by <unknown>
"Do you remember, Ah Tie? Do you still remember?"
Colonel Zhou Tieyi was silent for a moment. Then he clenched his fists and said, "Rest assured, Iron Commander. After we conquer the Blood Demon Sector and return in triumph, we will certainly have cheers that are a hundred times louder than 'Li Yao'! By then, not just those in the capital city, everybody in the entire federation will cheer for us and the federal army from the bottom of their heart!"
"Will they?" Zhou Hengdao smiled. "Will that include the families of the more than three thousand innocent victims who were killed in the explosions in the Federal Square?
"Even if they do cheer for us, are you and I qualified to embrace their cheers without guilt?
"And they…" He raised the badges in his hand and shook them. "What about their family? Will they cheer for us? Can we bear their cheers?"
Zhou Tieyi frowned. "Iron Commander, what are you holding?"
"Dog tags."
Zhou Hengdao split apart the eight dog tags. On one side of the dog tags, it was a Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars badge, and the basic information such as name, blood type, and level was on the other side.
Zhou Hengdao touched the names as softly as he could, as if he were touching the head of his great grandson.
"They are the dog tags of the eight signalmen who fought to the end to fulfill their responsibility only to be killed by us.
"Chen Gaoyi, Song Zuguang, Jing Guoyuan, Dong Rui, Liu Hao, Shan Shengjie, Deng Junhao, Xia Lesheng… Those are their names.
"Dong Rui was the youngest of them. He was only nineteen years old and only joined the army last year. Song Zuguang was the oldest of them. He was sixty-six years ago. He had almost dedicated half of his life to the federal army. He was a veteran who had participated in dozens of bloody battles!
"Hehe. After dozens of bloody battles, he was not killed by the demons. What a lucky man! Such a seasoned warrior would've been fought over by every troop!
"It's a pity that he was not killed by the paws and tusks of demon beasts but by the guns of his brothers… and by our order!"
"It was an accident!" Zhou Tieyi's eyes were more or less red, too. He stepped forward and supported Zhou Hengdao, who was shaking slightly. He bellowed, "Iron Commander, it was an accident. You must not blame yourself! Now that Director Lu has been captured, you are the spine for all the 'patriots' right now. In order to save the federal, Iron Commander, you must not fall over at this moment!"
"Accident. Hehe. Accident."
Miserably, Iron Commander Zhou Hengdao buried his face into the eight dog tags.
The eight dog tags were hissing on his face as if they were scorching irons.
His trembling voice leaked out through his fingers. "I don't know how things end up like this. I really don't.
"Did we make the best plan, the most flawless plan, in the beginning?
"As long as Jiang Hailiu was blown up in the Federal Square and Li Yao took the blame, it would have been enough. All possibilities of negotiation would have been cut off without any doubt. A war would start!
"The Blood Demon Sector suffered tremendous losses in the destruction of the Eye of Blood Demon. It is also faced with the threat of the plague. Its capability is at the lowest point in its thousands of years of history.
"In comparison, not only do we have the Demon God Virus and a hundred Children of the Nether World who are familiar with the inside information of the Blood Demon Sector, we also have the super warship Burning Prairie and two hundred thousand Grand Illusionary Soldiers!
"It was supposed to be an overwhelming victory. With the minimal price, we would gain the greatest benefits!
"Those who should be sacrificed should be Jiang Hailiu and Li Yao alone!
"Jiang Hailiu is a boneless capitulator, and Li Yao is a malicious traitor who intended to introduce the demons into the federation! The two of them had it coming whatever became of them in the end!
"Everything… should've been just like that. Those who were dead should've been those who deserved to be punished. Not a single innocent victim should've been involved. Then, we would've embraced the greatest victory and led the sacred federation to a brilliant path!
"Why did everything change when our perfect plan was implemented? 'Accidents' were jumping out one after another!
"In the Federal Square, so many innocent victims were killed, but Li Yao got away! To execute him, Ye Changkong and Diwu Jian… heroes who had made great contributions to the federation, Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators who defended humanity, were so heavily wounded that they might've been better off dead! Eventually, the whole situation escalated to a point where Lu Zui's crystal warship was opening fire toward the federal citizens in public!
