Chapter 255: The Familiar Stranger
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Ma Xiaoru had gotten a first tier METAL suite like everyone else. After two days of performing simple tasks, Ma Xiaoru had shown everyone her solid soul energy and ability to survive on a planet with the harsh environment using the Tactics of Enchantress.
w.a.n.g Tong had gotten along with Ma Xiaoru pretty well, pretending that he, too, had forgotten what happened between them while they were at Ayrlarng. There were very few Zergs they had encountered while performing the patrolling mission, but nothing dangerous. The number of Zergs was dwindling ever since their queen was killed. The military could simply move on to another district, but years of experience had taught them that they should not leave even a single Zerg alive while clearing an area. Otherwise, the Zergs would come back really quickly.
Despite the fact that Ma Xiaoru was much stronger than most of her teammates, her tender and soft voice made everyone want to protect her during missions. It was the effect of the Tactics of the Enchantress that had deceived the members of the ninth platoon.
Three days later, Ma Xiaoru was no longer a stranger to the team. She also started to get to know more from w.a.n.g Tong. She was always excited about any small details about this wild planet, and wore her charming smile every day.
G.o.d had completed the world with his final creation: women. Ever since Ma Xiaoru joined the ninth platoon, the soldiers" mood had brightened up a lot, as if Ma Xiaoru"s appearance had relieved some of their stress.
What happened in the two days that followed had made the soldiers even more impressed with Ma Xiaoru"s ability. Even w.a.n.g Tong was caught off guard by her considerable improvements in her tactics ever since last time he saw her use them. It always had been hard for anyone to have a complete grasp on Ma Xiaoru"s real power, thanks to the deceiving nature of the Tactics of the Enchantress.
One day, during a regular field clearing mission, the ninth platoon nearly walked into an ambush.
A mutated Spider Zerg, a Skulk Zerg and four sickle Zergs were hiding inside the jungle, waiting for human soldiers to walk into the kill zone.
Tactics of the Enchantress was well known for its detection ability. Since Ma Xiaoru"s cultivation had reach level five, she had detected these amateur ambushes from far away and signaled everyone to stop.
The team decided to circle the ambush and kill the skulk Zerg first before finis.h.i.+ng off the rest of the Zergs. Ma Xiaoru further stated that the mutated Spider Zerg could be trouble. Based on Ma Xiaoru"s probing using her soul energy, she could tell that the mutant was able to produce an invincible Zerg web and attach it to the tree branches. That would slow the soldiers down significantly once they got caught in the sticky web. Everyone was impressed by Ma Xiaoru"s recon ability and her knowledge of the Zergs. They conceded that they had underestimated the real-life combat experience of the members of the Great Houses. Jansining was delighted by the addition of another capable soldier.
The ninth platoon was not the worst squad, but it was nevertheless far behind those elite extermination teams. Only the top five platoons in a battalion would be granted the t.i.tle "Exterminator." The ranking of the platoons was based on the number of Zergs the team had killed, and it was every soldier"s dream to be in an extermination team.
Jansining was aware that even with the recent success of killing the queen, the ninth platoon"s kill score was still no match for that of other elite teams. However, Jansining reasoned that with the two new additions, their kill score should increase by leaps and bounds, and they might have a chance in getting that t.i.tle he had been dreamed of.
The platoon finally returned to the camp after two days of battle. Some chatted with their families over the phone, some were playing poker, and some were resting on their bed. But no one heeded w.a.n.g Tong"s advice of practicing tactics whenever they had the time. Everyone"s talent and fate were different; no one on the ninth platoon would have to save the world in the future, so they would rather relax and take a rest during their downtime than training like a robot. Wartime life was very stressful and tiring, and resting well was essential for the future battles.
w.a.n.g Tong and Ma Xiaoru didn"t feel tired, neither did they felt any stress on the battlefield, due to their superior power and endurance.
The two sat on top of an armored vehicle, watching the beautiful expanse of the wild planet. They felt that with some effort, humans would be able to call this place home after they have gotten rid of the Zergs. The thought gave the two a certain measure of motivation and lit up their eyes.
