Chapter 2487 - 454 - 564

Chapter 454: City Of Zerg

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Wang Tong nudged Tee's elbow and reminded her to avoid unnecessary attention.

"Hi, we are the workers on the Ark, restocking our supplies." Wang Tong announced to the armed police as he took out worker ID.

The police turned on the skynet and compared the ID with his screen as a smile crept onto his face. Tee knew that the police had recognized Wang Tong, the champion of the tournament.

"Ah...Mr. Wang Tong, please feel free to explore our city." The police handed Wang Tong's ID card back ingratiatingly.

As Wang Tong reached out his hand, the police's finger grazed Wang Tong's palm. Suddenly, Wang Tong felt something was odd about this policeman. But a half second later, the thought was gone.

After the policeman walked away, both Wang Tong and Tee heaved a sigh of relief.

The near escape had ruined Tee's day, so she plodded back to the maglev and was ready to head straight back to the dock. Suddenly, Wang Tong's face blackened as realization dawned upon him.

Tee noticed Wang Tong's overwrought face, so she asked, "You don't like this place either, do you?"

"Tee, how long are we going to stay here?"

"We have to wait for the meeting to finish, so I would say at least three days. Why? You want to sneak off the ship again?"

"What meeting?"

"Do you really think we are here to restock supply? Samantha is in the meeting with the mayor of the city right now to discuss very important political issues. You can save the effort of worrying about the details since it's way beyond our pay-grade."

"STOP!" Wang Tong suddenly shouted out.

Tee pressed on the break out of instinct, bringing the car to a jarring halt. "Wang Tong, what the hell is going on? Stop yelling like this!"

"Tee, something is not right...not right..."

"What are you mumbling!"

"I'm talking about that policeman. He is not a human!"

Wang Tong's words disheveled Tee at first, and then she was amused with the foolishness setting in. "Haha! Are you kidding me? I agree that these space dwellers are kinda weird, but they are not aliens?"

"No, I am serious. I have used the soul -scan on him unconsciously while our hands touched. He is not a human! "

"Soul-scan? You mean—"

"Yes, the same ability I use to diagnose problems in the METAL suits. I had been using it on everything lately, and I can tell a human from a non-human based on their soul energy imprints."

"Maybe he is a cyborg. It's pretty common nowadays." Tee said. She had never seen Wang Tong being so stressed out before.

Wang Tong didn't answer. His mind raced as he suddenly remembered that he had seen a similar soul energy before. It was during the tournament, on the Zerg-human hybrid. "I think he is likely another hybrid." Wang Tong announced.

The hybrid monster had been the focus of the public's attention for a while. However, since Patroclus eliminated it before it could do any real damage, so people quickly forgot about the incident. The origin of the hybrid still escaped the public; some believed that it was a new mutation of the Zerg while others thought that a faction within the Confederation had created the monster.

Tee's brows furrowed as the significance of the discovery setting in. If it really were the Zerg behind the birth of the hybrid monster, they should have already infested the entire city.

"It's serious. We need to head back and report to Kaost."

"I will stay behind. I think Samantha will need my help." Wang Tong said. He reckoned that it was better for him to stay in the city, because not only would Samantha need his help, he also ran the risk of being grounded on the ship.

The more Wang Tong thought about it, the clearer it was to him that Samantha had walked into a trap.

The sense of urgency spurred Wang Tong to storm toward the city before Tee could say anything, leaving the latter no choice but to head back to the dock by herself. Truth be told, Tee was not entirely sold on Wang Tong's suspicion. If Wang Tong were not the heir of the Blade Warrior, she might have ridiculed his claim. If Wang Tong were right, Tee thought, the Zerg's real goal might be sabotaging the Ark expedition!

With many doubts and questions, Tee turned on skynet and tried to connect to the Ark, but a strong disturbance made it impossible. Was it just coincidence that the skynet was offline at this moment?

Tee's soldier's instinct was tingling: something was not right. She got in the maglev and drove as fast as she could to the Ark. The Ark's expedition would determine the future of mankind, so it could not afford to be sabotaged.

Wang Tong soon realized that he was further away from the city than he had thought. It didn't take long before he stole a maglev. He was racing against time, so he didn't have any other options.

While driving, Wang Tong turned on his skynet and tried to contact Samantha, but his signal was blocked by the same disturbance that prevented Tee's communication. Wang Tong didn't even think of checking the situation back on the Ark; he trusted that Kaost, being an experienced commander, would be able to handle any crisis.

When Wang Tong was close enough to the city to discern the outline of the buildings, he gave up the maglev and started running on foot, as he didn't want to get pulled over for driving a stolen vehicle. Nothing seemed suspicious in the city, so Wang Tong figured that the Zerg had not made a move against Samantha yet.

Meanwhile, inside the city, Patroclus and the group of young girls walked out of the mayor's residence and arrived at the mayor's private garden. Despite the annoying chattering of the girls and their even more annoyingly vacuous questions, Patroclus enjoyed the beautiful scenery in the garden.

"Patroclus, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yea, we all want to know!"

Patroclus gave the girls a faint smile and then said calmly, "Is that really the best question you can ask me, Miss Zerg?"

Silence fell into the garden as the chattering girls were shocked by Patroclus's remark. The daughter of the mayor finally broke the silence, "Is that how you talk to a girl on the Moon?"

Patroclus stretched his arms and took a large gulp of air. "What do you think?"

Silence fell again; this time, even the mayor's daughter kept her silence. Some pretty faces behind Patroclus had already revealed some of their grotesque nature.

Patroclus about turned and saw the shifting bones on the girls' faces; he was not surprised.

"Your kind's mutating ability is marvelous. What is the name of this new breed? Paradise-Zerg? Are you really that desperate to become human?" Patroclus said as he scanned the girls in front of him curiously like inspecting lab mice.

Suddenly, all girls dispersed away from the crowd and formed a circle around Patroclus. The mayor's daughter still faced Patroclus, her eyes dead-locked on him.

"Impressive! How did you know we are not human?"

"Hehe, why should I tell you? And what is the meaning of this? No one in this city can stop me, much less you!" Patroclus announced. The temperature in the garden seemed to have suddenly dropped a few degrees.

Yalansili, the mayor's daughter, knew Patroclus was telling the truth, as she was well aware of Patroclus's strength.

"My dear prince, we are not here to stop you. We only wish you could listen to what we have to say."

Patroclus nodded. "Luckily you still have some wits about you. Are you talking to me as the paradise inside of you or Yalansili?"

Yalansili studied Patroclus for a while, and then she gave him an alluring smile. "Haha! of course, I'm talking to you as Yalansili. We had served our god right, and therefore, we were granted everlasting bodies. We are neither human nor Zerg, but the ultimate form of evolution." Yalansili said as pride and conviction burned in her eyes. Patroclus knew that she was telling the truth, and was not under any mind control effects.

Chapter 455: Patroclus' Loyalty

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Patroclus remained calm and asked, "Who is in charge here?"

"That will be my father. However, if you have anything to say, you can tell me as well."

"Hehe. I am not talking about Carmen; he is nothing but a pawn. I want to see the Zerg who is behind all this. I know he is after the Ark and me, so here I am. Lead me to him!"

Patroclus stood with an unswerving conviction on his face. His words were laced with contempt toward the humanoid Zergs.

The sneer on Yalansili's face evaporated like a drop of water under the desert sun. She loathed the Ivantian Prince for calling her and her father 'pawns'. She believed that with the new body and abilities, they would eventually become the masters of both human and Zergs.

With her face knotted, Yalansili opened her mouth to refute Patroclus's comment. But suddenly, the anger disappeared from her face like an actress coming out of her role. She said with a newfound pleasant voice, "Mr. Patroclus, our master is expecting you."

Patroclus smiled faintly and followed Yalansili down the path.

…

"Move, MOVE!" Tee stormed toward the captain's office while shouting at the people in her way.

"What's the matter?" Kaost was amused by Tee's usual manner of hustle and bustle; she didn't change a bit even after joining the maintenance crew.

"Boss, it's big! The Zergs are going to take over Luolan!"

"Oh? I'm listening."

After hearing Tee's report about her encounter with the policeman, Kaost laughed and then said, "That's it? There is no evidence but Wang Tong's conjecture!"

Tee paused for a second as she conceded that Kaost's words had some truth in it, but not all of it. "Captain, I trust Wang Tong. He would never make a joke out of something serious as this. Plus, my communication through skynet was hijacked as well. This couldn't be a coincidence."

"Hehe, I am aware of those disruptions to the signals, and Luolan has already checked their system. By the way, where is Wang Tong now?"

"He stayed in the city..."Tee spoke under her breath.

"Who authorized it? I entrusted him to you, so how could you let him leave your sight! Call him back right now. Otherwise, you will have to face discipline!" Anger suddenly burst out from Kaost's eyes as he scolded Tee.

"Yes, Captain!" Tee turned around and walked out of the office.

"Wait! What's your plan?" Kaost asked.

"I am going to get back to the city and find him."

Kaost paused and pondered for a moment, then said, "Never mind. Just stay here on the ship and stay out of this!"

Tee left captain's office with many questions in her mind. She was not convinced that everything was under control. Kaost's sudden outburst, for one, had raised her suspicion. Why would he get so riled up for Wang Tong's safety while he claimed that there was no danger at all?

Even Tee knew that dealing with the space city was no better than playing with fire. The relationship between the confederation and the space city was intense as they already were, and any unnecessary strain would unleash the resentment built up over time.

Inside the mayor's residence, the dinner party was already over, and Carmen's butlers lead the Ark representatives into the guest rooms to rest. Jansining stood outside Samantha's room to protect her from any unwelcomed visitors.