"If Li Yao hadn't stood in front of them, perhaps hundreds more unrested souls would be caused by our plan!
"Hehe. Even so, Li Yao was not stopped. We were forced to turn to our last resort!
"For our last resort, we lied to everybody, manipulated everybody. We have even killed our own comrades and brothers!
"We abandoned everything and walked this far. With a last, tiny jump, our plan would've worked out, but at such a critical moment, another 'accident' took place again! Even a mouse of the Heaven's Origin Sector was against us and stalled us for almost four hours!"
"Iron Commander!" Zhou Tieyi roared. "The space jump array will be repaired very soon. The other legions in the drill do not know what is going on yet. It's just a few hours. Everything is definitely going to be alright. There will be no accidents!"
"Is that so?" Zhou Hengdao smiled. Looking at the flapping flags on the light beam, he said, "Ah Tie, I'm thinking about one thing. When so many accidents overlap, are they still accidents? Or maybe, they are… the heavens' will? Some supernatural power has been stopping us?"
"Iron Commander!" Zhou Tieyi was anxious. He raised his voice again and even shook Zhou Hengdao's body hard without bothering with courtesy. "We are both soldiers! Soldiers should believe in their own sabers and swords! What is the heavens' will? Our weapons are the heavens' will!
"Everything we have done was meant to save the federation. It was a price we had to pay even if some victims were sacrificed in the process! People die in every war! Have we not lost too many comrades in the battles over the past hundred years in order to secure the final victory?
"There will be no more accidents. Iron Commander, we will succeed because we stand for justice! Evil never laughs to the end! Even if the heavens' will does exist, it is definitely on our side!
"Evil never laughs to the end! Evil never laughs to the end! We are right. Our path is the only right one!"
The dim brilliance in Zhou Hengdao's eyes was intensified again, but it only glittered for a few seconds before it was interrupted by hasty door knocks.
A major who was tall, slender, and had a gloomy face walked in. On the surface, he was a member of the communication department in the military, but in fact, he was the liaison officer that Lu Zui had sent to Zhou Hengdao.
He brought a new accident.
Vulture Li Yao had rushed to the edge of the Dark Desolate Domain despite all the obstacles!
Chapter 1147: Iron Commander's Determination! |
"At 1:22 p.m., Vulture Li Yao was detected by the first blockage squad. The two parties were engaged three minutes later. Li Yao executed seven and heavily wounded nine before breaking through the defense line!
"At 1:39 p.m., Li Yao reached the second defense line and turned the temporary mobile air defense bastion into an ocean of fire. Twenty-five crystal tanks were destroyed. Unable to estimate whether or not Li Yao was wounded!
"At 1:55 p.m., Vulture Li Yao and the 'Wild Sandstorm' crystal warship of the third blockage squad encountered. 'Wild Sandstorm' was pierced through from the head to the rear. All the parts from the bridge to the engine compartment to the warehouse were seriously wrecked. It lost all the moving and fighting abilities!
"Up to this point, in only half an hour, Li Yao pierced through
three defense lines and has reached the edge of the Dark Desolate Domain!"
The messages sent back through the secret communication channel of the Patriots Partnership cast the three of them in silence. Looking at each other, they all saw a shadow that was as scourging as fire in each other's eyes and how it was rushing unstoppably, slaying everything in its way in the middle of the lightning and clouds!
Nothing seemed able to stop the shadow from marching into the Dark Desolate Domain!
As the captain of the guards for the Chief of the General Staff of the federal army, Zhou Tieyi was an expert in the Core Formation Stage, too. Over the past few decades, he had experienced hundreds of battles large and small and survived all of them. He was definitely an out-and-out tough man!
Even so, thick sweat was still popping out of the forehead of the tough man as he watched Li Yao's accomplishments so far. His face pale, he asked, "Major Jiang, how—how is it possible? He penetrated through the three defense lines that we carefully prepared in only half an hour?"
"Exactly!" Major Jiang, who was the liaison officer sent by Lu Zui, nodded gloomily. "According to the latest intelligence, Vulture Li Yao is now only one step away from the Nascent Soul Stage. Also, he boasted an ultimate flying sword that is amazingly fast. Our armed shuttles and Exos couldn't catch him. He took them all unprepared and rushed through all three defense lines!
