangle the remnants, hoping to clean Steel Wing Star in three to five years. Moreover, they would serve as the guard force, preparing for a possible future Green Skin invasion. ¡­ After arranging the land forces¡¯ work, Gu Hang immediately convened a navy meeting. Within the starport on Steel Wing Star, apart from a few duty-bound on their own ships, most of the captains joined this gathering. This included the seven cruiser captains of the Tianma Fleet; each one an Imperial General, at least holding the rank of Brigadier General, and they all attended. Smiles beamed on everyone¡¯s faces. In the preceding great victory, the human side had suffered minimal losses. Less than forty warships were destroyed, and the real heartache was from only three destroyers and eleven escort shipsaEUR¡±the remaining twenty-six patrolling vessels or armed merchant ships were not of high value. What reason was there not to be happy? During the pre-meeting banquet, everyone was in high spirits. Since they were going to have a meeting later, drinking wasn¡¯t appropriate; and considering the war had just ended, the banquet wasn¡¯t extravagant. But regardless, it couldn¡¯t dampen the enthusiastic atmosphere of the venue. However, within those smiles, some were not as pure. Tilermungs and three cruiser captains were huddled together, discussing something. Their conversation quickly concluded, as if they had reached some degree of consensus. The banquet ended and the meeting began. The first part was unremarkable, with Gu Hang standing alongside Tilermungs in front of many officers, jubilantly announcing the battle results, commemorating fallen comrades, and declaring that all acts of valor and achievements would be recorded. wuxiaworld.site.co Soldiers would receive their due honors and rewards, and the captains from the Gu Commercial Firm who were conscripted would also receive empire compensation and war bonuses. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The second part was critical. After most people left the room, remaining were only the seven Tianma Fleet cruiser captains and Gu Hang. At this point, Tilermungs no longer maintained his smile but seriously brought up the first topic: ¡°All the ships of the Tianma Fleet are present here, and we need to clarify command authority. Given the current war situation, the Tianma Fleet does not need to remain split into two. Major General Du Shiliang, the squadron you command will now rejoin my fleet, under my command effective immediately.¡± Chapter 759 - Chapter 759 Chapter 422, Close Your Eyes, It Will Be Fine in a Moment Chapter 759: Chapter 422, Close Your Eyes, It Will Be Fine in a Moment Chapter 759: Chapter 422, Close Your Eyes, It Will Be Fine in a Moment ¡°` ¡°Major General Du Shiliang, the formation you command will return to the fleet and fall under my command,¡± Upon hearing these words, Du Shiliang instinctively glanced over at Gu Hang. It shouldn¡¯t have been like this. He was the captain of the Tianma Fleet¡¯s Concerto cruiser and a Major General of the Imperial Navy. General Tilermungs, the commanding officer at the rank of Lieutenant General, was indisputably his direct superior from any perspective. When given a command, he should have stood up without a word and accepted it. Why look at Gu Hang? Yet, he did look. Tilermungs noticed his gaze and was slightly annoyed. However, he didn¡¯t say anything to Gu HangaEUR¡±not because he didn¡¯t dareaEUR¡±but continued to stare at Du Shiliang, his voice becoming unconsciously colder and harsher: ¡°Major General Du, do you have a problem?¡± Du Shiliang was helpless. He could only stand up, utter a ¡°Yes,¡± and then sit down again. A smile returned to Tilermungs¡¯s face. This was not his main goal for the day; at most, it was just an appetizer. Now, it was a triumphant start! Gu Hang didn¡¯t speak when he clearly received Du Shiliang¡¯s plea for help, which gave Tilermungs even more confidence. Maybe, Mr. Gu, too, was considering Imperial decrees, not daring to oppose his proposal that clearly conformed to the related Imperial regulations. The encouraged General cleared his throat and continued: ¡°Since there¡¯s no problem with this matter, let¡¯s move on to the second topic.¡± ¡°In light of the current war situation and the complex composition of our space forces, I propose gathering all ships belonging to the Seven Horse Territory for unified deployment and establishing a single command system. This would enable us to better leverage this power and combat the Green Skin Orcs, similar to how Mr. Gu organized the signing of the Seven Horse Accord across Star Sectors.¡± As he spoke, Tilermungs¡¯s gaze kept drifting towards Gu Hang. Aside from the Tianma Fleet, ships belonging to the Seven Horse Territory also included those of the Alliance Navy and the Gu Commercial Firm¡¯s vessels. Although other Star Sectors¡¯ Planetary Governors and smaller Empire Commerce Guilds also had some ships, they were few in number, lacked capital ships, had inferior combat capabilities, and were almost negligible. This was the issue Gu Hang was most likely to oppose and had legitimate reasons to do so. The Alliance Navy was his, and so were the Gu Clan¡¯s ships. If he didn¡¯t want to, Tilermungs couldn¡¯t snatch them away. But he had prepared a series of arguments and tactics for this. Later, depending on how exactly Gu Hang opposed, he would present corresponding arguments to counter or pressure him. ¡°I agree,¡± Gu Hang was the first to express his stance. Agreed? Tilermungs was momentarily stunned, then quite elated! Excellent! What he had thought would require much argument and possibly a falling out with Gu Hang now seemed easily resolved. Though unexpected, this was certainly good news! This Gu Hang seemed to care about the bigger picture. His gaze towards Gu Hang became much warmer. But his eyes still turned slightly cold when they occasionally swept across Du Shiliang. Although Gu Hang had a sense of the larger situation, you, young man, are quite the issue. Wait, I will have you stripped of your position. Of course, not right now. I must show respect to Mr. Gu at this moment. With these thoughts, Tilermungs also stood, his face bearing a sincere smile as he said, ¡°With this, we have reached a consensus. I believe that with Mr. Gu¡¯s support and our united efforts, those damned Green Skin Aliens will be utterly annihilated!¡± He spoke these words with the air of a host. However, at this moment, Gu Hang also rose to his feet. His face also wore a smile, but his words sent a chilling cold through Tilermungs: ¡°I have another proposal: I suggest appointing Major General Yelisia and Major General Du Shiliang as the First and Second United Commanders of the Seven Horse Fleet. Major General Yelisia is very familiar with the Tianma Fleet and can take on the responsibilities of the First United Commander; Major General Du Shiliang has amassed extensive experience in the past years, integrating the Tianma Fleet with the Alliance Escort Fleet and the Gu Clan¡¯s merchant fleet and can assist General Yelisia in coordinating the joint efforts of the three parties.¡± What about me? Tilermungs did not voice this foolish question. He stared at Gu Hang with a grim expression and said, ¡°I object. The position of a United Commander is unheard of.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because General Tilermungs has seen too little,¡± Gu Hang replied, ¡°There are precedents for this when multiple Imperial Fleets operate together. Usually, a United Commander is appointed, responsible for the coordinated command of multiple fleets. At the Golden Pass and Silver Pass, when combating the Green Skins, wasn¡¯t it Admiral Zhang Shaoxun of the Yunluo Fleet who took on the role of the United Commander during the joint operations with the Tianma Fleet and the Northern Fleet?¡± ¡°That¡¯s required only when multiple fleets within the Imperial Navy operate together! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Right now, the only legitimate Imperial Navy here is the Tianma Fleet! Novts`o.co The Imperial Navy has the right to conscript¡­¡± ¡°No, it does not,¡± Gu Hang interjected. ¡°The Eastern Star Domain is under my control, and all Imperial forces here should comply with my command and deployment. When I say we should establish a United Fleet, it will be a United Fleet.¡± ¡°What is this ¡®Eastern Star Domain¡¯ you speak of?¡± ¡°My appointment grants me control over everything in the Eastern Star Domain.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the document?¡± ¡°I can send you to Yunluo to request it.¡± ¡°` Chapter 760 - Chapter 760 Chapter 422, Close Your Eyes, It Will Be Fine in a Moment_2 Chapter 760: Chapter 422, Close Your Eyes, It Will Be Fine in a Moment_2 Chapter 760: Chapter 422, Close Your Eyes, It Will Be Fine in a Moment_2 By this point, Gu Hang¡¯s face was expressionless. ¡°You!¡± General Tilermungs was frantic with rage. When Gu Hang said he would send someone off, he really dared to do it. But did he dare to go? Was he scared that just after setting sail, only a few steps out, he would ¡°die in a Green Skin attack¡±? Clenching his teeth and with a low growl in his voice, he questioned Gu Hang, ¡°What exactly do you want to do?¡± ¡°I want to win this war. And you, General Tilermungs, under your leadership, the United Fleet cannot win. We need a leader who can bring us victory.¡± ¡°Enough!¡± General Tilermungs said, ¡°I¡¯m tired of your insatiable greed. The Tianma Fleet will not fight alongside you anymore. I will report to the Star Domain Naval Command. The Tianma Fleet will also leave this place and head to the Yunluo Starfield. You can handle things on your own!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± With that call, he intended to leave. What he said was partly in anger. But now that you, Gu Hang, have shown your true colors and flipped the table, let¡¯s flip it together and see who¡¯s afraid of whom. Without the Tianma Fleet, are you planning to use your head to block the Green Skins¡¯ military front? Yet, no one present followed him. Reaching the door of the conference room, General Tilermungs also realized the awkward situation at hand. He spun around abruptly and demanded of Du Shiliang and Yelisia, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you coming? Do you want to cause a division?¡± Yelisia¡¯s expression remained calm, but Du Shiliang looked somewhat troubled. He had intended to consult Mr. Gu¡¯s opinion, but he didn¡¯t expect the situation to escalate to such an outright confrontation. Was it time to choose sides now? If he really had to choose, he would undoubtedly choose Gu Hang. The reasons were blatantly obvious. Although General Tilermungs was his direct superioraEUR| could the Tianma Fleet really leave the Alliance now? Your ship¡¯s cannon shells, energy, all rely on others for resupply. The Star Domain Naval Command you¡¯re counting on? They are far away, separated by several Green Skin-occupied Star Sectors, can they even be counted on? To turn against Gu Hang and stand by General Tilermungs? And then, impoverished, lead the fleet away like a lost soul? Or to traverse the Green Skin-occupied zones without supplies and head to Yunluo? That¡¯s completely unrealistic! Moreover, aside from those reasons, there¡¯s also the fact that deep down he truly agreed with Gu Hang¡¯s statement: The most important thing right now is to win the war, and that requires a commander who can lead them to victory. Is that person Gu Hang or General Tilermungs? Even a fool could make the choice. In the end, Du Shiliang closed his eyes, pursed his lips, and remained seated like a wax statue, not giving General Tilermungs any response. ¡°Very well! So you want a rebellion?¡± General Tilermungs was furious. He waved at the other three captains who had always followed him. But they too looked troubled and dared not to move. One brigadier general spoke softly, ¡°There¡¯s no need for the situation to escalate like this, everyone sit down and let¡¯s talk this through¡­¡± Their thoughts were similar to those of Du Shiliang. Although they hadn¡¯t cooperated with Gu Hang for a long time and were not familiar with him, they were fully aware of the situation in the Eastern Star Domain and their performance in previous wars. Emotionally, they were more inclined toward General Tilermungs, and they also believed that as the noble Imperial Navy, forming a United Fleet with escort teams and armed merchant ships, the leader should naturally be one of their own. It was for this reason that when General Tilermungs communicated with them privately in advance, they all showed their support. But their support didn¡¯t extend to wanting to see the two sides turn against each other, let alone follow General Tilermungs out the door and accompany him to his death. Of course, they had also realized that General Tilermungs¡¯s so-called ¡°heading to Yunluo¡± was most likely said in a moment of anger, but they didn¡¯t want to create a situation where it would be too embarrassing to back down. What if they were really forced into a corner and had to take that step? That would be marching toward death. Moreover¡­ all three captains have, more or less, received favors from the Fufana Family in the past. Or you could say, there¡¯s hardly anyone in the Tianma Fleet who hasn¡¯t been lifted up by the Fufana, including Tilermungs. If it were someone else, that¡¯d be one thing. But Yelisia stepping up as this United Commander¡­ It seems not entirely out of the question. Within the fleet, it was tacitly understood that Yelisia would eventually be the Commander of the Tianma Fleet, it was just a matter of sooner or later. Once she accumulated enough experience, it would be time for her promotion. wuxiaworld.site.c0 Including Tilermungs himself, everyone knew he was just a placeholder. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t be at a loss either, with an added decade or so as the Commander of Tianma on his resume, any subsequent postings wouldn¡¯t be of a lower status. And now, if Yelisia stepped up, it would simply be hastening the inevitable. It seems not entirely out of the question. Seeing their reactions, Tilermungs was truly disappointed to the extreme. With a wave of his hand, he declared, ¡°Disobeying a direct order from a superior, this is mutiny! I will report all of your actions, wait for the military tribunal!¡± Having said that, he pushed the door open and left. However, just as he pushed the door open and took no more than a few steps forward, he felt two massive shadows envelop his body. Looking up, he saw two giants clad in crimson powered armor. Through their helmets, the indifferent gaze that fell upon him cooled his inner rage quite a bit. He couldn¡¯t help but take two steps back, turning his head in shock and anger to look at Gu Hang, ¡°What are you trying to do? Mutiny?!¡± ¡°You need to cool down, General Tilermungs.¡± As Gu Hang¡¯s voice subsided, the two Phoenix Interstellar Warriors suddenly stepped forward and directly subdued General Tilermungs. He opened his mouth to curse angrily, but in the next moment, an iron gauntlet firmly covered his mouth and nose, making it very difficult for him to breathe, let alone make a sound. He was thus taken away by the two Phoenix warriors, like a little chick. Afterward, two more Phoenix warriors appeared at the door, politely closed the conference room door, and stood guard outside. Gu Hang nodded in satisfaction and said to the remaining people with a smile, ¡°It seems, in a little while, General Tilermungs will calm down, agree to the establishment of the United Fleet, and also agree to the appointment of the two United Commanders.¡± His gaze turned towards Yelisia and Du Shiliang, continuing, ¡°I hope we can work closely together in the future.¡± Yelisia nodded with a smile, while Du Shiliang was wiping sweat off his forehead, ¡°Certainly, certainly.¡± At that moment, a commodore captain asked, ¡°Then¡­ what about Tilermungs?¡± Gu Hang said gently, ¡°He is the Commander of Tianma appointed by the Imperial Navy Command, and no one will change that. The Tianma Fleet cannot be without him; he will return to Tianma Star Sector Wings Star, to oversee the future shipbuilding projects at the Flying Wing Star Shipyard. It¡¯s a very important task, only with General Tilermungs can we be reassured.¡± Upon hearing this, everyone felt a lot more reassured. Of course, they knew this was akin to a forced resignation following a power grab. But this outcome was relatively acceptable. As long as they didn¡¯t kill Tilermungs and make things irreparable, that was fine. The rest could be overlooked for now; everything depended on victory in the war. Other matters could be discussed after winning and establishing contact with the Star Domain Government. Whether or not Gu Hang should be punished wasn¡¯t something these captains could decide. It would depend on how Star Domain Naval Command, the Military Affairs Department, and even the Star Domain Government saw the situation. ¡­ After the military conference ended, only Gu Hang and Yelisia remained in the conference room. With the formalities over, the other captains tactfully departed quickly one by one. No one would question why Yelisia didn¡¯t follow suit. Facing Yelisia, Gu Hang revealed a genuine smile, ¡°Long time no see.¡± Indeed, it had been a long while. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Since the fleets regrouped, the two had communicated many times, but always through virtual images. After the campaign ended, they met in person, but it was either a banquet or a military meeting, and only now did they finally have a private meeting. Previously, Gu Hang hadn¡¯t disclosed to Yelisia what he was going to do, but it seemed there was a special tacit understanding between them, and everything went smoothly. In this moment, freeing herself from the pretense and revealing her true tiredness, Yelisia sincerely said to Gu Hang, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± Seeing her current state, Gu Hang thoughtfully walked behind her. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Shh, don¡¯t move just yet.¡± Gu Hang¡¯s hands touched the sides of her forehead, ¡°Close your eyes, it¡¯ll be over soon.¡± Chapter 761 - Chapter 761 Chapter 423, My Hero Chapter 761: Chapter 423, My Hero Chapter 761: Chapter 423, My Hero Yelisia felt somewhat nervous, for she didn¡¯t know exactly what Gu Hang was going to do to her. But since she was able to cooperate tacitly and complete something as serious as assisting Gu Hang in a coup, getting rid of her immediate superior without hardly any prior coordination with Gu Hang, it was even less of an issue to give him this bit of trust. She didn¡¯t think Gu Hang would do anything harmful to her. She was just quite unaccustomed to such intimate contact with the opposite sex, giving her a very strange feeling. Her body tensed up, but she obediently sat still, allowing Gu Hang to proceed. She could feel the warmth of Gu Hang¡¯s fingers as they moved down the sides of her forehead, to her cheeks, then to the back of her neck. There was a slight tingling sensation that traveled from her mind through her body, even penetrating her soul. This tingling didn¡¯t excite her, but it was extremely comfortable, making her relax. Before she realized it, she fell asleep. When she slowly woke up, she was lying on a lounge chair in a resting room, covered with a thin blanket. First, she checked herself and found that she was wearing a set of comfortable and soft pajamas. Her face turned slightly red, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Gu Hang! But then she thought, it probably wasn¡¯t him. The image of her fiancA(c) in her memory didn¡¯t appear as someone who would do such a thing. I must not misunderstand him. As she was thinking this, she heard the door open. Gu Hang, dressed casually, walked in holding a gold-rimmed porcelain plate. ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± said Gu Hang, his smile gentle and warming. ¡°Mm¡­ How long have I slept?¡± ¡°Not long, two hours.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ How did I fall asleep?¡± ¡°It was because of me,¡± Gu Hang said as he sat next to her and placed the porcelain plate on a small table beside the lounge chair. The plate was filled with neatly cut fruit. Gu Hang fed Yelisia a piece with an exquisite fork. ¡°It¡¯s very fresh,¡± Yelisia commented, ¡°I haven¡¯t had this in a long time.¡± On a starship, this was undoubtedly a luxury. Perhaps at the beginning of their departure, the Quintet¡¯s kitchen had stored some for the senior officers, but after so many years, certainly, nothing was left. Later, with the tense war situation, precious transportation couldn¡¯t be used for such items. Eating the fruit, Yelisia asked Gu Hang, ¡°What¡­ did you do to me just now?¡± ¡°I saw you were very tired, mainly spiritually, so I thought of a little method using spiritual energy to help you ease it a bit.¡± ¡°Indeed, I feel much more relaxed in body and spirit. Is this also the power of spiritual energy? I¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡± That¡¯s because the most powerful spiritual energy user you¡¯ve ever met, is right in front of you. But Gu Hang didn¡¯t voice this thought, instead just smiling gently: ¡°Seeing you had fallen asleep, I brought you here and had one of my female secretaries help you change your clothes.¡± This finally answered the question that Yelisia had been too embarrassed to ask. It made her breathe a sigh of relief, but why did she still feel a hint of disappointment? One rocked back and forth on a reclining chair, the other sat beside, slicing fruit and chatting idly about various topics. The topics of conversation were quite diverse. First, they talked about the health of family members, especially old Fufana¡¯s condition. Gu Hang sighed, not bothering to hide anything, and revealed that Fufana¡¯s health was declining more and more. Without the conditions to undergo another life-extension surgery, he likely wouldn¡¯t survive another operation, and the Tianma Star Sector didn¡¯t have the capability or means to conduct it. Now, there was no way to get to Jindi Star either. Yelisia still seemed somewhat sad. Of all her family, it was this grandfather, a generation removed, with whom she shared the closest bond. This wasn¡¯t a topic that brought happiness or relaxation. Afterwards, Gu Hang naturally shifted the conversation to describe the changes in Flying Wing Star, and even the whole Tianma Star Sector, over the years. The changes were indeed significant. Even on Flying Wing Star, the transformation was substantial. In the years since Yelisia left the Tianma Star Sector, it was the time when Gu Hang¡¯s power expanded from Rage Owl Star and eventually dominated the entire star sector. Most of those changes were naturally brought about by Gu Hang. ¡°I truly couldn¡¯t have imagined,¡± Yelisia exclaimed, ¡°just a few years ago, when you boarded my ship from the starport on Flying Wing Star, you only brought one person with you to that notorious, hopeless world of Rage Owl Star.¡± ¡°In just these few years, you¡¯ve reached this point.¡± Gu Hang said with a smile, ¡°Your help was indispensable in all this.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Yelisia puffed out her chest proudly, ¡°I certainly won¡¯t forget my own contributions. Your initial capital all came from swindling on my starship. Those mech servants, my Navy Marine Corps, and even the present commander-in-chief of your Alliance Land Forces, was once a Marine Corps officer on my ship!¡± Gu Hang laughed heartily, ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re absolutely right! You¡¯re my angel investor!¡± ¡°My investment turned out to be hugely successful,¡± Yelisia reflected, ¡°Who could have thought it? To be honest, at first, I didn¡¯t have much faith in what you could achieve. Starting from scratch, penniless in a wasteland. But now, just fourteen years later, you¡¯ve become the sole ruler of a whole star sector, with sixty billion people submitting to you, commanding an immense army and a fleet that obscures the sky¡­¡± ¡°Not to mention back then, even when we had just got engaged, you were already on the rise, but the biggest label on you was still the Young Family Head of the Gu Clan. How could I dare to imagine that, in a few years¡¯ time, my fiancA(c) would become the biggest and only ruler of the entire star sector?¡± Gu Hang teased Yelisia, ¡°Don¡¯t you like it?¡± Yelisia¡¯s eyes even seemed somewhat misty, ¡°Of course not, even though I¡¯ve always hoped to take up the family¡¯s mantle and become the finest naval admiral. But¡­ haven¡¯t I also dreamed that my future husband would be a hero of legends?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve met that standard?¡± he asked. Yelisia smiled slyly, ¡°What do you think?¡± Gu Hang didn¡¯t answer, instead he just lowered his head and continued to peel the fruit. But he could feel the breath of Yelisia on his cheek: ¡°You certainly are, my hero.¡± aEUR| The tender moments between Gu Hang and Yelisia were but a fleeting episode in the cold expanse of the universe. Brutal war was the eternal theme. They couldn¡¯t rest for long, as there were too many things yet to do. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Having crushed the main fleet of the Green Skins on Steel Wing Star, they immediately had to allocate forces to address the issue of Green Skins¡¯ invasions in the Eagle Horse Star District, and in the neighbouring Mist Horse Star District. Inside the Eagle Horse Star Sector, Green Skins¡¯ ships should no longer exist. If there were any, they were small raiding groups, which could cause trouble, but would not hinder the grand scheme. The Dragonhawk and Rage Bear Star Realm Army Corps would remain on Steel Wing Star as defense forces. Meanwhile, half of the eighty million Alliance Army would disperse to various planets in the Eagle Horse Star Sector to deal with the Green Skins¡¯ ground invasions. Chapter 762 - Chapter 762 Chapter 424, Dont Expect to Reap Without Sowing! Chapter 762: Chapter 424, Don¡¯t Expect to Reap Without Sowing! Chapter 762: Chapter 424, Don¡¯t Expect to Reap Without Sowing! ¡°` Addressing the Green Skin invasion on the various planets within the Eagle Horse Star Sector won¡¯t be too difficult. In fact, half of the planets are already under control. The Alliance Army dealt with them on the way to Steel Wing Star. The other half that wasn¡¯t on the previous marching route is what needs to be taken care of this time. Excluding Steel Wing Star, the Alliance Army has committed about thirty-five million ground forces to the Eagle Horse Star Sector. They face a Green Skin force that is likely less than thirty million strong, and they are assisted by a native Defense Forces that outnumber them several times over. Overall, even if the United Fleet can¡¯t spare resources to provide orbital fire support for the ground battles in the Eagle Horse Star Sector, eradicating the Green Skins on the surface of those planets will still not pose any problem. It¡¯s just a matter of the extent of casualties and the length of time it will take. As for why the United Fleet can¡¯t free up resources to provide orbital fire support for the ground battles in the Eagle Horse Star Sector, that¡¯s because they have many more important tasks at hand. The priority is to defend the Steel Wing Star System. This is a critical transport hub, and they must guard against the possibility of the Green Skins regrouping and invading again. After all, no matter how devastating the losses to the Green Skin fleet, at least two hundred warships remain. Moreover, who knows how many Green-Skin ships and armies exist beyond the Golden Pass Star Sector in the Green Skins¡¯ main base? This location requires a strong military presence, with thirty million Star Realm forces and at least half of the United Fleet¡¯s ships stationed here, unable to leave. Major General Du Shiliang, the Second United Commander, is responsible for this war zone and will undertake this mission. The other half of the United Fleet, under the leadership of Yelisia, the First United Commander, has entered the Mist Horse Star District with a nearly forty million-strong Alliance Army. Although the head of the Mist Horse Star District has not signed the Seven Horses Treaty to this day, many planet governors have. Since they have signed, they must be taken care of, which is the core principle for the establishment of the Seven Horses Treaty. Among them, there is a key star systemaEUR¡±Emerald Spring I. Looking at the star map, heading north from Steel Wing Star, you reach Emerald Spring II, and further north is Emerald Spring I. This world itself is an ordinary mining world with a population of about three hundred million people, but it is also a transportation route. To the south, it connects to the Eagle Horse Star Sector; to the east, it leads from Xiyuan III into the heartland of the Mist Horse Star District; to the north, it connects with two worlds in the Copper Barrier Star District, an area of occupation. Its status is similar to Steel Wing Star in the Eagle Horse Star Sector. By securing Emerald Spring I, they can essentially prevent the Green Skins from moving south from the Copper Barrier Star District and can serve as a shield for the Mist Horse Star District, protecting the safety of the rear. After entering Emerald Spring II and deploying an army group of one million to address the local Green Skin issue, Yelisia¡¯s forces continued north into Emerald Spring I. Emerald Spring I has not signed the Seven Horses Treaty, not because they are unwilling to sign, but because they cannot. About a month ago, the Planetary Governor of Emerald Spring I went missing, and even the whole planet has stopped transmitting information. It is suspected that the planet has largely lost its ground resistance capabilities. The people are probably not all dead, but it is feared that there are no organized forces left to confront the Green Skin Orcs on the front-line battlefields, at most there might be some guerrilla forces or the Rebel Army. The surviving people are likely hiding in the city¡¯s underground tunnels, strong fortresses, deep mine shafts, and similar places, desperately clinging to life. The Governor of Emerald Spring I is either dead or they have lost control of the Star Language Tower, unable to carry out interstellar communication, hence no effective signals can be transmitted. But despite not signing the Seven Horses Treaty, the Alliance Army has still come. This place is too important, and the Seven Horses Treaty has unilaterally declared that this planet will be included within the protective scope of the Treaty. Upon arrival at the target star system, Yelisia¡¯s fleet quickly commenced operations. ¡°` Without a word, they first drove away the Green Skin Ships. In the star system, they discovered approximately six or seven Green Skin Ships. These ships, coming from the Copper Barrier Star Sector, were likely transporting loads of Green Skin youngsters and a vast amount of military supplies. Essentially, these vessels were used for transporting troops and supplies to various Green Skin invading forces across the Mist Horse Star District. These garbage carriers, laden with cargo, couldn¡¯t move very fast nor did they possess any significant combat capabilities, so they were quickly disposed of. Subsequently, the United Fleet began to bomb the surface of Emerald Spring I fiercely and indiscriminately. Destroying the Green Skin forces on the ground was one aspect; another was to signal to any possible resistance on the planet that their savior had arrived. Fifteen million of the Alliance Army, employing a myriad of landing crafts, established three major landing zones in the orbitally-bombarded areas safe enough to do so and then unfolded their forces. On the one hand, they engaged in combat with the Green-Skin Army on the surface, which was estimated to be about ten million strong. On the other hand, they were diligently searching for survivors on the planet. The situation on the ground was almost exactly as they had anticipated: more than three hundred million people, scattered across the entire planet, wouldn¡¯t be so easily exterminated, especially hidden in the complex environments of various mineshafts, mining districts, and smelting factories. In this universe filled with all manner of strange and dangerous creatures, the most numerous and the ones occupying the most planets were undoubtedly humans. Such vast population numbers and the expansive empire they commanded were certainly not handed to them on a silver platter. Never underestimate the resilience of the human race. The Alliance Army wasn¡¯t searching for survivors because they needed local forces to help fight the Green Skins; it was unnecessary. The native forces had already been decimated, leaving only a handful of rebels with self-made weapons, who, at best, could engage in guerrilla warfare but were of little help in direct combat. The rescued survivors would be protected in areas under the control of the Alliance Army, assisting the soldiers with logistical transport and the construction of defensive fortifications. Incidentally, they would also be organized to restore some production capabilities. As for the original pillar industries of Emerald Spring IaEUR¡±mining and smeltingaEUR¡±there was no hurry to restore them. Instead, some remains of soilless cultures and vertical farms were to be reused. .cO If the logistics and supplies of the Alliance Army relied entirely on interstellar transport, the pressure would still be considerable. If it were just the military, it would be manageable, but having to support a large number of local civilians significantly increased the burden. It was necessary to find a way to reactivate the few planting factories occupied by the Green Skins. There was no expectation to solve all food supply problems locally, but any amount that could be locally sourced would relieve some pressure. Considering the significance of Emerald Spring I, Yelisia even left nearly half of her naval forces stationed in orbit around Emerald Spring I. This ensured the security of the battles concerning Emerald Spring I was foolproof. Afterward, without waiting for the conflict on Emerald Spring I to be completely resolved, Yelisia, following the star map, split her forces and dispatched them east and west. A small contingent was sent to Emerald Spring III on the west side. Emerald Spring III was an isolated world with no particular special features and was not considered important. It was simply reclaimed along the way. The main force she led proceeded eastward, heading to Xiyuan III and making its way deep into the Mist Horse territory. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Their destinations were Mist Horse I and Shangyuan Star, which were the Star Sector Capital and the vital passage to the Tianma Star Sector, respectively. Beyond military objectives, Yelisia also bore the political task of demanding the entire Mist Horse Star District to be incorporated into the framework of the Seven Horse Accords. To every planet in Mist Horse, and even to the Mist Horse Star Sector Government, she conveyed a message from Gu Hang: ¡°While we are fighting in the forefront, spilling our blood, the Alliance will not allow any world to enjoy the benefits without contributing. Any governor, leader, or government that cannot shoulder their responsibility, that cannot stand beside the Alliance in battle, will be suspected of severe dereliction of duty or betrayal of the Empire. The Alliance, empowered by the Seven Horse Accords and the Star Domain Government, will not tolerate such conduct!¡± aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡± Another chapter is coming, but later in the night. Chapter 763 - Chapter 763 Chapter 425, The Seven Horses Pact Great Spread Chapter 763: Chapter 425, The Seven Horses Pact Great Spread Chapter 763: Chapter 425, The Seven Horses Pact Great Spread Indeed, those words had been spoken by Gu Hang. Actually, whether it was the Mist Horse Star District or even further back the Purple Horse Sector, Border Horse Sector, or Iron Horse Sector, they¡¯d have to decide whether to join the Seven Horse Treaty or notaEUR¡±Gu Hang would have to fight this war regardless. After all, he could ignore the life and death of others, but he could not ignore his own. If they didn¡¯t defend Steel Wing Star and Emerald Spring I, the Green Skins would swarm from the two northern sectors. The Alliance would then have to defend the Fatches Star System and the Flying Wing Star System. It would be better to defend the former two. Besides, Steel Wing Star was a fortress world, and Emerald Spring I was just a mining world; damaging them would not be a big loss. If the battle took place at Flying Wing Star and a cruiser dockyard was damaged, Gu Hang would have nowhere to cry. One should never let the flames of war reach their homeland. And since they were going to defend Steel Wing Star and Emerald Spring I, not to mention Eagle Horse and Mist Horse, following the alliance¡¯s military actions, the four major sectors of Purple Horse, Border Horse, Iron Horse, and Cultivating Horse would all benefit and be spared from the Green Skins¡¯ invasion. In effect, they were getting a good deal and then not joining the Seven Horse Treaty, which amounted to freeloading off the Alliance¡¯s military protection. Could Gu Hang let people take advantage of this situation? The Alliance wasn¡¯t trying to annex them anyway. In fact, even if they wanted to join the Alliance, Gu Hang might not agree. Several worlds in the Eagle Horse Sector had been holding secret discussions with the Alliance, not just to sign the Seven Horse Treaty but even to take a further step and directly join the Alliance. But Gu Hang had rejected them. It wasn¡¯t an outright ¡®no¡¯, but at least the timing was not right. On one hand, there were political and diplomatic implications; it was easy to assimilate territories, but when the Seven Horse Treaty spread to other star sectors, things would become more complicated. The planetary governors and leaders already had their doubts; adding this issue would make negotiations much more difficult. Moreover, from the Alliance¡¯s internal perspective, joining the Alliance would mean a significant change in political structure and implied that the Alliance would have to treat the residents of those worlds as its own citizens. Political reforms, economic reforms, changes in welfare benefitsaEUR¡±all these things would have to be addressed. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t that be tantamount to obtaining them for nothing? Of course, with this whole set of changes, the world would eventually be digested as part of the Alliance. However, digestion takes time, not to mention that the initial phase would require significant investment. The Alliance itself had already issued a level three mobilization order. The fact that consumer spending was just barely maintained was already quite impressive, as a large amount of production shifted from civilian goods to military and heavy industry, resulting in a halt to improvements in the quality of life for the populace. The increase in production capabilities was mainly directed at all war-related industries, with significant reductions in the production of civilian vehicles, home appliances, and the like. Under these circumstances, asking the Alliance to shoulder the burden of rebuilding worlds ravaged by war was a task that wouldn¡¯t see returns in the short term. It was out of the question. At least until after the war was over. The Seven Horse Treaty model was already a good arrangement. This was a treaty that emphasized the concept of a military alliance. The Alliance would not interfere with the political and economic development of the signing planets, requiring only unity in military command. That is, the Alliance wouldn¡¯t manage how civilians lived on the planets, the structure of the governments, or the economic development. The Alliance only cared about collecting Imperial Taxes to fight the Green Skins; ensuring that the local Defense Army¡¯s numbers and quality met certain standards and accepted the unified coordination and command of the United Fleet¡¯s headquarters; and levying a special war tax when necessary. All this was for the sake of war. Fighting the Green Skins was the responsibility of all governors and leaders; it was unreasonable for the Alliance to bear the brunt alone. Just sign the Seven Horse Treaty already. If not, fine, if the Green Skins can¡¯t reach you because I¡¯ve held them off, the Alliance can still fight you. Normally, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t deal with a Planetary Governor from a star sector away, let alone the head of a star sector. He had previously handled Extinct Soil Star under the guise of capturing pirates, and indeed he obtained evidence of the governor of Extinct Soil colluding with the pirates, which led to Gu Hang disposing of him. However, because of this, the Cultivating Horse Star Sector had not refrained from negotiations and verbal exchanges and even complained to the Star Domain Government. The actual harm wasn¡¯t significant, but it was quite annoying. But now, it was a different matter altogether. If Gu Hang could confront the Star Domain Government, what else needed to be feared? In fact, once Yelisia¡¯s fleet had swept through the thirteen star systems of the Mist Horse Star District, ensuring that this district joined the framework of the Seven Horse Territory, her fleet would continue westward into East Garden III, entering the territory of the Purple Horse Sector. As of yet, the Purple Horse Sector had not been invaded by the Green Skins. This sector had a population of thirty-eight billion, making it the second most populous in the Seven Horse Territory, after Eagle Horse. The leadership of Purple Horse had always found excuses to avoid joining the Seven Horse Treaty, claiming that the Purple Horse Sector had been suffering from severe rebellion. Rebels even went so far as to seize the starport and the small shipyard on Ancient Silver Star. The rebels¡¯ land forces caused them great distress, and the proliferation of pirates also endangered the safety of the Purple Horse Sector. They simply could not join the Seven Horse Treaty and concentrate the sector¡¯s forces on fighting the Green Skin Orcs. Gu Hang accepted their reasoning. The United Fleet led by Yelisia, along with nearly twenty million Alliance Army troops, entered the Purple Horse Sector to help the Purple Horse leadership quell the rebellion. Either, after the rebellion within Purple Horse was suppressed, the entire Purple Horse Sector would sign the Seven Horse Treaty. Or, if they were lying and deceiving the Alliance, ignoring the overall strategy of the star domain against the Iron-teeth Greenskins, the Alliance would come to administer justice, and then the new leaders and governors would likely understand the Alliance¡¯s goodwill and eventually join the framework of the Seven Horse Treaty. Either way, the Purple Horse Sector had the freedom to choose. They could decide how they wanted to join the Seven Horse Treaty. Gu Hang awaited good news from the Purple Horse Sector. Should the situation turn dire, Gu Hang neither wanted nor intended to start a civil war while external threats remained unaddressed. He had already provided Yelisia with some additional personnel to assist her and had also allowed her to learn from the methods the Empire used when dealing with disobedient, inefficient, or non-tax-paying Planetary Governors. These included techniques from the Empire Legal Affairs Department and the Imperial Inquisition. These two Imperial organizations had ample experience in handling Planetary Governors, and Gu Hang felt they were worth studying closely. If the Empire had to send a large army to suppress every world that did not pay or inadequately paid Imperial Tax, they would certainly be overwhelmed. Too many to handle. Trial, bribery, assassination, subversion, and coups¡­ these methods, coupled with small-scale military suppression and support for new spokespersons and interest groups¡­ Were all good strategies. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And now, these tasks were entrusted to Yelisia and the various departments of the Alliance officials accompanying her, while Gu Hang himself was busy with something else. The rewards from the Steel Wing Star battle had been settled for him. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Some people asked where the star map came from. I drew it myself with Photoshop! I had considered using the game Stellaris, but it wasn¡¯t quite suitable, so I decided to draw one in the style of Stellaris myself. Chapter 764 - Chapter 764 Chapter 426, Factory Exchange of 500,000 Chapter 764: Chapter 426, Factory Exchange of 500,000 Chapter 764: Chapter 426, Factory Exchange of 500,000 The battle at Steel Wing Star might be the largest campaign that Gu Hang had ever initiated and conducted. The ground combat alone was probably even more massive than the Plague War at KorolyaaEUR¡±except for the part where a Great Demon was fought in the Subspace. But the battle at Steel Wing Star also involved lines of mighty starships firing volleys at each other across the Star Sea. In total, Gu Hang received 930,000 grace points. The grace points calculated from this battle were slightly less than those from the Plague War at Korolya. The latter had reached the million mark, whereas this time it fell short. The reason, Gu Hang surmised, was that the Demon Govaaga he had taken down provided a substantial number of grace points. In the battle at Steel Wing Star, the main source of substantial gains in grace points was, after all, the naval part of the conflict. Since the ships of the Tianma Fleet that served as the main force were not considered his core power, their victories were not included in the gains of grace points by the system. Were it not for the fact that many of the enemy¡¯s main ships were brought down by the shields Gu Hang tore through with his Spiritual Energy, the calculated grace points would have been even fewer. Nevertheless, with this, Gu Hang¡¯s grace point balance had once again surpassed one million. In addition to the 930,000 points from this settlement, the monthly income from the past two months also added up, amounting to almost seventy thousand; plus the little left over from before, as well as some achievements earned by the Alliance Army in various worlds of the Eagle Horse Star Sector on the way to Steel Wing StaraEUR¡±altogether accounting for tens of thousands more. Gu Hang still did not plan on saving these one million grace points. He intended to spend them quickly, hoping that these points could further accelerate the Alliance¡¯s construction work, preparing for the next phase of the war. With a bold stroke, he invested five hundred thousand grace points all into one thing: the exchange of various kinds of ¡°Factories¡± in the ¡°Construction¡± panel. ¡°Factory¡± buildings were a very solid exchange option. They had no fancy effects, and did not offer anything new; they simply and directly enhanced the production efficiency of existing real-life factories. Gu Hang had indeed studied it carefully: the factories upgraded through the exchange showed spurts of brilliance with some comrades having innovative ideas for improvements to the existing production lines, from workflow to factory design, to specific enhancements in production lines, bringing forth actual benefits. These were the improvements in production efficiency reflected in the exchange options. No matter how the increase in production efficiency was achieved, if enough of these options were exchanged, they would bring a substantial boost to the Alliance¡¯s overall production capacity. Furthermore, the ¡°Construction¡± interface now not only offered the initial level one factories but had also expanded up to level three. The exchange option for a level one factory was 100 grace points, level two reached 1,000 points, and level three 10,000 points. Gu Hang decisively upgraded every dock of the Alliance¡¯s two major shipyards to at least level two; a few key docks, such as those at Flying Wing Star¡¯s cruiser dockyards, were upgraded to level three. At important ammunition production center factories on Rage Owl Star and Korolya, Gu Hang bit the bullet and upgraded them to level three production as well. Gu Hang exchanged for a total of 10 level three factories, 100 level two factories, and 3,000 level one factories, applying them to various production lines. Spending these five hundred thousand grace points directly boosted the total industrial output value of the Alliance from 112.3 billion tax currency to 124 billion. This was an increase of over 10% in total production value, a development goal that, according to the plan, the Alliance would have needed one year to achieve. Under the miraculous effect of Gu Hang¡¯s grace points, what would have taken a whole year happened in just a second. Moreover, the areas of growth were precisely what Gu Hang wanted: primarily in military industrial production and secondarily in the supply of various other military materials, such as field rations. In the military industry sector, the focus was on the construction of starships, where the largest production growth occurred. Other key areas included the production of heat-melting bombs, plasma weapons, heavy shells, and missiles. One should not overlook theseaEUR¡±especially the shells, which are the biggest consumables in war. When the intensity of a war escalates to a certain degree and the situation is dominated by a stalemate, it often happens that there are cannons but not enough shells to fire. Having thousands of cannons fire simultaneously may sound fierce and passionately explosive, but with the Alliance¡¯s cannon technology, it¡¯s easy to fire about ten rounds per minuteaEUR¡±a higher rate of fire is possible, but it would take too heavy a toll on the barrel life. This rate of ten rounds per minute optimizes barrel longevity. To say that ten thousand cannons are difficult to come by would be an understatement; one Alliance Army Group genuinely has that many, and even far more. And at that rate, one Alliance Army Group can fire a million heavy shells in an houraEUR¡±lighter weapons like mortars or light field guns don¡¯t even qualify for the conversation; these are all large-caliber heavy cannons, with at least 155mm howitzers, and the Alliance Land Forces even have a small number of even mightier 305mm self-propelled heavy cannons. Without sufficient production capacity, how could one sustain the consumption of the Alliance Land Forces to this extent? The mightier the production, the stronger the firepower. Not to mention, it¡¯s not just the Land Forces that need various types of shells; the navy needs them just as much. Another part of the production boost was invested in the manufacture of Lion King Tanks, Mechas, and Titans. These ace war machines of the Land Forces were the core equipment needed to confront the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ Killer Cans, Death Cans, and Skugg War Behemoths in head-to-head battles on the frontlineaEUR¡±naturally, the more the better. The fully-powered production of the Alliance will send massive amounts of war materials to the front lines via a huge transportation fleet. Currently, the intensity of the war the Alliance faces does not actually require so much ammunition reserve and equipment consumption. But that¡¯s alright; all these can be stored on key transit hubs like Steel Wing Star, Emerald Spring I, and the planets in the Eagle Horse and Mist Horse Star Districts. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This is in preparation for the large-scale war with the Green Skins that may very well erupt next. The more prepared we are now, the more at ease we can be when the war starts. And the significance of these five hundred thousand grace points Gu Hang spent goes beyond just the war. The enhanced productivity, as long as there are no accidents, will never vanish. In the future, it will always be effective. Chapter 765 - Chapter 765 Chapter 427 Investing in People Chapter 765: Chapter 427: Investing in People Chapter 765: Chapter 427: Investing in People 500,000 grace points brought an annual production value of 100 billion, and theoretically, this increase is permanent. Of course, if the social environment of these planets experienced a major upheaval, or if there was widespread corruption, institutional rigidity, then it could still lead to a decrease in production. But that would not be an issue with the exchange options, and rather a problem with Gu Hang¡¯s governance. Whatever needed to be addressed would be addressed. The other 500,000 grace points at his disposal had more complex uses. He spent 200,000 on military training, which would bring 20 million qualified soldiers. The Alliance Army no longer relied solely on his Soldier Badge Training System to train troops, and a significant portion of qualified soldiers had been trained under the competent training mechanisms established by the Alliance over the past few years. However, the training process was still quite time-consuming. In order to ensure the combat capability of the corresponding troops, Gu Hang still needed to train a portion of qualified T5-grade soldiers through the Army Badge System, to increase the proportion of standard Star Realm Army soldiers in certain units up to 70%, and even above 80%. These 20 million newly trained soldiers would not be used to form new unit designations. Instead, they would be sent from the training centres on various planets within the Tianma Star Sector to different units, especially the frontline units, to reinforce the corresponding teams. Now, some division-level units of the Alliance Army that had been severely depleted in the war had been withdrawn for rest and recuperation. These units would be given priority in receiving troop reinforcements. Of course, to ensure sufficient combat personnel for the frontline units, when one division was withdrawn, the Alliance would send out another division to be incorporated into the appropriate Army Group. Currently, the size of the Alliance Army had reached over 400 million, in terms of organization, at least. This included 18 Army Group clusters, each comprised of 20 Army Groups, totaling 22 million personnel, A single Army Group had approximately one million personnel, made up of 25 divisions and brigades. Generally speaking, the sizes of both the Army Groups and Army Group clusters varied. wuxiaworld.site.co Some groups had fewer divisions and brigades, some had more, and the number of divisions and brigades under each group could also vary, with temporary reassignments of some units to needed areas during wars. By contrast, the organization below the division and brigade level was fixed and unchanging. The current situation of the Alliance¡¯s division and brigade level units had become quite complex, but generally speaking, there were three common formats: The most numerous were the large infantry divisions, typically around 44,000 personnel, made up of 12 infantry regiments, which were the main combat force of the division; in addition, 8 artillery battalions with 400 heavy cannons supported them, and each infantry regiment also had its own self-propelled artillery support company, all of which were equipped with self-propelled artillery. A division would thus have at least 600 self-propelled artillery units. Smaller mortars, rocket artillery, heavy bombs, heavy plasma guns, and thermobaric bomb launchers and such were not included in this count, as these weapons were typically distributed at the company and battalion level. They also had an air squadron with at least 60 Windfalcon Fighters. This type of large infantry division was the undisputed main force and backbone of the Alliance, the shield and hammer of the Alliance. They boasted a large number of personnel and heavy firepower, essential for assault and defense battles. Once trenches were dug, and fortifications built, any enemy attempting to break through would have to endure a battering from the Alliance¡¯s heavy artillery to stand a chance. The total cost of such a division reached 1.3 million Tax Currency. The second most common type of unit was the heavy armored Composite Camp. The main force consisted of 8 heavy armored battalions and 3 tank battalions. Not to mention the large number of armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery, the main power was 320 Lion Tanks and 9 Lion King Tanks, as well as 60 Windfalcon Fighters. Despite having only around 12,500 personnel, the massive armored force made such a heavy armored brigade virtually impervious on the battlefield! The cost of such a division skyrocketed to nearly 5 million Tax Currency. The least numerous was the ¡®Skeleton Division¡¯; such a division could basically be understood as a combination of an infantry division and an armored division, with a total of over 60,000 personnel, fiercer firepower, stronger armored capabilities, and mainly tasked with a Group¡¯s most critical combat mission in certain aspects. Unlike regular divisions and brigades, a significant proportion of soldiers were T4 grade; their infantry equipment was also updated to a large proportion of laser guns and electromagnetic rifles. The number of high-grade weapons such as bombs, plasma, thermobaric and other advanced weaponry was also much higher among the infantry than in regular units. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The cost of such a division further soared to 9 million Tax Currency. As for the 1st Extinguishing Wind Brigade, 2nd Beast Slayer Division, 10th Special Warfare Brigade, 31st Ace Airdrop DivisionaEUR¡±these four elite special unitsaEUR¡±their equipment and personnel configuration were incomparable to other division and brigade units. This was the current composition of the Alliance Land Forces. They had the numbers and the frontal firepower, sustained by the numerous large infantry divisions; they had the armor and the breakthrough capability, held up by the heavy brigades. For key battles, they had the Skeleton Divisions to step in, elite units that could stand alongside any renowned high-grade Star Realm Army Corps in terms of equipment and training. Chapter 766 - Chapter 766 Chapter 427 Investing in People_2 Chapter 766: Chapter 427: Investing in People_2 Chapter 766: Chapter 427: Investing in People_2 Unfortunately, the Alliance is still not wealthy enough. The ¡°Skeleton Division,¡± this type of elite unit, even now can¡¯t ensure every Army Group has one, let alone each Army Group cluster only having one or two at most. Despite this, the Alliance Army remains Gu Hang¡¯s pride and the trump card that the Alliance has stood tall with to this day. Even though the Alliance has invested substantial manpower and resources, allocating the most important resources and most of the funds into the construction of the naval forces in hopes of catching up and overtaking the competition, as things stand, the Army is still the backbone of the Alliance¡¯s existence. A large infantry division can ensure its position is not lost under an equivalent number of Green Skins¡¯ assaults; add one heavy composite brigade, and it can break through the positions of twice or even three times the number of Green Skins; when facing elite Green Skins with heavy equipment, the Alliance also has sufficient firepower and armored forces to contend. All of this is extremely rare. Even more so, Gu Hang can confidently say that within the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain, there isn¡¯t a second human ground force that can compare with the Alliance Army. Not even the Dragonhawk Legion can do it. The Dragonhawk Legion has a total of thirteen legions, with a total population exceeding one billion, which is much more than the Alliance Army, but in terms of equipment and overall training level, they are certainly inferior. As long as the Alliance catches up in naval force at least not to be a drag, then the strength of the Alliance Army can play a significant role on the cosmic battlefield. By ¡°not being a drag,¡± it means the navy doesn¡¯t necessarily have to win naval battles, just ensure the troops can be properly delivered, and ensure the enemy can¡¯t conduct orbital bombardments on one¡¯s own army without restraint. That¡¯s enough. This requirement is much simpler than gaining control of space. And as long as this low standard is met, then the combat power of the Alliance can be exponentially unleashed. After all, in this cold universe, the void itself has no value. The most important value still lies on the many planets. ¡­ In addition to the two hundred thousand blessing points spent on the construction of the Land Forces, Gu Hang also invested one hundred and fifty thousand blessing points in talent development. Here, the spending was more diverse. Further construction of academies consumed a sum of blessing points. Flying Wing Star¡¯s educational industry was already fairly developed, but the Alliance couldn¡¯t possibly rely solely on Flying Wing Star to carry out all educational work. On Rage Owl Star, Korolya, Fatches¡­ the construction of corresponding academies needed to be scheduled as well. There was also adequate training for civil officials. Especially after entering the war period, the Alliance launched a third-level mobilization order. Under this scale of mobilization, large-scale social unrest was unlikely, and the entire order was maintained very well, even strengthened somewhat. However, maintaining a stronger social order requires more governance costs. At the same time, under the mobilization order, civilian production, if not thwarted, has at least significantly slowed down, which has led to stagnation in the growth of the public¡¯s standard of living. This issue also requires stronger government control and propaganda to keep under control. Gu Hang was very vigilant against systemic corruption emerging within the Alliance without his notice. The more critical the time, the more cautious one must be of pervasive corruption. At his insistence, on one hand, the government system needed to self-examine and self-correct, ensuring that situations like ¡°the system forces one to be corrupt,¡± ¡°needing to do wrong for superior targets and performance,¡± ¡°ensuring consistency between core goals and specific policies,¡± ¡°ensuring consistency of goals among government, officials, and the public,¡± etc. did not arise. In general, a good system encourages good deeds; a bad system forces one to commit bad deeds. All these presented higher management requirements for the Alliance Government, requiring constant vigilance and adjustments, relying on continuous system reforms to maintain vitality. But all changes and internal adjustments require people to carry them out. In terms of personnel quality, the conventional educational system is certainly the most important aspect. However, training key personnel in key positions through the Loyal Heir Academy to ensure loyalty is a safeguard for the minimum standard. Before even discussing if there is a problem with the system, one must first ensure that there is no issue with the people who reform and execute the system. Without the latter, there is no basis for the former. Apart from the educational foundation and training of civil officials, Gu Hang also had a special investment in personnel, focusing on special operations. The Alliance¡¯s need for intelligence had grown with its size, becoming increasingly important. Overseen by Lambert Chief Justice, the center of legal administration, which is independent of the Alliance Government, has internal intelligence capabilities, although they are distinguished by their functions. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Police Bureau is responsible for public cases, primarily focusing on maintaining order and stability; the Anti-Corruption Bureau is responsible for combating corruption among government officials and state-owned enterprises; the Alliance Security Bureau is in charge of counter-espionage, subversion, surveillance, and crackdowns on rebels. The former two need not be elaborated on, but the presence of the Total Security Bureau within the Alliance, although not widely felt, was not without its actions. The society of the Alliance has always been stable, not only because after obtaining ruling rights over the Tianma Star Sector, the standard of living for the public did not decline but increased. Various local forces were either bound to the chariot of the Alliance or were crushed to ashes by an iron fist. But it can never be completely clean. Chapter 767 - Chapter 767 Chapter 427, Investing in People_3 Chapter 767: Chapter 427, Investing in People_3 Chapter 767: Chapter 427, Investing in People_3 ¡°` There are always remnants that exist. For instance, on Heijian Star in various old kingdoms, there are diehards of the Loyalist Party, remnants of the old gangs of Korolya, former bureaucrats, remnants of the Fatches Family, and former business owners of Flying Wing Star who were nationalized¡­ as well as their sympathizers and supporters, have always existed. Some were beaten by the iron fist but not thoroughly, while others pretend to get on board with the Federation but secretly continue to aid those remnants. These guys, of course, don¡¯t dare to act openly. If they do, they¡¯d be signing their death warrants. Under the strong, unified, and tight rule of the Federation, with powerful military forces and the widespread trust of the populace, direct rebellion and confrontation would be like an egg striking a rock. However, this does not mean that their hatred and the will to resist has been completely extinguished. Rumors, incitements, strikes, secretly dealing in weapons to confuse the public into rioting, packaging individual tragic cases (which are unavoidable in a society of 60 billion) as faults of the Federation¡¯s governance and privately propagating them¡­ Such underhanded tactics have never completely ceased. The main work of the Security Administration these years has been to fight against this very thing. As for the internal intelligence organizations, there is the Military Security Bureau under Tadeusz¡¯s Military Center, which also engages in anti-espionage and anti-riot activities, but leans more towards military aspects; there is also the Gendarmerie Headquarters, led by the military political commissars, responsible for internal military discipline; On the government side, there is the Ministry of Internal Affairs, responsible for self-inspection and self-correction within the government side, and purging of rebels. All in all, the three departments under the Ministry of Justice, two under the Military Affairs Department, and one from the government, totaling six departments with clear internal monitoring and management responsibilities. Their authorities are each weighted differently but also intersect and overlap with each other, allowing for mutual supervision. All these institutions require special personnel with investigative and special service techniques, which are the espionage agents. Beyond the internal intelligence organizations, there are also three major foreign intelligence organizations: the Foreign Intelligence Bureau under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Military Intelligence Division of the Military Affairs Department, and the Central Investigation Bureau under the Ministry of Justice. In military terms, it¡¯s fairly manageable, whether internally or externally, as of now, pulling political commissars and special forces from various units to form a forceful protection is generally sufficient. However, the non-military espionage agents still need cultivation, as the Federation has a substantial gap in personnel in this area. The primary requirement for these individuals is loyalty, which is mainly addressed through the training at Loyal Heir Academy and direct training by Gu Hang, who secures it with his 10-point favor. However, training in skills and techniques relies heavily on the Federation¡¯s own development, and there are no such categories in Gu Hang¡¯s current options for troop exchange. Fortunately, such ¡®trades¡¯ value quality over quantity. Gu Hang may not be able to provide a comprehensive guarantee for the intelligence personnel of the Federation, whether internal or external, but he does have a way to enhance them: hero activation. At present, under a population of over 600 billion, there are tens of millions with the potential to be activated as heroes. Gu Hang can¡¯t activate all these people, but he can direct activation. For example, if there is a need to improve the efficiency of shipyards, Gu Hang can filter through all the shipyard engineers, see how many potential heroes there are for activation, and selectively activate a portion of them; the same applies to espionage agents. Although it¡¯s possible that the person currently working as a spy might not have his greatest potential in this field. However, the likelihood is not high. To become spies under the strict recruitment, training, and assessment of the eight departments, they are more likely to have specialized skills in espionage. If occasionally a mismatch occurs, then so be it. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After all, activating a potential hero with ten points of favor isn¡¯t expensive. The costly part is the subsequent upgrade, but they can also accumulate experience and gradually level up on their own. All in all, on the construction of academies, the activation of heroes among espionage agents and ship engineers, Gu Hang also spent a total of 200,000 points of favor. The remaining 100,000, he plans to use to draw a 100,000-tier piece of technology. aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡± 4.4k ¡°` Chapter 768 - Chapter 768 Chapter 428, I am the Dominant Bishop! Chapter 768: Chapter 428, I am the Dominant Bishop! Chapter 768: Chapter 428, I am the Dominant Bishop! The investment in nurturing military backbone, the construction of academies, the loyalty training at Loyal Heir Academy, and the targeted activation of ship engineers and special agent talents are all investments in ¡®people,¡¯ the most fundamental and important resource. Together with the previous investment of five hundred thousand in factories, the grace points Gu Hang had earned in this round were mostly spent. Of the remaining one or two hundred thousand, aside from setting aside a few tens of thousands as a reserve, he planned to invest the rest in the technology tree lottery draw. Not counting the previously exhausted prize pool, Gu Hang now had two choices: ten thousand, and one hundred thousand. After some thought, he chose the latter. Although the prize pool for the former hadn¡¯t dried up yet, the probabilities of drawing epic and elite-grade technologies were getting low. True, there might be a chance to get something good with ten consecutive draws, but since he had one hundred thousand at hand and the prize pool for that was still a complete, high-probability one, it made more sense to go for a big play. What Gu Hang most hoped for was to draw naval-related technologies to directly boost the speed at which the alliance could surge its navy. However, after really investing the one hundred thousand grace points, things did not go as desired. Though winning an epic-grade technology with a 50% chance, he didn¡¯t get the hoped-for naval-related technology but instead drew [Stellar Energy Technology]. Somewhat disappointed, Gu Hang quickly accepted reality and deemed the [Stellar Energy Technology] to be quite impressive. wuxiaworld.site.co The alliance was currently in a phase of explosive capacity production, and the daily energy consumption on the frontlines was astronomical. Reliance on fossil fuels was certainly unrealistic, not to mention, many core war machines and high-grade manufacturing factories couldn¡¯t use fossil fuels at all. The representatives of the former are the navy¡¯s ships and the Land Forces¡¯ Titans; of the latter, the shipyards. The energy solution for these things depended on the elite-grade technology that Gu Hang had already drawn earlier, [Compressed Energy Technology], which transformed electrical or spirit-based energy into energy crystal blocksaEUR¡±these are highly dense solid-state energy crystals that can be likened to batteries with extraordinarily high performance and capacity. Although the alliance had an oil industry, it supplied mainly medium and low-end vehicles and machinery that use the Grindstone Engine. The energy used by high-grade machinery was all from energy crystal blocks. Even, at critical times, when fossil fuel reserves on the frontlines weren¡¯t sufficient, and machinery needed to run, the Grindstone Engines would rely on energy crystal blocks to keep going. At such times, cost-effectiveness was not considered; the priority was to get machines operating. Likewise, energy crystal blocks could also be transformed back into electrical energy. This was useful for interstellar-level energy trade, eliminating the need to build a truly interplanetary power transmission networkaEUR¡±which was impossible. Conversely, transporting a shipload of energy crystal blocks to fuel power plants on another planet was a far more convenient and rapid method. A standard Compressed Energy Crystal Block, worth 1000 tax currency, could supply a small town with a population of over 100,000 for an entire yearaEUR¡±of course, this doesn¡¯t include the industrial electricity consumed by factories. Such an energy crystal block, roughly the size of a 10-centimeter cube, would not explode, fear collision, and could even be cut if not utilized with compressed energy release technology, making it convenient and reliable for transport. However, the source of its energy was a problem to be solved. Compressed Energy Technology could only transform available energy into these energy crystal blocks, but from where would the energy for this transformation originate? The main source of energy for the alliance was the Low Energy Storm on Rage Owl Star. Compressed energy factories were directly constructed in regions long tormented by the Low Energy Storm. When the storm surged, the technology to collect it funneled energy into the factory¡¯s Energy Compressors to manufacture energy crystal blocks. But this depended on the weather. Even on the two barren continents of Rage Owl Star, storms didn¡¯t blow every day. An alternative, relatively stable method was power supply. If an energy crystal block could supply a town for a year, then a small-scale power plant of this size could theoretically produce one energy crystal block a year as well, right? This technology was primarily utilized in large nuclear power stations in some Nest Capitals and industrial centers, mainly to collect surplus electricity during low demand periods or to release energy to meet peak demand. Although it could produce some energy crystal blocks, relying on it for trade or war supply was definitely unrealistic. Even some large power plants, when supplying the energy consumption for industrial production, needed to import energy crystal blocks from Rage Owl Star¡¯s conversion factories to ensure sufficient power. As more and more starships were built, the main method of power generation for the alliance was controlled nuclear reactors. With just air and water, nuclear fuel could be generated and power producedaEUR¡±this technology was already advanced enough, and the cost of generating energy was sufficiently low. But¡­ planets like Rage Owl Star and Heijian Star could be extensively developed because they had abundant water resources. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only If this went on for long, even the oceans would be drained dry. At present, with a population scale not yet dense, the situation was somewhat manageable. However, the energy consumption required by the increasingly advanced industrial production was beginning to show its enormity. If neglected now, environmental issues would become severe in the future. Korolya Nest Capital World, a world now left with only industrial wastewater, with most of its living water resources relying on a water cycle system, is a testament to that. Chapter 769 - Chapter 769 Chapter 428, I am the Dominant Bishop!_2 Chapter 769: Chapter 428, I am the Dominant Bishop!_2 Chapter 769: Chapter 428, I am the Dominant Bishop!_2 If possible, Gu Hang would rather not drain every world under his command to such an extent. He had two paths to choose from: pacify the storms at Rage Owl Star and restore it to a Spiritualized Gas Field. There was no doubt about it; just from collecting and manufacturing energy blocks at the Spiritualized Gas Field, Rage Owl Star could obtain a net income of 8 billion tax currency annually. That alone equaled half the yearly output value of Rage Owl Star at present. Clearly, the Alliance lacked planetary-scale climate transformation technology, and Gu Hang wasn¡¯t even sure if such technology was included in the epic-tier prize poolaEUR¡±it might be of an even higher level. Alternatively, there was [Stellar Energy Technology]. After carefully reviewing the blueprints¡¯ specifications, although Gu Hang certainly couldn¡¯t grasp the specific technology at once, he had a rough understanding of its effects. It was feasible to build a massive stellar energy collection station around a planet; with the corresponding Compressed Energy Technology, it would be possible to continuously extract energy from a star and manufacture energy blocks. And if enough collection stations were constructed around a star to completely encompass it, then it would form what Gu Hang recognized as a concept: the Dyson Sphere. wuxiaworld.site Of course, there were many engineering technological fortresses to overcome; it wasn¡¯t something that could be completed simply by accumulating quantity. Moreover, even if the technology was available, the Alliance currently would neither have the qualifications nor the financial resources to invest in building such a super-structure. The several star systems in Tianma Star Sector weren¡¯t equipped for that either; constructing a Dyson Sphere would plunge the entire star system into a dead silence. However, it was always feasible to build a few energy extraction stations. Such an energy extraction station had a standard output of 10,000 energy blocks per year, equivalent to about 10 million tax currency. The cycle from inception to operation required six months to a year of construction, with a total initial investment of a hundred million tax currency per station, along with high annual maintenance costs thereafter. All things considered, the return on investment would take about 20 years. But this was the normal construction cost, calculated on the price of pulling out a production line and building it using the technical blueprints. Gu Hang had the advantage of the Black Box cheat; by manufacturing key components with finished Black Boxes and then transporting and assembling them, the construction costs could be drastically reduced to nearly just labor expenses, and the construction period could be halved. This was a cheaper source of energy than reactors. Coupled with the compression technology, it could not only meet current and long-term future energy needs but also directly sell surplus energy for profit after the war. Moreover, if the number of such stations wasn¡¯t too great, their impact on the environmental ecosystems of the many planets within the star system would be negligible. Gu Hang placed the Black Box into the factory within the Subspace Storm God Kingdom, and under his command, the Alliance¡¯s Secret Research Institute began preparations for production. Corresponding construction orders were also issued to the Alliance Government. Subsequently, the Alliance Government would launch a certain number of energy station projects on the eight major stars in the Tianma Star Sector, as per his orders. However, this construction time will be relatively longer. Ms. Wu Jiarong, Gu Hang¡¯s Chief Technical Officer, was currently not in the Tianma Star Sector. ¡­ In the distant Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector, the core Foundry World of the Mechanic Cult ¨C Mingyang Sect: Jindi Star¡¯s orbit, a huge Mechanical Sect Fleet slowly departed from the port. All the ships were painted not with the typical red of the Mechanical Sect, but primarily bright yellow with accents of bright red. Leading the fleet was a somewhat bulky square-shaped ¡®battleship.¡¯ Just in terms of size, it was much larger than the flagship ¡®Dragonhawk¡¯ of the Yunluo Fleet, and even slightly bigger than the main battleships of the Imperial Navy. The actual combat strength might be slightly weaker. The ¡®Jindi Ark¡¯ of the Mingyang Sect, which also served both research and manufacturing functions, was not structurally designed solely for warfare. Its firepower and defense exceeded those of battleships quite significantly, but there were gaps in terms of structural integrity, agility, speed, and maneuverability, which might make its comprehensive combat capability somewhat weaker. However, the fact that the Mingyang Sect did not simply defend its Foundry World but chose to stand together with the Star Domain Government and take proactive measures against the catastrophe during the Green Skin invasion encouraged the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain Government greatly. Even the previously despairing atmosphere improved. Although the resurgent Yunluo Fleet, even with the addition of the Jindi Star Mechanical Sect Fleet, was still dwarfed by Titus¡¯s led Green Skin main force in overall scale, the main fleet ships were now boosted with the inclusion of the Jindi Ark to a level capable of confrontation. The tremendous fleet of the Mechanical Sect was now set to depart, heading to Upper Plateau Star to rendezvous with the Yunluo Fleet. According to the agreement between Chen Haixu, the Founding General of Jindi, and Tan Jiuyi, the Star Domain Head, the two large fleets would merge and launch a joint attack, collectively combating the Green Skin Fleet. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It was not about fighting a decisive fleet battle, but it would be possible to firmly defend Upper Plateau Star, which was a traffic hub. Titus had already displayed his strategic intentions, with his fleet moving from Snow Eagle Star Sector unambiguously towards Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector. Between the Stellar Capital Yunluo Star and the Foundry World Jindi Star, the great chieftain chose Jindi Star as the primary target. And Wu Jiarong, at this moment, was aboard this ship. More than a year ago, she had finally accepted the invitation from Wang Zhaoran, the technical director of Flying Wing Star Shipyard and the Dominant Bishop of the Mingyang Sect, to come to Jindi Star. Chapter 770 - Chapter 770 Chapter 428, I am the Dominant Bishop!_3 Chapter 770: Chapter 428, I am the Dominant Bishop!_3 Chapter 770: Chapter 428, I am the Dominant Bishop!_3 In the span of over a year, she thrived on Jindi Star like a fish in water. The internal struggles within the Sect of Mechanics were quite intense and brutal, something Wu Jiarong knew all too well. She was originally from Jindi Star, and before she knew it, she became a sacrificial piece and was offered as human tribute. Of course, this was unreasonableaEUR¡±Jindi Star was the Foundry World of the Sect of Mechanics, a type of world that should not even have to shoulder Imperial Tax. She had been utterly played by others. But, the one who schemed against her could never have imagined that one day, she would return, and as an esteemed guest at that. Amidst the fierce internal fights of the Sect of Mechanics, the sect¡¯s reverence for technological abilities was also profoundly intense. Upon her return, Wu Jiarong displayed remarkable abilities in several speeches and project consultations she participated in, thus laying the foundation of respect she garnered. Furthermore, many of the technologies she mastered weren¡¯t even present within the Mingyang Sect to begin with. It made sense, as Wu Jiarong¡¯s academic foundation was built upon her studies on Jindi Star, but the technological and academic growth that followed was mostly due to her research on the Black Box. She analyzed every product directly outputted by the Black Box, deducing the essence behind these most precise creations, thus she gained insight. The so-called technologies she possessed that weren¡¯t available in the Mingyang Sect weren¡¯t just about her having the production blueprints for the Warhound Titan that Jindi Star could not build. Of course, Jindi could build Warhounds, they even had the capability to manufacture Titans of a higher gradeaEUR¡±Warlord Titans. Taking the Warhound Titan as an example, Wu Jiarong learned some unique technical details; for instance, she understood specific technical aspects of a weapon component by studying key parts produced by the Black Box. This knowledge allowed for a 7% increase in firepower and greater safety and stability when equipping Warhound Titans with melt weaponry. She not only knew how to do it but also how to improve the production line to achieve this goal. This was a technical detail that she mastered after researching the absolute standard parts produced by the Black Box, something absent on Jindi Star. Without a doubt, such details were very important. And there was much more like this. As long as the Alliance produced output from the Black Box, and she studied it thoroughly, there would always be similar gains, the value of which varied. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t foolishly lay all these discoveries out in the openaEUR¡±that would win her not admiration, but suspicion and greed. The degree to which she disclosed her findings was just right. The knowledge she shared had been pre-arranged with Gu Hang. These efforts, in exchange for recognition from the Sect of Mechanics and a formal title, and the opportunity to trade for some technology in return, were a worthwhile trade-off. She smoothly passed the review conducted by a council of six Principal Sages and acquired the title of Dominant Bishop. In the past, her abilities were simply sufficient; now, having secured her position, the consequent honors, status, and privileges were quick to follow. Then, in her spare time from regular activities, she did a ¡®little something¡¯: she looked into who was behind sending her to become an irreplaceable technical specialist within the Tianma Fleet as a human tribute. Latterly, she realized it was indeed a trivial matter. One of her ¡®colleagues,¡¯ also vying for a promotion to mechanic, couldn¡¯t beat her through normal evaluations and, burdened with an old grudge, leveraged some connections, bribed his relativeaEUR¡±it was just a Mechanical PriestaEUR¡±and then she was sent away. After uncovering this, she initially had no intention of pursuing it further. It wasn¡¯t all badaEUR¡±in absence of that event. If she hadn¡¯t been sent away that year and met Mr. Gu. she might still be floundering on Jindi Star, possibly still stuck at the mechanic level after fourteen years. Without extraordinary circumstances, ascending social classes is incredibly difficult. At most, she could have found someone to mentor her, maybe reaching the grade of Mechanical Priest, likely marking the capstone of her life. But where was she now? Already formally recognized as a Dominant Bishop, a person of considerable influence on the entire Jindi Star. However, she didn¡¯t need to personally take any action. The mere investigation of the matter drew the attention of interested parties. Subsequently, that Mechanical Priest and his entire family swiftly became slaves. Wu Jiarong even asked once if that was a bit too much. A monitor acting as an engine Prophet humbly smiled and said it wasn¡¯t. That person was already corrupt, and getting rid of him was akin to removing a pest. Wu Jiarong said no more. She remembered that day, she gazed up at the dim sun hanging in Jindi Star¡¯s sky, filled with myriad emotions. All past grievances had vanished into thin air. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gone along with them was the last shred of her desire to return to the Sect of Mechanics. According to her original plan, it was time to go back. She had become a Dominant Bishop officially recognized by the Sect of Mechanics and had earned some reputation, even avenging her past grudges. The work she intended to do on Jindi had more or less been completed; it was time to return and prepare to establish her own splinter sect. The grade of Dominant Bishop was sufficient. Chapter 771 - Chapter 771 Chapter 428, I am the Dominant Bishop!_4 Chapter 771: Chapter 428, I am the Dominant Bishop!_4 Chapter 771: Chapter 428, I am the Dominant Bishop!_4 By then, the small faction that had been established would become a part of the Mingyang Sect. This sort of situation was quite common: A Dominant Bishop or Principal Sage would have their own unique ideas, rallying a group of Sect of Mechanics members around themselves to form a branch faction affiliated with the main sect. Generally speaking, the stance of the main sect they attached to could be supportive, indifferent, or even hostile, depending on the Dominant Bishop¡¯s popularity within the original sect, as well as the motives and goals behind founding the branch. As for Wu Jiarong, she had already quietly spoken with some other bishops she had met and had good relations with, even including two Sages. It wasn¡¯t realistic to expect the full support of the Mingyang Sect for the new sect, but at present, hostility seemed unlikely at most they might face indifference. Wu Jiarong¡¯s argument emphasized the rapid development of the alliance, crediting the governor for being particularly reliable and having a sense of enlightened and heroic leadership. Additionally, she played a role in this progress, contributing significantly to the alliance¡¯s current state. The alliance was a part of her life¡¯s work, which she didn¡¯t want to abandon. With the foundation provided by Flying Wing Star and the population of Korolya, the potential for the alliance¡¯s future development was immense. She could establish a branch of the Mingyang Sect there, and Bishop Wang Zhaoran of the Flying Wing Star Shipyard could offer some assistance. Wang Zhaoran, who spent many years on Flying Wing Star, hadn¡¯t had much success in expanding the religious influence of the Sect of Mechanics, but she planned to change that situation. Actually, the Mingyang Sect wasn¡¯t particularly interested in Wu Jiarong¡¯s proposition. Or rather, the Sect of Mechanics wasn¡¯t that preoccupied with expanding traditional religious influence, unlike the state religion. After all, as long as an Empire World required machinery and technical expertise, it couldn¡¯t escape association with the Sect of MechanicsaEUR¡±faith was secondary. What they cared more about was where there was special technology, where precious resources were located, and where a new Foundry World could potentially be constructed. However, they wouldn¡¯t object to someone increasing religious influence either. Overall, the message was, ¡°Wu, if you want to help us expand our religious influence, that¡¯s fine. We¡¯re all part of the same sect, so go ahead and establish your branch. We won¡¯t obstruct you, and we might even offer verbal support. But don¡¯t expect significant actual support, as this isn¡¯t a priority for us.¡± Wu Jiarong was completely accepting of this. However, just as she was preparing to leave, the Iron Tooth War broke out. Green Skin Orcs pierced through the Dragon Hawk Sector, severing east-west communications and leaving Wu Jiarong unable to return. She became entangled in this war and began working for the Mingyang Sect within Jindi Star. Overseeing factory production, personally taking charge of crafting high-end precision equipment¡­ There were benefits as well: she even acquired the ability to handcraft TitansaEUR¡±although she could only do so slowly and couldn¡¯t mass-produce. On Jindi Star, she was responsible for the handcrafting of core components, with the main production left to factories. Additionally, using the resources of Jindi Star, she underwent a series of body augmentations. Now, although she still appeared to be a human girl, she had four metal struts extending from her back that supported a mechanical mount about the same size as herself, which was part of her being. wuxiaworld.site.co It seemed merely a means of transportation, but when necessary, it could transform into various powerful weapons capable of both melee and ranged combat. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In a one-on-one fight, she could probably kill an average Interstellar Warrior without much trouble. To be honest, she didn¡¯t want to undergo such extensive body modification. But during the war, she had to. Otherwise, if an accident occurred, she would be doomed without even the ability to defend herself. aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡± 6k 4k regular update, 2k in debt repayment, still owe 70k There¡¯s also a Star Domain map to follow. Chapter 772 - Chapter 772 Chapter 429, Battle Moon Chapter 772: Chapter 429, Battle Moon Chapter 772: Chapter 429, Battle Moon After the Mechanical Sect Fleet had departed, Wu Jiarong herself was also aboard the Mechanical Ark, along with over a hundred other Dominant Bishops, listening to the pre-battle meeting convened by Founding General Chen Haixu and another seven Principal Sages. The phrases spoken at the meeting such as ¡°one¡¯s fate is tied to the other¡¯s¡± and ¡°fighting the battle together¡± were nothing special. However, after all, this was a high-level meeting, attended only by those of at least Dominant Bishop rank. Later on, they did discuss some substantial matters. Wu Jiarong was not excluded. .c0 The Sect of Mechanics still maintained a poised and confident demeanor, even though Wu Jiarong was cultivated by the Alliance and had shown closeness to it; they still considered her one of their own. The substantial information mainly consisted of two points: First, was the price the Star Domain Government paid to persuade the Mingyang Sect to actively attack, and these costs were to be shared amongst the various Principal Sages, with the Dominant Bishops below them participating in the spoils. Second, was news of reinforcements. A Battle Group known as ¡®Furyflame¡¯ had responded to the Star Domain¡¯s distress signal and was on its way. The Fury Flame Battle Group was usually active within the Eastern Star Domain. Although they faced some disapproval, with Imperial Army units that had fought alongside them often reporting that this Battle Group¡¯s style of combat was overly bloody, cruel, and impetuous. It was tolerable in battle, but afterwards they had a penchant for desecrating corpses, piling up enemy skulls, and holding unifying cremation ceremonies, praying ¡°to offer enemy skulls to our Emperor.¡± This image was somewhat too reminiscent of the behavior of certain heretics. But they were loyal servants of the empire, always treating the enemies of the empire as their own enemies, and so much was tolerated. Anyway, up to now, no one dared to trouble them, including the Tribunal. However, their brutality and peculiar rituals may have raised doubts, but their combat prowess was undeniable. A complete Battle Group with a thousand warriors, and having an entire Fleet exclusive to them. It included nearly nine spearhead battleships at its core, forming a powerful Fleet of over a hundred warships. There were no expendable small ships among them. The flagship of the Fury Flame Battle Group was a combat landing ship. These warships were almost exclusive to the Interstellar Warrior Battle Groups and in terms of size, they were even larger than the typical Imperial Battleships. In addition, they had two Strike Cruisers and six Lunar-Class Cruisers. The former could rival the Battleship Cruisers of the Imperial Navy, while the latter were the most common type of cruiser. With their participation, along with the Yunluo Fleet and the Mechanical Sect¡¯s Fleet, they were powerful enough to secure a victory over the Green Skins! The Mechanical Sect Fleet and the Yunluo Fleet heading to Upper Plateau Star wasn¡¯t to wage a decisive battle, but rather to use the Orbital Defense of Upper Plateau Star to hold the star system, drag out the enemy, and prevent the flames of war from reaching Jindi Star and Yunluo Star. They just needed to hold on for a few months, and once the Fury Flame Battle Group arrived, victory in the war would be within reach! This news had all the bishops inside the Mechanical Sect feeling exhilarated! Hope for victory was near, and naturally, they were happy. Wu Jiarong was no exception. However, when she heard the name ¡°Fury Flame Battle Group,¡± why did it seem familiar to her? After a moment of recollection, she remembered the details of this Battle Group. They had played a part in the ¡°Great Cercis Flower Rebellion¡± back then. The Iron Armor Battle Group also had allies, and there were three of them. Among these was the one named ¡°Fury Flame.¡± Its parent group was once the Fifth Legion, now known as the Punisher Legion. They were originally supposed to be stationed within the Spiderweb Domain and the Empress Starfield alongside the Iron Armor, but around fifty years ago, they had moved to the Eastern Cosmos Domain. This did not mean that they had severed ties with Iron Armor; on the contrary, Iron Armor and other Star Domains under their rule, like Princess, were still providing them with resource support. And as they advanced their operations in the Eastern Cosmos Domain, their prestige grew, and they began receiving support from several Star Domains there. With Wu Jiarong¡¯s political acumen, she could sense something particularly meaningful in Furyflame¡¯s actions. Moreover, she realized this situation could be very disadvantageous for the Alliance. The Phoenix had a grudge against Furyflame, didn¡¯t they? After the meeting, Wu Jiarong thought it over and decided to pass this intelligence on to Gu Hang. She had a Spiritual Energy coordinate left by Gu Hang that allowed for the transmission of brief messages. The pieces of intelligence that the Mechanical Sect Fleet had set off for Upper Plateau Star to rendezvous with the Yunluo Fleet, and that the Fury Flame Battle Group was on its way, were all sent by her. And soon, she received a reply. ¡°I know.¡± ¡­ Snow Eagle Star Sector, Frost Origin IV, planetary surface. Titus stood on the highest building of the capital city of this civilized world, looking down below. Encased in heavy armor, Titus appeared even more majestic and formidable than an ordinary Interstellar Warrior in Terminator armor. His crimson eyes reflected a whole city blazing fiercely amid war. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Frost Origin IV was once a civilized world with a population of four billion. It boasted vast plains used for farming, several developed urban agglomerations, decent industrial capacity, and lands for the Sect of Mechanics¡¯ research and religion¡­ However, now, it had fallen into the hands of the Iron Tooth Orcs. When Titus and his Fleet arrived at Frost Origin IV, the Human Fleet had already abandoned the world. While the orc main Fleet had destroyed Frost Origin IV¡¯s Orbital Defense system, Titus also personally led his Honor Guard Legion to the planet¡¯s surface. Chapter 773 - Chapter 773 Chapter 429, Battle Moon_2 Chapter 773: Chapter 429, Battle Moon_2 Chapter 773: Chapter 429, Battle Moon_2 The Planetary Defense Force of Frost Origin IV had been consolidated; the quality and equipment level were relatively complete. Their weapons were also quite comprehensive, although not up to the universal standard of the Star Realm Army, the whole was indeed more reliable than the majority of the Empire Worlds. Not to mention, since the invasion of the Green Skins was anticipated, the entire planet had already begun comprehensive mobilization in preparation for war. As a result, a population of four billion yielded six hundred million defendersaEUR¡±a mobilization rate of 15%. For just a few months, for the organizational level of the Empire Worlds, this was already a notable miracle. Despite this, only about one hundred million of these troops were truly dependable. wuxiaworld.site The rest, hastily mobilized soldiers, had only a few months, or even just a couple of weeks, of training, and their equipment was rather basic, but this was already the limit under existing conditions. These mobilized soldiers, at least, did not have a problem with morale. In facing the existential threat of the alien Green Skins, the government only needed to do a bit of propaganda, exert a bit of effort, and it was easily able to foster a worldwide atmosphere of unity and resistance against the external enemy. Titus also showed respect for the human struggle. In a speech to his underling Green Skin leaders, he mentioned this. Then, his lesser beastmen generals and lads all became even more excited. The campaign thus far had actually been somewhat dull. Ever since they swarmed out of the Golden Pass Star Sector, they had swept through a large part of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and countless worlds had fallen amid their war cries. But in reality, most of the human worlds had been unable to organize a particularly effective resistance. Those so-called Defense Armies were not waagh at all and were easily overthrown. Although most of the people on those worlds had not been killed, the resistance still existed, albeit dispersed and insubstantial. In fact, many worlds seemed of little value, and the main Green Skin Fleets would bomb them a couple of times, drop a few hundred thousand troops, and then leave hastily. Worlds like Frost Origin IV, which had managed to prepare for war thoroughly, were actually quite rare. Having been bored this long, they were finally going to have a properly waagh-worthy battle, which really delighted them! Under the leadership of their great chief, hundreds of millions of Green Skins landed on the surface. Amidst the vast waagh cries, after several key battles, the main force of Frost Origin IV¡¯s Defense Army crumbled. Many brave warriors died on the intensely fierce battlefield. They had tried their hardest, but the real differences made the outcomes disproportionately mismatched. The number of Green Skin Orcs, though far fewer than the human forces, was extremely troublesome because of their ability to endure dozens of bullets before dying. And the Green Skins¡¯ gear was superior: Skugg War Behemoths, various Armored Combat Vehicles, ¡®canned¡¯ vessels, comparable to human Mechas, all sorts of modified super heavy gunsaEUR¡±none of which the Defense Army¡¯s weapons could effectively counter. In such disparity, the human forces were eventually systematically annihilated en masse by the Beastman troops led personally by Titus after several battles. When the last human force, attempting to conduct a desperate resistance through urban warfare, was eliminated, Titus smoothly stepped onto the highest building in the city. At this moment, it seemed as if the whole world was under his feet. But Titus did not feel too much excitement. The news of the death of the Lone Fang Ghoul in the Eastern Star Domain had finally reached him. This incident had actually occurred some time ago, but previously Titus had always been on a relentless advance through the Star Sea, either in battle or on his way to one. The news couldn¡¯t catch up to the speed at which he was spreading the fires of war. And of course, this news could not make Titus happy. At that moment, on the top of the city¡¯s tallest building, many Beastman Overlords, Warlords, Prophets, and Tech Tyrants stood silently behind Titus. These ¡®big bosses¡¯, held in awe by the common Green Skin lads, were as quiet as little chicks behind Titus. Perhaps when Titus had just become the great chief, these military leaders might not have been so respectful; but as Titus led them on such a vast waagh, the great chief¡¯s prestige also grew and solidified with each victory, with the advance of the waagh. All of this would at least continue until Titus encountered his first real defeat. Titus¡¯s thunderous voice echoed amid the strong winds atop the tallest building, ¡°Lone Fang Ghoul, a useless failure! His death is proof of his weakness!¡± The surrounding Beastman Warlords all lowered their heads, not daring to meet Titus¡¯s fierce red eyes. They knew the great chief¡¯s fury was like a tempest, and any Green Skin standing before him could become the target of his wrath. Titus turned, his gaze sharply sweeping over the multitude of Beastman leaders behind him, ¡°Saru! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only You go to the Eastern Star Domain. I want you in charge there; don¡¯t disappoint me!¡± ¡°You should know what you¡¯re supposed to do there.¡± Saru, a burly Beastman Warlord clad in heavy armor, with a glint of ambition in his eyes, bowed deeply, his voice hoarse yet powerful, ¡°Yes, great chief! I know! I will annihilate all the shrimp, and I will prove I am nothing like that piece of junk, the Lone Fang Ghoul! Saru will not let you down!¡± Chapter 774 - Chapter 774 Chapter 429, Battle Moon_3 Chapter 774: Chapter 429, Battle Moon_3 Chapter 774: Chapter 429, Battle Moon_3 ¡°No, Saru,¡± Titus vetoed his idea, ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to kill all the shrimps. If you can, that would definitely be best, but your most important task is to not let any shrimp threaten our nest.¡± The orc warlord named Saru was momentarily stunned. This statement was not very waagh. Yet Titus¡¯s towering figure still stood before him, speaking in the most forceful voice, ¡°The great Mr. Mao has set the goal for this waagh for us. We are to destroy the shrimp world called Jindi. There are many mechanical shrimps there. Once we take that place, we will have more and bigger waaghs!¡± ¡°The great Mr. Mao told me that those shrimps have already gathered, and there are many canned shrimps on their way. We must strike before they arrive if we stand any chance of achieving our goal and making Mr. Mao happy. wuxiaworld.site.Co I need to gather all the power I can muster to do battle with these gathered shrimps.¡± ¡°As for the east, I don¡¯t care about it right now. You don¡¯t mess things up for me. Killing more shrimps and looting more scrap would be good, but most importantly, you must not let those shrimps take one more step towards our nest. Do you understand what I mean?¡± Saru felt a bit unhappy. It sounded like it would be more interesting to continue advancing with the main force, where there would be a grander waagh. Going to the east of the Star Domain seemed less waagh. However, the prestige Titus had built left Saru without the courage to object. All he could do was say resentfully, ¡°I understand, but what can I use?¡± ¡°You can take your entire tribe, and the nest will provide support. I want what I¡¯m owed, but besides that, you can mobilize all the boys, warships, anything you want from the nest. I¡¯ll have the Split-Lip Spectre in the nest take orders from you as well.¡± ¡°Yes, Great Chieftain! I¡¯ll set off right away!¡± ¡°Go!¡± After Saru left, Titus¡¯s gaze returned to the scorched ruins of the city, his crimson eyes flickering unstoppably. A while later, Titus declared, ¡°Battle Moon! Bring out the Battle Moon that Mr. Mao gifted us from the Silver Pass. I¡¯ll use it to crush all enemies!¡± The chief engineer behind Titus, Black Kidney, looked somewhat uneasy, ¡°Great Chieftain, the Battle Moon is not ready yet¡­ The failure of Lone Fang has affected our plans. He was supposed to plunder enough scrap for us in this waagh, but he couldn¡¯t, and instead, many of our good ships were destroyed, and many boys died. We didn¡¯t get any of the resources we expected to get from the east, and our moon is not yet functional¡­¡± Titus turned sharply, a dangerous gleam in his eyes, ¡°I know what you¡¯re talking about, but you should also understand what I¡¯m saying! I¡¯m not asking for the complete moon from your plans, but it must be brought over, it must be present on the battlefield, and it must be able to play its part! If the Battle Moon isn¡¯t ready to join the battle in time, I¡¯ll make sure you die a worse death than Lone Fang, and I guarantee Mr. Mao will bring his wrath down on you!¡± ¡°Yes, Great Chieftain! I will urge them immediately. The Battle Moon will be ready when you need it!¡± Titus nodded in satisfaction. He believed his own majesty would dissipate any hesitation and delay. He looked to the skies again as if he could see the fierce and imposing faces of Mr. Mao and the great Mr. Mao. He believed the favor of Mr. Mao and the Mechanical Sect would only grow because with him, Titus, there wasn¡¯t a waagh that couldn¡¯t be completed! ¡­ Wu Jiarong had arrived at Upper Plateau Star with the Mechanical Ark. From here, only one jump through the Star Realm Tunnel was needed to reach Frost Origin IV. The defensive works on Upper Plateau Star continued day and night. On the surface, human warriors strengthened the base as much as possible within the limited time, deploying more Anti-Orbit Cannons that had been transported over, and inspecting fortresses and defense works. In orbit, one after another, the firepower platforms and Armed Space Stations were being deployed. The Starport of Upper Plateau Star was also being fortified rapidly. This was the chosen battlefield for the humans. After the capture of Frost Origin IV, they had prepared for the possibility that the Green Skins¡¯ main force might jump to Upper Plateau Star at any time, and that would be when the fierce defense battle would commence. According to previous estimates, this event was not more than a month away. But the Green Skins¡¯ Fleet remained quiet. Their movements on Frost Origin IV seemed very sluggish. Unable to get close, human scouts didn¡¯t know what was happening on Frost Origin IV. Could it be that the Defense Army mobilized at Frost Origin IV was truly formidable, stalling the Green Skins? That was indeed a possibility! Orcs were not a race adept at strategy and waiting. Their tactics were always straightforward, to crush everything with numbers and strength. If nothing out of the ordinary happened, they would not wait for no reason. Yet, this was certainly a good thing. Delaying time was undoubtedly to the advantage of the humans. They would rather have the Green Skins just keep delaying, preferably until the Interstellar Warriors arrived, and then, with the Yunluo Fleet, the Mechanical Sect Fleet, and the Fury Flame Battle Group all converging in one place, they could take on the main Green Skins force. Surely then, the odds of victory would be much greater! However, Wu Jiarong felt uneasy all the same. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Could the Green Skins, who had been unstoppable all this way, really be held back by the defenses of a single planet? ¡­ 5k Still owe 69k I wanted to write more, but I¡¯m running out of time, and I¡¯m going to miss a full day! But I can post another chapter! See you later in the night! Chapter 775 - Chapter 775 Chapter 430, No Hope Left, Await Death Chapter 775: Chapter 430, No Hope Left, Await Death Chapter 775: Chapter 430, No Hope Left, Await Death Wu Jiarong did not believe that Frost Origin IV could withstand the brunt of the Green Skins¡¯ military forces. Even though this seemed the most reasonable explanation, Wu Jiarong still felt that the Green Skins were holding back a major move. However, she did not share her thoughts with anyone else. Firstly, there was no evidence; secondly, saying anything would be pointless. Does knowing the Green Skins are holding back a major move mean that Upper Plateau Star should not be defended? That, obviously, was not an option either. The Star Domain Government and the Mingyang Sect had already gone to great lengths to arm Upper Plateau Star. The Star Realm Army of the Dragonhawk Legion had gathered here with four sub-legions, totaling over three hundred million troops; the Protection Army from the Mingyang Sect had brought over two hundred million. Defensive forces from several nearby planets were massively deployed, exceeding one billion in totalaEUR¡±not that more couldn¡¯t be mobilized, but the supply capacity of Upper Plateau Star and the deployment capabilities of the troops had to be considered. Otherwise, they would have wished for even more troops to be transferred. Five hundred warships couldn¡¯t even fit in the orbit, so they were divided into two groups. One, led by the cumbersome Mechanical Arks and relying on the fortress-like starports, formed the Orbital Defense system. The Green Skins would have to crash through it, bloody and battered. Since the orbit could not accommodate more without becoming too cramped, the flagship of the Yunluo Fleet, Dragonhawk, along with the rest of the high-speed warships, roved the void, playing a game of the enemy advances, we retreat; the enemy retreats, we harass. If the enemy dared to engage in a direct assault guarded by the Mechanical Arks and the Fortress Starport, the roving fleet would strike at the Green Skin Fleet¡¯s rear; if they gave chase, the division of all high-speed warships would flee. The strategy was one of attrition. Anyway, all preparations were completed, the pre-war mobilization was done, and abandoning the plan based on an unfounded speculation was absolutely not possible. Moreover, what would they do if they gave up? Behind lay the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector, and after jumping twice more, they would reach Jindi Star. Should the war begin on Jindi Star? While the defensive installations there were indeed more robust, reaching that point meant there would be absolutely no defensive elasticity or room for retreat, and there was the fear that even winning would be no different from losingaEUR¡±if Jindi Star turned into a wasteland, victory would be as good as defeat. So be it. Wu Jiarong could only do her utmost, continuing to work for the war effort. After all, she herself was also there, facing the Green Skins. If the battle was lost, she would be under severe threat to her life. Even though she had undergone considerable high-level physical modifications, in a war of this scale, individual power was insignificant; survival mostly depended on luck. In this tense preparation period, another month and a half passed. The Green Skins finally arrived. The Observatory had detected a large number of warships passing through the Star Realm Tunnel from Frost Origin IV to Upper Plateau Star. The main forces of the Iron Tooth Orcs were assembling and approaching. The massive size of the fleet even led humanity to abandon plans of laying traps at the jump point. Instead, they placed some Void Thunders there, a kind of mine similar to landmines or naval mines, that could be laid in space regions. When ships pass through the space, it would trigger the explosion of these Void Thunders. Generally, they are laid at jump points or around orbits, where ships must pass through to take effect. However, space is too vast, and the blast radius too small. The area of a jump point is as large as a dozen stars combined; covering it all is impossible. How many would they have to make? This act is merely about doing one¡¯s best and leaving the rest to fate. And without a doubt, the Green Skin Fleet suffered little damage as they passed through the Star Realm Tunnel and emerged in the Upper Plateau Star System. Titus¡¯s Orion flagship stood out among them, boldly surging toward the planet. With that, the war trumpet officially sounded. The Green Skin Fleet launched a fierce attack on Upper Plateau Star without any buffer. Their violent and brutal offensive put the Human Fleet in a difficult position. From the very beginning of the fight, both sides suffered heavy casualties. Without a doubt, it was the Green Skins who incurred the greater losses. The human side, after all the wartime preparations, relied on the Orbital Defense system, and with the mainstay presence of the Mechanical Arks, they had turned the entire Upper Plateau Star into a formidable fortress. Naturally, a frontal assault was bound to come with great loss. The Green Skins¡¯ actions were somewhat unexpected, yet also within reason. This was undeniably the style of the Orcs. Irrational, but fierce. Nonetheless, this also brought relief within the human ranks. Although, every day, many orbital space stations were destroyed, orbiting Fortress cannons were blown up, and smaller ships were annihilated. Yet the Green Skins also sustained significant casualties. The Green Skins, with an interception rate of 80%, dropped a batch of ground forces, a steep price that yielded little in return. With a billion Defense Army plus three hundred million Star Realm Army plus two hundred million Protection Army, the ground defense capabilities of Upper Plateau Star were quite formidable. The million or so Green Skins that landed had little impact and barely managed to seize a small corner. Moreover, it was estimated that they would be annihilated before long. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Even the Orcs were unable to continue sending reinforcements. An 80% interception rate was too terrifying; even the Green Skins could not bear such a rate of loss. Continuing the battle at this rate of exchange, even if the Human Fleet was completely lost, the Orc side would definitely lose 90% of their combat power. By then, even if Upper Plateau Star was lost, the Orcs would no longer have the strength to keep pushing forward. And when the Fury Flame Battle Group and their Fleet arrive, it would be time for humanity to sound the trumpet of counterattack. Chapter 776 - Chapter 776 Chapter 430, No Hope Left, Await Death_2 Chapter 776: Chapter 430, No Hope Left, Await Death_2 Chapter 776: Chapter 430, No Hope Left, Await Death_2 However, just when the human soldiers and Sect of Mechanics members on Upper Plateau Star were resolutely enduring Titus¡¯s fierce attacks, gritting their teeth and hoping for victory, the turning point of the war occurred at an unforeseen moment. An alarm came from the Dragonhawk of the Yunluo Fleet: they had spotted a colossal entity that had arrived at the Upper Plateau Star system, and by the time it was discovered, it was already not far from the planet¡¯s orbit. This was truly a shock. The star watchers had completely failed to notice it! Such a huge thing should have been detected when it passed through the Star Realm Tunnel, not to mention it should have shone like a star in the eyes of the star watchers once inside the void of the star system! How could it appear so unexpectedly? And what was even more frightening was the message that followed from the Dragonhawk: they called the unknown Green Skin construct ¡®Battle Moon¡¯. This was an ancient term, once mentioned in the annals of the empire. At the moment, within the whole empire, the Green Skin Orcs were a detestable threat, dubbed ¡®cosmic cancer.¡¯ A minor presence would cause endless suffering to a planet; a major one, like the Iron Tooth Ork Empire, posed an existential threat to an entire star domain; and the largest, the Blood Axe Clan in the empire¡¯s southeastern borders, a vexation spanning over three hundred years that spanned three or four star domains, turned the entire Cosmos Domain into a war zone, staunchly enduring warfare with them. But, none of these compared to the true ¡®Beastly Green Tide¡¯ that occurred six thousand years ago. Six Ork Kings, against their nature, united and rallied almost all the orcs across the Cosmos Domain, launching a vast waaagh. They even reached Holy Terra, posing an enormous crisis that could have obliterated the Human Empire. The eventual outcome saw each of the six Ork Kings eliminated one by one, and humanity once again survived an extinction crisis. The historical records of the Human Empire also left a prominent note on this event. In those records, they mentioned the ultimate weapon of the Beastman Empire: the Battle Moon. Named ¡®moon,¡¯ one could see its immensity, it was truly like a small planet. It was the orcs¡¯ ¡®homeland,¡¯ containing an efficient orc ecosystem capable of endlessly producing new Green Skin younglings; It was an orc armory where every technological product and war tool that Green Skins could produce were manufactured; It was the core of the orc fleet, capable of housing an entire Green-Skinned Space Fleet, while its industrial facilities could even construct new fleets; It was an invincible space war machine; its merciless firepower could destroy an entire human fleet in a short time. On the defensive side, even several Skyburn Torpedoes or planet-shattering weapons like Extinction Orders couldn¡¯t destroy it when detonated on its surface. Its super-strong structural integrity and special built-in defense mechanisms rendered it impervious to extinction-level weapons. Furthermore, the Battle Moon could tear apart planets to absorb useful materials, then utilize its internal industrial facilities to produce new weapons, fleets, and repair itself. Theoretically, if its defense limits were not overwhelmed, it could wage unlimited war. A dozen Battle Moons were the most potent and despair-inducing weapons of the orcs during the ¡®Beastly Green Tide¡¯ that nearly destroyed the Human Empire. One can imagine the level of despair on the human side when the Dragonhawk reported that a Battle Moon had appeared in the Upper Plateau Star system. What else was there to do? It¡¯s hopeless, might as well wait for death. But soon, after the initial shock, people started to have doubts: Historical records stated that the Green Tide that swept through the entire empire involved only about a dozen Battle Moons; currently, the largest orc empire in the universe, the Blood Axe Clan, possesses just one Battle Moon that the Human Empire can¡¯t contend with, no matter how many battle groups, Imperial Navy, and Star Realm Army units amass there. They could only barely maintain a stalemate. In the ¡®lesser¡¯ Dragonhawk Star Domain, the Iron-Tooth Clan, which hasn¡¯t unified the star domain and just a year ago only had a few star sectors, how could they manage to produce something like a Battle Moon? Impossible! Did the Dragonhawk get it wrong? The captain of the Dragonhawk, also the commander of the detachment fleet, had his doubts about what he was seeing. He could understand why it hadn¡¯t been detected earlier. Amongst the Green Skins were so-called ¡®Spiritual Energy youngsters,¡¯ with orc leaders known as Shamans, Prophets. They possessed many wondrous abilities, and perhaps it was their special skills or orc technology that cloaked their presence from the star watchers¡¯ observations. But he was skeptical of the thing itself. .Co In fact, looking at it calmly, while it resembled the Battle Moons of legend, it was much smaller. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Although still many times larger than an average warship, there was a noticeable difference compared to the true ¡®moon-like¡¯ size mentioned in the legends. Could it be a fake mock-up? He was curious to test its mettle, but he was also hesitant, afraid that his fleet would be utterly destroyed in the attempt. Caught between hesitation and indecision, he could only continue to relay warnings, then watched powerlessly as this ¡®Battle Moon¡¯ approached the orbit of Upper Plateau Star. The Green Skin Fleet, following this newly arrived behemoth, began to once again launch a fierce challenge against the human Orbital Defense system. Chapter 777 - Chapter 777 Chapter 430, No Hope Left, Await Death_3 Chapter 777: Chapter 430, No Hope Left, Await Death_3 Chapter 777: Chapter 430, No Hope Left, Await Death_3 And this time, the outcome was vastly different. Although humanity was extremely vigilant of the combat moon, its guns not only had incredible firepower but also accuracy that starkly contrasted with the ordinary Green Skin ShipsaEUR¡±a precision combined with an absurdly long range. After only two rounds of firing, a cruiser-grade flagship belonging to the Mingyang Sect received a fatal strike. The destroyed wreckage, affected by gravity, fell into the planet¡¯s atmosphere, and the crash was likely to cause significant ground disasters. But at this moment, no one had the mind to care about that. Anyone with clear eyes could see that Upper Plateau Star was done for. Indeed, this combat moon was far from as powerful as the legends claimed. It had not yet shown the characteristics those combat moons were said to possess, but even just in terms of combat power, it was still far lacking. But with this strength, it was already enough. In combination with the vast numbers of the Green Skin Fleet and the previously flagship, in the following battle, human space forces would be utterly unable to withstand them. As the next two hours passed, one human ship after another was torn to pieces, one space station after another was easily destroyed, and this viewpoint had nearly turned into reality. What to do next? Inside the Mechanical Ark, Wu Jiarong was at a loss. Then, she saw Chen Haixu. The Founding General of Jindi Star, along with a few attendants, was hurrying along. Just as Wu Jiarong was about to ask what they should do next, before she had the chance to speak, Chen Haixu already said, ¡°No time to dawdle, follow me.¡± In a muddleheaded state, Wu Jiarong followed Chen Haixu onto a small, swift ship. The ship left the Mechanical Ark amidst the widespread barrage of ship guns scattered across space, dangerously dodged into the planet¡¯s atmosphere, then rounded to the other side of the planet, where things were much calmer. After that, the ship broke out of the atmosphere and raced at full speed away from Upper Plateau Star. On the ship, Wu Jiarong was initially astonished, having thought Chen Haixu had some brilliant plan. It was only now that she realized the Founding General was planning to run. Immediately after, a chill of fear struck her: She was slow on the uptake, but her luck had indeed been good just now. There might be twenty or thirty Dominant Bishops on the Ark, but here, she saw only eight, though all three Principal Sages who had been with her on the ship were present. The rest, whether they were on the Ark or on the surface of Highland Star, seemed to have been abandoned. She had neither a high status nor was she a confidant. .Co If she hadn¡¯t happened upon him, Chen Haixu would have had no reason to bring her along. In a war doomed to be lost, with the Mechanical Ark likely to be destroyed, just that momentary difference was the difference between life and death. She had walked through the gates of hell. Just a while ago, she had been contemplating the twists and turns of life, feeling like she had achieved success and acclaim, and now she had almost died on the Ark. The fickleness of the world was truly terrifying. Wu Jiarong, drenched in a cold sweat, came to her senses and thought of something else. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only With the main force of the human fleet on the verge of destruction, Upper Plateau Star falling, the gateway to the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector thrown wide open, and Jindi Star about to face the onslaught of the Green Skins without the protection of the main fleet¡­ The overall situation of the Orc War had undergone a major change. She must get word to Gu Hang immediately. aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡± 4.2k Who is the champion of staying up late? Still owe 65k! Chapter 778 - Chapter 778 Chapter 431, I made the call too early Chapter 778: Chapter 431, I made the call too early. Chapter 778: Chapter 431, I made the call too early. Gu Hang received the news from Wu Jiarong on Shangyuan Star in the Mist Horse Star District. After the Steel Wing Star battle had ended, the threat of the Green Skins¡¯ main force invading Eagle Horse had been basically eliminated; what remained was to pacify the remnants of the Green Skins on various planets. The Alliance Army had already dispersed to various locations, and the situation was looking very good. The Mist Horse Star District had also suffered an invasion by the Green Skins, coming from the direction of Copper Barrier Star District, but this was clearly not the main force of the Green Skins: the ships were few, and their numbers were low. Even though the local Defense Army was beaten to the point of crying for their parents, once the Seven Horse Treaty was signed, the main forces of the Alliance arrived soon after, and the situation was completely controlled. Under these circumstances, what else could the leader of Mist Horse do? He hadn¡¯t signed yet, but all his governors had. This made him, as the leader, nothing more than a figurehead; all the governors could now directly interact with the Alliance in military, political, and economic matters through the framework of the Seven Horse Treaty. Even the core power to determine the development level and population of the star sectors, and to establish the tax amount, was lost. The Imperial Tax was now collected by the Alliance under the Seven Horse Treaty, and there was nothing left to determine. Now his situation was such that the Alliance would attend to him if they wished, and if they didn¡¯t, his position as the leader of the star sector was utterly useless. This leader of Mist Horse, named Martesis Becker, had reached a point where he couldn¡¯t put on airs any longer; he held his nose and signed as well. Not signing, he worried about his own life. There was no need for the Alliance to act; the looks in the eyes of the governors who had signed were already somewhat wrong. And so Gu Hang had come to the Mist Horse Star District. After a brief respite from combat, he had indeed planned to return to the Tianma Star Sector. The quickest path was certainly to go back the same way through Eagle Horse, but since Mist Horse had just bowed down, it was also fine to pass through this sector. It was a bit of a detour, but with a solid count of 13 worlds and 16.6 billion people, that was no falsehood. Compared to the Tianma Star Sector, this population was pitifully small. In the Seven Horse Territory, Tianma Star Sector had the fewest planets, but it had money (Flying Wing Star) and people (Korolya). The surrounding star sectors seemed large, with Mist Horse boasting a population of 16.6 billion; Eagle Horse wasn¡¯t much better at 15 billion, both just a quarter of Tianma¡¯s. The most populous was the Purple Horse Sector, with 17 worlds and just 38 billion people. But with a scale in the billions, it was still worth Gu Hang making the trip. In this journey, he traveled from Steel Wing Star to Emerald Spring II, Emerald Spring I, then all the way south into the heartland of Mist Horse, and finally turned east to reach Shangyuan Star. Two more jumps, and he would be at Flying Wing Star. The entire journey was almost at an end. And then, at this moment, Wu Jiarong sent him this catastrophic news. Upper Plateau Star was finished; the United Fleet of Dragonhawk and Mingyang Sect was also finished. It was unknown how many ships managed to break through, but the slow-moving Mechanical Arks were definitely doomed. And without the Fleet¡¯s protection, the Orbital Defense system was sure to be dismantled, meaning real trouble for the fifteen billion elite human troops deployed across the planet. They would face off against the Green Skin Orcs under orbital bombardment, with interstellar supplies cut off. Upper Plateau Star itself wasn¡¯t exactly a developed world, at best producing some ammunition to resupply the troops, while its industrial facilities also faced bombing by the Green Skins. As for things like tanks and Titans, once one was destroyed, that was one less available. They couldn¡¯t even produce energy crystals locally, so some high-performance equipment would face an energy shortage¡­ Even food supplies would be problematic; Upper Plateau Star probably couldn¡¯t meet the additional food consumption of fifteen billion troops aEUR¡± that was an astronomical figure. Famine, energy shortages, bombing, war¡­ Fifteen billion human soldiers were likely doomed. Just thinking about that scene made Gu Hang feel sad. That feeling didn¡¯t come simply from fear and terror, but was a sense of heaviness, of heartache. Fifteen billion people, young and strong, the elite. .co Many human planets had that many inhabitants in an entire world. And they, in the not-too-distant future, would die tragically amidst bombings that covered the planet, amid bitter cold and hunger, in the grip of desperation. It was such a waste. And with the loss of these fifteen billion people, the loss of the Mechanical Arks, and the loss of at least half the Fleet, the Dragonhawk Star Domain no longer had anything that could block the Iron Tooth Orcs with their battle moons. Though their battle moons were only for show, what did that matter? The Dragonhawk Star Domain now can¡¯t even come up with a single battleship-class object and has no capital to fight back! Even the ground forces, after losing a billion of the called-up Defense Army, the many human worlds behind them are now empty, almost as if defenseless; after losing three hundred million from the Star Realm Army, the defenses of Yunluo Star have also been depleted; the Protection Army lost two hundred million, including a portion from the Mingyang Sect¡¯s Titan Legion forces, and the ground defenses of Jindi Star will face a huge challenge¡­ This was not only a feeling of nostalgia, Gu Hang genuinely felt the threat. After the fall of Yunluo and Jindi, who would be the next unfortunate one? Wouldn¡¯t that be the Alliance? Don¡¯t look at the battle of Steel Wing Star as if it were serious, but Gu Hang wasn¡¯t facing the main force of the Iron Tooth; the scale of the battle was an entire magnitude smaller than the current battle occurring at Upper Plateau Star. If the Green Skin main forces turned eastward, the current Alliance would be unable to stop them. But at the main battlefield of Yunluo and Jindi, not to mention being out of reach, even if they could get there, the Alliance with its slight build, also couldn¡¯t change the course of the war. Could Gu Hang possibly think of a way to kill that battle moon? He wasn¡¯t sure of it. How can I save you, my Star Domain? Gu Hang decided to go ask the person who needed to be saved. By making use of the Star Language Tower on the starship, and after some time, Gu Hang dialed the Star Domain Government¡¯s number. The holographic figure that appeared before Gu Hang was Tan Jiuyi, the head of the Star Domain. Tan Jiuyi¡¯s face was stern, and the first thing he said upon connection was quite rude, ¡°Gu Hang, you¡¯re behaving quite inappropriately this moment. You clearly have the capacity to contact the Star Domain Government yet seldom do so actively. What? Do the directives from the Star Domain Government have no guiding significance to you now?¡± Gu Hang was taken aback upon hearing this. Is Tan Jiuyi hinting at something to me? Gu Hang immediately came to his senses. Tan Jiuyi, who was in Yunluo, might not even know what had happened on Upper Plateau Star! From Tan Jiuyi¡¯s perspective, he negotiated diligently, convincing the Mingyang Sect to join forces with him to strike out, and the Green Skins were detained at Frost Origin IV for a long time without movement, providing precious time for humans to turn Upper Plateau Star into a solid fortress. Furthermore, with the ¡®Furyflame¡¯ Battle Group about to arrive, there was already a great hope of defeating the Green Skin Orcs, without needing anything further from the Alliance. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This head of government might even be considering post-war matters already, such as how to limit the increasingly expanding Alliance and how to consolidate power. The current admonishment was just planting a seed for the future. Realizing all this, Gu Hang found it laughable. He spoke softly, ¡°It seems I called too early.¡± aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡±aEUR¡± The king of staying up late can¡¯t stay up anymore¡­ Just a short chapter update, will add more tomorrow. Chapter 779 - Chapter 779 432 Chapter 779: 432 Chapter 779: 432 ¡°` ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Upper Plateau Star is gone, the Mechanical Ark of the Mingyang Sect is beyond saving, Founding General Chen Haixu led a small number of people to break through and flee to Jindi Star, fifteen billion human troops have fallen¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spout nonsense here!¡± Tan Jiuyi simply didn¡¯t believe it. But Gu Hang had no more patience to entangle with him over the truth of the matter. ¡°Listen, Head Tan, I¡¯m not joking about this kind of thing, nor do I have any reason to deceive you, and I don¡¯t need to gain anything from you anymore. I just want to know, under these circumstances, what can I do to help the situation in the Star Domain?¡± ¡°Just wait a second¡­¡± Tan Jiuyi was completely confused. He would rather believe that Gu Hang had a scheme than accept the truth. How could he believe it? If the news was true, it meant that the sky had fallen. ¡°Stop having illusions, the sky has fallen.¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°I know, without verification, you won¡¯t fully believe, but I informed you of this news in advance so that you can get prepared as soon as possible. You can try to verify the events in every way possible, but please first treat it as if it were true and plan for the worst.¡± Tan Jiuyi tried to maintain his dignity as the Star Domain Head, but in reality, he was completely distraught. ¡°Alright, I got it, that¡¯s all.¡± He actively disconnected the communication, without giving any further instructions. The virtual image disappeared, and Gu Hang sighed. He had little hope for the Star Domain Government but thought that they were at least teammates, so he contacted them to ask for their plan. However, he didn¡¯t expect that the mettle of this teammate would be even worse than he had anticipated. He had to rely on himself. In fact, he could only rely on himself. Do what man can, leave the rest to fate. Gu Hang quickly figured out what he had to do next. It boiled down to three aspects. Internally, he made a call to Osenia and gave clear instructions. Going forward, the production power of the alliance would be significantly tilted towards ship manufacturing. Squeeze out every bit of production capacity possible; for the subsequent construction of the ships, reduce any process that takes a long time wherever possible. This would impact the lifespan and performance of the ships, but even if they turned out to be a bunch of single-use products, it would be worth it. The point is, ramp up the numbers for me first. For this, the technical director of the Flying Wing Star Shipyard, Supreme Bishop Wang Zhaoran, had to work overtime. Ordinarily, getting a Supreme Bishop to work overtime wasn¡¯t realistic, and one couldn¡¯t force it; with his special status and significant political power behind him, the Governors of Flying Wing Star not only couldn¡¯t command him but also had to flatter and cajole him. But in special times, one couldn¡¯t care about that. Actually, there was no need to force it. Just informing Wang Zhaoran of the frontline news would make him smart enough to know what to do. The assumption here is that this guy doesn¡¯t get the idea to run away. The alliance just unearthed a batch of special agents who need to keep a close eye on this matter. Externally, there are two aspects as well. First, regarding the Green Skins. The alliance had to take more initiative. If before Gu Hang was slightly worriedaEUR¡±what if he fought too fiercely here and attracted the main force of the Green Skins, what then? But now there was no need to worry about that. Though not very willing, Gu Hang realized that he needed to draw, to the extent possible, some of the Green Skins¡¯ forces, ideally making their faction dispatch some fleets, troops, to return and defend their base. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t be sure that this would work, but he had to do something; otherwise, he would be leaving his fate to whether that Chieftain Titus, after exterminating the Star Domain Government and the Mingyang Sect, would spare himaEUR¡±and obviously, he would not. Gu Hang planned to let the United Fleet take the initiative to strike, entering the Golden Pass Star Sector, looking for the previously scattered main force of the Green Skins, trying to annihilate them. The alliance¡¯s Land Forces would also enter into many worlds in the Golden Pass Star Sector for ground combat, aiming to take back the Golden Pass Star Sector. This would slow down the Green Skins¡¯ plundering of resources and prevent their strength from further swelling. At the same time, it might attract some of the Green Skins¡¯ forces from the main battlefield to come to their aid. Would Titus¡¯ main force return? Gu Hang judged that it would not. Right now, Jindi Star and Yunluo Star, these two beautiful prizes, were blatantly displayed before the toothy Chieftain, and without taking down these two places, Titus would probably not return. If he did take them, then no matter what Gu Hang did, Titus would still come back. No difference. Conversely, if he could take on more pressure for the frontline battle, maybe the main battlefield could hold out a bit longer, which would delay Titus¡¯ return even more. This would not only buy more time for the alliance¡¯s development, but the ultimate goal was to make it so that Titus could not return: if the Fury Flame Battle Group arrived, even if Furyflame couldn¡¯t beat Titus, at least it was a strong army that could hold out for a longer time. Perhaps when the Empire realized that the problems in the Dragonhawk Star Domain had grown, and even the Sect of Mechanics and the Battle Group could not handle it, they might send even more powerful reinforcements. Gu Hang needed this kind of balance. The second external matter was that the expansion of the Seven Horse Treaty could no longer wait; Gu Hang must integrate as many human and material resources from the Seven Horse Territory as possible. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only wuxiaworld.site.co Among the remaining six of the Seven Horse Territories, there truly weren¡¯t any particularly exceptional worlds, but that didn¡¯t mean their output was unimportant. Within those six territories, there are seventy-eight human worlds, with a total population that can reach one hundred billion. Even if their productivity was poor and they couldn¡¯t be relied upon to manufacture starships, Titans, or high-grade equipment for the alliance, they could still manage to lay out some ammunition and handle production tasks for logistics and supplies; that vast population is also a good place to draw troops from. ¡°` Chapter 780 - Chapter 780 Chapter 432 War Means Burning Money_2 Chapter 780: Chapter 432: War Means Burning Money_2 Chapter 780: Chapter 432: War Means Burning Money_2 Especially the former, is the most important. The amount of supplies consumed in warfare is simply astronomical. Consider the battle at Steel Wing Star, for instance. The consumption of various types of ammunition was outrageous. Taking Yelisia¡¯s cruiser Quintet as an example, a single full-force volley would fire hundreds of Scalpel Missiles, twenty Heat Hammer Macro Cannons, and two Loyal Rage Macro Cannons, totaling up to a cost of 210,000 Tax Currency just for the ammunition. The other cruisers cost about the same. After the battle at Steel Wing Star, just the ammunition, light spears, and missiles used by the seven cruisers came to over twenty million Tax Currency; the rest of the ships would probably add up to another thirty to forty million. And that doesn¡¯t even include the ground forces. When an Army Group stages an artillery barrage, firing at top speed for just two minutes can deplete ten thousand rounds after ten volleys, which would also cost several tens of thousands of Tax Currency. There were fifty Army Groups involved in the ground campaign at Steel Wing Star! Novts`o.co In actuality, even the ongoing operations in the Mist Horse and Eagle Horse Sectors, with a moderate intensity sustained by the Alliance, require the logistical support of two hundred million troops, including food, medicine, equipment wear and tear, and ammunition replenishment¡­ Every month, this alone absorbs sixty to seventy million worth of supplies. And if you include the costs of arming the Planetary Defense Forces in those places, that number would only grow. And keep in mind, this is at a low intensity and only covers logistical support, not factoring in the costs of replenishing units of tanks, artillery, armored vehicles, infantry, and other war units that have been destroyed. Once the intensity of the war significantly increases, the cost of war consumption will skyrocket without a ceiling. Just looking at the battle at Steel Wing Star, including logistical expenses and losses of both ships and ground units, the Alliance spent a staggering fifty billion Tax Currency for that one battle! War is simply burning money, burning it in a way that makes people¡¯s hearts panic. Fortunately, communications with the Star Domain Government have been severed now, so we don¡¯t have to bear the burden of Imperial Tax. Otherwise, the Alliance wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain this burn rate. How are we supposed to fight this war if we don¡¯t integrate the entirety of Seven Horse Territory and seize their Imperial Tax for ourselves? Never mind that Gu Hang still wants to go on the offensive, to alleviate the pressure on the main battlefield, without additional revenue, the Alliance can at best maintain the current war intensity. A few more battles like the one at Steel Wing Star, and the Alliance¡¯s own economy would collapse, at least mobilization at the third level certainly wouldn¡¯t hold up, it would need to be raised to the second or even the first level. What about the other planets that just sit back and cheer us on? That won¡¯t do. They all need to get on the battlefield! Even if it¡¯s truly a backward world as poor as Extinct Soil Star, providing agricultural products, engaging in preliminary food processing, textiles, or supplying some minerals and transporting them to the core worlds of the Tianma Star SectoraEUR¡± allowing the Alliance to reduce the pressure on necessities and raw materials, to redirect more workers and productive forces into expanding shipyards and producing more military equipmentaEUR¡±would also be a form of help. Moreover, integration must be swift. Previously, Gu Hang thought that after winning the battle at Steel Wing Star, he still had time. He could use gentler methods, plotting slowly. But now the overall situation of the war has changed drastically, and Gu Hang no longer has the luxury of time. For the sake of speed, certain special measures, which would normally be used cautiously, now must be employed immediately. After some thought, Gu Hang issued a directive to Osenia, Lambert, and Tadeusz respectively. ¡­ At Flying Wing Star, in the official residence of Chief Justice Lambert. This place is not only Lambert Hodgson¡¯s residence; it is also the office location of the Alliance Legal Affairs Center, located on Flying Wing Star. At this moment, Lambert Chief Justice, who had just received Mr. Gu¡¯s instructions, was feeling a headache. Sitting in front of him, a man with a stern face, is the current head of the Alliance Legal Affairs Center ¨C Central Investigation Bureau, named Gustav Isaacson. ¡°Arno Chinko, you should know who he is, right? His security clearance is high, though still visible.¡± ¡°Yes. Actually, I don¡¯t even need to look at the files; his surname itself is sensitive.¡± ¡°Since you know who he is, why did you send him to Baishuo Star?¡± ¡°Per your request. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You asked me to dispatch my best agents to Purple Horse Sector to conduct special operations, so I sent Arno there.¡± ¡°You¡­ huh, do you really have no one else?¡± ¡°I do, but none as outstanding as him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re unbelievable.¡± Lambert said somewhat speechlessly, ¡°Okay, now Mr. Gu wants us to initiate special operations ahead of schedule, and the first place to act is Baishuo Star at the Purple Horse Capital. There¡¯s going to be a regime change.¡± ¡°Arno will fulfill his mission, I believe in him.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you thought about what if he fails, what if something happens to him?¡± ¡°That would be our responsibility, for not fulfilling the mission entrusted to us by Mr. Gu and the people. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only I am willing to bear all consequences. As for Arno, if something really happens, then we would have lost a reliable and loyal comrade, which would deeply sadden me, but such is our duty.¡± ¡°Prime Minister Osenia will flay you!¡± ¡°No, she won¡¯t, I believe in Prime Minister Osenia¡¯s consciousness.¡± ¡°Are you implying something about me? Doubting my consciousness?¡± ¡°I never said that.¡± ¡°You, you¡­¡± Lambert was genuinely at a loss for what to do with Isaacson. This guy was stubborn and intractable, but indeed he was a rare talent under Lambert¡¯s command, loyal and competent, or else he wouldn¡¯t have been promoted to head the Central Investigation Bureau. However, such excessive uprightness and indifference were truly troublesome qualities. Chapter 781 - Chapter 781: Chapter 432, Fighting a War is Like Burning Money_3 Chapter 781: Chapter 432, Fighting a War is Like Burning Money_3 Arno Chinko, this is Osenia¡¯s younger brother. Back then, on Rage Owl Star, Osenia came to Mr. Gu¡¯s camp as a refugee, not alone, but with her brother. Escaping from the pus-filled monsters and famine at home, Osenia suffered untold hardships along the way, barely managing to save Arno Chinko¡¯s life. Fourteen years have passed since then. The little boy, who was only eleven at the time, is now a fine young man. After Osenia rose to a high position, the young man¡¯s living conditions improved significantly, and he also received the best education the Alliance had to offer. He lived up to expectations, his grades always impressive. He graduated two years ago. With his achievements, he could have had a bright future; having the identity of Osenia¡¯s brother made it easy to land a high position. However, on one hand, Osenia herself was somewhat worried, being a Prime Minister was like walking on thin ice, with enormous pressure every day. Bringing her brother into this might invite controversy; on the other hand, Arno himself had no interest in politics or becoming a civil servant. He once thought about joining the military, but eventually, Osenia persuaded him to go to Lambert¡¯s place. Although some connections were still used, Lambert¡¯s law center is an institution parallel to the Alliance Government. Then, the young man forcefully made his way into the most unsafe among many institutions under Lambert: the Alliance Central Investigation Bureau. This is one of the top three external intelligence agencies of the Alliance. During his two-year training, he performed exceptionally well; especially recently, with a performance that seemed to suddenly blossom, he quickly became one of the best newcomers in the Central Investigation Bureau. Of course, it was only after Isaacson, the director, reported this to Lambert that he became aware of it. Lambert himself was too busy to personally check the training performance of a young agent. If he were to be honest, he was a bit skeptical at the beginning. Perhaps Arno did perform well, but to be called ¡®the best¡¯ could very likely be an exaggeration due to his identity. But he still shared the news with Osenia, to give the sister a bit of joy. Back then, he thought Isaacson had ¡®improved¡¯, knowing to say things that please the ear, and knowing to exaggerate a bit the achievements of someone with a special identity like Arno. He wasn¡¯t sure whether to be happy or worried. But now, it seems that the truth is not as such. Isaacson is still the same Isaacson; Arno is probably indeed the best agent, hence being assigned such an important mission. And indeed, Isaacson didn¡¯t consider the identity issue at all, strictly adhering to sending the most suitable person to the most suitable place. Lambert knew this was right, that¡¯s how it should be. But still¡­ Had he become a little forgetful of his original aspirations? Was it as Isaacson said, that his own judgment was beginning to falter? He couldn¡¯t help but begin to reflect on himself. During this process, Isaacson sat upright and proper in front of him. ¡°Alright, you can go back now. Pay close attention to this mission, it has nothing to do with the young man¡¯s identity, it¡¯s an important mission for the Alliance, and we cannot afford mistakes!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Isaacson stood up; after a moment¡¯s hesitation, he still asked, ¡°What about Prime Minister Osenia?¡± ¡°I will speak to her.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± After watching Isaacson leave, Lambert made a call to Osenia, explaining the situation. Osenia was silent for a long time. Just as Lambert started to feel unsettled, worried that the Alliance Premier was very angry and about to explode, Osenia¡¯s voice finally came through: ¡°I understand.¡± ¡­ Purple Horse Sector, Baishuo Star. This is the capital planet of the Purple Horse Sector, classified as a civilized world, with a population of nine billion, and an economic development level of 2. Although lacking any outstanding specialty products, as a civilized world, the overall productivity cannot be too shoddy; people here live a fairly good life, and the little shipyards at the starport can even build some civilian ships. The entire Purple Horse Sector has a population of thirty-eight billion across seventeen worlds. Apart from Capital Hundred Shuo Star, the many other worlds are also quite decent, without any particular lagging behind, and there are even several with a development level of 2. Besides the Tianma Star Sector, Seven Horse Territory¡¯s Purple Horse is the best developed. Leader of Purple Horse¨CMs. Isquier Zelos, has a decent grip on the entire sector, backed by the support of the sector¡¯s governors. With high support and substantial strength, among the neighboring star sectors, she is the most resolute against the Seven Horse Pact. From her perspective, supporting the Alliance in the Green Skins war is natural, but signing the Seven Horse Pact is unnecessary. The former is the duty of an imperial star sector head, while the latter means a change of nature. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Wouldn¡¯t that mean incorporating Purple Horse Sector into the control of the Alliance? Not officially joining the Alliance, but nearly the same as changing all officials and governmental bodies of all planets to the model of the Alliance. What independence would there be in administration, military, or economics when all resources must be at the disposal of others, doing whatever they command? This stance also garnered support from many governors within the Purple Horse Sector. They heard that the planetary governors of Tianma Star Sector are all honorary positions, either directly managed by the famous Mr. Gu or remotely held by Alliance high officials, without any real power. Chapter 782 - Chapter 782: Chapter 432, War is Burning Money_4 Chapter 782: Chapter 432, War is Burning Money_4 And they were the true governors, the de facto emperors of their own planets. Although they had not joined the Alliance, merely entered the framework of the Seven Horses Treaty, many of the conditions within that framework still imposed considerable restrictions on them. Besides, who knew what the future would hold? Boundaries were always pushed, little by little. However, when the Iron Tooth Orcs brought war to Beiyuan Star, and the governors of Mist Horse desperately sent out calls for help and signed the Seven Horses Treaty, waiting for the Alliance¡¯s Tianma soldiers to come and save the world, the governors of Purple Horse underwent some subtle changes in their mentality. On one hand, they rejected the pleas for aid from the governors of Mist Horse, claiming themselves to be poor, with nothing to spare; even if they had the intention to help, they lacked the capacity to deploy troops and were genuinely helpless. On the other hand, they felt a shared sense of urgency as they watched the people of Mist Horse deeply engulfed in the flames of war. Beiyuan Star, that was the world closest to Purple Horse Sector within the Mist Horse Star District. The war fires burning there made the temperature palpable, especially for the governors of East Garden I, II, and III. They couldn¡¯t help but worry. If the Green Skins really came knocking, what then? Just as they neither went to nor could save Beiyuan Star, it was likely that the other worlds in the Purple Horse Sector would adopt the same attitude towards them. This was a matter of life and death. Under such pressure, the Seven Horses Treaty suddenly seemed quite appealing. This mentality reached its pinnacle after the Alliance won the battle at Steel Wing Star and swiftly pulled the Mist Horse Star District out of the flames of war. And the reason it was at its peak was because very soon, they were about to undergo yet another change of heart. The Alliance was so powerful, surely there wouldn¡¯t be anything left for them to do, right? Bordering Purple Horse was Tianma, the Alliance¡¯s main base, and Mist Horse had joined the treaty and came under the Alliance¡¯s protection. Wouldn¡¯t that mean the Alliance would surely stand at the forefront, blocking the Green Skins? Whether I sign with the Alliance or not, won¡¯t they still have to stand in front of me? As for the Alliance¡¯s thinly veiled implication of ¡°if the Green Skins can¡¯t hit you, I can,¡± they understood but pretended not to. The deterrent effect was somewhat present, but overall, they were skeptical. We¡¯re all part of the Empire, would you dare to openly strike me? It was exactly with this mindset that they once again started to play coy, banding together around the lead of Zelos once more. They also didn¡¯t dare to offend the diplomats from the Alliance too much. The Alliance had already demonstrated their terrifying strength. But besides burning bridges, there were many other options available to them. For instance, they could shift the blame onto Zelos. ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to sign, we truly cannot. Our Purple Horse Sector has always been under Zelos¡¯s head; her influence is immense, we can¡¯t possibly bypass her and sign the treaty on our own, that would be impossible to explain to the Star Sector Government.¡± That had become the unified excuse of the governors of Purple Horse. The officials from the Alliance Foreign Affairs Department certainly knew these were just excuses, but with the other side stubbornly sticking to their story, it was difficult to take action. However, if their excuse was the sector head, then they would just have to talk to that head. Hardliner? Good. Upon the capital planet of Purple Horse Sector, Baishuo Star, a storm was brewing. Arno Chinko, dressed in the traditional attire of Baishuo Star, entered a tavern located in the lower district of Shuoguo City, the planetary capital. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He saw the tavern¡¯s sign, as well as the assurance that the safety mark was still intact, confirming that the place was secure. He dipped his hat lower and made his way to the lowest level of the tavern. ¡ª¡ª¨C 6k This isn¡¯t an extra post, just making up for yesterday¡¯s. Chapter 783 - Chapter 783: Chapter 433, Subversion Operation Chapter 783: Chapter 433, Subversion Operation Pushing open the door to the innermost room on the ground floor of the tavern, under the dim light, Arno Chinko saw a small table with a man and a woman standing beside it. Upon hearing the door open, both individuals looked over, their hands stealthily reaching for their weapons. Arno made three complex hand signals in front of his abdomen with his left hand. The pair¡¯s tension eased somewhat, and they made different hand gestures in response. The three of them spent half a minute exchanging signals before completing the complex but necessary ritual of verifying each other¡¯s identity. ¡°Comrade, hello, I¡¯m Martin from Military Intelligence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Amanda from Foreign Intelligence.¡± After both people revealed their affiliations, Arno also said, ¡°I¡¯m Bentek from the Investigative Bureau.¡± He gave a fake name, as he believed the other two did as well. The names would definitely not be real; even after confirming each other¡¯s identity, there was no need to reveal true names. A pseudonym would suffice as a code name. As long as the background information was correct, that was all that mattered. This ¡®meeting¡¯ was an encounter between three major intelligence agencies of the Alliance. It was an operation highly valued by the Alliance, one that no single agency could complete alone. The three organizations, which seldom interacted except at the higher levels for intelligence sharing, were now collaborating directly on the ground level, an uncommon occurrence. Dispensing with pleasantries, they quickly got down to business. Amanda began, ¡°In two days, at noon, Zelos will arrive at the ¡®restaurant¡¯. He¡¯s been invited by several wealthy merchants and politicians from local planets and has accepted.¡± Arno cautiously inquired, ¡°The merchants and politicians, are they reliable? Could they leak our operation?¡± ¡°No, they don¡¯t know what we are planning to do.¡± Arno nodded slightly, then shared his side: ¡°The arrangements for strikes and riots are ready. We estimate that at least thirty thousand people will take to the streets to protest in two days. Weapons and equipment have been distributed, and at that time, the Planetary Government and Star Sector Government¡¯s palaces will face challenges. The protest march will pass by the ¡®restaurant¡¯.¡± Then, he turned his gaze to Martin and Amanda. Amanda said, ¡°The local police might intervene, which could be challenging.¡± Martin stated, ¡°Several of our comrades will be embedded within the marching crowd to help neutralize the threat from the local police force; if necessary, the special forces warriors infiltrated in the crowd will also take action. However, that would make a big commotion, not a move we want to make unless absolutely necessary.¡± Arno asked, ¡°What about the military?¡± With confidence, Martin asserted, ¡°I can ensure that the military will be very slow to act on any orders to suppress the uprising, extremely slow.¡± Arno didn¡¯t know how Martin would fulfill his promise. It might be that he had swayed the commander of the troops guarding the capital city, or perhaps Military Intelligence had infiltrated a significant number of its operatives to halt military action. But regardless of the specific methods, Arno didn¡¯t care, nor did he ask further. As long as the objectives were achieved, that was all that mattered. The three huddled together, once again confirming the details and process of the operation, before concluding their secret meeting. Leaving the tavern with different identities and guises, they departed one after another. Yet as they left, they never realized that on the balcony of a small building opposite the tavern, a woman had been watching them all along. She was Milia Derong, an Alliance Demon Hunter. The Alliance had eight official intelligence organizations on record, but in reality, there were nine. There was also the Demon Hunter Organization. The Demon Hunters were originally established under the Alliance Legal Affairs Center, led by Lambert, and even spearheaded the Alliance¡¯s first anti-corruption wave. Later, the Demon Hunters were separated from the Legal Affairs Center, no longer under the leadership of the Chief Justice, but became a direct subsidiary of the Governor¡¯s Office. They operated both internally and externally, responsible for intelligence and direct action, and even had the authority to handle tasks without trial. Sanctioned by the governor, act first, report later! This was the essence of the Demon Hunters! Given the importance of this operation, the Demon Hunters were also involved. Milia Derong was among the oldest members of the Demon Hunters, being the instigator of that initial anti-corruption wave; she also participated in the Korolya Plague War. Although she didn¡¯t handle frontline combat, she and her Demon Hunter Squad played a crucial role in controlling the politics of Mingyan City. With deep experience and significant contributions, she was now a leader of one of the several independent teams within the Demon Hunter Organization. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This time, the operation on Baishuo Star was directly mandated by the Alliance leaders, of utmost importance. With the full commitment of the three major intelligence agencies, naturally, the presence of the Demon Hunters was required. However, the Demon Hunters still operated independently. The Demon Hunters had some knowledge of what the three agencies were up to but were not privy to the full details unless they chose to share their intelligence proactively. With more intelligence support and greater authority to mobilize resources, and considering that all their agents were at least trained by the Demon Hunters, skilled in various espionage techniques and bolstered by Spiritual Energy¡­ They had infiltrated Baishuo Star even deeper than the three agencies and had their own set of operation plans. However, after learning about Arno Chinko¡¯s plan to unite the power of the three agencies for the action in two days, Milia took a keen interest. Chapter 784 - Chapter 784: Chapter 433, Subversive Action_2 Chapter 784: Chapter 433, Subversive Action_2 The overall plan seems plausible, and the chances of success appear to be quite high, indeed capable of achieving the goals the alliance desires. In that case, it might as well lend a hand. If it succeeds, it would save the trouble of exerting more effort later on. If it fails, the Demon Hunters also have their backup scheme. ¡­ Two days later. Arno Chinko, dressed as a waiter, was doing his job in a luxurious hotel. Clearing tables, serving dishes, carrying plates, pushing trolleys¡­ nothing more than that. He had been doing this work for two months. If nothing unexpected happened, this should be his last day. The luxurious hotel where he worked was also the mission location codenamed ¡®hotel.¡¯ At this moment, the hotel was somewhat empty. Today, they only arranged for one group of guests. Many political dignitaries and representatives of wealthy businessmen were here to host a banquet for Ms. Zelos, the head of the Star Sector. Such distinguished guests, of course, required separate treatment. In fact, two days before, ¡®hotel¡¯ had already ceased operations to the public, fully preparing for today¡¯s banquet. At the same time, the security detail of the Star Sector head had also been stationed in the ¡®hotel¡¯ since then, conducting safety inspections on the hotel and remaining onsite to avoid any potential hazards. As the head of the Star Sector, Zelos¡¯s security measures were very strong. And all these were things that Arno and others had anticipated long ago. He diligently did his job, just as his ¡®supervisor¡¯ had repeatedly instructed over the past two days, saying that the guests¡¯ identities were significant, and no mistakes were allowed. He couldn¡¯t see or hear what was happening outside, but he guessed that the first step of the plan must have already begun. ¡­ Inside the ¡®hotel,¡¯ the banquet had already started. Ms. Zelos, who arrived on time as a VIP, had just mingled with others, engaging in a round of non-critical conversation, when a security personnel came to her side. ¡°Head of the Sector¡­¡± Hearing the soft call, Zelos, with her perfect smile, gestured to the person she had been talking to and then moved aside, her expression becoming serious as she listened to the report. The content was brief: Demonstrations had erupted in Shuoguo City. The protest was mainly demanding the government to release journalists, commentators, and scholars arrested over the past month. The charges against those people were the preposterous ¡®espionage.¡¯ The accusation was laughable! Was it because the Planetary Government and Star Sector Government didn¡¯t want to join the Seven Horse Covenant, and those media people did some analysis on why the government was reluctant to join? Was arresting people the answer to contents that displeased the government? That was far too absurd! This was a narrative that emerged a few months ago across Baishuo Star, mentioned in newspapers, broadcasts, television shows, magazines¡­ various media outlets. Some experts jumped out, claiming that joining the Seven Horse Covenant was a good idea, as it would bring protection from the alliance and completely resolve security issues. Mutual assistance was also the responsibility of human worlds. Moreover, despite the broken contact with the Star Domain and being unable to remit the Imperial Tax, the Planetary Government continued to collect it; not only that, but they also imposed an additional war tax on top of the Imperial Tax, without halting ordinary taxation. The exorbitant taxes were unbearable, and after being incited by various opinions, the call to join the Seven Horse Covenant grew, with the belief that it would be safer and life would be easier. Additionally, some conspiracy theories suggested that the refusal to join the Seven Horse Covenant was not about freedom, independence, or Baishuo Star people deciding their own fate, but rather about the higher officials¡¯ unwillingness to relinquish power, an entirely selfish act without regard for the big picture. This theory wasn¡¯t without reason, as quite a number of citizens found it persuasive. Judging by this alone, it was rash to label the outspoken media people as spies. Dictatorship! Tyranny! Moreover, the charge of espionage was ridiculous! Even if they had taken money from the alliance, how did that make them spies? Wasn¡¯t the alliance separate from the imperial forces? It was said that the Star Domain Government even authorized them to establish the Seven Horse Covenant, so how could they be spies? Was Baishuo Star not part of the Empire World? Did the government consider itself separate from the imperial forces, thereby deeming the alliance¡¯s representatives as spies? It made no sense! Therefore, such a protest occurred. Knowing about the protest, Zelos of course wasn¡¯t in the best of spirits. She had at least three concerns. First was the annoyance from the troublemakers. Second, the dissatisfaction with the Governor of Baishuo. Such a protest involving tens of thousands of people could only be described as widespread public outrage. The heavy-handed and unwise way the Governor of Baishuo dealt with the media people was the direct cause. And the fundamental reason behind it all lay in the corruption of the Planetary Government. For many years, Baishuo Star had faced several problems: excessive taxation, failure to solve the high unemployment rate, and the long-term stagnation of the people¡¯s standard of living. These accumulating issues, recently compounded by the Green Skins problem resulting in increased taxes and journalists being arrested, showed signs of erupting. It was because the Governor of Baishuo had done such a terrible job that all these problems had arisen! The third concern was her vigilance. Despite the boiling public discontent and the presence of a spark that could ignite further unrest, the situation had escalated so suddenly and fiercely that she couldn¡¯t help but suspect the involvement of some hostile forces stirring trouble. Could public dissent really have reached such depths? It seemed unlikely. However, even if it had, Zelos still believed it was no big deal. It was just a demonstration, after all. The police had already been dispatched, and the Planetary Defense Forces had received orders and begun to take up defensive positions. Should any signs of the situation worsening or spiraling out of control appear, the Defense Forces would be deployed. In fact, it was highly unlikely that things would escalate to that point, as the Capital Police Department should be able to resolve the issue. But the news that followed made her feel more and more uneasy. Firstly, there was a shootout in the streets between the mob and the police, and surprisingly, the mob had quite a few weapons! This almost confirmed to Zelos that there had to be someone pulling the strings behind the scenes! What was their purpose? Who could it be, and what was their goal? To overthrow the current government? She had lost all interest in the current banquet, found a room, asked not to be disturbed, and then placed a call to the Governor of Baishuo, ordering him to mobilize the Defense Army immediately to suppress the situation. The Governor of Baishuo, sweating profusely and stuttering, said it probably wouldn¡¯t come to that, that police reinforcements had already been called in. Zelos flew into a rage and scolded, ¡°Things are never that simple! Deploy the Defense Army immediately! Whatever those shadowy figures behind the scenes have planned must be quashed quickly. We can¡¯t allow any more time for the situation to ferment, do you understand?!¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I understand!¡± After hanging up the phone, Zelos felt a bit more at ease. But shortly after, she heard some noisy commotion. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Her personal security guard spoke into the intercom for a moment and then replied, ¡°Some civilians affected by the riot are seeking refuge, trying to enter the hotel for safety. The hotel security and our men have stopped them.¡± Upon hearing this, Zelos was about to speak when she heard the sounds of explosions and gunfire, and they were close! ¡°Someone from among the civilians is charging the hotel!¡± ¡°They are strong!¡± ¡°Ah!!!¡± Screams were heard through the communication. Now, Zelos truly became anxious! Were they coming for me? She suddenly looked towards her personal bodyguard. He quickly said, ¡°Leader, please follow me, we need to leave this place. Rest assured, in our security team we have Spiritual Energy masters and elite squads, we will ensure your safety!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Zelos knew this was not the time to panic. And the situation hadn¡¯t reached a point of no return. Attempting to assassinate her in this way was simply naive. Her security team included three accomplished Spiritual Energy users, and among the bodyguards, there were thirty elites clad in Feedback-Type Power Armor. Breaking through their protection to threaten her would not be easy. Furthermore, if they could just stall for a bit, the army would arrive. She could also actively seek to meet with the military, accompanied by her security team. The matter of her safety was assured, for the time being. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At this moment, Zelos was filled with rage! She vowed to make the puppet masters behind all this pay a heavy price! No matter who the mastermind was! In fact, she already had some suspicions about who it might be¡­ wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 785 - Chapter 785: Title: Chapter 434, Assassination Chapter 785: Title: Chapter 434, Assassination The operatives hidden among the civilians weren¡¯t having much success storming the hotel. Despite the continuous explosions and gunfire, Arno knew that the operatives positioned by the Alliance were unlikely to breach the ¡®hotel¡¯ and complete their mission. The intelligence gathered earlier had indicated that the security level around Zelos was very high. The elite guard was equipped with Feedback-Type Power Armor, and there were both Spiritual Energy users and Anti-Psychic Devices to contend with, making the assassination exceedingly difficult. The Alliance warriors hidden outside were indeed elite. They were either agents from military intelligence or special forces elite from the military regiments. But because they had infiltrated surreptitiously for a surprise attack, they couldn¡¯t bring heavy equipment, relying only on light weaponry and hand grenades, with at most a few rocket launchers or grenade launchers-like gadgets, it was normal that they couldn¡¯t break through. But the target was never there in the first place. After the hotel was struck, what would Zelos¡¯s reaction be? She shouldn¡¯t be panicking, but it would be only natural for her to try to leave the ¡®hotel¡¯. She could only bring a limited number of her security team with her, and even though the ¡®hotel¡¯ had been swept for security, it definitely wasn¡¯t as safe as her own official residence. There, she would have more numerous and elite guards for protection, multiple escape routes, and the ability to directly communicate with various forces, making it a safer place and more suitable for coordinating efforts after a significant incident. So, run. Arno, who¡¯d been ¡®hurriedly¡¯ pushing a dining cart along the corridor, was rudely shoved aside by a bodyguard and sent crashing into a private room. Through the door of the private room, which had been left slightly ajar, Arno saw a stream of security personnel passing by. He couldn¡¯t see who was in the middle of the crowd, but he could guess. Having worked at the ¡®hotel¡¯ for this period, he had become very familiar with the layout. After taking stock, Arno knew they were on one of the two routes he had prepared in advance. Then there was no problem. Estimating their pace, Arno silently counted the seconds, his hand reaching into his pocket where there was a remote control. When the time came, he gently pressed it. Instantly, the roaring sound of an explosion resounded, followed by searing heat waves that he could feel even here. Those were high-performance thermite bombs! Installing them had been no small feat. Zelos¡¯s guard had been extremely cautious and vigilant, conducting checks constantly over the past two days. Confident in his skills though he was, Arno had not set up the bombs in advance. He didn¡¯t want to gamble on this chance; if they were detected, today¡¯s banquet would have to be canceled due to security risks, ruining their many plans. Instead, he chose this very day, after witnessing the security sweep, to install the bombs. Key areas like the banquet hall and lounges were out of the question, as they were constantly guarded. But after all, it wasn¡¯t feasible for guards to cover every location in the hotel. That was unrealistic. From the banquet hall and lounges to the garage, there were several porticos, corridors, and galleries to pass through and one needed to use either an elevator or three staircases¡­ In any case, it was impossible for guards to be present at all times; a patrol every fifteen minutes was already quite stringent. And today, Arno had relied on those intervals of less than fifteen minutes, after the final security check, to complete the preparations for setting the bombs. When armed conflict broke out, naturally, the patrol team wouldn¡¯t have time to continue their rounds. They would either gather near Zelos¡¯s location to perform security duties or engage the armed attackers at the hotel¡¯s entrance. This was Arno¡¯s last, and best, opportunity. He seized the time before the patrol was diverted and Zelos evacuated, to finish placing the bombs and then, to detonate them on the spot. Though he couldn¡¯t bring in large bombs due to infiltration restrictions and could only bring ones the size of hand grenades, and also because he couldn¡¯t be sure through which exit the target would evacuate, leading him to place bombs at all necessary locations, only two of them would actually be effective. But those were thermite bombs. Even an Interstellar Warrior¡¯s ultimate Powered Armor wouldn¡¯t withstand a thermite bomb. If it¡¯s big enough, such a bomb could even destroy a Starship¨Csome Boarding Tactics involve an Elite Assault Team getting to the core of a Starship and detonating a massive thermite bomb. The device used now was small, but the target wasn¡¯t a Starship. The explosion had probably occurred in a passageway. The splattered high-temperature liquid from two thermite explosions would be enough to engulf the entire area, and no creature inside could survive. Of course, that was theoretical. As an agent, Arno had to verify with his own eyes whether he had truly completed the mission. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Drawing his pistol, he stepped out of the room. This was a laser pistol, which was naturally quiet, and with a specially made silencer, it was practically soundless. Approaching the explosion site cautiously, Arno saw a few injured bodyguards, helping each other out. When they saw Arno, they also paused, with one trying to speak up, but they were restrained by their companion. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 786 - Chapter 786: Chapter 434: Assassination_2 Chapter 786: Chapter 434: Assassination_2 They saw the gun in Arno¡¯s hand. Arno fired three times in quick succession, three pale purple beams piercing through the bodies of three men, killing them. Then, he quickened his pace, moving closer to the center of the explosion. Along the way, he saw many remnants. They appeared to be a certain model of Feedback-Type Power Armor, slightly different from the Servant Gods used by the Alliance, likely purchased by Zelos through trade from other places. Even the elites in Feedback-Type Power Armor couldn¡¯t withstand the thermal bombs. Multiple parts of the armors had suffered severe melting. Continuing forward, closer to the center of the explosion, Arno¡¯s gaze suddenly tightened. He noticed an oddly intact area of the ground ahead. Several thoughts flashed quickly through his mind, and he almost confirmed the most likely one: a miniaturized personal energy shield! Such a device was rare and expensive, but for someone like Zelos, having one wouldn¡¯t be surprising. And if there was such a device, the likelihood of survival under a thermal bomb would be greatly increased. Arno¡¯s gaze was steady as he quickened his steps. Having come this far, he couldn¡¯t let Zelos survive. He had to personally handle this unexpected complication. He deduced that there should be no guards left around Zelos. The relatively intact area was just about large enough for one person to stand. This matched the performance of the personal energy shields mentioned in the knowledge Arno had learned, which were only large enough to cloak a single person and couldn¡¯t protect a second. The rest of the guards must have already perished under the thermal bombs. Of course, it was not impossible for a lucky individual to have been outside the blast radius at the moment of the explosion. Anything was possible, but Arno still needed to follow up and see for himself. Even if there were other survivors, he¡¯d have to find a way to deal with them. He would have to improvise then. The traces left by the survivor from the explosion were quite evident to him. Tracking them all the way, Arno¡¯s mood grew heavier. He was almost at the underground parking garage. There, he hadn¡¯t had the chance to set up bombs. And for sure, there would still be guards on duty there. Having heard the explosion, they would probably come to respond. That would complicate things. Although they had a contingency plan for if they couldn¡¯t kill Zelos in the ¡®hotel¡¯ and had measures in place for what to do next, things were certainly better the simpler they were. He couldn¡¯t help but quicken his pace, even forsaking the need for secrecy in his actions. As he passed a narrow path, he squinted and slowed his steps¨C he observed some changes in the survivor¡¯s trail. His gaze shifted to a small storage closet nearby, filled with cleaning supplies, with its door slightly ajar. Arno made a judgement, muted his footsteps, and approached silently. Suddenly, he saw a metallic reflection! Instinctively dodging to the side, a beam grazed past him. Without lingering on the close call, Arno retaliated with a swing of his hand. Firing continuously, he sent pale purple beams into the compartment and, pushing off the ground with his feet, lunged forward! There was no longer any movement inside the compartment. Arno, pressing against the wall next to the compartment, cautiously reached out and fully opened the door, then aimed his gun inside. He saw Ms. Zelos collapsed inside. The Star Sector head was not yet dead, but a hole the size of a wrist had been melted through her abdomen by a laser. The residual heat from the laser shot was still causing continuous internal damage to her flesh and organs. She was indeed not dead, but that was about to change. Yet, Zelos thought she still had a chance of being saved. If she could receive medical attention now, given the powerful medical technology and the relentless investment in medical resources, even replacing parts of her body with mechanical structures¡­ she had a fair chance of survival. That was if medical help arrived in time. Her eyes, filled with the desire to live, turned towards Arno Chinko. She tried to speak, struggling: ¡°I know you are from the Alliance¡­ save me¡­ I will sign¡­¡± Before she could finish, Arno fired. Two shots hit her chest and neck; then, lowering the power, he added a shot to her forehead. He had reduced the power to avoid making the hole too large and destroying the facial features. Straight after, Arno pulled out a miniature camera, took several shots from different angles, and then left without a trace of mercy. A live witness, definitely not needed. For this operation, a dead Zelos was more useful than a live one. The Alliance did not believe she would completely change sides. After the assassination, only hatred would remain. Actually, taking the head or the entire body would have been ideal. But at the moment, he didn¡¯t have the conditions to do so and couldn¡¯t take Zelos¡¯s body with him. The photos would have to suffice. Back in the employee dormitory, he was taking refuge with other hotel staff, and he found the opportunity to send a message each to Amanda and Martin. The first phase of the operation was complete, and the following steps could proceed. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡­ An assassination is not enough to overturn a government. However, Zelos¡¯s death still caused huge ripples. Zelos was very special in her position. As the head of the Star Sector, different from the governors of the various planets who could rise from below, this role was expressly appointed by the Empire to act on behalf of the imperial will, to integrate the Imperial forces within the Star Sector. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 787 - Chapter 787: Chapter 434, Assassination_3 Chapter 787: Chapter 434, Assassination_3 The Planetary Governor was, of course, appointed by the Empire to exercise imperial power on the planet. However, the more important role of the Planetary Governor was to represent the rights and interests of the planet¡¯s local populace; without resolving these, the mere title of ¡®Governor¡¯ was insufficient. But for the head of the Star Sector, the title alone was enough. In normal circumstances, if the head of the Star Sector died, the Star Domain Government would just appoint someone new to fill the position. Although individuals differ in capability and the networks they¡¯ve built, in the end, the function they performed was consistent. But now, with communications cut off, a new head of the Star Sector couldn¡¯t be replaced. And with the existence of the head of the Star Sector, which had unified the Purple Horse Sector, things started to fall apart without him. They found it very difficult to produce a new leader from within their midst in a short time period. And even more events unfolded within Baishuo Star. The government of Baishuo Star was, of course, controlled by the Governor of Baishuo. Although he listened to Zelos quite a bit, he wasn¡¯t dead, and the governmental structure of Baishuo Star hadn¡¯t collapsed; it wouldn¡¯t just crumble because of Zelos¡¯s death. However, assassinating Zelos was evidently just the beginning. Soon, someone from within the rioting populace stepped forward to take responsibility for Zelos¡¯s death. It was an organization that called itself ¡®The Party of Salvation.¡¯ They took the slogans from the previous protests as their manifesto, clearly defined their organizational structure, and claimed credit for the assassination of Zelos. They went a step further and demanded that the current government step down; they would take its place. The capital¡¯s riots were never fully suppressed, and even came close to the government offices at one point. The police were beaten down and disheveled by the mobs. But all this began to gradually improve after the initial military intervention. In this matter, Arno had questioned Martin. But he could not be contacted anymore. The fact that the Defense Army, previously suppressed and inert, was now starting to mobilize, led both Arno and Amanda to conjecture that something had likely happened to ¡®Martin,¡¯ signaling a probable failure of the Bureau of Military Affairs¡¯ operation. The police and a few guards remained steadfast in defending the city, preventing the rioters from breaking in for the time being; the Defense Army was about to enter the city from outside. The situation was becoming quite dire. At this point, both Arno and Amanda were almost ready to decide to abandon the mission. In fact, with the assassination of Zelos completed, they had already fulfilled the foundational part of the mission assigned by headquarters. The further challenge of overthrowing the current government and establishing a local administration friendly to the Alliance could wait if it couldn¡¯t be accomplished immediately. After all, with the Purple Horse Sector scattered and disorganized following the death of Zelos, it would be easy to manipulate later on; there were plenty of tactics still available. Yet Arno was still somewhat unwilling to let go. He hoped that his first significant mission could be completed as perfectly as possible. But he was also very rational. Seeking perfection in everything could end up causing undesirable outcomes. Now, the most sensible course of action was to move the hard-earned forces developed on the home planet underground, halt the riots, continue to accumulate strength, and await further instructions. However, just as he and Amanda had decided to do this, there was a major turn in the situation: Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only On the third night of the riots, they saw brilliant flashes of light in the sky. It was in the direction of the Baishuo Starport. The starport of Baishuo Star was situated in orbit right above the capital, Shuoguo City. In the early hours of the morning, they received a message: Continue to lead the riots, and support will come. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 788 - Chapter 788: Chapter 435, Act According to the Script Chapter 788: Chapter 435, Act According to the Script ¡°Is this the External Intelligence Agency?¡± ¡°Is this the Investigative Bureau?¡± When Arno and Amanda met again, they asked each other simultaneously. But apparently, it was neither. What they referred to was, of course, the incident that occurred on Baishuo Starport, where flashes of light had burst forth in the night sky. There was no specific intelligence yet, but it was clear that something major had happened at the Starport, and it was the work of the Alliance. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have received orders from their superiors to continue their mission. ¡°It wasn¡¯t us. Could it be the Military Intelligence Bureau? But Martin has already lost contact¡­¡± Amanda was doubtful. ¡°Either he¡¯s actually fine and has just moved locations, or there are other agents from the Military Intelligence Bureau in action, or it¡¯s some other department of the Alliance,¡± Arno offered several conjectures, ¡°but all of this is irrelevant now. What we need to do is to carry out the orders from our superiors. Since we¡¯ve ensured that there will be reinforcements, our operation must continue.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Amanda nodded slightly but soon felt troubled, ¡°It¡¯s easy to say, but so hard to do. The politicians and business owners I¡¯ve been in contact with are all wavering. I¡¯ve lost contact with many, and some have even started to doubt my identity. My previous cover identities are probably all blown.¡± Hearing this, Arno also felt it was a tricky situation. Although the rebellion was significant and they took advantage of the chaos to assassinate Zelos, the Star Sector leader, in reality, they didn¡¯t have many core operatives. The scale of the rebellion might have been around fifty thousand people; among them, only one-tenth dared to take up arms and fight. When the rebellion turned into an armed conflict with the local planetary police force, most of the rebels had already scattered in fear. And this one-tenth, just a few thousand, were merely at the level of armed workers with little military training to speak of. If it weren¡¯t for the backbone made up of agents from the Investigative Bureau and the Military Intelligence Bureau, along with some elite special forces brought in by the Military Intelligence Bureau, the military wouldn¡¯t have needed to step in, the police alone would have been able to suppress it. Even so, that the rebellion lasted vigorously until this third day was largely due to the efforts of the Alliance Foreign Affairs Department. An Alliance diplomat was here constantly running around; the External Intelligence Agency, under the Foreign Affairs Department, which Amanda and her colleagues belonged to, had shaken some of the local politicians and wealthy merchants. The covert help they provided also played a pivotal role. Some police forces were tied down; some private militias went unused; even some of the supplies came from them. But now that they were wavering, much of the help had vanished. Moreover, after daybreak, the military was likely to move in. What to do? Arno didn¡¯t know either. They had taken the Shuoguo City Government, but the Governor of Baishuo wasn¡¯t there, and most of the government officials had already slipped away. ¡°For now, we can only hold the government building,¡± he said. Arno couldn¡¯t think of a better plan. ¡°Let¡¯s hope the support from our superiors is strong enough and arrives in time.¡± ¡­ The wee hours of the morning, the sky was still dim. The light drizzle from the night had turned into a torrential downpour at the break of dawn. The sky was covered with dark clouds, rain was pouring, and thunder boomed. Arno Chinko, who personally led the team defending the Shuoguo City Government building, was now engulfed in fierce combat. Not only had the police intensified their offensive, but a vanguard from the Planetary Defense Force had also arrived. Despite being only roughly the size of an infantry battalion, their presence brought a crushing change. The Planetary Defense Force was typically battered by the Green Skins, but in truth, they were not weak; they were, after all, a regular army within the planet. Their side, mainly consisting of armed rioters, truly couldn¡¯t withstand the onslaught. Furthermore, the enemy had brought out artillery. The 105mm caliber artillery fire coming through the rain wasn¡¯t particularly fierce, but it was clearly something the unarmed rioters with no means of response couldn¡¯t cope with. Under the heavy bombardment, the government building¡¯s defenses began to falter that morning. The inadequately trained armed personnel started to suffer mass casualties and morale was on the verge of collapsing. Although the infantry battalion¡¯s first tentative ground assault was somewhat impaired by the heavy rain and was repelled by the elites of the Alliance, the next wave, with more intensive artillery barrages followed by an infantry charge, would undoubtedly be unstoppable. Was this really the end? Just had an artillery shell exploded in the next room, leaving Arno¡¯s ears ringing and deafened, he was now completely out of ideas. Leaning against the wall, rainwater trickled down from the damaged wall. He had only one thought: where were the reinforcements? As he pondered, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. Beneath the suddenly illuminated clouds, he saw many black dots. What was that? A light sparked in his eyes! It was the relief force! Grabbing the nearby radio, he shouted excitedly, ¡°Comrades! Hold on! Our reinforcements have arrived!¡± There were voices of doubt in the communication channel, with some thinking Arno was lying to boost morale. Arno didn¡¯t bother explaining further, he simply said, ¡°Look up at the sky.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Then, many cheers came through the communication channel! Clearly, they too had seen it. Not only the ones inside the government building but also the Planetary Defense Forces outside had taken notice. They became visibly desperate, launching a violent assault on the government building. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 789 - Chapter 789: Chapter 435, Acting According to the Script_2 Chapter 789: Chapter 435, Acting According to the Script_2 The artillery began to unleash its ferocity, as infantry braved the rain and charged toward the government building under the cover of the artillery. Seeing hope, the morale of the defending army inside the building surged anew. They too fired back furiously from the windows and gaps blasted open in the building, at the attacking enemy forces. But it wasn¡¯t enough to stop the enemies¡¯ entry. The cover of artillery fire still pinned down the defenders within the building. However, the next moment, a howling sound overshadowed the noise of the rain. Then, a violent explosion occurred about ten kilometers away. Arno crawled to the window and looked in the direction from where the sound came. That was the artillery position of the Planetary Defense Force, which now, having been subjected to continuous missile strikes and machine gun bombardment, had turned into a sea of fire. What flashed through the rain curtain were eight ¡®Qilin¡¯ fighters leading a formation of many Windfalcon Fighters from the Alliance Fighter Formation. After completing the destruction of the artillery position, these combat aircraft began sweeping through the Planetary Defense Force that was still attacking the government building. Large-caliber machine guns raked the ground, the Windfalcons were still fine, a 40mm caliber hit to a person would simply obliterate them, hitting the cement ground and leaving a washbowl-sized shallow crater; But the weaponry mounted on the ¡®Qilin¡¯ was much more exaggerated in performance. Not only did it have larger 55mm caliber machine guns, it carried twice as many missiles as the Windfalcon, and could also be equipped with multiple rocket launcher pods to enhance firepower. What was most terrifying was that they could be equipped simultaneously, without having to choose fitments like the Windfalcon. Moreover, mounted on it was a genuine reflector¨Ca Spec S grade of artillery firepower, not a castrated version of an anti-air gun or vehicle auxiliary cannon. When this ¡®reflector,¡¯ firing at a rate of once every two or three seconds, continuously bombarded the ground, the area in front of the government building became a Photon Hell! The immense heat brought by the high-energy laser not only destroyed the core of the direct hit, causing perforation, but also the dispersion of thermal energy inflicted fatal damage to the surrounding swathes of life forms. The air strikes from just the ¡®Qilin¡¯ and ¡®Windfalcon¡¯ alone had already decimated this infantry battalion. Of course, they were not wiped out, but when the front-line battalions were devastated under the air raid, and the rear¡¯s main artillery positions supporting the barrage had been eliminated, so too collapsed the battalion. They no longer possessed any offensive capabilities. At the same time, many black spots began to fall from the sky. They were transport planes, one after another, and as they landed, masses of airborne troops streamed out from them. Arno¡¯s face now bore a brilliant smile. He recognized the insignia of this unit. It was the Alliance¡¯s 31st Special Airborne Division, one of the card forces of the Alliance. After landing, the airborne troops began to sweep the enemy forces that were scattered within the combat zone. At the same time, they also drove out airborne vehicles and artillery from the transport planes. It was hard to imagine that airborne troops could bring so much equipment¡­ Although there were still some doubts in her mind, such as why the air defenses of Baishuo Star did not fire during the attack by the airborne troops and the Alliance fighters, At least for now, she was safe. Her mission had also come to completion. ¡­ Milia Derong sat in the Shuoguo City air defense command center, and beside her, some masked personnel were cleaning up the scene. Whether corpses or surrendering soldiers, they all had to be tidied up. ¡°The government building hasn¡¯t fallen, has it?¡± ¡°Report, captain, no, the 31st Division arrived just in time.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Thinking for a moment, Milia casually asked, ¡°That investigator you were told to keep an eye on, the one called Arno, he¡¯s fine too, right?¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± With that response, Milia was no longer concerned. As long as he wasn¡¯t dead. In fact, the operations of the third bureau were a great help. Assassinating Zelos left the Star Sector leaderless, saving us some trouble; the subsequent three-day uprising, along with the influence of the assassination, diverted the attention of all political forces on the planet to that location. This provided excellent cover for the Demon Hunter¡¯s operations. They had been well-prepared to act, and they took the opportunity to launch their offensive. The primary target was the Starport. Embedded within the Starport were two Phoenix Tactical Squads, who, through the resources of the Demon Hunters, had been reassigned there. They led about fifty other Demon Hunters in the initial attack. An Imperial Merchant Fleet ship, which had shifted allegiance to the Alliance and was contacted through interstellar trade, then helped the Alliance deliver two divisions to the inside of the Starport. With the inside help and outside forces working together, the control of Baishuo¡¯s Starport was quickly secured. The explosions and blazes in the sky that Arno had seen the night before were part of this operation. In fact, that was a minor accident. According to the best estimates, not even that kind of explosion should have happened; the situation should have been resolved quickly and silently. Then, one of the two Skeleton Divisions that had been deployed to Baishuo quickly reached the ground through the space elevator linking the Starport to the surface, and they took control of the terrestrial part of the Starport. That location was also the outskirts of Shuoguo City. There, they would establish a defensive line and, once it was fortified, move into the city. Ahead of them were the two Phoenix Squads. Once they landed, they immediately rushed to Shuoguo City¡¯s air defense command center. Meanwhile, the Demon Hunters had also made preparations at the air defense command center. After swiftly securing control of the command center, another merchant ship that had collaborated with the Alliance in their offensive, launched several transport shuttles along with ¡®Qilin¡¯ and Windfalcon Fighters into planetary orbit. These transport shuttles rapidly deployed the elite troops of the 31st Airborne Division directly into the battlefield. The ¡®Qilin¡¯ and Windfalcon Fighters arrived first to clear the ground, and the paratroopers then descended, promptly taking control of the city¡¯s center. Following that, the remaining forces of the Airborne Division, numbering over 30,000, would move at the fastest speed to pinpoint the location of the Governor of Baishuo using intelligence compiled by the Demon Hunters and the Alliance¡¯s three major external intelligence agencies, and quickly launch an assault. By this time, the Governor of Baishuo had probably just received the news that the Starport was lost and that the vanguard of the Defense Army had been crushed. Whatever his reaction, it was already too late. He didn¡¯t even have a chance to link up with the advancing Planetary Defense Force; Milia was confident of that. The air defense command center in Shuoguo City had now ironically become the Alliance¡¯s ground operations command center. Milia presided over it, calmly issuing one instruction after another. Her authority would only last for these two to three days. Afterwards, when the overall situation was secured, the military and political officials of the Alliance, already en route, would descend upon this world. An Alliance political officer would be there to declare, with regret, the death of the Purple Horse leader during a civilian uprising; the cause of all this chaos would be attributed to Baishuo Star¡¯s poor political governance and its betrayal of Imperial laws, with the Governor of Baishuo bearing full responsibility. The Alliance, with the authority granted by the Star Domain Government, would remove the current Governor of Baishuo from office and judge his crimes. The new Governor of Baishuo would sign the Seven Horse Accord and call upon all the planets in the Purple Horse Sector to sign it¡­ These events, still yet to happen, had already been scripted. Under the will of Governor Gu Hang, this script would inevitably be played out. ¡­ Once the entirety of Baishuo Star was firmly in control according to plan, half the main force of the United Fleet led by Yelisia had also entered this Star Sector. Initially, the various planets of the Purple Horse Sector would have had a fierce reaction to this. This was a serious provocation. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But now, they were as quiet as quails. The events on Baishuo Star had intimidated them. It was the most populous, most developed, and militarily strongest planet in the entire sector. Yet, how could it be that from a simple civilian uprising, the Star Sector leader was dead; just a minor effort by the Alliance, and the Governor of Baishuo was arrested on his own planet and then sentenced to death by firing squad? wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 790 - Chapter 790: Chapter 436: Seven Horses Come to Join Chapter 790: Chapter 436: Seven Horses Come to Join Had it been just that, it might have ended there. Though a leader had almost instantly died, along with a governor, everyone knew the Alliance was powerful, even commanding the Starfighter Battle Group. But just because you could kill a former ruler didn¡¯t mean you could rule this place smoothly! That was the dark thought festering in the minds of many governors of Purple Horse. They had expected, with the Alliance employing such unscrupulous methods to overthrow the Baishuo Government, the entire planet would be in turmoil, engulfed in the flames of war. The local Defense Armies would rise in revolt, if not to avenge the deceased governor and leader, at least they wouldn¡¯t easily accept a sudden change of master, right? And the people everywhere would question the Alliance¡¯s legitimacy, especially given such a despicable method of subversion and coup. They would inevitably stir up unrest, armed resistance, strikes, riots¡­ However, the actual news they had received was disappointing. It wasn¡¯t to say that such things were completely nonexistent, after all, there was such a large planet with nine billion people living on it. But those sparse uprisings were not enough to affect the overall situation. It¡¯s quite normal to have sporadic turmoil during a substantial change of power. It¡¯s said that a single spark can start a prairie fire, but not every spark is mentioned. Most flames in this world are extinguished as soon as they ignite. Unless, there is an oil depot behind those flames. The Alliance had such a depot for the coup¡¯s spark they ignited; however, the governors of Purple Horse who wanted to be the oil depot for the current unrest on Baishuo Star neither had the capacity nor the daring to do so. Zelos and the Governor of Baishuo had just been cremated¨Cwho would dare? They could only watch as the Alliance propped up a new acting governor on Baishuo Star and claimed they had the right to do so, with the relevant procedures being expedited and already recorded in the Alliance. As soon as communication was restored with Yunluo Star, Wuji Star, and Holy Terra, the formal appointment would come through. This left them with nothing to say. What could they say? With the previous governor gone, someone had to step up. The Alliance might not have the right to directly appoint a governor, but they could appoint an ¡®acting governor,¡¯ with the promise of later formalities. So now the question arose: which governor in the Purple Horse Sector also wanted an ¡®acting governor¡¯? The Alliance¡¯s diplomats didn¡¯t say it outright. However, they would understand the implied message. Continuous communication with the diplomats and the incessant flow of news from Baishuo Star, coupled with the approaching United Fleet¡­ All these factors were incessantly battering the psychological defenses of the Purple Horse governors. When the United Fleet finally arrived in orbit around their planets with the text of the Qima Treaty in tow, most of the Planetary Governors made the correct decision and signed their names on it. A minority of governors, however, had already approached the Alliance¡¯s diplomats and proactively signed their names before the arrival of the United Fleet. Those who didn¡¯t sign were none. ¡­ Half a month after the death of Zelos, the Purple Horse Sector had fully joined the Qima Treaty. Gu Hang was quite satisfied with this outcome. He certainly had the resolve to conquer these seventeen worlds of the sector with a population of thirty-eight billion, even if it meant waging war should things turn unfavorable. But determination is one thing, and the best solution is another. If it¡¯s possible to avoid war, best avoid it. Cost and hassle are one aspect, but the governance after the war would also be problematic. That¡¯s why they resorted to the method of subversive coups. Whether the Alliance could control the entire planet after overthrowing the local government on Baishuo Star was based on thorough preliminary investigations and previous successful experiences on the Fatchess Tri-Star, and this was why the decision was made. Initially, Gu Hang also had his concerns: such tactics could indeed overthrow the Central Government of a planet, but that didn¡¯t guarantee that the Alliance could immediately establish a reliable new government. Or rather, the establishment wasn¡¯t the issue, but whether the newly established government could effectively rule the planet was uncertain. However, after the investigations, these concerns were largely dispelled. The residents of Baishuo Star, regardless of their class, mostly identified themselves within the grand structure of the human race ¨C the Human Empire. They did not consider the governor, the Planetary Government, or the Star Sector Government to be ¡®their own government¡¯ or ¡®their own monarch¡¯ but as ruling officials sent by the Empire. In such a scenario, in the name of the Empire and on behalf of higher authorities, the removal of those two leaders and the establishment of a new government by the Alliance could naturally gain legitimacy, and the people of Baishuo Star would have no doubts about it. Isn¡¯t it just a change of governor? Just as some places change a mayor or town head, the common people wouldn¡¯t necessarily revolt because of it. This reassured Gu Hang. This aspect was also different from other administrative regions of the Empire and the Alliance. Was the perception of the people on Baishuo Star wrong? Of course not! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only That is the common perception of the vast majority of humans within the Empire. It¡¯s not absolute, of course, as exceptions like the Foundry World of the Sect of Mechanics, the religious worlds of the state religion, some extremely backward feudal systems, slave systems, or even primitive worlds are not excluded¡­ But overall, from a macro perspective, this statement is not problematic. The legitimacy of the Human Empire derives from the ¡®humankind¡¯ collective, assembled together by The Emperor who ascended to godhood. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 791 - Chapter 791: Chapter 436, Seven Horses Submit_2 Chapter 791: Chapter 436, Seven Horses Submit_2 This is a reasonable perception within the Empire, with not a single flaw, and the same is true within the Alliance. But what comes next varies between the Alliance and other Star Sectors. For most residents in the world, I am a human being, an Imperial, the Governor is either an appointee or an enfeoffed ruler by the Imperial Faction, so he has the right to rule over me. And if the Empire replaces this Governor one day, then the new one also has the right to rule over me; if the Empire declares this Governor a traitor one day, I would even angrily take up arms to execute him myself. The Alliance, however, is slightly different. The legitimacy of the Alliance¡¯s rule principally emanates from direct appointments by the Empire, which is supremely important. Nevertheless, beyond this, the Alliance is establishing its own political legitimacy through systemic reforms, centralization of power, improvements in living standards brought about by increased productivity, ideological propaganda, education¡­ among various means. I am an Imperial, but I am also a member of the Alliance. Governors cannot be replaced at will¨Crather, it¡¯s the government of the Alliance that is legitimate. This matter is crucial! It determines the social order and whether the authority of rulers can be consciously recognized and obeyed by the populace, shaping the relationship between the political rule of the rulers and the political subservience of the governed. Putting it more bluntly, whether the political legitimacy of the Alliance itself can be cultivated will decide if, one day, Gu Hang points to Holy Terra and says, ¡°For the Emperor, for humanity, follow me and charge onto Terra,¡± whether the people of the Alliance would storm the battlefield with him or tie him up and send him to Terra. It¡¯s just a metaphor! Gu Hang absolutely doesn¡¯t entertain such thoughts! Only when it has developed legitimacy emanating from the bottom up can the Alliance become even more impregnable, not vanishing simply because of a decree from the Star Domain Government. What happened in Baisuo would not occur in the core territories of the Alliance. The means of directly gaining control of a planet through subversion or coup d¡¯etat can be used by Gu Hang against others, but not by others against the planets of the Alliance. Should anyone attempt such a scheme, the people within the core territories of the Alliance would rise up in swarms. The Alliance¡¯s complete grassroots structure and local government framework could efficiently lead a rebellion and resist outsiders. Of course, the only places where the Alliance has managed to achieve this so far are Rage Owl Star and Korolya. The former is Gu Hang¡¯s stronghold, the latter a world he genuinely saved from apocalyptic peril, earning immense prestige. As for the other planets, especially Flying Wing Star and the Fatchess Tri-Star, they are on the way, but admittedly not quite stable yet. Overall, however, the nine worlds of the Tianma Star Sector are the core territories of the Alliance. The political systems there have completed their reforms, and the Alliance¡¯s control has reached into the grassroots, making the establishment of so-called ruling legitimacy merely a matter of time. Regarding the areas beyond the Tianma Star Sector¡­ Although the situations differ in each location, for instance, Eagle Horse is quite obedient, followed by Mist Horse, and Purple Horse has just been subjugated through forceful means, generally under the current grand situation, these places do not possess the conditions to be transformed into core territories of the Alliance. The main reason is the impact of the war. The Alliance is currently at war and doesn¡¯t have the luxury to undertake societal reforms like the past few years in the Tianma Star Sector, nor to root itself in the Purple Horse Sector for several years to turn it into a core territory of the Alliance. Since it has been decided to control Purple Horse with a suzerainty strategy, it is also necessary not to transform or purge the local ruling strata. Keep the people, and control those planets indirectly. However, this is not absolute. Will the Alliance really refrain from intervening in the internal politics of planets under the seven-horse framework? Officially, that¡¯s correct. The treaty clearly stipulates that the political, economic, and military development within each member planet will not be interfered with by the Alliance in principle and will be the responsibility of each Planetary Government/Governor. However, the treaty also states that the Alliance, as the leader of the seven-horse treaty, will supervise all worlds to ensure that key resources are available for the war effort against the orcs. How will they supervise? The Alliance will send three supervisory officials to each planet. These supervisory officials will monitor if the work within the planets is functioning as prescribed by the seven-horse treaty and ensure that each planet fulfills their obligations. If everything goes smoothly, the supervisory officials won¡¯t intervene in planetary affairs; if problems arise, they will provide supervisory advice to the Planetary Government, effectively meddling in specific matters until the problems are resolved. If the supervisory advice doesn¡¯t resolve the issues, then the supervisory officials will report up to the Alliance. The Alliance will then ¡®kindly¡¯ offer support to the planet. Genuine support, needing resources, personnel¨Call will be in place. However, getting the Alliance to ¡®spend a fortune¡¯ comes at a price. By that point, the Alliance will directly send a far larger team of officials to manage these Alliance assets on the planet, ensuring they are applied correctly and can effectively change the dire conditions within the planet. This is akin to directly interfering with the responsibilities of the Planetary Government, even taking over. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Of course, the Alliance itself does not currently wish to take this step. Still, they¡¯ve left themselves an opening. In the future, if the Planetary Governor doesn¡¯t comply, this could be a method of inspection and intervention; Further down the line, when the war situation stabilizes, the pressure lessens, or when victory is in sight, that might just become the opportunity for the Alliance to expand its core territories. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 792 - Chapter 792: Chapter 436, Seven Horses Return to Allegiance_3 Chapter 792: Chapter 436, Seven Horses Return to Allegiance_3 The number of inspector officers assigned to each planet is not necessarily the same. Among them, a certain presence is the military inspector officers. They are responsible for overseeing the planet¡¯s military construction work and the preparation of military supplies. In plain terms, they are the ones overseeing the collection of money. Next in line is the economic inspector officer, tasked with overseeing the planet¡¯s economic development and production capacity. This is to ensure that the economic development within the planet can be maintained as much as possible, so as not to delay the production of military supplies. The establishment of economic inspector officers is rather limited, only present on planets where the governors are more reliable, closer to the alliance, and ¡®in need¡¯ of alliance assistance. The least installed would be the political inspector officers. When the alliance¡¯s intelligence department detects signs of anti-alliance or anti-Seven Horse Treaty activities on a planet, they will warn the governor and send a political inspector officer. A political inspector officer can directly oversee every government personnel appointment and organizational structure. When a political inspector officer is dispatched, it represents that the alliance¡¯s army may arrive at any time. As long as the political inspector officer declares that the planetary governor/government has acted disloyally, or if something happens to an inspector officer, then the alliance will directly assume that the planet has rebelled, and the alliance will come on behalf of the empire to suppress the rebellion. Those three officers shouldn¡¯t be seen as just three individuals; each of them represents an entire staff built around them, a team of support and adjuncts, akin to three institutions. The inspector officer system will be the means for the alliance to control each member planet of the Seven Horse Treaty. At least until the Treaty finishes its historical mission, the inspector officers will be a long-term presence. Baishuo Star is somewhat special, though. The alliance plans to bring Baishuo Star¡¯s starport and its capital city, Shuoguo City, under direct control, with leadership directly appointed by the alliance. The reason for this is because there¡¯s a shipyard on the starport of Shuoguo City. While it¡¯s not possible to make large ships, building some armed merchant ships, patrol vessels, and such is viable. Although this will not be decisive, it is still a good supplement to the navy, which is currently in the greatest shortage for the alliance. ¡­ Yelisia¡¯s fleet, after passing through Purple Horse Sector with the Seven Horse Treaty and taking control of it, continued to move southward, targeting Border Horse Sector and then Iron Horse Sector. With the example of Purple Horse Sector, the heads and governors of these two sectors became much more amenable. They each signed the Seven Horse Treaty in turn. Cultivating Horse Sector in particular did not even require the fleet¡¯s arrival to sign. For Cultivating Horse Sector, they have a more direct concern: a portion of the Iron-teeth Greenskins¡¯ military edge has reached Heigu Ridge Star Sector on the western side of Cultivating Horse. Although the invasion of Cultivating Horse hasn¡¯t begun, they are worried about potential problems. Gu Hang is also alerted to this. His main focus is still on the northwestern part of the star map. The southwest side, Cultivating Horse, is not the main strategic direction of the alliance, but it can¡¯t be ignored either. If a Green Skins army really penetrates straight from Cultivating Horse, it could reach Hongjian Star in the Tianma Star Sector. Yelisia no longer needs to go to Cultivating Horse, but a small detachment must be split from her fleet to go there and keep an eye on the Green Skins military edge towards Heigu Ridge. ¡­ After arranging the defensive line of the alliance to the southwest, Gu Hang¡¯s gaze once again turned toward the main battlefield in the northwest. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Major General Du Shiliang had received his orders to cautiously lead the fleet away from Steel Wing Star to the Temir Star System. That is the eastern gateway of the Golden Pass Star Sector. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4.3k wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 793 - Chapter 893: Chapter 485, Marshal Gu Chapter 793: Chapter 437, Humanity Must Win The Temir Star System is located at the southeast corner of the Golden Pass Star Sector and is a necessary route connecting Golden Pass to Eagle Horse, and it is also the main traffic artery within the entire Golden Pass Star Sector. In this star system, there are five Star Realm Tunnels, three towards the inside connecting to three star systems of the Golden Pass Star Sector, and the other two, respectively, lead to the Copper Barrier Star District and the Eagle Horse Star Sector. At the same time, the Temir Star System itself also holds significant value. Within this star system, there are three habitable planets orbiting the Temir star, namely the 2nd, 4th, and 5th planets. Before the menace of the Iron Tooth Orcs emerged, the combined population of these three planets was twenty billion; Temir II was a vast agricultural world with four billion inhabitants, and the food produced there was more than enough not just for the entire star sector, but there was also a surplus. The 4th planet was a mining and industrial world, focused primarily on heavy industry and the export of raw materials. It also had a population of around four billion people. The 5th planet was a civilized world, with a population of twelve billion and cities scattered throughout. Without boasting too much, the three worlds within the star system each had its advantages and could complement each other. In addition, due to its status as a major traffic corridor, this place could be described as a land of pearls¨Conly before the rise of the Iron-teeth Greenskins. After the orcs arrived, there was no use in talking about it. After the fall of the Fourth Sector, the Golden Pass Star Sector became a battlefield. Although initially, the Temir Star System was not in the main battle area, it lay in the hinterland of the Golden Pass Star Sector at that time. However, because it was close and somewhat rich in foundations, the Star Domain Government, when fighting against the Iron Tooth Orcs, drew many of its forces directly from the Temiral Tristar. Thus they siphoned off its resources for several decades, and on top of that, there were quite a few occasions when the Green Skin Orcs made their incursions into Temir, leaving these originally prosperous planets severely withered. It might already sound miserable, but the truth was that it hadn¡¯t yet reached the worst point. No matter how depleted, the productivity and population of the planets were still there, at worst it meant the potential for development was exhausted, the standard of living for the populace dropped significantly, famines emerged, and various comprehensive problems led to a decline in population¡­ That was about as bad as it got. The few times the Green Skin Orcs struck Temir Star System, the chaos only lasted for a short while, the numbers were not large, and the human military forces would quickly drive them out again. After all, the Temir Star System was one of the few major bases inside Golden Pass after it turned into a war zone; unless it was absolutely necessary, human military forces would certainly not give up on these three worlds. However, the previous aggressive campaign, which had collapsed under Titus¡¯s counterattack, had brought disaster upon Temir. The Northern Fleet was annihilated, and Yunluo had fled. After losing its space forces, a large number of human ground troop elites got stranded in the four star systems of the southern part of Silver Pass Sector, with no word from them. The previously settled Golden Pass Star Sector suddenly flung its gates wide open, and the orcs swarmed in. Even though the main force of the Iron-Tooth Clan was split into two in Golden Pass, with a large army marching west under Titus¡¯s leadership, bringing war to the heart of the Star Domain, and a powerful detachment led by the one-tusked ghost headed east to Eagle Horse. Nonetheless, just the Green Skin Orcs left in the Golden Pass Star Sector were enough to collapse it. When Du Shiliang arrived at the Temir Star System with his fleet, the first thing he did was to carefully gather all the intelligence about the entire star system. The one-tusked ghost was eliminated, and the Green Skin fleet collapsed and escaped through the jump point at Steel Wing Star and into Temir. Although many of the Green Skins¡¯ main battleships were destroyed, at least two hundred ships remained. Now, with nearly half of the United Fleet having been taken by Yelisia on patrol through Seven Horse Territory, the strength of his fleet was somewhat insufficient. If he was careless and bit by the Green Skins, it was still possible to be overturned. He knew the alliance couldn¡¯t withstand the consequences of a naval catastrophe, and although he had to go on the offensive, being as cautious as possible was never excessive. After scouting, Du Shiliang preliminarily confirmed that the main fleet of the Green Skin Orcs was not in the Temir Star System. The stargazers aboard the ships only discovered about a dozen Green Skin vessels here. However, conditions on the surface were already terrible. Temir II, favored by the Green Skins due to its environment, was almost undetectable for human activity on the planet¡¯s surface. This left Du Shiliang¡¯s heart aching. The former breadbasket of Golden Pass, with a population of four billion, a world of beautiful scenery and a pleasant environment, had now fallen into a place riddled with Green Skin spores and relentless skirmishes. For the Green Skin Orcs, it was evident they considered Temir II an important breeding stronghold and had invested considerable effort here. In the few months since the occupation, the Iron Tooth Orcs had deployed a significant amount of manpower to Temir II. Not only were the human inhabitants slaughtered almost to extinction in just a few months, but they also put in the effort to transform the local ecological environment, establishing large swathes of Green Skin biomes. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only New batches of Green Skin life were thriving. Not only were there Skugg-Beasts running amok and flatulent imps sprouting everywhere amidst the lush green spore plants. The former could serve as food and draft animals for the Green Skins, and even participate in combat as akin to military dogs, coordinating with the Green-Skin Army. The latter were, of course, also Green Skins. Flatulent imps typically occupied the lower echelons of Green Skin society, acting as assistants and servants to the orcs. They were intelligent, cunning, and vicious, but at the same time base and cowardly. They didn¡¯t count as suitable soldiers; under normal circumstances, if an army were composed purely of flatulent imps, morale would be very concerning. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 794 - Chapter 894: Chapter 485, Marshal Gu_2 Chapter 794: Chapter 437, Humanity Will Prevail_2 They¡¯re bearable when the wind is in their sails; they can even be crueler than their orc masters. But let a little adversity blow their way, and you¡¯ll see those piss-poor troops crumble in minutes. It¡¯s this very nature that doomed them to a life at the bottom of Green Skin society. They¡¯re content with their lot, assuming all the responsibilities the orcs disdain¨Cwhich essentially means everything but fighting. Sometimes, when the orcs felt gloomy, they would snatch a few of those cowards to eat and lighten their mood. These cowards weren¡¯t particularly good as industrial workers or farmers either. Their cunning would show up in their work, as they loved to cut corners and cheat. But this problem was somewhat easy to solve: the orcs would personally wield whips to supervise, or appoint a favored coward to do so. The latter could be even harsher on their own kind than the orc masters. Through these means, Green Skin society maintained at least a minimal level of productivity. As for the upper limit, that remains unfathomable. Waagh is an absurdity; what started as a meaningless Green Skin battle cry also signifies an adjective in their language, describing anything positive for the Green Skins; it can even serve as a noun, representing a grand war; and then there¡¯s so-called waagh energy¨Ca form of Spiritual Energy unique to the Green Skin race. Put simply, if they believe something can succeed, then it will. This is where Green Skin technology astounds, with piles of junk miraculously able to take to space and exchange fire with human behemoths¨Csheer lunacy. These cowards possess that capability too, and while their tendency to slack off generally subtracts from productivity, the moment one of them manages to create something miraculous while shirking their duties, it¡¯s a sudden spike in productivity. Factor in their vast numbers and bodies that mature in just a few months¡­ Temir II has now become a vast Green Skin factory. And this factory¡¯s primary output is the Green Skins themselves; it churns out some weapons and equipment on the side, with resources plundered from the other two Temir planets. Compared to Temir II, where human activity is nearly undetectable, the situations on Temir IV and Temir No.5 are somewhat better. Though they¡¯re not great either. Among them, Temir IV fares relatively better. The mining world¡¯s numerous mines, caverns, and complex industrial facilities enable the humans there to hunker down. With limited Green Skin forces committed, they have to methodically siege each mine. After several months of occupation, they¡¯ve yet to devour it all. However, the issue with Temir IV is the planet¡¯s own insufficient supplies. It used to rely on Temir II for food. Now that interstellar transport is cut off, when they deplete their stored supplies and even the synthetic starch production lines fail, the many mining outposts reliant on the mining industry will face annihilation. Salvation is needed. The situation on Temir No.5 is worse, but not as utterly disastrous as on Temir II. After all, unlike Temir II, where most of the land is wide-open fertile plains¨Cwonderful in peacetime for bountiful farming¨Cit offers no defense during war and was quickly overwhelmed. At least on Temir No.5, humans can still resist in some mountainous areas and inside mega-cities. After carefully analyzing the situation on the three Temir planets, Du Shiliang developed a set of response plans. ¡­ On Temir II. In this world where large-scale human activity is no longer detectable, not everyone has been killed. That would be impossible. Humans are a tenacious species and won¡¯t be wiped out so easily. Even under these circumstances, if more than 90% of the planetary population¨Ca terrifying number that speaks to the Green Skins¡¯ killing efficiency¨Cwas butchered, the remaining less than ten percent would still mean two to three hundred million people, possibly more, live in various corners of the planet. Zhu Zhengbao is one of them, now seventy years old. He¡¯s a distinguished veteran of the Native Defense Forces of Temir II, once conscripted by the Empire to lead millions of Defense Army soldiers to the front lines against the Green Skins. Strategic, bold, and valiant, he led the Defense Army to impressive victories. Later, with age, he returned home to a hero¡¯s welcome and was honored as ¡®Marshal.¡¯ Disinterested in politics, he desired only a peaceful retirement. But when the Green Skins invaded en masse, he stood once more, rallying the Temirians to resist the invaders. The disparity in strength between the two sides was too vast, and with the Green Skin ships dominating orbit at the onset of war, the human forces were easily defeated. The Temirians had been brutally slaughtered across the defenseless plains. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But despite this, the old Marshal never lost his steadfast will. Giving the situation on Temir, a direct confrontation with the Green Skins was impossible. He decisively led his troops and protected the civilians, relocating elsewhere. A planet this large can¡¯t be thoroughly searched by the orcs in a short time. Through tremendous efforts, they found places the orcs hadn¡¯t yet trampled, and they survived through hardship. They established a base, cautiously striking out, eliminating any Green Skins that might discover them. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 795 - Chapter 895: Chapter 486, Only You, My Friend Chapter 795: Chapter 437, Humanity Must Triumph_3 Among them were warriors, heroes, and even women and children. Zhu Zhengbao always told everyone to keep faith, ¡°The Emperor will not abandon us. As long as we persevere, one day we will be redeemed, and the Empire¡¯s Army will surely come. In the end, victory will certainly be ours.¡± Long live Mankind! This was not only propaganda¨Cit was something he deeply believed in. Without such belief, how could an old general, over seventy and riddled with injuries and sickness, have held out until now? Under his guidance, over the past several months, the people had calmed. In their situation of having nothing, they had established an encampment. Although it was small, and there were only a few hundred thousand of them, and even if a large swarm of Green Skins came, they would still have to run¡­ But at least, they had sown the seeds; over the past few months, the wheat sprouts had broken through the soil and were almost ready for harvest. Witnessing these scenes, many could feel the hope and belief that Marshal Zhu had spoken of. At the same time, they had made contact with several other encampments, each of various sizes. They had agreed to support each other, forming a strategic alliance¨Cif they encountered Green Skins they could fight off, they would fight; and for those they could not, they would retreat to another encampment at least. Just keep holding on, they thought. As long as they kept striving and enduring, they would surely see the day Marshal Zhu spoke of: The Empire¡¯s great forces will come, and mankind will prevail! And that day came even sooner than they had imagined. On this day, early in the morning, Zhu Zhengbao was roused by someone calling out to him. The person arrived, brimming with excitement, ¡°They¡¯re here! They are really here! The Fleet from the Empire has come!¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Go and see for yourself!¡± Zhu Zhengbao threw on his clothes and stepped outside the rudimentary building. Looking up, he saw the weather was fine; the azure sky above him showed several shadows. At this distance, the silhouettes didn¡¯t look big or clear, but considering the distance, they must be enormous. The old Marshal¡¯s eyesight was no longer good. He asked someone to fetch him a telescope, and then he could see clearly: those were indeed ships belonging to mankind! With the Marshal¡¯s experience, he could even distinguish that they were human cruisers, and it looked like there were three or four of them! This was definitely the main force! The army had come! They were saved! ¡°Spread the word! Our steadfastness now has hope!¡± Zhu Zhengbao declared. ¡°Alright!¡± The people around him were also bursting with joy, ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no need to spread the news; everyone can see it for themselves!¡± ¡°Still, we must announce it. It¡¯s a good opportunity to ensure morale,¡± Zhu Zhengbao said with a smile, his heart stirring with excitement, yet he remained calm, ¡°Even though the army is nearing, and we have hope, danger still exists until the ground troops have landed and joined us. In this final moment of success, we absolutely can¡¯t fail before dawn, understand?¡± ¡°Understood! I¡¯ll go find someone to write this up, to boost morale! Marshal, rest assured, we will do all the work and hold the line as best as we can,¡± replied one of the staff. ¡°Good, go on then,¡± he said. After sending his adjutant off, Zhu Zhengbao, still wearing a smile, continued to observe the sky through his telescope. Our human ships are truly magnificent! However, at that moment, he noticed a small black spot falling from one of the ships; it quickly caught fire upon contact with the atmosphere. ¡°Hmm? Is that a landing pod or a landing craft? It seems a bit too large, the size isn¡¯t right¡­ Are they rushing to land without conducting orbital bombardment first?¡± The old Marshal was filled with questions. Suddenly, he saw the small fireball explode within the atmosphere. Had it been shot down by the Green Skins? It didn¡¯t seem so. He observed the rolling flames, which did not diminish as one would expect from a destroyed spacecraft. Instead, they grew like igniting gasoline, expanding continuously. In an extremely short time, the small fireball became a large one, and then spread into a sky full of fire clouds! Even at this stage, the flames showed no sign of shrinking or extinguishing; instead, they hurriedly expanded until the entire sky within view turned from azure to a sea of fire! The sea of fire continued to stretch, spreading downward and around. All of this transpired in a mere few dozen seconds. The entire encampment fell silent; the cheers that had just risen were now subdued. Everyone stared blankly at the sky that had turned into a sea of fire. Everything was happening quietly; Zhu Zhengbao could still hear the cries of insects and birds, the whisper of the wind. But all his expressions had frozen. If the current trend continued, in no more than a minute or two, the sea of fire would reach the encampment he was in; in less than an hour, the fires would sweep across the planet¡¯s atmosphere, burning every inch of Temir II. By then, the whole planet would become a ¡®fireball,¡¯ violently burning in the universe. The fierce flames covering the surface would continue burning for days to a month, consuming the entire planet¡¯s atmosphere and oceans, killing every living thing on the planet. Even if some lucky few managed to hide underground, in the mountains, in sturdy buildings, and escaped being burned to death, the complete annihilation of the ecosystem would make it impossible for survivors to continue living on a planet turned into dead land. Temir II would go from being a rich and beautiful agricultural world to a Dead Silence World. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only A Dead Silence World, a place categorically unsuitable for human habitation, whether an unaltered primitive planet or a devastated one¨Call were designated as Dead Silence Worlds. In his seventy years of life, he had never once considered that what was only mentioned in rumors and records would one day descend upon his beautiful homeland. Now, he understood what it was. That was the Extinction Order from the Empire, that was the Skyburn Torpedo. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 796 - Chapter 796: Chapter 438, I Am Not an Executioner Chapter 796: Chapter 438, I Am Not an Executioner In the void, aboard the Interlude Cruiser, Du Shiliang stared at the fireball that grew increasingly distant in the cosmos. His face was expressionless, resembling a ruthless general. Yet his hands still trembled involuntarily. At this moment, two days had passed since the Interlude Cruiser deployed the Skyburn Torpedo on the surface of Temir II. The flames that enveloped the globe had become more intense before their very eyes. After completing the deployment task, the United Fleet observed the situation near Temir II for a day. Once they saw that the ¡®Skyburn Torpedo¡¯ had indeed ignited the entire planet, verifying the execution of the Extinction Order, they then departed. He was the one who had deployed the Skyburn Torpedo. Actually, he wasn¡¯t even sure if he had the authority to issue the Extinction Order. Originally, he hadn¡¯t anticipated bearing such a responsibility. Together with his war council, which included a part of the Alliance Army¡¯s staff team, they evaluated the situation on Temir II. They reached a unanimous conclusion: launching a ground assault on Temir II, even with orbital support from the United Fleet, was not realistic. This brings us to the war objectives for their proactive strike into the Golden Pass Star Sector, namely: Under the premise of ensuring the safety of the Fleet, 1. Strike at the Iron Tooth Orcs¡¯ living forces. 2. Evacuate the imperial military and civilians from occupied territories. 3. Occupy planets to construct advanced defensive positions. These three tasks had a hierarchy of importance. Striking at living forces was most important, and evacuating imperial military and civilians was also important; which took precedence depended on the battlefield situation. By comparison, occupying planets was the least important. Mainly because controlling a planet didn¡¯t guarantee being able to defend it. If there was an opportunity to occupy, then do so, deploying a not too sizable force like a nail pressed upon that location, waiting for the Green Skins to return. Even then, it would become an obstacle to the orcs¡¯ offense. For humanity¡¯s side, it would also be a defensible position, and at the very least, it would serve as an early warning outpost. But, it would be a loss if excessive force was committed just to occupy planets. Striking at living forces and evacuating imperial military and civilians, on the other hand, tangibly weakened the enemy and reinforced their own side. Regarding Temir II, it was clear that the option to occupy the planet could almost be disregarded. There were almost half a billion orcs on the surface, and not fewer than two billion other Green Skins¨Cmainly Gretchin. So many personnel and most weren¡¯t even native to the planet; they had been transported over time by Green Skin Ships. After all, since the fall of Temir II, only a few months had passed, not enough for such numbers to have proliferated. Transporting so many Green Skins likely aimed to spread more spores, hoping in the future many more Green Skins would emerge. With such numbers, even if the United Fleet, carrying three Army Groups totaling sixty million human troops, were all thrown into battle and provided with orbital support, clearing enemy forces wouldn¡¯t be an easy task. If they truly fought, the conflict could likely turn into a protracted war of attrition. Then, humanity might face an endless tide of orcs emerging from the Green Skin ecosystem, locked in mutually exhausting warfare. Furthermore, orbital support wouldn¡¯t always be available. The Green Skin Fleet was still out there, and when the previously escaped two hundred junk vessels from Steel Wing Star regrouped and attacked, even if they couldn¡¯t overcome the more numerous main vessels of the United Fleet, they could distract them, preventing the Human Fleet from providing unbridled support to the surface. This was certainly feasible. Under these circumstances, the hope for a swift victory in ground combat diminished even further. Their mission was to seek opportunities to eliminate the enemy¡¯s living forces, not to deplete their own against the enemy. The same logic applied to rescuing people. Did Du Shiliang not know there were many survivors on the surface? Of course, he knew. Even if 95% of the people had been slaughtered, the remaining 5% still represented a population of more than two hundred million. But the key issue was that these two hundred million people were scattered all over the world of Temir II! If they were gathered in one place, that would be a different story¨Coverwhelming orbital firepower providing cover, troops dropped to the surface to establish a defensive perimeter, defending for a couple of months, during which as many people as possible would be transported onto ships and evacuated. Once the majority were safe, the troops could be withdrawn, and then the Skyburn Torpedo could be deployed¡­ Had that been possible, it would have been cause for universal celebration. Unfortunately, these two hundred million people were in groups of tens of thousands, or at most several hundred thousand, spread across the corners of the world, impossible to save. Gathering them to evacuate would take an unknowable amount of time. The Green Skin main Fleet could arrive at any time, and the Green Skins on the ground could entangle any Human landing forces at any moment. The cost-effectiveness was too low. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In contrast, taking immediate advantage of Temir II¡¯s failing Orbital Defense system, which had not yet been upgraded by the Green Skins since their occupation and given the absence of the Green Skin main Fleet in the star system, creating the perfect conditions to deploy the Skyburn Torpedo¨Cthis was the optimal solution. Otherwise, waiting could lead to complications, possibly losing even the chance to deploy the Skyburn Torpedo. After all, should the Green Skin main Fleet arrive, they would not allow the Human Fleet to proceed as it wished. The period between the deployment and detonation of an Extinction Order weapon was highly vulnerable, easily intercepted. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 797 - Chapter 797: Chapter 438, I Am Not an Executioner_2 Chapter 797: Chapter 438, I Am Not an Executioner_2 However, at this point, deploying the Skyburn Torpedo was still just a ¡°plan¡±. Although it seemed like the best solution, it appeared to be the most rational choice. However, Major General Du Shiliang had never thought about actually doing it. Or rather, he had never imagined that he would be the one to make that decision. He had never launched a Skyburn Torpedo, never executed an Extinction Order. Even the Tianma Fleet itself didn¡¯t have a stockpile of such weapons of extinction. This sort of thing, even the Star Domain Government itself might not possess, at most, the Tribunal within the Star Domain might store one or two. Now, the two Skyburn Torpedoes on his ship were transported over from Rage Owl Star by people sent by Governor Gu. He no longer wished to think about why Mr. Gu had such a powerful weapon at his disposal. But the decision to launch or not launch the Skyburn Torpedo shouldn¡¯t be up to me to say, right? The Empire lacked specific regulations on who and which units could issue Extinction Orders. From past records, it seemed that the Tribunals did it most frequently, followed by the leaders of the Interstellar War Regiments. The first case made sense, as this was their job; the second case was also understandable, as Interstellar Warriors always fought on the most critical and harsh battlefields, encountering problems that only an Extinction Order could solve much more often than regular Empire troops. Plus, with such authority, naturally, they would issue it more often. Beyond these two, the frequency of other personnel using Extinction Orders plummeted dramatically. Of course, over ten thousand years, in such a vast universe, anything could happen. Marshals of the Star Realm Army, naval marshals, commanders of war zones, senior government officials, high-ranking clergy of the state religion and the Sect of Mechanics¡­ Although rare, there were records of them issuing Extinction Orders. But no matter who it was, it definitely wasn¡¯t himself. I¡¯m just an ordinary Navy Major General, I can¡¯t make such a big decision. Although he didn¡¯t understand who could sign off on it, it definitely wasn¡¯t him. Send the operational report back and then wait for orders, that¡¯s all I need to do. Then, the order he received was that the person responsible for the forward campaign, Major General Du Shiliang himself, was to make this decision. Mr. Gu, in his capacities as the Alliance Governor, head of the Star Sector, and Leader of the Seven Horse Agreement, gave him full authorization and promised to take responsibility for any consequences of his decision, encouraging him to make a resolute choice. This wasn¡¯t shirking responsibility, after all, Governor Gu said he would take all the blame. This was a delegation of authority, allowing frontline commanders full autonomy to make decisions they believed to be correct, to avoid ¡°I can¡¯t make the decision¡± situations that could lead to major problems at the front. And then, Du Shiliang was stunned. Me? He was caught off guard. After another round of discussion, they still believed that it was the best solution. So, execute it. But when Du Shiliang witnessed an entire world turn into a sea of flames because of his decision, when at least two hundred million people died because of what he decided, he felt his entire body shaking. He had been shaking for two days now. He couldn¡¯t sleep at all for these two days. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw a burning world, and he could hear the constant wails of the Temirians, which he had never heard in person but which haunted him incessantly. He always told himself, it¡¯s not my fault, I can¡¯t be blamed, it¡¯s the Green Skins¡¯ fault, it¡¯s the alien invasion that led to all this, I was just doing my duty, I was just trying to reduce casualties, to prevent more deaths¡­ But no matter how many reasons there were, no matter how correct, they couldn¡¯t erase the immense pressure of carrying the souls of two hundred million innocent dead. Yet, reality didn¡¯t give him any chance to escape or relieve his anguish. He had to make the next decision right away. The battles at Temir IV and V. There, the conditions for deploying Skyburn Torpedoes were not met. Skyburn Torpedoes are expensive, after all. Although the Alliance didn¡¯t actually set up a production line for Skyburn Torpedoes, these two Skyburn Torpedoes were from stockpiles, produced by the Black Box, effectively costing nothing. However, the Black Box could only produce three Skyburn Torpedoes every two years, so the Alliance¡¯s stock wasn¡¯t large. Moreover, Du Shiliang didn¡¯t know about this. All he knew was that using one Skyburn Torpedo to exchange for the lives of 2.5 billion Green Skins was a good deal. But there were not so many Green Skins for him to annihilate on Temir IV and V. Additionally, the combined population still surviving on these two planets might exceed eight or nine billion. Whoever bombed them would be a war criminal. For these two planets, the plan discussed in previous military meetings prioritized preserving the population of the Empire. The plans for the two planets could be discussed separately. On Temir IV, there might be around a hundred million Green Skins, half of whom were clever tricksters. They were collecting raw material and waste in the occupied territories and had set up Green Skin factories locally to produce various types of crude ¡®junk.¡¯ On the one hand, these were directly manufactured into weapons and equipment for the army. On the other hand, they were stockpiled. It seemed that Green Skin Ships would regularly come to transport this ¡®junk¡¯ away. This was consistent with Temir IV¡¯s positioning as a mining and industrial planet. However, the natural environment of this planet was not particularly good. Except for the mining areas and the Nest Capital, it was almost unsuitable for organic life to survive. Green Skins had a strong adaptability; their spores could take root and sprout anywhere. But the quality of the environment still affected the spores¡¯ growth speed and ¡®yield.¡¯ They had also preliminarily constructed an ecosystem, but it was neither large nor crucial. In the past, the replenishment of Green Skins on Temir IV mainly relied on coming from the densely populated neighbouring Temir II. Now, with Temir II scorched, Green Skins on IV would rely on when the main Green Skin Fleet would arrive, and whether they could transport more military forces from the heartland of their old lair. Moreover, on Temir IV, humans still had an organized Defense Army, and the government had not yet collapsed. Although completely defenseless in orbit, their remaining ground-to-orbit forces were rather weak and dared not bombard the Green Skins¡¯ Fleet. Still, in a time of necessity, when willing to make sacrifices, they could provide cover for the Defense Army¡¯s assaults or retreats and play some role. In a desperate struggle, Temir IV was maintaining a Defense Army of nearly half a billion people, continuously grappling and wearing down the Green Skins in mineshafts, trenches, and vast industrial zones. They were no match for the Green Skins and lacked supplies, especially food. They often had to suffer ten times the casualties to defeat the enemy. But they knew this was a battle for survival, a struggle with no retreat for their species where surrender and giving up were not options. Clenching their teeth, they fought. Due to not having enough numbers, though the Green Skins had a blast fighting, their progress wasn¡¯t actually fast. To rescue Temir IV would be fairly straightforward. They planned to deploy four Army Groups as the main force; liaise with the local Defense Army, providing them with a large supply of logistics support, primarily food, with weapon and ammunition production lines as a secondary focus. The former would solve the immediate urgent needs, while the latter could upgrade local weapon equipment. Temir IV was not lacking in raw materials, but what was missing was a production line for quality weapons. Many in their Defense Army were still fighting with primitive guns and artillery. The alliance would rain down G9 rifles and ammunition, plastic steel production lines, individual armor, artillery shells, cannons, and a suite of production capabilities. They didn¡¯t aim to create a production base but to increase production capacity, which would enhance the combat strength of the half-billion strong Planetary Defense Force by a significant margin. Moreover, with the permanent presence of five ships from the United Fleet, along with the assistance of eight million elite Alliance troops, pushing back the Green Skins should not be a problem. At the same time, civilians in the large settlements could be evacuated. The current supply fleet and transport ships of the United Fleet had the capacity to move 3-5 hundred million people in one go. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They would first relocate them to Steel Wing Star, which should be safe. Then they would transport more. As for the dispatch to other locations from Steel Wing Star and how to arrange transportation that could really accept such a large population, that was not something for Du Shiliang, a frontline combat general, to consider. Officials from the Alliance would take over. After a series of plans for Temir IV were drawn up and truly began to be implemented, Du Shiliang finally felt somewhat better. Only then could he tell himself, ¡°I am not an executioner, I am a savior.¡± wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 798 - Chapter 798: Chapter 439, Temir No.5 Meat Grinder Chapter 798: Chapter 439, Temir No.5 Meat Grinder The war situation on Temir No.4 was progressing basically as planned by the war staff department. Although there were some unexpected elements, such as after the land forces actually landed and met with the Planetary Defense Force, the Fleet also provided support from orbit, and after a more detailed reconnaissance of the enemy, they discovered an error in the initial estimate of the number of Green Skins. There were not one hundred million Green Skins on Temir No.4, but close to three hundred million. Of these, there were seventy to eighty million actual Orcs, and not fifty million Pixies but over two hundred and thirty million. The enemy situation had a fairly large deviation from the estimates, but it did not affect the implementation of the specific strategic plan. The battle would be fought as it was meant to be fought. For the few Green Skin gatherings and ecosystems that were detected, orbital bombardment was used for direct destruction. The number of ground troops deployed remained at eight million, only now their subsequent battles would be a bit tougher. On Temir No.4, armored units had some difficulty in maneuvering. Just as the Orcs were hampered by various mining areas and pits in their attempts to wipe out the human troops on Temir No.4, after humans switched from defense to offense, they also struggled to chew through the Green Skin-held directions. The Aliens could also hide in those pits. Those pits, unless they were of some particularly large size, were not accessible to normal defense outposts or tanks. For this reason, the several armored divisions that went down, after some consideration, exchanged some equipment with other brother units, greatly reducing the number of Lion Tanks and Lion King Tanks deployed, and even the number of artillery was reduced. What replaced the heavy tanks was a large number of Sentry Mechas. These were definitely not as effective as heavy tanks on the front lines; their armor could not withstand even machine gun fire for long before breaking; and they could not, like tanks, directly equip a large-caliber tank cannon, at most carrying some machine guns, rocket nests, and the like. However, they still counted as armored units and were flexible. They were roughly humanoid in shape, although much taller than normal human soldiers, but basically, if infantry could get into a place, so could they. This kind of convenience was something that tanks could not replace. In an environment like Temir No.4, filled with pits and interior building combat, they could play a surprisingly large role. Their natural enemies on the battlefield¨Cartillery and heavy tanks¨Cwere either nowhere to be seen or could not perform effectively in tight and complex environments, making it the perfect stage for the Sentry Mechas to show their prowess, right? Also, artillery was not easy to deploy in this kind of war environment. It was alright during defense, but during offense, the caverns were too winding and undestroyable by cannon fire to be of any use, not to mention that artillery couldn¡¯t get inside. Replacing artillery was enhanced individual firepower. Equipped with more offensive grenades, bombs, rocket launchers. As for grenades, no need to explain; bombs were used after entering the caves to locate key positions, then blowing up the caves and calling it a day. Once the key passages collapsed, regardless of whether the Green Skins inside were dead or alive, they would eventually perish. Green Skins indeed didn¡¯t need to eat and could ¡°photosynthesize,¡± but there was no sunlight in the underground caverns for that. Rocket launchers were suitable for direct bombardment into the cave openings during the attack. No matter if there were people inside or not, first launching three to five rockets inside, then the infantry could advance. In summary, if tanks were not usable, find another armored alternative; if artillery wasn¡¯t efficient, find another firepower replacement. Thanks to the mobilization order sounded by the Alliance rear, the billions of skilled workers worked overtime to produce all kinds of war materials and equipment, so the Alliance Land Forces still had plenty, and a wide variety, of stuff to fight those Green Skins with. Of course, eliminating all the Green Skins on Temir No.4 wasn¡¯t something that could be done quickly. The Alliance sent down eight million men, but in the end, it still relied on several hundred million troops from the home front to serve as the main force. Even though those Green Skins had lost their reinforcements and had to fear orbital attacks forcing them to shrink back, precisely because of this, by leveraging the terrain for pure defense, the human side looking to completely annihilate the opponent might need eight to ten years to accomplish it. But it didn¡¯t matter. As long as the overall situation was determined, that was enough. Although Temir No.4 was still in a state of war, all production activities within the human-controlled areas could fully recover. They no longer had to fear like before that starting production would attract Orcs and lead to annihilation; now they craved for Orcs to come out, then with the reinforced Planetary Defense Force serving as the main force, and the Alliance Land Forces as the decider in a fatal blow, they could systematically eliminate the enemy¡¯s living forces. If the Orcs didn¡¯t come out, then they¡¯d continue mining; the minerals extracted would be processed into steel alloys on-site, turned into raw materials in chemical plants, and then sent to newly established munitions factories to be made into weapons or bombs, supplying the front-line troops, innovating equipment, and strengthening firepower. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The local Defense Army, with increasing war experience and upgraded equipment, would become stronger and stronger! As long as the space above could prevent these Orcs from being resupplied, cleaning up the Orcs from the planet was just a matter of time. Even more so, as the battlefront became increasingly stable, these Defense Armies who had come through the flames of war could be conscripted to other battlefields. Actually, under the direction of Gu Hang, the Alliance Military and Political Department was already in the process of assembling troops under the Septem Pact framework. This would be the third force under Gu Hang¡¯s control, apart from the Alliance Land Forces and the Star Realm Army¨Cthe Pact Army. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 799 - Chapter 799: Chapter 439, Temir No.5 Meat Grinder_2 Chapter 799: Chapter 439, Temir No.5 Meat Grinder_2 The five hundred million people on Temir No.4 can all be integrated into the framework of the Pact Army. At the same time, the mineral resources of Temir No.4, raw material processing, and the military industries under development can all contribute to the Alliance¡¯s endeavors. Temir No.4 no longer has a governor; they abandoned their post in the face of disaster, only to be apprehended and executed by the angry military and populace of Temir No.4 before they could take flight. Now, an officer from the Native Defense Forces is in charge of the planet. After consulting with Supreme Commander Gu, the execution of the governor of Temir No.4 was deemed a ¡®purge of a traitor¡¯ and certainly not a rebellion. The defense army officer was temporarily appointed by Gu Hang as the Acting Governor of Temir No.4 and brought the planet into the Seven Horse Pact. Nobody stipulated that only a star sector bearing the word ¡®Horse¡¯ in its name could join the Seven Horse Pact, right? ¡­ Compared to the fourth, the situation on the fifth planet is somewhat more difficult. It lacks the complex terrain that is conducive to defense found on the fourth planet; it¡¯s a fairly standard civilized world. Yet the number of Green Skins here is close to that on Temir II. There are four hundred million Green Skin Orcs and slightly fewer leprechauns, but still around one billion of them. The defense organization on planet No.5 is not as reliable as No.4¡¯s. Not just because of terrain, but also governmental organization strengths vary. The fourth planet lost about five hundred million people at the onset of the war, but still managed to mobilize a military force of five hundred million from a population of thirty-five billion ¡ª an mobilization rate of over 14%; virtually all other citizens were also working for the war effort. However, starting with a population of twelve billion, planet No.5, despite already having lost over two billion, still had a substantial remainder of ten billion people. Yet the defense forces they managed to raise amounted only to the same as No.4¡¯s five hundred million, barely reaching a 5% mobilization rate. Moreover, as a civilized world, Temir No.5¡¯s production capacity should be far more developed than No.4¡¯s. But this capacity was not effectively organized for wartime service. With only five hundred million in their Defense Army, facing an equally numbered Green Skin force and a leprechaun force two to three times their size, they were certainly at a tremendous disadvantage. One after another, cities were captured and burned, Green Skin enclaves were established. Clearly, the Iron-Tooth Clan treated Temir No.5 as they did Temir II. Even the conditions here were more favorable, especially considering the developed industrial base, which the Green Skins could convert into their scrap factories and junk cities. The human Defense Army could only maintain a force of around five hundred million. The Planetary Government behind the lines had been ¡®desperately¡¯ recruiting, but by the time they assembled an army corps of tens of millions to send to various frontlines, the battle lines had already retreated significantly, costing tens of millions of lives. This is how human resources were frantically consumed. Even then, they couldn¡¯t maintain control over the entire planetary frontline. Just as one barely managed to plug a hole, somewhere else, the Green Skins would suddenly make a vicious breakthrough. Often this would result in the fall of a highly populated city, followed by an even greater depletion of the already stretched human resources due to the deficient organizational abilities of the administration¡­ This world, in particular, is in dire need of substantial Alliance intervention. The Extinction Order is not an option; the only recourse is Fleet support, orbital bombardment plus ground troops. Fifty million troops from the Alliance Army were deployed to the surface. The already brutal ground battles on Temir No.5 escalated in intensity to a new level. The Alliance was extremely dissatisfied with the pre-existing battle command system on planet No.5. The commanding general of the deployed Alliance troops, Major General Perbov of the First Alliance Army Group, demanded full command over the Planetary Defense Forces. Under the leadership of the Alliance Army, within a week, human forces waged three impressive campaigns in three different directions. Such a short period was not even enough for starships to deploy troops and gather them for battle. A significant portion of the forces were directly dropped close to the frontline, then immediately engaged in combat. It was precisely this sudden and direct engagement that shocked the Native Defense Forces, which considerably smoothed Perbov¡¯s take over of the command. What followed was routine combat operations. Using armored forces and artillery, they sought out the main body of Green Skin forces for decisive battles. And these decisive battles were invariably won by the human side. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The high quality of the Alliance Army was one factor, but not the key one; although the Green Skins¡¯ tactical awareness was deficient, their individual quality was so high that sometimes tactics alone were not enough to handle them. The key lay in the support from orbital firepower. As soon as human forces located a main Green Skin force, whether it was a battle of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even several hundred thousand, once the battle commenced, the Green Skin Orcs were virtually transparent under orbital surveillance. They would be bombarded while gathering, their logistics and munition depots would be obliterated, and their transport units ambushed and destroyed by infiltrating human infantry squads¡­ Even when both sides did manage to set up formations for a battle, often before infantry could even engage each other, the Green Skins had to contend not only with heavy artillery bombardment and air attacks from each division and brigade, but also suffer the devastating impact of orbital strikes. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 800 - Chapter 800: Chapter 439, Temir No.5 Meat Grinder_3 Chapter 800: Chapter 439, Temir No.5 Meat Grinder_3 This kind of large-scale decisive battle is something the Green Skin Orcs can¡¯t afford. After suffering losses a few times, they had grown smarter. Rarely do they assemble large forces. When they encounter a large number of human troops gathering for an advance, they scatter, even at the expense of losing hard-won ecological circles and key sites such as garbage city armories. And the dispersed Green Skin Orcs, relying on not needing food supplies, in addition to some garbage-built armed trucks, with Skugg Beasts for transport, and carrying extra ammo supplies, formed numerous armies ranging from a few hundred to just over ten thousand in size, poking into the depths of the human army¡¯s frontline. Often in the front, a considerable number of petty spirits formed fodder armies, drawing the attention of the human main forces, while the real Orc troops engaged in guerrilla warfare behind, fighting small-scale battles. This halted the momentum of the human armies¡¯ offenses. It was very uncomfortable. This bunch of Green Skins can truly fight without logistics¨Cat least they rely on it far less than humans do. Human armies can hardly fight without logistics. People need food, guns need bullets, shells, vehicles need energy¡­ Without any one of these, their combat effectiveness plummets. It¡¯s different for the Green Skins, they don¡¯t need to eat, or they can eat the petty spirits and Skugg Beasts accompanying them; they also need ammunition and energy, but the former can be hand-made, and the latter can be looted. Turn to suppress banditry? Fight small-scale battles with Green Skins? That¡¯s a real loss. Actually, the land forces are still okay. Once they catch the Green Skins, one part holds them, and help comes from all sides. If the Green Skins also send reinforcements, that¡¯s even better, a decisive battle would be most welcome. But that often would not happen. They don¡¯t send reinforcements. Instead, they look for ways to break through, or if they can¡¯t, they defend stubbornly and fight hard. The Green Skin youngsters had battles to fight, howling excitedly. Calling in ship artillery for such small troop units is a loss-making affair. The lofty attitudes of the Alliance Navy had improved a lot; they wouldn¡¯t say not to disturb them unless you had a hole that could be filled with twenty thousand lives, but calling a ship over to rain down intense fire for a day, the cost of the ammunition and the firepower effectiveness ratio would become absurdly high. So the Alliance Army had to rely on their own artillery for support. That would result in significant casualties. The Alliance Army was precious and elite, and the main combat power still had to depend on them, so they could only rely on the Native Defense Forces to fill the gaps, with the Alliance¡¯s heavy artillery for fire support and the armored units for assaults, with the infantry cleaning up at the end. But even so, the Native Defense Forces didn¡¯t have much of a complaint. Even though it sounded unpleasant, it was like being cannon fodder, but the casualty ratio, compared to when they fought independently before, was much lower. Perbov didn¡¯t want to be led by the nose by a bunch of Green Skin Orcs. While providing necessary support to the Planetary Defense Force, he still gathered as much of the Alliance Army as possible and selected many strategic targets. Freeing captured cities, rescuing populations, destroying garbage cities, destroying the ecological circles of the Green Skins¡­ If you dare not fight a decisive battle with me, I will dig up your roots. As for the numerous scattered fronts, stretching thousands of kilometers across the globe, the endless intricate battle lines, those battles that could be called meat grinders had to continue. With the Alliance Army as the core backbone of the various battlefields and fire support from the Space Fleet, those numerous meat grinders weren¡¯t only grinding human flesh but also that of the Green Skins. Before the Alliance arrived, the exchange ratio between humans and Green Skin Orcs was about 10:1; now it had been brought down to within 2:1¨Cmost of the human casualties were still from the Native Defense Forces. If those petty spirits were included, the casualty ratio could be reversed to 1 human for 2 Green Skins. The combat capability of the petty spirits was quite far behind that of the proper Orcs. Cut off the Green Skins¡¯ external reinforcements, destroy their ecological circles as much as possible, and reduce local production¡­ If it came to attrition, the existing one and a half billion Green Skin creatures still couldn¡¯t outlast humans. But even so, the estimate for eradicating the Green Skins on Temir No.5 predicted that humans would likely suffer over five hundred million casualties. This number, upon seeing the data provided by the staff department, made Perbov shudder. Five hundred million¡­ even on Temir II, where the native populace was burned by a Skyburn Torpedo, the number didn¡¯t reach half this figure. But to clear Temir II through ground offensives, the losses wouldn¡¯t be lower than this number, and might even be higher. What was more frightening was that on Temir II, there weren¡¯t as many Planetary Defense Forces¨Cnow called Pact Army¨Cas allies for the Alliance like here on No.5. By then, most of the losses might have to be borne by the Alliance Army. Who could withstand that? In interstellar battlefields, where both sides span across Star Sectors, combining the forces of all races, the scale is so exaggerated that it¡¯s unimaginable. Thinking of this, Perbov no longer had any doubt about whether it was really right to deploy that World-ending Weapon. All he had in his heart now was a profound hatred for the Alien Races. Clenching his teeth, he ordered his troops to destroy another Orc garbage city and then received some terrible intelligence. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It came from above. Commander Du Shiliang informed him that from this moment on, the firepower support that the Alliance Navy could provide would be greatly reduced. Because the Green Skins¡¯ Fleet was coming. Although it had not arrived and was still shuttling through the Star Realm Tunnel, the Navy had to save their cannon reserves; otherwise, if a naval battle broke out and the rear artillery supplies hadn¡¯t arrived, having no firepower for a naval battle would be ridiculous. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 801 - Chapter 801: Chapter 439, Temir No.5 Meat Grinder_4 Chapter 801: Chapter 439, Temir No.5 Meat Grinder_4 Soon, just a few days later, Du Shiliang¡¯s United Fleet had been forced to leave the orbit of the planet. This planet had no orbital defense system to provide shelter to the Human Fleet, so guarding the orbit and fighting against the Green Skin Fleet, which could freely advance or retreat outside, was no longer a wise choice. They could be trapped and beaten in the planet¡¯s orbit. They had to pull out into the vast star domain to confront and drag out the Beastman Fleet. Overall, the strengths of both fleets were similar. After all, only half of the United Fleet was here; the remaining half was with Yelisia. About a hundred warships, including four Main Cruisers. On the other side, the Green Skins had two hundred vessels, with three cruisers at the main warship grade. That number was one more than the main ship that had initially escaped from Steel Wing Star. It seemed the Beastman still had some reserves. Du Shiliang had to act cautiously, not daring to engage in a fleet-decisive battle when the strengths were so closely matched. The implications of win or lose were far too significant. With both sides wary of making a move, they started to play a game of cat and mouse across the entire star system, testing, ambushing, and exchanging fire from extreme distances before swiftly avoiding each other. They also took the opportunity to fire a few shots when passing near planets¡­ In this space situation, neither side had control of the dominion of space, but a ground battlefield was brewing the largest engagement since the war began. Upon hearing that they had no orbital support, Perbov¡¯s first reaction was naturally one of tension. This was certainly not good news. He didn¡¯t even consider whether the naval battle would be won or lost. If they lost, he was prepared to suffer like the Green Skins who were bombed a while ago. Just looking at the current situation, without ship cannon support, the Green Skin ground troops might not continue to fight guerilla warfare in such a constrained manner. They were very likely to rise up and assemble their forces to battle humans in a large-scale engagement. By that time, could the human army, lacking orbital firepower support, still ensure victory? Could they maintain a high combat damage ratio? These were concerning issues. But¡­ perhaps Perbov had a bit of a gambler¡¯s nature in him. This could also be an opportunity. Fighting numerous small-scale, vicious battles, the fleet¡¯s fire-support was inherently limited and served more as a deterrent to prevent the enemy from gathering. And the actual combat was being fought with a relatively fixed attrition rate. While this was ¡®steady,¡¯ it was splendid if a clear victory could be secured in one of the engagements, meaning countless Green Skins would lose their combat effectiveness. After the victory, human forces, with their artillery and armored groups gathered, could massacre the finally assembled Beastman army. Of course, if they lost, the same situation might very well fall upon themselves. But Perbov felt it was worth the gamble. And soon, the opportunity arose. When the fleet of Green Skins truly appeared within the Temir Star System, the leader of the Green Skin Orcs on Temir No.5 also received the news. This cunning Beastman Overlord immediately perceived it as a good opportunity for a counterattack. He had had enough of guerilla warfare; what Beastman wouldn¡¯t want to fight a tremendous earth-shattering battle if possible? Under his deliberate command, several originally scattered Green Skin Beastman armies quickly gathered around him. In just a few days, they assembled a large force of over five hundred thousand troops. At the same time, even more armies were converging on his location. But he couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He immediately launched an operation, deploying heavy forces to break through along a battlefront hundreds of kilometers wide. Mighty armed trucks, Skugg War Behemoths, death tanks¡­ all of the Green Skins¡¯ heavy equipment were deployed! The human army, caught off guard, was completely overwhelmed! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡ª¡ª¨C 6k Still owe 62k Paying debts is so hard¡­ wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 802 - Chapter 802: Chapter 440, I dont want casualty numbers, I just want Gaomen Ridge Chapter 802: Chapter 440, I don¡¯t want casualty numbers, I just want Gaomen Ridge When the Beastman Overlord truly gathered the vast Green Skin army, when the firepower and armored strength of the Green Skins could be utilized without restraint, they also demonstrated the strong combat capability that allowed their race to dominate the Star Sea. This hundred-kilometer battle line was subjected to a powerful breakthrough by the Green Skin forces. A vast number of human troops were caught off guard and were directly overwhelmed by the flood of Beastmen. Of course, the human troops here were primarily from the Planetary Defense Force. The massive assembly and attack by the enemy was precisely what Perbov wanted to see. It was to be expected that the Defense Army couldn¡¯t withstand it. However, the Defense Army¡¯s failing still caught him off guard, or rather, the offensive power of the Beastmen exceeded his expectations. How could a single assault create a breach in the defensive line that was one hundred fifty kilometers wide and nearly three hundred kilometers deep? Perbov¡¯s main forces hadn¡¯t even had time to complete their deployment! This gap was too large; even if he managed to deploy his troops completely and win the decisive battle, encircling the enemy would be difficult. Without forming an encirclement, the defeated Green Skins, once reorganized, could still continue to fight. Only with an encirclement could a genuine annihilation battle be fought. The Green Skins were still gathering step by step, and now was the time to net them. Perbov now was no longer concerned about the magnitude of the battle results; what he considered was whether he could stomach what was to come. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t let this operation result in overly adverse consequences. A major home-planet city with a population in the tens of millions was right before the Beastmen¡¯s onslaught. Tactically, Perbov couldn¡¯t allow the Green Skins to further widen the gap; strategically, he couldn¡¯t afford to lose a large city with tens of millions of inhabitants. Therefore, he issued orders to the three divisions stationed directly in front of the Green Skin forces to hold the city¡¯s outskirts at all costs. He himself then began large-scale mobilization of the main forces of the Alliance Army, preparing to enter the battle. Before that, the three infantry divisions of the Alliance Army had to build a defense line by utilizing mountains, rivers, and several bridges, and hold off the advancing Green Skins from tearing through the front lines until Perbov¡¯s main forces arrived. ¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t want casualty numbers, I just want Gaomen Ridge!¡± This was the last order that Zhang Zhikai heard over the phone from his division commander. He was the Major Battalion Commander of the 326th Infantry Division ¨C Battalion 7, part of the 7th Corps of the Alliance Land Forces. Four hours earlier, he and his troops had been ordered to support ¡°Gaomen Ridge.¡± Currently, the main attack direction of the Green Skin Orcs was trying to cross the river; the human military, in response, defended along the river to prevent the enemy from crossing. The initial core of the battle was at the bridge, but it was quickly destroyed, and both sides began to repeatedly contest, rebuild, and destroy the damaged bridge, resulting in countless human and Green Skin deaths. Subsequently, the Green Skins tried to create new river crossing points, with their technically dominant leaders bringing a large number of lesser minions to build pontoon and makeshift bridges. There were failures, of course, but also successes. However, even a successful crossing would face the stiffest counterattacks by the humans where the artillery group would intensely bombard, followed by resolute counterattacks by infantry companies. Later on, the frustrated Green Skins even attempted to find a shorter section of the river to cross directly with armed Skugg Beasts. Of course, it was suicidal. A large-scale fording, once discovered, was akin to delivering themselves to the slaughter. The Green Skin Orcs caught in the swift current couldn¡¯t even counterattack and could only passively take hits. Even if small-scale fordings succeeded, they hardly mattered. A small number of troops in a conflict involving forces of hundreds of thousands on both sides could not make a significant impact. Originally, Zhang Zhikai¡¯s Battalion 7 was tasked with guarding along the river. In their responsible area, there were no bridges or pontoons, just direct crossings by Green Skins that were harshly repelled by them. However, the nature of beating a dog in the water couldn¡¯t last long. His defense area was taken over by two infantry battalions from the Defense Army. These two battalions were previously disorganized by being routed at the frontline and had retreated to regroup. One couldn¡¯t expect much from their combat effectiveness, but there was no other option now. Their defense lines were severely strained under the fierce attack of the Beastmen; any usable force had to be utilized. Zhang Zhikai¡¯s Battalion 7, still maintaining relatively complete combat effectiveness as a standard infantry battalion, received a new task: reinforce Gaomen Ridge. This was a river bend plateau, not particularly high in altitude but still strategically significant. Located on three sides by water, setting up an artillery battery and stationing troops here could surveil a wide stretch of the river. Commanding from high ground, the Green Skins had no chance of breaking through from this point. Yet because of its importance, Green Skin rocket artillery and heavy artillery constantly targeted it; other Green Skins crossing the river from different locations circled to the northern side of the land at the plateau to fiercely attack. Previously stationed here was another infantry battalion from the 326 Division. They had staunchly resisted here for two days, reportedly suffering heavy casualties and were about to give in. Battalion 7 was the force ordered to support. As soon as it engaged in combat, Battalion 7 achieved commendable battle results. At that moment, the Green Skins assaulting the high ground suddenly encountered an attack from behind, suffering terrible losses from the artillery fire. The engaged companies and platoons also annihilated a substantial number of Green Skins. Especially the anti-armor company directly under the battalion, using portable armor-piercing rocket launchers and plasma guns, destroyed several killer cans and also killed two Skugg Beasts. The heavy units sent across the river by the Green Skins weren¡¯t many! Having been heavily damaged, the Green Skins were thus repulsed. Then, Zhang Zhikai dispatched a liaison to communicate with Battalion 11 on the high ground. Based on his strategy, defending the high ground was the priority, but they couldn¡¯t just passively hold it, foolishly waiting. The two battalions could completely complement each other ¡ª Battalion 11 could continue holding the high ground while he led Battalion 7 on the lower side of the high ground. Once the Green Skins continued their assault on Gaomen Ridge, Battalion 7 could flank them just like in the recent battle; but if the Green Skins chose to deal with Battalion 7, then Battalion 11 could provide fire support from higher ground and even countercharge. The number of Green Skins crossing the river was still limited¨Cotherwise they wouldn¡¯t have been so desperate to seize Gaomen Ridge, which was to ensure that subsequent river-crossing operations could proceed more smoothly. Under these circumstances, the Green Skins should not have had sufficient forces to attack two battalions and two positions simultaneously. However, when the messenger relayed the message from the high ground, Zhang Zhikai¡¯s heart sank: Where was Battalion 11? After defending Gaomen Ridge for a whole day, the fully staffed Battalion 11, which should have had three thousand men, now had only about three hundred. That was not just the frontline forces being reduced to two hundred men; that was all that was left of the battalion. The artillery position had been destroyed under the heavy fire from the Beastmen across the river, countless warriors died under the bombardment, and they still held their ground despite heavy casualties until logistical troops, guards moved up; artillerymen, without cannons to operate, also had to pick up rifles and enter the frontline trenches and bomb shelters. The battalion commander had been killed, the commissar and deputy commander took over; when they all died, the company commanders and instructors moved up¡­ Now, in charge of Gaomen Ridge was a lieutenant, who was normally just an instructor for a company. And he was now the highest-ranking officer remaining in Battalion 11. Zhang Zhikai was silent. He was shocked by the heavy sacrifice of his allies and, on the other hand, he felt a fearful awe for the entire mission. Of course, he was afraid. Was there any fundamental difference between Battalion 7 and Battalion 11? Now that Battalion 11 was gone, with no one to support him, what was he supposed to do? As per the division commander¡¯s orders, he had to take charge himself. And then, watch his own battalion end up like Battalion 11? He was truly afraid. But with the mission at hand, he could only tell the messenger to find a way to contact the division headquarters, report the situation of Battalion 11, and express his concerns. The casualties would be enormous. Then, the division commander gave him that sentence, ¡°Don¡¯t want casualty numbers, just want Gaomen Ridge.¡± What else could he do? Afraid as he was, he could only push forward. But lessons from the situation of Battalion 11 still had to be learned. Defending to death would only lead to death. He decided to defend both at the foothills and the highland. Artillery positions were placed at the foothills to ensure they could bombard the incoming Green Skin forces from the north, but also with cover from the high ground, so that artillery fire from the Green Skins on the southern bank of the Great River could hardly hit directly here. Artillery must be preserved, or there was no way to fight. Battalion 1, along with his own guards, were sent to the highland, relieving the brothers from Battalion 11. Battalions 2 and 3, along with battalion headquarters, were positioned at the foothills. Both sides ensured they could communicate and support each other. As he was finalizing the strategic deployment, the Green Skins attacked, heading directly towards his headquarters at the foothills. In hastily established positions, his troops could only rely on bomb craters, fallen trees, small hills, and large boulders as cover to fight the oncoming Beastmen. The casualties were substantial. On average, it took ten to twenty hits with firearms to kill one Beastman; while their commonly equipped shotguns and large caliber rifles, if hit, would penetrate immediately, making the personal body armor seem as flimsy as paper. Even though they had managed to establish the artillery formation, under the assault of over a thousand Green Skin Orcs, Battalion 7¡¯s position at the foothills was nearly broken through. Zhang Zhikai even began to doubt whether his strategy of dividing his forces was correct. Fortunately, at the last moment, it proved useful for the troops assigned to the mountain. Mortar fire from Battalion 1 rained down from above, and multiple heavy bomb machine guns on the high ground, from a distance of fifteen hundred meters, crazily swept down. In addition, the division commander didn¡¯t just expect him to use lives to fill; upon the call of the messenger, a division-affiliated aviation force scrambled three Wind Falcons, breaking through the Beastmen¡¯s air blockade, and dropping six missiles. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only With all this help, Zhang Zhikai suffered over two hundred casualties but repelled the Green Skins¡¯ attack. But there was no time to catch a breath; he had to immediately fortify the position, quickly digging foxholes, bomb shelters, and trenches as needed. The Green Skins wouldn¡¯t give him much time; the Beastmen¡¯s next assault would arrive soon. The scouts on the high ground, using binoculars, could already see several Skugg War Behemoths breaking through the river blockade and swimming across. Judging by their path, they were coming for Gaomen Ridge. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 803 - Chapter 803: Chapter 441, Must Not Let Down the Heroes! Chapter 803: Chapter 441, Must Not Let Down the Heroes! ¡°Company Commander! Get out! Hurry!¡± The staff officer outside shouted while Zhang Zhikai seized the last few moments to type a final message on the command vehicle¡¯s electronic system and hit send before disembarking. It was already their third round of attacks since the battle had begun. The first round caught them unprepared, and the losses were significant; however, they managed to repel the enemy with the cover of firepower from the high ground; The second round occurred during the night, as the Green Skins attacked both the high ground and the foothill, deploying several Skugg War Behemoths. By then, the human forces had fully prepared their positions. With support from the artillery and Anti-armor Companies, the Skugg Beasts were annihilated, and that round of attacks ceased, but the 7th Regiment also suffered severe damages, with over half of the frontline troops either dead or wounded. Following this, the Green Skins¡¯ offensive finally paused for a moment, providing them with a much-needed half-day of recuperation. The third attack commenced at dawn on their third day stationed at Gaomen Ridge. This time, the Green Skins clearly meant serious business. The position at Gaomen Ridge faced unprecedented artillery barrage from across the river; countless rocket shells seemed determined to revisit every inch of the ridge several times. The troops on the mountain couldn¡¯t dare leave cover to support the ground forces. The ground force personally led by Zhang Zhikai, however, faced a concentrated attack by the Green Skin Orcs. There was not only a Skugg War Behemoth but also over twenty killing machines. This posed a significant challenge to the 7th Regiment¡¯s position. The positions were breached, resulting in the Green Skin Orcs directly attacking Zhang Zhikai¡¯s command center. One killing machine and about twenty Green Skins caused complete chaos at the command center. Already a company had received orders to head back. With so many returning, they should be able to eliminate the infiltrating enemy, though it would stretch the frontline positions even thinner; however, the command center, the brain of operations, must not be compromised. If Zhang Zhikai¡¯s command post were lost, the frontline troops would immediately become blind and deaf. But he needed to survive. After sending the last update on the situation at Gaomen Ridge to division headquarters, the major left the command vehicle. As he disembarked, the staff officer who had called out to him earlier was now in pieces. Nearby, the killing machine mentioned by his guard was alarmingly close; it was the Beastman armor that had killed the staff officer. Its next target was the command vehicle Zhang Zhikai had just vacated. A single rocket shell destroyed the vehicle. Zhang Zhikai broke out in a cold sweat. He was eager to fight, but at this moment, he could only pull a laser pistol from his waist. What good was this small flashlight against a killing machine? He had no choice but to run. The killing machine too charged towards him. The chainsaw axe swung back and forth as it ran, the grating sound of the chains making it clear that any touch by this weapon would result in catastrophic injury. Yet how could his two legs outrun a Beastman Mecha? If the Beastman wasn¡¯t indulging in the pleasure of bloodshed with its chainsaw, a blast from its large-caliber rotary autocannon would have ended Zhang¡¯s life just like his staff officer. At that critical moment, a thunderous explosion burst at the side of the killing machine. Zhang Zhikai looked towards the source of the fire, spotting a young Alliance soldier lowering a rocket launcher, a dirty face gesturing a thumbs up at him. He recognized him: a member of his own guard platoon. He had sent two-thirds of his guard up to Gaomen Ridge, still retaining a guard platoon near him. In this crucial moment, they indeed made a difference, saving his life. Relieved, he was nonetheless full of horror as he screamed, ¡°Watch out!¡± Behind the guard, a Beastman was raising a crude, bulky weapon with a ludicrously large muzzle, aiming at the guard. Zhang Zhikai also raised his pistol, firing three continuous red laser beams. His personal combat skills weren¡¯t too shabby; all three shots hit, piercing three holes in the Green Skin Beastman. The power of the laser gun, stronger than regular ammunition, caused extensive penetration injuries, and the intense heat immediately erupted within the target. What appeared as a hole in the front turned into a massive crater at the exit. Nevertheless, even after taking three laser shots, the Beastman didn¡¯t die. It fired its large gun. The young soldier, who had just saved Zhang Zhikai¡¯s life, was instantly blown into fragments. The Beastman roared and turned its gun towards Zhang Zhikai, pulling the bolt, attempting another shot. ¡°Ah! Ah! Ah!¡± Zhang Zhikai screamed, continuously pulling the trigger, hitting the Beastman with three more laser shots before it could fire. After sustaining such damage, the Beastman finally fell. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Panting, Zhang Zhikai looked around, calling several staff officers to join him in a countercharge. They moved to the frontline outside the barracks, actively engaging in combat against the attacking Green Skins. When a frontline infantry platoon arrived in support, they finally eradicated the enemies. However, the returning Lieutenant platoon leader also reported the dire frontline situation to Zhang Zhikai. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 804 - Chapter 804: Chapter 441, Must Not Let Down the Heroes! _2 Chapter 804: Chapter 441, Must Not Let Down the Heroes! _2 They could no longer hold on. Otherwise, the enemy wouldn¡¯t have infiltrated headquarters. At this moment, Zhang Zhikai faced an exceedingly painful decision. He had no idea of the current situation on the high ground, and with enemy bombardments ongoing, there had been no news from the defending army at Gaomen Ridge for quite some time. Assuming the worst scenario, it was not impossible that the entire army had been annihilated. The troops at the base of the mountain were initially about two-thirds of a regiment, and now, maintaining one-third was fortunate. Losing half their personnel wasn¡¯t as simple as just reducing the combat power by half. Most of those lost were frontline combat units, while logistic troops, communication squads, anti-air units, and artillery units likely had much lower casualty ratios. Such a high casualty rate meant that many frontline units probably had only three to five squads remaining. Although logistic troops, artillery men without shells, and anti-air units had all been sent to the front lines, replenishing a lot of manpower, there was definitely a gap in the combat prowess of these soldiers compared to the frontline infantry ¡ª their usual training and tactical coordination were different. In this sense, Gaomen Ridge had indeed been lost. His troops no longer had the capability to continue defending. Even the artillery support platoons were running out of shells! Without reinforcements or supplies, even if they survived this wave of attack, the next wave would inevitably be overwhelming. Rationally thinking, it was time to retreat. The only difference between retreating and not retreating was whether the Green Skins would take Gaomen Ridge directly next time or after they had eliminated the 7th Regiment. In fact, the Green Skins seemed to have noticed the exhaustion of the 7th Regiment. Their attacks had been fierce, resulting in substantial losses, so the Green Skins did not continue attacking but withdrew momentarily. But this was clearly not a retreat; it was to gather strength. The Beastman commander on the opposite side was reorganizing his troops, aiming not to charge blindly but to concentrate his forces and launch a full-scale fierce attack. What should he do? Zhang Zhikai was extremely conflicted inside. He had thought about ordering a retreat several times, but on one hand, he thought of the brothers on Gaomen Ridge, in case they were still alive. On the other hand, he also thought of the words spoken earlier by the division commander: ¡°I want Gaomen Ridge!¡± At his most conflicled moments, a communications soldier approached. Zhang Zhikai¡¯s eyes lit up! ¡°Did the division headquarters reply?¡± Was it good news? Zhang Zhikai was full of anticipation. Right before his command vehicle was destroyed, he had sent a message to the division headquarters describing the dire situation of the 7th Regiment and requesting support. Transferring a new regiment over, or even just a battalion or a company from a brother regiment would be good. If nothing else, having the air force bomb them or the division¡¯s artillery battalion reorient its guns to provide support would also work. In any case, something was needed! The communications soldier¡¯s face looked a bit grim, but at this critical moment, he didn¡¯t hesitate: ¡°It is indeed a message from the division¡­ Both the division commander and the Commissar have been sacrificed. The chief of staff is now in command. He says that the entire division has no more troops to reinforce the 7th Regiment, the air force has been wiped out, and the artillery battalion has also been destroyed in the exchange of fire with the Green Skins across the river. The 7th Regiment can only rely on itself.¡± Hearing this, Zhang Zhikai seemed to see the dire situation of the whole division. It turned out, it wasn¡¯t just the 11th Regiment or the 7th Regiment that had been emptied, but the entire 326th division. Zhang Zhikai said with difficulty, ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Commander¡­ what should we do now?¡± someone asked. Zhang Zhikai looked around, seeing his comrade, the regiment commissar. ¡°Commissar Wang, what¡¯s your opinion?¡± he asked softly. Commissar Wang¡¯s lower leg was injured, a large chunk of flesh torn away by a stray shrapnel, allowing him only to limp painfully. Upon hearing the question, he didn¡¯t hesitate and said with a smile, ¡°You lead the men to retreat; I will stay and cover your departure.¡± ¡°Old Wang¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look so glum. Our mission has failed, but I¡¯m not foolish. Don¡¯t you think I know that it¡¯s not your fault, nor is it the fault of anyone in our 7th Regiment? Everyone has done well, all heroes. At this point, the whole regiment dying here won¡¯t change the outcome, so let¡¯s retreat and keep the seeds of our unit alive.¡± Biting his teeth, Zhang Zhikai made the decision. Retreat! Since it had come to this, there was no point in hesitating. He planned to let the communications soldiers deliver orders to each platoon. The choice of who would cover the retreat also needed careful consideration. Just as he was about to issue the order, the explosions echoing from Gaomen Ridge finally ceased. Could the situation have changed? He paused the order. Then, he received news from the reconnaissance forces on the front lines¨Cthe Green Skins, who had been amassing their strength for another battle, were retreating! The battle must have changed! Otherwise, it couldn¡¯t have happened like this! ¡°Send someone to Gaomen Ridge immediately, go up and check if our brothers are still there! Also, see if anything has happened across the river!¡± Zhang Zhikai immediately issued the order. The scouts set out, but before they could report back, another piece of good news arrived. From the high ground, the 1st Company¡¯s radio called in. ¡°Commander! We¡¯ve won!¡± Zhang Zhikai was immensely exhilarated! The brothers of the 1st Company on the high ground, who had been bombarded with intense artillery fire all day, still had survivors! Moreover, he was even more exhilarated by the news from the comrades on the high ground. About twenty minutes later, Zhang Zhikai personally climbed up Gaomen Ridge. The area was now devastated, with craters everywhere, no vegetation in sight, and even sizable rocks were scarce. But he could no longer concern himself with that. With a telescope, he looked towards the south. On the wilderness, the Green Skins were being utterly shattered by an advancing Alliance Army! This Alliance Army, coming from the western side of the river with armored forces leading, included not only the Lions and the Lion King but also something much bigger: Titans! Through his telescope from Gaomen Ridge, Zhang Zhikai saw four Titans! The Warhound-class Titans continually launched rapid-fire grenades and rockets, precisely distributing devastating firepower wherever it was needed. Though positioned slightly behind the Lion Kings and Lions, allowing the cheaper tanks to absorb the Green Skins¡¯ firepower, it acted decisively when needed. Zhang Zhikai personally witnessed a Skugg Beast, after taking several hits from heavy artillery and rocket barrages, still rampaging on the battlefield, toppling two Lions. A Warhound Titan then seized the opportunity, its Gravity Fist suddenly striking the side of the beast¡¯s head. The external steel armor, tough scales, and sturdy skull could not withstand it; under this powerful punch, its entire head was somewhat deformed. Its body twisted and fell while the Titan, at that moment, fired several more grenades into the beast¡¯s relatively softer belly, completely ending the war beast¡¯s life. We¡¯ve won! Indeed, we¡¯ve won! At this moment, Zhang Zhikai couldn¡¯t help but shed tears of heat! In his mind, flashed the faces of one comrade after another who had sacrificed themselves. The 7th Battalion, the 326th Division, and indeed all the troops engaged in this tough riverbank defensive battle had paid an unimaginable price. And now, these sacrifices had finally seen their return. ¡°Fallen comrades, you cannot see this scene, so I shall witness it for you!¡± ¡­ Perbov had not anticipated that the riverbank defensive battle would reach such a devastating extent. Firstly, the scale of the assembled Green Skins was beyond expectations; the enemy on the southern bank of the Great River already exceeded two million, and they were attacking across the entire front. He thought the riverbank would surely be lost and his plan seriously flawed. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Just as he was urgently preparing for a total assault and ready to initiate Plan B, he realized that the riverbank, despite being relentlessly bombarded and fiercely attacked, was still holding firm! The 326th, 376th, and 442nd Divisions under the Alliance Army 1st Army Group had nearly been wiped out, with casualties over a hundred thousand. Adding the losses from the Defense Army, the total was probably over two hundred and fifty thousand. But they had eventually held on, and Perbov swore that he would not fail the sacrifice of those heroes! wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 805 - Chapter 805: Chapter 442, annihilation battles are still more effective Chapter 805: Chapter 442, annihilation battles are still more effective The battle across the great river was progressing swiftly. Although the scale of the Beastmen¡¯s assembly had far exceeded expectations and the breach in the front line was larger than imagined, causing the three divisions and the Native Defense Forces responsible for plugging the gap to suffer significant casualties within less than a week of combat. But, under the valiant and relentless defense of the human troops, they still managed to carve out the opportunity that Perbov required. The forces he had mustered included four Army Groups from the Alliance Army alone, amounting to over three million people; the Native Defense Forces had mobilized on a similar scale. Some forces were marching from the west side of the encirclement, some were decisively interceding southwards, and some provided reinforcements to the defense line north of the great river, preparing to pursue the enemy across the river after their entire line wavered¡­ The decisive battle was one that Perbov himself personally commanded. Summoned were not only several Skeleton Divisions and Elite Armored Divisions of the Alliance but also the most important strategic force at his disposal¨Cthe ¡°Knight Order,¡± which was actually a Titan Cluster known as the National Knights¡¯ Regiment! This force was Perbov¡¯s pride and joy, his treasured darling. The total number of Titans the Alliance had accumulated wasn¡¯t actually that high, with only twenty-three produced over the years; there were, however, about three hundred Ranger Knight Mechas. With such strength, the ¡°National Knights¡¯ Regiment,¡± though not a large-scale force, could be termed a miniature Titan army corps, lacking only in quantity compared to a real Titan Legion, and some higher-quality Titans. What¡¯s the point of just having Warhound-class units? If there were Warlord Level, even Battle Command Level Titans as the core, then it would truly resemble a proper Titan Legion! Of course, those thoughts were still a bit far off for now. At present, although the National Knights¡¯ Regiment had not fully entered the battle and not all were under Perbov¡¯s command, with only half participating, the impact they could have on the battlefield was already tremendous. From the west bank of the river, a fierce assault was launched by three Titans, leading over eighty Knight Mechas, seventy Lion King Tanks, two thousand Lion Tanks, and more than forty thousand various types of Armored Combat Vehicles, sweeping in like a torrent! What is called a steel flood? This is the steel flood! At least ten thousand cannons, located even further away, were providing fire support for the human army¡¯s phased and distributed full-frontal assault, dropping two to three thousand shells per minute over this hundred-kilometer-wide and sixty-kilometer-deep battlefield! Under the baptism of heavy artillery and the onslaught of the steel flood, the Green Skin Orcs, who initially focused their military efforts on attacking the river, simply couldn¡¯t withstand such an assault. Their reserves on the western side were the first to collapse, utterly failing to serve as a blockade, a delay, or a defense. Even though the Green Skins were fierce fighters, they couldn¡¯t endure such a charge. Subsequently, the Green Skin¡¯s offensive on the riverbanks was forcefully halted. Some units were hurriedly engaged in combat, while others, still oblivious to what was happening, were fiercely attacked from the sides. The artillery units didn¡¯t even have time to turn their barrels before the mechanized infantry was upon them. The autocannon fire from the Armored Combat Vehicles raked across the field, the rifle infantry attacked ferociously, and the Green Skins manning the cannons ¡ª who moments earlier were gleefully lobbing firepower across the river ¡ª were now beaten into crying out for relief. Not even the roaring of the Beastman Overlord¡¯s enforcers could stem the tide, as their ranks crumbled on the spot. The Green Skins¡¯ artillery positions were swiftly overrun, one after another, as armored vehicles carrying troops sped towards their next targets. Even if vehicles got stuck in the mud halfway, at most a few soldiers would attempt a hurried rescue or simply abandon them to be reclaimed later, as maintaining speed was paramount. When these mechanized infantry units encountered the enemy, they would deploy their foot soldiers and engage in coordinated combat. The Beastmen were only foot infantry or armed with trucks, which would be directly targeted and destroyed; if the engagement involved a large force or powerful enemy units were difficult to handle, they would call for support. The best support to arrive would be divisional artillery, followed by the Army Group¡¯s artillery. In any case, during this assault, there was an abundance of cannons available¨Cjust don¡¯t stray too far, and the artillery would respond upon being called. Air force support was second, with two thousand planes at their disposal. Even if only Wind Falcons arrived, a salvo of missiles or a sweep from an autocannon would be helpful. However, since the air force would have to contend with the enemy¡¯s air force, they were a bit harder to summon than the artillery. If the enemy was truly formidable, then don¡¯t engage; call for more troops, or even summon tanks from the Armored Division or Titans. Such non-main directional units couldn¡¯t be called easily, but it generally wouldn¡¯t come to that. As for the actual main thrust, Titans, Knight Mecha clusters, and tank battalions didn¡¯t need summoning but instead acted in coordination with various infantry units sweeping through the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ unprepared heavy units like a fierce wind sweeping away leaves, clearing out important strongpoints and barracks. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Green Skin Orcs certainly didn¡¯t lack the ability to resist. The Beastman Overlord, clearly unwilling to accept defeat just like that. At the same time Perbov was making mistakes, he too erred. He overestimated the offensive capability of his own forces and underestimated the stubborn defenses of those on the opposite riverbank. In his view, controlling ten times the manpower should have smoothly led to success in crossing the river. Those Shrimp should have collapsed at his assault just as before. Even if some areas managed to muster a strong defense, crossing the river elsewhere and then launching an attack from the opposite riverbank should have led to a swift victory. But unexpectedly, crossing the river proved to be much more difficult than anticipated, and the losses were substantial. Quite a few of his troops did manage to cross, even sending many heavy units over. However, the Shrimp he expected to quickly crumble and be annihilated turns out to have tenaciously held their positions along the defense line. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 806 - Chapter 806: Chapter 442, Annihilation Battle is More Effective_2 Chapter 806: Chapter 442, Annihilation Battle is More Effective_2 At this point, the Beastman leaders of each troop were all fired up, and the Military Governor couldn¡¯t control them¨Cnot that he tried, since he was fired up himself. Fighting, huh! Could we Green Skins ever dislike a scrap? He could also tell that the Shrimps across the river had been bled dry, and with just a little more effort, he could achieve the victory he desired. Yet, just at that moment, the human army from the flanks attacked, foiling his offensive plan. This marked his second mistake: he had once again underestimated the combat power of the human army. His clan¡¯s Prophet had warned him that the human forces were swiftly gathering a massive army on the western side. Of course, he took this information seriously and arranged for troops to defend. But he never imagined that the reserve forces would crumble instantly under the steel tide of the human legions. Without any ability to resist, not even fulfilling their delaying role, by the time he heard the news that the Shrimps had breached the western defense line, their steel tide had already hit him in the face. Once the reserves collapsed, the remaining Green-Skin Army, almost entirely engaged in crossing the river, was simply unable to withstand the shock of the human onslaught, leading to the current situation. But he wasn¡¯t so easily defeated. He believed that he still had a sizable and high-quality force under him, and if he could just withstand this wave of attack, he had a chance to regroup his troops. His nearly two-million-strong Beastman army, equipped with a large number of elite and heavy units, could assemble a formidable fighting force if it could reorganize and was fit to contest the assembled human army. Or at the very least, break out from the encirclement created by those Shrimps. At worst, they could at least build effective defensive positions on the southern bank of the Great River and hold out for reinforcements. However, all these plans were predicated on his ability to contain the human army¡¯s steel tide and prevent the entire two-million-strong army from being exhausted in a rout, unable to organize. Organization was the lifeline for any army, even for the Green Skins. And the method that the Beastman Overlord thought of was a head-on clash. He assembled a force that could be called elite, composed of tens of thousands of his direct troops, among them a substantial number of heavily armed personal guards, each one having integrated with steel under the joint modification of the deranged Beastman medics and tech experts, akin to Beastman canned goods. Among them, there were over a hundred Super Heavy Orcs. On the Star Sea Battlefield, these Green-Skin elite units had a formidable reputation. Comparing these two types of Green-Skin elites against the standard of an Interstellar Warrior, the former, heavily armed Beastman, was inferior in combat power but stood a chance to win in a mobbed fight, roughly equivalent to those Alliance special forces equipped with Feedback-Type Power Armor; the latter, however, could directly contend with a genuine Interstellar Warrior, and due to racial traits, even had a slightly greater chance of victory! Moreover, the Military Governor had gathered all the armored units he could muster from the vicinity¨Cincluding killing jars, which were a minor detail and only marginally more powerful than Sentry Mecha, basically of the same classification; the death jars were much larger, similar in scope to Knight Mecha, but in combat, would be dominated by Knight Mecha. There was also no shortage of armed trucks, the quality of which varied widely. The poorly modified ones were mere armed personnel carriers; those improved by skilled techs could reach the level of mainline human tanks. There were also a number of Skugg Beasts, but only ten. These creatures, comparable to the Lion King Tank, had their own pros and cons. As for anything that could equal a Warhound-class Titan¡­ the Beastmen did have god-like titanic effigies, but none were under his command, none at all on Temir No.5. These top-tier Beastman land combat trump cards, even for the entire Iron-Tooth Clan, were precious and all had been taken by Titus to the main battlefield. This was a big problem, without anything to counter Titans, the only option was to rely on smaller units. He even prepared himself to take the field if necessary. Picking up his firearm, which took the lives of thirty tech masters before one made it to his satisfaction, and his battleaxe, which had been with him since he rose from the lowest ranks¨Cif necessary, he would personally take on those Titans. Charge, cleave through limbs, sever weapons, kill the drivers¡­ What good is an energy shield? Can it stop my axe! Then¡­ He was killed by a Titan. This decisive battle took place on the fourth day of the humans¡¯ all-out offensive. The Beastman Overlord personally led his troops against a human armored column that was pressing forward. It was his choice; fighting small units was pointless, it wouldn¡¯t change the outcome, go hard or go home! At the beginning of the battle, they gained an advantage, at one point destroying quite a few Lion Tanks and four Lion Kings. But when the main force of the Alliance¡¯s armor truly arrived, they were still crushed effortlessly. In fact, the first to arrive at the battlefield was the Alliance artillery. Upon realizing the gathering of the enemy¡¯s elite, the Alliance¡¯s artillery units received the coordinates for fire coverage and commenced firing without hesitation. Some artillery positions, keen to join in, even drove their self-propelled guns a few kilometers forward just to bring these enemies into their firing range. These cannons were actually the most threatening to the Green Skins, who couldn¡¯t even find a way to retaliate and could only passively endure the bombardment. 155mm howitzers, if you¡¯re near the center of the explosion, everything except for the Skugg Beasts could be blown to death; even on the edge of the blast radius, the canister shot and Super Heavy Orcs couldn¡¯t withstand it. The continuous bombardment severely depleted this Green Skin elite force. Under the leadership of the Beastman Overlord, they forcibly charged forward and closed the distance to the armored column to a position close enough that the Alliance¡¯s artillery couldn¡¯t continue to bomb indiscriminately, but the losses were already heavy, and once they closed in, the hit rate of the tank guns was even higher, with armor-piercing rounds able to kill with a single hit. And that Beastman Overlord, while attempting to approach a Titan, was shattered by an armor-piercing shell from a Lion Tank that destroyed his left leg along with parts of his mecha. Then the Titan mercilessly stepped on him, crushing him to death. His failed attempt not only cost him his life but also extinguished the last hope the Green Skin Orcs had of reorganizing their army. The entire massive offensive by the Green Skins was initiated by him, and due to the racial characteristics of the Green Skins, which heavily rely on the commander, once the commander dies, a normal Beastman unit might fall into infighting, collapse, lose cohesion, and fight independently, especially in the already chaotic circumstances at hand. Moreover, this elite force he had risked assembling was the cream of the crop from the two million Green Skins. Elsewhere, gathering so many Green Skin armored units and elites would be difficult, if not nearly impossible. Blocked in the south with no way to retreat, unable to push through the north where the Great River received reinforcements, and fiercely attacked by the human military might in the west, they could only be forced to run eastward. During this process, a significant number of Beastmen were overtaken, fragmented and annihilated, and sent straight off by precise artillery fire¡­ And then, they ran all the way to the seaside. By that time, of the two million Beastmen, only about sixty percent were left, cornered between the coast and the mouth of the Great River, surrounded by the encroaching human forces, and completely without supplies. Green Skins not eating is fine, they can eat each other at worst; but ammunition and shells cannot be conjured out of thin air. Without supplies and with many forced to fight unarmed, the Beastmen, who hadn¡¯t reestablished a unified command, were no more than powerful beasts. Sweeping artillery bombardment and bombing killed all one hundred and twenty thousand Beastmen on the coastline. Thus ended the campaign that had lasted one and a half months. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Despite setbacks and sacrifices, the campaign objectives set by Perbov were still achieved. Eliminating the two million strong main force of Beastmen, while the human side suffered less than four hundred thousand casualties. A loss ratio of 1:5 was much better than the normal 2:1! Annihilation battles are truly more effective. In the end, massacring those one hundred and twenty thousand Beastmen, our side¡¯s losses were almost negligible, all down to shelling when trapped in a narrow space, it was just a matter of using up a lot of shells. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 807 - Chapter 807: Chapter 443, the mobilization ratio must be higher! Chapter 807: Chapter 443, the mobilization ratio must be higher! Inside the Temir Star System, on the flagship ¡®Giantsfield¡¯ of the Iron Tooth Clan Fleet, Saru strangled yet another impish creature, heartily devouring its heart. The dripping blood slightly calmed his state of mind, and he was finally not so irritable. He was a general of the Iron Tooth Clan and had been a local warlord even before Titus rose to power. Born in a world within the Jiang Meiyu Sector, he quickly made a name for himself and became a Beastman overlord. Over the following decade, he fought left and right within the planet, mainly against other Green Skin tribes. Battle after battle, he became one of the only two Green Skin powerhouses on the planet, each being like fire and water to the other, with never-ending small-scale skirmishes. Both sides were also accumulating their strength, aiming to defeat the other in order to become the sole overlord of the planet. This was actually the daily routine for the Green Skin powers. Even with a unified leader, the several army chiefs underneath, and the subordinates below them, all were established through strife. Without solid personal strength, one could not become a chief among the Beastmen, not even a minor one. However, in general, the internal struggles of the Beastmen were controllable when there was a unified leader, and there was an organized degree of aggression in external wars. However, that was not the case in Saru¡¯s past. His subordinates had a unified leader, and their internal struggle was controllable; but when he confronted that other Beastman warlord on the same planet, it was incredibly bloody. But before they could determine a winner, Titus arrived. The opponent, who was defiant, was slaughtered; Saru submitted, so he lived. And during the subsequent campaigns, he had accomplished much for the Great Chieftain and had become a major warlord within the Iron Tooth Ork Empire. Being sent away from the main battlefield to ¡®stand guard¡¯ did not sit well with Saru. Although the Great Chieftain, with the rare style among the Beastmen, had thoroughly reasoned with him, adding prestige and brute force, he reluctantly accepted the command. He really did receive quite substantial support, not only bringing a valuable main warship but also leading a group of his elite tribesmen. Moreover, he could also command the powers within the four major Star Sectors¨Cthe very heartland of the Iron-teeth Empire. That was no small force, amounting to dozens of Green Skin worlds! After falling completely during the second Iron Teeth War, those planets were now dominated by Beastmen kings and overlords. The earliest had been conquered for over fifty years; the most recent, at least thirty. There might still be humans struggling to survive, but their numbers were absolutely sparse and nowhere near significant. On those worlds, wherever it was suitable, they had been almost completely transformed into a Green Skin ecosystem. Every day, countless Green Skin offspring were born, along with several times as many imps, and tens of times as many Skuggs. The former, the moment they came into existence, were excellent fighters; the middle ones, despite being cowardly, lazy, and unreliable, were sufficiently trustworthy for logistics, production, cannon fodder, and handling artillery and other large weapons; the latter could serve as food, since Green Skins would starve and grow weak from photosynthesis alone. The larger ones could be used as war dogs for assaults and charges on the battlefield, larger ones could pull carts as vehicles, and the biggest were the Skugg Beasts, veritable weapons of war. And on these worlds, there were Trash Cities everywhere. This was the core area of the Beastmen, where countless war factories born for battle, as well as the supporting facilities serving these factories, under the management of the Beastmen¡¯s tech dominance and with numerous imps as helpers and manual laborers, produced various weapons of war day and night, even constructing warships capable of space travel. This was the Green Skin; this was the Iron Tooth Clan. Saru had the authority over all kinds of resources and military movements in the heartland of the Iron Teeth Empire. As long as he met the various needs of the main battlefield personally led by Titus, he could use the remaining part as he saw fit. Therefore, he transported many troops and weapons from the heartland of the Beastman Empire and deployed them to the Golden Pass Star Sector. He certainly remembered the Great Chieftain¡¯s command: To guard the Golden Pass Star Sector, to prevent further human incursions from the east, to secure Golden Pass and Copper Barrier as well as other newly conquered worlds in the Eastern Star Domain, ensuring they could normally transform into Green Skin worlds and continue to provide resources for Titus¡¯ main expeditionary force. Given this, his primary defense location was naturally the three worlds in the Temir Star System. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Temir II already had the full conditions to transform into a Green Skin world. He had gathered a large number of personnel here to accelerate the transformation; Temir No.5 still had many humans living, and although the Green Skins had gained a foothold there, merely gaining a foothold was not enough, so he also invested a considerable number of troops on this world¡¯s surface. Temir IV had many mineral resources, but the terrain was too complicated and difficult to fight over, so he would take his time with it. Ideally, he would eliminate the human forces on these two worlds, No.2 and No.5, or at least render them ineffective. He would then fully convert the worlds into Green Skin environments, capable of continuously producing various Green Skin lifeforms, and construct many Trash Cities, set up Anti-Orbital Firepower, and develop in the direction of the Fortress Worlds for the Green Skins. However, his plan had now collapsed. The sudden advance of the human military took him by surprise. The ships he had brought back, along with those left by the already dead waste of space, Singlefang Ghost, forming the main Fleet, were still patrolling around the Golden Pass Star Sector. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 808 - Chapter 808: Chapter 443, the mobilization ratio must be higher!_2 Chapter 808: Chapter 443, the mobilization ratio must be higher!_2 The entire Star Sector still had seven worlds, and he also needed to push them toward full transformation, so ships were needed to visit each planet to provide orbital firepower support and accelerate the pace of the war; Continuous transport of troops from the Iron Tooth Orcs¡¯ nest to the twelve worlds of the Golden Pass Star Sector, especially the Temiral Tristar, also required the allocation of ships. Though his fleet had more than two hundred vessels, which seemed like a lot, they were needed here and there and couldn¡¯t easily be gathered together at once. Then, unexpectedly, a huge mishap occurred. The sudden action from humanity caught him utterly unprepared. In fact, this was essentially because he had always looked down on these Shrimp from the bottom of his heart. It was quite normal, ever since joining Chieftain Titus in raising arms and starting this grand waaagh, they had smashed through all opposition. Those Shrimp had caused them some trouble, but that was all it was ¨C trouble. Some places were indeed not so easy to conquer and required some effort, but those Shrimp never dared to take the offensive, only using various methods to stubbornly defend. The human armies he encountered along the way were all like this, so how could he respect these Shrimp¡¯s combat abilities? He did not take the initiative to seek out trouble with those Shrimp, proving himself to be much stronger than that waste Duguais, only because he was following Chieftain Titus¡¯s orders. How dare those Shrimp launch an attack? Even if the Shrimp really did come, he was actually not afraid. The dozen or so ships left at Temir weren¡¯t great, but on planets no. 4 and no. 5, combined, there were over five billion Green Skins, a small part grown locally, but most had been brought over after his return from the Green Skin nest. Among them, one billion were proper Beastmen! This was an absolutely formidable fighting force! Aside from the troops sent to Chieftain Titus, this was the largest Beastman assembly point. The humans thinking of taking the Temir Star System, how could it be easy? Even with orbital support, it would be difficult! As long as he held out for a while and regathered his dispersed fleet, he could quickly come to the rescue. But when he arrived here, all that greeted him was a silent Temir II. The surface was still hot, scalding, some areas already a grey-black; some spots on the ground were still glowing red. The residual heat of the planet hadn¡¯t dissipated. What was this? In Saru¡¯s mind, he couldn¡¯t think of anything that could cause such extensive devastation. In his life, he had never heard of or seen anything like it. But he knew that a major problem had occurred. On Temir II, two and a half billion Green Skins, including five hundred million Beastmen, were his primary assets. Gone in one fire, the planet and everything on it burned away, this was not only a total loss of the previous investment, but it was also a severe blow to the Iron-teeth Empire¡¯s power. Even if he now went to the four conquered Star Sectors to conscript, he couldn¡¯t conscript so many Green Skins. Especially couldn¡¯t conscript so many Beastman youngsters. The total number of Green Skins of the Iron Tooth Ork Empire, only counting Beastmen and Pixies, might be two hundred billion; of which, one hundred seventy billion had already left the four Star Sectors in the wake of this grand waaagh. Of course, so many Beastmen couldn¡¯t possibly all be aboard ships. All of the Iron Tooth Orc¡¯s vessels combined couldn¡¯t possibly have this kind of deployment capability, no matter how crowded or pushed to the limit. This vast number had actually been transported from the four Star Sectors in waves, distributed to the various planets encountered along the way. On the one hand, there was war to be waged, on the other, it was to spread their offspring. This is also why the Green Skin Orcs could spread the flames of war to half the Star Domain so quickly. The worlds invaded by them, numbering in the hundreds, some received tens of millions, while other worlds were flooded with hundreds of millions, or even billions. As long as these Green Skin creatures weren¡¯t completely exterminated on a planet, their blood, their body parts, all became carriers for new spores, taking root in the soil, sprouting, and forming Green Skin ecosystems, ceaselessly giving rise to more Green Skins. They didn¡¯t need to immediately annihilate all the humans on a planet, because that would make the expansion of the Beastman tribes too slow. They just needed to leave behind a sufficient fighting force to establish a foothold on a world, like infecting a planet with a tenacious fungus. In the fight, the Beastmen would grow stronger and more numerous, until they occupied the entire world. However, such aggressive expansion strategy also left their homeland vulnerable. Saru had no troops to summon. In this situation, the nearly two billion Green Skins on Temir No.5, especially the nearly four hundred million Beastman youngsters, could not afford to be lost. Otherwise, after a total loss of five billion in Temir, the remaining worlds in the Golden Pass Star Sector would only have about one billion Green Skins each. It wasn¡¯t until entering the Silver Pass Sector that each world would be guaranteed to have an average of seven or eight hundred million. How could they fend off these Shrimp¡¯s attacks? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Perhaps they lacked sufficient strength to break through Silver Pass, but the Golden Pass Star Sector would definitely fall. Then, his own head would definitely not be spared either. Chieftain Titus would not tolerate such failure; he needed the Iron Tooth youngsters to thrive in Golden Pass as well, hoping that Golden Pass could produce many weapons and equipment to support the consumption needed for this grand waaagh and sustain his expansion desires. From this perspective, Saru felt that Temir must not be lost. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 809 - Chapter 809: Chapter 443, the mobilization ratio must be higher!_3 Chapter 809: Chapter 443, the mobilization ratio must be higher!_3 No.2 was already gone, No.4¡¯s pitiful state could be ignored for now, but No.5 was indispensable to save. However, Saru, having already been dealt a heavy blow, did not dare to act too recklessly. He was intent on seeking a decisive battle with the Human Fleet, hoping that a victory would solve all problems. He could bombard Temir No.5 from orbit or requisition troops from the rear; sending billions and billions was impractical, but deploying millions in batches was feasible. However, Shrimp¡¯s Fleet did not give him that chance. They would slip away effortlessly, playing cat and mouse in the vast Star Sea of Temir, and definitely avoiding engagement. Yet, whenever he showed intentions of supporting the surface of Planet No.5, the Human Fleet would again appear, silently observing from a distance. As soon as the Green Skins targeted their firepower at the surface, those Shrimp Fleets would also open fire, pounding the warships. He had tried several times, even attempting to lure the Human Fleet into a decisive battle by feigning orbital support for Temir No.5, but all his schemes ultimately failed, and several ships were destroyed in the process. His only option was to provide minimal orbital fire power, which was almost negligible considering the size of the entire planet; He could also barely manage to dispatch some detached warships to the rear to transport some Green Skins and deploy them onto the surface, but he had to act carefully. During transit, they might be hunted by Shrimp¡¯s Fleet; during deployment, they would face blockades from the Human Fleet. But what else could he do? He had no choice but to proceed like this. On the ground, the moment the Military Governor, a trusted aide who rose from his ranks, assembled the troops and launched a massive offensive, he was filled with anticipation. Fight and win, once victorious, they could dominate the ground, preserve and even expand their territory, then exterminate all those Shrimps! Then, they would be able to firmly clamp down Temir, keeping Shrimp¡¯s forces beyond Golden Pass, fulfilling the great Chief¡¯s mission. Yet all he saw was a defeat. The situation on the ground deteriorated abruptly. Even though the loss of only two million troops might seem insignificant compared to the several billion still on the surface, in reality, the impact was significant. The death of the leader who oversaw all planetary ground forces ushered in massive chaos for the billions of Beastmen on the surface. Even if Saru immediately sent someone to take over and reorganize the command structure, it would take months. During this time, who knew how many capable fighters those Shrimps would eliminate. Furthermore, among these two million troops were elite units in large numbers, whose loss was even more unacceptable. Half of the high-level units across Planet No.5 were wiped out. The remaining forces saw a significant decrease in their combat effectiveness. No wonder Saru was infuriated and disoriented. He even considered going down to the surface himself. But he managed to control that impulse. At the same time, he realized that the situation in the Golden Pass Star Sector could no longer be concealed. He needed to inform the great Chief. Even though he expected to be severely reprimanded, possibly even executed, he had to proceed. Using the Prophet¡¯s abilities, he contacted the distant great Chief. After hearing the situation report, Titus did not explode in anger; instead, his voice turned very cold. This made Saru even more frightened. ¡°I will divert one hundred warships to return, picking up scattered warriors from various worlds along the way. You will receive a full-strength corps.¡± ¡°Guard the Golden Pass, this is your last chance, Saru. If you fail again, you know the consequences.¡± Saru sighed in relief. ¡°I will surely complete the mission! I won¡¯t fail again!¡± With these one hundred warships and the estimated billions of Beastmen he could bring back, not counting the nondescripts, his forces would be much more substantial. The available movable troops in the billions were one thing; what mattered the most were those hundred warships. With this resource, in the Temir Star System, he could use his forces to blockade the Human Fleet, then redirect those hundred warships to support the ground. The battle would become much easier. He knew this was indeed his last chance. He could not allow himself to fail. Of course, before the reinforcements arrived, he had to do his best to manage the situation on the ground and prevent any mishaps. ¡­ Gu Hang also received intelligence from the Temir Star System. The Extinction Order for Planet No.2 had been authorized by him for Du Shiliang to issue. Although it was very regrettable and cold, it was necessary. He was also aware of the developments on Temir No.5. After the annihilation of those two million Green Skins, Perbov seized the opportunity to pursue. Not only his own forces were mobilized, but almost the entire Alliance Land Forces on Planet No.5 were deployed, striking a surge of assaults across the global battlefield. In a very short time, they capitalized on the enemy¡¯s disarray and discord, claiming at least two billion Green Skin lives. Although most were lowly creatures, the subsequent eradication of the Green Skin ecosystem and Trash City were major blows to the Green Skin power on the planet. But it was far from a victory. Gu Hang had already approved a new batch of reinforcements. Twenty million warriors from the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps would head to fight on Temir No.5. However, deployment was a problem. He was also aware that the Green Skins had not given up on Temir No.5 and were still reinforcing. This planet showed signs of turning into a protracted battlefield. Gu Hang had no objections to this. Just fight. As long as they could firmly attract a part of the Green Skin forces, and even better, force the Green Skins to divert troops from the main battlefield for support, it would be beneficial. This also counted as him, a loyal and diligent servant, doing his duty. Of course, merely relying on the current tens of millions of elite humans on Temir No.5 was not enough to sustain the consumption of this prolonged war. The meat grinder being prolonged, required more troops to fill the line. For this part, Gu Hang planned to make Temir No.5 contribute. While the Beastman fleet still existed, troop deployment was inconvenient, a loss Gu Hang was not willing to bear. However, deploying a massive amount of weaponry and arming the local population as much as possible was more feasible. He had already ordered officials from the Alliance Military and Political Department to go to Temir No.5. The remaining eighty to ninety billion population on the planet had to push the mobilization ratio higher, the current four to five billion ¡®Pact Army¡¯ was simply inadequate. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In the face of an existential crisis, the mobilization rate of the Temirians had to be pulled to 10% or higher! ¡ª¡ª¨C 5.2k Still owe 61k wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 810 - Chapter 810: Chapter 444, the Alliance is frantically sucking blood Chapter 810: Chapter 444, the Alliance is frantically sucking blood Temir No.5 showed signs of becoming a permanent meat grinder. It was a terrifying thing. By the hundreds of millions, living beings would continuously die on this planet, one by one. With the current intensity of the war, perhaps every second saw a dozen or even dozens of deaths due to the conflict. The daily ammunition expenditure alone, converted into money, was an astronomical figure. Yet, for the survival of the species, these sacrifices, these fortunes, were all necessary expenditures. Actually, Gu Hang also realized this: the Green-skinned War swept across too vast an area with too great an intensity. Even a victory, say at Jindi Star where The Emperor descended and wiped out Titus¡¯s group of Green Skins, the subsequent issues were not simple. Estimates showed that hundreds of billions of Green Skins swarmed out from the territory of the Green-skinned Empire, engulfing various places. Which of the planets under attack didn¡¯t have tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, of Green Skins? To completely exterminate these Green Skins within the entire Star Domain, to destroy the ecosystems they left behind, that would be an enduring task, taking decades was the norm. The war was bound to be prolonged. In fact, this was the normal state of the entire Star Sea. Wars were always ongoing; those few years without a war, like the years before the start of the Beastman War, that brief period of peace that the Alliance had, were the rare commodities in this universe. And since war was bound to become prolonged and normalized, the Alliance must learn to seek development amidst war. Here, Gu Hang had two directions of effort, still divided into internal and external. Internally, all developmental aspects of the Alliance must lean towards the war. The manpower of the Alliance, first and foremost, must satisfy the army¡¯s manpower needs, followed by the production needs of various types of military supplies, logistics support, and all kinds of equipment. But this manpower and resources expended for the war were clearly not what one would call development. They were pure consumption. If the war had escalated to the point where the entire society had to devote every bit of manpower and resources to war-related matters, then one would have to forget about development altogether. Thinking about development when survival was at stake? Fight with all might, fail to fight and perish. But clearly, the war hadn¡¯t reached that point. If Titus¡¯s absolute main force did not return, then the Alliance still had some capacity left; if Titus¡¯s absolute main force did return, then even if the Alliance prepared fully for war, they would not be able to win. So proceed as normal. Aside from what was needed for war, under the Third Level Mobilization Order, social production must not stagnate. Various heavy industries producing new means of production, as well as various raw material industries, were all stepping up investment. Agricultural production was also intensifying. Under the Third Level Mobilization Order, economic development actually maintained a relatively high number, it was just that most of it was reinvested and consumed by the war, leaving a significantly reduced portion for the over six hundred billion residents of the Tianma Star Sector to improve their standard of living, but at least there was still a little bit. This was also Gu Hang¡¯s target when initiating the Third Level Mobilization Order: normal, even more stimulated high-speed economic growth; minimal investment in people¡¯s livelihoods. And if it reached the Second Level Mobilization Order, then people should forget about raising their standard of living as it would instead drop; moreover, the increase in productivity would likely be affected. Infrastructure construction would almost entirely halt, new factory construction would continue but would shift entirely towards military factories; everything would further serve the production of various military weapons and equipment. Once it reached the First Level Mobilization Order, not only would a large number of people have to serve in the military, but more importantly, all regular economic activity would grind to a halt, people¡¯s living standards would drop significantly, society would no longer develop, most civilian factories would transform to military use, the entire society would serve the war, and all productive forces would start to manufacture more war materials. Under this definition, Gu Hang very much hoped that the Alliance would never have to initiate the First Level Mobilization Order. That would mean the halt of societal development, the disruption of the Alliance¡¯s development process, and even the potential for development would be overextended. Still, it should be emphasized, when it truly came down to life and death, the First Level Mobilization Order had to be sounded when necessary. But unless it came to that, it was best not to raise the level of the mobilization order. Under the Third Level Mobilization Order, economic growth within society was still fast; as long as the people¡¯s livelihood didn¡¯t fall, that was good enough. This was the minimum contingency plan under the premise of responding to the war, while also seeking possible development, and it was also Gu Hang¡¯s requirement of the Alliance Government. The guaranteed option. Yet to truly gain development amidst the war, one had to rely on another aspect: external. As long as there was victory in war, there were always spoils to be won. Whether it was development space, wealth plundered, or new territories and populations brought about by expansion, these were avenues for a windfall. And now, what was Gu Hang¡¯s biggest harvest in this war? Of course, it was the entire Seven Horse Territory. The signing of the Seven Horse Treaty with six nearby Star Sectors turned them into de facto vassals of the Alliance. The most recent collection of the Imperial Tax was also the first time the Alliance ¡°helped¡± the Empire to collect taxes. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Following the signing of the treaty, tax collection began. Each Planetary Governor had their own opinions about this. Wasn¡¯t it collected every two years? It¡¯s been less than a year since we last paid the Imperial Tax, we¡¯ve only been under the Seven Horse Agreement for half a year at most, and some have just signed for one or two months. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 811 - Chapter 811: Chapter 444, The Alliance is Frantically Drawing Blood_2 Chapter 811: Chapter 444, The Alliance is Frantically Drawing Blood_2 ¡°You¡¯re going to collect the Imperial Tax now?¡± ¡°The Alliance also has a say in this.¡± ¡°During the war period, it¡¯s quite reasonable for the tax collection to change from once every two years to once a year, right?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t adjusted the amount of your tax! The amount due remains the same; it¡¯s just that in extraordinary times, I collect it once a year.¡± Beneath the might of the Alliance, these planets eventually had no choice but to hold their noses and accept it. In the six Star Sectors, with a total population of over 110 billion, they indeed managed to collect nearly 12 billion Tax Currency in resources through taxation. Yelisia¡¯s fleet, which mostly comprised ships from the Gu Commercial Firm, as well as some small Empire Commerce Guild ships conscripted from these Star Sectors, worked hard to help the Alliance transport these resources. These resources each had their uses; some were directly sent to the front lines in packages; the majority were transported back to the various worlds in the Tianma Star Sector to serve as raw materials and subsequent processed goods, used to produce more war supplies, or simply used to issue resources to the workers of the Tianma Star Sector instead of the originally planned welfare, allowances, and salaries, saving money for the Alliance to be further used in development. In addition to the 12 billion Imperial Tax, there was an extra 1 billion Tax Currency in war taxes, and a large number of Planetary Defense Forces, which, apart from being taken as a form of human tax, were also conscripted in great numbers to serve as ¡®Pact Troops.¡¯ Some were directly used as a source of troops to replenish the Alliance Army. The combined revenue of 13 billion Tax Currency was nearly equivalent to the Alliance¡¯s annual income in the past. With a population of over 60 billion in the Tianma Star Sector, after paying the Imperial Tax each year, the remaining financial income left for the Alliance was only about 13.8 billion. And now, there were three main parts: the 11.3 billion Imperial Tax that the Alliance originally should have paid was now kept for its own use; the original financial income of 13.8 billion; the revenue of 13 billion brought by the Seven Horse Pact. A total of 38.1 billion; that was the wealth the Alliance could use each year since the start of the war. This was a tremendous amount of money! If measured in the price of ships, that would equate to 22 ¡®Ravenous Shark¡¯ Destroyers; 5 ¡®Musician¡¯ Cruisers with some to spare; and even if buying a Battleship was expensive, within two years, one could still be acquired. Of course, there was nowhere to buy them right now. And besides, this money was not without places to be spent. In fact, the Alliance now had many places to spend money. The fierce frontline war alone required the Alliance to pour in five hundred million a month on Temir No.5, and that¡¯s with the local planets bearing a significant part of the war consumption. Not to mention, a large number of Alliance Troops were continuously clearing out the Green Skin invasions in Mist Horse, Eagle Horse Star Sector; although the intensity cannot be compared to main battlefields like Temir No.5, the numbers were substantial! Moreover, the ¡®Pact Army,¡¯ which far outnumbered the Alliance Land Forces, although in theory, the war expenses were to be borne by the planets providing the troops, not all of these planets could afford the cost, nor necessarily provide it promptly¨Cthis was indeed a matter of capability¨Cthe Alliance could not really ignore it. Everything required money. The navy was also a huge money pit. Not to mention, the Alliance was continuously constructing new ships and expanding new legions. Over 17 billion was spent on military costs in a year. If not for the fact that they no longer had to pay the Imperial Tax, the Alliance¡¯s own finances would absolutely be unable to withstand such expenses. And now, not only could the Alliance manage its expenses, it was even able to spare 20 billion. And this money, used for military expansion, production reinvestment, infrastructure on the nine major planets of Tianma¡­everything was launched full scale, even more thriving than before the war began. Economic production growth indices, which were already not demanded of Osenia, were actually met under the investment of this tremendous additional wealth. Even far beyond expectations. 10%? Easily exceeded! The Alliance¡¯s financial settlement for the next year was estimated to be over 16 billion, compared to 13.8 billion before the war, indicating a clear growth! Of course, Gu Hang did not deny that the development of the Alliance was built upon exploiting the surrounding Seven Horse Territory. But, they were going to be exploited anyway, even the Tianma Star Sector itself was to be extracted from. Previously it was the Empire doing the exploiting, and now, during special times when the Empire couldn¡¯t do so, shouldn¡¯t the Alliance have a few years to indulge? The exploitation felt truly exhilarating. Apart from ¡®Vassal¡¯ benefits, the Alliance also gained direct ¡®spoils of war.¡¯ Fighting the Green Skins was not initially profitable, as the weapons, equipment, and ships of the Green Skins, even if captured, could not be used or handled by humans. Nor would there be captives among the Green Skins, for even if they were forcibly taken, one should not expect them to be put to work as laborers. However, in the Temir Star System in the Golden Pass Star Sector, the Alliance still had gains. That was the population. During this period, the Alliance has already transferred over three hundred million people from Temir No.4 and No.5, isn¡¯t that also 1.5 billion? Moreover, Gu Hang never saw the value of a person as merely five dollars. The value that a person can create over a lifetime is far greater than this number. These people are currently on Steel Wing Star, contributing their labor to the military construction and repair work on Steel Wing Star, including the building of the Orbital Cannon Fortress. Latter on, once the transport capacity is increased or a portion of the transport can be freed up from the pressures at the front, these people, and those who will be transferred subsequently, will only leave behind a small part of their population as a supplement for this planet, with the majority being relocated to within the Tianma Star Sector, to be integrated into various worlds. Three hundred million people, is just a start. Temir No.4 and No.5, as well as other worlds that may be further invaded within the Golden Pass Star Sector in the future, are not suitable for too many civilians to live on anymore. As many of these people as possible will be transferred to the Tianma Star Sector. Korolya¡¯s population capacity has reached its limit and even far exceeded it; however, the population capacity of Rage Owl Star, Hongjian Star, and the Fatchess Tri-Star still have spare capacity. At least until the population expands to eighty billion, the Tianma Star Sector will not be overcrowded. If it really can¡¯t be managed, they can also be settled in other star sectors of the Seven Horse Territory. Aside from finance, the main growth in economic production is reflected in the military industry. New shipyards have been completed one after another in the Starport on Flying Wing Star and Rage Owl Star; the production lines for Titans, Knight Mechas, Feedback-Type Power Armors, LR and HS series rifles, Lions, and Lion Kings are also all being rapidly expanded. In the future, there will be more ships and better Land Forces equipment produced. Not to mention, this is only the account of the economic finance, and the Grace Points haven¡¯t been calculated yet. Rapid economic development brings an increase in Grace Points each month. Now, the income provided by the Alliance homeland has reached 36,000/month, a 12.5% increase compared to before the war. The growth of monthly Grace income is not linear; it is not just giving one point per person, ten points for ten people. After so long, Gu Hang roughly figured out that it should follow a certain milestone growth pattern¨Ca mode that increases a few points after reaching a growth indicator, and will not inflate indefinitely. This left Gu Hang a bit regretful; otherwise, according to his calculations when he first arrived years ago, a few thousand people could bring him tens of Grace Points; now with the 60 billion people under his direct control, wouldn¡¯t that give him several billion Grace Points per month? But even without dreaming that big, there was something else Gu Hang had not anticipated. After the signing of the Seven Horse Pact, the other sixty-nine worlds of the Six Horse Territory were all accounted for by the system. He originally thought the stingy system would not count it for him! Of course, it was impossible to count all these seventy-nine worlds and over one hundred ten billion people as homeland. That was not the homeland to begin with. However, that [Vassal] panel that the system activated when Gu Hang brutally beat up Heijian Star was once again put to use. The seventy-nine worlds were counted as vassals, and most of the vassal levels were around LV2. This grade means there is a high tendency for separation and certain societal instability. A few could reach LV3, which is the stable vassal level. There are also a few that have reached LV1, meaning extraordinarily intransigent separatism. Gu Hang didn¡¯t find this surprising. It¡¯s quite normal, since these vassals were not acquired through normal means, it is not surprising there is instability within, and that the governors or local powers on the planets want to separate. LV2 he could accept, as long as it¡¯s not a large number of LV1s, which would lead to higher suppression costs. As for the Grace Points provided by these vassals, they were not much, mainly because the Grace Points provided by vassals inherently come at a huge discount. But all combined, they were quite substantial, amounting to four thousand points per month. This is a supplementary income of Grace Points for Gu Hang, to some extent. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And the major portion of Grace Points comes from war victories. However, since the battle of Steel Wing Star ended, the minor skirmishes on various planets like Eagle Horse and Mist Horse did not contribute much. As for the current campaign in Temir, although it was fought on a large scale, it has not yet reached a conclusion, and the system has not settled the account yet. But it can be imagined that as long as they win, the reward will not be small. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 812 - Chapter 812: Chapter 445, Sect of Mechanics Cannot Hold On Chapter 812: Chapter 445, Sect of Mechanics Cannot Hold On Although the monthly income had been substantial when added up, it was still too slow. Since the battle at Steel Wing Star had ended, nearly half a year had passed unnoticed, and Gu Hang had only managed to accrue about 200,000 Grace Points. That wasn¡¯t a lot. War was always the fastest source of Grace Points. The battle at Steel Wing Star had granted him 930,000 Grace Points, and the Temir campaign would yield even more. Although the naval portion wasn¡¯t as intense as that of the Steel Wing Star battle and hadn¡¯t caused significant casualties thus far, the land warfare on the two planets involved was on a larger scale than Steel Wing Star. And then there were the over two billion Green Skins burned to death by the Skyburn Torpedoes on Temir II¡­ Hmm, he wasn¡¯t sure how the system would calculate that. But overall, if the Temir campaign ended in victory, it would certainly result in a substantial amount of Grace Points, no less than a million. Furthermore, as the war dragged on, it could potentially increase even more. However, in this regard, Gu Hang actually felt a bit uneasy. As of now, the Temir campaign hadn¡¯t finished, and as he had thought earlier, this meat grinder of a battlefield would become prolonged. However, the war rewards wouldn¡¯t be calculated until after the campaign had ended. What if they lost? Defeats weren¡¯t calculated. To date, Gu Hang hadn¡¯t been spared from defeats¨Cespecially now, with countless planets seeing Alliance soldiers battling it out with Mist Horses and Eagle Horses. Though small in scale, a battle won would result in Grace Points; a battle lost would result in none. With such massive and prolonged investments in the Temir campaign, what would happen if they ended up losing and having to withdraw? The large expected bounty of Grace Points would vanish. That was distressing for Gu Hang. But he immediately reminded himself. He couldn¡¯t be blinded by these things. A million Grace Points is a lot? Of course it¡¯s a lot, a very large amount. But are a million Grace Points a transformative force? Not really. Military actions must be judged based on military conditions. If the situation truly changes, they must let go of what they need to let go, and not turn a local battle into a do-or-die war; that would truly be a waste and completely unnecessary. Nor can they take unnecessary military risks just because they want the Grace Points to be calculated sooner. Gu Hang understood all these principles. But that step hadn¡¯t yet been reached. Who said they couldn¡¯t win the Temir campaign? Gu Hang believed that the Alliance had a clear advantage! ¡­ ¡°Gu Hang, be careful, there might be changes with the Temir situation.¡± The speaker was Tan Jiuyi, the Star Domain Head. That day, Gu Hang had received a call invitation from him. Normally, the Star Language Hall in Yunluo couldn¡¯t reach Gu Hang; their Star Speakers weren¡¯t skilled enough. However, this time there was no other way, so they assigned Gu Hang an old acquaintance: Zhang Guang¡¯en, A-grade Psychic and Star Domain Great Mage, to personally operate the Star Language Tower. It took quite an effort, managing to penetrate the green waves of subspace and send the Star Speech information through. Tan Jiuyi started the conversation by giving thanks. He thanked Gu Hang for informing him about the outcomes at Frost Origin IV beforehand. At the time, he was hesitant and unwilling to believe it, but given the gravity of the situation, if it were true, it would be disastrous. Therefore, on one hand, he hastened to gather the latest information on the battle situation at Frost Origin IV, and on the other, he activated the corresponding contingencies, preparing for the worst-case scenario where Frost Origin IV was lost and the main forces wiped out. These strategies included drafting a large number of commercial ships from the Empire Commerce Guild, gathering more Defense Armies and Star Realm Armies, asking for assistance from other Star Domains, converting all local planets to military production, and setting up defenses around the outer worlds near Yunluo Star¡­ In fact, it was confirmed that Gu Hang hadn¡¯t deceived him. When the situation at Frost Origin IV was confirmed, almost a month had passed since the war had ended. Indeed, over that month, while Tan Jiuyi had been deliberately seeking out information, a fair amount of news had already suggested this. But until the Founding General of the Mechanical Cult, Chen Haixu, had escaped back to Jindi Star with a group of people and contacted him, did he truly learn the details of the war. While it was a severe blow, there was at least one thing to be grateful for: he knew a month earlier and had prepared a month in advance, which prevented him from being caught completely off guard by the news. Actually, these preparations had proven effective. Forewarned defenses around the outer star systems of Yunluo Star held back and eliminated some of the smaller groups of invading Green Skins, preventing their forces from directly landing in the core area of the Yunluo Sector. The war supplies prepared in advance also played a certain role. The direction of the Beastman army was towards Jindi Star. It was clear that the Green Skins had their primary target set on this Mechanical Cult¡¯s Foundry World. Not attacking Yunluo was indeed a relief for Tan Jiuyi, but he also realized that the fates of Yunluo and Jindi were now more firmly intertwined. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Without Jindi, Yunluo would fall. And it would fall quickly. Those prepared military assets and gathered soldiers, aboard every transport ship they could muster, went to Jindi Star before the Green Skins could blockade the route between the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector and the Yunluo Star Sector. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Yunluo Fleet that escaped from Frost Origin IV¨Cyes, the Yunluo Fleet had managed to escape again. When Frost Origin IV took a beating and the Mechanical Ark fell, the Yunluo Fleet was still orbiting the outer perimeter of the planet. Discovering the combat moon and realizing the Mechanical Ark was doomed, they had no illusions and hastily fled. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 813 - Chapter 813: Chapter 445, Sect of Mechanics Cant Hold Up_2 Chapter 813: Chapter 445, Sect of Mechanics Can¡¯t Hold Up_2 It might sound rather unkind, but in reality, preserving a fleet consisting of hundreds of warships, including several main cruisers, was crucial for the upcoming defense battle at Jindi Star. The battle for Jindi Star had already begun. This time, Chen Haixu and a group of the Great Sages from the Sect of Mechanics didn¡¯t run away. There was nowhere left to run. Moreover, Jindi Star was not indefensible. It was the stronghold of the Mingyang Sect, a bona fide Foundry World. Although the Mingyang Sect had dispatched a large number of their Protection Army to Frost Origin IV, that wasn¡¯t their entire reserve. On Jindi Star, there remained a huge number of the Protection Army, and even half of the Titan Legion. Moreover, Jindi Star had a total population of thirty billion, providing ample manpower; around Jindi Star, there were several feudal worlds, or rather, Knight Worlds, guarding it. These Knight Worlds resembled the former Heijian Star, stripping away the kings. Each Knight Family was awarded a piece of land, with a group of old peasants cultivating their fields and sustaining their lives, reminiscent of a medieval pastoral idyll. Then, you would see a certain model of a Knight Mecha parked in the old lord¡¯s house of these knights. These knights were the ¡°vassals¡± of The Emperor¨Cin name only. In reality, they were fully supported by the Sect of Mechanics and loyal to it. When the knights from these various Knight Worlds gathered, they constituted a military force not to be underestimated. Of course, they had already rallied once at the behest of the Mingyang Sect to head for Frost Origin IV, and the outcome need not be discussed further. Yet, this time, they still responded to the call. Together, these Knight Mechas from the knight families also formed a crucial part of the Mingyang Sect¡¯s Titan Legion. Furthermore, there were at least four to five hundred million of the Protection Army on Jindi Star, plus twice that number of Mechanic Servants. The combat ability of the Protection Army was not inferior to that of the Star Realm Army. They had ample artillery and armor, along with numerous Mecha Soldiers. These assets were the solid foundation for Jindi Star to withstand the enemy. Certainly, if the Green-Skins¡¯ Fleet were allowed to bombard the surface from orbit at will, no matter how elite the terrestrial forces might be, victory in battle would be nearly impossible. But what made Jindi Star different was that this Foundry World possessed a very comprehensive orbital defense system. Space stations and Star Fortresses abundant with surface-orbital cannons were not so easily dealt with. Not to mention, the Yunluo Fleet had not been vanquished, which was extremely good news. Although they could not contend with the Green-Skins¡¯ main Fleet, they could at least serve as a distraction. True, the Green-Skins¡¯ Fleet was enormous, but under such defenses, even with their combat moons, they could only gain an advantage, unable to completely suppress all human land forces¡¯ activities on the ground. There was still a fight to be had. Such defenses could not last on other planets and would be quickly overwhelmed. Once space stations and Star Fortresses were eliminated and enough surface orbital cannons were destroyed, it was only a matter of time before they would be doomed. However, Foundry Worlds like Jindi Star differed in that their production capacity was fierce. As long as most of the Foundry Plants remained uncaptured by the Green-Skins¡¯ Land Forces, loads of orbital cannons could be produced and deployed on the planet. The condition was that both the Protection Army and Mechanic Servant forces needed to hold their ground. From this perspective, Jindi Star was clearly a more suitable and advantageous battlefield for humans compared to Frost Origin IV. If the situation from Frost Origin IV had been transplanted to Jindi Star, the Green-Skins would not have had such an easy time, and with Mechanical Arks and an orbital defense system, their crippled pseudo-combat moon would be useless, unable to even secure orbital superiority, achieving at best a stalemate. However, at that time, the human side¡¯s decision makers believed they had sufficient strength to repel the Beastman invasion. Under this premise, they did not want a core world like Jindi Star, which the Mingyang Sect certainly did not wish to see turned into a battleground and be wrecked. The appearance of the combat moon took everyone by surprise. As for now, there was nothing he could do but fight desperately. The defensive battle of Jindi Star had been ongoing for three months, having started slightly later than the Alliance¡¯s engagement in the Temir campaign. It was incredibly arduous. This intelligence, Gu Hang already knew, even without Tan Jiuyi telling him. In fact, because Wu Jiarong, a Dominant Bishop who was on the front lines, occasionally sent him a ¡®message,¡¯ Gu Hang was even more informed about the specifics of the Jindi Star battle than Tan Jiuyi. It was a battlefield more brutal than the ground war on Temir No.5. Firstly, the scale was much larger, with the forces involved being three times greater than those at the Temir conflict, and the quality of troops was much higher. The Protection Army¡¯s equipment standards were even slightly better than those of the Alliance Land Forces; on the other side, the Green Skins¡¯ main units and the number of elite Green Skins were far more than here at Temir. After reviewing the intelligence on the Jindi Star campaign, Gu Hang fell silent for a moment. He assessed that even with the Alliance sounding the first-level mobilization order, they couldn¡¯t wage such a war. The production capabilities couldn¡¯t keep up, not to mention having to fight on their own territory, which would additionally suffer from orbital bombardments¡­ It was just not feasible. It only goes to show that the revolution is not yet successful, and comrades still need to strive. But soon, Gu Hang was reinvigorated. After all, how many years had Jindi Star been accumulating its construction? Plus, the Foundry World of the Sect of Mechanics didn¡¯t even have to pay the Imperial Tax¨Calthough it had to accept orders from the Empire. He had only fully controlled the Tianma Star Sector for almost five years; only his home base, Rage Owl Star, had a longer development period of about a decade or so. Gu Hang believed that given more time, even continuing to shoulder the Imperial Tax, he would quickly reach the level of JindI Star. And after discussing the situation of the Jindi Star campaign, Gu Hang also mentioned his initiative to launch an offensive on the Temir Star System and open up a second front, which suddenly made Tan Jiuyi realize a problem and issue a warning to Gu Hang. ¡°We detected that a hundred Green-Skin warships have left the operational sequence of the Jindi Star campaign, and even left the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector. We don¡¯t know their destination, initially thinking these were Green Skins dividing their forces to attack elsewhere, which was very concerning. But combining this with the timing of your launching the Temir campaign, these hundred ships and the soldiers they are transporting, might be an alien force returning to defend.¡± Gu Hang stroked his chin. He had not been able to obtain this information in advance. But likewise, he believed Tan Jiuyi would not speak nonsense about this matter. A hundred Green-Skinned warships could potentially transport one or two billion Green Skin troops at their limit. That indeed posed a bit of a challenge. Seeing Gu Hang in a reflective state, Tan Jiuyi couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°You must be careful, it¡¯s imperative that nothing goes wrong.¡± Gu Hang smiled, ¡°Mr. Tan got concerned about me? A hundred warships plus possibly a billion alien Green Skins leaving the Jindi Star battlefield, isn¡¯t that a good thing for the main battleground?¡± Tan Jiuyi sighed, ¡°Indeed, it is a good thing. If possible, I would hope all the main Green Skin forces turn towards the Eastern Star Domain to let you drag out the fight as long as possible. Once the reinforcements from Cosmos Domain and the ¡®Furyflame¡¯ Battle Group arrive, we could start counterattacking. But¡­ I know that¡¯s not possible. Therefore, I¡¯d rather hope that you do well in the Eastern Star Domain, make a bigger impact, and, ideally, penetrate these damned aliens¡¯ stronghold. If you¡¯re finished, it could actually cause the Green Skins to focus more forces on attacking Jindi Star.¡± ¡°Indeed, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang responded with a phrase. This batch of Green-Skin reinforcements was not to be underestimated. The Land Forces aside, a hundred ships might include a few of the Green Skins¡¯ main forces. Their arrival could greatly change the dynamics of the Temir campaign. With both navies combined, Du Shiliang might not be able to withstand them. After ending the communication, he pondered for a moment and made a decision. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 814 - Chapter 814: Chapter 446, Mutinous Interstellar Warriors Chapter 814: Chapter 446, Mutinous Interstellar Warriors Gu Hang¡¯s thinking was quite natural: knowing that Green Skin reinforcements were on their way, it was only logical to try to defeat the enemy at hand before the arrival of the reinforcements. Even if it meant paying a price. If they didn¡¯t take action now, it would be even harder to deal with them once they joined forces. The terrestrial battlefield of Temir No.5 was unlikely to decide a winner so quickly. Even if you were slaughtering pigs, you couldn¡¯t kill billions of Green Skins that fast. The previous victory Perbov had achieved did successfully disrupt the Green Skin defensive line in one entire direction, throwing the entire planet into chaos due to the loss of their highest commander. Seizing this chance, he efficiently directed his troops, winning several annihilation battles, battles of destruction. Moreover, across the entire planet, the entire continental range, human military forces had launched a wave of offensive peaks. Over thousands of miles of front lines, with the Alliance Army at its core and the Pact Army in support, there was a full-scale offensive. Often a breakthrough point was made, which attracted a Green Skin counterattack; then the sides, left empty, were breached by humans and surrounded, creating a situation like swallowing dumplings. Or a Trash City was raided by elite soldiers of the human Alliance, and because the Beastmen were not subordinate to each other and their commands were confused and reinforcements were too slow, the Trash City was left full of farts. In the hands of human elites, they had no advantage and were quickly eliminated. The loss of a large number of personnel was one thing, but the main loss was the production capability of Trash City, as well as a considerable amount of Green Skin military supplies that had not yet been transported out. Similar situations repeatedly occurred all over the planet. In total, over two hundred million Green Skins were eradicated in the two months following the battle. Of these, at least fifty million true Green Skin Orcs had been killed. The Green Skin forces on the surface of Temir No.5 had shrunk considerably. And to kill those two hundred million Green Skins, the human losses had also exceeded thirty million ¡ª mostly from the Pact Army, with a little over ten million casualties coming from the Alliance Army. The casualty ratio was still quite impressive. Even if farts weren¡¯t considered people, it was still 3:5, which was not too bad. Besides, farts were not really non-people. They provided logistical support to the Green Skin army, which was an important guarantee for the continuation of the war, and were also the appropriate operators for long-range bombardments. However, the situation on Temir No.5 had slowed down lately. After two months of fierce attacks, human forces were running out of steam. Soldiers due for a rotation needed a break, and the necessary supplies had to arrive. And the areas taken needed to be ¡°sterilized,¡± otherwise new Green Skins would sprout up, requiring manpower to suppress. Additionally, the Beastman leader Saru had also sent a new Military Governor to land on the surface. The Green Skin command system began to recover, no longer as disorganized, and it was no longer so easy to take advantage of the chaos to reap large numbers of Green Skin lives as before. Both sides were licking their wounds. And in space, the battles were ongoing. Neither side wanted a decisive battle or to make it easy for the other side to support the ground forces, did they? Gu Hang would not let Du Shiliang go after those Green Skin Fleets with full force right now. The odds of winning weren¡¯t high enough. What was the point of fighting a 50-50 battle? And just right, Yelisia¡¯s patrol mission in the Seven Horse Territory had ended, and all the worlds had signed the Seven Horse Pact. Although it would be best to let half of the United Fleet continue to patrol and deter others for a while, given some vassals¡¯ tendencies toward separatism were still not low. But looking at the current situation, it wasn¡¯t fitting. Yelisia needed to quickly take half of the United Fleet to the Temir Star System, and on the way, pick up Gu Hang and join forces with Du Shiliang, striving to destroy, or at least severely damage, the Green Skin Fleet before the Green Skin reinforcements arrived. However, just as Gu Hang was about to issue the order for Yelisia to lead the Fleet, the female General preempted him with a message. There was trouble in the Iron Horse Sector. The Xiaxing I Star System in the Iron Horse Sector was a star system with three habitable planets. During the previous collection of Imperial Tax, no issues arose with the other two, but there was trouble on Xiaxing I3 Planet. On this post-colonial planet with a population of 800 million, the separatist forces were particularly violent, having already raised a declared rebellion and raided the planet¡¯s prepared Imperial Tax. Out of a total tax revenue of eighty million for the entire planet, they had only robbed about twenty million worth of goods. But the nature of this incident was very serious, and naturally, it had to be resolved. The local forces converted to the Pact Army had already started the suppression of the rebellion, but the Alliance couldn¡¯t just stand by and do nothing. After all, the Seven Horse Pact had been signed, so how could they just collect money and not deal with the problem? Conveniently, Yelisia was nearby. Alliance operatives first went down to investigate the situation, and then they called for reinforcements, claiming they had found the rebel leaders¡¯ location and requested direct military elimination. The method of elimination was for Yelisia to send out a few Escort Ships, which launched several missiles toward the reported coordinates to bomb the area. After that, the Navy Marine Corps, led by a team of Phoenixes, landed on the Planet. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Their mission was to eliminate the enemy leaders, destroy the command center, and then evacuate. These tasks should have been a walk in the park for the Phoenixes. In theory, such physical destruction should have solved the problem, but an accident occurred. The landed Phoenixes and the Marine Corps they led were all normal at first, but suddenly, at some moment, they went completely off the grid. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 815 - Chapter 815: Chapter 446, Mutinous Star Warriors_2 Chapter 815: Chapter 446, Mutinous Star Warriors_2 Very unusual. If it were only members of the Marine Corps, that would be one thing, but there was an entire squad of the Phoenix leading the team. Even if the battle was intense and the mission difficult, they were Interstellar Warriors, how could they disappear without a sound? Then, the commander on the Starship received information from the ground operatives. They reported that the Phoenix and the Marine squad had encountered an accident, with rebel forces capable of information interference, resulting in the special task squad being surrounded by enemy forces and unable to contact the higher ups. Reinforcements were urgently needed on the ground. The commander on the Starship was worried but, after much deliberation, decided to send in more reinforcements. Missiles were fired again at the enemy¡¯s gathered position, followed by a new team of Phoenix leading elite Marines to the surface. This time, their goal wasn¡¯t even to eliminate the enemy¡¯s leader or strike at the rebel heart, but merely to cover the previously landed troops and evacuate them via transport craft. Yet, the outcome of this reinforcement effort was still far from ideal, as the team quickly lost contact after landing. At this point, the situation was serious. The ground operatives reported back with updates and requested reinforcements again, but the commander, already suspicious from the previous round, was not going to be fooled a third time. On one hand, he reassured the ground operatives, and on the other hand, he contacted the superior unit of that group of operatives, reporting the situation upwards. Then, a new group of operatives descended, and quickly concluded that the previous group had defected. It was feared that the two waves of elite troops, now likely faced grim odds. The commander on the Starship was furious. But he also had some doubts. Defection of operatives¡­ was it that easy to defect? What could a group of native rebels on a planet offer to tempt the special operatives trained by the Alliance¡¯s three major intelligence agencies to defect? Even if they had defected, luring elite Alliance forces to land, but how could dozens of Phoenix and hundreds of Marines be so easily wiped out? Even with fewer numbers and lacking heavy equipment, if they couldn¡¯t win or were surrounded, how could they be wiped out so quickly? The commanders above no longer considered the possibility that the troops on the ground were still alive, just cut off from communication. Very low. Those defection operatives kept sending out false information, aiming to lure more Phoenixes, more human forces to descend. They didn¡¯t seem worried about their scheme backfiring; their attitude was more like, ¡®the more you send, the more I¡¯ll consume.¡¯ Were these rebels that strong? However, it was now time to abandon the approach of surgical strikes and quick resolutions. The commander called for more reinforcements, and soon the ships in the Xiaxing I Star System were not just a few Escort Ships. More vessels arrived, deploying large numbers of Land Forces. The 17th Army Group of the Alliance Army, and the 3rd Army Group, were deployed to the surface of Xiaxing I-3 Planet. The separatists on Xiaxing I-3 had sparked a substantial rebellion. Five of the planet¡¯s provinces had been swept up in it, with a controlled population of fifty million and rebel numbers around three million strong. They were up against a Pact Army of five million, with the battle ebbing and flowing. Under such circumstances, an Alliance Army Group of a million soldiers, with extra-ordinarily powerful orbital fire support, would undoubtedly be too much for the rebels. If there was something extraordinary among the rebels, it would naturally be forced out. And indeed, it was. Under pressure, the core military forces of the separatists emerged: swarms of Interstellar Warriors. Interstellar Warriors? When the Alliance commander orbiting above received this intelligence from the ground forces, his eyeballs almost popped out! How could that be possible? Why would Interstellar Warriors appear among a group of separatist forces from a native planet? How could they possibly get the help of Interstellar Warriors?! Could it be that everyone is Mr. Gu? In previous wars, it was the Alliance that stunned others with the Phoenix, leaving them dumbfounded, completely at a loss as to what to do. Now, the same situation has happened to the Alliance itself. But soon after, they realized that the Interstellar Warriors helping the separatist forces of Xiaxing I-3 Planet were not ordinary Interstellar Warriors. They did not bear the Imperial Aquila insignia, nor did they carry the medals that proclaim honor. Were these members of the Interstellar Warrior betrayed? The situation had become serious. Relevant intelligence was rapidly transmitted back. At the same time, warships in the planet¡¯s orbit began to prepare to step up fire support. What about Interstellar Warriors? Without any orbital control, even the most formidable Interstellar Warrior would still have to obediently take the bombardment on the surface. However, the United Fleet¡¯s commander was quickly proven wrong. Did those mutinous Interstellar Warriors really not have any means to threaten the orbit? Indeed not. Xiaxing I-3 had a decrepit small starport, a few anti-orbit cannons on the ground that could be counted on one hand, no Star Fortresses in orbit, only a few Armed Space Stations, at best able to defend against small-scale pirates. Against the current naval scale above in orbit, with escort ships and destroyers adding up to a double-digit count, and at least twenty patrol ships, they had no capacity to respond. But¡­ who said that these mutinous Interstellar Warriors, popping up from who knows where, could only exert force from the surface? While the ships of the United Fleet were busily bombing from the orbit, their star gazers soon made a chilling discovery: they noticed the sudden appearance of a massive, unidentified starship within the star system! This starship apparently had been hidden behind the star all along, its massive presence obstructing many standard monitoring methods. And now, this warship had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, catching everyone by surprise. But if it were just one warship, there would be nothing too frightening about it. After all, there were more than thirty warships in Xiaxing I-3¡¯s orbit. But soon, as this colossal vessel drew nearer, and observers were able to examine it in greater detail, and the related intelligence was transmitted back, sheer terror ensued! The ship was enormous! It appeared to be 28 kilometers long! Despite its ominous appearance and being decked with many disgusting demonic goat¡¯s head images, and many chaotic eight-pointed star patterns that were explicitly defined as taboo and not allowed in human society, the overall design still allowed some veteran navy personnel to recognize it as a ship very similar to the Retribution-class battleship of the human navy. The ¡®Retribution class¡¯ was a bona fide mainline battleship! It was also the most common battleship in the Imperial Navy! Clearly, this was no friend. It is highly probable that it was the ride of those mutinous Interstellar Warriors on the ground. Nobody could have imagined that this group of Interstellar Warriors actually had a battleship in their possession. Although this Retribution-class battleship was just a lone ship, without a large number of non-mainline ships to fight alongside it, which would reduce its combat effectiveness and make it much more vulnerable. But no matter how fragile, no matter how much its combat effectiveness was reduced, it was still a bona fide battleship. Presently, the ships orbiting Xiaxing I-3 that were part of the United Fleet were all children compared to this battleship. Its main guns of X-grade could take out a ¡®child¡¯ with a single shot. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only No matter the grade of the energy shields or the armor, just escort ships or destroyers with their high-powered energy shields were just that. A single shot would blow up both the ship and its shields together. Conversely, the lighter firepower of the United Fleet¡¯s ships was much less of a threat to the battleship. They probably couldn¡¯t even break through the enemy¡¯s Void Shields, and our thirty ships would be called out one by one and be completely destroyed. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 816 - Chapter 816: Chapter 447, Iron Horse Sea Battle Chapter 816: Chapter 447, Iron Horse Sea Battle The naval battle on the Xiahang I-3 had not truly erupted. The commander of the United Fleet knew it was impossible to fight, so they certainly didn¡¯t force a confrontation. They simply detached from the planet¡¯s orbit and fled with their tails between their legs. Meanwhile, that ghastly Retribution-class Battleship did not pursue them. It only approached Xiahang I-3, bombarded the surface with a few cannon rounds, then deployed transport ships that landed on the ground. Soon, these transport ships returned to it. Immediately afterward, the battleship left the planet¡¯s orbit and set off into the distance. The unnerved ships of the Alliance Navy had also come to their senses by this time. This battleship was probably belonging to the rebel battle group that had appeared on the planet. Its emergence into the planet¡¯s orbit was likely just to retrieve the battle group. It seemed this battle group did not wish to occupy the planet. They must have realized that with their strength, even with a battleship at their disposal, they could not realistically confront the Alliance head-on, especially not achieve victory on the ground. So what was their purpose in causing trouble? Considering the events that had occurred before, it was probably to lure the official Phoenix to come. And they indeed succeeded. They tricked two Phoenix Squads into landing on the surface and falling into their clutches. What did they want with the official Phoenix? It was likely for the Gene Seed. Having received intelligence from the front lines, Gu Hang had made this assessment. Even the identities of these individuals, Gu Hang had surmised, and he felt it was highly probable he was not mistaken: the stain of the Phoenix, that rebel force known as ¡®Ashen Deceased.¡¯ After learning of this force from a few Phoenix deserters from Sydney Blaywins, Gu Hang felt that these fellows would eventually cause trouble for the Alliance. The reputation of the Alliance was growing, and the Phoenix were becoming increasingly known as the news of the Alliance¡¯s resurgence spread. That traitorous leader named Zhong Jihua had an extraordinary pursuit of the Phoenix¡¯s lineage. His causing trouble was almost inevitable. However, his timing couldn¡¯t have been worse. The Alliance was currently mostly preoccupied with the frontline battle against the Green Skins. A sudden fire in the backyard would definitely cause chaos. Perhaps, Zhong Jihua had chosen this moment deliberately. But Gu Hang was not entirely unguarded. Since the war with the Green Skins had begun, Gu Hang had been very cautious with his use of Interstellar Warriors. He had not blindly thrown his most elite forces into the frontline battles because of their intensity. On one hand, the time had not yet come. On the other hand, it was Gu Hang¡¯s need to keep the Phoenix prepared for necessary defense. Instead of allowing these elite warriors to be depleted in direct combat, it was better to conserve their strength for a critical strike when necessary. Only, that necessary moment to strike had not emerged yet, and the event Gu Hang had been guarding against had occurred first. It seemed Yelisia would not be able to come to pick him up, nor could she immediately move north to participate in the Temir campaign. Even Gu Hang himself would now have to personally visit Iron Horse. The situation in the Iron Horse Sector definitely needed resolving. The relationship between this rebel force and the Phoenix was something Gu Hang could not ignore; At the same time, Gu Hang could not allow that suspected ¡®Ashen Deceased¡¯ rebel force to create turmoil in his rear. They had roughly two to three hundred Mutinous Interstellar Warriors, they worshipped the Evil God, and they also had a battleship; being able to operate this battleship meant they had at least a few hundred thousand people on board¡­ In head-on combat, excluding the battleship, this rebel group was not up to par; but considering the battleship and the risks of them possibly collaborating with separatist forces on many planets, if Gu Hang did not solve them, his rear would be thrown into utter chaos. Of course, he would not go alone. With a single message, he contacted Matins. ¡­ A month later, Iron Horse Sector, Iron Dong II Star System. There were three Star Realm Tunnels connected to this star system, leading to Tie Dong III, Tie Dong I, and Border Horse Sector¡¯s Border Horse IV. The ¡°Wraith Spike¡± was moving towards the jump point toward Border Horse IV. Or rather, it was fleeing. It was being chased by the human United Fleet. Although the battleship was formidable, the Retribution-class had a flaw that simply couldn¡¯t be compensated for: it was slow and not agile enough. Despite its ferocious firepower, thick armor, and very high energy level Void Shield making it the most abundantly employed flagship in Empire battles, capable of being an absolute core of attack and defense in large Fleet battles, it also required a large number of cooperating escort ships to ensure its protection. But now, there was no such group alongside ¡°Wraith Spike.¡± Hence, they did not dare engage directly with the United Fleet. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Over the past month, there had always been some smaller ships tailing them, monitoring their movements. Whenever they tried to turn around to fight, these smaller ships, taking advantage of their speed and agility, would immediately scatter; as soon as they turned back, the ships would follow again. The leader of ¡®Ashen Deceased,¡¯ Zhong Jihua, was incredibly irritated. He even ordered that after performing one Star Realm jump, the ship should stop at the other side¡¯s jump threadIdx to prepare for an ambush against the following small ships. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 817 - Chapter 817: Chapter 447, Iron Horse Naval Battle_2 Chapter 817: Chapter 447, Iron Horse Naval Battle_2 However, the plan failed. The small boat that had been following their trails didn¡¯t jump at all; instead, on this side of the Star Realm Tunnel, another small boat was watching them from a distance. It didn¡¯t matter if our boat was small, having many could do the job. If you can¡¯t catch up, can¡¯t hit, and can¡¯t shake them off, then that¡¯s the only option. At first, Zhong Jihua just found it annoying but didn¡¯t feel it was particularly dangerous. Let them watch. What can you possibly do to me? At worst, they are only afraid of spying on him. When he actually wants to do something, these small boats have no way to stop him. However, by now, he was starting to feel something was wrong. A long surveillance could be overlooked, but the wizards on his ship had repeatedly provided him with intelligence, informing him that a large number of ships were shuttling through the Star Realm Tunnels around Tie Dong II. What do they want to do? Ambush me? It really seemed like it. If a fight was to break out, a fleet with three cruisers as the main force and a total of more than a hundred ships against a lone Retribution-class Battleship, who would win? That¡¯s not easy to say, the latter¡¯s chances of winning might not be more than twenty percent. Before, he thought the so-called ¡®Alliance¡¯ wouldn¡¯t really fight him to the death. If they defeated him, what then? The United Fleet would have to pay with the loss of at least more than half of its ships, most of which were likely to be cruisers. Is such a high cost worth it? You are still at war with the Green Skins. Indeed, Zhong Jihua was aware of this information. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have come here. It was precisely because the Alliance was in a state of war, and this war appeared to be extremely fierce, that he had come to this place. What he wanted was indeed just as Gu Hang had guessed: the Gene Seed of the Phoenix. The Ashen Dead Squad was a group of deserters from among the Phoenix who were born after turning to the Chaos God. Back then, people like Zhong Jihua thought that the Phoenix was doomed to destruction, and staying would have been meaningless, only to die with the Battle Group. It was all the Empire¡¯s fault. The Phoenix were fighting for the Empire, and it was the Iron Armor who were traitors. Yet in the end, they were betrayed by the Empire, sentenced to the Penitent Crusade, and doomed to a fate of certain death on that expedition. So, they rebelled, they turned to the Evil God, and named themselves ¡®Ashen Dead¡¯. From the ashes of the burned-out Phoenix, the dead returned from hell with a fire of vengeance. Such was the meaning behind their new name. But who could have imagined that the Phoenix hadn¡¯t died at all? Not only did they not perish, but in those years, with the support of that ¡®Alliance¡¯ that had emerged from who knows where, they had grown stronger and even began to show signs of returning to their former glory. How could Zhong Jihua and his ilk accept this? Was our choice back then wrong? That¡¯s impossible! To prove they weren¡¯t the wrong ones, Zhong Jihua led his War Faction to the Eastern Cosmos Domain, the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Here was the opportunity to expand the scale of the War Faction. This place held the Gene Seed they had long desired, kin of their own blood; they also looked for opportunities to destroy this human power spanning nearly a hundred worlds. Solely with their power, that was of course not feasible. But weren¡¯t there the Green Skins? As long as sufficient chaos was caused in the rear, it could be done. Hence, the incident aboard Iron Horse I-3 occurred. Through the wizards, they corrupted the captured Alliance spies, delivering false intelligence, and sent down two teams of Phoenix. Those two teams of Phoenix, totaling twenty individuals, ended up with a predicament that was anything but delightful. Although the fighting capacity of the Phoenix was undoubtedly strong, the Ashen Dead were all veteran soldiers. It was a classic case of the prepared versus the unprepared, a tenfold force effortlessly overwhelming the new Phoenix recruits, that they couldn¡¯t even send a message out was only to be expected. Sadly, the so-called Alliance¡¯s response speed was still very quick. They could only run. They had thought they could easily escape on their big ship, but it seemed that wasn¡¯t possible. But even now, Zhong Jihua couldn¡¯t quite bring himself to believe that the Alliance really dared to deploy their precious fleet to besiege him. However, he wasn¡¯t unprepared for this. The corresponding orders were given; the ¡°Wraith Spike¡± continued its course toward Border Horse IV. If the Alliance¡¯s fleet didn¡¯t dare go to war, they could swagger away; but once the battle began¡­ bring it on. Firstly, the ¡°Wraith Spike¡± would be capable of blowing up almost half of the Alliance¡¯s fleet; Of course, the ¡°Wraith Spike¡± would also be done for. But what of it? They were Interstellar Warriors! In battle, they could let the ¡°Wraith Spike¡± charge and smash its way towards the clustered Alliance ships. When asked what the most powerful weapon on the Retribution-class Battleship was, it probably was not any Light Spear Array, nor any oversized Colossal Cannon, but rather the ancient ¡°ram¡± mounted on the prow of the ship. Using its massive bulk, a Retribution-class Battleship¡¯s charge would smash any smaller vessels to bits; and it itself, protected by the ram, would suffer no harm. Of course, this wasn¡¯t any kind of conventional weapon, and no one used this thing as the decisive weapon in a real sea battle. The so-called ¡°ram¡± served mostly a decorative purpose. However, if the battle really did break out below, Zhong Jihua didn¡¯t intend to have the ram act as pure decoration. Both cannons and ram could be put into action. And after the ships drew near each other, the ¡°Ashen Dead Squad¡± could apply their biggest tactic: the Boarding Tactic! Whether it was through boarding ships after closing the distance or simply through direct Subspace Transmissions by the former Think Tank, now the War Faction Wizard of the battle group. Once on board the enemy¡¯s ship, they could take control, use the War Faction Wizard to summon Chaos Divine Power, and rapidly corrupt the crew. In a very short time, they could ¡°hijack¡± the ship. Then they could continue fighting. Using such tactics, they could be executed multiple times in succession. How many ships did the Alliance have to be taken from them? Each success for them meant one less ship for the Alliance and one more for them; wouldn¡¯t that make up for the Escort Ships ¡°Wraith Spike¡± was lacking? If what they captured were the Main Cruisers from within the United Fleet, the situation would get even worse. In short, for Zhong Jihua, if there was to be a fight, so be it! And indeed, the whole situation developed just as he had anticipated. When the ¡°Wraith Spike¡± approached the Star Realm Tunnel jump point leading to Border Horse IV, a fleet jumped out from there. At the same time, from the jump point at Iron Horse I, a group of Alliance ships also appeared. They belonged to the same group, a pincer strategy, also devised by the Fleet Commander, Major General Yelisia. Maintaining a distance from both sides, and avoiding concentrated attacks by the ¡°Wraith Spike,¡± they prepared to carry out an encircling move. In this situation, Zhong Jihua no longer considered any other factors. He issued orders again, informing all members of the battle group: ¡°Prepare for battle, let us have a glorious fight!