It was dark when Wang Tong finally reached the mayor's residence. After he sneaked past the guard at the entrance, he channeled out his soul energy and probed the enormous palace, quickly locating Samantha. Wang Tong also located Carmen's room. Fearing that Carmen would notice his probing, Wang Tong didn't get too close to him. However, from a distance, Carmen's soul energy resembled that of a human instead of a Zerg. Although Wang Tong suspected that Carmen had been corrupted, he did not have any evidence yet. Carmen was high profile personnel; Wang Tong would rather deal with him by himself instead of with Kaost's support. He had learned that the world was not entirely black and white, and the involvement of Kaost and his crew would only make things more complicated.

Wang Tong slunk in the shadows like a phantom until he reached the entrance to Samantha's room. He felt lighthearted after he saw it was Jansining guarding the door. Wang Tong straightened his back and walked out of shadow towards Jansining.

"Wang Tong, why are you here?"

"It's a long story. I need to see Samantha. I suspect that the Zergs are onto something in the city."

The mentioning of Zergs drained all color from Jansining face, so he hurried to a side and said, "Ok, go right ahead!"

"Be careful, Jansining. They are trying to bring the battle into the city. Don't let that happen. Once we are on the ship, we should be safe. The forces in the space city are no match against the Ark."

"Roger that!"

Wang Tong's appearance broke Samantha's reverie.

"Saman—Principal..." Wang Tong realized that it was no longer fitting to call her by name.

"Wang Tong!" Samantha quickly gathered herself.

"Something is going on here, and the Zergs are behind it." Wang Tong got right down to the business.

"Are you sure?" Samantha asked.

"Not 100%, but I can feel something was off. If I could meet Carmen, I might have a better idea."

After Wang Tong briefed Samantha about his encounter with the Zerg-in-disguise-policeman, Samantha's hair stood on their ends. If the Zergs indeed had found a way to corrupt a human host, the entire city might have already been infested.

But, what were the Zergs after?

The next day, Samantha brought Wang Tong to Carmen, who was overly excited to see the heir of the Blade Warrior.

"Wang Tong, on behalf of the citizens of Luolan, I welcome you. You must know that the people of Luolan adored the Blade Warrior." Carmen said with an ingratiating voice.

"Thank you, mayor. It is my honor to be able to visit the city of Luolan." Wang Tong said as he bowed to the mayor. As he did so, he signaled to Samantha that he had completed the soul scan. And surprise surprise, Carmen was a humanoid-Zerg. Unknown to Wang Tong, Carmen had noticed his gestures, but he maintained his seemingly servile smile.

"Where is Patroclus?" Finally, Samantha realized that the Ivantian was missing.

"Oh, principal Samantha, I haven't got a chance to tell you the good news yet. You see, the Ivantian Prince had taken a liking on one of our girls in the city. He insisted on hanging out with her today. I think...hehe… they like each other."

"Ah, that's good news indeed. However, as part of the team, he has to fulfill his duty. If you see him somewhere, please tell him to come back to the ship as soon as possible."

"Oh-no... please principal Samantha, we can't separate the young lovers. That's just cruel." The mayor said in a forced voice that sounded like whimpering. If he was acting, he had over-done it. "It is such an honor to have Wang Tong here. We must show him around the city!" The mayor quickly changed the topic.

"Maybe...another time. We have a lot of things to do."

"No, no, no... Just leave those trivial things to my servants." Carmen said with a broad smile on his face.

Chapter 456: The Beginning Of The End

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

"Mayor Carmen, we are here on a very important mission. I hope you will corporate. " Dark clouds gathered on Samantha's face as she spoke.

"You humans are no fun. I thought I could play with you guys a bit longer."

Samantha and Wang Tong heard clacking noises and realized that the gates of the halls were all shut; they were trapped.

"This is mutiny!" A few words tumbled out from Samantha's clenched jaws.

"Congratulations Wang Tong, you have seen through our covers. But what are you going to do now? Oh right...you are still injured...Aw...how sad!"

Carmen waved a hand, and a few dozen soldiers swarmed into the meeting room, surrounding the visitors.

Carmen linked his hand behind his back and watched his plan unfold. "Haha, resistance is futile! All your bases belong to us! "

"Carmen, what is the meaning of this?" Samantha gathered herself and tried to reason with Carmen. Meanwhile, she readied herself for a tough fight.

"Haha, well, I guess there is no need to keep the facade anymore. But, I think you know who we are and what we want."

"So it's true. You have sold your soul to the Zergs. You are working for cockroaches!"

"NO! We work for no one but ourselves. But thanks to the Zergs, we have gained a new body. It is a gift that you can never dream of. You stinky planet dwellers never cared about us, so don't judge us. You have no idea what it was like!" Carmen's voice was filled with contempt and indignation. In the eyes of the confederation, people in the space city were second-class citizens. They wandered around from city to city, and never had a place to call home. Without a home, they were weak and exploitable.

As Carmen was still absorbed in the promise of revenge, he heard Samantha shouted out loud, "Charge!"

Samantha knew this moment would come, so she had played along Carmen's game, trying to gain more time for the Ark's forces to mobilize.

Jansining howled as he started firing at the guards that surrounded them. Meanwhile, Wang Tong cranked up his soul energy and initiated the Einherjar Lance.

Wang Tong decided to go after the head of the operation as he charged toward Carmen directly.

"Kom!"

Carmen snatched the lance right in front of him with much ease. Wang Tong was taken it back by the development. He thought the attack would be able to injure the mayor at least, if not outright killing him.

"Hehe, very impressive, young man. But, it's not enough!" Carmen said with an ugly sneer on his face.

Samantha didn't bring too many guards with her, thinking that Patroclus would be more than enough to fend off any aggression. However, the Ivantian warrior was nowhere to be seen. In less than a heartbeat, half of the guards she had brought with her were slain by the monsters that surrounded them. Bullets didn't seem to work on Carmen's soldiers, as they would stand up and fight again after being hit by a barrage of steel.

Carmen pushed the lance away, sending Wang Tong stumbling back a few feet.

"Excuse me. I haven't officially introduced myself yet. My name is Carmen, that, you already know. I am one of the eight Dharmapala of our God, like the Einherjar in your world." All the while, Carmen held a contemptuous look on his face.

Samantha's heart sank. She conceded that she had underestimated the situation and was not prepared.

"Join us, Wang Tong! Our master thinks very highly of you. You could be like Patroclus and receive a new, indestructible body. Think about the pleasure while you watch as the world crumbles beneath your feet or as your enemies are brought down to their knees. It's the law of nature that decrees humanity's perceptual evolution. So, embrace it, young man. Embrace it… or DIE!" Carmen's voice changed its tone and pitch as if more than one person were speaking through his throat—if that really was a throat in between his shoulder and neck.

"I'm not planning on becoming a bug anytime soon." Wang Tong said coldly as he inched toward Samantha. Meanwhile, he used his soul energy to call upon Mr. Wannabe. However, he got no answer.

"Call us whatever you want, but you can't change the fact that we are superior to both the Zergs and humans. By combining the two, we have transcended into godhood. If you don't believe me, ask your friend Patroclus for yourself."

"So...it is true—" Wang Tong was stunned by the revelation.

Samantha could tell that Carmen was determined to coax Wang Tong to become the next Patroclus. He must have gotten the order to recruit Wang Tong. Otherwise, he would have already killed him.

The transcendence from a mortal coil to godhood was a dangerous process, and only people such as Wang Tong and Patroclus who had impeccable physic and perfect soul energy would be able to withstand the incalculable strain. Carmen had finished half of his task with ease. However, the other half was not budging.

"And, let me remind you-you don't have a choice. There will be nowhere to go back to anyways. Hehe...your Ark will cease to exist in just a few moments."

"Patroclus?" Wang Tong looked over Carmen's shoulder as if he saw his old friend, an old trick he had learned from Old Fart.

Carmen was caught off guard, so he about turned. But, before he realized that it was a ruse, Wang Tong dashed past the mayor to Samantha.

"Follow me… CHARGE!"

"KOM!"

The ground trembled as Wang Tong finally unleashed his coup de grace.

Carrying Samantha over his shoulder, Wang Tong darted out of the room amidst the chose.

Carmen grinned and murmured, "I won't let you get away!" In a blink of eyes, Carmen had already caught up with Wang Tong. He raised a sharp blade behind Wang Tong's back and hacked.

Sensing the incoming attack, Wang Tong acted out of instinct. However, he regretted his move as soon as his lance came to contact with the blade. With Samantha on his shoulder, it was impossible to unleash his full strength. As their dire situation setting in, Wang Tong becomes increasingly worried about their safety.

The sense of urgency spurred Wang Tong to open his sea of consciousness fully. Suddenly, Jansining charged at Carmen and groped the latter's legs to hinder his movement.

"Wang Tong, take Samantha out of here! Let me handle it here!" Jansining shouted out hysterically; it was basically a suicidal move.

"Jansining—"

"Shut up and move!"

"Pest!" Carmen cursed under his breath as he hewed his blade at Jansining. The sharp edge sliced through Jansining's sword like cutting through butter, and landed on the old soldier's alloy cyborg arm. The arm was made out of special alloy, and therefore, it was able to ward off the attack, but not for too long.

Jansining tightened his grip.

"F*ck off!" Carmen struck again. Blood spilled out of Jansining's mouth, painting the ground dark-red.

Swarms of Zerg-Human hybrids surrounded Wang Tong. By then, the humanoids had taken off their disguise, revealing their true faces.

