Chapter 288

Chapter 288

Many countries are now at war, and the main perspective often shifts away from Grath to broadcast developments elsewhere.

Now it's Buston's turn.

"Look, Orka's still really effective in this kind of situation, but Buston's Commander won't easily deploy him, only using Orka when the battle situation is stable. It seems they are being protective."

"That's ridiculous. With Orka's strength and popularity, if something happened to him, it would be a serious mistake by the Commander, wouldn't it? Let alone Buston's higher-ups punishing the Commander for losing him, just Orka's fans alone would be hard to deal with."

"Whether the Commander makes a mistake is for their own country's superiors to handle, okay? And isn't this what war is about? This is a resource war. They are soldiers. Cut the crap. You're going too far. They're even digging into star players' bedrooms. Just focus on the game, okay?"

"This argument has been going on for a long time. I don't want to comment, but sometimes, this kind of attention is still useful. Leisa has been fine in Kainan, partly because many people have been watching."

The host suddenly paused mid-sentence, "Please note, there is an anomaly near Base 4, suspected of bug activity!"

In previous resource wars, every time bugs joined the battlefield, they attracted a lot of attention.

The main view split, and just as it switched over, it was full of bugs surging in, and soon the screen went dark.

"Damn, give me some warning! I'm in full VR! I feel like I'm being chewed to bits!"

"Who watches the main feed in full VR? That's insane. The frequent perspective switches alone are dizzying enough."

"For those with B-level psychic power or higher, the dizziness is much less. For those above, it's probably barely noticeable. Another tech upgrade's coming soon, and it should make it easier after that."

"Forget about that. The Star Alliance will put the recording gear a ways out to monitor the bugs' movements. The missions by countries on the edge of the star domain before were all captured by these devices, but not too far. These bugs are probably about to arrive."

The main perspective had already switched to the command center of Base 4, with the country marked.

"Grath again. I said from the start their position was bad. The Star Alliance's outer routes used to go through here, but this year they rerouted everything. Probably been upgraded to high-risk already. Best to pull out early."

"They're still fighting. They'll probably only pull back when the bugs get here."

"Well, as long as they're fast. If the bugs come in, they'll probably have to ditch the nearby bases too. But bugs this early? Most nearby bases are Grath's. Grath's ranking's gonna take a hit, and some bases of neighboring countries might also be affected."

"But Grath doesn't have a mother ship, right? Won't that make them slow?"

"Am I the only one wondering how far the bugs are from the residential zones? Only one type shows up in the video – fast and good at jumping between planets. If they rush in all at once, other bugs'll follow, and this sector risks turning into a bug zone. Cleaning that up later would be a nightmare."

"Not likely. The Star Alliance isn't weak – they've got a plan. Plus, with all these troops and star players from every country, no way they let the bugs in."

The main feed kept showing bugs surging in.

The host went on excitedly, "Bugs incoming, Grath's caught between two fronts. What'll they do?"

At Base 4 Command Center.

"Bugs inbound. ETA to base planet under ten minutes. They'll hit the planet in front of us in seven."

Gu Yixiao grunted in acknowledgment. He was frowning, and the light screen in front of him flashed with data continuously.

After a few seconds, Gu Yixiao spoke, still wearing a serious expression, "Reinforcements have arrived."

Most in the command center let out a sigh of relief, and someone asked, "How many? Send them to the front. There's a good planet for a battlefield."

A communication request popped up on the light screen in front of him.

Gu Yixiao answered it, and the others fell silent.

A young voice rang out in the command center, "Hello, Third Fleet from Base 7 has arrived. Merging with your fleet now, ready to follow orders at any time."

The others turned to look at Gu Yixiao. They all knew that Base 7 was full of young people.

Might need to change their assignment.

"Alright. I'll be your commander now. Please be ready to receive orders. If there are any issues, report immediately."

"We will. Don't worry. Just give the orders. Prince Cyril's leading us."

Gu Yixiao's expression eased a little. "Good. Send my regards to Prince Cyril."

"Understood, Chief Commander."

The communication ended.

The mood in the command center lifted a bit.

"With Prince Cyril here, the pressure on our defensive line will be greatly reduced."

"It's a bit embarrassing though. Prince Cyril is much younger than us, and we still rely on him."

"We've gotta work harder too. How can we let Prince Cyril and those kids hold the line for us? It's eating at our conscience."

Gu Yixiao transmitted the route and orders, then looked up at the others, raising his voice a bit, sounding strict, "Then for Grath's sake, work harder."

...

Meanwhile, Ye He got the update on Gu Yixiao's deployment of the relief fleet. Standard Grath procedure.

