Chapter 388: Hero plus a Shard of War
General Williams pushed open the door to Marshal Tai’s office. In the outer room, a young man, who had just reached the age of twenty, was hunched over the desk, snoring away. His hair was so messy it looked like a bird nest, having no time to tidy it up, and he seemed incredibly fatigued as well.
Williams did not wake up Tai’s secretary, instead softening his footfalls as he walked into the inner office for fear of waking up the young man.
Tai was at his desk, reading through a large pile of battle reports sent in from various areas. He appeared much older, and the wrinkles on his forehead were only getting deeper. Only two months had pa.s.sed, but the hair on his temples was already white.
Upon seeing Williams come in, Tai waved his hand to indicate that he could sit wherever he pleased.
“Little Su’s sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake him, so I let myself in,” Williams said upon closing the door.
Tai was surprised for a moment, and then he sighed. “Let him sleep. That boy truly has been rather tired lately. He hasn’t rested properly since this war started.”
Williams smiled. “Aren’t you the same?”
Tai did not deny it. Putting down the file he was reading, he went over to Williams’s side, took out some tea bags, and brewed two cups of tea. With a bitter smile on his face, he said, “Xia Fei gave me this tea, and it doesn’t taste that bad. Alas, his home, Earth, has already been occupied by the insectoids. It’s hard to say when I’ll next be able to drink tea like this.”
The tough and persevering Tai rarely appeared this sorrowful. In front of the public, he always maintained his imposing demeanor, ever encouraging the army and the Alliance to keep up the fight, but in private, the silver-haired marshal had his weaknesses. It was just that few people knew about them.
Taking the tea, Williams placed it on the table and was in no rush to drink it. “Marshal, Xia Fei sent another report.”
“When no one is around, you can just call me Tai. Xia Fei, that lad, he’s got a crazy streak to him. He’s already exterminated an insectoid border post. What has he done now?” Tai chuckled and asked.
Every few days, Xia Fei would report on his situation to the Alliance. He did not know if the Alliance would actually receive his reports, but Xia Fei still held a little hope. He hoped that Avril and the people in his company would know his situation and not worry about him. Of course, he needed to survive first.
Tai was under immense pressure, and the occasional reports from Xia Fei of the damage he had done in the insectoid territory was a rare amus.e.m.e.nt to him. Although they had little effect on the overall war effort, the fact that someone was running around in the insectoid territory and unreasonably causing trouble somewhat vented some of his hatred.
Williams gave a mysterious smile. “Watch it yourself this time. Xia Fei caused a huge mess in the insectoid territory this time, and he even sent us a video of it.”
Tai did not seem too concerned, telling himself, ‘A huge mess? Xia Fei is just one person, and no matter how good his cultivation is or how clever he is, he can’t have caused too much of a stir.’
With that mysterious look on his face, Williams placed his microcomputer on the desk and opened the video that Xia Fei had sent. He then took out his box of maple syrup candies from his pocket, threw them into his mouth, and happily sat back to watch it again.
The video started with Xia Fei killing the caterpillar Sacred Warrior Shaye. He was seen charging alone into Shaye’s home, killing several thousand members of the caterpillar species, and then going to the forest and easily killing Sacred Warrior Shaye himself.
Tai grew somewhat agitated at this sight. If possible, this supreme commander of the Alliance would also like to go in the frontlines and kill the enemies. Alas, his position foreordained that he could not place himself at risk. Watching Xia Fei slay the insectoids with a single swing of his weapon was very refres.h.i.+ng. Tai felt as if he were the one ma.s.sacring the insectoids, and his blood began to seethe at that.
The video was filmed with a high-definition camera, which Xia Fei had brought with him. As he was simply too fast, ordinary people found it impossible to keep up with his movements. Thus, Tai slowed the speed down and carefully watched.
He could not help but clench his fists as he saw Xia Fei turn Shaye’s head into pulp, even softly exclaiming, “Beautiful! G.o.d, that feels good!”
The scene changed to General Tanini’s Sacred Warrior Academy. Xia Fei killed Mengen with one blow, and then he broke out of an encirclement of more than ten thousand insectoid warriors. Afterward, he used the Star of Ruin to destroy half the star system, instantly killing more than ten billion insectoids!
The dazzling sight of half a star system getting destroyed, h.e.l.lish flames crazily burning through the universe, made it so that Tai could no longer hold back his excitement. He shot to his feet and loudly cheered for Xia Fei.
He had been suppressed for far too long. Admiral Layton was leading the northern fleets in a bitter battle against the insectoids. Hopelessly outnumbered, he had been forced back time and again. His fleets had been halved, and the upper half of the northern starmap had already been occupied by the insectoids.