"Go, Wang Tong! Take care of my daughter!" Jansining shouted.

"Go? Where? Haha!" Carmen laughed.

"Komm!"

Wang Tong charged up his soul energy as he stormed out of the room with Samantha. He didn't have the heart to look back, but if he did, he would see that although Jansining's body had been severed into two, there was a smile hanging on his face.

Without wiping the blood off his pants, Carmen announced, "Attack the Ark!"

"Sir, the Ark is detaching from the dock."

"ATTACK, NOW!"

"Yes, sir!"

The battle ignited instantly on the dock. Soldiers of the Ark quickly noticed that they were under attack by Zergs and their humanoid counterparts. They were surprised to see the two could communicate with each other with ease, and fought side by side in the same unit.

"Captain, we are under attack. Zergs and humanoid Zergs."

"Captain, we have multiple sightings on the radar. We need to un-dock right now."

Kaost knotted his brows and announced, "Un-dock."

"But Samantha and others are still out there." One of the officers piped up.

"Do as I say!" Kaost shouted.

In the corner of the cargo storage, a container's gate swung open from the inside and unleashed a swarm of Zergs.

Chapter 457: Missing Personnel

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

As the Zergs were about to break the ponderous gate of the storage room, a thousand spikes erupted from the holes on the ground, skewering all of them like Shish taouks. This was not a storage room; it was a slaughterhouse specially designed for this particular occasion.

Kaost was not as oblivious as he seemed after all, but what else did he know?

Kaost looked through the window at the heated battle indifferently. There was only one thing that weighed heavily on his mind, "Where are Samantha and Patroclus?" Out of all the personnel that he had sent to the space city. He only planned to have the two of them to return safely. What had gone wrong?

Wang Tong hammered his way through throngs of humanoids, as most of the resistance was reduced to pulp under the lance of Einherjar. All this while, Wang Tong refuse to look back.

By the time they arrived at the dock, it had turned into an inferno. Zergs, were everywhere, dead or alive, blocking the passage. The hulking Spaceship was already departing slowly—they needed to hurry!

"Samantha, you drive."

Fire Drake!

A fire-breathing dragon appeared out of nowhere and plunged its fiery beard into the mass of Zergs. In a blink, it melted a passage in the middle of the sea of Zergs. Samantha brought the Maglev to the already-closing tunnel. However, they saw the spaceship had un-docked; it was too late.

Wang Tong didn't have much time to think, so he lifted Samantha out of her seat and threw her over his shoulder as he cranked up soul energy and flew into space.

When Wang Tong rammed into the Ark, a swell of cheers erupted in the command center; he had made it! However, people quickly realized that there was one person that should have made it but didn't: Patroclus.

Zhang Jin could not have peace of mind ever since Patroclus left for Luolan. Her heart sank when she noticed that Patroclus didn't come back with Wang Tong. If Wang Tong could make it, so could have he. The fact that he was missing meant only one thing.

By then, the Ark had gained some distance from the dreadful city, but Carmen's fleet was still hot on their heel. The space city's shield was up, so it was impossible to bombard the city from above. With nothing to gain, Kaost ordered the Ark to depart with full speed.

"Full speed ahead! Ordinates: S134-W45656." Kaost gave the order. He wagered that from here on, the communication with the confederation would be cut off. The Ark would be on its own now.

Wang Tong slumped in the corner of a room, sorrow and anger written all over his face. Samantha felt guilty: if not for her, he would have saved Jansining. She walked to Wang Tong and pated on his shoulder: "Let's go, there's much to do."

The turn of the events came so sudden that no one was prepared for it.

Carmen's space fighters were quickly forming an encirclement around Ark. The Ark glided toward the yet-to-be-closed opening, attempting to avoid a costly fight.

After Kaost gave the order, the Arc fired into the rank of the aggressor, unleashing a thousand beams of light that lit up the dark space. Carmen's fleet fired back, sending beams of light of equal intensity into space.

Thanks to the new power source, the Ark remained impenetrable under its shield. Its firepower was hundred times more potent than the opponent, and it reduced half of Carmen's fleet into ashes in a blink.

Kaost was not overly excited about the victory, as he had expected the Ark to excel in a direct exchange of fire—that was what it was built for. He ordered the ship to keep straight ahead and finally brought it out of enemies' range of fire.

As soon as they were safe, Kaost called a meeting to discuss his current priority, returning back to earth.

After the meeting, Samantha remained in her seat and waited until everyone except Kaost to leave the room.

"Captain, I think I have the right to know what is going on!"

"What do you want to know?" Kaost said as he lit a cigar in between two fingers.

"Did you know about the Zergs before we arrived at the city?"

"Are you questioning me? Let me ask you a question first: where is Patroclus?" Kaost said slowly. He was prepared for this conversation.

Samantha knew she had to answer this questions first, so she briefed the captain about what had happened on Luolan.

Kaost's face blackened after hearing what had happened. "How... How could it be?" He knew that the chance of Patroclus returning to the ship was zero, and losing a great house heir was no small matter.

Kaost heaved a sigh of resignation and said, "I did know everything ahead of time. That is why I sent Patroclus to protect you."

"WHAT?" Samantha slammed the desk.

"I know what you are going to say, but did you know that—" Kaost stopped talking right away as if he suddenly remembered that what he was going to say could not be shared.

Kaost stood up and locked his eyes with Samantha. "Remember, it is nothing personal. It is a matter of life and death for the entire human race. We should be ready to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good."

Samantha knew that Kaost was only exercising the will of the Confederation. She had a feeling that Patroclus knew all of this ahead of time as well.

As if Kaost had seen through Samantha's thoughts, he announced, "The real objective of this expedition was to reach the Andromeda Galaxy. We have to get there regardless of how difficult it is."

"Captain, why do I feel like we are just cannon fodder" Samantha half jested.

Kaost didn't comment on that. Instead, he reminded Samantha in a solemn voice, "Remember your place, girl. No more questions."

Wang Tong brought the devastating news to Big O and third. They didn't cry, nor did they show any sorrow. Instead, they brought out a dozen twelve packs and started drinking in the name of Jansining. They knew that Jansining didn't go far, and would be waiting for them in the underworld. What was a lifetime to a ghost? In a blink an eye, the four of them would be united again.

The residence of the Ark was shaken after the Zerg attack.

"They told me that the Ark was the most powerful spaceship ever built. Why didn't they kill off all the Zergs?"

"Lies, it's all Lies! They must be responsible for the psychological trauma I had endured."

"Do they have any idea who I am? Turn back at this instant!"

Kaost let the insults slide off his ego like rainwater from his bald head. After the ranting died down, he stood up and explained their situation.

"I understand your feeling, and I am confident that Ark would be able to provide safety for all of you. They caught us by surprise, but even so, we could have killed all the Zergs if we wanted to. However, your safety with us is of paramount importance. Therefore, we had decided to avoid frontal confrontation for the time being. Again, I want to assure you that you are absolutely safe on my ship. "

Kaost's words of assurance finally placated the angry mob. However, Li Shiming and Lie Jian sniffed out the subtle uncertainty in between the lines. They knew that they had to prepare: a storm was coming. After a few days, Li Shiming and Lie Jian's spies reported the surprising news: Patroclus had turned himself over to the Zergs, and had willingly transformed into one of those humanoid creatures.

Chapter 458: Fighting Back

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

The rumor reminded the two of their first run-ins with the hybrid monster at the tournament. The thought that the Zergs were secretly preparing for a sweeping attack from inside the human world gave Li Shiming the jitters.

Whether the rumor was true or not, losing Patroclus was not good news for the Ark commander.

"Look at him, the old fox is wiggling his tail to make those pig heads think that they are really so special. Haha." Lie Jian whispered to Li Shiming.

"It's good to have a united front when the real danger comes." Li Shiming said calmly.

"What do you think is gonna happen next?" Lie Jian asked. If not for his affection for Li Ruoer, Lie Jian would never talk to Li Shiming. However, having met tailwind in his pursuit, so he decided to cozy up to Li Ruoer's brother first.

"I have a feeling that we are not going to turn back. We will keep sailing." Li Shiming said slowly.

"Oh? I thought the old fox would cave in and return home..." Lie Jian stopped, thinking that it was better to keep his opinion to himself.

After the near escape and having their communication cut off from the base, returning to the solar system seemed to be the most sensible course of action. However, judging based on Kaost's first reaction after the incidence, nothing seemed to matter more than the life of Patroclus.

Although the safety of Patroclus was indeed crucial to the captain's future promotion, as an experienced commander and an avid politician, Kaost should not have overlooked the danger and sent Patroclus right into the mouth of Zergs. Kaost's conviction in his action could only mean one thing: the confederation knew about everything all the while.

Lie Jian nodded as he marveled at Li Shiming's keen observation.

Suddenly, the alarm went off.

"Attention, attention. Unknown fleet approaching. Ready your arms."

"What's going on, Samantha?" Kaost stormed into the commander's office and asked. Bright dots flickered on the radar screen indicating a mass of incoming fleet.

"Captain, that is a human fleet. Some of the ships had pirate flags on them." Samantha replied; her voice was steely.

"Prepare for battle. Let's destroy these sons of b*tches!" Kaost gave the order without much thought. He wagered that the fleets were already under Zerg's control, since even the space city had fallen victim to the Zerg, much less a band of disorganized pirates.

The incoming fleet released swarms of round objects: these were a particular breed of Zergs with robust and filed teeth that could shred any metal apart in seconds. Although they were vulnerable against concentrated fire, they excelled in numbers.

Behind the dark clouds of swarming bugs were ranks upon ranks of larger flying Space Zergs.