¡± And his brothers gave him a clear feedback: ¡°Roar!¡± He shouted again: ¡°Blood for the Blood God!¡± The communication channel immediately echoed: ¡°Skulls for the Skull Throne!¡± Amidst the high morale and bloodthirsty cries within the Ashen Dead, the distance between the two sides grew ever closer. The ¡°Wraith Spike¡± opened fire first. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Its range was farther than any other ship in the Alliance. And this caught the Alliance fleet somewhat by surprise. A ¡®Silver Sword-class¡¯ Escort Ship was hit. The X-grade Light Spear Array instantly melted the Silver Sword¡¯s energy shield, and the force of the blast punched a big hole in the ship. Immediately, the Silver Sword lost power, spinning in space; then after half a minute, a more violent explosion occurred inside the Silver Sword, turning it into a fireball in the void. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 818 - Chapter 818: Chapter 448, Stealing a Boat is That Simple Chapter 818: Chapter 448, Stealing a Boat is That Simple Wraith Spire scored a victory right from the start, one cannon blast destroyed a Silver Sword ship. That was the expected performance of a Retribution-class Battleship. A solid hit with the ¡°Heavenly Punishment¡± Light Spear Array of X grade meant results like this. Moreover, aboard the Wraith Spire, there were three more X-grade Colossal Cannons of the same grade. In terms of firepower, the Colossal Cannons of the same grade were much more powerful than the Light Spear Array, but the trade-off was a significant drop in accuracy. There were also 18 powerful weapons of L grade, already amounting to the same number as those of the three Human Fleet cruisers put together. Such was the might of a Battleship. Of course, losing an Escort Ship as soon as the fight started was also a matter of luck. From such a distance, even the light spears were not that easy to target accurately. In fact, the subsequent three Colossal Cannon shots, along with multiple salvos of L-grade weapons, all missed their mark, with only a few managing to hit but failing to cause any further damage. During this process, the fleets were closing the gap between them. The Wraith Spire charged full speed at a part of the United Fleet that had emerged from Border Horse IV. As the distance between them diminished, the exchange of fire became more accurate, resulting in a rise in the hit rate for both sides. The Human Fleet¡¯s losses began to escalate. But at the same time, the Void Shields surrounding the Wraith Spire started to flicker more frequently, gradually turning a dangerous shade of red. Some of the United Fleet¡¯s firepower could even penetrate the Void Shields, directly damaging the Wraith Spire¡¯s armor and hull. The strength of the Void Shields mounted on the Wraith Spire was, of course, very high, but it could not withstand being the sole target of attack. Without any Escort Ships to intercept fire and not even small ships to shield it, all of the United Fleet¡¯s artillery needed to be endured by the ship itself. Even the strongest Void Shields couldn¡¯t withstand such relentless bombardment. Not to mention, half of the pursuing fleet continued to pour firepower onto it as well. Yet despite this, the Alliance Fleet¡¯s achievements were limited to only turning the Wraith Spire¡¯s Void Shields red. The cost was steep, as in a short span of time, at least ten warships were reduced to space debris. Even the cheapest Patrol Ship cost more than thirty million each, ten ships amounted to three hundred million; not to mention, amongst the destroyed warships, there were also three Escort Ships. In a mere moment, the Alliance¡¯s losses in the naval battle had exceeded one billion. Naval decisive battles were indeed the most expensive affairs. Without the Tianma Fleet being taken under the wing of Gu Hang, without the centuries of accumulation from the Gu Commercial Firm, the ships the Alliance had saved over the years would not have been enough to sustain the battle. Even with such an exchange rate, Zhong Jihua aboard the Wraith Spire was still not satisfied. Did he care about knocking out a few small Alliance ships? Of course not. At his command, the mighty firepower of the Battleship ferociously targeted the absolute core of the opposing fleet cluster in front of them, that cruiser. However, much of the firepower was intercepted. Even those that couldn¡¯t be intercepted were met with Patrol Ships ready to take the hit. After such a long exchange, they had failed to pose any substantial threat to that cruiser. Nevertheless, the gap had narrowed to the point where Zhong Jihua was satisfied. Led by the War Faction Wizard, two hundred Interstellar Warriors were on standby inside four Boarding Torpedoes. Directly boarding through Boarding Torpedoes was a conventional tactic for the Human Navy. Boarding Torpedoes themselves were not cheap, and when loaded with personnel and equipment, the cost was even higher. In naval battles, all sorts of accidents could happen during the flight to board, making them easy to intercept. If intercepted, both people and craft were lost together, and the loss was immense. Moreover, given the limited space inside a Boarding Torpedo, there was a limited number of personnel and equipment that could be carried, and there was no guarantee of victory even after boarding. The Green Skins loved such tactics, for they did not value their lives, and their Boarding Torpedoes were as cheap as if they cost nothing. Human Fleets disliked this approach, although the Navy Marine Corps wasn¡¯t really valued by the naval brass, there was still a need for a balance between cost and effectiveness. Except for the Interstellar Warriors. They were strong enough and elite enough that even with few in number, they could accomplish tasks that normally required large forces, perfectly suited for boarding combat on a battlefield with limited deployment options and confined spaces. The only issue was the security of the deployment. Interstellar Warriors were powerful but also very valuable. The destruction of a Boarding Torpedo wasn¡¯t critical, but the loss of a vessel full of Interstellar Warriors was something no one could afford. Thus, when the Battle Groups engaged in boarding combat, they each revealed their ingenious methods in this phase: they sought ways to accurately and safely transport personnel to the enemy ships. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Some improved on the Boarding Torpedoes, making them sturdier and more agile, or invisible to detection, coupled with multiple launches and lots of false targets to hide the real Boarding Torpedoes¡­ In short, they spared no expense. Others experimented with Psionic Teleportation, which was more precise but had higher requirements, as well as risks; it was prone to being displaced by counter-teleportation devices. And the ¡°Ashen Dead¡± employed a combination of both methods. Zhong Jihua on the command bridge, staring at the swarms of Alliance ships before him, his eyes filled with madness. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 819 - Chapter 819: Chapter 448, Stealing a Boat is That Simple_2 Chapter 819: Chapter 448, Stealing a Boat is That Simple_2 He shouted loudly, ¡°Depart!¡± Immediately after, the Wraith Spike unleashed more than twenty boarding torpedoes. Of these, most were dummies, with only four actually filled with the Ashen Dead. The Alliance Fleet¡¯s intercepting firepower, of course, sprang into action, destroying many boarding torpedoes. The four genuine boarding torpedoes carrying the Ashen Dead did take some hits as well. However, all four were equipped with small energy shields, which blocked the attacks. Of course, this also revealed their positions. But it didn¡¯t matter. In an instant, a crimson light enveloped the four boarding torpedoes, and suddenly, they vanished. The next moment, all four boarding torpedoes simultaneously appeared inside the Void Shield of the Opera Cruiser! Then, they violently breached the hull of the Opera Cruiser. The incredibly hard conical front of the boarding torpedoes broke through the cruiser¡¯s armor and, while causing a minor explosion that detached the combat section, conveniently created a great exit space for the warriors inside the torpedoes¡¯ rear compartments. Following that, a total of 200 Mutinous Star Warriors from the four boarding torpedoes all burst out. In a very short time, they cleared out the surrounding enemies. On a cruiser like the Opera Cruiser, which typically has a hundred thousand personnel, a significant portion belongs to the so-called ¡®ship¡¯s world¡¯ ¡ª those born on the ship, whose parents, or even grandparents, were crew members. They serve as ship¡¯s servants and include several families of technical officers. These people are critical for a starship to be able to launch, to sustain itself during long voyages. At the bottom of the starship, they even constitute a closed, self-sustaining society. On ships of the Tianma Fleet, this phenomenon was not particularly pronounced, and some sailors were able to retire and leave the ship, to be replaced by new people from terrestrial planets. After all, they were often stationed at their home base. However, within the Empire, some ships that were always on assignment, constantly traveling through space, the so-called ¡®ship¡¯s world¡¯ meant that generations had never left the ship, intermarried amongst themselves, and spent their entire lives on board, which was quite common. But regardless of whether they were recruited or had been on the ship for many years, these sailors, workers, and serving class clearly lacked combat capability. Even during times of war, when they would be issued weapons, it was the same case. After the Ashen Dead successfully boarded, they first encountered resistance from these armed sailors, amounting to a few thousand people. They were, of course, swiftly swept aside by the boarders. Then, the Mutinous Star Warriors did not continue their fierce assault; instead, they paused and waited on the spot for two minutes. During this time, more boarding torpedoes came in. These boarding torpedoes, without the help of the War Faction Wizard, did not have teleportation capabilities and suffered heavy losses while breaking through the intercepting firepower. The greatest loss occurred when they slowed down to pass through the Void Shield. Out of sixteen boarding torpedoes, only three made it through. This rate was very low, and it was significantly less than what would be expected under normal conditions. This was because, on the current battlefield, the Alliance only had the Wraith Spike as a target; when the boarding torpedoes appeared, a large amount of intercepting firepower was naturally drawn to them. From this perspective, having three torpedoes manage to board was already quite impressive. And from these three boarding torpedoes, a total of fifteen hundred people disembarked. They were all dressed in black and red combat suits, with a significant proportion of them equipped with exoskeletons. These people belonged to the Servant troops of the Ashen Dead. After joining up with the real Ashen Dead, the total force of one thousand seven hundred people began to advance into the interior of the Opera Cruiser. During this process, the Opera Cruiser¡¯s troops also began to assemble. Aside from the regular crew, out of the hundred thousand on the ship, there were twenty thousand from the Navy Marine Corps, even equipped with armored vehicles, Sentry Mecha, and the likes. These troops¡¯ combat effectiveness, of course, was much stronger than the sailors from the first wave. However, as the Ashen Dead advanced with their elite auxiliary forces, the Navy Marine Corps once again miserably became a backdrop. The armored vehicles blocking the main corridor inside the Starship were destroyed by the Ashen Dead¡¯s plasma guns, then swiftly pushed aside, dismantled. Right after that, the Terminator Squad of the Ashen Dead burst through the breach, shrugging off the bombardment from the semi-fixed autocannons behind them, using handheld grenade launchers to remove all of those human firepower points. After clearing the corridor, the troops immediately followed up, and ahead of them appeared another team of Sentry Mechas from the Marine Corps, but this time they were directly cleared out by the Mutinous Star Warriors using bombardment guns. Leading the entire team, the Interstellar Warriors¡¯ pace of advance, though sometimes fast, sometimes slow, was on the whole quite smooth, and they resolutely headed toward the Starship¡¯s command bridge. The command bridge is the command center of a warship, as well as its brain. Once there, they could take over control of most of the Starship. At the same time, they could also use the broadcast system facing the whole ship from that point to quickly spread chaos corruption through the War Faction Wizards. This was a temporary measure, unsuitable for large-scale use. But in the critical, enclosed environment of the Starship, it was quite effective. This move, they had already used many times in the past, and were adept at it. To take over the ship was just such a simple matter. The commander of this unit of the Ashen Dead, Anconi Ben, even found it a bit boring. He said, ¡°This so-called Alliance really isn¡¯t anything special.¡± ¡°Just like the ships of the other Empires, there is no difference.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t they saying there¡¯s a Phoenix? Why hasn¡¯t it shown up? It would at least relieve our boredom to have those nobodies, those green recruits appear.¡± While he was saying this, suddenly he received intelligence. An auxiliary army group arranged on the flank reported they had been routed. At first, he thought it was just the work of an elite force from the Marine Corps. After all, those on board the Starship also had a considerable number of Sentry Mechas. The auxiliary forces positioned on the flank, although highly skilled and augmented by Chaos Divine Power, could still be normally defeated under enemy numerical superiority. The commander quickly arranged for support, and another auxiliary force rushed over to plug the gap. But soon the squad was annihilated. At the same time, new information came in: those who had routed them were not merely Marine Corps soldiers, but a group of warriors wearing Red Powered Armor! At this, Ben really got excited! To say it was boring, and then interesting things appeared, didn¡¯t they? However, after thinking it over, he still decided not to deviate from the plan. Their current priority was still to take the command bridge first. Once they held it and let the War Faction Wizards do what they needed to do, their main force could just stay inside the bridge with ease. Those ¡®green recruits,¡¯ those ¡®nobodies,¡¯ if they wanted to do something, they would naturally have to attack the command bridge proactively. By that time, they could set up a defense line at the command bridge and easily wait for the enemy. In his view, it was normal for a few Interstellar Warriors to appear on this cruiser, but the number should not be large. However, the subsequent messages, one after another, put him on alert. From another direction on the flank came sightings of Phoenix Interstellar Warriors. Following that, the frontal assault troops also reported encountering resistance from the Phoenix, limiting their advance. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°How many are there?¡± Anconi Ben already felt something was wrong. But if it were just limited to this, he would just feel wrong, anxious. Even if they had one hundred, or even two hundred Phoenix in front of them, so what? These new Phoenix, just as he said, were ¡®green recruits.¡¯ By their standards, a bunch of people who had just become Interstellar Warriors, at most for ten years¨Cwhat was there to fear? wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 820 - Chapter 820: Chapter 449: Cant Hold On Much Longer Chapter 820: Chapter 449: Can¡¯t Hold On Much Longer Anconi Ben looked down on the current Phoenix, calling them ¡°rookies,¡± and of course, there was a reason. Among the members of the Ashen Dead, most were former members of the Phoenix who had withdrawn from the penitence expeditions; regardless of their willpower or quality, they were, after all, bona fide centennial veterans. Another part of the members who were not from Phoenix were those Mutinous Star Warriors that Zhong Jihua had absorbed and integrated over the past decades through fire and threat, temptation, and protection from the Evil God. They were also all veterans. The rebirth of the Phoenix Battle Group began when they finished their penance expeditions and cooperated with the Alliance. The time that had passed since then was just about a decade. Even the Phoenix who appeared on this Starship now were the very first group of Interstellar Warriors. Their combat careers had lasted merely this much time. Typically, one veteran could handle three rookies without a problem. That was even under conditions where the equipment was equal. Moreover, when the scale of the forces involved increases, this proportion of attrition would even rise. One veteran could fight three rookies, maybe a hundred veterans could take on four hundred rookies. The larger the scale of the battle, the more complex and variable the situation could become, allowing the veterans¡¯ experience to play a greater role. There were two hundred of these veterans here. Could the newly formed Phoenix bring out eight hundred now? According to the information they gathered, that clearly wasn¡¯t possible. Therefore, Anconi Ben was just slightly nervous, even somewhat excited because of the emotions stirring within him. This was somewhat of a challenge! Otherwise, there was nothing serious enough to make him buckle down. And since it was time to be serious, naturally, they could not be too careless. Their core target had never changed: the bridge of the Opera Cruiser. The central assault force, comprising the two hundred Ashen Dead, was always deployed in the main attack at the front, only guarded by the Auxiliary Army on the flanks to prevent interference with the assault team. But now, they had to fight even more resolutely. Anconi Ben decided to visit the front line himself. Dressed in Terminator Powered Armor, he led an entire Terminator Squad, accelerating their advance as the army¡¯s spearhead. He finally saw the Phoenix blocking their path firsthand, causing their attack to be restricted for the first time. The narrow corridor couldn¡¯t accommodate too many people fighting simultaneously. The ones he faced were merely about twenty Loyalist Interstellar Warriors. Looking at their bright red armor and the ostentatious Phoenix emblem on their shoulder pads, Anconi Ben even felt a momentary daze. Was it nostalgia? Of course not! There was only anger in Anconi Ben¡¯s heart! It was the kind of anger that could not be quelled unless the Phoenix were completely killed and destroyed! ¡°I will never acknowledge those ahead of us as Phoenix! They¡¯re not fit to wear this armor! Kill them all! Kill all these impostors!¡± Clearly, others among the Ashen Dead shared similar sentiments. Encouraged by Anconi Ben, they were all howling and emboldened. However, when the Ashen Dead¡¯s Terminator Squad began their full-fledged charge, the Phoenix directly retreated. Clearly, this was quite rational. There were but ten to twenty Phoenix members in front of them, all wearing ordinary tactical Powered Armor, facing the full charge of an entire Terminator Squad. Blocking them was impossible, and retreating made sense. But this gave the Terminators in the Ashen Dead a feeling akin to punching cotton. Just as they were shouting their battle cries and charged with menacing momentum, the opposing side actually retreated. However, this allowed them again to advance a significant distance. According to the usual structure of a Moon Class Cruiser¨CMusician-class being a variant of Moon Class¨Cthey should now be close to the command center, the bridge. Ahead, past one large gathering center, they should arrive soon. The gathering center served as the departure point for the cruiser¡¯s Marine Corps; it could also be used to gather the ship¡¯s senior officers, muster their subordinates for speeches, and engage in collective activities. The space was relatively large. In a boarding battle, such areas could serve as the main defensive spaces. After all, when facing a boarding action, the attacking enemies were usually few but elite. In confined areas, elite forces could have a particularly significant role since the defenders couldn¡¯t leverage a numerical or firepower advantage. These relatively larger areas were better for strategizing troop deployments and more convenient for positioning powerful firepower. Conversely, for the attackers, such places were not so friendly. Despite being full of rage, even though anger and bloodthirsty killing intent seethed in his chest, Anconi Ben was not blinded by this fury. He wouldn¡¯t recklessly charge in. He arranged for a small group of elite Auxiliary Army to enter the space first. After the elite Auxiliary Army entered, they found some defense, but it was just some Marine Corps from the Starship, with no Phoenix in sight. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It seemed like a trap. After thinking it over, Anconi Ben still sent in more Auxiliary Army to try and take that place directly. If it was a trap, then they would test and see. The defense of that area was directly overtaken by the Auxiliary Army. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 821 - Chapter 821: 449 Chapter 821: 449 Anconi Ben remained uneasy, but since things had come to this point, he decided not to obsess over it any longer. After all, from this assembly hall to the bridge command, it was at most a distance of merely three hundred meters. No matter what tricks those lapdogs of the false emperor had set up in the assembly hall, let them set it. Anconi Ben was confident enough to lead his team and recklessly charge through the three hundred meters. With overwhelming confidence, he led his team and stepped into the assembly hall. At that moment, gunfire erupted from all the passages leading to the assembly hall. Even the route they had taken to get there was included in the ambush. As expected, this place was just as he suspected¨Ca trap. The moment they stepped in, enemies approached from all sides. Furthermore, in every direction, his elite auxiliary forces, imbued with Chaos Divine Power, reported spotting traces of the Red Armored Phoenix. These auxiliary forces, though mortals at their core, could hold a significant advantage against ordinary Navy Marine Corps. However, when facing the Phoenix Interstellar Warriors, they were as trivial as mere clay chickens and pottery dogs, easily destroyed. No matter how much Anconi Ben looked down on the current Phoenix, no matter how he derogatorily referred to them as ¡°rookie eggs,¡± they were legitimate Interstellar Warriors, not something ordinary mortal troops could contend with. Yet¡­ ¡°What of it? Lifting a stone only to drop it on your own foot!¡± That was his assessment. He decisively ordered all the stationed auxiliary forces to hold their positions, defend to the death, and delay the advancing Phoenix as much as possible. Simultaneously, he led all his Ashen Dead in the charge toward the bridge spur. The Interstellar Warriors were fast. When they all ran, the four hundred meters vanished almost in a blink. You breakthrough quickly, but can you be faster than me! With such a thought, two hundred Ashen Dead charged forward at full speed. But just as they entered the passage leading to the bridge, a splendid bolt of lightning streaked directly toward them from the end of the passage! Anconi Ben reacted quickly, lowering his head and sidestepping, avoiding the strike. But an old Terminator behind him was not so fortunate. Anconi Ben turned his head and saw a hollow about half a meter in diameter appear in the chest of his combat brother. The lightning had melted right through the thick frontal armor of the Terminator! What kind of weapon was this? Even a plasma cannon would hardly achieve this effect! Could it be that the defending army on the starship had positioned a plasma cannon at the entrance of the bridge command, aimed down the corridor? Were they not afraid the plasma cannon would blast through their own starship?! ¡°Careful, it¡¯s a Psychic,¡± warned a War Faction Wizard at that moment. After saying this, the wizard added, ¡°Not just any Psychic, a powerful one.¡± Anconi Ben was about to speak when the roar of bombardment guns echoed from the other end of the corridor. Immediately following, he and his Terminator Squad heard continuous sounds of bombardment hitting them. However, at the same time, without any need for his orders, the veterans ferociously retaliated. A normal bombardment gun, though damaging, was not significantly so against Terminator Powered Armor; in contrast, the larger caliber Heavy Bomber Guns or even the Revolver Grenade Cannons held by the Terminators had the capability to inflict lethal damage on ordinary Interstellar Warriors in tactical armor. In terms of armor and firepower, the two sides were not equal. Even if the opponent pulled out a melt gun or plasma gun, the situation wouldn¡¯t change much. Admittedly, these types of weapons posed a bigger threat to Terminators, but they fired slow and had relatively limited firepower density. Any Phoenix daring to charge their weapons to attack them would likely die from the Terminators¡¯ firepower first. Yet, the reality once again surprised him! In front of him, at the other end of the corridor, a brilliant blue light membrane suddenly appeared, continuously blocking their firepower. This light membrane resembled an energy shield, but he knew it absolutely was not. If it were an energy shield, it could only be a mini shield at most, otherwise, it could not be positioned here; and if it were just a mini shield, then it wouldn¡¯t be able to block the combined firing of the Terminators and the many Ashen Dead behind them. Could it be the ¡°powerful Psychic¡± the War Faction Wizard had warned him about? But wasn¡¯t that a bit too powerful? During this process, another bolt of lightning struck, and another Terminator veteran fell. By now, Anconi Ben was somewhat panicked. He lifted his head and saw two figures under that brilliant blue light that greatly attracted his attention. One of them was a person dressed in the bright Red Armored Phoenix Powered Armor, donning a black and white skull helmet. Although the face was not shown, Anconi recognized him immediately¨Cthat was Priest Chief Rizzo of the Phoenix Battle Group. He was someone who had provided him considerable help during his career as an Interstellar Warrior. It was as if he could feel the cold gaze through the skull helmet. This psychological pressure even made him turn his head away, daring not to meet their gaze. The other striking figure was a man dressed in a general¡¯s uniform. He did not look particularly tall, just a normal mortal stature. However, the dazzling blue light in his eyes was terrifying. The moment he made eye contact with those eyes, Anconi Ben felt his soul tremble. This trembling of the soul was not only from a direct impression of power but something deeper. Most directly, the power of Chaos God¡¯s Grace, which he used to feel at every moment from the Tyrant¡¯s Divine Realm, had greatly receded under the direct gaze of this man. Was this the ¡°powerful Psychic¡± the War Faction Wizard had spoken of? At that moment, the voice of the War Faction Wizard resounded in his mind again: ¡°Charge, kill him up close, I can only hold on for a little while¡­¡± His voice was filled with pressure and pain. Anconi Ben could not remember when he had last heard his War Faction Wizard in such a condition. Previously, that guy had been the Chief Think Tank of the Battle Group, possessing strong Psychic Power along with a sturdy physique of an Interstellar Warrior, more powerful than a so-called A-class Psychic among normal humans. Not to mention, after they embraced the Tyrant, receiving the grace of Chaos Divine Power, and getting closer to Subspace, the former Chief Think Tank, now Chief War Faction Wizard, had become even more powerful in his psychic abilities. It was only because the Tyrant did not favor Psychic powers, preferring the power of blood and fire, otherwise, if he had sided with one of the other great powers, the Chief Wizard¡¯s power could have become even more formidable. But even so, since leaving the Phoenix, Anconi had never seen too many individuals who could match the War Faction Wizard in terms of Psychic Power. But now, the War Faction Wizard was not talking about how long it would take him to defeat this mortal, but how he couldn¡¯t hold on much longer against this mortal?! That was unimaginable to him. However, now was not the time to be astonished. He had never thought that a Psychic, a mortal, would become the biggest obstacle in what he had thought would be an easy battle. But then, the cruelty granted by the Evil God¡¯s grace surged in him at that moment. And he had no intention of controlling it. Now was exactly when he needed this powerful impulse! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Charge!¡± he yelled, taking the lead! All the Ashen Dead charged with him! They even gave up continuing to shoot, Chain Saw Swords, Flesh-Tearing Battle Axes, Skull-Crushing Warhammers¡­ a variety of fierce and barbaric melee weapons emerged in their hands! They would end it with close combat! wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 822 - Chapter 822: Chapter 450, The Death of the Ashen Dead Chapter 822: Chapter 450, The Death of the Ashen Dead The Chief Wizard of the Ashen Dead Squad was indeed quite formidable. In fact, he was equivalent to the level of a normal Grade S Psychic, which was only slightly inferior to Gu Hang¡¯s typical level. But Gu Hang, at that moment, had undoubtedly torn open the rift between reality and Subspace, and the power of the Storm God Kingdom had already revealed itself. In this form, Gu Hang, who almost reached Alpha-level strength, could easily defeat the War Faction Wizard. He could strip away some of the wizard¡¯s connection to Subspace, rendering the Chaos Blessing ineffective; then, the weakened wizard would become a toy in his hands. However, Gu Hang didn¡¯t do that. Dealing with a War Faction Wizard was not Gu Hang¡¯s priority. Right now, he was at least doing three important things at the same time. Apart from wrestling with this formidable War Faction Wizard, Gu Hang was also confronting those Mutinous Interstellar Warriors. Especially those in Terminator Armor. Gu Hang willingly allowed the Phoenix Battle Group to engage the Ashen Dead rebels in a decisive battle, even if it would result in some avoidable casualties, as this was the Phoenix Battle Group¡¯s own will. Before setting out, after Gu Hang transmitted the operation orders to Matins, the Phoenix Battalion Leader burst with strong initiative. He had almost mobilized the entire battle group¡¯s maneuvering forces and invested them in the battle. And to Gu Hang, the battle group¡¯s savior and loyalist, he strongly expressed a wish: It was better for the blades killing the Ashen Dead to come from the Phoenix. Gu Hang understood his thoughts and agreed to this request. But this did not mean Gu Hang would let the battle group and war faction duel alone; that would only increase casualties. The Phoenix had just regained a strength of five hundred. Could they win against double the number of Ashen Dead? They should be able to, although the opponents were all veterans, and the Phoenix was almost entirely composed of new recruits. However, these new recruits of the Phoenix weren¡¯t what people typically imagined. Before becoming Interstellar Warriors, every Phoenix Interstellar Warrior had undergone training through Gu Hang¡¯s Soldier Token system and advanced to the T1 level. Purely in terms of combat experience and skills, they had reached the level of a regular Interstellar Warrior. This level was still no match for the veterans, but the gap was definitely not so vast that double the number couldn¡¯t overcome the opposition. Nonetheless, the casualties would not be small. Even if there were a significant number of elite soldiers from the 10th Brigade on board, wearing Feedback-Type Powered Armor, they posed a threat to Interstellar Warriors. However, their combat power was too different; involving them in the fight would also result in significant casualties. Not to talk about sacrificing the Phoenix, even the loss of the 10th Brigade¡¯s elite would grieve Gu Hang. If he were not present, it would be different, but as he was there, he would personally take action to significantly reduce the casualties of the Phoenix. Eliminating the Terminator Squad from among the Ashen Dead was something Gu Hang needed to do. This squad of Terminators from the Ashen Dead, all elite veterans, would truly cost the Phoenix many lives if confronted at close range. Totally unnecessary. Using a surge of Spiritual Energy to crush all the boarding Ashen Dead wasn¡¯t feasible for Gu Hang. An Interstellar Warrior¡¯s body was robust, and their soul had a certain uniqueness, deriving from their bloodline and the Subspace Essence, which almost no one would recognize, but Gu Hang could faintly discern. Extinguishing an Interstellar Warrior with Spiritual Energy would be very taxing, let alone killing two hundred veterans all at once. However, using Spiritual Energy to protect the Phoenix, conjuring something akin to an energy shield but actually much more convenient like a Spiritual Energy guardian, was relatively easier. This greatly aided the Phoenix during exchanges of fire. Otherwise, in narrow passageways lacking cover, facing a group of Terminators more formidable than the usual tactical Powered Armors, the Phoenix would have been at a severe disadvantage. And after the group of Terminators began their charge, Gu Hang used highly concentrated Thunder Spears to strike at the enemy. He could still manage to annihilate a Terminator with one strike. During the charge, Gu Hang was engaging in this kind of selective targeting. In just a few hundred meters, at the charge speed of the Interstellar Warriors, which was almost a matter of a few breaths, Gu Hang launched a total of six Thunder Spears. For the Ashen Dead¡¯s Terminators, there was no way to avoid them in the current environment. Even if one dodged, the one behind it couldn¡¯t. The six Thunder Spears spelled death for six elite Terminator veterans. But finally, the Ashen Dead reached close quarters. During this process, in addition to the six Terminators killed by Gu Hang¡¯s strikes, more than a dozen Mutinous Interstellar Warriors from the Ashen Dead died under the barrage of various ranged weapons. And now, with the distance between the two sides very close, close combat was inevitable. ¡°For the Emperor!¡± wielding a Gravity Scepter, Priest Rizzo shouted as he charged forward. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He picked his target, Anconi Ben, the leader of the Mutinous Dead. A heavy collision occurred between the Gravity Scepter and the flesh-rending battle axe, and Rizzo was at a disadvantage. The output of the Terminator Power Armor was far stronger than that of Regular Powered Armor. Anconi was utterly thrilled. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 823 - Chapter 823: Chapter 450, Death of the Ashen Dead_2 Chapter 823: Chapter 450, Death of the Ashen Dead_2 He seemed to be back in the old days. In the past, he had more than once sparred with Priest Rizzo in the Warband¡¯s Arena. At that time, he was never a match for Rizzo, who tirelessly corrected his moves over and over. Of course, in their interactions, sparring was not the main focus; they spent more time together in the chapel of the Battle Group¡¯s flagship, studying scriptures and analyzing the profound teachings of The Emperor. He was born into a family of State Church Priests on the Warband¡¯s Homeworld, and he was expected to follow the path of his forefathers, to become a respected denizen spreading the gospel of The Emperor and representing the Divine Emperor. However, from a young age, he disliked such responsibilities and preferred heroic legends and stories instead. Unsurprisingly, on the Phoenix¡¯s Mother Planet, no one could rival the renown of the Phoenix. The history of the Battle Group and the valiant names of every warrior flowed through the planet. Every person on the Phoenix¡¯s Mother Planet grew up listening to such legends. It was only natural for a young man to yearn for more. And so, when the Phoenix conducted another recruitment for new warriors, he naturally signed up. His parents supported his decision. Shouldn¡¯t they? It was only natural for the child of a Divine Emperor¡¯s Priest to enroll when the Divine Emperor¡¯s Angels were recruiting. If he were rejected, the experience would still aid Anconi Ben in his priestly career later, proving his unwavering loyalty to the Divine Emperor. But what if he were chosen? Don¡¯t joke, the odds were too slim. Out of hundreds of thousands carefully selected young people, the Battle Group only recruited fifty¨Cthe odds were extremely low. It was merely a formality. But this was his parents¡¯ viewpoint. The young Anconi dearly wanted to succeed. To become an Angel of The Emperor, fulfilling his family¡¯s longstanding faith in the Divine Emperor, would allow him to escape the dull and tedious religious scriptures and become the hero he had always admired, allowing him to chase the glorious honors he longed for. And indeed, during the training and selection process, he began to display remarkable talent. Although not among the best, he held at least some hope for success. However, he ultimately failed to be selected. In the last and most critical competition, he ranked only in the seventies. This was certainly a high achievement among all the candidates, but compared to the few slots available in the Phoenix, there was a significant gap. This slight gap was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth. His fate then seemed to be shattered dreams, returning home, where his outstanding performance in the Phoenix¡¯s selection would lead various powers within the planet to vie for him. After all, even those eliminated from the Phoenix, holding such a ranking, proved to be one of the finest young people on the entire planet. Yet, no one understood the pain in his heart. However, in the end, a man wearing a skull helmet saved him. Priest Rizzo personally selected Anconi as an additional candidate to join the Phoenix. It was nearly the happiest day of his life. But after joining the Phoenix, he realized that many things were different from what he had imagined. Life as an Interstellar Warrior was not always glorious; mundane training was the norm. Especially for new recruits. If it were just that, he could have endured it. But Priest Rizzo, the Priest Leader of the Phoenix Battle Group, did not choose him for his exceptional combat talent. No matter how outstanding he was, it was only relative. If he truly had exceptional talent worth making exceptions for, he wouldn¡¯t have ranked only in the seventies previously. Rizzo needed to expand the number of priests in the Battle Group, and Anconi was his chosen candidate. Before becoming a Phoenix, he had to bury himself in scriptures, and after becoming a Phoenix, he still had to bury himself in scriptures. Wasn¡¯t his becoming a Phoenix in vain then? Amidst his resentment, the only reward he received was occasionally being able to spar with Priest Rizzo in the arena due to his good performance. At those times, Rizzo would finally shed the stern face of a teacher and join him as a fellow warrior, sweating together. He thought he could never go back. Of course, he truly couldn¡¯t go back. Knowing that the Phoenix had been resurrected by the Alliance, that his mentor Rizzo was still alive, and that Zhong Jihua had ordered the team to deal with this newly reborn Phoenix, he had envisioned this scene. Since he couldn¡¯t go back, he would bury it himself. ¡°Teacher Rizzo, your moves have slowed down!¡± Rizzo didn¡¯t say a word, just put in a strenuous effort with the Gravity Scepter, taking on every powerful and heavy strike from Anconi. Each of Anconi¡¯s strikes was accompanied by a taunt, and his emotions soared higher and higher, his vision within the helmet already a bloody red. His movements were sharp and precise, each swing of the battle axe carrying a deadly threat. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But Rizzo¡¯s gaze remained calm, his movements though slow, were still steady. The Gravity Scepter danced in his hands as if it had its rhythm. ¡°Teacher, your moves are still so cliched.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you made any progress over the years?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you learn anything from the bogus words of the False Emperor?¡± wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 824 - Chapter 824: Chapter 450, Death of the Ashen Dead_3 Chapter 824: Chapter 450, Death of the Ashen Dead_3 ¡°That¡¯s really pitiful, why not come and worship the Blood God! He will grant you true power!¡± Anconi mocked, his axe creating gusts of wind, nearly tearing the air apart. He was almost toying with his opponent. The power of the Blood God boiled within him, if he had wanted, he could have chopped off Rizzo¡¯s head with one swipe of his axe. He didn¡¯t do that, he just kept activating the Gravity Scepter again and again, leaving wound after wound on Rizzo¡¯s body, satisfying his own heart. The next axe strike, he thought, would sever the teacher¡¯s hand. Suddenly, lightning flickered around Rizzo¡¯s body! It gathered on the Gravity Scepter, making this already heavy weapon even more terrifying. Anconi sensed something was wrong, his mocking stopped abruptly, he tried to quicken his offense, but it was too late. Rizzo¡¯s counterattack finally arrived, he swung the scepter wrapped in lightning as if a god had descended, with an unstoppable force. ¡°This is¡­¡± A flicker of terror crossed Anconi¡¯s eyes, he tried to block with his battle axe, but the thunderous power seemed to tear through all defenses. The thunder burst forth, striking directly at Anconi¡¯s helmet. It was a killing blow, a perfect combination of lightning and gravity, instantly shattering Anconi¡¯s helmet, followed by the crushing of his skull. Anconi¡¯s body trembled a few times in the thunder, then, like a puppet with severed strings, slowly fell down, lifeless. The old Priest had been suppressed throughout the fight, but with just one counterattack, killed Anconi. It was like a miracle. A regular Powered Armor under an Interstellar Warrior, with a gap that could not be bridged even by a Terminator. But Rizzo¡¯s strike carried a force that the Captain of the Terminators couldn¡¯t react to, nor stop. The explosive thunder was lethal. Rizzo gasped for breath, but he could feel the power rising within him, not dissipating but growing even stronger, to the point where the wounds Anconi had inflicted no longer hurt. He turned back to look at Gu Hang, only to see the Governor still standing in the same spot, the blue light in his eyes brighter than ever. Rizzo nodded slightly, aiming the Gravity Scepter at another enemy. It wasn¡¯t just him moved with the power of thunder, every Phoenix seemed to have been enhanced in the fight, demonstrating this miraculous power. That was certainly Gu Hang¡¯s doing. Once close combat ensued, making it no longer feasible to use Thunder Magic to annihilate the enemy, he switched tactics. On one hand, he tried to cut off the Evil God¡¯s power, and on the other, he imbued the Phoenixes with the power of thunder. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After Anconi¡¯s death, the situation on the battlefield became clear. Although the Phoenixes still had to pay a certain price, the eradication of all the ash dwellers present was no longer in doubt. With a bit of effort freed up, Gu Hang also finally intensified his effort, no longer tangling with that War Faction Wizard. His formidable Spiritual Energy instantly boosted his output. The War Faction Wizard, standing at the rear, had his helmet and visor instantly burst, blood spewing from them. His massive body then thunderously fell down. After dealing with another opponent, Gu Hang finally had the time to focus all his energy on the third task he had been undertaking: tearing open the veil between Subspace and the Real Universe, sending more Heroic Spirit Warriors into the ¡®Wraith Spike¡¯! wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 825 - Chapter 825: Chapter 451, Seizing the Ship Heroic Spirit Chapter 825: Chapter 451, Seizing the Ship Heroic Spirit If Gu Hang merely wanted to secure a victory in this war, he could have achieved that already. The Wraith Spire was indeed powerful, after all, as a main battleship. But in Gu Hang¡¯s hands, it was still possible to tear apart the battleship¡¯s Void Shield and temporarily disable it. Then, with the full fleet firing in unison, the battleship lacking the protection of the Void Shield would quickly explode into space debris. Although the armor of the battleship was also very thick, it couldn¡¯t possibly withstand the volley of an entire fleet without protection. If it could withstand the first round, it wouldn¡¯t withstand the second. If Gu Hang had chosen to do so, the battle would have finished earlier. But didn¡¯t he covet their vessel? That was a main battleship! Alone and unprotected! Just the purchase alone would cost fifty billion! Not to mention bloodsucking, based on the financial situation of the Alliance, it would take five years of savings! And that would still be under the condition that the Alliance Government wouldn¡¯t eat, drink, or spend money. Moreover, something like a battleship, even if you have the money, isn¡¯t easy to buy. The production of battleships in the Empire is limited, and they are claimed before completion or sometimes even before construction begins. Even if Gu Hang later acquired battleship technology and wanted to start production, that wouldn¡¯t be an easy task. Constructing shipyards is a strenuous endeavor; the sheer size makes the capital investment particularly huge. And to draw such a blueprint was a bit difficult; Gu Hang hadn¡¯t even managed to secure cruiser technology yet. Getting this battleship that came to his doorstep would save him years of effort. Since he was aiming to seize the ship, the most convenient method of victory naturally couldn¡¯t be used. To say nothing of blowing up the ship, even inflicting serious damage was unacceptable, for if the ship couldn¡¯t be towed back or was irreparable after being towed back, it would all be in vain. And since seizing the ship was the goal, it naturally meant boarding it. It was necessary to kill all the Mutinous Star Warriors and Chaos Cultists corrupted by chaos onboard the battleship. As for the damage that would occur during the process of seizing the ship, whether it was the loss to the fleet or casualties in the boarding combat, it was both inevitable and a necessary sacrifice. However, Gu Hang still didn¡¯t choose to commence boarding combat at the very start of the battle. The technology for teleportation was not great in the Alliance; if teleportation was a must, then they could only rely on Gu Hang leading his Storm Mage Corps into a teleportation combat. But that was very difficult. The situation was somewhat like the battle at Korolya. On that Chaos-corrupted battleship, the power of the Evil God was prevalent. Its affiliation, different from that of the plague outbreak in Korolya, didn¡¯t belong to the ¡®Benevolent Father,¡¯ but rather appeared to be that of a ¡®Tyrant¡¯ seated on a brass throne. But undoubtedly, both were equally grand presences. Though of course, a battleship¡¯s scale didn¡¯t equate to that of a world or a Nest Capital, it didn¡¯t mean Gu Hang could easily use teleportation to send in too many troops. After all, although the scale of a battleship was smaller, this time Gu Hang didn¡¯t have a blade like the Great Unclean One¡¯s to act as an anchor point to deceive his opponent. He could only send in a force of around two thousand men into the battleship. That was already three times more than the number they smuggled into Korolya, but facing hundreds of thousands of Chaos Evildoers, two or three hundred Mutinous Star Warriors, and battling within the domain of the Blood God, Gu Hang still felt the risk was too great. Even if he participated in person and could guarantee victory, the cost was still a concern that had to be considered. A price that must be paid for greater gains was one he was not stingy in risking; but when it came to additional investments with equal returns, he didn¡¯t want to spend an extra dime. Coincidentally, those followers of the Blood God clearly intended to engage in teleportation combat. Then bring it on. First kill those who teleport over. That way, when they board the battleship for an offensive, the resistance would obviously become much smaller. Those two hundred Mutinous Star Warriors, it would definitely be much easier to eliminate them on their own warships than on the opponent¡¯s. And as long as those two hundred Mutinous Star Warriors were killed, the remaining forces of the ash dead might not even be a hundred, making the entire combat much easier. However, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t really wait to clear out all the teleporting heretics before dealing with the Wraith Spire. If he did that, it would be too slow. Since they couldn¡¯t dare to fire excessively at that battleship for fear of destroying it, and eliminating the traitors on the ship would take time. In such a case, it was tantamount to completely allowing the Wraith Spire to use the formidable heavy artillery of a battleship to attack their ships at close range, resulting in substantial losses. If it took just a bit longer, it was not impossible for the battleship to destroy half the fleet. That would have been a loss too great to justify. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang definitely would not let such a result happen. Therefore, as soon as those two hundred Interstellar Warriors started their teleportation, Gu Hang simultaneously made a counter move: tearing open the rift of the Divine Realm and using Spiritual Energy to forcefully penetrate the veil between the Storm God Kingdom and that battleship. This was not so easy; what Gu Hang had to tear apart was not only the veil between the Storm God Kingdom and the real world, he also had to break through the domain of the Blood God surrounding that corrupted ship. In the process of doing so, Gu Hang¡¯s nostrils were filled with the stench of blood, and he was quite anxious, fearing that he might provoke a Great Demon. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 826 - Chapter 826: Chapter 451, Seizing the Ship Heroic Spirit_2 Chapter 826: Chapter 451, Seizing the Ship Heroic Spirit_2 Gu Hang had once killed a Great Demon, but it was only because the Great Unclean One, Ge Wajia, had fallen ill and walked into the Storm God Kingdom himself, giving Gu Hang a home-field advantage that allowed him to kill the demon. Although Gu Hang had become stronger than before, if it were to happen again, and the enemy didn¡¯t just give himself up, it was still hard to say what the outcome would be. Besides, even if he won, wouldn¡¯t it still be a tough fight? It¡¯s better not to meet such a challenge if possible. Fortunately, Gu Hang had never come across such signs. A good thing. Once the direct tunnel to the battleship in the Storm God Kingdom was completed, Gu Hang deployed his loyal Valor Spirit Legion into it. Theoretically, Gu Hang could absorb the souls of every fallen Alliance Warrior on the battlefield into the Storm God Kingdom and convert them into Heroic Spirits. Before, the number of casualties among Alliance Warriors was relatively low. But after the Green Skins War started, this number skyrocketed. In almost a year of war, not counting the Pact Army, just the Land Forces alone had suffered over sixty million casualties. Among them, twenty percent were seriously wounded but survived with pensions and retired from active duty; ten percent were healed and could return to their old units; but the remaining seventy percent¨Cthat is, over forty million Alliance Warriors¨Ceither perished on the spot or succumbed to their injuries in field hospitals in the rear. Logically speaking, the souls of these forty million dead Alliance Warriors should all be in Gu Hang¡¯s Divine Realm. But realistically, that was not the case. Gu Hang could absorb that many, but he could not sustain the existence of that many Heroic Spirits. Why bother then? If he couldn¡¯t handle it, he might as well let them return to the Golden Throne. It¡¯s all the same. Currently, there were about five million Heroic Spirit Warriors in Gu Hang¡¯s Storm God Kingdom. If anyone dared to enter his divine kingdom and battle him, these five million Heroic Spirits would become their worst nightmare. However, Gu Hang was not yet able to bring all five million into the real world. If he had the ability, he wouldn¡¯t need to fuss so much; he would just capture the ship and be done with it. Right now, the maximum number he could sustain in the real world was at most five hundred thousand¨Ca mere tenth. But that was enough. Gu Hang had already deployed seventy to eighty thousand on the ¡®Wraith Spire.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t deploy more, there just wasn¡¯t enough space. The Heroic Spirits fought with the most fearless disposition, possessing combat consciousness and skills just like when they were alive; their firearms, similar to the Alliance¡¯s standard G Series Weapons, no longer fired physical bullets but launched bolts of lightning. After being attacked, ¡®Wraith Spire¡¯ fell into disarray for a moment. In the past, it was always them boarding others¡¯ ships, when had they ever been boarded? During this initial chaos, multiple firepower systems on Wraith Spire were overtaken by the Heroic Spirits. They didn¡¯t destroy these firepower points but defended them on the spot, engaging in determined battles with the retaliating Chaotic Evildoers. Meanwhile, more Heroic Spirits were attacking other areas. The defending army on Wraith Spire soon realized that they simply couldn¡¯t kill all these invaders. These beings, glowing with blue light, could certainly be killed. However, the Chaotic Evildoers also always seemed to find that, just when they¡¯d watched a recently constructed barricade manned by only seven Heroic Spirits and had killed three of them¨Csupposedly leaving four¨Cwhen their squad charged and reached them, they were shocked to find there were still seven Heroic Spirits defending! Heroic Spirits couldn¡¯t be killed¨Cnot in the real world at least. They would reassemble shortly after dying in the Storm God Kingdom. Every time one died, Gu Hang would casually replace it. Unless the Chaotic Evildoers on Wraith Spire could kill five million instances of Heroic Spirits in a short time, Gu Hang¡¯s Heroic Spirits were infinite. How were the Chaotic Evildoers on Wraith Spire supposed to fight? There was simply no way to fight! Compared to the unlimited Heroic Spirits, their numbers were finite. This situation had eased only after the Ashen Dead joined the fight. The leader of the Battle Group, Zhong Jihua, had finally understood what was going on. He had heard that Gu Hang, the leader of the Alliance, was a powerful Psychic. An A-level Psychic was indeed formidable from all angles. But initially, he hadn¡¯t taken it very seriously. There were also mages within the Battle Group and even those who were A-level in strength; their abilities were even higher due to also being Interstellar Warriors. But what was the deal with these suddenly-appearing Heroic Spirits? This was something that had never been mentioned in the intelligence reports! ¨CGu Hang was very cautious about using the Valor Spirit Legion; for now, apart from the Mechanic Servants working in the Black Line Factory and a very few researchers with a very high level of confidentiality, only a portion of the Phoenix Battle Group knew of the existence of the Valor Spirit Legion. This had also been explicitly ordered to be kept a secret by Gu Hang. Gu Hang still trusted the confidentiality capabilities of the Interstellar Warriors. Zhong Jihua already felt that he had fallen into a conspiracy, a trap specifically aimed at him and his ships. Fighting like a trapped beast, he led the less than one hundred Ashen Dead on the battleship and personally joined the frontline combat. With him and nearly a hundred Ashen Dead, the Heroic Spirits suffered heavy losses. To be frank, the actual combat power demonstrated by the Heroic Spirits was only slightly stronger than the average T5 level soldiers, after all, they couldn¡¯t shake off their strength levels from their lifetimes. Their greatest characteristics were their indestructibility and their unpredictable way of deploying. However, Gu Hang had obviously considered this as well. On the Opera Cruiser, dealing with the defected Ashen Dead was Rizzo, the High Priest. And where was the Battle Group Leader of the Phoenix? Right here, of course! Matins and his Phoenix First Company, who had not participated in the battle on the Opera Cruiser, were, at a crucial moment, transported to the Wraith Spire by Gu Hang and the members of the Storm Mage Corps through Psionic Teleportation. The long-suppressed rage could finally be unleashed. Matins, along with his battle brothers, under the coordination of a large number of Heroic Spirit troops, eliminated one squad after another and searched the entire ship for Zhong Jihua. And at this time, Zhong Jihua finally showed his cunning side. He attempted to contact Anconi, but the communication device only emitted an endless buzzing sound with no response. He knew that the defected troops no longer had any chance of surviving, and the situation on the ¡®Wraith Spire¡¯ was rapidly deteriorating. What to do if he cannot win? Of course, he had to run. If they didn¡¯t flee, they would soon be cornered and tangled by these undying Heroic Spirits, and then his former battle brother would find him with towering fury. At another time, he wouldn¡¯t mind fighting Matins to the death, but not today. If they fought today, he would certainly be on the losing side. This battle was unnecessary. Zhong Jihua, with a few loyal subordinates, moved to the boarding chamber. They exchanged fire with the Heroic Spirits in the corridors, and each step was incredibly difficult. Eventually, they burst into the boarding chamber. Here, there were several small, quick spirit ships, equipped with some anti-detection stealth features. He planned to escape by ship. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The risks were indeed great; escaping in this chaotic battlefield could easily result in being destroyed. But the Wraith Spire was definitely not getting away; his only choice if he wanted to survive. Zhong Jihua skillfully operated the boarding system, preparing to launch a spare small escape ship. However, just as they were about to detach from the warship, a figure suddenly appeared at the hatch. It was Matins¨Cthe Battle Group Leader of the Phoenix, his eyes cold, his armor still stained with blood. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 827 - Chapter 827: Chapter 452, So Youve Joined Them Too Chapter 827: Chapter 452, So You¡¯ve Joined Them Too When Zhong Jihua saw Matins and the group of Phoenix warriors burst in, his heart sank to rock bottom. But he still tried to appear fearless, ¡°Matins, my brother¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, you traitor!¡± Matins, full of rage, entered the room. Accompanying him were dozens of Phoenix warriors who had already engaged the Ashen Dead. Yet, no one bothered Zhong Jihua. Before entering, the Battle Group Leader had made it clear that this was his opponent. He wanted to personally slaughter this traitor. ¡°Don¡¯t be so serious¡­¡± Zhong Jihua spread his hands, trying to say something more, but in the next moment took the opportunity, while speaking, to swiftly pull out his Bombardment Gun and shoot at Matins. His series of actions was incredibly quick, as if honed through relentless practice. But Matins was obviously on guard. ¡°Ugly tricks!¡± he sarcastically uttered as he blocked the bomb with his hardest shoulder armor. However, at the same time, Zhong Jihua¡¯s demonic sword had already chopped towards him. The demonic sword in his hands was the Fine Work Dynamo Sword he had worn in the Battle Group in the past, now even more sinister with the infusion of the Evil God¡¯s Power, carrying a foreboding blood hue. With a fierce strike of the demonic sword, he tried to dominate Matins with his wild onslaught right at the start of the fight. The two giants clad in Terminator Power Armor engaged in a fight to the death! Matins struggled to block, but in the melee of swordsmanship, he clearly fell into a disadvantage. ¡°You were never my match before, and this time is no exception!¡± Zhong Jihua sneered. What he said was the truth. Zhong Jihua and he were from the same batch that entered the Phoenix. During their rookie period, both had shown exceptional potential and were once simultaneously hailed as the next hope of the Battle Group. And they both lived up to expectations. However, there was still a noticeable difference in their abilities. Matins had more leadership and command talent, while Zhong Jihua excelled in swordsmanship, shooting, and physical gifts. This naturally led to different developmental paths, and logically, Matins became a Company Commander at a relatively young age for an Interstellar Warrior. At the same time, Zhong Jihua, although titled the Champion Swordsman of the Battle Group, had a different role than a Company Commander. But this did not affect the deep brotherhood between them¨Cat least that¡¯s what Matins thought. During the Crusade of Atonement, when he heard that an entire company led by Zhong Jihua had gone missing and was destroyed, he was heartbroken. And at that time he was so heartbroken, but when he found out that Zhong Jihua had become a traitor, he was filled with sadness and anger! Had it only been like Blaywins, abandoning their posts, it would have been forgivable, but they were in batches! Organized! Rebels! If those two hundred or so Phoenix Veterans had not defected, could the final battle of the Phoenix have been different? Could doubling the number of veteran Phoenix have brought more survivors back, making it less arduous to rebuild? He truly hated Zhong Jihua! Yet, hate as he might, one thing remained unchanged¨Cafter all these years, he still couldn¡¯t defeat Zhong Jihua. Over the years, his skill level had indeed improved, even becoming more adept at using the Terminator Power Armor. However, Zhong Jihua¡¯s level was still above his. The progress Matins made over these years couldn¡¯t compare to the Blood God¡¯s Evil power that Zhong Jihua had received. This malevolent power further enhanced his blood and flesh power, significantly strengthening his physique, making his slashes even more formidable and forceful. Linking several swords, each time Matins¡¯ body swayed more than Zhong Jihua¡¯s, each time it was a very reactive defense, accumulating, the disadvantage was quickly turning into a rout. On the contrary, Zhong Jihua cut more and more excitedly. Defeat was imminent, and Matins sighed in his heart. With one more strike, the end from Zhong Jihua was coming, Matins struggled into an upward sword block, but it was clearly not enough. Yet, at that moment, a burst of lightning erupted from his body. The explosive barbaric force repelled Zhong Jihua¡¯s demon sword directly. The leader of the Ashen dead cautiously stepped back several paces, looking at Matins with surprise and doubt. Was this his power? No, it wasn¡¯t. Matins had been able to release this special energy long ago; if he had done so earlier, he wouldn¡¯t have suffered so horrendously. Nevertheless, he waited until this moment to use this power. Zhong Jihua discerned for a moment, then mockingly said, ¡°You still call me a traitor? Just look at yourself now!¡± ¡°I wondered where those indestructible little blue men came from, so you¡¯ve sided with them too¡­¡± ¡°Shut up, meet your death!¡± Matins, with a bolt of lightning in his sword, forced Zhong Jihua¡¯s words back. Although Zhong Jihua didn¡¯t finish speaking and had to fully focus on the greatly empowered heavy sword after the lightning surge, the mockery in his eyes only grew richer. Taking advantage of a pause, he was about to add, ¡°How does it feel to side with a Subspace Powerhouse? Isn¡¯t it much cooler than believing in that fake Emperor full of lies?¡± ¡°Shameless rebel, don¡¯t compare me with you!¡± ¡°Ha ha ha! Be honest for once, Matins!¡± Although laughing, the heart of today¡¯s Zhong Jihua was entirely cold. Feeling the numbness in his arms, sensing that the Blood God¡¯s Power was dissipating with every clash, he knew the tide had turned against him. Now, he was resorting to verbal advantage, as there was nothing else left to leverage. If he couldn¡¯t gain an advantage verbally, what else could he do? He didn¡¯t dare hope that Matins would spare his life. That was impossible. Eventually, in a fierce counterattack, Matins¡¯s Powered Sword, still crackling with lightning, pierced through Zhong Jihua¡¯s armor and into his heart. Zhong Jihua struggled in extreme pain, but in an instant, the lightning destroyed his heart, leaving his body weak. Matins quickly withdrew the sword, then stabbed again, piercing the second heart. Blood spilled from Zhong Jihua¡¯s mouth, he murmured weakly: ¡°Don¡¯t trust the entities of Subspace too much; none of them bear good intentions¡­¡± ¡°I told you, don¡¯t compare me with you.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then, I¡¯ll wait for you in hell¡­¡± Before he could finish, Matins pulled out the Powered Sword and with one sweeping strike, decapitated Zhong Jihua. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The headless body fell onto the cold metal floor. Matins stood beside the body of Zhong Jihua and took a deep breath. His gaze then shifted to the others still engaged in the battle. Lifting his Powered Sword, still ablaze with lingering lightning, Matins charged at the remaining Ashen dead. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 828 - Chapter 828: Chapter 453: Drag the Battleship Back Home Chapter 828: Chapter 453: Drag the Battleship Back Home Zhong Jihua¡¯s death marked the end of the battle. After his death, the fighting aboard the ship had not yet concluded. Not to mention the heretics deeply corrupted by chaos, even the mutinous interstellar warriors of the Ashen Dead still had many survivors, stubbornly resisting throughout the starship. But since it was merely stubborn resistance, it meant it did not affect the overall situation. The Heroic Spirit Legion ravaging the starship had turned everything upside down. Once these Heroic Spirits had taken over a large number of the weapon systems¡¯ launch platforms, the battleship quickly ceased fire reducing the threat to the human military forces outside the starship significantly. Meanwhile, the human fleet also stopped continuing their attacks on the Wraith Spire. They simply besieged it quietly. Next, Gu Hang, along with Rizzo and the Phoenix, who had wiped out two hundred Ashen Dead on the Opera Cruiser, also teleported onto the battleship. With this, more than four hundred interstellar warriors, along with the Heroic Spirit Legion, slaughtered on the Wraith Spire, significantly increasing their efficiency. Three hours after Zhong Jihua¡¯s death, there were no longer any chaotic evildoers alive on the Wraith Spire. The losses of the Heroic Spirit Legion were negligible; they would regrow from the Storm God Kingdom. The current deaths only added some spiritual stress to Gu Hang, which he could recover from with some rest. The Phoenix lost about sixty warriors. The main losses occurred on the Opera Cruiser. Four hundred of the Phoenix¡¯s new recruits who fought the two hundred veteran Ashen Dead suffered considerable casualties. However, after this battle, the battle group¡¯s pharmacists had collected more than three hundred gene seeds. The gene seeds left by the dead Phoenix would obviously be useful later. Those two hundred plus, nearly three hundred gene seeds of the Ashen Dead, were slightly awkward. The Ashen Dead were not merely deserters or traitors; they genuinely fell into chaos. They had accepted the power infusions of a Chaos God and truly became slaves of chaos. And after their deaths, the gene seeds they left behind might also likely be problematic due to their prior corruption. Using such gene seeds to cultivate new Phoenix recruits? Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t dare. Who knows what kind of monster might emerge? Even if there seemed to be no issue for the time being, it could still be a ticking time bomb in the future. It simply wasn¡¯t worth it. Nor was it feasible to use them to pay the gene seed tax. Gu Hang did indeed hear that some Starfighter Battle Groups would hand over others¡¯ seeds as their tax. This usually came from some battle groups needing to expand their numbers or requiring rapid recovery. Generally, most battle groups would care greatly about the purity of their own battle group¡¯s gene seeds, but since they must pay taxes to the Empire, they exchanged other seeds instead. But these battle groups generally used ¡®allies¡¯, or at worst, traitor¡¯s seeds. Using Chaos Starfield Warriors¡¯ seeds was absurd. The Empire¡¯s collection of gene seed taxes partly intended to inspect the purity of each battle group¡¯s gene seeds from the genetic level, ensuring that there were no issues with any battle group. Handing over seeds tainted with chaos would definitely provoke the Empire. Generally, captured chaotic gene seeds were certainly meant to be destroyed. But to destroy them all would still feel like a waste to Gu Hang. Three hundred gene seeds, that would be thirty thousand grace points if exchanged. Wasting is not a good habit. Nevertheless, Gu Hang had come up with an idea to deal with these gene seeds. Although it was still immature and required many more trials, if successful, it might turn waste into treasure. He collected all the seeds and divided them into two parts. The Phoenix¡¯s took theirs; Gu Hang gathered the Chaotic seeds and tossed them into the Storm God Kingdom, planning to deal with them later when he had some spare time. Subsequently, some members of the Navy boarded the ship. When they arrived, the battle had already completely ended, and the Valor Spirit Legion had returned. Those left on the ship were only the four hundred-plus Red Armor giants, including Gu Hang. As these naval sailors and officers moved about the ship, passing by the Red Armor giants, they couldn¡¯t help but cast admiring and awestruck glances at them. From their perspective, they had no idea about the Valor Spirit Legion. They naturally assumed that the cleanup of an entire Battleship of ten to hundreds of thousands of mutineers was all the work of these Phoenixes. A few hours, a few hundred people, to kill nearly two hundred thousand¡­ indeed, it was beyond the imagination of these mortal officers. However, no one was there to explain anything to them. The commander who boarded the Battleship, also selected by Gu Hang as the captain of this Retribution-class Battleship, was an Alliance Navy brigadier named Song Jianyun. He arrived at the bridge, saw Gu Hang, and solemnly saluted the Alliance Leader: ¡°Alliance Navy Brigadier, Song Jianyun, reporting to you!¡± It was the Alliance Navy, not the Imperial Navy, and the ranks were different. In the past, the best destination for outstanding graduates from the Naval Academy on Flying Wing Star was the Tianma Fleet, to become a distinguished Imperial Navy officer; the next best option was to go to the ships of the Empire Commerce Guild led by the Gu Commercial Firm. Now, there was another option¨Cthe Alliance Navy. This option, for now, wasn¡¯t as attractive as the Tianma Fleet. However, given that the Tianma Fleet had been consistently losing ships without replenishment, The two major shipyards of the Alliance had recently added new ships to the United Fleet under the command of either Yelisia or Zhao Shiliang, and now it appeared there was no difference between the Alliance Navy and the Tianma Fleet, but Gu Hang would definitely need to consider matters after the war. Certainly, new ships would all be funneled into the Alliance Navy. Including the just-acquired Battleship. Yelisia, the Supreme Commander of the United Fleet and acting supreme commander of the Tianma Fleet, had no objection to this either. It was precisely because of this that the crew, including the officers who boarded this wave, all came from the Alliance Navy¡¯s ranks, which was quite normal. Gu Hang returned the salute to Song Jianyun and then said, ¡°Quickly assess the condition of the ship. I hope it can still be operated. We need to tow it back to the Flying Wing Star Shipyard. After repairs and modifications, this Retribution-class Battleship will become the flagship of our Alliance Navy.¡± ¡°Yes! Our technicians, under the lead of Chief Advisor Wang Zhaoran, have already been working on this. According to the Chief Advisor¡¯s estimation, we need one day¡¯s time to complete the preliminary assessment and temporary repairs.¡± ¡°Alright, make it quick.¡± This length of time actually dissatisfied Gu Hang. But it was a bit unavoidable, as Gu Hang had consulted with the relevant technicians to assess the situation before departure. At that time, Wang Zhaoran had already informed Gu Hang about this timeframe. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now, it was just following the expected schedule. ¡ª¡ª¨C There was a little less yesterday, making up for yesterday¡¯s. There will be more tonight, but it will be very late. I have to take a friend to the airport, and I guess I¡¯ll be home around one or two o¡¯clock. wuxiaworld.site .co Chapter 829 - Chapter 829 Chapter 454 Machine Spirit Cleansing Chapter 829: Chapter 454, Machine Spirit Cleansing Chapter 829: Chapter 454, Machine Spirit Cleansing To repair and assess the condition of the freshly captured Retribution-class Battleship, the entire United Fleet was to stay an entire day within the Iron Dong II Star System. Despite Gu Hang¡¯s dissatisfaction with the need for such a long stop, Wang Zhaoran, the Dominant Bishop of the Mingyang Sect and the technical advisor to Flying Wing Star, didn¡¯t mind. He had explained the reasons to Gu Hang. First, the shipbuilding technology of the Tianma Star Sector was already unmatched across the Dragonhawk Star Domain, but there was still no experience in manufacturing, maintaining, or repairing Retribution-class Battleships. Having never worked on a ship this big, taking a whole day to do this was already quite efficient. Second, the level of Chaos corruption this ship had suffered was quite severe¨Ca much bigger issue than the former. In fact, when Wang Zhaoran initially told Gu Hang that he could get the ship back in working order, although he seemed very confident, he didn¡¯t actually have that much certainty. But¡­ ¡°Teacher, aren¡¯t we deceiving the Governor by doing this?¡± his apprentice inquired quietly to Wang Zhaoran while they worked. One of Wang Zhaoran¡¯s mechanical arms pushed the apprentice¡¯s head back down, ¡°Focus on your work and cut the chatter.¡± Another apprentice then spoke up with a smile, ¡°If Teacher hadn¡¯t said it like that, what if Mr. Gu had given up on the plan to seize the ship? How else would we have such an opportunity to get our hands on such a big ship?¡± Wang Zhaoran nodded slightly. That was indeed what he meant. Moreover, it was not just any Retribution-class ship; it was deeply corrupted by Chaos. Chaos corruption was certainly not a good thing, but wasn¡¯t it also a rare occurrence? A rare Battleship plus a rare state of corruption, how could the Oil Heads not be tempted? He was sure to come! However, the current situation was slightly beyond his expectations. If it were only a matter of mechanical issues, it would actually be easier to handle. Although Wang Zhaoran also lacked experience with Retribution-class Battleships, many of the technical aspects of naval vessels were universal. Most importantly, the damage to this particular Retribution-class wasn¡¯t that severe to begin with¨Cfiguring out how to operate the ship would suffice. But the corruption was different. The Mechanical Cult Guild believed that every mechanical creation in the world, from super Starships as large as cities to the most ordinary gun, had a soul. This was what they called the ¡°Machine Spirit.¡± Whether replacing a battery in a laser gun, lubricating the tracks of a Lion Tank, or blessing the Interstellar Warriors with incense and scriptures before departure, all were methods to soothe the Machine Spirits. Delighted Machine Spirits could make machines more stable and even perform extraordinarily; discontented Machine Spirits, however, could cause malfunctions. Of course, although this notion was quite popular, it was mainly the Sect of Mechanics and its followers who took it seriously. The concept of Machine Spirits was rather mystical, and a good portion of people did not believe in it, or rather, did not understand it. In the present circumstances, Wang Zhaoran had confirmed that rescuing this Battleship would be exceptionally challenging. Primarily because of the mutiny of the Machine Spirits due to Chaos corruption. The corrupted Machine Spirits were violent and bloodthirsty, filled with a madness-inducing power. To pilot this ship, if it was only for a short time, it might still be manageable; but if it was any longer than that, all the crew members would be at risk of infection and then falling into madness. Crazed crew members, at the least, would begin indiscriminate attacks during battles with their starships, and at worst, might conduct evil rituals within the ship to call upon abyssal demons. This problem couldn¡¯t be solved just by repairing a few devices and components on the starships; it required a lengthy and complex technical solution to eradicate the corruption from the machine spirits. Even Wang Zhaoran wasn¡¯t sure if there truly was a method to soothe and purify the machine spirits. At least he couldn¡¯t. After handing over the basic maintenance and repair tasks to the students, he spent the following day trying various approaches to see if any method of appeasing the machine spirits was effective. He conducted fifteen attempts, each one failing. There wasn¡¯t the slightest sign of life, and during the process of communicating with the machine spirit, he couldn¡¯t feel the slightest feedback from the Retribution-class Battleship¡¯s spirit; all he ever heard was its violent roars. Eventually, he even feared to continue trying. With each attempt to communicate with the machine spirit, he felt a tremendous psychological pressure. After all fifteen methods failed, although he had a few more tricks up his sleeve, the chances of success were incredibly low, and there was even a risk of falling into the abyss himself¡­ It just wasn¡¯t worth it. The following day, when he faced Gu Hang, he didn¡¯t dare to keep anything hidden or make up lies; he simply explained the situation as he knew it. At that moment, he was somewhat uneasy. Before his arrival, he had claimed he could pilot the ship back. Now¡­ he hadn¡¯t exactly broken his promise; he could definitely pilot it back. But what was the point of returning if the ship¡¯s corruption issue wasn¡¯t resolved? It couldn¡¯t be of any use in actual combat. Even merely parking it in a starport posed the risk of spreading the corruption. But Gu Hang didn¡¯t seem to care too much about that. Smiling, he said, ¡°As long as you can pilot it back, that¡¯s good enough. There¡¯s no time to delay, let¡¯s return now!¡± ¡­ Unlike what Wang Zhaoran worried about, Gu Hang didn¡¯t fear any chaotic corruption; what he feared most were significant, insurmountable problems with the ship¡¯s mechanical systems. Should such a problem arise, he would be at a loss, only able to admit a major setback in this operation. Fortunately, with his careful precautions, such problems didn¡¯t occur. As for the issue of corruption, he had his ways to deal with it. He didn¡¯t quite understand the ¡®machine spirit¡¯ as defined by the Sect of Mechanics. To him, the concept had more religious overtones than practical significance. In this universe, which was neither materialistic nor scientific, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t easily deny these mysterious notions. Their existence, widely acknowledged by many, could eventually turn fiction into reality. However, for the current matter, Gu Hang had his own pragmatic solution. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He might not understand what a corrupted machine spirit meant, but he could tackle the problem in a very grounded manner: using thunder and Storm Divine Power to cleanse the ship, from top to bottom, inside and out, washing every part, even every screw. With the divine power of storms and thunder, wash away the bloodline and divine presence that tainted the warship. If washing it once wasn¡¯t enough, then do it ten times, a hundred times. When the warship was in the Real Universe, out of the reach of the ¡®tyrant,¡¯ and subjected over and over again to the cleansing ritual of the thunder divine power, there would surely come a time when it was completely purified. At that point, the corrupted machine spirit should also be cleansed of its corruption, right? Chapter 830 - Chapter 830 Chapter 455 Firebath Nova Chapter 830: Chapter 455, Firebath Nova Chapter 830: Chapter 455, Firebath Nova Wraith Spire had started to move in space, under the collective supervision of the human United Fleet. The crew and officers of the Alliance Navy who boarded the warship were actually quite unfamiliar with piloting this type of vessel. At the same time, while navigating the ship, they felt an immense pressure, an inexplicable heat throughout their bodies, and occasionally they could see some crazy hallucinations and hear some unsettling whispers¡­ These were all rather bad signs. On this battleship, Gu Hang had ordered many State Church Priests to be summoned from other ships. All crew members on the battleship must pray every three hours under the guidance of a priest. Several temporary shipboard chapels had been established on the ship. Gu Hang personally cleansed these chapels with the power of thunder. Then, the State Church Priests would use these chapels as the central area to preach and help the crew resist the intrusion of chaos. To be honest, these measures were all temporary. If this went on for too long during the prolonged interstellar voyage, the pervasive corruption of chaos would inevitably drive the crew into madness. Even the accompanying priests could eventually succumb to corruption over time. Fortunately, it wouldn¡¯t take too long to return from Tie Dong II. These temporary measures, along with Gu Hang¡¯s personal care, were just barely enough to hold on. The Flying Wing Star Starport, which was informed of the news, had already prepared a docking position. The Starport of Flying Wing Star had never hosted a warship of the Retribution-class grade. The docking position now temporarily allocated was originally meant for Jufu-class transport ships. In terms of size, it was just about adequate, as the Jufu-class transport vessels were quite large as well; But the technical specifications and safety aspects¡­ among other factors, the civilian and military berths were too different. Despite this, as soon as the operation began, the port started refurbishments under the orders of Gu Hang. However, this too required quite some time. But a temporary docking was acceptable. From Korolya, a team of Battle Nuns, accompanied by a large group of chanting nuns, together with State Church Priests called from various places, would take turns staying on this warship in the coming time. They would recite scriptures while sprinkling holy water, repeatedly cleansing every inch of the ship; they would transform and build chapels on the ship one after another, erecting statues of the Divine Emperor everywhere; they would arrange scripture ribbons and red clay seals in every possible place¡­ These were considered standard measures. As for Gu Hang himself, as long as he was on Flying Wing Star, he must visit every two months to spend two days invoking the Storm God Kingdom¨Cor immerse the warship in the Storm God Kingdom, if that would suffice. Then, he would use the power of thunder to thoroughly cleanse the entire ship, inside and out. After that, he would repeat the process with the techniques of the State Church Priests and nuns, as well as the Sect of Mechanics, and continue to do so. In this way, after many cycles, this Retribution-class battleship would eventually be cleansed one day. In fact, Gu Hang already had an estimated timeline: At most, three years. This was considering that Gu Hang might have to leave Flying Wing Star to handle other matters and could not always be watching over this warship to perform the cleansing ritual. Otherwise, if pushed to the limit, it could possibly be done in just a year and a half. As for this warship, its past name was definitely to be discarded. As for the new name, Gu Hang had already decided: ¡°Firebath Nova.¡± ¡­ This trip to the south of the Seven Horse Territory, solving the Ashen Dead issue, was naturally the biggest gain from the battleship. At the same time, stabilizing the rear and solving the historical issues with Phoenix was also an important matter. Otherwise, Gu Hang would always worry about such a hidden concern, not knowing when or where it might erupt. When an uncertain danger became an actual problem and was resolved, of course, it was a reason to be happy. This also meant that the Alliance could finally focus most of its efforts back onto the frontal battlefield against the Iron-Tooth Clan. Yelisia, leading half of the United Fleet, set off northward after a brief post-war rest. Having wasted a lot of time encircling the Ashen Dead Squad in the Iron Horse Sector, it was now probably too late to arrive at the Temir Star System ahead of the enemy¡¯s reinforcements and eliminate the Green Skin Fleet already there. But still, Yelisia had to go. Otherwise, once the Green Skins reinforced, especially with their naval power becoming stronger, Du Shiliang would not be able to hold on. The warfare in the Temir Star System could not do without the protection of the naval forces, or else the numerous land forces on the ground would suffer greatly. Temir had already become a focal point of the war. With navies in the vast galaxy standing off against each other, the occasional loss of a small ship was a loss of tens of thousands, even millions of Tax Currency; and on the ground, billions of human warriors and Green Skins used every method possible, treating every inch of two planets as a battlefield, and fought desperately against each other. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Here, it was not only the focus of the war between the Alliance and the Green Skins but also one of the focal points of the entire war effort. As the Alliance continued to bleed in Temir, they were also heavily bleeding the Iron-Tooth Clan. Even on the western front of the Star Domain, which the Beastmen were attacking, their offensive had weakened. At least, up to this point, Jindi Star was still in the hands of the Sect of Mechanics. According to the information Wu Jiarong sent back to Gu Hang, although the situation on Jindi Star was worsening day by day and would definitely be lost if it continued, the long-awaited reinforcements from the Mingyang Sect and the Star Domain Government¨Cthe Fury Flame Battle Group¨Cwere finally about to arrive. Chapter 831 - Chapter 831 Chapter 456 The War Situation Changes Drastically Chapter 831: Chapter 456, The War Situation Changes Drastically Chapter 831: Chapter 456, The War Situation Changes Drastically The arrival of the Furyflame Legion was the salvation desperately sought by the Star Domain Government. In their understanding, as long as a legitimate Interstellar Warrior Battle Group like the Furyflame Legion arrived, all problems should have been solved. But in reality, that was not the case. The Furyflame Battle Group was a standard Interstellar Warrior Battle Group¨Cat least they appeared very standard. A thousand true Furyflame warriors arrived, possessing a complete set of Interstellar Warrior fleets, where the fleets¡¯ Mortal servants and Mortal Auxiliary Army were also very conventional. Could such a battle group really turn the tide of battle as expected upon their arrival? Indeed they could. At least, once they arrived and engaged in the battle, the situation on Jindi Star had not deteriorated further. The Interstellar Warriors executed their most proficient tactic, and a very effective one against the Green Skin Orcs¨Cbeheading. On the ground battlefield, the beheadings of several Beastman Overlords who were leading the battles were all successful. The strikes against those Overlords directly caused severe chaos in the Green Skins¡¯ ground offensive. The human army, under the command of the Battle Group Leader of the Furyflame Battle Group, known as ¡®Firewalker¡¯ Becker Matthesys, who took over all command of the battle zone, led the human troops in several beautiful battles, annihilating a large number of elite orc forces, and even momentarily repelling the Green Skins¡¯ offensive. Meanwhile, in space, the Combat Shuttle named ¡®Spiritfire¡¯ from the Furyflame Battle Group brought significant pressure to the Green Skins. The Interstellar Warrior¡¯s Combat Shuttle, a mothership whose scale and power even surpassed the standard Empire Battleship. Its first strike caused damage to the Iron-Tooth Clan¡¯s battle moon and even destroyed three Green Skin cruisers. However, the battle moon remained formidable. Along with the original Iron-Tooth flagship¨Ca warship comparable at least to a Battleship Cruiser¨Cultimately drove ¡®Spiritfire¡¯ away. But even so, while the Interstellar Warriors of the Furyflame Battle Group were ¡®forced¡¯ to retreat, they made a retaliatory strike. They launched a jump-aided surprise attack on the Green Skin flagship. What they most hoped for was to catch Chieftain Titus there and behead the great chieftain of the Beastman Empire. Eliminating him would plunge the entire Green-skinned Empire into prolonged chaos and collapse, leading to widespread civil war. This was a consolidating experience from the Empire¡¯s history of warfare against the Green Skins across the universe, with almost no exceptions. If they couldn¡¯t capture Chieftain Titus on the ship, their plan to combat-jump and internally destroy the enemy warship would still significantly aid future engagements by destroying a core Green Skin Battleship. However, this plan of jump-aided combat did not succeed. Titus was indeed there, they found him, but in battle, his Black Beast Guard Squad displayed combat effectiveness not inferior to that of the Interstellar Warriors. Even though the Furyflame warriors dragged the battle into their preferred close-quarters combat, would the elite among the Green Skin Orcs fear hand-to-hand combat? Clearly, they would not. In a brief and brutal confrontation, the Interstellar Warriors of the Furyflame Battle Group quickly realized that their boarding force was not capable of eliminating Titus. At that moment, they decisively abandoned their original plan and began to retreat. Some stayed behind, while others, carrying bombs that should have been planted inside the ship¡¯s core for detonation, just set them off randomly. Even though they could not destroy the ship, they at least inflicted substantial damage on the Green Skin flagship and created chaos onboard to facilitate their escape. Indeed, they did carve a bloody path back, boarded the rescue ship, and left the warship. Still, they paid a considerable cost in this whole process. A Champion of the battle group, a Company Commander, both perished in this battle. Of the elite squad engaged in the combat, only a third managed to get out. Yet even so, after the Furyflame Battle Group engaged in this war, the Green Skins suffered an unexpected harsh blow. Previously, they had never endured such severe beatings. On both ground and space battlefields, the orcs, frustrated greatly, but as Titus had become the great chieftain, it meant he possessed not just bravery and tyranny, but also indispensable cunning and wisdom. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Under his command, the heavily loss-bearing Green Skin Orcs became more cautious. On the surface, they scaled back their offensive, no longer as aggressively; in space, they no longer senselessly expanded the battle lines but tightly grouped their fleet around the slow, cumbersome battle moon as a core. This made it impossible for the Furyflame Battle Group to find more opportunities. Indeed, the Furyflame Battle Group¡¯s combat style itself, demonstrated through this series of actions, emphasized ferocity and aggression. However, after one failure, they realized that this enemy was not like most they had encountered in Star Sea wars, who could be swiftly crushed. Chapter 832 - Chapter 832 Chapter 456 The War Situation Changes Chapter 832: Chapter 456, The War Situation Changes Drastically_2 Chapter 832: Chapter 456, The War Situation Changes Drastically_2 Both sides had learned their lessons, and the entire battlefield situation had thus calmed down somewhat. But this calm didn¡¯t last long soon after, both sides began to demonstrate their prowess, with the Jindi Star battlefield as the core and expanding to several surrounding star systems, engaging in continuous skirmishes. The more Jindi Star was fought over, the less it seemed to fall; the Green Skins would definitely also try to find a way from other star systems, even attempting to invade the Yunluo Sector from Highland Star in the Snow Eagle Star Sector to the southwest, aiming to directly threaten the capital of the Dragonhawk Star Domain. But wasn¡¯t this inconvenient? Realizing that the Green Skins¡¯ main force was on Jindi Star, there weren¡¯t many options for space warfare using battle moons; direct fleet engagements would not necessarily be advantageous, even with the presence of the combat shuttle ¡°Spiritfire.¡± Therefore, Martesis was also thinking about whether it was possible to open a second front, starting from the Snow Eagle Star Sector. If both Highland Stars could be taken and then launched an attack from the Dragon Tamer Sector to seal off the north side of the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector, that would effectively lock the Green Skins¡¯ main force inside Steel Fire Dragon. Green Skins have a relatively weak dependency on logistics; that is just a relative term. Such a huge fleet, so many Green-Skin armies, convening around Jindi Star if they genuinely had no rear support, no new ships, personnel, supplies, and couldn¡¯t continuously plunder and transport from the rear, then the Beastman legions would also be significantly impacted, with a substantial decrease in combat capability. Both sides had similar ideas, so naturally, the intensity of the war shifted from being focused around Jindi Star to becoming fierce in the surrounding four or five star systems. Just looking at Jindi Star, perhaps the intensity of the war had decreased by one notch; however, in terms of the entire war¡¯s progression, it was clear that both sides were fighting even more fiercely. ¡­ When this series of intelligence reached Gu Hang¡¯s hands, he also felt much relieved. At least, looking at the current state, the situation in the war had changed from initially being a complete rout with the Beastmen crushing everything in their path, to now being a back-and-forth engagement. Gu Hang no longer had to worry about the Star Domain Government being quickly obliterated and then the Beastmen¡¯s main force turning their attention to trouble him. However, Gu Hang soon had a new problem. The situation happening on Jindi Star was beginning to occur in the Temir Star System as well. When Yelisia led her fleet and arrived at the Temir Star System, she was still slightly faster than the Beastmen¡¯s reinforcements. She took over command from Zhao Shiliang and amassed the Alliance Fleet, launching a fierce attack on the Green Skin Orcs. But the Beastman Overlord, whom Gu Hang already knew was named Saru, clearly wasn¡¯t a mindless fool who only knew recklessness. He understood the importance of avoiding sharp edges and even engaging in tug-of-war on a broader battlefield scope. He refused to engage in a decisive battle with the Human Fleet but instead expanded the scope of the battlefield. After suffering certain losses, he evaded the pursuit of the Human Fleet. Yet he didn¡¯t completely withdraw from the entire star system; he still lurked menacingly, ready to launch an offensive as soon as the Human Fleet committed to large-scale orbital support on the surface of Temir No.5, threatening that the Human Fleet wouldn¡¯t be able to concentrate wholly on ground support. Of course, such threats weren¡¯t enough; if the Human Fleet continued to fight regardless, splitting their forces into two groups, one to distract the Green Skins and the other to continue ground support, then what could Saru do? To address this problem, a portion of Saru¡¯s fleet moved north into the Copper Barrier Star Sector and from Copper Barrier I to Emerald Spring in the Mist Horse Star District. This clearly meant that if the Alliance truly committed all-out to attacking the Temir Star System, then they would be allowed to do so. But firstly, do not expect to obtain it too easily; the cost won¡¯t be small. At the same time, if the Beastman Fleet was momentarily unattended, it would make a deep push into the Mist Horse Star District, causing chaos. This was something Gu Hang couldn¡¯t accept. The Mist Horse Star District had signed the Seven Horse Treaty quite early, only slightly later than the Eagle Horse Star Sector. If there were significant turmoil here, and the Alliance was unable to quickly stabilize the situation, the credibility of the Seven Horse Treaty would be greatly lowered. Even the rear Star Sectors like Purple Horse, Border Horse, and Iron Horse would waver, starting to doubt whether the Alliance genuinely had the capability to ensure their safety as promised. After all, the premise for these star sectors and planets ceding authority, even willing to be milked, was the security assurances provided by the Alliance. When the Beastmen really wanted to escalate the war, the Alliance had no choice but to follow suit. Helping the Mist Horse Star District meant splitting up their forces. After splitting up, the agile Green Skins were quickly driven out of Emerald Spring I, and the human Fleet continued to advance north through the Mist Horse Star District, pushing the battle further into the Copper Barrier Star District, even retaking Copper Barrier I and the Brass Star System. Copper Barrier I had only one industrial world, but the Brass Star System consisted of three human worlds. These two star systems, four planets in total, had a combined human population of six billion. Due to years of war, there had been severe population and industrial losses, but at least two billion people remained. The Alliance simply established observation groups on these four worlds, supported proxy governors, and had them all join the Seven Horse Pact. The operational approach was similar to that on Temir No.4. On the one hand, they tried to move as many survivors as possible out of the war zones and back to the Tianma Star Sector to replenish the core population of the Alliance; On the other hand, they mobilized the local population as much as possible, delivered weapons and equipment, and armed them in hopes that they would deal with the remaining Green Skins on the planets themselves. The Alliance would provide military assistance and support with orbital fire. On top of these foundations, they also had to try to restore production as best as they could and work hard to fortify the entire planet, building more orbital cannon platforms. But clearly, the Green Skins wouldn¡¯t give up so easily. Their ships, which had just fled hastily but hadn¡¯t been destroyed, continued to transport troops from elsewhere, seizing opportunities to deploy them on the planet¡¯s surface; they would launch surprise attacks on human transport ships; they even bombarded the planet¡¯s surface with artillery. In this back-and-forth tug of war, the Green-Skin support Fleet also arrived. Overall, in terms of naval strength, the Alliance Fleet still had the upper hand. However, the extent of the advantage was no longer overwhelming. Additionally, both Fleets no longer limited the battlefield to a single star system, but instead expanded the conflict across both the Golden Pass and Copper Barrier Star Sectors. The main land forces of both sides were still embroiled in meat-grinder-like battles on Temir No.5, but the Fleets were running rampant everywhere. The Beastmen would attack human supply lines, which of course had to be defended; the human Fleet would also strike back, reaching as far as Light Blessing Star in some cases. Light Blessing Star was a vital thoroughfare for the Green-skinned Empire, connecting the Golden Pass Star Sector to the main Western Front battlefield. A great deal of resources from the core of the Green-Skin territory to the main battlefield passed through here. A group consisting of one Spiritfire and two Silver Swords ambushed two waves of Green-Skin transport ships here, at least ensuring that more than two billion Green Skins, along with their transport ships and a substantial amount of war supplies, became space debris. Such a significant loss resulted in Saru facing a severe reprimand. The main Beastman forces on the Western Front were already struggling, and now their supplies were hit; who else would he berate but Saru? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Saru was thus forced, like the human Fleet, to allocate troops to the rear transportation channels, chasing away the human raiding ships and securing the safety of the supplies being sent to the front line. Overall, the battle scenario on the entire field had become larger and broader for both sides. And it shifted more towards a competition of ¡°internal strength¡±; isolated victories or defeats in one or two battles were no longer enough to change much. It all depended on the overall resilience of each side, who could endure more losses. This also put even greater economic pressure on the Alliance. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k More to come at night Brothers, vote with your monthly tickets! Chapter 833 - Chapter 833 Chapter 457 Are You Signing or Not Chapter 833: Chapter 457, Are You Signing or Not? Chapter 833: Chapter 457, Are You Signing or Not? The situation in the war definitely improved, and for now, there were no signs of defeat. However, the expansion of the war¡¯s scope also put greater economic pressure on the Alliance. The Navy was fine, since maintaining the same size fleet was the plan all along, and construction of new ships had never stopped. But the Army¡¯s expenses were huge. In the Temir Star System, ground warfare on two planets hadn¡¯t ceased. Although the intensity had dropped, the overall scale remained, and there was no real way to spend much less money. With ground battles also erupting in the Copper Barrier Star District, the Alliance Army began to increase troops across multiple planets of that district. After the Mist Horse Star District was attacked, fortifications were certainly necessary, ensuring safety. All of these increased expenses. Another rapidly increasing cost was military aid for the many planets in war, which consumed a lot of the Alliance¡¯s funds. These military aids included direct support for weapons, equipment, and ammunition allowing the aided planets to directly establish armies with decent capabilities. These armies fought alongside the Alliance Army or under the management of dispatched Alliance officers. Besides direct weapon support, the Alliance also provided substantial industrial production aid. Its core objective was to help these planets establish and revive their own industrial production capabilities, especially heavy industries and military industries. The aim was to boost each planet¡¯s military potential, striving to make them self-sufficient in military arms. Of course, reaching this level was difficult, but every little bit helped reduce reliance on external Alliance support as much as possible. This also eased the Alliance¡¯s transportation pressure. In plain terms, this was the impact after increasing the war¡¯s scale and extending the frontline. It was indeed a more cost-effective tactic. If the war relied solely on the primary forces of the Alliance, costs would be much higher, and deploying Alliance Army units to various planets would occupy valuable fleet resources. If those planets could form sufficient local resistance forces with the help of the Alliance, that would be ideal. But it still involved spending money. Moreover, throughout this period, the population transferred from the Golden Pass Star District and Copper Barrier Star District totaled in the billions. Human resources were also a valuable asset. Initially, however, the Alliance still needed to spend money to settle these people. Providing housing, food, and handling interstellar population transportation¡­ these necessities cost money. Only after spending this money could subsequent plans be made to provide suitable jobs and integrate them into the Alliance¡¯s war factories, maximizing their potential value¡­ In summary, the Alliance¡¯s spending was soaring. Till now, even though all the Imperial Tax owed by the Seven Horse Territory had been transferred to the Alliance, it was beginning to be a bit too much to handle. At present, it was barely manageable. But moving forward, if the scope of war expanded further, or even if a large-scale counterattack was undertaken, the whole economy would be severely strained. Moreover, Alliance Premier Osenia had even discussed with Gu Hang once about the government¡¯s plan to initiate a secondary mobilization order. It wouldn¡¯t stretch to a secondary level for manpower mobilization, but the economic act might need to reach a secondary level¨Cessentially a wartime economic model. Currently, the Alliance was still in a standard third-level mobilization state, meaning partial mobilization. Gu Hang certainly didn¡¯t want to use such harsh measures that would significantly affect the development efficiency of the Alliance. He was always considering other methods. And indeed, there were alternatives. Currently, out of the Alliance¡¯s total fiscal revenue of 380 billion, two-thirds came from the Tianma Star Sector. One hundred billion was the Imperial Tax that should have been paid, and 130 billion was proper fiscal revenue. The Alliance was still experiencing rapid development, yet, Gu Hang was somewhat unsatisfied with this pace. He wasn¡¯t unhappy with the government¡¯s work; he understood there were practical factors involved, and unrealistic development expectations could force lower government officials to exaggerate or fabricate data, which would be even worse. He was dissatisfied with the direction of the effort. Among the nine worlds of the Tianma Star Sector, with a population of over 600 billion, a considerable portion had already reached a relatively prosperous state. Not to mention Flying Wing Star, which was already a developed planet, Rage Owl Star, where Gu Hang initially made his fortune, now boasted a per-capita output of over 3. Even Korolya III, the poorest among them, had a per-capita output of more than 1. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This figure might just meet the Imperial standards, but it¡¯s important to consider what Korolya III was like before the Alliance took control¨Cmerely at 0.6! Korolya had indeed been the engine for the Alliance¡¯s major economic development in recent years, with its large population and rapid economic growth. The reason was simple: extreme poverty. From a state of utter deprivation to a relatively normal level, especially with external support, the path was relatively easier. Looking at Flying Wing Star, with its original per-capita output over 4, there had indeed been growth under the Alliance¡¯s control over the years, especially as the shipbuilding industry, under strong stimulation and technological partnership from the Alliance, had started to further expand and increase production after many years. Chapter 834 - Chapter 834 Chapter 457 Are You Signing or Not_2 Chapter 834: Chapter 457, Are You Signing or Not?_2 Chapter 834: Chapter 457, Are You Signing or Not?_2 However, even Flying Wing Star, including the previously relatively developed Fatchess Tri-Star, definitely couldn¡¯t compare to places like Korolya in terms of economic growth rate. These developed planets were, of course, the economic cornerstones of the Alliance; however, for further economic advancement and growth, to obtain a greater scale more rapidly, it was not really possible to rely on them. A pearl may be a pearl, but there also need to be more bricks and stones to serve as the foundation. Within the Tianma Star Sector, the Alliance had already been making every effort to tap its potential, but in these extraordinary times, there was no need to limit our vision solely to within the Tianma Star Sector. Sign the ¡°Seven Horse Economic Union Bill¡± without consideration? The Alliance isn¡¯t just about sucking blood! It certainly also provides nourishment! But to nourish, they have to be obedient, too. After personally communicating with Osenia, the Alliance had established a series of new policies specifically for those worlds of the peripheral Seven Horse Pact. ¡­ Eagle Horse III, a planet with a population of eight hundred million, was an agricultural and mining world. This was a typical primary material production world, relatively poor, but still reasonably abundant in resources. Poverty in the past was mainly due to underdeveloped production. Despite having vast areas of arable land and some mineral deposits, both agricultural and mining technologies were relatively backward. Not to mention, they had endured an invasion by the Green Skin Orcs. However, these past six months had been relatively prosperous for them. The invasion of the Green Skins had been resolved. It wasn¡¯t to say that there were no longer any Green Skins on the planet, but at least in the main human activity areas, they were no longer visible. All the Green Skin Trash Cities on the planet had been cleaned up, and all the Green Skin ecosystems, which hadn¡¯t been established for very long anyway, had been destroyed decisively, with fire purging every inch of land that had been contaminated. Perhaps, in the future on this planet, Green Skins might still occasionally be discovered in the wild. But as long as vigilance was maintained, defenses bolstered, regular disinfection conducted, and any land that had Green Skins was burned with fire, the problem would not become more severe. The entire planet seemed to have returned to a normal life trajectory. The Alliance had a permanent division stationed here for defense; apart from the framework of the Seven Horse Pact, the Alliance sent military and economic supervisors to control the developmental situation of the entire planet¡­ And besides these, their days seemed truly to have returned to before the war. Although they were still quite impoverished and had to pay the Imperial Tax as before, which was merely a change in the recipient of the payment, at least the threat of war seemed to have receded, and they didn¡¯t live in dread of the day when the Green Skin armies might suddenly come, destroying their farms and slaughtering their inhabitants. But Lalin Ulrich, the Planetary Governor of Eagle Horse III, had been feeling rather conflicted lately. An Alliance diplomat had presented him with a ¡®suggestion.¡¯ And he still hadn¡¯t decided whether to accept it or not. But there wasn¡¯t much time left. The Alliance diplomat had come up to him once again. ¡°Governor Ulrich, you need to give me an answer right now,¡± said the Alliance diplomat Wu Yang, standing pertly in front of him. This female diplomat from the Flying Wing Star Academy of Literature and Law looked exceptionally young. With her glasses, she had a refined appearance, exuding a charm of intellectual femininity that was rarely seen on Eagle Horse III. Her smile was gentle and not too aggressive, but Ulrich was still particularly afraid to meet this girl. He really did not know how to respond to Wu Yang¡¯s question. But there was no escaping it now. Seeing him silent, Wu Yang asked again, ¡°Last time, you said you would give me an answer today. I have been waiting until now, having specially argued with my superiors for this time extension; otherwise, the final deadline should have been two days ago.¡± After a pause, Wu Yang continued, ¡°Moreover, I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re hesitating about. The Alliance wants to provide direct economic aid to Eagle Horse III, helping to establish more efficient agricultural and mining production, and on the basis of these two industries, to build a series of industrial capabilities¡­ How could that possibly be bad?¡± Ulrich heaved a long sigh and said, ¡°If it were just as simple as that, it would indeed be a great thing. But¡­ what¡¯s the cost?¡± Before Wu Yang could speak, Ulrich hastily added, ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mean to accuse the Alliance¡­ But let¡¯s be frank, the Alliance has helped us, annihilating the invading Green Skin Orcs, for which we are extremely grateful. Furthermore, the people of Eagle Horse know that the war is far from over. Although there¡¯s no more fighting on Eagle Horse III, countless warriors of the Alliance are still fighting the invasion of the beastmen beyond the star sector. Without the Alliance, the peace of Eagle Horse III could not last.¡± ¡°But we also have paid a price, we too have made our contributions to the war. We¡¯ve been giving up over ten percent of our annual output, even more than the Imperial Tax; we¡¯ve turned all our military forces, as per the regulations of the Seven Horse Pact, into the Pact Army, under the command of the Alliance.¡± ¡°We have no complaints about this; this is the price we pay for peace. The people of Eagle Horse understand, these are equivalent.¡± ¡°The Alliance wants to step up economic aid to Eagle Horse III, and we are more than happy. But I know, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking, what¡¯s the price? What is it? Higher taxes? Or other political rights? Let¡¯s talk about a price, a clear and transparent price; it¡¯s better for everyone.¡± Wu Yang gave a light chuckle and said, ¡°The price? The price is that the people of the entire planet will henceforth live better lives; the price is that the entire planet can produce more, to support the war at the frontlines. That¡¯s all.¡± Ulrich retorted unsparingly, ¡°It can¡¯t be that simple, right? You want to implement your rank system on Eagle Horse III, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes, what¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Wu Yang asked with her hands spread, ¡°Alliance aid and investment will establish many modern farms and mines. Eagle Horse III will invest resources, land, and labor; the Alliance will provide technology, products, and equipment. Management methods, staff welfare, and remuneration will be distributed according to Alliance standards. Sounds reasonable, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Ulrich fell silent for a moment, then shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ve been very frank, but Ambassador Wu Yang, you are not being entirely upfront. Shall I put it more bluntly? Once there are farms, mines, factories, and even cities built on Eagle Horse III with the aid or joint investment of the Alliance, and most of the output comes from these cooperative ventures, where people acquire ranks and abide by the Alliance¡¯s system¡­ what¡¯s left for the Planetary Government to do?¡± Wu Yang smiled and replied, ¡°Isn¡¯t that good? You must know what an Alliance rank implies. People will have better life security; they¡¯ll have more output, and the Planetary Government will save a lot of management pressure. It¡¯s a win-win!¡± Ulrich, who had nearly lost the will to argue further, directly asked, ¡°What about me? What do I get?¡± Wu Yang seemed to hear a joke, ¡°You? You would be the one who benefits most! You are the Governor of Eagle Horse III, and that¡¯s unchangeable. If the planet progresses well, then you get an entire, more developed world! Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°That would no longer be my world!¡± ¡°It seems we need to clarify something: do you consider the entire world as your private property? This world belongs to the Empire, and you are merely its lifelong manager. From the Empire¡¯s perspective, it will always be the Empire¡¯s world; from your perspective, you will always be its manager. Has anything changed?¡± Ulrich was suddenly at a loss for words. Wu Yang¡¯s smile faded, and she said earnestly, ¡°I have also introduced to you the series of treatments and arrangements for Planetary Governors by the Alliance. If you have any uncertainties, I can explain them to you again. Personally, I think they are quite generous treatments. Your current standard of living isn¡¯t close to what the Alliance offers. But we really don¡¯t have much time left. Today, right today, you must give me an answer.¡± ¡°The ¡®Seven Horse Economic Union Bill,¡¯ will you sign it or not?¡± Chapter 835 - Chapter 835 Chapter 458 How Dare You Chapter 835: Chapter 458, How Dare You? Chapter 835: Chapter 458, How Dare You? Lalin Ulrich¡¯s expression was quite grim. As a Planetary Governor, and especially as the governor of a small, poor planet like Eagle Horse III, he hardly mattered in the grand politics of the entire Empire and the Star Sea. Anyone could trample on him. But after all, he was a Planetary Governor. Ordinarily, he didn¡¯t often deal with the political structure beyond his planet¨Cexcept for the Imperial Tax collection every two years. At other times, he was the ¡®Emperor¡¯ of his planet, the kind whose word was law. He rarely encountered someone who would speak to him without courtesy, in a tone tinged with threats. Thus, his displeased expression. However, displeased as he might be, as angry as he felt, if he really had to firmly say ¡°no¡±, he still didn¡¯t dare. The fate of the Star Zone Leader of the Purple Horse Sector, the Governor of Baishuo Star, was still vivid in his mind. He still clearly remembered the might of the Alliance Army during the ongoing Beastman War. How could he dare show displeasure? But to accept these terms, he felt somewhat unwilling. Unlike the Seven Horse Treaty, which retained some independence and was an alliance-type treaty, if he signed this current confederation bill, it wasn¡¯t joining the Alliance, but it was almost as good. The economic lifeline would be completely controlled by the Alliance, and political power would also expand as the Alliance¡¯s economic influence over the planet expanded, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before the Alliance¡¯s system could entirely replace the duties of the original Planetary Government. Objectively speaking, this wasn¡¯t bad for the people on the planet. At least for the poor on Eagle Horse III, that was the case. The ¡®Tax Currency¡¯ set by the Empire wasn¡¯t set arbitrarily. Normally, a per capita output of 1 tax currency also indicated reaching the Imperial standard level. On this basis, paying 0.1 in tax, the Planetary Government taking another 0.1, the remaining 0.8 was enough for a commoner to live a pretty good life. That wasn¡¯t just about subsistence; it was even a bit better than being moderately well-off. Yet, this was always just the ideal state. The Empire Government did indeed only take 0.1, but didn¡¯t the cost of taxation collection count for something? Would the Planetary Government honestly keep the tax rate at 10%? Corruption in government or similar government-like institutions, or let¡¯s say normal administrative costs, poor collection efficiency, weren¡¯t all these additional expenditures? A per capita output of 1 tax currency didn¡¯t mean every individual could have this income. The disparity between rich and poor existed in any society, of course; the wealthy definitely earned far more than this, while the poor likely far less. Moreover, a per capita output of 1 tax currency, many planets couldn¡¯t reach it. Eagle Horse III didn¡¯t reach it, even before the war, it was only about 0.9 at best. On the planet, a normal worker, whether a farmer or a miner, could usually spend about 0.4 per year for themselves, which barely reached the subsistence level; if poorer, then they simply couldn¡¯t even get enough to eat, living day to day. For these ordinary people on the planet, their lives would improve with the Alliance coming. Ulrich knew exactly what the living standard of an Alliance commoner was like, the lowest level, as long as one had any job, whatever it might be, could reach a minimum of E5 level. And the lifestyle of an E5 level person, their annual consumption could at least reach 0.4 tax currency. This could reach the subsistence level, no worse than the formal workers on Eagle Horse III. Moreover, under the Alliance system, eliminating unemployment was a fairly simple and swift affair, which also meant, quite a number of the lower layers, those without formal employment, would benefit from this. They would become strong supporters of the Alliance. And those with formal jobs, even if their job level did not increase, their standard of living would at least remain the same. And it might even surpass it. This also brought up what the Alliance¡¯s job levels really meant for an ordinary person. After obtaining a rank within the Alliance, each person¡¯s annual income was composed of two parts: welfare and allowances. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Welfare was divided into basic social welfare and personal welfare. The former included basic medical and educational guarantees, which were foundational to the establishment of the Alliance. The former, although the Alliance wouldn¡¯t provide resources guaranteed to cure everything, at least basic guarantees were available; treating headaches and fevers, preventing conditions from worsening was beneficial. Even if one contracted an incurable disease, enough painkillers were provided to make one¡¯s final journey a bit more comfortable. This was already quite impressive, as a significant portion of the poor, regardless of their illness, wouldn¡¯t expect to receive treatment. But under the Alliance, these basic medical guarantees were free for all. And the latter, educational guarantees, were even more progressive. The Alliance particularly emphasized educational equality¨Calthough it couldn¡¯t truly reach an ideal state of fairness, after all, how could one expect people on Eagle Horse III to obtain the same educational resources as those on Flying Wing Star? But at least, the system tried to guarantee fairness as much as possible. Six years of primary education were mandatory and free; all children had to participate and were assigned to schools nearby. Afterwards, came four years of secondary education, which weren¡¯t mandatory, and tuition fees were required. As long as one¡¯s primary educational exam scores reached a certain level, they could advance; top students had their fees waived; even more exceptional ones received scholarships. Chapter 836 - Chapter 836 Chapter 458 You Dare Too_2 Chapter 836: Chapter 458, You Dare Too?_2 Chapter 836: Chapter 458, You Dare Too?_2 After secondary education, it was necessary to compete for higher education, although it was a bloody path to forge, it at least provided an upward channel for people of any class. This was a fundamental social welfare accessible to Union Citizens of all grades. Just these two opportunities, could the lower class on Eagle Horse III have ever dared to dream of them in the past? Personal welfare, on the other hand, was linked to one¡¯s grade. This included food security, housing security, and personal medical security, meaning that once one reached that grade, these things were all provided. The Alliance would be responsible for distributing food, allocating housing, and providing higher-quality medical services based on one¡¯s grade. With a higher grade, the food would no longer be synthetic starches or simple grains, but would include more refined processed foods, meat, and vegetables¡­ Housing would also evolve from cramped shared cubicles of a few square meters to private residences and even better accommodations. Medical services would evolve from the most basic to some drugs available for free and some diseases treatable for free. Without a high grade, one would only be able to get these services by paying [far more]. Progressing further, one might even receive more vacation days and greater transportation subsidies. These were just the benefits, not to mention allowances. Allowances, akin to a salary, were paid directly in Alliance currency. This money could be used to trade and purchase all legal goods. It could be used to pay for education costs beyond secondary level, to handle the costs of disease treatments beyond both the basic and grade-linked medical benefits, to buy better-quality food to improve meals, and to purchase furniture, appliances, cars, clothes¡­ With all this accounted for, a grade E5 citizen, though counting his welfare and allowance, might have an annual expense of 0.4 Tax Currency for food and clothing which might be close to enough, but with the benefits of healthcare and housing, he was far more secure than the non-Union poor; not to mention the educational benefits which not only provided upward mobility for oneself but also for one¡¯s descendants, and one could also ascend in grade through years of work and contributions. For the common populace of Eagle Horse III, once they experienced these Alliance policies, who would want to return to the old days? The Planetary Government was truly doomed! Ulrich was deeply worried. Yet he still did not dare to refuse outright. ¡°Give me a little more time¡­¡± ¡°I said today is the final deadline.¡± ¡°I understand, but today isn¡¯t over yet, is it? Two hours, just two hours, at least allow me one last consultation.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll give you these two hours. I¡¯m not going anywhere, I¡¯ll be right here waiting for good news.¡± ¡­ After parting from Wu Yang, Ulrich wiped the sweat from his forehead and went to another conference room not too far away. Several big shots of Eagle Horse III were waiting here. He was the Planetary Governor indeed, but no ruler could govern alone. On Eagle Horse III, various interest groups certainly existed. Mainly comprising union farm owners, big landlords, and mining group executives. They supported the Planetary Government, and in fact, Ulrich was one of them. The agricultural and mining groups he controlled were the largest landowners on the planet and the fourth largest miner. They were the true masters of this world. The Alliance¡¯s economic union aimed to take this world from them. They feared the power of the Alliance, coveted the aid of the Alliance, and resented the exploitation by the Alliance. Seeing Ulrich return, someone immediately asked, ¡°How did the talks go?¡± ¡°No change, the Alliance hasn¡¯t given us any room to negotiate, only the options to accept or reject.¡± Hearing this, someone roared, ¡°Then let¡¯s quit! Everyone goes their separate ways! I refuse to believe that the Alliance would really dare to kill us all!¡± Another person cynically retorted, ¡°What¡¯s there not to dare? And why do they need to kill? They¡¯ll take the land, seize the mines, what can you do? And who can handle their generals? The Planetary Defense Force is already fully under their command, do you dare revolt?¡± ¡°Then what do we do? Just hand over the property accumulated over generations for nothing?¡± ¡°There are options of redemption, equity conversion, local recruitment of management, I¡¯ve always thought this was somewhat reasonable¡­¡± ¡°Nonsense! They¡¯re just robbing you of your property and throwing you a few scraps!¡± The conference room erupted into noise, and Ulrich¡¯s headache grew. This wasn¡¯t the first time. Actually, when Wu Yang first proposed this economic alliance bill and he gathered the various ¡®vassals¡¯ to discuss it, the situation was roughly as it is now. Subsequently, he held several more discussions, and the results were all similar. No unified agreement was reached. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only There were actually not many who were firm; most of the noise was from those hoping to stir everyone into collective action to avoid individual blame. Despite their fierce talk, when it came to being the leaders, they all would retract their heads. Those more cowardly didn¡¯t dare make trouble at all. However, there was a fundamental mentality that everyone, including himself, shared: dissatisfaction. No, there seemed to be one exception. Ulrich¡¯s gaze shifted to a young man who had been silent the whole time, merely puffing on a cigarette with a mocking expression on his face. Chapter 837 - Chapter 837 Chapter 458 You Dare Too_3 Chapter 837: Chapter 458, You Dare Too?_3 Chapter 837: Chapter 458, You Dare Too?_3 This man was the second largest landowner on Eagle Horse III, a position not low by any means. Ulrich knocked on the table, ¡°Everybody stop, just stop!¡± Once the conference room quieted down, he turned his attention back to the young man and asked, ¡°Adam Shannon, I¡¯ve noticed you¡¯ve been quiet, and you rarely share your opinions. Let¡¯s hear it, what do you think?¡± The eyes of everyone present turned to focus on the young man, with many looking on with a hint of scorn. Adam Shannon was not a self-made man who had built his fortune from nothing. Just by looking at his age, one could tell he wasn¡¯t very experienced. He was a successor, who had only recently taken over his father¡¯s assets. Who knows what old Shannon was thinking, letting such an inexperienced youngster take charge. Adam Shannon, for his part, seemed indifferent to these stares; he just smiled slightly and said, ¡°What can a young man like me possibly have to say? It¡¯s best to listen to my seniors. However¡­¡± He paused for a moment, then continued, ¡°Whatever the decisions are of the esteemed seniors here, they no longer concern Shannon Corporation. We have made our decision: from now on, we will fully accept assistance from the Alliance, incorporating their management layer. All of our employees will be managed under the Alliance¡¯s system.¡± Although he spoke these words softly, they were like throwing a huge stone into a tranquil lake, instantly causing a massive uproar! ¡°Shannon Corporation dares to negotiate with the Alliance behind the back of our alliance?!¡± ¡°How dare you, such a youngster?¡± ¡°Is this your decision, or your father¡¯s? Bring out old Shannon!¡± ¡°Traitor!¡± ¡­ A multitude of accusations fell upon Adam Shannon¡¯s head after a brief silence. Ulrich once again managed to control the scene, quieting everyone down. But his face was equally grim. He glared at Adam Shannon¡¯s excessively young face and asked, ¡°Can you tell me what exactly Shannon Corporation is thinking on this matter? Are you really content to give up land that four generations have accumulated?¡± Adam Shannon spread his hands and said, ¡°It¡¯s not exactly giving it up, is it? The Alliance did say¡­¡± ¡°Enough!¡± Ulrich cut off Adam Shannon¡¯s insincere words, ¡°This might be the last time we hold such a meeting. No matter what conflicts we¡¯ve had in the past, or dirty tricks, at least we shared a bond from the same planet. Just be honest about what you¡¯re thinking, let¡¯s be frank here. Otherwise, if it¡¯s just your family selling out, the rest of us together can make sure you don¡¯t sell at all, or at least make it uncomfortable for you!¡± Adam Shannon laughed heartily, his words tinged with irony, ¡°But that doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯ve already made our decision. Whatever you choose to do in the future, it won¡¯t involve us. You can make all the noise you want with the Alliance. But¡­ do you dare?¡± Ulrich was left speechless. Dare? If they dared, why would they be bluffing in fear here? Adam Shannon¡¯s smile faded, his expression turned serious, ¡°But, you did say one thing that¡¯s correct, out of respect for our shared origins in this world, for the friendship of our ancestors, I advise you all:¡± ¡°If you view this as plunder, then you will lose everything; the Shannon family is different, we see this as an opportunity.¡± ¡°Opportunity?¡± ¡°Could you explain a bit more?¡± Adam Shannon waved his hand, refusing to elaborate, and walked away. He left a roomful of people exchanging glances. ¡­ Shannon signed, and many others did too. How many understood Shannon¡¯s so-called ¡®opportunity¡¯ is anyone¡¯s guess. Some signed out of pressure. But Ulrich eventually figured it out. Or perhaps, just before the very last moment, after a visit to old Shannon and a conversation, he was persuaded. On behalf of the Planetary Government, he too signed in the end. The reason wasn¡¯t complicated. First off, this wasn¡¯t something that could truly be stopped. Even if the entire planet stood united and managed to fend off the Alliance, what then? The Alliance was unlikely to take aggressive action. That would look too unsightly and disrupt the unity in Seven Horse Territory. But the ways the Alliance could pressure them were plentiful. The Imperial Tax was in the Alliance¡¯s hands. The right to set the Tax Currency rates by the Star Sector Government was in the Alliance¡¯s hands. Interstellar trade was in the Alliance¡¯s hands. If the Alliance wanted someone to go bankrupt, that entity would go bankrupt. Food could rot in the granaries or be bought at rock-bottom prices; minerals that couldn¡¯t reach the factories were just a pile of useless rocks. And was joining the Alliance¡¯s system really that bad? For these wealthy magnates, maybe not. The Alliance had offered preferential conditions, like for Ulrich himself¨Cif he signed, as the Planetary Governor with the identity of a major asset owner, he would immediately receive a B8 level treatment. Benefits and subsidies, six hundred Tax Currency a year. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Ulrich could touch his chest and ask himself: As Governor, did I ever spend six hundred Tax Currency a year purely for my own personal consumption? Definitely not. Just on food, lodging, and entertainment, it wouldn¡¯t amount to that much. He was quite virtuous, advocated frugality, and had aspirations in business. Moreover, what high-end luxuries could Eagle Horse III possibly offer? It paled in comparison. With those six hundred Tax Currency a year purely for personal use, life could well be more comfortable than before¨Cwithout having to work. Chapter 838 - Chapter 838 Chapter 458 you dare too_4 Chapter 838: Chapter 458, you dare too?_4 Chapter 838: Chapter 458, you dare too?_4 Could living on 600 Tax Currency a year starve him to death? At current Alliance market rates, that amount represented the purchasing power of 10,000 tons of primary grain! With that, he could afford to buy a mansion in the core district of the capital city on Flying Wing Star, hire a bunch of servants, and enjoy lavish meals and pleasurable play every day! Of course, he had personal pursuits and wasn¡¯t after hedonism. Otherwise, as a Planetary Governor and a great capitalist, couldn¡¯t he easily spend 600 Tax Currency a year on personal enjoyment? Yet, did joining the Alliance mean one could no longer have personal pursuits? Grade B8, within the Alliance, was quite high. He wasn¡¯t that old yet; he could continue to strive for management of the Planet, participate in the new Planetary Government, and fully cooperate with Alliance endeavours; even promotional opportunities awaited in the Central Government in the future. Previously, as the Planetary Governor and big capitalist, he had already reached the ceiling on Eagle Horse III; where was there room to advance? But now, a vast and open opportunity lay before him. According to his conclusion after chatting with old Shannon, the Alliance was coming, an unstoppable tide. Rather than be the fool who resists the tide, he might as well be the one who rides it, or at least plays with it. Perhaps, a future high official in the Alliance may bear the surnames Ulrich or Shannon. Although Ulrich still felt nervous and uncertain about the future, it also ignited an extra flame within him. In the past, already a Planetary Governor, would he really have been content to stay as a backwater Planetary Governor his whole life? The opportunity to progress further may be a good thing. ¡­ ¡°Governor, the first batch of worlds to sign the ¡®Seven Horse Economic Union Bill¡¯ totals nine. Following your directive, these worlds have been selected for their relative poverty yet potential for development. Our economic assistance, along with matching industry upgrade plans and our management personnel, will be in place promptly,¡± Osenia reported progress to Gu Hang straightforwardly: ¡°The economic aspect is preliminary. In the following stages, we will also gradually establish institutions for managerial grade personnel through replacing the original salary systems of each world, ultimately replacing the original Planetary Governments. Thus, aside from the regular Imperial Tax, these planets¡¯ production capacities should yield additional fiscal revenues similar to those of the Alliance localities, and the overall living standards of the population should also rise with economic development.¡± ¡°Our comrades from the Development Department have already provided specific forecasts. We expect to continue investing 2 billion Tax Currency over the next two years. In these nine worlds, totaling a population of a hundred billion, a high economic growth rate should be maintained for the next two years, and the Alliance can annually secure about 1 billion Tax Currency in extra fiscal revenues.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°We will observe over the next two years if things develop according to the plan. If all is well, next year we will initiate the second batch of worlds to join the Economic Union. The ultimate plan is to expand the Economic Union to cover the entire Seven Horse Territory within ten years.¡± After hearing this, Gu Hang¡¯s brow slightly relaxed. Indeed, when that time comes, the Alliance¡¯s core territory could expand from the Tianma Star Sector to encompass all 88 worlds across the seven Star Sectors of the Seven Horse Territory! With 230 billion core populations, the Alliance would become even stronger! ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 6k Still owe 59k Chapter 839 - Chapter 839 Chapter 459 Cruiser Technology Chapter 839: Chapter 459, Cruiser Technology! Chapter 839: Chapter 459, Cruiser Technology! In no time, merely half a year later, Gu Hang was able to see on the ¡°Vassal¡± interface that the worlds which had signed the ¡°Seven Horse Territory Economic Union Act¡± were rapidly increasing in vassal grade. This vassal grade fundamentally had nothing to do with the economic level or development level of the planet, it purely reflected the relationship between this world and the ¡°sovereign state,¡± the Alliance. Under the framework of the Seven Horse Covenant, besides the Tianma Star Sector, seventy-nine worlds were basically at LV2 and LV3. These grades were essentially stable or unstable in vassal status. It meant they could be squeezed for a bit of blood by the Alliance, and the Imperial Tax belonged to a special condition in extraordinary times. However, starting from LV4 upwards, things were different. LV4 signified a significant increase in the dependency on the economy, politics, and military of the vassal, and the entire world almost had no will to resist. The sovereign state could then manage and dispose of that world directly. And reaching LV5 meant direct annexation; there would be no turmoil within the world, and instead, the people of these worlds would have a strong sense of belonging to the sovereign state. They believed they were a part of the sovereign state, naturally generating a strong centripetal force. Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that once the vassal grade reached LV5, the world could be annexed arbitrarily. This grade was only about the internal state of the vassal world; how others viewed it externally was another matter. The rising vassal grade meant the Alliance Government did not deceive him with fabrications, and everything was developing smoothly, just as Osenia had reported. Moreover, the elevation of these planets¡¯ vassal grades brought in more Grace Points income. This income from Grace Points on one hand was a result of increased productivity following development, and on the other, it was due to the increased ratio of Grace Points rewards following the elevation of vassal grades. Overall, the base wasn¡¯t large, which quickly raised the monthly points given by vassals from about four thousand to six thousand. Don¡¯t underestimate this number. Although it was only two thousand, which might not seem much, the entire Alliance had grown from 36,000 to 37,000 during this period, an increase of merely a thousand. And this was amidst billions of people migrating and the rapid development of the Alliance¡¯s military and shipbuilding industries. This shows how profitable it is to develop these poor areas, to bring them to relative prosperity, pull up the extremely barren productivity to something decent, and incidentally elevate the vassal grade to offset the deflation of Grace Points provided by the vassals. By now, a year had passed since the end of the Steel Wing Star battle. Gu Hang now had a total of over 1.2 million Grace Points at his disposal. This was mainly composed of two parts: monthly Grace Points income and vassal income, totaling around 540,000 combined. The other part was the income from annihilating the Ashen Dead Squad, totaling 680,000. Although the scale of the Ashen Dead was not large, their quality was genuinely high. Not to mention the tens of thousands of Evil God believers on their ships, which were just an addition; the main profit source was those 300 Chaos Starfield Warrior veterans and that Battleship. Especially the Battleship. The reward was really high. For Gu Hang, however, he had another significant ¡®treasure trove¡¯ waiting to be unlocked: the Temir battle, and the ongoing Beastman wars that had since expanded into two Star Sectors. This war had been raging for eight months now, with large scale and brutal intensity. Before, Gu Hang thought the rewards from the Temir battle would be roughly on par with the Steel Wing Star battle, about a million Grace Points. But now, seeing how much larger and longer-lasting the scale of the Temir battle was, it seemed it would continue well into the foreseeable future. This war wouldn¡¯t just yield a mere one million once finished. Three million? Four million? If the Temir battle wasn¡¯t won, the losses wouldn¡¯t just include a total collapse of the situation; the excessive Grace Points could also vanish into thin air. But this ¡®treasure trove,¡¯ for now, seemed unattainable. However, the current 1.2 million Grace Points at Gu Hang¡¯s disposal still needed to be spent. Keeping them idle wouldn¡¯t yield more eggs. Apart from some emergency reserves, Gu Hang planned to spend a million this time. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As usual, five hundred thousand would be on staffing. The ¡®Heroes¡¯ interface¡¯s enlightenment would engage government officials, diplomats, and military officers in a wave of enlightenment. Ten Grace Points per person, once points were allocated, these people would have a greater potential for progress and could upgrade on their own. For instance, Osenia, who was only level one and had a standard ¡®N¡¯ card when Gu Hang first enlightened her, had now become a level six administrative officer, and her card had evolved into an SSR, advancing three stages. Of course, it was Gu Hang who spent the Grace Points to upgrade her. Human beings, indeed, have boundless potential. Their level can be elevated, so can their potential. Ordinarily, Gu Hang needn¡¯t worry about the level elevation; they would accumulate enough experience in their competent areas, produce enough outcomes, and could upgrade on their own. But the rarity of the card represented potential. Heroes in this aspect could also improve on their own, but very slowly. Chapter 840 - Chapter 840 Chapter 459 Cruiser Technology_2 Chapter 840: Chapter 459, Cruiser Technology!_2 Chapter 840: Chapter 459, Cruiser Technology!_2 Others may wait, but for Gu Hang, waiting for Osenia was not an option, as her position was critically significant being the top figure in the Alliance Government. He couldn¡¯t wait for her rarity to increase on its own and straightforwardly used Grace Points to upgrade her from SR to SSR. This cost Gu Hang 100,000 Grace Points, but he felt it was worth it. Others may wait. Gu Hang also spent another 100,000 points on a diverse pool of individuals from various sectors: army officers from different fronts, navy officers, technical engineers from factories, management staff from state-owned enterprises, and researchers from research institutions¡­ totaling ten thousand people from all walks of life. Among them was a notable individual: Salas Martins. Even without enlightenment, the Battle Group Leader of the Phoenix was quite outstanding on his own. In terms of personal strength, although he was forcibly placed in the position of Battle Group Leader, he at least possessed the level of a company champion; in combat command, he was even more distinguished than his personal strength. However, before this, Gu Hang had never noticed his appearance in the ¡°Heroes¡± interface. Not just him, Gu Hang had never seen any Interstellar Warrior in the ¡°Heroes¡± interface. He once thought the level improvement of Interstellar Warriors could only be achieved through the special training functionality for Interstellar Warriors, which was available after the Phoenix event chain concluded. But that functionality only raised them to the level of company champions, which was obviously insufficient. But this time, Gu Hang saw his option appear. Gu Hang guessed that for Interstellar Warriors to appear in the ¡°Heroes¡± interface, the difficulty might be much greater than for ordinary mortals. Matins¡¯ appearance there came after his victory over the leader of the Ashen Dead Squad, Zhong Jihua, which represented a personal ascension, thus listing his name in the ¡°Heroes¡± interface. Since it appeared, Gu Hang immediately enlightened him. Gu Hang was very curious about what the first Interstellar Warrior Hero would be like. [Activated Hero: Salas Martins (SSR)] [Level: lv7] [Physique 41, Spirituality 9, Command 32, Politics 14] [Attributes:] [Battle Group Leader: He is the leader of the Starfighter Battle Group. Command +5, Physique +2] [Survivor of the Atonement Expedition: He endured a long and brutal Atonement Expedition, which has become his valuable treasure. Command +2, Physique +3] [Rebuilder of the Phoenix: He bears great responsibility, constantly vigilant. Command +5, Physique +1] [Champion Swordsman: He has been awarded the title of Company Champion Swordsman: Physique +5] [Avenger: He has completed a deeply personal revenge: Physique +3] [Talents:] [Phoenix Gene: He inherits the Phoenix Legion-Phoenix Squadron¡¯s Gene Seed, making him an Interstellar Warrior: Physique +15, Command +10, Spirituality +5, Politics +5] ¡­ Gu Hang was very tempted by these attributes! He was particularly concerned about the Phoenix Gene talent. This talent should be present in every Interstellar Warrior. With the catalytic effect of the Gene Seed in their bodies, triggering two hearts, three lungs, and a series of superhuman organs, their physique naturally experiences a significant enhancement. Now, the system tells him the enhancement is 15 points. Does every Interstellar Warrior have this much? Probably not. It would still depend on the individual¡¯s compatibility with the Gene Seed, and how much power from within the genes is unearthed through personal postnatal training. But indeed, this number itself represents the immense difference between them and ordinary mortals. Being strong is only natural. Becoming enlightened makes them stronger. Seeing Matins makes it evident. His series of attributes, accumulated through his personal experiences, were significant even without enlightenment. However, the purpose of enlightenment is to further excavate these attributes, genuinely enhancing power, and visually presenting these data to Gu Hang. This also means that Matins¡¯ true capability level definitely surpassed that of a regular Interstellar Warrior company commander and might have reached the level of a Battle Group Champion. This is a quantum leap from his past level of just a company champion. What exactly is the level of a Battle Group Champion? It¡¯s a level that Gu Hang cannot simply crush¨Crequiring full force and several attempts. When compared to the strength of Psychics, a regular Alpha-level Psychic definitely couldn¡¯t beat a Battle Group Champion. The multitude of Psychic Spells thrown at them would be greatly neutralized by the huge resistance brought by their physical attributes. The remaining power would fall short against the Battle Group Champion¡¯s extensive ¡®health bar¡¯ and excellent skills. To defeat a Battle Group Champion using Psychic power, an A+ level Psychic might have a chance, while Alpha-level Psychics could be more certain. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This is why Interstellar Warriors are considered the top battle strength of the Empire, not the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association. How many Alpha-level Psychics are there? Besides, it¡¯s impossible for humans to control Alpha-level Psychic power effectively in the long run. Each normal Alpha-level Psychic is ultimately destined to either turn into a Great Demon, corrupted by their power, or to die explosively. What about going mad? They probably went mad long ago. But Battle Group Champions? Almost every older Battle Group has them, sometimes even more than one. Not to mention, above the level of Battle Group Champions, there are the so-called ¡®Emperor Champions¡¯ and ¡®Emperor¡¯s Chosen.¡¯ These legendary Interstellar Warriors whose reputations resonate throughout the universe can even single-handedly tear apart a Great Demon, moving in and out of demon armies with sword in hand. As for Matins, under normal circumstances, reaching the level of a Battle Group Champion would take who knows how many years of hard training. Chapter 841 - Chapter 841 Chapter 459 Cruiser Technology_3 Chapter 841: Chapter 459, Cruiser Technology!_3 Chapter 841: Chapter 459, Cruiser Technology!_3 Now, ¡°Overnight Success.¡± Even higher echelons had already opened their doors to him. He was only at level seven and could ascend two more levels; furthermore, Interstellar Warriors were inherently different from mortals, and it was very likely that level nine might not even be their limit. ¡­ Beyond heroes, Gu Hang had also spent one hundred thousand Grace Points to train ten thousand Commissars, who primarily served in the military. The expansion rate of the Alliance Land Forces was somewhat rapid, although other aspects were also important, ideological work was of the utmost importance. An additional two hundred thousand Grace Points were used to train over ten million soldiers, including those at T5 and T4 levels. The need for military expansion was also pressing, and he could no longer afford to train every soldier using the Army Badge System, as the size of the Alliance Land Forces had already exceeded four hundred million. Training each one with the Soldier Token would cost four hundred million Grace Points, which he definitely could not afford. He could only train a portion, while the rest were elevated through conventional means. For example, raising the recruitment standards to select promising recruits; lengthening training times, using abundant resources to intensify conventional training methods; and once officially entering the forces, they were led by veterans or troops which had reached elite levels through the Army Badge System. This way, the proficiency of new recruits could be rapidly enhanced. A significant number of individuals, especially those selected from various Planetary Defense Forces, were quickly able to reach T5 level on their own. But overall, there was still a substantial portion who did not meet T5 standards when they actually joined the forces. That was the inevitable cost of expanding the forces. Those trained with Soldier Tokens and those who had reached the level on their own ensured that Gu Hang could maintain a ratio of over 50% of soldiers in the Alliance Land Forces at T5 level. A considerable portion of the Star Realm Army, such as the Dragonhawk 3rd Corps, also had similar ratios. The remainder would be honed on the battlefield. The battlefield is the best teacher for a soldier; if they managed to survive training under the Green Skins, they would be good soldiers. The situation of the Alliance Land Forces was still quite optimistic. There was no need to speak of their equipment level, which was crafted just like the Star Realm Army¡¯s, with all sorts of equipment the Alliance could produce provided unreservedly to the Land Forces. Many of the Star Realm Army¡¯s equipment levels were even inferior to those of the Alliance Land Forces. And in terms of training standards, thanks to the baptism of war, the Alliance was essentially able to achieve a 70% T5 rate. Quite remarkable. ¡­ Aside from spending five hundred thousand on talent, the remaining seven hundred thousand was all invested by Gu Hang into technology lotteries. He drew seven hundred thousand worth prizes, aiming for a higher yield of Epic Technology among them. And indeed, Gu Hang¡¯s choice proved to be correct. He struck gold! Seven draws at the hundred thousand level yielded three Epic Technologies, and also three Elite Level technologies. Only one skewed into the Advanced Level. And of these three Epic Technologies, including two from the Elite level, all were things that Gu Hang urgently needed! [Lunar-Class Cruiser Technology: Epic] No need for words, when Gu Hang saw this, he almost laughed his head off! With it, the Alliance could expand its shipyards! The so-called Musician-class Cruisers originally on Flying Wing Star were essentially a variant of the Lunar-Class Cruiser, altered to be more simplified and cheaper. Just this had already cost a fortune back in the day, paying others to design and manufacture the shipyard. Flying Wing Star itself did not possess the technical capability to further expand cruiser production. But now, the Alliance did. And moreover, not expanding the bloodless version of the Musician-class, but the genuine Lunar-Class Cruiser! The Lunar-Class Cruiser, being the most commonly seen cruiser in the Empire, commonality did not equate to weakness but rather indicated excellent performance and a high cost-effectiveness ratio. If it were rubbish, how could the Empire possibly equip them on a large scale within its Navy? Of course, merely having the technological capacity for cruisers wasn¡¯t enough. Weapons also had to keep up. And here they were! [¡°Doom¡± Light Spear Array: Epic] This was an L-sized heavy cannon, belonging to the category of energy weapons. Only ships larger than cruisers could be equipped with it. With Doom, the Alliance¡¯s newly built cruisers would not lack main guns. As for secondary guns, using M-sized weapons would suffice. The Alliance had the technological capabilities for M-sized weapons, whether they were light spears, Colossal Cannons, or missiles. Moreover, this type of large light spear array wasn¡¯t only applicable to starships. Positioned in a starport, or even on the ground, it¡¯s suitable for powerful anti-orbit cannons, essential for transforming a planet into a fortress. And a planet¡¯s mass is much greater than that of a warship. Normally, it¡¯s impossible for ships to bombard a planet like how ancient naval fleets couldn¡¯t stand up to coastal defense artillery. The number of heavy cannons that could be mounted on a planet had no limits, dependent only on sufficient funds and production capacity. Of course, something like the ¡°Doom¡± L-sized light spear array was costly to produce, and the ammunition was also very expensive. Production capacity was also why most planets found it challenging to fortify themselves. However, slightly regrettably, for the L-sized heavy cannons, Gu Hang only acquired the energy weapon, only ¡°Doom.¡± He missed out on the L-sized Colossal Cannon ¡°Wrath of Loyalty¡± and the L-sized missile ¡°Scorching East Wind.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Having only light spears for main cannons was somewhat lacking in diversity, posing problems when facing different enemies. Light spears were expensive, had lower firepower density, were more effective against energy shields and Void Shields but somewhat ineffective against ship armor, and their effect in providing orbital support to ground forces was also relatively poorer. Light spears, Colossal Cannons, and missiles, the three most common types of ship weapons, had their strengths and weaknesses, each adept at handling different situations. A fleet should ideally have all types of weapons to be at its best. And the third Epic Technology was an Interstellar Warrior Technology. [Iron Cavalry Terminator Powered Armor: Epic] ¡ª¡ª¨C 5k Owe 58k Chapter 842 - Chapter 842 Chapter 460 Iron Cavalry Terminator Chapter 842: Chapter 460, Iron Cavalry Terminator Chapter 842: Chapter 460, Iron Cavalry Terminator Terminator Power Armor! What a fantastic piece of equipment! Previously, the Alliance didn¡¯t have the capacity to produce Terminators, and the one Matins had had been purchased by Gu Hang himself. Moreover, it was an Unyielding Terminator which, in terms of performance, was a notch below the Iron Cavalry Terminator. The Iron Cavalry Terminator originated from an even more ancient era. It was developed during the time The Emperor still reigned and the Empire was in a significant phase of interstellar expansion. Over the years, through incessant upheavals, especially the catastrophic civil war within the Empire, the technology for the Iron Cavalry Terminator was gradually lost. Like many technologies from the zenith of the Empire, such as the Majestic Type Tactical Power Armor currently used by the Phoenix Battle Group¨Clost, but not completely gone. Some Foundry Worlds could still build them, albeit in limited numbers. Perhaps it was because the key components could still be manufactured, but the capacity to expand production wasn¡¯t there; or maybe because there was a larger manufacturing scale for replacements that the old technologies weren¡¯t really needed¡­ But, in any case, the Iron Cavalry Terminator that Gu Hang drew from the technology system didn¡¯t have those problems. The Iron Cavalry type is better than the Unyielding type often seen in the major battle groups, as is the way with the technology of the Empire¨Cthe older it is, the more formidable; but as a consequence, its production costs are also higher. And, like the Majestic Type Armor Gu Hang drew before, it has a problem: rarity and antiquity, meaning it¡¯s conspicuously noticeable. The process of making the Iron Cavalry type isn¡¯t common even among the Foundry Worlds. And now you, the Alliance, are able to produce it, too? However, Gu Hang was no longer concerned about that. How many similar technologies in the Alliance could there be? In the past, he was anxious, but now his mindset was much more stable. When there are too many lice, they don¡¯t itch. Moreover, as the Alliance continued to thrive and grow, similar threats started to worry him less. With the Iron Cavalry Terminator Power Armor, the power of the Phoenix Battle Group would climb another rung. They would be able to form their own Terminator Squad and charge against the most terrifying enemies in this universe! Of course, Terminators were not invincible. They were only a bit over three meters tall, less than half the size of Knight Mecha. But in a confrontation between a veteran Terminator and a Knight Mecha, Gu Hang believed that the Terminator had a high chance of victory. Both equipped with energy shields, the Terminator couldn¡¯t mount weapons as powerful as those of a Knight Mecha due to its size, but its defensive capabilities were not much less in comparison. Much more agile, and with an Interstellar Warrior, essentially a superman, at the controls, a Terminator could guarantee to take down any Knight Mecha that came its way¨Cprovided the seasoned Terminator didn¡¯t do something foolish like trying to match the larger Knight Mecha in firepower or mechanical strength; rather, it should rely on experience, skill, and agile tactics to win. The Terminator¡¯s lack of agility compared to conventional Tactical Power Armors, but against Knight Mecha, it was still significantly superior. However, the cost of producing an Iron Cavalry Terminator was exorbitant, usually reaching 1.2 million Tax Currency per unit. That¡¯s a full 50% more expensive than the standard 800,000 price for an Unyielding type. This might be another reason why the Iron Cavalry type was scarce in circulation. But, as always, with a Black Box ready to churn out finished products and set up production lines, the cost for the Alliance to make these devices wouldn¡¯t be as high as it is on the market. Besides, spending a bit more for significantly better performance could be a worthwhile trade-off. ¡­ After acquiring a [Cruiser], a [Doomsday Light Spear Array], and an [Iron Cavalry Terminator Powered Armor], Gu Hang was more than satisfied with his technological lottery winnings this time around. However, among the three Elite Level technologies he drew afterward, there were also a couple of really good ones. [L-Type Transport Ship ¨C Behemoth] Now this is a gem! Although it¡¯s only Elite Level, its value isn¡¯t much less than that of the Moon Class Cruiser. Despite the Behemoth¡¯s significant downsides¨Cmarkedly unmaneuverable, incredibly slow, structurally unsuitable for conversion into an armed vessel, and an easy target if caught alone in space, much like a pig ready for slaughter¡­ Its plethora of weaknesses is offset by one overwhelming advantage: its capacity. It¡¯s truly massive, just slightly smaller than a Retribution-class Battleship. True to its name, it boasts a colossal hold; like a moving Nest Capital in space, it can cram in up to twenty million people at its transport limit. Because it can carry so much, the scale economics bring its transportation costs down substantially. It wasn¡¯t expensive to build, around one billion, which was significantly cheaper than the Crazy Shark-class Destroyer. It served as humanity¡¯s core vessel in interstellar trade. As long as it could haul goods for a few years, the cost would be recouped, and everything beyond that was profit. In the past, the largest transport ship the Alliance could build was the Whale-class. That thing could only carry about one-tenth of what the Colossal Belly could. When it came to large-scale transportation, it was still more expensive than the Colossal Belly. With this thing, making an economic community across Star Sectors would be easier for the Alliance. Otherwise, relying solely on the Gu Commercial Firm¡¯s existing ships would definitely be unreliable. The scale of the Gu Commercial Firm was already nearly at its limit, covering the transportation needs within the Tianma Star Sector and the frontlines of the ongoing war. It would be nearly impossible to also accommodate the massive transportation demands that would arise after the integration of the Seven Horse Sectors. The Alliance¡¯s shipyards were already operating at full throttle, building not just warships but various civilian vessels as well. In reality, even if the small shipyard on Baishuo Star in the Purple Horse Sector were included, there was a lot of squabbling from all parties. The navy wanted the civilian docks to build warships for them. Even if legitimate warships couldn¡¯t be built, they demanded armed merchant ships instead; While the Alliance¡¯s governmental units and merchant fleets were trying to pull together, the Alliance still needed to function, and the military needed support from the rear. The transport of raw materials, goods¡­ these civilian ships are the vascular system of industrial manufacturing. They were willing to give way to the war, allowing some production capacity to build armed merchant ships to assist the navy with transport and combat, but they pleaded not to devote all of it. There was no shortage of verbal disputes reaching Gu Hang. Now, with the new build of the Colossal Belly Transport Ship, the problem hadn¡¯t been solved per se, but it certainly had been greatly alleviated. The shipyard tasked with building the Colossal Belly could only be used to manufacture them; after all, they were too large; using it for building large warships was also out of the question because of lacking adequate technical standards. And, producing one Colossal Belly¨Cwhich had the capacity of ten Whale-class vessels¨Cmeant one could cover for ten and would greatly relieve the Alliance¡¯s ¡®circulatory system.¡¯ And the second piece of Elite Level Technology was the ¡°Dominion-class Knight Mecha¡± It was much larger than the Ranger Level, and it almost reached the size of the Warhound-class Titan; its combat power could also be roughly on par with the Warhound. Although it fell slightly short, it was more flexible than the Warhound-class Titan¨Cafter all, it only required one person to operate, instead of a team like the Warhound Titan. However, its cost of construction was also very high, skyrocketing from seven hundred thousand for a Ranger-class Knight to three and a half million. This was even more expensive than the Warhound Titan, which only cost two million three hundred thousand. It was certainly a fine piece, and for many Knight Worlds, the Dominion-class Knight Mecha was a treasure. A single Knight could pilot such a large machine, possessing the strength to match the Warhound Titan. But to the Alliance, it seemed somewhat superfluous. Those Knight Families from Knight Worlds had a sentiment for this thing, which the Alliance did not share. The Warhound was cheaper, had slightly greater combat power, and the slight difference in flexibility wasn¡¯t as valuable on the frontlines as another piece of armor plating. After all, if the enemy decided to lay down a barrage, whether it was a Titan of over a dozen meters tall or a Knight Mecha, that slight increase in agility wouldn¡¯t count for much¨Cthey would still be bombarded regardless. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t think of any reason to allocate production capacity to Dominion Knights over Warhounds. Of course, the Warhound¡¯s rate of expansion was ultimately limited. When it really came down to it and production capacity couldn¡¯t meet the demand, setting up a few Dominion production lines wasn¡¯t out of the question. Additionally, since it held some symbolic significance, the Alliance could use it to win over some of the feudal worlds within its territory that had Knight cultures. Heijian Star was of course the most typical example. Beyond Heijian Star, in the Iron Horse Sector¡¯s Iron Wing Star, the Border Horse Sector¡¯s Gathering Snow 7, and the Purple Horse Sector¡¯s Purple Peak 3, these three worlds were also classic feudal worlds with Knight traditions. Once the Alliance had the capability to manufacture both Ranger Level and Dominion Level Knights, control over these worlds would greatly increase. The lords of these Knight Worlds were quite different from planets with unified governments. If pushed too hard, those Knight lords could stubbornly resist to the bitter end. Executing a few people or staging a coup wouldn¡¯t do much good, as they didn¡¯t even have a Central Government¨Ceach was its own Knight Family. Trying to forcibly subdue them would likely require a battle like the one at Heijian Star. That definitely wouldn¡¯t be worth it. Political maneuvers, trade tactics, and economic control would be more reliable. The corresponding strategies were already being employed by the Alliance¡¯s government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The manufacturing capability of the Dominion-class Knight Mecha would significantly enhance the Alliance¡¯s various strategies on these Knight planets. From this perspective, the Dominion-class Knight Mecha had advantages that the Warhound Titan couldn¡¯t match. ¡­ As for the other two technologies, one was Elite Level and the other Advanced Level, both were civilian technologies. The Advanced Level technology was a construction engineering vehicle, and the Elite Level was an improved agricultural planter, suitable for use in large-scale plantations. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Civilian technologies were also valuable; they were needed for economic development. Gu Hang was quite satisfied with the haul from the lottery this time. Even though it cost a full seven hundred thousand Grace Points, each one was a fine piece of technology. These technologies would also become a powerful engine for the Alliance¡¯s development in the next two years. And those two years would pass quickly. Chapter 843 - Chapter 843 Chapter 461 its time to urge a bit Chapter 843: Chapter 461, it¡¯s time to urge a bit. Chapter 843: Chapter 461, it¡¯s time to urge a bit. Two years passed in a flash. Everyone assumed that after the Fury Flame Battle Group had launched its near-total offensive, the war situation in the Dragonhawk Star Domain would undergo a comprehensive turnaround. Even if the threat of the Iron-Tooth Clan could not be rapidly quelled, at the very least, the human military forces should have been able to launch a full-scale counterattack under the leadership of the Interstellar Warriors. But reality was not as expected. Certainly, the situation changed, from being overwhelmingly pushed back by the Green Skins, and at least managing to hold the line now. However, the strength of the Iron-Tooth Clan still exceeded many people¡¯s imaginations. When the Fury Flame Battle Group first arrived, they launched a few stunning offensive strikes that set the Green Skins back, but without killing Titus, the victories couldn¡¯t be considered truly successful. Hundreds of worlds in the entire Star Domain thus fell into a protracted war that lasted two years. The battlefront stretched long, with Interstellar Warriors, the reinvigorated Mingyang Sect, and the Star Domain Government constantly drafting new troops to fill their ranks¡­ Everyone was fully committed to this war, yet the stalemate persisted unchanged. Their greatest victory was nothing more than driving the Green Skins out of the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector and winning the battle for Jindi Star. However, to say it was a victory seemed less accurate than acknowledging that the Green Skins¡¯ Chieftain had realized that, under the current circumstances, maintaining a heavy offensive was cost-ineffective, so he had proactively withdrawn. Human forces, pursuing their retreating enemy, reclaimed several worlds along the way, their morale high, only to suffer a significant defeat at Eagle Cry Star in the Snow Eagle Star Sector. Even the Fury Flame Battle Group lost an entire squadron. Eagle Cry Star thus became a focal battlefield again, but this time, it was the humans who took the offensive. The Green Skin Orcs on Eagle Cry Star were already equipped with numerous Anti-Orbit Cannons and did not fear being besieged by the fleet; the Green Skins¡¯ war moons had also withdrawn early to Eagle Cry Star. Whether in space combat or deploying ground troops, the struggle for Eagle Cry Star became fraught with difficulty. On other fronts, from the Dragon Biter Sector to Thunder Dragon, then to Snow Eagle, and onto Curse Bone Star District, spanning four Star Sectors, the Beastmen stopped retreating, began to hold their ground, and attempted counterattacks. Even with Interstellar Warriors as their core, the human military forces could not advance the frontline. Kazimir Ersu, the Battle Group Leader of the Fury Flame Battle Group, was not in the best mood for a long time. In his lengthy career, he and his Battle Group had faced enemies like the Green Skins before. But even he had to admit that the Iron-Tooth Clan was the most powerful Orc Clan he had ever encountered in his life. He never admitted to being careless; when he decided to accept the call for help from the Dragonhawk Star Domain and came here to fight, he was fully prepared, bringing with him an entire Battle Group. Although this was not the full force of the Fury Flame Battle Group, under normal circumstances, they would never deploy more than a thousand warriors at a single battlefield ¨C that would be unreasonable. This was not the Princess Star Domain, where they and the Iron Armor Battle Group could cover the sky with one hand in their old lair. They had to act with some discretion. But as it turned out, the forces he committed were still insufficient. After two years of war, the Fury Flame Battle Group had already lost more than three hundred combat brothers here. For a typical Battle Group, losing 30% of its forces in just one war would be considered a heavy blow. Even if they were victorious immediately, replenishing the losses of more than 30% of their personnel would take a long Battle Group a long time. Moreover, given the Empire¡¯s current leaky state, with Interstellar Warrior Battle Groups serving as critical mobile forces, acting as the Empire¡¯s most important stopgap craftsmen, how could ordinary Battle Groups have the luxury of taking their time to rest, replenish and equip, and then meet their next challenge at full strength? Normally, before they even finish one battle, new requests for aid and new orders from the Imperial side fall on them like snowflakes. Sometimes they need to dispatch at least half a company, or even multiple companies, with a variety of ships to several different battlefields; other times, the entire Battle Group gets no respite, having to divide into several companies to face multiple fronts, or simply to launch a full-scale assault. The Furyflame Battle Group isn¡¯t in such a dire situation. If Erso wants, he could immediately transfer over three hundred men and replenish the Battle Group¡¯s losses. Mixing with the Iron Armor Battle Group, they, Furyflame, are also an overbirth Battle Group. Although they are not as large in scale as Iron Armor, their numbers have long exceeded the Empire¡¯s stipulated one thousand. The only limit on their deployment of too much force at one time is the Empire¡¯s regulations. Now the problem is awkwardly looming. Erso wants to end the war as soon as possible; he does not want the main force of the Battle Group to be dragged here for too long. It¡¯s been two years! They carry the burden of expanding the influence of the triumvirate of Iron Armor, Furyflame, and Bedrock Shield in the Eastern Cosmos Domain. Their core strategy is to gain immense prestige through battle after battle and then, through the special political status as Interstellar Warriors, rally supporters in the region. However, they have been mired in the Dragonhawk Star Domain for too long. Although the prestige left behind after winning a difficult war is certainly greater, and it also facilitates the subsequent annexation of the entire Star Domain, they cannot truly empty their strength or spend too much time; otherwise, it would be a loss. Erso is urgently wishing to end this war. On one hand, using his own prestige, he has been able to directly call upon more fleets and Defense Armies from other Star Domains, even from the headquarters of the three Battle Groups under the Princess Star Domain of the Spiderweb Domain to the north of the Eastern Cosmos Domain, and he will be transferring two hundred ¡®rookies¡¯ to supplement the losses within the Battle Group. But on the other hand, he himself is not sure whether such an escalation is enough to annihilate the Iron-Tooth Clan. Thus, opening a second front, creating a significant breakthrough elsewhere to alter the current stalemate, which has been like a meat grinder on the frontlines for two years, has become a seriously considered option. And within the Dragonhawk Star Domain, a suitable battlefield naturally exists¨Cthe Seven Horse Territory in the Eastern Star Domain. If the ongoing Temir campaign can achieve a breakthrough, human forces could attack from the eastern front straight into the Green Skins¡¯ lair, obliging Titus to rush back in defense. It would at least greatly undermine the war potential of the Iron-Tooth Clan. In the past, Erso also believed that the so-called Alliance, along with the remnants of the Phoenix mixed within, was simply too weak to make an impact. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But in these two years, as he understood more about the Alliance¡¯s history of rise to power, as well as the recent mentions that the numbers of the Phoenix had even recovered to over five hundred, he realized he had been wrong. They definitely have the strength to breach the Green Skins¡¯ eastern defenses. They were just not serious enough. It looks like it¡¯s time to urge them on. ¡ª¡ª¨C There¡¯s another chapter tonight, but it will be late, striving to finish before dawn, suggested to read tomorrow! Chapter 844 - Chapter 844 Chapter 462 Only the Loser is the War Criminal The Chapter 844: Chapter 462, Only the Loser is the War Criminal, The Weak Resort to Treason Chapter 844: Chapter 462, Only the Loser is the War Criminal, The Weak Resort to Treason Kazimir Erso¡¯s so-called ¡°encouragement¡± was not just a matter of thought. He had truly put it into action. A detachment of the fleet carrying a company of interstellar warriors was on its way to the Seven Horse Territory. Going directly was certainly impossible; the route was blockaded by Green Skins. To get to the Seven Horse Territory, one would have to take quite a detour. In this sense, it couldn¡¯t really be said the two sides were completely cut off from each other, since the southern and eastern regions belonging to two other star domains were still Imperial territory. But how are star domains delineated? In the True Universe, the physical distance between different star systems is incredibly vast, and for human ships that can at most perform sub-light-speed travel, such distances are not traversable. Only by relying on Star Realm Tunnels to warp can one cross the astronomical distances of the physical universe. This also means that on a star map, no matter how physically far apart two neighboring star systems may be, as long as there is a connecting Star Realm Tunnel, these two worlds are considered adjacent on the star map and are drawn together. The logic of connection between star sectors is similar. As long as the star systems within one sector are linked to another system, they will certainly be drawn together on the map. However, it should be noted that the reverse is not necessarily true. Sometimes, two adjacent worlds are drawn together for the sake of completeness and convenience of the star map, even though they may not be directly connected. Regardless, as long as star sectors are adjacent on the map, they generally won¡¯t be too far apart. Without a direct connection, by hopping through other star sectors, one can always make the jump. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be drawn so close together. Within the domain of a star domain, the traffic of Star Realm Tunnels is quite extensive. As long as you are within one star domain, there are always various routes and detours to find a way to another star sector. However, the situation is different between star domains. Humanity actively delineates as a star domain those areas with a large number of connected Star Realm Tunnels. Often, such a region may have only one or two connections with another star domain. On the star map, to the south of the Dragonhawk Star Domain lies the Eagle Silk Starfield. It appears that the two star domains share a large border, but in reality, there are only two Star Realm Tunnels between them¨Cone in the Heigu Ridge Star Sector and the other in the Fire Eagle Sector. The Heigu Ridge Star Sector is a conflict zone where humans and the Green Skin Orcs are still waging war, although it¡¯s not the main battlefield and the fighting isn¡¯t as fierce. The government of the southern Eagle Silk Starfield, seeing their northern neighbors in such a state, is somewhat panicked. They too have their own problems to resolve in their star domain, but they still managed to spare some forces to help defend Heigu Ridge, mainly out of fear that the Iron-Tooth Clan might head south through Heigu Ridge and bring the flames of war to their doorstep. Since Heigu Ridge was no longer an option, the only choice was the Fire Eagle Sector. From the Fire Eagle Sector at the southern edge of the Yunluo Sector, one turns into the southern area of the Eagle Silk Starfield. Then, nearly traversing the entire Eagle Silk Starfield from west to east, one heads north into the East Adjoining Starfield. The Border Horse Sector has a Star Realm Tunnel connected to the East Adjoining Starfield, through which one can enter the Seven Horse Territory. That was the only road, an extremely circuitous one; even for a fast ship, the journey would take three to four months. It was ridiculous, but there was no other way. The team dispatched by Erso took this route. Of course, Erso didn¡¯t believe that merely relying on the less than a hundred Fury Flame interstellar warriors could make the Alliance ¡°invest into the war more seriously.¡± The Alliance didn¡¯t seem like the obedient type, let alone the Phoenix, with whom they even had a grudge. They wouldn¡¯t be so compliant. That meant resorting to a stronger approach was necessary. Of course, not by force. The Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s Company Commander, Kedoba Javier, leading the team to the Tianma Star Sector and meeting with Gu Hang, carried with him a military order. It was this explicit command, which had the force of Imperial law, that was key. They had set off long ago, and by now, they should have arrived. ¡­ ¡°Kazimir Erso, Battle Group Leader, supreme head of the Dragonhawk Battle Zone, by the authority of the zone¡¯s commander, is demanding that my troops make a full assault on the Golden Pass Star Sector?¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°The order demands that I end the Temir Campaign and achieve victory within two months; within four months, extend the fighting to the Silver Pass Sector, effectively striking the heartland of the Iron-toothed Green-Skinned Aliens?¡± ¡°The order insists that we cannot delay, non-negotiable for each target, otherwise I, Gu Hang, as well as the political entity of the Alliance, shall bear indelible responsibility for the failure of the entire battle situation. The maximum penalty for me could be death and the dissolution of the political entity of the Alliance?¡± ¡°When necessary, the Fury Flame Battle Group Commander, Javier Kordoba, dispatched to the Tianma Star Sector, can take command of all military forces in the Seven Horse Territory. Whenever he needs it, from the Phoenix Battle Group to the Alliance Troops, from the Imperial Navy, Star Realm Army, to a total of 88 worlds¡¯ Planetary Defense Forces in the Seven Horse Territory, all should unconditionally accept all his orders?¡± Gu Hang looked at the copy of the order given to him by the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s Company Commander Kordoba and didn¡¯t even feel angry; he just wanted to laugh. About half a month ago, news came from Border Horse III that Javier Kordoba and the company of the Fury Flame Battle Group he led, had entered the Border Horse Sector and were making their way towards the heartland of the Alliance. Chapter 845 - Chapter 845 Chapter 462 Only the Loser is the War Criminal The Chapter 845: Chapter 462, Only the Loser is the War Criminal, The Weak Resort to Treason_2 Chapter 845: Chapter 462, Only the Loser is the War Criminal, The Weak Resort to Treason_2 He came with orders from the highest command of the Dragonhawk Battle Zone, and being a renowned Interstellar Warrior himself, no one dared to stop him along the way. The Alliance didn¡¯t issue orders to intercept him either. So, he made his way to Flying Wing Star without any obstacles. They refused to disembark from the ship; instead, Kedoba demanded that Governor Gu Hang board the ship to meet with him. Such arrogance from the Interstellar Warrior was utterly senseless. Governor Gu Hang paid him no mind, treating him as if he were just a bunch of air. He continued with his usual duties. He was very busy now. The Alliance had spent a total of three years in this war, and in the last two years, it had finally found its own rhythm. According to Governor Gu Hang¡¯s own summary, it was about seeking development in the prolonged warfare; stabilizing the front line on the basis of defending the peace of Seven Horse Territory, accelerating the integration of the seven horses, and enhancing the comprehensive strength of the Alliance. Overall, it meant that all Imperial Taxes due from Seven Horse Territory should fully cover all war expenditures; all government fiscal income from the Territory should be prioritally invested in the development of the Territory itself, especially in the development of military potential. Moreover, the Alliance¡¯s control over Seven Horse Territory, through the dispersal of the ¡°Economic Community Act,¡± had expanded from the initial batch of nine worlds to thirty-two worlds now. Those first nine had all sprinted to Vassal grade LV5, and half of the second batch of twenty-three had also reached LV5. This meant that the Alliance¡¯s control over them was now quite strong, even to the point that these worlds that reached LV5 vassal grade could almost be considered another kind of core territory for the Alliance. Moreover, in these two years, the total GDP of these worlds had increased by at least 30%, with some even doubling. The one that doubled wasn¡¯t some small-scale planet. General No. 6 Star in the Iron Horse Sector was a discarded Fortress World with a population of two billion. It originally had significant military importance, but now it had no military value, similar to the situation with Steel Wing Star before. After signing the Economic Community Act, General No. 6 Star had vigorously commenced civilian and industrial transformations. The original production potential was greatly excavated, especially the refined gold material that could be recycled from dismantling the abandoned fortresses; the planet itself also had a certain industrial base, many of the mothballed military factories had previously been abandoned, and the local planet did not have the capacity to develop, but under the Alliance¡¯s hands, none of these were a problem. According to the most recent report, the GDP of this planet had doubled, the per capita output had increased from less than 0.7 to 1.5. Development wasn¡¯t only occurring in the worlds that had signed the Economic Community Act. Other worlds within Seven Horse Territory, even those where the Alliance hadn¡¯t yet managed to develop and sign this treaty, were also obtaining economic growth driven by the intense demands of the war, within the economic trade led by the Alliance. Not to mention the Alliance¡¯s homeland, which under the auspices of ¡®draining economies,¡¯ tax exemptions, and many powerful technologies, was developing even further. Even with the drag of the war, the estimated GDP growth rate was still above 6% per year. With these factors combined, the Alliance, in the last year, had accumulated about 450 billion in Imperial Tax and fiscal income, a full 70 billion more than two years ago! Moreover, those ¡®vassal¡¯ worlds under the Seven Horse framework had enjoyed the development bonus, and of course, the Alliance wouldn¡¯t leave all the financial income to the local planets. The Alliance had skimmed about half of it, roughly 50 billion, as a special war levy. This year, the Alliance could access a wealth of five hundred billion Tax Currency. Although the Alliance Land Forces had been continuously depleted in the Battle of Temir, they paradoxically grew even larger. By now, they had already reached the target of two years ago, namely the 400 million mark, and would soon reach 500 million. Under the Seven Horse framework, within the unified command of the Alliance, the number of Pact Army forces that could be mobilized by the Alliance had reached a staggering 1.9 billion. In the naval sector, they had expanded two Moon-class Cruiser docks, and with the original two Musician-class docks, the Alliance could complete four cruisers soon, and in addition, they had built a total of over forty other destroyers and escort ships in these two years. The value of these ships alone reached over six hundred billion, almost half of the Alliance¡¯s income over two years had been invested in warships. Plus with the seven cruisers originally on the front line, the United Fleet would soon have eleven main warships. In summary, the Alliance had its own rhythm in this war. There¡¯s no way Governor Gu Hang would deal with him! Javier Kedoba, staying in orbit above Flying Wing Star, didn¡¯t even enter the starport and after being hung out to dry for two days, he started to become restless himself. He repeatedly urged for Governor Gu Hang to come to meet him, but all his messages were like stones dropped into the sea. Yet, he still dared not land. Inside the company, there were discussions about whether they should take any drastic measures. However, Kedoba immediately vetoed that idea himself. ¡°Take a sledgehammer!¡± ¡°They only have one escort ship, just one hundred interstellar warriors. What can they possibly do?¡± ¡°Indeed, there aren¡¯t too many warships near Flying Wing Star, most of them are on the front line. However, the combination of armed space stations and ground-based anti-orbit cannons makes it impossible for the Fury Flame warriors to even land!¡± ¡°Unless their actions are sufficiently surprising and Flying Wing Star is completely unguarded.¡± ¡°But using my ass to think, Governor Gu seems anything but unguarded right now.¡± ¡°Moreover, even if they land, what then?¡± ¡°There might be five hundred Phoenixes guarding the ground!¡± ¡°Going down there is a suicide mission?¡± ¡°Despite persistent urging, Kedoba had no choice but to lower his stance.¡± ¡°Though he still dared not land, he stopped demanding Governor Gu Hang to meet him and directly sent Kazimir Erso¡¯s order down to the ground.¡± ¡°After receiving the order, General Yan Fangxu took it to Gu Hang to see.¡± ¡°That was what Gu Hang saw earlier, the thing that made him want to laugh.¡± ¡°Order me? Is he qualified?¡± ¡°Yan Fangxu, however, hesitated a bit. After thinking for a while, he said, ¡®Governor¡­''¡± ¡°Today¡¯s Gu Hang is not only the governor of four planets but also the Star Zone Leader of Tianma Star Sector and the leader of Seven Horse Territory, as well as the Supreme Commander on the Eastern Front Battlefields of Dragonhawk Battle Zone. However, what was most important was his role as the Alliance Leader; his subordinates were still more accustomed to addressing him as Governor.¡± ¡°Though, the meaning of him being a ¡®governor¡¯ had long transcended the ordinary scope of any governor.¡± ¡°On this matter, we really shouldn¡¯t take it too lightly. The orders brought by these Fury Flame warriors are effective. Kazimir Erso, this Battle Group Leader of the Fury Flame Battle Group, is actually appointed by the Empire as a Supreme Commander. Theoretically¡­ he indeed has the power to maneuver our forces, and if we disobey, he really can declare us traitors.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Gu Hang chuckled coldly. ¡°Yan Fangxu continued, ¡®On Kedoba¡¯s ship, there should also be Tribunal personnel as witnesses. If we outright disobey the orders, nothing might happen right now, but once they return, it could bring serious trouble for us.''¡± ¡°So we should, without preparing enough, just follow the command on this order and immediately initiate the final battle of Temir, and must enter the stronghold of the Green Skins within four months?¡± ¡°No, of course not!¡± Yan Fangxu quickly said, ¡°If their front-line forces can¡¯t accomplish it, why should we? I¡¯m just¡­ just pointing out the risk. I think, Governor, that you must have a suitable plan to handle it.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t,¡± Gu Hang said with a smile, ¡°Nor do I plan to.¡± ¡°Declare me, declare the Alliance a traitor?¡± At this point, Gu Hang regained his serious demeanor and earnestly said to Yan Fangxu, ¡°You must understand, only those who lose wars are war criminals; only the weak get declared traitors. If we really rush into battle unprepared, fail to win, and needlessly waste our own strength, that would be a great crime.¡± ¡°If back in the days on Rage Owl Star, anyone could have declared us traitors; now, maybe some still might declare us traitors, but a Battle Group Company Commander? Or Erso?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t have the qualification.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C This chapter 4k Previous Chapter was a bit short, 2k to make up Also, 2k in repayment Still owe 56k Chapter 846 - Chapter 846 Chapter 463 Didnt Use Full Strength Slander Chapter 846: Chapter 463, Didn¡¯t Use Full Strength? Slander! Chapter 846: Chapter 463, Didn¡¯t Use Full Strength? Slander! ¡°I don¡¯t have that qualification¡­¡± After hearing Gu Hang¡¯s words, Yan Fangxu repeated them silently in his mind and felt somewhat exhilarated! Recalling the time when he was left by Yelisia, from a ¡®promising¡¯ member of the Imperial Naval Marine Corps to becoming a military advisor for Gu Hang, who at that time only had a group of mechanic servants as his capital, he never imagined that just seventeen years later, he would have already attained the rank of a general. This year, he had just celebrated his forty-fifth birthday. In many military families with traditions, the most outstanding young members might become generals in their forties, but a general? That was already the maximum for many top military aristocrats! Previously, people might talk about the generals of the Planetary Defense Force alliance, but could they compare with the generals of the Star Realm Army? Now, nobody talked about that anymore. It¡¯s hard to say out there, but at least within the territory of the alliance, in the eighty-eight worlds of the Seven Horse Territory, the words of a Star Realm Army General certainly carry less weight than those of an alliance general. He had long stopped doubting whether his initial decision was correct. It¡¯s just that some concepts that had been in his mind since his growth period were deeply ingrained. But today, Mr. Gu¡¯s words had a clarifying effect. The alliance nowadays is no longer what it was years ago. ¡°I understand,¡± said Yan Fangxu, ¡°Please instruct me, Governor, what should we do next?¡± ¡°Do what needs to be done, follow our own pace. As for that small ship in orbit, let Matins take people to board and take control of it. I suspect their identities; the alliance only recently suffered from the chaos of the Mutinous Star Warriors two years ago, I have reason to believe that these people¡¯s identities are fake.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡­ In the orbit of Flying Wing Star, Javier Codoba had been very silent for the past couple of days. He wasn¡¯t blind; he could see what the alliance had become. Before coming here, he had heard from Battle Group Leader Erso that the alliance hadn¡¯t given their all in this war. But at that time, both he and the battle group leader knew well in their hearts: it was a spur, an excuse. Perhaps the alliance hadn¡¯t really given their all, their tactics were more conservative, but after all, they were facing the Iron-Tooth Clan. In the two years of this war, the Fury Flame Battle Group had personally experienced the strength of the Green Skin Tribe. For the alliance to be able to maintain a balance, even slightly advancing on the Eastern Front Battlefields, was already very difficult. Even if the alliance hadn¡¯t given their all, it was almost there. They didn¡¯t really expect a Star Region level force, along with a group like Phoenix, which had nearly been wiped out a decade ago, to truly achieve the war goals set by Erso. Phoenix had recovered to a size of five hundred people, which seemed like a not insignificant number, but that was probably all the genetic bloodline reserves they had left from the past, right? And all fresh recruits, what kind of combat capability could they have? The fleet¡¯s ships and the auxiliary troops weren¡¯t well established yet; they were all from the alliance. Such a battle group with just five hundred people was like an Interstellar Warrior without armor. You say he¡¯s an Interstellar Warrior, he indeed is; but when it really comes to fighting, without anything substantive, he can easily be killed, unable to exert his proper combat power. What they wanted was just to force the alliance to attack with full force, holding more Green Skin forces on the Eastern Front to create opportunities for the main battlefield. Now, to be honest, the alliance had already done well, given how fiercely both sides had been fighting in the main battlefield. The reinforcements mobilized from the home base of the Green Skins had always been lower than the strategic estimates on the human side. The lacking part, of course, went into the Eastern Front. But Erso felt it still wasn¡¯t enough. As for how much it cost the alliance for their orders, they didn¡¯t care, the most they would do was a perfunctory commendation afterward. However, when Javier Codoba really arrived in alliance territory, he discovered that something seemed off. The alliance not having given their all? They damn hadn¡¯t used any effort at all! Though he hadn¡¯t descended to Flying Wing Star to see the capital city of Tianma Star Sector, the heartland of the alliance, on his way from the Border Horse Sector into the Seven Horse Territory, he and his warriors had still taken the time to land on the ground. One look was enough to amaze them. Not to mention prosperity, but that vitality. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Construction was everywhere, newly expanded factories, infrastructures invested in for economic growth¡­ If the former could still be understood, the front line was at war, and expanding capabilities was certainly necessary; even if not military factories, but some basic or civilian factories, that also makes sense as the interstellar society naturally has different divisions of labor based on different planetary environments. Some planets focus fully on industrial production, others provide civilian goods and necessities, supporting the workers of the military worlds¡­ If so, it could barely be explained. But investing in infrastructure? What are you doing building these large-investment, long-term vision projects at this time? Chapter 847 - Chapter 847 Chapter 463 Not Using Full Strength Slander_2 Chapter 847: Chapter 463, Not Using Full Strength? Slander!_2 Chapter 847: Chapter 463, Not Using Full Strength? Slander!