The southern fleets were being pressured from two sides, and to preserve his strength, Tai had no other choice but to withdraw westward, allowing eight star regions to fall into the insectoids’ hands.
Be it the military or the entire Alliance, humanity was facing unprecedented pressure from all sides. Every human in the sea of stars had their eyes on the movements of the military, and it was uncertain whether their race would survive or be destroyed. The insectoids’ a.s.sault was formidable, and no one could predict the final outcome of the war.
It was easy to imagine the pressure on Tai’s shoulders. After all, he was in charge of the Alliance Military and the backbone of the people. After this long period of pressure, Xia Fei’s sudden attack at enemy lines made Tai optimistic once more.
That fire, which had been more dazzling than the sun, finally faded away. The screen returned to Xia Fei’s Impaler. The young man stood on the command deck, his face cold and aloof.
“I’m currently at the perimeter of the insectoid territory, making my way to the imperial capital. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get in, only that a debt in blood must be paid in blood, and there’s no room for negotiation; a single person’s strength is limited, but I swear that I’ll use my own two hands to kill as many of the enemies as I can. This is the price that must be paid for invading the Pan-human Alliance and killing my people!
“If the insectoids have blocked this signal, then let me tell them that they’ll soon experience even more ambushes and ma.s.sacres! This is only the beginning; it is best if they believe me, for I’ve always kept my word.”
Once this was all said, Xia Fei’s murderous eyes turned gentle. He paused for a moment and spoke words which were br.i.m.m.i.n.g with affection. “Avril, I don’t know if you’re still alive. If you are, please wait for me; I promise you that I will return. If you already went to heaven, then please wait for me to do what must be done.”
*Pa!*
The screen went blank. Tai had been deeply moved by Xia Fei’s speech. Love and war seemed like two unrelated things, but in this universe, they were somehow a perfect match.
War would make the blood of men boil, while their deep affection would make women weep bitter tears. In this era of war, the eternal parting that came from battle would often touch the soul even more than the war itself.
Tai sighed as he leaned back on the sofa. He got so excited that his face was rather ruddy.
Williams pa.s.sed him a cup of tea. “How was it? A big mess, right?”
Tai bitterly nodded. “The entire Pan-human Alliance’s army hasn’t killed more than Xia Fei alone. Of course, it can be considered a big mess, but what sort of weapon did Xia Fei use for him to succeed in destroying half a star system?”
Williams shook his head, indicating that he did not know, either.
The Alliance had been retreating since the start of the war. If they retreated any more, they would be forced to the western parts of the Alliance; at which point, there would be nowhere else to retreat.
The most pitiful were the ordinary people who had constantly been fleeing. They took all their possessions and joined the fleets in retreating to the west. They lacked food and medicine and could be ambushed by the enemies at any time. One could say that the morale of the entire Alliance, be they soldiers or civilians, was at an all-time low. More and more people were beginning to despair, planning on leaving this s.p.a.ce and heading out into the unknown for a chance at survival.
“Tai, what we need right now is a hero,” Williams sternly said.
Tai froze for a moment. “You plan to push Xia Fei onto the stage? Make him the hero of the war? Encourage the army into continuing the battle against the insectoids?”
Williams smiled. “We actually don’t need to do anything. Xia Fei is already a hero to mankind.
“He used the public frequency to send his signal. Any wars.h.i.+p with the Black Bat radar should’ve received this, and some people have even uploaded this video to the interplanetary internet already, and it’s a hot topic across the entire Alliance. All we need to go is give him a little push.”
Tai lowered his head and thought for a few moments, muttering to himself, “The Alliance is truly in a difficult situation. We really do need someone to step up and raise morale, or else we won’t be able to keep up for much longer.”
It was said that heroes would emerge in a chaotic world, and Xia Fei had appeared at exactly the right place and time, doing something that no normal person would ever be able to accomplish. Thus, he naturally became the number one candidate to raise the Alliance’s morale. All heroes since ancient times had arisen in such circ.u.mstances.
“Since you have no objection, I will go and make the arrangements.”
“Go. Have every person know that the Alliance has never given up hope. Warriors are fighting b.l.o.o.d.y battles in corners of the universe that no one knows about, and of course, we, the Alliance, haven’t yet given up!” Tai firmly declared.
…
Starlink Corporation’s number one fleet, the capital s.h.i.+p, Horizon.
Avril and her family first followed the military to the south; as the front line was pushed back and more and more territories were lost, their fleet began to move west as well.
Starlink Corporation had ten fleets, and nine of them had control taken over by the military and were made to join the battle. The first fleet remained as a guardian fleet, escorting the s.h.i.+ps carrying civilians as they withdrew from the warzone.
After all, this was a war that would decide the fate of the entire human race. Every citizen of the Alliance had to do their part, and almost all the factions, even major organizations like the Adjudicator Union and Monastic Order, had handed over their forces to the military.