"Artillery Ready… FIRE!"

The two supercharge cannons at the head of the ship fired at the swarm. Two blinding rays of light pierced the darkness and shredded anything in their path into pieces. However, the first shot was not able to eliminate all bugs, and the enemy ships also fired back to keep the pressure on the hulking Ark.

The battle had finally begun!

"Ready your Space METAL!"

Like all organic matter, the swarming bugs were able to penetrate through the Ark's shield. Although the artillery was able to clear away some of the bugs, Space Fighters would have to kill off the rest before they started to damage the ship.

Third and Big O stood at the front of their squad, ready to kill some bugs.

Inside the firing room, rows of experienced gunners sat behind the breach of the canons, adjusting their aims and passing commands to the operator. Their accuracy rate could be ten times better than auto-aiming. However, manual aiming required a significant amount of soul energy. So, in order to ensure accuracy, the shooters rotated shifts every ten minutes or so.

Karl was waiting impatiently for his turn. All his training and exercising was for this moment. He felt that his blood was boiling.

"Captain, the enemy has flanked us from both sides."

Kaost thought for a second and asked, "Which side is closer to us?"

"Left. They are ten minutes away from entering the rang of our artillery."

"Come left to ninety-three degree."

"Aye, sir!"

Samantha started to notice that some of the shooters began to show sign of exhaustion.

"Bring on the reserve!"

"They are students."

"Follow my orders, soldier," Samantha shouted, her voice seeming to even cut apart the hearts.

After a while, Karl finally got his hands on the scope.

"Thank you, Principal. You are the best! Ah-Ha! You little b*stards! Taste my balls! "

As soon as the gunners retired from their post, they started to recuperate their soul energy. They knew that these kids were the best of the best in their school, so they shouldn't be worse than auto-aiming.

Amidst the chaos, Samantha suddenly realized that this would probably be the new normal should Ark continue its course. Although she couldn't figure out the confederation's real motive, she knew she had to prepare the ship for long-term struggles.

"Confederation—F*CK YAY!" Karl shouted as he shot down one Zerg after another. Although this was his first time holding a real gun, his accuracy was a whopping ninety three percent. Even Samantha was taken aback by the result: this was the best number she had ever seen.

The rest of the students didn't fall behind too far from Karl. Some of them, such as Zhou Sisi, Flash, and Bisu, performed even better than the veterans.

The students' calm execution and unwavering mettle had won the hearts of the veterans. Other than Karl, who appeared to be on some kind of chemical, the students held a deadly calm on their face.

As profanity mixed with spit spilled out of Karl's mouth, the operated suddenly had the urge to kick him out of his chair. But considering his incredible accuracy, the operator kept his silence as Karl's spit rained on him with equal accuracy as his aim.

The students' help had alleviated much pressure from the firing team. After a brief period of recuperation, the firing team returned to their post.

By then, the battle outside of the ship had become the key to the victory.

"Captain, should we let the students join the space battle? They had done a good job helping the firing team."

Kaost shook his head and said, "Not yet. We won't call in the students unless we are desperate."

Kaost had already lost Patroclus, and he didn't want to lose any other kids.

Chapter 459: Attack From Both Sides

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

The students on the ship were the future of the Confederation. Kaost was determined to not risk any of their lives.

It didn't take long before the tide of the battle started to favor the Ark's soldiers. It was evident that the cohort of pirates had underestimated the power of the most powerful battlecruiser of humanity.

Somewhere deep in the space, a dark figure was watching the battle on a screen, while on another screen next to it, Carmen knelt on the ground with his head lowered.

"This is truly a marvelous ship they have got."

"My lord, this is the technology created by the Blade Warrior. I believe that the Blade Warrior is hiding many more such secrets." Carmen said servilely.

"It's about time to unveil our true strength. I want this ship captured. Send out our fleet now."

"Yes, my lord."

"You have done a good job with regards to Patroclus. Our liege is very pleased."

Carmen's face was lit up with glee, "All thanks to you, my lord."

There was cold silence at the other end of the line, which soured Carmen's smile on his face. An even colder voice followed, "But, you let Wang Tong slip away under your nose!"

Carmen wanted to explain for himself. However, his words melted in his mouth and turned into a wail. Things were moving about in his bowels, thrusting and thumping. Tears poured out of Carmen's eyes as he wiggled his body on the floor like a pathetic worm. All the while, a crimson light shone in the eyes of Carmen's master. After a time, the light faded and, Carmen also stopping thrashing.

"I will let you live this time. Do not fail me again."

"Yes... my liege."

"Wait." Another voice reverberated in the room, cold and lifeless. "Wang Tong and the Ark are both mines!"

Despite the heated battle outside of the ship, Wang Tong was ordered to station in the storage room and look after the equipment. He would have stomached unreasonable order if it were not a bloody war outside. He knew he had to get out there and help. However, an order was an order. After breaking the rule and sneaking off the ship, Wang Tong could no longer afford to cross the line again. As anger and indignation roiled inside him as he sat in the storage room and waited. He figured that summoning the Einherjar METAL would save him from committing the crime of stealing space METAL from the ship. However, ever since the last space battle, Mr. Wannabe had been dormant and didn't answer Wang Tong's calls.

"Why? Why wouldn't Kaost let me go out there and fight?" The same question rang inside of Wang Tong's mind over and over again. He knew he would be of great help to the situation.

"Wang Tong, have some water." Tee handed a bottle of water to him.

"There's nothing to complain about. You are a soldier, and your only job is to follow orders. It's not just you. Li Shiming and Lie Jian are ordered to stay put inside the ship as well." Tee consoled Wang Tong. Ever since Wang Tong had rescued Samantha from the Zerg's death clutch, he had grown on her. She was impressed not only by his strength, but also his ability to remain levelheaded and make decisive decisions.

Life might not give Wang Tong everything he wanted, but things happened for a reason. Kaost knew that it was imperative to protect the important students, such as Wang Tong and Li Shiming. As pressure from all sides rushed in, Kaost needed to weigh his options carefully, as any decision would have far-reaching consequences, some of which would be extremely unpleasant.

After a few bouts of firing at each other, the new battery's advantage started to shine. Despite the intense enemy barrage, the energy shield held steadily and didn't even flicker. This was almost impossible for ships with conventional batteries.

With a solid defense against the incoming fire, the offensive capability of the ship took full control of the battle and shredded the enclosing enemy ships into pieces.

Seeing the majority of the fleet turn into dust, the rest of the pirate ships turned on their heels and fled the battlefield. Ark didn't chase after them, fearing it was a ruse to break their formation. Everyone knew that the cohort was not the main force of the Zerg's army; it was merely a sample of what was about to come at them.

The attack didn't deter Kaost's aspiration to reach the Andromeda Galaxy. However, he ordered the ship to take a detour around any other space cities along the way.

In the days that followed, Kaost's decision had proven to be very wise. Nonetheless, Ark still weathered more than eight skirmishes, both with Zergs and patrols sent from the space cities. Two of such conflicts spiraled out of control very quickly, and Kaost had to give the order to demolish the space cities.

The scene in those cities was sickening. There was no human left, only grotesque walking husks filled to the brim with rotten corruption. The Zergs had turned the strong bodies into their host, and the weak ones into food.

As days went by, the battle started to become more intense, and so did the Zerg's atrocities in the space cities. Without any restocking, Ark's supply was dwindling. What was worse, the constant discharge had taken a toll on the ship's battery, and the Ark was forced to stop and let the battery recharge from time to time.

When Ark left Luolan, Kaost was confident that the supply would last until they reached his destination. However, the constant fear and stress and driven many wealthy passengers to the brink of madness. As they sought refuge in the comfort of food and debauchery, the supply dropped drastically.

The development had caught Kaost off guard. Desperate, the captain announced a new rationing system on the ship. Meanwhile, he ordered the maintenance crew to work round the clock to repair the ship's damages.

The new rationing system had angered the passengers. Shouting slogans such as "Stop the Tyrant" and "Human Rights Matter!", they marched towards the Captain's office. Kaost acted quickly and squashed the protest with an iron fist. Two leaders of the protesters were incarcerated, and the crowd quickly dispersed. However, the resentment towards Kaost's rule infested under the seemingly quiet surface. By then, many passengers had realized that the expedition was not what they were promised it would be. They were told that the voyage would be a death blow to the puny outlaws, but ever since they landed at Luolan, they had been fighting with the increasingly larger number of Zergs.

Ever since the defeat on Norton, Zergs rarely engaged in a fight with the Confederation forces. So, the relentless attacks seemed odd. It was as if they were after something on the ship which was precious to them. Was the Ark hiding something from the public? What was the real goal of this expedition? When would Kaost think that enough was enough and bring the ship back to the solar system? One question bade another, but none of them had the answers.

Kaost sank his body in an armchair, taking a long, hard drag on the cigar in between his fingers. He felt defeated as he reflected on the development so far. The Zergs had evolved; they had become smarter, but no less vicious—they had become more like the humans.

Although the Zergs real motive in waging war on Ark still eluded Kaost, he had a nagging feeling that they intended to capture the ship instead of destroying it.

Chapter 460: Patroclus 2.0

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Running his finger along the heroic cigar, Kaost gathered himself and stood up. As the Captain of the ship, he should not show even a shred of doubt about his actions. Ever since the day he became a METAL fighter, he knew that the real challenge like this would come one day.

The Zergs didn't attack in the following days, which gave the Ark and its crew a short respite. Not only was the tension between the authority and the passengers eased, but the promise of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel also gave everyone a smile on their faces.

