Chapter 69: The Rebellious Landis

Chapter 69: The Rebellious Landis

Amidst the rolling and surging black fog, the enraged screech of the King-class mutant rang out: "Seeking death!"

The mutants had no spiritual entity and no mental energy, but the King-class, with its mountain-like massive and formidable body, possessed an almost infinite regenerative ability. The polluted magnetic field surrounding it was a collection of all negative mental energies—fear, abyssal depths, calamity, and destruction.

Neither the mech's defenses nor the energy cannons on battleships could inflict significant damage on this colossal creature.

Even with the protection of his mech, Xiao Sa felt as though an icy, viscous abyss was swallowing him whole. The pervasive pollution invaded every pore and every breath, attempting to infiltrate the remnants of pollution in his mental sea. It sought to seize his rationality, shake his will, and devour his mental energy.

Even the strongest Alpha pheromones, which exuded a powerful aura of aggression, could drive those of lower ranks into a state of mindless despair.

The white tiger beside Xiao Sa let out a long roar, the golden character "King" on its forehead emitting a golden glow. A cloud-like aura hovered above him, constantly dispelling the icy fog, as this was a battle of minds. He would not lose to anyone or any monster.

The tip of the white scythe plunged deep into the space between the two heads of the King-class mutant, spurting out black-red blood that seemed alive as it rolled. The foul flesh stuck to the scythe and the mech, gradually gathering to form new pollution sources that continued to writhe and devour.

As Xiao Sa tried to pull back the scythe, he felt a crushing force from the mutant's wound, as if it were physically grappling with the blade, its sheer muscle power preventing the scythe from advancing and tightly clamping the blade.

A long, razor-sharp claw descended from above, its terrifying grip capable of warping and shattering the mech's reinforced alloy shell.

Xiao Sa sneered, and the scythe, formed from his mental energy, dissolved into nothingness. The mech's feet ejected a pale blue flame, deftly dodging the attack, and in the next second, appeared beside one of the mutant's eyes.

His scythe of mental energy reappeared, growing longer and larger, the blade glowing faintly as it drew a silver line, brutally stabbing into the mutant's eye socket and gouging out a blood-red eye.

"Roar—!" A earth-shaking roar, filled with boundless pain, nearly blew Xiao Sa's mech away.

Xiao Sa lowered his brow, and with a surge of aggressive pheromones, took advantage of this momentary mental wavering to push forward with an irresistible will, invading the mutant's mental sea.

"Devour one another."

The lower-ranked mutants around immediately succumbed to the command, plunging into a chaotic frenzy of self-destruction.

The two heads of the King-class mutant were stiff and grotesque, still struggling fiercely, resisting stubbornly.

From the mutant's pheromones, Xiao Sa could sense a strong resistance—anger, hatred, and other emotions. Directly commanding the King-class was nearly impossible, but severing the connection between the King-class and the other mutants was sufficient.

Unfortunately, Xiao Sa's spiritual entity ability was control, not a powerful offensive skill.

At that moment, a spear of black flame shot through the sky, piercing the mutant's injured eye socket like an arrow, and exploded inside, instantly obliterating half of its head.

The agonized roar was deafening, sending shockwaves through the air and causing eardrums to vibrate.

The King-class mutant's mountain-like body collapsed, creating a thunderous noise that shook the earth.

Xiao Sa suddenly turned around to see a black-and-gold mech approaching like the wind through the darkness, surrounded by blazing black flames, like a deity or demon emerging from the abyss.

"Landis?"

Landis' deep voice, laden with static, came through quickly: "Mental connection."

As soon as the words fell, countless mental threads from Xiao Sa's mental domain climbed onto Landis' mech, achieving an unprecedented synergy. At this moment of mental connection, they fully shared each other's body and mind.

The two were like twin flowers growing together, with vision, smell, hearing... the five senses, and the mental entities and abilities completely connected.

Xiao Sa's silver-white scythe of death instantly erupted with blazing flames, and as he swung it down with all his strength, the fiery blade left behind a trail of flame, splitting both heads of the King-class in half.

Beams of light converged on the area between the two heads of the King-class mutant.

