Chapter 545: Overbearing Impression
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Another thing that had confused Syracuse was the ability of the legendary warrior to attract such a large number of Zergs by himself. Syracuse doubted that even the most powerful human warrior was not able to stir up that much interest in the Zergs. There had to be someone else there with the legendary warrior…Was it Xiao Yuyu? Yes, it had to be her.
A legendary warrior and the chief medic from the Sect ought to be able to lure the entire Zerg army out of the city. The businessman"s instinct of his told him that there was more than what met the eyes. Battle Wolf had to be somehow related to the Divine Mastery Sect in one way or another.
Anyway, regardless of the Battle Wolf"s relation with the Sect, their victory had earned everyone"s respect; therefore, Syracuse decided to increase the client relations.h.i.+p budget which he planned to spend on them.
Once the resistance forces at the Maersa district heard about the news, they sent out their scouts to learn more about the current situation inside the city. None of the resistance groups were in a hurry to move their troops into the city, since the remaining Zergs could come back at any time.
Unlike everyone"s expectations of the heroes that conquered the city to be drinking and celebrating, warriors of Battle Wolf spent the victory night in quietness. Overspent and exhausted, everyone fell asleep as soon as they finished dinner, and a few moments after that, the camp was filled with the soft snores. Although Vorenus was a high-level warrior, the intense battle had taken a toll on his vigor as well. Even then, he found it hard to believe that a second-cla.s.s war band such as Battle Wolf could have possessed such discipline and professionalism that was unrivaled by even the most well organized and funded military units.
The strength of an army came from its soldiers" will, and such strength could only be tested during the time of extreme hards.h.i.+p. Battle Wolf had pa.s.sed the test. Brave, courageous, and disciplined, these were the words used to describe an elite militia group such as the units from the Divine Mastery Sect. They were well trained, and fueled by an unswerving faith toward the Sect. But, what about the Battle Wolf? What made them so special?
Watching the tired faces around him, Vorenus heaved a long sigh of relief. This was the most intense battle that the chief medic had ever partic.i.p.ated. But, no matter how exhausted she was, she didn"t let the fatigue show up on her face. As the leader of the field medics, she needed to constantly wear the mask of calmness and serenity, regardless of the situation. Sometimes, the mask got too heavy, and she just wanted to wrench it off her face, but she couldn"t. She represented the Sect, the last beacon of hope for the human on the Mars.
Some might blame her for the reckless act of charging into the front line, but she did it anyway, and she had never felt better for herself. This was the first time after she had become the chief medic that she was able to do what she wanted, and earned the respect of others from her actions rather than the Sect"s overshadowing reputation.
"w.a.n.g Tong..." He was THE w.a.n.g Tong, and now everyone knew about it.
Being one of the caucus members within the Divine Mastery Sect, Vorenus had heard of the name many times. Compared to the young boy who had shocked the Confederation five years ago, w.a.n.g Tong had changed a lot. He was no longer a boy, but a man. Not only had he put one some muscles in the five years, but his mind had also matured, which made him much wiser than before.
It was needless to say that w.a.n.g Tong"s reappearance was great news to the human resistance forces. However, exposing himself so soon was not a good idea for his safety. What would House Lie think of w.a.n.g Tong"s return?
House Lie and the Divine Mastery Sect were long-term allies. Even during such reduced circ.u.mstances, the two great power still found a way to co-exist peacefully. But, the same could not be said about the relations.h.i.+p between w.a.n.g Tong and House Lie.
If it were anyone else, House Lie might be able to tolerate his or her existence. However, w.a.n.g Tong was not just anybody: he was the only person who had defeated Patroclus, and the heir of the Blade Warrior. Therefore, he had to be taken down if House Lie ever wanted to claim dominance over Mars. w.a.n.g Tong only had a small number of soldiers under his command; if he were to be in charge of a full-fledged war band, he might have already killed the dark lord by then.
Vorenus reflected on the battle, and he noticed that the seemingly reckless operation was carefully planned and orchestrated. The situation might have seemed perilous, but everything was under w.a.n.g Tong"s control.
…
Meanwhile, w.a.n.g Tong and Yin Tianzong stood on the top floor of a skysc.r.a.per and scanned the streets below them. Just as Vorenus had suspected, w.a.n.g Tong had taken everything into consideration; he even meticulously calculated the time it would take for him to get to the city. The time he had spent with Charcoal outside Maersa city wall was not wasted, since he had collected enough data to estimate his travel time accurately. That being said, w.a.n.g Tong could not foresee everything, and the success was also due to the bravery and mettle of his warriors, particularly that of Xiao Yuyu and Yin Tianzong. Without these two powerful fighters stretching themselves to the limits during the most critical moment of the battle, w.a.n.g Tong"s plan would have failed.