However, Kaost and Samantha were becoming increasingly nerve-wrecked as the quietness continued, and even the air felt still and stifled like that before a terrible storm.

The recent participation in the real war had invigorated many students. It had been a thrilling experience even for the ones who merely observed the battle, much less for those who actually took part in the fighting, such as Karl. Thanks to his near-perfect aim, he was drafted into the firing team. Each day during dinner, students would gather around him and listen to his bragging about the heroic deeds of the day. Ever since the first attack, Karl had become more popular than the heirs of the great houses and rightfully so, as his accuracy was the highest on the ship; he was a natural shooter.

The second best shooter was Zhou Sisi. Not only was she deadly accurate with her aim, but she was also an excellent team player. Flash and Bisu's performance was also outstanding, but they were not as praiseworthy as Zhou Sisi.

Students such as Flash and Bisu could do much better in the classroom than in a real war. Meanwhile, Zhou Sisi and Karl were the opposite, as the real world situation seemed to have invoked their innate abilities that were otherwise hidden.

Karl and Zhou Sisi's talent quickly caught Kaost's attention. As a veteran in the Confederation force, he had seen many talented soldiers—many were serving him right at this moment. However, no one could compare with the abilities of these two. Karl was a deadly shooter while Zhou Sisi, with some training and guidance, would be the best fleet commander the world had ever seen. Kaost made a mental note to remember recruiting Zhou Sisi as soon as he was done this mission. What impressed Kaost even more was their rise to the top from their ordinary family background, much like the path he had taken. Every time he saw the silly but enthusiastic smile on Karl's face, memories of his teenage years came back and flooded his mind.

Suddenly the alarm went off. Kaost heaved a sight: it had finally come.

Everyone in the commander's office was shocked by what they saw on the radar screen. Swarms of Zerg Fleets appeared out of nowhere and had already formed an encirclement around the Ark. This was the largest attack the Zergs had waged yet.

Although Ark was well within their shooting range, none of the Zerg ships fired. Instead, the Zergs kept on shrinking their encirclement.

When Kaost walked into the commander's office, he could feel everyone's anticipating gazes on his face. They were afraid; the promise of death loomed in the air.

In last hundred years, Human had always fought the Zerg with an upper hand either in terms of manpower or firepower. But it was not the case today. The sudden loss of advantage had taken a huge toll on the morale. Hopelessness was evident on everyone's face.

"Captain, there are ten Zerg fleets out there... What should we do?"

Kaost remained calm and glanced at the radar screen, then walked to the captain's seat and sat down. He was ordered to attract the attention of the Zergs' main fleet force, and he had succeeded.

"We will fight! This is our only choice."

"Aye, Captain!"

"Samantha, gather all the students in the meeting room eight… Now."

"Yes, sir! I request to go to the front line after our meeting."

"Your place is on the ship, inside the commander's room," Kaost said with a taut face and an uncompromising voice.

"Yes...Captain." Samantha murmured.

"This is the Captain's order. The following students, please go to meeting room number eight: Wang Tong, Li Shiming, Lie Jian, Zhang Jin... "

The list includes most of the top students of different academies. They paused for a moment after hearing the announcement, and then walked to the meeting place, all the while wondering what the old captain's plan was.

"Go now, Wang Tong." Tee knew that she would be on the list as well. The vast number of enemies had formed a terrifying force even for the formidable Ark. Although the spaceship was the strongest the world had ever seen, it, after all, would have a limit to its capabilities, like everything in this universe.

Soon, Tee heard the radio call out her name.

The Zergs had poured all of their forces at the Ark. It was evident that all of the previous skirmishes were carefully planned by the Zergs to lure the Ark deeper into the trap. It was unheard of the Zergs pulling off a cohesive strategy; the development had caught Kaost by surprise.

"Main cannon energy level at thirty percent."

"Port cannon energy level at sixty percent."

"Starboard cannon energy level at seventy percent."

"Auxiliary gun energy level at twenty percent."

"Replenishing the energy shield. Initiate the backup power source."

This was a fight of life and death. Ark had given all it had in trying to push the attackers back.

The battle seemed to have rekindled the fire inside the old captain as Kaost's face gained lively colors. This battle would determine the fate of the human race, and it was a blessing for Kaost to be the commander.

Suddenly, a shadow streaked across space above the Ark, and then the shadow—vaguely resembling a human—appeared on the screen.

"Einherjar!"

"It looks like the Dower's METAL."

"Isn't that the Deva Lance?"

"Patroclus… It's Patroclus!"

"Haha! I knew he that was still alive. He is the heir of the Dower after all."

"Thank God he is here!"

The appearance of an Einherjar during the battle gave everyone a confidence boost.

"Captain, the Zerg fleet has stopped advancing." One of the officers shouted at the top of her lungs. However, Patroclus hovered motionlessly in the space, and didn't seem to want to join the rank of human fighters. Something was amiss.

From a distance, Patroclus's METAL would easily pass for a typical high tier METAL suite. However, upon a closer look at the screen, people quickly found out its oddities. Not only was the arrangement of the METAL pieces unconventional, but the energy crystal was also out of proportion when compared to its standard counterpart. It flickered with a sky blue light, a color that had never been seen on any energy crystals.

"Zenn!"

The dark shadow unsheathed the elegant lance. It was the Deva Lance, and therefore, it had to be Patroclus under the shroud of darkness. From an opening in the moving shadows, people finally caught a glimpse of the face, and it was indeed Patroclus.

Everyone inside the meeting room eight sensed the strangeness in the development. Doubts and suspicions filled the room.

Patroclus pointed the Deva Lance at the Ark as everyone heard a voice in their ears, "Wang… Tong."

The voice wasn't a usual sound but an energy wave. Instead of traveling through space, it appeared inside the listeners' ears like a voice inside one's mind. It sounded angry, and trembled a little due to great anticipation.

"Wang… Tong!"

"Come…out!"

Every syllable sounded like thunder, and many people were so disoriented by the voice that they had to find a wall for support.

"Wang…Tong! Where…are…you?"

As the sound became louder, the dark shroud that surrounded Patroclus's face started to thin out and revealed a shocking image to the people on the ship.

Patroclus had turned into one of those humanoid creatures. Although his features didn't change much, the subtle and creepy transition in the color of his iris was hard to miss.

People's hearts sank as the sudden turn of events dumbfounded them.

How was it possible that Patroclus, the heir to one of the most powerful houses, and a recent member of the unequivocal defenders of the human race, the Einherjars, surrendered to the corruption of the Zergs?

It might sound like an absurd thing to say that Zergs manipulated the prince of the Ivantians, but the sad and undeniable truth laid bare in front of everyone.

At the sight of the hideous creature and the even more hideous realization of what had happened, many people covered their mouths with hands to suppress a scream but failed.

"Don't move! You will die if you go out there and fight him right now! "Tee said as she blocked the exit.

"We need time to charge up the Ark's defense. Otherwise, if Patroclus starts attacking the ship right now, all of us will be in trouble."

Chapter 461: Obsession

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Tee knew that Wang Tong was right. Although the Ark was more than capable of defending against a regular assault regardless of the intensity, the addition of an Einherjar on the enemy's side had thrown a wild card in the battle. It would take a while for the Ark to be ready for a battle, and during this time, the ship was vulnerable, especially to the attack of an Einherjar.

"Wang…Tong!"

For some inexplicable reason, the Zerg fleet halted their movement and waited with Patroclus as if the Ivantian prince was their commander.

A gate on the Ark slide opened slowly, and Wang Tong appeared behind the gate, wearing a space METAL.

Both warriors knew that their fight in the Sky Arena was only a prologue to a life-long struggle and competition, however, neither of them had thought that they would continue their fight in such a particular circumstance.

"Sh*t! Who let him out of the ship?" Kaost pounded the desk and shouted.

"It was me, Captain!"

"Tee? Haven't I told you to go to the meeting room number eight?"

"Captain, I would rather be on the front line at this moment. Wang Tong convinced me to let him out and fight the Zergs before they would wage an attack on Ark and catch us by surprise." Tee announced loudly, as her voice held an unswerving conviction.

Everyone knew that an Einherjar could demolish a spaceship with a snap of his fingers. Therefore, Kaost saw some sense in Wang Tong's actions.

"How long until the energy will be fully charged."

"At least five minutes, Captain!"

Kaost conceded that it would be the longest five minutes for everyone on the ship. The power of the Einherjar was indisputable. Who would think that the guardians of the human world would turn out to be the biggest threat to their existence?

Sensing the irony, Kaost suppressed an ugly smile.

It was evident that Patroclus couldn't get over the defeat in the Sky Arena, and it was the frustration and desperation that had driven him to seek an alliance with the Zergs. The public's ability to reason had long since been overshadowed by Patroclus's superhuman ability, so no one had seen the Ivantian Prince's fatal flaw: his inability to cope with failure.

The betrayal of the Ivantian Prince was a wake-up call to the public that had come too late. By then, no one had the time or the nerve to ponder over their oversight, as they were distraught by their dire situation. Feeling helpless and desperate, they prayed that Wang Tong would be able to fend off Patroclus's attack long enough for the energy shield to fully charge up.

As Wang Tong approached Patroclus, he noticed that the corrupted Einherjar didn't change much regarding appearance. However, Wang Tong could sense the loud-and-clear otherworldliness in Patroclus' soul energy. It was entirely different than any other forms of soul energy that Wang Tong had experienced. Struggling to keep his composure, Wang Tong heard his brain scream danger at him.