"Now, he is rushing at the edge of the Dark Desolate Domain. Although his speed might be lowered because of the super thunderstorm, it is possible that he will find us in the next two to three hours if we don't stop him.
"By then, whether a fight takes place near Burning Prairie or he successfully delivers the message to Burning Prairie and the legions nearby, it will be quite a nuisance!
"Thankfully, his companions are not as fast as him. According to our men on the Grand Desolate Plateau, he was leading the vanguard on his own, and those behind him are three to four hours away from him. The time gap should be enough!
"He is certainly not unharmed after breaking through the three defense lines. As long as he is killed, there will be enough time for Burning Prairie to perform a jump. Our plan is definitely going to work out!"
Zhou Tieyi opened his mouth. He looked at Major Jiang and Zhou Hengdao, only to come up with nothing.
Zhou Hengdao smiled. "Yes, as long as Li Yao is killed, everything will be back on track—that is what you've been saying since the beginning!
"However, in the Federal Square, in the wasted factory, and in the East Ocean, when we still had two Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and more than ten Core Formation Stage Cultivators, was he ever killed?
"Now, he has broken through the three defense lines. Our strength is running low. Most of the 'patriots' need to control the troops and jam the communications. Who do we have to kill Li Yao?"
"Iron Commander!" Major Jiang narrowed his eyes, with intimidating aura leaking out of his every pore. He gnashed his teeth. "Don't forget that we still have several boxes of cannonballs of the Demon God Virus that are applicable to real battles!
"Activate the last plan! Move a legion to block Li Yao. When the two parties are engaged, bombard the legion with the Demon God Virus immediately and transform all the soldiers into 'uncontrollable mutants!
"Then, Li Yao will also be corrupted by the Demon God Virus!
"Even if he is lucky enough not to be corrupted by the virus, he will still be harassed by the thousands of 'uncontrollable mutants'. There's no way that he will be able to free himself in only a few hours!"
The proposal was like a gale from the deepest depths of hell, chilling both Zhou Hengdao and Zhou Tieyi.
Zhou Hengdao looked at Major Jiang in a dazed, full of anger, disappointment, and disgust, as if he had seen clearly Major Jiang's true face as well as the true face of all the 'patriots' including Lu Zui and even himself, for the first time.
Zhou Hengdao stepped back and murmured, "You—you want me to attack thousands of brothers of the federal army and transform them into 'uncontrollable mutants'?"
"There's no time to hesitate, Iron Commander!" Major Jiang slashed his hand down. "They are the last sacrifices. We will win as long as Li Yao is stalled for a few hours! We can blame it on the demons later! After all, we are very close to the Blood Demon Sector. Everybody will believe it if we claim that the Demon God Virus has leaked from the Blood Demon Sector!"
"I will not do it." Zhou Hengdao seemed to have struggled out of a prolonged nightmare. Taking a long breath, he shook his head. "Major, you have gone too far no matter how you look at it."
"Iron Commander, are you going to abandon our cause at the last moment?" Major Jiang took off his hat and shouted, "So many brothers have paid with their sweat, blood, honor, and life to make us arrive at the edge of the war. Now, with this last insignificant price, our cause will succeed! Are you going to back off at such a moment and let the traitors such as Li Yao and Jiang Hailiu laugh to the end?"
"Major!" Zhou Tieyi stepped forward and stopped between him and Zhou Hengdao, roaring, "Watch our your attitude! You are speaking to a general!"
"Yes, General. Please reconsider!" Major Jiang's face was red. Like an animal that was pushed to a dead end, he was roaring crazily, "There is no going back now. The future of the federation is on our shoulders! If we pity the lives of thousands of soldiers right now, billions of our compatriots will die tomorrow! Give the order. My men are preparing the Demon God Virus. We can definitely stop Li Yao. Definitely!"
Iron Commander Zhou Hengdao looked at Major Jiang quietly. His eyes were more and more indifferent and tranquil. Half a minute later, he shook his head slowly but resolutely before he said, one word after another, "No, Major Jiang. I cannot give such an order! Now, as the Chief of the General Staff of the federal army, and the leader of the Patriots Partnership, I order you to stop preparing the Demon God Virus and to refreeze the cannonballs that contain the virus!"
