Chapter 269: Humans’ Counter Attack
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Across the gla.s.s pane, w.a.n.g Tong finally saw Ma Xiao"s face, and a tear streaked his face right away.
w.a.n.g Tong never felt so concerned about someone"s well being that he knew he would give up his life for her. Before he met Ma Xiaoru, he never felt so happy and sad for anyone or anything. The whole world meant nothing to him, but after he had found his true love, Ma Xiaoru had become his world, and she meant everything to him.
Ma Xiaoru lied in the medical bay as if she were sleeping. Ma Dutian"s request had given him a sliver of hope. It was a fight he had to win, and nothing would be able to stop him.
Li Ruoer watched the development with curiosity and questions. She didn"t expect Ma Dutian to be so friendly with w.a.n.g Tong, much less accepting w.a.n.g Tong"s request of proving himself.
The marriage between the two houses came at a very high price for the Ma. Not only were they going to send their daughter to the Li, but also all the secrets of the VAPE battery. It was also the most critical matter on House of Li "s agenda. If things didn"t get hairy again on Norton, Li s.h.i.+ming would have returned earth and focused on wooing the bride and her family.
The real intention behind the Enchantress"s sudden change of heart to help w.a.n.g Tong was much more devious than it appeared. She had wagered that Ma Dutian would reject w.a.n.g Tong"s request outright, and therefore, w.a.n.g Tong would completely lose hope. Without the hope supporting w.a.n.g Tong, Li Ruoer reasoned that he would collapse from within very quickly.
She had not been deceived by Zhou Sisi"s little trick. After all, she was merely playing along just like everyone else. However, even with the loaded dice, w.a.n.g Tong was still the biggest winner in this rigged game.
Had Ma Dutian done it in the name of love? No.
Li Ruoer knew that sentiments such as love belonged only to ordinary people in the streets. There was only one motive in Ma Dutian"s decision: to gain the upper hand against other Great Houses.
But, w.a.n.g Tong was just a n.o.body compared to House Li. So, how did he manage to persuade Ma Dutian?
w.a.n.g Tong turned around and was startled by Li Ruoer, who was standing behind him. Li Ruoer was surprised when she saw the tear streaks on w.a.n.g Tong"s cheeks. She never expected to see w.a.n.g Tong being emotional, much less cry.
w.a.n.g Tong felt that he owed her a favor. If it were not for Li Ruoer, he would never have gained the chance to prove himself to Ma Xiaoru"s father.
Family background aside, w.a.n.g Tong believed that he was the worthiest of Ma Xiaoru"s hand.
The two of them left the villa quietly. w.a.n.g Tong knew that it was time for him to act.
Li Ruoer wanted to ask w.a.n.g Tong many questions, but she was not sure where to start. Her mind raced as she wondered if she had spoiled her bother and father"s plan. They had forced house of Ma to a corner by using Ma Xiaoru"s recovery as a bargaining chip. But, Li Ruoer knew that it did not mean that Ma Dutian wouldn"t change his mind on the issue of the marriage.
Li Ruoer figured the only saving grace of this development was that she had gained w.a.n.g Tong"s trust. Soon, Li Ruoer would be able to unleash the real power of the Enchantress onto the unsuspecting victim.
At the thought of w.a.n.g Tong"s suffering, Li Ruoer"s lips curled up into a faint smile.
"You got a love problem, w.a.n.g Tong? I will solve it for you." Li Ruoer thought to herself.
w.a.n.g Tong had caused her enough problems. Every time they had a run in, w.a.n.g Tong was always able to stir up her soul energy by humiliating her. The worse was the last encounter when she had wasted all of her hard-earned soul energy, and so, she had to start from scratch in leveling up. w.a.n.g Tong had practically become the biggest roadblock in her cultivation, and had left Li Ruoer with no choice but to do away with him.
Without w.a.n.g Tong"s disturbance, Li Ruoer would become the youngest person in reaching the highest level of the Tactics of the enchantress among all cultivators except for the creator of the tactics.
She was born with a mischievous and deceiving personality, a perfect match with the Tactics of the Enchantress. She secretly hoped that w.a.n.g Tong would be strong enough to withstand her initial attacks, because Li Ruoer"s power fed off on w.a.n.g Tong"s power.
Meanwhile, the council meeting was discussing a pressing issue. Based on the NNT"s report, the Zergs were conducting an unprecedented experiment to further evolve their species by mixing superior human gene with that of the Zergs. The war had provided an excellent opportunity for them to collect human gene samples.