Wang Tong paused and watched his opponent from a distance. With the knowledge that Patroclus intended to kill this time, Wang Tong was surprised that he could barely feel any belligerence in the air. Even the Ivantian's eyes didn't betray his menacing intent as they stared blankly into the distant stars. It was like a poisonous needle wrapped in a soft blanket…Wang Tong reminded himself to be very careful.

"Why?" Wang Tong spoke first. "You are my most admired warrior. Why would you do this to yourself?" Wang Tong was not alone in his confusion, as everyone on the ship wanted to know what had motivated the Ivantian to make such a drastic decision. Hadn't he realized what his decision meant to the entire human race?

If Patroclus didn't betray the Ark, Jansining and many other warriors would not have died.

Patroclus was amused by Wang Tong's question, as if the latter was oblivious to the answer that had been right in front of him. He pointed the lance to the starlit sky above him and said, "You need to think outside of the box. Otherwise, you would forever remain a pawn in the other people's game! We have the power and the ability to see through their tricks! All you need is a leap of faith. The universe is boundless, and so is the variety of life forms within it. Why are we so caught up on the idea that humans are the 'right' form of life? If you can get past that, you will see that the Zergs were not a threat. Instead, they are an opportunity for us to reach beyond the limits of our physical body. Human's intelligence combined with the Zerg's biological body will help us conquer the entire universe. "

Patroclus announced with a deep and passionate voice. The obsession with his belief was written clearly on his face, and was elaborated by his fervent gestures.

Wang Tong replied to him with a cold stare, "You are crazy. The Zergs are our enemy. There is no other way around."

Although Patroclus already knew Wang Tong's reply, he was still amused by Wang Tong's naivety. "Haha… Tell me, what exactly is an enemy anyways? You are, and you didn't even realize it!" Patroclus pointed to the Ark and announced, "Did the old Fox tell you about the real goal of the Ark's expedition? It was a suicide mission from the start! The confederation had already known about the existence of Hybrid Zergs even before it made its appearance at the tournament. After I defeated it, they tortured that poor b*stard, and eventually, he gave the information the confederation wanted. The main force of the confederation is already on their way toward the Zergs as we speak. The Ark expedition was nothing but a diversion…I'm talking about you, Wang Tong. You are the Heir of the Blade Warrior, and the confederation knew the Zergs would go after you. In other words, you are at least half responsible for the imminent losses of lives on the ship!"

Wang Tong's heart sank. "Bullsh*t! If I am the diversion like you said, why would they need to have so many rich politicians on the ship?"

"To be inconspicuous of course. Plus, the mission cost a lot of money. It's never a bad idea to carry a few dozen gold purses with you." Patroclus said with a lighthearted smile, as if the lives of thousands of innocent people didn't matter a wee bit to him.

Unwillingly, Wang Tong reckoned that Patroclus had spoken the truth. Like the Ivantian had said, everyone on the ship was only a small pawn in a complex game.

Sensing the resignation in Wang Tong, Patroclus extended his arm to him like an old friend, "Come on Wang Tong, join me! We can redefine our new life, make an entirely different race that is neither human nor Zerg. I have already figured out a name for it: the Immortals. Join me, old friend, and be the god of the immortals!"

Wang Tong didn't speak a word; his mind raced as he spiraled deeper into thoughts. Patroclus was half right: yes, every individual was merely a pawn in the large scheme of things, but what made them humans was the unique perspective as an individual. Instead of seeing lifeless black and white squares of the game board, they would feel and sense emotions that were no less real than the game itself.

After a while, Wang Tong gathered himself and straightened his back. He pointed the Einherjar Lance at Patroclus's nose and announced, "I disagree."

Patroclus smiled; he had expected that reaction from Wang Tong. "Very well. I am glad that you rejected my offer. Only you are worthy as a sacrifice for this historical moment! Let your death today mark the beginning of a new race! Did you know that while I was in the Hall of Valhalla, the Blade Warrior begged me to help you to fight for the human race? Haha, he had mistaken me for my stupid ancestor! I am not Rilangalos. I am much stronger and wiser, and I don't have to be a pet of some weakling like Rilangalos was!"

The Einherjar Lance and the Deva lance collided for the first time after the tournament. However, the power dynamics between the two warriors had changed drastically.

"Kom!"

Wang Tong jabbed the lance at Patroclus, but the latter didn't evade the attack. The sharp tip of the lance plunged through Patroclus's METAL and lodged in the Ivantian's chest so securely that Wang Tong couldn't pull it out. The GN force melted away as soon as it reached the Ivantian's skin.

"Behold my new body, Wang Tong. Behold the true power, the power that I can give to you as well. Now, the final call… join me, or DIE!" Patroclus shouted for the first time in his life.

Wang Tong answered his final invitation with an iron fist.

Patroclus waved a hand, and the force blew Wang Tong a few dozen feet away. Before Wang Tong could gather himself, he was pinned to a sudden halt by an unseen force, clamping him like a giant vise.

"You are pathetically weak. Don't worry… I will give you a decent death."

"Wang Tong, I will shoot him with the super-charged cannon in three seconds. Make your way back to the ship when I do that. The energy shield is almost full."

Wang Tong tried to wiggle out of the clamp, but right before he could break free, he felt a surge of energy coming from Patroclus. The power was stronger than that of Lee Moshan. Was this the power he had promised in exchange for his humanity?

Zhou Sisi's voice urged Wang Tong to hurry as a laser beam shot out from the ship at lightning speed. Patroclus smiled and thrust the lance to meet the laser beam. The lance broke the beam into a thousand tiny specks of dust, and then it sent another beam of energy toward the Ark.

"Kom!"

The energy hit squarely at the commander's office as it smashed into the iron-clad shell.

It took half a second for Wang Tong to take in what had just happened, and then he shouted with the promise of vengeance, "Patroclus! ARHHH!"

Chapter 462: Age of Aggression

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

Wang Tong's anger ignited his will to fight. Although he had inferior skills and strength, he was the only hope for the people on the ship.

Patroclus gazed at the ship that had caught on fire and said, "Look Wang Tong, it's so pretty. Life is fragile, don't you think? Zhou Sisi loved you so much that she would ignore Kaost's order and fire at me. But, she is too weak. "

"F*ck YOU!" Wang Tong charged up his soul energy and fell into a battle trance. The sudden surge of power inside him broke Patroclus's spell and helped him regain freedom.

Wild energies moved about inside Wang Tong as even wilder thoughts gnawed his mind.

"KOM!"

Two gushes of energy collided with each other inside his system. The built-up energy drove Wang Tong deeper into the trance.

"Patroclus, DIE!"

Wang Tong's eyes had turned into two pools of molten iron as he gathered strength and struck at Patroclus with the Lance.

The Causality Attack!

"Zenn! KOM!"

Patroclus watched the hole in his chest and said, "You have the perfect power inside you, but what a shame that it is too late now."

Even as Patroclus brought the lance into position for an attack, the fist-sized hole in the Ivantian's chest quickly healed itself.

"KOM!"

The Einherjar's Attack!

Blood spilled out of Wang Tong's mouth, as the presence of his power disappeared entirely from the battlefield.

The battle was finished.

People on the Ark watched as their last hope was crushed by the mighty Ivantian. Li Shiming and Lie Jian looked at each other with fear. They had never thought that Patroclus would become such a monster. Despite the dire situation he was in, Li Shiming was also curious as to whether the situation was any worse back home. The thought made his hair stand on their ends. He conceded that the Zergs had come prepared this time.

By then, Kaost had locked down the meeting room, but Zhou Sisi managed to sneak out of the room before the lockdown started.

"F*ck off! Let me out! LET ME OUT!" Karl shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Get out of my way! This in order!" Ma Xiaoru shouted at the soldiers blocking the exit, her voice filled with frustration.

"Sorry, this is Captain's order. We can't let you out of here." The head of the soldiers was blocking the exit. They had already let Zhou Sisi slip out under their noses, and they couldn't afford to make another mistake.

"Move… AWAY! Or else, I will move you myself!" Ma Xiaoru unsheathed her blade, her eyes holding an unswerving determination.

Kaost watched the argument from a CCTV, and sensing that the situation was about to get out of control, he brought out his Skynet and pushed a button. The meeting room was suddenly lit by a few beams of intense light, disorienting everyone inside. Before the students could gather themselves, they found themselves floating in the air as if the gravity had ceased functioning. And then, in a blink, the room was empty, with no sight of any students.

Kaost pulled open a drawer on his desk and took out a small tin box. From the tin box, he fished out a cigar of heroic length. This was the very special cigar he had saved for a very special moment such as this. If the Ark sank, he had decided to go with it.

"Zennn."

The energy shield of the Ark was finally fully charged, and a shimmering faint blue cloak quickly wrapped the Ark around.

The Ark didn't interest Patroclus; he scanned the space toward the direction Wang Tong was blown away, and quickly found the heir of the Blade Warrior. It was time for him to bade farewell to Wang Tong, and from there on, there would be only one god of the immortals: Lord Patroclus!

"What! Still alive?" Patroclus was caught off guard to see that Wang Tong was not dead yet, not by a long shot. "Doesn't matter. I can do it again and make sure he is dead this time." Patroclus thought to himself.

Wang Tong's mind went blank at first, as a nothingness surrounded him. Gradually, he saw a dot in that nothingness, getting closer to him by the second, or minute—time was a slippery thing in this nothingness. Slowly, he noticed that it was not a dot, but a girl's face. Her name escaped him for a very brief moment before scenes played out in the white backdrop, scenes of him and that girl. Then her name came to him: Zhou Sisi, and with it came a flood of emotions.

Sisi...What was she thinking?