Black flames shot up into the sky, followed by a brief silence, and then a massive explosion roared deafeningly. The scorching heat of the flames almost tore a rift in the dark sky.

It was unclear how much time had passed before the towering mountain collapsed. The thick black fog gradually dispersed, and sunlight, sharp as a blade, cut through the clouds, piercing the darkness. The rotating clouds of gas dripped a cool mist of mental energy, gently washing away the remaining pollution in the air.

The silver and black-gold mechs quietly hovered in the air, triumphantly returning amidst the blazing flames.

The once-interrupted system channel finally regained a stable signal, only to be drowned out by long cheers and jubilation.

After Xiao Sa and Landis joined forces to annihilate the toughest enemy, the morale of the allied forces soared to its peak. The intense battle continued into the late hours of the night, finally wiping out the majority of the mutants on the battlefield.

Xiao Sa controlled his mental cloud, continuously splitting it into smaller clouds in the sky. The drained mental mist, unable to maintain its massive size, eventually shrank back into a small cotton candy-like cloud perched on Xiao Sa's forehead.

The silver mech attracted countless gazes as it flew through the air, until Xiao Sa followed Landis back to the warship. He jumped out of the mech's cockpit and removed his goggles, revealing a handsome face with black hair and dark eyes.

Both those who knew him and those who didn't were utterly shocked, especially Atai, who stared with his mouth wide open, his chin almost dropping.

The entire warship was immersed in excited discussions.

Xiao Sa took a moment to stabilize the mental sea of the officers affected by the mental energy from the Black Fox Unit, who had single-handedly taken down over a dozen lord mutants. The cotton candy cloud, having been drained of its last drop of mental energy, shrank to the size of a fist before slowly dissipating.

The cleanup teams finished scouring the messy battlefield, and the Third Legion, along with the supporting First and Second Legions, temporarily stayed at the base for post-war recovery.

For several days in a row, Landis sent three urgent military reports to Central Star daily, each one more severe and urgent than the last.

In the luxurious Baroque palace on Central Star, the emperor sat on his towering throne, holding a scepter.

After his attendant officer read the urgent report sent by Landis, the emperor's weathered face twitched. His eyes turned to the third prince, Moyang, with a dim expression. "Do you believe General Landis's report is accurate?"

The third prince rose and bowed to the emperor, his posture as graceful as ever. "Even if there is some exaggeration, I believe he must be engaged in a fierce battle, an unprecedented one. The battle footage transmitted cannot be faked."

Facing such a massive enemy and with supplies running low, even the formidable combat strength of the Third Legion forced Landis to bow to the royal family, pleading for aid.

The emperor lightly twisted his beard and asked, "Then do you think we should send troops to support Landis?"

The third prince sneered inwardly. His emperor father was indeed too hypocritical. He had already made up his mind but still wanted to use the prince's mouth to voice it. If the ministers were grateful, the credit would go to him, while any resentment would fall on the prince.

With an increasingly amiable smile, the third prince slightly bowed his head. "The time has come. I am willing to personally lead the mechanized beast legion to assist General Landis."

He paused, casually asking, "But if I arrive and General Landis has unfortunately fallen in battle, what then?"

The emperor wore a regretful expression and shook his head. "If General Landis dies in service to the country, it would be a great misfortune... His family must be well taken care of."

After all, such an excellent blade is hard to sharpen to perfection.

The third prince's eyes flickered with meaningful implications. "Indeed, if General Landis dies, his 'widow' should be properly cared for."

A fallen hero is often the most revered by the empire, just like Landis' father or the former Admiral Eric of the Fourth Legion.

※※※

The Third Legion recuperated at the base for half a month. During this period, no supply ships from Central Star arrived. All supplies, including inhibitors and energy resources, were provided by the Star Power Group's fleet under Xiao Sa's command.

The person responsible for this supply delivery was Broken Peak, the former vice-captain of the Fourth Legion and now the head of the Star Alliance Armed Security.

Several days later, hundreds of warships marked with the royal crest of the Dawn Empire appeared on the radar signals of the Third Legion's reconnaissance department.