Avril’s gorgeous face remained moving and beautiful, but it seemed much thinner, her sharp and jewel-like eyes ringed by faint black circles.
Under Avril’s forceful requests, the first fleet had been emptied as much as possible so that millions of refugees could be taken in. Every place that could fit people—corridors, storage hold, and workshops—were packed with civilians from various parts of the Alliance.
This was a gruesome war, and every citizen was deeply worried. The small bags at their sides contained all their most treasured possessions. Homes, cars, and loved ones had been lost in the blink of an eye.
Avril had a sweet smile on her face as she moved through the crowd. Seeing that a sleeping boy was not properly covered by a blanket, she hastily walked over and tucked him in. She placed a hand on his forehead and made sure that he did not have a fever before leaving.
Anyone who saw Avril would warmly call her. Everyone saw what this young miss had been doing. She did not put on airs and would always put all her attention to every refugee, no matter how lowly they were.
Initially, Avril was rather lost. The news that the trade delegation fleets were completely wiped out had left her weeping for several days and nights. Xia Fei would often get lost and cause trouble, and Avril was used to that, but right after she had helped decorate Xia Fei’s home in the capital ring and was looking forward to that longed-for day in the future when she would marry him, their current nightmare all but destroyed her confidence.
In truth, Avril had a very simple demand. She did not need Xia Fei to stay by her side every day, nor did she want a life of luxury and glory. She was satisfied as long as Xia Fei could survive, but even this little desire was difficult to realize!
Avril cried, broken-hearted and grief-stricken. She curled up in a dark corner of her room like a wounded kitten, licking her wounds.
Soon after, news that Xia Fei had escaped death arrived, and Pang Xing rushed into her room to tell her this. After seeing Xia Fei’s simple message, Avril seemed to have become a completely different person. She began believing that G.o.d loved her. After so many perils, both she and Xia Fei were still alive. Though they were separated by a vast distance, as long as he remained alive, there was still hope! Compared to the refugees who had already lost their loved ones, she was many times more fortunate!
In the end, the Alliance had finite emergency transportation abilities. Around one-third of its population was able to board s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps and flee from the encroaching battlefields. Most people could only stay where they were, and no one knew what would happen to them once the insectoids occupied their last remaining territory.
The lucky ones would become slaves, to be beaten and cursed at by the insectoids as they lived lives even worse than those of goats and pigs. As for the unlucky ones? The kind-hearted Avril did not dare to think about it.
The escort fleet was also a part of the army, and it could completely disregard the fate of these refugees, but the pure and innocent Avril could not stand and do nothing as all these hopeful civilians got abandoned in their homes, so she stood fast against all opposition and opened the fleet, taking as many refugees as she could, providing them food and taking them west.
The news came very quickly, and Avril’s kind gesture was welcomed by all. Of course, there were also people who did not like her. Normally, special fleets like this were to be enjoyed by only a certain cla.s.s of people, but Avril had upset their plans. However, if they refused to imitate her actions, the saliva alone from the criticism of ordinary civilians would drown them to death. Thus, when these people learned that the Starlink Corporation’s first fleet had opened theirs to civilians, they privately cursed Avril as a fool who tossed aside her blessings and now mingled with the impoverished ma.s.ses.
The job was not done after taking in refugees. Avril spent sixteen hours every day walking among the people, seeing if anyone needed food or medical attention. Little by little, these people, who had occupied the lowest rung on the social ladder, warmed up to her.
Leaving a packed corridor, Avril arrived at an even more congested training room. This five-thousand-square-meter gym was originally meant for the crew to exercise their bodies, but all the advanced exercise equipment had already been tossed into s.p.a.ce. Compared to countless human lives, exercising was not that important.
“Miss Avril is here!”
“Miss Avril, how are you?”
“Miss, you’re so beautiful. Once I’m older, I wanna marry you and take you home,” declared a short and sly little fellow.
This place held all the orphans who had been picked up along the way. The chaos, which had ensued during the boarding and several s.h.i.+p transfers, caused some of these children to be separated from their parents, but many of them had become alone because s.p.a.ce on the s.h.i.+ps were limited, so their parents thought of every method they could to get their children onboard the s.h.i.+ps even as they remained in their homes. It was easy to imagine just what sort of fate their parents had had.
Many of these children still were not orphans, but everyone knew that they soon would be.
The eternal parting of death, flesh and blood—never to be reunited! What sort of cruelty was this?
The children slowly gathered around Avril. Some smiled as they asked for food, while others asked to marry her.
“According to my mom, this s.h.i.+p couldn’t seat many people, so she gave up her place to the grandpas and grandmas. Mom said that she’ll just get on another s.h.i.+p. Miss Avril, was she telling the truth?” A girl with big bright eyes asked.