The commander's room... smoke and fire... the attack of the Deva Lance…

"KOM!"

The blare wrenched Wang Tong's mind out of the dreary reverie. The attack of the Deva Lance was already in front of him. He acted out of instinct and blocked the attack with both hands.

The turn of event amused Patroclus. He snorted and then said, "Very good, Wang Tong. Let's try it again."

Still half unconscious, Wang Tong attacked and sent a whirlwind of energy at Patroclus.

Patroclus didn't dodge, as he fused his lance with his soul energies and met Wang Tong's attack head-on. He wasn't even trying during the last bout of attacks. Otherwise, Wang Tong would not even be able to scratch him much less blow a hole in his chest. Wang Tong's attack had tested the regeneration ability of his new body, and Patroclus was more than pleased with the results.

"KOM."

Wang Tong was blown away again. Meanwhile, the Ark started firing, which triggered the renewed advancement of the Zergs.

The war had finally begun.

Under the insistent and ruthless barrage, the Ark's shield started to flicker as if it could no longer hold the defense. Meanwhile, the Ark's firepower was devastating for the swarms of Zergs, as it uprooted one space hive after another, each with only a single shot.

However, it didn't take long before the shield was eventually overloaded, and the enemy fire quickly drilled a few holes into the belly of the giant ship.

The Ark trembled as the enemy fire took out the last battery unit. The tattered ship caved in at a few spots, and dark holes scarred its shell.

Surrounded by fire and the din of squeaking metals trusses, Kaost entered the code for self-destruction.

"Kom"

The door to Kaost's office was blasted open, and a familiar face emerged from the other side.

"Hi Captain Kaost, long time no see," Patroclus announced with a sneer on his face.

"The self-destruction function will initiate in ten minutes. All personnel evacuate the ship…All personnel evacuate."

Kaost locked his eyes with Patroclus's and puffed a smoke ring at him. "Your day will come."

"Bang!" Kaost pulled the trigger of his .32 caliber revolver pointed at the roof of his mouth.

Kaost's body slumped into the leather chair as the color drained out of his face.

A century of bloodshed had begun.

The year was 2568 AD, only three hundred years after the last turmoil. And now, the world had fallen into chaos once again. Unlike the last time, there was no Blade Warrior to save the humans this time.

However vigilant the humans had been, they had overlooked the Zergs ability to assimilate the human's traits through evolution. The Blade Warrior had been the strongest opponent that the Zergs had seen so far along their path of destruction. After losing all of its edges against human, the Zerg still had a trump card up its sleeves: time. Thus, the Zergs waited quietly in the darkness, tirelessly tinkering the genes of their next batch of brood-lings.

Although humans had also been studying the Zergs over the three centuries, they were not able to unlock the secrets to their incredible mutating ability, until The Zerg exposed their hybrid mutation pre-maturely during the tournament.

As the experts in genes, the Ivantians, led by the Dower family, started to study the hybrid monster extensively. Its fusion with human genes finally provided the Ivantians with the much needed clues to crack the unsolved mystery.

After they had extracted the "Zerg" part of the hybrid monster out of the body, the Confederation had finally learned the Zergs' insidious plan to infiltrate the human world with its own kind. The Ark expedition was therefore initiated as a direct response to sabotage the Zergs' master plan.

The confederation knew from the very beginning that the Ark's expedition was the only hope to the survival of mankind, and therefore, they had allowed House Ma to use any means necessary—either financially or politically— to achieve the final goal: diverting the attention of Zerg army.

It succeeded; while Zergs swarmed the Ark, the confederation's main force had been dispatched to the hidden hives whose locations were extracted from the hybrid monster's brain.

The attack had caught the Zergs off guard. But, even with the element of surprise, the confederation only gained an advantage for a brief moment before they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies. The war quickly dragged into a stalemate.

However, no one would have thought that Patroclus would betray his own race. With the Ark completely demolished, the only solace from the Ark expedition was the survival of most of the top young fighters: they were teleported back to the solar system before it was too late.

A year later, 2579AD, Patroclus defeated two other leaders within the Zerg army and consolidated his rule. In the same year, Patroclus led the bulk of the Zerg fleet and completely devastated the human fleet in the Galaxy of Mann.

Chapter 463: New World Order

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

2570 AD, the tide of the battle shifted again. After years of gathering strength and careful planning, the humans gained an advantage over the Zergs again.

However, that didn't last long either. Mid-year, Patroclus challenged Einherjar Li Zhedao and defeated the master of House Li with ease. The event was later called the "Great Fall." After the backbone of the human society was bested, the morale of the army took a toll. After a few defeats, the confederation lost its edge and was forced to the defensive side again.

After a few battles, humans learned that the percentage of hybrid Zergs in the Zerg population was very small. It could be further grouped into two categories. One type was like Patroclus, who had retained a lot of his host's features, and the other was a newer generation. The new generation not only had a lower rate of birth, but was also inferior in many aspects compared to the original hybrid Zergs.

Patroclus was the sole ruler of the hybrid monsters and their minions, calling himself the God of Immortals. Meanwhile, the real Zergs worshiped someone else, their dark lord Moye.

Moye and Patroclus held a fragile alliance to work against the confederation army.

Although Patroclus had eliminated two of the most powerful Zerg warlords who used to work for Moye, Moye was still the de facto ruler of all Zergs. It was Moye who was behind the plan of converting Patroclus into a hybrid Zerg in the first place.

When Patroclus faced fierce resistance on a Zerg Planet, he finally made up his mind to lead the Zergs into a new direction: Co-existence with the humans.

As a former human, Patroclus knew the human nature better than any other Zergs. He knew that the human army would only become stronger the more desperate they grew.

There were three types of immortal Zergs in terms of degrees of mixture of the two races. The first type consisted of those who had been completely overtaken by the parasite. They were nothing but a walking husk, fulfilling the wills of the Zerg masters nestled in their brain. The second type of the Zergs were those whose host body didn't resist the parasitic growth to a full extent, but still retained some human feature. The third group, the most chaotic one, was of those who had resisted the parasite taking over and succeeded. These hybrids were not that much different from humans, except for their nearly indestructible bodies. Despite their affinity with humans, the small part of Zerg that remained inside them would initiate self-destruction should it sense its host's thoughts of betrayal of the common good of the Zerg race.

All three groups of Zergs were called the Immortals, and they gathered under Patroclus's banner. Patroclus's strength and power quickly caught the attention of the Mastermind. He had quickly risen to power and become the second in command of the Zerg army right after the Dark Lord. Although Patroclus was the least likely to be called a Zerg, he had become the second most powerful individual in all hives across the universe.

The heaviest blow to the human race was the betrayal of Einherjar Lee Moshan. The Einherjar turned his cloak right in the midst of a battle and accepted Patroclus' "blessing." The turn of event devastated the entire human race.

2571 AD, Patroclus murdered his own father, Einherjar Andres Dower, and marked the downward spiral of the Dower family. With two Einherjars murdered and the other two betraying their own race, the confederation was finally forced into a tight corner, their hands tied. The extinction of the human race seemed imminent.

After the fight with his father, Patroclus was gravely injured. However, with his incredible healing ability, a full recovery was only a matter of time. During the time of his recuperation, he had left all of his responsibility to four of his most trusted advisers, and Lee Moshan was one of them.

Patroclus' jurisdiction was the Earth and the Moon, while the Dark lord resided near the Mars, overseeing the ongoing war.

One year later, the divine master Constantine led a small army and assaulted Moye's main camp, severely injuring the Dark Lord. Although the Divine Master died during the assault, he had saved millions of lives on Mars.

Despite the fierce resistance in the Solar System, the Andromeda Galaxy had been completely subjugated by the Zerg, turning into its weapon manufacturing base.

However desperate the situation was, the humans had never given up their hope. The frequent and intense combat had improved the human's METAL combat and Mastery skills by leaps and bounds.

Five years later, in a small town called Malunsa on Mars...

"Balls! Lun Duo, are you high or something? I told you many times that we can't afford to save everyone out there!" Tan Bu complained.

"He was dying, and he wanted a sip of water—it was a dying man's last wish, man. What was I suppose to do?"

"I just want you to be careful! If he turns out to be a Zerg, Boss is going to skin you alive!" Tan Bu refuted.

"I know what you are thinking; you are afraid that this dude is going to take your precious little lover away from you. Don't worry! I don't think he is that charming. Plus, he doesn't seem to have any soul energy. " Lun Duo patted Tan Bu's shoulder and said. The "precious lover" he was talking about was the medic in his squad.

"Boss is preparing us for an assault against the enemies in Malunsa. We need to be extra careful. Anyways, I will let the matter slide since he turned out to be a human. "

"Thank you! He is better here than being picked off by the Zergs and turned into one of them."

"I doubt the Zergs will even care to convert him. He has no soul energy, and therefore, Zergs have no use for him. Well, not like he is that useful for us."

"You are really a prick, you know that, right? We can't just let a human die!"

"Yes, yes, whatever! Now, are you going to drink with me or not?"

The two METAL warriors walked off the city wall; their shift was over, and soon, another pair would come to take their post.

The lack of communication had become one of the biggest struggles the confederation had to face on a day to day basis. On the first couple weeks after the Ark incident, Patroclus had ordered his army to destroy the skynet system. Without it, planets could no longer form an alliance, and were forced to fight on their own.