"Thank you." Ma Xiaoru said as she wisped a few strands of loose hair off her forehead, tugging them behind her delicate ears.
"For what?" w.a.n.g Tong lolled on the roof of the vehicle. The warm breeze brushed his cheek, making him feel sleepy. He dreaded revisiting this planet, but once he was here, he felt reluctant to leave.
Wong Tong wondered whether it was the scenery or the people he had met here that made him want to stay.
"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to prove myself in front of everyone. I know you had sensed those Zergs too." Ma Xiaoru said quietly.
"Me? I didn"t notice anything. They like you because you are nice. You don"t need to prove anything, you know." w.a.n.g Tong denied.
Ma Xioaru didn"t argue with him. She simply sat right beside w.a.n.g Tong, enjoying the quiet moment that belonged only to the two of them.
w.a.n.g Tong closed his eyes and started to think about Samantha.
w.a.n.g Tong wanted to keep distance with Ma Xiaoru. However, they just got along very well naturally. After all, although Ma Xiaoru had lost her memories, she didn"t lose her likable personality.
What troubled w.a.n.g Tong then was the other enchantress, Li Rouer. He was convinced that she would not forget about their feud, and would come after him soon.
The longer w.a.n.g Tong had to wait for Li Ruoer"s revenge, the more uneasy w.a.n.g Tong became; he could feel that the intensity of Li Ruoer"s rage was increasing by the day. Sometimes, w.a.n.g Tong wondered if Li Ruoer had already gone deranged while practicing the Tactics of the Enchantress.
The exact nature of the tactics of the enchantress remained elusive. Some experts thought that Ma Xiaoru"s personality was too stable, and therefore she wouldn"t go too far in her cultivation of the capricious tactics. However, Ma Xiaoru"s soul energy had been increasing steadily after she broke through the fifth level, and her body had also been strengthening and remaining healthy. Even the masters from the Li family thought it was a miracle that Ma Xiaoru had done so well while so many elements had been working against her. Thus, the lesson was this: no one knew precisely how the Tactics of the Enchantress worked.
Li Ruoer was angry. She wanted to be a.s.signed to the same team with w.a.n.g Tong so she could seek her revenge. But somehow, she was rea.s.signed to the heavy armor squad. Someone had been messing with her plan.
After some probing, she quickly found out that it was Ma Sa behind the change in her rea.s.signment. She could have done away with Ma Sa"s career there and then. But Ma Sa was about to play a critical role in her father and brother"s plan, so she hesitated.
Although she was wild, Li Ruoer was also very smart. She didn"t put her revenge into action right after her arrival. Instead, she understood the importance of putting on a show as the daughter of an Einherjar. She quickly adopted her role and worked and trained hard during the day to show her apparent enthusiasm in front of the watchful eyes, while in the night, she continued brewing her toxic plan of revenge.
Despite the immense influence it had exerted across all levels of the Confederation, the Li family could not dictate the matters of the world, especially in recent years. With their transitional ally, the Ma"s loyalty wavering, and the outburst of the insurgency led by the Golden Hawk, the Li family needed the public on their side more so than ever.
Quickly, Li Ruoer"s strength and seemingly likable personality had won the hearts of thousands of young soldiers, just like her ancestor, General Zhou Zhi did in the past.
General Zhou Zhi had always been Li Rouer"s model. Li Ruoer appeared to be an innocent and capable young girl, but under the facade made out of innocent smiles and benevolent gestures was a power-hungry monster spinning her web of influence. Li Ruoer didn"t befriend Ma Xiaoru just because she wanted Ma Xiaoru to marry her brother, she also wanted to prove her ability to her brother and father. It was a reminder to her father that she, too, was an heir of the Li family and deserved his equal attention.
However, w.a.n.g Tong had spoiled her plan and humiliated her in the vault. Li Ruoer dreamed of the day of her revenge when w.a.n.g Tong would kneel in front of her, repenting his sins, while she delivered the killing blow.