Captain's command room.

Landis quietly watched the holographic images of the battle fleet on the screen, a cold smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "They're finally here."

Caro wrinkled his brow beside him. "Sir, I'm afraid they come with ill intentions."

Landis' icy blue eyes remained fixed on the projection screen as the royal battle fleet entered the atmosphere, appearing in the sky.

"It's fine. Everything is already prepared."

In the sky above, hundreds of battle battleships loomed like dark clouds. Each warship was deeply engraved with the emblem of the Dawn Empire's royal family.

They boldly penetrated the atmosphere and bypassed the base's defensive layers without hesitation, heading straight for the Third Legion's fleet, much like an overwhelming enemy army rather than reinforcements coming for aid.

The reinforcements stationed nearby, from the First and Second Legions, watched this tense standoff. The two deputy legion commanders looked at each other through the communication video, both seeing deep worry and uncertainty about the future in each other's eyes.

Captain's command room.

The signal from the imperial royal battleship quickly connected, and the familiar figure of the third prince, Moyang, appeared on the holographic projection. He was still dressed in his luxurious prince attire, his fiery red hair particularly eye-catching, and his face wore its usual elegant smile.

The third prince looked at Landis, who was dressed in his military uniform with a blank expression, and smiled. "Long time no see, General Landis. I see that the order in your base is well-maintained, and the surrounding mutant contamination sources have been completely cleared."

"Thanks to your leadership, Your Excellency. However, the delayed supplies and reinforcements from Central Star have caused severe casualties and heavy losses for the Third Legion. How do you explain this, Third Prince?"

The third prince raised an eyebrow. "Is General Landis blaming me? The logistics minister has been very diligent, but accidents do happen in the universe. There's nothing we can do about it."

Landis narrowed his eyes and coldly smiled. "Then, in the previous decree, the intelligence claimed that this mutant horde was only level two, with only three to five mutant lords. Why is the actual situation far more severe, nearly leading to the annihilation of the Third Legion?"

The third prince's tone sharpened. "General Landis, that's quite rude. In your battle reports, you claimed that the mutant numbers were enormous, far exceeding those of previous campaigns, with not just a dozen mutant lords but even a king-level mutant. I wonder, where are they now?"

Landis spoke slowly. "They have been killed by the fearless soldiers."

The third prince's expression darkened. "General Landis, lying about military intelligence is a serious crime. For the Third Legion to handle such a massive enemy force and emerge unscathed—wouldn't that be too absurd?"

"In your reports, you claimed heavy losses and imminent annihilation. Now, it's not the case. Such a foolish lie reveals your ulterior motives and shows that you have turned disloyal to His Majesty! You deliberately deceived the royal reinforcements to achieve some hidden agenda!"

Though his words were sophistical, he had shrewdly guessed Landis' intentions.

The third prince's sharp gaze swept across the two deputy commanders of the First and Second Legions on the holographic screen, and he smiled coldly.

"Without His Majesty's decree, have you privately mobilized the combined forces of the First and Second Legions? Do you intend to follow General Landis in defying the royal family, or even rebel against it?"

With the third prince's stern tone, the identities of the reinforcements and the aided legion underwent a substantial change, filling the command room with a tense atmosphere of hostility.

The two deputy commanders of the First and Second Legions stiffened, realizing that the third prince's words hit the critical points. Even if they had reasons, they were not legally justified at this moment.

More importantly, the scale of the battle fleet led by the third prince was significant, showing that they came prepared and with confidence.

His army wasn't here to assist; they were waiting for the Third Legion and the mutant horde to weaken each other before reaping the benefits.

After a moment, the deputy commander of the First Legion spoke up. "Third Prince, this mutant campaign was indeed as General Landis said, on a massive scale, and a king-level mutant did appear."

"If not for the resistance of the Third Legion, the consequences would have been unimaginable. We all witnessed it—an undeniable fact that cannot be twisted by you, Third Prince."

The third prince didn’t linger on that point, instead wearing a cold smile. "Then, perhaps you should all take a look at this."

A footage suddenly appeared on the holographic projection in front of everyone.