Avril’s eyes reddened. She gently stroked the girl’s cute ponytail and said, “It’s true. Your mom will definitely come.”
Avril felt a bitterness at the tip of her nose, and tears began flowing unbridled from her eyes.
“You’re not being good at all! Mom said to call her if you miss her. Look at how you made Miss Avril cry! Aren’t you going to call your mom then?”
Another girl, who was a friend of the one who first spoke, saw that Avril had started to cry and took on the role of a little adult, rebuking her friend.
The girl with big eyes dejectedly dropped her head, her voice like a buzzing mosquito. “The call couldn’t go through. There’s been nothing since yesterday.”
The other girl did not stop. She grabbed the big-eyed girl’s hand and picked up her velvet rabbit from the floor. “Your mom wouldn’t trick us. I’ll take you to call her. Maybe she’s out shopping, getting a good meal ready for us.”
The big-eyed girl happily nodded. “My favorite is shrimp and scrambled eggs. I can eat the entire plate every time!”
The other girl licked her lips. All they had to eat every day was compressed food, which was dry and hard to swallow. As food was limited, each person was only able to eat until they were half-full. Although these children somewhat ate better than the average adult, it could still not compare to what they used to eat in their homes. “I like it, too. Once we find your mom, do you think she’ll let me have a bite?”
“Mm, I’ll tell her that you’re my friend. Mom will definitely say yes.”
“Then let’s go and call her. Once we find your mom, we can eat shrimp and scrambled eggs.”
This simple conversation had all the adults present in tears. Avril had barely suppressed her urge to cry by covering her mouth.
Everyone present knew that the big-eyed girl’s parents lived on a planet named Unicorn Volans. Yesterday, it was announced that the planet had fallen.
The mood was extremely heavy, and the children sensed this depressing atmosphere and started to cry, calling for their parents. Pang Xing, who had been silently weeping as he watched this all transpire, hastily took out lollipops, cookies, and other snacks from his spatial ring and distributed them among the children. The volunteers taking care of the kids also forced themselves to smile as they moved to play with the children.
After pa.s.sing Avril a handkerchief, Pang Xing quietly retreated behind her.
Everyone had seen Avril’s actions. In the past, she had been known as a naughty girl, who would tear apart her toys if she was the slightest bit dissatisfied. The ancients said that only war could make a person mature overnight, becoming tough and hard in a single night; Pang Xing now understood what they meant.
It must be understood that Avril was not even eighteen yet! In the eyes of many people, she was still a child. At present, this big child took on the responsibility of taking care of many small children. One could not help but sigh at the cruelty of war.
There was a large screen in the room. Avril sat together with many children to watch a cartoon show as they licked their lollipops. It was only at times like this that Avril would return to being a naïve, young girl. More frequently, she found herself forcing maturity.
Suddenly, the TV broadcast was interrupted and became that of Xia Fei fighting the insectoids. Many of the children complained, as in their opinion, war was a thing for adults and had nothing to do with them.
Avril’s eyes brightened, and she pressed a hand over her heart. Every time Xia Fei fought the enemy, her heart would leap to her throat.
When that star system exploded, Avril and everyone else felt excitement, but she found it difficult to shake away the worry in her heart.
On the screen, Xia Fei stood on the command deck and raised his eyes, his eyes deep and determined, just like the heroes of legend. His clothes were as ordinary as ever, and there was nothing to commend about his appearance, but through the thin screen, everyone could sense that he had a transcendent aura.
This was the aura of someone independent and would never give up easily. It was as if the only thing in the world that could stop him was himself. As long as he made up his mind, he would give up even his life for it without regret.
Even those unwitting children were awed by his demeanor, their mouths closing as they held their breaths, the room falling silent.
“Avril, I don’t know if you’re still alive. If you are, please wait for me; I promise you that I will return. If you already went to heaven, then please wait for me to do what must be done.”
This was the deepest declaration of love! Behind such calm words was the sincerest affection for a single person!
Avril was struck dumb. She had never imagined that Xia Fei would profess his love for her in front of the entire Alliance. There was no need for any explanation because his words had said it all.
Two crystalline beads of tears trickled down from her still-moist eyes, though she was not crying out of despair but happiness, rather. Avril felt that she was the most fortunate woman in the world. Xia Fei had once saved her life, and now, he had declared his love for her in front of the entire Alliance. Was there anyone else capable of such a thing?
The children turned curiously to Avril.
“Miss Avril, was that big brother referring to you?”
“Are you his girlfriend?”
“Are you going to marry him?”
The children asked very simple and innocent questions. Though they did not understand love, children of this age had watched far too many romances and knew quite a lot.
Avril wiped her tears, a bashful smile on her lips.
“Yes, I definitely am!”