The Templars had used their blood to prove to the public that they could still believe in the Court. Meanwhile, w.a.n.g Tong"s astonis.h.i.+ng display of power had greatly impressed these proud and haughty warriors. Before the battle, they only followed Yin Tianzong"s order. But now, they all considered w.a.n.g Tong to be their true leader.
Standing beside w.a.n.g Tong, Yin Tianzong was finally content. He knew that he could, at last, take a rest from the role as the Templars" leader, since w.a.n.g Tong was much more competent in that role than him. He was convinced that w.a.n.g Tong would lead them to the Templars" final destination: their home on earth.
Although Yin Tianzong was not sure how many people would be still alive when they finally reached Earth, going back home with w.a.n.g Tong was a very comforting thought nonetheless.
"I am going to leave the city for a while. Guard the fort for me, will you?" w.a.n.g Tong said as he stretched his arms and yawned.
"The Zergs will come back for us. Plus, since you have revealed your ident.i.ty, we have more than just the Zergs to worry about."
"There will always be troubles. Haha… I just don"t want to be bored before the next fight." w.a.n.g Tong cracked a smile. He didn"t seem to be alarmed by Yin Tianzong"s warning. Ever since he made up his mind about making a move against the City of Maersa, w.a.n.g Tong had been adamant in his course. He was not afraid of the Zergs, much less House Lie. As long as House Lie was under the influence of the Sect, it would not be able to ama.s.s an army large enough to threaten Battle Wolf. Even if they were so stupid as to make a move against him, w.a.n.g tong had more tricks up his sleeves to help him.
Trying to subdue one"s opponent with conspicuous brute force was never a wise thing to do. The real victory was better achieved with the most subtle but effective strategies.
Yin Tianzong never doubted w.a.n.g Tong"s ability to weather whatever storm that might come; instead, he was worried about w.a.n.g Tong"s att.i.tude in this crucial moment. w.a.n.g Tong needed to strike a balance between becoming a fatalist and being reckless. He needed to be prudent in every decision he made, without being overshadowed by the fear of defeat. It was difficult for Yin Tianzong to put his advice into words, which didn"t help to ease his concern. However, so far, he was very pleased with w.a.n.g Tong"s sangfroid disposition under such great strain.
At such a young age, w.a.n.g Tong had already achieved a great measure of aplomb and equanimity—the hallmark of a legendary Templar.
It wasn"t long before the news spread to House Lie and the Divine Master Sect. Albani studied Lie Jian"s face as he read the news to him.
"What do you think about it?" Lie Jian asked.
"I... I don"t know if it was my place to make a comment on it."
"Bullsh*t! I want you to speak your mind."
"As you wish, my lord. I think our priority is to recruit him. Failing that, we will have to do away with him." Albani answered in a short sentence.
"The wheel of fortune has its ways. Haha! Who would have thought that w.a.n.g Tong will work for me one day? You don"t know him well enough. It is impossible to bring him under my control, ever."
"Time had changed, and so have people. However, if we can"t make him one of us, we will have to kill him sooner than later." Albani was the chief intelligence officer, and he knew that w.a.n.g Tong would one day rise to challenge House Lie if left unchecked.
"So, it is true, all the rumors about how merciless your KKBO was. You want to kill the heir of the blade warrior."
"It is an honor to be considered merciless as the chief intelligence officer. His t.i.tle as the Heir of the Blade warrior means nothing on Mars, and his popularity is not my main concern either. His actually ability and power should be much more alarming to you than his fame. He had brought down an entire Zerg Army with a small motley crew. We need to stop him before he gathers more strength…or it could be too late."
"I see your point. However, we can"t make a move right now. First of all, you have grossly underestimated w.a.n.g Tong"s power. Even now, I cannot say for sure that I can overcome him in a one on one battle, much less with that level twenty-one warrior on his side. Even if we manage to remove him from the world, it would be in a PR nightmare. He is regarded as a hero for saving the people in Maersa, and I don"t want my future subjects to see a hero"s blood on my hands. Secondly, it is not just us who wanted to get rid of w.a.n.g Tong. I believe Moye is more interested in killing him than me. We can use their conflict to our advantage and strike at both of them when the time is right."
"What a brilliant plan, my lord! " Albani announced ingratiatingly.
"Of course! I am the future lord of Mars. I should be able to handle a teenager hero easily."
All things considered, Lie Jian concluded that it would be better to stay put and observe as the situation developed. w.a.n.g Tong and his war band were still too weak to threaten his position on Mars, and removing w.a.n.g Tong by force would definitely anger the population. That being said, he did not worry about the toll on his conscience by murdering an innocent hero. When w.a.n.g Tong started to pose a threat to him, Lie Jian would not hesitate to kill him. But for now, he would wait and leave the former alone.