That took place on Customs Star, where five mutants went on a rampage. A young man with black hair and black eyes appeared in the midst of the chaos, wielding a long silvery scythe. It was unclear what he did, but the five mutants stopped their attack and instead started tearing into each other, as if controlled by the young man.

The expressions of everyone present shifted, and the people in the captain's command room instinctively turned their gaze to Xiao Sa, who stood behind General Landis.

The third prince's gaze also locked onto him. It was clear that Landis's claim of being gravely ill was nothing but a ruse:

"As we all know, the royal family dispatched the mech beasts to track down the Alpha who caused a riot in the imperial palace and stole the central core."

"These mech beasts suddenly went berserk on Customs Star, and it's closely related to Mr. Xiao Sa, who stands behind General Landis. Although General Landis tightly controlled Customs Star, attempting to destroy the evidence and suppress the news, the truth cannot be hidden forever."

"All the evidence points to him as the prime suspect for Alpha."

"Landis repeatedly obstructed the mech beasts from capturing Alpha, allowing him to escape, which caused significant losses to the empire. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Landis Wencer, as an imperial general, you have repeatedly defied the emperor's orders, harbored a fugitive, and this time even lied about military intelligence, harbored rebellious intentions, and privately mobilized garrison troops."

"As the third in line to the royal family, I demand that the Third Legion immediately surrender and lay down their arms, arrest Landis Wencer, and escort him back to Central Star to await trial by the military court!"

The third prince's words were stern and fierce, and everyone looked at Landis and Xiao Sa in disbelief.

The situation took a sharp turn.

The two vice commanders of the First and Second Legions looked at each other with furrowed brows, their expressions filled with suspicion and obvious doubt.

The third prince was clearly prepared, not only in terms of military strength but also holding the upper hand in legality. A conflict was now inevitable.

The royal family's attack came with unexpected speed.

Worried, the two knew that even if the Third Legion was strong, they had just gone through a bitter battle.

Landis' most elite Black Fox Special Operations Unit had lost its combat capability, and even Landis and Xiao Sa, both S-rank powerhouses, had not yet recovered from the intense battle.

Faced with the third prince, who was riding a wave of momentum and held the moral high ground, victory seemed far from certain. If they faltered here, it could spell disaster for the entire military. Once that happened, the royal family would crush them without mercy.

The vice commanders of the First and Second Legions would assist Landis in the mutant campaign, as eliminating mutants was the military's duty, but whether to join him in breaking with the royal family was another matter entirely.

The two exchanged glances with Landis, their expressions unreadable, and decided to bide their time for now.

Landis sneered, "And what if I refuse?"

The third prince pretended to be regretful, "I advise you not to harbor any illusions, lest you ruin your lifelong reputation."

As soon as he finished speaking, he gave a solemn order, "Arrest Landis Wencer and Xiao Sa immediately."

With the third prince's command, a dense swarm of mech beasts flew out from the fleet, numbering as many as five thousand. Their monstrous roars echoed through the sky.

This was an army that possessed both the formidable physical strength of mutants and the obedience of soldiers. They feared neither death nor pain, had no sense of fear, and followed orders completely, making them the perfect biological weapons.

Facing such a large group of non-human combat troops was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle with fear.

A crushing sense of despair settled over every soldier's heart.

In the command room, Landis remained unperturbed.

Standing beside him, Xiao Sa clearly heard Landis' heavy sigh.

Then, the situation in the projection changed again. Nearly a hundred densely packed battleships escorted a carrier fleet. At an unexpected moment, it emerged from the distant sky, slowly advancing. Its stealth technology disappeared, revealing the Wencer family emblem on the hull—this represented nearly all of Landis's resources as the empire's most powerful warlord.

The deputy commanders of the First and Second Legions immediately showed shocked expressions, their gazes turning incredibly complicated as they looked at the impassive Landis. His level of composure was astonishing. Despite the bloody battle against the mutant horde earlier, where he had been willing to suffer enormous losses to his personal guard unit, he had held back his final trump card until this very moment.