_2 Kedoba could only use the excuse of building better roads, better water supply systems, and better power supply systems in preparation for exploding production capacity. He chose to ignore that these were not temporary measures but rather well-constructed, as if they were meant to last for decades or even a hundred years, and that it would be better to deal with war by considering short-term costs. Until he observed the standard of living of the civilians in this world, he was completely taken aback. According to his observations, these people were leading a rather good life, one that could be considered moderately prosperous. Yet what he saw was merely an ordinary worker, but their standard of living was already better than many he had seen in worlds at peace. In fact, some worlds that proclaimed themselves powerful¨Cparticularly some Nest Capital worlds¨Chad lower-class citizens living lives worse than those of pigs and dogs. The scene he saw on Xinbaocheng Star in the Border Horse Sector was this: a worker¡¯s family lived well and ate well, and the whole family would go shopping for two new pieces of clothing on rest days¨Cthat was when they were stopped by Kedoba and asked about their situation. If they were truly fully mobilized for war, could an ordinary worker on a peripheral planet of an Alliance power lead such a life? If the peripheral worlds were like this, Kedoba didn¡¯t even dare to imagine what it was like in the core territories of the Alliance! When he truly entered the core territories of the Alliance, his thinking was further reinforced. Though in the Tianma Star Sector he cautiously refrained from landing on the surface of any planet, he could still see a great many civilian ships traveling through Star Realm Tunnels and the void within star systems. The bustling extent of the traffic made Kedoba unable to believe that this was a state of war. You all have so many ships; shouldn¡¯t they all be pulled to the front lines to fight? Even if they are civilian ships, stuffing them with a few guns would help! Even the girthy ships with no combat ability should be conscripted by the government for transporting supplies to the front lines! Why can trade and commerce flourish inside the Star Sector? Does this look like a war? Aren¡¯t you being a bit too nonchalant about the war? It¡¯s nonsense to say you¡¯re not giving it your all! Slander! This Alliance hasn¡¯t even tried! This was Kedoba¡¯s two-tiered reversal of cognition of the ¡®Alliance¡¯ as a political entity. But this also made him realize another problem: an Alliance that has not exerted much effort has fought the Iron-Tooth Clan to a standstill, even displaying a slight advantage. How strong would their war potential be once they get serious and fully deploy all of their war capabilities? From this perspective, the orders given by the Battle Group Leader were spot on. Winning the Temir battle in two months, breaking into the Iron-Tooth Clan¡¯s Nest Capital in four¡­ if the Alliance got serious, it might not be impossible! At this point, Kedoba had no choice but to take things seriously. He had to reassess the strength of this so-called Alliance. No, not just him, the entire Battle Group needed a reassessment. But as for the current task, it had become more difficult. The reason is simple: if the strength of the Alliance is as they imagined, then everything is easy to handle. Would you dare not to obey? If you disobey, Kedoba might not be able to handle them, but upon returning, they could be convicted as traitors for not following orders and even mobilize some forces to suppress the rebellion during the war. Moreover, there is no need to worry that the Alliance will pull out abruptly, causing a collapse at the Eastern Front battlefields. It is not a war among kin; there is no such concept as giving up or defecting to the enemy when facing the Green Skins. The Greens won¡¯t accept surrender either. But now, the war potential displayed by the Alliance no longer allows for such action. You label him a traitor and then come to suppress the rebellion, only to be beaten up by him, who then turns to the Empire claiming your actions were baseless¨Chow do you handle that situation? But since strong-arm tactics are no longer viable, what about the orders given by the Battle Group Leader? That Mr. Gu, clearly showing an inconsiderate attitude. Kedoba was helpless. But just dragging things out wasn¡¯t a solution, either. He didn¡¯t even have a way to communicate directly with the Battle Group Leader now. The Star Speech device on his ship, along with a Warband Think Tank Member he brought over, neither had the ability to break through the obstacles in the Subspace Green Wave to contact Yunluo Star or Jindi Star directly or to detour from the East Adjoining Starfield via Eagle Silk Starfield and then back to the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Communicating across three star domains was indeed asking too much of someone. After enduring it for two days and being unable to come up with any solutions, Kedoba decided to withdraw. He planned to return the way he came, at least to the East Adjoining Starfield, heading to the capital world of East Adjoining¨CSanfan Star, where he could use a powerful Star Language Tower to communicate with the Battle Group Leader. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, just as he had made up his mind, suddenly a subordinate relayed a message: the Alliance Military had sent a message, saying that they had previously encountered an attack by Interstellar Warrior traitors in the Iron Horse Sector and now had reason to suspect whether their identity as ¡®allied¡¯ with the Furyflame Battle Group was genuine. They requested to board the ship for inspection. Kedoba laughed in anger. He was also an old soldier who had fought in the Star Sea with three gold nails for more than three hundred years. During such an extensive stretch of time, he had never been treated in this manner. Moreover, not only was the Alliance¡¯s request seemingly demeaning, but the implications behind it also required some thought. Chapter 848 - Chapter 848 Chapter 463 Not Using Full Strength Slander_3 Chapter 848: Chapter 463, Not Using Full Strength? Slander!_3 Chapter 848: Chapter 463, Not Using Full Strength? Slander!_3 ¡°Check?¡± ¡°I suppose they want to detain us!¡± There was no need to consider it, Kedoba was about to reject the request. However, before he could voice his refusal, the situation had already changed. The astronomers on the ship had detected that the Star Fortress of Flying Wing Star and the Anti-Orbit Cannons on the ground had locked onto them. Generally speaking, such interstellar firepower could conceal its intentions when locking onto its target, and the ship Kedoba was on had a rather weak capability to detect such lock-ons. Without any warning, the Alliance could fire upon them, shredding them into pieces in space without any prior knowledge. But the Alliance did not do so; they blatantly displayed their intentions to lock on, clearly as a warning, ¡°If you dare to make a move, that would only confirm suspicions of your being turncoats.¡± The Alliance would cling to that point afterward. ¡°What to do?¡± Kedoba clenched his teeth, steeled his heart, and ordered the ship to ignore the firepower lock-on and to leave Flying Wing Star¡¯s orbit at full speed. In plain terms, his thought was: I indeed didn¡¯t expect the Alliance¡¯s strength to be so formidable, but even so, would you really dare to bear arms against us, the Fury Flame Battle Group, merely based on such unfounded accusations? That would change the nature of things! Of course, he still made fundamental preparations. Nearly a hundred of Fury Flame¡¯s warriors boarded the escape pods. Just in case anything did happen, they¡¯d at least have a way out. However, what he least expected then occurred. Indeed, the firepower in the Star Fortress on the ground did not truly fire. The political considerations of the Alliance weren¡¯t reckless enough to blast a ship carrying a hundred interstellar warriors, labeled as ¡®allies¡¯¨Cthe repercussions would be too severe. But the Alliance was not without other means. In a blink of dazzling light, more than three hundred interstellar warriors, clad in Red Armor, transported onto Kedoba¡¯s ship. These figures felt eerily familiar to Kedoba. During the earlier battles in Princess Star Domain, Kedoba had personally fought against the Phoenix Battle Group¨Cit was actual combat. He had personally killed three Phoenix warriors. And now, these Phoenix warriors had returned. They were fully armed and appeared fiercely intimidating. The three leading tactical teams were even fully equipped with Terminator Powered Armor. Amidst the silence, a confrontation erupted. Yet, basic restraint was still observed. The Phoenix did not fire, and the Fury Flames also did not. They didn¡¯t even resort to weapons like the Chain Saw Swords. The two groups of Interstellar warrior sporting somewhat similar paint schemes, one red and one orange, fought each other in hand-to-hand combat, clad in their battle armor. By the time Kedoba had knocked down seven Phoenix warriors, including three Terminators, he looked around and saw that all his subordinates were lying on the ground. Meanwhile, about thirty warriors, including more than ten Terminators, had surrounded him completely. Kedoba¡¯s hand even touched the Powered Sword that he carried at his waist. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But in the end, he let go. The situation was out of his control. These damn Phoenix warriors weren¡¯t rookies! Although it was just hand-to-hand fighting and no lives were lost, the performance alone forced Kedoba, a seasoned warrior, to acknowledge that all these Phoenix warriors possessed the genuine skill level of official Interstellar Warriors! ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 4.2k It¡¯s the last day of the month! Comrades who still have monthly tickets, please support the construction of the Alliance! Chapter 849 - Chapter 849 Chapter 464 was it humiliating before No the Chapter 849: Chapter 464, was it humiliating before? No, the humiliation has just begun Chapter 849: Chapter 464, was it humiliating before? No, the humiliation has just begun On the orbit, a brawl between Interstellar Warriors erupted on the warship occupied by the Fury Flame Warriors, with Phoenix emerging victorious. Objectively, Kedoba and his nearly hundred warriors were certainly not weak. Among them was a squad of Terminators, who, if not all veterans, were at least bona fide Interstellar Warriors. After all, Furyflame had always been following Iron Armor, living quite a comfortable life. New recruits, who had just undergone the Gene Seed implant surgery and although had fully developed their superhuman organs, still needed a long period of training before they could shed their rookie status and be formally armored. This time often spanned five to ten years. How long had it been since Phoenix rose from the ashes? It was normal for Kedoba to judge most of them as recruits. When those from Phoenix transferred aboard his ship and the hand-to-hand combat started, he thought his side, despite being only a third in number, would win because of the veterans¡¯ prowess¨Chow could recruits compare? However, they were badly beaten. But Kedoba was still unconvinced. He never felt that the Fury Flame Battle Group was inferior to Phoenix. It wasn¡¯t possible! Over a hundred and ten years ago, you, Phoenix, were the ones who lost to us¨Cnever mind the process, just consider the result¨Cdo you really think you can ride on our heads now? You won, was it not just because you had more people? I don¡¯t accept this! How about we personally duel! See if I don¡¯t beat you into a pulp! Then, the ¡®wish¡¯ of Javier Kedoba was fulfilled. After being thoroughly defeated, they were forcibly disarmed. All weapons were taken, powered armor was stripped, and the warship was detained. It was humiliating. An Interstellar Warrior not dying on the battlefield but instead being showcased naked. But it wasn¡¯t exactly a surrender without a fight; if you¡¯re beaten in a brawl, what can you do? Besides, both parties belong to humanity, so restraint was necessary to prevent the situation from becoming totally irreparable¡­ Anyway, he was certainly not afraid to die! They were all ¡®sent¡¯ off the spaceship and put under control on the ground. Officially, they said it was to verify their identities, but in reality, it was house arrest. In terms of treatment, it wasn¡¯t quite like being treated as prisoners. Aside from restrictions on personal freedom and no possibility of regaining weapons, since these people had the physique of Interstellar Warriors needing more stringent surveillance, there were no other major issues. However, starting the second day of their house arrest, Interstellar Warriors from Phoenix began visiting to ¡®reminisce.¡¯ The vast majority of Phoenix were people from the Alliance. Among them, however, were four who had experienced the full Redemption Expedition. That also meant that they certainly went through the Princess Star Domain civil war which led Phoenix on this irreversible path of redemption. Matins was the Battle Group Leader, and Rizzo was the Head Priest, their ranks made it inappropriate for them to be involved; but the other two veterans had no such reservations. Diego Calduzzo, the Company Commander of Phoenix First Company, was such a veteran. If possible, he would have liked to kill every Furyflame. But the bigger picture prevented him from doing so. What to do? Then come and ¡®spar.¡¯ Not to bully you, everyone without armor, holding blunt training weapons, let¡¯s practice in the open dojo. Inside the arena, Calduzzo consecutively defeated and thrashed twenty-two enemies. It was normal for him to have such a record. Not only did he boast a two-hundred-year combat career, with a hundred years emerging from hellish environments like the Redemption Expedition, his strength was not to be underestimated. Even among the Fury Flame Warriors who came to fight him, many were veterans, some even century-old veterans, but none were his match. If not for his physical strength slightly failing after fighting 22 matches, he would really have liked to single-handedly break through this either squad of the Fury Flame Battle Group. However, when Kedoba finally could not stand it anymore and decided to enter the fray himself, Calduzzo made the rational decision to step back. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t step down easily. He proudly looked down his nose at Kedoba and taunted, ¡°I¡¯ve already fought twenty-two matches today and am a bit tired, was actually about to withdraw. But if you want to fight, I can keep you company. After all, this is all the skill Furyflame has.¡± He was insinuating¡­ no, it was practically an overt statement, that the Fury Flame Battle Group liked to take advantage of others. This referred to past events. The whole Fury Flame Battle Group was enraged by this. Already smoldering from the beatdown by the numerically superior Phoenix on the ship, and now with one of Phoenix breaking through 22 of them in the arena, their frustration grew even more intense. The eyes of the Fury Flame warriors practically shot flames, wishing they could gang up and beat them. The ongoing fight was mentioned as a spar, but who didn¡¯t understand the real nature? They came with revenge on their minds to beat up. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The temper of Furyflame was not to be tested. But observing the several dozen Phoenix wearing powered armor, with bombardment guns and chain saw swords at the ready, whatever fury they felt inside, for now, they had to hold it in. Making a real move could cause big trouble. Initially thinking that just humiliating them once would be enough, unexpectedly, when Calduzzo put back on his armor, another Phoenix who had taken off their armor clenched their fists and stepped down the platform. ¡°Peleites Anatole, 14 years combat experience.¡± Chapter 850 - Chapter 850 Chapter 464 Was It Humiliating Before No the Chapter 850: Chapter 464, Was It Humiliating Before? No, the Humiliation Has Just Begun_2 Chapter 850: Chapter 464, Was It Humiliating Before? No, the Humiliation Has Just Begun_2 Kedoba, who had originally planned to personally enter the fray, stopped in his tracks. As a three-hundred-year-old warrior, was it not too disgraceful to bully a newcomer of fourteen years? It was excessively humiliating. He didn¡¯t need to speak; someone from Furyflame stepped forward. This thirty-year veteran, although less experienced than the Phoenix competitor, Anat, took the stage simply because there were no younger challengers. As a result, during the battle, this Furyflame warrior was defeated once again. Anat, this fourteen-year veteran, had already pierced through three from Furyflame and finally met defeat at the hands of the fourth. Then, the Phoenix sent out their next combatant¡­ The battles continued, one after another. In the end, nearly a hundred people from the Furyflame Battle Group¡¯s company were broken through. The Phoenix, on the other hand, had paid a price of just over thirty warriors. This was hugely embarrassing. Especially after another old warrior from Kalduce fought seven or eight people before Kedoba personally stepped in and won. But immediately after, Kedoba himself was defeated. He lost to a veteran Phoenix fighter named Simon Brains. From the moment Brains stepped in, Kedoba felt something was off. From his gaze, Kedoba could tell this was a true veteran of a hundred battles. He took it very seriously; he too was a three-hundred-year-old warrior, a proper Company Commander. Among the Fury Flame Battle Group, his strength was among the top, with very few who could surely best him. Yet today, of all days, he met his match. And he lost. It was even more disgraceful. A bruised and battered Kedoba caught his breath and asked Brains, who had also paid a certain price, ¡°What¡¯s your rank?¡± Brains pulled an ugly smile across his face, ¡°Me? Just a soldier.¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. This former turncoat, burdened with sins upon his return to the Battle Group, was indeed nothing more than a soldier. In fact, before that, he didn¡¯t even count as an ordinary warrior, but belonged to a redemption company. It was just two years ago, during the fight against the true traitors, the Chaotic Starry Warriors Gang made up of ashen dead, that Brains and his few redemption company peers undertook several assaults. Of the old veterans that followed him, including himself, four were lost in that battle. A fifty percent casualty rate was much higher than the overall battle¡¯s rate. Martins considered their sins redeemed because of this and reported to the Governor; with the Governor¡¯s approval, the four surviving turncoats were readmitted into the conventional combat sequence of the Phoenix Battle Group. Starting from zero, but after all as a two-hundred-year-old warrior who had undergone a redemption expedition, his level of skill, command ability and such remained intact. As long as there were no extra restrictions, it was normal for him to stand out. Now he was about to be promoted to squad leader. But as long as he hadn¡¯t been promoted yet, calling himself ¡®just a soldier¡¯ was not incorrect. Kedoba didn¡¯t believe it, but what could he say? Defeat was defeat. Now, every member of this company of the Furyflame Battle Group, from top to bottom, had been challenged and defeated in one-on-one duels. It was an unprecedented humiliation in their lives. Wait for it, this disgrace, Furyflame will surely return it! ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Kalduce spoke up, ¡°You think you¡¯re leaving just like that?¡± Kedoba held back his rage, ¡°What else do you want to do?¡± ¡°We still have people who haven¡¯t fought yet.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go too far!¡± The sound of a bombardment gun being loaded resonated. Kalduce sneered, ¡°So, do you want to fight in the arena, or outside? Do you want us to fight in powered armor, or shall we take it off and fight then?¡± Killing these Furyflames, Kalduce would not do it¨Cunless they went mad themselves, giving an excuse and an opportunity. But to beat someone, as long as one doesn¡¯t beat the life out of them, there¡¯s no problem. Anyway, Interstellar Warriors have thick skin; ordinary punches and kicks aren¡¯t likely going to kill anyone. By now, Kedoba finally understood the meaning behind the Phoenix Battle Group¡¯s actions. Was that just now called humiliation? No, no, no. That was a proper ¡®spar¡¯, where everyone used their skill, one on one, the winners continued to stand, the losers rolled off the stage, and with just thirty people, they beat a hundred from the Furyflame. How could that be called humiliation? It was a fair fight. What came next, that was real humiliation. We¡¯ve only fought thirty people, how could that possibly be enough? There were fifty Phoenixes on duty here, and behind them, countless more Phoenixes were lining up, waiting for their turn. What if you can¡¯t fight anymore? Too bad, you still have to get up on stage and take a beating! That was a ¡®rotation battle¡¯, and that was the true humiliation! ¡­ Gu Hang, of course, knew about the farce the Phoenix had stirred up, but he didn¡¯t want to interfere. What was there to manage? He knew the Phoenix had a vendetta against Furyflame. They were on a mission for vengeance. The old soldiers who had experienced the conflict a hundred years ago, the redemption expedition, didn¡¯t need any explanation, the hatred was their personal experience, etched into their bones. And for those new recruits, while they were all Alliance People, only recently having become Phoenixes, and hadn¡¯t experienced that hatred, their growth process after joining the Phoenix inevitably brought them into contact with the history of the Battle Group. Thus, they naturally took on that same hatred, ingraining it into their hearts. Though not as intense as the old soldiers, they possessed the recklessness of the young calf not fearing the tiger. They might even be more ruthless and careless than the old soldiers when it came to fighting. Let them handle it. Gu Hang had only declared once to Matins to keep his soldiers in check, to avoid any casualties, and that would be enough. Gu Hang himself had more important things to do. Cleaning a warship. The Firebath Nova Battleship had already been in the docks of Flying Wing Star for two years, being cleaned. The effects were very clear. At first, those working on the ship who stayed aboard for more than an hour would experience hallucinations, a burning sensation throughout their body, and symptoms of distress; staying more than six hours greatly increased the risk of losing control and attacking their companions indiscriminately. Therefore, the Alliance¡¯s ship maintenance workers, engineers, and clergy who built chapels and sprinkled holy water aboard the ships were all under strict regulations that they could not work more than three hours at a time. There were multiple shifts a day, and workers rotated for rest. At the same time, priests and psychiatrists were on standby in the Starport, ready to soothe their agitated emotions and ensure that they didn¡¯t succumb to serious corruption. However, as Gu Hang ¡®cleaned¡¯ the warship repeatedly, and as both State Religion and Sect of Mechanics clergy carried out their respective actions, building churches in their own styles, and the statues of The Emperor were erected one by one inside the warship, the issues began to gradually ease. During this process, the continuous work time limit was extended from three hours to six, then to nine¡­ Over the past six months, the workers were able to work onboard the warship continuously for fifteen days. Of course, it wasn¡¯t fifteen days without rest; it¡¯s just that the Battleship was too large¨Cmeasuring thirty kilometers in length, with width and height also in the range of kilometers. Its scale was similar to a three-dimensional fortress city, transplanted into space, and the internal structure was incredibly complex. Three hours might have just been enough to reach the workplace before having to head out again. Long-term work inside the ship was necessary, especially for the deep repair and cleansing tasks. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As of now, the cleansing and repair work on the Firebath Nova was essentially complete. If Gu Hang wished, he could now order the Navy forces to board the ship and take it out to join the battle. However, the Firebath Nova was currently the Alliance¡¯s most expensive single asset, and it also played the most important role in Gu Hang¡¯s upcoming war plans; there was no room for error. Gu Hang preferred to delay its deployment in battle, to clean it a few more times, to perform additional maintenance, to ensure that the entire warship was in perfect condition before it engaged. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k Although the update time is still rather erratic, it¡¯s a bit earlier than usual, not so erratic¡­ It¡¯s the start of the month! The first day! Comrades with monthly passes, feel free to cast two votes now! Chapter 851 - Chapter 851 Chapter 465 the Alliance Rushes to the Battlefield Chapter 851: Chapter 465, the Alliance Rushes to the Battlefield! Chapter 851: Chapter 465, the Alliance Rushes to the Battlefield! After washing the ship, Gu Hang, slightly fatigued, realized it wasn¡¯t time to rest yet. He still had a lot of work to do. The Alliance was preparing for war. In fact, Kedoba¡¯s previous glimpse into the Alliance¡¯s situation had been an eye-opener, leading to a mentality shift from believing the Alliance had already done its best to thinking that the Alliance hadn¡¯t tried hard at all. These thoughts were not entirely accurate. At the very least, they were one-sided. The Alliance, of course, had not given its all; otherwise, the Land Force troops on the front lines wouldn¡¯t be able to take turns resting and sending new troops to fight in the Temir Star System as circumstances allowed. The Alliance Supreme Command called this the ¡°Temir Rotational Battle,¡± which was essentially substituting training with actual combat, directly exposing soldiers to the battlefield atmosphere and engaging them in personal combat. This would naturally result in more casualties than using veteran soldiers, but it was an inevitable path. After the rotational battles, there was a clear increase in the combat effectiveness of the Alliance¡¯s various land armies. Even some newly formed troops, which had a relatively small proportion of soldiers trained by the ¡°Soldier Token¡± system, saw a rapid increase in the ratio of T5-grade soldiers after being seasoned by combat on the battlefield. Another indication was exactly what Kedoba had thought: if the Alliance had truly mobilized for war to the fullest, it wouldn¡¯t be possible for people living on the peripheries of its power to still enjoy a decent life. Although, in many places within the Border Horse Sector, the annual consumption per capita was only around 0.6 Tax Currency, which wasn¡¯t considered high. Compared to the Alliance Core Region, it really isn¡¯t much; but looking at the broader context of the entire Empire, a citizen being able to spend 0.6 Tax Currency a year on energy, food, industrial goods, housing¡­ all material goods combined, is already quite impressive. Within the Empire, many worlds have lower-class citizens living in dire straits. The Alliance was still investing resources, undertaking basic investments and developments in various planets, seeking greater returns in the future. However, if the war situation truly became dire and the Alliance issued a second or even first-grade mobilization order, the standard of living for the populace would definitely be compromised. Yet at the same time, the Alliance under extreme duress would unleash a far more terrifying war potential than it currently had. The number of troops and the production capacity for military goods would increase exponentially. But the Alliance wasn¡¯t actually not trying at all. From certain perspectives, the Alliance was indeed doing its best. After all, a third-grade mobilization order was always active. The difference lay in the fact that under a third-grade mobilization order, the Alliance wasn¡¯t lacking in personnel or conventional resources. On the Eastern Front Battlefields against the Iron-Tooth Clan, the Alliance even had a surplus. So what was the Alliance lacking? It was cutting-edge equipment. Such as the Land Force¡¯s tanks, Mecha, even the Titan, and Warships. And these could not be obtained by squeezing civilians and workers. What was the Alliance¡¯s method for obtaining this high-end equipment? It was the Black Box. Of course, for each technology, aside from Black Boxes that directly produce finished productswuxiaworld.siteponents, there were master Black Boxes that could produce the production lines/key components necessary to make these products. But this also meant that if there was a technology the Alliance didn¡¯t fully understand, then without the master Black Box, the Alliance would not be able to expand the production capacity of that product. This was the case with many of the Empire¡¯s lost technologies: the capacity to produce them was fixed and could not be expanded. Of course, Black Boxes could not be lost. However, even when Black Boxes were available, the expansion of most high-end production lines could only rely on the incremental output from master Black Boxes. The Alliance couldn¡¯t build these production lines on its own. This meant that the rate at which the Alliance could expand its high-end equipment was limited by the output capacity of the master Black Box. Even if Gu Hang squeezed the civilians dry, it wouldn¡¯t help; the factories producing Titans and the Starship Dockyards were already running at full efficiency and couldn¡¯t fit any more workers. New factories and dockyards had to wait for Black Box production, and having workers on hand wouldn¡¯t be of assistance. This was the most important reason Gu Hang didn¡¯t resort to squeezing. Extracting excessive labor from civilians could yield more troops, food, and basic industrial goods. But the advanced equipment that the Alliance needed most wouldn¡¯t increase at all. The Alliance didn¡¯t lack the former; it was the latter that was in short supply. It made more sense to use the resources for local planet construction and improving the standard of living of civilians. The former was an investment for higher future income, while the latter was necessary to stabilize local societies and gain broad public support. Of course, not every technology extracted from the system had this issue. Some technologies with low tech content and foundational nature had already been mastered by the Alliance. Even if the Black Box vanished, it wouldn¡¯t affect production, and the Alliance could still proceed and expand capacity. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only For instance, the G Series Rifle, the LR Series Laser Gun, the Strider Combat Vehicle¡­ and even recently, technologies like the Lion Tank, Windfalcon Fighters, Sentry Mecha, powered Exoskeletons, and Flying Pig Transport Ships had been mastered by the Alliance. But, with high-end technologies, the Alliance was somewhat lacking. Technologies like the Lion King Tank, Knight Mecha, Titan, and various Warships were not yet fully understood. However, there were two sides to this as well. Mastering these high-grade technologies was very difficult and required a long time. After all, even though the Black Box granted the Alliance such technologies, it could not completely fill all the industrial foundations the Alliance needed. Chapter 852 - Chapter 852 Chapter 465 the Alliance Rushes to the Chapter 852: Chapter 465, the Alliance Rushes to the Battlefield!_2 Chapter 852: Chapter 465, the Alliance Rushes to the Battlefield!_2 However, the good news was that with the Black Box and its products, the Alliance¡¯s research teams would eventually digest all these technologies. This was actually quite rare. The majority of worlds wouldn¡¯t even have this chance. ¡­ During these two years, the Black Box Factory located within the Storm God Kingdom worked day and night to set up production lines for various kinds of advanced equipment. With each production line assembled, the production capacity of that equipment increased. In the past two years, the Alliance had accumulated quite a significant foundation. Those starships, one after another, endless fearless Knight Mechas, Lion King Tanks¡­ Even the ¡®Skyburn Torpedoes¡¯ had a production line set up by the Alliance in these two years. With the Skyburn Torpedoes on Temir II, coupled with the stock produced earlier through the Black Boxes¡­ Now, the Alliance could execute more than ten Extinction Orders. For worlds that had been completely ecologically transformed, exhibiting few or no signs of human activity and infested with Green Skins, the ¡®Skyburn Torpedo¡¯ was the best tool. Although it would incinerate the entire surface of the planet, collapsing the ecosystem and rendering it unsuitable for colonization, using Skyburn Torpedoes was more cost-effective compared to endless manpower fighting for each inch of land against the Green Skins. After all, the cost of taking back a planet using Skyburn Torpedoes in combination with planetary climate reengineering, while substantial, would still be less than the cost of deploying Land Forces to take over these kinds of worlds. Moreover, during a state of war, the planet¡¯s inherent value was secondary; the rapid and direct weakening of the Green Skins¡¯ war potential was a much more important matter. The destroyed worlds weren¡¯t completely void of value, after all ¨C it wasn¡¯t an ¡®Earth Explosion Star Annihilation¡¯ being used, so humans could still establish mining operations on those planets. Colonization might be infeasible, but the mineral resources certainly wouldn¡¯t be incinerated by the Skyburn Torpedoes. Additionally, Gu Hang had spent all the Grace Points he had accumulated over these two years. No gambling, no spending on other miscellaneous things, but all invested in military expansion. Soldier Token training, Commissar training, Interstellar Warrior training, Gene Seed exchange¡­ Averaging 39,000 Grace Points each month, plus an average of 8,000 points per month provided by Vassals, totaling more than 1.1 million Grace Points, all spent in these areas. Accumulating a base, enhancing war potential, building up forces¡­ there was no doubt that Gu Hang was preparing for a massive scale war. In fact, without Kazimir Ersu saying so, Gu Hang had already decided to deploy sufficient forces to win the Temir Campaign decisively. His current preparations were all for this goal. However, this war could not be a risky gamble, nor could it be a battle where the Alliance staked its fate. Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t face the Green Skin Orcs with forces roughly equivalent to or only slightly better than theirs. If possible, Gu Hang would use five times, ten times the force to crush the Green Skins in the Temir Star System, ensuring a quick defeat that would prevent the main Green Skin forces from posing any further threat to the Alliance. As for what to do next, Gu Hang would have two choices: either charge into the Green Skins¡¯ lair, taking advantage of their vulnerability and engage in destruction ¨C oh, without the last two, as there was nothing worthy of plunder from the Green Skins. Alternatively, he could choose to move from the southwest, collaborating with the main forces of the Human Empire to pincer attack the principal Green Skin force led by Titus. That would depend on the situation at the time of the war. But as it stood, the Alliance¡¯s primary and most important war objective was just the Golden Pass Star Sector, right there in Temir. But though Gu Hang had long been ready to fight this decisive battle, the Alliance had its own pace and certainly wouldn¡¯t rush into battle in two or four months as ¡®Furyflame¡¯ Erso demanded. Dream on. ¡­ Erso had already learned about what happened in the Tianma Star Sector. Indeed, Commandant Kordoba lacked the capacity to directly contact Jindi Star, and Erso couldn¡¯t contact Kordoba directly either. But Erso could contact Flying Wing Star. When he calculated it was about time, he had the chief Think Tank of his Battle Group, a Psychic equivalent to a Mortal grade A+, establish communication with Flying Wing Star. He inquired if Kordoba¡¯s team had arrived and whether the Alliance had launched a full-scale offensive as per his request and arrangements. The Alliance responded that indeed a group claiming to be from ¡®Furyflame¡¯ Battle Group had arrived, but they could not verify these people¡¯s identities and were in the process of doing so. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Erso was furious, demanding a direct conversation with Gu Hang. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t be bothered with him and sent Salihoovich to feign cooperation with Erso. Sending my Chief Diplomat to communicate with you is already giving you enough respect! Of course, Erso wouldn¡¯t see it that way. He threatened several times to denounce the Alliance and Gu Hang as traitors. Salihoovich just explained with a smile about the Alliance¡¯s difficulties, what support they needed, and slyly questioned whether Erso¡¯s commander-in-chief status had ever been recognized by the Alliance, the legitimacy of the Star Domain Head¡¯s signed appointment¡­ In short, with his reliable glibness, Salihoovich talked around the bush a great deal, but in essence, he didn¡¯t say anything substantial. Chapter 853 - Chapter 853 Chapter 465 Alliance Rushes to the Battlefield_3 Chapter 853: Chapter 465, Alliance Rushes to the Battlefield!_3 Chapter 853: Chapter 465, Alliance Rushes to the Battlefield!_3 Erso was not easy to fool. After numerous exchanges, he naturally knew that although the lives of Kedoba and others were not in danger, their situation would likely not be good. He was also angered that the Alliance dared to truly ignore and delay his orders. However, the condition of the Alliance revealed through Salihoovich¡¯s words secretly alarmed him. Despite his anger, he had to consider whether it was feasible to declare the Alliance as traitors. He wanted to do so, and it wasn¡¯t difficult. The Fury Flame Battle Group had been involved in the Eastern Cosmos Domain for some time. Although the overall expansion of influence was not particularly strong, at least they had a good relationship with the Tribunal of the Eastern Cosmos Domain. Moreover, the current ¡®administration¡¯ of the Dragonhawk Star Domain¡¯s entire Star Domain Government now relied entirely on the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s struggles. Almost everyone has become an administrative and logistical group, diligently scavenging resources from all controllable star sectors and planets to supply the war. The Star Domain Head, Tan Jiuyi and his group, could almost be said to be in the shape of Furyflame. However, the Mingyang Sect from Jindi Star had a tougher backbone¨Cthey had the capital to be tough. Interstellar warriors, even if facing just a branch sect like the Sect of Mechanics, had to ensure a certain level of respect. Not to mention future considerations, during this war, although the Mingyang Sect lost their main fleet, their Protection Army and their Titan Legion remained a very important force; sometimes Erso even had to beg these Oil Heads. Overall, if Erso wanted to, with his status as a Battle Group Leader, appointed as the Supreme Commander by the Star Domain Government and a good relationship with the Tribunal, coupled with the Star Domain Government¡¯s fear to disobey, he could truly declare Gu Hang a traitor. But he also had concerns. First was the issue of effectiveness. This kind of declaration of treason issued by the Star Domain Government, with a few mid-level judges involved, was somewhat dubious in force. But if it were only legally dubious, it would still be manageable; the key issue was that once declared, it could not be enforced. You accuse someone of traitraion, then what? Suppress the rebellion? Clearly, there was no strength for that¨Cthere was still a fight against the Green Skins going on. Seek external assistance, like the Imperial Army from other star domains to suppress the rebellion? Then why not directly deploy them to the main battlefields? To fight against the legitimate enemies of the Empire, the Green Skins, where clear merits could be earned, people still wanted to wait and see, conserve strength, or they couldn¡¯t come due to their own troubles. Moreover, why fight against the Alliance? For internal matters of your Star Domain that you can¡¯t even sort out, all messed up, why would the foreign army intervene without clear benefits? Besides the issue of efficacy, a bigger problem Erso worried about was that the Eastern Front battlefields were still holding on; if he tried any tricky maneuvers and collapsed the Eastern Front, that would truly be disastrous. Because of these considerations, during multiple communications with Salihoovich, Erso could only continuously issue threats but never dared take any particularly clear actions. However, his patience was gradually wearing thin during this time. The war was not going well, and he was annoyed daily. That Mr. Gu, truly had quite the influence! Until now, Erso had never heard a word directly from Gu Hang. When all these frustrations accumulated for various reasons and grew heavier, Erso eventually almost lost control of his own state. He once again brought out the idea of declaring the Alliance treason, an idea he had previously suppressed with rationality. If Gu Hang continued to provoke him, he might actually do it. I consider the big picture, and you don¡¯t, right? Then don¡¯t blame me for not being polite! However, just when he was about to really lose his patience, a call from the Eastern Cosmic Domain Capital Wuji Star awakened him. Cosmic Domain Chair Zuo Zhaofeng personally made the call to inquire about the situation in the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Chairman Zuo, after thanking the Fury Flame Battle Group for answering the call and admiring the accomplishments of the Fury Flame Battle Group in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, specifically mentioned the Eastern Front of the Dragonhawk Star Domain. He seemed quite knowledgeable about the situation on the Eastern Front, speaking with undisguised admiration. In his words, Gu Hang and his Alliance, in their actions on the Eastern Front of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, were exemplary. Not only did they withstand battlefield pressures, but they also protected the flame of human civilization amid war, ensuring the peace and prosperity of the people and uniting society. These praises themselves were nothing special. However, the political implications revealed made Kazimir Erso have to be sensitive. It was normal for Zuo Zhaofeng to show interest in the situation in the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This was not the first communication, after all, it was an important war happening within his jurisdiction. In fact, the Cosmic Domain Government had also provided very important support, with 40% of the resources currently consumed on the battlefields of the Dragonhawk Star Domain coming from the support of the Cosmic Domain Government. Moreover, the reinforcements Erso was waiting for, apart from those he had assembled from his own Battle Group, were coming from the Cosmic Domain Government. However, specifically mentioning Gu Hang seemed to convey a certain message. Erso had to think deeper about what Gu Hang and the Alliance really meant. After being irritated by Gu Hang, he had, of course, investigated some of Gu¡¯s background. He knew that Gu Hang seemed to have a very good relationship with the current Central Imperial Military Affairs Department Executive Minister and former Apostle of War, Bochoya Galaraldo. Chapter 854 - Chapter 854 Chapter 465 Alliance Rushes to the Battlefield_4 Chapter 854: Chapter 465, Alliance Rushes to the Battlefield!_4 Chapter 854: Chapter 465, Alliance Rushes to the Battlefield!_4 But in his original judgment, one was a high official of the Empire, and the other was the head of a Star Region level faction; how good could their relationship really be? Moreover, the Iron Armor, Furyflame, and Bedrock Shield three major battle groups had their people within the Central Empire. This faction of theirs wasn¡¯t the same as that of Bochoya Galaraldo. If we¡¯re not in the same faction, why should I give you face? However, now it seemed he couldn¡¯t think that way anymore. Offending Galaraldo wasn¡¯t something Erso feared, the Emperor was far away; but Chairman Zuo was currently in charge. They originally intended to expand their influence in the Eastern Cosmos Domain, and Chairman Zuo, the head of this Cosmos Domain, was a key figure. Moreover, he also knew that Chairman Zuo was in cahoots with Galaraldo. When Chairman Zuo spoke up, firmly supporting Gu Hang, did that mean Gu Hang actually held a not-so-low position within Galaraldo¡¯s political faction? Erso had to reassess the impact of this situation. Besides, even if he stubbornly offended a whole bunch of people and insisted on going through with it, the power of a Cosmic Domain Chair was clearly not to be underestimated. If Chairman Zuo backed it, this ¡®treason¡¯ probably couldn¡¯t be stamped out! Kazimir Erso felt he was almost suffocated. At this moment, it had been half a year since he sent people to the Tianma Star Sector. He had already decided out of sight, out of mind; he couldn¡¯t even be bothered to call the Eastern Front anymore. Return my people, Gu Hang, and I¡¯ll pretend that battlefield doesn¡¯t exist! Can¡¯t I just fight my own battles? But just at this time, he received a call from the Alliance Army. The person he spoke with was no longer Salihoovich but claimed to be Tadeusz, the Admiral and General Commissar of the Alliance Military and Political Department. The style of Tadeusz was completely different from that of Salihoovich. With a very serious attitude, he informed Erso of something: ¡°By the authority vested in me as the Alliance General Commissar, I fulfill my duty to inform our allies of our military actions: the Alliance has resolved to launch our full forces three days from now, marching towards the Temir Star System, with General Gu Hang personally leading the charge to oversee the entire operation.¡± These few words made Erso want to explode with anger all over again. Half a year ago, when you were supposed to attack full line, you didn¡¯t care; now, just when I¡¯ve given up on you, you¡¯re going to fight? Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? Would it have come to this if you had? Could it be because of the timing of the combat operation plans? It¡¯s not something we can¡¯t discuss, let¡¯s talk about it! ¡­ Kazimir Erso¡¯s actual thoughts really never mattered to Gu Hang. When he let Salihoovich handle it, he had already told the diplomat to deal with the affairs on his own, no need to come and tell him. He couldn¡¯t be bothered. And now, with Tadeusz conveying the news of his advancing, it was just as the literal meaning implied, merely fulfilling the duty of informing allies. He didn¡¯t need, nor did he expect Erso¡¯s cooperation. Of course, he didn¡¯t underestimate Erso¡¯s abilities. As long as the Battle Group Leader was not foolish, he actually only had one choice: to cooperate and support the Alliance¡¯s offensive. Whatever you decide, it¡¯s up to you. As for Gu Hang, his attention was entirely focused on the war at hand. Winning the battle was the key to everything. Gu Hang boarded the flagship of the Alliance Navy, the ¡®Firebath Nova¡¯. This Retribution-class battleship, after two years of full-scale repairs, renovation, and purification, had completely changed. From its original black infused with blood red, full of decay and madness, it was now painted in alternating shades of blue and white. It was reborn. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only According to the Chief Technical Consultant of the Flying Wing Star Shipyard, the Dominant Bishop Wang Zhaoran, the machine spirit of this warship was now calm and stable, ready to burst forth, prepared to once again fight for the Empire! Under the lead of the ¡®Firebath Nova¡¯, dozens of newly built warships, along with twice as many civilian ships serving as transport vessels, set out from the Flying Wing Star Starport, arriving from the Rage Owl Star System. This fleet, numbering over a hundred new ships, majestically sailed forth from the Flying Wing Star System towards the battlefield! ¡ª¡ª¨C Although it¡¯s late, there¡¯s 6k! Still owe 54k Chapter 855 - Chapter 855 Chapter 466 Ive had enough already Chapter 855: Chapter 466, I¡¯ve had enough already! Chapter 855: Chapter 466, I¡¯ve had enough already! The war had begun. Or rather, the war had never actually ended. ¡°Report to the commander! The Star Observation Agency has detected the enemy¡¯s traces! They¡¯ve appeared! ¡°They are on standby outside Temir No.5, in a similar state to before. Once we start providing large-scale fire support to the ground again, they will surely rush over and attack our rear.¡± ¡°Please give your instructions, Commander!¡± ¡°Proceed as planned.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± After sending the deputy away, Yelisia stood on the bridge, gazing into the void in front of her. The ¡°Quintet¡± she was currently aboard had replaced the Opera Cruiser and had become the flagship of the United Fleet. Over the past two years, she had been on the front lines of the Temir Battlefield, fighting the Green Skin Orcs. But to call it fighting was an exaggeration; the battles weren¡¯t fierce. She, too, knew a portion of Gu Hang¡¯s plans; it wasn¡¯t time for the final battle, and there was no need for her to engage in a bloody struggle with the Green Skin Fleet. Although by her own estimation, with the forces at her disposal, they actually had a seventy percent chance of victory should a battle occur. But¡­ There was no need. A seventy percent chance of victory wasn¡¯t enough. Moreover, how could mere victory be satisfactory? In Gu Hang¡¯s view, what they needed was a resounding victory with minimal cost. They not only had to annihilate the main force of the Green Skin Fleet but also do so without suffering any losses. To achieve this goal, the power Yelisia had at her disposal was insufficient. And the Green Skin Fleet was even less ambitious. The disparity in strength was significant, and naval battles couldn¡¯t be fought like land battles. Warships were extremely precious to the Green Skins. Even with their disposition, they would not engage in reckless battle. For both parties, the mutual bottom line was to prevent the opponent from launching large-scale orbital cannon fire on Temir No.5. The battle on the ground was just as important. The Beastmen had begun to emerge, born from the local ecosystem, amassing a total of four billion combatants, of which the regular Green Skin Orcs amounted to over one billion; The Alliance Army had nearly one hundred million troops engaged in combat here; and, through arming local forces, the Alliance¡¯s investment in Temir No.5 had been considerable, with the total forces of the Pact Army surpassing one and a half billion¨Ca rather high mobilization rate compared to their total population, reaching 20%. Their planet had a total population of only about eight or nine billion, a significant portion of which had been evacuated, and a significant amount of manpower had been consumed in the wars of the past few years. Maintaining a force of one and a half billion was already the planet¡¯s limit. But this scale of force was clearly insufficient. The Alliance had conscripted around eight hundred million troops from various other planets to Temir No.5. The currently engaged human warriors numbered 2.4 billion, with over six billion civilians in the rear. With forces of this magnitude, neither side could endure a large-scale orbital bombardment, as the losses would be devastating. Due to multiple factors, the fleets of both sides were actually very cautious and no large-scale battles had broken out. The focus of contention centered around two things. First, was strangling the reinforcements sent by the opposition to support the ground forces on Temir No.5. Ambushing at jump points or even invading the opponent¡¯s rear area from a jump point to raid transport ships. Losing a transport ship was a painful blow. The value of the ship itself was one thing, but more importantly, the people and resources on board would be completely lost. Later, both sides began to strengthen protection for their own transport ships, not allowing single ships to travel alone. Instead, they amassed a larger convoy with the main fleet escorting for protection. With the understanding that there would be no decisive battle, the opposing side would generally give up on targeting such a large group. Second, was the attempt to secretly bombard the surface, striking quickly and retreating to avoid being caught by the opposition. The human fleet had the advantage in this regard. The United Fleet was slightly larger than that of the Green Skins, which meant they had the capacity to deploy a sufficient number of ships to face off against the Green Skins while simultaneously sending a few to bombard the planet¡¯s surface. When the Green Skins were hit hard, they showed signs of desperate resistance. At such times, the human side would wisely back off, no longer continuing the bombardment; but they wouldn¡¯t retreat far. As soon as the Green Skins indicated their intention to bombard the surface as well, the United Fleet would rush in, ready for a decisive battle if the Green Skins dared to bomb. At that point, the Green Skins would also have to withdraw. The main strategy for both sides was one of entanglement and tug-of-war. In such a situation, it was highly likely for skirmishes to escalate. Every conflict carried the risk of devolving into a fleet battle to the death. In fact, such incidents had happened several times, but each had been restrained in the end. It was foreseeable that if this situation continued for a long time, it was bound to result in a major crisis sooner or later. But fortunately, this situation had never occurred. However, this time was different. Yelisia had adopted an attitude that they would carry out a full-scale orbital bombardment of the ground. The Green Skin Fleet, which had always been somewhere within the star system, did indeed show up. It was as if the past two years of routine, every encounter seemed like a dangerous, close-quarters dance for two. But often, both parties would withdraw at the last, most dangerous moment with an understanding. The Green Skins had yet to realize, this time was different. They were going through the motions as if they were desperate, but this time, the Human Fleet did not retreat. Over a dozen warships were still carrying out the orbital bombardment. Saru, aboard the Green Skin flagship, now found himself in a catch-22 situation. Why aren¡¯t you playing by the rules anymore? Weren¡¯t the past two years of acting together quite satisfactory? Why the sudden change? What should I do now? Before Saru had time to think, requests for battle from the captains of various warships drifted onto his flagship like snowflakes. The wording differed from one to another, but what they had in common was high coarse language content; packed with fervent waaaghs, the message was the same: obliterate these puny human ships! In reality, the Green Skins had accumulated far too much anger in the push and pull of the past two years. No need to mention others, Saru was no exception. However, as the chieftain, he must maintain the bare minimum of rationality, and he suppressed the aggression in his beastman bloodline. But to this point today, it became impossible to hold back any longer. Moreover, even from a rational standpoint, would continuing to appease be a good choice? Could he, leading the Fleet, stand by idly as four billion Green Skins on Temir No.5 were left completely exposed to the human warship¡¯s artillery? Impossible. Then, no more hesitations. A fierce light thickened in Saru¡¯s eyes, he grabbed the communicator and bellowed: ¡°Shrimps have no principles! Lads, charge with me! Wipe out these shrimps!¡± ¡°waaagh!!!!¡± Following that came the communications: ghastly screams and howls, waaaghs erupting from all quarters, the Green Skins no longer had to suppress the warmongering fire in their hearts; the entire fleet began swarming forward, assailing the Human Fleet with all their might. This scene aroused a surge of bravado in Saru¡¯s heart. Damn it! I¡¯ve had enough! However, as the Green Skin Fleet charged, the first shell fired from the Human Fleet instantly cooled Saru¡¯s rage. Instead, it raised a suspicion: That shell, it hit nothing, passing through empty space, but its brilliance and the overwhelming power it displayed in the visual field made Saru recall: Could the Shrimps¡¯ biggest ships before, fire such a shell? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The power of that shell, it could even rival the main cannon of Chieftain Titus¡¯ flagship, right? Am I facing the same opponents as before? Sneaky shrimps!! ¡ª¡ª¨C Short is also quite cute¡­ cough, more importantly, there¡¯s a crucial meeting tomorrow morning, can¡¯t stay up till four or five. I¡¯ll try to update more tomorrow night, make up for what was less today. Chapter 856 - Chapter 856 Chapter 467 The Shrimp is Really Too Treacherous Chapter 856: Chapter 467, The Shrimp is Really Too Treacherous Chapter 856: Chapter 467, The Shrimp is Really Too Treacherous A blast from the heavy cannon, though it missed, still made the beastman leader Saru feel a great danger. However, since it didn¡¯t hit, he could only gauge the might of this cannon through observation. Perhaps things weren¡¯t as they seemed? Moreover, after the Green Skin Fleet charged, the Human Fleet did the same. The distance between the two fleets quickly closed to a perilously close range. At that distance, the accuracy and power of the heavy cannons from both sides were enough to annihilate each other. The arrow had been shot; there was no turning back. To think of turning tail and running now would mean sitting ducks for a few more volleys. Even if some ships managed to escape, the losses would be colossal. Not a total annihilation, but at least half, or maybe even more, would be lost. And it would be a pointless loss. The only option was to keep charging. Saru hoped that he had misjudged the situation. However, that hope was quickly dashed. Because with the next shot, a clear and direct hit struck one of the beastman ships. That ship, on par with a human Escort Ship, had energy shields and armor that were no laughing matter. It could even withstand several hits from a human cruiser¡¯s L-grade cannons. But under the barrage of this cannon, it was utterly annihilated. Shield and ship, completely obliterated. Saru¡¯s initial assessment based on that missed shot was spot on, absolutely correct. So, what to do now? Saru had no choice left. No matter the trepidation in his heart, no matter how slim the chances of victory he observed, he had to lead his troops into battle. ¡°Charge! Charge! All ships, be ready to board! Once we¡¯re within range, jump over, and with our great cleavers, axes, and spears, board their ships and blow those shrimps to bits!¡± In a situation with no alternatives, this was the only method Saru could conceive of that might lead to victory. The ship-to-ship combat intensified. The total number of warships involved in the battle approached nearly five hundred. Such a large number of warships duked it out just outside Temir No.5¡¯s orbit. And without a doubt, the ones at an absolute disadvantage were the Green Skin Orcs. Their ships were blown up one after another under the barrage of an unknown colossal cannon used by the humans. Even Saru¡¯s flagship, belonging to the Green Skin Orcs, took a hit from a heavy cannon¨Ca kinetic cannon shell, traveling at sub-light speed, struck solidly. His ship, equivalent to a human cruiser in size, didn¡¯t shatter like an Escort Ship would with a single shot. However, this hit directly overloaded the energy shields of his large ship, and if hit again, an explosion was inevitable. In fact, now that the energy shields were overloaded, even a more ordinary cannon could pose a deadly threat to his flagship. And it was at this moment that Saru finally got a clear look at the most deadly thing of all: It was a very large, very imposing warship. It appeared to be of a similar scale to the so-called ¡®hulking belly¡¯ Transport Ship of the shrimps, but a closer look revealed a stark difference. This warship wasn¡¯t bloated at all; its appearance was formidable and sleek, with even the ram installed on the top being quite in line with the Orcish sense of aesthetics. It was even larger than Chieftain Titus¡¯s flagship! Only slightly smaller than a Battle Moon! But how had it gotten there? The space of the Green Skin Orcs was also often active within the Temir Star System. Although their methods differed, the orcs also had roles akin to stargazers, capable of monitoring almost the entire state of the star system. A formidable warship of such size could not go unnoticed. Saru suddenly remembered something. Not long ago, the Human Fleet initiated an operation involving multiple large-grade ships entering the Temir Star System. The main force of the Human Fleet escorted these ships from the jump point all the way to the orbit of Temir No.5. This had actually become quite a common occurrence over the past two years. Those massive ships were known to the Green Skins by name¨CColossal Carriers. They were gigantic but slow, with no combat capability. The Green Skins had captured one during past raids, causing the Shrimp significant losses. After that, the Shrimp learned their lesson, always gathering several carriers and escorting them with the main fleet. Saru had assumed it was the same situation this time, but it seemed not. Among those several large targets, a Battleship was hidden. Unless one got up close for observation, all that the tribe¡¯s Shaman could see were several equally large ships, tightly protected in the middle. Indeed, the Shrimp were very cunning. But he still had one last resort¨C Bail out! And now, it was a situation where if he didn¡¯t bail out soon, there¡¯d be no chance left. His flagship¡¯s energy shield had been breached, and he could even see many of the Shrimp¡¯s cruisers aiming their guns at him. To not bail out would mean waiting to be buried with his ship. He grabbed the communicator and roared to all the Green Skin Ships, ¡°Boarding Torpedo assault! Target, the Shrimp¡¯s biggest ship! I¡¯ll lead the charge! Follow me, everyone!¡± ¡°Waaagh!¡± Dropping the communicator, he and his Personal Guard quickly boarded the ¡®Boarding Torpedo¡¯. The Green Skins¡¯ Boarding Torpedoes were nothing like the humans¡¯. They didn¡¯t even resemble a ship but were more like a gigantic, hollowed-out rock or hill. Inside, there was some awe-inspiring Green Skin technology. Placed on the launch frame, bunches of Green Skin warriors were stuffed inside, and once full, this ¡®big rock¡¯ would be catapulted towards the target by the launch system. Of course, that was the treatment for ordinary Green Skin warriors. As the Beastman boss, Saru still had the luxury of a spacecraft for his Boarding Torpedo. Overall, the success rate for such boarding was surprisingly high. The solid rock structure was sufficiently thick and not easily destroyed. The primitive-looking Green Skin technology inside was magically capable of guiding the rock with precision, and upon landing, the structure would break apart to absorb the impact, protecting the Green Skins inside from being smashed to death. But today, the risk of bailing out was too great. The primary reason was the distance between the fleets, which was far too great. This meant that the Boarding Torpedoes and ships had to travel a long and unprotected distance under heavy fire. However, Saru still had no regrets about his decision. Because as soon as he stepped onto the boarding ship, and alongside a multitude of Boarding Torpedoes, was launched from his flagship, he witnessed his own flagship being hit by multiple Shrimp Colossal Cannons, Light Speers, and missiles, exploding into space debris. If he hadn¡¯t left, he too would have died on that ship. As for now, although it was still incredibly dangerous, at least he had a chance to fight for his life. His crimson gaze no longer looked back but was instead fixedly staring ahead. All he could see now was the blue-and-white Human Battleship getting closer and closer. One by one, the Boarding Torpedoes that had been launched with him were destroyed, but he paid them no heed. His focus was solely on that Human Battleship as it approached ever nearer. May the gods bless him! After a long flight, he managed to slow down and pass through the Void Shield, smashing into the interior of the Warship. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only He had actually succeeded in boarding! As soon as the hatch opened, he couldn¡¯t wait to charge out, bellowing ¡®waagh¡¯. But what greeted him was a bomb, silencing his roar. Lifting his head, he saw dozens of Shrimp clad in Red Armor standing before him. These armored Shrimp each stood as tall as a Beastman chieftain, unlike the ordinary ones. Chapter 857 - Chapter 857 Chapter 468 Reverse Beheading Chapter 857: Chapter 468, Reverse Beheading Chapter 857: Chapter 468, Reverse Beheading Although he had never personally dealt with them, Saru knew these canned shrimps were formidable. He still had some knowledge of the main battlefield. He knew that two years ago, a group of orange canned shrimps had showed up and caused great trouble for the Big Chieftain. He had previously been thankful that the canned shrimps hadn¡¯t appeared in front of them. ¨COf course, the cunning Saru in front of his subordinates cursed, saying it was a pity not to have encountered such enemies, because if they had, they would have slaughtered them and sent them to the Big Chieftain, making him happy. However, he hadn¡¯t expected that these canned shrimps would appear at such a critical time, on such a critical target. Boarding and destroying the battleship from the inside was the only victory scenario Saru could think of. Resulting from the blessings of Mr. Mao, he had managed to board, but now he was faced with enemies that even the Big Chieftain found troublesome. Yet, orcs did not fear strong enemies, and Saru was no different. He took a hit from a bomb, and even had to endure a barrage from a Bombardment Gun, yet he still let out a thunderous roar and charged forward furiously. Bombs rained on his massive body, mixed with blasts of plasma and heat rays. Yet, he withstood all these attacks. His entire body was wrapped in the heavy armor of an orc, even taller than three meters high, surpassing some of the bigger canned shrimps. The armor covering him had been personally crafted by the master of the Iron-Tooth Clan. Every piece was thick, and it was all made of super-metal personally refined by the master, granting Saru incredibly formidable and terrifying defensive capabilities. Ordinary bombs couldn¡¯t penetrate his defenses, and even heavy bombs weren¡¯t damaging enough. Only heat rays and plasma were truly lethal, but they wouldn¡¯t easily get through his energy shield. Furthermore, on his back, he carried a shield. The shield, painted with an image of Mr. Mao by the Great Orc Shaman, along with the energy shield built into his armor, emitted a greasy green glow around him. The God-blessed energy shield had extraordinary power. It was no easy feat for an energy shield to withstand the firepower of half a squad of Interstellar Warriors at close range; although it wouldn¡¯t fail immediately, the shield would drain quickly and eventually break. The clever part about this shield was that it didn¡¯t just passively take hits. Bombs and heavy bombs that didn¡¯t break through allowed some damage to slip by; a few plasma shots could also sneak through, as they were not easily penetrating, or if they did, Saru¡¯s incredibly strong body could fully withstand the damage. The most dangerous heat rays were blocked with full force. Besides these passive defenses, Saru¡¯s counterattacks were also extremely fierce. He wielded a huge revolving pistol in his hands, with a somewhat worrying hit rate. During his charge, he fired eight shots, five missed, but the three that hit took the lives of three Phoenixes. What was crucial was that under Saru¡¯s cover, many Green Skins charged forward. By his side were his Black Orc Guards. Each was strong enough to be the chief of a tribe. They were also outfitted in heavy gear, not as luxurious as Saru¡¯s, but definitely not weak. Bombardment Guns could injure them, but were not lethal in one hit. The weapons of the Navy Marine Corps soldiers with the Phoenixes were even less effective against them. These Chief¡¯s trusted aides shot as they charged, causing certain casualties among the Phoenixes. They ran at incredible speed, and under Saru¡¯s leadership, they violently clashed with the Phoenixes. Of course, the Interstellar Warriors didn¡¯t fear close combat, but this was also what the orcs were best at. In the skirmish, the humans quickly fell into a disadvantage. The Phoenixes were fierce, but their numbers were too few compared to Saru¡¯s trusted aides. And the allies by their side, hundreds from the 10th Brigade in Feedback-Type Power Armor and Marine Corps Elites in exoskeletons, appeared particularly frail against Saru¡¯s trusted aides. What was most terrifying was Saru himself, the Orc Warlord, rampaging through the ranks. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Once in hand-to-hand combat, his energy shield could no longer function, but his bravery, combat skills, and terrible brute strength were even more savagely displayed. Almost no Phoenix could match him in a single round, as his battle-axe shattered the chestplate and torso of an Interstellar Warrior before swiftly decapitating another Phoenix. Only Terminator warriors, similar in size to the Orc Warlord, could manage slight resistance in small groups of three. However, the Interstellar Warriors did not have the numerical advantage. After they barely stopped Saru, they were suddenly shot in the back or slashed by another of Saru¡¯s trusted aides. This instantly gave Saru an opening. He charged in, ignoring the other two Phoenix Terminators continuously striking his back, and in a blink, his ferocious battle-axe chopped down seven or eight times, shattering the enemies before him. Chapter 858 - Chapter 858 Chapter 468 Reverse Beheading_2 Chapter 858: Chapter 468, Reverse Beheading_2 Chapter 858: Chapter 468, Reverse Beheading_2 Again turning his head, the remaining two Terminators had already moved quite a distance away. Not only them, but everyone else as well. The Phoenixes were retreating. King Saru roared and charged forward, leading his Personal Guard in a pursuit. This forced the Interstellar Warriors to leave some behind to cover their retreat. After devouring the rearguard and killing another Terminator, no other enemies were visible. The heat of battle having somewhat subsided in Saru, he didn¡¯t continue his fierce charge. He reorganized his troops, expanded the landing zone, and after receiving another full wave of Green Skin youths via landing torpedoes, he again led his men deeper into the ships. ¡­ Saru¡¯s earlier assessment had been mostly correct. Gu Hang had indeed camouflaged Firebath Nova as a Colossal Belly Transport Ship, and amid the multilayer protection of the main fleet, had slipped secretly into the Temir Star System. The other ships from the Tianma Star Sector that he brought were left near the jump point at Steel Wing Star, to prevent scaring off the Green Skins by bringing in too many warships at once. Now that the battle had already started, those ships left at the jump point in the Steel Wing Star System no longer needed to hide. They had received the message and had begun the jump, though crossing a jump point was not something that could be done in a moment; even in the best case, it would take more than two days. This battle could hardly count on them anymore, but they might still be able to catch up for a chase to expand the victory after the battle had ended. But it didn¡¯t matter, victory in the war didn¡¯t need them. The participation of a Retribution-class Battleship in the battle, along with Gu Hang¡¯s own strength, was enough to change the situation. Indeed, that was the case. When the Green Skins had failed to realize there was a Battleship among the human fleet before the battle and launched a fleet charge, the outcome of this maritime battle was basically sealed. However, war is something that does not tolerate even a little negligence. Did the Green Skins really have no way left to turn defeat into victory? That might not necessarily be so. When all else fails, resort to boarding tactics. If an Orc Warlord with elite troops could cause a huge commotion inside the Battleship, even causing irreversible damage, it might indeed be possible to capsize in the gutter. Gu Hang had plans and preparations for this. The interception fire network of each ship was fully activated to catch the Green Skins¡¯ boarding torpedoes and destroy them in the void before they could complete their boarding. Moreover, every main ship was staffed with Phoenix Interstellar Warriors. Gu Hang had brought almost the entire Battle Group. With the development over the past two years and after investing quite a few Grace Points, the total number of Phoenixes had reached a scale of eight hundred. Among them, three hundred Phoenix Warriors, led by Matins the Battle Group Leader, were stationed on Firebath Nova; the other eleven cruisers each had nearly fifty Phoenixes. The elite special forces of the Tenth Brigade were also almost fully deployed. Even though they did not have the combat power of Interstellar Warriors, the elite in Feedback-Type Powered Armor, along with Sentry Mecha aboard the ships and the elite of the Navy Marine Corps, still possessed formidable strength. Ordinary Green Skin troops would be overwhelmingly crushed by them. The troops were prepared for a rigorous defense, guarding each ship¡¯s safety. Most of the Green Skins¡¯ attempts to board were foiled. A large number of boarding ships and boarding torpedoes were destroyed by the dense interception fire network; the few who succeeded in boarding were eliminated under the protection of elite troops within the ships. Of course, Firebath Nova was the main target for the enemy. Not only Saru himself and those on his ship jumped onto this human flagship, but many others from various Green Skin ships as well. Most were intercepted, but due to the sheer number, quite a few still managed to board. Most of the boarders, Green Skin Beastmen, were strongly suppressed by the Phoenixes with elite special forces. They often couldn¡¯t even move away from their landing points, let alone cause any damage to Firebath Nova. Only at the location where Saru personally participated in battle was there an oversight. But this wasn¡¯t really an oversight, more something that had been anticipated. The enemy adopting boarding tactics as a last resort was within Gu Hang¡¯s expectations. Their presence included individuals of formidable strength, chilling memories of the maritime battle planned in the Rage Owl Star System remained, and he dared not underestimate them. But this was also an opportunity. Beheading the leader of the Green Skins was always the most hassle-free way to defeat them. And now, this leader had delivered himself right to their doorstep, hadn¡¯t he? The Phoenix Squad that initially encountered Saru face-to-face received the order to retreat. It was normal for a potent Orc Warlord to show such strength. Although sacrificing two Terminators and more than twenty Interstellar Warriors was costly, at least the rest were alive and had withdrawn. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Not retreating would have meant getting slaughtered by Saru without effort. Phoenixes weren¡¯t lacking in the courage to fight to the death, but it was unnecessary. Matins, as the commander of the anti-boarding battle, decided to confront him personally. An ordinary Phoenix combating such a powerful Orcish Warlord wasn¡¯t enough to win, and the losses would be immense, a pain the heart of the Battle Group Leader couldn¡¯t bear. Such a formidable individual indeed warranted being dealt with by a champion such as Matins, the Battle Group Leader. Chapter 859 - Chapter 859 Chapter 468 Reverse Decapitation_3 Chapter 859: Chapter 468, Reverse Decapitation_3 Chapter 859: Chapter 468, Reverse Decapitation_3 They quickly encountered each other. At this time, King Saru had already been active on the Firebath Nova for over half an hour. That might seem like a lengthy period, but in reality, Saru hadn¡¯t managed to accomplish anything particularly important. The Firebath Nova was simply too large; finding and destroying certain core, vital areas was not so easy¨Ca lot of time could be spent just searching. So far, the damage that Saru had caused was still within manageable limits. It had some impact on the Firebath Nova¡¯s combat capabilities, but overall, the damage was repairable. Of course, if no one dealt with him, he would eventually cause some real trouble. The moment the two sides met, there was no wasted chatter¨Cthe battle began immediately. Aside from Matins himself, over a hundred Phoenix Warriors were involved in the battle, including the Terminator Squads from the First and Second Companies, totaling over twenty. Matins¡¯s task wasn¡¯t just to tackle Saru alone. The entire trusted aide squad led by that fellow, all elite among Green Skins, needed to be wiped out. As soon as they engaged, both Matins and Saru realized they had met formidable foes. Neither could gain an advantage over the other. In terms of equipment, King Saru had the better end; but Matins wasn¡¯t far behind¨Chis Iron Cavalry Terminator Powered Armor, direct output from the Black Box, was seamless and flawless, an example of fine work. Although he didn¡¯t have the opportunity to get a Sage from the Sect of Mechanics to fit him with too many personalized fittings, the quality wasn¡¯t low either. When it came to combat skills, to be honest, Saru was slightly stronger. Although Matins had already reached the strength equivalent to a Battle Group Champion, he was still a bit behind a top-tier warlord like Saru. There wasn¡¯t a huge gap in class, but it had to be admitted that there was a slight difference. However, within Matins¡¯s movements, there was a trace of thunderous power, something Saru didn¡¯t possess. Gu Hang had already expanded the domain of the Storm God Kingdom, and although the primary work wasn¡¯t about ¡®buffing¡¯ the Interstellar Warriors, it was still not much effort to help out incidentally. Saru also had Mr. Mao¡¯s blessing on him, but that was hardly comparable to Gu Hang¡¯s specialized training. The two fought evenly; even if Matins was at a slight disadvantage, there was no chance of defeat for the moment. His objective was quite clear: just to tie up the Orc Warlord. The rest of the human forces were rapidly decimating Saru¡¯s trusted aides. With twenty Terminators, when not faced with Saru personally slaughtering them one by one, and only dealing with the ordinary Beastman trusted aides, they still held a significant advantage. Moreover, the Phoenix Warriors had strong tactical coordination. Eighty ordinary Interstellar Warriors fought alongside the Terminators, providing support to compensate for the Terminators¡¯ lack of flexibility. Not to mention, over a thousand elite special forces were fighting together. Though these Feedback-Type Powered Armor human warriors had slightly less individual combat capability than the Beastman trusted aides, their numbers were overwhelming. With their coordinated tactics, Saru¡¯s elite trusted aides were being steadily reduced. One after another, the formidable Beastman warriors fell, all witnessed by Saru. He was both agitated and angry, roaring and launching wave after wave of tempestuous attacks on Matins. He wanted to quickly kill this canned shrimp in front of him, and then he would have a chance to help his men turn defeat into victory. However, Matins fought calmly and steadily, like a firm rock withstanding the immense pressure Saru exerted on him, clinging to him desperately so that he couldn¡¯t break free. And when Saru became overly impatient, attempting to abandon him to seek out others, Matins would often bare his fangs and fiercely bite him. A strike from a Fine Work Dynamo Sword, driven by powerful force, could genuinely threaten Saru¡¯s life. The battle situation gradually clarified. Desperate, King Saru savagely swung his axe at Matins. With that blow, he threw caution to the wind, ready to risk being slain by Matins if it meant taking this canned shrimp down with him. But at that moment, he suddenly felt an odd force collide with him. He wasn¡¯t knocked away but slightly staggered. Matins seized the opportunity to thrust his sword, which Saru blocked with his battle axe. He was just about to curse the treacherous shrimp for ruining a glorious duel, but then, he suddenly felt a chill at his back. Another Terminator Warrior had appeared behind him. It was the Company Commander of the Phoenix First Company, Kalduce. He was quite powerful, and while he would certainly be defeated in a one-on-one with Saru, with the Think Tank of the Phoenix freeing their hands to help with interference and control, and with Matins wrestling with Saru in front, Kalduce taking the opportunity to slip behind him and deliver a righteous backstab was not an issue. Even if the backstab failed, and Saru reacted, with Kalduce¡¯s skills, he likely wouldn¡¯t be killed in retaliation. No such situation occurred; his sneak attack was successful. Saru, stabbed in the back, suddenly felt his hands weaken. Matins didn¡¯t miss this opportunity; he surged up and, with a swift movement of the Fine Work Dynamo Sword, chopped off Saru¡¯s axe-wielding arm, and then with a flourish of his sword, he decapitated Saru. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Witnessing the death of their warlord, the remaining Beastman trusted aides fell into disarray. Already at an absolute disadvantage in battle, they were no longer able to withstand the joint assault of the Interstellar Warriors and the elite special forces, and they were quickly annihilated. The Beastman leader was beheaded! ¡ª¡ª¨C 5k! Still owe 53k Chapter 860 - Chapter 860 Chapter 469 Temirs Great Victory Chapter 860: Chapter 469, Temir¡¯s Great Victory! Chapter 860: Chapter 469, Temir¡¯s Great Victory! The one who helped Commander Matins kill King Saru, besides the backstabbing Kalduce, was another, none other than the Battle Group¡¯s Chief Think Tank, Henrik Larson. At first, he led several Psychics that had been deployed, engaging in Spiritual Power confrontations with multiple Orc Shamans, successfully suppressing these Orc Shamans and preventing them from interfering with the human troops. Then, Kalduce personally made a move, striking these few Orc Shamans and eliminating them, thereby liberating his own Psychics. This set the stage for the joint attack on Saru later on. After the Orc Warlord was killed, the situation aboard the Firebath Nova was practically decided. At this point, the overall state of the naval battle was also quite clear. Gu Hang was on board the Firebath Nova himself, but he wasn¡¯t concerned with the boarding Orcs at all. On one hand, he trusted that Matins and his Phoenix squad could handle the situation well; on the other hand, Gu Hang was preoccupied with another matter. He was assisting with the naval battle. From Saru¡¯s successful boarding to his death, there was a span of just about forty to fifty minutes. Not to say that Saru had any chance of success, even if he had managed to destroy the ¡®Firebath Nova¡¯ from the inside, it wouldn¡¯t have reversed the situation in the battle. During these forty to fifty minutes of naval combat, the Green Skin Fleet had already suffered heavy losses. The target of the Firebath Nova, in fact, didn¡¯t need much of Gu Hang¡¯s attention. When the Green Skins, in a bid to grasp a thread of victory, opted for a close-range bombardment with Boarding Torpedoes and shuttles, engaging the Human Fleet in close-quarter barrages, the Firebath Nova, a Retribution-class Battleship, naturally found its best performance stage. It wasn¡¯t fast enough, nor agile, but it boasted ferocious firepower, strong shields, and thick armor¨Cit was a born core of firepower, a king of battleship artillery duels. Any Green-Skinned Warship in the crosshairs of its main guns at that distance didn¡¯t stand a chance. With four main cannons, including one ¡®Divine Punishment¡¯ Light Spear Array of X-grade and three X-grade Colossal Cannons ¡®Destruction Verdict¡¯, a hit would typically spell doom for most Green-Skinned Warships, shields and all. Even those equivalent to Human cruisers would see their shields shattered by a single shot. Once the shield was broken, the ship, although still protected by armor, would suffer hull damage with every hit. If, by chance, it struck a weak spot or pierced through and damaged critical parts of the ship, it could cause devastating damage. Not to mention, the Retribution-class wasn¡¯t limited to these four main guns. With twenty L-grade heavy cannons, almost equivalent to four cruisers, it often followed up an X-grade cannon shot with five L-grade ones targeting the same enemy. As long as the first hit landed, breaking the shield, the following shots could pose a serious threat. It was in this way that multiple Green Skin main warships were destroyed. Let alone the occasional small ship caught in the crossfire. The Human side also had eleven cruisers, more in number than the Green Skin main ships, and they were formidable as well. Since Gu Hang didn¡¯t need to provide support for the battleship, he aided the eleven cruisers instead. His coordination with Yelisia, the Fleet Commander, was also quite good. Yelisia, within the command channel, adjusted the formation of the entire Fleet, directed the fire of the Fleet, and managed dispersal and encirclement. And whenever there was a chance to eliminate one of the enemy ships, Gu Hang used his Psychic Power, boosted to Alpha-level by the blessings of the Storm God Kingdom, to rip apart the enemy ship¡¯s energy shield. Once the cannons fired, it often led to the destruction of an enemy vessel. Their cooperation could be considered perfectly in sync. Thus, the Human Fleet had two rapid methods to destroy a Green Skin main ship in this battle. And how many main ships did the Green Skins have that were capable of fighting? The Green Skin Fleet, despite heavy losses, engaged in a futile exchange of fire with the Human Fleet, waiting for those who boarded, especially their boss, King Saru, to destroy the enemy flagship. If he had accomplished this feat, undoubtedly, the Green Skin Fleet¡¯s morale would have soared. However, as the moment failed to arrive, the Orcs couldn¡¯t help but question: What has become of King Saru? It was natural for them to think this way. From their perspective, after King Saru called for an all-out attack, his flagship was destroyed. Who knew if the shuttle King Saru boarded had successfully landed? Was it destroyed in the void? Even if the boarding was successful, had he already been taken out by those on the ship? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Otherwise, why, after so long, was that mightiest and most formidable ship among the Shrimp still firing one after another, turning our warships into space junk? With the flagship destroyed, the long-awaited boarding that brought no news, and the rapid elimination of their warships¡­ The morale of the Green Skin Fleet inevitably began to plummet. And at that moment, an even worse situation emerged: with the chief, Saru, out of contact, the Green Skin Fleet command system completely collapsed. Even though they were still unaware of Saru¡¯s death, under such pressure, without anyone prestigious enough to take command, the captains of the Green Skin ships began to have their own ideas. Chapter 861 - Chapter 861 Chapter 469 Great Victory for Temir_2 Chapter 861: Chapter 469, Great Victory for Temir!_2 Chapter 861: Chapter 469, Great Victory for Temir!_2 ¡°Some wanted to retreat, it was obvious that the battle was lost. Saving each warship that could escape meant preserving lives for future battles. Dying now meant no chance to fight later.¡± ¡°Some, blinded by battle rage, insisted on fighting to the end, resolutely carrying out Saru¡¯s final command to keep jumping and fight, hoping to turn defeat into victory.¡± ¡°In the communication channel, the chiefs of the Green Skins argued fiercely.¡± ¡°It was normal to have disagreements on battle plans and strategies, but the real problem was arguing while the war continued, especially when under immense pressure. Even worse was when no one could persuade anyone else, leading to everyone acting independently and throwing the entire army into utter chaos.¡± ¡°The Green Skin Fleet had effectively collapsed.¡± ¡°Those who wanted to continue fighting deployed more troops to jump, but most of these jump torpedoes were blown up mid-air, and the few that successfully landed inside enemy ships were annihilated. The Green Skin ships deploying troops were also destroyed one by one in battle;¡± ¡°Those ships that fled were also chased down by the part of the Human Fleet assigned to pursue them. In the following hours and even days, they were relentlessly pursued and destroyed one by one.¡± ¡°In any case, whether choosing to fight to the death or to flee, the outcome was the same.¡± ¡°Gu Hang had spent a lot of effort and two and a half years preparing for this decisive battle at Temir, with the aim of completely crushing the eastern line of the Green-Skin Army in this one battle. The Green Skin Fleet was his primary target, and if possible, Gu Hang would not let any enemy ships escape.¡± ¡°Temir Star System served as a hub of space routes, with five jump points leading to five different Star Realm Tunnels, respectively going to Golden Pass I, Golden Pass II in the Golden Pass Star Sector, Shui Wuheng Star System, and Copper Barrier II in the Copper Barrier Star District, as well as Steel Wing Star in the Eagle Horse Star Sector.¡± ¡°After the naval combat outside Temir No.5¡¯s orbit, dozens of Green Skin ships still managed to scatter and flee. A part of the United Fleet¡¯s warships pursued these Green Skins in space for days, even weeks; meanwhile, at the five jump points of Temir No.5, the Human Fleet had already arrived to guard them. As soon as the Green Skin Fleet appeared, they and the pursuers encircled and likely annihilated them.¡± ¡°Furthermore, the Human Fleet had positioned many warships¨Cespecially the Firebath Nova, which was not adept at chase battles¨Cto support land combat from orbit above Temir No.5.¡± ¡°This was indeed a real degrading strike, and this time, the Green Skins couldn¡¯t wait for their ships to arrive in space to drive the human fleet away.¡± ¡°With the Firebath Nova leading, accompanied by three cruisers, a total of one hundred warships participated in the orbital support for ground combat, boasting a terrifying firepower!¡± ¡°This force was sufficient to execute an Extinction Order.¡± ¡°The most rustic but also most frequently used method of Extinction Order was simple orbital bombardment by warships. The fleet would meticulously bombard every inch of the planet¡¯s surface, carpet-bombing without missing any spot, which was the simplest form of Extinction Order.¡± ¡°The expense wouldn¡¯t be small, as ship cannons are costly. Bombarding every inch of a planet could potentially cost more than deploying a single Skyburn Torpedo; and it might not be as effective as the Skyburn Torpedo.¡± ¡°What¡¯s even more crucial is that this method of executing an Extinction Order required a whole fleet to stay in orbit around the planet for a long time.¡± ¡°The cost-effectiveness was poor.¡± ¡°But the reason why this method was most common was that the Skyburn Torpedo and other higher-grade Extinction Order Weapons were exceedingly rare, weren¡¯t they? These weapons are difficult to manufacture, take a long time to produce, and are quite scarce on the market.¡± ¡°If not, who would choose a less effective method of glassing the land with ship cannons when more functional and thorough Extinction Order Weapons are available?¡± ¡°Even the Alliance, with the capability to produce Skyburn Torpedoes, had only accumulated slightly more than ten so far. If used recklessly later, they might run out.¡± ¡°Of course, at this moment on Temir No.5, there was no need for an Extinction Order as they were not aiming to annihilate the entire planet.¡± ¡°Just providing fire support to the ground, the existing arsenal was indeed sufficient.¡± ¡°And the effect of their orbital support fire was also quite formidable.¡± In the first half month, the Green Skin population on the ground had sharply declined by two billion! The primary target of the Human Fleet was the various major Trash Cities where Green Skins mass gathered. These Trash Cities, typically established around the periphery of the Green Skins¡¯ ecological circles, once destroyed, not only eliminated the large populations of Green Skins congregated within, but also prevented the Green Skins from regenerating on a large scale. Moreover, these Trash Cities were also war factories responsible for producing weapons, equipment, and ammunition for the Green-Skin Army, and their destruction inevitably meant these functions could no longer be carried out. However, this was a strike against the Green Skins¡¯ war capabilities, the extent of population damage was actually quite manageable. The greatest casualty effect was not entirely due to fleet bombings but also required the coordination of ground troops. The ground troops launched an unrestrained full-scale attack, and wherever the Green Skins showed signs of resistance, it was as good as having their congregation detected by the human forces, and then fleet bombings were promptly called in. This led to massive casualties. Furthermore, Supreme Commander Perbov, in charge of the ground campaign, intentionally directed his troops to approach, encircle, and intercept the Green Skins from various angles and routes, pushing them toward one area. His battle plan achieved unprecedented success¨Cit could not possibly fail. The Green Skins couldn¡¯t resist or retaliate. If they dispersed their forces, they would be intercepted and driven until confined in an area, unable to move, and then came the fleet bombardment. Every inch of the ground within the encirclement would be bombed, followed immediately by ground troops sweeping over the battlefield, simply needed to kill off any survivors. And if the Green Skins amassed forces to resist, they would be directly bombed, killed, and dispersed, then the previous steps would be repeated. These scenes continuously played out across the entire planet. The human military, totaling over two billion, was divided into over a hundred Army Groups, carrying out similar plans on battlefields all over the planet. Meanwhile, over a hundred warships, including battleships, hovered in orbit, ready to be called upon. This was why, within half a month, the Green Skins had lost two billion lives. There were still two billion Green Skins remaining on Temir No.5, but their defeat was already sealed. Realistically, the number of potent Green Skin Orcs was probably less than a hundred million. During the battles, these orc troops were the main combat forces and were the primary targets of attacks. The remaining approximately 1.9 billion were basically weaklings, whose combat abilities were very poor. Moreover, the Beastman Overlord on the ground had also perished. After his location was discovered, he and his trusted aide army were annihilated by a ¡°Destruction Verdict¡± fired from a battleship. Further, after the destruction of the Trash Cities and various ecological zones, the Green Skins essentially lost their potential for war. In a normal war situation, they might have been able to pick up trash directly from the battlefield, allowing those weaklings to produce equipment, ammunition, and supplies on-site, but under the present circumstances, they clearly had no such opportunity. If the war continued, the Green Skins would likely only be able to go into battle armed with machetes. Proper Green Skin Orcs holding machetes might still pose some threat, given their significant biological strength; but if those weaklings could only wield machetes, they, originally fodder troops, were now less than fodder, nearly devoid of any combat capability. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Main forces wiped out, leader killed, war potential exhausted¨Cwhat chances did the Green Skins still have? Thus, the battle of Temir came to an end, and from any perspective, it could be called a ¡®great victory¡¯! This point, even the system acknowledged. ¡ª¡ª¨C I¡¯ll see if I can manage another chapter later (before dawn). Brothers, sleep early, and see if there¡¯s a surprise when you wake up. Chapter 862 - Chapter 862 Chapter 470 8000000 Blessings Chapter 862: Chapter 470, 8000000 Blessings Chapter 862: Chapter 470, 8000000 Blessings The victory of the Temir Campaign was certainly a major triumph. Whether one looked at the scale of the war, the exchange ratio between the two sides, or the influence the war wielded, describing it as ¡®major¡¯ was no overstatement. In terms of scale, the battle had actually lasted for more than three years, with over 6 billion troops from both the Green Skins and humans engaging in combat, using an entire planet as the battlefield; at sea, the combined fleets had totaled more than six hundred warships. In terms of influence, the outcome of the Temir Campaign would directly affect the situation along the entire Eastern Star Domain¡¯s frontline and indirectly the entire Star Domain¡¯s war. And the exchange ratio was even more exaggerated. Combining the three years, more than 700 million human soldiers perished on the surface of Temir No.5, primarily composed of Pact Army, but the Alliance Army had also spilled blood here, a non-negligible 60 million. But the Green Skins¡¯ losses were more terrifying. They had accumulated a loss of 50 billion in living forces, and the remaining 20 billion had no way out either. Those that emerged from the local ecosystem were, after all, in the minority; most reinforcements were transported from other planets. It is true that Green Skins could grow from the ground and at a rapid pace, but a loss of over 7 billion in one go was unquestionably a severe blow in the short term. Yet, these were not the greatest losses the Green Skins had suffered. The greatest losses were their ships. During the naval battle just beyond the orbit of Temir No.5, the Green Skin Fleet saw one hundred and ninety-three of its ships destroyed by the Human Fleet, a tally meticulously recorded by the navy. Furthermore, of the more than one hundred warships that fled, eighty-four were gradually taken out during the pursuit. Roughly thirty warships were left, but they didn¡¯t manage to escape either. The humans had sealed all five jump points of the Temir Star System, forcing the Green Skins into a blind flight via conventional sailing methods, fleeing outside the Star System. They had run too far, almost leaving the Star System, beyond the normal range covered by Star Language Towers and Stargazing Towers. The Human Fleet couldn¡¯t chase beyond the bounds of the Star System¨Cthat was simply too far, and without communication from the Star Speech Towers or navigation from the Stargazing Towers, there was a risk of getting lost in space, with a chance of not returning. But the Green Skin Fleet chased into the unknown cosmos would encounter the same problems. They too navigated the Star Sea with the aid of Star Realm Tunnels. Without Star Realm Tunnels, they too would become lost in the cold, dark expanse of space. By the time they made their way back, or if luck carried them to another Star System, who knows how many years would have passed. Those Green Skin ships that plunged into the dark cosmos were basically no longer capable of posing a threat. From this perspective, the Green Skins¡¯ three hundred ships were as good as entirely destroyed. And the cost to humankind was merely about twenty ships, mostly small ones at that. The sea battle portion was an even more exaggerated victory than the ground combat that had raged for three years, achieving an exchange ratio of 1:10. With that in mind, it was only natural for the Temir Campaign to be rated as an ¡®epic triumph¡¯ by the system. [Temir Campaign Summary: Resounding Victory, awarded 8,784,990 Grace Points] Seeing the information on the campaign summary screen, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t control the expression on his face, beaming with joy! Not in vain had he spent so much time, a full two and a half years, fighting this battle. The Temir Campaign had lasted for so long, accumulating countless Grace Points in the pool, which he had swept up with absolute strength, achieving a resounding victory at a relatively small cost, and cashed them out in one fell swoop at a very high coefficient. ¡°Just over a satisfying victory, shouldn¡¯t there be a higher appraisal? Perhaps it should be called ¡®Epic Victory¡¯?¡± ¡°But to achieve that level of appraisal, it¡¯s probably very difficult. I imagine the hard requirements include having one¡¯s own strength be about equal or even less than the enemy¡¯s, and still winning the battle with a small ratio of casualties, all the while the war¡¯s influence must be significant. Only then can one obtain the highest coefficient of appraisal.¡± ¡°The influence and casualty ratio of the Temir battle surely met the conditions. However, being smaller in size than the enemy, that was not satisfied at all.¡± ¡°But Gu Hang didn¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Real warfare isn¡¯t playing games, and there¡¯s no option for Gu Hang to reload and retry. He wouldn¡¯t risk deploying a small number of troops for a big win just to get a high appraisal, to get more appraisal points.¡± ¡°If possible, he would rather every war hereafter be won with a superior number of troops overwhelming the enemy.¡± ¡°A lower score doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s crucial is ensuring victory, keeping our own troop losses to a minimum.¡± ¡°Besides, 8.8 million Grace Points made Gu Hang very satisfied, the equivalent to eight times the earnings of the Steel Wing Star campaign.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite normal to have so much. In total over three years, this naval battle¡¯s achievements were three times that of the Steel Wing Star campaign; the ground battle results were dozens of times greater.¡± ¡°Even if the majority of Green Skins eliminated on the ground were of the lesser kind, the quantity is still evident.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite normal for the Grace Points to be high.¡± ¡°With these 8.8 million Grace Points, many of Gu Hang¡¯s subsequent plans could go much smoother!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°After the Temir battle concluded with absolute superiority, the benefits for Gu Hang weren¡¯t just the income from Grace Points.¡± ¡°The destruction of three hundred Green-Skinned Warships and seven billion Green Skins meant that the Dragonhawk Star Domain¡¯s eastern part was wide open to the Alliance.¡± ¡°Moving forward with strategy, whether pushing north to pierce through the Green Skins¡¯ four major Star Sectors or southwest to pincer the main force led by the Beastman chieftain, there was one unavoidable target, and that was the Golden Pass Star Sector itself.¡± ¡°While pursuing the Green Skin Fleet, the Firebath Nova, accompanied by a hundred warships, also bombarded Temir No.5.¡± ¡°These two tasks continued for over half a month until the system¡¯s settlement appeared, heralding a final conclusion. Then Gu Hang ordered the main forces to advance into the depths of the Golden Pass Star Sector.¡± ¡°Leaving behind thirty ships to continue supporting the remaining battles on Temir No.5, the Firebath Nova and ten cruisers, carrying over two hundred million Alliance Army troops and almost one billion Pact Army troops brought over from the Alliance rear, formed the total military force for the mission across the entire Golden Pass Star Sector.¡± ¡°1.2 billion wasn¡¯t the limit of the Alliance¡¯s forces, but it was the limit for the Alliance to transport troops across Star Sectors simultaneously. For this, the Alliance mobilized more than thirty Colossal Belly Transport Ships. Each Colossal Belly could carry a group army of twenty million, accounting for six hundred million. The remaining six hundred million were crammed into the various warships and armed merchant ships.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°This was the utmost limit of the transport capacity; any larger, and the fleet would have to drop off people, equipment, and supplies before making another trip. Counting the time for loading and unloading, it would take at least several months, close to half a year.¡± ¡°From this, one can see the value of transport ships.¡± ¡°But for now, with a total military force of 1.2 billion, plus two hundred and fifty Human Warships, there was an absolute advantage over the remaining Green Skin forces in the entire Golden Pass Star Sector.¡± ¡°¡ª¡ª¨C¡± ¡°Added more before dawn!¡± ¡°Still owe 51k.¡± Chapter 863 - Chapter 863 Chapter 471 Victory Strategy Chapter 863: Chapter 471, Victory Strategy Chapter 863: Chapter 471, Victory Strategy Golden Pass Star Sector is an important location, not just speaking of the war with the Alliance, but also the main Green Skins forces led by Titus, half of the reinforcements and supplies obtained from their homelands also passed through the Golden Pass Star Sector. The other half took the route through the Jiaoshou Star District on the western side of Golden Pass Star Sector. The most significant world in the Golden Pass Star Sector is Light Blessing Star. In fact, four years prior, it was from Light Blessing Star that Titus led the main Green Skins forces to Curse Bone Star District, then to Snow Eagle Star Sector, blazing a trail of war all the way to the heartland of the Star Domain. After Gu Hang had won the Temir campaign, advancing with the entire army into the Golden Pass Star Sector, Light Blessing Star became a crucial strategic position and was the first to be seized by the Alliance. Here, the Alliance even intercepted a Green Skin Transport Fleet. The Green Skins actually didn¡¯t have entirely civilian transport ships as, according to their temperament, every ship had to be equipped with some cannons. However, for the Green Skins, ships needed to be manufactured, and the concept of ¡®cost¡¯ did exist. After all, manufacturing required materials and human resource investment. Combat ships were made more sophisticated, and weapons were as advanced as possible; transport ships prioritized internal space, necessarily simplifying it, reducing their combat effectiveness. The few forcefully mounted cannons were more an obsession. In any case, when they came across the Alliance Fleet, even if the numbers on both sides were similar, the outcome of the battle was almost utterly one-sided. Those few cannons, more decorative than practical, only caused a slight nuisance to the Alliance Fleet. Just a nuisance indeed. Thirty Green Skins transport ships were turned into space junk, making it impossible to count exactly how many Green Skins or how much war material they contained. But considering the size of these thirty Green Skins transport ships, one could tell this was a severe wave. If they were all fully loaded, hundreds of millions of Green Skins and substantial materials were definitely involved. The loss of these thirty ships significantly reduced the Green Skins¡¯ operational efficiency and their ability to deploy troops and resources. Moreover, after the Alliance Fleet blockaded Light Blessing Star, it was basically impossible for Green Skins ships to leave from there. With this route locked down, all Green Skins transport had to go through the Jiaoshou Star District. Of course, the Beastmen could still transport resources and personnel from the Jiaoshou Star District. They would have to detour slightly through Silver Pass Sector for supplies, which didn¡¯t significantly affect the resource flow for the Green Skins sectors home to Jiang Meiyu, Iron Pass, and Kuoluo. However, frighteningly, from Light Blessing Star westward, a single jump could take you into the Jiaoshou Star District! If the Jiaoshou Star District were also blockaded, then the Green Skins¡¯ resources would have to take a much bigger detour from the very northwest corner of the Dragonhawk Star Domain forward to the front line. This would fatally affect the efficiency of material transfer. What was initially a journey of two to three months, could be extended to about half a year. And attacking the Jiaoshou Star District was already part of Gu Hang¡¯s strategic plan. His overall strategy¡¯s first step was to win a key battle in the Temir Star System and annihilate a large amount of active force, which had already been completed quite spectacularly. The second phase of the strategy was to encompass the Golden Pass Star Sector, Copper Barrier Star District, and Jiaoshou Star District. Golden Pass Star Sector had seven star systems comprising 12 worlds; Copper Barrier Star District had six star systems, 11 worlds; Jiaoshou Star District had nine star systems, 15 worlds. Adding them all up, there were 38 worlds. In Gu Hang¡¯s plan, his goal was to take all these worlds. The method of taking them was already clearly demonstrated on Temir No.4 and Temir No.5. In fact, the situations on these thirty-plus planets targeted by Gu Hang within these three star sectors were basically similar to the situations encountered in the three worlds of the Temir Star System. In some places, like Temir II, they were developed and invaded by the Green Skins as key planets, and their own defense issues were also significant, basically beyond salvation; in others, like on Temir No.4, a considerable population survived due to terrain and reliable defenses, importantly because the Green Skins didn¡¯t value them much, so the human conditions were still relatively good. Some places were like Temir No.5, hanging by a thread. Since the Green Tide emerged and the war started, it had been four years now. Golden Pass, Copper Barrier, and Jiaoshou, these three star sectors with thirty-eight worlds, were the first places to fall. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Even before the Green Tide erupted, these three star sectors were already the human frontlines against the Beastmen. They were either battlegrounds enduring continuous Green Skins invasion or supply bases providing resources to the battlegrounds. The economic condition in these thirty-plus worlds wasn¡¯t good in any of them. And post-subjugation, that was even more so. These thirty-plus worlds had been subjugated for four years, but it must be emphasized again, humans are a tenacious race. No matter the harsh conditions, there will always be those who can find a way to survive, even producing both small and significant heroes. From leading dozens of people in a hard fight for survival, to leading an entire world to form resistance organizations across city ruins, countrysides, tunnels, and various environments, they continued to struggle against the Green Skins. Of course, these are human factors, subjective factors. The real key reason they could persist for four years without being exterminated by the Green Skins was actually due to the Green Skins¡¯ strategy not being directed that way. Chapter 864 - Chapter 864 Chapter 471 Victory Strategy_2 Chapter 864: Chapter 471, Victory Strategy_2 Chapter 864: Chapter 471, Victory Strategy_2 Green Skin Orcs, of course, had no need to rule over humans. They indeed captured prisoners and enslaved humans, but these were sporadic cases; most of the time, they chose to slaughter. However, the forces that Green Skins deployed on various planets were actually insufficient. Four years ago, Titus leading the Green Tide, in just a few short months, had spread the flames of war across hundreds of worlds in the Dragonhawk Star Domain. His method was certainly not to conquer each planet one by one; how slow would that be? In any case, at that time, the human fleet had been defeated by him and was only concerned with fleeing. The vast Star Domain was all exposed, so naturally, he took his fleet and chased them down relentlessly. The many Star Systems they passed through were casually populated with tens of thousands, millions, tens of millions of youngsters and about weather whatever amount depending on the value of the planet. Some key locations, like the Light Blessing Star, might now have an active Green Skin population of over 1.5 billion. Although a considerable portion of that had grown on the planet itself over the past few years, the fact that it could grow so quickly and so much was definitely related to the substantial number of Green Skins that were initially deployed there. In some places, like the Shui Wuheng Star System next to the Temir Star System, there are two ocean worlds, the natural environment mainly consisting of scattered islands and floating continents, mainly surviving on fisheries and underwater resource harvesting. This star system is not on the main route, and the natural environment is not suitable for growth of Green Skins¨Cactually, it¡¯s not that suitable for human survival either. The original population scale of the two planets was also around two to three hundred million. The Beastman invasion only deployed a scale of several tens of thousands, and even after establishing an ecosystem on some islands, their expansion was severely limited due to the large maritime environment being hard to expand, frequent ocean storms, and the presence of powerful sea monsters within the great ocean. Now, four years after the Green Skins invaded the Shui Wuheng Star System, the situation hasn¡¯t deteriorated too severely. After the Human Fleet arrived, they bombarded the Green Skin-occupied islands from orbit, then deployed about a million troops from the Pact Army, along with a substantial amount of weapons and equipment, arming the local Planetary Defense Forces to reclaim the islands. With this step, the issues on Shui Wuheng No.3 and No.7, two human colonization planets, were essentially resolved. Of course, they also signed the Seven-Horse Covenant, becoming part of this framework. The two planets could even contribute fifty million Tax Currency in Imperial Tax revenues per year. Gu Hang adopted similar measures and promoted them in the Golden Pass, Copper Barrier, and Jiaoshou Star District. The overall approach and means were as follows: the Fleet arrives, destroying the main enemy strongholds; deploying a portion of the Alliance Army and Pact Army as the main force to hold the ground; providing supplies, relief, and resettlement for local civilians, arming local forces, and inducting them into the Pact Army ranks to clear the local Green Skins. The Fleet¡¯s arrival was a symptomatic treatment, a crude sweep, and suppression; the Alliance Army provided confidence to the local planets; the last move was to integrate the planet and eradicate the problem for good. Of course, for worlds that could still be saved, they would be treated this way. For some hopeless worlds, like the Light Blessing Star, a crucial transit hub in the Green Skins¡¯ campaign, human activity was scarce, and Green Skins had invested a large number of troops from the beginning, slaughtering almost the entire planet. But the Alliance didn¡¯t bother dropping a Skyburn Torpedo on Light Blessing Star. There was no need. Locking down the star system and bombarding the surface a few times was sufficient. Anyway, after bombing the important Green Skin Trash Cities on Light Blessing Star, not to mention the heavy casualties among the Green Skins, their main production capacity was also lost; they didn¡¯t have the capability to build Starships to leave the surface¨Cat least not temporarily. Then, the Alliance started to continuously deploy troops to the surface. Even if there was no hope for it, its importance as a transportation hub remained. The human forces deployed would establish some strongholds or repair some of the existing fortresses on the planet, and place some of the transferred Orbital Cannons on this planet. Gu Hang, of course, still had to guard against the main Green Skin reinforcements. However, the Alliance¡¯s military strength and its transport capabilities were ultimately limited and could not employ a retaking strategy for every planet. Matters needed to be prioritized, and although Light Blessing Star was beyond saving, its high value as a traffic hub meant that the Alliance had to commit forces to attempt its recapture. The core objective was to establish enough fortresses and Anti-Orbit Cannons on the planet to prepare for any potential wars that might follow. But there were some planets that were both beyond saving and of little value. For instance, planets like Lengfeng Star in the Jiaoshou Star District, Tarulah III, the Brass Star System, and the Natuo Star System all fit this description. They were similar to Temir II, with a high activity of Green Skins and hardly any human presence; yet, unlike Light Blessing Star, they were not located in strategically contested areas. The approach to such star systems had to be situation-specific. If the number of Green Skins on a planet was relatively low¨Csay, around ten or twenty billion¨Cthen the tactic would be to bomb them in one go, destroy the larger Trash Cities, and then perform regular patrols to make sure that no significantly sized Green Skin factories capable of constructing starships would emerge. However, if the surface of a planet was teeming with Green Skins, as was the case with Golden Pass III, where estimates suggested there were over fifty billion of them gathered, one could assume that these were reserve forces Saru had placed there in preparation for the Temir campaign. The only reason they hadn¡¯t all been transported to Temir No.5 was due to the limits of transport capabilities. Yet, even on this planet, those billions of Green Skins weren¡¯t idle; humans had even spotted an open-air Green Skin factory from orbit, appearing to assemble something resembling starships. For such planets, there would be no discussion¨Cjust send down a Skyburn Torpedo directly. Fifty billion Green Skins gone in flames. Yet, by doing so, the planet itself would be virtually condemned to waste. Even the thought of landing to build fortresses faced difficulties, since the planetary geology had to stabilize over several years first. As for recolonizing and utilizing the planet, that would require climate reconstruction technology, which the Alliance still lacked. ¡­ Beyond the retaking and cleansing operations in the three major star sectors, the Alliance Army had two tasks of equal importance. First, establishing an Orbital Defense System on Thumb Star and Capital Star in the Jiaoshou Star District as well as in the Light Blessing Star System. This was to transform these three planets into Fortress Worlds that could serve as reliable strongholds in case the Green Skins should counterattack. This task actually consumed a significant chunk of the Alliance¡¯s efforts. Out of the twelve billion-strong main expeditionary force, half had been allocated to these destinations. Additionally, more military personnel and workers were continuously being sent there to bolster these key locations. Should these three planets, especially Light Blessing Star, be properly fortified, the Alliance would have a barrier to the west and the strategic chokehold at the Green Skins¡¯ throat. The other task was to invade the Green Skin homelands. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This mission seemed perilous, but when Gu Hang, aboard the Firebath Nova, along with one-third of the Alliance Fleet, arrived in the interior of the Silver Pass Sector, he found that it was not difficult at all. Each planet here might have fallen decades ago, with hardly any humans left. However, the number of Green Skins was not as high as one might expect. The reason was simple: a substantial number of Green Skins had been conscripted by Titus! His expedition was indeed an all-out effort by the Iron-Tooth Clan! Chapter 865 - Chapter 865 Chapter 472 Striking the Heart Chapter 865: Chapter 472, Striking the Heart Chapter 865: Chapter 472, Striking the Heart Titus had unified the Iron-Tooth Clan and sparked a monumental ¡°waaagh¡±. For the Green Skins, joining such a vast expedition was the dream of every Iron-teeth Greenskin. What was the point of staying in their own dens? They had gotten tired of the internal fighting among the Green Skins. Wasn¡¯t it more interesting to go out and fight the Shrimp? Most of the Green Skins felt this way. If it were not for the fact that Titus¡¯s Fleet couldn¡¯t hold everyone, the Green Skins in the Iron-Tooth lair would have loved to follow along. Here, it¡¯s necessary to explain what the ecosystem of the Green Skins was like on these planets, which had almost been completely taken over by them. The core environment of the Green Skin society was made up of Trash Cities of various sizes and the ecosystems that surrounded them. Trash Cities served as their camps and their factories, while the surrounding ecosystems were the birthplaces of the Green Skins. The Green Skins did not have distinct sexes; their bodies contained a kind of spore. When the concentration of the spores reached a certain level, the host¡¯s consciousness would become muddled, and it would wander away from its tribe to roam alone in the wilderness. At this point, the spores would be released from the body and take root in the soil. Afterward, the Green Skins would return to their clan, often without any recollection of what had happened. Apart from natural reproduction, Green Skins could also proliferate under another circumstance: when a Green Skin was forced to release the spores inside its body ¡ª through injury or death. The spores carried in their blood and flesh would scatter into the air, drift with the wind to certain lands, and then take root and sprout. Because the Green Skins directly continued their lineage upon the host¡¯s death, this innate biological trait caused only two thoughts to remain in their minds: hitting others and being hit. This trait also explains why Green Skin tribes were so keen on brawling. The spores that were scattered about were incredibly tenacious. If the conditions were unsuitable, they could lie dormant for decades, until the wind or other creatures carried the spores to a suitable place for growth, where they would then begin to grow. The spores in the soil would slowly germinate and spread beneath the surface, forming countless plant ovaries. This process took roughly a year. Once there was sufficient nourishment and water, the first generation of Green Skin creatures would begin to be cultivated inside the plant ovaries: Skugg Beasts. With just three to six months of growth, Skugg Beasts would be born en masse. Of course, the Skugg Beasts at this stage were not giant creatures; they were at most the size of wolves or large dogs. They served as food, beasts of burden for the Green Skins, and sometimes played a role in warfare, such as being released into battle to bite the enemy or outfitted with explosive packs for suicide attacks. Their primary use was still as food. Green Skins didn¡¯t need to eat, but having food was clearly better, as it significantly increased their stamina and allowed them to grow further. The entire ecosystem required no external nutrients to sustain the Beastmen, ensuring they never lacked manpower or food resources no matter where they marched. By the second year, plant ovaries could start producing larger Skugg Beasts. By the third year, snotlings began to be cultivated, which also took about six months to develop. Starting in the fourth year, they could cultivate proper Green Skin Orcs. Overall, however, the number of Green Skin Orcs cultivated was much less than the previous two species: the Skugg Beasts and snotlings. Moreover, the development of the orc younglings in the ovaries took three to five years, depending on whether the environment was suitable. Three to five years may seem lengthy, but it was an incredibly fast pace. Green Skins were born at an adult stage, no less than one meter eighty to one meter ninety in height, which were considered short and weak. These individuals were those bullied among the groups of orc younglings. Normally, they were well over two meters tall, with sturdy, robust bodies. Compared to humans who required both sexes to reproduce, occupied a mother for ten months of pregnancy, and took more than a decade to reach adulthood¨Cwith only half being female, not necessarily the most suitable source for soldiers¡­ As for the Green Skins, without a distinction of sexes, a scattering resulted in vast swaths of land covered with Green Skin plants, birthed at an adult state, with a three-to-five-year development period, emerging much stronger than an average human¡­ In terms of the war potential brought by racial characteristics, Green Skin Orcs utterly trounced humans. In the four major Star Sectors long dominated by the Green Skins, they had developed a population of hundreds of billions in just a few decades. For humans, this would be unimaginable. Moreover, Green Skin technology was astonishing. The master technologists among them could even produce Starships with just their hands and the brilliant ideas in their minds, which was utterly preposterous. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This was a race born for war. However, they also faced problems. Their belligerent blood made it impossible to contain the infighting among them. When a whole region was filled with Green Skin ecosystems and there was nothing else to fight, they would fight among themselves. They fought with brutal and bloody ferocity. Without a leader, tribes would engage in fierce fights with each other; even when they were united under the banner of a leader, it would at best contain large-scale infighting, prompting the Green Skins to strive towards the same war objective. But individual skirmishes could not be stopped. Green Skins did not live long and had no process of birth, aging, sickness, and death. They simply fought amongst themselves, each striving to emerge as a squad leader. Squad leaders would brawl with other squad leaders, producing platoon leaders¡­ and so on. Chapter 866 - Chapter 866 Chapter 472 Straight to the Heart _2 Chapter 866: Chapter 472, Straight to the Heart _2 Chapter 866: Chapter 472, Straight to the Heart _2 A Green Skin youngster could either climb higher in this endless battle or die somewhere along the way. This also led to a situation where once an area became completely Green Skin, their numbers would actually reach a certain limit. The carrying capacity of the land and nutrition, as well as internal strife among the Green Skins, would curb their numbers, achieving a dynamic equilibrium. According to scholars in the Star Domain who studied Green Skins, an alien species, the total number of Green Skin life forms within the four star sectors¨Conly counting the youngsters and pests, not the Skugg Beasts¨Cis estimated to be around 150 billion. Based on the usual ratio of one Beastman to ten pests, the number of proper Beastmen could reach 15 billion. Before the third Iron Teeth War, this number might have been only three or four hundred billion. In twenty-six years, their numbers had surged four or five times, and they had all become warriors. After Titus rose to power, the expeditions that unfolded led to a fierce craze among the Iron Tooth Orcs. In the wars, Green Skin Transport Ships were constantly moving Green Skins away from the four major star sectors without a moment¡¯s rest. The Green Skin Orcs were also scattered across various worlds along with the expedition. In this process, the total number of Green Skins moved out of the four major star sectors might have already exceeded seventy billion. The total population of the Iron-Tooth Clan had definitely increased during the last four years of warfare, even as they were constantly involved in war and continuously losing people in the brutal battles. In the Eastern War Zone alone, Gu Hang was wiping them out by the billions. The Green Skins¡¯ losses on other battlefields, especially the main frontal ones, were estimated to be immense. However, with vast living spaces freed up within their homelands in the four major star sectors, their population began to explode; after taking root on various planets, their populations also started to grow. Of course, the latter¡¯s contribution to growth was actually not that significant after only four years; but in their homelands, where ecosystems had long been established, the numbers of Green Skins were rising fiercely. Yet in this process, due to overextension of their battle lines and the continuous transport ship movements without pause, the population of the Green Skin homelands within the four star sectors was in a downtrend. But even more so, the emptiest area within the Iron-teeth Empire was its navy warships. Titus also faced immense pressures at the frontlines; there was a high demand for ground troops and likewise, navy ships. The ships produced from the massive Trash City within their homeland were almost immediately filled with Green Skins and sent off to battlefields as soon as they were completed. Now, within the four star sectors, there were hardly any Green Skin Ships to be seen. And this was indeed the case. When Gu Hang led a third of the Alliance Fleet with a very cautious attitude into the Silver Pass Star Sector, the intense opposition he had expected did not occur. Hardly any Green Skin ships were sighted. There was even an unexpected gain, as they destroyed several Green Skin Transport Ships. Moreover, on White Fog Star, they received information from the ground: there were still survivors from the Expeditionary Force of four years ago. Initially, when the Star Domain Government mobilized forces to deal with the problem of the Iron-Tooth Clan, they conscripted three major fleets from within the Star Domain and numerous Star Realm Armies, as well as a lot of personnel levied from across the Star Domain. A portion of the population conscripted through these levies was deployed to various worlds in the Golden Pass Star Sector to replenish lost wartime population and to serve as laborers; a considerable part was sent alongside the military to the then-reclaimed human-controlled planets such as White Fog Star, Water Fog Star, Silver Pass II, and Silver Pass III. They established many ground fortresses and strongholds; the original plan of the Star Domain Government was for these four planets to serve as bridgeheads for the offensive into Green Skin territory. However, the Green Tide instigated by Titus demolished the Star Domain Government¡¯s plan. Nonetheless, the fortresses and strongholds, along with the personnel and Star Realm Army deployed on the ground, were solid investments. The war truly defied all expectations, the Northern Fleet was destroyed, and all personnel deployed to the four planets were lost contact with. The only choice was to hold their ground locally without space reinforcements or external supplies. This resistance lasted four years. During these four years, they were unable to receive any external messages. On the same planet, they could only hear daily about one fortress being breached, another settlement being massacred. The number of losses grew, as did the casualties. The Green Skin Orcs were so eager to rush out to war that they didn¡¯t deploy many troops to these four planets, otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been possible for anyone to survive. Now, on these four planets, the smaller ones have an army of one to two million, and a population of thirty-five to fifty million; the most populated, White Fog Star, has a population of two hundred million and over ten million human troops. It¡¯s worth mentioning that among these ¡®populations,¡¯ a significant proportion are Korolya people. Before the Alliance took over, Korolya had to contribute four hundred million people every two years as an alien population tax, many of whom naturally ended up here. Gu Hang gladly accepted these legacies left behind by the Star Domain Government for the Expeditionary Force. He sent a proxy governor to each of the four planets and, as the Supreme Commander, took command of all the populations and armies there, integrating them into the Eastern War Zone. Following the template of the Treaty of Seven Horses, he carried out orbital bombings to destroy the Green Skins¡¯ core Trash Cities and ecosystems, then deployed Alliance troops to reinforce the fortresses and ramparts, and proactively started to clear out the Green Skins in large swaths. Taking about a week to tidy up these four planets a bit, Gu Hang continued to lead his fleet forward. Deeper in, there were truly no traces of human presence. But that also meant that Gu Hang could be more unrestrained. He didn¡¯t plan to deploy a single soldier to these planets completely occupied by Green Skins. There was no need. These planets were completely hopeless for occupation, each with at least two billion Green Skins, often many tens of billions or even over a hundred billion¨Chow could they be occupied? Even with the Alliance¡¯s power, or even the entire power of the Treaty of Seven Horses thrown onto the ground, they couldn¡¯t outlast the Green Skins. What Gu Hang needed to do was to destroy the Green Skins¡¯ war potential to the greatest extent possible. Population, industry, and resources. He would bomb every Green Skin planet he came across. He didn¡¯t have time to have his fleet baptize an entire planet, and even if there was time, there weren¡¯t enough shells¨Call costing money. But he could find the largest Trash City and ecosystem on the planet and then bomb them specifically. With the Green Skins¡¯ ability to turn waste into treasure, a Trash City wouldn¡¯t take long to rebuild after being bombed; and once those ecosystems were destroyed, the spores would spread and soon grow again. However, these all required time. The developing Green Skin plant ovules would take at least three to five years before they could start producing Beastman offspring; and those massive Trash Cities, even capable of constructing starships, would take years to rebuild to their original size after being destroyed. For the Green Skins, these were all major losses. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only On top of this, the Alliance deployed four ¡®Skyburn Torpedoes.¡¯ These four Extinction Order Weapons were deployed in places such as the Silver Pass Star Sector¡¯s Thousand Yuan Star and Silver Pass I, as well as the Iron Pass Star Sector¡¯s Exon 5 and Iron Pass V. Choosing these four planets because their environmental conditions are quite suitable for Green Skin growth, and it is estimated that there are indeed nearly one hundred billion Green Skins on them. Four Skyburn Torpedoes later, the Iron-teeth Greenskins lost over three billion of their population! Even on Exon 5, the Alliance observed the largest Trash City on the planet, which contained a Green Skin Ship nearing completion, similar in scale to a human Battleship Cruiser! This was a significant surprise and definitely needed to be eliminated! Chapter 867 - Chapter 867 Chapter 473 The Chieftains End Chapter 867: Chapter 473, The Chieftain¡¯s End Chapter 867: Chapter 473, The Chieftain¡¯s End Gu Hang led a third of the Alliance Fleet and caused mayhem for three months within the four major Star Sectors occupied by the Green Skin Orcs. Four Skyburn Torpedoes destroyed the four most prosperous worlds of the Green Skins, killing over thirty billion of them, and annihilated one of their most important industrial core Trash Cities. For the Green Skins, this was an utterly heart-wrenching blow. And undoubtedly, Gu Hang¡¯s actions had a profoundly significant impact on the entire battlefield. The Golden Pass Star Sector and Jiaoshou Star District were controlled, which severed the Green Skins¡¯ direct southbound channels for troop and resource transportation. They were forced to take a long detour from the northernmost part of the Star Domain, extending the time by two to three times. Not to mention, during the Human Fleet¡¯s advance, many of the Green Skins¡¯ transport ships were blasted apart. This pressure was immediately felt in the main war efforts on the frontline. Originally, alongside the Fury Flame Battle Group, spanning several Star Sectors, a remarkable counterattack was fought on Eagle Cry Star within the Snow Eagle Star Sector. The flames of war had been reignited on Upper Plateau Star, and an unimaginable amount of resources were being fiercely contested to the death. Now, with their lair pillaged and rear support cut off, the frontline battlefields faced immense problems. On the main battlefield of the Snow Eagle Star Sector, the battles had become incredibly intense. The total forces committed by both sides exceeded a hundred billion, with over two thousand warships of various kinds chasing, pulling, and occasionally engaging in decisive skirmishes across several Star Systems. In such intense battlefields, ingenious and fanciful tactical maneuvers, or even what seemed to be a gloriously decisive victory or significant defeat, had little impact on the overall war situation. Last week, a great defeat incurred the loss of seventy million troops, but this week they could receive a reinforcement of fifty to sixty million and mount another large-scale campaign. Winning against the enemy also meant heavy losses¡­ Both sides were competing in their endurance, seeing who couldn¡¯t bear the attrition, whose losses couldn¡¯t be replenished. All tactical objectives served this purpose. Unless they managed to annihilate both sides¡¯ flagships, kill the leaders of the war, or destroy over a billion enemy forces in one fell swoop, the outcome of a single battle certainly mattered, but not as significantly. And now, the reinforcements for the Green Skins suddenly stopped. Several campaigns in a row faced retreats due to the tardiness of reinforcements and supplies. Titus was of course aware of Saru¡¯s defeat and that his lair had been swept clean. To be honest, this was an outcome he had completely not foreseen. When he launched this earth-shattering waaagh, his target was directly aimed at the most central and prosperous places within this Star Domain¨Cthe Yunluo Sector and Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector. These were his goals, and he never expected that the Eastern Front Battlefields, which he had never taken seriously from the start, would cause such a big problem. He assumed that places like the Tianma Star Sector would be similar to the other regions of the Dragonhawk Star Domain. As long as he sent Fleet ships everywhere, scattering Green Skin children would solve the issue. At first, things did unfold as he predicted; the Eagle Horse Star Sector, Mist Horse Star District, like all the other invaded Star Sectors, put up little resistance and were turned upside down. Then, the so-called Alliance struck him a heavy blow. His invasion-ready Fleet was eradicated in one battle; during the Steel Wing Star campaign, his top general, the Lone Tooth Ghost, died along with billions of Green Skin youngsters across various places on the Eastern Front. By then, he realized a powerful adversary had emerged on the Eastern Front. And he did not underestimate it. He sent his general, King Saru, giving him a Fleet, troops, and a high level of authority. Saru even enjoyed a share of the resources levied from the Green Skin lair. He made it clear to Saru that he didn¡¯t expect him to achieve any results on the Eastern Front but to just hold it and maintain a stalemate against the so-called Alliance ¡°Shrimp¡±. Saru heeded his command and indeed met his goals. Even though Saru had bothered him frequently in recent years, cutting away many reinforcements, he tolerated it all as long as the Eastern Front remained stable. Saru held for two and a half years, and the Eastern Front was safe and sound. Titus had already let his guard down. But unexpectedly, Saru made a move that turned the world upside down. Following the devastating defeat in the Temir campaign, the Alliance Army locked down the paths south from the Iron Tooth lair, forcing them to detour northward, which was already unbearable for Titus as all supplies slowed down. Then, when the Alliance broke into his lair, even that slow supply was gone. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As one Green Skin core world after another was destroyed, how was he to continue? Titus realized the overall situation had gone seriously awry. Without the need for the annoying canned-shrimp to attack, he was already actively contracting his battle lines. But those canned-shrimp seemed to have received some news, launching a full-scale offensive. One side intended to retreat defensively, the other seized the chance to pursue and expand their victory. Naturally, the result was the Green Skin Orcs¡¯ defense lines collapsing a thousand miles at a time. Chapter 868 - Chapter 868 Chapter 473 The Chieftains End_2 Chapter 868: Chapter 473, The Chieftain¡¯s End_2 Chapter 868: Chapter 473, The Chieftain¡¯s End_2 In a state of emergency, Titus had no choice but to act. With no way to muster troops from his stronghold, he could only call upon forces from other planets that had been invaded over the past four years. It was definitely not a good choice; most of those planets had not been fully occupied by the Green Skins and could not provide adequate support of all kinds. However, he had no other option. He must first safeguard the main force on the main battleground. ¡­ Kazimir Erso, of course, also learned about what was happening on the Eastern Front Battlefields. In fact, after the victory at Temir, Gu Hang changed his style of the past few years of limited contact with the Western Front, sending news of the victory immediately. Six months ago, I sent an envoy to urge you to take the offensive, and you ignored me, even citing the Eastern Cosmos Domain Chair, Zuo Zhaofeng, to pressure me; now, you¡¯ve launched a full offensive without even a signal? What exactly does the Alliance want to do? Erso, indignant, doubted the battle reports sent by the Alliance in truth. When hearing about the annihilation of three hundred warships and several billion Green Skins, Erso could hardly believe it. Such a scale, if it occurred on their Western Front main battleground, would be a severe blow to the Green Skins and would allow him to push the battle line far forward. The Eastern Front can achieve this? You have battleships? Then there¡¯s no problem. After the Battle of Temir, Gu Hang continued to maintain this full communication with him. In fact, saying it¡¯s comprehensive is only in comparison to the previous two years. Gu Hang essentially only sent one-sided messages and had no intention of consulting with Erso, the Supreme Commander, about how to conduct the war. The Alliance would simply clarify to these allies what we have done, what we are doing, and what we¡¯re going to do. As for whether you coordinate with us, that¡¯s up to you to decide. The attitude of the Alliance actually irritated Erso. But he couldn¡¯t just let it out. Gu Hang ignored him, and after weighing his options, he realized he seemed to have no other choice. Besides seizing this opportunity to pursue the enemy actively, what else could he do? He privately harbored a thought: let the Green Skins¡¯ main force retreat, follow behind them, and then watch the Alliance engage in a fierce battle with the Green Skins¡¯ main force, eager to see what Gu Hang¡¯s expression would look like then. But that was just wishful thinking. The Green Skins¡¯ former flagship had already been destroyed by the Fury Flame Battle Group; what remained was a beggar¡¯s version of a combat moon, whose real combat effectiveness was about the same as a battleship; the main force of the Green Skins¡¯ ground troops might be around several billion. If they retreated and fought with the Alliance, the Alliance might not necessarily lose. Especially since he received a notice from the Alliance: on Capital Star and Light Blessing Star, the inevitable paths of the Green Skins¡¯ retreat, the Alliance was fully committed to building a Defense System, vigorously fortifying the planets. Those places, in later battles, would likely not be the Green Skins¡¯ home field. If the Alliance won or even fought to a draw, what would he do then? He had been ostentatiously aiding the Dragonhawk Star Domain, serving as the main force for two and a half years, losing ships one by one, watching squads of brothers die¨Cand the Iron-Tooth Clan would end up being defeated by the Alliance? All glory attributed to the Alliance? Thinking of such a scenario, Erso just couldn¡¯t accept it. Now, no one could erase the Alliance¡¯s role in this war. Objectively, they did, indeed, make enormous contributions on the overall battlefield level. But in front of Erso, there still remained the greatest trophy of the entire Iron Teeth War: Titus himself. The Beastman chieftain leading the Green Skins¡¯ main force could not be allowed to escape. Capturing them and eliminating this chieftain would mean that the Iron-Tooth Clan would become another medal in the history of the Fury Flame Battle Group. The value of this medal was high. After all, the annihilation of a large Green Skin nation, which had troubled a Star Domain for decades and possessed a combat moon¨Ceven a beggar¡¯s version¨Calong with hundreds of billions in total number, by the Fury Flame Battle Group would count among the most boast-worthy achievements in the Battle Group¡¯s long history. Although the Alliance played a significant role in this war, at best, they were of secondary status, merely a small episode in the story behind their medal. From this perspective, he had to thank the Alliance. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Without the immense advantage created by the Alliance on the Eastern Front, the Fury Flame Battle Group wouldn¡¯t know how long it would be entangled with the Iron Tooth Orcs in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, nor how many sacrifices would have to be made. Now, they possessed an overwhelming advantage and could win in one decisive battle. And if they won, killing Titus, it would not only inscribe a glorious page in the history of the Battle Group but also fulfill their primary objective for participating in the Iron Teeth War: to expand the Battle Group¡¯s influence in the Eastern Cosmos Domain through battle merits. Of course, all this was predicated on Titus¡¯s death becoming his crowning achievement. If the Alliance took that crown, then the Fury Flame Battle Group would be utterly foolish. Fortunately, the Alliance didn¡¯t seem to have any intentions in this regard. The Alliance¡¯s Fleet had merely held their southernmost position at strategic points like Capital Star and Light Blessing Star, merely blocking the Green Skins¡¯ northern escape route with no desire to move south to join the main battlefield. Chapter 869 - Chapter 869 Chapter 473 The Chieftains End_3 Chapter 869: Chapter 473, The Chieftain¡¯s End_3 Chapter 869: Chapter 473, The Chieftain¡¯s End_3 Although Gu Hang didn¡¯t spell it out, his meaning was clear enough: If you want it, go get it yourself; I¡¯ve already given you the greatest help I can. Erso decided to set aside some of his complaints about Gu Hang and focus on the battlefield. ¡­ The relentless pursuit by the Fury Flame Battle Group indeed had a significant effect. After suffering several defeats, Titus dared not continue the fight and fled. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t dare to escape directly from the Snow Eagle Sector to the Jiaoshou Star District. The Alliance Fleet, guarding the Capital Star, would have blocked him. Though his main force was much larger than the Alliance¡¯s defending army in scale, he was not confident he could swiftly crush the Capital Star, which the Alliance had been fortifying for months. If he became mired in a protracted battle with the Alliance there and the Fury Flame Battle Group caught up to him, it would spell his doom. At the Eagle Cry Star, where the Snow Eagle, Jiaoshou, and Thunder Dragon Sectors intersected, Titus only hesitated briefly before making a decision. He fled towards the Thunder Dragon Sector. Here, the human armies hadn¡¯t yet made a large-scale incursion. The main force of the Sect of Mechanics, countering from the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector, had just conquered the Dragon Biter Sector and had not had the chance to block his northern escape route. Using the Thunder Dragon Sector as a stepping stone, with just two jumps, he could reach the Thunder Element Sector. There, he once again faced a choice: he could head southeast through the Five Fingers Star to slip into the Jiaoshou Star District and then further flee north into the Kuoluo Sector, which would bring him back to his lair. But that was risky. Although Five Fingers Star wasn¡¯t fortified by the Alliance like Capital Star, it was still closer to the main Alliance forces. The Alliance had ample time to deploy forces and assemble troops to cut him off before he could return to the Kuoluo Sector. His pursuers at his heels were no longer just the Fury Flame Battle Group. The Mingyang Sect¡¯s Protection Army had also caught up. The Mechanical Ark of the Oil Heads had been destroyed by the Green Skins, and Foundry World¡¯s Jindi Star had faced invasion by the Green Skins. They harbored a deep-seated hatred for the Iron Tooth Beastmen. Another option was to continue fleeing north from the Thunder Element Sector to the Barbarian Dance Sector. From there, he could directly enter the Jiang Meiyu Sector. The Barbarian Dance Sector had not yet seen human conflict, and of the four main sectors of the Iron-Tooth Clan, the Jiang Meiyu Sector was the only one the Alliance had not yet swept through. Both the training of troops and the Green Skins industry were well maintained there. There, he had the best chance of making a comeback. Two plans: one high-risk but a fast return, the other a safe but long diversion. What to choose? Before he could decide, something that should have been anticipated, but that he absolutely did not want to see, happened. Rebellion. ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k Additionally, I need to explain that I hadn¡¯t originally planned to write the setting in the previous chapter, but some comrades mentioned earlier that they wanted to know the specifics of the Green Skins¡¯ ecology and growth and expressed confusion about the scale and potential of the Iron Tooth. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only So I thought of adding some detail. And yet I continue to be criticized¡­ I¡¯ll try to write less about settings in the future, and when the plot necessarily relates to such details, I¡¯ll keep it as concise as possible. ¡­ Another note: This chapter introduces a lot of previously seldom-mentioned place names, so I¡¯ll add a color-coded Star Map as an easter egg in a later chapter. The yellow areas denote Imperial control, red areas denote conflict zones, green areas denote Green Skins territory, and blue areas denote Alliance control. Chapter 870 - Chapter 870 Chapter 474 Let me show you the corpse Chapter 870: Chapter 474, Let me show you the corpse Chapter 870: Chapter 474, Let me show you the corpse Titus encountered his first deadly problem, and it was not human pursuit but an internal rebellion. Actually, calling it a rebellion isn¡¯t quite accurate. In Green Skin culture, there isn¡¯t much concept of ¡°betrayal.¡± They have always abided by the notion that the strong rule over the weak, and the weak must step down. Titus was no different. For the Iron-Tooth Clan, he was certainly a heaven-sent warrior. With a gun, a hand cannon, and a battle axe, he killed his original leader, then the warlord who ruled over them, and took over as leader. He then unified his own planet, later boarded a starship, and unified the entire Iron-Tooth Clan. He was also one of the few rationalists among the Green Skins. After unification, he managed to suppress unrest and farmed quietly in his old lair for several years, making the brutal infighting somewhat milder, amassing elite trusted aides ¡ª those heavily armored, can-to-can fighting chiefs¡¯ guards. Moreover, he accumulated many Green Skins¡¯ Mechas, even Titans that could rival those of Yunluo¡¯s Shrimps. Not to mention the fleet. His original plan was to keep accumulating for a few more years, but the humans¡¯ proactive attack four years ago still troubled his plans. Green Skin society is like a powder keg, sitting on which he managed to suppress the inherent brutality with great difficulty, something many Beastman leaders could not achieve. But the human strike lit the powder keg. Unable to suppress it any longer, there was no need to keep suppressing; he led his troops to counterattack the human offensive and launched a full-scale assault. Victory, victory, victory, a grand waaagh ignited the passion of the entire Iron-Tooth Clan, pushing his prestige to its peak. However, the prestige gained from the war could also be lost due to the war. Green Skin thinkers are quite straightforward; they do not entertain notions of loyalty or betrayal. You say you¡¯re strong, you show it by overthrowing the current leader, then you¡¯ll be the leader; and if you can lead us in a fight and win, then you are a good leader, and we will follow you. But if you start losing, don¡¯t blame the Green Skins for having second thoughts. In the past two or three years, after the arrival of the Fury Flame Battle Group, this was the situation. The aggressive momentum of victory was halted. Of course, during that phase, it was still manageable; although the front lines couldn¡¯t advance further, the declared target of the waaagh by the grand chieftain was in sight ¡ª Jindi Star and Yunluo Star, where they fought, were not too far either. Moreover, there was always intense, interesting combats to be had with those Shrimps, with wins and losses going back and forth. However, in recent months, the situation took a drastic downturn. Losing a battle, retreating; then losing another battle, retreating again¡­ Losing one, two, three battles ¡ª okay, no problem, as Mr. Mao taught us, to be both ruthless and cunning. Temporary defeat can be seen as a strategic necessity, a cunning ploy to lure the enemy into a trap for a greater victory. But continuous losses are unacceptable. Moreover, Titus was not only losing, but also constantly retreating. This is the most despised behavior in the nature of Green Skin Orcs. No matter how much broad and deep vision you have, how much patience you must exhibit for the greater good, if you keep retreating and fail to deliver timely victories to prove these are cunning rather than cowardly acts, then don¡¯t blame the plummeting prestige. As prestige fell, other issues naturally followed. The first was the Challenger. Hoisting the warhammer, Titus looked emotionlessly at the subordinate in front of him, battered and tattered. This was the third Challenger he had killed in the past two days. Each was an important lieutenant he had relied on, holding titles of general or great king. In the past two days, they had all stepped forward to challenge him one by one. Titus granted them this honor and personally bestowed death upon them. However, the matter did not end there. Three Challengers can still be said to have ¡°followed the rules¡± by engaging Titus in public duels. But how could the power struggles among the Green Skins all follow the rules? As he killed the second Challenger and faced the third, a rebellion erupted on the battle moon where he was stationed. Two chiefs, along with their trusted aides, incited quite a large number of youngsters to attack the area where Titus was located. The number of incited Beastman youngsters accounted for about half of the entire battle moon. The trusted aides loyal to Titus engaged in a fight to the death with these rebels ¡ª or rather, power contenders. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Titus too joined the battle personally. He felt weakened. Three consecutive challenges, and those daring to directly challenge him were, of course, the three most formidable chiefs in the Iron-Tooth Clan besides himself. Although he won every fight, that did not mean it came without a cost; he was injured and had expended a great deal of energy. While this battle to suppress the rebellion was still unresolved, everyone suddenly felt the battle moon where they were violently shaking. It was the Green Skin Overlords and kings outside starting their challenges, in their own manner. Chapter 871 - Chapter 871 Chapter 474 Showing You the Corpse_2 Chapter 871: Chapter 474, Showing You the Corpse_2 Chapter 871: Chapter 474, Showing You the Corpse_2 To kill Titus in a one-on-one duel was to usurp his position; to lead an army to kill Titus was also to usurp his position; to bring a Fleet to destroy Titus¡¯s chariot¨Cthat is, this Combat Moon¨Cwould also allow for usurpation of his place; in such moments, the infighting of the Iron-Tooth Clan erupted in the most disorderly fashion. And in the end, Titus did not die. But it was impossible for him to continue sitting in the position of a great chieftain. Under his leadership, one-third of the entire Iron-Tooth Clan¡¯s main Battle Group and Fleet were destroyed in this battle, and his Combat Moon was ruined as well. The internal rebellion combined with external bombardments had turned this supreme war machine into junk. Titus, too, had boarded a spaceship at the last moment to flee to another vessel that remained loyal to him, narrowly escaping burial with the Combat Moon. One-third, under the leadership of a renowned Orc Warlord, headed south for a decisive battle to the death with the pursuing Fury Flame Battle Group. This King Muru now claimed to be the new chieftain of the Iron-Tooth Clan, and he garnered massive support because he vowed to lead the Green Skins no longer to flee. He declared that he had Mr. Mao¡¯s blessing, and that they were fated to triumph in this battle. Of course, this was impossible. Titus knew that Muru¡¯s pandering to the Green Skins¡¯ belligerent and bloodthirsty nature would only lead this elite force of the Iron-Tooth Clan to extinction. They could not possibly triumph without supplies or reinforcements. But, this was for the best. In fact, Muru¡¯s actions served as the role of his rearguard. No matter how inept or lacking in combat prowess, they were still one-third of the Green-Skin main force. With such strength, they could definitely hold back the Fury Flame Battle Group and the Oil Heads of the Sect of Mechanics for a considerable time. And he could take this opportunity to escape back to the Jiang Meiyu Sector. He still commanded one-third of the Green Skins¡¯ main force; of the four Star Sectors that comprised the Iron-Tooth¡¯s home base, the Jiang Meiyu remained untouched and unscathed. Upon returning there, he would properly manage the entire Star Sector, suppressing internal unrest on the one hand and fortifying every planet on the other. He anticipated that once humanity had claimed victories on all fronts and was free to focus, they would surely press their advantage and seek to exterminate them. By that time, he would be in Jiang Meiyu, taking full advantage of home territory, to drag those Shrimps into the mire of war, and seek development amidst the conflict. He still had the chance for a comeback! ¡­ The first half of the story progressed just as he had envisioned. The one-third Green-Skin main force, their morale boosted by King Muru, engaged in fierce battle with the human army in the Leilong and Thunder Element sectors. The intensity of the battle was exceptional. Though their forces were smaller, Muru¡¯s stance was to attack on all fronts, leaving no room for retreat. The combat power that erupted from them was quite terrifying. The human pursuit forces were caught off guard, and the two squads of the Fury Flame Battle Group that were in hottest pursuit were even wiped out. Erso, the Battle Group Leader of Fury Flame, was quite enraged. Being bitten back by a duck that was thought to be cooked was surely aggravating. He embarked on the Battle Group Fleet¡¯s flagship¨Ca Combat Shuttle equivalent to a Battleship class¨Cto personally join the battle. The normal intensity of the battle was high, but it ended quickly. King Muru suffered defeat at sea, his fleet nearly eradicated; the planet where he resided was also subjected to an invasion by the Fury Flame Battle Group led by Kazimir Erso himself. In this ground decisive battle, the numerous and well-equipped Green Skins were mercilessly annihilated, having entirely lost orbital control. Muru himself was also beheaded by Erso. But Erso still was not happy. He wanted the head of Titus, not Muru. This fellow claimed to be a great chieftain, but the state of the Green-Skin leaders had been largely figured out by humans over the past few years. Erso knew that although this fellow¡¯s status was not low, he was actually just a warlord, a ¡®king¡¯. He originally thought that the Green Skins turning to fight desperately against him was a last stand by the great chieftain Titus, but it turned out not to be the case. Combining the received information about the internal strife within the Green Skins, Gu Hang had almost confirmed Titus had fled. Furthermore, even with the speed at which Erso had been annihilating this group of Green Skins, due to King Muru¡¯s obstruction, it still took two months. During these two months, the distance between the two sides had suddenly widened significantly. Perhaps Titus had already retreated to his lair? This speculation was very likely true, which only infuriated Erso even more. The Iron-Tooth chieftain fleeing back to the Iron-Tooth nest, this bunch of Green Skins still having a part of their fleet remaining, with the full control of the planetary ground orbits for support, and possibly billions of Green Skin armies on those planets. No longer in an expedition status, the Green Skins would no longer be restricted by supply and reinforcement, allowing their war potential to be fully unleashed. Conversely, it was the humans that had become the Expeditionary Force. Though the main battlefield of the entire Star Domain had been won, the Green Skin invasion on over a hundred planets was yet to end. The number of Green Skins on these planets varied, but given their nature, they were like incurable diseases on the planets, like ringworm, and only through prolonged combat and management could they be completely rid of the Green Skin threat. As a result, the newly reclaimed planets could provide very limited support to the human Expeditionary Force. Even worse, in some places, Erso might even have to invest troops to help them resolve issues. Under these circumstances, Erso could imagine that hunting down the Iron-Tooth Clan one planet at a time and capturing the chieftain, Titus, to execute him would become incredibly difficult. Not that it couldn¡¯t be done, but it would take a very long time, cost a hefty price, and require a lot of blood and money to achieve the goal. But could he just not do it? After the Fury Flame Battle Group had already shed so much blood, was he supposed to release his grip now? Then, all the costs previously incurred would truly become sunk costs. Annoying! Infuriating! That was Erso¡¯s mood now. Having missed the best opportunity to annihilate Titus during the chase, he was infuriated; endless troubles afterward made his scalp tingle. However, at this time, a communication request from Gu Hang came through. This was normal. Since the end of the Temir Campaign, the Alliance had changed its previous style and began communicating frequently with him. Although still not obedient, there was some unspoken understanding. The best example was that the Alliance had diligently blocked the Green Skins¡¯ southward reinforcements from reaching their nest and set fierce fires in the Green Skin lair, destroying their war potential and leading to their full retreat. This allowed Erso and the Sect of Mechanics to expand their victorious results through a rout, achieving a decisive victory on the front. Secondly, during the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s pursuit of the Green Skins, the Alliance also blocked multiple northern escape routes of the Green Skins, forcing the Green Skin legions to escape along the Thunder Dragon, through the Thunder Element Sector, creating a major detour and providing ample chasing space for the Fury Flame Battle Group and Mingyang Sect. Because of this, in recent exchanges, Erso had been a bit more polite. Just a bit. He still complained about the Alliance every time, demanding they release the detained Fury Flame Battle Group contingent and threatened the Alliance, accusing them of disloyalty. At best, he was just a little gentler in word choice. But today was a bit different. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The one making this call wasn¡¯t the diplomat who had been communicating with Erso all this time but the Alliance¡¯s highest leader: Gu Hang. Not being able to talk directly to Gu Hang had always been an annoyance to Erso. On top of that, with the war going unfavorably and Titus having escaped, Erso was in a very bad mood. Today he wouldn¡¯t give any face: ¡°Mr. Governor, is that you? You coward, have you decided not to hide and suckle milk today and dare to speak to me directly?¡± Faced with this direct and malicious comment, Gu Hang showed no intention of stooping to his level; instead, he revealed a smile and delivered a piece of news to Erso: ¡°We have already killed Titus, would you like to see his corpse?¡± Chapter 872 - Chapter 872 Chapter 475 Lets First Get Past Mr. Gu Chapter 872: Chapter 475, Let¡¯s First Get Past Mr. Gu Chapter 872: Chapter 475, Let¡¯s First Get Past Mr. Gu The atmosphere between Erso and Gu Hang suddenly fell silent after this statement. After a few seconds, or perhaps a few minutes, Erso spoke up: ¡°What did you say?¡± After he spoke, he felt that his question was rather lame. No one would joke about such matters, or spread false information. And indeed, it was highly possible. The main forces of the Alliance were already stirring troubles in the Green Skins¡¯ den. It was understandable that Titus headed toward the Iron-Tooth lair and got blocked by the Alliance. Yet, he couldn¡¯t help but seek confirmation. At the same time, he felt a great sense of absurdity rising within him. If Titus had died at the hands of the Alliance, then what were the gains of the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s years of struggle? Previously, no matter how much noise the Alliance made on the eastern front, it was still a side battle. The main battlefield was here, with the Beastman leader, the great chieftain Titus, right before him. According to the centuries-old history of the Empire¡¯s battles against the Green Skins, everyone knew that the leader of the Beastmen was the crucial element in a war against them. Only by eliminating the supreme leader of the Beastmen could a war be declared victorious. As long as Fury Flame killed Titus, the major credit for the Iron Teeth War would undoubtedly belong to them. Any other contributions would at best be secondary, merely aiding the main battlefield without overshadowing it. But now, this great achievement had been snatched away by the Alliance. The narrative would immediately change. The Alliance would no longer be just a supporting role. Overall, it was the Fury Flame Battle Group that held back the main forces of the Green Skins at the front, while the Alliance struck directly from the side, significantly destroying the war potential of the Iron-Tooth Clan, forced Titus to retreat, causing internal chaos among the Green Skins, and during the encirclement, annihilated a significant part of the Green Skins¡¯ main forces and killed the Beastman chieftain Titus, achieving victory in the war. In this version of the story, the Alliance was clearly not a side character. On the contrary, the Fury Flame Battle Group was the supporting role. Their role was to distract the Green Skins at the front, creating an opportunity for the true heroes¨Cthe main characters¨Cto strike directly at the target and intercept the Beastman leader. Yes, golden leaves to the golden medal, the perfect supporting role. But that wasn¡¯t acceptable to Erso! The Fury Flame Battle Group was not an ordinary battle group. The logic of normal Interstellar Warrior battle groups fighting wars was actually quite simple. They possessed their own mother planet, whose outputs all belonged to them. In return, the Empire would receive the Interstellar Warriors¡¯ compliance with imperial conscription. However, direct orders from the Empire were rare, and Interstellar Warriors could even refuse to act¨Cthough they usually didn¡¯t. More often, battle groups responded to distress signals from a planet, deploying a company or sometimes less than a company, depending on the trouble encountered on the planet. They could also ignore these distress signals. From these perspectives, the independence of Interstellar Warriors was very strong. Of course, most Interstellar Warriors would not ignore a distress call or refuse an imperial order. Such was their honor. The Fury Flame Battle Group came to fight in the Dragonhawk Star Domain following this protocol. But the difference lay in that ordinary battle groups, upon achieving honor, were content. From this perspective, being a supporting character, though regrettable, was usually not a deal-breaker for ordinary battle groups. But not for the Fury Flame Battle Group. What they valued more was the real significance behind the honor. If it were only as simple as being a supporting character, but the key point was, they paid such a high price to spread their fame through victory in the war, thereby indirectly exerting influence over the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and developing this Star Domain as part of the outskirts of the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ sphere of influence. Now, after they had already paid a heavy price, the gain they sought was intercepted by Gu Hang. Even Erso, with his hundreds of years of life experience as a Battle Group Leader, struggled to remain composed. He tried to breathe deeply, but still couldn¡¯t suppress the annoyance in his heart. ¡°Fine, very well, Mr. Gu has done a great job.¡± ¡°However, the war isn¡¯t over yet and our Fury Flame Battle Group will remain in the Dragonhawk Star Domain for a while, there will be time to come.¡± With that, Erso ended the communication. ¡­ The last statement from Erso was clearly a threat. But Gu Hang wasn¡¯t concerned. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The death of Titus by his hand was not something he actively sought. However, he similarly realized that he couldn¡¯t allow Titus to escape alive back to the Green Skin lair, or else the subsequent extermination operations would become extremely challenging. The rallying power of a Beastman chieftain was formidable. If he returned alive, it meant that during the Alliance¡¯s operation to wipe out the four major Green Skin star sectors, they would face a unified and coordinated Green Skin realm. Then, even if the Alliance could complete the extermination operation, the cost would be significantly different. Thus, after learning about the internal chaos among the Green Skins, Gu Hang immediately deduced that the Iron-Tooth chieftain¡¯s intention was to detour back to the Jiang Meiyu Sector. He led the main part of the fleet in advance to that sector, catching Titus¡¯ returning fleet squarely. Chapter 873 - Chapter 873 Chapter 475 lets get past Mr. Gu first_2 Chapter 873: Chapter 475, let¡¯s get past Mr. Gu first_2 Chapter 873: Chapter 475, let¡¯s get past Mr. Gu first_2 The returning Titus, with one-third of the Green Skins¡¯ main force, was still no small scale. However, under the sudden assault, Gu Hang let all other fleets go, but he wouldn¡¯t let go of the Green Skin flagship that Titus himself was on. Titus, realizing he couldn¡¯t escape the pursuit and had no chance of winning in the star battle, wanted to land on the surface of the nearest planet and make one last stand. But even this plan was seen through by Gu Hang. His warship, with its Void Shield torn apart by psychic power, became the target of the Firebath Nova and several human cruisers, which fired upon it together. Titus¡¯ current ride was no longer the Green Skin battleship it once was¨Cthat one had been blasted apart by the Fury Flame Battle Group¨Cnor was it the Fighting Moon, which was destroyed in the Green Skin civil war. What he now rode was merely a regular Green Skin cruiser, utterly incapable of withstanding such an attack. After his warship was destroyed, Gu Hang made sure of his death by sending people to search his ship¡¯s shattered remnants for his body. This was quite a stroke of luck; even with a Beastman chieftain¡¯s strong physique, surviving the destruction of his ship was impossible. Whether there was a whole body left depended entirely on the specifics of the situation. But Gu Hang was fortunate; the Phoenixes, combing through the many pieces of wreckage drifting in space, actually found his body. He was critically injured by an exploding steel beam that had pierced through his chest. There were signs that he struggled to break and pull out the steel beam to survive. There was even evidence of wound healing in his pierced chest due to his strong physique. However, because the life support system was destroyed, the extreme cold of space meant his damaged war armor could not sustain his life. But even with the severe injuries and direct exposure to space, he managed to survive for at least thirty-nine hours. When the Phoenixes found him, he was still alive and moving. Such a dangerous individual¨Cafter consulting Gu Hang¨Cwas executed immediately to prevent any future threats, with only the body to be brought back. With the assistance of a Warband Apothecary, Titus¡¯ body was made into a specimen. Then came Gu Hang¡¯s interstellar call with Erso. At first, Gu Hang had considered whether to completely fall out with Erso and the Fury Flame Battle Group. He even thought about whether he could use Titus¡¯ body to negotiate some benefits. But Erso¡¯s initial attitude was a bit too much. Gu Hang was mature, but when it was time to settle a score, he wouldn¡¯t shrink back. Besides, would selling Titus¡¯ body really ease the relationship between the two parties? After careful analysis of the big picture, Gu Hang believed it was impossible. Any easing would be only temporary. There existed fundamental, irreconcilable differences between the two sides. Would Gu Hang, after the end of the Iron Teeth War, retreat back to the Tianma Star Sector with full honors, content with the current nine-planet structure of the Alliance, and abandon the political framework brought by the Seven Horse Treaty, abolishing it? Clearly not. The Alliance had already demonstrated its strength, and it would be impossible for him to quietly make a fortune going forward. He must expand the Alliance¡¯s base, from the Tianma Star Sector to at least the Seven Horse Territory. At the same time, he had to adopt political unions for shared defense and economic alliances as strategies to bring many star systems into the Alliance¡¯s fold, only then would he live up to this opportunity. To acquire so much territory, a number of conditions were required. Military and economic strength were the basics; Gu Hang must have the capacity to stabilize these planets and restore their economies. At the same time, great prestige and political legitimacy were absolutely essential. Relying solely on the so-called ¡®interstellar political body,¡¯ that is, the license of the Alliance, would definitely not be adequate for such a vast area. Although there was no limit to the number of Governors that could join his Alliance, in reality, if he added hundreds of worlds all at once, it would certainly cause a massive upheaval. The impact of this would be monumental, not just regionally, but also drawing the attention of the Central Empire¡¯s political arena. Galaraldo couldn¡¯t cope with that. Gu Hang had to gain this legitimacy from other areas. The most direct route was to seek the position of the Dragonhawk Star Domain Leader. With the identity of the first leader of the Star Domain Government, the Alliance¡¯s strength could be turned into legitimate political influence, securing his position more than anyone else¡¯s; at the same time, the identity of the Star Domain Head would also shelter the Alliance from the elements, allowing the Alliance to develop with ease across the entire Star Domain. A secondary plan, if he could not become the Star Domain Leader, was to make the Star Domain Leader one of his own. That could achieve a similar effect, though there would be some hidden dangers and problems. Even worse, if the Star Domain Leader stood against Gu Hang, then his only option would be to resort to standard interstellar trade, military exchange, and political alliances. That wasn¡¯t necessarily bad, who says a few planets can¡¯t help each other out? But once the scale of operations increased without a legitimate political title, it was very easy to trip over and run into trouble. Gu Hang did not want to end up in the third situation; he could only strive for the first two. This brought an irreconcilable contradiction with the Fury Flame Battle Group. The so-called ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ referred to the political entity led by the Iron Armor Battle Group, along with two staunch allies, the Fury Flame Battle Group and the Bedrock Shield Warband, radiating from the Princess Star Domain to several surrounding Star Domains. They could almost be considered a separatist force within the Empire, much more so than Gu Hang¡¯s Alliance. Although the three Battle Groups had made some disguises, it was clear to the discerning eye that their numbers and grade were far beyond the stipulations of the Star Warrior Codex. Generally speaking, it was normal for a Battle Group to exceed the limits slightly, or to behave differently than the regulations. After all, they held special identities, and each had a different cultural and historical heritage; as long as they were loyal to the Empire, the Empire would typically turn a blind eye. But when you multiply the scale by ten or twenty times, what do you still call a Battle Group? You might as well just return to the era of legions. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just the Interstellar Warriors who were breaking the rules. The Imperial Tax in the Princess Star Domain was now pretty much whatever they felt like paying. Paying a bit of Imperial Tax was giving face; when not giving face, the Void Insect Species had been invading fiercely recently, spending a lot, so come and pay me back, Empire. Not approved? Then the Star Domains next door felt sorry for us and donated, please exempt them from the Imperial Tax, Empire. Not possible? I¡¯d like to see who comes to collect it. This was the current attitude of ¡®The Husband of the Princess¡¯, ¡®The Tyrant of the Web¡¯, ¡®The Steadfast Shield of the Void¡¯s Eye¡¯, Iron Legion Commander Li Guoshi. It was much more overbearing than the Alliance, which had never fallen behind on Imperial Tax to date. Every account of Imperial Tax collected recently, how much money was collected, where it was spent, what battles were won, it was all clear and transparent. Later on, after the war, Gu Hang also had no intention of refusing to pay Imperial Tax, at most¡­uh, just pay it flexibly. In Gu Hang¡¯s view¨Cnot just his, but many high-ranking officials in the Central Empire¨C¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ had become a de facto separatist regime and was brazen about it. Galaraldo had once discussed this matter with Gu Hang. From this perspective, the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s arrival in the Dragonhawk Star Domain meant they were on a mission to expand territory. What should Gu Hang do? Bow down and submit, from now on, be ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯s¡¯ lapdog like many of the Imperial forces in the Princess Star Domain and the surrounding Star Domains? Of course not. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Political conflict was inevitable. Gu Hang thus abandoned any hope of appeasement. Relying on this war achievement, the strength of the Alliance, and upper echelon relationships, Gu Hang had the chance to fight for what he wanted. Moreover, Gu Hang planned to find shared interests for supporting the Alliance with certain people in the Central Empire¡¯s upper echelons. If ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ wanted to take over the Dragonhawk Star Domain, they would first have to contend with me, Gu Hang. Chapter 874 - Chapter 874 Chapter 476 Racing to Claim Land Chapter 874: Chapter 476: Racing to Claim Land Chapter 874: Chapter 476: Racing to Claim Land After the brief conversation between Gu Hang and Erso had ended, the two largest military and political forces within the Dragonhawk Star Domain had ceased any high-level communication. This was a dangerous situation. It was such an obvious situation that anyone in the Dragonhawk Star Domain who was even slightly in the know could sense an unusual scent in the air, causing countless people to worry and even tremble with fear. The Iron-Tooth Clan had just been defeated on a grand scale, and countless worlds were still engulfed in the flames of war¨Cthe war had not yet ended. And now, the two greatest war heroes were turning against each other, ready to draw their swords? How could this not make people shiver with fear? However, although there were irreconcilable core contradictions between the Alliance and the Fury Flame Battle Group, and their relationship was poor, they actually had no intention of fighting each other directly¨Cat least not imminently. Both parties, after all, were part of the Empire. No matter how much they despised each other, wishing death upon the other, employing ruthless underground tactics, and sparing no insult in their words, they could not truly face each other with knives and guns on the battlefield. If it came to that, there was a very clear term for it: Civil war. And once a civil war broke out, the nature of the conflict would immediately become exceedingly foul, something the Central Government of the Empire absolutely could not tolerate; it was beyond the bottom line. The likelihood of the two sides going to war directly wasn¡¯t actually that high. Gu Hang had no intention of firing the first shot. The high political risk forced him to proceed with caution. Erso, on the other side, likely felt roughly the same way. However, no one could completely guarantee that accidents wouldn¡¯t happen. The crux of the issue was that the probability of the armies from both sides encountering each other was still quite high. Titus had been killed, and the main force of the Green Skins had been almost entirely annihilated. According to the latest report provided to Gu Hang by the intelligence department of the Alliance, they believed that there were still around twenty billion Green Skins within the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain, apart from the four Star Sectors completely occupied by the Green Skins. This was an estimated data, the specifics of which no one could currently clarify. But the Alliance¡¯s intelligence department believed this data to be quite reliable, without orders of magnitude deviation from the actual situation. These Green Skins, scattered across various worlds throughout the Star Domain, were more numerous in some places and less so in others. Yet, most of these worlds invaded by the Green Skins had not fully escaped their influence. On some poorer planets, the human population might total just a few hundred million, with underdeveloped productivity, not to mention wealth or power. On such planets, a few million Green Skins posed a problem beyond their capability to resolve. And on some more powerful worlds, facing hundreds of millions, or even billions of Green Skins also caused significant headaches. These planets, relying solely on their own strength, found it hard to resist the crisis brought by these Green Skins. At this time, external assistance was needed. There were three factions currently capable of addressing this in the entire Star Domain. The Alliance, the Fury Flame Battle Group, and the Mingyang Sect of the Sect of Mechanics. The Mingyang Sect could be set aside for now. Among the three, the Mingyang Sect was the weakest; their core territories were damaged in the war, and their losses were substantial throughout the conflict. Also, the Sect of Mechanics generally chose not to get involved in such matters and were not keen on expanding their territory. These Oil Heads, sticking to their small portion of land on the Foundry World, engaged in scientific research, faith, and production. The manpower and resources they needed could always be acquired from the outside world through trade; no one would refuse or reject a Foundry World as a partner. Their involvement in this massacre against the Green Skins was purely because the Green Skins threatened their existence, coupled with hatred. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In actual operations, the Mingyang Sect focused mainly on cleaning up in the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector where Jindi Star was located, as well as in the Tamer Sector and Dragon Pass Sector, which hosted several important resource sites for the Mingyang Sect. In other places, they lacked the strength and interest to compete. Of course, no one would provoke them either. The Protection Army of the Mingyang Sect had once briefly been part of the Allied Forces, under the command of the Furyflame Battalion Commander Erso. But after the war had ended, the Sages of the Mingyang Sect took back military command and went their separate ways. As far as Erso was concerned, although he would have liked to attach the Mingyang Sect to his chariot¨Can important part Chapter 875 - Chapter 875 Chapter 476 Land Grab_2 Chapter 875: Chapter 476, Land Grab_2 Chapter 875: Chapter 476, Land Grab_2 This was certainly a war waged against external forces, and in fact, the dispersion of twenty billion Green Skins across various planets into dozens of battlefields meant that both parties had to dedicate troops to multiple fronts. For either side, this was a considerable pressure. Dividing troops so widely was not guaranteed to be foolproof; in the midst of battle, a surge from the Green Skins could result in significant losses, a fact that had occurred in the operations of both sides. However, overall, those Green Skins, now virtually unable to traverse the cosmos and isolated on their respective planets, were no longer a major concern. It was the Alliance and the Furyflame Battle Group that posed significant trouble to each other. Both parties¡¯ actions were reminiscent of a rush to claim territory after the war. And during this process, it was inevitable that they would encounter each other. Ships from both sides arriving simultaneously in a star system, both commencing troop deployments to a world¡­ Such scenarios were quite common. Under a mutual, tense attitude, coupled with direct competition, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for an accidental discharge to occur. Gu Hang had no desire to fire the first shot, let alone provoke a civil war with Furyflame. Winning wasn¡¯t the issue, but should a war break out, then his sector would become the Empire¡¯s headline news. Gu Hang did not wish for things to escalate to that level. He estimated that the Furyflame Battle Group were likely in a similar boat. Did the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ not realize that their independent rule in the Princess Star Domain was a thorn in the side of the Central Empire? Unless they had prepared for some indiscernible contingency, they too would not want to stir up major news within the Dragonhawk Star Domain. But Gu Hang never placed his safety on the rationality of others. What if Kazimir Erso went mad? What if the troops below acted independently? He always retained a flexible force at hand so that, in the event of a worst-case scenario, he could respond swiftly. His spread-out forces for claiming territory would not prevent him from assembling enough strength to avoid being defeated piece by piece. Fortunately, an accidental firing hadn¡¯t truly occurred. Generally, when either the Alliance or the Furyflame Battle Group entered a star system and discovered the other side well-established, after an assessment, they would withdraw. There was no point in assisting the enemy by complimenting their efforts. And if the enemy¡¯s establishment was subpar, the other side would immediately intervene, deploying ground forces to thrash the Green Skins anyway and vying to gain the support of the local planetary government. In that sense, it almost seemed like friendly competition. But in reality, underhanded sabotage was not in short supply. If they couldn¡¯t be direct rivals, why not fire from the shadows? That would stop short of erroneous bombings, for if they started, the enemy might just bomb back, escalating to a deadly exchange. It was a slippery slope that couldn¡¯t be fallen into. But what could be said about using the Green Skins to one¡¯s advantage? It was perfectly fine to stand back during an ally¡¯s hardships like an immovable mountain, or to lead the Green Skins on a chase and then suddenly withdraw; to willingly cede a flank on the battlefield, allowing the Green Skins an opportunity to ambush the enemy¡¯s rear¡­ Similar strategies were endless. In this way, both parties engaged in countless cunning competitions across many star sectors and worlds. In this matter, both sides had their strengths and weaknesses. The Furyflame Battle Group¡¯s advantage lay in their control over the Star Domain Government. This was the source of the greatest political legitimacy. The Star Sector Governments listened to the Star Domain Government, and in turn, the Planetary Governments listened to the Star Sector Governments. Wasn¡¯t that how it should be? But the disadvantage was also here. The Furyflame Battle Group¡¯s control over the Star Domain Government was not absolute. For Tan Jiuyi and those from the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government, being under the Furyflame Battle Group¡¯s control was a reluctant predicament with no alternative. What they hoped for, of course, was that the Furyflame Battle Group would act like any typical Interstellar Warrior Battle Group: come to help fight, and after the battle¡¯s end, depart with honors. In such cases, local governments were usually generous in awarding honors to these assisting Emperor Angels. Medals were freely given, and praises to the Empire were profusely sung. Even if tangible benefits were sought, that was also acceptable. After helping us fight, recruiting soldiers within the Star Domain, requesting supplies, or desiring various types of materials could all be amply satisfied. But the Furyflame Battle Group¡¯s apparent intention not to leave indeed caused displeasure. And moreover, they had even directly intervened in the affairs of the Star Domain. Could the Dragonhawk Government be pleased with this? Clearly, they could not. But they were powerless to act. The military power lay with the Fury Flame Battle Group, with their command system forming a faction of its own, leaving no room for others to intervene. They could only dutifully serve as logistics officers, and even then, they were under the supervision of the Fury Flame Battle Group. Inefficient work was penalized, and several high-ranking officials of the Star Domain had already been made examples of. Furthermore, there was another matter that greatly worried the Star Domain Government. From this perspective, the introduction of the Fury Flame Battle Group was an unavoidable measure. What would happen if the Fury Flame Battle Group truly decided to withdraw immediately? Compared to the present Alliance, and the Star Domain Government that had already exhausted all its force¡­ Who would eventually call the shots in the Dragonhawk Star Domain? Of course, on this matter, the internal factions within the Dragonhawk Government were also divided. Some believed that matters within the Star Domain should be resolved internally, and that the Fury Flame Battle Group and their ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ were not to be trifled with. Others believed that no matter what, the Interstellar Warriors from the Fury Flame Battle Group, who had no roots in Dragonhawk, would eventually leave one day. However, the Alliance was here to stay, unchallenged, and thus the power of the Fury Flame Battle Group was essential. Both factions were vocal, and neither was insignificant. Tan Jiuyi, as the leader of the Star Domain Government, seemed to be leaning toward the latter. Kazimir Erso had visited him more than once, and perhaps they had reached some confidential agreements in private. This was why, for the most part, the Star Domain Government was cooperating with the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s operations, providing a veneer of legitimacy to many of the group¡¯s actions, which made overcoming certain obstacles much easier. However, those within the government who were dragging their feet were making the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s operations less smooth. ¡­ On the other hand, the situation was largely the opposite for the Alliance. The Alliance¡¯s military operations were more swift. Both sides had Interstellar Warriors, but the Alliance¡¯s Mortal Troops were clearly more elite and battle-hardened compared to those under the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s control. Interstellar Warriors were ultimately limited, and many battlefronts relied on Mortal Troops. In military performance, the Fury Flame Battle Group indeed fell short compared to the Alliance. The Alliance was more efficient at pummeling the Green Skins than Fury Flame. Moreover, the Alliance consistently produced quite attractive economic cooperation plans¨Csomething the Fury Flame Battle Group simply couldn¡¯t match. The Star Domain Government had been practically bled dry by the war and couldn¡¯t sustain such support; Jindi Star, which had been once relied upon by the Star Domain Government, was still licking its wounds. And the Oil Heads, preferring neutrality, provided very little support. They could not afford the price offered by the Alliance. If it weren¡¯t for the rulers of many planets harboring doubts about the Alliance¡¯s system, worried about their own authority being undermined, perhaps more planets would have already sided with the Alliance. But the Alliance was making some changes too. Did anyone think it was easy to join the Alliance? Not everyone wishing to join had the opportunity! At best, these planets could be developed into peripheral forces, and economic aid required something in exchange. Ports, resources, manpower, orders, markets¡­ Nothing was given for free. This was a process of mutual benefit; the Alliance didn¡¯t seek domination. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only These strategies alleviated some of the planets¡¯ suspicions, and coupled with the Alliance¡¯s military strength, and the driving away of Fury Flame¡¯s influence, they ultimately chose to side with the Alliance. Overall, both parties were staking their claims, each with its own gains and losses. A series of strategic and cunning battles were still ongoing. And Gu Hang, aside from focusing on these larger issues, was also troubled by another matter. He now had tens of millions of Grace Points at hand¨Cwhat should he do with them? Chapter 876 - Chapter 876 Chapter 477 Spending Big Bucks Chapter 876: Chapter 477, Spending Big Bucks Chapter 876: Chapter 477, Spending Big Bucks ¡°Securing new territories¡± was a matter of general direction for Gu Hang, but he did not meddle too much with the specific strategies and execution. Spread across dozens of planets as battlefields, the situation was changing every day, and it was impossible for him to handle it all by himself. His powerful spiritual energy granted him the ability to multitask, but there was no need for him to oversee everything. He placed full trust in the Alliance¡¯s military command system and left it to them. Meanwhile, Gu Hang started to ponder how to use the millions of Grace Points at his disposal. This was the real foundation of the Alliance¡¯s future development. The largest two windfalls came from the great victory at Temir and the interception of Titus. The former brought him upwards of 8.78 million Grace Points; the latter, although the war was brief, was still not small in scale. When Gu Hang blocked Titus in the Jiang Meiyu Sector, that guy still had about a third of the Green Skins¡¯ main force with him, most of which were annihilated at sea by Gu Hang. A small portion piloted their ships toward the planet surface, preferring to crash land and disintegrate rather than be destroyed in space by human warships. Only a very few managed to flee. It was impossible to tally the total number of Green Skins that died, but Gu Hang could see from the battle reports. There were seven hundred million Green Skins. Plus over two hundred Green Skin warships. These battle achievements provided Gu Hang with roughly four million Grace Points in total. Additionally, in these recent days, the Alliance had been bombarding the four major Green Skin sectors, yielding an additional two million plus Grace Points. All together, this made up 15.22 million Grace Points. With so many Grace Points, Gu Hang did not plan to hoard them; he was definitely going to spend them. He roughly divided these Grace Points into three areas of spending. The first was for civil economic development, with the core goal of increasing productivity, which took approximately 5 million of Gu Hang¡¯s Grace Points. He enlightened talents in various fields such as engineers, teachers, civil servants, and so on. A significant number of heroic individuals at production positions enhanced the potential of the Alliance¡¯s productivity. Here, Gu Hang spent 2 million, and tens of thousands of people suddenly felt their talents had been further augmented in their areas of expertise, becoming ¡®heroes¡¯ within their domains. These individuals would also subsequently be listed in the Alliance Development Department¡¯s talent reserve. After a period of evaluation, these people would be promoted quickly within the Alliance system and more likely positioned in key roles to have a greater impact. Then, Gu Hang spent another 3 million on exchanges for civilian structures like factories, academies, and churches. This resulted in tens of thousands of factories receiving system blessings and thousands of schools and churches being established across various worlds. Half of these expenditures were spent on the Tianma Star Sector, while the other half was spent on worlds that had signed the Economic Community Act. The initial ten worlds that had signed the Economic Community Act had reached Vassal Level LV5, and upon consideration, Gu Hang decided to merge these worlds into the Alliance to expand the core territories and enhance the Alliance¡¯s developmental potential. This meant that the Alliance directly dispatched officials to govern these planets¨Csince the Economic Community already involved a large number of Alliance officials integrating into the governments, it was now establishing direct Alliance Planetary Governments. The amalgamation of these LV5 planets did not cause any particular upheaval on the planets themselves. On the contrary, both the native inhabitants and the ruling classes, after two years of being nurtured by Alliance policies, were eager to formally join the Alliance. However, this development did have a certain impact on other worlds that either had a lower Vassal Level or had not yet signed the Economic Community Act. The ruling classes on those planets were apprehensive, worried that the Alliance¡¯s absorption could come for them in a few years. The Alliance¡¯s propaganda and diplomatic departments are working together, striving to minimize the negative impacts brought by world integration and Alliance expansion. The main methods are twofold: First, propagandize to the public about the benefits of signing the Economic Community Act and joining the Alliance, which will solve unemployment and survival problems, and ensure a better prospective future. Second, propagate to the ruling class that joining the Alliance will not result in purges, citing examples of worlds that have joined the Alliance¨Cwhether they wish to lie back and enjoy wealth, the Alliance provides, or if they wish to progress, under the Alliance¡¯s large system, there are more opportunities. After all, they have broken out of being confined to a single planet and now have dozens of planetary stages. Their work has indeed achieved some results, with much of the resistance dissipating due to the propaganda. The elevation of the civilian economy will make the Alliance wealthier and more developed in the future. ¡­ Additionally, Gu Hang expended six million Grace Points on military construction. The largest expenditure was on the training of personnel for the Alliance Land Forces and Navy. There were also tens of thousands of enlightened officers and generals. Moreover, four hundred million soldiers¨Cmost of whom were Land Forces, with a few being naval sailors¨Creceived training through the Army Badge System. The Alliance has developed a Land Forces army with a total strength of five hundred million, which previously seemed ample, but now seems entirely insufficient. Moreover, the effectiveness that the Alliance Land Forces can demonstrate is completely incomparable to the Pact Army. In some key battles, even ten or twenty times the number of Pact Army troops is futile. In a trench, after all, only so many people can crouch, and the Alliance Land Forces can hold out there for a month while the Pact Army, having arrived today, would collapse by tomorrow. Not that the Pact Army is too weak¨Cthey all have at least one year of military training. But the level of the Alliance Land Forces is too high, having reached the standard of the Star Realm Army, with a qualitative difference between them. Conveniently, after merging ten new worlds, the core population of the Alliance also increased by about 15 billion, greatly expanding the manpower pool. Subsequently, Gu Hang planned to expand the number of Alliance Land Forces to over one billion and ensure at least an 80% ratio of Tier 5 soldiers. This means that later on, Gu Hang had to use the [Soldier Tag] System to train four hundred million soldiers. That¡¯s an investment of four million Grace Points. Another investment was in Interstellar Warriors. Gu Hang planned to fill the last five hundred vacancies of the Phoenix Battle Group all at once, which cost about five hundred thousand Grace Points. Thus, Phoenix now possessed a thousand-person scale, reaching the standard Battle Group numbers. But actually, that¡¯s not enough. It seems the Alliance will inevitably have to deal with ¡®Tie Nu Shi¡¯ in the future. Just the Fury Flame Battle Group¨Crumor has it they¡¯ve overbred to around three thousand in scale. Not to mention the Iron Armor Battle Group, which may truly reach tens of thousands in number. