Chapter 84

Chapter 84

These messages appeared with such stealth that, were it not for the constant vigilance of legion-level surveillance, their insidious influence on people would have gone undetected.

This time, the royal family was exceptionally rational and astute.

They did not rush to disclose their intentions but instead remained completely obscured behind the scenes, employing a strategy akin to boiling a frog in warm water: introducing the water and gradually raising the temperature and water level so imperceptibly that detection becomes impossible. By the time one realizes, they're completely submerged, devoid of any strength to leap out.

At that time, cleansing the Great Prince's reputation, elevating the royal family's status, and manipulating the will of the people would all depend on their whims.

If it weren't for Lin Fu's repeated reminders to Putian Xiangri.

Before setting foot on the battlefield, Lin Fu had persistently urged Putian Xiangri to closely monitor the movements of the first and second armies, especially the whispers from the rear.

At that time, Putian Xiangri, because of the setbacks faced by the royal family and the parliament at Lin Fu's hands and the favorable situation of the Fourth Legion, had actually let his guard down a bit.

Now, seeing these subtle actions, one couldn't help but feel a chill.

If he had continued to relax, and Major General Lin shared the same mindset, it would be hard to say whether the Fourth Legion would fall at the front lines or due to a silent, backstabbing blow from behind.

……

Lin Fu and Cheng Jiu were scattered on Planet S177, their locations untraceable.

Their fates and well-being remained unknown.

The lower-ranking soldiers, unaware of this, continued their methodical extermination of the insects, striving to minimize the legion's losses.

However, the atmosphere among the higher ranks was heavy.

The only silver lining was that, on the day the Ninth Army's reinforcements arrived, the relentless swarm that had been converging towards Planet S177, darkening the skies, inexplicably dispersed, ceasing their targeted actions against the planet.

With no new influx of the bug species, the pressure of eradication eased once again, and the expansion of the safe zone accelerated at a breakneck pace.

The dark thorn forest.

Branches and leaves, gnarled like monsters, crushed under the tide of insects.

The green mecha moved slowly forward.

It was supposed to be black, glimpses of a grey-black undercoat visible beneath the dense, mottled green.

But after being shrouded in a vast expanse of verdure, its original color became inconsequential.

Cheng Jiu had reached the edge of the thorn forest.

He constantly monitored Lin Fu's condition, witnessing his wounds healing in the treatment pod, leaving no trace. Far from feeling relieved, his anxiety only intensified.

Lin Fu hadn't woken up.

Blood kept seeping from his mouth.

The flow of blood grew, so copious that Cheng Jiu felt an urge to reach out and stifle it.

He advanced through the thorn forest, unimpeded by the bug species, but his pace slowed increasingly, to the point where it even unsettled him.

Behind him, the corpses of the insectoids piled up into mountains, their green blood forming a river.

He took out a vial of nutrient solution from his storage ring and downed it in one gulp.

Cheng Jiu swallowed the ivory-colored, unflavored nutrient solution. He lowered his head, staring at the black gold-patterned ring on his left ring finger, unable to resist reaching up to clutch his hair.

"Let me tell you a secret…" His voice was hoarse, and he whispered in a hushed tone, "In ancient civilizations, wearing a ring on the left ring finger signified a marital bond."

"That's right, I've been taking advantage of you for years."

"But Lin Fu, have I ever actually told you outright that I like you, that I love you?"

"Once this tide of insects ends, let's return, and I wish to court you properly. I want everyone to know, throughout the entire empire, that I am the one best suited for you."

No one answered him; he was simply speaking to himself.

*

Star Sector 7326

Junior (in age)

At the zenith of the prehistoric great beast tide outbreak.

The frenzied assaults of the insectoid race brought immense pressure upon the major legions.

The Fourth Legion bore the brunt, suffering grievous losses, severely weakened, followed closely by the Ninth Legion.