The third prince finally lost his calm demeanor, a twitch appearing at the corner of his eye. He sneered, "Landis, you’ve been planning this all along! You even had your family’s fleet waiting in ambush here!"

Landis coldly regarded him, speaking slowly and deliberately, "My forces are here to exterminate the mutants, to ensure victory even without any aid or supplies."

"If your highness's legion is truly here to assist, there would be no need to fear my private warships."

"Perhaps the third prince should explain to everyone why the royal family's secretly researched mech beasts suddenly mutated into mutants. What happened to the fallen soldiers of the Fourth Legion? Why have mutants appeared on Central Star? Is your highness leading the mech beast legion here to assist, or to take advantage of the situation?"

The third prince's face darkened, and he remained silent. At this point, both sides had bared their fangs and claws, revealing their true intentions. There was no room left for reconciliation. This time, he had brought nearly all of Central Star's mech beast legion to ensure Landis's capture. If they failed to either control or eliminate Landis, the emperor's throne could fall to someone else.

"Attack!"

Neither side wasted any more words. The situation had reached a point of no return, a deadly stalemate. The third prince had originally been confident that, given Landis's shortage of inhibitors and resources, and after battling the mutant horde to mutual exhaustion, a mech beast legion of three thousand would be enough to subdue the Third Legion and bring them to justice.

He had never expected that Landis had already prepared a plan against the royal family, his preparations so thorough. Not only had he brought the First and Second Legions into his alliance, fully equipped and ready for battle, but he had also managed to withstand the mutant horde. Landis's repeated urgent requests for aid had been nothing but a trap to test the royal family's intentions.

The mech beast legion possessed extremely strong combat capabilities, but unlike the mutants, they lacked the most terrifying pollutant—the black fog. Although the Third Legion had suffered considerable losses after battling the mutant horde, the addition of nearly a hundred well-equipped and fully operational warships from the Wenser family tipped the balance of military power.

Dense laser beams and artillery fire crisscrossed the sky, mingling with the monstrous roars of the mech beasts.

Xiao Sa climbed back into his mech, the silver-white Grim Reaper's scythe gliding through the battlefield like a king surveying his domain.

At this moment, the overwhelming presence built upon the corpses of king-level mutants made the silver mech unstoppable. Hardly any enemy dared to stand in his way.

His unique psychic field rippled, and invisible mental threads, enhanced by the White Tiger's ability, grew wildly. Centered on the silver mech, a powerful mental pressure surged towards the mech beast legion like a tidal wave.

As he moved, oppressive pheromones spread like moonlight in the darkness, radiating killing intent and pressure that no one could ignore. Sensing the threat, the mech beasts instinctively retreated.

On the mech-filled battlefield, only the area in front of the silver mech formed an eerie blank zone.

Until his pheromones collided with an immovable rock.

Xiao Sa narrowed his eyes. It was an especially tall and strange mech beast.

Most other mech beasts moved on all fours, attacking like beasts, but this one stood firmly upright on two legs. Its armor emitted a light blue jet flame, and its face retained more human features. A deep scar ran from its brow to its ear, and its gray pupils silently gazed at the silver mech.

The leader of the mech beast legion…

Xiao Sa's Death Scythe tilted downward, slowly rising. He couldn't shake the feeling that the other looked somewhat familiar.

Suddenly, his comm device crackled with urgent static, and Broken Peak's angry voice came through the channel, "Your Excellency, that is the former General Eric of the Fourth Legion! I followed General Eric for twenty years; his features are unmistakable. It's definitely him!"

"General Eric was once a hero who served the empire faithfully. How could they do this to him? How could they!"

It wasn't just Broken Peak who recognized General Eric. Even the First and Second Legions showed signs of unrest.

Xiao Sa's eyes darkened, and he slowly exhaled. If Landis hadn’t fought back so fiercely, he might have ended up just like this—lost to the same fate.

In the psychic field, the now-mutated General Eric exuded a cold, sorrowful death wish. On the battlefield, no one could sense the faint consciousness he was transmitting.

Except Xiao Sa. He knew the only thing he could do was help the other attain complete release.

The Death Scythe in his hand bloomed with astonishing light and swung down!