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only By the Empire¡¯s standards, Phoenix is definitely revitalized. But looking at the need to confront ¡®Tie Nu Shi¡¯, Phoenix is still not able to compete. What to do? Directly increasing numbers is not a problem. If Gu Hang wished, he could save a bit from various other areas, keep ten million Grace Points aside, and instantly raise Phoenix¡¯s numbers to a ten-thousand-person scale. But¡­ overbreeding can¡¯t withstand scrutiny. Iron Armor has no shame, clearly carving out their own territory, should Gu Hang do the same? Chapter 877 - Chapter 877 Chapter 478 The Long-Awaited Technology Lottery Chapter 877: Chapter 478, The Long-Awaited Technology Lottery Chapter 877: Chapter 478, The Long-Awaited Technology Lottery Interstellar Warriors¡¯ ¡°superbirth¡± was something Gu Hang considered, but he still didn¡¯t dare to do it blatantly. Just take it slow for now. However, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to make some preparations in advance. In this regard, Gu Hang had two strategies: quality and quantity. Of course, these two weren¡¯t in conflict and could be used simultaneously. Gu Hang was already implementing the quality plan. Whether it was the new Phoenix recruits trained by Gu Hang or the veterans, not all were fresh soldiers. The cost of cultivating a Phoenix, from the Gene Seed to training the individual, was 100 for the seed, 100 for training, with an additional 200-300 for the elimination process, not to mention a roughly 10% chance of surgical failure. The full cost of nurturing a Phoenix Newblood ran to about 400 to 500 Grace Points. Add in the urgency for superhuman organ growth acceleration, and that¡¯s another 100 Grace Points. Then came training everyone to at least the level of a seasoned veteran, costing an average of 200 per person. But Gu Hang didn¡¯t stop there. He would spend another 300 to get each to the ¡°Sergeant¡± grade. At this grade, every Interstellar Warrior was practically a veteran among veterans. Compared to the seven who first arrived at Rage Owl Star after a century of penitential expedition, they were only slightly lacking. Cultivating an Interstellar Warrior like this, a thousand Grace Points was the starting point, not to mention if you added a think tank team of about thirty people to scout for those newbloods with spiritual energy talents, the point consumption would be far greater. If Gu Hang wanted to train the Phoenixes to the level of an ¡®Company Champion,¡¯ that was feasible too. Each would cost an additional four hundred points, totaling four hundred thousand to attain that level. That was equivalent to having undergone a penitential expedition, just one grade below Matins, who possessed the strength of an Interstellar Warrior Company Commander. If that weren¡¯t enough, Gu Hang could even use the [Heroes] panel to enlighten them, boosting their hero potential one by one and directly upgrading them with Grace Points as soon as they were eligible, instead of waiting for them to grow. However, to take this step, the cost in Grace Points per person would run wild like an unbridled stallion, completely out of control. That was a bit too shocking and extravagant, and also the point expenditure was too high, Gu Hang was somewhat reluctant. Yet if the number issue of Interstellar Warriors couldn¡¯t be solved and a thousand was the limit, when Gu Hang had plenty of Grace Points at his disposal and really needed to use the Interstellar Warriors to confront a crisis, he wouldn¡¯t care about the cost. To pull each one up to the level of a ¡®Company Champion¡¯ and give a little push with the hero enlightenment. They might not reach the level of a Battle Group Champion, but if every veteran could take on five or even ten opponents, that was feasible too. There was a solution for quality; actually, there was one for quantity as well. Gu Hang thought about expanding another Battle Group, but after careful consideration, it didn¡¯t seem feasible. Battle Groups were numbered, and each was officially documented with corresponding paperwork by the Empire. Starting one, naming it, designing its livery, creating a group on his own, that was definitely illegal, and if discovered, it would be a major crime. It was also difficult to hide; it would be better to rely on Phoenix superbirth if discovered. Nevertheless, Gu Hang could use the reserve force, under the guise of new soldier training, to create a Shadow Battle Group outside of the Phoenix. The Gene Seeds of the Phoenix would still be used, as those were the only seeds Gu Hang could exchange for now. But once the Interstellar Warriors were trained, he would hide them away and not use them. Their most common use was to seamlessly replenish the Phoenix in case of personnel losses. The Empire wouldn¡¯t have anything to say about this approach. They weren¡¯t formal Interstellar Warriors, just a reserve force. What was there to say? It just happened that this reserve force was particularly strong. But with this reasoning, Gu Hang could at most maintain an additional one or two hundred in size. Anything more wouldn¡¯t be tolerated by the Empire. Another use was more borderline. When necessary, these reservists from the Shadow Battle Group could have their Powered Armor painted to resemble the Phoenix¡¯s and pretend to be them in operations. However, if the number of Phoenix operative at the same time grew too large, it would end up similar to what happened with the Iron Armor Battle Group. Though it was an idea, no matter how, the notion of absurdly expanding the number of Interstellar Warriors seemed very difficult currently. First, the cost was exorbitant. Aside from an immense amount of Grace Points, equipping so many powered armors and a complete set of expensive single-soldier equipment would require a lot of money. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Secondly, the political risk was too high. If exposed, it would be indefensible and a serious taboo. His and the Phoenix¡¯s reputation would plummet to the level of Iron Armor. If Iron Armor was considered a hypothetical enemy, Gu Hang could not let his reputation fall to that level. If the Central Government of the Empire thought the conflict between the Alliance and ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ was a matter of warlords biting each other, that would be very bad indeed. Firstly, Gu Hang didn¡¯t see himself as a separatist power; Secondly, he couldn¡¯t let others think he was; At the very least, even if others did think so, they couldn¡¯t have concrete evidence against him. The consequences of these three degrees of perception were vastly different. Most directly, if Gu Hang got into a real dispute with the Fury Flame Battle Group, would the official Empire support him or simply watch from the sidelines? After much thought, Gu Hang decided to also put the idea of expanding numbers on hold as an alternative. Chapter 878 - Chapter 878 Chapter 478 The Long-Awaited Technology Lottery_2 Chapter 878: Chapter 478, The Long-Awaited Technology Lottery_2 Chapter 878: Chapter 478, The Long-Awaited Technology Lottery_2 ¡­ Gu Hang had about fifteen hundred thousand Grace Points remaining for military construction. He reserved five hundred thousand for emergencies, to ensure that when necessary, he could instantly bring all the Phoenix to the level of champions. With the remaining one million Grace Points, Gu Hang focused on Commissar training. Ten thousand Commissars were recruited for active duty. They would be distributed among units at the battalion level and above, and a smaller number at the company level as well. There simply weren¡¯t enough Grace Points to provide the same support at the platoon level. Within the organizational structure of the Star Realm Army, the role of Commissars could not be neglected. Discipline, morale, and ideology were core factors determining the combat effectiveness of troops. Sometimes, these were even more important than the level of training and the hardware quality of equipment. In reality, the Commissar system of the Alliance began with instructors at the platoon level and education officers at the battalion level. However, the Commissars trained by Gu Hang couldn¡¯t possibly be deployed to that extent; the numbers needed were just too great. A single Commissar cost ten Grace Points. Gu Hang simply couldn¡¯t afford that. The Alliance Army was expected to grow to a scale of one billion personnel; he could only take care of units at the battalion level and above. Not to mention the Pact Army, which was several times the size of the Alliance Army and possibly had already reached over four billion in total. To ensure these Pact forces stood with the Alliance and fulfilled its unified objectives, a substantial number of Commissars were needed, at least down to the divisional and corps levels, where they had to be paired up with Alliance Commissars. Honestly, calculating it this way, even one hundred thousand Commissars might not be enough. When Gu Hang first obtained fifteen million Grace Points, he felt unsure of how to spend such a large sum, but once he started spending, he realized that no matter how many points he had, given the scale of hundreds of millions, it was still not enough. But Gu Hang could no longer afford to toss more Grace Points into these ¡°bottomless pits.¡± The remaining four million had to be allocated entirely to the lottery. He had lost interest in the ten thousand tier rewards, having almost drained that prize pool; but the one hundred thousand tier had only recently been unlocked, and the rewards there were still rich. And he could go for a whopping forty consecutive draws! He decided to draw thirty first, and with the remaining million Grace Points, he would decide whether or not to go for the million tier based on the situation. The probability of getting Epic Technology on the hundred-thousand tier was 50%. Previously, Gu Hang had seven draws at this tier and acquired three Epic Technologies; now the probability had dropped to 35%. Every successful draw decreased the odds by 5%. Nevertheless, a 35% chance was still fairly high. He got five Epic Technologies from thirty consecutive draws, in addition to eighteen Normal, Advanced, and Elite Level technologies, with seven blanks. Overall, it was in line with expectations. Though they weren¡¯t Epic, some of the other technologies were a pleasant surprise. While mostly upgrades or variants of existing Alliance technologies and nothing new, some of them could still be effective. For example, there was more efficient Servo Skull manufacturing technology, and two types of Interstellar Warrior Powered Armors, one of which was a Feedback-Type Powered Armor. The first two were MK.5 and MK.8, of which Gu Hang didn¡¯t plan to put MK.5 into production at all. This type of Powered Armor wasn¡¯t fashionable among current Interstellar Warriors, and there wasn¡¯t anything particularly outstanding in its performance; it was, in fact, the most numerous among the Chaos Starfield Warriors, due to historical factors; The latter could indeed be manufactured. Although its performance is not as good as the most commonly used MK.4 Majestic Powered Armor by Phoenix, its production is relatively simple and costs half as much. If Gu Hang decides to substantially increase the number of Interstellar Warriors in the future, but the production of the MK.4 Majestic type is quite low, the saved-up MK.8 Sky Eagle Powered Armors could be put to use. If all else fails, they could also be used for foreign trade. As for the Feedback-Type Power Armor, named ¡°Commander,¡± it differs significantly from the ¡°Servant God¡± model, which the Alliance currently has. The latter was actually developed for the Battle Nuns, and some theological steps are involved in its manufacturing process. In the hands of the Battle Nuns, these steps can produce some metaphysical effects, making the nuns luckier and even allowing them to perform miracles as if they were favored by The Emperor in special circumstances. However, when worn by ordinary mortals, these effects are not present, and due to these special manufacturing steps, the production cost is higher. In contrast, the ¡°Commander¡± type is different, being a battle armor developed for the Star Realm Army. Although it has a significant gap in individual performance compared to ¡°Servant God,¡± its production cost is dramatically reduced, and it integrates many command communication systems. Commanders donning it wouldn¡¯t need command vehicles; also, a whole team of soldiers in ¡°Commander¡± armors could better coordinate in battle. Gu Hang plans to significantly increase the production of this kind of power armor. During the training of the new Phoenix bloodlines, those who were weeded out in the selection process were only slightly inadequate for Interstellar Warriors. But looking at the entire human population, they have considerable talent and, with the training bonuses from the ¡°Soldier Token¡± system, are rare elite soldiers. In the recent training of 500 Phoenix Newbloods, more than nine thousand T2 level soldiers and nearly thirty thousand T3 level soldiers were also produced. T4 levels weren¡¯t worth mentioning since there were relatively few. Some of these T2 and T3 soldiers would be sent to the special warfare brigades and Skeleton Divisions established within various frontline units of the Alliance Land Forces. Others would be gathered to form an elite force named ¡°Glory Guard Legion.¡± Their predecessor was the 10th Special Combat Brigade of the Alliance Army. Gu Hang¡¯s vision for the ¡°Glory Guard¡± aligned them with the elite forces among the famous Star Realm armies of the Empire, similar to the ¡°Kashergin,¡± ¡°Katchang,¡± and the like. The Alliance didn¡¯t have the environment to create such Supermen, but the Alliance had money to invest in training and equipment. In Gu Hang¡¯s plan, the ¡°Glory Guard Legion¡± would be able to face Interstellar Warriors in direct combat when necessary. Even if it meant high casualty rates, they would still be capable of resisting rather than being quickly annihilated. This also served as a supplement to the issue of insufficient numbers of Interstellar Warriors. The ¡°Glory Guard¡± would at least be equipped with Exoskeleton Plus Carapace Armor, and the aim was to outfit them with Feedback-Type Power Armor as much as possible. Their numbers are many times greater than the Interstellar Warriors, hence the need for a much larger quantity of powered armor. The ¡°Servant God¡± was too expensive to produce and in too small quantities, so the cheaper ¡°Commander Type¡± would be a good supplement. Other technological draws were somewhat similar, such as the ¡°Walrus-Class¡± Transport Ship, which is a bit smaller but faster than the Whale-Class, and also has the potential to be converted into an Armed Merchant Ship. However, its cost is even higher¡­ Having these technologies is definitely better than not having them. But for the Alliance, they are more like icing on the cake; they don¡¯t solve the problem of creating something from nothing and don¡¯t lead to a qualitative change. For a qualitative change, one must look at the five pieces of Epic Technology that have been acquired: [¡°Doom¡± L-type Missile Weapon, Scorching East Wind], [L-type Howitzer, Wrath of Loyalty], [Predator-Class Titan], [Dreadnought Mech], [Strike Cruiser]. The first two technologies directly fulfilled the Alliance¡¯s need for various L-type weapons. Before this, the Alliance only had the capability to produce ¡°Doom¡± Light Spear Arrays, which led to the Alliance¡¯s newly built four Moon-Class cruisers having only light spears as their main gun. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This was a passive situation. Before this, the cruisers built on Flying Wing Star with Musician-class main guns had their heavy cannons imported from Jindi Star and then assembled onto the ships, because Flying Wing Star itself didn¡¯t have the capability to produce these L-class heavy cannons. Now, these problems no longer exist. The [Predator-Class Titan] is a proper medium-class Titan, much larger than the Warhound-class Tela known as ¡®Dog Titan,¡¯ and in the ranks of the famous Titan Legions, the Predator is considered a pillar of strength. Following this addition, the ¡°Alliance National Knights¡± transitioning towards a Titan Legion could finally be considered to have properly arrived. As for the last two, [Dreadnought Mech] and [Strike Cruiser], they fall under Interstellar Warrior technology. Chapter 879 - Chapter 879 Chapter 479 Apocalypse-level Technology Chapter 879: Chapter 479, Apocalypse-level Technology Chapter 879: Chapter 479, Apocalypse-level Technology [Dreadnought Mech] and [Strike Cruiser] are both part of Star Warrior Technology. The reason for this is that these two technologies are essentially only seen within the Starfighter Battle Groups. Let¡¯s start with the Dreadnought Mech; it¡¯s a type of Mecha exclusive to Interstellar Warriors, but not everyone can use it. Interstellar Warriors are incredibly strong, but they are not immune to injury or death. When a comrade is so severely injured that no amount of conventional medical treatment can restore their combat abilities, a typical Battle Group has two options: donate their Gene Seed and receive the peace bestowed by The Emperor, or enter a stone sarcophagus with a life support system, fusing their nerves with machinery to become a Dreadnought Mech. Entering a Dreadnought Mech means never coming out again, merging as one with the Mecha. At the same time, the life support system inside the Mecha can make its operator virtually immortal. Therefore, a Dreadnought Mech is not only an extremely powerful combat unit but also a veteran filled with rich experience. The one Gu Hang drew was an [Iron Rampart Invincible Mech], which could almost be considered the most common type of Dreadnought. This thing¡¯s combat power is fierce, and its size is huge, only slightly smaller than a typical Knight Mecha that one might see. But this slight difference in size allows it to engage in operations such as combat inside a Warship; it is practically the limit in size for fighting within a ship. However, although a Dreadnought Mech is a bit smaller than a Ranger-class Knight Mech, if put into confrontation, the former can generally win steadily against the latter; even facing a larger Dominator-class Knight Mecha still offers a considerable chance of victory. This is mainly because a Dreadnought Mech, having merged with an Interstellar Warrior and connected spiritually, means that many control systems are unnecessary. Their Iron Coffin is their body, offering greater flexibility in operation than a Knight Mecha, and the warrior¡¯s strength itself surpasses that of the Knight. With the control systems saved, the vast space inside a Dreadnought Mech can be used for loading weapons, thickening armor¡­ The biggest problem with using Dreadnought Mechs, however, lies in the scarcity of soldiers. It has to be a dying Interstellar Warrior. A normal, living Interstellar Warrior could be put into a Dreadnought Mech, and it wouldn¡¯t be impossible, but such a procedure is too inhumane. At least Gu Hang had never heard of any Battle Group operating this way, and of course, he wouldn¡¯t either. In the wars of these years, the Phoenix Battle Group also had about three hundred casualties. In particular, during the Temir campaign¡¯s landing operations, the Phoenix clashed hard with the elite trusted aides of the Green Skins, resulting in significant losses; In the subsequent ground combat operations on multiple planets, the Phoenix also served as the main offensive force in each location, accompanying the operations. A considerable part of particularly dangerous battlefields was ventured into by the Interstellar Warriors themselves for assaults. About one hundred out of these three hundred casualties were truly killed in action. Nearly two hundred more were seriously injured and could no longer hold on, hence they were evacuated back. Among them, a hundred or so people, even with the Alliance¡¯s fairly advanced medical measures now available¨Cdrawn from various civil technologies, including those related to medical care¨Ccould have their lives saved. Even after a period of recovery, and at most fitting some mechanical prosthetics, they would be able to return to the battlefield. Only a few dozen people were truly unable to heal from severe injuries, either dying in the rear or simply retiring with disabilities. After consulting with Matins, these Phoenixes who could return to the battlefield were also retired. This could definitely not be considered excess survival; interstellar warriors retiring due to injuries, and not counting them when we recruit new personnel is reasonable, right? Not afraid to check! Those few dozen who were severely injured and unable to return to the battlefield became the candidates for Dreadnought Mechs. Of course, this still had to adhere to the principle of voluntariness. They had already sacrificed a lot for the Alliance, for the Battle Group, and if they did not wish to continue fighting, both the Alliance and the Battle Group would respect the wishes of these heroes. However, in reality, a considerable proportion of injured warriors signed up to become Dreadnought. Being unable to return to the battlefield was something they were very reluctant to come to terms with, and now that there was an opportunity, naturally, they would seize it. Even if the cost was never again being able to leave the Fearless Iron Coffin and even enduring prolonged agony inside¨Cthe experience of being stuffed into a Dreadnought was definitely uncomfortable. But these injured soldiers were unhesitating. With several dozen backups, the Alliance might not have enough Dreadnought manufactured on the spot through the Black Box system, and produced through the production lines just for a while; they might have to wait for a year, a year and a half, or even several years to get in. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Regardless, with the addition of Dreadnought Mechs, the Phoenix Battle Group once again possessed powerful weapons and could preserve the lives of some veterans who had survived harsh battles, which was definitely a significant enhancement to the entire group¡¯s strength. As for the [Strike Cruiser], this too was a piece of Interstellar Warrior Technology. The Empire commissioned the Sect of Mechanics to create a Warship specifically tailored for the needs of the Starfighter Battle Group. The requirements were to be rapidly deployable, facilitate the deployment of elite forces, and possess strong independent operational capabilities, without any weaknesses¡­ Thus, the Sect of Mechanics came up with something called a Strike Cruiser. In terms of performance, the Strike Cruiser surpasses standard cruisers and supports Interstellar Warriors directly connecting to the ship¡¯s command and control system via the Black interface, just like operating Powered Armor, although it is much more complex. Chapter 880 - Chapter 880 Chapter 479 Apocalypse-level Technology_2 Chapter 880: Chapter 479: Apocalypse-level Technology_2 Chapter 880: Chapter 479: Apocalypse-level Technology_2 It was slightly smaller than the Moon-Class cruiser, but in terms of firepower, defense, speed¡­ its performance exceeded that of a conventional cruiser in every aspect. The construction cost of a Moon-Class cruiser was 8.5 billion tax currency, while the cost of the Strike Cruiser reached 12 billion, almost 1.5 times that of the Moon-Class. However, constructing it should not conflict with the Moon-Class. Its dockyard would also need to be custom made. At the shipyards of Flying Wing Star and Rage Owl Star, there were currently two Musician-class dockyards, two Moon-Class dockyards, and the third Moon-Class dockyard was under construction. Now, one more Strike Cruiser dockyard could be commenced. In the future, over a four-year cycle, the Alliance could burst out six cruiser-grade main warships! Moreover, the Alliance¡¯s dockyard construction was ongoing; the output of starships was set to continuously rise. According to the productivity of Flying Wing Star and Rage Owl Star, it was estimated that producing ten cruisers every four years was about reaching the limit. This limit was determined by the size of the starports, labor costs, and production capacity. Anymore, and it would require expanding the starports, increasing the scale of various production lines supporting the starship manufacturing on the ground, and the addition of more labor. But if this was done, the production of other resources and products would be significantly impacted. It was quite the squeeze. But the Alliance had other tricks up its sleeve. On the one hand, Rage Owl Star was continually absorbing population. When the population of Rage Owl reached about five to six billion¨Cthe approximate carrying capacity of this planet¨Cit would be possible to further expand the dockyards. Additionally, Gu Hang planned to construct large dockyards on Fatches No. 1, Korolya, and on Baishuo Star in the Purple Horse Sector. The starports on Fatches No. 1 and Korolya Starport were quite large and suitable for expanding dockyards; Baishuo Star, the capital planet in the Purple Horse Sector, inherently possessed shipbuilding capabilities, albeit only small warships, but having a foundation was better than starting from scratch. This planet had signed the Economic Community Act in the second batch and was now even incorporated into the Alliance; the conditions were already ripe for massive investment and construction. Once the large dockyards were established on these three planets, Gu Hang¡¯s planned naval construction program could reach about twenty warships every four years. Just these twenty cruisers in shipbuilding industry represented an annual mega-industry worth 500 billion. For comparison, the total annual output of the more than eighty worlds across the six star sectors excluding the Tianma Star Sector in the Seven Horse Territory amounted to about 1.2 trillion. The shipbuilding industry would not only provide a large number of powerful warships for the Alliance in the future but would also become a massive economic development engine. It would catalyze the development of a series of supporting industries in multiple planets and star sectors, and all kinds of heavy industries related to shipbuilding would burst with vigorous vitality. Of course, such a large-scale expansion plan for the shipbuilding industry definitely couldn¡¯t be achieved overnight. It would occupy a significant chapter in one after another of the Alliance¡¯s four-year plans, being pushed forward as a core focus. Given a bit more time to develop, the future of the Alliance¡¯s fleet was promising! ¡­ After drawing the thirty shots of technology at the hundred-thousand grade, Gu Hang still had one million grace points left. The epic-grade draw rate of the hundred-thousand tier had been pushed down to a mere 5%. This was already a less than ideal number. Although the prize pool was not considered drained, the cost-performance ratio was not particularly high. Gu Hang turned his gaze to the million tier. This was virgin territory he had never touched before, with maxed-out odds. Not to mention the 50% epic-grade draw rate, more importantly, there was an even higher tier of Apocalypse-level technology. Previously, looking at what was obtained from the epic tier, Gu Hang faintly felt that the technology of battleships, the top-tier, was probably not as simple as just being epic-grade. He thought so because the items from the epic tier clearly did not reach the level of battleships. Later, this was indeed proven to be the case. This time, Gu Hang¡¯s one million lottery was quite fortunate. Despite the 20% odds, he managed to draw an Apocalypse-level technology. [Grade-X Giant Macro Cannon: Destruction Verdict]. This was the main cannon of the Retribution-class battleship. It was a bit regrettable that it was not the battleship technology that the Alliance most urgently needed, but it was basically confirmed that battleship technology definitely resided within the Apocalypse-class. The significance of ¡®Destruction Verdict¡¯ was certainly there; in fact, without the production capability for the Grade-X cannon, drawing a battleship without a cannon was of no use. It was a necessary technological reserve. Additionally, in terms of current practical significance, the produced ¡®Destruction Verdict¡¯ could also be installed on star fortresses. When outfitted on some vital core positions, a starport equipped with ¡®Destruction Verdict¡¯ would be akin to an immovable battleship. Moreover, since the defense system of a star fortress was not limited by a ship¡¯s structure, its combat capability as a fixed fire platform might even be stronger than a battleship. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The same principle applied when deployed on the ground. In short, with ¡®Destruction Verdict¡¯, the Alliance, when fortifying a planet, would truly make that planet difficult to conquer. Right now, Gu Hang had several worlds that needed such fortification. Light Blessing Star and Capital Star were prominently on the list. The Alliance was currently engaged in a battle of wits with the Fury Flame Battle Group on the front lines. Who knew if it would eventually escalate into a civil war? Chapter 881 - Chapter 881 Chapter 479 Apocalypse-level Technology_3 Chapter 881: Chapter 479, Apocalypse-level Technology_3 Chapter 881: Chapter 479, Apocalypse-level Technology_3 These two worlds were essential paths for the Fury Flame Battle Group to strike into the heartland of the Alliance, making it imperative to strengthen defenses. Gu Hang was still very much looking forward to having a few more draws in million-point ranges. For the current Alliance, accumulating one million Grace Points was not a particularly difficult task. First came the fixed monthly Grace Points that had increased significantly, mainly sourced from the growing number of vassals. Not to mention the Iron Tooth Greenskin Lair¡¯s four Star Sectors, which were almost devoid of humans and thus inconsequential; however, the regions previously acting as buffer zones between humans and Greenskins, known as the Iron Tooth Defense Line, had always been under human control. Indeed, to ensure the stability of the Iron Tooth Defense Line, the Star Domain Government had relocated countless people to these areas over the past few decades to bolster local defenses. Although four to five years under the Greenskin onslaught had severely damaged these worlds, the sheer number of them still stood. Golden Pass, Copper Barrier, and three other major Star Sectors were now largely under the control of the Alliance. Combined, these five Star Sectors comprised fifty-nine worlds, with an estimated total population exceeding 76 billion. This number was stark, as pre-war estimates had placed the population of these five Star Sectors at over 110 billion. In just four to five years, the Greenskins¡¯ comprehensive erosion had resulted in a 30% loss of the population, amounting to hundreds of billions of deaths. Terrifying indeed. But at least 76 billion people were left. These worlds were all incorporated into the Alliance¡¯s ¡°Seven Horse¡± framework. In fact, many of the original planetary governments had collapsed and ceased to exist. After taking over, the Alliance simply established cooperative governments on-site, directly incorporating them into the Economic Community Act, which brought them even closer to the Alliance than the Seven Horse framework. Moreover, as the ¡°savior,¡± the Alliance had garnered substantial support from the local populations, ensuring that none of these worlds were vassalized below LV3. They collectively contributed over three thousand Grace Points to the Alliance¡¯s monthly income. Adding to this the eight thousand from the Seven Horse Territory, the total exceeded ten thousand. Moreover, the domestic Grace Points income of the Alliance had skyrocketed from 39,000 to 58,000. This substantial increase was partly due to the continuous improvement in the Alliance¡¯s productivity. On the other hand, over ten worlds had been integrated into the Alliance¡¯s homeland. The worlds developing well under the Economic Community Act, which already provided substantial Grace Points, naturally yielded a significant boost when the vassal limits were removed and they were counted as part of the homeland. Now, Gu Hang received about seventy thousand Grace Points a month. Relying solely on a fixed income, he could accumulate over eight hundred thousand in a year, nearly enough for a million-point draw. The Alliance also had another major source of Grace Points income: war. Although the Temir War had ended, and the war that aimed at assassinating Chieftain Titus had also concluded, there appeared to be no large-scale combat operations forthcoming against the Greenskins. However, the threat of Greenskins still persisted on many worlds currently controlled by the Alliance and those it was disputing with the Fury Flame Battle Group. These isolated wars on various planetary surfaces provided Gu Hang with considerable Grace Points income for every victory. The exact amount depended on the scale of warfare on each planet. Regardless, a war staged on a planet that resulted in a landmark victory would allow for settlements; even if the cleanup of remaining enemies didn¡¯t yield many Grace Points, there were still some to be garnered. For example, on Temir No.5, the tens of billions of surviving Greenskins were essentially like pigs waiting to be slaughtered, with a very low proportion of Beastman youngsters, most being mere riffraffs. The Land Forces left there by the Alliance weren¡¯t numerous, primarily relying on the Pact Army formed locally and supported by war supplies sent by the Alliance, to carry out the extermination of the remaining Greenskins. According to reports from the Alliance War Committee to Gu Hang, Temir No.5 no longer needed much additional input from the Alliance; they were expected to clear the Greenskin threat from the planet within three to five years. The subsequent land purification and long-term control measures against the Greenskins would continue for decades, perhaps even centuries. But at least for now, the ongoing extermination operations could bring Gu Hang several thousand Grace Points each month. In similar ways, all these worlds were clearing out Greenskins, and Gu Hang was currently receiving about one hundred fifty thousand Grace Points a month from this aspect. An even larger revenue source came from clearing out the Greenskin strongholds. Jiang Meiyu, Iron Pass, Silver Pass, Kuoluo¨Cthese four Star Sectors, once fully occupied by Greenskins, had minimal deployment of ground troops by the Alliance. They were meticulously assessing the condition of each planet to decide which were worth saving. Only those planets with sufficient resources or favorable natural environments, where the Greenskins could be efficiently cleared at a small cost, were deemed worth saving. For those worlds lacking these factors, it was just as well to drop a Skyburn Torpedo. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Currently, the Alliance had fewer than ten Skyburn Torpedoes left, certainly not enough to cover all the worlds in these four Star Sectors needing an Extinction Order. But it didn¡¯t matter; surrounding them was sufficient while more Extinction Orders were being produced. Wherever the recovery cost exceeded the production cost of an Extinction Order, a torpedo would simply be dropped. And by clearing out a world in this way, Gu Hang could earn at least several tens of thousands of Grace Points. ¡ª¡ª¨C This chapter: 5k. Still owe: 50k Chapter 882 - Chapter 882 Chapter 480 Battleship Cruiser Technology Chapter 882: Chapter 480, Battleship Cruiser Technology Chapter 882: Chapter 480, Battleship Cruiser Technology The monthly income from our homeland, the income from vassal territories, the profits from clearing out the Green Skins in the controlled regions, the clearing operations in the four Star Sectors of the Iron Teeth¡¯s old nest¡­ These constituted the overall situation of Gu Hang¡¯s subsequent income of Grace Points. The bulk of it came from the last two items. Gu Hang even had a dark thought at one point, ¡°What if I don¡¯t exterminate all these Green Skins and instead wait for them to grow for a while before ¡®harvesting¡¯ them for a wave? Wouldn¡¯t that be an effective method for racking up Grace Points?¡± However, this idea only fleetingly crossed his mind before he cast it aside. It sounded tempting, but when he thought about it calmly, he realized it had the scent of courting death. Would anyone dare to breed something like the Green Skins? When you¡¯re delightfully collecting Grace Points, and in the midst of your collection, they suddenly produce a formidable figure capable of causing a huge disaster, that¡¯s all too possible. If it¡¯s another Titus, that¡¯s something the Alliance can¡¯t handle. Even if the Alliance has the ability to suppress a Green Skin uprising, what if the Alliance is engaged in external warfare at the time? A Green Skin uprising in the heartlands would be unbearable. Furthermore, Gu Hang seriously doubted the system panel¡¯s war mechanism would allow such a loophole, speculating that it might even reduce or completely withhold Grace Points in such instances. So, he decided to let it be. ¡­ Two years had passed, and Gu Hang was still calculating his Grace Points in his office. Oh, don¡¯t get the wrong idea, he definitely hadn¡¯t been sitting in his office for two years calculating. In fact, he had been very busy over the past two years. A third of his time on the front lines fighting, another third inspecting planets on tours, and the remainder of his time governing from the current capital world of the Alliance¨CFlying Wing Star. Over the two years, the Alliance¡¯s military constantly battled the Green Skin Orcs across various fronts, while also competing with the Furyflame Battle Group in countless ways other than direct warfare. This competition still had a positive effect. At least within the Dragonhawk Star Domain, the number of Green Skins and Aliens invading various planets was rapidly decreasing due to the strife between the two sides. In the struggle between two powers, the Green Skins were almost wiped out. After Titus¡¯s death, it was estimated that there were roughly 20 billion Green Skin invaders surviving across various Star Sectors. Now, that number might have dropped to less than eight billion. In fact, many worlds that suffered less damage could essentially declare that the Green Skins had been completely eradicated. As a result, Gu Hang had accrued 3.6 million Grace Points from this. His fixed monthly income continued to rise with the development of the Alliance, with more planets reaching vassal status or even joining the Alliance outright. From this development, Gu Hang had gained an additional two million and some over two years. The cleanup operation in the four Star Sectors that housed the Green Skin strongholds had also progressed smoothly. Among them, the Silver Pass Sector could basically declare the initial cleanup a success, with three worlds having experienced the scourge of the Skyburn Torpedo and been declared destroyed, while the remaining worlds were occupied by the Land Forces and the Pact Army. With the support of the Fleet, ground cleanup operations were underway. There were even tens of millions of civilians, under the guidance of the Alliance, who had immigrated to these planets. This was, of course, a tough job, but at times like this, the Alliance couldn¡¯t afford to be overly compassionate. For these planetary clearing operations, Gu Hang had reaped about five million more Grace Points. All in all, after two years, he had amassed another ten million Grace Points in his hands. Compared to the previous ten million Grace Points, this ten million was much easier to earn. But that did not mean the previous ten million were obtained in vain. On the contrary, without the victory of the Temir campaign, without the triumph of slaying Titus and destroying the Green Skin¡¯s main force, the Iron Teeth War might still be at a stalemate over the past two years. Where would one go to earn so many Grace Points? The current gains, in essence, were the cumulative benefits of the victories from two years ago. Now that he had ten million Grace Points in hand, Gu Hang was ready to begin his technological lottery again. Ten consecutive draws at the million-point tier! The opening chance of drawing Apocalypse-level Technology from the million-point tier was 20%. Last time fortune smiled upon him, and he hit it on his first attempt, reducing the chance to 15%. His ten consecutive draws, given this probability, would not be excessive to expect one or two, right? And the results were just as Gu Hang had hoped. One Apocalypse-class, four Epic-level, with the remaining five being less significant. Among these four Epic-level technologies, three were civilian technologies. [Nest Capital Design and Construction], [Planetary Climate Transformation Technology], [Advanced Biochemical Research Facilities]. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only These three technologies were, of course, very useful. The Nest Capitals, no matter how crappy the living conditions, with the people at the bottom levels living lives that are miserable, require an extremely high level of city development. A three-dimensional city containing multiple levels, hundreds of different planes, with buildings distributed in an orderly fashion, capable of accommodating hundreds of millions of people. Maintaining smooth traffic and ensuring the efficient operation of various functional areas under such high density¡­ The level of city construction is incredibly astonishing. In Gu Hang¡¯s view, the miserable lives of many inhabitants of the Empire¡¯s Nest Capital Worlds were primarily due to a serious mismatch in productive forces, poor management levels, and an excess population that had exceeded the environmental carrying capacity. In conclusion, it was a man-made disaster, unrelated to the level of design of the Nest Capitals. Chapter 883 - Chapter 883 Chapter 480 Battleship Cruiser Technology_2 Chapter 883: Chapter 480, Battleship Cruiser Technology_2 Chapter 883: Chapter 480, Battleship Cruiser Technology_2 On the contrary, the city construction technology and design level of ¡°Nest Capital,¡± handed down from ancient times, have concealed quite a number of issues. If it weren¡¯t for the advanced urban construction capabilities, those poorly constructed Nest Capital Worlds could not support the population of tens or even hundreds of billions¨Cthey would have descended into chaos long ago. The Alliance wouldn¡¯t make such a mistake; they¡¯ve already gained corresponding experience in Korolya, a proper Nest Capital World. Subsequently, if there¡¯s a need to construct a Nest Capital, the first consideration should be its purpose. It¡¯s certainly not for thoughtlessly increasing the population; instead, the causality should be reversed. If a planet truly needs a large population due to environmental capacity and industrial scale requirements and necessitates high-density conglomerations, then constructing a Nest Capital is warranted; otherwise, maintaining an excessively large population on the planet isn¡¯t justified, and surplus population should be directed toward interstellar colonization. And when the condition of accommodating an ultra-high-density population is indeed met, and Nest Capitals are to be built, the corresponding level of city management must also keep pace. Nest Capitals should be developed, super-structured urban complexes with high standards in production, living, and commerce, not super-high-density, giant slums. Nest Capitals established on various worlds, and areas resembling Nest Capital districts, are the result of historical legacies that can¡¯t be helped. But even so, the Alliance hasn¡¯t abandoned governance. In the subsequent development plans, transforming these high-density residential areas is a priority, not to mention the construction of new Nest Capitals. And the technology that Gu Hang has drawn now is not only useful for future Nest Capital construction but also provides significant technical support for the renovation of current high-density residential areas and Nest Capitals throughout Alliance territories. With the Alliance¡¯s level of governance catching up, better technology can fix the original, irrational aspects of Nest Capital design and construction and maintain the infrastructure of Nest Capitals that have aged and deteriorated over long periods of use. Moreover, even if it¡¯s not a Nest Capital, but at least a city or urban agglomeration, Nest Capital technology has many aspects that can be referenced and applied. This is obviously beneficial for the development of the Alliance. The use of [Planetary Climate Modification Technology] is even more straightforward. It¡¯s like getting a pillow when you¡¯re sleepy. The Alliance has already deployed quite a few Skyburn Torpedoes. This Extinction Order burns away the entire planet¡¯s atmosphere and oceans in a great conflagration, which solves the problem once and for all, but also completely devastates the planet¡¯s climate. Without an atmosphere, the soil turns into a lifeless, pure desert, and in some areas, even ¡°glassified,¡± with the oceans no longer existing. A planet like this cannot be reused or recolonized. However, Planetary Climate Modification Technology can offer salvation. Of course, it¡¯s not a total change. Sometimes Skyburn Torpedoes don¡¯t burn thoroughly enough; in that case, modifying the climate might suffice. But if a planet has truly been turned into a ¡°glass ball,¡± then merely modifying the climate won¡¯t be effective¨Cit might also require Terrareform Technology. But that might be a bit higher-end. If Terrareform and Climate Modification technologies are both available, they can almost transform a completely dead planet into one suitable for habitation. Even if not used on worlds dealt with by the Extinction Order, among the many Star Systems currently under Alliance control, there are some with subpar climate and environmental conditions. If it can save one, it saves one. However, the costs of climate modification technology are quite substantial, and too drastic climate changes can also cause adverse effects. Hence, the specific application of this technology must still be tailored to different worlds and specific conditions. Especially for planets that already have certain development, we must be cautious and slow, even if the effects are less than ideal. Nevertheless, it has an immediate application: Rage Owl Star. The place where Gu Hang started has now become a jewel of the Alliance. Its development mainly relied on the various production capacities Gu Hang began with, as well as numerous new industries subsequently introduced there. The planet¡¯s inherent conditions, before the devastating war a hundred years ago, were top-notch; but now, they¡¯re deficient. Modifying the climate and adding Gu Hang¡¯s ability to harness the Storm God Kingdom to handle the subspace energy leak, could effectively mitigate Low Energy Storm issues, and even reignite the Spiritualized Gas Fields. This could elevate Rage Owl Star¡¯s natural environment and planetary resources by several grades. This matter, Gu Hang no longer intended to delay. He was ready to immediately go to Rage Owl Star and start handling it, estimating that it would take about three months to complete the preliminary work. Of course, all of this still depended on the Black Box of ¡°Planetary Climate Modification Technology¡± to produce the relevant equipment, which would also require a massive amount of energy supply. But now, the Alliance actually wasn¡¯t short on energy. Stellar Energy Technology had been in use for a while, and around many star systems controlled by the Alliance, these energy factories were distributed. Certainly nowhere near the extent of a ¡°Dyson Sphere,¡± but building a small section had little impact on the balance of a star system. However, the energy collected was already quite powerful. These accumulated energies should be enough to support the application of the climate modification technology. The third technology, ¡°Advanced Biochemical Research Facilities,¡± was a Black Box for creating a variety of high-end biochemical research equipment, used to assemble corresponding laboratories and research offices. In Gu Hang¡¯s view, its greatest significance was not about inventing new creations¨Ccreating new technologies in this universe was a very difficult and dangerous affair. Its main significance lay in helping the Alliance fully digest and master those technologies Gu Hang had already obtained through the lottery. Relying purely on the lottery was unreliable; it only gave one finished product Black Box and a mother machine Black Box. The latter could indeed pull out production lines, but it could only do so one by one, and the Alliance itself did not have the ability to build corresponding production lines. But if the technology could be thoroughly understood, it would be different; the speed of production capacity would become much faster. However, the biochemical research facility was a bit unreliable. Among the technologies Gu Hang currently obtained, especially the high-grade technologies, not so many were related to biochemistry. But it was a good signal; if a facility for engineering research or vessel research was drawn later, the benefit would be even greater. ¡­ Besides the three civilian technologies, an Epic Technology also emerged¨C¡°Dragon Elephant War Machine.¡± It was a continuation of the Wind Falcon and Qilin lineage but of a higher grade and larger size. This machine was not cheap to build, costing about 1.4 million apiece. This price was almost two hundred times that of the Wind Falcon, and twelve times that of the Qilin. But similarly, its value was extraordinary. Its huge size made it look more like an airship; unlike the Wind Falcon which could only carry individual soldiers, or the Qilin which could only carry light vehicles, the Dragon Elephant could carry Knight Mecha, Warhound Titan, and Lion Tanks, which were heavy armor and vehicles. This would provide troops with a stronger deployment capacity during rapid maneuvers and strikes behind enemy lines. Moreover, if not used to transport troops but purely as an aerial combat platform, the Dragon Elephant¡¯s role was also very significant. It could directly carry a starship-grade M-class cannon onboard. Although it was a castrated version, it was still a cannon, offering incredibly powerful air-to-ground support. Even more, it could carry two L-class grade ¡°Scorching East Wind¡± air-launched missiles, or fourteen M-class grade Sky Cleave Axe Missiles. Having several Dragon Elephants in support was akin to having a destroyer floating in the sky. Of course, it could be shot down by anti-air firepower, and that loss could be quite substantial. A single Dragon Elephant was worth millions, and if it carried two Scorching East Wind missiles, the cost of the missiles alone could surpass the machine itself. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But regardless, with the ¡°Dragon Elephant,¡± the Alliance Army Air Corps now had a powerful weapon; likewise, the Alliance Navy could also equip some space versions of the Dragon Elephant War Machines for space battles. ¡­ Aside from these four Epic Technologies, the last Apocalypse-level Technology that Gu Hang drew had finally lived up to his two years of waiting. ¡°Battleship Cruiser Technology¡±! It had finally arrived! Chapter 884 - Chapter 884 Chapter 481 Only a Madman Would Pay You Taxes Chapter 884: Chapter 481, Only a Madman Would Pay You Taxes! Chapter 884: Chapter 481, Only a Madman Would Pay You Taxes! Battleship Cruiser! Though not truly a battleship, its significance might not be less than that of a battleship itself. Essentially, it¡¯s a high-speed battleship. Compared to battleships, the battleship cruiser has slightly thinner armor and slightly weaker firepower, but the speed gained from sacrificing some armor endows it with extremely high tactical value. It possesses firepower akin to that of a battleship, yet has the speed of a cruiser. In the Empire, the mainstream idea is still centered on fleet engagements, with thick armor, sturdy shields, and fierce firepower making the battleship the undisputed core; however, within the Imperial Navy doctrine, there are theorists and Navy Generals who, in wartime, favor the battleship cruiser. Its pursuit is to outpace any ship that can outrun mine and outgun any ship that can outgun mine. The former refers to cruisers¨Cbattleship cruisers can easily defeat cruisers through superior speed and firepower; The latter refers to battleships, those much slower than cruisers for battleship cruisers, that truly can¡¯t catch up. It might even circle around to the other side of a star or planet before the battleship can close in. This grants the battleship cruiser a very flexible role in warfare. It¡¯s more suited for solitary operations than a battleship, less likely to fail in striking the enemy or getting easily surrounded; It can serve as the vanguard during fleet operations, pushing the enemy¡¯s vanguard into difficult positions. If the enemy¡¯s vanguard fleet engages alone, it¡¯s obviously disadvantageous for them. If the enemy vanguard retreats to join the main force, the battleship cruiser can use its high speed to chase from behind, inflicting significant damage before engagement; it can also flank the enemy fleet, creating a side-attack advantage; or, if impossible, it can return to the main fleet during major engagements, acting as a standard battleship. It can also act as a rearguard, quickly joining the frontline battle after the onset; and during retreats, it can hold off enemies, making itself an unavoidable target, yet capable of swiftly disengaging from combat due to its speed advantage. Among the Imperial Navy, those who support the battleship cruiser believe that under the current cosmic conditions, where forces are balanced, relying on battleships to resolve fleet battles is a rare occurrence. In wars, there¡¯s always one side with an advantage and the other at a disadvantage. As the superior side, battleship cruisers can better chase, disrupt, and annihilate enemies; as the inferior side, they are more flexible and capable of outmaneuvering the cumbersome battleships. They believe that building more battleship cruisers, rather than traditional battleships, represents a more advanced approach. Gu Hang, not caring about which theory is right or wrong, if forced to choose, he chooses to have it all! And now, before drawing a battleship, getting a battle cruiser is also a good choice. The battleship cruiser drawn this time is named ¡®Holy Grail Class,¡¯ similar in length to the Retribution-class battleship but much slenderer; it uses a similar power specification, even slightly stronger. Its firepower is also formidable, unable to surpass a true battleship, but when compared with a cruiser, it¡¯s simply overpowering. With 12 L-sized cannons, six times that of the Lunar Class, and one X-sized cannon, it¡¯s truly a death sentence for cruisers. But the cost is that its armor and Void Shield ability level, compared to a Lunar-Class cruiser, can be considered in the same category, only slightly stronger, not much difference, and certainly no match for a battleship. But how does that matter? Gu Hang still doesn¡¯t know how long it will take to construct a battleship after drawing battleship technology, but it seems, it will take quite a long time; however, building a ¡®Holy Grail¡¯ only requires 6 years, time-wise just two years more than a Lunar-Class cruiser! But the cost is much higher, one ¡®Holy Grail¡¯ costs 450 billion Tax Currency, five times that of the Lunar Class. And currently, the Alliance doesn¡¯t have any dock capable of building the Holy Grail. The docks for building cruisers are too small, without even a margin for remodeling. The Alliance will need to construct bigger docks to accommodate the assembly and production of the Holy Grail Class. But fortunately, Gu Hang had planned for this. He never doubted that he would draw larger ship technologies; it was just a matter of sooner or later. In fact, the dock where ¡®Firebath Nova¡¯ was positioned during the washing process, originally for the gigantic belly-class transport ship, had been undergoing modifications for the past two and half years, to make it more suitable for a battleship military dock. On one hand, it facilitates the need for the Firebath Nova to return for major repairs when necessary, on the other hand, it prepares for the current situation. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They can start construction now. Finished Black Boxes can pull out some high-difficulty components, and as one gets produced, they are sent skyward; production lines are methodically set up, starting from simple ones; and finally, assembly work is completed within the battleship dock. With the help of Finished Black Boxes, the construction time for the Alliance¡¯s first battleship could be cut by more than half. Of course, if two ships were constructed simultaneously, the help from the Finished Black Box wouldn¡¯t be as significant. But currently, the Alliance only has the capability to start one vessel, unless a new large dock is built and a complete production line capable of handling all parts of a battleship cruiser is established. Chapter 885 - Chapter 885 Chapter 481 Only a Madman Would Pay You Taxes_2 Chapter 885: Chapter 481, Only a Madman Would Pay You Taxes!_2 Chapter 885: Chapter 481, Only a Madman Would Pay You Taxes!_2 But for now, it was enough. The Alliance urgently needed the ¡°Holy Grail¡±! If a Battleship Cruiser could be built in three years, that would be quite an achievement. A Battleship Cruiser could barely serve as the flagship of a Star Domain Level Fleet, holding its own in a show of force. ¡­ After completing the technology lottery, the Black Box with Gu Hang¡¯s name naturally ended up in the Black Box Factory within the Storm God Kingdom, operated by the Heroic Spirits; the related products would then pass through the Alliance¡¯s research institutes before being delivered to the specific industrial sectors that manufactured these products. At the same time, the Alliance Government would receive instructions from Gu Hang to start planning according to the new technological capabilities and ensure these technological products were effectively implemented, providing significant assistance to the development of the Alliance. Gu Hang himself was far from idle. He took his entire staff team and headed to Rage Owl Star. Bringing the team ensured the smooth operation of all tasks related to the function of the ¡°Alliance Governor¡± after leaving Flying Wing Star. Additionally, the trip to Rage Owl Star aimed to utilize the Planetary Climate Transformation Technology. Rage Owl Star was the first location where Gu Hang planned to use his potent psychic powers and the close relationship between the Storm God Kingdom and Rage Owl Star to not only alter the planet¡¯s climate but also to alleviate the permeation of subspace energy. The particularity of Rage Owl Star lay in the thinness of its reality veil. During the flourishing era centuries ago, this was a blessing, bringing forth advanced energy sources like Spiritualized Gas Fields. Over a hundred years ago, however, it turned into disaster. Excessive exploitation of the Spiritualized Gas Fields led to uncontrollable subspace energy seepage, and an accident caused a Subspace Rift and a demonic invasion. The Imperial Army did suppress the demons, destroyed the Subspace Rift, and saved Rage Owl Star from total annihilation. But now, it became an advantage again. With the climate transformation technology and Gu Hang¡¯s control over the Storm God Kingdom, combined with the native Subspace region of Rage Owl Star, it was possible to quell the energy storms and have the Spiritualized Gas Fields emerge anew. Moreover, there was less concern for a repeat of the disaster going forward. In its heyday, Rage Owl Star mined the Spiritualized Gas Fields for hundreds or thousands of years with only one major incident occurring, meaning the probability was initially low. Not to mention that the Subspace region closest to Rage Owl Star now was Gu Hang¡¯s own Storm God Kingdom. Demons wishing to invade Rage Owl Star? They would have to contend with the Storm God Kingdom first. Gu Hang intended to stay on Rage Owl Star peacefully for three months, working in tandem with climate transformation devices taken from finished Black Boxes, to begin the preliminary work on transforming the planet. Once the most challenging part was done, the fine-tuning and maintenance could proceed without him necessarily being on-site. However, during the second month of Gu Hang¡¯s work on Rage Owl Star, trouble found him, courtesy of the Fury Flame Battle Group. An old acquaintance arrived, none other than Ms. Nell Raouise, previously the Chief Administrator of Dragonhawk Star Domain, now back to her old role, leading a Tax Fleet towards the controlled regions of the Alliance, currently held up outside Capital Star by the Alliance¡¯s ¡°border defense.¡± The Tax Fleet led by Raouise didn¡¯t try to force its way through but made its purpose clear: collecting Imperial Taxes. The war was largely over, and the Eastern and Western parts of the Star Domain were nominally reunited. With the Imperial Taxes stalled for several years, it was time to resume payments. The news of the Star Domain Government¡¯s Tax Fleet¡¯s arrival was promptly relayed back. Without orders, the border defense dared not let them pass. The Alliance War Committee and the Alliance Government, upon seeing the message from the border defense, were also hesitant to make a unilateral decision. Osenia made a Star Speech call to Gu Hang to report the situation, waiting for Mr. Gu¡¯s directives. ¡°Blast her away,¡± Gu Hang gave a very clear response. ¡°But the Imperial Tax¡­ Didn¡¯t you instruct our Finance Department to specifically reserve a budget for paying the Imperial Tax?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, we of course need to pay the Imperial Tax. Is our loyalty to the Empire in question? Of course, we will pay the Imperial Tax.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At this point, Gu Hang paused, then continued, ¡°But who said we have to pay the Imperial Tax to the Star Domain Government?¡± Osenia inquired, ¡°You mean to directly contact a higher tier of government to make this tax payment?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly what I mean,¡± said Gu Hang, ¡°We pay the Imperial Tax to the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government, but can we trust Raouise to fill her Tax Fleet with tax currency and deliver it to Yunluo Star to be transferred to the Empire¡¯s hands? Clearly not. How much of the Imperial Tax collected by the western part of the Star Domain actually gets passed on? Didn¡¯t the Fury Flame Battle Group cleverly create numerous pretexts to spend it on themselves?¡± ¡°No matter how many valid reasons there are, the majority of the Imperial Taxes currently collected by the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government is under the control of the Fury Flame Battle Group. They have too many justifications for spending these taxes¨Csubduing rebellions, defense, clearing out Green Skins¡­ just like what they did with ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ in the Princess Star Domain.¡± ¡°If we dutifully pay our taxes to the Star Domain Government, we would have to hand over one-tenth of the Alliance¡¯s outputs¨Cthe past two years¡¯ Imperial Taxes total up to 76 billion tax currency in materials! Are we insane? To give 76 billion to the Fury Flame and then let them use our own money to fight us?¡± Chapter 886 - Chapter 886 Chapter 481 Only a Madman Would Pay You Taxes_3 Chapter 886: Chapter 481, Only a Madman Would Pay You Taxes!_3 Chapter 886: Chapter 481, Only a Madman Would Pay You Taxes!_3 ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying, I¡¯ll arrange the corresponding transport fleet and escort work right away. The route we now have to choose, leading to the Wuji Star at the Cosmic Domain Capital, might be a bit roundabout. We¡¯ll have to go from the East Adjoining Starfield on the eastern side to the Wuji Starfield. The journey in-between is quite convoluted, and it¡¯s not necessarily safe. We will need to dedicate a significant portion of our forces to ensure the safety of the Tax Fleet¡¯s arrival at the target. A round trip will take at least six months to complete this tax payment.¡± ¡°What I want to say is, paying the Imperial Tax imposes a significant pressure on us. This task, it not only occupies a part of our naval vessels but, more importantly, it also takes up one-third of our interstellar transport capacity. A large number of transport ships will be engaged to handle the transportation of the huge amount of materials represented by the Imperial Tax. These are all costs of levying and transporting taxes, which used to be borne by the Star Domain Government. Now, we have to bear them ourselves¡­¡± Osenia¡¯s voice sounded somewhat discontented. Which was understandable. As the Prime Minister of the Alliance Government, they hadn¡¯t paid Imperial Taxes in recent years¨Cno, that¡¯s not right, the Imperial Taxes had been used locally, the accounts were still clear¨Cnow that they suddenly had to pay taxes formally, it really hurt. The area occupied by the Alliance wasn¡¯t small. In the recent two years, in the struggle with the Fury Flame Battle Group, the Alliance had basically stabilized outside Seven Horse Territory and controlled an additional 12 Star Sectors. Excluding the four Star Sectors without any output, which were strongholds of the Green Skins with no other population but new immigrants, naturally, there wouldn¡¯t be a matter of Imperial Taxes. But for the remaining eight Star Sectors now in the hands of the Alliance, the Alliance naturally had the responsibility to pay taxes. It wasn¡¯t the Alliance paying directly, but these planets were. However, since these planets were either under the common defense framework or under the Economic Community Act, in Osenia¡¯s eyes, their money was as good as the Alliance¡¯s money! When they were paying taxes, it was as if the Alliance was paying taxes! These newly acquired territories, with a total population of over 150 billion, naturally meant the Imperial Taxes reached over 15 billion Tax Currency. But these planets had only just come into the hands of the Alliance, hadn¡¯t had time to develop, and, furthermore, substantial initial investments were needed for later development. The money levied from these planets, after being used to pay Imperial Taxes, left the Alliance with a remaining fiscal balance of just over five billion. And this was based on the residents of these planets having very low living standards, with an average annual consumption per capita of only about 0.6-0.7. Life was so miserable and heavily exploited that they could only squeeze out this little bit. Should the Alliance then go on to pour money into developing these places, that fiscal surplus of fifty-odd billion was definitely not going to be enough, and the Alliance would still need to put more money in! To toil so hard, only to work for the Imperial Tax? And to lose money? Osenia certainly wasn¡¯t satisfied. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just about the Imperial Tax; that was inevitable, a sum that couldn¡¯t be avoided no matter what. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But what made Osenia even more frustrated was that it seemed the cost of paying the tax would still be borne by the Alliance in the future. One-third of the Alliance¡¯s transport ships being occupied for more than half a year, what a tremendous capital loss? This would impact the development of the Alliance. Osenia¡¯s thoughts were roughly understood by Gu Hang. He could only offer consolation, ¡°I know it¡¯s not easy, but we must do it. In the future, we will have to reach this point one day, better to take this step now using the Fury Flame Battle Group, a circumstance everyone can understand, as an opportunity. Tell the United Fleet to allocate four cruisers to form a battle group for this escort fleet.¡± With that, Gu Hang added, ¡°Moreover, we don¡¯t actually need to transport all the materials to Wuji Star.¡± ¡°Hisss!¡± Osenia sucked in a breath of cold air; just now, the Governor was criticizing Furyflame for intercepting the Imperial Tax, and now you¡¯re suggesting¡­? Chapter 887 - Chapter 887 Chapter 482 you made the right choice Chapter 887: Chapter 482, you made the right choice Chapter 887: Chapter 482, you made the right choice Through the virtual image of the Star Speech phone, Gu Hang saw the astonishment on Osenia¡¯s face and said discontentedly, ¡°What kind of expression is that?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Nothing, I¡¯m just waiting to hear the next brilliant remarks from you, Governor.¡± The corner of Gu Hang¡¯s mouth twitched, and he decided not to stoop to Osenia¡¯s level, explaining patiently, ¡°Doing something similar to the Fury Flame Battle Group is not something we can afford to do. They have many reasons for intercepting Imperial Tax, but the main part still lies in claiming that the Green Skins on various planets in their control zone have not been completely eliminated, necessitating significant investments, and thus they demand unilateral tax reductions or substitutions in lieu of tax.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s illegal because theoretically, the Green Skin threat on each planet is the responsibility of the local government of those planets to resolve. Even if combat is conducted in the name of the Star Domain Government, the only portion they can legitimately retain is what the original Star Domain Government was able to keep. But the amount intercepted by the Fury Flame Battle Group far exceeds what a normal Star Domain Government would be allowed to retain. This greatly offends the higher-level government while also damaging their reputation.¡± ¡°We have to differentiate ourselves from the Fury Flame Battle Group; we cannot be the same as them in this regard, or else we become tarred with the same brush.¡± Osenia nodded, indicating her understanding, but she also said, ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying, but¡­ the cost of bearing the 76 billion Tax Currency plus collection and transportation ourselves is still too steep. If we go by that figure, it could impact our current four-year plan.¡± Gu Hang agreed with Osenia¡¯s point. Imperial Tax is for the Empire, but parting with so much cash is always done reluctantly, especially when the numbers are so vast. 76 billion¡­ that¡¯s almost enough to build one and a half Holy Grail Class Battleship Cruisers! ¡°So, we need to think of some other methods,¡± Gu Hang said. ¡°I¡¯ve discussed this with the Space Domain Government; they are of course happy for us to do this since a large amount of wealth would flow directly to them, skipping the Star Domain Government altogether. Chairman Zuo is also aware that if the Dragonhawk Star Domain gets the taxes, most of it will end up in Furyflame¡¯s hands, and there won¡¯t be much left to deliver.¡± ¡°Next, I will talk to the Space Domain Government again. Since they are reaping such large benefits, it¡¯s only fair that they share some of the costs. I¡¯m fairly confident they should agree.¡± After pondering for a while, Osenia asked, ¡°Is there a chance to get a direct tax reduction? To deduct the costs right at our step.¡± ¡°It should be possible.¡± ¡°That would indeed relieve quite a bit of pressure.¡± ¡°Moreover, we don¡¯t really need to transport so many resources all the way to Wuji Star ourselves. I¡¯ve spoken with the Space Domain Government and the government of the neighboring East Adjoining Starfield. We can deliver the materials directly to Abundant Spirit Star, and they can transfer them.¡± ¡°That would save a considerable amount of time and costs!¡± It was all legal and legitimate to do so. When collecting Imperial Tax, large amounts of physical materials would never actually be transported all the way to Holy Terra and handed over to the Central Empire, then distributed according to need to various Cosmos Domains, Star Domains, and Star Sectors. The wear and tear on the road would be immense. Transportation costs would indeed decrease significantly with scale; however, even then, such a large base figure requires a substantial number of ships, which wouldn¡¯t be used for anything else, and the fuel costs for the trip were extremely high. Such a degree of waste is something even the Empire can¡¯t bear. It was for this reason that the Empire¡¯s method of handling Imperial Tax allowed the Star Domain and Space Domain Governments to retain a portion; the remainder that goes to the central authorities would not actually all be transported to Holy Terra. Some would be distributed in accordance with the Empire¡¯s current strategic objectives to the areas in need, while the rest would establish storage worlds within various Cosmos Domains for resource storage. The costs generated in these processes are usually borne by the Imperial System. The Alliance now handling the transfer of tax duties effectively replaced part of the Star Domain Government¡¯s functions, so they could naturally require that these costs not be borne by themselves. However, this situation was somewhat unreasonable. The Star Domain Government is theoretically still in existence; is it your turn, Alliance, to pay taxes directly to the top? If the Space Domain Government stood by the Star Domain Government and rejected your taxes submitted out of turn, then it would be all over. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only That is, in fact, the most likely scenario to occur. The Star Domain Government is an official subordinate of the Space Domain Government with a direct affiliation under normal circumstances. The Space Domain Government would not normally accept taxes paid directly by a local power within a Star Domain. It was only due to the exceptional circumstances of the Dragonhawk Star Domain and the implications from Zuo Zhaofeng, the Cosmic Domain Chair, facilitated by Galaraldo, that this could be arranged. And it wasn¡¯t just arranged. ¡°I will also talk to Chairman Zuo later. After all, we are currently in a state of war, and we indeed have assumed half of the Star Domain Government¡¯s responsibilities. Accordingly, we should also be able to receive a part of the appropriations for the Star Domain Government. Getting the standard 30% might be difficult, but 20% should be fair.¡± ¡°However, the method of retention can¡¯t be for me to keep it directly. We still have to give it up, and then the Space Domain Government will provide the funding. Osenia, you need to be prepared to receive it accordingly.¡± Chapter 888 - Chapter 888 Chapter 482 you made the right choice_2 Chapter 888: Chapter 482, you made the right choice_2 Chapter 888: Chapter 482, you made the right choice_2 ¡°I understand,¡± Osenia nodded. She didn¡¯t ask why they had to go to these lengths. She knew the reason; it was a matter of legitimacy. No matter what, the Alliance still wasn¡¯t a Star Domain Government. It was already against the rules to pay taxes directly to a higher authority bypassing the Star Domain Government, and keeping the Imperial Tax for themselves would be even more out of line. However, after the taxes were paid, having the Space Domain Government redistribute them as special funding was a relatively better approach. Before ending the communication, Osenia said to Gu Hang, ¡°Governor, this cannot be a long-term solution. Furyflame has caused us too much trouble with things like this. I look forward to the day you become the true master of Dragonhawk.¡± ¡°Very soon.¡± ¡­ As Osenia said, the Imperial Tax was not the first problem Furyflame sought to create. Over the past two years, they had used similar tactics to cause numerous troubles for the Alliance. The simplest was sending Star Zone Leaders and Planetary Governors to occupied territories in the name of the Star Domain Government. Every time someone was sent, Gu Hang detained them. As supreme commander, they would issue orders to the Alliance Army. Every order was ignored. Other measures, like cutting off trade, were routine. Furyflame Battle Group clearly knew these acts would have no results. But each time the Alliance detained or expelled an official from the Star Domain Government, or ignored an order from the Star Domain Government, they provided Furyflame with an argument, an excuse. They made use of these to vigorously denounce Gu Hang¡¯s overbearing behavior, to attack the Alliance as separatists, labeling them as traitors. This wasn¡¯t said for Gu Hang¡¯s benefit, but aimed at the surrounding star domains, the Space Domain Government, and up to the Central Empire. How could the Alliance handle this? Such accusations couldn¡¯t stand unchallenged, leaving them only to refute. Of course, mere refutation wouldn¡¯t suffice. Any explanation was still a defensive move. The Alliance also relentlessly criticized the Fury Flame Battle Group for hijacking the Star Domain Government, harbouring malicious intentions, and being traitors to the Empire. Insulting others is easy enough, isn¡¯t it? Then there was another infuriating affair: claiming battle honors from the Iron Teeth War. Theoretically, since the Iron Teeth War took place in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, the victory report detailing the conduct and outcome of the war should be submitted by the Star Domain Government. This process decided who, which military forces, had played a larger role in the war, and specifically what their contributions were. This determined not just issues of honor but how the Empire¡¯s rewards would be allocated. Funding for planetary reconstruction and replenishing military losses were matters of practical benefit. For Gu Hang, an even more crucial matter was asserting his indisputable merit in the war, aiming to obtain the legitimate standing of the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government. The various troubles Furyflame caused were essentially leveraging the naturally legal title of the Star Domain Government. The key to resolving these issues was to become the spokesperson for legitimacy. But since Gu Hang already clashed with Furyflame, how could he expect them to speak well of him? Submitting victory reports through the Star Domain Government to the higher authorities would likely render the Alliance invisible. Gu Hang profoundly understood that victory and the fruits of victory were two different things. It was possible to win a war and end up with nothing. He had to fight for that right to speak. His war report, like the Imperial Tax, bypassed the Star Domain Government and was sent directly to higher authority. However, the efficiency of the Empire was dreadfully slow. A year ago, Gu Hang had contacted Galaraldo to ask about the conclusion of the Dragonhawk Star Domain war. At that time, Galaraldo told him that the relevant information had not yet reached the Imperial Military Department! Gu Hang had no choice but to inquire with the Space Domain Government, and Chairman Zuo said he had already sent it. What a mess. Now, no one knew where this victory report was stuck. But reportedly, this was normal. For Holy Terra, the Eastern Cosmos Domain¡­ is a rather remote place. Here, a star-field-level war had unfolded, its scale was only so-so. In the entire universe, within the Imperial Territory, wars of a similar scale were exaggerated if one said they happened every day¨Cthey were happening several times a day! Wait patiently. But all things considered, with the attention of big shots like Zuo Zhaofeng and Galaraldo, efficiency would inevitably be a bit faster than usual. And so, the wait continued until now. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t very well keep pushing. He just had to keep waiting. And if the final result he waited for turned out to be unsatisfactory, he also had some backup plans in readiness. Hopefully, they would not be needed. ¡­ Gu Hang had not yet received a response to the war report when an old acquaintance arrived first. It was Lois. The Alliance border troops at Capital Star, after receiving instructions from Governor Gu, naturally had to drive away the Tax Fleet led by Lois. They denied the Tax Fleet¡¯s docking request, the Navy was closing in, and they warned this Dragonhawk Tax Fleet that if they forced their way through the Capital Star System¡¯s jump point, it would be considered an act of war. But the Tax Fleet didn¡¯t leave. Lois made a request for a personal communication with Gu Hang. Gu Hang thought this high official from the Star Domain Government was going to try to persuade him of something. After all, Gu Hang could guess why the Fury Flame Battle Group had made Lois the tax official¨Cit was because of the so-called ¡°grace of knowing¡± that Lois had toward him. Of course, they knew it was impossible to collect money from Gu Hang, and it was also about irritating Gu Hang. Moreover, the nature of the Imperial Tax was worse than anything else. They were just waiting to use the issue Gu Hang brushed off to keep nitpicking. In theory, after being expelled by the Alliance, Lois should have already obtained what she needed and should have left. What is there to talk about? However, once they really connected, Gu Hang realized that he was wrong. ¡°Gu Hang, please save the Star Domain Government,¡± Lois said as her first sentence. ¡°Save the Star Domain Government?¡± Gu Hang replied, ¡°How? Can the Star Domain Government admit that you¡¯ve been coerced by the Fury Flame Battle Group?¡± ¡°Of course! That¡¯s the truth!¡± Gu Hang gave no direct response but continued to ask, ¡°So, does the Star Domain Government want to give me a secret order to expel the Fury Flame Battle Group with troops?¡± ¡°If you need it, of course!¡± ¡°Very well, please issue the secret order,¡± Gu Hang said with a smile. But his heart was ice-cold. Even with the so-called secret order, he couldn¡¯t possibly send troops westward to fight a civil war. This move was just like every other time the Fury Flame Battle Group annoyed him; with this secret order, Gu Hang could openly declare, ¡°Look at what the Fury Flame Battle Group has put the Star Domain Government through.¡± But Lois didn¡¯t give him that secret order. She said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back to Yunluo Star.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Oh?¡± It was at this point that Gu Hang truly became interested. ¡°If I go back, it would be meaningless. I would just continue to be a puppet for the Fury Flame Battle Group; they¡¯ve never thought about leaving the Star Domain Government, Tan Jiuyi¡¯s wishful thinking is just a dream!¡± ¡°I want to restructure the Star Domain Government in the Eastern Star Domain, or at least restructure the structure of the Star Domain Administration Department. Gu Hang¡­ will you support me?¡± Gu Hang¡¯s tone warmed up: ¡°Of course! We¡¯re old friends, I will certainly support you fully! The actions of the Fury Flame Battle Group are just too excessive; the Star Domain Government needs people like you, Director Lois, to stand up, expose them, and independently take on the responsibilities that the Star Domain Government should bear! If you wish, then stay. The Alliance will provide you with all the help you need.¡± ¡°Believe me, Director Lois, you have made the most correct choice!¡± Chapter 889 - Chapter 889 Chapter 483 Silver Tribunal Chapter 889: Chapter 483, Silver Tribunal Chapter 889: Chapter 483, Silver Tribunal Lois¡¯s choice was indeed a pleasant surprise for Gu Hang. Wasn¡¯t legality the concern? With Lois¡¯s help, Gu Hang could indeed clear several hurdles. As the Chief Director of the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government Affairs Department, she could be considered the second in command throughout the Star Domain Government. Once she arrived, Gu Hang could establish a smaller Star Domain Government within his controlled area. The justification was clear: the Chief Administrator was here to conduct the operations of the Star Domain Administration Department, which was quite reasonable. Afterwards, Gu Hang could also act in the name of the Star Domain Government. Even more, he could turn back and cause some trouble for the Fury Flame Battle Group. This was the conflict between ¡°name¡± and ¡°reality.¡± In fact, having suffered quite a few setbacks in the name of the Star Domain Government, Gu Hang also made some efforts in this regard. Although filled with difficulties, the Alliance¡¯s intelligence departments had each exhibited their prowess, thinking of methods to insert agents into the various worlds of the Western Dragonhawk Star Domain, including Yunluo Star. These agents weren¡¯t realistic in staging rebellions, as the Alliance¡¯s influence and capacity to incite were not sufficient; but they were capable of gathering some intelligence and making covert contacts with certain key figures. With this intelligence, even though it wasn¡¯t all classified, Gu Hang could see that the Star Domain Government wasn¡¯t willingly serving the Fury Flame Battle Group like a loyal dog. Some high officials in the Star Domain Government had reached a certain understanding with the Alliance. They couldn¡¯t directly oppose the Fury Flame Battle Group, but they could pass information to the Alliance; they didn¡¯t dare to overtly assist the Alliance, yet they were able to resist and delay certain cooperations needed by the Fury Flame Battle Group, thus increasing their operational costs. After all, the Fury Flame Battle Group consisted of alien forces; half a Star Domain, with billions of people and a hundred or two worlds, couldn¡¯t possibly be managed by less than a thousand Interstellar Warriors. Although they brought a considerable number of Auxiliary Army troops, they still needed to rely heavily on local forces to maintain their rule. Truthfully, this was very unstable and entirely different from Erso¡¯s original plans. Initially, Erso envisioned the Fury Flame Battle Group becoming heroes of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, then everything would become very manageable. They intended to return power to the local forces and form strong alliances through influence and security guarantees. Then, by bringing in forces from the Menghe Star Domain and the Princess Star Domain, they planned to infiltrate through continual trade and political cooperation. In a few years, the Dragonhawk Star Domain would become a de facto ally to the ¡°Iron Fury Stone¡±; and even further down the line, they would have to heavily rely on the ¡°Iron Fury Stone.¡± This strategy had been tested in multiple star domains. Though it took time, it had always been successful. However, in Dragonhawk Star Domain, everything was different. The step of becoming heroes, saviors, was greatly underachieved. Now, regarded as enemies by half the star domain, where could they be considered heroes? And precisely because of their adversarial relationship with the Alliance, they were unable to fully build their ¡°glorious image,¡± forced to exploit the energies of the controlled half of the star domain to sustain this Cold War. But this would significantly erode the prestige they had painstakingly established through the Iron Teeth War, already compromised by the presence of the Alliance. It must be emphasized again, they were alien forces, not the native rulers of the Dragonhawk Star Domain. They managed to control half the star domain based on their wartime victories, the prestige of saving their world, and their formidable power. Both elements were indispensable. As the former was being continuously eroded, it would be impossible to permanently control half the star domain once the local forces truly began to disengage, regardless of how strong they were. As for Gu Hang, he was much more patient in this regard. By dragging things out, the Eastern part of the Dragonhawk Star Domain under his control would only develop better, society would stabilize, and he could turn those two hundred worlds into his stronghold. On the other hand, as long as Gu Hang maintained a Cold War stance with the Fury Flame Battle Group, the intrinsic contradictions of the Western part of the star domain would become increasingly uncontainable, and the entire society more turbulent. Persistent rebellions might be unlikely, but the governance costs of the Fury Flame Battle Group would undoubtedly keep climbing, to the point where they not only couldn¡¯t benefit from it but had to continuously pour in resources to maintain it. Patience, don¡¯t rush, avoid mistakes, consolidate gains, accumulate strength. This was Gu Hang¡¯s overall strategy for leading the Alliance against the Fury Flame Battle Group. Just two years had passed, and a Lois had already defected; What about after two more years? Four years? Keep up if you can for six years, eight years. By then, who knows how much the Alliance¡¯s naval fleets would have grown! ¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But clearly, Erso didn¡¯t want to keep dragging things out with Gu Hang. From far in the Eastern Star Domain, Gu Hang could see things clearly, but being in the thick of it, Erso felt it even more acutely. He was increasingly feeling uneasy. Up to now, he had to admit that the Alliance, standing opposite him, was a tremendously potent enemy. His own intelligence gathering inside the Alliance wasn¡¯t great, but the snippets he did catch were enough to let him know that this enemy would only grow stronger. And yet he couldn¡¯t take advantage of this time to launch a direct attack, instead forced to stew here in this Cold War. Chapter 890 - Chapter 890 Chapter 483 Silver Tribunal_2 Chapter 890: Chapter 483, Silver Tribunal_2 Chapter 890: Chapter 483, Silver Tribunal_2 He felt extremely frustrated, but what was even more suffocating was that he sensed the local forces in the western Dragonhawk Star Domain reacting due to the extraction of resources from the Cold War and the oppressive and dominant rule that the Fury Flame Battle Group had been forced to adopt. Resource allocation and personnel replenishment were becoming increasingly unsmooth, and the conveyance and execution of orders were also growing more obscure. He felt as though he was sinking into a quagmire. He could clearly sense that if things continued this way, he and his Battle Group would drown in the Dragonhawk Star Domain. He had to break the game. But the method to break the game couldn¡¯t be war, at least not an unjustified war. Blatantly accusing the Alliance of treason wasn¡¯t enough; while his words were fierce, Erso knew better than anyone what the image of ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ was in the Empire¡¯s political arena. If you yourself can¡¯t wash off the mud you¡¯re stuck in, pointing fingers at others and calling them traitors won¡¯t be believed by anyone. Once he initiated a war without sufficient ¡®claims¡¯, it might provoke a very severe reaction. In the worst case, it could even lead the Empire to declare the Fury Flame Battle Group as traitors and mobilize forces to suppress him. At that point, it would be another ¡®Cercis Flower Rebellion¡¯. That was the most critical opportunity for ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ to grow and strengthen, but also their greatest crisis. Back then, if they hadn¡¯t won, the fate of the three Battle Groups: Cercis Flower, Starbreaker Blade, and Phoenix, would be the fate of Iron Armor, Fury Flame, and Bedrock Shield. But on the other hand, what if the ¡®claims¡¯ were sufficient? Over the past two years, Erso had been finding various troubles for the Alliance, all to accumulate ¡®claims¡¯. Defying orders, ignoring assignments, not accepting officials from the Star Domain Government¡­ And this time, the issue with the Imperial Tax was a finishing blow. Erso had already considered that Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t pay him the tax. Otherwise, with over seventy billion in his hands, many issues could be resolved smoothly without having to exploit the locals so harshly, and he could even share some benefits¡­ But not paying the tax was also fine, even if Gu Hang would pay it to the higher-level government, just like the previous incident of reporting achievements, it was within his expectations. He even considered whether he should plunder the transport fleets dispatched by Gu Hang, since they weren¡¯t officially the Imperial Tax Fleet, and plundering them wasn¡¯t the same as robbing the Imperial Tax. But after consideration, the risk was still too high; it was too offensive to the Space Domain Government. After all, that money was meant for the Space Domain Government. If they claimed that this was their official tax fleet, he would be in big trouble. Under the current circumstances, it was enough. Skipping the Star Domain Government and paying taxes directly to the higher-level government? Even if he got approval from the senior government, there were too many angles to exploit in this issue. In this universe, things that are truly black and white are few, most affairs exist in shades of gray, merely varying in depth. The same issue, under different judgments or different stances, could entirely change in nature. The accumulated material from the past, along with the current issue of Imperial Tax, were all ammunition for Erso¡¯s next move. But this ammunition couldn¡¯t be fired by the Fury Flame Battle Group, for the same reason he couldn¡¯t start a war on his own. However, ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ had been messing around in the Empire¡¯s political scene for so many years, doing many rule-breaking and illicit things, and could still be so brazen now, there was naturally a reason for that. Apart from their inherently strong capabilities, they had developed some collaborators and shared-interest groups, which also formed a certain level of ¡®protection¡¯. Without connections, he would have capsized long ago! And now, it¡¯s time to utilize those ¡°connections.¡± Imperial Inquisition. Over the years, ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ had maintained fairly good relations with numerous Imperial Inquisition institutions and Orders. Speaking of the Imperial Inquisition, this is an organization within the Empire quite exceptional in nature. They are a super-spy organization that combines the functions of secret police, espionage, intelligence, domestic surveillance, dealing with heretics, eliminating demons and aliens from outside, and more. Their power is immense, almost towering above any other political entity in the Empire, constantly monitoring every living being within the Empire. In theory, a Judge possesses almost boundless power. As long as there is a justifiable reason, they could virtually do as they please¨Csigning an Extinction Order, killing billions or even hundreds of billions of people on a planet; executing an Empire Marshal; overseeing lords of the Supreme Council; declaring a Starfighter Battle Group traitorous¡­ At the same time, the Imperial Inquisition is a vast, loose, and complex organization. Every Judge has their own idea of how to defend the empire more effectively. Depending on their philosophy of handling situations and methodology, the Inquisition internally actually divides into countless factions. There are specialized tribunals like the Demon Tribunal for dealing with Abyss Demons, the Extraplanar Tribunal focused on various kinds of aliens, and the Heretic Tribunal for rooting out traitors within the Empire¡­ These three are among the largest, yet there are many smaller, radically different other factions. The Imperial Inquisition does not have a formal structural framework; some Judges, when facing significant problems they cannot solve alone, form cooperative groups. Often, such cooperative groups are the precursors and embryonic forms of a tribunal faction. While Judges¡¯ powers are boundless in theory, in specific affairs, the situation is much more complicated. The nominally excessive power of the Inquisition often evolves into having no power at all. Or rather, what a specific Judge wishes to do depends on his ¡°strength.¡± This strength depends on how much power a Judge can mobilize within the Inquisition itself, how willing his own faction is to support him, how much power he can mobilize from other factions, how much support he can fish from outside organizations, and whether he can mobilize help from the State Religion, Sect of Mechanics, or even the Star Realm Army or Imperial Navy. All these constitute parts of a Judge¡¯s strength. On the other hand, it depends on how much recognition a Judge¡¯s words and judgments can gain within the Empire. Thus, although Judges possess almost boundless secular power in theory, if they abuse their authority in reality, they will soon face a variety of worldly repercussions¨Ceven the Inquisition itself has a specialized institution responsible for overseeing Judges who abuse their power. Therefore, although theoretically feasible, Judges cannot really do as they please. And yet, the connections of ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ within the Inquisition are surprisingly good. Especially a major faction that is often active in the Eastern parts of the Empire¨Cthe Silver Tribunal. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This tribunal had a glorious history, commanding tens of thousands of formal Judges and maintaining good cooperation with several powerful Star Realm Army Corps and Admirals. The biggest case involved them successfully inciting a trial against the Cosmic Domain Chair of the McClay Domain¨Ca figure absolutely among the top officials of the Empire, which ended with the judgment by the Silver Tribunal. Whether he was actually as the Silver Tribunal claimed, a ¡°traitor,¡± ¡°incompetent and corrupt,¡± causing ¡°immense losses to the Empire,¡± in the end, that Domain Chair tried to incite a rebellion for self-protection but was still dismantled and executed by the Silver Tribunal. And their second major act was during the massive Cercis Flower rebellion over a century ago, they proved the loyalty of the Iron Armor Battle Group, sentenced the Cercis Flower Battle Group to extinction, and ordered the Starbreaker Blade and Phoenix on a redemption expedition. With these two major incidents happening one after the other, the Silver Tribunal became famously influential in multiple Star Domains within the eastern part of the Empire. ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ also often coordinated with some of their actions, causing quite a stir. Moreover, the decisions made by the Silver Tribunal, backed by their original strong force and support from ¡®Iron Fury Stone,¡¯ always materialized. They also managed to get the headquarters of the Imperial Inquisition to sign off and approve their judgments. Chapter 891 - Chapter 891 Chapter 484 Confronting the Trial Chapter 891: Chapter 484: Confronting the Trial Chapter 891: Chapter 484: Confronting the Trial The Silver Judges hadn¡¯t yet entered the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and Gu Hang already knew about it. They were coming with an overwhelming and undisguised presence, broadcasting their intentions far and wide, and even a message requesting the Alliance¡¯s cooperation with the investigation had been delivered into Gu Hang¡¯s hands. After receiving this message, Gu Hang sighed. What was meant to come, would always come. Of course, he did not want the Tribunal to enter his territory, especially not a Tribunal with hostile intent. Gu Hang carefully pondered the possibility of refusing the Silver Tribunal entry into Alliance territory. It seemed unlikely. By doing so, he would appear guilty whether he was or not. The Fury Flame Battle Group would immediately have the most reasonable excuse for war, and the Silver Tribunal would join in. If it was just that, it might have been fine since they were already enemies, bound to fight sooner or later. But the key point is, after providing a perfect rationale for war, all imperial forces that could have assisted Gu Hang would no longer be able to help him, and would involuntarily become his enemies instead. By then, he wouldn¡¯t just be fighting the Fury Flame Battle Group and the Silver Tribunal, but rather an unrestrained Fury Flame Battle Group that could fully mobilize all its resources, while he would be battling alone. That would definitely not do. Gu Hang abandoned this idea. He could only allow the Silver Tribunal to enter. And since he couldn¡¯t stop them, Gu Hang had some ways to deal with it. Mainly in two aspects, and he could use both simultaneously. One was about the inspection itself. The other was beyond the inspection. Firstly, regarding the inspection itself, based on various reports and statements, Gu Hang believed there might still be room for negotiation. The Silver Tribunal was not subordinate to Iron Fury Stone; they could at best be considered to be in a good relationship, sharing common interests, akin to allies. They were still the ¡®Tribunal¡¯ and must adhere to its rules. Quite a number of Judges were indeed idealists. This meant that they would accept Iron Fury Stone¡¯s invitation to help, serve as Iron Fury Stone¡¯s umbrella, but not subordinates, not nodding along with whatever Iron Fury Stone said. And if one believed that the Silver Tribunal would judge to a certain extent fairly, then there really was a point in trying. However, what Gu Hang was most troubled about was exactly this. If the Alliance truly had no issues and could withstand scrutiny, he would not have worried about others coming with malice. True gold fears no fire! The key was, there were too many matters within the Alliance that couldn¡¯t withstand detailed investigation. Furthermore, not just the nonsensical accusations from Erso that Gu Hang was worried about. It was the multitude of problems within the Alliance itself. Where did the various industries and technologies that rapidly developed within the Alliance in such a short time frame come from? Why is the training of the Alliance¡¯s soldiers so efficient? How did the number of Phoenixes inflate to hundreds or thousands in just a few short years? How did the political entity known as the ¡®Alliance¡¯ gain legitimacy? Does Galaraldo have the authority to make the decision for such a multi-planet political union? Are all the planets that have joined the Alliance to date in accordance with imperial statutes? Are the ¡®Seven Horse Framework¡¯ and the ¡®Economic Community Act¡¯ legal? Even if these are all legal, the Alliance is replicating its political system on every affiliate planet, sidelining every Planetary Governor, an approach completely inconsistent with the basic political structure of the Empire. Does the Alliance have this right? If a whole squad of professional Tribunal officials, even those truly impartial without the influence of the Fury Flame Battle Group, were to investigate thoroughly, it would cause Gu Hang to sweat profusely. For these ¡®issues,¡¯ Gu Hang had actually made many preparations, with various explanations. Some could withstand scrutiny; others not quite so much. A detailed investigation would always be risky. He had to face it with a tough face. Specific countermeasures were already arranged by Gu Hang. This would be a high-priority task for the Alliance moving forward, with all preparations underway. Once the Silver Tribunal¡¯s Fleet arrived, they would begin execution. As for the work beyond the inspection, no one else could help, and Gu Hang had to take care of it himself. He started to frequently communicate with two parties: Zuo Zhaofeng and Bochoya Galaraldo. Who doesn¡¯t have a patron after all? Maybe someone¡¯s patron is even bigger! And Gu Hang¡¯s efforts started to bear some fruits. From Zuo Zhaofeng¡¯s side, the Cosmic Domain Chair provided Gu Hang with no small amount of help. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Initially, he honestly had no particular feeling towards Gu Hang. Upon taking office, he was a senior official of the Empire, and compared to Gu Hang, who was then only mingling at the Star Region Level, was Gu Hang of any significance to him? The difference in grade and class was too great. But the reason he helped Gu Hang was purely because of Galaraldo, his most important political ally, who mentioned Gu Hang several times, asking him to take good care of the young man. Under such circumstances, Zuo Zhaofeng naturally came to see Gu Hang as one of his own in the same political faction, and it became natural to provide assistance. Later, the Iron Teeth War in the Dragonhawk Star Domain also greatly attracted the attention of the Space Domain Government. The Space Domain Government certainly paid close attention to the war in the Dragonhawk Star Domain. The Green Skin crisis that suddenly erupted here was indeed frightening. The Eastern Cosmos Domain was also fearful of the Iron-Tooth Clan, which had swept across the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain in just a few months, fearing it would turn into a more vast and uncontrollable Green Tide, and spill out beyond the Star Domain¡¯s bounds, affecting other Star Domains, and even the entire Cosmos Domain. Chapter 892 - Chapter 892 Chapter 484 Confronting the Trial_2 Chapter 892: Chapter 484, Confronting the Trial_2 Chapter 892: Chapter 484, Confronting the Trial_2 Even towards the end, when the form of battle became deadlocked, the Space Domain Government still maintained a high level of attention here. They also did not wish for the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain to be destroyed in this war. The position of the Dragonhawk Star Domain within the Eastern Cosmos Domain is quite significant¨Cdestroying an entire star domain would be a loss too great to bear. Zuo Zhaofeng, only a few years into his tenure as Cosmic Domain Chair, had already faced the blight of a star domain under his administration, which was a significant blow to his political career. For this reason, during the Iron Teeth War, the Space Domain Government had actually provided considerable assistance. A massive amount of resources, along with parts of the Star Realm Army and a portion of the naval fleet provided by the Space Domain Government, were sent as reinforcements to the Yunluo Government. Even the Eastern Fleet¡¯s ace, equipped with three battleships and seven battleship cruisers, had received orders to detach a part of their main forces to directly intervene in the Iron Teeth War when necessary. Towards the late stages of the Iron Teeth War, the reason why the Fury Flame Battle Group could continuously hold their ground against the Green Skins at the frontline and even maintain an advantage in the war of attrition was largely due to the robust support from the Eastern Cosmos Domain. In fact, part of the reason the Fury Flame Battle Group came to the Dragonhawk Star Domain to fight was at the invitation of the Eastern Cosmic Realm Government. However, after the war ended, the relationships between the two parties, which briefly went through a ¡®honeymoon phase¡¯, soon ended and even became fraught with contradiction. This was all thanks to Gu Hang, who, due to competition with the Alliance, had to squeeze every bit of strength to maintain a non-disadvantaged situation in the Cold War. Under such circumstances, Erso naturally continued to retain much of the assistance provided by the Eastern Cosmos Domain for his own use. As for those resources sent as aid, it¡¯s one thing¨Cthey were consumables. Since they were used up in the war, the Space Domain Government reluctantly accepted that. However, retaining the dispatched Star Realm Army, naval fleet, and transport ships was another matter, causing considerable dissatisfaction. There were no few quarrels regarding this matter. And with the Fury Flame Battle Group behaving as if they were staying in the Dragonhawk Star Domain indefinitely, effectively hostage-taking the Star Domain Government, it further vexed the Space Domain Government. As the Space Domain Government oversees the Star Domain Government, bypassing the Star Domain Government was akin to cutting flesh from the Space Domain Government. After the relationship rapidly deteriorated, the Alliance represented by Gu Hang suddenly seemed clear and distinctive in comparison. Set side by side, they were utterly different. The Alliance also made significant contributions during the war, not only directly attacking the Green Skins¡¯ lair, forcing the main forces of the Green Skins to retreat in panic, but ultimately it was the Alliance Governor Gu Hang himself who personally vanquished the great chieftain. Throughout the process, the Alliance hardly received any extra assistance from the Space Domain Government, nor did they constantly complain; instead, they only reported good news. Following the onset of the Cold War, the statements made by the Fury Flame Battle Group seemed rather nonsensical. In contrast, the Alliance¡¯s criticism of the Fury Flame Battle Group for undermining the Star Domain Government was entirely on point. More crucially, although the Alliance effectively controlled half a star domain, they were not at all ¡®arrogant¡¯. It¡¯s normal that they couldn¡¯t pay the Imperial Tax for the preceding years due to the war; the expenses were meticulously documented and respectfully submitted for the higher government¡¯s review. After the war, with the biennial Imperial Tax due, the Alliance dutifully paid. Not paying the Star Domain Government was completely understandable¨Cafter all, wouldn¡¯t it just be withheld by the Fury Flame? The Alliance made direct payments to a higher-level government, which was perfectly reasonable! That 76 billion in Tax Currency from the Imperial Tax truly delighted Zuo Zhaofeng. What is called one of our own? This is truly one of our own! Now, the Alliance¡¯s stature could not be treated as a minor player any longer. How could such a powerful, promising ally be allowed to be messed with? Zuo Zhaofeng, on behalf of the Imperial Space Domain Government, issued a note to the Silver Tribunal. While there is no jurisdictional subordination, he could not command the Silver Tribunal, but as the Chair of a Cosmos Domain, his words still carried weight, after all, the Eastern Cosmos Domain is a frequent hotspot for the Silver Tribunal, and the Eastern Cosmic Realm Government has been cooperative with the various actions of the Silver Tribunal in the Eastern Cosmos Domain, maintaining a good relationship, and the Silver Tribunal also relies heavily on Zuo Zhaofeng¡¯s support. In such a situation, the dissatisfaction explicitly expressed by Zuo Zhaofeng was a considerable pressure on the Silver Tribunal. A judge from the Silver faction hurried to meet Zuo Zhaofeng to explain the situation. However, this alone could not completely stop the actions of the Silver Tribunal; at most, it might make them more restrained and mild. But Zuo Zhaofeng was not satisfied. Furthermore, another faction of the tribunal was also mobilized. Among the active factions within the Eastern Cosmos Domain, one known as the Flash Judgement Court is small in size and its strength cannot be compared with the large tribunals like the Silver Tribunal, which has been involved in many major incidents across multiple Cosmos Domains. However, it still has a substantial number of official judges. At Zuo Zhaofeng¡¯s request, the Flash Judgement Court mobilized half of its personnel and headed to the Dragonhawk Star Domain. It¡¯s not that the Flash faction was going to stop the Silver faction; they didn¡¯t have the capacity to do so, given the vast difference in scale and strength. Upon reaching the Dragonhawk Star Domain, they divided into two groups. One went to investigate Fury Flame, as a tit-for-tat response. Although even if the Flash faction declared the Fury Flame Battle Group as traitors it wouldn¡¯t mean much, as a verdict that can¡¯t be enforced is something no tribunal faction would do; it ruins their reputation. But this was the Space Domain Government making a statement, and the Fury Flame Battle Group had to restrain their behavior accordingly. The other group went to the controlled area of the Alliance. They weren¡¯t there to investigate the Alliance nor to issue a radically different investigative conclusion from the Silver faction, for that would be akin to turning hostile, which the Flash faction would also avoid. But they would oversee the actions of the Silver faction judges to ensure that their factional peers did not act recklessly. You want to investigate, fine, but do it legally and properly. Don¡¯t use petty tricks, or else, although I can¡¯t stop you, it won¡¯t stop me from reporting your actions truthfully to disgust you. Under Zuo Zhaofeng¡¯s will, the cumbersome system of the Space Domain Government operated with rare efficiency. And this support brought a series of surprises to Gu Hang. His pressure was significantly reduced, both internally and externally. Internally, many worlds that were newly acquired and not yet fully loyal stabilized considerably. Previously, they thought the Alliance might truly be traitors, what with even the Tribunal showing up. Now it seems, although the final verdict is not yet out, there¡¯s some peace of mind. Externally, the official commercial fleet of the Alliance, Gu Commercial Firm, as well as the newly established Alliance Chamber of Commerce, stabilized a lot in their trade dealings with the Eagle Silk Starfield and the East Adjoining Starfield. More importantly, going forward, Gu Hang doesn¡¯t need to worry that if the Silver Tribunal indeed delivers the worst judgment, he would not be completely isolated and besieged. His enemies still remain focused mainly on the Fury Flame Battle Group, possibly extending to ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ and the Silver Tribunal. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Er¡­ Even so, the pressure is still immense. But the good news is that Iron Armor, Bedrock Shield, and the Silver Tribunal all have their own issues to deal with and can¡¯t focus all their forces on him. He just needs to deal with Fury Flame. ¡­ If Zuo Zhaofeng¡¯s support alleviated some of Gu Hang¡¯s worries for the future, then Galaraldo presented him with another choice. ¡°Come to Terra.¡± In the Star Speech communication, Galaraldo invited Gu Hang. Chapter 893 - Chapter 893 Chapter 485 Marshal Gu Chapter 893: Chapter 485, Marshal Gu Chapter 893: Chapter 485, Marshal Gu Gazing at the planet before him, he couldn¡¯t recognize it as Earth, the mother planet of humanity. The impression of that blue and beautiful planet was completely gone. Oceans that should have once covered most of the planet¡¯s surface had dried up an unknown number of years ago, and naturally, the floating white clouds also vanished without a trace. Instead, countless artificial structures, clearly visible even from space, covered every inch of the planet, including the dried-up seabeds. They were the Nest Capitals. That was Gu Hang¡¯s first thought, but he quickly dismissed it. It was far too imprecise. It was a patchwork of Nest Capitals. Today¡¯s Holy Terra was the Empire¡¯s largest Nest Capital World. According to the Empire¡¯s data, a trillion people lived here, including over fifty billion officials of the Empire Government, responsible for governing the vast territories of the Empire. What a terrifying number that was? Korolya was already a standard Nest Capital World, with its huge population being its core resource. But even at its peak, it only had a population of 40 billion, merely 4% of Holy Terra. Currently, the Alliance controlled half of the Star Domain, and if we included the worlds indirectly controlled through the Economic Community Act within the Seven Horse Framework, there would be a total of 182 planets, with a combined population of 3.4 trillion, a mere one-third of that of Holy Terra. And Holy Terra possessed not just a vast population. Its productivity was equally developed. The entire Solar System was indeed the core region of humanity. Here, not only Holy Terra existed, but also the Moon Base, as well as another magnificent world¨Cthe headquarters of the Sect of Mechanics, the Martian Foundry World. Holy Terra¡¯s Starport District was also staggeringly vast, resembling a sprawling space world made of steel, stretching unbroken and nearly blending into the Moon Star Port in the distance. Countless vessels, big and small, tightly packed, were entering and leaving this grand Starport District. The daily volume of materials moving through the starport was beyond calculation. Gu Hang could even see several ships hauling massive ice comets into designated starports. These ice comets, perhaps, were the source of water for the unimaginable trillion inhabitants of the now parched Holy Terra. Additionally, the Imperial Navy¡¯s core Solar Fleet patrolled this area; Gu Hang could see many powerful warships of diverse shapes, each comparable in size to or even surpassing a Retribution-class Battleship. The most numerous, of course, were the commonly seen Retribution-class Battleships; but there were also some Battleships of a different mold that looked fiercer than the conventional Retribution-class. Above the orbit of Holy Terra, the most eye-catching was a circular object, somewhat resembling a Star Fortress but larger than any other Star Fortress Gu Hang had ever seen. Named Mount Array, it was the Empire¡¯s largest mobile fortress to date. Its size was like a satellite or a large asteroid, with its foredeck alone able to accommodate 10 warships. It could even be considered a cosmic Nest Capital, capable of housing an inconceivable number of inhabitants and requiring an incalculable number of mortal crew members. It was not only enormous, but also fast. From the few records of its departures from Holy Terra, it was always able to quickly reach the battlefield and annihilate the Empire¡¯s enemies with unmatched firepower. Its history even predated that of the Human Empire; it belonged to a prehistoric creation that the current human technology could only maintain. If it sustained significant damage, it could only be repaired with substitute technology, resulting in permanent performance loss, not to mention the impossibility of building a new one. Mount Array was retrieved by the Interstellar Warrior 7th Legion 10,000 years ago. After the division of the Battle Group, it became the home of the reorganized Golden Knight Legion. Now, the Golden Knight Legion was the only Starfighter Battle Group permanently stationed on Holy Terra, and together with the Imperial Guard, both painted golden, they defended the mother planet of humanity and the heart of the Empire. As Gu Hang¡¯s ship skimmed past Mount Array, his gaze lingered on this massive, majestic, and beautiful creation, thinking: ¡°When will I ever have such a behemoth¡­¡± Until Mount Array vanished from his view, he reluctantly pulled his gaze away. Entering a Starport, he switched to a smaller ship and headed for the surface. In the approach, Gu Hang caught a glimpse of the people living among those towering Nest Capitals. Hmm¡­ life didn¡¯t seem great. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This slightly shattered the halo of Holy Terra in Gu Hang¡¯s heart. In orbit above the planet, he was almost awestruck by the Imperial Capital, the heart of humanity. However, the living standards of the people on Holy Terra were similar to the Nest Capital Worlds of his stereotypical impression. But it was said that real estate prices on Holy Terra were exceedingly expensive, with the most dilapidated room perhaps worth as much as a palace on other planets. On the surface of Holy Terra, if one were to talk about the most magnificent set of buildings, that would still be the Imperial Palace. It was situated on the Himalayas, covering the entire Tibetan Plateau. Its spires pierced the sky, and the resplendent palace gleamed in the sunlight with numerous ships circling above, guarding the glory and dignity of the Empire. It was not only a symbol of imperial authority but also seemed like an eternal fortress, standing through the ages, witnessing the rise and fall, the changes and transitions of the Empire. Chapter 894 - Chapter 894 Chapter 485 Marshal Gu_2 Chapter 894: Chapter 485, Marshal Gu_2 Chapter 894: Chapter 485, Marshal Gu_2 The Emperor began his rise to power here, unifying the entire world; the Emperor created the Interstellar Warriors and the so-called ¡®perfect humans¡¯ of the Imperial Guard here, and sparked the grand expedition that established the current boundaries of the Empire. Moreover, it was here that the Emperor ascended to godhood, sheltering humanity for countless millennia. And now, Gu Hang¡¯s destination was precisely here. ¡­ Gu Hang¡¯s journey to Holy Terra took a great deal of time. The longest part of the journey was from the Alliance to Wuji Star. The southern route was too dangerous, so Gu Hang had to choose to go through the East Adjoining Starfield, then south to the Eagle Silk Starfield, and from there to the Wuji Starfield. After arriving at Wuji Star, one more jump was needed to enter the Wenshou Universe, and then to the Sun Zhou Domain. When the Empire divided its administrative regions, it was particularly meticulous: each capital planet of a Cosmic Domain, while serving as the core of an entire Cosmos Domain, also had to meet another requirement¨Cthat its connection with the Sun Zhou Domain should not exceed one jump between star domains. Even to the point where, in consideration of the second criterion, sometimes the first would be sacrificed, resulting in some Cosmic Domain capitals being isolated on the fringes. Clearly, this was done to ensure the Empire could maintain as much control as possible over its vast territories. Eventually, as the Empire¡¯s territories became overly large, this rule was relaxed to two Star Domains. But in any case, the journey from Wuji Star to the heart of the Empire, the Sun Zhou Domain, did not seem so remote when looking at the map of the Empire¡¯s Star Domains. However, even so, it took Gu Hang a full seven months of travel time to reach the Sun Zhou Domain, and another three months to arrive on Holy Terra. This was still because Gu Hang was on a high-speed ship, not carrying an entire Fleet, with no stops along the way, minimal deceleration, and with travel passes issued by the Central Empire to various locations, that he managed to complete this journey in ten months. If it had been a larger Fleet or transport convoy, the same journey would generally take close to two years. For Gu Hang, a man worth millions every minute, it was certainly not desirable to spend such a long time on the road. Especially on the critical occasion of the impending Silver Tribunal. Could it be that Gu Hang wasn¡¯t worried that after the Silver Tribunal¡¯s arrival, under immense pressure, they would declare the Alliance as traitors, and then the Fury Flame Battle Group would start a war, launching a comprehensive attack on the Alliance¡¯s controlled areas? Of course, he was still worried. But after much consideration, Gu Hang still decided to make this trip. Galaraldo invited him, primarily to resolve the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ issue brought to the Alliance. Officially, it was to invite Gu Hang to Holy Terra for a commendation ceremony specifically in his honor. The victory report of the Iron Teeth War had finally gone through the procedures of the Imperial Military Department. Despite some complications, it was now almost certain that Gu Hang and his Alliance were the greatest contributors to this war. But if it was just for commendation and decoration, Gu Hang certainly would not spend nearly two years to make a round trip to Holy Terra. Even if Galaraldo said there was a chance to obtain a Marshal¡¯s rank for him. Marshal, that¡¯s an outrageously high military rank. And to be awarded in Holy Terra means it couldn¡¯t possibly be some useless rank like those of local world Defense Armies, but a genuine Marshal of the Imperial Star Realm Army. Usually, this top rank could only be obtained by the highest military Commander of an entire Cosmos Domain¡¯s Star Realm Army or Imperial Navy Fleet, as well as the highest permanent rank of the Star Realm Army and Navy. Although, in reality, there are still two higher ranks above Marshal: Grand Marshal and Supreme Marshal, which are generally honorary. A Grand Marshal is usually appointed by the Central Government to command a war with multiple Empire Marshals, assuming the highest unified command role. At the end of a typical war, this temporary title of Supreme Commander would be revoked, or if the individual¡¯s performance and contributions during the war are too significant to overlook, the rank of Grand Marshal might be retained as an honorary title. The Supreme Commander is unique in the entire Empire, representing the Star Realm Army among the thirteen seats of the Imperial Council. In this sense, the rank of Marshal truly stands at the pinnacle within the conventional military ranks of the Empire, and it possesses tremendous political significance. Even a bare title of Marshal carries substantial influence. However, for Gu Hang, the rank of Marshal was not worth the nearly two years of travel time back and forth. He was different from the other genuine Marshals of the Star Realm Army. After their promotion, they would be formally tasked with or granted control over more Star Realm Armed Forces, becoming higher-level commanders, and only then would they be awarded such a top-tier military rank. But Gu Hang¡¯s rank of Marshal was earned as an independent power. His Rage Bear Legion, though formally registered as a corps of the Star Realm Army, had expanded several times to a total size of twenty million. Of course, this was not enough to support the title of Marshal. For him, the rank was merely a token of honor and not highly valuable in itself. Yet, the underlying implications carried greater weight. He could not expect, after being conferred the rank of Marshal, that the Empire would assign a vast number of Star Realm Armed Forces to expand his power. However, Gu Hang¡¯s own Rage Bear Legion could further increase its expansion. If it could be legally expanded to tens of billions in size, then based on the standards of the Star Realm Army, it would mean an annual allocation of hundreds of billions, or even trillions, for maintaining the forces; the yearly maintenance cost itself would amount to tens of billions. Moreover, in the discussions between Gu Hang and Galaraldo, the Empire was likely to grant another rank of Imperial Navy Admiral to the Alliance. A bona fide Imperial Navy Admiral. Of course, Gu Hang would offer this opportunity to Yelisia. Aside from the honor of the rank, it also meant that the Tianma Fleet, as part of the Imperial Navy Fleet, could be expanded to several times its current size. This too signified an annual allocation of hundreds of billions, as well as maintenance costs of tens of billions per year. Of course, the Empire wouldn¡¯t actually give a penny for this ¡®allocation¡¯ of funds for military buildup; all of it would be provided by the Alliance. But it could offset taxes. And that was as good as hard cash. After all, military construction took time. Each year, the Alliance would deduct a portion of the Imperial Tax it was supposed to pay, equivalent to how much was built. Rather than handing over the money for nothing, it was better to count it towards the construction of the Star Realm Army and the Imperial Navy to offset taxes. Obviously, they couldn¡¯t actually build as much as their annual tax obligation of 38 billion; otherwise, others who needed the money along the line would be offended. But offsetting taxes by about 20 billion a year¨Cand as the Alliance grew and the tax obligations increased, this number could also rise¨Cwould suffice. Over the course of twenty or thirty years, these two forces could be established. Although theoretically, if the Alliance¡¯s forces were converted into the Star Realm Army and Imperial Navy, the Empire could command them, but¡­ In the past, Gu Hang would have had no choice but to comply with any orders received. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, if Gu Hang had control of a Star Realm Army plus an Imperial Navy Fleet valued in the trillions, then whoever wanted to issue such ¡®orders¡¯ would have to think thrice. Of course, Gu Hang was an Imperial Loyalist; he would definitely follow the orders, otherwise, wouldn¡¯t that make him a domineering warlord? But before such orders were issued, Gu Hang¡¯s opinion would have to be seriously considered. As an Empire Marshal, and by then a Marshal with actual authority, who could ignore his views? The deep significance behind the ranks of ¡®Marshal Rage Bear¡¯ and ¡®Tianma Admiral¡¯ was the apparent reason why Gu Hang had to make a personal visit to Holy Terra. This concerned matters equal to two to three hundred billion in value, equivalent to four to five years¡¯ worth of the Alliance¡¯s Imperial Tax, and it also represented significant political interests that could not be overlooked. Chapter 895 - Chapter 895 Chapter 486 Only You My Friend Chapter 895: Chapter 486, Only You, My Friend Chapter 895: Chapter 486, Only You, My Friend Outside Terra Imperial Palace, Gu Hang encountered two renowned legions of the Imperial Army. The Golden Knight Legion, and the Imperial Guard. The former is one of the original interstellar soldier corps, the founding corps, to which countless Battle Groups split from the Seventh Legion look up as their mother corps. The Golden Knight Legion is stationed on Holy Terra, the only Battle Group of Interstellar Warriors that can recruit directly from Terra. Besides Terra, they also have a mother planet¨CDuang Star, from which they can recruit; Moreover, there is another granted recruitment world: Romond, a Nest Capital World with a population of two hundred billion. Sometimes, Gu Hang would mock, does a single Battle Group really need so many recruitment worlds? The population of these three worlds combined outnumbers that of a whole Star Domain by a lot. Could it be true, the rumor that the Golden Knights vehemently deny ¡ª that they enlist a vast number of new soldiers in ¡®excess of quota¡¯? There are also whispers that the Golden Knights would redistribute these ¡®unused¡¯ elite recruits to some of their sub-legions, such as the renowned Black Cross Legion. Gu Hang suspects this might be true as well. Outside Terra Imperial Palace, Gu Hang could no longer take his original flying vehicle and had to switch to one designated for use within the Palace. This procedure was supervised by the Interstellar Warriors of the Golden Knight Legion as well as the Terra Defense Army. After switching to the dedicated flying vehicle of Terra Imperial Palace, passing through one of the numerous grand gates located on a plateau surrounded by tall walls, Gu Hang entered the Imperial Palace and encountered the genuine Imperial Guard. They donned golden armors, all noticeably taller than any Interstellar Warrior Gu Hang had encountered. The designs on their armors were intricately terrifying, adorned with jewels. Atop their elongated helmets fluttered proud tassels of red, matched with the bright red cape and armor trim, creating an imposing presence of gold and red. Gu Hang believed that the adornments on these two Imperial Guards were not merely for show. He could feel a distressing power emanating from them that suppressed the ambient Spiritual Energy. It wasn¡¯t enough to inhibit Gu Hang from using his Spiritual Energy, but it was certainly sufficient to pose a threat. Should it come to a real fight, Gu Hang felt he could take them down, but it would be far more difficult than dealing with an Interstellar Warrior. No wonder these were the top tier of the Empire¡¯s Super Soldiers, created painstakingly by The Emperor himself, templates of ¡®perfect humans.¡¯ Gu Hang earnestly went through the inspection and handed over his personal documents. His identity of course posed no issue, but as an A-rated Psychic, he was considered a subject of strict limitation and was thus ordered to wear a bracelet made from some black stone. This artifact strongly suppressed Gu Hang¡¯s Spiritual Power. He estimated that under normal conditions, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to remove the bracelet using his own power; his psychic strength would be suppressed to a very low level. Yet, if he exerted full effort, tearing through a Subspace Rift to summon the power of the Storm God Kingdom, it would be possible to destroy the bracelet. But to do such a thing within Terra Imperial Palace would be pure suicide. If a simple bracelet possessed such a potent psychic suppression effect, then within the Palace, there must be far more powerful means of energy dampening. Feeling somewhat insecure, Gu Hang still obediently wore the bracelet and compliantly followed a Terra official deeper into the Imperial Palace. He finally met Galaraldo. The Terra Imperial Palace was the current core of the Central Government of the Empire, and as a high official of the Central Empire, Galaraldo¡¯s office and residence were both situated here. The latter came with his position. Upon meeting, Galaraldo greeted Gu Hang with a big hug. ¡°It¡¯s been ages, and you haven¡¯t changed a bit!¡± Galaraldo¡¯s attitude was very warm. Gu Hang felt that the Psyche Seed he had planted in this former Apostle of War, now the Executive Director of the Military Affairs Department, had vanished. To be honest, this gave Gu Hang a bit of a shock. But soon, he calmed down. Galaraldo¡¯s demeanor didn¡¯t seem to be feigned, which didn¡¯t match the reaction if the psyche-manipulating seed had been discovered. It¡¯s also possible that Galaraldo was playing a role, pretending to be close. But on one hand it didn¡¯t seem like it, on the other hand, there seemed no need. Given Galaraldo¡¯s nature, if he knew that his sense of gratitude for Gu Hang saving his life, as well as the subsequent affectionate emotions, were all false¨Can illusion spawned by manipulations from Gu Hang, with his unforgiving temperament, it would be impossible for him to refrain from acting all this time. He would have started causing trouble for Gu Hang, seeking ways to kill him. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But none of these scenarios occurred. Gu Hang was still quite confident in his own methods; not only were they covert and sophisticated, but mainly because the interference he initiated was minimalistic and difficult to detect. Based on the current situation, Gu Hang deduced the truth: The psyche seed had been completely assimilated; Now Galaraldo¡¯s ¡®feelings¡¯ toward him were genuine, stemming from his heart, resistant to any scrutiny, for the psychic influence had vanished entirely. This was a good thing; Gu Hang no longer had to worry about his manipulations of Galaraldo¡¯s mind being exposed. However, there were drawbacks; since the locked-in level of fondness was no more, it meant that if Gu Hang were to utter something offensive or perform an upsetting action, the former Apostle of War¡¯s perception of him could sour, even turning into hostility. Chapter 896 - Chapter 896 Chapter 486 Only You My Friend_2 Chapter 896: Chapter 486, Only You, My Friend_2 Chapter 896: Chapter 486, Only You, My Friend_2 Overall, Gu Hang believed that the advantages of this matter far outweighed the disadvantages. A crisis with the potential risk of extinction no longer existed. As for not locking in goodwill, that was also fine¨Cat least there was no loss. Moreover, the ¡®favorability¡¯ from the start was almost maxed out, and Gu Hang himself was not a troublemaker, not prone to squandering the relationship between the two of them. Furthermore, they currently had quite a consistent interest. After the initial pleasantries, that evening¡¯s dinner was a banquet arranged by Galaraldo. In the Imperial Palace, a restaurant dedicated to serving high-ranking officials was chosen, where various officials accepted his invitation and came. Galaraldo, bringing Gu Hang along, introduced him to many individuals one by one. These people were from all departments of the Empire Government. Military Affairs Department, Department of Political Affairs, Legal Department, Department of Taxation¡­ In addition to these government departments, there were also several high-ranking generals from the Star Realm Army, the Imperial Navy, and even senior clergy from the State Religion and Sect of Mechanics. Those who were personally introduced by Galaraldo, of course, were no minor characters; at a minimum, they held the status of senior committee members of their respective departments, and among them, there were even a few deputy directors of the Central Government. The highest-ranking attendee was a Deputy Prime Minister from the Imperial Taxation Department. Gu Hang had indeed come to admire Galaraldo a bit. Initially, he thought this guy was just a good hand who used the name of the Sun Lord to make money everywhere. But now, it seemed that the loss of the Sun Lord had, conversely, acted like lifting a seal for him, revealing his other side capable of mingling adeptly. Making so many ¡®friends¡¯ was not easy. Gu Hang¡¯s network was suddenly expanded by a lot. Of course, these people wouldn¡¯t easily become Gu Hang¡¯s friends just because of one introduction. But at least, they were now acquaintances, having exchanged contact information; when Gu Hang needed something, he at least knew who to approach, and visiting them wouldn¡¯t result in being ignored. Asking for help might not be appropriate, but if there were some opportunities for an exchange of interests that could benefit both sides, there shouldn¡¯t be any major problem. In short, becoming familiar faces was always beneficial. The senior figures from the various departments and forces of the Empire, their attitude towards Gu Hang was also pretty good. Of course, Galaraldo¡¯s influence was a reason, and the main reason at that; but, many were also genuinely interested in Gu Hang himself, and had engaging conversations with him. ¡°These people, you really can mingle with them more, they are the ones who need support from local power brokers. If you have any ideas, you can communicate more with these people and exchange some things,¡± Galaraldo whispered to Gu Hang at the end of the banquet, when the two of them were chatting on a terrace. The Executive Minister of the Military Affairs Department had begun to speak quietly to Gu Hang about the various people they had talked with earlier. ¡°And that Deputy Minister of the Taxation Department, he is our true friend.¡± Gu Hang laughed: ¡°I thought everyone in the hall was your friend.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Galaraldo laughed loudly, his tone inadvertently carrying a hint of scorn: ¡°How could that be? Among the people here, only you are worthy of the term ¡®friend¡¯.¡± ¡°In my heart, people are hierarchical.¡± ¡°The majority in the meeting hall belong to the lowest tier. Most of them are mediocrities, neither possessing exceptional abilities nor firm will, their greatest value lies in their positions. These people are mere underlings, only useful for creating an imposing presence. Relying on them in crucial moments is not their fault, but ours.¡± ¡°The few who are truly capable are also just for mutual use; they can be trusted when there are profits in sight, but one must always be vigilant. In the cruel battleground of fame and fortune that is Holy Terra, betrayal and bribery are ever-present.¡± ¡°The least in number are those who can be deemed ¡®partners¡¯; they are trustworthy and capable, with interests deeply intertwined and a certain foundation of sentiment. These people can be relied on. But they cannot be regarded as friends; they are not to be entrusted with one¡¯s life.¡± ¡°Only you, my friend, I will always remember that you once saved my life and gave me the opportunity to quickly return to the center of power. I can rest assured handing my life over to you, without fear that you will betray me.¡± Even Gu Hang was somewhat moved after hearing all this. He seriously said to Galaraldo: ¡°I feel the same.¡± Galaraldo patted Gu Hang¡¯s shoulder, smiled, and after toasting with him, he continued: ¡°No need to be so serious, today isn¡¯t a very serious occasion. However, later tonight, there¡¯s another, smaller gathering. That will need to be more stringent, as we have some major issues to discuss, real major issues.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Gu Hang emptied the cup of wine in one gulp. ¡­ A little later, Gu Hang sat in a small resting room of the banquet hall. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Galaraldo, who had previously left him to attend to something for a while, had returned. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He called out. Gu Hang got up but saw Galaraldo walk up to a bookshelf wall in the resting room, tapped a spot twice, and a password lock popped up. After entering the password for a moment, the carpet in front of Gu Hang was automatically rolled back, and a secret passage appeared. Galaraldo took the lead down the passage, with Gu Hang close behind. At the end of the downward-turning staircase was actually a small underground railcar. Chapter 897 - Chapter 897 Chapter 486 Only You My Friend_3 Chapter 897: Chapter 486, Only You, My Friend_3 Chapter 897: Chapter 486, Only You, My Friend_3 Riding inside, deep beneath the Imperial Palace, the track twisted and turned through many complex intersections before arriving at a certain location. After leaving the railcar, Gu Hang was led into a dimly lit meeting hall. Several people were already seated there. Some of them had attended the banquet just before, some had not. Galaraldo enthusiastically pulled Gu Hang along to introduce him to everyone: ¡°This is our new member! Gu Hang from the Eastern Cosmos Domain, Dragonhawk Star Domain. The Alliance he controls is a true local faction.¡± Everyone¡¯s gazes turned towards Gu Hang, filled with scrutiny. No one spoke, but Gu Hang could see some doubt in the eyes of a few individuals. A local power faction? Just half a Star Sector. Do you become a local power faction simply by owning a few Battleships? Gu Hang didn¡¯t say anything; he simply sat down with a smile. Galaraldo, on the other hand, began to speak: ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please pay attention. Sitting before you is a man who, twenty years ago, entered an abandoned world with just a single follower and started from scratch. In twenty years, he now wields influence over 182 worlds.¡± ¡°He eradicated the Rebels on the planets, destroyed the Plague Demons about to obliterate a Nest Capital World, and won a war against the Beastmen with casualties in the hundreds of billions.¡± ¡°The Star Sector he controls now possesses a Fleet with a Battleship as its flagship, supported by more than a dozen Lunar-Class Cruisers; he has a Starfighter Battle Group that has regained its former glory fighting alongside him; his Land Forces are even stronger than the Star Realm Army.¡± ¡°Perhaps, you who often dwell in the Central Government may not be aware of the local situations. But I assure you, with the integrity I¡¯ve maintained in my decades of travel throughout the Empire, that Gu Hang and his Alliance are absolutely reliable, true powerhouses. He already has a force that no one can ignore, and under his wise leadership, his power is bound to grow rapidly.¡± ¡°And we are the best helpers and investors for him. Gu Hang undoubtedly qualifies to be one of us, and our current investments will assuredly bring us a hefty return in the future.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you envy the ease with which the Prime Minister can mobilize the ¡®Otaubis¡¯ Regiment? Don¡¯t you envy the close ties each family has with local powers? I know we all have our connections, but who would complain about having an extra ace up their sleeve?¡± Galaraldo was an eloquent speaker. After his speech, the crowd¡¯s view of Gu Hang had changed significantly. And just at that moment, two more individuals walked through another entrance of the meeting hall. The one in the lead, clapping his hands with a smile, said: ¡°Bochoya is right, we warmly welcome you, Mr. Gu, the Governor. With you joining us, our future will certainly become brighter!¡± As he spoke, everyone in the room stood up. Gu Hang stood up as well. Among the two, one was familiar to him. The person following the leader was none other than the most prominent figure at the previous banquet, the Deputy Premier of the Department of Taxation, Tang Mili. And the leader himself, although Gu Hang had never seen him in person, he was a figure often seen elsewhere. He was one of the thirteen High Lords of the Imperial Council, the Minister of Justice of the Empire: Ou Juren. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Thank you to the Alliance Hierarch [Hu Yifan] for the generous reward!!! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Extremely grateful! But now¡­ my backlog of additional updates has skyrocketed from 50k to 70k, the more I repay, the more I owe¡­ T0T The lord even mentioned that there will be a Silver Alliance when the book is finished; I haven¡¯t ever had a Silver Alliance in my life. But¡­ doesn¡¯t that mean an extra 200k??? I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll never be able to fully repay the lord¡¯s kindness even after I finish writing this book¡­ I will definitely add an update tomorrow! I¡¯ll try to reduce the current debt as much as possible! Chapter 898 - Chapter 898 Chapter 487 He Should Step Down Chapter 898: Chapter 487, He Should Step Down Chapter 898: Chapter 487, He Should Step Down Gu Hang was somewhat surprised by the arrival of Ou Juren. From the previous banquet, Gu Hang could obviously tell that after arriving at the heart of the Empire, Galaraldo had stirred up quite a scene, forming or joining a powerful political faction; otherwise, his own rapid promotion would not have been possible. However, now that he found out the leader of this faction was Ou Juren, it exceeded his initial estimates. Being able to pull in a top official like Ou Juren was a real show of strength. Through the Empire Government¡¯s propaganda and policy setting, Gu Hang had come to understand that Ou Juren was an upright, impartial, and incorruptible person. And the position of Minister of Justice implied very high authority. Among the four major institutions with direct access to the Terra Supreme Council High Collar Chairman Position, the main work of the Legal Department was to ensure the stability of public order on each planet within the boundless territories of the Empire and the compliance of the inhabited worlds, similar to the supreme police department. The Legal Department would also act as a representative of the Terra Supreme Council to adjudicate conflicts between regional administrative officers and ensure their loyalty. As the Minister of Justice, a High Lord with direct access to the Imperial Council seats, he was responsible for staying in the large courtroom of the Legal Department on Holy Terra, planning the overall law enforcement policy. In fact, not all of the Empire¡¯s law enforcers belong to the Legal Department. The relationship between the Legal Department and the local law enforcement agencies on each planet is more akin to a partnership, rather than a hierarchy. Only at the Star Domain and Cosmos Domain government levels would the Legal Department¡¯s institutions and corresponding law enforcement agencies be directly arranged, and at the Star Sector level government, a liaison officer and office of the Legal Department would be set up. If a case only involves violation of the laws on the local Planet, it will be handled by the local police¨Cthat is, under the jurisdiction of the Planetary Government, Planetary Governor. Only cases involving interstellar crimes or violations of Empire law would be reported to the Legal Department¡¯s liaison officer in the local Star Sector. The liaison officer¡¯s job is usually to oversee the local law enforcement department¡¯s work, and in the event of serious cross-interstellar crimes, the liaison officer would first assess the situation and mobilize Star Domain or even higher level Legal Department forces to handle it. Usually, the regional law enforcement departments of the Empire are also not keen on the involvement of the Legal Department in investigations, because this often means either they have messed up, or they have encountered major trouble. If it¡¯s a mess-up, the Legal Department will also clean up the local police station in the process of dealing with the culprits; if it¡¯s major trouble, it¡¯s equally disastrous. Even worse is that the Legal Department might take the case to the Tribunal, where the Judge often makes the enforcer take a step ahead of the criminal. However, for places like Holy Terra and some other important planets of the Empire, the Legal Department would actually take full control of their law enforcement to ensure that the rulers of the planets within the jurisdiction abide by the Empire laws and supervise local enforcers to maintain order. If a Planet experiences riots, the Legal Department can declare martial law and deploy forces to control the situation until it subsides or the Imperial forces take over. The Legal Department has law enforcement power over most people of the Empire, except for the Interstellar Warrior, Judge, and Navigator families; they can pretty much arrest, interrogate, and execute anyone within their jurisdiction. And at the core of all the Legal Department¡¯s authorities are: Tax evasion and Heresy. Other matters such as smuggling, organized crime, subversion, and treason are for local governments to handle. Only these two are what the Legal Department cannot tolerate. But these two matters have quite a bit to be discussed. Tax evasion is easier, this is the ¡®core business¡¯ of the Legal Department, whether it¡¯s executing Planet Governors who fail to meet tax standards, or taking violent actions to ensure tax results, it¡¯s all under the Legal Department. They have their own violent institutions, the Legal Department¡¯s elite policemen with laser guns, Bombardment Guns, Storm Shields, power weapons, and also have Riot Control Armored Vehicles, police tanks, police aircraft, and specially-made Justice Cruisers in space. To be honest, in terms of armament, apart from having fewer numbers due to the specificity of their work and tasks, lacking artillery support, the armed police officers of the Legal Department are better at fighting than the average Star Realm Army, especially in small-scale conflicts. Not to mention the local defense forces. Moreover, the Legal Department¡¯s work is generally not about fighting a war but is more inclined towards policing, suppression, and planet safety. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And if the police forces of the Legal Department can¡¯t handle the situation, they can of course call for reinforcements, usually from the Star Realm Army, the Imperial Navy. However, dealing with Heresy is a bit more awkward. A Heresy crime is a classic ¡°catch-all crime¡±; it can be pinned onto anyone in nearly any way. While only Heresy and tax evasion may seem to be treated seriously on the surface, in reality, Heresy can be applied almost everywhere¨Cwhether to arrest or not totally depends on the Legal Department¡¯s mood. It seems like such great power, but in reality, it¡¯s not quite so. As one of the most important tasks of the Legal Department, investigating heretical conduct is much more difficult than imagined. Not to mention the small matters they are too lazy to deal with, in the major issues that are genuinely worth the Legal Department¡¯s intervention, a considerable proportion will have problems. The entire process of case investigation can easily shift from a suspenseful cop thriller to a horror film involving Chaos Cults, Green Skins, and various terrifying alien creatures. Chapter 899 - Chapter 899 Chapter 487 He Should Step Down_2 Chapter 899: Chapter 487, He Should Step Down_2 Chapter 899: Chapter 487, He Should Step Down_2 However, this function is to a considerable extent diverted by various other institutions within the Empire. The Tribunal is specialized in this area; when things escalate to war, the regular forces such as the Star Realm Army and the Navy will step in, and if needed, the Interstellar Warriors as well. The Sect of Mechanics and the State Religion will also send forces to interfere when similar situations arise¡­ Everyone seems to have a say in this prime function of the Legal Department, even outdoing it sometimes. Who can they turn to for reasoning in such scenarios? Actually, this whole process doesn¡¯t conflict much. In reality, a large amount of Cult activities, whether chaotic or alien, won¡¯t disturb the Interstellar Warrior Battle Group or the Tribunal before they become significant threats. That¡¯s when the Legal Department steps in, and if they can¡¯t handle it, things have escalated. At this point, the Legal Department often becomes the last line of defense in the region, struggling to maintain the status quo while waiting for support from the Interstellar Warriors or the Tribunal. Doing the most and the most trivial tasks, and when a major incident occurs, they turn into a backdrop, becoming a footnote to others¡¯ success¡­ From this angle, the Legal Department is indeed somewhat pitiful. And for an ambitious Minister of Justice who wants to accomplish something, it seems intolerable for such situations to persist for long. At least, that¡¯s how Gu Hang felt during the meeting. Led by the Minister of Justice, High Lord Ou Juren, this group is undoubtedly a strong and powerful political faction within the Imperial Central Government. Just Ou Juren alone, as one of those standing at the apex of Empire power, is very strong. Not to mention, there is also a Deputy Premier of the Department of Taxation and Galaraldo, an Executive Minister at the Military Affairs Department. The remaining dozen or so members are, at the least, high commissioners. Together, they can exert influence on various agencies of the Central Government towards their common governance goals and interests. As a political faction, led by Ou Juren, they have a core idea, which Gu Hang perceived: centralizing power, government centralization. This centralization, moreover, is not just reflected between the Central and local governments, but it also becomes apparent in the relationship between the government and various other political organizations within the Empire. Can¡¯t the Legal Department do the jobs of the Judges? With sufficient resources, we can do them too! Should the Department of Taxation divide up so much money to allocate to the Tribunal and the Interstellar Warrior Battle Group? And the somewhat independent and autonomous war decisions of the Star Realm Army and the Navy¡¯s Fleet are similar. Can the Military Affairs Department possibly consolidate various military forces of the Empire under the unified command of the Central Government? Could the Department of Political Affairs make personnel appointments and formulate development strategies that could be implemented everywhere? These are the major directions Gu Hang gathered from the conversation. Of course, implementing this is impossible. Not to mention the different political factions and ideologies within the Imperial Central Government, even if all these dignitaries of the Imperial Central Government unite with a common goal, facing such centralized targets, including individual Foundry Worlds, Battle Groups, and even local influencers like Gu Hang, is extremely difficult. They are also not naive; the specific strategies they discussed are all detailed regulations, hoping to be pushed forward in the upcoming period. For instance, providing more budget for the armed police force of the Legal Department. And Gu Hang, while overall being a local influencer, is in reality someone they aim to win over. By joining us, you become one of us, which means your ¡®local influence¡¯ becomes our power, equivalent to the Central power. After discussing several budgets and key official position arrangements, their conversation shifted to Gu Hang. ¡°Gu Hang, your personal presence here has shown good faith. With our full support, there should be no problem regarding your conferral of the Marshal rank during the upcoming award ceremony, and the Naval Captain you recommended directly obtaining the Admiral rank. The corresponding military expansion plans and budget allocation, as well as tax deduction schemes, should also be smoothly approved under our strong push.¡± Ou Juren opened with these words to Gu Hang, who expressed his gratitude. ¡°No need for so much courtesy; since you¡¯ve joined us, we are friends. Friends should help each other. Of course, we will help you secure what you deserve due to your exemplary performance during the Iron Teeth War. Not only that, but we will also help your Alliance deal with the threats brought by the Silver Tribunal and ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯.¡± As he said this, Gu Hang became serious. Marshal Rage Bear and Admiral Tianma, along with the accompanying benefits, were his ¡®guarantee¡¯ for coming to Holy Terra; the issues now mentioned were what he truly cared about. In the beginning, when Galaraldo told him they would solve these issues, he was somewhat skeptical. But now, he has come to understand. This was not just ¡®you are one of us, so I help you¡¯; it was a barefaced exchange of interests. ¡°¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ is an undeniable cancer within the Empire, and they are growing stronger under some people¡¯s indulgence,¡± Ou Juren began, marking it for termination, ¡°It is time for this to end.¡± ¡°Norberto, huh¡­¡± Ou Juren uttered a name, then let out a cold laugh. Gu Hang knew who this Norberto was. He was the Minister of the Imperial Military Department, effectively Galaraldo¡¯s direct superior. This man had numerous accomplishments, but his rise to power began a hundred years ago when, with mere rhetoric, he ¡®pacified¡¯ the Cercis Flower uprising. He persuaded the Iron Armor Battle Group to cease their expansion while also pulling in the Silver Tribunal to deal with the Cercis Flower, Starbreaker Blade, and Phoenix Battle Groups. ¡°Norberto made a grave mistake a hundred years ago, and even greater error was that, over these hundred years, not only did he go unpunished, but he rose smoothly through the ranks until he became the Minister of Military Affairs. Once he reached a high position, he had no means to resolve the issues he left behind, allowing the situation to deteriorate further.¡± ¡°All parties within the Empire deeply fear the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯. Now, the time has come to deal with them.¡± ¡°Gu Hang, what you¡¯re about to take on is no small feat.¡± Everyone¡¯s gaze turned towards Gu Hang. The price came. Ou Juren would help him resolve issues brought about by the Silver Tribunal and Fury Flame Battle Group, at least from a legal standpoint. With this assurance, Gu Hang no longer needed to worry about being declared a traitor by the Silver Tribunal, nor the Alliance becoming an illegal organization. If the Silver Tribunal really proceeded like that, then it would mean they had missed their last opportunity, they would surely be counted among those wishing to deal with the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯, as mentioned by Ou Juren. For the Silver Tribunal, this would be a disaster. This is a good opportunity for division, the Silver faction would not miss it. Even if they missed it, the Empire would likely immediately deny the Silver Tribunal¡¯s judgment. In any case, there is no need for Gu Hang to worry. At the same time, Gu Hang could also discern the implications in their words, that the ¡®Alliance¡¯, a multi-star political entity previously crafted by Galaraldo using his power, was now considered ¡®legitimate¡¯. The Legal Department should subsequently provide additional documents to further secure the Alliance¡¯s legal status. And all these consequences meant that Gu Hang would be pushed to the frontline against the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯. Was Gu Hang willing to accept this? Of course! He was already on the frontlines. Did he even have a chance to switch sides? If he could not escape this maelstrom, only a fool like Gu Hang would side with the Iron Fury Stone! Disregarding past grudges, and simply considering from the angle of who would most likely be the ultimate victor, that would not be Iron Fury Stone. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They had been too arrogant for many years, while the Empire tiptoed around; but once the Empire truly resolved to eliminate this malignant tumor, Gu Hang did not believe the victory would go to the widely despised Iron Armor Battle Group. Gu Hang nodded and said: ¡°I have a duty to perform!¡± Galaraldo suddenly clapped his hands, excitedly saying: ¡°That old fool Norberto, if not for his interference, Wang Suan would have stepped down, and I should rightfully have the position of Deputy Premier! Since he is in the way and being so unwise, it¡¯s time for him to step down!¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Failed to add more¡­ It¡¯s too late as I write this, if I write more the day will brighten. I must start writing earlier tomorrow! Chapter 900 - Chapter 900 Chapter 488 A Fatal Game Chapter 900: Chapter 488, A Fatal Game Chapter 900: Chapter 488, A Fatal Game Ou Juren needs to deal with ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯, and Gu Hang thinks it¡¯s only natural. This aligns with their centralized political ideology. At the same time, after arriving at Holy Terra, Gu Hang realizes that tackling the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ also brings significant political dividends. If someone could rise to the top a hundred years ago by ¡®suppressing¡¯ rebellions, then after a century, of course, someone can do it again to gain huge merits. Even more so, this is not a solo act driven by Ou Juren and Galaraldo. Gu Hang believes that their mention of ¡®multiple parties¡¯ is genuine. Behind the scenes, the shadow of the Imperial Prime Minister cannot be ignored. After the death of the Sun Lord, the current Prime Minister, named Zebert, holds theoretically the highest position in the Empire. The position of Prime Minister is not only one of the thirteen High Lords but also the highest responsible person of the Empire Government, and all four chief ministers have to report to him. Once the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ is finished, the Silver Tribunal will be in big trouble if they pick the wrong side, and even if they choose correctly, they can¡¯t avoid being severely damaged. Ou Juren could take over a lot of the Legal Department¡¯s powers overlapping with the Tribunal across several Cosmos Domains in the East. At the same time, Norberto, who rose to prominence during the big Cercis Flower rebellion, would also be purged, and his entire faction might be uprooted. The many vacancies that arise are spoils of war for the factions involved. Among them, the most coveted is the position of Military Affairs Department¡¯s Chief, which Galaraldo drools over. Everyone has a bright future, needing only for ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯, the Silver Tribunal, and Norberto to ¡®contribute¡¯ themselves. But their results are also from their own doing. The expansion and dominance of ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ are simply too outrageous. In this matter, Gu Hang is merely a pawn, a knife in the hands of those ¡®big players¡¯ behind the scenes. The huge benefits are taken by them, but the desperate struggle is left to himself? Gu Hang doesn¡¯t feel too unbalanced about it. First off, he will not be, nor is he willing to be, on the front line against the Iron Armor Battle Group. Fighting Furyflame is different from fighting Iron Armor. To enter into the tightly controlled Princess Star Domain and face potentially tens of thousands of Interstellar Warriors, along with billions of specialized forces coordinating with the Interstellar Warriors? Gu Hang definitely won¡¯t agree. According to intelligence from all parties, the auxiliary forces of Iron Armor might even be of higher quality than those of the Imperial Star Realm Army. Naval-wise, they blatantly possess 18 battleships and 3 Zhuge-class aircraft carriers, staggeringly powerful. What can the current Alliance put against that? However, dealing with the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ isn¡¯t about jumping straight into action now. The bigwigs of Holy Terra still need time to unify thoughts, remove ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯s¡¯ protective umbrella, and mobilize forces to prepare for war. Perhaps by then, the Alliance¡¯s forces will be one of the participants, but they shouldn¡¯t be the main force, and Gu Hang is not willing to be that main force. It should be well compensated. However, the first to fire the shots should be the Alliance. In the secret meeting, after Gu Hang declared ¡®irrefutable duty¡¯, Ou Juren and Galaraldo had already indicated that before acting against ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯, Furyflame must be eliminated first. Conveniently, their main forces, at least the official ones, are in the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Conveniently, they are confronting the Alliance. Conveniently, they already have ready-made accusations of ¡®manipulating Star Domain Government¡¯ and ¡®fabricating evidence to slander Imperial Loyalists¡¯. Taking down Furyflame, for Gu Hang, was indeed an irrefutable duty, he would do it even without payment. Let alone, there is a payment. Other issues can be ignored, but the recognition of the Alliance as an officially sanctioned entity by higher authorities, no longer the temporary political structure previously orchestrated by Galaraldo, immediately legitimizes it. At least, no one would be able to trouble him in this matter anymore¨Cunless the Central Empire issues a decree terminating his position. If that really happens, it would either mean a fallout between Gu Hang and the political faction of Ou Juren and Galaraldo, or that this political faction has been overturned. Currently, neither seems likely. Thus far, the purpose of Gu Hang¡¯s visit to Holy Terra has almost been fully accomplished. The only remaining task is to patiently wait for the Marshal¡¯s inauguration ceremony in a short while. After that, he can return home with his Marshal¡¯s baton and then strike hard at Furyflame. ¡­ The Marshal¡¯s inauguration ceremony was grand and prepared swiftly. Mainly because, despite few mentions, there are actually quite a number of Marshals of the Empire. Each Cosmos Domain, including both the navy and the Star Realm Army, has at least two to three, and up to five to six Marshals, possibly more in key areas. Across the entire Empire, there are about three to five hundred Marshals. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Though it might appear plentiful, it corresponds to the Empire¡¯s endless territories, limitless population, and infinite armies. From a proportional perspective, it is quite rare. At least, the status of an individual Marshal is not inferior to a senior commissioner of one of the Central Government¡¯s four major departments. Moreover, most of these Marshals have military achievements, so a special, grand inauguration ceremony is only appropriate. The grandeur and quick preparation are naturally due to a dedicated team within Terra Imperial Palace responsible for this task. There is a specially constructed majestic structure called ¡®Marshal¡¯s Terrace¡¯ designed for this purpose. All necessary preparations had been long completed, and even if needed, they could immediately pull out the whole setup and set it up quickly. Chapter 901 - Chapter 901 488 chapters the game is deadly_2 Chapter 901: 488 chapters, the game is deadly_2 Chapter 901: 488 chapters, the game is deadly_2 Today, Gu Hang is fully dressed in marshal¡¯s attire. The grandiose yet solemn military uniform in bright red is paired with black long boots and white pants, adorned with numerous medals on the chest, a ceremonial sash crossing his torso, and golden tassels and ribbons that intricately embellish the outfit. Gu Hang has already grown accustomed to this attire. As the supreme ruler of the Alliance, it is inevitable that he wears such clothing at many formal occasions. Whether he likes it or not. Sitting in the hover car heading to the ¡®Marshal¡¯s Terrace¡¯, the speed is not fast and it will take a while to arrive. Gu Hang started thinking about the process of becoming a marshal. Though he had the reassurance from Ou Juren, the matter had faced some obstacles a few days ago. According to Galaraldo, his supervisor Mr. Norberto, the Minister of Military Affairs, fiercely opposed the idea. Norberto argued that Gu Hang, with shallow experience, never truly led a real Star Realm Army, never fought for the Star Realm Army, was just a local force issue and even his legitimacy was questionable, to give him the title of Empire Marshal was surely a joke! If someone like Gu Hang could be granted the title of Marshal of the Star Realm Army, then what would those veteran generals think, who have been stuck at the rank of grand generals for many years and have fought across countless battlefields and wars throughout the Imperial Territory? In some ways, his point was valid. Compared to most of the Star Realm Army generals, who have spent years leading troops and fighting battles, only to earn ranks like upper generals, Gu Hang¡¯s involvement in just one star domain and one battle, despite his significant contributions, was not enough to deserve the rank of Marshal of the Star Realm Army. Certainly, that wasn¡¯t enough. If Gu Hang were really just a Star Realm Army general, his achievements at most would allow him to rise from upper general to grand general, and that¡¯s it. If he were a grand general, he could at most receive an honorary rank. But now, Gu Hang¡¯s rank was about to jump directly from major general to marshal. Gu Hang did not deny this. But of course he deserved it. His marshal rank, heroic deeds were only a small part of it, more importantly was the power he held. This differed from Star Realm Army generals, whose power came from the Empire. The Central Government, such as the Military Affairs Department or the central command of the Star Realm Army, if they think you¡¯re unfit, they can strip you of your power, leaving you with nothing. But Gu Hang was different; he possessed actual power, managing tens of billions of Alliance Army troops, equating the level of the Star Realm Army, and even a hundred billion Defense Army, and the Empire had to recognize and officially grant him the marshal title. The nature of these two differed completely. If one day the Empire withdrew Gu Hang¡¯s marshal position, it would not affect his control over his troops in any way. Thus, Gu Hang also felt no guilt about this. Didn¡¯t the Minister of Military Affairs understand this principle? He understood, very well indeed. But for that reason, he had to oppose. ¡®The reality exists¡¯, and then giving him ¡®the title¡¯, aren¡¯t you elevating him too high? Still, an adversary. Of course, he would oppose it to the death. And the granting of marshal could not avoid this Minister of Military Affairs. This issue even escalated to the Supreme Council. In the Supreme Council, according to Galaraldo¡¯s account, after intense debates, the promotion of Gu Hang to marshal was passed with six votes in favor, four abstentions, and three opposed. For a marshal¡¯s commission to be decided by a vote in the Supreme Council was quite rare. Gu Hang carefully inquired about the composition of these thirteen votes. Those who voted in favor were: the Imperial Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Taxation, the State Religion Representative, the Supreme Grand Marshal of the Imperial Navy, the Interstellar Warrior Representative. The four who abstained were: the Administrative Bureau Prime Minister, the Chief Judge of the Supreme Tribunal, the Sect of Mechanics Mars Representative, and the Provence Cosmic Domain Chair Representative. The three who voted against were: the Minister of Military Affairs, the Supreme Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guards, the Northern Border Devouring Stars Sector President Representative. From these votes, Gu Hang could roughly gauge how different major forces in the Central Government perceived the handling of the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ issue. Speaking of this, it¡¯s also necessary to mention the origin of these Supreme Council seats. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only There are indeed only thirteen seats in the Supreme Council, but actually, there are about twenty different types of seats. Some seats are permanent, although not explicitly stipulated, but present every term, such as the Imperial Prime Minister, the Mars Representative, the State Religion Representative, the Tribunal Representative, and the like. But such seats are relatively few; most, like the Empire Commerce Guild Representative, the four great ministers of the government, the Interstellar Warrior Representative, the Psychic Cultivator Assembly Representative, are sometimes present and sometimes not. Whether a permanent seat or a non-permanent seat, to occupy one of the thirteen seats undoubtedly means having sufficient strength. First, there is real power and influence, then comes the seat. Permanent seats certainly mean these forces are strong, and continually so; the changes in non-permanent seats might show transitions in influence among some forces. Those who voted in favor did not necessarily have good intentions towards him, perhaps even disliked Gu Hang¡¯s extraordinary fast-tracked military promotion. However, they are definitely involved in the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ issue up next, or are sharing interests in this matter, having reached certain benefit agreements with the political factions of Ou Juren, Tang Mili, and Galaraldo. Chapter 902 - Chapter 902 Chapter 488 Gambling with Your Life_3 Chapter 902: Chapter 488, Gambling with Your Life_3 Chapter 902: Chapter 488, Gambling with Your Life_3 The representative of the Interstellar Warriors is usually a Battle Group Leader elected by the major Battle Groups when they have a seat. The current representative is Jerry Earl Ganglong, the Battle Group Leader of the Death Angel Battle Group. His Battle Group was reorganized from the first legion of the past legion era and belongs to one of the initial Battle Groups. In this affair, it¡¯s unclear how much political benefit the Interstellar Warriors can glean, but certainly, their political will is to eliminate nuisances like Iron Armor, which severely tarnish the reputation of the Interstellar Warriors and blatantly violate the regulations of the Star Warrior Codex. The Interstellar Warriors have always been a rather delicate presence at the heart of the Human Empire, being both admired and feared. Created with the Emperor¡¯s genes as a template, they were led by the Emperor¡¯s adopted sons to establish this vast empire in the form of legions, but they also nearly tore apart and destroyed the Empire due to a great rebellion and mutual opposition that arose after the Emperor Ascension. Since then, the Interstellar Warriors have had to abide by various restrictions of the ¡°Star Warrior Codex¡± and largely withdrew from the central power sphere of the Empire. Confronting a situation-breaker like Iron Armor, all major Battle Groups would naturally abhor it. The Minister of Taxation and the State Religion hold similar views. The Star Domains taken by Iron Armor report taxes capriciously, paying as they wish¨Cwouldn¡¯t we need to take action? Not allowing us to preach, causing serious conflicts with our churches, and even expelling clergy. Up to now, the situation with the churches in the Princess Star Domain is still incorrect, and the dismantling continues; their attitude towards the State Religion is much worse than that of the Alliance. As for the other votes of agreement, they are generally those who want to profit from this situation, such as the Imperial Prime Minister Qi Bo, Minister of Justice Ou Juren, and the Imperial Navy, among others. Those who cast abstention votes are generally unrelated to this matter, like the Provence Sector President, for example. Outside the Supreme Council, there is another parliament within the Empire with a strong presence¨Cthe Presidium Council. Composed entirely of over fifty Cosmic Domain Chairs of the Empire, they represent the collective of the most significant local powers. They elect some among themselves to become one of the High Lords. The specific number of seats depends on the situation at the time; this term has two. Of course, just like the Interstellar Warriors, these Cosmic Domain Chairs or Battle Group Leaders cannot personally fulfill their duties as High Lords on Holy Terra. They will appoint representatives to act on their behalf. The Provence Sector is part of the Western Empire Border, unrelated to the Empire¡¯s Eastern Frontier, so it directly abstained. The Mars Representative and the Administration Bureau are almost the same. The Tribunal must be mentioned. The Silver Tribunal stands with Tie Nu Shi without a doubt, but the Tribunal as an organization is fragmented. For instance, the Heretic Tribunal is highly dissatisfied with the actions of the Iron Armor Battle Group; the Internal Court of Judgment, a faction that specifically oversees Judges, is also investigating numerous overreaches of the Silver Tribunal and is covertly looking to make a big scoop. The chaotic and loose internal structure prevents the Grand Judge from being able to clearly articulate a position. Among the three opposing parties, Norberto certainly needs no further explanation as he is the big fish that¡¯s about to be consumed, and he naturally resists. The Supreme Marshal of the Star Realm Army, however, does not necessarily stand with Tie Nu Shi. He simply needs this dissenting vote to show a stance to the countless Marshals and Generals under his command. Otherwise, if Gu Hang, a man who has never mixed in the Star Realm Army System, became a Marshal and he did not voice any objection, it certainly wouldn¡¯t be good. However, Galaraldo has also conveyed to Gu Hang that this is just a stance, and in reality, there have been private communications. The Supreme Marshal will not actually impede the process. The attitude of the Devouring Stars Sector President is rather intriguing. Their proximity to the Spiderweb Domain and their relationship with Tie Nu Shi is certain, but is it so strong as to support Tie Nu Shi? Gu Hang analyzed that it is likely they do not want a large-scale war. In a conflict, the Star Devouring Cosmos might very well become part of the front line, and a significant amount of resources would need to be levied from their lands. If the Iron Armor Battle Group strikes preemptively, the Empire¡¯s main forces may not have completed their assembly yet, and the Star Devouring Cosmos might suffer. But their attitude is also irrelevant now. The three opposing votes cannot halt the overall situation. The formal procedure for Gu Hang to become an Empire Marshal has also been completed, and with considerable force: approved by the vote of the thirteen-member High Lord Council! How many things in the vast Empire could be taken to this council for a vote? Very few! And each one is a major matter! An ordinary Marshal would not receive this treatment. Approval by the Military Affairs Department and the Navy or the Star Realm Army would suffice. Yet, Gu Hang¡¯s Marshal position also comes with a complication. The two departments that should logically be the most concerned, the Military Affairs Department and the Supreme Marshal of the Star Realm Army, both oppose his promotion. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Nevertheless, Galaraldo has also relayed that the Supreme Marshal of the Star Realm Army will attend the conferral ceremony and personally award the title. After making his position clear, he will have explained to those below: this is a decision by the highest authority of the Empire, and I can do nothing about it. Then he can happily interact with Gu Hang, the newcomer. Gu Hang expresses full understanding of this. Norberto, who was supposed to attend as well, will certainly not come. One of the deputy prime ministers, the former Chair of the Eastern Cosmos Domain and Deputy Minister of the Military Affairs Department, Wang Suan, has already stepped down due to serious illness, and his life may only last another year or two; another deputy prime minister, a close ally of Norberto, will also not attend. But Galaraldo will come, the presence of the Executive Minister is barely adequate. Chapter 903 - Chapter 903 Chapter 488 Gambling Will Cost Your Life_4 Chapter 903: Chapter 488, Gambling Will Cost Your Life_4 Chapter 903: Chapter 488, Gambling Will Cost Your Life_4 ¡­ As he thought, the towering Marshal¡¯s Terrace had already come into view. He would soon arrive at the scene. At last, with the help of a fellow servant in the car, Gu Hang adjusted his appearance to ensure there wasn¡¯t a single flaw. However, just at that moment, Gu Hang¡¯s heart tightened, and a sudden palpitation swept over him. He sensed immense danger; his Spiritual Essence was frantically warning him. Instinctively, he wanted to deploy his Spiritual Energy Shield, however, the black stone bracelet on his wrist was suppressing his Psychic Powers. But he did not hesitate for a moment. Despite the potential trouble, he still summoned a small Subspace Rift. He certainly chose to trust his spiritual intuition; no consequence could be severer than his own death. Tearing open a Subspace Rift was difficult, especially since the Terra Imperial Palace was a place that strongly repelled Subspace Powers, and Gu Hang¡¯s psychic abilities were still being suppressed by the black stone bracelet. But just a slight Subspace Rift was enough to enhance his strength slightly, allowing his already near-threshold Psychic Power to exceed the limits set by the black stone bracelet. The black stone bracelet shattered, and the Spiritual Energy Shield unfolded around Gu Hang. The next moment, the car window broke, and a bullet shot towards Gu Hang¡¯s head. The bullet, intercepted by his Psychic Power, stopped less than three centimeters from his temple. Using his Psychic Power, he gently moved the bullet in front of his eyes. It was a bullet approximately the length of a palm, as thick as a thumb. The bullet head was made of some verdigris metal, and the tail was a complex mechanical device supporting a transparent tube filled with some green liquid. Gu Hang had no doubt that if the bullet had hit him, he would undoubtedly be dead. Indeed, this sniper bullet, coming from nowhere, put tremendous pressure on him. This was no ordinary sniping. Freed from the black stone bracelet, blessed by Subspace Power, his Psychic Power suddenly reached Alpha-level. A regular sniper rifle could not possibly penetrate his defense. A term flashed through Gu Hang¡¯s mind: Assassin Court. This was a mysterious organization Within the Empire, as its name implied, specialized in assassination. Their targets were mostly traitorous elements within the Empire; occasionally, they would assassinate Alien or chaotic leaders. They operated in secrecy, and anyone Within the Empire, including the High Lords of Terra, could potentially drop dead at any time, with diverse manners of death. Whenever such incidents occurred, it likely meant the Assassin Court was at work. The assassins of the Assassin Court, each possessing unique skills, had undergone extensive biological enhancements and, since they had ¡°special permission to use any means or tools to complete tasks,¡± they always had various advanced tech or Alien equipment at their disposal. This bullet, and the gun that fired it, were very likely one of those, possessing strong penetration abilities against psychic defenses and physical armor, and contained a deadly poison. Had Gu Hang¡¯s Psychic Power been slightly weaker, not reaching Alpha-level; had he hesitated initially because tearing open the Subspace would lead to uncontrollable consequences; had he doubted his spiritual warning for even a moment¡­ he would have been dead. However, the crisis was not completely over yet. The driver of the Hover Car, in panic, stopped the car and attempted to land; the accompanying cars did the same. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But Gu Hang, now fully unleashed, could sense several powerful presences appearing on the ground. Moreover, another bullet was shot from afar. This time, the bullet wasn¡¯t poisoned, but a High Explosive Bomb. The bullet caused a violent explosion, blowing the armored Hover Car carrying Gu Hang into pieces in mid-air. ¡ª¡ª¨C 6K! Still owe 68k Stayed up too late¡­ Chapter 904 - Chapter 904 Chapter 489 Fatal Assassination Chapter 904: Chapter 489, Fatal Assassination Chapter 904: Chapter 489, Fatal Assassination The limousine exploded violently, the vehicle instantly torn apart, debris flying everywhere. But amidst the flames and debris, a blue sphere of light flew out, naturally, that was Gu Hang with his Spiritual Energy Shield. With his full strength deployed, he wasn¡¯t so easy to eliminate. The assassins clearly hadn¡¯t given up. Their assassination attempt on Gu Hang included the initial highly penetrative toxic bullet and the subsequent high-explosive bullets, along with personnel arranged nearby for aftercare. Suddenly, four individuals wearing optical camouflage acted. They were nearly invisible before due to their optical camouflage making them visually disappear, as well as scent-masking, thermal energy covering, and Spiritual Energy shielding. While they remained completely still, almost no one could detect them. Even now as they moved swiftly and their various camouflage devices were less effective, it was still quite difficult to capture their movements. The four fired a shot each. Their target was not aimed directly at Gu Hang, but at the empty ground around him. Four dark green threads shot from their locations and interconnected, instantly forming a dense net. Gu Hang suddenly felt an intense suppression of Spiritual Energy. The assassination was clearly targeted. These assassins had a high level of intelligence on him, knowing full well he was a formidable psychic. Even though Gu Hang surely wore the Black Stone bracelet when entering the Terra Imperial Palace, they still prepared more potent Spiritual Energy suppression techniques, in case the initial assassination attempt failed. This assault was truly fierce. Evidently targeting a top psychic, even as Gu Hang tore through a Subspace Rift and demonstrated Alpha-level Spiritual Energy, he still couldn¡¯t break free. His Spiritual Energy Shield flickered twice, on the verge of collapse, the fireworks from the exploded limousine again cloaked his body; he couldn¡¯t even maintain his levitating posture, almost falling back into the fiery scene. Seeing the next fatal strike about to follow, Gu Hang had only one move left. He hid inside the Subspace. The anti-magic net aimed to suppress Spiritual Energy, but it couldn¡¯t completely close off the Subspace Rift, allowing Gu Hang to slip in. His presence out of the real world nullified all incoming attacks. However, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t stay in the Storm God Kingdom for too long. He counted a few seconds in his mind, simultaneously summoning power within the Divine Realm, enhancing himself with lightning to form a lightning shield, then he emerged again. The powers brought from the Subspace were still suppressed by the anti-magic net, but not instantly dissipated, providing some protective effect. Regrettably, the Subspace Rift emerged exactly where it opened; Gu Hang couldn¡¯t immediately tear another entrance elsewhere, otherwise, he could¡¯ve teleported directly. Upon re-emerging, Gu Hang felt a surge of high temperature. This was not from the flames produced by the limousine explosion, but from a heat melt! In the few seconds he was missing, the assassins hadn¡¯t been idle! They directly used heat melt weapons, covering the area where Gu Hang was previously. If Gu Hang didn¡¯t have this layer of thunder protection, he would likely have been incinerated upon exit. But the good news was, Gu Hang felt that the intensity of Spiritual Energy suppression had significantly decreased. Looking up, he saw among the four assassins, one lay in a pool of blood. His invisibility cloak was still in effect, but could not prevent the blood seeping out, staining him in a vivid red. Lacroix had killed this assassin. Gu Hang did not come to Holy Terra alone. That would not be fitting for his status as a strong local leader. In fact, on his journey here, a whole team served him. This included a daily life team handling his everyday needs and an entire secretary team assisting his work. He often communicated in Star Speech with the Tianma Star Sector, guiding the development direction of the Alliance. The Star Language Tower on Flying Wing Star was of high standard, and Gu Hang¡¯s ship also had a high-grade onboard Star Language Tower, combined with his own high-level Spiritual Energy and increasingly skilled Star Speech communication, he could establish a stable communication line with Flying Wing Star in about an hour. Besides these life and administrative secretaries, Gu Hang also brought a bodyguard team. When departing, Commander Matins had proposed sending a squad of elite veterans to take care of Gu Hang¡¯s security. However, this proposal was declined by Gu Hang. It was a bit too conspicuous. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Instead, Gu Hang selected some skilled members from the newly formed ¡®Glory Guard Corps¡¯. All members were equipped with ¡®Servant God¡¯ Powered Armor, all trained beyond T1 level, and had also been enlightened in the [Heroes] template. The combat strength of these Glory Guards could basically match an Interstellar Warrior Recruit in single combat, even slightly better. If they encountered veterans, they could still compete. Additionally, a small squad from the Storm Mage Corps also arrived. They were, besides the Phoenix Battle Group, the highest level organized force under Gu Hang¡¯s command. Chapter 905 - Chapter 905 Chapter 489 Deadly Assassination_2 Chapter 905: Chapter 489, Deadly Assassination_2 Chapter 905: Chapter 489, Deadly Assassination_2 Lacroix is one of the standouts, this recipient of the Alliance Hero Medal is almost one of the earliest combat heroes to be enlightened. Currently wearing Powered Armor, his personal strength is even stable enough to surpass a Phoenix Veteran. Of course, this is almost the upper limit for normal mortals, even with the [Hero] template enhancement, it couldn¡¯t be elevated further. Lacroix, being a mortal, and his Feedback-Type Power Armor is different from the real Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor; he couldn¡¯t possibly catch up to an Interstellar Warrior in terms of hard conditions. What he could rely on are his powerful combat skills and excellent battle intelligence. At this moment, Lacroix used these aspects to the fullest. While Gu Hang was traveling to the Marshal¡¯s Terrace in a ceremonial car, Lacroix as a bodyguard, also brought two squads of warriors, following in four Hover Cars alongside Gu Hang¡¯s ceremonial car. The moment Gu Hang was attacked, the elite warriors had already reacted. Lacroix especially swiftly. The four assassins mainly focused on targeting Gu Hang, and were somewhat inadequate in dealing with Gu Hang¡¯s bodyguards. Moreover, objectively speaking, there is a huge difference in the combat abilities between the two sides. The equipment on the assassins is clearly very sophisticated and expensive, but their main skills are focused on concealing themselves. For attributes needed in direct confrontations like physical enhancement and protective capabilities, they are definitely insufficient. At least not comparable to the legitimate Feedback-Type Power Armor ¡®Servant God¡¯. And, they clearly did not expect that these mere mortal bodyguards around Gu Hang would have such strong combat abilities. Especially Lacroix. After he quickly got out of the car, with his Precision Bombard Gun, he delivered bombs to an assassin in a very precise manner. The assassins were surprised to find that their disguises had almost no effect. However, these assassins were also extremely agile and exquisite in their movements. The one targeted by Lacroix was caught off guard and injured at the beginning but was still able to dodge. Of course, he couldn¡¯t dodge the bullets, but he could catch the rhythm of Lacroix¡¯s shooting and dodge in advance. Yet, this was still within Lacroix¡¯s expectations. He maintained running while shooting, and his shooting was forcing the assassin to move closer to himself while dodging. The distance between the two rapidly closed under this double approach. That assassin certainly realized this, but was not afraid. Lacroix¡¯s shooting skills exceeded his expectations. He was eager to enter into close combat, even if he couldn¡¯t quickly defeat, he could tie down this unexpectedly skilled bodyguard to buy as much time as possible for his teammates. The strong camouflage coats and their outstanding agility and flexibility made their movements resemble a dance. This technique and skill, acquired from a group known as ¡®Spirit Race¡¯, could be utilized to a certain extent by these specially modified assassins. During the ¡®dance¡¯, however, he only saw a flash of the blade, and his body was cut diagonally into two sections. Lacroix¡¯s Fine Work Dynamo Sword was like lightning, unavoidable. His Spirit Race War Dance seemed to have had no effect at all. The assassin¡¯s gaze remained astonished as if to express his complete disbelief in how lethal Lacroix¡¯s gaze was and how fast his blade was, even more outrageous than any Interstellar Warrior he had encountered. But Lacroix would not give him any answers. Currently, his heart filled with immense urgency, his Bombardment Gun was already firing at another assassin. And this, was the scene Gu Hang saw when he reemerged from Storm God Kingdom. After an assassin died, the magic-inhibiting net that sealed off the space around Gu Hang instantly became unstable. At least, it could not lock down an Alpha-class Psychic. Gu Hang, freed from constraints, raised his Spiritual Energy Shield, replacing it to withstand the heat, burst out of the heat meltdown area, while also summoning lightning, locking down two assassins. Lightning struck from nowhere, killing these two assassins who realized their mission failed. And the last one was left by Gu Hang on purpose. He attempted to keep a living captive, seizing the assassin with his psychic power. With the magic-inhibiting net completely collapsed, Gu Hang could control every inch of the guy¡¯s muscles, ensuring that he couldn¡¯t make a single move. However, moments later, that assassin still died. Inside his body, there seemed to be some special mechanism that triggered automatically under Gu Hang¡¯s control, eliminating his life from within. Dropping this corpse, Gu Hang looked into the distance. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only That was where the initial two sniper bullets came from. There were five assassins in total. Gu Hang looked in another direction, three rays of golden light were rapidly approaching. Those were the Imperial Guards riding hover motorcycles. Inside Terra Imperial Palace, without a doubt, it was the domain of the Imperial Forbidden Army, who are fully responsible for the security work of Terra Imperial Palace. Terra Imperial Palace is certainly not an absolutely safe place. As the core of the Empire¡¯s power scene, assassinations and coups happen frequently. Most assassinations are conducted covertly. Poison, daggers in the dark, a silent bullet from nowhere, leaving behind just a corpse after the deed. Chapter 906 - Chapter 906 Chapter 489 Deadly Assassination_3 Chapter 906: Chapter 489, Deadly Assassination_3 Chapter 906: Chapter 489, Deadly Assassination_3 This situation is of no concern to the Imperial Guard. What exactly does The Imperial Guard protect within the Terra Imperial Palace? No one knows, but it isn¡¯t the High Lords, let alone ordinary Empire officials. But who was responsible for turning the assassination against Gu Hang into a forceful killing? The initial bullet did conform to the definition of an assassination. A sniper, hidden in the shadows, fired a silent and deadly bullet. If it had been successful, Gu Hang would have ended up like the countless Empire officials who had died within the Terra Imperial Palace that covered the entire Tibetan Plateau. Whatever storms the future would bring, it would no longer be the concern of the dead. But that bullet did not succeed, nor did the second one that destroyed the entire limousine, neither did the four waiting experts. The commotion was getting bigger and bigger. A silent assassination can be ignored by the Imperial Guard, but explosions, earth-shattering bombardment gun fire, these cannot be ignored. Moreover, there appeared such a strong, unrecorded Psychic Power reaction! There are indeed Psychics within the Imperial Palace who do not wear the black stone bracelets. After all, there are some Psychic devices within the palace that require maintenance, especially the Star Language Tower Cluster and the Imperial Star Torch. However, those who are legally permitted to employ Psychic Power within the Terra Imperial Palace have all been approved and registered. And what¡¯s happening now was definitely not on the register. The Imperial Guard¡¯s response was already very fast. It¡¯s only been two minutes since the assassination attempt began. The Imperial Guard was nearly on the scene. Should these Imperial Guard be trusted? Gu Hang hesitated slightly, then turned into a bolt of lightning, heading towards the previous sniper¡¯s position. The target was also retreating, invoking all possible invisibility tactics. However, an enraged Gu Hang still managed to find him and again used his Spiritual Power to attempt to take control. This time, he changed his approach. Controlling the body would trigger suicide, so what if he switched to a Soul Spike, aiming to knock out the assailant? It still didn¡¯t work. The self-awareness mechanism had still kicked in. Gu Hang could only regretfully bring the corpse back to the scene of the crime. At this moment, three Imperial Guards arrived. They were confronting Lacroix and the Glory Guards, loudly ordering them to lay down their weapons. Of course, Lacroix and the others would not disarm so easily, arguing about something. Gu Hang quickly persuaded Lacroix to comply. What are you resisting the Imperial Guard for? Keep jabbering, and these gilded warriors won¡¯t go easy on you. With Gu Hang¡¯s command, Lacroix and the others laid down their weapons. However, the three Imperial Guards did not relax their guard. Their gaze was all fixed on Gu Hang. They noticed the shattered black stone bracelet on Gu Hang¡¯s wrist, appearing both astonished and wary. Breaking free from the black stone bracelet was not something an A-grade Psychic on Gu Hang¡¯s registration could do. In fact, not even S-grade, it had to be Alpha-level. But, the Psychic Power of an Alpha-grade was something that humans cannot stable control; Alpha-grade Psychics were unstable entities. Yet Gu Hang did not seem to show such signs. At this moment, though the Spiritual Power on him seemed mighty, it had not reached the Alpha Level. The Imperial Guards dared not be careless. The leader commanded Gu Hang, ¡°Cease any attempt to resist and accept our investigation.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Gu Hang complied readily, dissipating his Spiritual Power. However, as the Imperial Guard took a step forward, Gu Hang also stepped back. He spoke, ¡°No offense intended, but I¡¯ve just faced an assassination attempt. I won¡¯t question why there was such a security breach within the Imperial Palace, but please forgive my caution. How can I be sure that you truly are the Imperial Guard and not impostors?¡± ¡°You have no right to resist.¡± These golden warriors really had some nerve. But Gu Hang didn¡¯t intend to have a standoff. ¡°I will not violate your rules and will cooperate with your investigation. I have no intention to resist, but please consider my proposal: Let¡¯s all wait here. With such commotion, the news must have spread. Once more people arrive, we should be able to clarify the whole situation.¡± Speaking to this point, Gu Hang paused slightly, not intending to show complete weakness, revealing a bit of firmness, ¡°Otherwise, I can only assume that you are in league with the assassins.¡± The Imperial Guard indeed hesitated. ¡°Everyone stay put. Nobody leaves the scene!¡± ¡°Of course, I have no intention of leaving.¡± ¡­ Afterward, Gu Hang, Lacroix, and a group of guards, along with the three Imperial Guards, were left staring at each other in silence, waiting. The three Imperial Guards called for higher-level support, while Gu Hang didn¡¯t need to do anything; the Marshal¡¯s Terrace was so close that they must be aware of the incident here. During the waiting, Gu Hang¡¯s mind raced, contemplating the current situation and how it might evolve in the future. Undoubtedly, this time Gu Hang had faced a lethal threat. The Assassin Court¡¯s actions were fierce, fully orchestrated as if assassinating a controllable Alpha-class Psychic. This was an outrageous arrangement already; openly Gu Hang¡¯s Psychic strength was grade A. Although, with a bit more intelligence, knowing his feats in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, they would know he¡¯s more than A. But at most they could guess he was S, or S+, not more. Alpha-grade Psychics are uncontrollable; that¡¯s an iron law. Yet the Assassin Court still acted as if treating Gu Hang as an Alpha-grade, which could be called overly cautious. If Gu Hang were a regular Alpha-grade, he would have died under the third wave of anti-magic web and thermal melting combination. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Was this the Assassin Court¡¯s limit? Obviously not. If they wanted, they could organize many similar actions, even more threatening ones. Could Gu Hang withstand them once or twice, could he stand up to countless assassinations by the Assassin Court? Impossible. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª 5K! Still owe 67k Goodnight¡­ Chapter 907 - Chapter 907 Chapter 490 I Became an Investor in Assassin Court Chapter 907: Chapter 490, I Became an Investor in Assassin Court? Chapter 907: Chapter 490, I Became an Investor in Assassin Court? This assassination aimed at him, the mastermind behind it doesn¡¯t even need thinking about, it definitely is Norberto. But the mastermind behind the scenes is no longer important, what Gu Hang cares about is the executor of this assassination: the Assassin Court. Indeed, they are just a tool, but this tool is very important. Assassinations are their specialty. Gu Hang kills these elite assassins like slaughtering chickens, and the direct combat capabilities of these elite assassins are just so-so. He can easily crush them with his hand freed. But the problem is, when the assassin carries out the assassination, the most important thing is to create unfair, indirect actions. Today, the most important actions of those assassins are all centered around blocking Gu Hang¡¯s Spiritual Energy abilities. First, by utilizing the presence of the black stone bracelet for long-distance sniping; if that fails, then they turn to sealing the Spiritual Energy and using thermite. These tactics are adopted against a powerful Psychic like Gu Hang; however, if they were dealing with powerful warriors, even top Interstellar Warriors, they would employ different methods. Accurate intelligence, sufficient targeted methods, powerful technology, fearless elite modified assassins¡­these are the secrets to the success of the Assassin Court. Their failure this time was also due to insufficient intelligence. But next time, with experience, they certainly won¡¯t treat Gu Hang as just an Alpha-level target. They might instead use poisons, blow up spacecraft, or similar methods. Even if they detect and intervene in subspace failures, it¡¯s very likely they will bring out some black technology, derived from aliens or from prehistoric archaeological findings, to temporarily block subspace and proceed with the next action. In short, if the Assassin Court wants to kill someone, if they spare no expense, the success rate is very high. Gu Hang managed to handle it once, but it¡¯s impossible for him to handle it every time. However, the Assassin Court, after all, is also a well-defined institution within the Empire; their actions are not without cost. The leader of the Assassin Court, known as ¡®Great Master,¡¯ is also a candidate who could occupy a seat on the Supreme Council. Although not this term, throughout history, they often have been one of the High Lords. Even, during a murky part of Imperial history, there was a time when the Great Mentor of the Assassin Court governed with terror, violence, and assassination, completely controlling the Supreme Council. Although that period was brief, after various forces resisted, the Assassin Court was quickly crushed by direct forces like the Interstellar Warrior and the Star Realm Army, thus swiftly ending their reign. But this event still had a deep impact. Since then, the Assassin Court cannot act independently. In theory, for the Assassin Court to act, authorization is needed. Depending on the target, the level of authorization required varies. This means that deploying the Assassin Court as a weapon is not easy. Gu Hang can think of three possibilities for Norberto and the Iron Fury Stone interest group letting the Assassin Court act: Either Norberto himself gave independent authorization, and the Assassin Court took action. This scenario is the simplest, but the least likely. Norberto should have a certain level of authority as one of the High Lords, especially now when the Assassin Court is relatively weak. But the target cannot be Gu Hang. Someone like Gu Hang, requiring a vote in the Supreme Council for appointment, is currently a focal point in the Imperial Political Arena. The decision-makers of the Assassin Court, with a bit of political sensitivity, would know not to act. This possibility is rather low. Second, there might be changes in the Supreme Council. Perhaps right after the last meeting ended, another meeting was convened, or there was a secret resolution, overturning the previous resolutions, with several High Lords signing authorization at once. Even if Ou Juren and Galaraldo did not sign, they might default to abandoning Gu Hang. But Gu Hang quickly dismissed this possibility. He had previously analyzed that against the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ interest group with Norberto, it¡¯s a major trend of the Empire itself. Whether with or without Gu Hang, it doesn¡¯t affect. Without the Alliance, they would just substitute another knife to do the job. Gu Hang¡¯s existence, rather, benefits the propulsion of the larger plan; otherwise, the Supreme Council wouldn¡¯t have granted special approvals for his unsuitable appointment as Marshal, passing with high votes. A reversal of the basic situation in just a few days, abandoning Gu Hang? This isn¡¯t realistic, it doesn¡¯t make sense, it absolutely doesn¡¯t match the situation of the Imperial Political Arena. Thirdly, Norberto has his own forces within the Assassin Court, or collaborators. He skipped the usual processes, directly ordering the assassination through collaborators. This, of course, breaks regulations, but¡­Gu Hang doesn¡¯t believe that if someone dares act, they would leave very obvious traces, easy for others to catch. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only What needs to be settled, would probably be already settled. After carefully thinking through these possibilities, Gu Hang felt a slight relief. As long as it¡¯s not the second worst scenario, he shouldn¡¯t continue being targeted by the Assassin Court. If it really were that case, Gu Hang would have to consider fleeing Holy Terra at light speed, or even directly fleeing into the Storm God Kingdom and finding a way back from the subspace to his old lair, then prepare to raise the flag in rebellion. But the probability of that is extremely low. The first scenario is also unlikely;text. Chapter 908 - Chapter 908 Chapter 490 I Became an Investor of Assassin Chapter 908: Chapter 490, I Became an Investor of Assassin Court?_2 Chapter 908: Chapter 490, I Became an Investor of Assassin Court?_2 Of course, these were all speculations. Although Gu Hang was fairly certain, when it came to his own life, he couldn¡¯t afford to be careless. In the following period, he was extremely cautious. ¡­ During the wait, the expected visitors arrived one after another. The fastest were the Imperial Guards, including a Centurion; then, those at Marshal¡¯s Terrace, or who were supposed to go to Marshal¡¯s Terrace, also arrived. Galaraldo, Ou Juren, and Supreme Marshal of the Star Realm Army Xue Yongsheng came to this place. The expressions on their faces were all very grave; the bodies of the five assassins lying on the ground, which became visible after the camouflage failed, were very iconic, and they recognized the situation immediately. Galaraldo quickly stepped forward, walked up to Gu Hang, and looked around: ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°No problem, standing here fine, no need to worry too much.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Galaraldo sighed in relief, ¡°I was very angry when I heard the news, but the best news is that you¡¯re unharmed.¡± Speaking of this, he still couldn¡¯t suppress the anger in his heart and cursed: ¡°Some people have broken the rules, and they will pay the price!¡± On the other side, after chatting with the Imperial Guard¡¯s Centurion, Ou Juren also came over, with a gloomy face, saying to Gu Hang: ¡°Galaraldo is right; someone will definitely pay the price.¡± Everyone knew whom he was referring to, and Gu Hang just smiled. The attitudes of Galaraldo and Ou Juren roughly indicated that this situation wasn¡¯t about being abandoned, the most dreadful second possibility was essentially ruled out. He felt quite relieved. Gu Hang then turned his gaze towards the other Imperial Guards, his eyes filled with questions. ¡°Cough cough¡­¡± Ou Juren seemed a bit embarrassed, as if the communication with the Centurion of the Imperial Guards was not too smooth. He had intended to dismiss the Imperial Guards directly, but clearly, the Emperor¡¯s Imperial Guards did not heed him. Even the High Lord had no effect! ¡°Gu Hang, you might need to go with this Centurion of the Imperial Guards. This incident is rather significant, and the Imperial Guards need to conduct a thorough investigation; you need to cooperate. However, I assure you, there won¡¯t be any issues. The Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association will provide you with the Spiritual Energy inspection certificate, and the Supreme Council won¡¯t just stand by.¡± ¡°Moreover, going with the Imperial Guards now is also a good choice. There, if someone tries any tricks, it will be even less likely to succeed.¡± Gu Hang nodded slightly: ¡°Alright, no problem.¡± He was psychologically prepared for this; having revealed his Psychic Power, the Imperial Guards would certainly not just turn a blind eye. Actually, having Psychic Power exceeding the registered level isn¡¯t a big issue, it isn¡¯t a serious matter. Under normal circumstances, he is only S-level, a legal psychic level, and he had reported A-level because he hadn¡¯t updated his information at the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association for a while. This matter on someone else might be a crime, but not on Gu Hang. As for breaking the blackstone wristband, that required Alpha-level, and that I, Grand Marshal, am not aware of. Perhaps I was agitated in the life-and-death moment, but now you can check all you want, I definitely don¡¯t have Alpha-level, certainly not to the extent of needing constant surveillance in the black prison. However, what Gu Hang was most reluctant to face was the issue of the Subspace Rift. Although he had only opened a small gateway, the Imperial Guards arrived too quickly, and Gu Hang did not have time to deal with the traces. However, the Imperial Guards are not Psychic Experts. Under the exhibition of regular high-intensity Psychic Power, he hoped they hadn¡¯t detected the lingering presence from Subspace. In conventional terms, Subspace = Demons. If implicated, Gu Hang would have much more trouble ahead. The Tribunal might even get involved. But for now, it seemed alright. Gu Hang reassured Lacroix and the others, and compliantly followed the Imperial Guards first. The few people left on the scene included Xue Yongsheng, whose eyes flickered. He wasn¡¯t guilty, as he truly knew nothing about this event and had not participated in it. But like everyone else, the mastermind behind this assassination operation was too obvious. He had a good relationship with Norberto, but still did not expect that the old man could bypass the Supreme Council and initiate such a high-quality operation. These five dead assassins were probably among the elite of Assassin Court, quite valuable. Norberto was not to be underestimated. But that Gu Hang, even more capable! Under such an assassination, he still survived and even managed to kill all five top assassins on the spot. This capability belonged to top-tier psychics. Moreover, since Gu Hang did not die, with the assassins¡¯ bodies laid out here, Xue Yongsheng knew by looking at Ou Juren and Galaraldo¡¯s faces, that there would be a storm of strife and bloodshed ahead. He involuntarily shivered. He decided in his heart to clearly separate himself from Norberto in the future. Although their relationship was good, certain tacit agreements existed¨Clike voting with Norberto in the Supreme Council this time. However, they were not deeply tied political allies. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Seeing Norberto in big trouble, Xue Yongsheng decided to distance himself, to avoid any splashback. After thinking, Xue Yongsheng did not hastily bid farewell but stepped forward to chat with Ou Juren and Galaraldo for a while. During the conversation, he subtly conveyed a few messages. Firstly, this matter is unrelated to me; let the one responsible bear the debt, don¡¯t pin it on me. Secondly, I have no grievances against Gu Hang, see, I even attended his commissioning ceremony. If there is a continuation of the ceremony later, I will still attend, and I will help smooth out some discontent within the Star Realm Army regarding Gu Hang¡¯s promotion to Marshal. Chapter 909 - Chapter 909 Chapter 490 I Became an Investor of Assassin Chapter 909: Chapter 490, I Became an Investor of Assassin Court?_3 Chapter 909: Chapter 490, I Became an Investor of Assassin Court?_3 Thirdly, I too am outraged by what Norberto has done. If you need any help, just say the word. This was undoubtedly an offer of goodwill. Ou Juren and Galaraldo politely responded with a few words. After Xue Yongsheng left, Ou Juren said to Galaraldo, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the unexpected benefits. Norberto¡­ ha, he really shot himself in the foot this time.¡± Galaraldo¡¯s face didn¡¯t show a hint of a smile, as he stressed, ¡°That old bastard must pay the price!¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re angry, but calm down,¡± Ou Juren said. ¡°Patience. A noose tightens gradually, not all at once.¡± Galaraldo whipped his head around, ¡°Gu Hang nearly died! And you¡¯re telling me to be calm? How can I be calm!¡± He seemed to realize that he had lost his composure, but his emotions refused to settle. He added, ¡°He¡¯s a crucial part of our plan. According to our idea, he would have fired the first shot, he was supposed to annihilate the Fury Flame Battle Group! If he had died, with my understanding of the Dragonhawk Star Domain situation, that alliance would inevitably collapse, and all of our plans would go awry!¡± ¡°We must make Norberto pay a sufficient price. Otherwise, what if next time the target is you or me? Are we confident that we can block an assassination of this magnitude?¡± This time, it was Ou Juren who fell silent. After a moment of quiet, he said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll think of something. Clement is also implicated in this matter; he has to give us an explanation.¡± ¡­ Jefferson Clement, though not one of the High Lords, still held a status that was lofty and unique as the Great Mentor of the Assassin Court. He was capable of obtaining a seat. And even without such a seat, the Assassin Court was not an entity to be taken lightly. And yet, such a person now could only sit in front of Gu Hang, issuing an apology. Certainly, it wasn¡¯t a matter of groveling, Gu Hang hadn¡¯t reached that extent. But, at least the manner was sincere. ¡°Marshal Gu¡­¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Clement smiled and said, ¡°Soon enough. I have to admit to you, the operation went seriously awry due to a significant issue within the Assassin Court. An assassin instructor named Naldo Kero violated the Court¡¯s rules and issued an operation order on his own, leading to this incident.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t shirk the responsibilities that the Assassin Court should bear and will offer you appropriate compensation.¡± ¡°On behalf of the Assassin Court, I sincerely invite you to become a sponsor of the Court. From now on, you can donate funds to the Assassin Court, the specific amount being up to you.¡± ¡°You will also automatically obtain the authority to assign tasks to the Assassin Court. Of course, you still need to abide by the Empire¡¯s laws. The Assassin Court will review whether you have the authorization to assign tasks to a particular target, based on the situation. Given your rank, the Empire Marshal and Star Domain Head¨CI well know you¡¯re not there yet, but you soon will be¨Cyou have actually a pretty broad choice of targets for the Assassin Court¡¯s assignments.¡± ¡°Moreover, the Assassin Court has an iron rule: we do not kill sponsors.¡± ¡°I wonder if my sincerity meets your satisfaction?¡± Gu Hang did not immediately respond. But in fact, he was quite satisfied. This ¡®sponsor¡¯ identity didn¡¯t require much investment¨Cmerely a few million or tens of millions at most, a symbolic rather than substantial significance. The Assassin Court wasn¡¯t short of money. It¡¯s the attached powers that mattered most: after ¡®investing¡¯, Gu Hang could assign tasks to the Assassin Court. Plainly put, it meant hiring killers. Despite the fact that Gu Hang had to observe restrictions related to the assassination targets¡¯ authority level. For instance, if he were to give the Assassin Court a task to kill Norberto right now, it would be impossible. No amount of money would help; the authority level isn¡¯t high enough. However, once he gets the Marshal¡¯s title and establishes himself as the Dragonhawk leader, giving an order to kill the former leader, Tan Jiuyi, would certainly suffice. And the use of the Assassin Court goes beyond just internal strife. In the event of a situation like the Iron Teeth War against the Green Skin invasion, he could assign the Assassin Court to assassinate the Green Skin leaders. The Assassin Court has the capability, and there are success stories. Of course, the Assassin Court would pay a substantial price for this, and Gu Hang would have to pay as well¨Cthis is the concept of a sponsor. Give money, and the Assassin Court helps you kill anyone within your authority. Despite having to pay and face authority restrictions, the Assassin Court doesn¡¯t take just anyone¡¯s business; many would covet such access but never have the chance. This was an unexpected gain. Although the people Gu Hang wanted to kill couldn¡¯t be touched by them now, this rare access might come in handy at any time in the future. Having personally experienced the ¡®services¡¯ of the Assassin Court once, Gu Hang was quite ¡®satisfied¡¯. Furthermore, the iron rule of the ¡®Assassin Court does not kill sponsors¡¯ also caught Gu Hang¡¯s attention. Although, this didn¡¯t mean an absolute talisman of protection. After all, the unsaid subtext was: once you¡¯re no longer a sponsor, you can be killed. And it¡¯s not like a sponsor status couldn¡¯t be revoked. However, should the sponsor status be canceled, the individual would be notified. If in the future, a higher-level decision mandated the Assassin Court to take action against Gu Hang, the Court couldn¡¯t refuse, but they would inform Gu Hang beforehand that his sponsor status had been revoked. In other words, they would subtly notify him: we have no choice but to act, so be on your guard, and let¡¯s see how it plays out. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This was actually quite disadvantageous for the Assassin Court. The best way to complete an assignment, of course, would be if the target was unaware of the impending assassination; conversely, once prepared, the difficulty of the mission would greatly increase. But even though Gu Hang was quite satisfied in reality, he did not respond immediately. There was something else he cared about: ¡°So, Great Master Clement, may I ask where is this Naldo Kero now?¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C 5k Still owe 66k Chapter 910 - Chapter 910 Chapter 491 Identification Chapter 910: Chapter 491, Identification Chapter 910: Chapter 491, Identification ¡°Naldo Kero? What Naldo Kero, I don¡¯t know this person.¡± At the Supreme Council, Norberto said with a sneer: ¡°When speaking, one must have evidence. Don¡¯t blame everything on Gu Hang, who knows if he has offended some people?¡± Ou Juren felt somewhat helpless. He had brought the matter of Norberto illegally instructing the Assassin Court to assassinate Gu Hang to the Supreme Council. As expected, Norberto denied all the accusations. Moreover, there really wasn¡¯t sufficient, concrete evidence to prove that Norberto was the culprit. This was anticipated. Norberto had covered his tracks very well; the key person who could incriminate him, the assassin tutor Naldo Kero, had already disappeared without a trace, likely vanishing soon after issuing the mission. Other evidence was either not crucial or had not been collected. Overall, nailing him down was fraught with difficulties. However, since this was an expected outcome, Ou Juren was not disappointed. Everyone knew it was Norberto¡¯s doing, which to some extent, was enough. Assassination is a transgression of the rules, a destruction of the political baseline. The resulting outrage not only fueled the anger of factions already against him but also dissatisfied some of the original neutral parties and even those who were vaguely on Norberto¡¯s side. He didn¡¯t pay any price¨Calthough Gu Hang was assassinated, he didn¡¯t die! And the enemy had paid a huge price, exposed a massive flaw, and gained nothing! This was an excellent opportunity! Ou Juren had already prepared a whole basket of proposals, from reducing the permissions of the Military Affairs Department, to legitimizing the alliance with Gu Hang, to deciding on the vacant deputy prime minister position of the Military Affairs Department that had yet to be filled, to finding a way to eliminate a few key figures within Norberto¡¯s faction¡­ And the most important measure was to initiate an investigation into Norberto based on this incident. Regardless of whether enough evidence could be found to bring down Norberto, at least entering into the investigative procedure would surely hinder his ability to exercise his power smoothly. Of course, Norberto would not so easily comply. ¡°Prime Minister Ou Juren¡¯s proposal is so preposterous! To initiate such a disgraceful investigation against me, a High Lord, without any evidence! This is simply an insult!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help but ask: if I now suspect that you, Ou Juren, orchestrated all this, assassinated Gu Hang, and framed me, can I also request an investigation of Ou Juren?¡± Norberto rebutted, arguing by reason or, rather, being unreasonably stubborn. His opposition indeed had some effect. The entire council was in an uproar. ¡®Tap, tap, tap¡¯¡­ Heavy footsteps came from the doorway. It quickly quieted down within the Supreme Council chamber. That was the sound of powered armor. Inside the venue, the representative of the Interstellar Warriors unconsciously reached for his waist and felt nothing. It¡¯s prohibited to carry weapons into the meeting. They could only watch helplessly as the great doors of the meeting hall were pushed open. Leading the way were two golden-armored warriors. Seeing them, the High Lords breathed a sigh of relief. The Imperial Guard, no worries then. In the history of the Empire, the Imperial Guard had never been involved in any palace coups. On the contrary, in many court coups, the Imperial Guard sometimes passively played the role of bringing them to an end. For those who prided themselves as the true guards of the Emperor, though the Emperor had ascended to godhood, wasn¡¯t the Imperial Palace still there? Although guarding the Emperor remained their primary task, which was not needed; next, guarding the Imperial Palace became their most important duty. You carry on with your coups; the Imperial Guard cares not for these mortal squabbles. But causing chaos in the Imperial Court, that will not be tolerated, whoever does it will be dealt with. Inside the Imperial Palace, truly, none could stand against the Imperial Guard. Now that it was the Imperial Guard entering, no worries about a group of the Rebel Army coming in with bombardment guns to mow down all the High Lords. But what was the purpose of these Imperial Guards, usually indifferent to the Empire¡¯s politics, suddenly showing up? Following the two Imperial Guards were a whole column, led by a Centurion. Shielded by the guards was a group of four people. Among them, three stood side by side, while another was bound and brought in. The three standing, everyone was familiar with. Bochoya Galaraldo, the executive director of the Military Affairs Department, Clement, the Great Mentor of the Assassin Court, and Gu Hang, the leader of the Alliance. The person dragged in by the Imperial Guard behind them was unfamiliar. The crowd couldn¡¯t help but look towards Ou Juren. Both Galaraldo and Gu Hang could now be considered part of Ou Juren¡¯s faction. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But at this moment, Ou Juren¡¯s expression was also one of surprise, seemingly not expecting this. At the same time, the High Lords immediately noticed that one person¡¯s reaction was the greatest: Norberto. He still endeavored to appear calm, but his face began to pale, and a fine sweat broke out on his forehead in the comfortable temperature of the assembly hall, witnessed by many. Those present were all clever. From the unusual actions of the Imperial Guard, the appearance of the Great Mentor of the Assassin Court, and the state of the bound person, they could roughly guess what had happened. Chapter 911 - Chapter 911 Chapter 491 Identification_2 Chapter 911: Chapter 491, Identification_2 Chapter 911: Chapter 491, Identification_2 Some people closed their eyes, some glanced with amusement, and some laughed openly without hiding their mockery. The High Lords each had different expressions. During the silence, the Imperial Guard spoke first. The Centurion stated that they had concluded their investigation on Gu Hang, whose Psychic identity had been recognized by the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association, and already updated him as a Grade S Psychic. However, they were now there to arrest those causing disturbances at the Imperial Palace. During the conversation, the Centurion¡¯s gaze was consistently on Norberto. ¡°No, no¡­ you misunderstood¡­¡± The head of the Military Affairs Department opened his mouth, trying to defend himself palely. But the Centurion cut him off. ¡°I would like Clement, Gu Hang, and Galaraldo, the three parties involved, as well as the criminal Naldo Kero, to first explain the situation.¡± Clement nodded slightly and began, ¡°Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to the man behind me, Naldo Kero. He is an assassin trainer. After the assassination incident, I immediately checked the Assassin Court¡¯s action records. The Assassin Court never received any orders from the Supreme Council, this command was an illicit directive issued directly by Kero.¡± Galaraldo took over the conversation, ¡°I invited Great Master Clement to visit the residence of the Imperial Guard, to see Gu Hang and discuss the entire event. After learning of Kero¡¯s escape, Mr. Gu Hang expressed that as a victim, he hoped he could be of some help.¡± Gu Hang took the opportunity to speak, ¡°Merely by chance I have some capabilities; using my Psychic power, I discovered the way Naldo Kero fled. The Imperial Forbidden Army moved out personally and captured the disguised Naldo at Tera No. 46 Star Harbor, outside the Imperial Palace.¡± ¡°Impossible, how did you¡­¡± Naldo Kero couldn¡¯t help but interrupt. He genuinely couldn¡¯t figure it out. He thought his departure was seamless. However, no one answered his question, and just as he was about to ask again, he was kicked in the back by one of the Imperial Guards. ¡°Shut up, you have the right to answer questions. Who instructed you to illegally issue the action command?¡± Naldo Kero, frustrated as he might be, had no choice but to tell the truth, ¡°It was Minister Norberto.¡± ¡°You lie!¡± Norberto roared, but it was already pointless. ¡­ After the meeting, Ou Juren, Galaraldo, and Gu Hang gathered again in a secret chamber. They had emerged completely victorious in the recently concluded meeting. Though removing a High Lord¡¯s position and firing a head of the Military Affairs Department wasn¡¯t simple, the Imperial Guard didn¡¯t care much about the process. They respect the authority of the Empire Government, letting them follow whatever procedure necessary. But they took away the person first. Norberto, falling into the hands of the Imperial Guard, likely wouldn¡¯t be able to come out. His downfall would trigger a chain of reactions. The most direct was Galaraldo being ignited with further ambitions. Previously, he thought about competing for the position of deputy head of the Military Affairs Department, contemplating the position left by Wang Suan¡¯s retirement. But now, he really had a chance to seize the position of head of the Military Affairs Department! He was already the highest-ranking executive minister, with only three people above him: the minister and two deputy ministers. One, Wang Suan, had retired; one, Norberto, was under investigation; the remaining deputy minister, being a close associate of Norberto, would be the next one purged once his backing fell. That left no one above him! Of course, the new head of the Military Affairs Department didn¡¯t necessarily have to arise from within the department. Choosing someone from the high ranks of other departments was also possible. But as all the influential figures had their positions, Galaraldo believed he still had a competitive edge against other department¡¯s deputy ministers. Although the challenge was still high, other factions within the Supreme Council wouldn¡¯t likely sit by watching their people seizing two seats directly. But that was the struggle, the exchange of interests, the political compromises. However, despite their victory, the atmosphere among the three in the secret meeting was not cheerfully jubilant. Especially for Ou Juren, the Minister of Justice, whose demeanor was somewhat ominous. ¡°Your actions were too sudden! Even I didn¡¯t know! Do you know how much trouble this will bring?¡± Ou Juren rebuked Galaraldo. Gu Hang spoke from the side: ¡°This can¡¯t be blamed on him, and of course, it can¡¯t be blamed on me either¡­¡± Subsequently, Gu Hang explained the whole situation to Ou Juren. When Galaraldo came to the Imperial Guard¡¯s quarters with Clement, the Great Mentor of the Assassin Court, he had offered to help find the whereabouts of Naldo Kero. The method to find Naldo wasn¡¯t what Gu Hang had described as Spiritual Energy techniques. That guy ran very swiftly, evidently premeditated, and even Clement, the Great Mentor who could mobilize the entire Assassin Court, couldn¡¯t locate Naldo, let alone relying solely on the power of Spiritual Energy. The headquarters of the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association is also in Holy Terra, and although Grade S Psychics are rare, there are still definitely a few here. If it had been possible to find Naldo just by using Spiritual Energy techniques, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t have needed to take action. But who lets Gu Hang have connections? After the assassination, an activatable event named [Vengeance] popped up on Gu Hang¡¯s [Event] panel. It only required one thousand Grace Points to activate. Gu Hang believed that this was a blessing from the Emperor. After activation, Gu Hang directly obtained Naldo¡¯s whereabouts. It was even updated with real-time coordinates. With this, capturing him posed no problem. However, the problem arose elsewhere. Catching a Naldo, once his location was known, anyone could do it. Especially Clement, he is the leader of the Assassin Court, and having a traitor who conspired with external forces and acted independently caused him a lot of trouble, he was eager to clean house. His assassins were also suited for this job. Whether it was killing on the spot or, according to Gu Hang and Galaraldo¡¯s demands, bringing back a live capture, both could be easily accomplished. But they overlooked the existence of the Imperial Guard. No wonder, the Imperial Guard has always stayed out of politics. They are aware of the countless dirty deeds secretly transpiring within the Imperial Palace but have always refrained from intervening¨Cas long as you keep it out of the public eye. Various forces also always maintained this baseline. However, this time the unexpected breach startled many, including the reaction of the Imperial Guard. After Gu Hang completed the review by the Psychic Cultivator¡¯s Association (after giving a heads up), the Imperial Guard requested to join the manhunt for Naldo. Someone had to be responsible for dirtying the floor of the Imperial Palace. Who can resist the Imperial Guard? Not even Clement! They didn¡¯t even give Clement, Gu Hang, or Galaraldo a chance to discuss. No one was willing to confront these formidable opponents head-on. So, the Imperial Guard led the team, and with Gu Hang guiding the way, Naldo was captured. Coincidentally, the Supreme Council was in session, and that Imperial Guard Centurion, after consulting with the Forbidden Army Marshal, led his men directly to the site. ¡°¡­in this process, there really was no chance to report the situation to you,¡± Galaraldo concluded with a final explanatory remark. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± after listening, Ou Juren¡¯s expression softened slightly. Indeed, throughout this whole process, there really was no opportunity to report. But still, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a headache: ¡°Ah¡­ it¡¯s still very troublesome¡­ all the High Lords saw that you came in with the Imperial Guard. No one will think that the Imperial Guard has sided with us, but everyone will murmur that we broke the rules by actively using the Imperial Guard, introducing this uncontrollable force into the fray. This has been an unspoken rule that everyone has followed all along.¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k, making up for yesterday. Thankful for the fourth Alliance Hierarch reward from [Pioneer Axe]! Thankful for the second Alliance Hierarch reward from [Hu Yifan]! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Just seeing the addition of two Alliance Hierarch rewards, my feelings are mixed, as if I¡¯m eating candy with a mask of pain¡­ Happy about the large rewards! But it also means that I owe more updates +40k. Alright, broken through 100k now¡­ Still owe 106k. Off to write, there¡¯s more before dawn, everyone try to read tomorrow, don¡¯t stay up like me¡­ Chapter 912 - Chapter 912 Chapter 492 Never Worry About Gu Hangs Loyalty Chapter 912: Chapter 492: Never Worry About Gu Hang¡¯s Loyalty! Chapter 912: Chapter 492: Never Worry About Gu Hang¡¯s Loyalty! Ou Juren¡¯s concerns are justified. In the entire Holy Terra, which faction holds the most powerful military force? Without a doubt, it is the Imperial Forbidden Army. The ¡®Ten Thousand Man Team¡¯ is no joke; at least tens of thousands of Imperial Guards are stationed here, each of them possessing extraordinary combat abilities. In their presence, the Interstellar Warriors are almost no match. Among the Interstellar Warriors, only some top warriors can barely compare to the unnamed Imperial Guards. Moreover, these Imperial Guards are not only powerful as individuals, their equipment is also among the most formidable throughout the Empire. Nobody knows how many black technologies are guarded inside the numerous imperial secret laboratories they protect. Their powered armor, the weapons they carry, and the vehicles they use are all custom-made precision products, not mass-produced. Apart from their combat capabilities, their influence is also unparalleled. Which faction loyal to the Empire would dare point their guns at the Imperial Guards, the spokespersons for the Emperor? These Imperial Guards in Holy Terra can mobilize almost all military forces. This power is not explicitly stated in any law or decree, nor do they have a specific command grade, but likewise, no one doubts their ability to do so. Even the Golden Knight Legion, one of the initial Battle Groups based in Holy Terra, also maintains a very good relationship with the Imperial Guard. Should a conflict arise, they would surely stand by the Imperial Guard. Under such circumstances, who would dare provoke the Imperial Guards in Holy Terra? Fortunately, the Imperial Guard does not interfere in politics and they have never had the intention to overthrow the Empire Government. They are even the maintainers of the current political framework. Because the framework of the Supreme Council, the political structure of the Human Empire Government, was established by The Emperor, securing this framework means upholding The Emperor¡¯s will, an undeniable duty of the Imperial Guard. But this does not mean they can¡¯t act! We don¡¯t care about your internal conflicts, but no one should escalate it publicly, otherwise, even the High Lords have no say in it, I command! In this context, even though the High Lords have significant power, they are still cautious not to overstep due to the looming presence of the Imperial Guard above them. The presence of the Imperial Guard also objectively serves as a check on these High Lords¨Cthough that is not their original intention. No one can ignore the presence of the Imperial Guard, everyone fears them, and naturally, no one wants such an Imperial Guard to become an adversary¡¯s weapon. The Imperial Guard does not meddle in politics, and no one should provoke the Imperial Guard, which is an unspoken rule among the High Lords when engaging in political struggles. Norberto breached this rule and paid a heavy price. Now, Ou Juren worries that he too has violated the rules and will also pay the price. The Supreme Council is in session, who dares to push the door open without permission? Whichever party commits such an act will bear the wrath of the High Lords! Such disloyal and disrespectful actions will surely be punished by the highest authorities of the Empire! It¡¯s the Imperial Guard¡­ all is well. Is everything really fine? Thirteen High Lords, each of them was taken aback. Someone has to be responsible for this matter. They dare not direct their anger at the Imperial Guard, but someone must be the target for the High Lords to vent their anger. Ou Juren does not hope that he will be that person. However, Galaraldo has a different opinion about Ou Juren¡¯s concerns. ¡°This is not our problem, it is Norberto¡¯s problem. We never intended to involve the Imperial Guard, it was Norberto¡¯s overstepping actions that caught the attention of the Imperial Guard. We need to emphasize to the other factions that it was the Imperial Guard who took us to capture Naldo, it was the Imperial Guard who led us into the council, not our proactive actions. I believe that the other High Lords will understand this.¡± After Galaraldo finished speaking, Gu Hang added, ¡°The actions of the Imperial Guard are a clear warning, indeed stemming from Norberto, not us. No need to worry that we will be hated for this.¡± Ou Juren nodded slightly. Indeed, blaming Norberto is not a problem. It really was Norberto¡¯s doing, we are the victims. Yet, even so, Ou Juren¡¯s mood has not completely improved. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this matter aside, another very crucial issue is that¡­ alas, Norberto fell too quickly.¡± At this point, Gu Hang and Galaraldo also fell silent. The downfall of Norberto was indeed their goal, but it shouldn¡¯t have happened so quickly. Such haste will disrupt many of their original plans. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Originally planning to devour step by step, now suddenly, a huge cake is exposed. Other surrounding forces, like hungry wolves, quickly encircled, creating chaos. Many who originally had no chance to benefit from this matter now suddenly see an opportunity. This would affect the political gains of Ou Juren¡¯s faction. Moreover, another major downside is: how will Tie Nu Shi react? Norberto was a protective umbrella for Tie Nu Shi, allowing Tie Nu Shi¡¯s influence and development to expand locally. Objectively, he also bridged the communication between Tie Nu Shi and the Central Empire, acting as a buffer between both. Before Norberto¡¯s fall, Tie Nu Shi still somewhat listened to the words from Holy Terra; now that Norberto has fallen, can Tie Nu Shi still heed any advice? Chapter 913 - Chapter 913 Chapter 492 Never Worry About Gu Hangs Loyalty_2 Chapter 913: Chapter 492, Never Worry About Gu Hang¡¯s Loyalty!_2 Chapter 913: Chapter 492, Never Worry About Gu Hang¡¯s Loyalty!_2 Iron Fury Stone certainly understood that they had become a thorn in the side of Holy Terra. They too had made political efforts, with Norberto trying his best to mediate the relationship between the two parties. But now, with the mediator gone, would Iron Fury Stone take this as a sign that the Empire was about to move against them? Would they believe that the option for peace had completely vanished and that war was the only choice left? This was the biggest reason why they couldn¡¯t just swiftly eliminate Norberto: they feared it would directly push Iron Fury Stone to rebel! The Empire wasn¡¯t yet fully prepared for a rebellion! Troops, supplies, personnel, propaganda, policies¡­ everything was still in the planning stages. If Iron Fury Stone were to rebel first, the entire Eastern Frontier of the Empire might well face a major crisis! Thinking of this, not just the High Lords who were shocked during the previous council, but even ordinary politicians understood that the situation had slipped further toward an uncontrollable abyss. Everyone was cursing internally; these golden corn spirits were really of no help at all, completely lacking in political wisdom, knowing only how to create chaos! If you have the ability to create chaos, why not break out from Terra and personally subdue Iron Armor in the Empire¡¯s Eastern Frontier? Staying in the Imperial Palace every day, even The Emperor ascended and still not knowing what they are protecting! But as much as they complained internally and bore resentment, they dared not voice these to the Imperial Guard. Different departments of the Central Empire could only race against time, trying to get the bloated system moving, in order to respond to the crisis that might break out much sooner than expected. ¡­ After the assassination incident, Gu Hang stayed at Holy Terra for about another month. During this period, his previously interrupted honours ceremony due to the incident was held again. This time, there were no accidents, and he received the golden scepter that symbolized his status as the Empire Marshal. He became the highest ranked individual in the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain. Although in reality, the only forces he had direct command over were the ones that originally belonged to him, the Rage Bear Legion, and his title was ¡®Marshal of the Rage Bear Legion¡¯. He did not have command over other corps of the Star Realm Army. However, the Star Realm Army was, after all, a unified military force with a nation-wide character, unlike the defense armies under different planets which really had no jurisdiction over each other. According to the unified regulations of the Star Realm Army, within a warzone, unless there were special orders, the highest-ranking officer would automatically obtain wartime command over the Star Realm Army in that region. This meant that Gu Hang indeed could not exercise his power in places outside of the Rage Bear Legion. He could not decide on the organization of other legions, personnel appointments, or military movements. But if a war broke out and there were no higher commands from a level above Gu Hang establishing an alternative command system, then all Star Realm Army forces within that battlefield region would have to follow the orders of this Marshal. In practice, for the Dragonhawk Star Domain, this would include not only his own Dragonhawk 3rd Corps but also the eight additional army groups of the Dragonhawk Legion, which were currently under the jurisdiction of the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government. They would all have to listen to him. Although there was a Legion Commander of the entire Dragonhawk Legion in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, Michelle Oliqi, the Legion Commander, only held the rank of Admiral, still a rank below Gu Hang. If the Alliance and Fury Flame Battle Group went to war, the Dragonhawk Legion fighting under the Fury Flame Battle Group would find itself in a very awkward position¨Ceveryone was part of the Star Realm Army; would they listen to commands from a Marshal? Thinking of treason, are you? Similarly, Yelisia had been somewhat troubled before, as her Tianma Fleet kept receiving orders from the Yunluo Fleet¡¯s Fleet Commander, who was also the highest Imperial Navy official in the Dragonhawk Star Domain. But now, being associated with Gu Hang, she had been promoted to Admiral of the Imperial Navy. Now that their ranks were the same, Yelisia could rightly ignore the other side. Of course, just as Yelisia had previously evaded orders from that Admiral, technically Legion Commander Oliqi could also ignore Gu Hang¡¯s commands. The difference, however, lies in the fact that Yelisia had firmly decided to follow Gu Hang, with their relationship being clear. Was Oliqi firmly determined to follow the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s command, at the risk of being labeled a traitor? Probably not. At the same time, Gu Hang also gained another benefit. This one came with more complications. It was about the proposal for him to become the highest administrative officer of the Dragonhawk Star Domain¨Cthe Star Domain Head. The appointment process for the Star Domain Head is proposed by the higher-level government, namely the Space Domain Government, reported to Holy Terra, and sanctioned by the Imperial Executive Yuan, thereby coming into effect. Regarding the proposal to appoint Gu Hang as the leader of Dragonhawk, it followed the most normal and reasonable process. At Galaraldo¡¯s suggestion, Zuo Zhaofeng submitted the nomination. Generally speaking, the Imperial Executive Yuan rarely rejects proposals from the Space Domain Government. But with Gu Hang, things are a bit different. He is now the Marshal of the Imperial Star Realm Army, his daughter-in-law is an Imperial Navy Admiral, and he has an Interstellar Warrior Battle Group at his command; now to give him the title of leader of the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government¡­ amassing military and political power in one hand, right? The Empire had just been contemplating how to eliminate ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯, and now they¡¯re fostering another local independent warlord themselves? Indeed, there were concerns about this. The Chief of the Administration Bureau was opposing it. Everyone knows he is Zebert¡¯s man, which to some extent, represents Zebert¡¯s thoughts. In this matter, Ou Juren played his role. The appointment of a Star Domain Head doesn¡¯t need to go to the Supreme Council for a vote. Ou Juren worked his connections, especially with a personal visit to Zebert, giving assurances that persuaded the Prime Minister. Although not explicitly stated, Gu Hang could more or less guess the thoughts of these heavyweights. They were of course afraid of nurturing another Iron Armor. But on the one hand, although Gu Hang had the allegiance of Interstellar Warriors, unlike the situation in the Princess Star Domain, the Iron Armor Battle Group acted autonomously, while Phoenix did not. The Supreme Council believed they had ways to separate Gu Hang and Phoenix later. They were more wary of Interstellar Warriors than a human political leader. In the history of the Empire, Interstellar Warriors have caused turmoil time and again; a mortal rising from the local ranks to become too powerful to control? That had never happened. ¡®Turmoil¡¯ caused by mortal political leaders did exist, but these occurred within the Central Government. Including the Sun Lord era that ended only a decade or so ago, Solakium first became the Supreme Marshal of the Star Realm Army, stepped into the ranks of the Thirteen High Lords, and then launched the Solar Expedition, seizing control. Moreover, compared with the numerous misdeeds of Iron Armor, Gu Hang was dutifully paying taxes. Whenever he didn¡¯t pay taxes, it was due to explicit tax exemption policies given to him, which were not even sought by him but proactively provided for various reasons. With these exemptions, he did more work than the taxes he saved. Such as saving a Nest Capital, such as winning the Iron Teeth War. Gu Hang¡¯s reputation in this regard was much better. Letting Gu Hang hold great power was also because of the presence of the formidable enemy, Iron Armor. Having an enemy that even the Central Empire found troubling, let them bite each other first. Once the battle was over, Gu Hang¡¯s coalition would likely suffer heavy losses. By then, it would become much easier to dismantle it. To this, Gu Hang just smiled, repeatedly reassuring everyone he met how honest he was. His lifelong wish was to achieve some merit locally, and then to move to Holy Terra to work together with everyone. His words indeed made many believe him. Because this really fit the notion most Imperial officials had at heart: Holy Terra is the best, superior to any other place. Better to have a bed on Terra than a palace in a Garden World. Being transferred to Holy Terra to serve a term as a high official would make one willing to give up all local accomplishments. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Many Imperial high officials came about this way. Once the battle with Iron Armor is settled and Gu Hang has achieved fame and success, finding an official position for him on Terra would naturally lead him to let go of the so-called coalition and come over eagerly, right? No need to fear that Gu Hang will become too strong and troublesome at the local level! You never need to worry about Gu Hang¡¯s loyalty! ¡ª¡ª¨C 4k End of the month, shamelessly asking, looking for a monthly pass! Chapter 914 - Chapter 914 Chapter 493 The Enemy is in Terra Chapter 914: Chapter 493, The Enemy is in Terra! Chapter 914: Chapter 493, The Enemy is in Terra! One banquet after another, one meeting after another, one social gathering after another under the guise of art and music¡­ In the last month on Holy Terra, Gu Hang was diligently expanding his network of contacts. To be honest, he didn¡¯t enjoy these things. But he was trying hard to integrate himself into them and use their methods to secure everything possible for his Alliance. The more he did so, the more disillusioned he became with the highest echelons of the Human Empire. On this trip to Terra, Gu Hang had come to an in-depth understanding of the heart of the Human Empire. From the High Lords at the very top to the rank-and-file executive officers, he had dealt with them all. Among them, were there any with glorious ideals or grand visions? Yes, there were. But they were a minority. Instead, what Gu Hang mostly saw was interest exchange, sordid dealings, and lives steeped in debauchery¡­ Even when discussing serious matters, in Gu Hang¡¯s view, they were quite impractical, dissociated from reality, and of no benefit to the nation or the people. It was fortunate that it hadn¡¯t yet come to a point of total negligence in civil administration and military recreation. The former might be present, but the ¡®military¡¯ had not yet become ¡®recreational¡¯, which was the only consolation. Before Gu Hang left, the struggle for the head of the Military Affairs Department had concluded. Galaraldo had won but hadn¡¯t won completely. He had succeeded in becoming the Minister of Military Affairs, the highest administrative office within one of the four major departments of the Empire. Under the Empire Government structure, in theory, the only person above him was the Imperial Prime Minister. But that was only in theory. In reality, not to mention that he hadn¡¯t yet secured his position, within the Empire there were too many independent power factions outside the government structure. Moreover, the reason he hadn¡¯t won completely was due to not having secured a seat in the Supreme Council. It was quite rare in Empire history for the Military Affairs Department to lose the position of a High Lord. After all, if there was a hierarchy among the four major departments, Military Affairs would be second, possibly vying for first. While it¡¯s true that not every term within the four departments guarantees the seat of a High Lord and sometimes none have it, typically the Minister of Military Affairs would be among them. It was rare to see the ministers of the three other departments included while the Military Affairs was excluded. To be honest, this had a substantial impact on Galaraldo¡¯s control over the Military Affairs Department, as the people below might become dissatisfied and uneasy. But he didn¡¯t actually care about these anymore. In his words: ¡°I¡¯ve risen through the ranks at breakneck speed in recent years, unavoidably offending a great many people, especially those whose positions I¡¯ve taken, whose paths I¡¯ve blocked. However, after my promotion to Minister, many of these issues will subside. If I am not high enough, they will envy me, resent me; but once I rise to a level they can only look up to, they will instead flatter me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lacking in grudges; if I feared this, I would have kept a low profile long ago.¡± ¡°It¡¯s you who should be careful when you return. Whether it¡¯s dealing with the Fury Flame Battle Group or possibly Iron Armor that may soon make big moves, neither is easy to handle. Don¡¯t let us down, but don¡¯t overextend yourself either. If it really comes to the worst and there¡¯s no way out, always remember to stay alive at all costs. With me here, no matter the difficulty, I assure you a chance for a comeback!¡± These were Galaraldo¡¯s final words of advice to Gu Hang before he left. ¡­ Gazing at Holy Terra growing smaller and more distant within his sight, Gu Hang withdrew his gaze and turned towards the boundless Star Sea ahead. The matters on Terra had concluded, and he was on his journey home. It had been one year since he left the Alliance, and the return trip would take nearly another year. Together, two years were quite an extended period. As a leader, being away from the core of your dominion for a long time is certainly not beneficial. However, as a part of the Empire, and a power grown under the wings of the Empire, Gu Hang had to make this trip to Terra by all means. Putting aside the benefits acquired and the troubles resolved on this trip, he had to let these old masters on Terra clearly recognize what kind of person he was, in the way he wanted to be recognized. This way, when they thought of the Alliance, they wouldn¡¯t just see it as a rising power in the Empire¡¯s Eastern Frontier grasping both military and political power. Instead, they would associate it with the identity of Gu Hang, the leader, think of him in the context of the Imperial Political Arena, realize his connection to Holy Terra, as part of an emerging political faction. ¡®One of their own.¡¯ Should things come to some dangerous yet inevitable juncture later on, the contacts established on Terra might prove to be useful. And, for the past twenty years, the Alliance system that he had crafted should still be trustworthy, not wholly reliant on his presence, capable of operating smoothly on its own. The biggest problem with his absence from the center was not the governance, but the morale. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Two years, was nearly at the limit. And for this reason, he didn¡¯t dare to waste any more time on Holy Terra. Once matters were settled, he promptly embarked on his return journey. Hoping that all would still be well when he returned. ¡­ In the Eastern Cosmos Domain, within the Dragonhawk Star Domain and the Snoweagle Starfield. Fury Flame Battle Group Leader Kazimir Ersu was in communication with his ally, Humphrey Paolo, the Iron Armor Battle Group Leader located far away in the Princess Star Domain. Chapter 915 - Chapter 915 Chapter 493 The Enemy is in Terra_2 Chapter 915: Chapter 493, The Enemy is in Terra!_2 Chapter 915: Chapter 493, The Enemy is in Terra!_2 But Erso¡¯s current expression could hardly be considered happy. Because Paul had ordered him to retreat, to give up the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and with his Battle Group, which had now actually grown to around sixteen hundred men, to circle back to the Meng River Star Domain, located north of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and then return to the Princess Star Domain. The reason for doing so was also clearly explained by Paul. Erso knew about the events that had transpired on Holy Terra. After this information was relayed to Erso by him, Erso could understand why it was necessary to consolidate their forces. Because war was upon them. Because the Empire could no longer accommodate them. To be honest, upon realizing this, Erso felt somewhat bewildered, to the extent that he was initially unable to accept it. He had led the Fury Flame Battle Group, and for the past century or so, had always stood together with the Iron Armor Battle Group, committing many heinous acts. However, every single act was done in the name of loyalty to the Emperor and patriotism. Deceiving others is certainly important, but perhaps deceiving oneself is even more so. From birth, he believed in The Emperor; after becoming an Interstellar Warrior, that belief was further reinforced with the genes of The Emperor. Aside from training, the most common aspect of his daily life was prayer; in the midst of war, the most frequently heard battle cry was ¡®For the Emperor!¡¯. Who would have thought that one day they would become traitors? ¡°No, we aren¡¯t traitors,¡± Paul said, as if he could see right into his heart, ¡°How much have we sacrificed for this Empire? Our Battle Groups fought in the Princess Star Domain¡¯s ¡®Abyss of Nothingness¡¯ for a hundred years, countless Iron Armors and Fury Flames have given their lives; in recent years, your Battle Group has battled the Green Skin Orcs in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, with innumerable sacrifices. Everyone says that Gu Hang was the one who killed Titus in the end, but who can deny the contributions of the Fury Flame on the frontlines? Without your steadfast defense on the frontlines, the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain would have fallen long ago; how could it have been Gu Hang¡¯s turn to steal the final fruits of victory?¡± ¡°But how does the Empire treat us? Distrust, vigilance, oppression¡­ Has it ever lessened over the past century? The blood we¡¯ve shed appears rightful in the eyes of those on Holy Terra; but the resources we should receive for the war effort are seen by them as if we were cutting flesh from their bodies!¡± ¡°In the past, we might have harbored illusions, but now Norberto has been finished, and the Central Empire can no longer hear a single word from us, nor do we have anything left to discuss with those bureaucrats idling on Holy Terra. We have bent over backward for the Empire, and that will not change in the future. Only now, we¡¯ve come to realize that the greatest crisis facing the Empire doesn¡¯t come from external enemies, be they Aliens or Demons. Instead, we must awaken to the fact that the greatest crisis of the Empire comes from within! From Holy Terra itself!¡± ¡°The enemy lies at the heart, and as Angels of The Emperor and loyal guardians of the Empire, it¡¯s our duty to eradicate this greatest of foes!¡± Paul¡¯s words were so resolute and compelling that they stirred Erso¡¯s blood! This resolved a major worry for him: becoming a traitor. But according to this, they were not traitors! Although he could vaguely feel that this argument wasn¡¯t entirely solid, he was very much willing to believe it. Whether a claim is believable hinges greatly on whether the listener is willing to believe. If one is willing to believe, then even the most absurd lies can deceive. And Erso was someone who was very willing to believe this argument. Moreover, he had figured out many of the implications behind these words himself without Paul needing to say anything. The ultimate goal to save the Empire was to ascend to Terra and usurp the throne, but that wasn¡¯t something that could be immediately achieved overnight. What they needed to do now was to hold their base, strike at the forces that have been misled by Holy Terra, and continue to expand their foundation in the midst of the war, eventually amassing enough strength to conquer Holy Terra. It was not something that could happen overnight. However, after believing in this, and dispelling the psychological resistance to the upcoming war, he naturally developed another concern that mattered greatly to him: ¡°Then, why retreat from the Dragonhawk Star Domain? Why can¡¯t we make the Southern front, the Dragonhawk Star Domain, or even the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain, our primary or at least a secondary target?¡± ¡°Because we don¡¯t have enough power,¡± Paul patiently persuaded, ¡°I understand your feelings, Fury Flame has invested a lot in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and it¡¯s hard to pull back without reluctance.¡± Erso didn¡¯t speak because it was indeed true. ¡°But we have to think about the overall situation. The Void Black Hole still needs forces to defend, and if we¡¯re the main offensive, our discussions have concluded that we would have an advantage operating within the entire Spiderweb Starfield, which we have managed for many years. Yet there are many challenges, and we need as much military force as possible. Before Holy Terra¡¯s preparations are complete, we need to strike first and expand our power as much as possible. Inside the Spiderweb Starfield, right by our bed, there are six Battle Groups with unclear attitudes, and many forces that may not necessarily be willing to stand with us.¡± ¡°We must achieve an undisputed, overwhelming, heart-shaking victory, like a whirlwind sweeping away fallen leaves, to cover as much ground as possible. A powerful, irresistible victory is essential as a great start. Compared to the forces controlled by Holy Terra, we are ultimately at a disadvantage; our strength lies in having significant superiority in localized areas.¡± ¡°We must leverage these advantages, using such a victory to deter all the waverers, and sweep as many of them as possible under our banner.¡± ¡°Our time window is short. To create that kind of earth-shattering momentum, we must employ every power we can. So, I need you, more than ever before.¡± ¡°Do you understand?¡± Paul¡¯s persuasion was akin to heartfelt advice. After listening, Erso sighed deeply. ¡°Alright, Paul, I understand your point, and I agree with your plan. I will withdraw my Battle Group as soon as possible. I still have a hundred warrior brothers in the hands of that Alliance, waiting for me to negotiate a prisoner exchange plan, to get them back before withdrawal.¡± ¡°Good, the sooner, the better.¡± ¡­ At this moment, the Alliance had also learned of the changes in Holy Terra¡¯s political situation. It was Gu Hang who informed them. If the many changes that occurred on Terra were still somewhat distant news to the Alliance officials, in reality, they had a very direct impact on the layout of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and they could feel it very clearly. The most direct manifestation was the withdrawal of the Silver Tribunal. They had been in the control area of the Alliance for a full year. During this year, they had caused not a few troubles for the Alliance. The Alliance¡¯s various intelligence agencies had exhausted all sorts of means, entangling with these Judges. The opposition was roughly divided into overt and covert fronts. The covert aspect was actually easier to handle. The Silver Tribunal had dispatched many spies to quietly infiltrate the areas controlled by the Alliance, especially in the core ruling worlds of the Tianma Star Sector, to collect intelligence and even fabricate charges. These spies would of course not notify the Alliance; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be able to find anything out. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only But this played right into the hands of the Alliance. If you don¡¯t say anything, that¡¯s just fine. All with illegal identities, the intelligence agencies of the Alliance would directly take extreme measures. They were all treated as enemy spies, subversive elements; caught one, processed one, and had to be quick and strict. The Judges of the Silver Tribunal often couldn¡¯t react in time, couldn¡¯t rescue their people, and those spies were either executed or disappeared before they had the chance. Chapter 916 - Chapter 916 Chapter 494 Seeking Death by Coming to the Door Chapter 916: Chapter 494, Seeking Death by Coming to the Door? Chapter 916: Chapter 494, Seeking Death by Coming to the Door? For such disrespectful behavior from the Alliance, the judges at the Silver Tribunal were very annoyed. In their work experience, they had seldom encountered such a situation. They were the Tribunal! Their word was law, holding great power! All high officials were insignificant in their eyes, calling you a traitor meant just that! Wherever they went, weren¡¯t they treated with caution? Local powers in any empire were like facing the Grim Reaper, kneeling on the ground in fear, anxiously waiting for their verdict. During this process, it was very common to see them flattering and groveling. Clearing out spies sent by the Tribunal? Who would dare! Although sent secretly, those local powers could certainly recognize that the spies were from the Tribunal. Pampering and supporting them was hardly enough; at most, they would try every means to hide evidence, only daring to take drastic measures when absolutely necessary. But often at these times, it was when the judges would become furious and then sentence the rulers to severe punishment. But the Alliance did not behave this way at all. They maintained necessary courtesies, but in many areas, there were conflicts. For instance, regarding spies, the Alliance didn¡¯t care whether you had gathered any intelligence or not; if the spies were not dispatched after notifying them officially, they were treated as illegal infiltrators and eliminated. Furious? Well, just be angry then. Yet the Silver Judges dared not do anything. Did the Silver Judges dare to pass judgments without decisive evidence just because of this? Obviously not. Even though, over the past year, they had received numerous urgings from the Fury Flame Battle Group. But still, they dared not. Declaring the Alliance as traitors sounds easy, just a flip of the tongue. But look at those Alliance Intelligence Officers always following them, and the ¡®Glory Guards¡¯ these officers could call upon at any time ¨C the Silver Judges had no intention of making any move. Once judged, do you think Furyflame would directly wage a war? Obviously not. In the past, the tribunal or its allied forces had absolute overwhelming power over local powers, and the ultimate goal of judging rebellion was to find an excuse to start a war. But this is not the case at the moment! Even if the Furyflame compelled the Silver Tribunal to make a judgment, they would not go to war unless their strength was sufficiently accumulated. Their judgments were more often used by the Furyflame Battle Group as a way to suppress the Alliance. In fact, right after their judgment would come, the Flash Judgement Court following them might well overturn their decision; their judgments could not be enforced, and even if Furyflame decided to act, they might not necessarily be stronger than the Alliance. If retreating ten thousand steps, even if they could defeat them, that would be a matter for the future. At the moment, these Silver Judges situated deep within Alliance territory would definitely be doomed! The Alliance Intelligence Officers following them might not be able to slaughter them, but those so-called ¡®Glory Guards¡¯ made the Silver Judges somewhat shudder. These elite Alliance forces, although not as majestic and mighty as the Interstellar Warriors, still should not be underestimated with their bodies covered in Powered Armor. What was key was the spirit they displayed, which was unsettling. The Silver Judges couldn¡¯t help but compare privately; on their Tribunal¡¯s black ship, they also had an elite force of Stormtroopers, composed of the finest veteran elites from the Star Realm Army equipped with Exoskeleton Armor and Hellfire Laser Guns, and each tactical squad could also choose bombs, plasma, thermomelt, and other more powerful weapons depending on mission objectives. Although the Stormtroopers were said to be from the Star Realm Army Sequence, in fact, it was more common for them to work for the Tribunal, being one of the Tribunal¡¯s most reliable elite armed forces. However, compared to these Glory Guards of the Alliance, perhaps similar in training level and mental will, the equipment still felt slightly inferior. The Silver Judges often lamented: How rich is the Alliance? Even if their Stormtroopers could contend with these Glory Guards, the other side could always call upon the Empire¡¯s Interstellar Warriors at any time, whereas the Furyflame Battle Group was far away. Even if they just wanted to escape, the Tribunal¡¯s black ship had excellent performance, but next to their black ships were always several times the number of Alliance Warships. This method called ¡®escort¡¯, in reality, was for surveillance, making them dare not make any rash moves, nor hope to unearth any results. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Neither from covert nor overt sources could they gather any solid intelligence; wanting to use the Alliance¡¯s poor attitude to declare them as trying to ¡®obstruct the investigation¡¯, they dared not. These reasons left the Silver Judges feeling extremely frustrated. Yet, they still always wandered around in various places deep within Alliance territory. They also understood their role: if not to kill you, then to annoy you to death. As long as they existed, the Alliance had to divert a significant amount of attention to them. Truth be told, their role was indeed being played out. Otherwise, so many intelligence officers, so many Glory Guard warriors, and a considerable part of the Alliance Warships, could totally be doing something else instead of just following these judges, preventing them from causing unpredictable problems. Chapter 917 - Chapter 917 Chapter 494 Courting Death by Showing Up_2 Chapter 917: Chapter 494, Courting Death by Showing Up?_2 Chapter 917: Chapter 494, Courting Death by Showing Up?_2 However, they are leaving now. They are leaving without reaching any conclusions. Honestly, this is quite unusual for the judges. They came with great fanfare, deploying an entire black ship, hundreds of judges from all levels, tens of thousands of elite tempest soldiers, and countless spies to investigate a faction¡¯s territory, only to leave without any results. What if they concluded that the Alliance hadn¡¯t committed treason? That wouldn¡¯t work either. Wouldn¡¯t that be tantamount to endorsing the Alliance? But to conclude treason? That would be even worse. Not only would this entire team currently in the heartland of the Alliance be doomed, but they also wouldn¡¯t be able to enforce their judgments. Moreover, they wouldn¡¯t even dare to make a judgment after leaving Alliance territory because the changes in Holy Terra have even scared the Silver Tribunal. In the past, they had covered up many actions of the Iron Armor Battle Group, but that was because Holy Terra had not yet defined the conduct of the Iron Armor Battle Group. Now, do they really want to be tied completely to the Iron Armor Battle Group? The Silver Tribunal has not yet made a final decision, and there is still fierce debate within, with some purges already occurring among them. The Iron Armor faction is reluctant to give up the unrestrained power it enjoys with the support of a strong battle group in the Empire¡¯s Eastern Frontier and the substantial benefits provided by the Iron Armor Battle Group; the Imperial faction thinks that following the Iron Armor is a dead end. Within these two major factions, there are many disagreements. It¡¯s total chaos. But in any case, the investigation of the Alliance cannot proceed. The Imperial faction opposes it, and within the Iron Armor faction, information from the Iron Armor Battle Group has been received; Dragonhawk Star Domain, located two star domains south of the Princess Star Domain, is not the core direction for the Iron Armor Battle Group¡¯s next move. The Silver Tribunal disgracefully withdrew. Meanwhile, the Fury Flame Battle Group is also withdrawing. But before leaving, the Fury Flame Battle Group made a demand to the Alliance. Several years ago, the Fury Flame Squad, consisting of a hundred men sent by Kazimir Ersu to convey tasks to the Alliance, has been detained by the Alliance for a long time. The Alliance needs to return these people. Whether to return them or not is, of course, for the Alliance to decide. If the Alliance insists on not returning them, what can the Fury Flame Battle Group do? A battle not worth fighting now also cannot be started over these hundred Fury Flame captives. However, the Alliance is still seriously considering this matter. Whether or not to return the captives, the Fury Flame Battle Group can only withdraw. But the manner of withdrawal could be different. Would they withdraw honestly and obediently, returning their currently occupied areas to the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government in full, and finally wait for Gu Hang, who has been clearly appointed as the leader of Dragonhawk, to take over, or would they go on a spree of looting before leaving? They would definitely engage in looting, which goes without saying. They would likely take their currently controlled warships and leave with a large amount of material. But the difference lies in whether their looting is relatively mild or destructive. If it¡¯s the latter, that is actually very troublesome. They would leave a huge mess for the Alliance. Of course, this would provoke tremendous resistance and would greatly tarnish the reputation of the Fury Flame Battle Group. But since they are withdrawing and are going to confront the Empire anyway, they obviously wouldn¡¯t care about these consequences. Even though they can¡¯t possibly wreak havoc in every area of their control, even just causing trouble on Yunluo Star would be very distressing. Before the war, Yunluo Star was a developed world with a production value comparable to Flying Wing Star. With a level 4 development degree and a population of 12 billion, just looking at these figures means nearly fifty billion in output. Many areas controlled by the Alliance put together might only amount to half this figure. What¡¯s more, after breaking the pot, they wouldn¡¯t just be taking away wealth; the Alliance would have to spend money to pacify and rebuild these areas afterward. In fact, upon learning of the political changes in Holy Terra and anticipating the possible withdrawal of the Fury Flame Battle Group, the Alliance Government had already prepared for this scenario. As soon as there¡¯s any sign of Fury Flame¡¯s intention to leave, the plan is to strike on all fronts, seizing the time and opportunity to force the Fury Flame Battle Group not to go too far and to drive them away. Even if it triggers a certain degree of warfare between the two sides, it¡¯s a sacrifice worth making. And the negotiators from the Fury Flame Battle Group subtly implied: return the prisoners to me, and I¡¯ll commit fewer atrocities. To this end, the Alliance is actually willing. A hundred stripped Fury Flames might be valuable, but to the Alliance, preserving a more intact world is more valuable. Even if the Fury Flames might not fully adhere to the agreement, and will still loot and destroy as they intended, saving as much as possible is still better. However, when they had in principle agreed to the conditions for exchanging the prisoners, the Phoenix Battle Group came up with a new idea. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And this idea still requires Gu Hang¡¯s approval. Gu Hang, who was still on his way back, heard the report and the request, and sent back a signal: Agreed. ¡­ Snow Eagle Star Sector, Upper Plateau Star. This world, which was once a critical battleground where humans and Iron-teeth Greenskins clashed, has been devastated by the war. The extensive orbital bombings, along with the brutal ground battles, have nearly destroyed this world. Chapter 918 - Chapter 918 Chapter 494 Coming to Find Death Chapter 918: Chapter 494, Coming to Find Death? Chapter 918: Chapter 494, Coming to Find Death? The majority of the original city clusters on the ground had already turned into ruins. Perhaps there were still civilians who had survived the war, but their numbers would not be too many. It would likely take an extremely long time to restore it to its former state¨Cif there were no external interference. Yet today, this planet once again became the focal point of the entire Star Domain. For the Fury Flame Battle Group and the Alliance were to hold the handover ceremony of the Dragonhawk Star Domain here. From today, the Fury Flame Battle Group would withdraw from the Dragonhawk Star Domain, allowing the Alliance to take over smoothly. Originally, the Alliance wanted to sign a detailed handover list with the Fury Flame Battle Group, specifying what could be taken, what could not, and what must be obligatorily left intact¡­ But the Fury Flame Battle Group refused. So far, no explicit written agreement has been signed between the two parties. All arrangements reached were oral, or even based on tacit understanding. This was very unreliable. However, there was one thing that was very clear and certain: today, on Upper Plateau Star, the Alliance would hand over 100 previously captured Fury Flame Warriors. Representing the Alliance was the Phoenix Battle Group, who were fully responsible for this exchange ceremony. And the method of exchange was a blood duel to the death. The rules are very simple: Phoenix would put forward one hundred warriors, to be challenged by Fury Flame on the platform, where both victory and life or death would be decided. For every win by Fury Flame, a captive would be returned. If they had the capacity to kill all one hundred Phoenix, then all one hundred captives would be released. The arena had already been built¨Cit was just a big open field. Any means were unrestricted; all equipment that a single soldier could bring in could be used, but interference from outside the arena was forbidden. Fair and just, everything depended on skill. After each bout, both parties could choose to change players or not, but as soon as Phoenix accumulates one hundred losses, the duel would be declared over, and how many rounds Fury Flame would need to win these matches depended on their own abilities. If Fury Flame could win every round, breaking through the one hundred Phoenix warriors, then it would be as if they had slaughtered one hundred Phoenix at no cost and gotten back their captives; if they could not break through these one hundred at all, that was their own problem to deal with. Without a doubt, this was a significant provocation. It was not only a duel between warriors, but essentially a battle between Battle Groups. There was not a trace of friendliness, just two Battle Groups filled with deep-seated resentment towards each other, engaging in a life-or-death blood battle when open warfare was not an option. In the outer orbit of Upper Plateau Star, the ships of both parties gathered densely. Naturally taking the lead for the Alliance was the ¡®Firebath Nova¡¯, while on the other side, the flagship Combat Shuttle ¡®Spiritfire¡¯ of the Fury Flame Battle Group also glared menacingly. The distance between the ships of both parties from the planetary orbit was quite considerable. Their mutual distrust almost seemed palpable; neither was willing to let the other¡¯s vessels idle in orbit, lest the people who went down to the ground suddenly get hit by an orbital cannon. There was a cruiser-grade warship from the Sect of Mechanics present as well, belonging to the Mingyang Sect. They were the first to come as ¡®spectators¡¯, and to some extent, witnesses. The venue, cleaned up in advance, was a wide-open space amidst the ruins of a post-war city. From both parties, a large number of personnel had already landed, standing in clear-cut divisions on either side. The most conspicuous between the two sides were two clusters of steel bodies with different colors. One side had red armor with white edges, the other predominantly orange with black shoulder pads and knee guards. Both parties numbered eight hundred people. Neither had dispatched all their warriors, keeping some in reserve. But as the most important individuals of their respective Battle Groups, the Battle Group Leaders of both parties were present at the scene. Kazimir Ersu gazed intently at the front, where he could see Matins in his Terminator Power Armor. When he first received the challenge of a duel personally from Matins, rage surged within him. A newly-revived Battle Group dared to challenge them? Utterly presumptuous! At the same time, he also saw it as an excellent chance to address the pent-up anger felt throughout his entire Battle Group. Just like when Humphrey Paul begrudgingly ordered him to retreat, his subordinates harbored similar sentiments. How could proud Interstellar Warriors tolerate surrendering without firing a shot? Although retreat was not a surrender but a strategic move, the inherently impulsive warriors of the Fury Flame Battle Group still found it suffocating. They did not wish it so; they were merely compelled by orders. Now, the challenge proposed by Phoenix was precisely what they desired! They didn¡¯t want to retreat, and now the enemy was delivering themselves to their doorstep! Coupled with the loss of the Beastman Tribal Chief Titus¡¯s head, and a century of enmity¡­ The entire Battle Group would absolutely have to accept Phoenix¡¯s challenge. Otherwise, the whole Battle Group would be shamed! Even if Kazimir Ersu was the Battle Group Leader, he could not go against the wishes of countless individuals and flat-out reject this duel that related to the honor of the Battle Group. To do so would destroy his credibility, and countless combat brothers would question whether he still qualified to lead the entire Battle Group. Moreover, he himself had no intention of refusing at all! Even though he had heard that the Phoenix Battle Group, since its resurgence, had recruits whose strength was nothing to scoff at, that they should not be treated merely as rookies, so what? Were all of Fury Flame recruits? The entire rank and file, with years of service and far deeper combat experience than those green Phoenix recruits, if they were scared to duel the opposition, that would truly be suspicious! Even if taking down these Phoenix proved to be extremely challenging, costing one hundred of their own, or even two hundred, for one hundred Phoenix, the duel must be fought! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Especially since the opposition had chosen their own turf; the entire Snow Eagle Star Sector used to be within the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s control area. Under such conditions, Fury Flame could not back down. ¡ª¡ª 5k Thank you to the ¡®Pioneer Axe Chief¡¯ for their 5th Alliance Leader reward! Deeply moved! With a further 20k owed¡­ including the 1k paid back today, that¡¯s 125k still owed¡­ If the patrons continue their rewards, I fear I might have to repay them in my next life (next book)¡­ Chapter 919 - Chapter 919 Chapter 495 Fight to the Death with No Blood Chapter 919: Chapter 495, Fight to the Death with No Blood Spared Chapter 919: Chapter 495, Fight to the Death with No Blood Spared ¡°We¡¯re meeting for the first time, aren¡¯t we?¡± As the two Battle Group Leaders walked forward to engage in a deadly duel, Erso seemed quite relaxed. Matins, standing opposite him, did not appear so composed. It was evident that he was trying hard to remain calm. But the fury in his eyes could not be concealed. Hearing Erso¡¯s greeting, Matins slowly pulled a cold smile at the corner of his mouth: ¡°Not exactly, on Leviathan 9, I fired a bomb at you.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Matins¡¯ words seemed to amuse Erso, who, after a moment, reined in his smile and mocked, ¡°I remember that battle, it was a great victory indeed. I personally slaughtered six Cercis Flowers and four Phoenixes. But I don¡¯t recall your bomb, it seems to have been entirely ineffective.¡± Matins vividly remembered that battle. His company and the Cercis Flower company were ordered to garrison on the planet named Leviathan 9 and were fiercely attacked by the Fury Flame Battle Group, suffering heavy losses. Many of his close warrior brothers died in that battle. ¡°I truly regret not having killed you that day.¡± ¡°Oh? Now you have your chance.¡± Erso was still laughing, not taking Matins seriously, ¡°How about we two fight the opening round, and see if that bomb you fired a hundred years ago can hit me today.¡± He was trying to provoke Matins into making an irrational choice. The Battle Group Leaders leading the duel would certainly push the duel to a climax immediately, but likewise, the risks would become enormous. Erso had absolute confidence in victory; he wanted to slash Matins with his sword in this first battle, gaining the upper hand. Matins was nearly about to agree. But at the last moment, he exhaled deeply. ¡°Let¡¯s compare our warriors first. Later you may become so desperate that you¡¯ll want to join the fight yourself, and then I will take your life.¡± ¡°Heh,¡± Erso stared at Matins, ¡°Then I¡¯m afraid my warriors won¡¯t give me that opportunity. They¡¯ll quickly kill off your hundred green recruits. But even if that happens, I will mercifully grant you the 101st chance, as long as you dare to join the fight, I¡¯ll play along.¡± ¡°Wait and see.¡± ¡­ Returning to his own formation, Matins still hadn¡¯t calmed down. He felt that he hadn¡¯t performed well in the argument, indeed losing to Erso in terms of verbal sparring. This made him very frustrated. But the conversation was over, and he couldn¡¯t possibly drag Erso back for another round. He could only bottle up his frustration. However, he quickly came around. What was the point of tongue-lashing anyway? In the end, everything still hinged on gunfire and blades. He asked Rizzo, ¡°Are our warriors ready?¡± ¡°They are always ready. The hundred men named by the Governor are all eager for battle.¡± Matins was somewhat moved as he said, ¡°How did the Governor know that these hundred men are our best warriors? Moreover, after some training following the announcement, their already powerful capabilities have further improved!¡± Rizzo revealed a mysterious smile: ¡°Perhaps this is the Governor¡¯s blessing.¡± Matins paused, without replying. He always felt that old Rizzo was becoming more and more cryptic. Ignoring him, Matins turned his gaze to another person standing beside him: ¡°Brother Kalduce, according to the plan, you¡¯ll be the first one to fight, any problem with that?¡± Kalduce was the Company Commander of Phoenix First Company and one of the survivors of the hundred-year-long expedition who first came to Rage Owl Star with Matins. He was almost the strongest in Phoenix, second only to Matins. It was most appropriate for him to fight this battle. ¡°No problem.¡± Kalduce replied absentmindedly, his gaze fixed on someone in the midst of the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s ranks. ¡°Are you looking at Cao Boyang?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Kalduce came back to his senses and nodded, ¡°I heard he¡¯s now a Company Commander of the Furyflame. I wonder if we¡¯ll have a chance to meet later.¡± Matins knew why Kalduce wanted to meet this guy named Cao Boyang. Just as he loathed Erso, Kalduce also had close brothers who died at the hands of Cao Boyang. These four centenarians who had survived a hundred years, who among them didn¡¯t hold a deep-seated grudge against Furyflame? Matins thought for a moment and said, ¡°You can call him out; maybe he will come down.¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± Kalduce took off his helmet, which he was just about to put on, and tucked it under his arm. He stepped out of the formation and shouted towards the opposite side: ¡°Cao Boyang! Come out and face your death!¡± ¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Old Cao, he¡¯s calling you out.¡± ¡°Let other brothers wait a bit, I¡¯ll go first. It won¡¯t take long; I can slaughter him in a few minutes.¡± Wrapped in the heavy Terminator Power Armor, Cao Boyang nonchalantly twisted his neck, ¡°A hundred years ago, that guy slipped away, and a hundred years later, he still has to die by my hand.¡± With that, he too stepped into the arena. The gap in equipment between the two was significant. Cao Boyang was fully armed, in addition to his ¡®Indomitable¡¯ Terminator Power Armor, he had two rocket launchers perched on his shoulders; under his left arm hung a Heavy Bomb Machine Gun. If this had been a war, his weapon of choice would usually be a Thunder God Hammer. But today, seeing Kalduce on the opposite side, he put down the Thunder God Hammer and took up a Powered Sword. Chapter 920 - Chapter 920 Chapter 495 Deadly Blood Fight_2 Chapter 920: Chapter 495, Deadly Blood Fight_2 Chapter 920: Chapter 495, Deadly Blood Fight_2 This isn¡¯t holding back or deliberately not using the most familiar weapons; rather, it¡¯s about strategically choosing the right gear. Because the opponent Kalduce isn¡¯t wearing Terminator Armor, just a set of regular Tactical Powered Armor¨Calthough the model is a bit rare, the ¡®Majestic¡¯ Powered Armor is something many Battle Groups would be envious of. Using a Thunder God Hammer, which is more than enough to take down heavy units, against an opponent in Regular Powered Armor isn¡¯t suitable. Something more flexible like a Powered Sword would be much more appropriate. To be honest, the gear Cao Boyang is wearing is far more expensive than what Kalduce has on. If this were a war, Cao Boyang, in such attire, could play a much stronger role than Kalduce by many folds. Suppressing firepower, charging into the fray¡­ he could do it all. But a duel is another matter. Terminator Armor is heavy, allowing for equipment that regular Tactical Powered Armor can¡¯t accommodate. However, its bulkiness and lack of agility are simply irremediable. If both users are of low skill, then without a doubt, the person outfitted with the Terminator set could simply crush the opponent with superior equipment; however, if both are experts, then it¡¯s not so clear-cut. The Alliance isn¡¯t poor, and Kalduce isn¡¯t someone of insufficient status within the Battle Group to be denied access to good gear. It¡¯s a confrontation with an archenemy; there¡¯s no holding back or underestimating the opponent. Whatever Cao Boyang has equipped, Kalduce could have it too if he wanted. If he didn¡¯t bring it, it¡¯s surely for victory. Agility and skill are crucial for Kalduce to seize victory today. Yet at the onset of the battle, Kalduce was immediately met with a grave crisis. The arena for the duel is vast, encompassing about two kilometers in diameter of city ruins. However, for Interstellar Warriors who can sprint at full speed, even complex terrains can be crossed in mere minutes. If the distance is closed, many of Cao Boyang¡¯s long-range heavy weapons would lose their effectiveness. Almost the moment the broadcast announcing the start of the battle sounded, he crouched with legs apart, assuming a horse stance. The built-in scanner had roughly locked onto Kalduce¡¯s location, and the two Rocket Nests mounted on his shoulders began launching rockets. One after another, the rocket, trailing long plumes of flame, shot forth. They drew beautiful arcs in mid-air, flew over numerous ruins, and precisely targeted the area where Kalduce was. He didn¡¯t launch all the rockets in one go, but fired them in a controlled rhythm. He precisely calculated Kalduce¡¯s position and potential movements, sealing off many of his paths. The main objective was to prevent the Phoenix Veteran from taking shelter in the building ruins to avoid the blast damage. No way! He would be blasted to bits en route! And Kalduce could only keep moving nimbly amid the bombardment. Of course, his speed was not enough to completely avoid the blast range, but Tactical Powered Armor is still Powered Armor. As long as he could evade the explosive core of the precise rocket hits, the threat from the outskirts of the blasts was relatively low. However, during this process, he could hardly close the distance between them and couldn¡¯t afford any mistake whatsoever. Otherwise, a direct hit from the rocket would mean severe injury, if not death. Kalduce¡¯s disadvantage from not choosing heavy equipment manifested just as expected. Although he was still unscathed thus far, the problem was that Cao Boyang¡¯s means of attack were almost risk-free, whereas Kalduce could only passively take the hits. A mistake meant defeat; without any slip-ups, it was merely a matter of Cao Boyang running out of rockets. He surely had more than twenty rockets in his two Rocket Nests¨Chow much energy would Kalduce have to expend to dodge all of them? While pondering this, all the spectators witnessed a blue beam shoot across the dueling ground, striking right at Cao Boyang¡¯s left shoulder-mounted Rocket Nest! The audience were all elite Interstellar Warriors; they immediately recognized that this shot came from a Plasma Gun, and it was a charged shot at that. But when did Kalduce draw the gun to charge it? Wasn¡¯t he scrambling to avoid the rockets just moments ago? How did he find the time to do this? And with nearly two kilometers separating them, not to mention countless obstructing ruins, how did Kalduce manage to hit the target? Watching from a distance, Kazimir Ersu¡¯s face had gone completely grim. There was no magic to it; the man was simply capable of charging the Plasma Gun while distracted, all the while analyzing and adjusting his position as he dodged, finding a gap free of obstacles between them. The gap was extremely narrow, even more terrifying, Kalduce was constantly under bombardment, dodging explosions while adjusting his position, which was extremely difficult, let alone seizing the fleeting moment in that instant to make an accurate shot, surpassing a distance of two kilometers. Erso could only say, this was nothing short of divine skill. Erso asked himself, within the entire Fury Flame Battle Group, was there anyone who could do this? A few top-notch experts who had gone through specialized training and drills might be able to pull off this ¡®performance¡¯. But unfortunately, this was not a performance, it was a real combat, a matter of life and death. Even in this real combat, Phoenix was at a disadvantage. This territory was under Furyflame¡¯s control, even the duel location was their choice, they were able to come in advance to observe and study the terrain, but Phoenix didn¡¯t have that condition. To fire such a shot in the nick of time during real combat, Erso didn¡¯t even have confidence in himself. But this man, whose name had not stood out in the wars a hundred years ago, actually did it! Just an old soldier? Impossible. Even Company Commander Champion didn¡¯t have this ability! Yet the Company Commander of the first Company of Phoenix could actually demonstrate such strength! He couldn¡¯t help but look worriedly at Cao Boyang. From the beginning of the battle to now, Old Cao¡¯s firepower suppression had shown extremely outstanding tactics, but Kalduce¡¯s godlike shot directly overtook him in terms of performance. However, Old Cao¡¯s actions were actually quite decisive. The moment his Rocket Nest was pierced by the plasma, he violently detached the Rocket Nest from its connection to his body and flung it far away. The Rocket Nest exploded in mid-air. Had Old Cao¡¯s decision been just a bit slower, he would have suffered severely from the sympathetic explosion of the Rocket Nest. Kalduce also took this opportunity to swiftly advance by using the cover of the urban ruins. Clearly, he intended to close the distance between them, even wanting to enter close-quarters combat. Old Cao was not afraid either. This Company Commander of the Fury Flame Battle Group, taking heavy steps, also delved deep into the urban ruins. However, the watching Erso couldn¡¯t relax his tense anxiety. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Kalduce¡¯s performance was too frightening; now he could only hope that this Phoenix Veteran was a master specialized in long-range shooting, with his close combat swordsmanship not being outstanding, at least not that harsh. It was possible; otherwise, Kalduce¡¯s capability wouldn¡¯t be just that of a Company Commander. But seeing Kalduce¡¯s eagerness for close combat, Erso didn¡¯t dare to fully trust his own judgment. He could only watch as the distance between the two sides got closer and closer¡­ ¡ª¡ª¨C On the first day of May, brothers, let¡¯s do a monthly ticket boost! Chapter 921 - Chapter 921 Chapter 496 How to Win a Battle Chapter 921: Chapter 496, How to Win a Battle? Chapter 921: Chapter 496, How to Win a Battle? Kalduce managed to get up close and personal with Cao Boyang. Despite the lack of rocket launcher suppression, Cao Boyang still had the heavy bomb rotary machine gun mounted underneath his left arm, which possessed far more destructive power than ordinary bombs, as well as a much higher rate of fire, providing an immensely strong suppressing effect. With it, he could even frontally blast a Lion Tank to pieces in less than ten seconds! This kind of weapon, in the hands of mortals, could only be used as a fixed turret. Even armored vehicles couldn¡¯t carry it and still move because the recoil when firing was too much to handle; if it were mounted on a Lion Tank, they¡¯d have to remove the main gun, which was a loss not worth the trade; when used by Interstellar Warriors, it required a two-man operation. Only Interstellar Warriors wearing Terminator Power Armor could normally operate it alone, and it could be mounted under one arm, shifting the muzzle as the arm moved. However, it was still unavoidably cumbersome. When Cao Boyang realized that they were getting very close, he swiveled the muzzle towards the direction Kalduce would appear and began firing furiously. The consecutive firing of the heavy bomb could demolish even collapsing building walls, exposing Kalduce, who had wanted to use these building ruins for cover as he advanced, to the line of fire. In this way, he suppressed with fire, attempting to stop Kalduce from approaching and hoping to deliver a powerful strike. A single hit from a heavy bomb could also inflict significant damage on Kalduce, who was only wearing Regular Powered Armor. Indeed, Kalduce was hit, taking three bullets. It was impossible for him not to make any mistakes; during his erratic maneuvering, he took a bullet that grazed past his abdomen. It wasn¡¯t a direct hit, not enough to injure him. However, as a Company Commander of the Fury Flame Battle Group, known as one of the top warriors of the entire Battle Group, Cao Boyang could not miss such an opportunity. He himself was a master in the use of heavy weapons, having already demonstrated his skill with the rocket launcher bombardment; it wasn¡¯t that he was unskilled, but rather that Kalduce¡¯s performance was simply too good. Now, a bullet hit, causing Kalduce to slightly lose balance, and Cao Boyang quickly followed with the muzzle. Being able to control a heavy bomb rotary machine gun, maintaining such sensitive tracking of the target even at full rate of fire, he was truly adept. But Cao Boyang¡¯s outstanding performance simply served to highlight Kalduce. The next two bullets that hit, one was deflected aside by Kalduce¡¯s Powered Sword, while the third, intentionally so, struck his shoulder armor and detonated. Admittedly, the explosion from the heavy bomb caused his shoulder to throb with pain, but the huge shoulder armor, akin to a shield, was not pierced through; it was painful, but did not affect his bodily functions. And with the force of the explosion, Kalduce¡¯s body quickly darted to the side, dodging the subsequent attacks. At the same time, Kalduce¡¯s fully charged High-Efficiency Plasma Pistol fired again. Cao Boyang¡¯s soul nearly left his body when he saw the gun drawn. Its power was obviously great, and although it required a longer time to charge for a single shot, it definitely packed a punch that was much heavier than the heavy bomb. What¡¯s more terrifying was its accuracy. Just moments ago, Kalduce had demonstrated his ability to hit his target from such a distance, through so many obstacles. Now, at a much closer range, he had no doubt that a shot from the other party would surely land on a vital spot. For example, the visor on his helmet. The visor on the Terminator Armor, of course, had been specially reinforced and was not that easy to penetrate. But it was still not as thick or as strong as other parts of the armor. One shot from the high-efficiency plasma ray would certainly penetrate, and the brain behind the visor wouldn¡¯t be spared. He could only jerk his head to the side, turn his body, and even raise his Powered Sword to try to block. He succeeded, the ray hit the Powered Sword squarely. Though unharmed, the powerful force contained in the plasma ray reacted with the Powered Sword, the tremendous force it produced throwing his body into sudden imbalance. And in that instant, it was Kalduce¡¯s opportunity. Without hesitation, he continued to charge forward, rapidly closing the distance so that his Power Axe could pose a threat. By this time, Cao Boyang had also readjusted his previously unbalanced body. Seeing Kalduce¡¯s proximity, he swung his Powered Sword horizontally. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The strike was powerful and swift! Kalduce blocked with his battle axe, but there was a sizable gap in strength between the two of them. It wasn¡¯t a difference in the individuals, but mainly in the Powered Armor. The output power of the Terminator was certainly much greater than that of Regular Powered Armor. But Kalduce seemed to always flow with Cao Boyang¡¯s powerful force, either twisting his body or deftly dissipating the energy. In the close-quarter combat, Kalduce appeared like a small boat sailing through raging waves, seemingly adrift, but in reality, he always maintained the initiative in the fight. All Cao Boyang¡¯s attacks were, in fact, more of a passive drive rather than active acts. Yet, he never succeeded, as Kalduce, like a tenacious ghost, continuously hovered at his side. Chapter 922 - Chapter 922 Chapter 496 How to Win a Match _2 Chapter 922: Chapter 496, How to Win a Match? _2 Chapter 922: Chapter 496, How to Win a Match? _2 His Powered Sword in hand actually wasn¡¯t as fast as Kalduce. That meant every time he slashed, Kalduce could either dodge or block, still with enough strength left to counter Cao Boyang. Kalduce also had to hold back, not using his full strength against the enemy, since the Terminator Power Armor was solid enough that if he failed to deliver a fatal blow, he would lose his agility advantage and couldn¡¯t block or evade Cao Boyang¡¯s next attack. Such a powerful and heavy strike from the Terminator would immediately cost him dearly. Despite this, every shallow attack from the Power Axe was terrifying when accumulated. The spectating Erso clenched his fists tightly. No matter how much he didn¡¯t want to admit it, Erso believed that in this duel, the Fury Flame Battle Group had lost. Within the Battle Group, Cao Boyang, one of the best warriors and the Company Commander, had been defeated. If this were a normal duel, it would be at the point where conceding would be acceptable. However, this was not a normal duel, but a blood fight to the death. What does a blood fight to the death mean? It doesn¡¯t end until the blood runs dry, and the person dies. There has to be a complete death for it to end. Even if he was reluctant to accept the death of his old comrade and brother, there was nothing he could do now. In a duel observed by all, he couldn¡¯t interfere without trampling the honor of the Battle Group underfoot. He could only watch helplessly as his brother sustained more and more injuries, growing increasingly immobile and sluggish, much like a wounded, bleeding bull in a bullfight that becomes more enraged yet weaker. Eventually, the defeat Erso had foreseen came. But the slight hope he harbored never materialized, as Kalduce, feeling it was about time, stopped ¡®playing.¡¯ Cao Boyang¡¯s movements had slowed significantly, especially after a heavy blow where his Powered Axe pierced through the back of his left knee, causing a limp; another axe blow slid during a clashing and cut at the junction of his wrist guard and iron glove, making it harder for Cao Boyang to wield his Powered Sword. Additionally, his left hand¡¯s heavy bomb rotating machine gun was almost useless in such close-quarters combat, at most serving to block and provide a slight threatening effect with the heavy bomb, which was better than nothing. Now, three out of Cao Boyang¡¯s four limbs were either disabled or had very limited effectiveness. At this point, Kalduce finally felt it was secure enough to go for the kill. This time, it was Kalduce¡¯s attack that led. In fact, after his knee and wrist suffered heavy blows, Cao Boyang hardly launched any attacks, not even trying passive movements, just waiting for Kalduce to come forward. Then let it come. Kalduce brought his axe down towards Cao Boyang¡¯s head. Cao Boyang of course tried to block it. However, just a moment before the axe struck, Kalduce simply changed direction and Cao Boyang could no longer keep up. Or rather, his eyes, his consciousness could keep up, but his body, his damaged Terminator Power Armor could not. With this, Kalduce¡¯s Power Axe solidly, with utmost force, chopped into the inner side of Cao Boyang¡¯s elbow. Amputation! The highly durable outer armor of the Terminator¡¯s elbow wasn¡¯t so easily shattered, but the axe cutting from the inside undoubtedly severed Cao Boyang¡¯s arm. Agonizing pain, but Cao Boyang, as a top-notch warrior himself, simple pain couldn¡¯t rob him of his combat ability. With his other arm, he threw a fierce punch at Kalduce while also firing the hanging heavy bomb. It seemed to be his prepared counterattack for a desperate situation; he no longer cared if the heavy bomb would also injure himself. He wanted to fire at close range while Kalduce was fully committed to cutting off his arm, even if it meant perishing together! Kalduce was slightly surprised internally; Cao Boyang¡¯s resolution indeed exceeded his expectations. But it was meaningless. He quickly kicked out, causing Cao Boyang to stagger back two steps, while Kalduce used the momentum to retreat five or six steps away. He dodged, and though a step slower, Cao Boyang didn¡¯t give up. He tried to shift the gun barrel to fire at Kalduce. But in the next moment, Kalduce charged back in, his axe severing Cao Boyang¡¯s left arm as well. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only With both arms lost, Cao Boyang had no remaining final moves. In desperation, he lunged forward with his head, appearing to attempt a headbutt as a final resistance. But it looked more like he was presenting his head under Kalduce¡¯s axe. One axe split the helmet, and another split his head in two. The Company Commander of the First Company of the Fury Flame Warband, arguably the second most important figure in the Battle Group next to the Battle Group Leader, died like that. The 800 warriors of the Fury Flame Battle Group ¡ª now 799 ¡ª watched as Kalduce, clad in Red Armor, stood with his foot on the respected old Company Commander¡¯s corpse, raising his axe and roaring towards the sky. Chapter 923 - Chapter 923 Chapter 496 How to Win a Battle_3 Chapter 923: Chapter 496, How to Win a Battle?_3 Chapter 923: Chapter 496, How to Win a Battle?_3 Under this serious provocation, the warriors of Furyflame first were astonished and shocked, but then they roared ferociously as if insulted, cursing at Kalduce. Kalduce took off his helmet, sneered disdainfully, and turned to leave. The first battle, Phoenix wins. And the second battle quickly began. The combatant that appeared looked like a very young warrior. He introduced himself, claiming to be the first new blood of Phoenix, with a military career of 20 years. 20 years, for mortals, of course, is quite a long military career, all veterans among veterans. But for Interstellar Warriors, 20 years is just the beginning. Most Interstellar Warriors at this stage are roughly considered to be out of the rookie period. It is not until they reach 50 years of service and are awarded a silver stud on their forehead that they can be called veterans. Those who had just been cursing at Kalduce from Furyflame Battle Group now quieted down a little. Although they cursed Kalduce, regardless, Kalduce was a real veteran with more than two hundred years of combat experience, having survived the redemptive expedition. His strength was formidable, sent to spearhead the battle and having won, killing Company Commander Cao Boyang, albeit difficult to accept, but not inconceivable. But to send a 20-year rookie? Looking down on us? But they soon reacted again. Aside from the four veterans who had survived a century of expeditions in Phoenix, the rest were all recruits from the past 20 years. Among the recruits, this young warrior who called himself Peleites Anatole was actually one of the oldest in terms of service. With this in mind, some members of Furyflame couldn¡¯t help but sneer. Erso also calmed his emotions from the recent loss of his comrades. Having lost the first battle, there was absolutely no room for loss in the second. Erso sent out the most outstanding ¡®new recruit¡¯ in the Battle Group. Although called a new recruit, he had actually been in service for 48 years and was about to reach the customary status of a veteran. And sending him wasn¡¯t Erso trying to save face. This warrior was a rare genius within the Fury Flame Battle Group, a natural-born warrior showing extraordinary talent after becoming an Interstellar Warrior, surpassing the level of average veterans. In the internal duels within the Battle Group, he had won countless victories, even if not quite at the level of the Company Champion, but not far off, stronger than many of the sergeants. Defeating a Phoenix recruit should surely be easy. At the call of Erso, the genius warrior of Furyflame went down to the field. The two combatants of the second battle both wore Terminator armor, the difference being that Furyflame used the ¡®Unyielding Type¡¯, while Phoenix used the ¡®Iron Cavalry Type¡¯. The Unyielding Type was the most common Terminator Armor of the current era, while the Iron Cavalry Type was much more precious and performed somewhat better. Erso really didn¡¯t know where Phoenix got so many Iron Cavalry Types. Kalduce previously wore the ¡®Majestic Type¡¯, which was also more rare and better than the most common ¡®Sky Eagle Type¡¯ equipment used by Furyflame. He glanced over and saw that every Terminator was ¡®Iron Cavalry¡¯, and every tactical power armor was ¡®Majestic¡¯¡­ Where did Phoenix get all this good gear? Jealousy and confusion put aside momentarily, he focused on the battlefield at hand. Although the Unyielding Type fell somewhat short in performance compared to the Iron Cavalry Type, both were still Terminator Powered Armors, and there wasn¡¯t an ultimately decisive gap in quality. Victory or defeat hinged mainly on the difference between individuals. He had full confidence in his warrior. However, his confidence was soon shattered. Watching that Phoenix named Anat step on the body of the Battle Group genius and roar like his predecessor, Erso¡¯s face darkened to the point of dripping water. Defeated again! And what made it even more embarrassing was that in the battle just now, the highly anticipated genius of Furyflame had hardly posed any real threat. Anat was clearly stronger, having gained the upper hand in the long-distance fight and inflicted severe damage. In the end, Anat appeared in front of him, knocked him to the ground, stepped on his chest, and executed him with the Heavy Bomber Gun to the head. This was a clear sign of a symbolic execution; if not for that, Anat could have killed him from a distance earlier. This was clearly a crushing disparity. And even more humiliating was that after the battle, Anat did not leave. He stood there, calling for the next Furyflame to come out. Wanting to continue fighting. The clear implication was that he hadn¡¯t enjoyed the previous fight enough and hadn¡¯t exerted much effort! Erso was willing to go all out, not caring for face anymore, and sent down a Company Champion from Furyflame Squad. However¡­ the third battle was another defeat. This Company Champion was wearing normal tactical power armor, seemingly trying to replicate Kalduce¡¯s previous victory. He did manage with his exquisite skill to break through the long-range fire blockade and brought the fight into close-quarters combat. But in hand-to-hand combat, tactical power armor didn¡¯t necessarily have the advantage. The Terminator¡¯s armor thickness and equipped weapons were not for nothing. Anat¡¯s Power Fist, in dozens of rounds of close combat, eventually struck the Furyflame Company Champion on the head, killing him with one blow. Although Anat was wounded all over, he won. Still removing his helmet, Anat provocatively flashed a smile and turned to leave. The whole Fury Flame Battle Group was about to explode! Three consecutive losses! Two were beaten by one person! And a recruit at that! Son of a¡­ Erso didn¡¯t care anymore, the fourth battle had to be won! The fourth to enter was a Battle Group Champion from Furyflame. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only His strength was on a par with the first Company Commander Cao Boyang who had opened the match. But the Phoenix entering this time was the battle group¡¯s Priest with a skull helmet, Rizzo. When the Gravity Scepter shattered the skull of that Furyflame Champion, Erso went numb. How to win a battle? ¡ª¡ª¨C 5k Still owe 124 Chapter 924 - Chapter 924 Chapter 497 In the Name of the Battle Group Chapter 924: Chapter 497, In the Name of the Battle Group Chapter 924: Chapter 497, In the Name of the Battle Group Lost four matches, and in an utterly humiliating manner. The first match involved using Terminators against standard Powered Armor, lost; the second match was a duel between Terminators, lost; the third match was his own Powered Armor against the opponent¡¯s Terminator, still lost. The fourth match, infuriated, he sent out the Battle Group Champion, yet still lost. The humiliation is actually secondary, the most terrifying aspect is the substantial actual losses. The four who perished were all the backbone, the core of the Battle Group! A Company Commander could almost be considered the second or third most important person in the Battle Group. Should anything unfortunate happen to Erso, a Company Commander could almost directly take over the work of the Battle Group Leader temporarily; the Battle Group Champion, unit champions are all absolutely the elite backbone of a battle group, and there are hardly many of them. Even the most easily perished, the worst-performing new recruit of ¡¯48, represented the future of the Battle Group. In a single battle, the loss of any one of these four would deeply pain Erso. Not to mention now that four had died. What is more terrifying is that Erso now had no more confidence. Before this duel between Battle Groups began, he had thought it would go smoothly, but now, he had no idea how many more would die before securing these one hundred victories. But could it be stopped? Not to mention there were a hundred hostages in the enemy¡¯s hands, to stop after losing four matches in a row would be akin to admitting defeat directly. If word got out, Fury Flame Battle Group would seem as though they had lost all face! Winning was best, losing was acceptable, but to lose in such a manner not only showed weakness but most critically, it would indisputably earn the label of coward. No Battle Group could endure such humiliation. Interstellar Warriors could admit to being less skilled or underpowered, resorting to the saying ¡®know shame, then be brave¡¯. But coward? Shying away from battle? Retreating without a fight? This would be the subject of everyone¡¯s ridicule. During the process of being transformed by the Gene Seed, due to physiological changes, many of their mundane desires greatly diminished. They could tolerate bad food, had very low sexual interest, and their desires for power and luxuries also diminished. In contrast, their pursuit of honor, prestige, and loyalty became particularly obsessive. Interstellar Warriors regarded honor as their life. Although every Battle Group, and indeed each Interstellar Warrior, had a slightly different definition of honor and loyalty, almost none could ignore the damage brought by the label of ¡®coward¡¯. This was almost the most intolerable slander for Interstellar Warriors; they would rather die than bear such a reputation. Erso felt the same way, especially since the battle-driven culture of Fury Flame made them even less able to tolerate the infamy of fleeing a duel. With gritted teeth, he would continue to fight this battle. Erso once again sent out a Battle Group Champion, determined to claim this fifth match. This time, he finally got his wish. Although victory was not easy, the opponent seemed to be a ¡®new recruit,¡¯ not more than twenty years old. In the past, they might have disliked not winning beautifully enough. But now¡­ regardless, this was a victory. To win was already very good. On the field, that Fury Flame Champion seemed to hesitate, but ultimately, he asked Erso through the communicator if he could fight another match. Erso also hesitated. This champion¡¯s strength, of course, was beyond question, but he had spent quite some energy in the last duel. Could he really win another match? Losing another champion was truly something they couldn¡¯t afford. All over the Battle Group, there were only three warriors who could bear this title. Nonetheless, Erso eventually agreed. The strong will of that Fury Flame Champion was one factor; another was that he thought, probably Phoenix could not produce another who could compete with the Fury Flame Champion, right? Earlier, Kalduce definitely had the strength, but he was severely injured when he killed Cao Boyang and couldn¡¯t come out to fight another match; Phoenix¡¯s Battle Group Priest Rizzo unexpectedly demonstrated considerable combat effectiveness, even killing the first Fury Flame Champion who appeared, but was also worn out from the tough battle and not capable of fighting a second match. Of course, if Matins personally entered the fight, it might be risky, but if that was the case, he would personally fight. But, this sixth match, they lost again. Inside the Phoenix Battle Group, a veteran claiming to have been through a century-long Penitential Expedition, the Phoenix Second Company Commander named Reginaldo, when he entered the field, Erso faintly sensed something ominous. But ultimately, he chose to trust his own people. And then, he died. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Although Reginaldo was also severely injured, losing a limb, it was better than being alive, wasn¡¯t it? With clenched teeth, Erso, and everyone in Fury Flame was silent as if they were in a library, and the duel continued for 67 matches. In these 67 matches, they only won 11. In the matches they won, they almost always sent the strongest warriors in the Battle Group. Besides the two who died earlier, the third Battle Group Champion also went down. This time, Phoenix really couldn¡¯t produce another warrior of equivalent level. Three continuous ¡®new recruits¡¯ fought, the first two matches the Fury Flame Champion won. Those two from Phoenix, to be fair, performed quite well, but there was a definite qualitative difference compared to the Battle Group Champion; they were relatively easily defeated, and though this Fury Flame Champion was injured, the wear and tear, although present, seemed manageable enough to fight another new recruit. Chapter 925 - Chapter 925 Chapter 497 In the Name of the Battle Group_2 Chapter 925: Chapter 497, In the Name of the Battle Group_2 Chapter 925: Chapter 497, In the Name of the Battle Group_2 The rare string of victories greatly boosted the morale of the Furyflames. It was with great difficulty that some shouts of encouragement came forth as they proceeded to fight their third consecutive battle. But they capsized in a ditch. This time, the one Phoenix sent into battle was still a ¡®rookie,¡¯ but this individual displayed strength greater than any of the previous newcomers. More crucially, he was a member of the Think Tank, wielding powerful Psychic Powers. This Phoenix named Henrik Larson used the power of Spiritual Energy to kill the last Furyflame Champion who had fought two battles in a row. And in other battles, the Furyflames were utterly defeated more often than not. They sent out their core forces, with almost every company¡¯s champion entering the fray. These company champions, when fighting against the ¡®rookies¡¯ sent by Phoenix, had a winning rate of about forty percent. But that was just it¨Cforty percent! Before this duel began, who the fuck could have imagined that the company champions of the Fury Flame Battle Group would only have a forty percent chance of defeating these Phoenix ¡®rookies¡¯ who had at most twenty years of service! Who would believe that if you told them! But this was the reality they were facing. What to do when all the company champions had fought? Then it was the company commanders¡¯ turn to fight. The combat strength of the company commanders was generally on this level as well, usually only slightly better than that of the company champions. But what when all of those were exhausted? How many in the Fury Flame Battle Group could truly be called ¡®champions¡¯? It wasn¡¯t feasible to send everyone out into such brutal combat, especially when the success rate was so low. So, they had no choice but to send the veteran sergeants from each company into battle. But when they fought, forget about winning rates, they only won two battles. It was clear to see that the two Phoenixes who had fallen had mainly done so because of critical blunders. Their actual displayed strength far surpassed that of their opponents. Excluding the two lucky victories, all the rest of the veteran sergeants were defeated and killed in battle. For the Fury Flame Battle Group, the loss of fifty-six lives should not have been a serious problem for a battle group that was actually much larger than the scripture-defined scale. But if among these fifty-six fallen, there were the battle group¡¯s only 3 champions, 6 of the 10 company commanders known to the public, including one company commander considered the second-in-command of the battle group; over 20 company champions; 27 sergeants equivalent to the backbone of junior officers¡­ Then this loss was catastrophic. The entire battle group¡¯s higher echelon combat power was swept away, a large number of command-level personnel were eliminated, and what was more severe, the task of promoting talents from the lower ranks became extremely difficult. From this perspective, it was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Fury Flame Battle Group, meaning their spine was broken in half, almost as bad as the most severe losses in the battle group¡¯s wartime history. ¡°Enough!¡± Kazimir Erso roared furiously. ¡°Battle Group Leader!¡± The Chief Priest beside him grabbed him, trying to dissuade him from the dangers of entering the battle himself. But now, Erso could no longer heed any advice. He was red-eyed, like a gambler who had lost everything, ready to push all his remaining chips onto the table, betting it all on one last desperate attempt to turn the tables. And this last, biggest bet was himself. He was the Battle Group Leader of the Fury Flame Battle Group and also its most powerful warrior. What he hoped to win with this bet was none other than the Battle Group Leader of the Phoenix. ¡°Come! The rest of the battles are meaningless, let¡¯s set aside all that preamble, Matins, let¡¯s battle in the name of both battle group leaders, to the death!¡± He issued his challenge. Matins accepted the challenge. He could have declined. He could allow the elite warriors of Phoenix to continue fighting and wear down Erso. Even though Phoenix¡¯s warriors, no matter how strong, were far inferior to top experts like Erso, it would not be easy for Erso to win, at least he couldn¡¯t go unbeaten. As long as it took him effort, he would accumulate injuries in battle, spending more energy, and after several more bouts, Erso¡¯s condition would deteriorate. By then, Matins could easily decide whether to let his warriors slowly wear Erso down or force him to retreat; or choose to enter the fray himself when Erso¡¯s condition had worsened enough, to ensure a greater chance of defeating Kazimir Erso. This would cast a slight imperfection over Phoenix¡¯s victory in this battle group duel, but it was the safest approach. However, Matins did not choose this option. Although it would be smart, it just wasn¡¯t the warrior¡¯s way. He didn¡¯t want to waste so many warriors¡¯ lives in vain; at the same time, he had a strong sense of honor about defeating Erso in a fair duel. Of course, Phoenix also valued honor! Matins stepped onto the dueling ground. This time, he did not exchange many words with Erso. Verbal sparring was somewhat ineffective; it was time to show one¡¯s true capabilities through action. Neither of them engaged in the long-distance probing that was very common in the dozens of previous duels, as neither of them were masters of long-range firepower control; such probing was unnecessary. The two simultaneously arrived at the most open area in the center of the battlefield. This area had almost been leveled by previous duels. Upon encountering each other, they charged towards one another. In the midst of the charge, their sword blades crossed, clashing hard against each other. Neither gained the upper hand; neither could execute a killing blow on the first strike. Immediately after, both sides¡¯ powered swords began to clash at an extremely fast, high-frequency pace. Within this pure contest of swordsmanship and strength, Matins felt tremendous pressure. Now, after engaging in personal combat, he had to admit that Erso, as an old warrior with four to five hundred years of combat experience, was possibly only a step away from becoming a legend. In terms of swordsmanship, although Matins had made significant progress recently, he was still no match for Erso. Erso¡¯s techniques were more exquisite than he had imagined. As for Matins¡­ while his swordsmanship was certainly not poor, coming from Phoenix Legion¡¯s heritage, though not as exquisite and flamboyant as the mother legion, it became more straightforward and focused on pragmatism, but that did not mean it was weaker. However, swordsmanship inherited from the mother legion, Punisher Legion, by Furyflame Battle Group, was not particularly renowned. The inheritance of Genetic Seed characteristics is one aspect; personal training, experience, and accumulation are another matter entirely, explaining the individual level of disparity. Lesser is just lesser, but at least not by a whole tier, still within the range that Matins could contend with. ¡­ While Matins was being suppressed by Erso¡¯s exquisite swordsmanship, Erso actually had his own unspeakable difficulties. Matins¡¯ strikes were too powerful; every clash left Erso feeling a strong vibration. This was not because Matins himself was stronger, but rather a disparity in equipment. Both were fully equipped with Terminator Power Armor, both immensely strong and heavy. However, the key difference lay in the ¡®Indomitable Model¡¯ versus the ¡®Iron Knight Model,¡¯ with the latter possessing significantly greater strength, more powerful exertion, and stronger defense. The advantage of the Indomitable Model mainly lay in its¡­ affordability and low cost of production. That was one of the reasons why it became widespread; not just because much of the Iron Knight¡¯s technology had been lost. But in this duel, that advantage was meaningless. Erso, at least a Battle Group Leader, couldn¡¯t get the Iron Knight and had to settle for the Indomitable Model, but at least he could obtain a finely crafted version. Finely crafted usually refers to pieces personally forged by high-grade craftsmen or even masters of the Sect of Mechanics, enhancing performance in all aspects compared to the mass-produced version. How much it is enhanced depends on the skill level of the craftsmen. In theory, this finely crafted version should narrow the gap with the Iron Knight Model Matins wore. But in practice, it felt even further apart. Could it be¡­ the Iron Knight worn by Matins is also a finely crafted version? An expensive Iron Knight, plus fine craftsmanship¡­ the cost of this set of powered armor could well be double that of Erso¡¯s! The disparity in equipment performance was blatantly evident at this moment. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Erso hated this deeply! If I were rich, I would have slaughtered you already! Several potentially fatal attacks that he could have executed were all nullified by the stronger force of his opponent¡¯s strikes! The few attacks he managed to barely initiate were also blocked by the ridiculously thick armor of the finely crafted Iron Knight. Erso could only calm himself down and look for more and better opportunities. Chapter 926 - Chapter 926 Chapter 498 Death of Erso Restoration of the Chapter 926: Chapter 498, Death of Erso, Restoration of the Entire Territory Chapter 926: Chapter 498, Death of Erso, Restoration of the Entire Territory Matins¡¯s battle with Erso was the longest of all 68 battles. Two giants in their different Terminator Power Armors fought furiously with their exquisite swordsmanship. As time passed, Matins gradually found the key to countering Erso. There was no point in competing in swordsmanship where there was a gap that had to be acknowledged. He had to make good use of his equipment advantage. And indeed, he did quite well. Again and again, he used the ¡®cheap shot¡¯ tactic when he was at a disadvantage in swordsmanship, often abandoning his defense to launch fierce counterattacks. It was an obvious statement: you might land a blow on my armor, causing me injury, but with the resilient defensive capacity of my armor, the wound I inflict on you will be more severe. Erso definitely wouldn¡¯t go for this trade, so he could only defend. But sometimes he couldn¡¯t help it. Maybe he felt that this exchange would be profitable. In reality, after several exchanges, both sides had their fair share of advantages. You would leave a gash on my abdomen; I would strike your arm hard in return. Often, Matins, thanks to his armor¡¯s thickness, suffered lighter injuries; but because of the gap in swordsmanship, he would receive more attacks than Erso. Both of them were badly scarred at this stage, and it was hard to say whose condition was worse. But as fatigue and injuries accumulated, neither fought as flawlessly as at the beginning. Inevitably, they started making mistakes, which in turn led to more openings for being hit by the opponent. The onlooking warriors from both battle groups were increasingly tense. They could see that this duel was nearing its end, approaching the decisive moment. With both sides making more mistakes, the likelihood that the next strike would determine the victor was growing ever larger. And that moment finally came. Erso found another chance through his superb swordsmanship, better than any before. Under his maneuver, Matins was wide open, and Erso¡¯s sword strike aimed straight at Matins¡¯s head. Earlier, he had already struck Matins¡¯s head once. However, that blow was off-target, and Matins¡¯s quick reaction had prevented the end of the fight, only leaving a crack in Matins¡¯s helmet. Now, he had the opportunity to follow that crack with another strike. He was certain that this blow would claim Matins¡¯s life. Matins couldn¡¯t block Erso¡¯s sword. He adopted a similar strategy as before, giving up defense to thrust his powered sword forward. The target was the juncture between Erso¡¯s chest plate and abdomen, which had also been hit by him before. This time, Erso chose not to defend. Facing a sword strike or beheading Matins, he made his choice. Even if Matins¡¯s strike might pierce upward into his heart, Erso was willing to take the risk. Interstellar Warriors have two hearts; destroying one would cause severe damage but wouldn¡¯t result in instant death, and they could be saved later. The attacks of both men hit almost simultaneously. Erso¡¯s sword clearly cut into Matins¡¯s head, right into the existing crack. The crack suddenly widened under his heavy blow. He felt resistance, but his sword edge continued to cleave downward. That was until a sharp pain erupted from his abdomen. His powered armor had been pierced. Moreover, Matins¡¯s technique was indeed as bad as he had anticipated: angled upward, piercing his heart. To achieve this, Matins¡¯s body leaned forward to the utmost, pressing his head against Erso¡¯s sword edge to facilitate the upward thrust. This certainly made Erso¡¯s cutting easier, but what he found terrifying was that it seemed he had not fully penetrated the helmet, as if his powered sword was being stuck. The helmet was hard enough, and perhaps so was Matins¡¯s skull. He continued to exert strength, trying to completely break through, even as his body was pierced and one of his hearts impaled, not letting it affect his power output. Of course, it hurt a lot, and the injury was severe. But as an Extraordinary Soldier genetically modified, the Interstellar Warriors could be regarded as powerful war machines. Especially for a top expert like Erso, unless he was completely dead or had incurable wounds like limb loss, his combat strength would hardly be affected. Even if he lost a heart, the other one would beat even more fiercely, giving him power not less than at his peak. This of course couldn¡¯t last and posed a significant recovery burden in the future. But in life-and-death struggle, there was no need to consider this; his body would automatically and instinctively react with such response. However, before he could completely open Matins¡¯s helmet, he was struck by a terrifying electric shock inside his body, piercing through his second heart. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At the same time, Erso¡¯s sword finally cut deep into the entire helmet. The bodies of the two warriors froze there. ¡­ ¡°Who won?¡± Kalduce couldn¡¯t help asking Priest Rizzo beside him. At this moment, one powered sword was stuck in Matins¡¯s head, cutting halfway through; another powered sword pierced into Erso¡¯s abdomen, most of the way in. Chapter 927 - Chapter 927 Chapter 498 Death of Erso Restoration of the Chapter 927: Chapter 498, Death of Erso, Restoration of the Entire Territory_2 Chapter 927: Chapter 498, Death of Erso, Restoration of the Entire Territory_2 After their powered swords connected them as one, the two Battle Group Leaders stood still like wax statues, not moving an inch. Even with Kalduce¡¯s keen vision, he could not discern the final outcome. On one hand, it was somewhat distant, but most importantly, the two men¡¯s battle was too intense, the differences in the last moments too subtle, making the possibility of victory or defeat, life or death, all plausible. There was even a considerable chance that both men might perish together in this duel. Even Priest Rizzo, at this moment, furrowed his brows. What Kalduce couldn¡¯t see, he couldn¡¯t see either. Despite his strong convictions, he remained silent at this time, just like everyone else, nervously watching the situation in the arena. The brief wait seemed very long at this moment. Finally, movement came from the two still figures. Matins slowly withdrew the powered sword that had pierced Erso¡¯s body. Erso¡¯s body lost support and fell backward with a crash, his heavy Terminator Power Armor kicking up a cloud of dust. Matins stumbled a few steps backward, the powered sword still embedded in his helmet. He let go of his own sword, grasped Erso¡¯s sword, pulled it out, and then took off his helmet. A fierce bloodstain was on his face, starting from the forehead, slicing open his left brow bone, bursting one of his eyes, and completely tearing open his left cheek¡­ Erso really came close to splitting Matins¡¯ head open. But in the end, it was Matins who survived. After the silence, came the jubilant shouts of the Phoenix warriors. In stark contrast, the Fury Flame was as silent as a library. Amidst the cheers of his battling brothers, Matins raised his damaged helmet, not caring about the blood on his face, and shouted triumphantly! ¡­ The duel between Matins and Erso was also the last of all the Battle Group duels. Not even a hundred rounds had been completed, let alone the one hundred victories required by Fury Flame. Up to now, they had only won 11 rounds. For these 11 victories, Fury Flame Battle Group sacrificed from Battle Group Leader, to Company Commander, to three Battle Group Champions, a series of squad champions, and veteran sergeants. The eleven captives they exchanged fell to their knees, not even feeling their lives were worth that much. And those remaining eighty-nine, under Phoenix¡¯s watch, had absolutely no desire to continue the fight. It was not possible to continue. The still-living high-ranking members of the Fury Flame Battle Group¨Cthree company commanders and the Chaplain¨Cstepped forward. No matter how bitter they felt inside, they could only negotiate with the Phoenix as they dragged back the body of Kazimir Erso: ¡°Let¡¯s stop here, the duel is over.¡± ¡°You¡¯re surrendering?¡± speaking for the Phoenix, it was Kalduce, with Priest Rizzo standing beside him. Matins was also very severely injured. After returning to the ranks, he actually fell into a coma and was urgently treated by the Pharmacist. Faced with Kalduce¡¯s contemptuous inquiry, Adler Politos, representing the Fury Flame Battle Group, bowed his head: ¡°Yes, we surrender. You have won.¡± ¡°But there are still 89 prisoners, and according to the rules, they won¡¯t be released.¡± Giving up comrades. Even though Politos stepped forward to surrender, having anticipated and accepted all the consequences, when he actually had to verbalize it, he still felt as if he were being cut with a knife. He even thought, why wasn¡¯t he the one to go down during the earlier battles? He would rather die in the dueling arena than bear such humiliation. However, the humiliation had already arrived. With only 11 wins in 68 battles, with the Battle Group Leader killed, and probably all 800 men dying here without achieving even a hundred victories, the honor of Fury Flame had been utterly lost. Humiliation was inevitably going to fall on Fury Flame Battle Group, and it would ¡®spread far and wide¡¯ throughout the universe with this duel. Politos truly wished he could just die. But he couldn¡¯t. The Battle Group had to persist, as living required even more courage than dying. He could only take a deep breath and say, ¡°Do as you see fit.¡± Having spoken, he left without looking back. Accompanied by the silent members of Fury Flame, before boarding the ship leaving the planet, they heard gunfire. It seemed intentional; the distant gunshots happened one after the other. No one counted, but every Interstellar Warrior from Fury Flame heard exactly 89 shots in the distance. Right before he boarded the ship, as the last person to do so, Politos couldn¡¯t help but turn back for a glance. Actually, it was too far, even for the enhanced vision of an Interstellar Warrior, to see clearly. But in his mind¡¯s eye, he vividly saw the site where 68 core fighters of the Battle Group had bled and the execution of 89 Fury Flame captives, deeply etched into his heart. ¡­ The backbone of the Fury Flame Battle Group was shattered. Perhaps, with the resilience of the Interstellar Warriors, they could recover from such a blow in the future. But not now. They fled the Dragonhawk Star Domain like bereaved dogs, not lingering any further. The effect of crushed morale was unavoidable, even for Interstellar Warriors. They tried to take all the naval ships under their control with them, but it wasn¡¯t just they who had lost morale. The outcome of this duel spread quickly, causing many of the ship commanders who had followed Fury Flame to doubt: Was following Fury Flame really a good choice? The direct fleets brought by Fury Flame themselves, their Battle Group Fleet, didn¡¯t have this issue. Although morale was low, they were all their own people, and Fury Flame could still lead them away. However, in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, many of the ships that had stood with them were not from their direct fleet. Over half of the ships were actually from the Imperial Navy. Among them, the Yunluo Fleet was the main force. Additionally, some support ships gathered from various parts of the Space Domain by the Eastern Cosmic Realm Government during the previous Iron Teeth War also came under the command of Fury Flame. When Fury Flame was about to retreat, these ships didn¡¯t have any obligation to go with them. After this duel, they were even less inclined to leave. Many ships ended up ¡®falling behind¡¯ during the retreat; particularly at several jump points in the Star Realm Tunnels, some ships appeared to activate their Jump Engines, but after the jump, a few, perhaps as many as a dozen, stayed behind as if their Jump Engines had malfunctioned. From afar, the command center of the Alliance Navy smoothly ¡®incorporated¡¯ these ships. It wasn¡¯t exactly an incorporation, since that wouldn¡¯t be proper, as these ships all had their own fleet alignments. However, Yelisia, now an Imperial Navy Admiral, ordered these ships to temporarily obey the command, which wasn¡¯t a problem. Until Fury Flame Battle Group left the Dragonhawk Star Domain, only the direct fleet they had brought with them remained by their side. Even fewer than when they had entered, as many had been lost in the war. As for the evacuation plan prepared by the command structure of the Fury Flame Battle Group before the duel, all plans failed to keep up with the changes and were thus discarded. They simply didn¡¯t have the time, nor the mindset, to conduct plundering raids on various planets. Even if they had forcefully executed this evacuation plan, it wasn¡¯t realistic. The main fleet of the Alliance, as well as the formidable Phoenix, were following them. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They had considered such a scenario before; if the Alliance dared to do this, they would turn around and fight a battle with the Alliance, creating a localized conflict. Who would be afraid? But now, having admitted defeat, there was no point in fighting. Could they have won? The spine-broken dogs had no will to fight, only wanting to quickly leave this nightmarish Star Domain. And thus, the Alliance reclaimed the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain. Chapter 928 - Chapter 928 Chapter 499 I Have Returned Chapter 928: Chapter 499, I Have Returned Chapter 928: Chapter 499, I Have Returned Dragonhawk Star Domain, Yunluo Star. Eight months have passed since that brutal duel in which Phoenix emerged victorious. Even as they ensured the departure of the Fury Flame Battle Group from the Dragonhawk Star Domain, the Alliance was also hastening to dispatch various officials to each planet within the Dragonhawk Star Domain to take over these worlds. Governance was secondary; especially the military needed to be held firmly in their own hands. Particularly for some key planets. Yunluo Star, of course, was of the utmost importance. Here lied not only the core of economic development but also the political core of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, where the Star Domain Government was located. But the current Dragonhawk government was incomparable to its most prosperous days in the past. The arrival of the Fury Flame Battle Group had almost treated the Dragonhawk Star Domain as a subordinate entity. The decision-making power of military and political affairs was controlled by the Battle Group under the guise of wartime, turning the Star Domain Government into an executive body. However, being an executive body was still okay; after all, there was work to be done. But after the arrival of the Alliance, the situation was completely different. The Alliance was not just the Fury Flame Battle Group with just a battle group framework. They had a complete governmental structure, fully capable of replacing the function of the Star Domain Government. Of course, the Alliance did not actually do so, or at least not entirely. The decision-makers, for sure, were all replaced, or rather, temporarily sidelined. But some of the middle and lower-level bureaucrats responsible for execution within the Star Domain Government were retained. These people who did the actual work couldn¡¯t all be dismissed. It¡¯s not that the Alliance didn¡¯t have enough officials. Although suddenly having to manage almost two hundred worlds and with such a vast increase in the controlled territory, the Alliance would certainly find it overwhelming. But for the time being, they could leave other planets as is, allow local Planetary Governments to govern autonomously¨Cthis was originally the structure of the Empire anyway. When they were free in the future, they would strengthen their management. But for a key world like Yunluo Star, no matter how scarce the number of officials was, they had to squeeze out some to properly govern Yunluo. Officials who graduated from various academies of the Alliance and had been fully trained in the Alliance system were not inferior in ability to those from the Star Domain Government. Although the latter¡¯s personnel were all picked from the vast populace, the consistent investments in talent cultivation over the years by the Alliance weren¡¯t in vain. Let alone the numerous outstanding talents produced thanks to the Grace Points used by Gu Hang¨Cthere were certainly more than enough qualified individuals. More importantly, as a relatively new force, and with Gu Hang always paying close attention to preventing systemic ossification, a large number of young talents took up government posts. This youth was not only reflected in their age but more so in their mentality. That special vigor and readiness to do great things were scarce in the weary and inertia-driven Empire Government. However, the main reason why the Alliance did not replace all officers was that the officials of the Alliance were after all newcomers, lacking deep understanding of many local matters. A complete replacement all at once would cause chaos. But even with the retention of personnel, it was impossible to retain particularly high-grade officials. Decision-makers were definitely to be replaced, swapped with Alliance officials, who would then form teams with half the members brought from the Alliance homeland and the other half selected from the local officials. The execution layer retained more personnel, but a significant proportion of Alliance officials were also incorporated among the middle and lower-level officials to learn local affairs and supervise the work of local officials. And ensuring these measures tantamount to a power transition, were the Fleets hovering over the skies of Yunluo Star and the Alliance Army landed on the surface. In fact, whether it was the local officials of Yunluo Star or the middle and lower-level officials of the original Star Domain Government, there was hardly any significant resistance, but rather they were quite active in moving closer to the Alliance. The reason is simple: they are all working people, just middle and lower-level officials; their interests would be affected but not fatally so. The Alliance¡¯s screening and dismissal process, on the contrary, required them to perform well and strive not to be sifted out. With changes happening above, not actively aligning oneself, what else could one think of? As for the high-level officials whose interests would be affected and who would be stripped of power, their opposition wasn¡¯t of much consequence. After all, the Alliance intended to sideline them: not being physically eliminated was already a stroke of luck, what more could they possibly want? Moreover, the Alliance hadn¡¯t completely blocked their way out. The current explanation was merely temporary evaluation, assessing their loyalty and capability. The Alliance also promised that if they passed the evaluations, these high-level officials might still have opportunities to hold senior positions in the integrated future Alliance and Star Domain Government. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only By then, it should be within the Star Domain level of the Alliance Government. These high-level officials actually had quite mixed feelings. On one hand, they resented being stripped of power; on the other, they feared the military might of the Alliance and the possibility of being purged. Deep down, they longed to retain their positions of authority. Some individuals with connections had already started making moves. There were two directions for their efforts: either go to the Space Domain Government or to the Alliance. Chapter 929 - Chapter 929 Chapter 499 I Have Returned_2 Chapter 929: Chapter 499, I Have Returned_2 Chapter 929: Chapter 499, I Have Returned_2 The path to the Alliance was actually quite singular. Since the establishment of the Alliance, the exchange and communication between officials haven¡¯t been very frequent or close. But wasn¡¯t there Ms. Nell Raouise? She was considered a supporter of Gu Hang. When Gu Hang started his career, she offered her help. Then, nearly two or three years ago, she took the opportunity of representing the Fury Flame Battle Group to negotiate with the Alliance and defected, establishing ¡®another Star Domain Administration Department¡¯ in the half of the Star Domain controlled by the Alliance under the name of the Chief of the Star Domain Administration Department. People knew that this so-called second Administration Department didn¡¯t really play any role within the Alliance¡¯s territory; it was purely used as a signboard by the Alliance Government. Be that as it may, she went there first and had connections with the Alliance, so she could at least speak some words. Everyone went in search of connections to Raouise, seeing it as a direction. But this path wasn¡¯t easy to walk. The Alliance wasn¡¯t fond of this method, and Raouise herself didn¡¯t have a strong will to help either. She knew how to bide her time; despite her age, she still yearned for progress. Uniting many old acquaintances and exerting her meager influence to push these people into the Alliance¡¯s system to serve as officials could indeed establish a small faction centered on her, which could be of help to her. But at the same time, this was a very risky move. She didn¡¯t want to be perceived as having the suspicion of forming cliques, which was quite a sensitive issue within the Alliance system. If the Alliance path was not so smooth, then the only other option was the Space Domain Government. And this path was thought to be relatively easy. The Star Domain Government had always been in close contact with the Space Domain Government. Or rather, there was indeed a hierarchical relationship between the three levels of government: Star Sector, Star Domain, and Cosmos Domain. Many officials were transferred among each other, with clear promotions and demotions. Many senior officials serving in the Dragonhawk Star Domain came from some department of the Eastern Cosmos Domain Government to take up leadership roles locally. On the one hand, it was a promotion; on the other hand, having experience in a local post could be beneficial for the future. But when the Alliance effectively stripped them of their power within the Dragonhawk Star Domain, their first choice was, of course, to turn to the Space Domain Government and seek redress. Most importantly, they had to think of ways to find opportunities to be transferred back to the Space Domain Government or, at the very least, to manage a transfer to serve in another Star Domain. However, this route was only possible for those with truly solid relationships. The Alliance did not obstruct their departure, but from within the Space Domain Government, there was an unwritten rule that has become a tacit understanding: senior officials from the Dragonhawk Star Domain should stay put; other places should not accept them, and they should not be transferred out. Since it was a tacit rule, it could be broken; those with strong enough relationships and who were not too conspicuous could indeed be transferred out. The Alliance didn¡¯t care about these few small shrimps. But since it¡¯s a tacit rule, sometimes it¡¯s more reliable than some formal rules that are not properly enforced. For the vast majority, leaving the Dragonhawk Cosmos was not possible. Tan Jiuyi was one of them. This Star Domain Head¨Coh, the word ¡®former¡¯ should now be added¨Cwas not for lack of connections. His position in the entire Star Domain was actually quite high. He was certainly not inferior to the few senior officials in the Cosmos Domain Government, and he could definitely be considered within the top fifteen in rank within the entire Space Domain Government. He did not lack for connections. But he was too prominent. He really couldn¡¯t be transferred. He could only wait uneasily in his office on Yunluo Star, with nothing to do. In theory, Gu Hang had already been appointed as the Dragonhawk Star Domain Leader, but he had not arrived yet. In the whole Empire, this was actually quite a common scenario. Generally, he would need to stand his last post, waiting for the new leader to arrive and then hand over his duties. Even with the handover, the process can be quite lengthy. If the former leader does not have another urgent appointment, they might stay in their current position for several months, helping the new leader to adapt to the work. However, he didn¡¯t need to stand this last post any longer, and there probably wasn¡¯t going to be any handover duties needed to be done. The Alliance had taken everything. He not only had nothing to do but also had certain restrictions on his personal freedom. He could only quietly await his fate. And soon, the person who would pronounce his fate finally returned. He received advance notice and went to the Starport on Yunluo Star several days in advance. To be honest, he was quite excited. Was he willing to lose everything just like that? Of course not. And after all other methods proved fruitless, the only avenue left for him was to rely on Gu Hang. The best would be to have an opportunity for a private exchange, to let him personally display a gracefully executed kneel before Marshal Gu Hang. But such an opportunity seems difficult to come by. Nevertheless, he is after all the former Star Domain Head, and a handover process is due; they must meet at least once. During that one meeting, perhaps there¡¯d only be the chance for a single sentence. The space for kneeling is limited, but precisely because of this, he must consider carefully. Weigh every word, design every subtle expression¡­ He has been practicing this for several months now, and the moment to perform has arrived. After waiting another day at the Starport, he was again invited by Guards to the makeup room, donned in a set of grand attire, and then stood with many others at the Starport¡¯s docking bay in wait. A massive warship slowly sailed in. That was the Firebath Nova, the flagship warship of the Alliance Navy, a Battleship. At the exit where they waited, a red carpet was laid out, stretching far and wide. A fleet of hover vehicles drove out; elite Guards disembarked, securing the surroundings. Meanwhile, from the central limousine, emerged the most esteemed person in the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain. Alliance Governor, Star Domain Head, Empire Marshal ¡ª Gu Hang. Seeing Gu Hang¡¯s rather youthful face, Tan Jiuyi was momentarily astounded. This was his first real-life encounter with Gu Hang; at most, he had seen virtual images during Star Speech calls. He must be only about forty-six years old this year, right? For most people, this would be the prime of life, but also on the verge of late middle age. In fact, for those living under harsher conditions, by this age, their appearances are often significantly aged. But for Gu Hang, longevity procedures, and even his own Spiritual Power, are ways to obtain a much longer life, living three to five hundred years is no issue at all. From this perspective, his life has just begun. Yet, such a young man has already achieved today¡¯s status. And his own fate now entirely depends on the thoughts of this man. He was nervous, but he also did not forget what he had to do. After various Alliance officials had met Marshal Gu, shaking his hand, it was his turn. He hurriedly approached and shook hands with the smiling Gu Hang. ¡°Marshal Gu¡­¡± Tan Jiuyi¡¯s friendly smile appeared flawless. Gu Hang¡¯s smile faded slightly, very perfunctorily shaking hands with Tan Jiuyi. Tan Jiuyi wanted to say more; his opportunity was scarce, perhaps just time for a sentence, as the next person in line was already waiting to shake hands. He had long prepared his words, yet under the fleeting glance of Gu Hang, he suddenly felt intimidated. Gu Hang did not want to listen. He dared not speak. Walking further away, he couldn¡¯t help but turn his head back, taking another look. He felt a sense of unwillingness; hadn¡¯t he just braced himself and spoken well? But at the same time, he felt somewhat relieved; being too forthright might have angered Gu Hang, right? The complex emotions of fear and relief echoed in his chest. ¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gu Hang did not care about Tan Jiuyi¡¯s complex thoughts at all. What he cared about was everything before him. When he returned to the Dragonhawk Star Domain this time, what greeted him was a complete Star Domain. This made him happier than any gift; how could he have the interest to listen to the words of someone who no longer mattered? No matter how well-prepared, it was all meaningless. Chapter 930 - Chapter 930 Chapter 500 Alliance 400 Worlds Chapter 930: Chapter 500, Alliance 400 Worlds Chapter 930: Chapter 500, Alliance 400 Worlds The Alliance Government did even better than Gu Hang had imagined. The blood feud to the death between Phoenix and Furyflame was initiated by Matins. Before he proposed this idea to the Fury Flame Battle Group, he had reported to Gu Hang and obtained his consent. Otherwise, how could he dare to stake the lives of a hundred Phoenix warriors as a gambling chip on the table? And the reason Gu Hang agreed, of course, was because his own confidence was even stronger than Matins¡¯s. After approving Matins¡¯s suggestion, he provided a list of a hundred names, instructing Matins to draw from this list when arranging the duel. He had brought the training level of these hundred people all up to the grade of squad champions. Regrettably, the highest level of regular training that the system could carry out was only to this extent; it couldn¡¯t go any higher. But Gu Hang had other methods. The enlightenment from the [Heroes] interface could also be used on Interstellar Warriors, though the cost of enlightenment was more expensive. But for this duel, Gu Hang was definitely willing to spend the money. In fact, the work of enlightenment began even before their training as squad champions. After all, Gu Hang could not entirely ensure beforehand what kind of hero template would emerge from the enlightenment. Some people, in fact, had talents not completely in combat but could be in battlefield command or stealth assassinations. One Interstellar Warrior¡¯s talent even turned out to be that of a civil government officer! By the way, it is somewhat feasible to have Interstellar Warriors serve as administrators, in a sense! After undergoing genetic modification, most of their mundane desires were removed, making them not easily corrupted by various low-level desires; they were full of energy, capable of working all year without rest. Mortals cry out in pain at the 996 work culture, while Interstellar Warriors can indeed achieve 007¨Cno joke, at least for a short period. However, this is just a thought. The cost of training an Interstellar Warrior civil officer is far higher than that of a mortal, and the effect of improvement is far less than the enhancement of an Interstellar Warrior compared to mortal soldiers on the battlefield. Moreover, Gu Hang also had to consider the ethos within the Empire. Allowing Interstellar Warriors to govern is a bit taboo, apart from the Infinity Warriors who have this privilege in their Infinite Starfield, there are no other Interstellar Warriors doing this. Regardless, the Grace Points spent on the Interstellar Warriors are still valuable, bringing about the improvement of a large number of Elite Warriors. Additionally, this blood feud to the death can cause significant damage to Furyflame¡¯s elites. Under normal circumstances, this would not be easy to achieve. Take, for instance, the Battle Group Leader Erso; how difficult would it be to behead him on the battlefield? One would have to break through countless obstacles, and even when facing him, he is still a top-notch Extraordinary Soldier. However, in the dueling arena, he was left to stand alone. The same applies to the other high-level members of the Fury Flame Battle Group. It was a great opportunity to weaken the Fury Flame Battle Group. Gu Hang expected that Furyflame would certainly send a fair number of elite warriors to the duel, and it was the perfect chance to eliminate them! Of course, although this was indeed Gu Hang¡¯s plan, beforehand he could not have possibly imagined that the final result would be so good. Even Erso himself died here. How could he have expected that Erso, with his mind clouded, would actually enter the fray? Moreover, after listening to the report about the duel, he felt a bit of a fright. The fight between Erso and Matins, a matter of life and death, truly happened in an instant, and if they were to fight again, the result could be completely different. If the outcome had been Erso killing Matins, although the losses of the Fury Flame Battle Group would still be huge, the slaying of Matins would have salvaged some face, and with Erso himself intact, the morale of the Fury Flame Battle Group, while low, would not have completely collapsed. In that case, when the Fury Flame Battle Group retreated, it would not be so hasty, nor would it have completely abandoned its plundering actions. Even, because of the losses at the gladiatorial arena, the plundering during the retreat could have become even more cruel and violent. It was quite possible that what would be left for Gu Hang would be a completely devastated Yunluo Star, and that would be a great loss. While the victory of the blood feud to the death was not a war, what was won back was even more than from a war! From this perspective, Phoenix has earned great merit. Of course, one can¡¯t overlook the subsequent achievements of the Alliance Government. They rapidly took over almost the entire western Star Sector, and in the following eight months, not only did they stabilize the local situation on each planet, but they also implanted the system of the Alliance, which was even effectively operating. Gu Hang was very satisfied with this. The government system he had crafted with his own hands, into which he had thrown an untold amount of Grace Points for talent and loyalty training over a long time, finally exhibited the effects he had hoped for. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At this point, the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain was entirely under his control. Oh, that¡¯s not quite right. Speaking of which, there were still some places not completely incorporated into direct rule by the Alliance. That would be the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector. The Mingyang Sect almost entirely controlled the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector, and at the end of the Iron Teeth War, as they swept across the Green Skins territories, they also struck out, taking control of the two northern Star Sectors, i.e., the Dragon Tamer and Dragon Pass sectors. Chapter 931 - Chapter 931 Chapter 500 Alliance World 400_2 Chapter 931: Chapter 500, Alliance World 400_2 Chapter 931: Chapter 500, Alliance World 400_2 However, one should be a bit more cautious regarding the actions of the Sect of Mechanics. These Oil Heads are not easy to deal with. But under normal circumstances, they seldom pose a threat. These two Star Sectors, along with the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector directly controlled by the Mingyang Sect, can be left alone for now. Later on, Gu Hang already has a travel plan in mind, to personally visit Jindi Star and have a thorough discussion with the Mingyang Sect. By then, the remaining issues should all be resolved. After all, among the senior levels of the Mingyang Sect, there exists an ¡®old acquaintance¡¯ of Gu Hang: Wu Jiarong. A lot of things become much easier to handle when one has an insider. Gu Hang had not anticipated that his casual act from the past would now provide such ample shade. For now, let¡¯s put aside the matters regarding the Sect of Mechanics. Inside the Dragonhawk Star Domain, the remaining 34 Star Sectors have all fallen into Gu Hang¡¯s hands. In total, not one more or less, exactly 400 worlds. The total population has reached 8.2 trillion people. Gu Hang¡¯s assets have become much richer in a flash! Moreover, different from the territories Gu Hang obtained during the previous wars, the western part of the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain, in overall terms, is actually somewhat more prosperous than the east. Previously, the population in the areas Gu Hang occupied totaled only about 3.4 trillion; whereas the west has a greater total population of 4.8 trillion. And leaving aside Yunluo Star, a Starfield Capital even more developed than Flying Wing Star, the entire Yunluo Sector is radiating influence to many worlds from Yunluo Star at its center, strongly driving the economic development of these worlds, unlike the previous situation with Flying Wing Star, which stood alone in its splendor while the other worlds in the Tianma Star Sector were as poor as beggars. At the same time, in the Fire Eagle Sector, Xiong Hun Sector, and Gu Totem Sector, these three Star Sectors which were completely untouched by the flames of war before, have a combined total of over forty worlds. Due to the war, they became a strong support for the Star Domain Government at the time. A massive amount of resources gathered from the Cosmos Domain and other regions of the Star Domain were stockpiled here. This place was also developed into some production bases as much as possible, to provide resources for the front lines. At the same time, there was also a considerable transfer of population from the worlds that were in a state of war along the front lines. War, objectively, has provided a very good development opportunity for the forty-plus worlds in these three Star Sectors. These three Star Sectors, together with the Yunluo Sector, have become a relatively developed economic engine for the western part of the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Currently, the Dragonhawk Star Domain has roughly formed a general situation of ¡®three cores, vast ruins¡¯. The so-called three cores refer to one centered around Yunluo Star, with Gu Totem, Xiong Hun, and Fire Eagle as the three major attached Star Sectors in the southwestern core, which is also the largest gain obtained by the Alliance this time. Just these four locations alone have a population of 2.5 trillion, with a total output of 6.3 trillion. The annual Imperial Tax paid reaches 67 billion, but even so, the financial surplus left for the Alliance after taxes is also 100 billion. Such a financial surplus represents almost the cost of two Battle Cruisers per year with some left over! Rich lands! And the other core, naturally, is centered around Gu Hang¡¯s old base, the Tianma Star Sector, uniting with the surrounding six Star Sectors to form the Seven Horse Territory. This area has a population of 1.7 trillion and a total output of 3.6 trillion. To tell the truth, it¡¯s a cut below the Yunluo Center. After all, the Seven Horse Territory Center is a late-developing area, one that only began to grow in the last eight years under Gu Hang¡¯s rule. Moreover, the regions that have developed well are mainly within the Tianma Star Sector. The Tianma Star Sector has been fully exerting its economic influence on the other six Sectors, but given the short time frame, its development is still relatively limited. And speaking of total population, that¡¯s not ample either. It has reached 170 billion, but that¡¯s only due to the recent policies encouraging childbirth, coupled with the influx of people migrating from several other war-torn Star Sectors. But overall, it still has significant potential for development, and under the guidance of the Alliance, it is indeed on the fast track of rapid growth. There¡¯s also a third core area, the Steel Fire Dragon Center, which is a collective of industries that have built up around Jindi Star, the Foundry World of the Sect of Mechanics. But given it¡¯s not entirely under the control of the Alliance, it¡¯s not worth mentioning in detail. Besides these three cores, the other 23 Star Sectors have a total of 258 worlds, yet the aggregate population is just 388 billion, and in terms of output, it¡¯s even less impressive; the total output is barely over 300 billion. After paying the Imperial Tax each year and subtracting local consumption, there¡¯s a deficit of 11 billion remaining. This means that the accession of these worlds is a loss-maker for the Alliance. A loss of 11 billion a year is no big deal; the Alliance can afford it. To the Alliance, which has acquired the whole Star Domain, this is a minor issue that can be easily fixed. But the crux is that this deficit only accounts for resident consumption and the Imperial Tax. If one were to include the costs of maintaining rule, the deficit would grow even further; moreover, many of these worlds have been ravaged by the Green Tide war and need post-war reconstruction. Investing more in humanitarian aid is necessary; otherwise, not only will it take a long time to get better, but there¡¯s also the possibility of further deterioration in the short term. Establishing governments, building up military forces, deepening rule¡­ When you add up all types of investments, the Alliance estimates a fiscal deficit of about 60 billion pouring in every year! That¡¯s no small sum! By way of comparison, the theoretical annual Imperial Tax for the Dragonhawk Star Domain is just over 120 billion! The heavy economic burden these worlds impose has begun to weigh the Alliance down. The Alliance¡¯s fifty Army Groups and ten billion Land Forces cost less than 15 billion a year to maintain! An annual figure of 60 billion is indeed too exaggerated. In fact, after Gu Hang returned to the Dragonhawk Star Domain and met with many people on Yunluo Star, the first internal governmental conference of the Alliance was convened to address this problem: What exactly should be done about those 258 ¡®deficit worlds¡¯? Currently, there are three broad directions of discussion among the officials within the Alliance. The first is to continue maintaining a high level of centralized rule, with an investment of 60 billion a year, which is not even enough; they¡¯ll need to continue pumping money in, up to 70 or even 80 billion. This is not a loss that needs to be sustained over the long term; a high level of initial investment will deliver future development of these worlds. After one to two years of investment, the cost should be able to reduce by more than half; meanwhile, the output of these worlds will be fully revived under the stimulation of substantial investment. It¡¯s estimated that within four to five years, this could turn a loss into a profit. But another faction is strongly opposed to this plan. It¡¯s too extravagant. Even if everything goes according to their estimates, the total investment in five years might need to reach over 250 billion. Yet what they achieve is just not bleeding out anymore; as for developing to the point where they can be a financial asset to the Alliance, or even earning back the 250 billion invested, it¡¯s uncertain how many years that would take. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now, it¡¯s true that the wars can be considered temporarily over. But the Alliance still faces tremendous external threats. The ¡®evil neighbor¡¯ next door, the Iron Armor Battle Group, might act out at any time; after the Fury Flame Battle Group returns and licks its wounds, will they forget the humiliation and pain inflicted by the Alliance? The Alliance cannot shift all its focus to economic construction. Spending so much money on the recovery of these ¡®deficit worlds¡¯ will severely hinder the military buildup of the Alliance. If the enemy attacks before the construction yields results, the home front might be pounded into ruins. As for the third faction, they don¡¯t have any particular insights; they just represent the centrist stance between the other two. Chapter 932 - Chapter 932 Chapter 501 Busier After Peace Chapter 932: Chapter 501, Busier After Peace Chapter 932: Chapter 501, Busier After Peace At the meeting, many senior officials of the Alliance were still arguing incessantly. But Gu Hang¡¯s mind had already wandered far away. The war within the Dragonhawk Star Domain, no matter how you put it, was largely over. There might still be remnants of the Green Skins on various planets; there were also hastily retreating Furyflame and their allies, who were very likely to seek revenge, and in the northern part of the Eastern Cosmos Domain, the Spiderweb Domain, Tie Nu Shi might possibly start a major war¡­ The shadow of war was still looming. But no matter what shadows, what remnants of Green Skins, overall, one could say that peace had roughly descended. Don¡¯t expect a regime spanning four hundred worlds not to have any disputes at all, that¡¯s unrealistic. As long as there are no crises affecting multiple worlds at the same time, it could already be called peace. And after peace had arrived, Gu Hang found that he and the entire Alliance had more concerns and were busier. In Gu Hang¡¯s view, the current situation in the entire Alliance, where only two centers were making money while the vast majority of worlds were operating at a loss, was fundamentally due to the administrative capacity of the Alliance not keeping up with the expansion of its political structure. Yunluo Star was even more developed than Flying Wing Star and was not designated as a Level 5 development, but Level 4 instead. Richer, yet it had to pay less tax. This was clearly something that the previous Star Domain Government had cooked up. With so many years of accumulation and the three star sectors behind it as a major rear, the resources were quite abundant; it should not be much lower compared to the newly developed Seven Horse Territory, which had only been developed for a few years, a decade or so. In fact, although the output of Yunluo Center was much higher, its fiscal contribution was not high enough. Similarly, those worlds operating at a loss had many objective conditions for their deficits, but if the administrative capability of the Alliance could keep up, then the costs of establishing and maintaining control should not be so high. Of course, this was not just a problem of the Alliance itself. Gu Hang had just previously praised the Alliance Government for its good work and was not about to suddenly denounce them and think their work was subpar. This problem is widespread throughout the entire Human Empire. The jurisdiction is too vast. Not to mention the Empire, just the four hundred worlds of the Alliance, trying to establish a unified, centrally controlled government controlled by the Alliance Government is quite difficult, and the maintenance costs are escalating significantly. What if one day, the control of the Alliance extends to four or five thousand worlds in the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain? By then, it might not just be a matter of money. From this perspective, Gu Hang could actually understand why the Empire turned out this way. Holy Terra might not have figured out up till today how many worlds within the current Empire¡¯s territory are under its jurisdiction; this number changes every day, with new incorporations, losses, rebellions, resolutions of rebellions¡­ And these changes are not just happening at the frontier. Due to the specialty of the Star Realm Tunnel, sometimes, a star system originally situated in the hinterland suddenly becomes a frontline because a new Star Realm Tunnel was discovered. Not even knowing exactly how many Empire Worlds there are, only knowing that it¡¯s roughly a million or so. The same goes for the military aspect; the Empire might barely know how many Star Realm Armies and the Imperial Navy formations it has, but these are also just nominal formations, and the actual situation is unclear. There are too many departments and institutions with the authority to form new Star Realm Armies and Navies, and it¡¯s impossible to keep an accurate count. Not even these basics can be ascertained, let alone the population and industrial situation of various worlds. If the basic information isn¡¯t even clear, how can governance be possible? Govern my ass! Under such objective conditions, the Empire¡¯s current top-down five-level structure¨CHoly Terra, Cosmos Domain, Star Domain, Star Sector, Planet, coupled with various regions having strong autonomous political systems, was also an inevitable choice. Within this structure, the most independent entities are the Planetary Governors; on their own planets, they can almost do whatever they want. The only reason stopping them from doing so is simply that the power of a single planet is not strong enough. The Star Zone Leader is a pasted-paper craftsman, not worth mentioning; The Star Domain Head is a heavyweight. Among the three middle-tier structures, the most significant one is the Star Domain Government. Very independent, it can retain Imperial Tax, control appointments within its various Star Sectors, and can deploy Star Realm Armies and Navies within the Domain. Each Star Domain Government is like a powerful regional vassal. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And the higher-up Space Domain Government is somewhat like an Alliance Leader. Generally, a Space Domain Government occupies the most developed Star Domain, which is already the richest and most powerful local vassal, and with added administrative authority, various Star Domain Governments also have to follow orders to some extent, much like an Alliance Leader, but the Space Domain Government finds it hard to directly control every Star Domain, Star Sector. The whole structure is somewhat like a feudal system, but also quite different from feudalism as the official appointments still come from the Holy Terra Government, and there is no autonomous inheritance of power. Of course, Gu Hang doesn¡¯t like this setup; his Alliance always insists on a high degree of centralization, and as the Central Government, the Alliance Government has a high degree of control over the areas it directly governs. But now, with reality bearing down, it seems that some compromises must be made. Chapter 933 - Chapter 933 Chapter 501 Busier After Peace_2 Chapter 933: Chapter 501, Busier After Peace_2 Chapter 933: Chapter 501, Busier After Peace_2 During his contemplation, Gu Hang also vaguely formed some ideas in his mind. Just then, someone at the meeting called him. Gu Hang came back to his senses. Although he had been distracted earlier, he was actually listening to the fervent discussions at the meeting. At this point, when people called him, it naturally meant that the discussion had reached an impasse and required him, the leader, to make the final decision. After all, everyone¡¯s opinions had been clearly expressed in the previous debates. So, Gu Hang did not hesitate or struggle any further and directly stated his opinion: ¡°I roughly understand everyone¡¯s thoughts: to increase investment in deficit worlds, build them up as soon as possible, and make them profitable sooner by swapping short-term large losses for rapid development. In the future, these worlds can be self-sufficient, break free from long-term deficits, and even make a profit.¡± ¡°The other extreme would be to completely abandon these worlds, maintain the Empire¡¯s conventional ruling method, appoint Planetary Governors, forcefully demand a 10% Imperial Tax, and not intervene in other resources unless the entire planet reaches a state of destruction. The Alliance will not interfere with local conditions but will leave them to the local governors.¡± ¡°I also fully understand everyone¡¯s thoughts, but I believe that these two directions are not entirely conflicting, and we can implement them simultaneously.¡± ¡°I agree with Jason Morgan¡¯s opinion; we need to analyze the situation one region, one planet at a time, to determine how exactly to proceed.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll discuss the areas separately¡­¡± Gu Hang began an extensive discourse. During his speech, everyone else remained mostly quiet, listening intently to the opinions of the supreme commander of the Alliance. Only when Gu Hang asked questions did the designated speakers respond. Gu Hang first defined the development targets for the Seven Horse Territory. The entire Seven Horse Territory has been identified as a core area of the Alliance. Not just the Tianma Star Sector, but the remaining six sectors also need emphasis on development. These seven Star Sectors total 88 worlds with a population of 187 billion; it is currently a profit-making area. Although the main profit comes from the Alliance¡¯s foundational Tianma Star Sector, its development will eventually reach its limit. Of course, this limit is not static; once a certain development level is reached, the pace of development will inevitably decrease. Also, because advanced industries occupy a lot of manpower and production ratios, the population that the planetary environments can sustain will reach a limit¨CGu Hang does not want to build a world like Holy Terra; it¡¯s too terrifying. Once this soft limit is reached, the Star Sector will continue to develop, especially in advanced, high-tech industries. But some outdated capacities will definitely be phased out. The Seven Horse Territory is the best place to take these on. Moreover, during the previous wars, these 88 worlds were already under the control of the Alliance, and the Seven Horse framework and the economic community framework have been fully implemented in these worlds. Now, the timing has matured to entirely transform into the Alliance system. These 88 worlds are also where the Alliance plans to invest heavily. Upon inquiry by Gu Hang, the Alliance Premier, Ms. Oseina Qin Ke, after consulting with her staff and several senior officials of the Alliance for a few minutes, gave Gu Hang a definite answer: The industrial and economic development of the Seven Horse Territory can maintain an annual growth rate of 10% for the next five years. After five years, the total output value of the Seven Horse Territory should increase to over 300 billion. ¡­ The second area discussed is the Yunluo Center. This will be a key area to establish the rule of the Alliance. These forty-plus worlds are populous and economically developed; running at a loss is unlikely. However, Gu Hang is not satisfied with merely making a profit in these places. What Gu Hang wants is for these 54 worlds, housing 2500 billion people with a 6300 billion output value, to fully integrate into the Alliance system, just like the Seven Horse Territory. Only then, in the future, will it be convenient for Gu Hang to bring various high-grade technologies and industries there for production. This will further boost the output value of these places; and besides, the Alliance believes that these worlds have such high output values and the Imperial Tax isn¡¯t even that much. Why is it that the financial contribution they provide each year is only so little? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Changing to the Alliance system, Gu Hang hopes to achieve the following: no large-scale turmoil occurs, the living standards of the vast majority of Empire citizens do not generally drop, and the industrial economy should at least not decline. On these bases, the control of the Alliance over these areas should significantly increase, with a clear rise in fiscal contributions, Regarding this, Oseina appears troubled. Many of these points are contradictory. Alliance integration and the absence of unrest are contradictory. Alliance integration will inevitably lead to losses for the intervening consuming class, although according to Alliance policy, these business owners, former local officials, as long as they cooperate with the Alliance integration, can receive a relatively high grade. But the high grades of the Alliance, for common people, truly elevate life to the skies, but compared to the past where they had great power and control over all industries, it¡¯s not the same concept. Without removing these consuming classes, how can there be a significant increase in fiscal income, without increasing output value and without lowering the living standards of the populace? The knife must fall on these people. Chapter 934 - Chapter 934 Chapter 501 Busier After Peace_3 Chapter 934: Chapter 501, Busier After Peace_3 Chapter 934: Chapter 501, Busier After Peace_3 People will resist, and unrest may arise; even if they don¡¯t openly resist, simply adopting non-violent non-cooperation tactics, due to the lack of cooperation from local governing officials, the Alliance¡¯s work will suddenly become difficult. This is much more aggressive than the personnel replacement approach previously used by the Alliance. But it seems that Mr. Gu has made up his mind. Gu Hang also provided his reasons: ¡°No matter how the future unfolds, the Seven Horse Territory and Yunluo Center are core regions that we must rely on. In the foreseeable future, our neighbors to the north will take significant action. Whether we like it or not, we will have to face it. While there is still time, we must resolve issues in our rear security. I don¡¯t wish to be under great pressure on the front lines and have the rear fall apart.¡± Osenia expressed her understanding. And this time, she spent a longer period of time discussing with the Alliance Government team. In the end, their response to Gu Hang, or rather the ¡®kpi¡¯ set for themselves, was that within the next five years, in Yun Luo Four Districts, all other economic and livelihood indicators are to remain the same, and fiscal revenue contribution is to increase by 30%, ideally without causing unrest. Gu Hang believes that Yunluo Center has even more potential, but he reluctantly expressed satisfaction with this figure. Then, it was onto those deficit Star Sectors. Different regions have different conditions. In the Eastern Star Domain, formerly under the control of the Alliance, there are 8 Star Sectors, including Golden Pass, Copper Barrier, etc., with 94 worlds, but the population is only around 88 billion. These Star Sectors share a common trait: before the outbreak of the Iron Tooth Orc¡¯s Green Tide, they were worlds surrounding the fallen areas and were part of the ¡®Iron Tooth Defense Line,¡¯ enduring wars for many years; During the Green Tide, they either fell entirely or partially. After the Green Tide, during the standoff between the Alliance and Furyflame, they were under the control of the Alliance. The industrial foundations and social order of these worlds were almost all disrupted to varying degrees by the Beastman war, with massive population losses and government dysfunction. Through the ¡®Economic Community Act¡¯ in the early days and later by directly dispatching Alliance officials to manage, the Alliance has basically firmly grasped these worlds in its hands. In these worlds, there are no rebel forces. On the contrary, they are very grateful to the Alliance, which rescued them from warfare, and the entire social atmosphere is pro-Alliance, thanks to the efforts of the Alliance Propaganda Department. There is not much governance cost here; the main reason for the deficit is due to the war: too many people died, and various productions were destroyed; they¡¯re now especially poor. The problems with these worlds are relatively easy to resolve. Invest money, and it will have an effect. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And Gu Hang¡¯s intention is that these worlds can afford financial investment. In these 94 worlds, the Alliance estimates that an investment of about 20 to 30 billion per year will yield good results. In fact, after the arrival of peace, these 94 worlds have already experienced a baby boom, and it is foreseeable that the population will rapidly recover. Osenia is most confident about the work plans for this region; she even dares to guarantee that in five years, the total output value of these eight Star Sectors could rise from 67 billion to surpass the 100 billion mark. The population could also increase from 88 billion to 95 billion. The remaining areas are the ones that truly need to be tackled. Chapter 935 - Chapter 935 Chapter 502 Financial Distribution Chapter 935: Chapter 502, Financial Distribution Chapter 935: Chapter 502, Financial Distribution The previous problems were not particularly difficult. Seven Horse Territory is the basic foundation. The eight eastern Star Sectors can be considered as the foundation in poverty. With increased investment and development, prosperity will follow. Moreover, building something from scratch to self-sufficiency is relatively easy and quick with external help, and the Alliance has experience in this. Yunluo Center has a complex political situation, and it¡¯s easy for chaos to arise, but at least its economic foundation is solid, people won¡¯t starve, and with military forces backing, even major chaos can¡¯t turn things upside down. But the next two areas are really tough nuts to crack. First are Jiang Meiyu, Iron Pass, Kuoluo, and Silver Pass, these four Star Sectors. These areas have been under the control of the Beastman Empire for decades, almost devoid of human presence. Although, on these planets where the Beastmen are most densely populated, they were directly hit by the Alliance¡¯s Extinction Order, and the remaining worlds still suffer constant orbital bombings. A significant part of the Alliance Land Forces has already entered the surface, conducting rotational combat¨Ctraining troops while also wiping out the Green Skins¡¯ living forces. Eventually, the day will come when the Green Skins in these four sectors will be completely eradicated; for now, the Alliance has already arranged for immigrants to enter these four Star Sectors. These immigrants aren¡¯t there to develop the planets; rather, they serve as a permanent force, establishing fortresses on the planets and also setting up munition factories and food factories to supply the local Alliance troops directly, reducing logistical pressure. But regardless, across the 42 worlds in these four sectors, it¡¯s estimated that there are still about three to four hundred billion Green Skins active on the ground. Due to the bombings and extermination operations, these Green Skins hid in mountains and dug tunnels, essentially doing everything possible to survive. Even with continuous bombings and continuous dispatches of ground troops for extermination, according to estimates given by the Military Affairs Department and the Alliance General Staff Department, it will still take about three to five years to mostly complete the cleanup. It can¡¯t be said completely, actually, any world that has suffered a large-scale invasion of Green Skins, it can¡¯t be declared completely free of Green Skins for a long time. Persistent prevention is absolutely necessary. The moment laxity occurs, Green Skins might just crop up from some unknown corner, giving a huge ¡®surprise¡¯. But at least, once the eco-system and the vast majority of adult Green Skins are wiped out, these planets regain their value for reuse. However, the rebuilding process is considerably long, and essentially starting from scratch, population needs to be relocated from the exterior. The Alliance shouldn¡¯t expect any profit from these forty-some worlds for several foreseeable decades, likely the figure will remain rather dismal. The substantial cost invested now is actually aimed at eradicating the Green Skin threat. Otherwise, leaving six hundred billion Green Skins on more than forty worlds to breed uncontrollably might bring about another large-scale Green Skins surge like the Iron Tooth Ork Empire in a few decades. These forty-some worlds are entirely loss-making, with no visible solution in sight, so we can only hope for a quick cleanup. Additionally, in the western part of the Star Domain, apart from the four Star Sectors of Yunluo Center, another 11 Star Sectors are in a state of total loss. These sectors are real trouble. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only No governance foundation, and almost no contact with the Alliance in the past; Suffered from war to different extents, originally underdeveloped and now deteriorated even further; Political forces that previously cooperated with Furyflame are widely present; These challenges need to be tackled one by one. The Alliance will appoint successive Star Zone Leaders. But these Star Zone Leaders won¡¯t be the traditional ¡®pasted-paper craftsmen¡¯ in the imperial sense; the Alliance will grant them significant authority. They will control various resources the Alliance invests into this sector, and with the support of military forces, need to undertake the classification of the planets within their jurisdictions. For those with salvageable value, actively aligning with the Alliance, and having low governance costs, establish Alliance-controlled direct governments, develop whatever necessary, and ensure the basic livelihood of the people according to the Alliance¡¯s standards. Limited economic aid received within the sector should be invested into these worlds to develop them as quickly as possible and get out of the loss condition. Chapter 936 - Chapter 936 Chapter 502 Financial Allocation_2 Chapter 936: Chapter 502, Financial Allocation_2 Chapter 936: Chapter 502, Financial Allocation_2 Just pay the damn taxes. Anyway, the Alliance now controls the Star Domain Government, which can retain 30% of the Imperial Tax. Under such circumstances, the Alliance hasn¡¯t invested a penny in the planet, so taking 30% of the tax revenue is nothing unacceptable. If things are done too poorly, leading to the inhabitants of the planet being unable to survive, then the Alliance would have an excuse to intervene, following the Imperial rules to forcibly evacuate and start anew, without getting entangled in local interest groups. By confiscating all private property on the planet and establishing an Alliance-style government while maintaining military control. If things go well¡­ wouldn¡¯t everyone be happy? The tax rate could be raised, and once things reach a certain level, the Alliance could certainly think of other ways to pluck the ripe fruit. However, this kind of situation is probably one in a hundred planets. With this arrangement, the Alliance¡¯s fiscal income and expenditure have reached a balance. An annual fiscal surplus of around 150 billion, plus 390 billion that can be used from the total Imperial Tax of 1,300 billion. That¡¯s a total income of 1890 billion. Maintaining and building the military roughly requires an investment of about 1,000 billion, constituting 52.9% of the budget, which could be described as exorbitant militarism, but there¡¯s no helping it ¨C that¡¯s the way of this universe. Actually, the Alliance¡¯s proportion might even be considered modest. The Navy wants new ships, even new fleets; the Land Forces aim to expand to two billion regular soldiers. Since the Alliance now governs many planets directly, the construction of these planets¡¯ Defense Army also falls under the Alliance¡¯s responsibility, which is another significant expenditure¡­ Everyone is crying poor. Although 1,000 billion is a lot, it still feels like scraping by. Around 400 billion for maintaining governance, including staff expenses, government spending, and public services; Around 490 billion as government-led economic production reinvestment, including infrastructure construction and industrial production investment¡­ And the good news is that some of the Land Forces can be converted to the Star Realm Army. The military expenses for this part can be claimed from the Empire. This was a condition he negotiated when he returned from Holy Terra. But it can¡¯t be too excessive. He was supposed to pay 910 billion in taxes to the Empire each year; exceeding this number is definitely not okay, the Empire won¡¯t provide additional funds; even pushing the limit of this number is not acceptable, it would seem too greedy. Gu Hang plans to start with 25 Army Groups in the first year, which is 300 billion Tax Currency. Then he would also incorporate the entire existing Dragonhawk Legion into the Rage Bear Legion. Thus, the new Rage Bear Legion would have a force of about one billion, equivalent to 50 Army Groups. The annual maintenance fee could be further reduced by about 100 billion. He won¡¯t bother with the Navy; Gu Hang isn¡¯t keen on placing the warships he painstakingly amassed into the Imperial Navy¡¯s roster. The Tianma Fleet and Yunluo Fleet are already in the Navy¡¯s sequence, and there is no other way but to rely on his wife, the Admiral, to centralize power; however, the current Alliance Fleet has already surpassed them. A single Retribution-class Battleship is already something the Tianma and Yunluo Fleets cannot match, not to mention that the Alliance is about to continuously complete the construction of Battle Cruiser. Gu Hang has even started the construction of two new Battle Cruisers at the same time. One shipyard is on Rage Owl Star, and the other, on Yunluo Star. The one on Rage Owl Star is managed with technology Black Boxes, which the Alliance has experience with. But the Black Box can only support the construction of one shipyard at a time, after all, those important production parts can only be made one by one. The one on Yunluo Star will have to rely on the technical blueprints, implemented by the shipbuilding engineers on Yunluo Star. This is exactly why Gu Hang has to ensure that Yunluo Star, including the entire core area centered around Yunluo, is well settled. Only with Yunluo¡¯s level of development can it support the construction of production lines for advanced technical products solely based on technical blueprints, independent of the Black Box. Once the shipyards for these two Battle Cruisers are completed, it will not only greatly promote economic development, but also, a construction speed of three Battle Cruisers every five years is quite satisfactory. Many Foundry Worlds don¡¯t have this production capacity. Give Gu Hang a bit more time, and even without proper Battleships, he can amass a powerful, luxurious Fleet! Moreover, who says the Alliance can¡¯t produce Battleships? Gu Hang currently has quite a few Grace Points at his disposal! ¡­ After wrapping up this lengthy, boring, but necessary meeting and establishing the development path for different blocks and directions within the Dragonhawk Star Domain, Gu Hang went to ¡®rest.¡¯ The Star Domain Government buildings on Yunluo Star are quite elegantly constructed, with an Eastern charm reminiscent of Gu Hang¡¯s impressions. Aromatherapy turns into a gentle waft of smoke that not only pleases the nose but also possesses unique effects. These are produced by a special plant from a neighboring planet and come in many different varieties. During meetings or work periods, energizing and mind-clearing types can be utilized. And in places like the entertainment lounge, rest lounge, and bathhouse, the air is filled with aromatherapy that relaxes the mind. After the meeting ended, Gu Hang soaked in a hot spring. The scent of aromatherapy, mixed with the fragrance of flowers in the hot spring, created a very comfortable atmosphere. Even Gu Hang felt this was a form of enjoyment. However, though he was soaking in the bath, he wasn¡¯t completely relaxing. On the contrary, with his eyes tightly closed, Gu Hang was actually dealing with very important matters in the depths of his mind: Spending his Grace Points. In the last two years, he had accumulated a considerable amount of Grace Points. Currently, his monthly income of Grace Points had reached 170,000/month. This was more than 2.5 times what it was before Gu Hang set off for Holy Terra. The main reason for such a significant increase was, of course, the expansion of the Alliance¡¯s control, which almost encompassed the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain. Of course, due to some issues with governance intensity, there might be some numeric erosion. Moreover, the increase in monthly Grace Points due to expansion in the scope was not linear; double the size did not equate to double the growth. Instead, it was more like climbing up slowly, milestone by milestone, as if on an exponential curve. But overall, by expanding the scope, through the improvement of the Alliance¡¯s productivity and despite the slow pace of public living standard improvement, it was truly on the rise. These factors still had the ability to affect the monthly income of Grace Points. Of course, the income level of 170,000/month had only increased recently; it wasn¡¯t this high before. Even so, Gu Hang had now accumulated more than 2.2 million Grace Points. However, in these two years, in clearing out the Green Skins, especially in those four overrun Star Sectors, sweeping them in about two years contributed about nine million additional Grace Points to Gu Hang. At this rate, with five to six hundred billion Green Skins left in those four Star Sectors, completely eradicating them could potentially earn Gu Hang another seventeen to eighteen million Grace Points. By adding a bit more to the monthly income, Gu Hang could accumulate about ten million Grace Points¡¯ worth of income every two years. This was equivalent to ten consecutive draws of million-grade technology! At present, Gu Hang just went ahead and made the draw. This ten-draw yielded steady profits. One Apocalypse-level Technology, plus three Epic Technologies. The other six are not worth mentioning. The three Epic Technologies drawn were: [¡®Valkyrie¡¯ Mecha], [¡®Eden¡¯ Ecological Technology], [¡®Command-class¡¯ Aircraft Carrier]. The Command-class, alongside the Moon-class currently held by the Alliance, both belong to the cruiser grade; however, their design styles are entirely different. The Moon-class is a typical all-rounder, a standard omnipotent battleship, lacking any standout features, but easily constructed, which offsets all its shortcomings. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Moreover, being a jack-of-all-trades is not necessarily a bad thing. With no strengths, it also has no significant weaknesses. It could hold its own against any kind of opponent. The Command-class is entirely different. Its firepower is less than the Moon-class, even less than some destroyers; its speed is also slower; it has thicker armor, but not by much compared to the Moon-class. Its greatest advantage lies in the massive number of weapon fittings that have been converted into flight decks. This is a youth-version of a cruiser-grade aircraft carrier. Chapter 937 - Chapter 937 Chapter 503 Zhuge-class Star Mothership Chapter 937: Chapter 503, Zhuge-class Star Mothership Chapter 937: Chapter 503, Zhuge-class Star Mothership In the midst of space warfare, the most critical capability of an aircraft carrier is to safely deploy various types of space fighters, from the small Wind Falcon to the large Dragon Elephant, via the launch deck to the vicinity of enemy warships. This allows the fighters to fully utilize their potential and strike against enemy ships. Otherwise, the exchange of fire in space can easily extend out to tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of kilometers, which would require the fighters to fly for an inordinately long time on their own. If refined further, a towing system would be equipped that could pull back the fighters from a considerable distance that has been locked in by the towing force before the battle. However, this is considered a luxury. After all, according to the style of the Empire, sometimes treating the fighters launched for missions as disposable, no different from how other warships view their fired shells, is not surprising. It¡¯s just that these shells are packed with iron and flesh. Of course, Gu Hang does not plan to operate this way. He insists on meticulously installing the towing retrieval function, and whenever possible during combat, recovering the fighters is prioritized; treating them as expendable like shells is too costly. Not only in terms of equipment costs, a skilled pilot is also a valuable asset. With a few hundred space fighters aboard a ¡®Command-class¡¯ and the ability to deploy these fighters effectively, the impact would be substantial. This complements the naval system of the Alliance well. Having an additional cruiser-grade ship is advantageous. Even though the Alliance does not focus on developing an aircraft carrier system as its main force, possessing this set of Black Box technologies is akin to picking up a shipyard for free, thus allowing the construction of a cruiser-grade ship every few years. Moreover, with the coordination of Moon Class defenses, a ¡®Command-class¡¯ ship equipped with several hundred space fighters could potentially yield a unique strategic value. ¡­ [Eden Ecological Garden], in Gu Hang¡¯s view, is a high-grade ecological agricultural base. With this technology, the construction of such ecological gardens can yield significantly high agricultural output, and their internal environments are comfortable and suitable for residence, allowing for the building of mansions and villas. Constructing an Eden equates to creating high-end residences, ecological tourism, and high-quality agricultural output. From this perspective, it seems wonderful! It¡¯s ecological, enhances the environment, and produces high yields. If combined with Planetary Climate Modification Technology, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to mass-produce Garden Worlds? However, after a detailed understanding, Gu Hang realized that things are not that simple. Theoretically, it is indeed feasible. But no one can ignore the cost issue. Not to mention how much money the planetary climate modification would cost, even constructing one Eden on a planet with relatively good basic conditions entails a high construction cost. High construction costs alone are concerning, but more importantly, the maintenance cost after construction is also hefty. This reflects in two aspects: manpower and energy. It requires a large workforce to perform basic labor tasks; numerous biologists are needed to maintain ecological conditions. In terms of energy, it consumes vast amounts of Energy Crystal Blocks to sustain the ecological state of Eden. Purely from an agricultural output perspective, although the yield is significant, it is actually not cost-effective when compared to the investment. There are two profitable aspects: superior residential experience and high-quality agricultural product export. If viewed from the perspective of addressing food and basic food supply, building Eden is clearly not cost-effective. However, if aimed at providing high-quality enjoyment, then Eden is unparalleled. Is it valuable? Of course! The Alliance still needs such a facility. Gu Hang has always been concerned about the corruption amongst bureaucrats wielding power. This concern has become increasingly severe as the Alliance progresses. Gu Hang is always aware: relying solely on ideals cannot sustain a political regime in the long term. Tangible benefits are fundamental to every Union Citizen. Human desires are infinite. In poverty, having enough food and clothing is already great; once the issue of food and clothing is resolved, people naturally demand better and higher living standards, especially the new generation growing up in a satiated environment. In many well-developed areas within the Alliance, these young people no longer know the taste of hunger, nor will they remain forever grateful to the Alliance for solving food and clothing issues. It is only natural for the people to demand a higher standard of living. Even if wars are always present, the Alliance still strives to improve the living standards of its people under limited conditions as much as possible. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only This directly reflects in the gross industrial output, where the figure related to consumer spending, regardless of the world, is steadily rising. In the process of rapid economic growth, this issue has been well concealed. The rise in gross output, even though Imperial Tax and the Alliance¡¯s fiscal revenue have increased, still leaves some developmental dividends for the public to enjoy. A more tangible manifestation is that the average grade level of Union Citizens in most worlds experiencing peaceful development is consistently rising. With clear promotional pathways and improving living conditions, this is the core reason the Alliance gains widespread support. The longer a world is under Alliance control, the rule of the Alliance will become more stable as living conditions continue to improve. Chapter 938 - Chapter 938 Chapter 503 Zhuge-class Star Mothership_2 Chapter 938: Chapter 503, Zhuge-class Star Mothership_2 Chapter 938: Chapter 503, Zhuge-class Star Mothership_2 To maintain the current state, the Alliance must ensure two things: first, economic development must continue without regression; second, the benefits of development that should be enjoyed by Union Citizens cannot be too little. These two points impose stringent demands on the Alliance¡¯s vast bureaucratic system. The first demands the capability of the bureaucrats; the second demands their integrity. Currently, the issue of economic development appears very promising. Through the education system, which the Alliance values highly, and Gu Hang¡¯s use of Grace Points to enlighten and cultivate key personnel, it is ensured that the capabilities of Alliance officials are generally on par, at least far exceeding the average level across the Empire. However, Gu Hang always has doubts regarding integrity. The Alliance has many institutions in place to ensure this, but Gu Hang remains suspicious. He cannot deny that, after the establishment of the Alliance, a massive bureaucratic class has indeed formed. Even more, this bureaucratic class plus the class of military merit now constitutes the ruling class of the Alliance. Governments, state-owned capital, and civil service units, all members within these systems are viewed as a unified class, broadly defined as the bureaucratic group, holding the greatest power and interests in the Alliance. Though they factually control the vast majority of the Alliance¡¯s assets, under the Alliance¡¯s system, these assets are publicly owned, constituting national capital. This system prevents them from truly possessing this wealth. While the bureaucratic class certainly possesses a much higher status than the general populace and enjoys enriched material conditions, like the ever-growing demands of the populace, these bureaucrats have their own. Would they pursue more benefits? The positions they hold already fail to satisfy their appetites, would they start to tamper with state-owned capital? The bother of climbing ranks for a minuscule increase in earnings pales in comparison to engaging in more embezzlement and corruption. Strong anti-corruption agencies vigorously crack down, reinforced ideological education prevents issues from the outset, and the establishment of a public oversight system¡­ Of course, all these conventional preventive measures must exist. Besides crackdown and prevention, some sweeteners are also necessary. ¡®Eden¡¯ seems like a fairly good method. Establish high-end communities, allow outstanding, loyal, and honest persons to have better living conditions; Even those who can¡¯t quite live there, those working at grassroots level, they also have the right to vacation, seeing this can also give them something to strive for; Eden¡¯s superior, high-quality goods, from delicately crafted food to luxury leather goods and artisanal wines, can serve as shopping benefits for high-ranking officials. This allows them to spend their allowances in a way that genuinely improves their quality of life. And then some high-end products can be branded and placed on Alliance-wide store shelves, allowing the ordinary populace to occasionally purchase them to somewhat improve their living conditions. To expect these to bring in heavy profits is unrealistic. However, it can maintain stability and improve the satisfaction of residents, especially the ruling class. Since Gu Hang can see, and also admits, that a massive bureaucratic class exists within the Alliance and has indeed become the ruling class, Gu Hang indeed needs this class to manifest his will. If this class revolts, at the least development would stall and societal corruption ensue, at worst, local rebellions might even lead to the disintegration of the Alliance. That seemingly unbreakable Alliance which Gu Hang remembers ultimately moved towards disintegration; factors related to this likely played a significant role. Thus, Gu Hang, in terms of internal governance, cannot solely rely on oppression, and must genuinely consider the interests of this ruling class. Eden is a new experiment. Gu Hang will build these high-energy-consuming ecosystems on many planets. He defines the value of ¡®Eden¡¯ as fulfilling the pursuit of a higher quality of life by Union Citizens, especially high-ranking citizens (the ruling class). ¡­ Valkyrie Mech is another matter altogether. This device, essentially, is a type of power armor similar to a Terminator, akin to how the Servant God and Commander types of Feedback-Type Power Armor differ from real Interstellar Warrior Powered Armor; Valkyrie also is a Terminator that isn¡¯t necessarily exclusive to Interstellar Warriors. But, the distinction lies in some¡­ structures on the Valkyrie that Gu Hang cannot quite understand. Those elaborate patterns need to be crafted from gold. But why? Merely for decoration? If it¡¯s just for decoration, why is it then marked as essential in the construction process? Placing the Energy Crystal Block as the power source in the back, along with the prayer process. From these perspectives, Gu Hang immediately associated it with Spiritual Energy. Moreover, it was not just normal Spiritual Energy, but a kind specifically related to a religious attribute. Just like Galaraldo back in the day, who after being ¡®trapped¡¯ in Subspace by him, managed to survive for a prolonged period without perishing. He wasn¡¯t even a high-grade psychic, nor did he possess the power of Spiritual Energy. He was merely an Apostle of War, a messenger of the Sun Lord. After the Sun Lord¡¯s death, Galaraldo¡¯s power rapidly declined, and he would have been done for had Gu Hang not rescued him. Where did the power of the Sun Lord originate? Undoubtedly, it came from the Emperor. With the Emperor¡¯s favor, the priests, nuns of the Sisterhood, and figures like the Sun Lord, who were dubbed as ¡®Divine Chosen¡¯, could obtain powers akin to Spiritual Energy solely through blessings¨Cregardless of how these blessings came about, once they had them, they could harness them. And the ¡®Valkyrie Armor¡¯ had a bit of that implication. He recalled that within the normal Imperial System, the ¡®Valkyrie Mech¡¯ was seemingly only used by the Sisterhood. Logically speaking, the Battle Nuns are also mortals. Initially, Gu Hang thought it was because the Sisterhood was wealthy, and the regular Star Realm Army couldn¡¯t afford such high-end equipment. However, he later discovered that was not the case. They could use it, but the regular soldiers probably could not. Valkyrie Armor required some theological power to operate. Gu Hang felt a bit helpless but also somewhat fortunate. Helpless because the technology had a limited scope of use; fortunate because, after all, he had an organization under him that could utilize it. Sainte-Lys Nun Association. Strictly speaking, they are not technically members of the Alliance. But¡­ at this juncture, the Sisterhood being situated in the core territories of the Alliance, their economic, political, and self-development all relied on the Alliance, which had become an objective reality. In practice, they were no longer involved in anti-heretic activities like they were decades ago when they had to collaborate with Korolya. Currently, the work of the Sainte-Lys mainly involves serving as enforcers for the Alliance¡¯s spy agencies and judicial institutions, and they often liaised with the Alliance¡¯s legal center. When there were problems or a lack of high-end military force, Demon Hunters would often call upon a few nuns to cooperate and handle the situation. Also, there was the war. During the Iron Teeth War, the Sainte-Lys Nun Association consecutively deployed over a thousand Battle Nuns to cooperate with the Alliance Army and many were sacrificed. Their relationship with the Alliance had grown significantly close, especially during the recent confrontation with the Silver Tribunal, where Sainte-Lys provided substantial military support and many of Silver Tribunal¡¯s covert agents were eliminated by the nuns. This clearly indicated their stance. Having tested them through this ordeal, Gu Hang indeed felt they could be considered as one of their own. Valkyrie Armor was best utilized by these Battle Nuns; naturally, it was equipped for them as compensation for their dedicated service to the Alliance. ¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As for the last and most crucial technology that Gu Hang cared about, it was the Apocalypse-level Technology. [Zhuge-class, Heavy Space Aircraft Carrier] This is a Battleship-class vessel, exceedingly rare within the Imperial Navy. Partly because the construction cost is high, approximately double that of a Retribution-class Battleship; additionally, within the internal circles of the Imperial Navy, there is a disliking for using Aircraft Carriers. Or rather, the Carrier Faction is not the mainstream within the Imperial Navy. Big ships and heavy guns remain the mainstream, followed by the Battlecruiser Faction; the Carrier Faction has the least influence. Chapter 939 - Chapter 939 Chapter 504 How strong will the Alliance Fleet be Chapter 939: Chapter 504, How strong will the Alliance Fleet be after 4 years? Chapter 939: Chapter 504, How strong will the Alliance Fleet be after 4 years? The Empire doesn¡¯t favor aircraft carriers, but Gu Hang has no prejudice against them. Or rather, he isn¡¯t in a position to be prejudiced right now. After all, the Zhuge-class is a warship of battleship caliber. What¡¯s wrong with aircraft carrier types? What¡¯s wrong with being expensive? What¡¯s wrong with not conforming to the mainstream? The class speaks for itself! If Gu Hang wants to build a ship of this caliber, it¡¯s unlikely to happen until he amasses another million-grade ten-consecutive draw. Moreover, just because it doesn¡¯t conform to the main style of the Imperial Navy doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s weak. Similar to the previous Retribution-class, the core components of the Zhuge-class also include catapult decks, used for ¡®launching¡¯ fighters directly in the enemy¡¯s face. However, unlike the lighter Retribution-Class aircraft carriers, the heavy-duty star space Zhuge-class carriers can launch more than just three types of fighters of different sizes. It can catapult patrol ships right into the enemy¡¯s face. How do small ships defeat larger ships and achieve miraculous victories? Standing off at a distance and exchanging fire would be like sending waves of sheep to the slaughter, not even able to break through defenses, and with one enemy shot, you¡¯d be completely shattered, both ship and shield. But if you get up close and personal, that¡¯s a different story. Slow-firing heavy torpedoes are lethal, and the closer the range, the harder they are to intercept. And if push comes to shove, a patrol ship could just ram into it, which is much harder to deal with than getting bombarded with any shell. Even push it to the limit, build it excessively, and the Zhuge-class can even launch a destroyer! Gu Hang actually did the math according to the technical specs, and the largest catapult deck can indeed launch the most commonly used Frenzy Shark-class destroyer of the Alliance Fleet. The Frenzy Shark is about five to six kilometers long, while the Zhuge-class is even larger than the twenty-one-kilometer Retribution-class, reaching twenty-six kilometers in length. Its hangar and catapult deck retrofitted, it could potentially swallow a Frenzy Shark. If a Frenzy Shark is actually sent to the enemy¡¯s face, it might be more than just a big scare for a legitimate battleship; there¡¯s a high probability of sending the Frenzy Shark away. The cost, however, is considerable. It¡¯s bad enough that destroyers are expensive, but the Zhuge-class, when retrofitted to launch destroyers, is an extreme case. To adapt to this, there wouldn¡¯t be room left to house any other combat forces. After launching a destroyer, the remaining space utilization would be too small. Turning combat into a one-hit affair with no staying power is not ideal. Conversely, what a Frenzy Shark can do, a few more patrol ships could achieve as well. However, to pair with the carrier¡¯s ship-launching capabilities, the warships that are launched need some special design considerations. Firstly, there has to be a focus on agility and speed; after being launched, they¡¯re not immediately going into the enemy¡¯s energy shield or void shield. Patrol ships, with their small and agile nature, need to find a better position for offense, or even penetrate into the enemy¡¯s large ships¡¯ shields. Secondly, firepower must be explosive. It can completely sacrifice the sustainability of firepower and ammunition capacity, as these are pointless; survival time is extremely short, so it¡¯s better to carry something substantial that can deal a severe blow in one go to a larger ship. Defense can also be forgotten, just give a nominal thought to energy shields and hull armor, and don¡¯t get easily destroyed by enemy interception fire. Otherwise, no matter how well it¡¯s done, it¡¯s still just a small patrol ship, and being sent into the midst of the enemy fleet, no thickness of shield or armor makes a significant difference. As long as the patrol ship manages to fire off all the firepower it carries, it¡¯s fine by me if it gets destroyed. Under such a strategic concept, the Alliance will soon standardize a new patrol ship model named the ¡®Swordfish-class.¡¯ Simply put, it¡¯s a suicide ship¨Cthin-skinned, fast, and agile, but not durable, lacking even long-distance navigation and Star Realm Tunnel traversing capabilities. Its sole advantage lies in being able to unload all its onboard firepower in a matter of minutes. This firepower includes 8 Sky Cleave Axe Missiles, 4 Scorching East Winds, and two torpedo missiles modified from the Scorching East Wind. These torpedo missiles have weak armor penetration, but if released at close-range, their hit rate is guaranteed, adept at piercing shields and armor. Most crucially, the explosive power is nearly five times that of a regular L-grade Scorching East Wind missile. This means, if not intercepted, a single hit could destroy a cruiser; and, if hitting a large battleship, would also inflict severe damage. From this perspective, a Zhuge-class that can continuously launch 8 patrol ships and thousands of fighters is indeed formidable. If it came down to a one-on-one confrontation, Gu Hang doesn¡¯t believe that the current flagship of the Alliance, the ¡®Firebath Nova,¡¯ could withstand an attack from the Zhuge-class¨Cit would almost certainly be devastating. Unless both sides have a massive escort fleet, then maybe the outcome could still be uncertain. However, the construction cost of the Zhuge-class is even more expensive than the Retribution-class; if the cost of those thousands of fighters and eight kamikaze ships are accounted for, the price would nearly reach 80 billion per aircraft carrier. The construction time is eight years. Even with the first one benefiting from the Black Box, it would still take four years to complete the first Zhuge-class carrier. However, considered this way, the Alliance Navy¡¯s strength will see a huge, leapfrogging enhancement after four years. If all shipbuilding plans proceed smoothly, by then, the Alliance will have five top-of-the-line capital ships. Among the battleship class, there will be the ¡®Firebath Nova¡¯ battleship and the yet-to-be-named first Zhuge-class carrier. Additionally, there will be three battleship cruisers, two of which will be the Alliance¡¯s newly built Holy Grail Class; and one is the current flagship of the Yunluo Fleet. Although officially part of the Imperial Navy, in practice the Alliance is unlikely to give up the Yunluo Fleet that it has already absorbed. It¡¯s a ¡®Long Dragon-class¡¯ Battleship Cruiser, whose overall performance isn¡¯t too different from the Holy Grail Class, a bit slower but with thicker armor. Besides these five capital ships of the battleship, aircraft carrier, and battlecruiser categories, the Alliance will also have around thirty Lunar-class cruisers by then, taking into account the Tianma Fleet, Yunluo Fleet, Alliance Fleet and newly produced ships. Not to mention the various destroyers and escort ships. Such a fleet would, honestly, be very formidable. Gu Hang wonders, four years from now, can the main fleet of the Eastern Cosmos Domain muster a fleet that can stand against mine? Tie Nu Shi, can you come up with five battleship class vessels? Err¡­ Probably, but at least the Alliance Navy will then have the capability to engage in a decisive battle with the opponent. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Content with this thought, Gu Hang now only wants to focus on developing quietly. He wants to fully assimilate the Dragonhawk Star Domain, save money, and exchange time for an improvement in naval quality, which coupled with an increasingly strong land force, and complemented by the Phoenix Battle Group, Sainte-Lys Nun Association, Glory Guards, and Storm Mage Corps¡­ the Alliance will also have a series of high-quality troops at its disposal. Additionally, with an integrated Dragonhawk Star Domain enriched and strengthened by various blessings from Gu Hang¡¯s Grace Points, he will become the powerhouse of this entire region. However, the peaceful development time Gu Hang desperately sought did not come. Merely three months after his return to the Dragonhawk Star Domain, the ¡®Princess¡¯s Grand Rebellion¡¯ officially broke out. Chapter 940 - Chapter 940 Chapter 505 The Princesss Great Rebellion Chapter 940: Chapter 505, The Princess¡¯s Great Rebellion Chapter 940: Chapter 505, The Princess¡¯s Great Rebellion The ¡°Princess Major Rebellion¡± actually broke out a bit later than Gu Hang had estimated. Previously, he even thought that by the time Tie Nu Shi made its move, he might not have returned to the Dragonhawk Star Domain yet. In this regard, he believed that the Alliance had made great contributions. If not for that bloody duel that had broken the backbone of the Fury Flame Battle Group and rendered the ¡®Fury¡¯ in Tie Nu Shi temporarily unusable, the Princess Major Rebellion might have been launched even earlier. Although he really did not want to go to war, this matter was not up to him. By thrashing the Fury Flame Battle Group and stalling Tie Nu Shi for several months, it was actually quite an accomplishment. Logically thinking, the current choice of ¡®Tie Nu Shi¡¯ was within expectations. Everyone knew they were going to rebel, and they knew that everyone else knew as well. The atmosphere had been elevated to such a degree that they had no choice but to rebel. However, no one expected the situation to be so explosive. The great rebellion stirred up by Tie Nu Shi was as fierce as fire! In the 230th year of the 10th millennium since the establishment of the Empire, in February, the Princess Major Rebellion broke out. Tie Nu Shi issued a public declaration, making it clear that they were the protectors of the entire Princess Star Domain, even the guardians of the entire Spiderweb Domain. All 14 star domains from the Princess Star Domain to the Spiderweb Domain should listen to the Iron Armor Battle Group¡¯s orders and coordinate with the Iron Armor Battle Group¡¯s actions. ¡°This is for the benefit of the Empire.¡± That¡¯s what they said. The government of the Sacred Terra Empire immediately declared the Iron Armor Battle Group, Fury Flame Battle Group, and Bedrock Shield Warband traitors to the Empire. The Spiderweb Domain Government immediately followed suit and called for the Empire forces within the space domain to stand guard over their territories; the assembled Star Realm Army and the Imperial Navy began to launch probing offensives towards the Princess Star Domain. From this perspective, the Empire was clearly prepared. In fact, the entire political faction led by Minister of Justice Ou Juren had been preparing to militarily eliminate Tie Nu Shi for a long time. However, in earlier years, Holy Terra had not yet reached a consensus, with support factions like Norberto, so the necessary preparations simply could not be fully launched. Ou Juren and his faction were only able to mobilize their own strength, at most making some defensive arrangements. By the time Norberto was eliminated and the war between the Empire and Tie Nu Shi became inevitable, although the Empire had finally reached a consensus and could prepare for military actions against Tie Nu Shi, the bloated and inefficient political and military institutions of the Empire were simply not capable of acting swiftly. Over the past year, a lot of time had been wasted on meetings and discussions. After finally deciding which forces could be dispatched, and having their leaders accept the orders, the process would get stuck again when it came time to gather supplies for them; Holy Terra had sent envoys to contact some other battle groups within the Spiderweb Domain, excluding Tie Nu Shi, but many of those envoys had not even reached the Spiderweb Domain yet; There have been multiple inquiries from within the Tribunal institutions to the Silver Tribunal, especially from the Heretic Tribunal and the Vigilance Tribunal, which strongly demanded the Silver Tribunal cut ties with Tie Nu Shi and conduct self-inspections and internal purges. They did clean up, but there was no movement. An elite team from the Iron Armor Battle Group interfered with the Silver Tribunal¡¯s internal purge, with politically Empire-leaning factions being eliminated instead. Along with that, a squadron of Battle Nuns and a company of Loyal Heir Stormtroopers sent by the two tribunals, as well as their Judges, were all wiped out. The Heretic Tribunal and the Vigilance Tribunal were furious, and although they had stepped up the recruitment of new forces, it was difficult to respond to the situation for the time being. This was the situation on the Imperial Side for the past few months: preparations had indeed been made. They hadn¡¯t prepared well, but what could they do? Did the Empire itself know about this situation? Actually, they had an idea. They knew that the current preparations were definitely not enough, so often, they were hoping that Tie Nu Shi could start the rebellion later; that the forces within the Spiderweb Domain, and even Princess Domain, could hold back Tie Nu Shi for a longer time. But¡­ the situation still collapsed. And it was more catastrophic than even the pessimists had imagined. It was originally thought that there would still be some forces loyal to the Empire inside the Princess Star Domain. Even if these forces were ultimately inescapable from being purged by Tie Nu Shi, shouldn¡¯t they at least be able to hold on for a while? Eh? No. They couldn¡¯t hold on at all. That month, a total of 472 worlds in the entire Princess Star Domain almost unanimously declared a change of allegiance and sided with Tie Nu Shi. All Star Realm Army and Imperial Navy units were transferred under the command system of Tie Nu Shi. Resistance? It was not completely absent. But Tie Nu Shi¡¯s preparations for this were too ample. This was their stronghold, where they had operated for too long, and even the slight resistance was expected by them. They knew exactly where problems would arise and had people in place in advance. Upon issuing the declaration, as soon as these issues started emerging, they moved in and quashed them. The entire Princess Star Domain just switched allegiances like that. If the Empire could barely accept this turning point, then the events that unfolded next exceeded everyone¡¯s expectations. By the third month, within the Spiderweb Domain and around the Princess Star Domain, two more star domains almost entirely switched allegiances and joined Tie Nu Shi. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It wasn¡¯t as straightforward as the Princess Star Domain; in fact, there were brutal bloody clashes. But Tie Nu Shi acted quickly and forcefully; even in intense combat, they wanted to handle it with overwhelming military strength and a tough stance. A United Fleet formed by the Spiderweb Domain, under high-level command in the hope of containing the over-spreading tide triggered by Tie Nu Shi, hastefully entered Tie Nu Shi¡¯s controlled area along with several Star Realm Army Corps, attempting to check Tie Nu Shi¡¯s spread. However, this fleet disappeared just eighteen days after entering. It was encircled by Tie Nu Shi¡¯s fleet, and small-scale skirmishes broke out. Then Commander Paulo, without an escort, without weapons, boarded the flagship of this fleet in a small boat and had a talk with the commanding Admiral. Then, this commander and his Fleet¡­ joined¡­ Chapter 941 - Chapter 941 Chapter 506 Watching and Helping Each Other Chapter 941: Chapter 506, Watching and Helping Each Other? Chapter 941: Chapter 506, Watching and Helping Each Other? Gu Hang was dumbfounded when he heard that the fleet organized with great difficulty by the Spiderweb Domain was persuaded to defect en masse by Humphrey Paolo¡¯s lone arrival, including the onboard Star Realm Army. Especially when some detailed rumors came through, they were even more unbelievable to Gu Hang. The name of the surrendering Admiral was Bowen Melandri. The Tribunal imprisoned and interrogated his family, friends, and searched his residence and office, uncovering some confidential and non-public information in the subsequent investigation of Admiral Melandri. It was mentioned that Melandri had known Paul from before, and they had fought alongside each other. According to his relatives, Melandri had a very favorable impression of Paul, describing him as a ¡°resolute, inspiring, and trustworthy leader.¡± Precisely for this reason, when Paul and his Iron Armor Battle Group were declared traitors by the Empire, Melandri was shocked. In his view, Paul was the paragon of an Interstellar Warrior, maintaining peace in one area and fighting against the Void Insect Species for centuries. The Princess Star Domain, and even the entire Spiderweb Starfield, enjoyed tranquility because of him, without suffering from the invasions of the Void Insect Species. ¡°How could such a man betray the Empire?¡± This was a question Melandri had once voiced to his family. Having said such words already, how could they let such an apparent sympathizer of the Empire¡¯s traitor hold such an important position? ¡ª They obviously overlooked what Melandri had said after that: ¡°I want to personally capture Paul and bring him to Holy Terra, to repent before the Divine Emperor¡¯s Golden Throne!¡± His attitude may seem problematic, but overall it wasn¡¯t entirely unacceptable. Gu Hang was more curious about what exactly the group leader Paul said when he came to persuade Melandri, managing to make him lead his team to defect on the spot? Even the term ¡°defection¡± is not quite accurate. It ought to be called ¡°turning coats.¡± From the information gathered from various sources, Humphrey Paul seemed to be an extremely charismatic leader, with his charm attribute maxed out. ¡­ As such a high-ranking officer, Melandri¡¯s defection was a great crime, and someone had to be held accountable. His family and many friends who had been close to him were executed; several high-ranking officials from the Spiderweb Domain who had recommended his appointment to lead the fleet also got implicated. Setting aside the political upheaval, the key point was that after Melandri switched sides, the defensive forces of the Spiderweb Domain were almost entirely depleted! The situation was already very dire, and in an instant, it became rotten. Of the fourteen star domains in the Spiderweb Domain, the southeastern three had already fallen into the hands of Tie Nu Shi; of the remaining eleven, the defenses that are still standing now are significantly inadequate. Although there are still some navies and Star Realm Armies present, their numbers are even fewer than those who defected. Going forward, defense will likely mainly rely on the hastily mobilized Planetary Defense Forces from various planets as the main force, then bolstered by the Protection Army sent from two of the Sect of Mechanics¡¯ Foundry Worlds, as well as a large contingent from the Blood Rose Sisterhood dispatched by the Tribunal. In this universe, there are many Battle Nuns working for the Tribunal, possibly even more than those directly under the command of the Empire. It looks like some main forces still exist, but in reality, they are considerably weak. However, in the Spiderweb Domain, there is still a powerful force present: seven Starfighter Battle Groups. These seven battle groups are not transferred from outside but are widely distributed across the Spiderweb Domain. After all, this is a vast area consisting of eight thousand worlds, and it makes sense to have seven battle groups ¨C in fact, on average, not even one world could afford an Interstellar Warrior. Moreover, these seven battle groups might not even all be at full strength. Looking at it this way, the inner power under the Empire within the Spiderweb Domain does still possess certain strength. Seven battle groups, along with the Sisterhood and a portion of the Protection Army, plus the sizeable Planetary Defense Force Cluster¡­ are not weak. If this force could all be rallied together, with one heart, acting under a unified command system, then they might not be able to completely stop the invasion of Tie Nu Shi, but they could at least turn the entire Spiderweb Domain into a quagmire of war, dragging Tie Nu Shi down with it. In that case, the situation would be much improved for the Imperial Side. If Tie Nu Shi could be stalled in the Spiderweb Domain for a few years, even if the ultimate cost is turning the Spiderweb Domain into wasteland, it would buy time for the Empire to muster more forces. However, the situation the Imperial Side hoped for did not occur. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Why would those planets want to turn themselves into wasteland? Surrender, then, became a very rational choice. Resistance is only valuable if there¡¯s a chance that the Empire will come to the rescue and you can hold out until then. This is also the most significant reason that most planets face in interstellar wars: when facing foreign enemies, there¡¯s no question but to fight or be annihilated; when there¡¯s a clear hope of rescue from the Empire, then it¡¯s also viable to resist and wait for salvation. But in this war, there was nothing. Not against foreign enemies, there are benefits for surrendering; don¡¯t count on being saved if you resist to the end. It¡¯s clear that the Empire is treating these planets as a ¡®line of resistance,¡¯ hoping to trade space for time, and to delay as much as possible, so don¡¯t expect rescue. Chapter 942 - Chapter 942 Chapter 506 Watching and Helping Each Other _2 Chapter 942: Chapter 506, Watching and Helping Each Other? _2 Chapter 942: Chapter 506, Watching and Helping Each Other? _2 Who would even care about you then? It can¡¯t even be said that they are disloyal. Some, more loyal to the Empire than their own hometowns, lead their planets in rebellion, only to be wiped out by teams of Iron Armor Interstellar Warriors, who clandestinely grouped together under the command of the Iron Armor Battle Group; while others, perhaps quite loyal to the Empire, chose to surrender ¡®painfully¡¯ considering the preservation of their hometowns. The other seven trustworthy Battle Groups, the Battle Nuns of the Blood Rose, and the Protection Armies of the Sect of Mechanics, were originally seen as the backbone. However, their situations varied. One Battle Group faced a rebellion towards the Iron Armor on its Mother Planet. When the Battle Group was sent to suppress the rebellion, they were unexpectedly overwhelmed on the ground by three times their number of forces from an alliance of the Iron Armor and Fury Flame, which had slipped through the intelligence network of the Battle Group. Only a few managed to escape. Two other Battle Groups, together with the Blood Roses, formed a combat unit to rescue a world called Tianyuan VI, which was struggling under the attack of the Iron Armor Battle Group. However, upon arrival, they discovered it was a carefully laid trap to encircle and suppress reinforcements. During this pivotal war, one of their Battle Groups switched sides on the spot, leading to an internal uprising. Together with an overwhelming number of Ironclad Interstellar Soldiers, this elite unit was annihilated on Tianyuan VI. The Blood Rose suffered heavy losses in this battle. Meanwhile, from the other four Battle Groups, two sided with them after being persuaded by the ¡®succubus¡¯, Humphrey Paolo. The last potential threat that could have caused significant trouble for the Iron Fury Stone was two Foundry Worlds from the Sect of Mechanics, both part of a system named the Alfonso Sect. They, of course, also received orders from the Empire to contribute personnel, efforts, and resources to resist the Iron Fury Stone. However, their performance was somewhat ambiguous. The orders were followed. The Protection Armies were dispatched, and the equipment and arms were provided. But the Protection Armies were not dispatched in sufficient numbers, and they operated independently without taking orders from anyone else. During the war, they hardly engaged in any critical battles but just tinkered around the edges. Strangely enough, the Iron Fury Stone didn¡¯t provoke them, mainly avoiding the locations defended by the Protection Armies during their offensives. It was as if there was some kind of unspoken agreement between the two. The Alfonso Sect declared, ¡°This extent of jurisdiction is mine; the two Foundry Worlds, plus some core mineral worlds within my Cosmos Domain, provide me with resources. Don¡¯t provoke me, and I¡¯ll ignore you in return. Although I¡¯ve deployed troops, I am protecting my own domain; and though I¡¯ve also supplied equipment to the Imperial Side, you must understand, it¡¯s a necessary compromise.¡± The Iron Armor Battle Group also declared, ¡°I respect your jurisdiction, you keep to yours, but don¡¯t interfere with my plans. You can provide equipment and arms to the Empire, but keep the quantities limited; if I have needs and want to buy, you must also sell to me.¡± Naturally, these statements were not evidenced, merely some alleged ¡®suspicions¡¯ voiced by the Heretic Tribunal when accusing the Alfonso Sect. But, evidence or not, Gu Hang, as an observer and third party standing next to a Star Map discussing it, felt as if he heard the two parties converse exactly in that manner. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t help but marvel, this Humphrey Paolo truly is formidable. ¡®Succubus¡¯, that was Gu Hang¡¯s jesting evaluation of Paolo privately. But in fact, it contained a considerable amount of wariness from Gu Hang. This man¡¯s charisma is indeed off the charts. Most crucially, the Iron Armor Battle Group has been very powerful over the past centuries and has established its influence everywhere. Although there are examples like the Cercis Flower Rebellion, which opposed the Iron Fury Stone, many indeed have received their help and stood by their side. Certainly, mere relationships and past interactions might not be enough. Beyond that, it came down to Paolo¡¯s diplomatic skills and the exchange of interests. Relationships are the foundation; diplomatic ability and leadership charisma are the means and methods; the essence lies in the exchange of interests. What benefits, after all, could those who surrendered or defected expect to receive by siding with the Iron Fury Stone? Simple benefits would surely be insufficient. No matter how eloquently Humphrey Paolo could speak, he couldn¡¯t change the fact that the Iron Fury Stone was fomenting a rebellion, nor could he shift the increasingly stern warnings issued by the Holy Terra. No matter how plentiful the immediate benefits, if the ultimate outcome was defeat, then it was all for naught. Clearly, Paolo made many believe that he could ultimately succeed. This success may not be about overthrowing the Empire. That would be too dreamlike. But at the very least, it could prevent Imperial interference within regional boundaries; then the Iron Armor would be considered ¡®victorious¡¯. The Purple Gold Flower rebellion over one hundred and twenty years ago serves as a good example. Although the scale of their current actions is much larger than before, making it harder for the Empire to compromise; the large scale also means the situation has become more frightening, and the ¡®united front value¡¯ achieved could be extremely high. As long as there are a series of military victories, and an increasingly strong momentum, more and more people will believe that the Iron Armor Battle Group can ultimately win. Moreover, sometimes when Iron Armor strikes right in the face, many factions are left with two choices: death, or believing that Iron Armor can win. Which one to choose? Naturally, it tends to be the latter. Again, it must be emphasized that this is ultimately a ¡®civil war¡¯ among humans, not a total massacre after losing to the Green Skins; not full corruption into madness after losing to the Abyss Demons, which eventually leads to a total sacrifice; it¡¯s not like losing to the Void Insect Species, where the entire planet turns into food¡­ External wars must be resisted till the end. In the end, not resisting would mean death as well, so you¡¯d definitely bite back before dying. In a civil war, if you surrender, the nobles remain nobles, perhaps even with more power; civilians can also survive, leading to a significant reduction in resistance. ¡­ Things have gone rotten in the Spiderweb Domain. Gu Hang sees this and is truly shocked in his heart. Sometimes he can¡¯t help but wonder, if it were him, if it were the Alliance, making a move like this in the Eastern Cosmos Domain, could they create an impact like the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯? Probably not. Firstly, there is still a gap in raw strength. The naval resources that the Alliance would take four years to accumulate, Iron Fury Stone has now, and even more robust. After gaining the fleet that Melandri led in a defection, it became even stronger, almost incomparable. In terms of ground forces, the comparison might be possible. While Iron Armor might have tens of thousands of interstellar warriors, Furyflame and Bedrock Shield definitely have more, potentially each having upwards of two to three thousand, collectively amounting to over fifteen thousand interstellar warriors. This is still a conservative estimate. The Phoenix the Alliance can bring to bear strictly adheres to the regulations of the Star Warrior Codex, honestly not exceeding a thousand. However, in terms of quality, after that deadly and bloody battle with the Fury Flame Battle Group, no one dares to underestimate it. Moreover, Gu Hang is confident that the quality of the Alliance Army far surpasses that of the infamous Auxiliary Army of Iron Armor. However, there is one thing, something in which Gu Hang and his Alliance can never surpass Iron Armor: centuries of accumulated reputation. This is something that even with a master diplomat with full charisma attributes, Gu Hang cannot make up for. Without reputation, Gu Hang would find it difficult to convince many to stand by his side, to believe he could achieve ultimate victory, and thus not resist the Empire to the end. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only His Alliance, like Iron Fury Stone, if rebelling, cannot afford to be dragged into a quagmire of war in their own core regions. From this perspective, the Alliance really might not opt to rebel and achieve an effect like Iron Fury Stone. And the reason Gu Hang is starting to think about this issue stems from a recent personal letter he received from Humphrey Paolo. In it, Paul invites the Alliance to start an uprising in the south. Paul assures that he will absolutely not head southwards; both parties can engage in trade, and even provide mutual assistance! Chapter 943 - Chapter 943 Chapter 507 Heartthrob Chapter 943: Chapter 507, Heartthrob Chapter 943: Chapter 507, Heartthrob ¡°Humphrey Paolo has been in touch with you, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Communications with Holy Terra through Star Speech remains as difficult as ever. Virtual imagery displays suffer severe flickering, obscuring visibility to nearly nothing; it¡¯s better off not used at all to save on data. It was because of this that Gu Hang could discern the weariness and hesitation in Galaraldo¡¯s words. ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Hang replied candidly. ¡°He sent me a letter.¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± Galaraldo sighed, then continued with an ironic tone, ¡°The grandees on Holy Terra, each and every one of them is now scared like quails by the mere mention of Tie Nu Shi.¡± In saying this, he completely forgot that as the newly appointed head of the Military Affairs Department, he was one of those ¡®grandees¡¯ himself. He went on to say, ¡°Even Ou Juren is terrified, living in constant fear. What if we can¡¯t beat Tie Nu Shi? What if another figure like Norberto from a hundred years ago emerges? By then, he would be the one held accountable, bearing the brunt of all responsibilities¨Cpolitical career over, and perhaps even his life at stake! Haha¡­¡± He even began mocking his own ¡®boss¡¯ along with the rest. Yet, Gu Hang could sense a hint of fear within Galaraldo¡¯s words¨Cor at least anxiety. And the reason? It was all laid out in his words. Would not the scenarios Ou Juren might face also befall him? If it truly came to that, he might face death even more swiftly than Ou Juren! Should the Empire find Humphrey Paolo¡¯s actions overly troublesome, could voices for appeasement really emerge? Indeed, they might. Especially after several sizeable defeats in a row, an appeasement sentiment could very well surge forth. Under normal circumstances, it might not be a big deal, but with Tie Nu Shi, there can be no complacency. Humphrey Paolo is a master of diplomacy, and as for his mindset¡­ well, how should I put it, he dares to openly rebel today, and a hundred years ago, dared to single-handedly instigate the great Cercis Flower rebellion. These acts seem like those of a madman. However, looking closer at Paolo¡¯s conduct in these series of events, one sees a veteran politician capable of playing the game¨Cknowing when to be firm and when to relent. He can even disregard personal hatred. The Fury Flame Battle Group should have a blood feud with Gu Hang by now, yet he still reached out with an invitation. Regardless of the sincerity, such a gesture is rare. Moreover, it signifies strong leverage. Otherwise, would he dare invite the Alliance? Otherwise, the Fury Flame Battle Group might turn against the Iron Armor even before the Alliance gives an answer. It must mean internal issues have been resolved, ensuring that even if the information leaks, or even if the Alliance insanely agrees, the Furyflame won¡¯t retaliate. From this perspective, Gu Hang believes that Paolo must have a way to smoothly end this war. Rapid expansion, sweeping through great swathes of Empire territory with resounding victories¡­ all of it becomes immense pressure on the Holy Terra Government. Internally, with the appeasers cultivated or inherently from Tie Nu Shi jumping around, and with Paolo willing to make concessions and sacrifices¡­ Is it really impossible to have peace talks? That¡¯s not necessarily the case. Gu Hang fully recognized the nature of the Imperial Central Government; nothing they might do would surprise him. From this angle, Paolo¡¯s earlier letter to Gu Hang really did intrigue him. Don¡¯t get me wrong, Gu Hang had no intention of heeding the letter¡¯s suggestion, to rise in rebellion and create some sort of north-south coordinated resistance with Tie Nu Shi. Wouldn¡¯t that be insanity? Furthermore, Paolo¡¯s intent wasn¡¯t really hoping for Gu Hang to take his side. He is essentially expressing a certain goodwill towards the Alliance: I won¡¯t come south to cause you trouble if you don¡¯t move north to bother me; let¡¯s keep the peace as it is. Gu Hang would naturally be tempted by this. What he wanted was to have a longer time for rest and recuperation, wasn¡¯t it? What he feared the most was that, after Tie Nu Shi¡¯s rebellion, they would come straight south without a word and attack him. There are only three Star Domains between them! It used to seem like a distant gap. But now, this distance doesn¡¯t seem safe. Even within the northern part of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, in the Menghe Star Domain which belongs to the Eastern Cosmos Domain, the Fury Flame Battle Group actually has a lot of influence. They have been operating in the Eastern Cosmos Domain for over a decade, with Meng River being the main activity hub. Their work in Meng River has been prolific, followed by the outbreak of the Iron-tooth Green Tide, and the Fury Flame took advantage by pushing south, preparing to move into Dragonhawk. If it weren¡¯t for the Alliance, it might have already happened. In a situation where they are not neighbors yet not far away, if Paul truly moved south, even if it wasn¡¯t with his main force but just a side division, the development momentum of the Alliance would be interrupted. They would be forced into a state of war to face the enemy. The main problem is the navy¡¯s deficit; it¡¯s too difficult to fill. Now, Paul says as long as the Alliance doesn¡¯t move north, he won¡¯t come down¡­ Isn¡¯t this exactly what we want? To develop peacefully for a bit longer, ideally for four years. Even if Tie Nu Shi is formidable, is it possible for them to overturn the Empire¡¯s situation within four years? Impossible. After developing for four years, the strength of the Alliance will have greatly increased. Then we can confront Paul! As for whether we¡¯ll fight against Paul or alongside him at that time, well¡­ it depends on the situation. In the political and interest arenas of this starry sky, where are there eternal friends? Friends and enemies can be interchangeable. This is one consideration that Gu Hang has indeed included in his scope of thinking. Galaraldo was also worried about this possibility. He came to vent to Gu Hang about the situation in Holy Terra, hinting and discussing many things indirectly, with the core goal of wanting to see what stance Gu Hang would take. Gu Hang gave him a reassurance right away. After patiently listening to him vent, Gu Hang said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the traitor Humphrey Paul will definitely not succeed. What happened one hundred and twenty years ago will not be replicated today. The Alliance will be their biggest enemy.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only After feeling reassured by Gu Hang¡¯s words, Galaraldo rejoiced: ¡°Worthy of you!¡± After his delight, Galaraldo, somewhat embarrassed but also with a serious tone, posed a very realistic and specific question: ¡°So¡­ what kind of help would your Alliance need if it were to mobilize now? Put forth any requests you have without hesitation! As the head of the Military Affairs Department, I can arrange anything for you, brother.¡± Gu Hang smiled. Of course, he understood the subtext: ¡®Don¡¯t just talk the talk, show some real action!¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¨C Another chapter will be posted. Still owe 122 Chapter 944 - Chapter 944 Chapter 508 Cold and Heartless Person Chapter 944: Chapter 508, Cold and Heartless Person Chapter 944: Chapter 508, Cold and Heartless Person Hearing Galaraldo¡¯s words, Gu Hang did not answer immediately. Galaraldo waited for more than ten seconds without a response, feeling a bit uneasy. ¡°You¡­¡± Just as he began to speak, Gu Hang also spoke: ¡°You are also aware of the situation of the Alliance.¡± ¡°When I left Holy Terra, the task you and Prime Minister Ou gave me was to defeat Furyflame in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and block the Iron Fury Stone¡¯s path of expanding south.¡± ¡°My Alliance has excellently completed this task.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Galaraldo felt somewhat embarrassed. Gu Hang was right; before returning from Holy Terra, the Alliance¡¯s task was indeed only to drive away the Fury Flame Battle Group from the Eastern Cosmos Domain. But, who could have expected this outcome? The Alliance drove away the Fury Flame Battle Group almost without any cost. Even, the Dragonhawk Star Domain, which was originally expected to be the first battlefield against the rebel alliance of Iron Fury Stone, could have been destroyed. However, that situation did not occur. Since the Fury Flame Battle Group was driven away through a bloody duel, the Dragonhawk Star Domain did not even experience any war afterward and remained in very good condition. Under these circumstances, the strength of the Alliance also greatly increased, much stronger than originally estimated. Conversely, after the Iron Armor Battle Group initiated the rebellion, the situation changed too quickly. First, three star domains were swept through, then Melandri led the large forces to surrender, followed by the Heretic Tribunal and Blood Rose Battle Sisterhood, along with two Loyalist Warbands, being ambushed and massacred on Tianyuan VI¡­ Thus, the situation in the entire Spiderweb Domain was basically doomed. This was completely different from what the Central Empire had initially anticipated. Why give Gu Hang so many benefits? Wasn¡¯t it in hopes that the Alliance would be the forerunner, fighting against Iron Fury Stone on the frontline, and buying more time for the Empire to gather forces later? Now, the Alliance is okay, the Dragonhawk Star Domain is okay, but the Spiderweb Domain¡¯s fourteen star domains and thousands of worlds are in a critical situation. The Empire hasn¡¯t even been able to gather enough forces to launch an attack. In the entire Spiderweb Domain, the only reliable force that might be able to make a difference seems to be the Alliance, which should have been the first to fight! Gu Hang was absolutely right; he fulfilled his promise when he left Holy Terra. However, the task given to him was to essentially hold down and contain a part of Iron Fury Stone¡¯s forces, not to let him recuperate here. What does the Empire need you to recuperate for? Hurry up and go to war! However, toward Gu Hang, his ¡®good brother,¡¯ Galaraldo would not be too harsh. He said: ¡°Consider my difficulty, I can give you a lot of exceptional support, which I have justified in many ways, so you should give me some support too.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Gu Hang¡¯s tone softened a bit, ¡°I am very willing to support you, but¡­¡± Gu Hang sighed and continued: ¡°Bochoya, if you insist, I will of course launch an offensive.¡± ¡°But, are you sure you really want me to do this?¡± ¡°I am your undoubtedly most steadfast supporter, the Alliance¡¯s current situation simply does not have the capability to resist against Iron Fury Stone. If I rashly move, leading troops to the Princess Star Domain, the results are almost certain, it¡¯s bound to be a total slaughter. Even after that, Iron Fury Stone won¡¯t have any reservations about the south. Losing the main forces, especially the main fleet, if Paul sends a small army south, my Alliance will be completely crushed.¡± Galaraldo remained silent. This was indeed a very likely situation. ¡°I am your most steadfast supporter, your brother, and after giving everything away, just to buy a little time?¡± ¡°When the time comes, if the most difficult part is taken over by us, the Empire can indeed accumulate some force. But not to mention whether we can achieve the ultimate victory, even if we win, what does that have to do with us? At the time, who knows which marshal or which faction will reap the richest fruits of victory?¡± His words made Galaraldo fall into deep thought. Gu Hang casually picked up a cup beside him and took a leisurely drink. This was a rhetoric he had prepared early, and it was the most suitable to use on Galaraldo. Bochoya Galaraldo, is he some greatly loyal Imperial Loyalist? Obviously not. This guy has always been profit-driven. Even his fairly good and close relationship with him should not be persuaded from an emotional perspective. This man has a cold heart, and talking about emotions could easily make him feel: you wronged me. It¡¯s not that it can¡¯t succeed, he is still likely to succeed; yet, once it fails, no matter how good their previous relationship was, it is easy to reach breaking point; even if it succeeds, it will leave hidden dangers, and cracks will appear in the relationship. But if it¡¯s about interests, staying in a rational and mutually beneficial phase instead has a smaller impact on the relationship. To put it bluntly, for someone like Galaraldo, his previous help to Gu Hang was fundamentally because: you are my good brother, a trustworthy person, helping you up is also beneficial for me. Now, Gu Hang¡¯s argument really mattered to Galaraldo. He thought for a while and realized Gu Hang made a lot of sense! Sending the Alliance to annihilation, even winning is a blood loss! The Alliance belongs to Gu Hang, isn¡¯t that almost like it¡¯s his? Thinking this way, the loss feels painful. The key is, after sending the Alliance to its doom, what are the gains? That might be quite beneficial for the Empire, beneficial for Ou Juren, but not necessarily for him, Galaraldo. Even if Iron Fury Stone is ultimately defeated, the credit goes to the whole faction. He, as the current second in command of the faction, certainly can share quite a lot, but¡­ Where is the joy in having all war credits for oneself? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, Galaraldo had one last doubt. He carefully weighed it in his heart. At this moment, Gu Hang¡¯s voice rang in his ear: ¡°Of course, I know you are also under pressure, and I fully understand that. For this, we must definitely take some actions.¡± ¡°I will send some troops northward, this way, it will shut some people up in Holy Terra.¡± Hearing this, Galaraldo, who was in Holy Terra, finally showed a smile. Chapter 945 - Chapter 945 Chapter 509 Southern Theater Command General Chapter 945: Chapter 509, Southern Theater Command General Chapter 945: Chapter 509, Southern Theater Command General Upon hearing Gu Hang say that he would at least deploy some troops and take some actions no matter what, Galaraldo had basically no objections left. Preserving strength and showing attitude, what¡¯s not to like about that? Even the old timers on Holy Terra, if they want to criticize, they would have to consider what the others are all about. With all other imperial regional forces in disarray and everywhere being severely rattled, it¡¯s rare to find a direction without major incidents; they should be content and not force others into a death trap¨CIs Galaraldo, the newly appointed head of the Military Affairs Department, incapable of wielding a sword? Even now, his thinking was beginning to shift: ¡°We should probably pay attention to risk management, right? What if we lose¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°On one hand, I won¡¯t be reckless; on the other hand, the troops heading north won¡¯t be our main force. For now, my forces can¡¯t reach the Spiderweb Domain yet. The primary target is the Menghe Star Domain in the north, where we will stop the influence of Tie Nu Shi from spreading in the Menghe Star Domain and completely eliminate their influence to avoid what has happened in the Spiderweb Domain.¡± ¡°Next, we will strive to fortify the Copper Bottle Star Region, which is the northeastern gateway of the Eastern Cosmos Domain. Under the current circumstances, our initial focus will be on defense, cutting off the southward advance of the Iron Armor Battle Group¨Cthis too represents a significant accomplishment.¡± ¡°I believe the various powers of the Empire will understand. On every other front, the Empire is in retreat, only we have held the southern part of the Spiderweb Domain, yet now we are the ones blamed, which is unreasonable.¡± ¡°If everything goes smoothly, our vanguard forces will attempt to scout into the Spiderweb Domain, starting from its southeastern corner, to launch some attacks on the actual control area of Tie Nu Shi.¡± At this point, Gu Hang felt the time was ripe. He said, ¡°I also need your help here.¡± Galador quickly responded, ¡°You say, whatever help I can provide, definitely!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be polite with you,¡± Gu Hang said with a laugh, then his tone became serious again, ¡°Frankly, the performance of the Spiderweb Domain in this catastrophe has been too terrible. Overall, with Melandri¡¯s fleet and the accompanying Star Realm Army, as well as multiple Battle Groups collaborating with the Tribunal and Battle Nuns, along with a vast number of Native Defense Forces and thousands of worlds as support, it shouldn¡¯t have ended up like this.¡± ¡°The problem lies in the fact that this force is issuing orders from different quarters, each faction is very independent. When facing the strong force led by the Iron Armor Battle Group, which now already has six Battle Groups combined, the fragmented forces cannot be united; it is inevitable that they will be defeated one by one, eliminated one by one.¡± ¡°Moreover, I don¡¯t trust any of the other Imperial generals at all; I will not entrust the precious power of the Alliance to others for command¨Cthat¡¯s out of the question.¡± Galaraldo¡¯s voice came through, ¡°I understand, and placing a Supreme Commander above you wouldn¡¯t be conducive to establishing your position.¡± Hmm, it wouldn¡¯t be convenient for claiming credit afterwards either. ¡°I will endeavor to obtain a position for you as the Supreme Commander in the Southern War Zone. Although there isn¡¯t such a war zone yet, once you engage the Iron Armor Battle Group in the southeast of the Spiderweb Domain, I will fully promote the establishment of this war zone, and you will be the top responsible person here.¡± This was exactly what Gu Hang wanted. But it still wasn¡¯t enough. Gu Hang said, ¡°Galaraldo, my brother, just being a Supreme Commander is not enough. Take for example what has happened over the past year, isn¡¯t there unified command among those forces gathered in the Spiderweb Domain? It¡¯s not the case, for instance on Tianyuan VI, it was the Grand Judge of the Heretic Tribunal who was in charge. But this kind of leadership is too weak, more like a coordinating alliance, at most a general commander in battle, barely able to mobilize the forces of each side¡­¡± Galaraldo seemed puzzled and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± ¡°Not enough,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°Absolutely not enough. How can such a situation ensure that my commands as the overall responsible person and Supreme Commander of a war zone are fully implemented? An organization whose decisions need to be discussed and agreed upon by everyone, where a commander¡¯s orders can be discounted and even rejected, cannot fight a war effectively. What I need is to truly integrate all forces, twisted into a single rope. Every troop, regardless of its origin or identity, must resolutely carry out my orders once received.¡± ¡°This requires that, in addition to having the nominal title of a Supreme Commander, I also need stronger measures. Any troops allotted under my command, I demand absolute control over them. Not only must they obey my military orders, but I also need the personnel authority to appoint officers in these troops; I also need the power to discipline, and even execute anyone in these troops.¡± Upon hearing this, Galaraldo found it a bit tricky. ¡°This¡­¡± Gu Hang was not finished yet. ¡°It¡¯s not just the military, you know that the military is only part of the war. Under such large-scale total war, we must fully rally all forces, implementing a grand strategy. This requires that if a Southern War Zone is established, then at least the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain should be fully prepared for this war. These preparations involve everything from start to finish. The entire domain¡¯s resources should be available for my use, and I should also have direct control over the administrative power within the domain.¡± Having reached this point, Gu Hang was almost laying all his cards on the table. ¡°This¡­¡± Galaraldo continued to hesitate. The command of the military forces, he could manage. But the matters that followed, those were a bit beyond reach. When it comes to appointing and disciplining military personnel, for instance, if Gu Hang were to demote or even execute a general of the Star Realm Army, technically as a Supreme Commander, that wouldn¡¯t be acceptable. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Military Affairs Department couldn¡¯t grant Gu Hang that power either. That power resides within the Star Realm Army or naval system. Not to mention possibly reallocating other forces, like a troop from the Tribunal; the Military Affairs Department granting Gu Hang the authority to demote or execute a Judge, what about the Starfighter Battle Group? Impossible, the Military Affairs Department doesn¡¯t have that authority! And when it comes to the matter of local governments later, that¡¯s even more so the case¨Cit¡¯s the job of the Administrative Department. Gu Hang, puzzled, asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it supposed to be like this? Hasn¡¯t there been such a precedent within the Empire?¡± Chapter 946 - Chapter 946 Chapter 510 Empire Alliance Act Chapter 946: Chapter 510, Empire Alliance Act? Chapter 946: Chapter 510, Empire Alliance Act? When Gu Hang asked if there was no precedent for doing so, Galaraldo didn¡¯t know what to say. Precedent? There were some indeed. In the vastness of the Empire, anything you can think of has happened before. And speaking of precedents, wasn¡¯t Galaraldo¡¯s previous loyalty to Sun Lord Solakium the biggest example? Even without Solakium, in many military operations of the Empire, the Supreme Commanders would do this to some extent. War is so cruel; how could one win without sufficiently mobilizing all forces? Among them, in particular, the Starfighter Battle Group and the Tribunal liked to do this. They, along with a few others who did the same, were usually temporary; After wielding great power for a while, when the war ended, those rights would end as well. Some didn¡¯t care about the power, like the Battle Group and the Judges, seizing it truly just to get things done. Once finished, when it was time to leave, they naturally relinquished everything they had to. Some cared but could not move it. Some moved it and were later killed. Of course, there were also those who moved it and continued to maintain it. All sorts of situations existed, and examples for each could be found. Which one did Gu Hang want to become? Galaraldo believed he understood Gu Hang pretty well; he didn¡¯t even need to say that what Gu Hang sought was definitely to hold on to this power permanently. He understood that this was Gu Hang¡¯s request. Not just a request in response to this war but also a claim to the spoils after the war. You can¡¯t let all the benefits be taken by those old gents up in Holy Terra, while I, who is desperately fighting on the front lines with my neck on the line, gain nothing, right? Having said that, Galaraldo was not averse to Gu Hang reaping some rewards. But he also made it very clear to Gu Hang: ¡°This matter must be approached step by step. The role of Southern Theater Command General will certainly be yours, I can make that decision. In addition, I can try to secure some more tangible benefits for you. You can confidently and boldly spend the Alliance¡¯s local taxes to fund the Rage Bear Legion, as well as the construction of the Tianma Fleet and Yunluo Fleet, which Yelisia now controls. If the Alliance¡¯s taxes are not enough, I can even increase the tax revenues originally destined for Central Empire from the Eastern Cosmos Domain, including the planned budget for the construction of the local Star Realm Army and Navy, and give it all to you.¡± These were tangible benefits, actual money. Even if the Alliance¡¯s production capabilities were insufficient, wasn¡¯t the Mingyang Sect, a force of the Sect of Mechanics, present in the Dragonhawk Star Domain? The Jindi Star had substantial production capacities; with money, you could certainly place orders with them. Moreover, these were indeed within Galador¡¯s authority; as the head of the Military Affairs Department, he could make these decisions. ¡°The personnel appointments you want, the power to arbitrarily punish without cause, I cannot decide on that, but I can discuss it with Star Realm Army and Navy. The complete management rights of the troops dispatched to your command will be handed over to you, no problem. However, if it involves the Battle Group, the Tribunal, or the Protection Army, that¡¯s not possible, there¡¯s absolutely nothing that can be done. Unless I forcefully declare on your behalf that anyone unwilling to accept your control should not go to the Southern War Zone. But by doing so, the external support you might have originally received will diminish, and you have to be clear about this in your mind.¡± Hearing this, Gu Hang roughly understood that this was indeed the limit of what Galaraldo could do. He thought for a moment and then replied, ¡°Let¡¯s do it this way, I would rather not have those who may not come, or if they do come, I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re there to help or to cause trouble. I must ensure I have full control.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll do as you say.¡± After agreeing, Galaraldo began to sigh and complain, ¡°At most, at most, I can give orders as the head of the Military Affairs Department to have the Star Realm Army and Navy within the Eastern Cosmos Domain assemble to the best of their abilities and follow your command.¡± ¡°But even so, this still has to go through the Star Realm Army and Navy Headquarters, and also the Legion Commanders and Fleet Commanders; the local governments, whether it is the Space Domain Government or the Star Domain Government, will not let go so easily¡­ There are endless difficulties! I can only promise to do my best in allocating resources to you and ensuring their logistic support.¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°Getting to this point is already quite good; I don¡¯t expect more reinforcements.¡± ¡°You understand my difficulties, which is good.¡± After sighing, Galaraldo began to talk about the third aspect of Gu Hang¡¯s requests: ¡°As for the administrative authority over local governments, you asking for the entire administrative power of the Eastern Cosmos Domain, that¡¯s impossible. Even if the war really requires the whole Cosmos Domain to provide logistics support to you, handing over administrative management to you would be too excessive.¡± ¡°This matter is not just difficult; it¡¯s also met with great resistance. Forcibly pushing forward not only has little chance of success, but it also creates enemies easily. It¡¯s impossible for the head of the Administrative Department to agree to this separation from the government¡¯s administrative hierarchy; the Prime Minister will not agree either. In addition, it¡¯s not only in Holy Terra that work will become difficult, but even our own people, Zuo Zhaofeng, Chairman Zuo himself, will not agree because that would be infringing upon his rights.¡± Chapter 947 - Chapter 947 Chapter 510 Empire Alliance Act_2 Chapter 947: Chapter 510, Empire Alliance Act?_2 Chapter 947: Chapter 510, Empire Alliance Act?_2 ¡°I can only go as far as to send a message to Zuo Zhaofeng, to mobilize as much manpower and resources from the entire Cosmos Domain to assist you. However, I cannot guarantee it will be everything, nor can I promise you will have all the privileges.¡± At this point, Gu Hang felt somewhat dissatisfied. But then another promise from Galaraldo turned his anger into joy. ¡°However, as compensation, I can think of other methods. For example, in the midst of the war, those worlds already under the control of the Empire cannot be given to you; but those ¡®liberated¡¯ worlds originally belonging to the Alliance can be managed by the Alliance. As for the reasons, they are already in place. After all, the Alliance is the liberator, and there were no original owners of those places to begin with. It¡¯s only fair for the Alliance to temporarily assist the Empire, being responsible for the security and civilian management of the recovered areas. As for the people of these planets feeling grateful to the Alliance for their rescue and returning to the Empire¡¯s embrace, and their initiative to join the Alliance, that too is understandable.¡± ¡°For planets in the liberated areas during the war, they can be included in the wartime political structure of the combat zone, and the Supreme Commander of the combat zone will have complete wartime management authority. I will work hard to secure this for you.¡± If this step is taken, it would indeed be quite satisfactory. Anyway, Gu Hang had no intention of really getting hold of the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain just by word of mouth, which is impossible. Even the Iron Armor Battle Group wanted a Cosmos Domain as a reward, and they haven¡¯t got it even after openly rebelling. It¡¯s just an outrageous initial demand. And Galaraldo¡¯s counteroffer was indeed not bad. No matter how grandiose the embellishments, the bottom line is, the territory you conquer is yours. This concept interested Gu Hang quite a bit. However, up until now, this is all just Galaraldo¡¯s unilateral statement. What¡¯s said verbally isn¡¯t completely dependable. Gu Hang needs a concrete document, a statement. This is the most important thing for the Alliance to legally expand. Moreover, it would be best if this statement or document did not come from Galaraldo or Ou Juren. Even if it were from the current Prime Minister of the Empire, Mr. Zebert, it wouldn¡¯t suffice. It shouldn¡¯t just be someone¡¯s word. The legitimacy of the ¡®Alliance¡¯ itself has always been the subject of controversy and challenge over the years, primarily because the Alliance¡¯s founding was originally based on the golden words of the ¡®Apostle of War¡¯. If it were just an Alliance of a few planets, naturally nobody would care; but now, the Alliance has inflated to its current size, and even Galaraldo¡¯s own status has risen with the tide, the legitimacy is still not sufficient. In the future, if the Alliance really does acquire new territories as Galaraldo said, then in the upcoming great war, the Alliance¡¯s loss would spell the end of everything, no need to discuss further; but if the Alliance wins, and indeed conquers vast lands during the war, expanding its scale further across multiple Star Domains, then its volume might even surpass that of the openly acknowledged strength of the Iron Fury Stone before the rebellion. By then, whether it¡¯s an individual or a group issuing documents or commands in their own name, it¡¯s probably not enough. What Gu Hang needs is an ¡®Imperial Alliance Act¡¯ clearly approved by ¡®Human Empire, Holy Terra Central Government¡¯, after deliberation by the ¡®Supreme Lord Council¡¯, the highest authority of the Empire, confirming the legitimacy of the Alliance. That way, Gu Hang¡¯s Alliance would no longer have to worry about its legitimacy. At least, no one would be able to attack him on the legality of the Alliance. Of course, this still cannot replace the importance of the Alliance¡¯s own strength. If the Alliance is weak, even with full legitimacy, it will be seen as prey and become a target for powerful factions. But at least, if the Alliance is strong enough, and also has this layer of ¡®loyal,¡¯ ¡®legitimate¡¯ protection, then it¡¯s truly safe. You can¡¯t win the argument; the Alliance is bigger than you. That¡¯s the safest way. In the subsequent conversation, Gu Hang in principle agreed to the conditions put forth by Galaraldo, but also emphasized his own demand: a clear act that confirms everything. At the same time, Gu Hang also analyzed the importance and the potential role of this ¡®act¡¯ for Galaraldo ¡ª from Galaraldo¡¯s perspective. If the Alliance becomes strong and legal in the future, then it will become Galaraldo¡¯s most important support point outside of Holy Terra. In the future, whether it¡¯s to support Galaraldo¡¯s return to his rightful seat on the Supreme Council as the head of the Military Affairs Department, or to aim even higher, the Alliance will be his powerful support. Galaraldo understood and acted accordingly. But he also made it clear that this matter was difficult to handle. It wasn¡¯t something that could be negotiated just by talking. He needed the Alliance to take some actual action and find the right ¡®timing¡¯ to successfully resolve this issue. What exactly were these actions? That would, of course, be the Alliance¡¯s movement of troops to the north. But that alone was not enough. If they were winning easily, how would that demonstrate the importance of the Alliance? How would it justify the great price paid by the Alliance? It had to be that on all other fronts, they were being battered to a pulp, only the south was faring well, creating a stark contrast, and making the old masters on Holy Terra feel that the southern Alliance was their only lifesaving straw. If the Alliance became too dissatisfied and halted in place, or even worse, struck some disastrous agreement with Iron Fury Stone behind the scenes, then truly, the heavens might fall¡­ Only at such a time could they drive a higher ¡®price¡¯. Gu Hang understood this. And he felt that such a situation was by no means difficult to come about. He indeed almost had no way to influence the movements of the Iron Armor Battle Group on the Northern and Western Fronts. But it just so happened that the Empire was performing extremely poorly on these two fronts; the entire rebellious faction led by Humphrey Paolo was also too fierce. Looking at the current situation, things were indeed developing in that direction. ¡­ Two months after Gu Hang¡¯s conversation with Galaraldo ended, the Alliance prepared a vanguard fleet and entered the Menghe Cosmos in the northern part of the Dragonhawk Star Domain. With the support of the Alliance¡¯s intelligence agencies, which had taken the lead, they expelled and imprisoned several planetary observers left by the Fury Flame Battle Group and punished numerous planetary governors and small trade caravans that traded strategic materials with ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯. This was a clear gesture made by Gu Hang: I¡¯ve started working. However, Galaraldo brought bad news to the Alliance. Gu Hang¡¯s other demands were not too problematic, but the specific ¡®Alliance Bill¡¯ he wanted was not passed. In the end, only the Military Affairs Department and the Legal Department would issue a joint document in support of this. In simple terms, it was Galaraldo and Ou Juren, the two of them, standing with him. Gu Hang immediately refused to accept this. The vanguard that had just entered the Menghe Star Domain also stopped in their tracks. Then, in the third month, Iron Fury Stone made significant progress again. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They captured the capital planet of the Spiderweb Domain on the Western Front. There, they indeed faced fierce resistance, but after at least four thousand Interstellar Warriors carried out a ferocious orbital airdrop, in eighteen days, they dissolved the defenses of the capital planet. On the Northern Front, they broke through the entire Spiderweb Domain, and their blades had already entered the territory of the Star Devouring Cosmos. A Loyalist Warband, heeding the call of the Star Devouring Cosmos government and engaging in an ambush, managed to briefly thwart Iron Fury Stone¡¯s advance, but nine days later, they suffered a powerful retaliation. Over six thousand Interstellar Warriors, aboard a vast fleet, raided the warband¡¯s mother planet and destroyed the Warband Monastery. And during the furious counter-attack from the Loyalist Warband, they completed an ambush en route. The warband was almost completely wiped out. At this point, the Empire was truly in a panic. Chapter 948 - Chapter 948 Chapter 511 Land Occupation Act Chapter 948: Chapter 511, Land Occupation Act Chapter 948: Chapter 511, Land Occupation Act In the 230th year of the tenth millennium after the establishment of the Empire, the grand rebellion of the Princess was the biggest news throughout the Empire. At first, it was only sensational, just something that many of the high-ranking people thought was bound to happen eventually, and it did happen. Although it came a bit earlier and more suddenly than expected, since it was somewhat anticipated, it didn¡¯t really catch anyone completely off-guard. The general attitude of most Imperial citizens was that the suppression of this rebellion would be somewhat difficult, the Empire would need to mobilize a lot of forces, maybe it would take a year? Two years? Anyway, it should be about that, right? However, what happened next left many people dumbfounded. The outbreak of the rebellion took place in February; In March, Melandri switched sides, the whole Empire burst into curses, and the Heretic Tribunal clamored for the Iron Armor Battle Group to pay the price; In August, the Tianyuan VI incident occurred. A Grand Judge, overseeing 400 judges of various grades, over ten thousand Blood Rose Combat Nuns, and a Loyalist Warband¡­such elite troops were annihilated, causing the Heretic Tribunal to shut up and silently lick their wounds. In October, the entire Northern Front of the Spiderweb Domain was breached, and the war reached the Star Devouring Cosmos. On Holy Terra, the representative of the Star Devouring Cosmos Domain Chair, who holds a seat in the Supreme Council, fiercely criticized Ou Juren, Galaraldo who had no right to attend the meeting, and Gu Hang who stayed in the remote Eastern Cosmos Domain. The representative from the Star Devouring Cosmos believed that their overly aggressive actions a year and a half ago led to a forced battle with the Iron Armor Battle Group under completely unprepared conditions. Now, they in the Star Devouring Cosmos are suffering as they had feared from the beginning. The following year, in January 10231, the capital world of the Spiderweb Domain fell. Although, this does not mean that the Spiderweb Domain was entirely conquered. The Spiderweb Domain is a region much larger than the Eastern Cosmos Domain, with nearly ten thousand worlds, so it¡¯s not possible to be completely taken over or surrendered in just one year. Especially since the Iron Armor Battle Group was actually still accumulating power, having fought several key battles, not thinning their forces to sweep through rapidly. But, after the fall of the capital, it¡¯s fair to say that the entire Spiderweb Domain was like fish on a chopping board. Wherever the Iron Armor Battle Group wanted to strike, they could just cut off a piece for themselves. That just happened. The Holy Terra Government at this stage, especially after facing direct pressure from the Star Devouring Cosmos representative in the Supreme Council, and the neighboring Cosmos Domains governments also sending their concerns, Holy Terra was truly bothered. Fortunately, there were interstellar soldier representatives in this session of the Supreme Council. The Interstellar Warrior from the Death Angel Battle Group, who had already received a call for help from the Supreme Council, they hoped that the Death Angel Battle Group could play their part and come in support of this war. Being reorganized from the First Corps, the Death Angel Battle Group was not only an inaugural battle group but also the first interstellar soldier corps established during the corps period. During the phase of the Empire¡¯s establishment and in the years that followed, they¡¯ve been absolutely renowned for their war merits. The entire Battle Group had considerable strength and possessed many secret weapons that even the Holy Terra Government did not control¨Coh, they themselves never admit it. However, the Death Angel Battle Group refused the call for help. Their Mother Planet was located in the Western Empire Border, across an entire expanse of the Empire¡¯s frontier, they couldn¡¯t make it. They also had other tasks to tend to. What specific tasks, the representative from the Death Angel Battle Group was unwilling to disclose, and no one could force him. However, he still acted a bit like a High Lord, who was also the leader of the Death Angel Battle Group. He said he would help make contact, inviting other Battle Groups, especially those active in the Eastern Frontier, Northern Border of the Empire, to see who had some availability to come and offer substantial help. Indeed, several Battle Groups did respond to the call and had already started to gather. But first, their numbers were still insufficient. Now, the Battle Groups standing with the Iron Armor were not just the original three from ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯; within the Spiderweb Domain, another seven battle Groups saw three destroyed, one that fled, and the other three all stood with the Iron Armor. That made six Battle Groups alone, not to mention, one Iron Armor equaled ten others. Now the responding Battle Groups totaled only six, and gathering them completely would still take a few months, as they need time to arrive from various places. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only And some Battle Groups, such as those active in the Star Devouring Cosmos and the military forces of this domain, were also hard to assemble entirely. Although, the threat brought by the Iron Fury Stone was directly relevant to them, a problem lay within, as every Cosmos Domain had its internal issues. Green Skins piece by piece; a small Void Worm Nest needing extermination; widespread Cult activities on some worlds; Rebel Army, pirates¡­ With hundreds of worlds in a Star Domain, thousands to tens of thousands in a Cosmos Domain, the original military forces were usually stretched thin just dealing with internal problems. At such a time, suddenly facing a massive external crisis was truly difficult to deal with. The forces currently assembled to oppose the Iron Fury Stone were extremely insufficient, at least not enough to provide peace of mind to the old masters on Holy Terra. Chapter 949 - Chapter 949: Chapter 511, Land Occupation Act_2 Chapter 949: Chapter 511, Land Occupation Act_2 In such circumstances, on Holy Terra, the Supreme Council has convened time and again. High Lords continuously exchange opinions, exchanging resources, seeing who you can contact, how many troops, how much materiel you can dispatch, and when they can arrive¡­ Actually, the force that can be assembled, at least on paper, is very massive and very powerful. But the problem lies in the fact that these forces often need a long cycle to complete the assembly. Some that can arrive quickly cannot be sent directly to the battlefield, otherwise wouldn¡¯t that just be like adding fuel to the fire, like Calabash Brothers saving Grandpa? But if it takes a long time to assemble, who knows what the situation will be in the Spiderweb Domain by then? Who knows if by then the calamity will not be limited to just the Spiderweb Domain? Under such circumstances, when another meeting of the High Lords began, Galaraldo entered. Thirteen High Lords, sitting at the upper end, looked down scrutinizingly at Galaraldo. Perhaps, in the future, Galaraldo might sit among them, but at least not yet. Under this scrutinizing gaze, Galaraldo suppressed some unusual emotions in his heart and respectfully saluted the High Lords. Then, he opened his mouth and said, ¡°This time, I¡¯ve come to report to the rulers of the Empire, the respected High Lords, about matters concerning the Eastern Cosmos Domain, the President of Dragonhawk Star Domain, Marshal of the Star Realm Army, the legit multiple-Star political entity ¡®Alliance¡¯, and Gu Hang¡¯s needs¡­¡± ¡°Okay, we already know what Gu Hang wants,¡± the head of the Administrative Department interrupted Galaraldo impatiently, ¡°but I have a question: What exactly is this so-called Alliance? Is it that if Holy Terra doesn¡¯t give Gu Hang the benefits he wants, he won¡¯t deploy troops? Is his loyalty to interests rather than to the Empire?¡± This was a very serious accusation. But Galaraldo was not the least bit panicked: ¡°Of course not, nobody understands Gu Hang better than I do. He is an extremely loyal officer of the Empire and has been incredibly worried since the incident in Spiderweb Domain. Please do not doubt Gu Hang¡¯s stance; here in Holy Terra, Iron Armor is still quite far from reaching us; but his Alliance is directly under the brunt of Iron Armor¡¯s attack, it¡¯s just good luck that Humphrey Paolo, that traitor, hasn¡¯t expanded southward yet. The threat he faces is greater than any of us, and he wishes more than anyone to resolve the threat of Iron Armor quickly.¡± ¡°Ha ha,¡± another High Lord spoke up, ¡°why Iron Armor Battle Group is so vigorously attacking west and north, but not south? Who knows if there¡¯s some unspeakable dirty agreement between them?¡± This was an even deeper level of accusation. But now, Galaraldo was no longer playing coy; he said, ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand what you mean. It almost seems like you hope the Alliance stands with Humphrey Paolo? Imagine what would happen if that really occurred?¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± someone shouted at him. Ou Juren, sitting at the top, also spoke up: ¡°We all know Gu Hang¡¯s loyalty, this impossible scenario, Bochoya, you shouldn¡¯t scare everyone with it.¡± While it sounded like a mild reprimand to Galaraldo, in reality, the stance was quite clear¨Cdirectly classifying Gu Hang as loyal. What else then? Galaraldo slightly toned down, saying: ¡°Still, please esteemed High Lords understand, the Alliance is essentially the only force we can rely on right now, it has consolidated the Interstellar Warriors, the Navy Fleet, and the Star Realm Army, and has the direct support of hundreds of worlds. If permitted, the entire power of the Eastern Cosmos Domain can be integrated by the Alliance, and in the south of Tie Nu Shi, we would possess a potent sword.¡± ¡°If you do not agree to the conditions of the Alliance, that certainly does not mean the Alliance will stand on the other side, it won¡¯t affect Gu Hang¡¯s loyalty. But we must also respect objective facts; if we do not support the Alliance, and do not allow Gu Hang to consolidate enough power, how can we expect him to confront the Iron Armor Battle Group?¡± ¡°Should the Alliance, like those forces previously sent to their doom in the Spiderweb Domain, also be sacrificially disposed, then turn a situation already leaking from two sides into crumbling on three fronts?¡± ¡°Please wake up, we need the Alliance, we need it to be a strong shield in the southern part of the Spiderweb Domain and, when necessary, turn into a sharp sword. The most appropriate thing to do on this basis is to fully support them, not to let the incident in Spiderweb Domain happen again.¡± ¡°Regarding those doubts that say, Gu Hang won¡¯t move forward without benefits¡­ that¡¯s a malicious interpretation. Isn¡¯t what Gu Hang is doing precisely what he should be? The Empire hasn¡¯t given him extra authorization, he is just the Commander of the Alliance, the leader of Dragonhawk Star Domain, what status or power does he have to interfere in the affairs of Menghe Star Domain? If he really did anything, wouldn¡¯t today¡¯s meeting have turned into a denunciation session against him?¡± Towards the end, Galaraldo couldn¡¯t help but reveal a sarcastic sneer. But this time, no one berated him. The High Lords each had their own thoughts. ¡°Let¡¯s move into the voting phase,¡± said Ou Juren, while simultaneously giving a meaningful glance to Galaraldo below him. Galaraldo bowed and excused himself. He wasn¡¯t yet a High Lord, and at this stage of voting and decision, he wasn¡¯t qualified to be present. However, Galaraldo believed that a spot would open up for him above, in the near future. ¡­ ¡°Gu Hang, you didn¡¯t see how I fiercely criticized them at the Supreme Council!¡± Galaraldo was boasting. ¡°Ha¡­ha¡­what was¡­the final¡­outcome?¡± Gu Hang¡¯s voice came through the Star Speech Communication, sounding very choppy. Galaraldo paused, then answered Gu Hang¡¯s question: ¡°The outcome was no issue. Although the votes were close, you now legally have the right to claim territories. Every planet you conquer can be incorporated under the Alliance¡¯s framework!¡± ¡°Then¡­thank you so¡­much, for relieving me of¡­my worries¡­¡± Galaraldo couldn¡¯t help but ask: ¡°What¡¯s going on over there? Why is it so choppy?¡± ¡°I¡­am on a Starship.¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°The main force of the Alliance has entered the Menghe Star Sector, I am leading the team myself.¡± As Gu Hang spoke, his signal finally improved a bit. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I have just informed you of the results? What if the discussions at the Supreme Council hadn¡¯t passed, this¡­¡± Gu Hang laughed: ¡°What¡¯s there to fear? You took personal action, how could I not trust that you¡¯d handle it?¡± Galaraldo also smiled: ¡°Then I wish you a triumphant victory!¡± ¡­ After finishing his communication with Galaraldo, Gu Hang continued handling his own affairs. Regarding the Iron Armor War, Gu Hang had made a decision, he would definitely participate. He couldn¡¯t possibly align with Iron Armor on either side. It wasn¡¯t just about interests, nor was it merely about past grudges. The most critical point was that Gu Hang never believed that Iron Armor would end up the victor. No matter how substantial the hidden interests were, if ultimately they do not win, even if the process earns a lot, it¡¯s meaningless. But he wouldn¡¯t attack the core area of the Spiderweb Domain just yet. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Now that the ¡°Territorial Claim Act¡± was in place, Gu Hang planned to first capitalize on the influence that the Fury Flame Battle Group had spent years building in the Menghe Star Domain, to take a nutritious bite. Inside the Menghe Star Domain, many planets were directly or indirectly providing support to Tie Nu Shi, that was a fact. These supports must be entirely cut off! Deploy the army, control the planets, audit accounts. To eliminate influence, stationing Alliance troops was reasonable, right? It makes sense to dispatch officials for governance, right? Under the ¡°Territorial Claim Act,¡± incorporating into the Alliance framework also seemed perfectly logical! Chapter 950 - Chapter 950: Chapter 512, Prestige Strategy Chapter 950: Chapter 512, Prestige Strategy Gu Hang personally took Alliance ships to the Menghe Star Domain. His actions, of course, were detected by Tie Nu Shi. Humphrey Paolo¡¯s reaction was quite significant. He personally summoned the Alliance Ambassador, a lady named Wu Yang. As an Interstellar Warrior and the Battle Group Leader of Iron Armor, his stature was, of course, not something mortals could compare to. Seated on the throne in the warship¡¯s bridge, Wu Yang looked up at him as if she were beholding a deity. It wasn¡¯t baseless that many places referred to Interstellar Warriors as demigods. ¡°Gu Hang has personally led a fleet into Menghe, have you decided to become enemies with me?¡± Paul¡¯s voice was neither loud nor harsh; it was also not frivolous, just universally plain. But even so, standing below, Alliance Ambassador Wu Yang, despite being mentally prepared, still felt very nervous under the immense pressure. She had been in the Princess Star Domain for several months already. In fact, when the Fury Flame Battle Group was driven out of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, the Alliance had already sent an ambassador to the Iron Armor Battle Group. ¡®To uphold the representation of both sides as imperial regional powers and maintain exchanges.¡¯ In reality, the Iron Armor Battle Group also had an envoy at Flying Wing Star. That previous handwritten letter from Humphrey Paolo was personally delivered to Gu Hang by the Iron Armor Ambassador. And later, when the Iron Armor Battle Group officially raised the flag of rebellion, ambassadors from both sides actually did not withdraw. Arguments with officials from the other side, and being used as a venting tool, squabbling over who is the empire¡¯s traitor¡­ such were their official duties. Of course, if it were merely for this, it definitely wouldn¡¯t be worth sending ambassadors to each other. For Iron Armor, it didn¡¯t matter, but for the Alliance, it was politically risky. If it were completely useless, the Alliance definitely wouldn¡¯t do so. Essentially, the mutual sending of ambassadors indeed played the role of conveying messages and confirming each other¡¯s positions and attitudes. And Wu Yang, as a fairly experienced diplomat within the Alliance Foreign Affairs Department, was assigned this important and especially hazardous mission. Should the sides turn against each other, who knows if they might kill the ambassadors in anger? But even so, Wu Yang still had to maintain a sufficiently firm stance. She said, ¡°The Alliance is a member of the Empire, and it cannot tolerate traitors to the Empire, nor will it fail to act. What¡¯s happening now is merely the beginning of our actions.¡± The attitude had to be made clear. But the main point still had to be addressed: ¡°In the future, the Alliance will certainly enter the Spiderweb Domain to execute the Empire¡¯s commands, but not now. For now, and for a long time to come, the Alliance¡¯s focus will remain within the Eastern Cosmos Domain, staying in the Menghe Star Domain.¡± At this point, Wu Yang added, ¡°This is at the Empire¡¯s request.¡± The subtext was also very clear: the Alliance did not wish to wage a major war at the moment. Entering the Menghe Star Domain was partly to push the Alliance¡¯s front line forward to avoid being immediately invaded in their core area when the war starts, and partly to fulfill the Empire¡¯s commands. This is to avoid a misjudgment by the Iron Armor Battle Group, thinking that the Alliance intends to attack them and therefore undertake some rash action. Of course, if the Iron Armor does decide to react this way, there¡¯s nothing the Alliance can do; they might as well have it out in the Menghe Star Domain. The Alliance is indeed not prepared for war and does not wish to engage. But¡­ Is the Iron Armor prepared for this? Humphrey Paolo already got the answer he wanted. He lost interest in conversing further with Wu Yang, an ¡®ambassador¡¯ like her, and waved her away dismissively. After Wu Yang left, Humphrey sat alone on his throne, silent and wordless. It was only after a long while that he heaved a deep sigh. ¡­ Gu Hang also sighed. His sigh had little to do with the Iron Armor Battle Group. Wu Yang had informed him about the details of her meeting with Humphrey, including the subsequent verbal sparring with officers from the Iron Armor, and their ongoing threats to move south, to destroy the Alliance, just as Iron Armor had obliterated numerous world powers of empires. However, in reality, Gu Hang didn¡¯t believe that the Iron Armor would move south. It¡¯s not guaranteed, but it¡¯s highly likely. Gu Hang roughly calculated the strength of the Iron Armor Battle Group; if they wanted to maintain their current unbeaten prowess, they would not be capable of opening a third front. Especially considering that the Alliance is a tough nut to crack. And if their recent year¡¯s myth of being unbeatable were to be shattered, that would be a very, very bad situation. If those many worlds no longer see the Iron Armor Battle Group as invincible, and begin to resist more, it could spell big trouble for the Iron Armor. That would significantly increase their conquest costs, and not so many worlds would choose to surrender without resistance. So, really, is Iron Armor¡¯s base so much stronger than the Alliance¡¯s? The basis of the Alliance is the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and doesn¡¯t Iron Armor just control the Princess Star Domain? The only difference is that they have controlled their entire star domain for a bit longer than the Alliance has controlled the Dragonhawk Star Domain. To swallow an entire Cosmos Domain and to turn the war into a tide, one cannot conquer one world at a time¨Cwho can withstand that? How did Solakium¡¯s Solar Expedition conquer tens of thousands of worlds? It certainly wasn¡¯t by fighting one world at a time. The Sun Lord also made a name for himself in a key battle, then influenced dozens to hundreds of surrounding worlds to surrender directly. And as this reputation grows stronger with each successful battle, campaigns become smoother. Often, the mere arrival of a fleet prompts immediate surrender; sometimes, it only takes a single envoy to prompt the surrender of ten worlds in an entire star sector. This is the main method employed in conquering three worlds in two days and tens of thousands over decades of expeditions. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Reputation. If you truly possess unbeatable strength, then nothing more needs to be said; you don¡¯t need to rack your brains. But usually, that¡¯s not the case. Even during the early stages of the Solar Expedition when Sun Lord Solakium hadn¡¯t fully established his reputation or garnered the complete support of the Empire through that reputation, he still needed to wage war sufficiently ¡®smartly,¡¯ achieving enough victories to pave the way for future developments. And now, Gu Hang could see that Iron Armor was attempting to replicate this approach. Of course, they are still in the early stage, still building their reputation, and so far, they are beginning to see initial success, but there are still several key hurdles to overcome. Chapter 951 - Chapter 951: Chapter 513, Slow Down Chapter 951: Chapter 513, Slow Down Humphrey Paul¡¯s strategy of gaining prestige is actually quite challenging. There are many hurdles to overcome. For instance, Gu Hang heard from Galaraldo that the Interstellar Warrior representative in the High Lord Council has been contacting several powerful Battle Groups. Among them are top-tier Battle Groups like the Black Cross Army, which is also a Battle Group that proliferates prodigiously but is quite different from Iron Armor. The Black Cross Army is a subsidiary of the Golden Knight Legion and they themselves have a significant amount of influence and background. However, they don¡¯t hold territory; they are a Ship-Based Battle Group with no Mother Planet. They recruit and resupply wherever they fight and then rush off to the next battlefield¡­ And they are also quite ¡®obedient¡¯. This obedience does not mean that they will do whatever the Empire tells them to, nor does it mean that they will comply with interference from the Empire Government in their internal affairs. But at least, when the Empire calls, they will come in most situations. They are also very willing to respond to calls of aid from all over the Empire, joining whenever they can. This has earned them a substantial amount of prestige and goodwill, with many local forces willing to provide support, donations, and rewards as thanks, or simply to curry favor in hopes of receiving help from the Black Cross Army in the future. And often, their wishes are indeed granted. However, it is precisely because of this that the Black Cross Army, although large in scale, is also very ¡®busy¡¯. Having received the Empire¡¯s call, the Black Cross Army has expressed a strong desire to participate in this rebellion-suppressing operation. Unfortunately, their numerous expeditionary fleets almost all have their own ongoing missions. Despite their promise to try their best and join the battle as soon as possible, even they cannot commit to a specific timeframe. Apart from the Black Cross Army, several other renowned Battle Groups have also received the summons. This includes several prestigious newly-formed Battle Groups, such as the Blood Angel Corps and the Bat Corps active in the Imperial North Border, and the Infinity Corps of the Eastern Frontier, which is even the parent group of the Iron Armor Battle Group. The father is about to discipline his son. After suffering a major setback, the Heretic Tribunal is furious as well, calling upon more elite forces they work with, particularly the Battle Nun Association, to prepare for an intensified participation in the combat¡­ Once these powers join one after another in the battle sequence against Iron Armor, the challenges that Humphrey Paolo will face will become increasingly immense. Only by overcoming hurdle after hurdle can Paul¡¯s envisioned strategy of gaining prestige really take shape. Prior to that, he must carefully choose his opponents, carefully select his strategy. He cannot face too formidable an enemy too soon, lest he suffers defeat before the time is right, causing the anticipated tide to end prematurely. This is also why Gu Hang judged that with the momentum already formed on the Western and Northern Fronts, Tie Nu Shi must commit the vast majority of its forces to maintain the offensive. They don¡¯t have the sufficient strength to move South, nor can they afford to make rash strategic blunders. The Alliance is a typical opponent with not such great fame but considerable strength. Winning won¡¯t necessarily bring significant prestige increase, and it will also be difficult to fight. But if they really do come, then Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t mind delivering a significant blow to Humphrey Paul in the Southern regions. The price offered by the Empire is already satisfactory to Gu Hang, so participating in the war is acceptable. However, the fact is, Iron Armor¡¯s main approach towards the Alliance is still based on verbal sparring and some minor actions¨Cas Gu Hang had anticipated, they dare not fully move southwards. Their main ¡®minor action¡¯ is leveraging the influence established by the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s frequent activities in the Menghe Star Domain over the past years to create problems for the Alliance. They sent out many ¡®military advisors¡¯ and ¡®independent advisors¡¯. Most of these people come from the auxiliary systems of Battle Groups like Iron Armor. While they don¡¯t count as the most elite military force, as the auxiliary force meticulously developed by Humphrey Paul named the ¡®Princess Legion¡¯, their level exceeds the average strength of the Star Realm Army. Of course, the Princess Legion didn¡¯t arrive as large, fully formed units. In those worlds, at most, a battalion, or even just a few companies. The officers leading the teams serve as military advisors, leading the local efforts to establish more powerful troops modeled after the Princess Legion. This effort is not entirely for the Alliance. In the past years, establishing the model of the Princess Legion as Local Defense Forces was itself a way to exert influence on the locals. Objectively, this did have a significant impact on the Alliance¡¯s operations in the Menghe Star Domain. Initially, they hoped to draw the entire Menghe Star Domain into their internal united front merely through diplomatic means. But later on, relying solely on diplomatic and political maneuvers became insufficient. Then came the military approach. After the Alliance¡¯s vanguard fleets arrived, they launched a series of offensives. The initial battles were not that frequent. The part of the Menghe Star Domain closer to the Dragonhawk and the Alliance was rather timid. When the Fleet arrived, and Land Forces were dispatched, the local powers basically gave in without resistance, allowing Alliance officers to be appointed, resources started being collected, and the Alliance directly took over the Imperial Tax and the Planetary Defense Forces. With wealth and armies at their disposal, the problem was largely resolved. Once a world was stabilized, the vanguard Fleet would move to the next one, leaving behind a portion of the Land Forces. In most cases, this pattern caused no major issues. The officials left behind by the Alliance, with the help of a small number of Land Forces, could generally control the world. The Alliance¡¯s strength, along with the cause they held, ensured they could maintain relatively stable control of the situation. But it was not always so smooth. Some worlds, compliant when the Alliance¡¯s fleets and main military forces were present, began to show problems after their departure. Minor problems were local uprisings that hindered the Alliance-established cooperative governments from controlling the global situation. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In more severe cases, some could even see local cooperative governments being overthrown, Alliance troops besieged, and Alliance officers killed. Whenever this happened, the Alliance typically had no choice but to call back the already departed vanguard forces¡¯ main body to resolve the ¡®rebellion¡¯. But this severely hampered the Alliance¡¯s operational speed. Over several months, after initially securing about seven Star Sectors and 103 worlds in the Menghe Star Domain, the progress was significantly slowed. Gu Hang personally came this time to solve this problem. Chapter 952 - Chapter 952: Chapter 514, Mr. Gu has given too much Chapter 952: Chapter 514, Mr. Gu has given too much Gu Hang was here to address the issue of the slow operations in the Menghe Star Sector. The solution, of course, wasn¡¯t for Gu Hang to personally join the battle. The problems in the Menghe Star Domain were not about war. The Alliance had ample power to resolve every war they encountered in the Menghe Star Domain. The local rebellions were not significant enough to pose a challenge for the Alliance. But the problem was, there were too many of them. On one hand, the advance forces of the Alliance didn¡¯t have sufficient troops, and on the other, the Alliance couldn¡¯t possibly send a large number of its valuable troops to suppress the local rebellions in Menghe. That would cost a lot of money and would affect the overall development plans of the Alliance in the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t economical or beneficial. Frankly, the Alliance¡¯s expansion into the Menghe Star Domain wasn¡¯t just for the sake of enlarging its territory. Gu Hang¡¯s goal was to establish a strategic buffer zone outside of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, so if subsequent wars started, they could ensure the battles wouldn¡¯t take place on their own territories. Secondly, to put it bluntly, it was about plundering. Gu Hang wanted the Imperial Tax and Planetary Defense Forces from the Menghe Star Domain. The former is outright money, while the latter is manpower, cannon fodder. This Star Domain is poorer than the Dragonhawk Star Domain, but it is larger, with over seven hundred worlds. Even if each world could provide only a little in terms of resources, the Alliance did not have enough resources to develop these places; they could hardly keep pace with the development of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, their ¡®homeland¡¯. However, just the revenue and manpower that could be provided by this scale, along with various other benefits, had already made Gu Hang quite envious. Without the intention or capability to turn these places into homeland territories, what the Alliance needed was to rule this area cheaply, even if control was unstable, as long as it allowed them to extract local benefits, that would suffice. The keyword here was ¡®low-cost rule¡¯. The teams of officials dispatched by the Alliance to the various planets were very small in size, often just a couple of hundred people in an administrative team. Their main task wasn¡¯t direct management of local planets, but rather the establishment of cooperative governments, whether newly established or in cooperation with the original interest groups. Once the establishment of government was complete, they would then manage and oversee it. Specific governance, tax collection, resource provision, and manpower supply mainly relied on the local cooperative governments. Add the small number of Alliance garrisons to the equation, such as a single battalion per planet, and that¡¯s about it. At most, a division. Under this mechanism, the low-cost rule expected by Gu Hang could be achieved. The problem also precisely lies here. Low-cost rule implies instability. What are the reasons for those worlds rebelling? Is it simply because of the influence left behind by the Furyflame Battle Group? Probably not that simple. This reason certainly exists and is a very important factor. But the loss of control associated with low-cost rule is also significant. Some worlds are dissatisfied with being controlled by the Alliance because the Alliance actually demands more than the Imperial Tax. Establishing a cooperative government does, to some extent, infringe upon the interests of the original ruling classes of these worlds. Their instigation and direct participation in rebellions are normal occurrences. Reflected on the panel information that Gu Hang could see in his own system, these worlds, although recognized and incorporated into the [Vassal] panel, were predominantly at Vassal levels LV1, LV2, showing high inclinations to separate and probabilities of rebellion. In response, Gu Hang had made some demands of the Alliance Government¡¯s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The core lies in the fact that the officials dispatched by the Alliance to Menghe must respect the interests of the local ruling groups when acting locally. They can even use the powerful stationed troops of the Alliance and special agents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resolve some troubles that they could not handle by themselves. They can also allow, even indulge them, in seizing benefits which were previously difficult to capture. For example¡­ more aggressive exploitation. This will, of course, make the lives of the local residents, who are already not affluent, even worse. But¡­ The people will just have to endure more hardships. In this process, there will certainly be many negative impacts. For instance, the local residents may have more resistance towards the rule of the Alliance. They might think that it is the arrival of the Alliance that is making their lives even worse. The local ruling classes are happy for the residents to think this and even actively propagate it. But the Alliance has no other choice. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only At most, they just need to work more meticulously, carry out some propaganda locally, and shift the blame onto the cooperative governments. These are some of the approaches that the Alliance applies to the work of the cooperative governments. In the Menghe Star Domain, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t in a good position to extensively use his newly acquired authorization, the ¡°Land Appropriation Bill¡±. After all, the Land Appropriation Bill only gave Gu Hang the right to incorporate local territories into the rule of the Alliance after defeating the enemies of the Empire. But the situation in the Menghe Star Domain wasn¡¯t yet at the point of declaring these planets as ¡®enemies of the Empire¡¯. It could be forced but would be an overstretch and might diminish his own reputation. Since direct rule is out of the question and not intended, there is absolutely no need to invoke the ¡°Land Appropriation Bill¡± when ruling indirectly using ¡®cooperative governments¡¯ as a colonial approach to turning these places into vassals. Chapter 953 - Chapter 953: Chapter 514, Mr. Gu has given too much_2 Chapter 953: Chapter 514, Mr. Gu has given too much_2 ¡­ Having established policy strategies for planet-level issues, the remaining tasks now fell on Gu Hang to address. The hostile forces from the Princess Star Domain required military and intelligence operatives to work in concert for resolution; Local rebellious elements on planets were to be dealt with through optimized collaborative governance strategies; And beyond these two, there existed a third direction of resistance that also could not be ignored. That would be the pressure from the Menghe Government. This was a problem that even Gu Hang had not anticipated at first. After becoming the General of the Southern Theater Command, nominally overseeing military and political power, Gu Hang was not to the extent of managing the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain¨Cthis demand was rejected by Holy Terra¨Cbut, at the least, Holy Terra had explicitly commanded the forces of the entire Space Domain Government to cooperate with Gu Hang¡¯s actions, assisting him in war preparations. As one of Gu Hang¡¯s ¡®own people¡¯ and a member of the Galaraldo political faction, Zuo Zhaofeng would certainly not set up any obstacles for Gu Hang. Although there wouldn¡¯t be support to the point of financial ruin, since there were still many other threats within the domains of space that needed to be addressed. But at least, within a reasonable scope, he had already done much work. For example, allocating a portion of Imperial Tax to the Alliance. For example, transferring a considerable portion of military forces, especially naval forces, from the more peaceful sectors within the domain to the Alliance, to help the Alliance in combat and strengthen the naval power of the Alliance. This was significant support. Converted into money, the total value was feared to amount to several tens of billions. Not to mention, this kind of support would continue for many years to come. That¡¯s quite a lot of money. Currently, the Alliance, not counting its expenditures, had a total of about two hundred billion in Imperial Tax and financial income from the Dragonhawk Star Domain. For the Eastern Cosmos Domain to provide about fifty billion in ships, materials, money, and military forces each year¡­ was already quite good, accounting for about 20% to 25% of the total income of the Alliance. Up to this point, Zuo Zhaofeng had been very meaningful. The Space Domain needed funds, and the Star Domains beneath it likewise needed funds. Being able to contribute so much in a year, who could say that Zuo Zhaofeng wasn¡¯t ¡®one of our own¡¯? From his perspective, he also explicitly issued orders to the Star Domain Government of the Menghe Star Domain to cooperate with the Alliance¡¯s actions. But, the situation in the Menghe Star Domain was, after all, different. Other Star Domains would just need to comply with the Space Domain Government¡¯s requests for financial and manpower contributions, and the Alliance would not come to their territory. The Menghe Star Domain was formally entered by the Alliance. As the host, or at least the self-proclaimed host, the Menghe Star Domain Government was quite unhappy about this. This was the superficial aspect. At least, when expressing his displeasure towards the Alliance, the Star Domain Head of the Menghe Star Domain, Zhai Guangshan, put it this way. He believed that the actions of the Alliance constituted an invasion and had complained to the Alliance several times. Complaining to the Space Domain Government didn¡¯t do much good, so he took his grievances to Holy Terra. That was equally ineffective. But for one thing, it was kind of annoying to have a Star Domain Head complaining day in and day out about how the Alliance mistreated him; it was indeed tiring. The potential for a decrease in reputation alone was problematic, not to mention the upsurge of rebellions in various places, influenced by the insinuation of the Star Domain and Star Sector Governments. The Alliance¡¯s intelligence department had already gathered information that could infer that many of the more aggressive rebellious areas had the shadow of the Star Domain or Star Sector Governments behind them. Aside from offending certain interests, the Alliance¡¯s intelligence department also believed there were some unclear contacts between the Menghe Star Domain Government and Tie Nu Shi. Although the information currently in the hands of the Alliance was not critical or conclusive enough to directly take down Zhai Guangshan, if there was only suspicion, there was no need for complete evidence. Moreover, if Gu Hang wanted to resolve this issue by force, it would not necessarily require incontrovertible proof. What evidence is needed to quell a rebellion? It¡¯s just that Gu Hang doesn¡¯t want to wage war. At least not large-scale war. Since he did not want to wage war, Gu Hang¡¯s personal visit this time was intended to solve issues through diplomatic and political means. This was not something that could be managed by simply sitting in Dragonhawk. Upon entering the Meng River Star Domain, his target was clear: a planet named ¡®Gelangya¡¯. Gelangya¡¯s status in the Meng River Star Domain was somewhat similar to that of Flying Wing Star in the Dragonhawk Star Domain. Perhaps even more important. While not the capital of the Star Domain, this world¡¯s shipbuilding industry was developed and, with the shipbuilding industry as a support, had a strong economic influence. By comparison, the economic development of the capital of the Meng River Star Domain, Mengyang Star, was worse than that of Gelangya. The Alliance¡¯s vanguard fleet had already entered Gelangya. Gelangya itself was one of the strategic targets sought by Gu Hang; he coveted the planet¡¯s shipbuilding capabilities. Although it couldn¡¯t compete with what Flying Wing Star used to be, let alone now that under the Alliance¡¯s control, the shipbuilding industry had stepped up to a higher level. Yet, Gelangya was one of the few places capable of constructing large ships, even though its original technology couldn¡¯t even produce the Moon Class, the cruisers it could make were a castrated version named ¡®Town River Class¡¯. But that¡¯s still a cruiser! Moreover, if Gelangya fell under the Alliance¡¯s control, then the Alliance¡¯s technological capabilities could be put to use on this planet. Once the original technological bottlenecks were broken, Gelangya¡¯s hardware facilities¨Cthe large ship docks and the large Starport, as well as the planet¡¯s various matching components of ship manufacturing capability¨Cwould be well unleashed. Even the dock originally built to manufacture Jufu-class Transport Ships, with some modifications, could be used to build Battle Cruisers. Get Gelangya in hand one day earlier and you can start shipbuilding one day earlier, and the sooner you can accumulate strength for the Alliance Navy. But here, they encountered resistance. The Menghe Fleet blocked the Alliance¡¯s vanguard fleet¡¯s path, preventing the Alliance Fleet from approaching; meanwhile, on the planet, including the orbital Starport and the shipyards, a large amount of troops were filled and ready for battle. The Alliance¡¯s forces were thus stuck. On the one hand, the vanguard fleet¡¯s troops alone might not be able to break through the Menghe Fleet, and the scale of the Land Forces they carried was also not sufficient to quickly conquer the entire Planet. On the other hand, it was also not quite right to start an open battle with full setup. Then, Gu Hang arrived. He also made a solo visit. The Alliance valued Gelangya so much, there must have been arrangements within. Several of the Alliance¡¯s intelligence organizations had infiltrated agents there. On behalf of Gu Hang, they sent out an invitation to the planet¡¯s rulers, ¡®Gelangya Ship Industry Group¡¯s board of directors, for a meeting. They also agreed to meet. Afterwards, the Star Sector Government, which knew about this situation, was still trying to intervene. But by the time they began to act, it was too late. Gu Hang himself had already taken a small ship to Gelangya¡¯s Starport and completed the meeting with the sovereigns of the Shipbuilding Group. They only blocked Gu Hang outside the conference hall after he had just finished the meeting with the directors of the Shipbuilding Group. Gu Hang was accompanied by only two aides, with no one else. The leader of Cliffcloud Sector personally led the team. He looked at Gu Hang with a displeased expression and let out a cold laugh, but when it came to what to say, he had not quite figured it out himself, and in the end could only watch as Gu Hang left the Starport. Later on, the Menghe Fleet opened a path, and the Alliance¡¯s troops entered the Starport, onto the planet¡¯s surface. The irate Star Zone Leader was ¡®politely sent¡¯ away from the Starport. ¡­ ¡°What exactly did Gu Hang say to you, that made you give up resistance?¡± Zhai Guangshan, with a grim face, raised this question to Jerio Fisher. Upon learning of Gu Hang¡¯s journey to Gelangya, the Star Domain Head Zhai Guangshan, had also hurried over. But by the time he arrived, everything was already too late. Gelangya had already become owned by the Alliance. Unwilling to accept it, he prepared to leave, only to receive an invitation from Gu Hang, who had not yet departed. After thinking it over, he decided to accept the invitation and speak to Gu Hang face to face. The location of the meeting was still at Gelangya¡¯s Starport. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Fisher, chairman of the Shipbuilding Group, accompanied Zhai Guangshan as they waited for Gu Hang¡¯s arrival. While waiting, Zhai Guangshan couldn¡¯t help but ask the previous question. Fisher just smiled embarrassedly: ¡°Mr. Star Domain Head, I had no choice¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to at first, planning to stand with you.¡± ¡°But¡­ Mr. Gu offered too much.¡± Chapter 954 - Chapter 954: Chapter 515, leader? Please come with us. Chapter 954: Chapter 515, leader? Please come with us. Mr. Gu gave too much¡­ This statement almost made Zhai Guangshan vomit blood. ¡°What exactly did he give? Isn¡¯t the Star Domain Government treating your Gelangya and your Shipbuilding Group well enough? Just giving some benefits and you are already bought? And you say he gave too much; can he give more than the Star Domain Government? Before this, you were the star of the entire Star Domain! Orders, raw materials, policies¡­ What hasn¡¯t the Star Domain Government provided for you? They even figured out how to give you the entire Gelangya planet! Even the entire Menghe Fleet, the Star Domain has indulged you, allowing you to have such strong influence¡­ Is this how you repay the Star Domain Government?¡± Zhai Guangshan almost cursed out the words ¡®ungrateful wolf¡¯. Fisher, on the opposing side, also felt somewhat embarrassed. Even he himself, now recalling the negotiations with Gu Hang, felt a bit possessed. Although the terms were tempting and plentiful, considering they were precious commodities, they shouldn¡¯t have accepted them so readily, right? Even if they would ultimately agree, shouldn¡¯t they maintain some dignity? ¡°Ah¡­¡± He feigned a sigh, ¡°There¡¯s no help for it, Mr. Gu leads with the righteousness of the Central Empire and the support of the Space Domain Government, and with a large army pressing, what can we do?¡± ¡°The Menghe Fleet is sent to you!¡± ¡°What can we do if they forcefully come in with the fleet? Would anyone dare to order a battle directly against the fleet of Mr. Gu, the appointed leader of the Southern War Zone by the Empire? Wasn¡¯t the Star Zone Leader also your close loyalist? He blocked Gu Hang coming alone with a squadron of elites, didn¡¯t he let him go without daring to say anything?¡± The expression on Zhai Guangshan¡¯s face became so gloomy it almost dripped water: ¡°Then, has your Shipbuilding Group so easily given up the industry it has operated for centuries?!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Fisher hurriedly waved his hand, ¡°How can you say we gave it up? We should say, we found a new opportunity to take our Shipbuilding Group to the next level¡­¡± There, Fisher broadly told Zhai Guangshan the conditions provided by the Alliance. It wasn¡¯t very detailed, no secrets mentioned. Nevertheless, the more Zhai Guangshan listened, the more silent he became. Orders? Markets? Is the Menghe Star Domain as big as the Alliance? Raw materials? Does Menghe Star Domain has as abundant resources as the Alliance? Moreover, after the agreement is finalized, it¡¯s not as if Gelangya would lose everything in Menghe. On the contrary, they still hold possessions, especially in the future under more extensive control from the Alliance over Menghe Star Domain, that makes it even more stable. On this basis, the market, orders, and raw material support given by the Alliance, are things the Menghe Star Domain could never provide. It¡¯s not just what the Alliance represents, the more developed resources from the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and even the entire Eastern Cosmos Domain. After all, the Alliance is now supported by the Space Domain Government. Engaging them directly serves no benefits, only downsides. And if these assets are just icing on the cake, not indispensable ¨C after all, the Shipbuilding Group under the support of the Menghe Star Domain Government has also been thriving pleasantly. However, many things that follow are entirely unattainable by the Star Domain Government. Gu Hang promises that the Shipbuilding Group can invest in the Alliance¡¯s two major shipyard centers in the future. Tianma and Yunluo. These two Star Sectors, along with several neighboring ones, each possess a robust shipbuilding industry. In the future, the Shipbuilding Group might even have a direct chance to invest in the shipyards of Flying Wing Star and Yunluo Star; even if starting a major factory outright is currently difficult, the Alliance has already developed at least one for them at Baishuo Star. Although it¡¯s a small factory, a bit less in scale than Gelangya¡¯s, it can¡¯t even manufacture cruiser-grade ships. But still, with a good foundation, capable of building destroyer-grade ships, merchant ships, transport ships, that¡¯s already quite impressive. For Gelangya, this is a juicy piece. To let the Shipbuilding Group invest in places like Flying Wing Star and Rage Owl Star right off the bat, they wouldn¡¯t dare. It¡¯s too big, too expensive. However, conversely, they not only possess the opportunity to invest, but the Alliance will also invest in them. This investment isn¡¯t just simply providing money. Gelangya, as the only place in Menghe Star Domain capable of building large ships, money itself isn¡¯t the most crucial aspect. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only As Zhai Guangshan mentioned, if it¡¯s just such ordinary offers, what does it amount to? The Alliance¡¯s offer is indeed generous, but the Menghe Star Domain isn¡¯t outmatched. Moreover, due to Gelangya¡¯s unique importance to Menghe Star Domain and not to the Alliance, even if Menghe is poorer, they would deplete their resources to keep Gelangya; the Alliance, no matter how willing to spend lavishly, also has to consider cost-effectiveness. However, the condition of the Shipbuilding Group having the opportunity to invest in the shipyards under the Alliance, is something Menghe Star Domain could never fulfill. They simply don¡¯t have the capacity. This is irreplaceable. Besides that, the Alliance¡¯s investment in Gelangya isn¡¯t just in terms of money; more importantly, with the investment comes advisory teams and crucially, technology. Gu Hang has explicitly promised to bring the technology for building Lunar-Class Cruisers, replacing the shipyard of the originally Gelangya-made ¡®Control River Class¡¯; if cooperation goes smoothly, the Alliance might also consider providing further technical support, and might adapt a construction shipyard for a giant belly-level merchant ship into a ¡®Holy Grail Class¡¯ Battleship Cruiser shipyard! Chapter 955 - Chapter 955: Chapter 515, leader? Please come with us. _2 Chapter 955: Chapter 515, leader? Please come with us. _2 How could the Shipbuilding Group withstand such terms? They didn¡¯t even try to maintain their composure, just slid straight to their knees. Similarly, this was why Zhai Guangshan shut his mouth. If it was just about money, he would move heaven and earth to keep Gelangya; but the two conditions for mutual investment given by the Alliance were completely beyond his capabilities to meet. What else could he do? But Zhai Guangshan wasn¡¯t so easily defeated. He said, ¡°Do you know the policies of the Alliance? How do they treat businesses?¡± Fisher sighed and replied, ¡°Indeed, this was also our main concern at the beginning. The system executed by the Alliance is not very friendly to us. However, these concerns were addressed in the conditions left to us by Gu Hang. Within the framework of the Alliance, there are private business entities, too. By obtaining the corresponding rank and renouncing all government subsidies, one could earn profits according to the business performance, and our group would still belong to us.¡± ¡°The only two areas that would need to change are, firstly, employee management must conform to the Alliance¡¯s practices; secondly, after accepting investment and support from the Alliance, production tasks must be completed as per the Alliance¡¯s demands.¡± ¡°After discussing these two conditions, we feel they are acceptable¡­¡± Upon hearing Fisher get to this point, Zhai Guangshan became anxious, ¡°Have you ever considered that he might be deceiving you? Once their troops arrive, and later, whether in the name of investment or the method of assigning tasks, after taking control over Gelangya, what would make them keep you around? By then, what means of resistance will you have?¡± Now, it was Fisher¡¯s turn to fall silent. Indeed, this was the greatest risk. There had been plenty of internal discussions within their Shipbuilding Group. What if they cross the river and demolish the bridge? Even if they don¡¯t do it immediately, what about ten or eight years down the line, when the cooperation has deepened, infiltration has become severe, and if the scale between the two parties is completely unbalanced, and the Shipbuilding Group starts to be significantly controlled, then what good are their so-called ¡®private ownership¡¯ and ¡®the group still belongs to us¡¯? They could easily kick you out of the game! However, in their discussions, this risk was ultimately overlooked. Not because it was unimportant, But because¡­ there was no other choice. The reasoning was simple, if you don¡¯t trust the credibility of the Alliance and you feel that the Alliance will play dirty, then instead of worrying about being digested by them in ten or eight years, you might as well worry about them becoming frustrated and forcibly seizing Gelangya right now. The Menghe Fleet might manage to intercept the Alliance¡¯s vanguard fleet, but what if the Alliance raises the stakes, and the infamous ¡®Firebath Nova¡¯, rumored to have decimated the Green Skins in the Iron Teeth War, is dispatched? What can the Menghe Fleet do to withstand that? And why should they withstand? Resist the Southern Theater Command General and contemplate rebellion? Of course, Fisher didn¡¯t want to spell things out so clearly and bluntly to Zhai Guangshan. Thinking it over, he vaguely advised, ¡°Collaborating with Supreme Commander Gu represents orders from the Space Domain Government, from the Central Empire, and is also the realistic choice. Of course, we might have another option, but by comparison, the Alliance is closer, that choice is further away. Star Domain Head Zhai, you really need to think this through¡­¡± ¡°What choice? My loyalty, the Divine Emperor can witness!¡± Zhai Guangshan emphasized this first and then paused before continuing, ¡°But serving the Divine Emperor doesn¡¯t mean that we have to blindly follow the Alliance; we might have a third option¡­¡± At this point, the doors of the meeting hall suddenly opened. Zhai Guangshan wisely cut his speech short and looked outside, only to see the young and energetic Mr. Gu, stepping over a red carpet that unfurled to the entrance, striding his way in. Even a smile adorned Gu Hang¡¯s face, ¡°What third option? Sorry I¡¯m just arriving, it seems I missed some of your conversation. Would you mind sharing with me?¡± Zhai Guangshan responded with a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes, ¡°Sorry, it was just some private discussion, not quite appropriate to tell Mr. Gu. Let¡¯s talk straight to the point. The Alliance¡¯s actions of aggression against the Menghe Star Domain must cease. Your succession of moves not only contravenes Imperial laws but has already gone to the extent of interfering with Gelangya¡­¡± Gu Hang looked gently at Zhai Guangshan, listening to his lengthy speech, but did not respond with a word. Gradually, the momentum in Zhai Guangshan¡¯s talk subsided. After all, he was a Star Domain Head, a vassal in his own right. When facing high officials of the Space Domain Government, they would usually show basic respect, unlike Gu Hang, who left him without a single word of reply. The anger in his heart surged relentlessly upward. He cut off the topic, somewhat in a fit of embarrassed rage, and interrogated Gu Hang: ¡°What is Mr. Gu laughing at? You seem to show no respect for me at all.¡± ¡°No, on the contrary,¡± Gu Hang sighed and said, ¡°I truly do respect you, Star Domain Head Zhai Guangshan. It is precisely because of this respect that I was carefully listening to your final statements, to see if there was anything that could save you.¡± ¡°Save me?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Hang candidly stated, ¡°We have already gathered some evidence concerning you, regarding the ¡®choice¡¯ you discussed with Chairman Fisher. You may not be as loyal as you claim to be, nor may you have made the right choice as you said. On the contrary, your choice could not have been more wrong.¡± ¡°Slander!¡± Zhai Guangshan burst out in rage. ¡°Whether it¡¯s slander or not isn¡¯t for you to say.¡± ¡°Are you saying it counts if you say it?¡± Zhai Guangshan retorted sarcastically, ¡°It¡¯s true you are the Supreme Commander, but since when do you have the authority to decide if a Star Domain Head is guilty or not?¡± Gu Hang spread his hands and said: ¡°Indeed, it seems I do not have that power. However, I have brought someone with the authority.¡± Zhai Guangshan was taken aback. The conference room doors were pushed open once more. It was a man dressed in a leather jacket, leather boots, and a somewhat retro-styled high-top hat. On his chest, he sported a badge. It was in the shape of radiating light. Seeing this attire, along with the badge, Zhai Guangshan finally froze. He knew what it symbolized. The Tribunal, coming from the Eastern Cosmos Domain¡¯s Flash Judgement Court. This tribunal was not a powerful one like the Silver Tribunal with a huge reputation, nor one of the three most famous tribunals for dealing with heretics, demons, and external threats. They were relatively young, and even the time they were established was not that long. But in the Eastern Cosmos Domain, Flash had a significant reputation. Because, the purpose of this tribunal faction was to be grounded locally, with their primary area of activity being within the Eastern Cosmos Domain. Setting aside the capabilities of the tribunal faction itself, at least the authority granted to a judge by the Empire is established here. From this perspective, the Flash Judgement Court indeed had the authority to convict him. Of course, under normal circumstances, this would not be possible. Why did the Silver Tribunal garner such a great reputation? Wasn¡¯t it because they had overturned a Cosmic Domain Chair in a shocking event? Why don¡¯t other smaller tribunal factions follow suit? Is it because they don¡¯t want to? Clearly, it¡¯s because they lack the ability. The Flash Judgement Court wants to trouble Zhai Guangshan¡­ How many masters and fleets does the Flash Judgement Court have to even consider such a thing? Even if considering assassination, with the capabilities of the Flash Judgement Court, could they handle the guards and bodyguards around Zhai Guangshan? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It would be difficult, and should they fail, the Flash Judgement Court would likely face frenzied retaliation from Zhai Guangshan. But now, it seems there were no problems. The Flash Judgement Court had the authority, Gu Hang had the capability. Upon realizing this, Zhai Guangshan truly panicked. ¡°Star Domain Head, please come with us,¡± said the judge. Chapter 956 - Chapter 956: Chapter 516, Tribunal Cooperation Chapter 956: Chapter 516, Tribunal Cooperation ¡°Guards! Guards!¡± Zhai Guangshan, already sensing that something was amiss, shouted forcefully outside. There was no response. This should not have been the case. Security had always been his utmost priority. No matter where he went, he would bring his elite guards unit. Although he could not secure Phoenix Interstellar Warriors, the top-tier extraordinary soldiers, for his protection, there was no doubt that his team consisted of the strongest soldiers among mortals, all equipped with the finest gear; an A-grade Psychic, along with three B-grades, served as his Spiritual Power Advisors and also performed the duty of protection. Wherever he went, his guards would take control of the local security operations; even in special circumstances where they couldn¡¯t take full control, they would at least be involved, as the security work must not be out of their hands. His security forces should be on standby at all times, ready to come to his side with just one call. But at this moment, they were completely unresponsive. Zhai Guangshan¡¯s gaze suddenly turned towards Gu Hang. Gu Hang nodded lightly: ¡°Right, I have not yet apologized for my lateness. Sorry, I took some time to handle a few minor issues.¡± Zhai Guangshan felt his heart sink. He just barely understood; if Gu Hang chose to act with all his might, his guard unit would be unable to resist. After all, Gu Hang had a lot of strong forces at his disposal that could not be found in the Menghe Star Domain. However, no matter what, shouldn¡¯t his guards be at least able to send out a warning before being completely wiped out? Moreover, he hadn¡¯t heard the slightest noise of a fight here! Zhai Guangshan¡¯s gaze then turned to Fisher, who had been chatting with him just now. The chairman of the Shipbuilding Group now lowered his head, as if ignorant to his gaze, silent as if he had paid no mind. Zhai Guangshan suddenly realized. ¡°You are all in this together, aren¡¯t you!¡± He laughed bitterly in extreme anger, stood up, and opened his mouth, ready to curse. But at that moment, a Psychic light flashed from his body! Zhai Guangshan always moved with his ship at the ready and the ship remained on constant alert; he also carried Magic Artifacts on his person, including a mini energy shield and a treasure that enabled him to teleport instantly to a predetermined location. This item was a personal treasure that couldn¡¯t be mass-produced, expensive and rare, with only a few to be found in an entire Cosmos Domain. It typically required the combined efforts of a Mechanicus Sage and a high-grade Psychic, taking many years to create. Even if it was successfully produced, it was usually circulated within the Sect of Mechanics or the Psychic Order, rarely making it to the outside world. Securing such an item for self-defense was extremely difficult. This was also Zhai Guangshan¡¯s last resort in terms of security. He pretended to speak in outraged fashion merely as a ruse to activate the treasure. With the flash of light, his figure disappeared. After Zhai Guangshan¡¯s departure, Fisher, who had just pretended as if nothing had happened, looked somewhat annoyed: ¡°How did we let him escape? I didn¡¯t expect he had such a thing on him! If he gets away and gathers his forces, it¡¯ll be quite troublesome to deal with him!¡± At this point, Fisher could no longer care about any goodwill between the two, only considering the troubles that laid ahead. Senior Judge Menek Martini of the Flash Judgement Court turned his gaze to Gu Hang. During the previous incident, when dealing with the leader¡¯s guards outside, Gu Hang¡¯s performance had left a very, very deep impression on him. He had no doubt that there was a problem with eliminating those guards. He wouldn¡¯t mention himself, and the squad of Loyal Heir Stormtroopers he brought along was just for show. Although the action was under the name of his authority as a Senior Judge, the executors were basically from the Alliance. A squad of Phoenix Interstellar Warriors, a squad of Battle Nuns, a squad of Demon Hunters, four squads of Glory Guards, and a squad of the ¡®Storm Mage¡¯ for Psychic support¡­ Although there were only seventy or eighty people in total, there was no problem in killing all of Zhai Guangshan¡¯s guards. Even if there was an A-grade Psychic among them, who was quite a tough nut to crack, as a Senior Judge, he had a special method to suppress Psychics; at the same time, in the Phoenix Interstellar Warrior Squad brought by Mr. Gu, there was reportedly a top-tier powerhouse who had participated in the widely known ¡®Absolute Blood Duel¡¯, achieving a record of consecutive victories. It would be easy to dispatch an A-grade Psychic. But the problem was the utmost silence! Not a single shot fired, merely cold blades; footsteps were deliberately concealed to prevent any detection. And all of this, was not something the squad under his nominal command could achieve. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only During the operation, Mr. Gu, under the guise of observation, always followed them. Although he seemed to be hands-off throughout, Martini more than once felt an extremely oppressive sensation emanating from Gu Hang. That feeling, during the final forceful breakthrough, reached its peak. The A-grade Psychic seemed like a chicken with its neck firmly grasped, its normally powerful Spiritual Power capable of tearing apart Lion King Tanks, completely suppressed in another dimension, not leaking out at all, easily having his head severed by a knife. And in the next moment, that powerful oppressive sensation suddenly disappeared¡­ Recalling this, he couldn¡¯t help but glance at Gu Hang again. Chapter 957 - Chapter 957: Chapter 516, Tribunal Cooperation_2 Chapter 957: Chapter 516, Tribunal Cooperation_2 Gu Hang¡¯s relaxed smile was identical to the expression he¡¯d had on his face in the previous scene. He believed that, with the abilities demonstrated by the inscrutable Supreme Commander, that guy Zhai Guangshan couldn¡¯t have escaped so easily. There must be contingencies in place. He was thus reassured, not saying anything to Gu Hang, but rather soothing the quite anxious Fisher beside him: ¡°Chairman, please keep calm, everything is still under control.¡± Fisher¡¯s anxiety couldn¡¯t be quelled by such a statement, but he had nothing more to say and could only force himself to appear more composed. Menek Martini didn¡¯t pay him any more attention and turned his gaze back to Gu Hang, broaching a proposal: ¡°Supreme Commander Gu, I think the Flash Judgement Court can have even more cooperation with the Alliance.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Gu Hang¡¯s gaze shifted over, smiling as he said, ¡°We would, of course, welcome that.¡± Was that an agreement? Martini was momentarily stunned. It seemed a bit too simple. But then he quickly became excited. An agreement was good! In fact, during the previous operations, he had observed the elite teams under the Alliance, particularly caring about the so-called ¡®Demon Hunter¡¯ squad. He found that these Demon Hunters, much like the Judges directly trained by the Tribunal, were very similar. They all possessed a certain level of conventional combat ability and technology, and they all had some Spiritual Energy abilities, although these abilities were quite different from those of Psychics, mainly manifesting in using Spiritual Energy against Spiritual Energy. If it were just the abilities that were similar, that would be one thing. But crucially, their style of action was also similar. It was like encountering peers. Especially the female team leader in charge, who gave him the impression of meeting a Judge of the same level. A thought even suddenly emerged in his heart: their Flash faction always had a problem: Due to insufficient fame, they couldn¡¯t attract excellent Judges; thus they couldn¡¯t garner enough external support; consequently, they couldn¡¯t accomplish significant feats; thus their reputation remained insufficient¡­ It was a vicious cycle that significantly slowed the faction¡¯s development. But now, there was an amazing opportunity! If they could achieve deep cooperation with the Alliance, the issue of lacking personnel would be somewhat resolved. Even if the Flash Judgement Court couldn¡¯t attract new Judges and their own training took a long time, what of it? The Alliance¡¯s Demon Hunters were ideal candidates for recruitment. Besides enlisting Alliance Demon Hunters as Judges for the Flash Judgement Court, there was another crucial point: the future activities of the Flash Judgement Court could receive support from the Alliance. When the Tribunal seeks allies, there are distinctions to be made. Power size and strength are important, of course, but not the only criteria. They frequently face tasks and situations that require small-scale special operations, infiltration, raids, decapitation¡­ The value and utility of an army could sometimes be less than that of an elite squad. The Alliance doesn¡¯t seem to be lacking in elites. Loyal Heir Stormtroopers? The Alliance¡¯s Glory Guards seem even more formidable, at least not any less so. Battle Nuns? Yes. Interstellar Warriors? Yes. What more could one ask for? It¡¯s as if they are top-tier Tribunal factions, merely possessing a similar setup! Being able to cooperate with the Alliance will be a tremendous help to the development of the Flash Judgement Court! The cases they couldn¡¯t previously verify, or managed to verify but couldn¡¯t handle, could they not be handled now? As for the concerns that after the cooperation, the influx of Alliance Demon Hunters into their Flash Judgement Court might influence them, and relying heavily on the Alliance¡¯s influence might lead to them being largely manipulated by the Alliance¡­ What of it? Isn¡¯t that perfectly normal? Aside from the three largest Tribunal factions at the pinnacle, aren¡¯t all the other Tribunal factions living just like this? Cooperation, influence, and mutual benefits¡­ Now, the Flash Judgement Court is also being heavily manipulated by the Eastern Cosmic Realm Government, huh? Whenever Mr. Gu, the Supreme Commander, needs something, Chairman Zuo sends a request, and there goes the Senior Judge, eagerly rushing over, right? Including that previous time when they clashed with the Silver Tribunal, it was a similar situation. Even those big three factions, don¡¯t they also have to follow the directives of Holy Terra to a considerable extent? Martini is quite enthusiastic about the collaboration between the Flash Judgement Court and the Alliance. However, after receiving a preliminary response from Gu Hang, he didn¡¯t continue to elaborate on anything. Actually, this matter isn¡¯t suitable to discuss with Mr. Gu, the Supreme Commander. Given his status and identity, this trifling matter, once his approval is obtained, can be discussed and implemented with the subordinates. Of course, there is the possibility that the deal might not go through. Enthusiasm aside, his position within the Flash Judgement Court isn¡¯t at the very top; he can¡¯t make decisions independently. But he has already made up his mind; even if the top brass of the Flash Judgement Court disagrees with this matter, it¡¯s no problem. He would bring his group of loyal and closely associated Judges, break away independently, and form a new Tribunal faction. That might actually be better. At least, with the assistance of the Alliance, he could quickly accumulate enough military merits and reputation to advance from Senior Judge to Judgment Chief. As long as the Alliance is willing to support him, he doesn¡¯t mind becoming a sharp blade in the hands of the Alliance. ¡­ While Martini was immersed in his thoughts, and Fisher was engrossed in tension and anxiety, the conference room door was finally pushed open once again. Black with gold patterns and edges, the powered armor¡­ This was the armor color scheme that could be found among the Alliance¡¯s Glory Guards. This Glory Guard strode in, dragging a struggling body behind him, and tossed it in front of Gu Hang and the others. Then, the Guard bowed slightly to show respect before making his exit. Zhai Guangshan, covered in dirt and disbelief, looked up at Gu Hang: ¡°When did you¡­ even my ship¡­¡± ¡°Right about the time you came down, I suppose.¡± Gu Hang generously provided Zhai Guangshan with an answer. But Gu Hang¡¯s generosity ended there. He stood up and said to Martini: ¡°Now, it¡¯s Judge Martini¡¯s job to take over. I believe you will deliver a satisfactory answer to the Alliance, to the Space Domain Government, and to the Central Empire.¡± After pausing, he continued, ¡°This includes the investigation of the crimes of Zhai Guangshan, as well as the inspection of the Menghe Star Domain Capital World ¨C Wandering Dreams Star. The Alliance¡¯s power here will not command you, but will cooperate with you as circumstances dictate.¡± ¡°This is also a trial. Personally, I hope for a good outcome from this trial, don¡¯t you think?¡± Martini was completely invigorated: ¡°I understand!¡± A Senior Judge, whose morale was high, dragged away Zhai Guangshan, who was alternating between pleading and cursing. This tool still had some use. He must handle the following matters well, pass Mr. Gu, the Supreme Commander¡¯s test, and then he could realize all those ideas he pondered before. ¡­ After seeing Martini leading people away, Gu Hang turned to Fisher and said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s go too.¡± ¡°Go¡­ where?¡± ¡°To the Tianma Star Sector,¡± Gu Hang said, ¡°Bring your technical team; I won¡¯t renege on what I promised. You want to invest in the Alliance¡¯s shipbuilding industry, so you should take a look for yourself.¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Fisher let out a big sigh of relief. Today had been too much of a shock; at one point, he even thought about what Zhai Guangshan said about the Alliance turning against the Shipbuilding Group after acquiring Gelangya. Now that Zhai Guangshan was finished, watching that frightening Judge going to deal with Wanmeng Star, what resistance could they, of Gelangya, possibly have? But it looks like Gu Hang has no such intention. He keeps his promises ¨C what is promised, will be so. Chapter 958 - Chapter 958: Chapter 517, Is it Adou? Chapter 958: Chapter 517, Is it Adou? Gu Hang didn¡¯t bother anymore about what would happen at Wanmeng Star. Just leave it to Martini, a Senior Judge whose status within the Tribunal isn¡¯t low; he¡¯s an important member, and Gu Hang trusted that he could handle it. It was indeed a test. If one has ambitions, they naturally need abilities that match. Collaboration? Of course. Supporting a tribunal faction that listens to him was something Gu Hang was very interested in, whether it was the Flash Judgement Court or a new one Martini might establish, it would be beneficial. For many forces, the Tribunal is a legitimate white glove that can handle many matters. However, supporting is one thing; Gu Hang didn¡¯t want to support a useless figure. This time, letting him fully mobilize resources to handle a matter, to see its quality, whether it was worth supporting. In the end, Martini¡¯s performance¡­ didn¡¯t quite satisfy Gu Hang. The situation wasn¡¯t resolved satisfactorily. As the capital of Cosmos Domain, Wanmeng Star might not have core high-level industries, but its population of thirty billion combined with decent productivity made this world rank high within the Menghe Star Domain. A considerable portion of the Menghe Star Domain¡¯s main forces¨Chalf of the Menghe Fleet and most of the mobile Star Realm Army¨Cwere stationed at Wanmeng Star and nearby star sectors. When Martini went to Wanmeng Star with Zhai Guangshan, trying to force the leaderless locals to surrender and follow arrangements, major issues arose. Upon Martini¡¯s arrival, Wanmeng Star and a few surrounding star sectors raised their banner in rebellion. Simultaneously, something happened in the northern parts of the Star Domain: Iron Armor made its move. From the Qunlu Star Domain neighboring the Menghe Star Domain, a fleet suddenly moved south. This triggered a response. Hearing this news, Gu Hang wasn¡¯t too surprised. It was almost within his expectations. After Zhai Guangshan was arrested, he, discouraged, also divulged much information. His actions against the Alliance, Gu Hang, and even against the will of the Cosmos Domain and Central Empire, weren¡¯t merely due to considering the independence and interests of the Star Domain Government. He, alongside Humphrey Paolo from the north, genuinely had in-depth communication and exchanges. Though not explicitly choosing sides, upon Gu Hang¡¯s deepening involvement in Menghe, he felt profoundly uneasy. Return to the embrace of the Empire? With many traces left previously and even multiple public contacts with Tie Nu Shi, could these become future evidence of guilt? The conditions offered by the Empire, or the Alliance, were they as attractive as Tie Nu Shi¡¯s? Far from it. Iron Armor, however, promised significant benefits, and facing the Alliance¡¯s arrogant demeanor, aspiring to rule Menghe on its own, he naturally chose Iron Armor. But many things were not yet ready; this time he didn¡¯t bring a large force to Gelangya, in addition to trying to regain the Shipbuilding Group, another more covert but significant purpose was to paralyze Gu Hang, drag the Alliance¡¯s actions, and buy time through communication and interaction. He, of course, knew this was a very risky move, but the recent case where Humphrey Paolo persuaded Admiral Melandri to defect, and the example of persuading the Shipbuilding Group to come alone, inspired Zhai Guangshan. If someone else could accomplish this with just one person and a speech, even if he might not, he wasn¡¯t looking to persuade the Alliance under his banner. He only aimed to achieve paralysis and delay, which was much simpler. And the risk was relatively controllable. As an officially recognized Star Domain Head by the Empire, a high-level official, without explicit evidence, the Alliance presumably wouldn¡¯t directly act against him, right? That would be utterly shameless and excessively so! He even had his act all planned out. Unfortunately, Gu Hang didn¡¯t give him any space to perform; summarily clearing out his guards, then taking him down as well. Seeking to save his own life, he showed a willingness to cooperate, to help the Alliance control the powers of Wanmeng Star and surrounding star sectors. Martini was quite hopeful about this, even optimistic. But Gu Hang was not so optimistic. Within the Menghe Star Domain Government, between the Empire and Tie Nu Shi, was Zhai Guangshan the only one who chose Tie Nu Shi? Gu Hang didn¡¯t think so. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It was very likely that a wide range of interest groups, the ruling class, had already made up their minds. Aware that Zhai Guangshan had been captured and even brought by a Senior Judge to persuade them to surrender, these interest groups didn¡¯t care about Zhai Guangshan¡¯s fate at all. They directly executed the continuously hesitant Chief Legal Administrator and Chief Tax Administrator who disagreed with fully leaning towards Tie Nu Shi, then positioned the Chief Administrator as the leader, declaring the actions of the Alliance in the Menghe Star Domain illegal, and that the Alliance¡¯s military coercion of Zhai Guangshan was also illegal. They immediately claimed the Alliance as traitors and proclaimed they had obtained the support of the Iron Armor Battle Group. They also replicated the declarations of Iron Armor Battle Group, claiming Iron Armor as the true loyalists of the Empire. This was an explicit raising of the banner of rebellion. Meanwhile, the rebel army moving south from the Qunlu Star Domain into Northern Menghe was also responding to their actions. Chapter 959 - Chapter 959: Chapter 517, Is it Adou?_2 Chapter 959: Chapter 517, Is it Adou?_2 The situation in the Menghe Star Domain had become tense in an instant. Gu Hang had to guard against one thing: Would the war come sooner than he had anticipated? Was the Alliance¡¯s entry into the Menghe Star Domain more provocative to Tie Nu Shi than he had originally expected? Would the uncontrollable situation in the Menghe Star Domain escalate on both sides and abruptly accelerate the pace of war? These situations were indeed not what Gu Hang wanted to see. But he did not regret making the decision to enter Menghe at all. Would you wait until the entire Menghe had thrown its lot in with Tie Nu Shi before fighting? Would you wait for them to turn the Dragonhawk Star Domain, the Alliance¡¯s stronghold, into a battlefield? How would he alleviate the political pressure from the Imperial side? Advancing early into the Menghe Star Domain was the only choice for the Alliance. And, as it stands, the situation wasn¡¯t as bad as it could possibly be. Because Martini finally displayed some abilities that finally satisfied Gu Hang. This Senior Judge had indeed been careless and unprepared at first, making wrong judgments, which led to him getting a proper beating in the Wanmeng Star Sector. His vessel, a black ship from the Flash Judgement Court equivalent to a fast cruiser, almost got destroyed in Wanmeng. After escaping by the skin of his teeth, he contacted Gu Hang, swore oaths and pleaded for another chance. Gu Hang saw no reason not to give it. After all, the Wanmeng Star Sector was definitely going to be taken; he had already decided to reinforce from the homeland to Menghe, and the Alliance¡¯s vanguard currently in the Menghe Star Domain had completed its assembly and was headed towards Wanmeng Star Sector. Give this Martini another chance. But at the same time, Gu Hang also made it clear to Perbov, the overall commander of the vanguard forces, that the Alliance¡¯s troops were to cooperate with Martini, not to be in a superior-subordinate relationship. Perbov was to evaluate Martini¡¯s action requests, engaging if they were reliable and rejecting them if not. Perbov¡¯s mission was to capture the entire Wanmeng Star Sector, regardless of whether it was cooperating with Martini or acting independently; in short, complete the final objective, and all would be well. Later on, Martini ultimately demonstrated the capabilities befitting a Judge. Not limited to combat and warfare. If the problems in the Wanmeng Star Sector were resolved purely by force, Gu Hang could accept it, but he would be disappointed in Martini. If it was just about fighting, Perbov was enough; what¡¯s the use of Martini? What Martini managed to do was, with the military support provided by Perbov behind him, to convince and advise several local forces on various planets to return to the Alliance; using small squads to infiltrate and assassinate several military leaders; to accurately judge that the opponents were not united, analyzing some forces that were not so resolute in their rebellion, persuading them with emotions and reason, and having them turn sides during the battle¡­ These actions were certainly valuable. According to Perbov¡¯s report, if only military actions were considered, the Alliance¡¯s vanguard forces were somewhat insufficient in manpower. To take down the entire Wanmeng Star Sector, it was estimated to take upwards of two months. Moreover, there would be considerable losses, especially in the navy. The half of the Menghe Fleet was quite difficult to deal with. If there were major failures, it might not be resolved within two months, and might have to wait for reinforcements from the homeland. With Martini¡¯s maneuvers, the time was reduced from two months to forty days; simultaneously, the battle damage and costs were far less than initially expected. There was no need for additional reinforcements to solve the situation in the Wanmeng Star Sector, and the advance fleet even had the opportunity to move northward to meet the southward-moving Rebel Army. To this extent, Martini had basically passed the test in Gu Hang¡¯s eyes. There were mistakes but also merits; overall, he might not be the top-notch, most outstanding, but shouldn¡¯t be considered an utterly useless straw bag. Gu Hang decided that he could support the Flash Judgement Court or the new court faction fostered by Martini later on. Of course, that¡¯s a topic for the future. Currently in the Menghe Star Domain, what the Alliance needed to constantly pay attention to was the southward-moving Rebel Army. Speaking of them, actually, it¡¯s quite interesting. This rebel army¡¯s initial target was to head south from the Qunlu region, directly aiming for the core area of Menghe Star Domain, which is the Wanmeng Star Sector. The journey was originally about a month and a half. In fact, they could have barely made it in time to rescue the rebels of Wanmeng. However, they encountered some ¡®troubles¡¯ along the way. This is why Zhai Guangshan and others didn¡¯t immediately stage a rebellion, and the current rebellion in the Wanmeng Star Sector was more passive than proactive. They weren¡¯t sufficiently prepared. The Northern Meng River was supposed to be a more heavily infiltrated area, but even there, quite a few places were loyal to the Empire. During the rebellion¡¯s southward push, there were indeed some who defected at the first sign of trouble, but there were also these Imperial Loyalists who directly launched resistance. Even though this rebel army was in a hurry to rescue others, they ignored the conditions on the ground along the way. However, some merchant fleets, or Star Region Level ships, harassed them. They were all small ships, junky ships, lacking in quality, and even in quantity. Nonetheless, these pesky harassments did slow them down to some extent. Seeing that the reinforcements were not arriving, many in the Meng River rebel forces who could have held out longer began to waver even more, leading to more defections at the critical moment. When Martini and Perbov joined forces to pacify the Wanmeng Star Sector, the rebel army was still at least twenty days from Wanmeng Star. Upon learning that Wanmeng Star was beyond help, they too halted their progress, no longer heading to Wanmeng Star. Instead, they divided their forces and expanded their controlled territory. From the looks of it, Gu Hang assessed that the rebel army¡¯s second phase mission wasn¡¯t to wage war with the Alliance but to seize territory in the Menghe Star Domain. It was a movement to prepare for future wars. They clearly had a similar idea to the Alliance: no one wanted to let a fierce war erupt in their own backyard. Naturally, they would also try to bring the flames of war into Menghe, a Star Domain that nominally still belonged to the Empire. This rebel army and the Alliance¡¯s advance troops were of similar size, both sides, like starting a race, began to claim their territory all over the Menghe Star Domain. In about two months, both sides had nearly finished dividing Menghe Star Domain. The Alliance occupied about 80% of the region, which is the central and southern parts of Meng River. Additionally, the two main jewels of the Menghe Star Domain, Gelangya Star with its precious shipbuilding industry, and Wanmeng Star, the capital of the Star Domain, were both in the Alliance¡¯s hands. The Princess¡¯s Rebel Army occupied 20% of the region, concentrated in the northern part of the Star Domain. Across the border region, both sides entered a military standoff. There were minor military skirmishes, but not intense, mostly limited to being discovered by the opposite side during military reconnaissance missions, followed by small patrol ships chasing and fighting each other for a while; or discreetly using small ships like Voyagers to smuggle across, hiding behind planets to deploy special forces on planets controlled by the opposition. But a large-scale war had not been initiated by both parties. Instead, both sides were more diligently focused on constructing a large number of defensive facilities along the border area. Which means the fortification and militarization of planets. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only One orbital cannon after another was erected, one armed space station after another was manufactured on the ground, and then launched into space¡­ The current minor skirmishes seemed more like the calm before the storm. Once both sides have accumulated enough strength, the scale of war that will erupt here may be unprecedented. And at this time, Gu Hang, along with the people from the Gelangya Ship Industry Group, returned to the Tianma Star Sector. These shipbuilding group people were left to the Alliance¡¯s corresponding personnel to entertain, and Gu Hang dived into his own work. Chapter 960 - Chapter 960: Chapter 518 Chapter 960: Chapter 518 After Gu Hang became busy, Fisher could only resign himself to being shown around by the Alliance officials. To be honest, he was still a bit dissatisfied. It was understandable that Mr. Gu, the highest-ranking official, was too busy to personally accompany him on the tour. But still, couldn¡¯t they at least arrange for a few higher-ranked individuals? How about arranging for the Alliance Premier, Lady Osenia, to come? Or the rumored third-in-command, Lambert Chief Justice? At the very least, they should have sent a minister-level official from the production department or something, right? But why was it just Nell Lavis who came? In terms of position, Lavis was not inferior. She was the Chief Administrator of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and according to the usual political tradition of the Empire, she was the second-in-command of the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government, just below Mr. Gu, the Star Domain Head. But¡­ who doesn¡¯t know that the Dragonhawk Star Domain Government is just for show now? After Mr. Gu took control of this Star Domain, he didn¡¯t seem to plan on utilizing the original framework of the Star Domain Government and continued to rule hundreds of worlds under the framework of the Alliance. As a result, Lavis, nominally the Chief Administrator, was just a rubber stamp. The decisions, policies, and personnel appointments already made by the Alliance Government were passed down, and they only came to her to formalize things superficially. Well, perhaps they were sparing a bit of face. And over time, such formalities were increasingly seen as unnecessary. In the past, people valued formal appointments from the Star Domain Government; now, more and more people believed that appointments from the Alliance had more practical value. Nothing could be done. Even outsiders like Fisher thought the same. Chief Administrator? Second-in-command of the Star Domain Government? Just a mascot. Having a mascot accompany him to see the actual business situation was what dissatisfied Fisher. He felt that the Alliance didn¡¯t respect him enough. Otherwise, why send a marginal figure to accompany him? His displeasure was clearly visible on his face and was also shown in his attitude towards Lavis. Lavis had lived for hundreds of years, how could she not sense his feelings? However, she made no special remarks. The way things were before, she continued to accompany the people from Gelangya Ship Industry Group around Flying Wing Star in the same manner. As the tour continued, the people from Gelangya Ship Industry Group grew increasingly silent. The displeasure that was almost spilling from Chairman Fisher¡¯s face quietly withdrew. The reason was simple: the conditions on Flying Wing Star and Rage Owl Star far exceeded their expectations. When they saw the magnificent Tianma Palace, Fisher actually wasn¡¯t very moved. They knew the Alliance was wealthy, the Dragonhawk Star Domain was developed, the Tianma Star Sector was a prime area, and having the Tianma Palace, now an important residence for Alliance government institutions on such a vital capital world as Flying Wing Star, be so harmoniously, yet luxuriously modestly integrated with nature seemed only normal. Although there was a bit of uncultured shock, there was also a sense of ¡°we somewhat expected this¡±. This is how it should be. However, after leaving Tianma Palace, when riding the hovercraft to various starship factories located across the planet¡¯s surface, many unexpected scenes overwhelmed their eyes. The first shock was the infrastructure. The infrastructure on Flying Wing Star was astonishingly good! Roads, cities, as well as considerable residential and production facilities. Some engineers within the Shipbuilding Group, driven by their professional instincts, started considering how much these vast and exceptional infrastructures would benefit and aid the overall societal productivity. Meanwhile, their managers noticed that the living standards of the people on Flying Wing Star were very high, much better than the residents on Gelangya. They puzzled over the costs to the Alliance for doing this, while also evaluating how such high living standards would influence the educational levels, personal capacities, and individual quality of the people on Flying Wing Star, and how these high-quality individuals might, in turn, help the shipbuilding industry, which needed a large talent pool. With these thoughts and notions, they visited numerous factories on Flying Wing Star. Whether it was engineering technology or management transformations, they observed and contemplated deeply or shallowly upon many things. Then, when they ascended into the sky and saw the grand shipyards of the Alliance, all these thoughts transformed into raw material for astonishment. Since they were also in shipbuilding, they naturally could see the enormous gap between them and the Alliance. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Gelangya could produce one cruiser in four years, yet now, with a four-year construction cycle, Flying Wing Star could produce four cruisers! At the same time, they were also taken to see the highly classified dockyard for the Holy Grail-class battlecruisers. Two were under construction simultaneously, and one was nearly finished! Seeing the massive, smooth form of the Holy Grail-class, Fisher¡¯s entire body trembled! The Alliance promised to bring the construction technology of the Moon-class to Gelangya, to aid Gelangya in transforming their existing shipbuilding system and to newly build a cruiser dockyard. Chapter 961 - Chapter 961: 518 Chapter_2 Chapter 961: 518 Chapter_2 This is already a significant investment and assistance. However, he still remembered that Gu Hang had said before, if the ¡°conditions were ripe,¡± the construction of the Grail-class could also arrange for a dock in Gelangya. At that time, although Fisher was also looking forward to it, the feeling was nowhere near as intense as after seeing the actual object now. He and his engineers, looking at the nearly completed Grail-class battle cruiser, had eyes glowing with intense light, and the anticipation in their hearts immediately transformed into a massive and fervent desire! The only thought in their minds now was: We must figure out a way to bring the construction of the Grail-class to Gelangya! This is their group¡¯s chance to advance to the next level, breaking through the ceiling that had never been surpassed in the past decades, hundreds of years! At this point, they no longer doubted whether abandoning the Star Domain Government, abandoning the rebels in the Menghe Star Domain, and fully supporting Gu Hang and the Alliance was the right choice. This choice was absolutely correct! They desperately wished to invest all their assets into various starship factories on Flying Wing Star, then learn from them how to build ships; they eagerly awaited the Alliance¡¯s promised investments and aid, especially technology and personnel, to be in place as soon as possible, accompanying them back to Gelangya to push the necessary renovations swiftly across every corner of Gelangya¡­ Along with this, Fisher would no longer show a sour face to Lois. Although Lois was not a core member of the Alliance, she was now the most convenient, even the only person they could contact to establish a connection with the Alliance. Lois was not in a rush; she led Fisher and his group to inspect Rage Owl Star afterward. The situation on Rage Owl Star was not even inferior to that of the shipyards on Flying Wing Star! More crucially, just over twenty years ago, Rage Owl Star was still a ruin; now, in less than thirty years, the shipbuilding industry here is fiercely catching up to that of Flying Wing Star! Subsequently, they were guided to Baishuo Star to see the shipbuilding factories where they could actually invest and the Alliance technology personnel waiting there. The situation on Baishuo Star was not as awe-inspiring. The shipbuilding industry on this planet was even worse than that of Gelangya. But precisely because of this, they saw better how the Alliance enacted renovations when taking over a place whose shipbuilding foundation was even worse than their own and how effective those renovations were. After these inspections, Fisher and others became more confident about the upcoming renovations and investments in Gelangya. After completing the inspection of Baishuo Star, their journey in the Dragonhawk Star Domain came to an end. On the return journey, the Alliance¡¯s tech team responsible for renovation and upgrades on Baishuo Star would accompany them directly to Gelangya in the Menghe Star Domain to fulfill the promise Gu Hang had made previously. Simultaneously, there was another person who traveled with them. That was Ms. Nell Lavis, who had accompanied them as a ¡°guide¡± during this period. Initially, Fisher thought Lois was merely seeing them off. But soon, he felt something was off. You are accompanying us too far, aren¡¯t you? Moreover, why are you relentlessly asking about the situation in Gelangya and the entire Menghe Star Domain along the way? Although there was some friction at the beginning, considering that everyone got along relatively well in the latter half of the Dragonhawk journey, Fisher didn¡¯t beat around the bush and directly asked Lois this question: ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Lois replied with a smile: ¡°I¡¯m going to be the Head of Menghe Star Domain.¡± Fisher was dumbfounded. ¡­ The push from Gu Shang was undoubtedly necessary for sending Nell Lavis to be the Head of the Menghe Star Domain. Given the current situation in the Menghe Star Domain, he certainly needed someone he could trust to take on the role of the administrative head there and clinch the entire Star Domain¡¯s power in the name of the Empire. This would facilitate him in purging the 80% of the Star Domain territories under his control, clearing out any potentially remaining opposition or pro-Iron forces, ensuring that the manpower and resources on these planets could truly be utilized by him. At the same time, seeing the Alliance¡¯s army engaged in large-scale confrontations with the Princess¡¯s Rebel Army in the northern part of the Menghe Star Domain, with the Alliance continually investing troop reserves and resources on the confrontation line, turning these originally low-value planets into fortresses. All of this needed strong, reliable, and obedient governance to sort out. Yet, during the prior thorough operations, with the help of Senior Judge Martini, the original star domain government structure of the Menghe Star Domain was nearly destroyed. A reconstruction was urgently needed. But selecting a candidate for this position was complex, as it involved taking over a head of the star domain position. Gu Hang couldn¡¯t merely consider competence and loyal reliability when choosing a candidate, such as he couldn¡¯t place Osenia in that position. On one hand, Osenia was still very much needed at the Alliance Headquarters as the Alliance Premier; on the other hand, although Gu Hang never questioned Osenia¡¯s capability and loyalty, her work experience had always been within the Alliance. Unlike Yan Fangxu and other military leaders who had a Star Realm Army General title, Osenia was recorded within the Empire only as a Planetary Governor¨Cspecifically the governor of Fetches II¨Cwhich wasn¡¯t a suitable status to be directly elevated to a star domain head position. In contrast, Lois didn¡¯t have this problem. With her seniority, she had already climbed to the position of Chief Administrator of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and moving slightly higher to the position of star domain head seemed acceptable. She also had certain connections within the Space Domain Government, and in the last confrontation with the Fury Flame Battle Group, she had sided with the right team. All these factors combined made promoting her to the position of Meng River Chief seem only natural. She herself was extremely motivated. Having originally thought her political career was over, she hadn¡¯t expected the coveted head position to actualize in this way. She led a team of officials from the Alliance framework, eager and excited to take office. ¡­ Gu Hang merely issued the directive for all these matters and then left them alone. As the top leader of this Alliance which was now viewed as a formidable force, his work was naturally busy. His busyness wasn¡¯t due to the numerous affairs that needed his attention. For an organization as large as the Alliance and the established system of the Alliance, everything could actually operate continuously without Gu Hang¡¯s presence. But that doesn¡¯t mean the Alliance doesn¡¯t need Gu Hang to do anything. On the contrary, Gu Hang could handle all affairs. Of course, he couldn¡¯t do so; he must find the issues requiring his attention and resolution from the vast expanse of Alliance affairs and handle them appropriately. Continuing the optimization and reform of the Alliance system, providing guidance for the development of key areas, understanding the situation on the front lines and issuing instructions¡­ He needed to steer the direction of the Alliance¡¯s development. Not just as a guide but also ensuring the Alliance does not stray off course. He was obviously very busy. Moreover, in terms of specific affairs, Gu Hang had a significant matter to handle. After returning to the Tianma Star Sector and meeting some essential people, he set off for Yunluo. Along the way, he met with several local leaders and star sector officials from the Alliance, inspecting their work. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, these were merely convenient stops. Even upon arriving at Yunluo Sector, his inspection of the economic center of Yunluo was of the same nature. He didn¡¯t stay in Yunluo for long before setting off again, heading to his final destination of this trip: Jindi Star in the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector. He wanted to personally visit the Mingyang Sect and meet the Principal Sages there. Especially to meet Wu Jiarong Sage. Chapter 962 - Chapter 962: Chapter 519 Chapter 962: Chapter 519 Within the Dragonhawk Star Domain, no one can ignore the presence of the Mingyang Sect. These gearheads suffered a significant loss during the Iron Teeth War; their pride, the prized Mechanical Ark, was destroyed in the war. Moreover, Jindi Star experienced a direct ground assault by the Iron-teeth Greenskins. This Founding World became the prime target for the Greenskins. The brutal ground war might not have lasted long, but its intensity was extremely high. The devastation of a war occurring in their core base is extensive. A large number of industrial facilities suffered varying degrees of damage, accompanied by significant personnel losses, causing a substantial decline in Jindi Star¡¯s productivity. Aside from these fundamental elements, a more severe loss was the depletion of high-level technicians in the war. Over twenty Dominant Bishops perished in the conflict, and even at a higher level, which could be considered the upper echelon of the Mingyang Sect, there were casualties among the Principal Sages. The Sect of Mechanics stands out in this aspect. As high-ranking individuals, they wield authority and command military power. When war breaks out, even if they don¡¯t lead the charge, they at least must oversee operations within the army. Many of the combat methods and war weapons in the Sect of Mechanics indeed require high-level members of the Sect of Mechanics to manage; otherwise, even their operation becomes problematic. After extensive mechanical modifications, even Dominant Bishops and Principal Sages, who directly command certain war machines, possess considerably formidable combat power themselves. But despite the compound value of management, command, and high-end combat power, the most crucial identity of these Dominant Bishops and Principal Sages remains their technical value. Almost every individual above the level of a Dominant Bishop holds a key technology that has a strong irreplaceable role. After their demise, such technology does not entirely disappear, as there generally exist some records. Anyway, once someone is dead, there¡¯s usually no issue with ransacking their independent laboratories and workspaces. However, obtaining the data requires re-mastery and relearning, let alone if the data is damaged, missing, or if the laboratory was destroyed in previous wars, all of which can cause losses in technical details, further affecting the production capacity of certain equipment. Not just mass-produced equipment, with the loss of these engine prophets, Dominant Bishops, and even Principal Sages, the production of some exquisite products is utterly ruined. The production of exquisite products requires top-level technicians like them to undertake customized manufacturing. The reason ¡°manual¡± needs to be in quotes is that the extensively modified bodies of the high-level members of the Sect of Mechanics, with their mechanical arms extending from under red robes, possess craftsmanship more precise than conventional lathes and machinery. Their bodies, in essence, are high-precision integrated workstations. And with the loss of a considerable number of high-level members, the non-massive exquisite products symbolizing the foundation of the Sect of Mechanics will significantly decrease in number. Loss of production capacity, technological loss, personnel loss¡­ the Iron Teeth Green Tide was a catastrophic calamity for the Sect of Mechanics. And after winning the war, they gained hardly any benefits. Don¡¯t be fooled by the fact that post-war, the Mingyang Sect expanded its influence from primarily Jindi Star to occupying the entire Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector, and even the adjacent Dragon Tamer and Dragon Pass Star Sectors. But in Gu Hang¡¯s view, it was more inclined towards defensive measures. For the Sect of Mechanics, they actually don¡¯t care much about territory. What matters most to them, first and foremost, is technology; second is precious raw materials; third is production capacity¡­ Everything else comes after. After winning the Iron Teeth War, did they receive sufficient replenishments in these three areas? No, they did not. Expanding their control area was something they had no choice but to do. They needed to supplement raw material supplies and manpower from the places they occupied to ensure the reconstruction and recovery of Jindi Star proceeded more smoothly. But they didn¡¯t necessarily have to do so. These planets were originally the most important raw material and manpower supply areas for the Mingyang Sect. However, during the Green Tide, these places also suffered from Greenskin harm. To quickly remove the Greenskin impact on the raw material and manpower sources, they mobilized forces to clear each location. Afterward, when the Alliance and Fury Flame Battle Group were in their standoff, the Mingyang Sect showed no interest. They only steadfastly held onto their original sphere of influence, ignoring external disruptions, focusing solely on licking their wounds. Neither side should have plans regarding us, I will not help anyone, and whoever provokes me shall face my wrath. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only That was roughly their stance. The Furyflame and the Alliance naturally would not bother them. After the standoff between the Alliance and the Furyflame ended, the Mingyang Sect still controlled the territories of three Star Sectors. The Alliance had just taken over the large parts of the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and they were so busy digesting these gains that they had no time to plot against the Mingyang Sect. But ignoring for a while doesn¡¯t mean they will ignore forever. The Steel Fire Dragon, Dragon Tamer, Dragon Pass, and the three Star Sectors are all parts of the administrative divisions under the Dragonhawk Star Domain. And although Jindi Star, as a Sect of Mechanics-certified Founding World, is not under the jurisdiction of the Star Domain Government, they are ultimately located within the Star Domain, and it¡¯s impossible for both parties to have no contact at all. Chapter 963 - Chapter 963: Chapter 519_2 Chapter 963: Chapter 519_2 In reality, Gu Hang has ambitions for Jindi Star. It¡¯s not that Gu Hang wants to risk universal condemnation by forcefully seizing and controlling Jindi Star. It¡¯s neither possible nor necessary. However, Jindi Star, being a legitimate Founding World, is truly the strongest in production capacity within the entire Star Domain. The Mingyang Sect is not particularly famous for shipbuilding, but the Alliance¡¯s current shipbuilding industry is nothing more than comparable to Jindi Star¡¯s. They have announced the restart of the construction of the Mechanical Ark; moreover, they have suspended all external orders. Two battlercruiser dockyards and eight cruiser dockyards are fully operational, and all constructed ships are retained in the new fleet. The Mingyang Sect indeed has not suffered such severe damage directly for many years. After this incident, they decided to learn their lesson. External orders are nonsense; their own strength is most important! If the Mingyang Sect hadn¡¯t sold every battlecruiser they had produced in the past, and had kept six, seven, or eight more for themselves, would they have suffered so much during the Iron Tooth Green Tide? Absolutely not! The situation is similar for other production capacities as well. On Jindi Star, the construction of Starships is currently the most heavily controlled sector. Other production capacities do not completely reject external orders, but at least significantly reduce them. The Mingyang Sect is determined to significantly strengthen its military power until they feel secure. A substantial part of their production capacity is also directed toward rebuilding their own planet. They are not wealthy enough to take on external orders. But Gu Hang is troubled by this. He now has a lot of money. Not only the fiscal revenues of the Alliance and the saved Imperial Tax but also the war support from the Eastern Cosmos Domain. With this money, he hopes the Sect of Mechanics can manufacture some equipment for the Alliance. Especially Starships. However, during multiple communications and exchanges, the Mingyang Sect decisively rejected the Alliance¡¯s request to purchase ships. Even with Wu Jiarong mediating, it was to no avail. ¡­ All this information was disclosed by Wu Jiarong during her repeated communications with the Alliance and with Gu Hang. Her current status and position are quite remarkable. Back then, when Gu Hang sent her to the Mingyang Sect for ¡®exchange learning,¡¯ she gained formal identity recognition within the sect, becoming a legitimate Dominant Bishop. By rights, this was Wu Jiarong¡¯s ultimate goal for coming to Jindi Star at that time. After becoming a Dominant Bishop, she should have returned to the Alliance to continue overseeing the Alliance¡¯s Secret Research Institute and began planning to establish a small sect of the Sect of Mechanics for the Alliance. A Dominant Bishop might barely have that qualification. However, no one anticipated the Iron Tooth War would break out so suddenly, and the war progression would be so rapid. With the isolation across the Star Domain, Wu Jiarong couldn¡¯t return. She could only stay with the Mingyang Sect. As a Dominant Bishop, she naturally participated in this war. And she performed exceptionally well. The many unique technologies she mastered earned her a large group of supporters in the war and garnered the appreciation of the Founding General Chen Haixu, who provided her with many additional resources. Using this support, she forged a strong military force and led them to several successful battles. With her growing accomplishments and prestige, Wu Jiarong quickly realized she might even have the opportunity to step up, advancing from the identity of a Dominant Bishop to the level of a Principal Sage in a short time. This is already the title second only to the Great Sage within the Sect of Mechanics. The entire Mingyang Sect doesn¡¯t have a true Great Sage. That requires going to the Solar System, to Mars World, to receive recognition and assessment from the headquarters of the Sect of Mechanics to be promoted. In fact, the process is similar for becoming a Principal Sage. However, the Mingyang Sect internally has eleven slots for Principal Sages. If not exceeded, those elected by the sect can also be recognized. Previously, an outsider like Wu Jiarong, no matter how much merit she achieved, could never expect to seize such a scarce position. But isn¡¯t it because many Principal Sages died in war, leaving many positions vacant? Additionally, many qualified Dominant Bishops who could compete for these positions also perished? This gave Wu Jiarong hope. Chen Haixu hinted more than once to Wu Jiarong that as long as she pledged not to return to the Alliance and devoted herself fully to Jindi Star, the position of Principal Sage could be hers. Wu Jiarong agreed without hesitation on the surface. At that moment, she made her assessment; in front of Chen Haixu, she couldn¡¯t react any other way. Otherwise, it would have been too abnormal. In the ¡®homeland,¡¯ on Jindi Star, a legitimate Founding World, the title of Principal Sage is an enormous temptation for a member of the Sect of Mechanics. If it were just a Dominant Bishop, it would be trivial. On Jindi Star, there are dozens, even hundreds of Dominant Bishops, limiting their preciousness; going outside, like to the Alliance, there would be at most two or three, with different status. Some Dominant Bishops who didn¡¯t want to stay in the Founding World indeed opted to leave. But the Principal Sage is different. Once becoming a Principal Sage, Wu Jiarong would become one of the top eleven individuals on Jindi Star, a true ruler. In sheer common sense, even a hint of hesitation would seem utterly fake. However, she clearly knew she could not so easily sever ties with the Alliance. She knew too many of Mr. Gu¡¯s secrets, which were far too significant; once seceded, Mr. Gu would certainly want her dead. That would only require a thought. Her soul was long sold to Mr. Gu. If she ever dared to betray, Gu Hang could easily erase her soul without any loss: there were so many black boxes that if one of her could be cultivated, another high-ranking member of the Sect of Mechanics could be nurtured right away. Moreover, even without this situation, she never intended to leave the Alliance. In the past, she was just a low-level skilled worker who could be easily expelled from the Founding World. What helped her grow in just twenty years? It was the countless black boxes Mr. Gu stored. She felt she still had room for advancement. Everyone thinks that progress must be fastest in the Founding World, but she knows the place with the fastest progress is undeniably the Alliance¡¯s Secret Research Institute. Although she had already studied many of the black boxes the Alliance possessed, she knew Mr. Gu would reveal a new one after a period. Moreover, the technologies represented by these new black boxes often continued to advance upward. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Having been away from the Alliance for so long, she didn¡¯t know what new black boxes Mr. Gu had obtained, making her extremely curious. Thus, after having to agree with Chen Haixu on the surface, Wu Jiarong immediately reported this brief news to Gu Hang and sought an opportunity to have a Starry Dialogue with him. During the conversation, she thoroughly expressed her loyalty and, with utmost sincerity, stated that she would fully comply with Gu Hang¡¯s directions on what to do next. Gu Hang wasn¡¯t worried about Wu Jiarong leaking secrets. She couldn¡¯t do it. Chapter 964 - Chapter 964: Chapter 520, Veto Power Chapter 964: Chapter 520, Veto Power Stealing Jindi Star isn¡¯t something that can be completed overnight. However, the value brought by Wu Jiarong becoming the Principal Sage within the Mingyang Sect doesn¡¯t need to wait long to be demonstrated; it can already play a role now. Gu Hang¡¯s visit to Jindi Star was to negotiate with the upper levels of the Mingyang Sect, with two main goals: First, to reclaim the three star sectors and forty worlds that Jindi Star has no legal right to control. Second, to have Jindi Star accept equipment manufacturing orders from the Alliance, especially starship orders. Both conditions are quite challenging. Even though Gu Hang, who has been quite prominent lately, came in person and had Wu Jiarong as an insider, the sages of Jindi Star still showed no courtesy. After all, Wu Jiarong is an outsider who recently rose in rank, and crucially, everyone knows she came from the Alliance, having received much help from Gu Hang, making them naturally suspicious of her stance. The first round of negotiations ended without result, but Gu Hang was not annoyed. Although the Mingyang Sect did not agree to his conditions, after his visit, their attitude was still considered not bad, and they showed respect to Gu Hang. For some time afterward, he stayed on Jindi Star, visiting several key factories and meeting many Principal Sages. ¡­ Chen Haixu, the Founding General of Jindi Star, had been in his workshop for several days. Publicly, it was said that he had a very important product that required him to retreat for personal crafting. For this reason, after a polite attendance at the first meeting with the Alliance delegation brought by Mr. Gu, and personally hosting the banquet for welcoming Gu Hang, he closed his doors. But in reality, an astute observer could see that he was avoiding Gu Hang. Of course, even if he was cloistered, Chen Haixu, the Founding General, was perfectly aware of external happenings. ¡°Who did Gu Hang meet today?¡± While manipulating a dozen mechanical arms, Chen Haixu asked. There was no one beside him, but a servitor skull connected by mechanical tendons floated around in his laboratory, equipped with a speaker at its mouth. ¡°Report, General, today Gu Hang met with the Principal Sage Ke Zonggang. This is the seventh Principal Sage Gu Hang has met in recent times. Currently, only you and Sage Jing Yiming remain for him to meet.