The insectoid wave used methods unknown to humans to perform spatial jumps, outmaneuvering the human legions and launching a major attack on the Fourth Legion.

Bad news kept coming from the front lines.

The people on the Star Network grew anxious as well.

Public sentiment reached a fever pitch on planet S177 when the Fourth Legion was compelled to retreat to the defensive line of Class-A planets.

Online dissatisfaction with the Fourth Legion surged like a tsunami, inundating them with a deluge of vitriol and curses, and the Ninth Legion was similarly tarnished with a reputation for ineffectiveness.

Meanwhile, the First and Second Legions rose abruptly, valiantly assuming the mantle of defense.

When the tide of insects shifted its course, targeting the seemingly weaker defenses of the First and Second Legions, they withstood the pressure and, against all odds, turned defeat into victory.

Six months prior, the Great Prince, once scorned by the people, particularly distinguished himself with a string of military exploits.

One was a consistently retreating defeated army, the other a triumphant force not only holding its ground amidst adversity but also claiming victory, marking a stark contrast.

The reputations of the Fourth and Ninth Legions plummeted to unprecedented lows among the populace.

Three months later, the tide of insects finally came to an end.

The ultimate victory was brought about by the First and Second Legions.

Everyone remembered that day, when the entire star network broadcast the Crown Prince leading the First Legion in fierce frontline combat, with the Second Legion providing support on the flanks, jointly decimating the elite of the insect tide and driving the remaining insectoids out of the empire's star domain.

Cheers erupted simultaneously across all the planets of the empire.

The war that had lasted an entire year finally came to an end.

Although the war was not long by conventional standards, it felt as if it dragged on for several years to everyone involved.

Following the war, all major legions were required to return to the Imperial Star for a military debriefing.

A petition surfaced on the Star Network demanding Lin Fu's resignation, urging that command of the Fourth Legion be handed over to someone more capable.

The royal family and the parliament intervened, stating that matters would be discussed upon Major General Lin's arrival on the imperial planet.

……

The Fourth Legion's main planetary base.

Lin Fu lay in a medical pod.

This was a laboratory, or more precisely, an experimental facility that had been transformed from the underground world left to Lin Fu by General Peide.

The laboratory was filled with massive equipment, connected by multicolored tubes running from various machines to the bed where Lin Fu lay.

He lay quietly in the center of the pale bedsheet, his skin as pallid as the linen itself.

Researchers in sterile lab suits busily manipulated various instruments, their screens displaying fluctuating data lines indicative of Lin Fu's vital signs and mental strength.

On one side of the laboratory was a massive transparent glass wall, behind which stood three individuals.

Cheng Jiu's amber gaze remained fixed and unwavering on the figure inside the laboratory, his lips drawn tight, his once jovial face long void of any expression.

Putian Xiangri stood beside him, gazing at Lin Fu within and said, "There's an urgent imperial edict from the capital star. If the Major General cannot awaken tonight, the Fourth Legion will need your assistance."

Cheng Jiu remained silent.

Putian Xiangri said no more.

Beside him stood the chief experimenter of this treatment.

He observed the expressions of the two men and dared not speak further.

Major General Lin was not unconscious the entire time.

When he was brought back covered in blood by General Cheng, he regained consciousness briefly during transport, issuing orders for all units to abandon S177 and retreat to the A-grade planetary defenses, focusing solely on defense rather than exterminating the swarm.

The batch of mechs that was originally transported to the front lines, ready to be deployed, was forcibly suppressed and remained unused.

His orders were inexplicably odd, and his moments of lucidity were too brief to explain his reasons.

But upon his return to the main base, Cheng Jiu, without hesitation, executed all his commands, with an efficiency surpassing even that of the Fourth Legion.

The Ninth Legion was the first to abandon pest control, retreating entirely to focus solely on defense.

The stationed troops of the Fourth Legion on S177 star withdrew immediately.

As to why such an order was issued, we must wait for Major Lin to awaken to find out.