After reviewing all the evidence laid out by the NNT, the Li family conceded that the Zergs intention in this war was not to conquer the planet, but to conduct their hideous experiments.
The progress of the cleaning up the planet had been slow, NNT argued that the Zergs would gain the upper hand and reach a breakthrough in their research if the military didn"t take action right away. The only viable option NNT had proposed to eradicate the Zergs in such a short period was to annihilate the planet.
This proposal shocked the council since its implication would be significant. There were many parties involved in the development of Norton, and convincing any one of them to give up their investment would be nearly impossible. The Zergs had been collecting the human genes for a while, which it was an indication of their slow progress in hacking into the human gene. However, if they ever succeeded, the outcome could be catastrophic. The time was ticking.
The students had already been pulled back, and the military"s retreat would only be a matter of giving the orders since House Li were among the firm supporters of the retreat plan.
It seemed that Ma Sa"s plan was about to follow through, but he had overlooked another critical player, the Golden Hawk. The Golden Hawk had been the strongest opposer of the retreat plan, and they were convinced that the NNT had broken its vow of not getting involved in politics, and had formed a secret alliance with the House of Li. However, after seeing the evidence Ma Sa had given to the council, they changed their mind. Golden Hawk had always been the most hawkish faction, and they were more eager than anyone else to deliver a fatal blow to the Zergs. After watching the video of Zergs collecting Li s.h.i.+ming"s blood, the Golden Hawk wagered that once the Zergs evolved into a creature as powerful as Li Feng, that would be the end of human civilization.
However, the theory of a Zerg-Li Feng hybrid super being sounded preposterous to the majority of the council members. More than half of the council member opposed the retreat plan, and the opposers were also backed by the environmentalist who thought the humans would be no different from the Zergs if they destroyed an entire planet and the lives on it for the sake of their own well-being.
The two voices clashed with each other and the only thing that NNT could do was wait. Their jurisdiction was the investigation, but not in the decision making. After insistent persuasion and lobbying by the Li, the recent opinions of the council members seemed to favor the retreat plan finally. After all, despite how ridiculous their theory sounded, it was not unthinkable. And if the Zergs succeeded, that would be the end of the human race.
Once again, survival instinct trumped morality and common sense.
As the earthlings seemed to have reached a consensus on the issue, the Martians threw another wrench into the gears by dispatching a few fleets towards Norton. The secrets were no longer a secret, since everyone had heard the news that the military was going to blow up the planet. If the earthlings did that, the Martian investments would be all lost. The Martians had recently finished constructing a warp portable on its moon to Norton, betting on the prosperity on the planet after the war. If planet Norton were reduced to ashes, so would their years of investments.
After the Martians, the Ivantians followed suit to protect their precious metal mines, and the council was back to the drawing board.
At this point, the situation had already gone out of control. Even the mighty House Li was finally silenced under the pressures from all sides. Ma Sa knew then that his plan had failed. The most likely outcome from this political disaster was a full force attack led by all three factions. However, that, Ma Sa thought, was exactly what he wanted to see from the beginning.
"Father, that was the summary of the council meeting." Li s.h.i.+ming said.
"Ma Sa has already gotten what he wanted."
"What do you mean?"
"He knew it was impossible just to blow the planet apart. That wasn"t his intention. He simply wanted the Confederation to see the danger they are in by suggesting a desperate and extreme method. His plan was a ruse to coax the Confederation to dispatch more forces to the battlefield."
"I see! Why did you play along?"
"The outcome is not bad for us, is it? Zergs are everyone"s enemy, plus now, NNT owes us a huge favor. Ma Sa is a very influential person, and it doesn"t hurt to keep him close to our side. Sometimes, you need to focus on the future instead of the present."
"Yes, father."
"There is no need for you at the front line any longer. You should return and focus on handling your marriage proposal."
Every four years, the young warriors of the Confederation would gather together in a tournament to compete for the t.i.tle of the champion. It would not be an easy task for w.a.n.g Tong, but if he started to focus on strengthening his new sea of consciousness, he might have a chance.
The student"s experience in the military campaign had put a positive spin on their preparation for the tournament, as it motivated them to train with a newfound determination.
On the battlefield, the students had finally realized how small and vulnerable they were. The ruthless war would not give them a second chance to revisit the chapter on Zerg"s attack formation, nor would it give them another few weeks to strengthen their body so that they could move just an inch further away from death. If they didn’t train hard, they would have to the pay the ultimate price—their lives.