Major Jiang stared at him for a long time. He bit his lips so hard that black blood was flowing out. His anger was obvious in his silence.
"Major, carry out the order!" Zhou Tieyi roared from the side. "Are you defying the general?"
Major Jiang laughed in his fury. He gradually put on a scornful smile, and there was unmistakable disappointment in his eyes. "I didn't know that, at the critical moment when the fate of our motherland is about to be decided, what Iron Commander cannot let go of are still his integrity and position! Fine then. The Iron Commander may care about those things, but we who have sworn to follow Director Lu don't!
"Iron Commander, prepare the space jump now. Your hands need not be tarnished by the accident. The 'patriots' of the Secret Sword Bureau will see that everything is done!
"Later, all the curses will go to us, and all the glory will be yours and the federal army's!"
He did not even salute before he turned around and opened the door angrily.
"Captain Zhou!" Zhou Hengdao asked subconsciously. Before he called, Zhou Tieyi, the captain of the guards, had already lunged out!
Everything happened in just half a second.
Zhou Hengdao lunged forward barehanded. Perhaps he only meant to get Major Jiang under control.
But Major Jiang, who was at his wit's end, was like a heavily wounded animal that was highly dangerous.
Realizing that somebody was attacking him from behind, Major Jiang unsheathed a dagger out of natural instincts and stabbed at Zhou Tieyi's ribs from below!
Qualified to be the liaison officer of the 'patriots' in the Secret Sword Bureau and the federal army, Major Jiang was one of Lu Zui's most trusted subordinates. He was also an expert who had received the harsh training of the Secret Sword Bureau for decades. The attack was soundless and aimed directly at the heart.
Maybe, his attack was merely a deterrence, and he did not really want to pierce through Zhou Tieyi's heart but only hoped to push him back.
After all, they were both 'patriots', and they were at a critical moment!
But it
was impossible to find out the answer now because the moment he picked up the dagger and stabbed backward, Iron Commander Zhou Hengdao appeared next to him as fast as lightning, clutched his jaws with the pair of iron hands, and twisted.
Crack!
His vertebrae exploding, Major Jiang's head was turned by 180 degrees and reversed to his back, staring at the Iron Commander and the captain of his guards in devastation.
Gulu! Gulu! Gulu!
Pink bubbles of blood were flowing out of his open mouth. A lot of questions seemed to be popping up from the bubbles as the guy berated the Iron Commander's betrayal.
Zhou Hengdao held Major Jiang from falling down. He closed the guy's eyes and then twisted his head to the normal direction. In the end, he patted his shoulder and said, "Take a rest, brother. Maybe we can all use some rest."
Pada!
The dead body cramped and collapsed to the ground.
Looking at the body, Zhou Hengdao and Zhou Tieyi were caught in silence.
The portable crystal processor on the wrist of the body was still displaying messages about Li Yao nonstop.
Vulture Li Yao was getting closer and closer.
Lost for words for a long time, the captain of the guards asked with a bitter smile, "Iron Commander, what do we do now?"
Zhou Hengdao gazed at the unstoppable red spot on the light beam.
For a moment, his aura was so unprecedently weak that Zhou Tieyi almost thought that he was going to surrender.
But the next moment, the most dazzling brilliance beamed out of his artificial eye and his natural eye at the same time. His aura flooded out like a torrent and established an invisible realm that felt like an indestructible pillar around him!
"Help me prepare my crystal suit, Ah Tie," Iron Commander Zhou Hengdao said casually. "Prepare my 'Basaltic Fighting God Battlesuit'!"
Chapter 1148: Duel of Dignity! |
Zhou Tieyi was dazed. His breath was scorching as he stammered, "Iron Commander, what are you going to do?"
Although Zhou Hengdao was a seasoned warrior in the Nascent Soul Stage, although he had made his way to the commander of the federal army from a bottom-level private after two hundred years, seventy percent of his organs had been replaced by artificial ones. His veins and nerves had almost all been damaged, too, which resulted in the poor circulation of his spiritual energy. Also, he had worked in the office for more than ten years!