In the Zerg-occupied areas of the planet, many guerrilla forces were formed to resist the Zergs. Most of these guerrilla forces were from the great houses or influential sects. On Mars, the Divine Master sect and House Lie had joined forces. While the members of House Lie fought on the frontline, the sect members took on the role of medics and stood right behind House Lie, healing their wounds. After years of struggle, the situation seemed to have turned around as the guerrilla forces slowly regained control in a few large cities. This was not possible without the sacrifice that the Divine Master Constantine had made. In addition, Einherjar Lie Jintian was still alive, and was leading the resistance; his son, Lie Jian, was also very close to becoming an Einherjar.

Besides the joint forces of House Lie and the Divine Master sect, there were a few other resistance groups led by other factions scattered around Mars. Divine Master Sect had offered generous aid to all the other groups in the form of sending field medics to them.

The City of Malunsa used to be a bustling metropolitan before the age of bloodshed had arrived. But by now, it was under the ruthless control of Lord Luoerda, one of the three generals of Moye. Lord Luoerda was well known for his outrageous brutality. Dead human bodies piled up like hills wherever his dark legion passed. He loathed humans, but he loathed the hybrid Zergs even more, and therefore, his army never took live captives.

Ever since the Zergs laid their claws on the human technology, their equipment had become increasingly advanced, and was almost impossible to defeat. Just a few years ago, a METAL fighter would be able to fend off at least a dozen average-sized Zergs. However, the Zergs had quickly learned to equip themselves with METAL, particularly the hybrid Zergs, and severely disrupted the balance of power.

Humans' life on Moon and the Earth was relatively better than that on Mars. Not only Patroclus had given his human subjects a considerable degree of freedom, but he had also made an effort to improve people's living standards during the war in an attempt to convince more humans to join forces with him. Meanwhile, on Mars, Moye's method of assimilation was much more direct and brutal. The humans were treated as either food or blood bags.

Although Zergs had gained many advantages by mimicking the human race, they had also lost many of their original traits. As they grew more like the humans, backstabbing became more frequent, and divisions among Zergs formed. All the internal conflicts eventually amounted to the schism and power struggle between Patroclus and Moye.

The real puppet master behind the scene, the Zerg's Mastermind, would play a key role in determining the outcome of this competition. So far, the omnipresent Mastermind seemed to favor Patroclus.

Chapter 464: Super Mechanic

Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_

When Wang Tong opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by bright lights and then heard a musical voice.

"You are finally awake."

The bright lights slowly faded away; Wang Tong cracked a smile as he reckoned that he was inside a city. He realized that had been running in the wrong direction and eventually passed out because of dehydration. Someone must have saved him.

Wang Tong looked left and right without noting a pair of beautiful eyes watched him attentively. "Don't worry; you are very safe here. What is your name? Where do you come from?"

"Wang Tong... I don't know. I was walking in the wasteland."

Ye Zi furrowed her brows; the boy was lying. The wasteland was what was left after the nuclear bombardment. No one could traverse in that area without the protection of METAL. However, the earnestness in Wang Tong's eyes seemed to suggest that he had told the truth. The examining crew had checked Wang Tong, and he was clear. Since he was not a hybrid Zerg, the team had opened its arms and welcomed Wang Tong to its camp.

"Thank you for saving me." Wang Tong said sincerely.

"My name is Ye Zi, field medic of team Battle Wolf. It was my duty to save any human here. You should say thank you to Lun Duo; he is the one who brought you here. "

Wang Tong nodded blankly. "Battle Wolf? Where am I?"

Wang Tong's confusion didn't surprise Ye Zi. It was a trying time for everyone on Mars; the order was toppled by chaos and destruction. Many people were forced to leave their home and seek protection in the cities controlled by House Lie. War had made the road not only dangerous, but also unfamiliar. Many people had lost their lives on the way. Even among those who had reached the city wall, only a small portion were guaranteed safety due to House Lie's insufficient resources. The imminent danger had spurred the rest of humanity to take up arms and form Militia units such as the Battle Wolf.

Team Battle wolf fought under the common banner of the Malunsa district. The team's excellent performance had quickly caught the attention of the Divine Master, and the latter deemed the team worthy of receiving field medics. Therefore, they sent Zi Ye to join the rank of the Battle Wolf. Zi Ye was not only responsible for mending the wounds of the injured, but she was also the instructor of new Mastery users.

It turned out that Gods didn't forsake the human entirely. Once a Zerg took control of a host body, the host would lose its ability to use Mastery due to the Zerg's inability to understand the arcane art. However, Zergs' most potent weapon was their adaptive ability. Therefore, no one could say for sure that human would forever hold onto the edge in Mastery.

All Mastery fighters were prepared to end their lives at capture in order to protect the last secret of the human race.

"Ye Zi, Ye Zi? Did that boy wake up?"

Tan Bu's voice approached the medic's room. As the door cracked open, a head poked through; Tan Bu's face gleamed as he gazed at the field medic.

"Come to meet your savior. This is Tan Bu, and the one behind him is Lun Duo." Ye Zi said.

"Thank you!" Wang Tong announced.

"You are welcome!" Lun Duo spared Wang Tong a glance, and then his eyes returned to Zi Ye's beautiful face.

"Hey Furface, save your words. I need your actions. Come out when you feel better and see if you can help with anything around the camp. You need to contribute if you want to stay."

Furface? Wang Tong rubbed his chin and found a handful of fuzzy beard. He suppressed a snicker and then said, "I can do a lot of things."

"Don't be a d*ck, Tan Bu. Hey, you, don't be scared of him; that's just him. We won't leave you alone out there. Is there anything you can do? If your mind is opened, I could assign you to the combat unit. But, it appears that you are not qualified. How about helping around the mechanic shop?"

"Phff....Whatever! If we recruit everyone, the Battle Wolf would soon be called Meek Sheep."

Wang Tong's face lit up with glee and then replied, "Yes, I can be a mechanic. I used to repair METAL."

Silence suddenly fell into the room. Ye Zi said with disbelief, "Seriously?"

"Of course! As long as I have the parts, I can repair just about any METAL."

The other three in the room looked at each other in disbelief. A good METAL mechanic was the most sought-after talent in any camp due to the METAL suits' importance and its complexity.

"Keep bluffing, furface. Don't we have a few broken METAL in the storage? Let him try it."

"Don't feel obligated, Wang Tong. He is just curious." Ye Zi spoke quietly.

"That's fine. I'm more than happy to fix those for you." Wang Tong announced.

Despite the discernible conviction in Wang Tong's voice, the other three kept their doubts.

Ten minutes later, Lun Duo and Tan Bu stared at the newly fix METAL with shocking disbelief. Despite the low-grade tools and sub-par parts, Wang Tong's repair was able to breathe a new life into the thirty or so dilapidated METAL suits, turning them into deadly weapons again.

"By the gods! Lun Duo, you have picked up a genius! Furface, you can stay!"

"Incredible! I doubt House Lie has any technician who shares the same level of skills. Hey, where did you learn this?"

"I ... I can't really remember." Wang Tong announced.

"Ah...That's fine. We all have things that we don't want to remember; that's what war does to us. Tan Bu, stopping bubbling and go tell Boss that we have a new addition. Lun Duo, please arrange accommodation for him."

"Haha! Roger that!"

The two walked out of the room with a skip in their steps. Wang Tong's performance had exceeded their expectation. Without a professional mechanic, those METAL suits were abandoned in the corner of the storage room, waiting to be stripped for parts. But, the new addition to Team Battle Wolf would turn the situation around.

Ye Zi reckoned that it would be hard pressed to find such a talent even in the Divine Master Sect. Wang Tong's skill was apparent, but one question remained: Why would such a talent end up wandering around in the wasteland?

"Wang Tong, welcome aboard!" Ye Zi reached out her long and delicate fingers toward Wang Tong for a handshake.

Wang Tong nodded and cracked a smile, but didn't shake the girl's hand. "Thank you. I won't be staying here long, but while I'm here, I wish I can pay you back and fix METAL for you."

Ye Zi was taken it back and asked, "You are going to leave soon?"

Not only staying with team Battle Wolf would guarantee Wang Tong's safety, but he had also just landed a cushy position in the mechanic shop. For most people, it would be a dream come true in such reduced circumstances.

"I have other things to do." Wang Tong spoke low under his breath.

"Hey, didn't you tell me that Furface had no sea of consciousness? Why did I see him use soul energy while he was repairing the METAL?"

"How would I know? Maybe his soul energy was too small to be detected. At any rate, he can fix my METAL, and that's all I care."

"Ah-ha! Speaking of which, do you think we should bring Furface with us when we finally move against the city of Malunsa?"

"You mean..."

"Think about it, you thickhead! His skill is needed everywhere; if we ask him to repair other team's METAL, maybe they would let our team lead the assault. Don't you think?"

"That makes sense to me! Come, let's go ask Boss."

Guan Dongyang and a few other captains of Battle Wolf had just returned from a mission. He sat in his chair and was absorbed in reflections. The war had been going on for five years. Under his court brothers' persistent persuasion, he had finally joined Battle Wolf two years ago. As soon as he took charge of his team, he realized how little his power was, so he quickly reached out to the Divine Master Sect and asked for help. Since he had left a good impression on Michaux when the two first met at the tournament, Michaux had offered him his full support and sent him capable field medics. Ever since the Zerg deployed hybrid Zergs in the war, they had learned to not only harm human warrior's body, but also their sea of consciousness. Equipped with the ability to heal the sea of consciousness, the field medics had become essential in this war, and their status in the combat team also rose considerably. In the same token, the METAL suit mechanic had also become a well-respected profession in any military force due to scarcity.

When Lun Duo and Tan Bu arrived Guan Dongyan's office, the team leaders were discussing recent development. Meetings like this were never comfortable to sit through, not only because they were long, but also because of the infighting and bickering among the leaders.