Even though the fleet was dispatched, Ye He was still the overall commander and accountable for them. If he disagreed with Gu Yixiao's plan, he could escalate it.

Gu Yixiao's decision matched what Ye He expected: sending Ye Mo and the others to set up a bug defense line for Base 4. But Ye He let out a small sigh of relief anyway. He replied fast: "No objections."

Ye He checked the data from Base 4 again, including a report on bug numbers. The latest was from a scout fleet ten minutes ago.

At these numbers, with Ye Mo's current strength, no problem. He could handle even more.

Ye He went back to commanding Base 2. He watched the progress jump after Vilar joined, thought for a second, and had to admit Vilar was perfect for this kind of work.

No wonder he's from a famous violent group.

...

Meanwhile, Ye Mo and the fleet bypassed Base 4 and the enemy, heading to the planet beyond.

That was their chosen battlefield to wipe out the bugs.

The fleet advanced toward the destination.

Lakeley had stuck with Ye Mo the whole time—even when Ye Mo was staying back, Lakeley refused to leave.

But now that Ye Mo actually got a mission, Lakeley started fretting. He paced around, then stopped and said nervously, "Cyril's too young to fight bugs at this age, isn't he?"

"And no mecha. I know Grath doesn't use them, but bugs aren't mechas."

"This commander's too reckless. That's a star player!"

"Lakeley is acting like a mother hen; he's never chased a star player like this before."

"But it is a bit over the top. Cyril is still young; he still needs time to grow."

Ye Mo, who had been sitting there, stood up.

Someone handed him a sword, while another person rechecked his equipment and communication devices.

"Your Highness, please test the sword. It was just calibrated. If there's any issue, we can replace it now. Also, please test the spare swords. If any get damaged during battle, we'll replace them with the most suitable ones immediately."

Although Grath's swords are made of carefully selected materials for durability, they are not indestructible. In Grath's hands, swords are disposable items, and they become more comfortable to use after a period of psychic attunement.

There is a dedicated team that records Grath's mental power fluctuations and uses specialized instruments to maintain and calibrate the swords.

But instruments aren't real mental power after all, and they can't achieve the perfect tuning.

They had gotten used to dealing with all sorts of troublesome Grath.

For Baide, who consumes swords at a high rate, the sword often wears out before it can be properly broken in, so it's fine, we just have to replace them more often. Then there's Herli, who is more stubborn; she insists on keeping a sword even with a chipped edge because she's used to it and doesn't want to adapt to a new one. Getting Herli to listen is a real pain.

Someone brought over several exquisite boxes and opened them in front of Ye Mo.

Ye Mo tested each one with his mental power. "They're all good."

After a moment's thought, he added, "And they all look beautiful too."

The young soldier holding the box immediately lit up.

Ye Mo's acting adjutant came over. "Your Highness, we've arrived."

Ye Mo nodded, grasped his sword, and quickly walked out of the command center.

At the ship's hatch, a young man was waiting for Ye Mo. He looked somewhat familiar.

Ye Mo glanced at him, and the young man smiled at Ye Mo, making Ye Mo remember seeing him earlier when boarding.

The young man had already bent down and opened the hatch, letting the wind rush in.

Lakeley came over with Ye Mo, watching what they were doing.

"Why open the hatch? It's dangerous."

Lakeley cautiously moved closer.

"Grath used to jump straight down from here when landing, but we shouldn't be landing now. Below are all bugs, and besides the sword, we don't have any other weapons. They wouldn't fight bugs up close, would they?"

Lakeley let out a dry laugh, then realized that Ye Mo and the others seemed to be planning exactly that. He stared at Ye Mo nervously.

Ye Mo had already reached the edge of the hatch. Crouching on one knee, he held the hatch, looking below and choosing a suitable landing spot.

The others stood behind Ye Mo, watching him. The adjutant stepped forward. "The flagship will stay with you, Your Highness. Watch your back."

Ye Mo didn't even turn his head, just grunted. His eyes stopped scanning and locked onto a spot.

Then, without another moment's delay, Ye Mo leaped down.

"Jump, Lakeley, you won't die! I want to see my Cyril!"

"He actually jumped! That jinx Lakeley."

"Jump, Lakeley!"

Ye Mo spread his arms and legs in midair. The wind from the fall whipped his hair and cape.

Ye Mo stared at one spot in the bug swarm.

This was a leap that even the King Insect was part of.

He unfastened his cape to move more freely; he didn't have the same calm as Baide and the others yet.

The wind instantly blew the cape away.