¡± The Mingyang Sect currently has only nine Principal Sages, not yet filling the original count of eleven. Chen Haixu nodded slightly, his somewhat inhuman face forced a smile, and he continued, ¡°Let him slowly meet with them. Anything else to report?¡± ¡°Sage Wu Jiarong has requested to convene the second Sage Conference, still on the topic discussed in the last conference.¡± ¡°Hmph, her treacherous heart hasn¡¯t died.¡± Chen Haixu sneered and lamented, ¡°Wu Jiarong, I had high hopes for this young junior and even offered her much guidance. But why is she so stubborn, determined to align with the Alliance?¡± The servitor skull floating by him continued, ¡°So, Founding General, do we need to do anything? Like stopping the second conference, warning Sage Wu Jiarong, or¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Chen Haixu stopped his servitor skull assistant from continuing, ¡°Let them fuss all they want; do you think they can achieve any results?¡± With his master¡¯s words, the servitor skull closed its mouth, leaving only the red glow in its eyes flickering. As Jindi Star¡¯s Founding General, Chen Haixu undoubtedly had the confidence to say this. Although Gu Hang proposed some exchange conditions, like the Alliance wanting to reclaim all planets except Jindi Star. For this, the Alliance promised that the raw materials produced by these worlds would be prioritized for Jindi Star. All conditions, just like before the Green Tide. However, now they can¡¯t accept those conditions anymore. Previously, receiving raw materials required ¡®payment.¡¯ Although this payment was generally made by producing some low-end products or accepting a few orders. The same went for human resources. Simply put, those mineral resources, those human resources, were not ¡®valuable.¡¯ By comparison, the products produced by Jindi Star were much more valued. And now, Jindi Star isn¡¯t as affluent as before. After internal discussions, the sages of the Mingyang Sect decided not even to pay for the raw materials and human resources they previously deemed negligible in added value. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The Mingyang Sect, licking its wounds and recuperating, was determined not to act generously anymore. External sales orders were the same. For some other things, if the Alliance offered additional resources in exchange, they weren¡¯t unable to take orders; but starship orders, definitely not. All production capacity must first meet the needs of the sect fleet. They planned to create a new mechanical ark, along with eight battlecruisers and over forty cruisers to form a powerful Mingyang Sect fleet. Having experienced the Iron-tooth Green Tide, the entire Mingyang Sect agreed that the sect must have enough self-defense capabilities and cannot rely on others. They narrowly escaped calamity this time, but who knows if they can avoid the next crisis? Chapter 965 - Chapter 965: Chapter 520, Veto Power_2 Chapter 965: Chapter 520, Veto Power_2 For the construction of the fleet and the accompanying Protection Army, the production capacity of the Mingyang Sect is fully occupied. Even with all shipyards operating at full capacity, it will take about twenty-five years to complete the fleet construction. Time and full capacity, combined with huge external resource and manpower demands. Frankly speaking, it¡¯s already quite commendable that our Mingyang Sect hasn¡¯t tried to occupy more territories and seize more benefits, and now you, Gu Hang, want us to give up already occupied areas and our filled orders? In your dreams. The conditions proposed by Gu Hang, representing the Alliance, to provide broader resource support for Jindi Star as well as full military protection, are of no interest to them. Or rather, they are interested in the former, that is, resource support; the premise being that the Alliance can accept that these aids and investments can at least start twenty-five years later, after Jindi Star completes its own construction and ensures its own security before paying the Alliance in return. That is obviously impossible. As for the military security guarantee provided by the Alliance? Not believable! Previously, the Star Domain Government and the Space Domain Government said the same thing. During the Iron Tooth War, weren¡¯t we the ones who had to fight desperately? After this, they deeply understood that no matter how many interests are linked, no matter how many solemn guarantees are made, at the critical moment of life and death, the most reliable thing is only oneself. The Alliance¡¯s military protection? The Alliance indeed looks very capable of fighting, much more so than the previous Star Domain Government. But¡­ sorry, if it¡¯s not oneself, then it can¡¯t be trusted. Moreover, doesn¡¯t your Alliance face even more enemies? Your Alliance Governor, Mr. Gu, is not a restful person, today doing this and tomorrow that. Currently, he is embroiled in a confrontation with Iron Fury. The Mingyang Sect considers itself a small sect, just with a Founding World, and it is not in good condition right now, so it truly has no intention of getting involved. This opinion was deliberated and decided by all the Principal Sages within the sect, as well as a considerable part of the core Dominant Bishops. Oh, except for Wu Jiarong, that two-faced snake. However, her opinion on this matter is also not important; she just needs to obediently contribute those whimsical technologies she has mastered. Significant matters such as determining the future path of the Mingyang Sect are not something for this two-faced snake, this ingrate, to meddle in. Under such a unified decision at the top level of the sect, Chen Haixu is indeed not worried about Gu Hang¡¯s activities on Jindi Star. After all, he is the Star Domain Head, and Jindi Star is within the Alliance¡¯s territory; the attitudes of both sides should not be strained, and the necessary respect and attitude must be given. But for other matters, just forget it. Once this Alliance Governor gets enough setbacks in front of each Principal Sage, he should realize not to waste more time. As for the upcoming call for a second meeting? Let it be held then. After all, it will only be another collective veto. ¡­ Chen Haixu¡¯s mechanical face was full of shock. Steam was even coming out of his modified ears. The Council of Sages, made up of nine Principal Sages, is the nominal highest authority of the Mingyang Sect. And now, there are eight mechanical arms raised in front of him. Sitting across the Sages¡¯ Round Table was Gu Hang, who had been active on Jindi Star for more than half a month. Half an hour ago, the second Council of Sages was convened, and Gu Hang, as before, began introducing the Alliance¡¯s policy. Compared with the first proposal, this time Gu Hang made greater concessions. Although the requested items were still the same, the control of three Star Sectors except for Jindi Star, as well as various construction orders from Jindi Star. However, the Alliance would increase the purchase price of the orders and provide more raw material resources; and the Alliance could also in turn accept production orders from the Mingyang Sect. That means some low-level, low-value component production could be moved to other planets controlled by the Alliance. According to Gu Hang, this is a ¡®win-win¡¯. The places accepting technology transfer and production transfer would gain economic growth; the ownership of these transferred capacities would be calculated based on the input and technology value of both parties; all management rights could be handed over to the Mingyang Sect¡­ Conversely, the Mingyang Sect could expand its influence and control externally through technology and production transfer, using economic and political means to further ensure control over raw materials and low-value industrial components. Additionally, the productive capacity liberated from some low-end industries on Jindi Star could be better invested in high-end industries. However, these conditions still did not exceed the situation previously discussed by the Principal Sages of the Mingyang Sect. Logically, after ¡®politely¡¯ listening to Gu Hang¡¯s proposal, when it came to the voting stage, everyone should sit calmly during the ¡®agree with the proposal¡¯ voting; and then quietly raise their hands during the ¡®oppose the proposal¡¯ voting. But what happened next completely exceeded Chen Haixu¡¯s expectations. During the vote of agreement, he first saw Wu Jiarong raise her hand. Hmm, just as expected. Then, another Principal Sage raised his hand. This surprised Chen Haixu a bit. Did Gu Hang¡¯s activities in this half a month really yield results? Did that guy take a benefit from Gu Hang? Chen Haixu was not very happy. Despite it being just one more vote, completely meaningless, since according to the hints Chen Haixu gave the other sages, not a single vote should have been given to Gu Hang, to avoid any unrealistic fantasies in the mind of this Alliance Governor. Better to let him face defeat and leave as soon as possible. At this point, he could only comfort himself, maybe the Sage Ke Zonggang who raised his hand was just giving a token gesture after receiving benefits, giving that Governor a bit of face? With this mindset, Chen Haixu soon saw the third, fourth, fifth mechanical arm raised. In just a few minutes, among the nine Principal Sages of the Mingyang Sect, only he himself remained without raising a hand¡­ No, what the hell is this! Even though his body underwent extensive mechanical modification, and many emotions that would be triggered by hormone secretion were suppressed, still, at this moment, Chen Haixu felt a surge of anger. What are you all doing? A collective rebellion, is it? But he quickly calmed down, his not yet fully modified, still human brain began to think carefully. Things haven¡¯t reached the point of no return yet. Among the nine votes, despite eight already being in favor, this doesn¡¯t mean Gu Hang¡¯s proposal is passed. As the Founding General, although he only has one vote like the other Principal Sages in the council, the most unique aspect of the Founding General is that he possesses veto power. If he wants to push a major policy, strategy, or decision, he needs to get the agreement of four Principal Sages; but if he opposes a decision, he can do it with just his single vote. In the current situation, it is very fitting to use this veto power. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, should he really do it? Voting seems like a rule, but any rule must consider the meaning behind it. He does not have the ability to veto any proposal he doesn¡¯t want to agree with just because he has veto power. On the contrary, it is because he has the ability to ensure any decision he disagrees with cannot be executed, enabling him with this veto power. However, the current situation is just too complex. Chapter 966 - Chapter 966: Chapter 521, I Want It Too!!! Chapter 966: Chapter 521, I Want It Too!!! Chen Haixu can exercise his veto power, forcibly rejecting Gu Hang¡¯s proposal at this meeting, despite the unanimous agreement of the other eight Principal Sages. But if he does so, what will he face next? What secret agreement has Gu Hang reached with these eight, which could make them all turn against him? Will these clandestine agreements go further and threaten him? The eight Principal Sages may not directly threaten his position, but if Gu Hang, a powerful external ally, is introduced, can he, the Founding General, hold his seat? All these factors lay before Chen Haixu, who saw the smile on Gu Hang¡¯s face, a smile seemingly asking him: Do you really have the ability to forcibly veto this proposal? He hesitated. He actually didn¡¯t dare. The situation was beyond his imagination. But it¡¯s equally impossible for him to be coerced into casting a supporting vote without knowing anything. Unable to veto and unwilling to agree, amid the gaze of others, Chen Haixu, the dignified Founding General and highest leader of the Mechanical Sect, was momentarily stumped. After a while, he slowly opened his mouth and said, ¡°Meeting adjourned for a moment. Could Mr. Gu please step out temporarily? We need to discuss among ourselves¡­¡± Gu Hang stood up, saying, ¡°Fine, but please don¡¯t keep me waiting too long.¡± Chen Haixu finally breathed a big sigh of relief. Though the issue wasn¡¯t resolved, his greatest concern was Gu Hang using the current voting situation to force him into making an immediate decision. That would make the situation awkward, even pushing both sides into an irresolvable predicament. Fortunately, that didn¡¯t happen. Gu Hang was very¡­ ¡®considerate.¡¯ He even felt somewhat grateful to Gu Hang. After Gu Hang left the room, Chen Haixu¡¯s gaze swept over the Sages. Their attitudes varied, but most felt too awkward to meet his eyes. Only when his gaze finally landed on Wu Jiarong did he clearly see that this youngest, Principal Sage, whom he had promoted, was fearlessly meeting his gaze. It seems the issue lies here. ¡°Tell me, what exactly is going on!¡± Chen Haixu fixed his gaze on Wu Jiarong. Wu Jiarong smiled, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not complicated at all¡­¡± ¡­ Indeed, it¡¯s not complicated. It¡¯s merely a black box. Gu Hang is remarkably charismatic and also possesses Spiritual Energy capabilities. However, Gu Hang has always exercised restraint in using the latter. Because if he wishes to achieve effective control, the target¡¯s behavior under mind control becomes quite obvious and can be easily detected; to avoid detection, the implanted thoughts need to closely align with the target¡¯s own ideas, requiring a certain level of compatibility, and it also takes a relatively long time to perform a ¡®mental surgery¡¯ on the other party. Gu Hang neither has the means to harshly use spiritual powers to influence these Principal Sages¡¯ thoughts nor the conditions to hold these Principal Sages in order to perform mental surgery. Actually, he doesn¡¯t need to. To persuade them, Gu Hang indeed never used any special means, nor would he disdain doing so. Just presenting a top-tier weapon like the black box sufficed. For these high-ranking members of the Mechanical Sect, while considerations for the sect¡¯s reconstruction and revival plans are indeed very important and deeply cared for, the importance of all these paled compared to ¡®technology¡¯ in their eyes. The higher the ranking of the Mechanical Sect members, the deeper and more irresistible their thirst for technology. And how to acquire new technology? Lower-ranking Mechanical Sect members might still have learning and inheritance as ways. But for high-ranking Mechanical Sect members, the scope for learning and inheritance has become very, very small. Perhaps each possesses unique proprietary technology, but on one hand, these proprietary technologies sometimes are merely small tricks or unique, unreplicable artisan product designs; on the other, because they are ¡®proprietary,¡¯ these naturally would not be easily passed on to others, even if they are colleagues. Such proprietary cherish is an easily occurring problem within the Mechanical Sect. No matter how much they try internally to promote breaking this status quo; even the Central Empire and various levels of government are trying to engage in various technical cooperation and exchanges with the Mechanical Sect. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only However, this atmosphere within the Mechanical Sect has persisted for thousands or tens of thousands of years, so how could it be easily changed? Learning and passing on some unique technologies is difficult, not only causing significant problems for the internal circulation of technology but also seriously restraining the Mechanical Sect in researching and innovating technology, leading to a severe waste of resources. Many technologies probably already exist and many people have mastered them. However, due to a lack of dissemination, often when those who hold the technology die, it results in the technology being lost; and even if they haven¡¯t died, as long as they refuse to spread the technology, others with similar technical needs still have to consume resources to research it again. Moreover, the Mechanical Sect itself is quite resistant to ¡®innovation.¡¯ Technology is the law of ancestors, a routine effective for thousands of years, best left unchanged. Even minor effective modifications could be temptations from the abyss, eventually resulting in some terrible problems. Not to mention some genuine major innovations like producing a new product, which could very likely be knowledge from the unclean abyss, forbidden knowledge, ultimately resulting in products that might be a demon¡¯s plot, leading to very, very negative outcomes. Chapter 967 - Chapter 967: Chapter 521, I Want It Too!!!_2 Chapter 967: Chapter 521, I Want It Too!!!_2 This point in the history of the Sect of Mechanics is recorded with much pain. They don¡¯t need others to intervene; their internal reviews of similar situations are already extremely strict. Under the combined influence of these factors, how difficult it is for the Sect of Mechanics to acquire new technology, especially safe new technology. Learning, inheritance, research and development¡­ when these are unreliable, what else is there? Archaeology and plunder. The latter refers to seizing technology from some Alien races to see if it can be utilized. But this is also a matter requiring significant caution. Deciphering Alien technology is challenging, like the technology of the Green Skins. How can humans use it? It even has weak referential value. However, some Alien races have quite powerful technologies, like the so-called Spirit Race or smart machines. But these technologies also face adaptability issues, and obtaining them is exceptionally difficult. It turns out that some small races discovered during cosmic exploration, or even some outlying, independently developed human colonies, may possess some special technologies. However, these technologies need careful identification. After all, who knows how those who possess the technologies acquired them? Could it be that the technology itself is contaminated by demonic knowledge? It cannot be ruled out. In this way, only ¡®archaeology¡¯ remains as the safest and most profitable source of technology. The Empire¡¯s technological capabilities have, for thousands, if not tens of thousands of years, at least, not advanced much, if not regressed. Even many technologies from the founding wars organized and led by The Emperor at the Empire¡¯s inception ten thousand years ago have been lost after a chaotic inheritance spanning a millennium. Not to mention looking further back, prior to the Empire¡¯s establishment, in the so-called ¡®Golden Age¡¯ before the dark era, the ancient technologies mastered by humanity were incredibly advanced to a shocking extent. If one could find an ancient relic left from the once Golden Age, or even just some technological equipment from the founding expedition period ten thousand years ago, it would be a tremendous gain. In fact, the technology that the current Human Empire possesses, and even that of the more advanced and rational Human Empire from ten thousand years ago, is largely based on the relics left from the Golden Age. And the Black Box is a product of the Golden Age. To this day, the Human Empire still cannot produce it or even fully decipher its working principles. But it doesn¡¯t prevent the Sect of Mechanics from fervently collecting all Black Boxes. On one hand, these Black Boxes can serve as the core of an industry; obtaining one means having a production line, rapidly constructed from scratch; on the other hand, the vast technological value contained within them can provide significant inspiration to high-level members of the Sect of Mechanics. This kind of technical inspiration is not only reliable but also safe. The technologies passed down from the Human Golden Age are usually free of problems. Simply finding a relic requires worrying about whether it¡¯s a ¡®trap of wisdom¡¯, a knowledge demon disguised as ancient technology. Careful discernment is needed, but a Black Box has no such concerns; it is absolutely safe, absolutely authentically handed down from the Golden Age. Therefore, when Gu Hang presented the Black Box as a reward to the Principal Sages, he deeply moved them. Gu Hang could see deep desire and greed through their mechanical eyes. They agreed to Gu Hang¡¯s terms almost instantly. Isn¡¯t it just a few resource stars? Give them, give them, give them! They belong to the Star Domain Government anyway, giving them to the Alliance doesn¡¯t mean cutting off supply, instead, the Alliance promised to increase extraction efforts and will import raw materials from resource stars controlled by other Alliances. Isn¡¯t it just fulfilling orders? Fulfill them, fulfill them! The starships produced are meant to be used, and since the Green Skins have been chased away, the Mingyang Sect doesn¡¯t need them for now; it¡¯s better to give them to the Alliance first. Besides, the Alliance isn¡¯t taking starships for free; they have to pay up. Moreover, what does my one vote of agreement matter? The Council of Sages has nine members, my one vote doesn¡¯t affect the big picture. Better secure the Black Box first. Under the influence of greed and desire, the appearance of the Black Box immediately tipped the balance within their hearts. As for what to do if Gu Hang really achieves consensus among most of the Principal Sages and gets these proposals passed in the Council of Sages¡­ Isn¡¯t there still Lord Foundry General? You, Chen Haixu, have the power of veto; you¡¯d better use it well. If Chen Haixu doesn¡¯t veto it, what then? If even the Foundry General votes in favor or abstains, what grounds do you have to criticize us? With this guiding thought, Gu Hang visited the homes of eight Principal Sages, securing all their agreements. It¡¯s not that he was unwilling to seek out Chen Haixu, but this Founding General had been in retreat for some time, and Gu Hang simply couldn¡¯t see him. ¡­ After understanding the entire situation, Chen Haixu¡¯s expression became extremely grim. Even grimmer than when he first saw eight votes of approval from others beside himself. His fury had become substantial enough for everyone else to feel it. ¡°So, you¡¯ve all been bought by the Alliance?¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Sage Ke Zonggang lightly coughed twice and stated: ¡°Not considered bought, right? I haven¡¯t done anything against the sect or Jindi Star! There¡¯s a proposal, the process reached the council, I¡¯m just casting a vote.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°We¡¯re just casting a vote!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you here?¡± ¡°If you disagree, then veto it!¡± The Sages all spoke up. Chen Haixu became even angrier: ¡°So, you all got a Black Box?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°And only I didn¡¯t?!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Absurd!¡± Chen Haixu finally stood up in rage, the red Foundry General¡¯s robe fell away from him, and the octopus-like mechanical limbs propped him up tall, with white steam enfolding the mechanical throne. The remaining eight Principal Sages were somewhat trembling. The Foundry General¡¯s anger is indeed intimidating. Although everyone is at the level of a Principal Sage, Chen Haixu naturally had his reasons for becoming the Founding General. He is almost the longest-living member of the Mingyang Sect, over nine hundred years old. From when he became a Principal Sage until now, at least six hundred years have passed. Though he has never crossed, or even glimpsed, the opportunity to become a Great Sage, such prolonged accumulation equips him with significant power, sufficient to considerablely threaten the other eight. Then, the eight Sages heard the Founding General¡¯s order in his fit of rage: ¡°Hand over all the Black Boxes Gu Hang gave you!¡± ? Everything else is negotiable, but not this! The eight Principal Sages immediately stood their ground, exposing their mechanical bodies hidden under the red robes. ¡°That¡¯s absolutely impossible!¡± ¡°This is private property!¡± ¡°The Black Box is rented from Gu Hang, and will have to be returned after a few years; the agreement must be honored!¡± The Sage who said this steadily ignored the hundred ways he considered breaching the lease when he signed the loan agreement. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Chen Haixu was furious. ¡°I don¡¯t care! I absolutely cannot accept that I don¡¯t have a single Black Box!¡± ¡°Mr. Gu! Come in!¡± His voice penetrated beyond the conference hall. ¡°I want three Black Boxes! At least three! Otherwise, I will cast a veto vote!¡± Chapter 968 - Chapter 968: Chapter 522, The Charm of the Black Box Chapter 968: Chapter 522, The Charm of the Black Box Gu Hang agreed to Chen Haixu¡¯s request. Isn¡¯t it just three black boxes? Aside from Wu Jiarong, the other seven Principal Sages each received one, so there¡¯s no reason to hesitate to give Chen Haixu three more. Altogether, it¡¯s only ten black boxes. If it were in the past, he would never have dared to reveal that he possessed black boxes. Let alone directly trade with the Sect of Mechanics. Look at these sages of the Sect of Mechanics; each one¡¯s eyes gleamed hearing about black boxes, which shows how much they crave for them. They could even set aside sect interests in order to obtain black boxes. Or in other words, to them, acquiring a bunch of black boxes is even more valuable to the sect than over forty worlds plus strengthening their military power. In fact, it is quite likely that this is indeed the truth. If it was during the time when Gu Hang was relatively weak, he would truly have to worry that the news of him possessing black boxes would lead to direct forceful coercion and seizure. Even if he claimed it was voluntarily ¡®handed over¡¯, Gu Hang couldn¡¯t explain the source of the black boxes, and under such lies, he might easily face further scrutiny, revealing bigger problems. The rights of the weak are not guaranteed; the oil heads wouldn¡¯t miss any possibility, they¡¯d just spend a bit more effort, carefully scour, and might just find a new black box? A low probability doesn¡¯t hinder trying. But the current Gu Hang is not what he used to be. Harboring designs on the black boxes? Attempting to use some methods overtly or covertly? Feel free to try. With the character of the Mingyang Sect, they can¡¯t win in battles, investigating secretly, snatching, the black boxes in the Subspace Divine Kingdom can¡¯t be taken, so what else can they do? In reality, if not for considering the special nature of the Sect of Mechanics, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t be so polite with them! If he really used strong tactics, Gu Hang would have enough power to force them into submission. Forcibly occupying over forty worlds besides Jindi Star, expelling the Mingyang Sect¡¯s ruling personnel and garrison; blockading Jindi Star, cutting off raw material supply; harassing the orbital starport and shipyard, forcing the suspension of starship manufacturing¡­ It probably wouldn¡¯t even have to reach full-scale war, merely cutting off trade and encircling sanctions would be enough to deal a fatal blow to the Mingyang Sect. Not doing so is merely to completely and avoid political trouble in binding them to his chariot. Those oil heads are indeed skilled in production, and Jindi Star as a Founding World is the most productive place in the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain. Otherwise, Gu Hang wouldn¡¯t be willing to pay ten black boxes. These ten black boxes Gu Hang took out are technologies that currently have very low value to the Alliance. For instance, the G Series Rifle, Strider Armored Vehicle, Grindstone Engine¡­ And all are finished-product black boxes. These low-end, high-demand products, purely using finished-product black boxes to extract standard products has no significant practical meaning anymore. Having prototype black boxes to pull out production lines is already enough. Moreover, the production lines of these products can even be manufactured without black boxes. What¡¯s more, these black boxes were acquired by the Alliance quite early, and Ms. Wu Jiarong has ¡®played¡¯ with them many times. Since their practical use has become relatively weak, taking them out for trade is a reasonable utilization of resources. To the Mingyang Sect, the output of black boxes itself doesn¡¯t hold very high value. Merely some perfect rifles, low-end engines, armored vehicles, what high value do they have? However, the technology contained within them signifies another meaning. Those ¡®perfect products¡¯ in the eyes of the oil heads contain great mysteries, observing and studying these products, replicating them, would directly benefit their similar technologies; these perfect processing methods would further inspire their technological abilities. This is merely the benefit brought by the perfect products from the black box outputs. The black boxes themselves hold even greater significance. If they could be dismantled¡­ Oh, no one dares. Black boxes are black boxes because the technologies they contain cannot be comprehended at all. Dismantling them, even just a little bit, means they can¡¯t be restored, which means the black box is completely scrapped. The few dismantling learning experiences within the Sect of Mechanics to date have all proven this point. Even the best sages haven¡¯t been able to restore even the simplest black box. Doing so is a huge waste. But it is indisputable that each dismantling of a black box provides great technological inspiration. But Gu Hang would not allow them to do so. Gu Hang clearly told them that these black boxes are merely leased, not given. Moreover, this lease is exclusive, and sages are not allowed to exchange, borrow, or view from each other. The lease time varies, but when the term ends, the Alliance must ensure that the black boxes are intact when they are reclaimed. If the contract is violated, not only will there be huge compensation, but the Alliance will also blacklist the sage, and there will be no more cooperation regarding black boxes in the future. The former, the oil heads might scoff at. If there¡¯s a huge technological boost, why not dismantle it? Pay the hefty compensation then, it¡¯s not like they can¡¯t afford it. Even if they truly can¡¯t, when they¡¯re madly obsessed and itching, it¡¯s hard to restrain their hands. But the latter condition can cool down the most fanatical oil heads. That implies the Alliance has more than just these ten black boxes. For the possibility of researching other and even higher-level black boxes in the future, the sages of the Mingyang Sect, no matter how difficult it is to restrain themselves, have to grit their teeth and hold back. And for Gu Hang, backed by his now relatively strong forces, the Mingyang Sect cannot entertain military ideas; he firmly binds them with the value of black boxes to the Mechanical God Cult. This is his considered approach to tie Jindi Star to his chariot. Furthermore, Wu Jiarong will become the representative of Gu Hang¡¯s will. After all, Gu Hang cannot stay on Jindi Star for a long period. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Wu Jiarong must take on this responsibility. In the future, she will also manage all the black boxes the Alliance rents to the Mingyang Sect. This is a huge authority. Now, it¡¯s just binding to the chariot, and when Wu Jiarong gradually builds her exclusive influence on Jindi Star through the black box management rights, the intention Gu Hang had hoped for in ¡®stealing¡¯ Jindi Star will have a feasible path. Up to this point, Gu Hang had basically completed all his tasks for this trip to Jindi Star. Chapter 969 - Chapter 969: Chapter 523, Steel Fire Dragon Chapter 969: Chapter 523, Steel Fire Dragon He raised his head, gazing up at the dim red sun of Ronglin Star. Jason Morgan always felt that time passed incredibly quickly. In the blink of an eye, he had already spent four years in this world belonging to the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector. Of course, as the Star Zone Leader appointed by the Alliance, during these four years, he wasn¡¯t always on Ronglin Star. Although it is the capital planet of the Star Sector, the situation in the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector is overly unique, and the core world here is still Jindi Star. The Alliance, of course, doesn¡¯t have direct jurisdiction over Jindi Star, but after the outcome of Gu Hang¡¯s visit to Jindi Star four years ago, the two sides have already become very close partners. As the Star Zone Leader appointed by the Alliance for the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector, Morgan naturally took on the frontline responsibility of collaboration between the two sides. The task is rather daunting. His primary job is to ensure that the various supplies to Jindi Star from these worlds remain problem-free. This is a bottom line in accordance with the cooperative content signed between the Alliance and the Mingyang Sect, and it also aligns with the Alliance¡¯s interests. The Mingyang Sect, after handing over administrative control of numerous planets, doesn¡¯t mean that their interests in these planets don¡¯t need to be safeguarded. On the contrary, the Alliance should more vigorously maintain their interests. After all, the food transported there feeds more workers, and these workers will in turn convert various raw materials sent in into the wartime materials and equipment that the Alliance desperately needs. On this basis, he also needs to collect more Imperial Tax. Of course, these two matters, to a certain extent, are one and the same. After all, the Imperial Tax collected has to be sent to Jindi Star after registration, and it becomes the fee for the Alliance¡¯s orders to the Mingyang Sect, thereby turning into more equipment. But if it were just this, there would be no need for him to step in. Jason Morgan, once a high official in the Alliance from the time of the Rage Owl Star unification wars, should have had a brighter future. His wife is the head of the Loyal Heir Academy of the Alliance and currently holds a high position at the Alliance Education Headquarters; his wife¡¯s sister is a senior in the Demon Hunter system. The whole family has quite a high status. However, when he was in charge of a province on Rage Owl Star, the Alliance¡¯s first major anti-corruption case, which still serves as an anti-corruption exemplar at the Alliance Anti-Corruption Bureau, occurred. And at the time, he was one of the main figures involved. Although he made no mistakes, the fact that it happened under his command meant he couldn¡¯t escape leadership responsibility. Although that was more than twenty years ago, such a blow early in his political career had a considerably significant impact on his subsequent path. Otherwise, he would have climbed higher. For instance, entering the Alliance Central Committee to hold an office? But before that, he needed a more impressive resume. Relying solely on seniority was not enough. Talent is abundant in the Alliance, and the younger generation is fierce. So, upon seeing an opportunity, he eagerly volunteered to come to the crucial Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector, determined to make a display here. Apart from the basic tasks: ensuring the supply to Jindi Star and the Imperial Tax, he also sought improvement. Politically, he wanted to complete the political reform to align every planet in the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector with the Alliance, bringing the Alliance system to these worlds. Economically, he intended to make the eleven worlds outside of Jindi Star in Steel Fire Dragon lively according to local conditions. To be honest, if you want to make an impact, the eleven Empire Worlds in the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector are not the best choice. They are too close to Jindi Star. Throughout the long history, they have always been vampirized by Jindi Star. The influence of the Sect of Mechanics, compared to other forces, is generally quite introverted. They are not keen on expansion, or even on dealing with external matters, even if they happen close by. Unless something explicitly threatens their safety. Or if there is something clearly interesting for them in terms of technology or precious materials. Otherwise, they generally do not take the initiative, preferring to stay in their Founding World and tinker with their own things. Their main way of exerting external influence is through strong productivity, forcing others to consider their interests; and exporting (eliminating) talent to the outside, bringing the mindset of the Sect of Mechanics to other places. In such a situation, the Sect of Mechanics, for sure, doesn¡¯t care about the life and death of the neighboring worlds. Under intense vampirism, the situation in the eleven Steel Fire Dragon worlds is quite poor. There is neither a good foundation for development nor a significant development potential. However, it is precisely such an environment that offers room for struggle. He couldn¡¯t fight for the positions of Star Zone Leader in areas like Seven Horse Territory or Yunluo Center, as these important places are assigned as external positions to members of the Alliance Committee, who could potentially rise to become standing members upon their return. He, not even being a regular member, had no chance. Upon reluctantly pulling some strings to secure it, the political benefits of actually doing it were not high. Instead, it was better to tackle a difficult place like Steel Fire Dragon and make some impact. Moreover, he came prepared. Apart from challenges and risks, he also saw opportunities. These worlds of Steel Fire Dragon are too close to Jindi Star. In the past, they were purely exploited, but the future may not be the same. Jason Morgan noticed that in the agreement signed between the Alliance and the Mingyang Sect, there was a provision stating that the Alliance would assist Jindi Star in eliminating outdated capacities, increasing the supply of raw materials, basic processing, and low-value industrial goods, rationally optimizing Jindi Star¡¯s capacity, and focusing on high-end industry and advanced industrial production. On the face of it, this seems like a piece of agreement content centered around Jindi Star; on a deeper level, people might think about whether in political terms, if it truly materializes, the reliance of Jindi Star on the Alliance may drastically increase after the elimination of raw materials, initial processing, and low-value industrial goods, thereby forming political influence? And Jason Morgan noticed another point: eliminating outdated capacities. How to eliminate them? The so-called outdated capacity, workers can smoothly be relocated to places where they are more needed, but what about the equipment? Disassemble and destroy it outright? That wouldn¡¯t happen, surely. Isn¡¯t this a very good opportunity? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In the past four years, besides completing his ¡®primary¡¯ responsibilities, Morgan has devoted the rest of his energy to these aspects. Introducing what is considered ¡®outdated capacity¡¯ to Jindi Star, transforming the industrial situation of the various stars in Steel Fire Dragon, and being able to supply locally and consume local raw materials capacity on the spot¡­ Under his leadership, the development of the various stars in Steel Fire Dragon has indeed achieved a decent effect in these four years. ¡°Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Morgan said to the person in front of him, ¡°I¡¯ve been so painstaking and dedicated, so why do you always go against me?¡± ¡°Mmm mmm¡­¡± The person tied to the chair with their mouth gagged couldn¡¯t answer. Chapter 970 - Chapter 970: Chapter 524, Ronglin Hao and Gang Yi Hao Chapter 970: Chapter 524, ¡®Ronglin Hao¡¯ and ¡®Gang Yi Hao Jason Morgan, appointed as the sector governor by the Alliance, is not like a mere figurehead with no real power under the Empire¡¯s conventional system. Under the Alliance¡¯s system, it is emphasized that each level of government should play its governmental role. Also, the planetary governor of the Alliance is not like the conventional imperial planetary governor who can fully manage the planet. The government and military of the Alliance are separated; the construction of the military is managed by the Military Affairs Department under Tadeusz¡¯s control, even the Planetary Defense Force ¡ª called the Pact Army by the Alliance ¡ª falls under the jurisdiction of the Military Affairs Department for construction and training on each planet. The command of the army is entirely under the central command system of the Alliance Army. The planetary garrison system operates under the command of the commanders of the various field armies of the Alliance, with the main forces within these field armies still being part of the Alliance Army. The power of the planetary governor is almost completely separated from the military. They do not participate in the construction or command of the military and are purely administrative officials. Furthermore, there is a clear subordinate relationship with the sector governor above, requiring them to report their work to the sector governor. Although the sector governor cannot directly remove the planetary governor, the latter¡¯s work performance is greatly influenced by his evaluation and will be held accountable for mistakes. As a sector governor, he can intervene more directly and smoothly in the management of each planet and allocate resources of each planet to achieve coordinated development within the star sector. Only with such clear centralization brought by the Alliance can this be achieved. Of course, sector governors like Jason Morgan are also insulated from military matters. But it doesn¡¯t mean he doesn¡¯t need military support. There are bad elements among the masses. And the person tied to the chair in front of him is one of them. This was one of the ruling classes on Ronglin Star. To be honest, Jason Morgan has no regard for these people at all. During the Ironfang War, they performed poorly, basically offering no resistance, just fleeing and hiding all over the planet. Just that would be forgivable, one can¡¯t expect every planet to have someone extraordinary who can lead the survivors against the Green Skins and make a name. Organizing survivors and preserving more vitality under the threat of the Green Skins is already considered task completion. However, the ruling classes of Ronglin Star and many planets in the Steel Fire Dragon system continued exploiting and oppressing even in such difficult and crisis times, living luxurious lives. Even after being liberated by the Mingyang Sect, they still controlled the planet and actively aligned themselves. The Sect of Mechanics didn¡¯t bother managing these affairs directly, and this local force was willing to be their lackey ¡ª isn¡¯t that convenient? But being a lackey means serving the Sect of Mechanics. While the Sect of Mechanics aggressively siphoned resources for self-reconstruction, these people seized this opportunity to keep sucking the life out. In the short period between the end of the Ironfang War and four years ago when Jason Morgan took office, numerous ¡®rebellions¡¯ and ¡®riots¡¯ broke out on the planets of the Steel Fire Dragon system, especially Ronglin, causing substantial damage to the planetary society. However, in Morgan¡¯s view, he actually prefers to consider those events as ¡®uprisings.¡¯ When people can¡¯t survive, won¡¯t they fight you desperately? Once Jason Morgan took power, he certainly had to change these issues. It¡¯s one thing to look down on these original ruling classes, but it¡¯s another thing as their ruling methods are excessively crude and trashy. Morgan needs planetary development, and that requires liberating the productivity of local planets efficiently; these outdated means of production cannot allow the original ruling classes to exploit and oppress like they did slaves. It¡¯s not just that these people, as middlemen, grab excessive profits. Merely this, Morgan could tolerate. What he cannot tolerate is the immense suppression of society¡¯s productivity caused by such inefficient plundering. Under his four years of continuous crackdowns and with the support of the Alliance Navy, these original rulers have been severely attacked. This is a bunch of spineless people who can kneel to the Mingyang Sect and, of course, can kneel to the more powerful Alliance. However, the difference lies in that the Sect of Mechanics either ignores them or even indulges them, whereas the Alliance strictly regulates and strips away their power and benefits. Facing these ¡®kneelers¡¯ head-on is unwise, so they keep causing trouble secretly. Even in the early days of Morgan¡¯s rule, when it was necessary to rely more on the original administrative forces of each planet, these people not only went through the motions but, according to Mr. Gu, liked to ¡®wave the red flag to oppose the red flag.¡¯ Some of Morgan¡¯s policies, which they did not dare to oppose openly, were executed several times over to an extreme degree, causing public outrage. Jason Morgan is truly fed up with these people. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Having fought with them within the rules for four years, Morgan is tired of the struggle. If it weren¡¯t for these people¡¯s hindrance, Morgan is confident he could double the development level of the Steel Fire Dragon planets. Today, there is finally no need to endure them any longer. After significantly weakening the control power of these original groups within the political framework, now he can finally unleash severe measures and eliminate them physically. He doesn¡¯t even bother with formal procedures to avoid any recurrence; secret arrests, secret trials, and elimination, although not entirely aboveboard, necessary measures must be taken at critical times. Chapter 971 - Chapter 971: Chapter 524, Ronglin Hao and Steel Wing Hao _2 Chapter 971: Chapter 524, ¡®Ronglin Hao¡¯ and ¡®Steel Wing Hao¡¯ _2 We need to eradicate the tumor early to better pave the way for future development. Pacing inside the prison, he looked around. Over two hundred people had been captured, essentially according to the list he provided. All of them had their mouths sealed, not allowed to say a word. Once he confirmed that the list was complete, he left the prison. At the entrance, he nodded slightly to the head of the secret police dispatched from outside, acknowledging the successful completion of their task. The other party handed him a document. Morgan signed it and personally pressed the button brought over by the person. This button linked to every cell below and could toggle the ventilation duct gates inside the cells. A lethal poison gas was introduced into every cell, and within minutes, quietly and silently, all the detained would lose their lives. These over two hundred people, previously¨Ceven in the current Ronglin Star¨Ccould make waves if released. Slave owners, monopoly business owners, union presidents, feudal lords¡­ all with different identities that collectively formed their ruling colors. Yet now, with the press of a button by Morgan, these colors all turned gray-black. If they continued to engage in political tussles slowly, who knew how long it would take to take them all down. Like cutting the Gordian knot. This should have been done long ago. The only reason was that Morgan¡¯s control power was insufficient in the past. Now barely sufficient on one hand, and on the other, the external political environment has also undergone significant changes. While contemplating, Morgan heard footsteps again. ¡°Is everything handled?¡± the visitor asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go. We still have the biggest task of the day yet to accomplish.¡± ¡°Indeed, let¡¯s go!¡± Morgan put his arm around the visitor¡¯s shoulder, whispering as they walked away. This was his partner, the Planet Director of Ronglin Star, Todd Bowelson. After leaving the prison, they boarded a hovercar that had been waiting outside for a long time, flew at high speed for several hours, arrived at the ground starport of Ronglin Star, then transferred to a space elevator, went straight up to the starport, and changed to another hovercar parked at the starport¡­ Indeed, getting up to the starport once was quite a hassle. But they still needed to come. They needed to be here waiting for a high-ranking official from Alliance Headquarters. Alliance Military-Political Department General Commissar, General Tadeusz. Compared to someone like Jason Morgan, who came to a challenging place like Steel Fire Dragon to work hard and earn a seat in the Central Committee, Tadeusz was an outright big shot. Except for Gu Hang, the leader of the Alliance, among the remaining Alliance leaders, Tadeusz¡¯s status was extremely significant. Even if he¡¯s not the number one in the Alliance Military, he¡¯s at least a strong contender. Although he hasn¡¯t directly led the Alliance¡¯s army, the Military Affairs Department undertakes roles similar to the Imperial Military Department to some extent, focusing on army building, which includes logistics, equipment, recruitment training, military ideological construction, officer promotion approvals¡­ All these government-related military affairs tasks ultimately fall under the Military Affairs Department headed by Tadeusz. Furthermore, if truly speaking, Tadeusz¡¯s direct influence on the army is also very strong. Generally, officers and commanders have little to do with him. However, the commissar system, playing a considerably important role in the Alliance Army, is genuinely under his leadership. Though the main job of the commissars is responsible for the ideological construction of various units, not involving command rights, in individual units, the priority for taking over command should rank after the deputies and chief of staff. However, the special aspect of a commissar is that he has the power to directly disregard any priority ranking and take over an entire unit in emergencies. When they think the military chief has committed betrayal, desertion, or cowardice, they can even carry out execution. Even though such situations rarely occur, typically the military leaders and political leaders get along well in the unit, and if such a situation does arise, the corresponding commissar will also undergo strict scrutiny afterward. However, the mere existence of this oversized power means nobody can ignore its dual-leadership status within the unit. If a single commissar holds such power, then it goes without saying for someone like Tadeusz himself, the Chief Political Commissar of the Entire Army. His power isn¡¯t even limited by military branches, as the Alliance Navy also has the position of commissar now. Generals in the Alliance Navy, whether it¡¯s the captain of a battleship or a fleet commander, or generals in the Army like Yan Fangxu, while they might have similar ranks and positions in different sequences, their influence is inherently not as extensive as Tadeusz¡¯s authority. For a figure like this, how worthy is a little Ronglin for him to visit? Actually, there are reasons. Firstly, Ronglin Star is located on the crucial east and north routes of the Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector. Secondly, it¡¯s because Jason Morgan, overcoming numerous difficulties, using connections from himself, his wife, and his sister-in-law over the past four years, painstakingly built a Ronglin Starport with hard-earned resources. Each time coming to Ronglin Starport, a rush of pride always surged within Morgan. This is his achievement. Ronglin Starport, frankly speaking, isn¡¯t that large compared to starports in core worlds of the Alliance like Flying Wing Star, Yunluo Star, and Rage Owl Star. It roughly ranks second-tier among starports in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, perhaps even on the weaker end of second-tier. But compared to Ronglin Star¡¯s level of development, the starport¡¯s scale far exceeded its needs. In an economy with a weak foundation, why did Jason Morgan need to spend so much to expand the starport to this extent? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to invest resources in other economic development paths? The reason leads back to the first point. Given the advantage of having transport routes, Morgan could foresee increasing commercial interactions between Jindi Star and the Alliance in the future, and several worlds originally under Mingyang Sect¡¯s control being reclaimed by the Alliance¡­ Hence, if a logistics hub could facilitate goods moving out from Jindi Star and into the Alliance, efficiency would be greatly enhanced. This is what he sought. And recently, with the completion of the large starport, his plan has started to yield some results. He personally flew to Jindi Star once and met with Wu Jiarong Sage. Though not familiar, he managed to shamelessly request that Mingyang Sect¡¯s transport ships need not deliver goods to each destination directly. They could now just bring them to the nearby Ronglin Star. Ronglin Star contacted several business associations, and they themselves were trying to set up their own merchant fleets for distribution to other planets. Similarly, goods expected to be delivered to Jindi Star by those merchant companies could also be unloaded at Ronglin. As a logistics hub, Ronglin Star can earn considerable profits here. Setting up business organizations, maintaining starships, and spending for crew restoration¡­ all mean money, all capable of driving local economic growth. Currently, this setup already has a prototype. But Morgan feels it¡¯s not enough; he thinks it can be accelerated a bit more. Thus, he seized a great opportunity for publicity. General Tadeusz hasn¡¯t arrived yet, but the most important asset of this visit has already arrived. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Jason Morgan and Planet Director Bowelson admired two gigantic vessels docked at Ronglin Port: ¡®Steel Wing¡¯ and ¡®Ronglin¡¯! These are two ¡®Dragon Serpent-class¡¯ battlecruisers built on Jindi Star, handed over to the Alliance! Just like some cargo and raw materials, they were first sailed to Ronglin Starport by the Sect of Mechanics to free up their shipyards. Then, the crews from Mingyang Sect were withdrawn, leaving only necessary technical personnel who would be handed over to the Alliance with the ships. And the handover location is Ronglin Star. General Tadeusz¡¯s trip to Ronglin Star is, of course, to conduct the handover of these two battlecruisers with Mingyang Sect, as the lead of the Alliance¡¯s military equipment management department. Chapter 972 - Chapter 972: Chapter 525 Chapter 972: Chapter 525 Four years ago, Gu Hang personally went to Jindi Star. The most important matters discussed with the Mingyang Sect were that the three star sectors would once again be under the administration of the Star Domain Government led by the Alliance, and the production capacity of the Founding World would accept Alliance orders. Other things were negotiable, even the Titans produced by the Mingyang Sect were needed by the Alliance, but not to an absolute extent. Only large starships, with construction periods often lasting several years, were most urgently needed by the Alliance. Jindi Star has the capability to build battle cruisers. Throughout the entire Imperial Navy system, the Dragon Serpent-Class is even more renowned and favored than the Holy Grail-Class. After all, the construction of the Holy Grail-Class is rather rare. In the past, Jindi Star rarely fully operated the construction docks for the two Long Serpent-Class ships. The cost of building battle cruisers was somewhat too expensive, and the resources consumed were too many. Without an urgent need, such a high-cost project wouldn¡¯t be easily started; the products mostly went out as orders for the Imperial Fleet. Otherwise, keeping them would also cost a lot of money. The orders the Mingyang Sect received in the past were not limited to the Eastern Cosmos Domain, with more coming from other Cosmos Domains. Now, of course, the situation is quite urgent. When they decided to build their own Mingyang Fleet, these two docks were fully operational; and after the ¡®black box negotiations¡¯ with Gu Hang, the enormous ships from these two docks became orders for the Alliance. The two warships cost the Alliance 1.2 billion tax currency. This price was slightly on the high side. Building a single Holy Grail-Class for the Alliance costs no more than 45 billion. The cost of a Dragon Serpent-Class should be even less than the Holy Grail-Class, at most, probably around 35 to 40 billion. However, cost is cost, price is price. According to the sages of the Mingyang Sect, charging the Alliance 55 billion has already been considered a great discount. The Imperial Navy¡¯s order price quoted by the Mingyang Sect is 60 billion per Dragon Serpent-Class. Gu Hang accepted this quotation. For battle cruisers of this class, the price is not the issue; production capacity is the major issue. Adding two more ships in a short time is two more ships. Spending a bit more money is necessary. However, just a word from the Governor, and the Alliance¡¯s financial department was left scratching their heads. Two battle cruisers add up to 120 billion in total. And this wave of orders the Alliance placed on Jindi Star wasn¡¯t just for two battle cruisers. There are also twelve Lunar-Class Cruisers. That¡¯s another 160 billion spent. In addition to this, there are other ships, buying or leasing from the Mingyang Titan Legion¡­ Over these four years, the total amount the Alliance has paid to Jindi Star has exceeded 300 billion! Including the Alliance¡¯s own shipbuilding plans, the army¡¯s expansion, economic development needing investment, and political construction requiring costs¡­ Spending money like flowing water! But the Mingyang Sect actually has it quite tough as well. The orders from the Alliance have essentially almost exhausted the production capacity of Jindi Star. Don¡¯t even mention building the Mingyang Fleet or expanding the Protection Army; the reconstruction and production capacity recovery of Jindi itself have been somewhat affected, and the construction speed of their mechanized Ark has noticeably slowed down, significantly extending work periods. Gu Hang even asked if the mechanized Ark could be purchased. It was firmly refused by the Mingyang Sect. And now, the two battle cruisers produced by Jindi Star are finally completed. Originally, these two warships were to be directly moved to the core territory of the Alliance. Morgan struggled for a long time before managing to have these two warships directly transferred at Ronglin Star. As for naming one of the warships directly as ¡°Ronglin¡±, that was even more an immense honor! It¡¯s not just a mere nominal honor, the former would create a huge demonstration effect: if even a large ship like a battle cruiser could be transferred at our Ronglin Star, then other commercial activities could proceed here with greater confidence! As for naming the other battle cruiser, it had long been decided to name it according to the worlds within the Star Domain, but with over 400 worlds in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, and only a few new battle cruisers? How could it come to name it after Ronglin Star! This also involved him using his connections extensively, even delivering a letter directly to Mr. Gu, allowing this Alliance leader to take the time to approve it amidst his busy schedule before the name could be finalized. When a rare battle cruiser bears the name ¡°Ronglin¡±, of course, it can bring a continuous advertising effect! It seemed that Jason Morgan put in a huge effort for a mere empty honor, but in his view, all this would eventually transform into the actual benefits of Ronglin Star, and even for the entire Steel Fire Dragon Star Sector! Tadeusz understood this rationale as well. When he arrived at Ronglin Starport, he received enthusiastic hospitality from Jason Morgan and the local Alliance officials of Steel Fire Dragon. Generally, he would refuse such hospitality. So far, the Alliance hasn¡¯t developed a particularly strong culture of luxurious banquets. Generally, Jason Morgan wouldn¡¯t do such things either. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Not only is there no benefit, but it also easily draws the attention of anti-corruption departments. But this time, he made an exception. Tadeusz also made an exception and attended. The consideration was that from the arrival of two new giant ships, it would greatly aid the development of Ronglin Star. In a manner that was harmless, Tadeusz wasn¡¯t particularly opposed to attending a banquet with his status and position to provide some help to local development. Chapter 973 - Chapter 973: Chapter 525_2 Chapter 973: Chapter 525_2 However, no matter what, official business always comes first. At the banquet, General Tadeusz, clad in full military uniform, spent most of his time negotiating with the representatives of the Mingyang Sect who were also invited, confirming the details of the handover of numerous large ships. He turned what was supposed to be a pleasant gathering into official business. Jason Morgan didn¡¯t mind, and was instead quite pleased. There were many attendees today. Taking advantage of the opportunity, various business associations and notable figures from the Alliance¡¯s central regions gathered. With Ronglin Star making a grand entrance this time, he was delighted and couldn¡¯t help but imagine how to leverage this momentum for more tangible benefits in the future. For instance, negotiating with a few more business associations, or with the logistics department under the Military Affairs Department, to see if future cargo transported from Jindi Star could also be routed through Ronglin Distribution. After a joyful exchange between host and guests, the following day, Tadeusz and his team settled into the two battle cruisers. Shipbuilding engineers transferred from Flying Wing Star and Rage Owl Star would complete the inspection of the entire vessels over the coming period. In fact, this step had long been in progress. Buying a ship for sixty billion¨C in many of the star sectors controlled by the Alliance, the total economic output of at least half over four years might not even reach this number. It¡¯s an enormous wealth demanding great attention. Upon ensuring that these two ships would belong to the Alliance in the future, Alliance shipbuilding engineers had already stationed themselves on Jindi Star years in advance, focusing mainly on supervision and inspection during the construction phase to ensure the ships were problem-free at handover. Hmm, absolutely not about stealing technology! Wu Jiarong certainly didn¡¯t help either! Even though Alliance engineers had been involved during the construction process, the necessary examinations remain exceptionally meticulous up until the final handover. This process lasted about ten days. Only after all teams had signed off to ensure there were no issues did Tadeusz, with over 300,000 naval personnel, fully take over the two battle cruisers and depart from Ronglin Starport. ¡­ After a long journey, Tadeusz returned to Flying Wing Star with the two giant ships. Meanwhile, in orbit around Flying Wing Star, a massive fleet was assembling. Each of those battleships was equivalent to the wealth of one, if not several planets. And each of the dozens of Lunar-Class Cruisers was equivalent to the wealth of an entire star sector. Nevertheless, the most eye-catching were the six giant ships surrounded and escorted by these numerous vessels. Firstly, the Alliance flagship, the ¡®Firebath Nova,¡¯ a Retribution-class Battleship. Secondly, the ¡®Tianma,¡¯ a Zhuge-class Combat Mothership, which even appeared larger and longer than the ¡®Firebath Nova¡¯! The other four were ¡®Yunluo,¡¯ ¡®Rage Owl,¡¯ ¡®Flying Wing,¡¯ and ¡®Korolya.¡¯ The ¡®Yunluo¡¯ was a Dragon-Snake Class Battleship Cruiser, originally the flagship of the Yunluo Fleet. When the Fury Flame Battle Group was expelled, they initially thought of taking the Yunluo Fleet along, but during withdrawal, the Yunluo quietly ¡®fell behind.¡¯ Who wants to flee with a bunch of losers, heads hung down in defeat? Moreover, this was their homeland. The demoralized Fury Flame Battle Group had no time to worry about such matters, and ultimately, they failed to take the Yunluo Fleet with them. Strictly speaking, the Yunluo Fleet does not belong to the Alliance. They hold an independent Imperial Navy sequence, distinctly separate from the Alliance Navy. But then again, much like how the Tianma Fleet isn¡¯t an official member of the Alliance, under Yelisia¡¯s influence, and with Alliance-commissars assigned within the fleet, how could they not heed the Alliance¡¯s commands? The nominal divisions differ, but in truth, they are like family. Apart from Yunluo, the remaining three giant ships named after the three most important planets in the Tianma Star Sector were all ¡®Chalice-Class¡¯ Battleship Cruisers, all built by the Alliance in recent years. Compared to the ¡®Dragon-Snake Class,¡¯ the ¡®Chalice-Class¡¯ appeared more slender and aesthetically pleasing. Indeed, its construction cost was higher than that of the ¡®Dragon-Snake Class.¡¯ It boasted an additional X-level artillery mount compared to the ¡®Dragon-Snake Class,¡¯ was slightly weaker defensively, but surpassed in terms of ship speed. The Alliance possesses two Chalice-Class shipyards, one of which was constructed earlier, and the first Alliance ¡®Chalice-Class¡¯ featured some precious, skill-intensive original components directly extracted from the black box. This greatly enhanced the work efficiency of the first Chalice-Class shipyard, resulting in the production of two ships over six years. The second shipyard produced one ship over four years. This accounts for the Alliance¡¯s three battle cruisers. Simultaneously constructing two Chalice battle cruisers and one Zhuge Aircraft Carrier marks the current maximum production capacity of the Alliance. Though rumors suggest a third Chalice-Class shipyard is in the pipeline, simultaneously launching another battle cruiser production line while supporting two Dragon-Snake Class production lines for Jindi Star orders would strain the Alliance¡¯s finances. After all, it¡¯s not just about building ships without doing anything else. These large ships are expensive not only in construction costs. Once completed, they remain a continuous gold sink. Each voyage consumes fuel, each drill uses ammunition, each maintenance requires resources, and the personnel expenses for sometimes hundreds of thousands of crew members¡­ Over a decade, the maintenance cost of such a warship could equal building a new one. But anyhow, with the current state of the Alliance¡¯s naval power, it¡¯s undoubtedly now unrecognizable from before. Adding in the ¡®Ronglin¡¯ and ¡®Steelwing¡¯ brought back by Tadeusz, the Alliance now owns one battleship, one aircraft carrier, and six battle cruisers! With these eight warships as the core, supported by more than forty cruisers and not counting the destroyers and escort ships of one tier lower¡­ this fleet, collective power, is massive! Tadeusz stood on the bridge, quietly gazing at the hundreds of ships assembled in this section of space, his heart swelling with heroic pride. At that moment, a communication request came through. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only It was from Lady Osenia. ¡°General Tadeusz,¡± Osenia said, ¡°How was the journey? Smooth, I hope?¡± ¡°Everything went well, both ships arrived safely. Along the way, I saw many Alliance local officials endeavoring to develop their star sectors diligently, especially Jason Morgan. Ronglin Star has done quite well under his leadership. If each of our star sectors could develop like this, the future of the Alliance would be much more promising!¡± ¡°That¡¯s wonderful,¡± Osenia said with a polite smile, ¡°However, there are some financial procedures that require your prompt signature.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Tadeusz replied, ¡°That is expected.¡± Chapter 974 - Chapter 974: Chapter 526, Major Changes in the Situation Chapter 974: Chapter 526, Major Changes in the Situation Osenia and Tadeusz quickly met at the starport of Flying Wing Star. After completing some clerical handover tasks, the two also chatted a bit. They discussed the war at hand. ¡°Has the Governor already departed from Rage Owl Star?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Osenia replied, ¡°He should arrive in about two days.¡± ¡°Then it will be time.¡± Upon hearing this, Osenia¡¯s expression was still somewhat melancholic. She lamented, ¡°If only we could avoid war, that would be great.¡± Tadeusz did not respond. He had worked with Osenia for decades. Even though they had never deliberately cultivated a personal relationship, aside from work interactions, they had no other exchanges. Nevertheless, they shared a revolutionary camaraderie built over decades, and they were comrades. Precisely because of this, Tadeusz understood that Osenia¡¯s lamentation was not a sign of weakness from the Alliance Premier. But there was a little¡­ reluctance. Over the years, within the entire Dragonhawk Star Domain, economic development had been lively, with varying degrees of progress in different areas. Still, overall, efforts were made to localize solutions and improve things as much as possible. Osenia had worked tirelessly for this, and there had been considerable achievement. Although most of the Alliance¡¯s resources were still tilted towards war these years, the war had not officially begun, but everyone in the Alliance understood that sooner or later, they would have to battle the ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯ to the north. The strength gap between the two sides was not small; they had to squeeze resources, build military equipment, expand the military to have the strength to fight. Even though a vast amount of fiscal investment from the Alliance was poured into military equipment, the main environment was still peaceful, and the mass production of arms paradoxically stimulated economic development. Although this stimulus was somewhat unhealthy, the development was indeed concrete. Once the war truly started, the situation would obviously be different. Thinking of this, Tadeusz sighed. The next moment, his heart hardened again. He said to Osenia, ¡°This is a war that cannot be avoided. If we do not prepare, the Iron Armor¡¯s forces will be upon us.¡± ¡°Why is it that after the Iron Armor Battle Group swept through the Spiderweb Domain, its main targets were to expand north and west, but it did not make a grand move south? Is it not because we have always remained vigilant, always prepared for war, and we are a tough nut to crack, so war did not come to us?¡± ¡°But this situation cannot last forever.¡± ¡°More than three years ago, on the North Line battlefield, the three major founding battle groups of Infinite, Blood Angels, and Bats all arrived, each sending a company. The Black Cross Legion even deployed a detachment, with over a thousand Black Cross Army members, commanded by a Fleet Marshal. He also assumed command of the entire western frontline, leading a combined force of seven nearby battle groups and a large number of the Star Realm Army and Imperial Navy, forming the main force of the North Line battlefield.¡± ¡°On the western frontline, the mother group of the Phoenix, the Phoenix Legion, dispatched a very large force, led personally by the current Lord of the Phoenix: Su Lie. Here, many battle groups were also gathered, most of which were sub-groups of the Phoenix. Although they did not explicitly fly a flag, there was generally an intent to avenge the ¡®Lilac¡¯ and ¡®Starbreaker Blade,¡¯ the groups extinct in the great rebellion a century ago. In addition, the Heretic Tribunal was unwilling to accept defeat and returned once more. They recruited the notorious Legion of Death and drew over four thousand fighting nuns of the Blood Rose.¡± ¡°Counting it all up, the forces amassed on the western frontline were even stronger than those on the North Line.¡± ¡°That should also have been when Iron Fury Stone was closest to failure. At that time, our Military Affairs Department was also dragged into, and alongside the Staff Department, we held continuous meetings day and night to discuss whether we should also join the fray from the south. After all, setting aside the state of the war, we had never broadly mobilized to participate on a large scale in the war within the Spiderweb Domain, imposing significant political pressure on us from both the Empire and the Space Domain Government. Prime Minister Oseina, you should be more aware of this than I am.¡± Hearing this, Osenia nodded repeatedly. Indeed, during that period, the Alliance was also struggling, and she bore the brunt of that political pressure. Above, whether it was the Central Empire or the Space Domain Government, they were incessantly urging the Alliance to dispatch troops quickly and early. Despite Mr. Gu having already convinced Galaraldo to alleviate some of the pressure in Holy Terra, the Alliance was still having a tough time. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Galaraldo himself was having a tough time; he hadn¡¯t managed to secure a seat in the Supreme Council for four years, and even his position as Military Affairs Department Premier seemed precarious. There were many factions and forces within the Imperial Military Department. They would also question why Galaraldo was shielding the Alliance from all this pressure? However, that pressure soon faded. It wasn¡¯t due to any change in the Alliance¡¯s actions, but because dramatic shifts occurred on the two major frontlines in the North and West. In the dual battlefields, each featured legendary military groups, and within a year, they completely stabilized the war situation. No matter how formidable the Iron Armor Battle Group was, it could no longer maintain simultaneous advances on two fronts. Their military activities were constrained, and even on those two battlefields, a grand counteroffensive took place, compressing Iron Fury Stone¡¯s forces back into the Spiderweb Domain. Chapter 975 - Chapter 975: Chapter 526, Major Changes_2 Chapter 975: Chapter 526, Major Changes_2 At this time, the Alliance felt no pressure. The mainstream opinion believed that with the Empire gathering such formidable strength, the current situation favored the Empire, and the rebellious Iron Fury Stone was already in a countdown to destruction. Whether the Alliance participates in the war is no longer important; not participating might even mean one less force to share the spoils of victory. Furthermore, they could use this as a point to attack Prime Minister Galaraldo¡­ why not? The ¡®continuous meetings¡¯ Tadeusz mentioned referred to this stage. The Alliance was also anxious, worried they might not make it in time to claim a piece of the pie; in Holy Terra, Galaraldo was feeling anxious too, having contacted the Alliance several times to inquire whether there was a need to change strategies. And it was during this phase that Gu Hang, as the supreme leader, made a decisive statement: continue to maintain the previous strategy. Under his leadership, the Alliance maintained strategic composure. Subsequently, the changes in the overall situation began to confound people. In the initial months, the Empire¡¯s forces on both the southern and northern fronts were booming, forcing even Humphrey Paolo to temporarily avoid their edge. Although no decisive battles were fought, the Empire¡¯s side recaptured several rebellious planets with great strides, significantly boosting morale. The Iron Armor Battle Group avoided confronting the Empire¡¯s forces, preserving valuable living strength, but perhaps at the cost of undermining their previously employed ¡®strategic notoriety¡¯. People began to murmur that although Iron Fury Stone created a great momentum, compared to the Empire¡¯s massive might, they were still just a regional power confined to a corner. This wasn¡¯t even the Empire fully mobilizing its war machine; they could deploy more forces if necessary. Yet, as of now, Iron Fury Stone seemed on the verge of being unable to hold on, so how could anyone trust them? The previous situation where the Iron Armor¡¯s forces arrived and territories surrendered without a fight was no more. On the contrary, in the Northern Front War Zone, a Star Sector of over a dozen worlds, interconnected, straightforwardly raised the banner of correcting the chaos. Local forces began resisting officials and garrisons dispatched by the Iron Armor, actively connecting with the Empire¡¯s grand army. The Northern Command, led by the Black Cross Army¡¯s Yeerma Youyin Marshal, agreed to the request and left this matter to a company of the Infinite Corps participating in the Northern Front War Zone¡¯s operations. When this group of Blue Armor Warriors arrived in the targeted Star Sector, the initial situation was relatively smooth. A hundred elite warriors from the nascent corps, highly formidable, coupled with the fleet and Star Realm Armed Forces under their command, quickly reversed the local ¡®rectification¡¯ forces being violently suppressed by the Iron Armor forces. It was estimated it wouldn¡¯t take long to reclaim the entire Star Sector. Just when everything was going smoothly, a fierce riot suddenly erupted in the lower levels of one of the Nest Capital Worlds within the Star Sector. A Cult sect emerged, causing trouble at this time. Initially, the Infinite Warriors didn¡¯t take it seriously. The Iron Armor forces hadn¡¯t been cleared, which was undoubtedly the highest priority issue. A Nest Capital World¡¯s lower-level Cult revolt¡­ to be honest, similar rebellions are happening across the Cosmos Domain all the time. It¡¯s a problem, but evidently not a high-priority one. However, developments quickly surpassed people¡¯s expectations. Subsequent intelligence reports indicated most of the rioting rebels were human, but the local Planetary Defense Force also reported some abnormalities, stating there were some non-human entities among the rebels. Their appearance seemed like a fusion of humans and certain insects, with skin in hues of purple, blue, or green, certainly not resembling anything normal humans could possess. These entities often held middle or command-level roles within the Cultists¡¯ organizational structure. This point could not be ignored. Before the Infinite Warriors could detach from suppression operations on another planet, the situation deteriorated irreparably. A large number of Void Insect Species began appearing among the Cultists, and the entire world lost contact within a short period. Soon after, when the Infinite Warriors realized the seriousness of the situation and took ships to urgently head for the star system, they encountered an Insect Nest Fleet at the jump point of the star system. This was an ambush they never foresaw, resulting in a disastrous defeat for the Infinite Warriors, with no survivors. Following quickly, this Insect Nest Fleet launched a ferocious assault, rapidly rampaging throughout the entire Star Sector and starting offensives against adjacent Star Sectors as well. Coincidentally, the region rampaged by the Void Insect Species¡¯ Insect Nest Fleet was precisely blocking the Empire¡¯s northern forces¡¯ line of attack solidly. Coincidence? No one thought so. The situation on the Northern front instantly intensified. This Insect Nest Fleet wasn¡¯t very large in scale, at least not compared to particularly large Insect Nest invasions in the Empire¡¯s history. However, it was entirely sufficient to mire the Northern front, led by Marshal Youwin, into a stalemate. Brutal warfare erupted on dozens of planets instantly. From the starmap, it seemed to have drawn a jagged, irregular line in the northern part of the Spiderweb Domain. The Void Insect Species doesn¡¯t reason with humans; they are a threat that cannot be ignored, aggressively advancing northward. Humans cannot overlook the threat these mindless insect beasts pose, lest they devour everything in their path, destroying every planet they traverse. It was initially intended to suppress rebellion, but from that moment, the Northern front inexplicably turned into a scenario of fighting desperately against the Void Insect Species. Almost simultaneously, the Iron Armor Battle Group amassed strength, launching a series of counteroffensives on the Western front. The Iron Armor Battle Group almost committed their full strength. On the Western front, not only did the forces of three different renegade Interstellar Warrior groups appear, but critically, according to battlefield reports, the Iron Armor Battle Group itself deployed at least tens of thousands of Interstellar Warriors on the West front! This is equivalent to the strength of ten Battle Groups under normal circumstances! These defectors in black and gray armor repeatedly used superior forces to defeat multiple Phoenix Subgroups and even incapacitate them. In a skirmish to suppress reinforcements, they even entirely annihilated a company directly from the Phoenix Legion! Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only The previously triumphant Western front, instead of advancing further into the heart of the Spiderweb Domain, was driven out. Battle Group Leader Su Lie wasn¡¯t renowned for nothing; he quickly regrouped the forces and seized opportunities to deliver severe blows to the Iron Armor, halting the overall frontline¡¯s collapse. But he wasn¡¯t a miracle worker either. There remained a significant disparity in the Interstellar Warrior strength comparison between both sides. Under the Lord of the Phoenix, the existence of Interstellar Warriors spanned six different Battle Groups, yet they never fully mobilized. Each Battle Group sent, at most, one or two companies, and no more than five or six. All combined, the number of Interstellar Warriors never surpassed two thousand at peak force. In preceding battles, the casualties exceeded eight hundred. Chapter 976 - Chapter 976: Chapter 527, Political Pressure Chapter 976: Chapter 527, Political Pressure The Void Insect Species emerging from the northern battlefield of the Spiderweb Domain is absolutely linked with the Iron Armor Battle Group. Otherwise, how could the timing be so immaculate? As soon as the northern line encounters the Insect Race, the Iron Armor can instantly deploy a massive offensive on the western line? Considering the Iron Armor¡¯s rise began with resisting the Void Insect Species in the Princess Star Domain, for the past century they would ask the Empire for money, using this reason. Often, giving them the money would suppress the Void Insect Species; not giving would make the conditions in the Princess Star Domain and its surroundings quickly ¡®decay.¡¯ Once paid, Iron Armor can immediately stand up and drive the Void Insect Species back. As if the Void Insect Species was something they raised. Of course, that¡¯s impossible. At least that¡¯s what people believed in the past. Those are the Void Insect Species! The powerful alien force that, since humanity discovered them, had destroyed countless worlds and sacrificed countless warriors! They devour everything, there¡¯s no possibility of negotiation, they are tireless and indifferent to life and death. A single Void Bug Beast lacks self-awareness but possesses an instinct akin to intelligence. Under the command of the so-called Mother of the Insect Nest, and the unified coordination of various node creatures, they can completely disregard the lives and interests of individual units, or even large groups. Their combat execution is maxed out, with no issues like entire armies collapsing or poor execution. Morale, discipline, organization, these problems that human armies must consider and dread, do not exist for them. They can either fight to the death without retreat or decisively withdraw without hesitation, maneuvering swiftly. These characteristics are simply a nightmare for any opponent during a war. In the past, people thought Humphrey Paolo was just leveraging these insects. When the Empire didn¡¯t meet his demands and conditions, he would deliberately release these insects, and when the conditions were met, he would drive them back. But now, it seems the situation might not be so simple. Some hypotheses previously dismissed as ludicrous are now being brought to the table: Could it be that the Iron Armor really has means to communicate with the Void Insect Species? But how is that possible! Those insects are unable to communicate! But if not, why do Iron Armor¡¯s battle strategies synchronize so well with the Void Insect Species? It makes no sense. Because of this, the second group among the three Tribunals was drawn to this strange and very intriguing phenomenon. That is the Extraplanar Tribunal. Unlike the Heretic Tribunal, the Extraplanar Tribunal generally doesn¡¯t concern itself with internal matters of the Empire. They focus solely on combating various alien enemies, especially the infiltration of alien enemies into human society. The possibility that the Iron Armor Battle Group might have some level of interaction, or even collaboration with the Void Insect Species, piqued the Extraplanar Tribunal¡¯s significant interest. They are well-suited for this. Not only did they bring a large number of elite Judges and a fleet, a group of forces arrived with them, they also brought their closest ally, a group of Interstellar Warriors: the Silver Sentinel Battle Group. The Silver Sentinel is called a Battle Group, but its structure is vastly different from typical Starfighter Battle Groups. It is a team specifically focused on targeting various alien enemies. Its members are not internally trained but are drawn from various battle groups, composed of veterans with expertise and outstanding results against specific aliens. They temporarily erase their previous battle group identities, engaging under the name Silver Sentinel, for the Extraplanar Tribunal for a period. They might leave Silver Sentinel after years of mission execution, bringing back the experience and techniques learned here to their battle groups; some may continue working within Silver Sentinel; there¡¯s also a substantial portion that perish on the most dangerous fronts against aliens. Nonetheless, Silver Sentinel comprises elite members drawn from various battle groups and are experts in combating various alien enemies in the Empire. Once the Silver Sentinel and the Extraplanar Tribunal¡¯s Judges arrived, they adapted to the local conditions, conducting highly targeted operations, striking and eliminating nodal creatures on several planets, fundamentally changing the battle situations of these planets. As a result, the battle conditions in the northern battlefield were eased. But only eased. Several worlds comprehensively invaded by the Void Insect Species already have large areas covered by digestion pools, incubation towers, and proliferating carpets. The population of a Nest Capital, and nearly all materials exploitable by the Void Insect Species, have been thrown into these things, hatching swarm after swarm of insect battle beasts. Completely eradicating the invasion of the Insect Species in these worlds is not simple. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Moreover, the Insect Nest Fleet in space continues to reinforce, soon reaching a level that the Human Fleet cannot suppress. Breaking through the blockade line formed by the Void Insect Species on the northern line is not easy. The situation on the western line is even worse. Tens of thousands of Iron Armor¡¯s Interstellar Warriors are gradually pushing back the Phoenix Legion¡¯s line in battle. The territory gained during the previous offense phase is being retaken by the Iron Armor Battle Group step by step, even capturing two crucial nodal worlds. The Phoenix Legion has urgently mobilized more forces from other battlefields, moving towards a trend of full military assembly; multiple Phoenix Subgroups have also responded to the call of the mother group one after another and are on their way. Meanwhile, Su Lie has requested additional reinforcements from the Empire. Chapter 977 - Chapter 977: Chapter 527, Political Pressure_2 Chapter 977: Chapter 527, Political Pressure_2 However, before these reinforcements arrived, even with Lord of the Phoenix Su Lie himself present, the battlefield situation inevitably continued to deteriorate. During that time, the Alliance was under the greatest political pressure. The Empire¡¯s demands for the Alliance to take the initiative in attacking grew unprecedentedly loud, to the point where even Galaraldo felt overwhelmed. According to him, there was already a deputy minister below him who had proposed an impeachment against him. Although he suppressed this proposal and removed the deputy minister who stood out, this was a kind of wind direction¨C even a warning from certain political factions in the Central Empire, making it difficult for him to continue ¡®protecting¡¯ the Alliance. Besides the pressure from the Central Empire and Space Domain Government to deploy troops, there was additional pressure from the battle groups. The Phoenix Legion issued a call to various Phoenix Subgroups, and naturally, one of these calls reached the Phoenix Battle Group within the Alliance. It was a call, not a strong command. However, in the message, Lord of the Phoenix Su Lie was actually quite puzzled. During the Grand Rhododendron Rebellion, the Phoenix Battle Group was an ¡®affected party.¡¯ Among the three battle groups convicted, only one Phoenix survived. All three groups were Phoenix Subgroups. Consequently, after the Grand Rhododendron Rebellion, the relationship between the Phoenix lineage and Iron Armor became very hostile. Even though the Central Empire¡¯s decision at that time was final, and Su Lie made a strong objection back then, the outcome could not be changed. Moreover¡­ to be honest, the influence of the Phoenix Legion and its subgroups isn¡¯t significant. While it certainly has a large scale¨C after all, it¡¯s an original battle group with millennia of history¨C the ¡®fertility¡¯ of the Phoenix Legion is not impressive. Interstellar warriors throughout their lives have two Genetic Seeds, and every battle group is like this; in this respect, there is no difference. However, the adaptability and characteristics of each group¡¯s Genetic Seeds vary significantly. For example, the Genetic Seeds of the Infinite Corps have exemplary adaptability. During the era of the Grand Army, the Infinite Legion was the largest interstellar soldier corps of that time; naturally, when this legion was divided into battle groups, the most were split from the Infinite Legion; subsequently, over millennia, due to the large number of people, good adaptability, and high success rate of Genetic Seed implantation, the number of Infinite Warriors increased further, which led to more of their Genetic Seeds¡­ This formed a positive cycle. Today, the number of battle groups originating from the Infinite lineage is the largest in the entire universe. Secondly, the descendants of the Punisher Legion and the Golden Knight Legion also have very good adaptability. Strength in numbers is an eternal truth. The Genetic Seeds of the Phoenix Legion are not among the least adaptable, but at best, they can be considered below average. The descendants of the Phoenix pursue perfection, are polite and possess very high-level swordsmanship capabilities. Whether in combat skills or tactical strategies, they can reach an extent that is excessively ornate. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Sometimes, they can achieve astonishing victories that leave others speechless, but they can also drag down efficiency due to overly complex strategies and techniques. In short, there are not enough descendants of the Phoenix, and thus their influence is relatively insufficient. If it had been some larger battle groups, perhaps the events back then would have caused a bigger stir. The Phoenix and its series of subgroups hold a grudge for not being able to resolve matters back then. If not, with an opportunity to counter Iron Armor now, Su Lie wouldn¡¯t have responded so quickly or led the team personally. As victims and involved parties from back then, shouldn¡¯t the Phoenix Battle Group be more indignant and direct? Su Lie was really curious and disappointed about why the Phoenix remained silent. Faced with queries from the parent group, Commander Matins was quite agitated. Even the Phoenix Legion lineage harbors a deep grudge over the Rhododendron incident, so how can the Phoenix Battle Group that nearly faced extinction not hate them? Hate them to the teeth! If Matins could make decisions, he would have joined the Iron Armor War immediately. However, he must consider Gu Hang¡¯s opinion. He hasn¡¯t forgotten that the current Phoenix Battle Group is part of the Alliance. Their actions must proceed within the framework of the entire Alliance. Yet the pressure from the parent group, along with battle group leaders, Chaplains, and other figures from several Phoenix Subgroups, were also sending messages to him, inquiring about this matter. Our entire Phoenix family is fighting side by side to avenge the grievances you suffered a century ago, so why is the affected party still holding back? Matins really felt sorry. On the Western Line, the North Line battlefield was in great turmoil, and Su Lie contacted Matins once again, hoping the Phoenix could quickly move north to participate in the war. He even spoke to Gu Hang, with the identity of the Western Line War Zone¡¯s top commander. Gu Hang himself had the position of the Southern Front War Zone top commander. Though nothing was happening on the Southern Front. Gu Hang managed to pass Su Lie off, but dealing with his own people was not as easy. While Matins followed the overall strategy of the Alliance, he also petitioned Gu Hang multiple times to fight. With pressure from multiple levels and angles, both internally and externally, Gu Hang found it necessary to act within the premise of maintaining strategic stability. The Alliance¡¯s vanguard was reinforced. At the same time, Gu Hang announced that the Southern War Zone would initiate an offensive against the Iron Armor Battle Group. General Perbov, as the commander of the vanguard legion, led the entire army to begin the attack. However¡­ this offensive, driven by pressure, wasn¡¯t particularly fierce. Despite increased troop deployment by the Alliance, it still hadn¡¯t reached the scale of an independent war zone. The Iron Armor Battle Group stationed on the Southern Line had very few troops to guard against the Alliance. They were fully focused on the North Line, thus difficult to muster particularly large forces on the Southern Line. In such a situation, even the less aggressive attack by the Alliance achieved some results. The war persisted for two years, with the battlefield mostly remaining in the Menghe Star Domain. Though the battles were like ¡®scattered raindrops,¡¯ in terms of propaganda, the Alliance succeeded in making the ¡®thunder sound loud.¡¯ Each planet¡¯s campaign may not have been significant in scale, but in reports submitted to the higher-ups in the Alliance, they were depicted as apocalyptic wars fought fiercely. The Phoenix Battle Group, along with the Sainte-Lys Nun Association allied with the Alliance, were all put into front line combat¨C or at least, that was what the Alliance claimed to outsiders. Of course, this was also true. Yet, the Phoenix only deployed two companies; the Sainte-Lys Sisters only participated in a size of about five to six hundred. At first, this seemingly lukewarm but heavily hyped situation did fool some, reducing the political pressure on the Alliance. But soon, this facade was uncovered. Some parties began saying that the Alliance hadn¡¯t exerted its full strength. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only No special agencies were needed¨C merely observing that the Alliance¡¯s flagship, the ¡®Firebath Nova,¡¯ was never deployed to the front lines revealed whether the Alliance was serious. Moreover, no matter how fiercely you exaggerate, the frontline won¡¯t deceive anyone. The Alliance¡¯s progress on the Southern Line was as slow as a snail. If the Iron Anguish had heavily fortified the south, then slow advancements would be understandable, but it was not the case. The slightly reduced political pressure quickly began to resurge. Chapter 978 - Chapter 978: Chapter 528 Chapter 978: Chapter 528 The political pressure endured by the Alliance has always existed. First strong, then weak, then suddenly increased to the point where the Alliance had to compromise to some extent, until the recent year when there has been a large amount of criticism against Alliance policies. The harshest criticisms even began to suggest that the Alliance is another smaller version of ¡®Iron Fury Stone¡¯. The same country within a country, equally unresponsive to orders. Taxes were paid in the past, but now after Galaraldo defied many to give the Alliance the so-called title of Southern Front War Zone Supreme Commander, the taxes stayed, allegedly for war preparations against Iron Fury Stone, but there have been no significant movements for years. This led to a series of significant changes. Four years ago, the Eastern Cosmos Domain still allocated billions annually to the Alliance as war aid, two years later these funds were completely cut off. The Heretic Tribunal sent a few Judges, claiming to investigate the Alliance¡¯s misconduct, believing there was illegal contact between the Alliance and Iron Fury Stone. Although the final result was inconclusive, with no real intention from the Heretic Tribunal to take any action against the Alliance, the mere gesture carried a warning meaning. The Star Domain Military Headquarters consecutively denied the Rage Bear Legion¡¯s expansion plans twice, resulting in the originally planned two hundred million troops intended for the Star Realm Army having to remain as Alliance Army, forcing the Alliance to account for the expenses under Alliance fiscal expenditure instead of as a consumption of the Imperial Tax. The Alliance also, through the mouth of Galaraldo, submitted a written explanation to Holy Terra. Not using overly strong tones, but the Alliance explicitly pointed out that the whole so-called Southern Front War Zone currently only consists of the Alliance, with no other reinforcements, vastly insufficient in strength. Mr. Gu also didn¡¯t ask for much, if the Empire could allocate two to three battle groups, more than five battleship-class giant ships, the Alliance would have the capability to launch a large-scale proactive offensive. Once these supports are in place, the Alliance would immediately launch an offensive without hesitation. When Galaraldo mentioned this, reportedly, people from outside the Military Department jumped up to accuse Galaraldo, asking why the Southern Front War Zone wasn¡¯t provided with enough military power, so Gu Hang could advance sooner? Facing such accusations, there was no need for Galaraldo to speak, as people within the Military Department began to evade the issues adeptly. Plainly put, where are the forces? The Empire is a riddled mess! Constantly, at every moment, countless wars are occurring within the Empire. The most notable in the current range of the Empire is the chaos in the Spiderweb Domain, that¡¯s true. But it doesn¡¯t mean the wars elsewhere are unimportant. Take the Eastern Cosmos Domain as an example, besides the Dragonhawk Star Domain and Menghe Star Domain, are there no troubles in the remaining areas? Every single one has issues! Most even face crises similar to those of the Dragonhawk Star Domain a few years ago, before the outbreak of the Iron Tooth Green Tide, meaning each Star Domain actually requires a certain degree of readiness to resolve or at least cope with the crises within their domains. It¡¯s the same for the Space Domain Government, the biggest problem faced by the capital location in the Eastern Cosmos Domain, Wuji Starfield, is frequent piracy. These aren¡¯t just any pirates; there are many Dark Spirit Race among them. The lean, tall space aliens with sharp ears, skin mostly gray-black, gray-white, or purple-white, act bloodily and ruthlessly. They are not much interested in occupying specific star territories, and their hideout remains a mystery. But what is known is that they are extremely interested, even to a large extent, in plundering resources and capturing people to turn into slaves. In Wuji Starfield and even in several surrounding Star Domains, reports about Dark Spirit Race activities are frequent. These hateful aliens move unpredictably, often attacking human ships. They rarely attack large-scale human military fleets but are not at all polite when encountering lightly guarded transport ships or even solitary mission ships. Once successful, most of the time they would take away both people and ships; if they can¡¯t take the ship or if the ship is damaged in battle, they would only loot the cargo and people. They might even raid some inadequately guarded planets, seeking not occupation but merely plunder. The most exaggerated cases show they can completely empty a Nest Capital from beginning to the end of an operation within a month, a duration insufficient for reinforcements to arrive. The Wuji Starfield, along with the Eastern Cosmos Domain Government, must maintain a strong and rapid-response force to tackle the threat of the Dark Spirit Race. The same principle applies to other Star Domains and even the entire Empire. The types of threats differ, but they certainly exist. Though the Empire is vast, truly mobilizable forces are very limited. How to allocate to the Alliance? Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Even stepping back, even if there were surplus forces, they would be deployed to the Western or Northern Line. Why allocate to Gu Hang, who doesn¡¯t work? In this report, the Alliance also explicitly proposed a timeline, stating that the Alliance¡¯s ships are under construction, and they need some time to prepare for war. This statement, the Alliance originally did not want to reveal so straightforwardly. Keeping a low profile and patience is a better choice, even if a fight is needed, it would be better to have an element of surprise. Chapter 979 - Chapter 979: Chapter 528_2 Chapter 979: Chapter 528_2 But there was no way around it; under political pressure, Gu Hang had to make a decision. The part mentioned in his written report barely sufficed. Although there would still be a lot of public criticism and urging from various sides, it was somewhat better than before. However, with benefits on one hand, there would naturally be disadvantages on the other. Such rhetoric from the Alliance was not something that could be concealed from their good neighbor to the north. The intelligence capabilities of the Iron Armor Battle Group could not be so lacking as to be unaware of such matters. A clearly stated timeline indicated the moment when the Alliance would act against the Iron Wrath. Could Humphrey Paolo tolerate the Alliance rapidly accumulating power like this and then, after thoroughly preparing, launch an attack according to their schedule? That was clearly impossible. Even though the main forces of the Iron Wrath were still concentrated on the western front, fiercely pursuing the Phoenix Legion, they have significantly increased their focus on the southern battlefield. Firstly, Perbov noticed that Iron Wrath had clearly dispatched large forces to the southernmost domain of the Spiderweb Domain, which is the Proudclaw Cosmos. Soon after, a massive army, led by the Fury Flame Battle Group, an old adversary of the Alliance, aggressively charged into the Menghe Star Domain. The leader was the current Battle Group Leader of the Fury Flame Battle Group, Adler Politos. He was originally the captain of Fury Flame¡¯s third company. After the bloody duel to the death, where the former leader, Erso, died along with many core members in that duel, he was the only company commander who could take over. The northern part of the Menghe Star Domain originally had a small portion occupied by the rebels. Previously, under orders from the Alliance Headquarters, Perbov led the advance units to hasten the attacks on these occupied regions. Due to insufficient forces and strategic reasons of the Alliance, his actions in the northern Menghe were not aggressive, mainly to show that the Alliance was taking proactive attacks. Under such circumstances, the fierce assault by the Fury Flame Battle Group caught the Alliance completely off guard. Perbov was the first to bear the brunt of the attack. He made a very cautious judgment on the situation, avoiding a decisive battle with the old adversary, the Fury Flame Battle Group, in the northern Menghe Star Domain. Despite the Alliance¡¯s intelligence analysis department believing that the forces Iron Wrath could muster wouldn¡¯t be significant, and knowing that the Fury Flame Battle Group had at least a thousand people appear on the western front, no matter how much reinforcements Fury Flame could have, they shouldn¡¯t surpass the Iron Armor¡¯s level, right? A few years ago, they lost at least four to five hundred Interstellar Warriors in the Dragonhawk Star Domain war, and some core members, including their former battle group leader, were killed by the Phoenix in that fatal duel. Under such circumstances, how many forces could they commit to the Alliance¡¯s proactive offense? But regrettably, Perbov also lacked sufficient forces. He decided against rashly engaging in this battle. Having retreated, Perbov diligently defended the complete ring of fortifications established through fortifying several worlds along the northern Menghe Star Domain over the past few years, as he engaged in a plain yet solid defensive warfare against the southward-advancing Fury Flame Battle Group. Truth be told, when it was learned that the Fury Flame Battle Group was making a clear move south, and Perbov was abandoning previously captured territories to fall back to the defensive line, everyone in the Alliance was quite tense. There were voices within the Alliance lamenting that they shouldn¡¯t have caved under pressure to explicitly mention their military plans in the statement to the Central Empire. To a large extent, Iron Wrath might have interpreted this statement as eliminating any room for maneuver between the two sides, extinguishing the last shred of hope, and deciding to strike first. However, at this point, there¡¯s no point in discussing it further. The Alliance began deploying more forces and mobilized additional Phoenix Interstellar Warriors to invest into the northern Menghe Star Domain battlefield. However, the overall strategy remained defensive. The Alliance General Staff Department gave Perbov very clear instructions: prohibit proactive cross-line attacks, avoid fleet battles, and use the fortressized planets and star fortresses and combat space stations positioned at various Star Realm Tunnel jump nodes to blockade the enemy fleet outside the defensive lines, aiming to drag them into ground warfare¡¯s quagmire. At critical moments, they could adopt a spatial-for-time strategy, as long as they prevent the enemy from achieving an all-out advance and flat-out push. If the enemy is stuck firmly on the fortressed defensive lines, Perbov would then have achieved a significant accomplishment. Perbov executed the strategy of dragging the battle into a quagmire with astonishing success. Like a seasoned chess player, he meticulously arranged his pieces, calculating each step with precision. The firepower of the planetary fortresses and the intercept systems of the combat space stations formed a dense net, locking the Fury Flame Battle Group¡¯s fleet firmly on the perimeter. The ground war also reached a stalemate, with both sides engaging in brutal tug-of-war battles across the rugged terrains of various planets and within fortress-like cities. Two years might be a mere blink in the context of interstellar warfare, but during this time, Perbov stood like an unyielding rock, indestructible. His perseverance and wisdom allowed the Alliance¡¯s rear to stabilize, providing precious time for the fleet¡¯s construction and the Army¡¯s preparations. Now, beyond the Flying Wing Star, the amassed Alliance Fleet was unprecedentedly powerful. Countless ships stretched across the starry sky, like waves of silver and blue. The Alliance Army was also ready to be deployed. Organizing in armies and army groups, they boarded warships and transport ships, presently within this star domain. Although the war horn for the Alliance had yet to sound, the flag of the Alliance was already flying in the vast starry skies. Only awaiting the final command. And the only one capable of issuing that order was Gu Hang. After completing the last stop of the scheduled circuit inspections, Gu Hang returned to Flying Wing Star from Rage Owl Star, bringing with him the newly equipped ¡®Alliance National Knights,¡¯ or the Alliance¡¯s Titan Legion, which were just established on the planet where the Alliance first rose. He held a military meeting at the starport on Flying Wing Star. Many high officials from the Alliance Government and senior generals from the Alliance Military participated in this military meeting. In the meeting, Gu Hang didn¡¯t discuss too much about concrete strategies or tactics. These matters were already deliberated countless times in previous detail-oriented work meetings. At present, this meeting resembled more of the final mobilization rally before the war. In this meeting, Gu Hang refrained from verbose speeches. He briefly discussed how despicable Iron Wrath, as traitors, were, and affirmed the stance to stand with the Empire to fight these Empire traitors to the end. After conveying this, the subsequent points were of greater importance: ¡°The Alliance requires development, bringing a better life to the vast populace of the Dragonhawk Star Domain and the Menghe Star Domain.¡± ¡°We have amassed great power, and we are also practicing our ideals.¡± ¡°We are not so welcoming of war.¡± ¡°However, for development, we need a stable external environment.¡± ¡°Anyone who denies us such an environment, we will strike hard and teach them a lesson!¡± ¡°Win this war to secure a century of peace!¡± ¡°Gentlemen, please join me in fighting for the Alliance!¡± Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Under Gu Hang¡¯s vigorous rallying cry, all the generals and high officials present stood up, following their leader, shouting together: ¡°Fight for the Alliance!¡± ¡­ After the meeting adjourned, the high-ranking officials and generals all departed promptly. They still had a lot of work to do before embarking. Chapter 980 - Chapter 980: Chapter 529: The Zhongbei River Conflict Chapter 980: Chapter 529: The Zhongbei River Conflict Boom! Boom! Boom! The successive explosions echoed in Xiong Lei¡¯s ears. But it didn¡¯t move him anymore. As long as it didn¡¯t explode directly at his command post and kill him, there was nothing to be shaken about. Physiologically, his perception of explosive vibrations wasn¡¯t as acute anymore. Partially due to habit, and also because his right ear had been half-deafened in previous battles. He was a member of the 5th Group Army of the Alliance Army, which was also known as the ¡®Korolya Corps,¡¯ a unit with deep roots, having fought and gained honors in the Korolya Plague War. Xiong Lei also participated in that war. That was twenty-three years ago, and back then, he was only nineteen. He still vividly remembers the decisive battle outside Mingyan City. He rose through the ranks rapidly. Initially, he was just a regular soldier, but after joining the battle, he became a squad leader within half an hour, and three hours later, he was promoted to company commander¨Cthe previous officers were all dead, and just surviving meant rapid promotion. After surviving the hellish battlefield, it all still felt surreal to him. Too many people died, and eventually, he lost hope of survival, only wishing to take some plague zombies down with him. He muddled through and survived, officially becoming a company commander and earning a second lieutenant rank; then he got the chance to attend military school, and upon graduation, he was promoted to battalion commander with the rank of captain. Later on, he participated in several wars with his unit, achieved some military merits, and during peacetime, led his troops in training and stationed for defense¡­ All things considered, he has had a military career in the Alliance for twenty-four years, now holding the position of division commander, with the rank of senior colonel on his shoulders. Then, he followed his Group Army to the northern Meng River Star Domain. Initially, they were on the offensive, and he led his team in several assault campaigns on different planets. Over approximately a year, they traversed three planets. Although the Alliance as a whole was in an offensive posture, it was decidedly steady and slow-paced. In Xiong Lei¡¯s view, those rebel forces were hardly worth fighting. The so-called ¡®Princess Legion,¡¯ rumored to be reformed from the Iron Armor Battle Group¡¯s Mortal Auxiliary Army to rival the Star Realm Army, was considered a decent opponent. However, the Princess Legion¡¯s numbers were simply too few, primarily composed of officers from the Princess Legion as the backbone, conscripted from the locals, with much of the equipment also locally produced by the traitor forces. These local units may have been slightly better than the conventional Planetary Defense Force, but they definitely could not reach the standard level of the Star Realm Army. His division often faced three to five times the number of enemies, yet still managed to maintain the offensive, rout the enemy, and even achieve encirclement victories. Reaching their farthest point, they had already arrived at the ¡®Former Beihe Star Sector.¡¯ From Former Beihe, heading further north, they could enter the southernmost Proudclaw Cosmos of the Spiderweb Domain. During a time when the war was going well, he even felt that the higher-ups¡¯ strategy was too conservative. They clearly could have advanced much further. But now, after every victorious battle, just when they hadn¡¯t fully indulged in the fight, the enemy would already be routed and gone; then, they had to start mopping up stragglers, suppress local uprisings, and the like tasks. The most crucial task was to assist the navy¡¯s transport fleet in evacuating the local population. Yet what had felt monotonously smooth in the first year had turned into a chaotic cry for aid in the next two years. He believed this was due to strategic errors from above. The strategy was contracting, with many planets beginning to evacuate when the enemy¡¯s main forces approached. He had retreated a couple of times, often without even seeing the enemy¡¯s face. Where there were successful evacuations, there were naturally also failed ones. Though failing evacuation didn¡¯t necessarily mean doom, not evacuating meant facing endless enemy attacks on an isolated planet with scarce food and medicine and no reinforcements or supplies. The outcome would be far from pleasant. Although such misfortune hadn¡¯t befallen him personally, Xiong Lei couldn¡¯t help feeling saddened by the loss of comrades. He felt they should stand firm on each planet and fight the invading enemies head-on! What is there to fear? Couldn¡¯t we defeat them?! And then, he understood that it wasn¡¯t about being unable to win, but at least it was truly hard to fight. He retreated with the troops back to the Zhongbei River Star Sector, to a planet named Yuehe VII. This was the southernmost star of the Zhongbei River Star Sector and a fortified world, built into a fortress over several years from before the Alliance launched its offensive into the rebellious territories. A strong defense meant that, when the enemy arrived at the doorstep, the defenders would have a greater home-court advantage. Especially when naval forces were weaker than the opposition. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Well-constructed hostile anti-air orbital gun fortresses and space stations could provide cover for the ground forces when naval power was inadequate. Xiong Lei knew that their naval strength was indeed lacking. When the enemy forces entered the region, their fragile fleet was forced to withdraw, otherwise, they faced annihilation. But thanks to the ground and orbital defenses, the ground forces at least did not suffer, or at least significantly reduced the threat of orbital bombardments. Xiong Lei himself was a beneficiary of this. Otherwise, the fortress his division was stationed at would likely have been destroyed under orbital bombardment without the enemy needing to launch an attack. Chapter 981 - Chapter 981: Chapter 529, Zhongbei River Warfare_2 Chapter 981: Chapter 529, Zhongbei River Warfare_2 Then, the enemy ground assault began. A large number of rebel forces were deployed to the relatively safe airspace and began attacking the various stubborn defensive strongholds on the ground. In the phase of ground combat, his division had as many as fifty thousand men, but the garrisoned fortress area faced an enemy force that was several times greater than his own. The emergency conscription of the Planetary Defense Force had already been completely crushed in the brutal battles. These poorly trained and temporary forces were utterly unreliable. But Xiong Lei was also able to get a glimpse of the enemy¡¯s combat power. These legitimate ¡°Princess Legion¡± rebels fought the Alliance conscripted Pact forces much like the Alliance Army had previously beaten the Princess¡¯s advisors¡¯ trained Planetary Defense Force. In the actual hand-to-hand combat between the two sides, these rebel main forces clearly demonstrated their rightful Star Realm Army¡¯s capabilities. Furthermore, with numerical superiority, the 311th Skeleton Division under his command, part of the 5th Army Group, faced significant pressure. However, the comprehensive defense facilities greatly aided him again. During the fortress construction years ago, consideration was given not only to orbital defense but also to potential ground attacks. The entire fortress was very reasonably set up, with ample space inside for the deployment of the 311th Division¡¯s artillery. Heavy artillery fiercely attacked all incoming enemies. In contrast, the enemy¡¯s long-range firepower and aerial superiority did not achieve much. The 311th Division also had its own air force, capable of resistance; the fortress¡¯s air defenses were robust, preventing rebel aircraft from launching indiscriminate attacks or dropping bombs with impunity. The valuable missiles were also very easily intercepted. In artillery exchanges, they were no match at all. Although in terms of specifications and numbers, the rebels¡¯ heavy artillery was not inferior, the difference was that the rebels¡¯ artillery could only be placed in open fields, at best building field fortifications and some covering, which could not compare to 311th Division artillery in permanent installations within the fortress. Incoming shells landing 40 to 50 meters near field fortifications could inflict casualties on artillery crews; closer hits could damage the artillery itself. At the same distance, shells hitting inside the fortress could be blocked by its intricate and solid walls. The Princess Legion¡¯s strength was not exaggerated; under these conditions, they still seized the opportunity, bringing with some siege equipment to blast open the fortress gates and demolish part of the fortress walls. But this was not a war of the cold weapons era; breaking the door or blasting the walls did not ensure victory. The rebels entering the fortress fought brutal street battles with the entrenched Alliance Army in a maze of unfamiliar terrain, suffering heavy losses. Xiong Lei even seized the opportunity to reveal his mettle after holding out for two months. He deployed armored units, which were not very effective in defensive battles, utilizing specially designed rapid routes within the fortress to launch a proactive attack, routing some enemy reinforcements under the cover of focused artillery fire, not only destroying the enemy¡¯s siege engines but also two artillery positions, while temporarily cutting off communications between forces entering the fortress and the outside. The infantry regiments then ¡°closed the gates to beat the dog,¡± seizing the opportunity to eliminate the enemy forces inside the fortress completely. This series of combined strikes delivered a heavy blow to the rebels. The significant loss of personnel and destruction of heavy equipment drastically reduced their subsequent siege capabilities on the fortress. After the battle, the defense pressure facing the 311th Division suddenly lightened. The army group even dispatched reinforcements to him. The 077th and 240th Infantry Divisions were incorporated under his command for unified direction. Although it was said that the situation on the entire planet for the Alliance side was still quite tense, at least in the fortress defended by Xiong Lei, the situation was relatively good. He patted his chest and guaranteed to the army group¡¯s general that his forces could hold the fortress indefinitely and would not let the enemy capture it or destroy the orbital cannon array inside. But one should not make too strong promises. No sooner had he given his assurance than they suffered disaster. The enemy launched another unexpectedly fierce assault. Initially, he was somewhat at a loss. There was no reconnaissance of enemy reinforcements arriving; lacking heavy vehicles such as tanks for cover and insufficient rear artillery not providing effective fire support, attacking the recently reinforced fortress in such a situation seemed suicidal, no? However, he soon understood the crutch upon which the enemy rebels relied¨C Space marines. Reports came in that a squad of orange-yellow clad Space Marines had infiltrated the fortress and were on a rampage. The super soldiers of the Furyflame Battle Group changed the battle conditions with immediate effect. All of a sudden, Xiong Lei, who thought his defenses were impregnable, was confronted with a state of chaos. It wasn¡¯t until significant losses and turmoil that he realized the enemy¡¯s specific numbers¨Cfive. Just five Space Marines turned his world upside-down! They typically worked in pairs or trios, moving stealthily, and upon finding high-value targets or strategic points, they would decisively strike, rout, and eliminate outposts, often managing to retreat before Alliance reinforcements arrived. If surrounded, they would decisively break through, carving a bloody path. In a matter of days, at least a thousand soldiers perished at the hands of these five Furyflames. The loss of personnel was one thing; after all, Xiong Lei had three divisions, with his 311th Division alone being a 50,000-strong Skeleton Division, and the two newly supplemented infantry divisions each having over 40,000 men. However, the locations of these deaths were all crucial. Several initially impregnable fire points were eliminated, enabling the enemy to move more smoothly into the fortress; a regimental command post was decapitated, disrupting the command system, forcing Xiong Lei to dispatch staff to take over command; a small artillery position was raided, with three Furyflames slaughtering half the artillery battalion and destroying the artillery¡­ The chain reaction of these losses resulted in even more considerable casualties and the loss of multiple defense sectors on the periphery. The advantage of defensive terrain was reduced, with both sides gradually drawn into a relatively equal footing. But this was not the outcome Xiong Lei wanted to see. Casualties skyrocketed, positions fell one by one. His staff had provided a worst-case scenario: if things continued the way they were, they would lose all positions in two to three months, being driven out, and the essential orbital cannons would also be seized by the enemy. That would be terrible, worse than being destroyed. The orbital cannon, if turned against them, could attack their orbital space stations and collaborate with enemy naval fleets for immense pressure. So, he plotted a plan. He wanted to kill these Furyflames. ¡°The Furyflame Battle Group was nothing but a defeated opponent of our Alliance, driven in disgrace from the Dragonhawk Star Domain. If we could drive them out once, we could do it a second time!¡± That¡¯s how he motivated his people, though he knew well how difficult the task was. He assembled a mobile unit, collecting the sentinel mechas from the division headquarters, while the few elite in Feedback-Type Power Armor were also ready for action. Facing off against Space Marines, this was the best he could muster. And, they couldn¡¯t get trapped in particularly narrow battle sections, or the larger sentinel mechas couldn¡¯t enter, lacking the flexibility and getting massacred. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Finally, the opportune moment was seized. Two Furyflames were surrounded as they retreated from raiding a fire point. During their breakout attempt, Xiong Lei¡¯s prepared mobile units arrived. More than thirty sentinel mechas and ten elite Skeleton Division members in Feedback-Type Power Armor engaged these two Phoenix Marines in a fight to the death. ¡ª¡ª¨C Fell asleep after dinner¡­ only woke up at two¡­ Chapter 982 - Chapter 982: Chapter 530: Kick Their Asses Chapter 982: Chapter 530: Kick Their Asses Xiong Lei stood in a tower within the fortress, holding a telescope, watching through a small window the battle encircling those two Fury Flame Interstellar Warriors, with his palms sweating in tension. That battle, although small in scale, was almost critically important to the success or failure of the hundreds of thousands he led. On planet Yuehe VII.3, the option of ¡®losing the land while keeping the people¡¯ hardly exists. Each situation needs specific analysis, but the survival of this planet fundamentally depends on orbital defense. Otherwise, when the enemy¡¯s superior navy unleashes ground bombardment without restraint, it would be nearly impossible to defend from the front, forcing a shift to guerrilla warfare by breaking into small units. That might have some effect, but in a broader sense of the battlefield, it means the entire planet falls. And to defend the planet, one must hold the many orbital cannon fortresses on the ground, ensuring there are means from the ground to directly threaten space, making the enemy¡¯s navy not dare to bombard recklessly. The fortresses on the ground, like the one guarded by the 311th Division, are each vital life nodes. Losing one or two may not pose a big problem; losing ten or eight will cause major issues in a whole area, allowing the enemy to deploy ground forces and supplies here more freely, making reclaiming the area difficult, as the enemy navy can come to the corresponding orbital area after the reduced threat, with firepower landing here smoothly without easy interception. And returning to the situation faced by Xiong Lei himself, once the fortress falls, even attempting to evacuate with the surviving troops would be very difficult. The path to the next defendable fortress is not short, and lacking cover afterwards, they would be pursued and bombed constantly, with no idea how many would die on the road. From these perspectives, the fortress can¡¯t afford to be lost, even if it means bleeding dry, it must be held. And right now, what he was observing, the encirclement and annihilation of the Fury Flame Interstellar Warriors, almost decided victory or defeat. To be honest, Xiong Lei¡¯s initial understanding of Interstellar Warriors was not strong. He had seen the Phoenix once but only at a glance. At that time, he was deeply shocked by these heroic and extraordinary warriors. He knew these Death Angels possessed great power, but how exactly? Recently, he thought it was the strong individual capabilities of the Interstellar Warriors that had miraculous effects in special operations and in sieging special locations. Especially in complex terrains, where heavy tanks could not move through, this was even more pronounced. And now, under his own observation, he discovered he had underestimated the frontal combat capabilities of Interstellar Warriors. He personally witnessed how the two Fury Flames, under intense fire, dismantled eight Sentry Mechas and three Feedback-Type Power Armor elites in just two minutes. Equipment advantage? No, no, no, it¡¯s far from that simple. Merely viewing the superiority of the Interstellar Warriors over ordinary soldiers as them being able to wear stronger power armor, possessing greater strength and reaction speed, and having more precise shooting skills¡­ it¡¯s absolutely not that simple. When all indicators far surpassed those of mere mortals, they seemed to truly transcend in life. Were our Sentry Mechas and Feedback-Type Power Armors really so inferior in performance to the MK.8s worn by those two Fury Flames? Not necessarily, right? But it¡¯s as if they were being toyed with. Everything is a beat slower than the enemy. The elites, who can maintain accuracy even on fast-moving targets, seemed like wooden stakes, slow and sluggish, unable to keep up; in contrast, the large Fury Flame Warriors seemed like phantoms. Their positions upon attacking always leave people astonished, even Xiong Lei, from a bird¡¯s-eye view and able to see the whole picture, was often perplexed by these Interstellar Warriors, unable to see clearly. At this point, he could basically determine that it was practically impossible to defeat these two Fury Flames with just thirty Sentries and ten Feedback Power Armor elites. Even with a considerable number of ordinary soldiers nearby, their assistance was very limited. Watching the battle, Xiong Lei sighed deeply. To be honest, this situation broke his illusions. In his imagination, if they could eliminate those Fury Flame Warriors in this manner, it would of course be the best; But now that it cannot, the illusion shatters, and only returning to reality is possible. Returning to reality also has its own approach. In the tower, he slightly shifted the view of the telescope, five or six engineering squads were quickly approaching the battle site. Ten minutes later, when the elite dispatched by the 311th Division was down to half, the engineers finally reached their positions. It was only at this time that the order to retreat was given to the elite warriors in a death struggle with those two Fury Flames. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only They began to withdraw. The two Fury Flames seemed to notice something amiss as well. They did not pursue, nor did they break through along the previous target, instead, they chose to retreat backward. This somewhat disrupted Xiong Lei¡¯s deployment, but the Fury Flames were a bit too late to retreat. This place could almost be considered a battlefield Xiong Lei carefully arranged for the enemy. The firepower points appearing here also served as bait. Previously, when Fury Flame attacked multiple areas, Xiong Lei had held back, just waiting for them to attack here. Chapter 983 - Chapter 983: Chapter 530: Kick Their Asses_2 Chapter 983: Chapter 530: Kick Their Asses_2 This place, below is empty. If the mobile troops can take down these two Furyflame, that would be the best and most stable outcome; if not, lure them here for the next action. The engineer brigade within the unit had long calculated the explosives and detonation points needed to collapse this area. Now, it is time to execute. ¡°Explode it! Explode it now!¡± He grabbed the intercom. ¡°But¡­ our people haven¡¯t fully evacuated¡­¡± The officer leading the engineers on the frontline hesitated somewhat. ¡°No time to worry about that! Explode it! If it doesn¡¯t explode now, the sacrifices in front will be in vain!¡± The decision was made because of Furyflame¡¯s keen judgment¨Cthey were withdrawing from this trap area. Can¡¯t let them escape! Under the clear orders, the frontline commander gritted his teeth and made the decision. The explosives were detonated, boom! Beneath the soaring fire and smoke was the violent sound of the explosion and the loud noise from the collapse of buildings and floors. When the smoke cleared, the place where the two Furyflame were besieged had become a ruin. But Xiong Lei still felt it wasn¡¯t secure enough. The power of the Interstellar Warriors left a deep impression on him. The explosion brought down the place, and people were buried, but¡­ are they really dead? Xiong Lei couldn¡¯t guarantee. After pondering for a moment, for safety¡¯s sake, he still employed his backup tactics. The Sentinel Mecha and Feedback-Type Power Armor were fewer in the division, but there were still plenty of tanks. The surrounding area was cleared, and after a wave of explosions, a lot of vacant land was left, just right for parking tanks. In the defense battles of the fortress, heavy armor vehicles like tanks didn¡¯t have much room to perform, so it was better to use them here. Led by a few Lion King Tanks, dozens of Lion Tanks took positions, forming a circle with a large number of infantry in the vicinity. Guard the bodies. Two days later, they actually got some results. Another three Fury Flame Warriors attacked the place. That was definitely abnormal. This spot wasn¡¯t any strategic defensive point, and it was guarded by heavy vehicles. No matter how thick the Interstellar Warriors¡¯ armor was, it wasn¡¯t thicker than a Lion Tank, let alone compared to a mobile fortress like a Lion King Tank; the main guns, secondary guns of these two types of tanks could deliver fatal blows to Interstellar Warriors. Even if not directly hit, just a near enough explosion could cause considerable damage. They had no reason to attack here unless the two buried Furyflame weren¡¯t really dead, and they came to rescue their companions. And then, from the ruins, one Furyflame indeed crawled out. Upon receiving the news, Xiong Lei felt goosebumps¨CInterstellar Warriors are too hard to kill! These were still two ordinary Interstellar Warriors. Really can¡¯t imagine how, in that ¡®Desperate Blood Duel¡¯ which previously seemed so thrilling when heard, those dozens of warriors, known as the elite of the Fury Flame Battle Group, were slaughtered clean. Too unimaginable! But luckily, only one crawled out from the ruins, and he was severely injured. The three Fury Flame who came to the rescue couldn¡¯t break through the tank encirclement. They used Plasma Guns, destroyed two Lion Tanks, and severely damaged one Lion King. But it was precisely this Lion King that, with its onboard heavy gun, gave the three Fury Flame Warriors a vicious blow. They had clearly hidden behind walls, yet this shot still blasted the entire wall into pieces, injuring one of the Furyflame. The follow-up secondary gunfire claimed his life. Meanwhile, the Furyflame who crawled out from the ruins was pinned down by hordes of infantry. He went on a killing spree but was held in place and couldn¡¯t get out. The Alliance forces, coming to their senses, brought in Sentinel Mecha and Power Armor elites again, ultimately killing this immobilized Furyflame. Losing one, and knowing that the combat brothers they aimed to rescue had already died inside, the remaining two Furyflame had no reason to continue fighting and ultimately chose to retreat. No matter how powerful Interstellar Warriors are, they still can¡¯t engage in direct combat with heavy armored units¨Cunless they band together in large numbers with weapons specifically designed to target them. But these conditions, the two surviving Furyflame did not possess for the moment. They could only retreat reluctantly. ¡­ After this battle, Xiong Lei organized the engineers to excavate locally. After all, there was still one Furyflame buried inside. Although it was most likely dead, otherwise, when his brothers came to rescue him before, he should have shown himself. But before seeing the body, he was truly uneasy. It took three days to dig out the corpse. Only then did Xiong Lei feel at ease. Although two Furyflame were still alive, and after their three brothers died, they vented with crazy revenge and subsequently carried out some even more frequent and outrageous actions. But firstly, their numbers had genuinely decreased from five to two, even if they increased the frequency, it wouldn¡¯t be as fierce as before, and the blows their side endured reduced considerably; Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Secondly, where there was one targeted trap before, there would be two now. Although the other side had also become more vigilant, several ambushes couldn¡¯t kill these two, but for them, each time was still quite dangerous. Later on, they also had to act more cautiously to avoid capsizing. This further reduced their attack frequency. In such a situation, Xiong Lei¡¯s forces even seized the opportunity to recover several areas that had been occupied before, even momentarily driving the rebel troops out of the fortress. Chapter 984 - Chapter 984: Chapter 530: Kick Their Asses_3 Chapter 984: Chapter 530: Kick Their Asses_3 Although they quickly gathered heavy firepower and fought back again. The three divisions, 311th, 077th, and 240th, commanded by Xiong Lei, numbering over ten thousand, held their ground in this fortress area, against the interference of two Furyflame units within Neili and a surrounding force three to four times larger outside. The supplies stored within the fortress were sufficient for a prolonged period; occasionally, allied forces managed to break through and deliver precious supplies to them, and airdrops were also a form of supply delivery. But these supply methods were unstable, and the fortress reserves would be depleted as fighting intensified. Moreover, there was no replacement for the fallen soldiers. Xiong Lei repeatedly reported upwards for reinforcements, to no avail. Even the wounded could not be transported out, let alone the complete rotation of troops. But what else could he do? He could only grit his teeth and hold on firmly. Half a month passed as they continued to hold on. His troops once again repelled an enemy attack. As of today, his troops¡¯ casualties had exceeded sixty thousand, significantly impacting the combat effectiveness of the entire force. But it was gratifying that the enemy had to pay at least 160,000 casualties to kill these sixty thousand. And today, after the enemy was repelled once more, something strange happened: they retreated more than twenty kilometers overall. What does this mean? Unable to fight, not fighting anymore? Xiong Lei found this unlikely. He and his staff leaned towards the belief that the enemy had suffered too much loss recently and needed to retreat to gather strength for future plans. Although the enemy would inevitably come back, likely stronger and more formidable by then. But at least for now, they could take a breather. The troops still had no chance to withdraw for rotation, and the orders Xiong Lei received remained for them to hold these three divisions to the death here. But after fighting consecutively for more than half a year, even if they prided themselves on being elite, soldiers were still human; after showing courage through cruel trials, consideration for the frailty of the flesh was needed. He planned to take this opportunity to waste some logistical supplies, consuming more of the food in storage and releasing scarce supplies like alcohol and cigarettes for a day or two. Even allowing various units that had rested to hold small internal parties. To relax a little, easing the constant tension, it was considered a way to boost morale. The weather was favorable, the night clear, and the starry sky brilliant. Soldiers drinking by the campfire, eating military rations, and smoking, looked up to see a meteor with a long tail streaking through the sky. One, two, three¡­ The trajectory of the meteors was becoming larger. ¡®Beep beep beep beep!¡¯ The urgent alarm sounded, and the scene became frantic. Everyone knew that the orbital strike was coming. But what could they do? Find cover, lie down, shiver¡­ The bonfire was no longer a concern. They could only pray that the fortress¡¯s anti-orbital intercept firepower would be effective enough. The anti-corrosion system seemed to hear their prayers; the fortress¡¯s anti-orbital system detected the attack and went full throttle. Meteors in the sky were intercepted one by one, and even a rapidly descending beam was stopped. However, this time the enemy¡¯s space navy seemed determined. The firepower projected down was incredibly dense. Ultimately, the orbital cannon could not intercept everything. A beam pierced into the fortress. The main gun of the anti-orbital system was destroyed. Subsequent missiles, colossal cannons, and beams continued to rain down. One anti-orbital weapon after another was destroyed, and those that missed struck various parts of the fortress directly. The soldiers on the ground could only pray in despair. After two hours of concentrated bombardment, the orbital focused strike from the traitor navy finally ended. The fortress, which had already weathered the storms of battle for more than half a year, was now completely turned into ruins. Everything inside, including the anti-orbital system and defending troops, was buried in this wasteland. ¡­ ¡®Yuehe VII.3 Planet, Fortress 224, suffered a full-scale strike by the enemy navy and has been destroyed. The 5th Army Group, 077th Division, 240th Division, and311th Division stationed there were wiped out in formation.¡¯ To Perbov, the Vanguard Commander-in-Chief, the fate of Xiong Lei¡¯s troops was captured in such a succinct note. Moreover, this note wasn¡¯t sent exclusively to Perbov but was merely a line in an entire report, mixed among many unit numbers, even lacking prominence. In fact, the situation the 311th Skeleton Division encountered was not an isolated incident. It was a widespread condition across planet Yuehe VII.3, with some being blasted apart, some conquered, and some still holding on¡­ Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Not only on this planet but across the twenty or so fortress worlds across the north protruding section of the Menghe Star Domain, constructed by Perbov, almost similar situations prevailed. War was undoubtedly cruel, with soldiers¡¯ lives constantly expended on various planets. It was also Perbov¡¯s first time independently managing such an extensive conflict involving multiple star sectors. He was naturally nervous and uncertain if the decisions he made were correct enough. Only now did he have some confidence that he hadn¡¯t made the wrong choices. Chapter 985 - Chapter 985: Chapter 530: Kick Their Asses_4 Chapter 985: Chapter 530: Kick Their Asses_4 At least no major mistakes were made. They retreated to the three Star Sectors of Zhongbei River, Rear North River, and Mede, where they had built many Fortress Worlds, and even then it was a tough fight, let alone fighting the Furyflame¡¯s main forces proactively in the Star Sectors of Former Beihe or Guyin and Seth. If he had made the wrong choice at that time, there would have been major problems for sure. However, having made the correct decision was one thing, but the current pressure was certainly nothing small. Sitting in the command center, the most frequent message he received was aid requests, aid requests, aid requests. Each division fighting on the front line asked the army group for reinforcements; the army group in turn sought reinforcements from the army group corps. But each army group corps was often responsible for the large-scale defense of a planet, also stretched very thin, constantly requesting more troops from Perbov. What forces did Perbov have left? With only one army group corps at hand, he could only keep splitting it into divisions, trying every way to secretly deploy them to fiercely contested areas, but it was often a drop in the ocean. Moreover, he could not afford to deploy all his reserves at once. The home-grown Pact Army gathered from the south of Menghe Star Domain was relatively large in number, but safe deployment was a big issue, given the lack of naval power. Even if successful, once deployed, the Defense Army stayed at a great disadvantage when actually fighting against the Princess¡¯s Rebel Army. They still could not change the overall battle situation. Perbov also had to coordinate naval forces, even though they were weaker, they couldn¡¯t be totally invisible, nor could they let the enemy navy act recklessly, especially since they had to rely on naval power to protect transport ships, and whenever possible, deploy reinforcements and logistical supplies to the surface of each Fortress Planet¡­ Left and right, Perbov had never endured such pressure in his life. This was different from being trapped in a predicament by himself. Facing front-line combat, he could easily cast everything aside and charge ahead fueled by sheer passion. As long as he was not afraid of death, there might be a chance for survival after putting in the effort. But now, at his current position, he couldn¡¯t do that anymore. He was walking on thin ice; a single order, a single decision, could sway the lives of hundreds of thousands, even millions. This pressure was truly terrifying. But what else could he do? He could only grit his teeth and brace himself. The soldiers and officers on the front lines were holding on, as was he, the commander-in-chief. They could retreat no further. This line of defense was the last lifeline. If breached, it would allow the enemy to march straight in, with nothing left to defend at the rear. Besides, there was a comfort in knowing he might not need to hold on for much longer. He had learned that the last mobilization had been completed on the Alliance¡¯s home front. The massive army personally led by Mr. Gu had already set out. And something even more delightful happened¨C he received a communication request from Yan Fangxu. ¡°This is Perbov.¡± Initially, he struck a reserved posture. On the other end, Yan Fangxu smirked mischievously: ¡°Guess where I am?¡± ¡°Be serious!¡± Perbov sternly said first, then, as if realizing something, he asked: ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already arrived.¡± Yan Fangxu¡¯s smile faded: ¡°Comrade Perbov, you¡¯ve worked hard. The orders for the next steps, let us carry them out together. This time, I¡¯ve brought seven Allied Army Group Corps with me, accompanied by the ¡®Fury Owl¡¯. ¡± Perbov finally breathed a huge sigh of relief. He had thought he would have to hold out until the governor arrived, not expecting reinforcements to arrive beforehand. Seven army group corps, meaning 140 million certified Allied Army Soldiers; The ¡®Fury Owl¡¯ was also the Alliance¡¯s newly completed battle cruiser! With these additions, even Yan Fangxu¡¯s face, which he had always found somewhat unlikable, looked endearing at this moment. Perbov didn¡¯t mind someone with a higher position and rank than himself ¡®seizing power¡¯, he only cared about one thing: Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only ¡°Great! You came just in time! I¡¯ve long been eager to kick their butts!¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Although posted late at night, it¡¯s got 6k words. Still owe 122k. Last month¡¯s writing state was pretty bad, barely maintaining the updates; hoping to recover the state this month and pay off more of the owed words. Chapter 986 - Chapter 986: Chapter 531, First Battle of the Battle Cruiser Chapter 986: Chapter 531, First Battle of the Battle Cruiser The blue and white-painted ¡®Furyflame¡¯, using the brilliant star of Yuehe VII as a backdrop, slowly glided through the void. A series of high-speed drifting space debris was pushed aside by the Void Shield, gradually recharging and returning to its normal color. Those moving slowly were destroyed by an occasional cannon shot, exploding into ashes. The smaller and even slower debris simply brushed past, leaving mere scratches on the armor. This space debris was all created by the ¡®Furyflame¡¯ and its smaller ships over the past five hours. Originally, they belonged to various space vessels, the jewels of the Princess Star Domain. And now, five hours later, they all turned into space debris. The ¡®Furyflame¡¯ traversed this debris field, its long, elegant silhouette of the Sacred Chalice class, flanked by dozens of small ships of various levels, appeared menacing, as if patrolling its battle achievements. This was indeed a swift and fruitful surprise attack. Furyflame was brought by Yan Fangxu. They arrived in the northern Menghe Star Domain ahead of the main force and joined Perbov¡¯s forces, who were desperately resisting the southward assault of Furyflame in the area. Perbov was the frontline Commander, Yan Fangxu was the highest-ranking general of the Alliance Army, and this sortie was given high authority by Gu Hang. The two had the right to judge the situation and decide how to fight the battle. After analyzing the situation in several war-torn Star Sectors, they quickly devised a plan with a naval focus. Being generals from the Alliance Army, they couldn¡¯t themselves develop a complete naval strategy. Their identities now were not merely confined to the army. Although in terms of rank, one was an Army General, the other an Army Admiral, they led a war zone with the identity of Army Generals. Navy Generals under the same war zone had to follow their orders. This was very different from the Empire¡¯s rules. In the Empire, the Star Realm Army and the Imperial Navy are two distinct systems, with no subordinate relationship. Sometimes, the Imperial Navy even refused to carry the Star Realm Army for combat, forcing the Star Realm Army to find alternative ways to ferry troops to the battlefield. Even in better cooperative conditions, it was just cooperation. Since it was cooperation, there was no mandatory order completion. Help if they could, and if unwilling, there wasn¡¯t much the other side could do except argue, but it didn¡¯t resolve the problem. Even if the Empire dispatched a senior general or someone special to oversee as a Theater Commander, whether they could effectively command both the Star Realm Army and the Imperial Navy nominally under them depended on their personal ability and relationship depth. After all, this kind of temporary subordination was not lasting and was quite doubtful in terms of enforcement. These issues, however, did not exist in the Alliance. In the Alliance, there was a clear hierarchical relationship. For a large war zone, once the war zone leader was set, whether from the Navy or the Army, the participating troops transferred under them must unconditionally obey orders. Those violating orders would be dealt with by military law. Political commissars were watching. For a small temporary battlefield, if the war zone commander appointed someone, that person would take charge. If not appointed, the parties would consult; if unresolved, they would report upwards until a superior or Theater Commander was engaged. The war zone commander here, previously Perbov, was now Yan Fangxu on his arrival. The strategic decisions made by the two had to be executed by the Alliance Navy. Of course, it wasn¡¯t that the two Army generals simply charged ahead recklessly. The Command Center had Navy-specialized officers among its staff who would devise the specific operational targets. Once targets were set, the Navy¡¯s captains and staff would develop detailed action plans in line with the Command Center¡¯s goals before reporting back. Once the Command Center approved the action plan, it could be executed. This was a complete process. Of course, unexpected events happened frequently in war, so it wasn¡¯t always possible to complete the entire process. In emergencies, one must adapt spontaneously. As for the present situation, it certainly wasn¡¯t an emergency. After completing the process, the Furyflame¡¯s captain, a Navy Major General, evaluated the situation, participated in the planning, and took personal action. The ¡®Furyflame¡¯ set out with three cruisers, twenty-nine small and medium-sized ships, accompanying a transport fleet. They disguised themselves as part of the transport fleet and faked an exposure of their Star Language information. As they passed through the Star Realm Tunnel of Yuehe VII, the enemy took the bait. A few of the Princess¡¯s destroyers, thinking they had caught their prey, pounced. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Then, they were horrified to see the ¡®Furyflame¡¯s¡¯ long, graceful silhouette. The Princess¡¯s ships, scared out of their wits, turned and fled. But with the prey hooked, the Furyflame¡¯s maiden appearance was entirely unwilling to let go. A typical battleship might not have caught an enemy intent on fleeing. But the high-speed Sacred Chalice-class battlecruiser was certainly not among the clumsy types. Chapter 987 - Chapter 987: Chapter 531, First Battle of the Cruiser_2 Chapter 987: Chapter 531, First Battle of the Cruiser_2 The swift pursuit, precise artillery fire, and oversized artillery¡¯s deadly power against small to medium-sized ships¡­ When these features combine, it means slaughter for the enemy. Five ¡®Doomsday¡¯ light spears, five Wrath of Loyalty, firing in relay, had already made those few rebel destroyers flash with red light, energy shields quickly overloaded; the X-class ¡®Heaven¡¯s Punishment¡¯ light spear could destroy the enemy upon a single hit! The few destroyers that came for the hunt were counter-hunted, and the rebel fleet near the orbit of Yuehe VII.3 also learned of the happenings at the transition point. They were quite shocked at the moment. They had already received information that the Alliance Army had set out. But it was supposed that the main force of the Alliance would take at least two more months to reach the main battlefield in the northern Menghe Star Domain. Yet, there are new ships arriving now? And it¡¯s a Chalice-class, that¡¯s a battlecruiser¡­ In the southward offensive of the Fury Flame Battle Group, there are bigger main force ships. The combat ship of the Fury Flame Battle Group is equivalent to a battleship level; concurrently, a proper Retribution-class Battleship is also participating. But they are not in Yuehe VII. The strongest ships of the rebel fleet in this Star System are only two cruisers. After receiving news of the arrival of Wrath Owl and the loss of several destroyers on their side, the rebel ships slowly moved out of the orbit of Yuehe VII, intending to exit this star system. Staying was purely courting death. Yet, even wanting to run now was already a bit late. Wrath Owl was advancing at full speed, not heading toward Yuehe VII.3 but instead blocking directly at the transition point where the enemy was escaping north. In terms of distance, Wrath Owl was definitely farther, but under a full-speed pursuit, Wrath Owl managed to catch up with the rebel ships before they could transition. The two Lunar-Class Cruisers were too slow. Of course, Wrath Owl, moving at full speed, also effectively abandoned its accompanying ships. Those three Lunar-Class Cruisers definitely couldn¡¯t keep up. Only a few Crazy Shark-class Destroyers, pushing their engines to the max, could barely follow. The enemy ships were clearly quite surprised too. The Chalice-class is indeed rare within the Empire. Battlecruisers themselves are already uncommon, and places capable of building battlecruisers often prefer to grit their teeth a little more and get a proper battleship. And among the rare battlecruisers, the more common ones are the Dragon Serpent-class, the kind constructed on Jindi Star. The Chalice-class is even rarer among battlecruisers. It¡¯s known that battlecruisers are fast, but no one expected the Chalice-class to be the fastest of the fast. The rebel fleet, which failed to escape due to miscalculation, was confused for a moment. Leave ships to cover the retreat, and forcibly transition the other ships? Scatter and run, and whoever gets caught is unlucky? Or¡­ fight head-on? No matter what kind of dilemma they face, when Wrath Owl appeared before them, it was already the moment they had to make a decision. And their choice, it seems, was to fight desperately. It¡¯s an understandable choice too. No matter what level a ship is, it¡¯s ultimately a part of war, a part of the fleet. Battlecruisers are fast and pack a punch, but they also have the drawback of being fragile, just like how battleships have super strong head-to-head combat ability but face issues with inflexibility. A single ship¡¯s shortcoming doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be covered by itself. That cost would be very high. Since it¡¯s fleet action, just fulfill your duty well, leave what you are not good at to other specialized ships. And right now, this Alliance battlecruiser, in order to rapidly pursue, has become disconnected from its fleet, with only a few destroyers following, so it seems not unbeatable. By risking some losses, if they can take down this Alliance battlecruiser, it would be quite a significant achievement! Led by two Lunar-Class Cruisers, over thirty ships assaulted Wrath Owl. Wrath Owl sidestepped its body, not charging directly into the enemy fleet, but skimming past sideways at a certain distance. ¡®Heaven¡¯s Punishment¡¯ light spear fired first, directly annihilating an enemy escort ship. Immediately thereafter, 12 L-class specification heavy artillery, 24 M-class specification cannons, all began firing in succession. The firepower of this one ship was almost equivalent to the entire enemy fleet! The enemy¡¯s two Lunar-Class Cruisers, combined, only had six L-class artillery pieces. Of course, this level of firepower can indeed pose a threat to Wrath Owl. After all, battlecruisers are thin-skinned and cannot withstand much more than standard cruisers. But its extremely high speed and agility cause the enemy¡¯s firepower to miss a lot. Conversely, Lunar-Class Cruisers find it almost impossible to actively evade Wrath Owl¡¯s strikes. Certainly, the combat distance between the two sides is actually quite far, and the hit rate itself would naturally suffer. This naval battle lasted about an hour. The sixth rebel ship destroyed by Wrath Owl was one of the enemy¡¯s two Lunar-Class Cruisers. The other one¡¯s Void Shield had already turned red, as it had been hit by a Heaven¡¯s Punishment earlier on. To this extent, the enemy fleet had already lost their courage entirely. They began to retreat. Not daring to forcibly transition from the jump point, as at that moment the Void Shield, the energy shield would be off, making them sitting ducks before they can complete transition, unsure how much they¡¯d get blown off. They could only scatter in over twenty directions, up, down, left, right, and escape. Wrath Owl, no matter how fast, could only pursue in one direction. So naturally, they picked the biggest one to chase. First, they chased and hunted down the remaining Lunar-Class Cruiser, then turned the ship around to change direction, relying on superior speed and agility, they caught three more ships before the enemy disappeared entirely. Two of them were blasted to pieces by Wrath Owl. The last escort ship chose to surrender. Turning off the energy shields, turning off all weapon systems, letting Wrath Owl¡¯s cannons aim at it. Navy Marine Corps boarded the ship and took control. ¡­ In this naval battle at Yuehe VII, the Alliance won decisively. This was also Wrath Owl¡¯s debut battle, as well as the first battle of the Chalice-class battlecruiser built by the Alliance. Although the intensity of the fight wasn¡¯t high, mostly targeting ¡®small fry¡¯, it demonstrated the character of a battlecruiser: a bully of lesser opponents. If it were a battleship or a battle carrier instead, it wouldn¡¯t have achieved such results, afraid even if they were chased, they¡¯d have all run away. Over twenty enemy ships still disappeared into the vast space of the Star System. Even if the Star Language Tower on the ships kept scanning for signals, it would occasionally catch some information, but soon it would disappear again. Pursuing and hunting based on this information might yield some results. But playing this hide and seek game would undoubtedly be a lengthy process. Wrath Owl didn¡¯t have time for this. Those three Lunar-Class Cruisers that couldn¡¯t keep up went directly to the orbit of Yuehe VII.3 and successfully contacted the ground forces. Under the guidance of ground forces, over twenty Alliance ships conducted a three-day orbital strike on the surface. The Princess¡¯s Rebel Army¡¯s ground forces couldn¡¯t withstand this kind of orbital bombardment at all. The remaining space stations in orbit wouldn¡¯t intercept the bombardment and threat the ships; the orbital cannons they captured after occupying the surface were indeed there, but only a few in number, hardly posing any impact. With the aerospace threat removed, the Alliance Army on the ground became active again. After the orbital bombardment, they swiftly carried out the final cleanup of the enemy¡¯s viable forces. The Alliance Army launched a counterattack on a global scale. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only In this planet, the total number of Alliance Army and Pact Army exceeded fifty million; the Princess¡¯s Rebel Army numbered over seventy million. These seventy million rebels could never be wiped out cleanly in a short time, but their losses must have been significant. Worse yet for them, to avoid orbital bombardment, they had to semi-voluntarily abandon their formations. Once an army breaks formation, the loss of combat effectiveness would be grave. In just three days, the situation on the ground had been completely reversed. Chapter 988 - Chapter 988: Chapter 532, Getting Messy Chapter 988: Chapter 532, Getting Messy The battle situation in Yuehe VII was completely reversed. Before this, over ten million Alliance Army along with forty million Pact Army were resisting the fierce assault of over seventy million Princess¡¯s Rebel Army, while also facing the threat of orbital bombardment from above¡­ the fight was extremely arduous and brutal. And now, they finally turned the tide and took control. A large number of the Princess¡¯s Rebel Army¡¯s forces were bombed to death in these three days; then in the following week, due to their structure being scattered, they suffered strong clearance operations from the Alliance ground forces, resulting in huge losses. In just these ten days or so, over ten million traitors of the Princess Legion died in Yuehe VII. This loss amount is almost equivalent to the losses the Princess Legion suffered while attacking various fortresses across the entire planet in the past three months. If they could have more time, say a year or half a year more, the Alliance might have a chance to execute a large-scale annihilation operation in Yuehe VII, where seventy million Princess¡¯s rebels would all die here. However, that¡¯s not possible. The Fury Flame Battle Group has already reacted. They also cannot accept losing so heavily in Yuehe VII. Seventy million Princess Legion! This is not the Defense Army! This is the legitimate Princess Legion, reformed from the former Battle Group Auxiliary Army! This is the Iron Fury Stone¡¯s core force aside from the Interstellar Warriors, the Princess Legion, this is their Star Realm Army. In the southward Fury Flame Battle Group, the total number of troops amounts to several hundred million, possibly even over a billion. However, even within that, the Princess Legion only accounts for half, at most two to three hundred million. To lose seventy million just like that is unacceptable. Moreover, it¡¯s not that there¡¯s no rescue. The predicament in Yuehe VII was mainly caused by the attackers losing orbital cover. And this was all caused by just one sudden attack from the Raging Owl. Although surprised by the unexpected battlefield dominance displayed by the rare Holy Grail-class battlecruiser, the Fury Flame still has two battleship-class large ships. There are already reports that those two large ships are heading for Yuehe VII. In a direct confrontation, the Raging Owl cannot withstand either of them, let alone two at once. By then, the battle situation on planet Yuehe VII.3 may very well revert to how it was before. Or even worse. But the Alliance does not intend to give up this planet. If they lose Yuehe VII, the other planets won¡¯t have such good defensive conditions. The Alliance Vanguard Command, with its two commanders, believes that Yuehe VII is very likely to become a focal area in the next period of time. Both sides will probably repeatedly contest this place. The massive investment of troops, including naval power, will turn this place into a meat grinder until one side can no longer bear the cost and a result emerges. Thus, this sudden attack on Yuehe VII by the Raging Owl, while boosting morale, does not actually have a particularly substantial impact on the overall situation. However, it still holds significance. The lives of over ten million elite from the Princess Legion, along with taking down two Rose Cruisers, is significant in itself! The war between the Alliance and the Iron Fury Stone is foreseeable to become incredibly expansive in the future. Even these current skirmishes, which can mostly be considered mutual probes and vanguard clashes, involve several Star Sectors and dozens of planets. At this scale, war is no longer about gains and losses of a single city or place, but a comprehensive confrontation of the national strengths of both sides. Both are creating and losing manpower, and the consumption of viable forces is crucial. At this time, eliminating more enemies at a relatively lower cost can ease the pressure when facing future challenges. Moreover, the space created by this victory allows the Alliance to accomplish many things. During these ten days, the navy bombarded the enemies on the surface, and the ground forces cleared active enemy forces, while the Alliance¡¯s logistics troops were not idle either. One after another, large transport ships, carrying scarce supplies, equipment, and personnel for surface troops, descended to the ground, replenishing the forces. If they wait until the enemy¡¯s battleships arrive and lose orbital advantage, it won¡¯t be as convenient to transport supplies inside, as it would involve taking significant risks and losses. Instead of risking transport later, it is better to seize this opportunity to transport as much as possible now. At the same time, some units no longer suitable for continued battle are to be withdrawn during this opportunity. The 5th Army Group and the 311th Skeleton Division are among them. That includes Xiong Lei¡¯s unit. Although they suffered orbital bombardment, he did not die. Even though he didn¡¯t die, his unit was almost entirely wiped out. After the orbital bombardment, among the three divisions stationed in the fortress, possibly only two thousand to five thousand survived. The remaining tens of thousands were almost all killed in the intense bombardments in a few hours or were eliminated by the Princess¡¯s Rebel Army that followed the attack into the fortress. The fortunately surviving Xiong Lei had to flee with the remnants of his troops, and under constant pursuit, only less than a thousand ultimately reached true safety. This is what¡¯s left of a Skeleton Division plus two large infantry divisions after a single battle. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Clearly, this is what is called ¡®being annihilated as a unit.¡¯ To such an extent, Xiong Lei¡¯s unit doesn¡¯t even hold value for personnel replenishment. What he needs is not replenishment. He and the few hundred survivors of his unit boarded a transport ship that had unloaded its cargo and left Yuehe VII in silence. The war here is not over yet, but for Xiong Lei, the war has ended. Chapter 989 - Chapter 989: Chapter 532, Got Messy_2 Chapter 989: Chapter 532, Got Messy_2 Recalling the familiar faces that startled him awake time and again in the dim cabins of the transport ships, he often felt how wonderful it would have been if he had died alongside his brothers on Yuehe VII. That way, he wouldn¡¯t have to endure the current torment. The transport ship sent him to a rear world known as ¡®Ramilo¡¯. Here, it could be considered a large logistics base. A large quantity of war materials and personnel gathered here, ready to board ships and be sent to where the front lines needed them. Instead, those like Xiong Lei, who withdrew from the front lines, were in the minority. Once on the ground, he went into the military hospital, and after staying for two days, a political commissar wearing a red hat found him. ¡°Colonel Xiong Lei?¡± ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Xiong Lei¡¯s voice was deeply somber. He lifted his head, inspecting the person in front of him. It was quite a youthful face, with a vigor unscarred by hardships, exuberantly radiating from his face in a somewhat glaring manner. The insignia of two vertical bars and a star denoted his rank of major. The red trim on his epaulettes signified his status as a political commissar. The red-hatted one saluted, then introduced himself: ¡°I am Zhan Weidong, here by order to assist you in rebuilding the 311th Division of the 5th Army Group!¡± ¡°Rebuilding?¡± Xiong Lei¡¯s gaze was somewhat bewildered, ¡°I thought it would be disbanded.¡± ¡°How could that be?¡± Zhan Weidong said with a smile, ¡°The 311th Division is a unit of merit.¡± ¡°A merit unit that has been completely wiped out, you mean?¡± Zhan Weidong put away his smile and said seriously: ¡°You seem a bit desolate, I can understand the feeling after losing your troops.¡± ¡°What the hell do you know? Fresh off the military academy¡­¡± Before he could finish, Zhan Weidong shouted back in an even louder voice: ¡°It¡¯s even more unbecoming for you to be like this!¡± ¡°Get it together, Colonel Xiong Lei, it¡¯s not just the 311th Division, there are also two other divisions the same way. Heroes sacrificed their lives in the war, their spirit remains with the living.¡± Seeing Xiong Lei remain silent, Zhan Weidong¡¯s tone softened a bit. He spoke about specific tasks: ¡°The army brothers coming from the rear, apart from the seven army groups brought by General Yan, there are also more than thirty million unassigned troops pulled from new recruit camps. Additionally, another thirty million were selected from various Native Defense Forces in the Menghe Star Domain. These reserve troops are to fill the frontline combat units, supplement personnel, and be used for the rebuilding of depleted formations.¡± ¡°I will be your partner.¡± ¡°Although you might miss your previous partner, I trust I can exhibit enough professionalism to earn your satisfaction.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve reviewed your record; I believe you are worthy of being called an Alliance hero. I also hope you can demonstrate enough professionalism. Otherwise, I would regrettably have to report to the higher-ups that you are no longer fit to lead the troops. You wouldn¡¯t want the 311th Division to be commanded by someone else in the future, would you?¡± After a moment of silence, Xiong Lei said: ¡°Are the new political commissars graduating from the Loyal Heir Academy as eloquent as you?¡± ¡°Maybe I am indeed the special one.¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± Xiong Lei let out a long breath, then asked: ¡°How much time do we have?¡± ¡°Five months,¡± Zhan Weidong replied, ¡°The soldiers from the Dragonhawk Star Domain are all coming from Alliance training camps, no need to worry about their level; the locally recruited ones from the Menghe Star Domain, though a bit uneven, have at least been selected from various Planetary Defense Forces, so there¡¯s some level of assurance. Both sides¡¯ personnel will be mixed in a 5:5 ratio to form our new troops. We have five months to reorganize the troops and develop combat capability. After five months, the Command Center could order us back to the battlefield at any time.¡± Xiong Lei smiled wryly: ¡°The ones who¡¯ve had their blood replaced, can it still be called the 311th Division?¡± ¡°That depends on you. I believe, with you here, the spirit of the 311th Division can be passed on.¡± Zhan Weidong said, with the same kind of vivacious smile reappearing on his face. He reached out his hand to Xiong Lei. Xiong Lei gave him a deep look: ¡°I hope your professional level is as strong as your talking level.¡± In his words, he also reached out his hand and clasped firmly with his new political commissar. ¡­ Formations like the 311th Division, units of division and brigade level that were utterly annihilated and devastated, would all be rebuilt in a similar manner. Actually, Xiong Lei¡¯s situation was already considered fortunate. After all, as the division commander, the highest military officer of the unit, he survived the brutal combat. Most divisions requiring rebuilding had in fact lost their commanders. For example, the 077 and 240 divisions that previously fought alongside the 311 Skeleton Division. The highest rank among those who survived was merely a major battalion commander. At this time, the situation of rapid promotion in war reoccurred. That major battalion commander was directly field-promoted to a new rank of lieutenant colonel and, like Xiong Lei, began reorganizing his 077 Division as provisional commander. Another 240 Division without even a regimental-level officer had a lieutenant colonel transferred from another unit to serve as commander and take on the task of rebuilding. Their organizational sequences still belong to the 5th Army Group and will return to the battlefield once reorganization is complete. As Zhan Weidong mentioned, these sixty million reserve troops, and the increasingly numerous reserves arriving with subsequent major forces, will be supplementing understaffed frontline units or entirely rebuilding designations in a similar manner. The Alliance will ensure that the order of battle for each frontline combat unit does not shrink too drastically through this method. Continuous transfusion is the only way to maintain combat effectiveness. ¡­ As for the frontline battle, when two battleships of the Furyflame reached Yuehe VII, the Furyhawk had no choice but to retreat. However, it did not leave the star system, but rather prowled around the outer orbit, eyeing the two vessels larger than itself like a tiger. Relying on the fact that those two battleships couldn¡¯t catch it, the Furyhawk was bold enough to frequently launch attacks. Popping up, firing two shots, then running away before the battleships could react. Alternatively, it would lead raids on the subsequent logistics fleet coming from the warp point to deliver supplies to the ground, forcing one of the two Furyflame¡¯s large ships to shift from providing orbital support to escort duties. Otherwise, without a battleship on site, the Furyhawk¡¯s raids on Furyflame¡¯s transport fleet were nearly guaranteed to succeed. The battlecruiser showcased its function. Its capabilities are hard to ignore. Furyflame¡¯s two battleships were pulled to exhaustion. If it had been an ordinary fast cruiser, the battleships wouldn¡¯t even have glanced at it. But not with a battlecruiser; leave it unchecked, and it could freely stir chaos and even deal a distant ¡®Divine Punishment¡¯ shot which is a significant threat to battleships, given it¡¯s an X-class Light Spear Array, not to be underestimated. Yet going after it couldn¡¯t contain it. The Holy Grail-class ran too fast, slippery as an eel. With its pull, Yuehe VII star system indeed had two enemy battleships, but the orbital threats encountered by the surface Alliance forces were almost the same as before! After all, with supplies just replenished and even having the time to rearrange and strengthen a few orbital cannon fort positions on the planet, there was inherently a robust defensive capability. Conversely, the Princess¡¯s Rebel Army on the ground, though no longer needing to fear bombardment, required time to reorganize the units previously scattered, giving the Alliance troops an opportunity. Seeing Yuehe VII turning into a protracted meat grinder battlefield of mutual attrition, it¡¯s crucial to seize the chance to eliminate some active forces while the enemy¡¯s disorder had yet to conclude. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Eliminating one more enemy now might mean one less of our own dying later. But at this juncture, the Alliance discovered these traitors from the Empire¡¯s north had fled! Large numbers of the Princess¡¯s Rebel Army, after restoring their formations and organization, moved into a region cleared of orbital cannons, boarded transport ships, and evacuated from the ground. The entire evacuation operation lasted a month. The vast majority of the Princess¡¯s Rebel Army withdrew from the surface and, under the escort of battleships, left Yuehe VII. They abandoned this star system. Chapter 990 - Chapter 990: Chapter 533 Chapter 990: Chapter 533 On the flagship of the Fury Flame Battle Group, the battle barge ¡®Fire of Triumph¡¯, an Interstellar Warrior with a bronze lower body and an upper body painted in bright orange, strode forward under the protection of a group of guards, heading straight for the command bridge. The Mortal Auxiliary Army attempted to stop him, but were forcefully pushed aside by his guards. He personally took charge, rudely pushing open the door to the bridge. Wang Mengsong entered with large strides, followed by his guards. The Fury Flame Warriors guarding the bridge had already heard the commotion outside. Even though the ally¡¯s arrival was expected, such a discourteous manner prompted them to place their hands on their weapons. However, it was unlikely to escalate unless the ¡®New World Torch¡¯ warriors intended to make a move. Wang Mengsong didn¡¯t spare a glance at the tense Fury Flame Interstellar Warriors. He was the Battle Group Leader of the ¡®New World Torch¡¯, boasting three hundred years of combat experience and essentially the first of the New World Torch warriors. In reality, their entire warband was relatively young, having been established only three hundred years ago. The military formation action three hundred years ago was named the ¡®Faro Reconstruction¡¯. In the ¡®Faro Reconstruction¡¯, nine new battle groups were established to cope with the ever-growing regional threats in the Faro Domain within the Empire¡¯s Southern Borderlands. After their formation, the nine were urgently dispatched to the Faro Domain to tackle the intermittent rebellions, invasions by two Orc Clans, and the expanding chaos from simultaneous outbreaks on multiple planets. After a century of fierce battles, the situation in the Faro Domain gradually stabilized. The tasks were completed, and it was time to claim their rewards. Logically, these newly established warbands should have settled in the region where they fought. A planet should have been allocated as the Warband¡¯s Homeworld, with a Recruitment World, allowing the warband to securely guard a region. However, the Faro Domain already had seven warbands, and all nine newly arrived ones couldn¡¯t be settled down. Naturally, this ¡®impossible¡¯ wasn¡¯t due to the lack of worlds. Indeed, a domain under one jurisdiction usually holds from a few thousand to upwards of ten thousand worlds. Allocating nine worlds to arrange for these warbands, is that a difficult task? It actually was a difficult task. Allocating nine worlds isn¡¯t difficult in itself. Even though the allocation does result in the loss of the Imperial Tax revenue from these worlds, it¡¯s acceptable when compared to the massive scale of the entire domain. Moreover, there¡¯s no necessity for the allocated worlds to be particularly developed or wealthy planets. Many renowned Interstellar Warrior Battle Groups have homeworlds that are quite barren, and whose environmental conditions are considered harsh and brutal. Yet, this can be beneficial. The people honed in harsh and brutal natural environments tend to be more spiritually resilient, physically robust, and culturally aligned with the needs of their battle group. Regarding impoverished planets without sufficient material wealth foundations¡­ for many battle groups, this isn¡¯t an issue. Maintaining and developing a battle group certainly requires a significant amount of wealth, but who says it must come from the homeworld? Furthermore, typically, a battle group comprising a thousand Interstellar Warriors, a substantial Auxiliary Army, and a Battle Group Fleet cannot be supplied with the financial resources of just a single planet. Every battle group has its own means to meet these wealth demands. Working for the Sect of Mechanics, some work for the National Church, some work for the high lords on Holy Terra, work for the Tribunal, or for particularly powerful Empire Commerce Guilds¡­ This can be termed as the ¡®working faction¡¯. The various ¡®working¡¯ situations are quite different. Some are independent, or purely collaborative, with consistent interests; while others are purely employment relationships, doing what¡¯s paid for; and some are heavily dependent, though rare, but not nonexistent. Some warbands rely on waging war to sustain themselves. This is more common among ship-based warbands, lacking a fixed domain, relying mainly on wartime loot to sustain and even expand their warband. They often respond to calls from various Empire forces, planets, star sectors, and star domains, participating in various battles and collecting their loot, along with rewards. The most famous among this category is the Black Cross Legion. Regardless, these two categories of warbands are relatively few. Among Interstellar Warrior Battle Groups, the most numerous have territories. They leverage their homeworld as a core, extending their influence over the surrounding star domain or even across star domains. The exalted status, identity, and powerful combat ability of Interstellar Warriors indeed allow their influence to expand to such extents. While ensuring a region¡¯s peace, each world in the region more or less contributes to the warband¡­ under various names, but essentially it¡¯s tribute. Only on a star domain level can a fully-fledged warband be sustained. The conflict within the Faro Starfield back then lay here. The New World Torch and the other eight newly established warbands urgently needed rest and recuperation after the war. They had completed their warband¡¯s inaugural war, earned some reputation, and achieved accomplishments. Next was rest, recuperation, and warband development. However, the Faro Starfield had been divided up; the remaining territory could barely accommodate one or two more warbands; accommodating more meant everyone would struggle to sustain themselves. Who doesn¡¯t need rest and development? The New World Torch indeed secured a Recruitment Planet due to merit, but firstly, it was merely an ordinary planet, unable to sustain them, and secondly, they couldn¡¯t expand their influence like a normal warband, as two other forces crowded the same star domain. After some competition, the New World Torch became a loser. At that time, despite reaching a manpower around seven hundred, their Auxiliary Army was weak, they had few battleships, lacked a battle barge, and their flagship was merely a Strike Cruiser, heavily damaged in the war. They didn¡¯t even have money to repair their ship! Meanwhile, the warband frequently had to respond to summons, engaging in battles everywhere. Most often, the war spoils balanced the expenses and even left a surplus, but just one unprofitable war resulting in more casualties or insufficient loot would break the fragile cycle. During the seventy years after acquiring a homeworld, the New World Torch struggled constantly. Their numbers slowly dwindled, and overall strength became increasingly frail. Certainly, they didn¡¯t face a crisis that would annihilate the entire warband instantly, but the chronic attrition and impending destruction, coupled with helplessness, was truly distressing. Moreover, friction and entanglements with various local forces within the star domain, like the Star Domain Government and nearby warbands, left them mentally exhausted. Under such circumstances, Wang Mengsong received an invitation from Humphrey Paolo one hundred twenty years ago. After some clandestine negotiations, Wang Mengsong made a decision: relocation! Relocation isn¡¯t simply up to a warband¡¯s will. The Recruitment World had been designated, how could it easily be changed? But one hundred twenty years ago, Humphrey Paolo assured them it was possible. A star system in the Spiderweb Domain could be provided for their stationing, entirely devoid of Interstellar Warrior presence. He invited Wang Mengsong over and assured him that the change of Recruitment Planet could soon be arranged. Wang Mengsong trusted Humphrey Paolo¡¯s assurance. Ultimately, Paulo succeeded in accomplishing this task. When they declared their intention to relocate, the Central Empire initially reprimanded them in writing; however, soon after, the Central Empire¡¯s stance shifted. They silently designated a planet in the star domain specified by Humphrey Paolo as their new Recruitment World. From then on, the New World Torch naturally thrived in peace and contentment. Soon after, the Great Bougainvillea Rebellion occurred. Wang Mengsong hesitated initially. Should they side with Iron Armor? It¡¯s hard to remain aloof after receiving benefits from Humphrey Paolo; they couldn¡¯t just ignore the situation. But, getting involved seemed unwise. The New World Torch had just relocated and settled, the warband hadn¡¯t even had time to amass wealth, and now they were expected to first fight for Iron Armor and potentially offend the Central Empire? Although, Wang Mengsong harbored no favorable opinion of the Central Empire. Humphrey Paolo kindly informed them to stay put and remain as they were. Then, Wang Mengsong witnessed the Great Bougainvillea Rebellion being effortlessly resolved. Three warbands met a tragic fate, as Iron Armor, along with Fury Flame and Bedrock Shield, experienced a century of rapid development. Throughout, Wang Mengsong felt uneasy yet envious of the Iron-Fury-Shield trio. Unease stemmed from their actions seeming¡­ somewhat disloyal? Yet envy arose from observing, even without knowing details, the palpable strengthening of those three warbands¡¯ capabilities. Not only did they hold a firm grip over the Princess Star Domain, but they also continuously siphoned resources from the Empire. The substantial income bolstered their capabilities; with enhanced strength, they not only managed the persistent Void Insect Species threats within the Princess Star Domain but also expanded their influence across many adjacent star domains, even reaching the southern Eastern Cosmos Domain. In secrecy, he too commenced some¡­ non-compliant actions. For instance, exceeding the prescribed limit of the warband¡¯s numbers; or concealing income and controlling star sector governments on some planets heavily under their sway, underreporting taxes¡­ He considered his actions minor compared to Iron-Fury-Shield, merely small maneuvers. However, he was ultimately discovered and received a serious warning from the Central Empire. This prompted him to retract his overreaching ambitions. Simultaneously, it deepened his dissatisfaction and even resentment towards the Central Empire. He began more closely aligning with Iron-Fury-Shield in private, aiming to become ¡®Iron-Fury-Shield Torch¡¯. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Humphrey Paolo, a long-standing friend, welcomed this, but expressed hopes for the New World Torch to first wait. Resource support could be provided upfront, but the New World Torch didn¡¯t need to immediately take a clear stance in favor of Iron-Fury-Shield, they should continue to remain quiet. This waiting period extended until Iron-Fury-Shield officially raised the flag of rebellion. NNaturally, as the Interstellar Warrior Battle Group situated locally in the Spiderweb Domain, the New World Torch merged with the Heretic Tribunal, forming a suppressive force, participating in the restraint of Iron-Fury-Shield. Subsequently, naturally, they turned traitor, delivering a backstab, entrapping an entire Loyalist Warband, tens of thousands of combat-ready Battle Nuns of the Blood Rose Sorority, and many elite members of the Heretic Tribunal, all on the battlefield of Tianyuan VI. Upon rendering significant contributions, the New World Torch officially became a part of Iron-Fury-Shield. Chapter 991 - Chapter 991: Chapter 534, Give Me an Explanation Chapter 991: Chapter 534, Give Me an Explanation The New World Torch Station has been very proactive since siding with Iron Fury. During the battle of Tianyuan VI, they betrayed as traitors. This is not exactly a glorious affair. The Empire has scorned them as despicable and shameless, without any sense of honor, and even within their own camp, there were many criticisms and secret mockeries. No one likes a traitor, even if they defect to your side. Interests are one thing, and moral stains another; the two do not conflict. Even within the New World Torch Battle Group, there are some voices. Some warriors, unable to bear the mental torment, defected in squad-size groups, trying to return to the Empire. The fate of these people¡­ was rather tragic. Some were intercepted by Wang Mengsong himself and secretly executed on the spot; others managed to flee back to the Empire, only to be arrested, detained, and tried by the Heretic Tribunal. The atmosphere within the whole battle group took a nosedive. In such circumstances, Wang Mengsong neither would nor dared stop the battle group. He began actively participating in Iron Fury¡¯s operations within the Spiderweb Domain, leading his group to one battlefield after another at a high frequency. The fatigue of war left the warriors within the group no time to think about other matters; the undeniable war results quelled many rumors within their own camp. Victory can cover many problems. The premise is that the momentum of victory cannot be interrupted. But actually, there¡¯s nothing much to worry about. Over the past four years, the Iron Fury family has been winning continuously. Small setbacks in the middle couldn¡¯t alter the overall trend of victory. Even if there is the Phoenix in the west and the Black Cross Army with the Bat Corps and Infinite Corps in the north, what does it matter? When needed, they are firmly blocked; when needed, they are countered. In Wang Mengsong¡¯s view, the southern battlefield was the same. Even though the Fury Flame Battle Group suffered a major loss in the Dragonhawk Star Domain in the south. But Wang Mengsong believed this was mainly because the Fury Flame Battle Group didn¡¯t adequately gather intelligence on the Phoenix Battle Group and recklessly stepped into a trap. He admitted it was indeed surprising that the Phoenix Battle Group had so many experts. However, the Phoenix¡¯s overall strength is evident, totaling a thousand people; they are a loyalist warband and have no special permits that allow them to exceed this limit. They even don¡¯t have a battle group fleet yet. Their navy strength relies on the so-called Alliance, and their army also relies on the Alliance army. Although the intelligence also mentioned that the Alliance¡¯s army is quite capable, even if viewed as on par with the Princess Legion, that¡¯s all there is to it. In terms of scale, the gap between the two sides is significant. Now, Iron Fury¡¯s enterprise has spread across the entire Spiderweb Domain. The power of an entire domain can be harnessed for my purpose, while the southern Alliance is merely based on a single star domain; what¡¯s there to fear? With this belief, when he received the order to join forces with the Fury Flame Battle Group and advance southwards to deal with the Alliance, he was full of confidence. Fury Flame had almost deployed their entire force; though four years ago they suffered huge losses in the Dragonhawk Star Domain, losing many high-ranking, elite, and core personnel, their overall strength still remained: nearly three thousand interstellar warriors and the Fury Fleet, a formidable force not to be underestimated. In addition to their own New World Torch, which has fifteen hundred men, and their fleet and auxiliary army. After their combined southward advance, they should at least proceed smoothly, if not like a hot knife through butter. But reality struck Wang Mengsong hard. In the northern part of the Menghe Star Domain, the Alliance¡¯s vanguard was stationed here, fortifying the surrounding planets into fortresses, posing significant obstacles to their advance. The Alliance managed the area well, with wise and resilient strategies. Their strategy, typically excelling at engaging in a decisive battle to swiftly intimidate an entire star sector¡¯s enemy into submission and losing the will to resist, failed here. The Alliance¡¯s soldiers were like nails, rooted in those heavily fortified worlds. To advance, each target had to be tackled one by one. Even if in some star systems, the Alliance¡¯s fleet had long been driven away, leaving the army on the ground without orbital control or external supplies, they stubbornly resisted on the surface, their morale terrifyingly tenacious. What¡¯s the point? We¡¯re not aliens or Chaos cultists, so why not surrender? Despite this, Wang Mengsong actually didn¡¯t feel that the situation would change drastically. They possess absolute strength; even though the enemy¡¯s will to resist is more stubborn than anticipated, as long as they dare to commit and are willing to invest, the ultimate victory must still be theirs. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Therefore, Wang Mengsong consistently advocated for the warriors of the Fury Flame and New World Torch to be deployed en masse and intensely into frontline battles. Those hard-to-crack tough nuts needed to be relentlessly tackled one by one, ensuring that the overall war situation could advance rapidly. However, the commander-in-chief of this southern campaign was not him. The leader of the Fury Flame Battle Group, Adler Politos, was. Within the command structure, he had to follow Adler Politos¡¯s orders. But obeying orders doesn¡¯t mean that he, Wang Mengsong, as a distinguished battle group leader, couldn¡¯t offer suggestions. Chapter 992 - Chapter 992: Chapter 534, Give Me an Explanation_2 Chapter 992: Chapter 534, Give Me an Explanation_2 He had many disputes with Adler Politos over specific tactical strategies. However, he was unable to sway Politos¡¯ decision. Ironfury also reformed the military structure under its rule. The indigenous Imperial model of independent forces did not work in the Spiderweb Domain. Humphrey Paolo established a complete and unified military structure using both soft and hard approaches. Despite Wang Mengsong¡¯s dissatisfaction, he could only hold back. Then, he watched as his own legion spent time on these Fortress Worlds in the Northern Menghe Star Domain. Indeed, the Interstellar Warriors, as the most core and valuable force, were invested minimally, resulting in minimal losses. The Princess Legion, and even the recruited ordinary Defense Army, showed quite significant effectiveness. They clearly suppressed the momentum of the Alliance Vanguard Army, and were removing one thorn after another. Although slow, the momentum was stable. If things continued this way, Wang Mengsong could endure it. However, after he and Politos, with two battleships, drove away the newly arrived enemy battlecruiser reinforcements at Yuehe VII and regained control of the planetary orbit, Politos ordered the troops to withdraw from Yuehe VII! What was more critical was that such an important decision was made by Politos without any consultation with him! This was absolutely intolerable for him! It was for this reason that he rushed, with full force, to the flagship of the Fury Flame Battle Group, the ¡®Fire of Triumph¡¯ battle barge. He needed an explanation. ¡°Why retreat?¡± Wang Mengsong strode into the bridge area, his first words were a direct question: ¡°We sacrificed so much at Yuehe VII, millions of casualties over the past few months, plus naval losses, so much investment, why give up just like that?¡± After finishing, he emphasized again: ¡°At least fifteen of you Fury Flames died in there, and I lost five warriors too!¡± Adler Politos¡¯ gaze turned from the star map to Wang Mengsong: ¡°Just execute the decision.¡± Wang Mengsong calmed down. ¡°Are you speaking to me in your capacity as the South Front Commander?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Wang Mengsong let out a cold laugh. The two then fell into silence. Wang Mengsong spoke again: ¡°You are the commander, it¡¯s your call, but that¡¯s definitely no excuse for making such a mistake freely! Nor should you have made such a decision without consulting me!¡± ¡°Consultation? Does consulting you have any meaning?¡± Politos countered, ¡°I¡¯ve explained my intentions to you countless times, but each time it just resulted in arguments.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re cowardly!¡± Wang Mengsong raised his voice: ¡°Four years ago your Fury Flame Battle Group had its spine broken on Dragonhawk Star, right? Now you¡¯re soft like a puddle of mush! If you¡¯d listened to me earlier, we could have flattened this mire a long time ago!¡± Hit at the most painful moment in the battle group¡¯s history, Adler Politos¡¯ gaze went cold immediately. ¡°And sacrifice countless warriors in a totally non-essential region, right? I¡¯m not like you, needing to use the sacrifice of my people to wash away the guilt of betraying allied forces.¡± This sentence also pierced through Wang Mengsong¡¯s defense. The two of them, using each other¡¯s sore spots, tore each other¡¯s lungs out. On edge, it wasn¡¯t just the two of them, it also included the warriors on both sides. The Glory Guards of both Battle Group Leaders had already drawn their weapons. Given this situation, it was like a minor disagreement could lead to an internal conflict on their own ships. But fortunately, the leaders of both sides still retained their rationality. Without an apology, Adler Politos still gave Wang Mengsong an explanation: ¡°Our strength isn¡¯t enough to counter the Alliance¡¯s main forces. The strategy to capture the North Meng River defensive line has failed, we must now contract our line.¡± ¡°The failure to capture the North Meng River defensive line is all due to your cowardly strategy earlier!¡± ¡°If we sacrifice too much strength at the North Meng River, once the Alliance¡¯s main forces arrive, whatever we¡¯ve taken will have to be spat back out, and we won¡¯t even be able to retreat to Proudclaw!¡± ¡°If we¡¯d struck earlier, we could leverage the North Meng River defensive line against the Alliance¡¯s main forces!¡± ¡°All shifting to a defensive stance, why sacrifice so much living force to guard a broken line? Retreating to Proudclaw, using the lines we¡¯ve built over several years to defend, the forces would be more abundant!¡± ¡°How long do we have to defend then?¡± ¡°Until the Regent King sends reinforcements.¡± Their speech was rapid, the atmosphere still far from calm, still arguing with each other. But at least they tacitly avoided mentioning each other¡¯s black history, sticking to the topic. At this point, Politos was finally unwilling to be entangled with Wang Mengsong anymore. Without waiting for the New World¡¯s Torch Battle Group Leader to speak again, he firmly ended the topic: ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that, Battle Group Leader Wang Mengsong, I don¡¯t want to explain these already overly explained strategies to you anymore. I am the overall in charge of the southern front, I¡¯ve made my decision on this matter, please execute the order. Even if you have any objections, keep them to yourself.¡± ¡°I will raise objections with the Regent King, just wait for your command to be dismissed!¡± ¡°Try if you can.¡± The ¡®Regent King¡¯ mentioned by them was Humphrey Paolo. Last year, this Battle Group Leader of the Iron Armor Battle Group gave himself such a title, claiming to be the one carrying out the Emperor¡¯s command to punish the disobedient on Holy Terra. This stirred even greater turmoil across the Empire. This would clearly place even greater external pressure on their revolutionary group. But since they had already risen, adding such a description didn¡¯t make much difference. Simultaneously, having this title internally allowed for better consolidating forces. In subsequent wars, it also forced some planets and groups that had suffered losses to join their side. Humphrey Paolo¡¯s prestige among rebellious forces in the Spiderweb Domain rose once again. As for resolving the schism between the two Interstellar Warrior Battle Group Leaders on the southern front once and for all, only this ¡®Regent King¡¯ had the capability. But for now, since Adler Politos was the overall in charge of the southern front, the battlefield situations would still proceed according to his will. After the two parted on bad terms, a large-scale withdrawal was being carried out on Yuehe VII and across this entire frontline, on dozens of engaged planets, according to Politos¡¯ orders. ¡­ ¡°They ran.¡± A month later, arriving with the Alliance Main Fleet at the North Meng River, Gu Hang sighed. ¡°The Governor¡¯s renown is known by all. As soon as you arrived, those traitors fled like dogs with their tails between their legs, gone without a trace!¡± Perbov laughed, not in the usual manner towards subordinates. Yan Fangxu, beside him, cleared his throat lightly and directly reported the situation: ¡°We also attempted to pursue, but it wasn¡¯t very effective. Their two battleship-class vessels guarded the retreating ships closely. To be safe, we didn¡¯t risk launching particularly aggressive pursuits.¡± ¡°A prudent choice.¡± Gu Hang acknowledged. Read latest Chapters at WuxiaWorld.Site Only Yan Fangxu continued, ¡°Our forces have already set out, aiming to reclaim the entire northern Menghe Star Domain. The enemy has completely withdrawn from this area, leaving behind very sparse resistance. However, according to reconnaissance, the enemy still holds a final stronghold in the Menghe Star Domain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Shangdong Star. This planet serves as a key passage between the Menghe Star Domain and the Proudclaw Star Domain. From here, one jump can reach Proudclaw Star Domain ¨C Guangtai Sector ¨C Guangfeng Star.¡± ¡°They have set up extremely strong defenses on Shangdong Star and Guangfeng Star.¡± Gu Hang asked, ¡°So now, is it our turn to bite at the opponent¡¯s line of defense?¡± Yan Fangxu looked grim, ¡°I¡¯m afraid so.¡±